Smackdown
Date: December 30, 2022
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the final show of the year and that means we are going to be seeing more than a few big things this week. First and foremost, John Cena is back for his only match of the year as he teams with Kevin Owens to face Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns. In addition, we have the Women’s Title on the line as Ronda Rousey defends against Raquel Rodriguez. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s is Bray Wyatt for an opening chat. Wyatt does not see himself as a good person but he does try. Looking back at how he got here, he doesn’t regret much, but last week he did something that he did regret. Last week, he apologized a cameraman in cold blood and….here is LA Knight to interrupt.

Knight cannot believe that the master of the mind games is here to apologize because he doesn’t buy any of this. Wyatt has been playing mind games and now it is time to pay the check. Knight remembers Wyatt being something around here and he wants Wyatt to be again. The Royal Rumble is coming up and Knight wants to make his first a special one. Wyatt doesn’t think much of Knight and accepts the challenge.

Cue Uncle Howdy for a rather slow walk to the ring (with the lights still down so we can’t really see him). Howdy and Wyatt stand next to each other and stare down Knight, but Howdy lays out Wyatt. Knight: “What the h*** is going on? None of this makes any sense.” Howdy leaves on his own. That’s at least another step forward in the story.

Sami Zayn goes to the Bloodline’s dressing room and finds Paul Heyman instead of Roman Reigns. Zayn thinks they need to talk strategy before tonight’s main event but first Heyman wants to talk about how happy Reigns is with Zayn’s loyalty last week. However, it seems that Reigns might not be happy with the fans getting behind Zayn. He hasn’t said anything, but the key is to stay ahead of the future. With that, Zayn goes in and Heyman looks a bit worried.

Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa

As the match starts, Cole offers condolences to the family of Don West, who made an “impact” on the wrestling world. That’s a classy thing to do and it’s nice to see WWE acknowledge it in some way. A clothesline doesn’t get Sheamus very far to start so he knocks Sikoa over the top instead. An annoyed Sikoa grabs a chair but the Usos hold him back as we take an early break.

Back with Sheamus fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught with a Samoan drop. Sheamus fights up again and starts hammering away, including the ten forearms to the chest. The Brogue Kick is cut off with a superkick but Sheamus is right back with a running knee for two. It’s time for everyone to get in a fight on the floor, with Sheamus hitting a big dive off the top. The distraction lets Sikoa Rock Bottom Sheamus on the apron though and it’s the Samoan Spike to give Sikoa the pin at 11:07.

Rating: C+. It’s kind of impressive how well WWE has done with Sikoa. For someone who felt like a tacked on midcarder since his debut, WWE has turned him into a solid hand who could win almost any match that you put him in. This was another good outing from Sikoa and I’d like to see where he goes in the next few months.

Post match the beatdown is on and Sikoa wraps a chair around Sheamus’ neck. Before the running Umaga Attack can connect though, Drew McIntyre returns for the save to clear the ring.

Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rousey, with Shayna Baszler, is defending and goes right after Raquel’s bad arm to start. Rodriguez sends her into the corner though and hits an elbow as we take a break. Back with Rousey bending the arm around the rope and then pulling her down for a multiple limb crank (ouch). With that broken up, Rousey throws her down for two but Rodriguez powers up. A slam with the bad arm hurts both of them though and Rousey is right back with the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and Rodriguez hits a flapjack for a breather. The Tejana Bomb is countered into an armbar and they head outside, where the Tejana Bomb onto the apron rocks Rousey as we take another break.

Back again with Rousey caught in a delayed suplex for two. The arm gives out though and Rousey grabs a Kimura, only to be powered up again. The Tejana bomb is countered into a choke but Rodriguez powers out again. This time it’s a Baszler distraction but Rodriguez is able to hit the Vader Bomb elbow anyway. Baszler puts the foot on the rope just in time, only to get ejected for some pretty flagrant cheating. With Rodriguez standing on the middle rope, Rousey climbs onto her and gets the armbar in the ropes. Rodriguez drops her back but lands on the elbow, meaning Rousey’s armbar is good for the tap at 16:20.

Rating: B. These two have some great chemistry together as this was their second good match against each other. Rodriguez not winning here is a bit more acceptable as she has the arm injury and Baszler interference to balance things out. WWE has done a nice job with her in recent months and I’d be stunned if she doesn’t win the title at some point in the year.

Post match Rousey and Baszler celebrate…..and Charlotte is back! She gets straight to the point: she is challenging for the Women’s Title TONIGHT. Rousey is in.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Ronda Rousey

Charlotte is challenging. Big boot, spear, Rousey armbar, Charlotte rolls her up for the pin at 40 seconds. WWE is in on the CHARLOTTE WINS AGAIN now joke right? They have to be. And yes, Charlotte is the big hero in this.

Sami Zayn asks Roman Reigns if he’s cool with the crowd reactions. Reigns doesn’t seem thrilled.

We look at Dominik Mysterio being arrested for invading the Mysterios’ home on Christmas Eve. Rhea Ripley has since bailed him out.

A bunch of tag teams mock Top Dolla for his not so great dive last week. Dolla takes it well enough before shoving Ricochet. Holding back ensues.

Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight is set for the Royal Rumble in a Pitch Black match.

Here is Imperium for a chat. Ludwig Kaiser introduces the team and brags about Gunther’s Intercontinental Title reign. We see a video on the title reign before Braun Strowman interrupts. Strowman didn’t see himself in that video and he wants his own title shot. Imperium goes to leave instead but Strowman grabs Gunther. The fight is on with Strowman clearing the ring but the run around ringside is sent through the barricade. Gunther wears Strowman out with a chair and they get inside, where Gunther grabs an armbar. Ricochet makes the save with a chair and clears the ring again.

Roman Reigns/Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens/John Cena

The rest of the Bloodline is here too. Owens hammers on Zayn to start as Cena does his always good job of playing cheerleader on the apron. With Zayn down in the corner, Owens brings up the SAMI chants, much to Reigns’ annoyance. Reigns comes in and stares down Owens, who looks over to Cena. That lets reigns blast him with a clothesline and a Rock Bottom for two as we take a break.

Back with Owens trying to get the tag but Cena is knocked to the floor. A superkick into the Pop Up Powerbomb gives Owens two, with Reigns making the save. Reigns beats Owens down and tags himself in, only to miss the Superman Punch. Owens nails a superkick and the bullfrog splash gets two.

Reigns counters the Pop Up Powerbomb into a Superman Punch but the spear only hits post. Cena is back up on the apron and there’s the hot tag for Cena to beat up Zayn. House is cleaned and Reigns is dropped as well, allowing the tag back to Owens. Stereo Shuffles hit the Bloodline and it’s an AA to Reigns, followed by a Stunner to pin Zayn at 10:59.

Rating: C+. This was a question of whether they would do the big angle here or wait for the fallout next week. Cena being back means a lot though, even if it is likely just a one off appearance. He still feels like one of the biggest stars ever and having him back boosted the show a lot. The match felt like something special and that is a sign that they did it right.

Overall Rating: B. The main thing I’ll say about this show is that stuff happened here. Between the multiple returns, the surprise title change and Cena being in the main event, this was a show that did not feel boring in any way. Good, fast paced show and Smackdown feels like it is heading for the new year on a bit of a roll for a change.

Results
Solo Sikoa b. Sheamus – Samoan Spike
Ronda Rousey b. Raquel Rodriguez – Armbar
Charlotte b. Ronda Rousey – Rollup
John Cena/Kevin Owens b. Roman Reigns/Sami Zayn – Stunner to Zayn

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 28, 2022
Location: Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re done with Survivor Series and that means it is time to start the very long road to the Royal Rumble. That could include quite a few things, but we are almost guaranteed some kind of fallout from Sami Zayn officially declaring his allegiance to the Bloodline. Other than that, a lot of the show is wide open so let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

The Bloodline (minus Roman Reigns) is here and rather pleased with everything that happened on Saturday.

Here is Becky Lynch to get things going. She’s glad to be back but thinks she should be with the people. Becky goes into the crowd to high five some fans and meets some people named Bobby and Zachary (the latter of whom puts his arm around her, causing Becky to move away pretty quickly). Becky talks about how she has been gone for four months and is ready to start doing what the Man does. She can’t wait to take care of these new faces….and here is Bayley to interrupt.

Bayley is sick of hearing about Becky and doesn’t care what the fans think. Becky does NOT like Bayley disrespecting her new friends and the fight is teased, only to have Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky come down the steps to start the brawl. They fight up the steps and into the concourse, with Bayley getting involved as well. A merch stand is destroyed until referees finally get up there to break it up. This was a very different way to start the show and that is a GREAT change to see. It isn’t something you can do every week, but shaking things up a bit is a very nice idea.

We recap the return of Mia Yim to deal with Rhea Ripley.

Rhea Ripley vs. Mia Yim

Dominik Mysterio is here with Ripley. Mia knocks her to the apron to start and smiles a lot as things slow down. A leg trip sends Ripley face first into the mat and a Dominik distraction doesn’t do Ripley much good on the floor. Back in and Ripley hits a hard clothesline to take over before powering her down in a fairly impressive display.

Yim’s face is rammed into the mat a few times and Ripley starts yelling a lot. That’s enough for Yim to fight back up and kick her in the chest, only to have Eat Defeat blocked. Riptide is countered into a DDT to send Ripley outside so Yim pulls an interfering Dominik inside. Cue AJ Styles for the save so the referee throws it out at 7:02.

Rating: C. I get what they were going for here, as they didn’t want to have Ripley, who seems primed for a push towards the title, losing, but you also need Yim, who is here to deal with Ripley, to deal with Ripley. Ripley continues to look like a star and is starting to get the feeling for everything even more, making her a bigger highlight every week.

Post match the rest of the Judgment Day and OC run in for the big brawl, with OC cleaning house. Styles throws out the challenge for the big tag match so here we go.

OC vs. Judgment Day

The huge brawl starts on the floor on the floor until we settle down to Styles vs. Balor inside. Balor gets caught in the wrong corner and the OC gets to take turns beating on him, as tends to be the case. A quick escape lets Balor bring Priest in for the big man showdown with Gallows, meaning they trade shots to the head. Dominik offers a distraction so Priest can kick Gallows down and take over.

Gallows manages to get to the corner for the hot tag to Anderson for some house cleaning, including a backsplash to Balor. That’s broken up by Priest’s clothesline though and we hit the double arm crank. Dominik hits the slingshot hilo but it’s right back to Priest for a legdrop/backbreaker combination with Balor. Judgment Day, including Ripley, get in their shots on Anderson, who eventually jawbreaks his way out of Balor’s chinlock.

Anderson knocks Balor away again and the hot tag brings in Styles to clean house. The moonsault reverse DDT plants Balor out of the corner but Ripley makes the save. Styles grabs Ripley’s leg to block a kick before bringing Yim back in to wreck Ripley again. Everything breaks down and Yim dives on Ripley, leaving Priest to hit Gallows with South of Heaven. Styles hits Priest with the Phenomenal Forearm but Balor runs him down. Yim slams Balor but walks into Riptide to give Ripley the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. I’m hoping that this feud wraps up soon, as having them all fight against each other and one team winning is kind of a definitive result. It wouldn’t surprise me to see some big gimmick blowoff match, but Judgment Day winning here is likely a sign that the feud’s days are numbered. Again though, Ripley looks like the biggest deal on the team and good for her to get the win.

Earlier today, the Street Profits returned and are ready for…getting interrupted by the Alpha Academy. Chad Gable mocks the Profits’ catchphrase and announces that they’ll be having a match tonight. Works for the Profits.

Here is the Bloodline (minus Roman Reigns) for a chat. They celebrate their win, with Sami Zayn talking about how he has finally been accepted into the team. Sami talks directly to Jey Uso, saying the way he accepted Sami at the end of the match, that was UCEY. We get the big hug and celebration but Kevin Owens interrupts.

Owens still can’t get over what Sami did to him at WarGames. They have turned on each other so many times, but now Owens is just done with him. Sami says he doesn’t need Owens anymore, but Owens calmly says the Bloodline is never going to be Sami’s blood. Jey stands up for Sami, so Owens says they can do this later tonight. Challenge accepted. The eternal saga of Owens and Zayn still works and the appeal of the two of them fighting against the Bloodline together is rather strong.

We look at Damage Ctrl beating down Candice LeRae and putting her on the shelf last month.

LeRae is back and seems a bit nervous about her match with Dakota Kai, but she’s ready to fight. She takes the mic and reintroduces herself, promising to take Kai out tonight.

Matt Riddle and Elias are in the back and want to see how far the team can go, as Elias has never held gold. The Usos come in to mock them and a match seems to be teased for later.

Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy

The Profits are back and come through the crowd for their energized entrance. Ford and Gable fight over wrist control to start with Gable taking him to the mat with a chinlock. Ford fights up and hands it off to Dawkins, who is taken straight down as well. That doesn’t last long either as Dawkins fights up and runs Gable over with a clothesline. Everything breaks down and the Profits hit the stereo flip dives to the floor, sending us to the break.

Back with Ford trying a sunset flip but getting reversed into a northern lights suplex for two more. A DDT plants Gable though and a missed charge sends Otis into the post for a much needed breather. The diving tag brings in Dawkins to clean house as everything breaks down. Gable suplexes Dawkins for two with Ford having to make the save. Ford manages to slam Otis and the Cash Out finishes Gable at 12:04.

Rating: C+. The match was good but it feels like something I’ve seen them do a few dozen times now. The tag division continues to have such little depth and having these same teams fight each other over and over doesn’t help. Even though the Profits have been gone for awhile, they’re still fighting Alpha Academy and that is only going to get them so far.

We look at Austin Theory winning the US Title at Survivor Series.

Here is Theory for a chat to brag about his title win. Theory says he isn’t going anywhere and is now the face of Raw. Everyone is jealous of him being so much younger and better and the Theory Era has begun. The open challenge is on and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. Rollins talks about how Theory lucked his way into the title and calls him “kid”. He wants a rematch for the title and calls Theory “kid” again, which is enough to accept the title, albeit on Theory’s terms.

We recap Miz vs. Johnny Gargano/Dexter Lumis.

Miz has a bag of money to put up against Dexter Lumis, but his hand is injured so the match can’t happen. Adam Pearce comes in to say no, Miz’s hand isn’t hurt, so the match is taking place.

Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz

If Lumis wins, he gets the money and a contract but if Miz wins, Lumis is gone. The brawl is on before the bell and they fight outside rather quickly. Miz gets knocked onto the barricade and we take a break. Back with….Miz holding Lumis head in a vice (as in the metal tool) but Lumis fights out and hits a spinebuster.

They fight over the barricade and Miz gets thrown into a TV. Miz is laid over a table and elbowed through it for the big crash. Back in and the Silencer and Skull Crushing Finale are both blocked, leaving Lumis to miss a charge into the corner. A rollup with feet on the ropes gets two on Lumis, who is right back with the Side Effect into the Silencer for the win at 9:42.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t wild on this match going in and then they lost me with the vice stuff. It was such a silly look and it took me out of anything they were doing. Sure it’s a silly feud, but you don’t have to go full on cartoon with it. At least now it should be over though and Miz can get on to something more important while Lumis….what the heck is he supposed to do anyway?

Post match Lumis gets the money and hands a bunch of kids $100 bills. Miz jumps him from behind and grabs the money, including from a kid (that’s some evil) but Johnny Gargano comes out with a superkick. The kid gets the money back in a nice moment.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Damage Ctrl earlier tonight.

Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai

Joined in progress (with the opening shown in split screen) with the erst of Damage Ctrl banned from ringside. Candice rolls her up for two but Kai goes with the choking to cut it off. Back up and Kai hits a pump kick, only to have Candice knock her right back down. A missile dropkick gives Candice two and we take a break.

Back with Candice grabbing something like a German suplex for two but Kai kicks her out of the air. LeRae misses a Lionsault so Kai puts her up top. That’s broken up as well though and Mrs. LeRae’s Wild Ride (the middle rope swinging neckbreaker) is enough to finish Kai off at 12:28.

Rating: C+. It’s good to see LeRae getting a win as she needs to really be established. She hasn’t been around long in the first place and having her go away for a few weeks, likely to avoid the question of “why isn’t she in WarGames” didn’t help things. Now she can get a chance to show what she can do, which could be a nice addition to the division.

Jey Uso is warming up for the main event.

Long video on the WarGames matches.

Bianca Belair is happy with the win and Asuka agrees. Alexa Bliss says Becky Lynch was a great choice, but doesn’t seem overly enthusiastic.

Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso

The rest of the Bloodline is here too. They slug it out to start with Owens knocking him outside to take over early. Solo Sikoa offers a distraction though and Jey gets in a cheap shot as we take a break. Back with Owens’ Swanton hitting raised knees, allowing Jey to slowly hammer away. There’s a hard whip into the corner to drop Owens again and Jey is fired up.

Owens manages to reverse a whip into the corner though and now the Cannonball can connect. A hard whip into the corner flips Owens upside down though and Jey takes over again as we take another break. Back again with Jey hitting the pop up belly to back suplex into a neckbreaker and hammering away at a downed Owens. Jey takes him up top but gets reversed into the swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker.

They’re both down though, allowing Jey to come back with a heck of a superkick for another double knockdown. Another superkick gets two but the Samoan drop is blocked. The Stunner is blocked as well and Jey hits another superkick for another two. Owens winds up on the apron where Sikoa offers a distraction, only to have Jey miss the Superfly Splash. The Stunner finishes Jey at 22:18.

Rating: B. This match got some time and allowed both of them to showcase what they can do. If nothing else, the Bloodline taking a loss, even a minor one like this, feels like a big deal and now we might be getting a step closer to their decline. We’re still a LONG way off, but seeing them lose is something we haven’t seen very often and it could go somewhere down the road.

Overall Rating: B. The most important thing to be said about this show is that it was energized. There was very little on the show that dragged and most of the matches were good to rather good. Owens/Zayn felt like it got its big segment where Zayn has something to think about, plus Judgment Day got its major win over the OC. Good show here and I actually had a lot of fun with it, which isn’t something you can say about Raw very often.

Results
Rhea Ripley vs. Mia Yim went to a no contest when AJ Styles and Dominik Mysterio interfered
Judgment Day b. OC – Riptide to Yim
Street Profits b. Alpha Academy – Cash Out to Gable
Dexter Lumis b. The Miz – Silencer
Candice LeRae b. Dakota Kai – Mrs. LeRae’s Wild Ride
Kevin Owens b. Jey Uso – Stunner

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 17, 2022
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

We’re rapidly approaching Crown Jewel and WWE has the main event covered with Logan Paul challenging Roman Reigns. That leaves some spots open for the rest of the card, some of which needs to be filled in soon. Odds are we’ll get some of that soon and you can probably guess some of the matches from here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Bobby Lashley in the ring mid-promo, where he calls out Brock Lesnar. Cue Lesnar as I’m impressed that they found a much more logical way to start the show for once. They get in a fight before Lesnar can even make it to the ring, with Lashley getting posted on the floor. Lashley slips out of another posting and sends Lesnar into it instead. A spear through the barricade draws out wrestlers and officials to break it up but Lashley gets away. This time it’s Lesnar going through the announcers’ table (on the second attempt) to leave him laying.

OC vs. Alpha Academy

AJ Styles is here with the OC. Anderson takes Gable into the corner to start and it’s off to Gallows vs. Otis. The shots in the corner stagger Otis so Anderson comes back in. A cheap shot from the apron lets Otis knock him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Gallows cleaning house until Anderson gets caught with a northern lights suplex for two. That doesn’t work so well as it’s the Magic Killer for the pin on Gable at 8:14.

Rating: C. This was your standard “welcome back” match as the OC shows that they can beat one of the established teams around here. That was never really in doubt as the Academy has fallen through the floor in recent months, but they do still serve a purpose. The Magic Killer can still look good and this was about as solid of a use as the Academy has at the moment.

Post match the Judgment Day comes out with Finn Balor saying he started this Club. The challenge is thrown out for Crown Jewel and the match is made rather quickly. Styles wants to fight right now though, but it’s Dominik Mysterio to say AJ would run away like Rey Mysterio did to Smackdown. AJ challenges Dominik for tonight and Rhea Ripley accepts for him. Dominik isn’t ready right now though so we’ll do it in like an hour or so. Styles tells him to drink some water though so he can beat the p*** out of him.

We look back at Seth Rollins winning the United States Title last week.

Here is a rather jazzed up Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins brags about being the new champion and is ready to wipe the floor with Matt Riddle tonight. Cue Mustafa Ali of all people to interrupt, allowing him to congratulate Rollins as well. Ali is wondering when Rollins is going to congratulate Brock Lesnar for the help but we can move on from that.

See, Bobby Lashley promised Ali the next shot and Ali wants the shot, no matter who the champion is. Rollins laughs him off because Ali doesn’t belong in this ring. Ali TAKES ROLLINS’ GLASSES and says he is Rollins’ next freakin problem. Rollins calls him a good man and father and then punches him in the face. The champ goes to leave but Ali jumps him from behind. The fight is on and Ali takes a heck of a posting.

JBL’s limo arrives.

Damage Ctrl vs. Candice LeRae/Bianca Belair

Non-title and Bayley is on commentary. Candice takes Sky down to start and hands it off to Belair. Kai comes in and gets shouldered hard but everything breaks down. The villains are knocked to the floor, where Candice hits a springboard dive to send us to a break. Back with Sky rolling Belair up for two and Kai coming in to pull Belair by the braid. That doesn’t last long either as Belair gets over for the tag off to LeRae. A step up backsplash onto Kai’s back lets Candice go up top, only to get pulled back down.

Candice gets knocked down into the corner so Kai can hold her down with a boot to the face. That’s broken up as well and it’s back to Belair to clean house. LeRae comes back in off a blind tag and it’s Belair with a suplex into LeRae’s missile dropkick for two with Kai having to make a save. Belair gets sent outside so Bayley grabs a kendo stick, earning herself a tackle over the announcers’ table. That leaves Sky and Kai to hit a kind of double electric chair for the pin on LeRae at 12:11.

Rating: C+. These four worked well together and you can all but guarantee that we’re getting another Bayley vs. Belair match sooner than later. I’m not big on seeing LeRae take another fall but getting beaten by the champs 2-1 isn’t the worst situation. Energetic match here though, with Sky and Kai working well together.

Matt Riddle is ready to win the US Title. He sees Mustafa Ali and says when he wins, Ali can have a shot. Ali appreciates that but they hear Miz shouting about slipping and hurting his knee. Riddle talks about knowing a sanitation engineer, but Miz is sure he’s torn his ACL so GET HIM SOME HELP.

Judgment Day is getting Dominik Mysterio ready but NXT’s Cora Jade comes up to Rhea Ripley. Jade wants Rhea to come to NXT and hurt Roxanne Perez in their Pick Your Poison match tomorrow.  Ripley is in.

Here is JBL of all people for a special appearance. After insulting the Oklahoma Sooners football team for losing to a real team like the Texas Longhorns, JBL talks about Rey Mysterio leaving Monday Night Raw for Smackdown. It turns out that, thanks to a trade there is a new star here in the form of…..Baron Corbin! After Corbin gets his big entrance, JBL mocks modern stars such as Dolph Ziggler who are taking money and TV time that could go to people like Corbin. Cue Ziggler and it’s time for a match (which happens to be a rematch of Corbin’s first match on Raw back in 2016).

Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler

JBL is on commentary. Corbin kicks Ziggler in the face to start and chokes him on the apron. Ziggler fights up and knocks Corbin into the corner for an Arn Anderson eye rake across the rope. A reverse suplex gives Corbin two and a hard clothesline puts Ziggler on the floor. There’s a whip into the steps to keep Ziggler down and we take a break.

Back with Ziggler hammering away but getting caught with a fall away slam to cut that off in a hurry. The jumping DDT gives Ziggler two but Deep Six gives Corbin the same. Ziggler is back up with the Zig Zag for two more, only to have Corbin come back with End Of Days and the pin at 13:36.

Rating: C-. So Corbin is back and….yeah he’s still Baron Corbin. His in-ring work was its usual decent power work which didn’t exactly have me begging to see more. Then you have Ziggler, who is good at what he does but we’ve seen it so many times that it loses some luster. That is the case with both of them here and it was showing badly: it wasn’t bad, but how many times can you get excited about seeing these two?

Miz doesn’t want anyone to come near his knee but Byron Saxton comes in to suggest that Miz staged the whole thing. That’s too far for Miz, but his knee hurts so he can’t yell. A voice shouts IT’S DEXTER LUMIS so Miz pops up and is just fine. That would be Johnny Gargano, who was mistaken about Lumis but is impressed by Miz’s recovery. The match still seems to be on.

MVP and Omos don’t think much of Braun Strowman. Giants aren’t real, but monsters are.

Here is the still weird Bray Wyatt segment from Smackdown, albeit a bit condensed.

Cameron Grimes is here and asks if the OC want to be his partners tomorrow night against the Schism. They’re in, which Grimes declares to be TOO SWEET.

Crown Jewel rundown, with Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley added to the card.

AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio

OC and Judgment Day are here too. Styles doesn’t waste time by kicking him outside but Dominik is back up with a cheap shot. Choking on the ropes ensues and Rhea Ripley is rather pleased with everything that is going on. A neck snap across the top sets up the Eddie Dance into the slingshot hilo for two on Styles. That earns Dominik a shot to the face and a toss to the floor as we take an early break.

Back with Dominik backing off but getting dropped again, only to have Rhea crotch Styles on top. Three Amigos drop Styles but he’s back up with a gutbuster. The threat of a 619 doesn’t work for Dominik as Styles pulls him into a Calf Crusher. With that broken up, Rhea offers a distraction so Dominik can grab a rollup to give Dominik the upset pin at 14:27.

Rating: C. I’ll give them this: WWE has done a masterful job of making the crowd boo Dominik out of the building every time he does anything. The ending was a good way to make Dominik look a little more dangerous and it’s not like he pinned Styles clean. Dominik is working in this role and if we can keep him away from Rey Mysterio, he could actually turn into a little something.

Miz is getting ready when Johnny Gargano comes up. Miz isn’t cool with what Gargano did and he’s coming for him next. Works for Gargano.

We look at Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar’s show opening fight again.

Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz

If Lumis wins he gets a contract, but if Miz wins, Lumis is gone from WWE. Hold on though as Miz jumps him from behind and hits a Skull Crushing Finale onto a chair. No match.

Damage Ctrl isn’t worried about anyone they’re facing because they have taken out Alexa Bliss and Asuka. Next week, Bayley wants Bianca Belair.

Miz runs into Johnny Gargano, who says that attacking Dexter Lumis was a bad move. Lumis isn’t going to stop until Miz gives him when he wants. Miz gets annoyed, so Gargano threatens him with….a whistle?

Here’s the returning Elias, who explains that his brother’s career was cut short. The show must still go on though and he has a special song ready. Cue Matt Riddle with his bongos to talk about how Zeked out he got over Ezekiel. Riddle: “You want to hit my bong?” Elias turns him down but promises they can play together one day. Riddle has a seat as Elias starts to play but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt.

US Title: Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is defending and Elias is at ringside. Riddle goes right for the triangle choke (how he won at Extreme Rules) and Rollins bails to the floor. Back in and a gutwrench suplex sends Rollins down again, only to have him come back with a shot to the throat. Riddle knocks him to the floor though and Elias gets taunted into hitting the jumping knee.

We take a break and come back with Riddle striking away, including a running forearm in the corner. The Floating Bro gets two and Riddle wins another slugout. Another Floating Bro is broken up, allowing Rollins to hit the reverse superplex, which he rolls into the reverse Falcon arrow for two. Rollins goes up for the frog splash but dives into the triangle choke, which isn’t broken up with a powerbomb.

A buckle bomb doesn’t break it either so Rollins gets a boot on the rope for the break. Rollins bails to the floor, where he can’t get Elias to interfere. Instead, Rollins drops Elias, only to get kicked down by Riddle. The snap powerslam and the hanging DDT look to set up the RKO but Elias comes in. Rollins shoves Riddle into him and the Stomp is enough to retain the title at 14:21.

Rating: B-. The question here wasn’t whether or not Elias would factor into the ending but rather how would he cost Riddle the match. In this case they went with the accidental version, meaning there isn’t much of a reason for Elias and Riddle to fight. Rollins escaping with the title is the way to go with him, as he fits the weaselly champion idea to perfection. If you ignore the fact that this renders the main event of Extreme Rules pretty worthless, there wasn’t much to complain about here.

Post match Rollins hits Elias with a Stomp of his own. Another Stomp to Riddle is loaded up but Mustafa Ali comes in to knock Rollins outside. The suicide dive connects and Ali sends Rollins running through the crowd to end the show. That’s how you make a title feel valuable: have people treat it like it’s important.

Overall Rating: C-. This show felt flat almost all night, as it started with a bang and then didn’t do much else to keep the interest. Lesnar vs. Lashley is going to be a hoss fight, but a six man tag between Judgment Day and OC and whatever they have for the US Title doesn’t quite interest me for Crown Jewel. Maybe they have something else up their sleeves, but for now, there isn’t much to get excited about from Raw, save for the monster fight.

Results
OC b. Alpha Academy – Magic Killer to Gable
Damage Ctrl b. Candice LeRae/Bianca Belair – Double electric chair to LeRae
Baron Corbin b. Dolph Ziggler – End Of Days
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Rollup
Seth Rollins b. Matt Riddle – Stomp

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 5, 2022
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Clash At The Castle and that means we have about a month to go before Extreme Rules. Odds are we’ll be seeing a bunch of Clash rematches at the show, some of which might be set up tonight. In addition to that, the extreme starts tonight as we have a steel cage match with US Champion Bobby Lashley defending against the Miz. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash At The Castle if you need a recap.

Here is Edge to get things going. Edge wants to talk about Dominik Mysterio, who he has watched grow up. He sees Dominik like family and is here to help the Mysterios against Judgment Day. Is it because of that one accidental spear? If so Edge is sorry, but what is going on with Dom? Rey raised him better than that but Edge is a different beast entirely. If Dom thinks he’s a man, then he needs to come out here and pay a man’s price.

Cue Rey, but Edge says that isn’t the Mysterio he wanted. He calls out Dominik again, only to get Rhea Ripley instead. She talks about Edge and Rey thinking Dominik as just a little boy, but she saw the potential in him and turned him into a man. Cue Dominik with his hair slicked back and in all black, so Rey says snap out of it and make things right. Rhea says Dominik isn’t listening to Rey anymore and Edge can’t stop his judgment day. Rey says he can’t be part of this and walks away, but stops to talk to Dominik in the aisle.

Dominik won’t even look at him, though he might be listening to the EDDIE SUCKS chants. Rey walks off and looks back (great shot) as Edge tells Dominik to get in the ring. Cue Finn Balor and Damian Priest from behind to jump Edge and the beatdown is on. Rey comes back and gets taken out as well. A Coup de Grace onto a chair onto Edge’s knee likely writes him off TV for the time being, with Rey coming in to clear things out. Priest puts his arm around Dominik, who seems to have joined the team.

Earlier today, Miz and Ciampa arrived, with the former not wanting to talk about Dexter Lumis being in the back of his car as he left last week. Then eh asks why he is never asked how he is doing. Interviewer: “How are you?” Miz: “None of your business.” They walk over and see a car turned upside down. Uh oh.

New Day vs. Alpha Academy vs. Los Lotharios vs. Street Profits

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot and whoever gets pinned gets to explain why the Viking Raiders aren’t included. Woods and Garza start things off but we pause so Garza can TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. Then Garza tags in Kofi so New Day has to face off. They get smart by going New Age Outlaws with Woods laying down so Kofi can steal the pin, which draws in everyone for the save.

New Day is left alone in the ring and for some reason they don’t do the same thing again, instead hitting stereo running flip dives onto everyone else as we take a break. Back with Ford kicking his way out of trouble and handing it off to Dawkins to clean house. Dawkins hits his own running flip dive, leaving the once again legal Ford to have to flip out of the American Automatic.

Back in and everyone but Alpha Academy go up top, with Ford and Woods being slammed out of different corners. Humberto’s moonsault hits raised boots and Otis plants Ford for two with Kofi making the save as we take a break. Back with Ford throwing Otis down but getting caught on top by Los Lotharios. With the two of them taken out, Ford dives onto Otis but gets ankle locked by Gable….and never mind as Braun Strowman is back. Strowman wrecks everyone and we’ll call it a no contest at about 14:30.

Rating: C+. The match was fun while it lasted but this was all about the big surprise in the end. The other good thing is that none of the teams are actually getting a title shot at the moment, because there is no reason to have any of them get a chance. New Day and Profits vs. Usos have both been run into the ground so let’s move on and do something fresh, hopefully with the Vikings, who should be the #1 contenders anyway.

Post match Strowman wrecks everyone, including powerslamming Dawkins through the announcers’ table.

Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Ash/Doudrop

Non-title. Aliyah tries to take Doudrop down to start and gets hit in the face for her efforts. A running hurricanrana goes badly as well and Doudrop swings her into the buckles a few times. We see Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky watching in the back and they are officially dubbed Damage Control.

Nikki takes Aliyah down out of the corner for two, with Rodriguez having to make a save. The tag brings in Rodriguez a few seconds later and house is cleaned. Rodriguez can’t powerbomb Doudrop though and a backsplash gives Doudrop two. Everything breaks down and Aliyah pulls Ash off the apron, leaving Rodriguez to manage a Tejana Bomb out of the corner to pin Doudrop at 3:31.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it was a good enough way to get the new champs on the show. I don’t know how long they are going to hold the titles but at least they got to win a match and hold up the titles for a week. Odds are those titles are Damage Control’s to win, though the question is when they get there.

Rey Mysterio says he needs to talk to Dominik but he will never put his hands on his son, no matter what Judgment Day does to him. For tonight though, he wants any member of the team one on one.

We look at Sheamus getting a standing ovation at Clash At The Castle.

Here is Austin Theory for a chat. Things went well on Saturday and Crown Jewel (Theory: “Just kidding, Clash At The Castle!”) was a success. He’s still the youngest Mr. Money In The Bank ever, but unlike everyone else, he keeps getting up after being knocked down by a World Champion boxer. Theory is glad that Roman Reigns is still champion because they have history together. His jaw still hurts and here is Kevin Owens to interrupt.

Owens wonders what’s wrong with Theory’s jaw and then remembered that he got KO’D! Oh and he found his first name again! Owens can’t stand delusional people and no one is more delusional than Theory. What Tyson Fury did to him on Saturday was a good thing, because if Theory had cashed in, Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns would have put him down.

Theory brings up how long it has been since Owens won a title. Owens talks about how he had McIntyre and Reigns beaten and the only reason Theory has the briefcase is because Owens wasn’t in the ladder match. As Owens gets into a frenzy, he thinks a referee is about to come down here and one of them is going to say let’s fight (Owens: “That’s me!”) so let’s go.

Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory

Theory bails to the floor to start and gets run over, setting up a corner clothesline back inside. There’s the Cannonball to send Theory back outside, where the apron frog splash crushes him to take us to a break. Back with Owens fighting out of a chinlock and sending Theory face first into the announcers’ table. A backsplash hits Theory for two back inside but he manages the rolling dropkick for two. The chinlock goes on and we go to a split screen to see Fury knocking Theory out again on Saturday.

Owens fights up and forearms away, setting up a series of clotheslines to the floor. A Swanton to the floor only hits raised knees though and we take another break. Back again with Owens hitting the middle rope Swanton but getting knocked down again. A Town Down is blocked and Owens nails a superkick, only to be sent outside. Theory sends him HARD into the steps for a close nine count and takes Owens back up top. That earns Theory the swinging superplex and the Pop Up Powerbomb sets up the Stunner to give Owens the pin at 16:52.

Rating: B-. They got some time here, minus the pair of commercials, so this was a rather nice showcase for Owens. I’m still not big on seeing Theory lose over and over again, but at least he is back on TV and has his first name back. The problem with Money In The Bank right now is having to deal with such a dominant champion, so we could be waiting around for a good while. That isn’t likely to go well for Theory either, as things have already been going badly for him and could get even worse.

Miz still doesn’t want to talk about Dexter Lumis, but he is cool with the United States Title match tonight, because he is better than Bobby Lashley one on one.

Long recap of Clash At The Castle.

Video on a soldier who earned the Medal Of Honor.

Here is Damage Control for a chat. Bayley brags about their win at Clash At The Castle and says imagine what they can do to the rest of the women’s division. Sky promises to take the Tag Team Titles next week because Kai wasn’t legal last week. Bayley wants Bianca Belair too, so here is Belair to say let’s do it right now. That’s a no from Bayley because she isn’t working on Labor Day, but for now all we’re doing is celebrating that she beat Belair, YEAH.

Belair remembers it took three women to beat her and she still has the title, so Bayley is in control of nothing. The trio heads to the floor, with Bayley saying she has nothing to prove to Belair. She’ll take the title when she wants it and promises to get it one way or another, which seems to be a threat from Sky and Kai.

We take a long look at Drew McIntyre’s entrance at Clash At The Castle.

Johnny Gargano is glad to be back here but Austin Theory comes in to say Gargano has been Johnny Talking since he got back. Gargano says that’s true, but he’s back in the ring next week.

Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest

Rey goes right at him to start but has to escape the South of Heaven chokeslam. A big boot drops Rey fast and a running shoulder to the ribs makes it even worse. Another charge only hits post though and Rey hammers away as hard as he can. A springboard spinning crossbody lets Rey fire off more right hands to the face but Priest gets in a few shots to take over again. Rey dropkicks him to the floor but gets dropped again as the rest of Judgment Day comes out.

We take a break and come back with Rey fighting out of a chinlock and sending Priest outside for more kicks. Back in and Rey hits a Lionsault, followed by a spinning DDT for a breather. The 619 is countered though and Priest kicks him in the face again. Back up and Rey tries another 619, only to get cut off by Dominik. That’s enough for the South of Heaven to finish Rey at 13:28.

Rating: C+. Rey knows how to deal with a monster like this and Priest looked good in victory. Dominik costing Rey the match makes it even better and odds are we’re coming up on the Mysterio showdown, whenever they actually get there. Rey isn’t going to be hurt by the loss and now the question becomes how well Dominik can be presented on his way to the match with his dad. Priest was just the heavy here but he knows how to make it work so this went well.

Post match Rhea Ripley says that Dominik is ready to get rid of Edge next week.

We look back at Braun Strowman attacking everyone again.

Strowman says he’s back and no one is safe. See you on Smackdown.

We look back at Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle on Saturday.

Riddle says he let his emotions get the better of him.

Rollins is proud of his win and moving on to bigger and better things.

United States Title: The Miz vs. Bobby Lashley

Miz, with Tommaso (yes Tommaso) Ciampa is challenging inside a cage. We get the Big Match Intros and Miz jumps him with the title before the bell. They go to the floor (not an escape as the match hasn’t started yet) with Lashley being double teamed for some double applause. Lashley’s arm is crushed with the steps and we take a break before the match actually starts.

We take a break and come back with the match joined in progress as Miz covers him for two. Miz stomps away and the YES Kicks get two more. Lashley gets fired up and hits a swinging neckbreaker before sending Miz into the cage a few times. The threat of a spear sends Miz bailing for the door but even Ciampa’s assist can’t get him outside. Lashley sends Miz into the cage a few more times but Miz goes for the bad arm to block the Hurt Lock. That’s enough to send Lashley up the cage, only to have Ciampa swat him down with a chair. Miz is back up with a running knee for two and we take another break.

Back with Lashley fighting out of a Crossface and taking Miz up for a top rope superplex and two. Miz avoids a spear to send Lashley into the cage, setting up the Skull Crushing Finale for two. Back up and Lashley goes for the door but has to knock Ciampa down, allowing Miz to slam the door on Lashley’s head over and over. Miz goes to escape…and Dexter Lumis has crawled out from underneath the ring. That makes Miz climb back in and the spear retains the title at 13:58.

Rating: C+. See how easy it is to make a title feel important again? Over the last few weeks, Lashley has been defending the title because people have been trying to take it from him. That puts Lashley on a winning streak, which is what you need to make a champion feel that much more important. It is such a simple idea and it worked well here. Miz did his thing and the Lumis deal at the end was the logical way to go, making this a good main event on both fronts.

Post match Lumis climbs into the cage and Lashley shuts the door. Lumis chokes Miz out and…strokes his head to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The positive about this show is really simple: they had stories going on throughout the match and added in wrestling to fill things out. They didn’t waste much time (fair enough on the video packages as a lot of the roster was in Wales two days ago) and the feuds were advanced. Throw in a big return from Strowman and this was an efficient and even well done Raw. Good show here as the show is starting to get into more of a much needed rhythm.

Results
New Day vs. Alpha Academy vs. Los Lotharios vs. Street Profits went to a no contest when Braun Strowman interfered
Raquel Rodriguez/Aliyah b. Nikki Ash/Doudrop – Tejana Bomb to Doudrop
Kevin Owens b. Austin Theory – Stunner
Damian Priest b. Rey Mysterio – South of Heaven
Bobby Lashley b. The Miz – Spear

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 29, 2022
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith

It’s the go home show for Clash At The Castle but there is a lot to cover tonight as well. This week will see the finals of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles as Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai face Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah, plus a special appearance by hometown boy Kurt Angle. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler vs. Judgment Day

Rhea Ripley is here with Judgment Day, who Graves says “no one has had an answer for”. As I try to remember when they last won a big match over someone not named Mysterio, Priest stomps Styles into the corner to start and knocks Ziggler off the apron. Styles is back up with a dropkick and a clothesline to the floor, setting up the slingshot forearm as we take an early break.

Back with Ziggler in trouble but managing to counter Balor’s Styles Clash into a Fameasser. That’s enough for the (not exactly necessary) jump into the tag to Styles so the pace can be picked up. Priest knocks Styles into Balor to knock him off the apron but Styles is back with the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. Balor breaks up the Calf Crusher and Styles is sent outside, setting up the South of Heaven chokeslam to give Priest the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what Graves was talking about with saying no one can stop Judgment Day but they did need a win to put them back on track. The match was good enough for a short opener and that is all it needed to be. Odds are Edge is going to be back for Balor sooner than later and this gives them some momentum towards that match.

Judgment Day goes to leave but we see Edge arriving. That makes the team head back to the ring to wait on him as we take a break. Post break, Judgment Day calls Edge to the ring because we aren’t in Toronto and Beth Phoenix isn’t here to save him. Cue Edge to say we’re not in Toronto but rather Pittsburgh and Beth isn’t here tonight. Edge is confident enough in his masculinity to say he and Beth both wear the pants in his family. That’s because he isn’t a caveman who couldn’t get tickets to the My Chemical Romance tour. Edge is indeed back, but he didn’t come alone.

Cue the Mysterios with kendo sticks (because chairs aren’t a thing in wrestling anymore) but Dominik can’t bring himself to hit Rhea Ripley. Instead he hands her the stick and lets the team leave after a staredown. Dominik continues to look like a moron in this whole story. And he still needs a haircut.

Miz and Ciampa don’t want to talk about Dexter Lumis.

Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez promise to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Asuka/Alexa Bliss/Bianca Belair vs. Danny Mo/Kay Sparks/Katie Arquette

Belair faceplants Sparks to start so it’s off to Katie, who gets flipped over in the corner. Belair tells the other two to come in and suplexes Katie down. Bliss comes in with a splash before Asuka misses a charge in the corner. Some spinning strikes drop Mo for two and everything breaks down, with Belair hitting the KOD to Sparks. Asuka grabs something like an Octopus on the mat to make Mo tap at 3:17.

Rating: C-. Quick match here with the stars getting a chance to be built up on the way to their showdown at Clash At The Castle. You don’t see that happen very often on Raw and it’s nice to have around for a change. The jobbers got in some offense to keep it from being total destruction but the match accomplished its goal.

Miz doesn’t want to talk about what Dexter Lumis did and since he didn’t press charges, Lumis has been released from custody. He still won’t talk about it.

Here is Kurt Angle for the big homecoming. He hypes up Clash At The Castle but here is the Alpha Academy to interrupt. Post break, Chad Gable talks about how Kurt won a gold medal in the Olympics. Angle: “And I won it with a broken freaking neck.” Gable was ready to continue the open challenge here in Pittsburgh but there is no talent in this town. The fans don’t approve but Gable says there is an Olympic hero in this ring, AND KURT ANGLE, so show some respect.

As a special one night only offer, Angle can join the Alpha Academy with no strings attached. Angle throws the jacket back though, with Gable saying “Exqueeze me?” Angle loads up the It’s True but gets SHHHHsed, setting up a SHUSH off. That’s too far for Gable, but the Street Profits run in before Otis violence can ensue. The Profits set up the match and we’re ready to go. Hang on though: Gable throws in a stipulation that if the Academy wins, Angle joins the Academy. Sure why not.

Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy

Ford chops at Otis to start but gets caught with a gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam. Gable comes in but Ford gets over to Dawkins to pick up the pace. Gable and Otis are sent outside for the running flip dive from Dawkins for a big crash. Back in and Gable dragon screw legwhips Dawkins out of the corner and Otis stands on Dawkins to make it worse.

Dawkins is back up without much trouble though and hands it off to Ford to clean house. A suplex into a standing moonsault gets two on Gable but the frog splash is broken up as we take a break. Back with Dawkins coming in but getting planted by Otis. Ford low bridges Otis to the floor so Dawkins can hit the Silencer for two.

Gable is right back with a bridging northern lights suplex for two and everyone is knocked down. Back up and Gable grabs the ankle lock on Ford, who reverses into one of his own. Otis makes the save with a splash but goes outside to go after Angle. That lets Dawkins knock Otis over the announcers’ table, leaving Gable to get slammed down. The frog splash finishes for Ford at 16:01.

Rating: C+. This was more than a bit longer than it needed to be but the Profits getting a win is a good thing. The problem though is they have nowhere to go as the Usos have the titles tied up seemingly forever and that feud has been done to death. They need something to do to keep the team going, and while this worked for a week, it isn’t going to work long term.

Post match the Profits give Angle a red cup but he spits it out. Angle is ready though and busts out the milk for the feel good throwback.

Riddle and Seth Rollins got in a fight in the parking lot earlier today.

We get a split screen interview between Riddle and Rollins. Riddle wants to fight but Rollins says he isn’t on his level. They’re both ready for the fight, with Rollins not exactly taking things seriously. Riddle promises to prove that there is only one man in their marriage though, and that is Becky Lynch. Rollins gets WAY more serious as we’re out of time.

Miz is paranoid about security as he comes to the ring.

We get some extra footage from after the cameras stopped rolling on the interviews. Rollins wasn’t happy with Riddle talking about his family so let’s talk about Riddle’s family. Oh wait he doesn’t have one because Riddle’s wife left him and took the kids. Riddle wants to know where the f*** Rollins is because he wants to f*** him up. That’s the kind of segment you didn’t get for a long time around here and that’s a nice change of pace.

Miz vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title and Ciampa is here with the still traumatized Miz. Lashley knocks Miz into the corner to start and then outside, where Ciampa gives him a pep talk. That earns both of them a knockdown as we take a break. Back with Lashley still in control until Miz manages to send him into the steps. Lashley shrugs off some choking and loads up the powerslam before settling for a spinebuster. Ciampa gets in a cheap shot though and a DDT gives Miz two. The Skull Crushing Finale is loaded up but Dexter Lumis is in the crowd. The distraction is enough for Lashley to grab the Hurt Lock for the win at 10:45.

Rating: C-. This was more about Miz being all messed up by Lumis than anything else. Lashley isn’t going to lose to Miz in a cold match on Raw so this was a matter of time rather than anything else. I’m curious about where the Lumis/Miz deal is going, but they are doing a good job of making you wonder what happened to Miz to freak him out this much.

Edge comes in to see Kurt Angle and recreates the messages written on the back of big pictures, talking about the various horrible things Edge did to Angle over the years. The Mysterios find it funny and Angle loses it because Edge did it again. Kurt: “Cripes all Friday!” With Angle gone, Dominik isn’t happy that it’s Edge and Rey vs. Judgment Day at Clash At The Castle but he’ll be there too. That’s the kind of call back that still works because it hasn’t been beaten into the ground.

Video on Connor’s Cure, which started in Pittsburgh.

Here are the Usos and Sami Zayn for a chat. The Usos are excited about Roman Reigns celebrating two years as Universal Champion on Friday but Sami cuts them off. He has been named the master of ceremonies for Reigns’ celebration, which doesn’t sit well with the team. The Usos brag about their success….and here is Kevin Owens to cut them off.

Owens mocks the Usos and Jey is ready to explode. Sami explains the situation to Owens, who doesn’t seem interested in listening. Owens didn’t think Sami could look worse than he did by growing that ridiculous hair out but here he is. Zayn doesn’t get what a joke he is despite being one of the best wrestlers in the world.

Zayn insists that the Usos like him…or at least Jimmy does and they’re working on Jey. Threats are made but Owens gets in the ring anyway, telling the Usos that they can keep sucking up to Reigns, just like when they cost Owens the Universal Title. Zayn says Jey is about to take Owens out, which works for Owens so let’s get a referee out here.

Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso

Jey Uso and Sami Zayn are here too. Owens starts fast and knocks him into the corner for the right hands to the head. Jey misses a charge and gets Cannonballed as Sami is looking confused at ringside. A distraction brings Owens outside, where Jey hits a superkick and a Samoan drop onto the steps as we take a break.

Back with Owens knocking Jey off the top and hitting the Swanton for two. Jey hits his own superkick and adds a Superfly Splash for two more. Another Superfly Splash hits raised knees though and Owens drops the bullfrog splash for another near fall. Jey gets in another shot and chokes on the ropes as Jimmy offers a distraction….but Sami can’t hit Owens with a chair. Jimmy yells at Zayn, who claims the referee would have seen it, leaving Owens to Stun Jey for the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. This is the Owens that I have been wanting to see back for a long time and you can see the long road they are taking with his eventual reunion with Sami. Those two have been joined at the hip for so long but somehow have never won the Tag Team Titles. It would be great to see this story take what seems to be an obvious course, just for the emotional moment at the end.

Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Shirai promise to be taking over.

Miz leaves the arena, despite Ciampa (who is covered in glitter for some reason) asking what happened. Dexter Lumis is in the back of Miz’s car as he pulls away.

We look back at Johnny Gargano’s return last week.

Gargano was in an empty arena and talked about how happy he is to be back in wrestling. Theory didn’t ruin anything because Gargano sees him as family, even though Theory didn’t call when the baby was born. Cue Theory, who asks why Gargano didn’t call when Theory won anything, with Gargano saying they had a baby. Theory thinks that’s an excuse and Gargano must be a bit jealous.

We run down the Clash At The Castle rundown, with Riddle having gotten his Matt back.

Recap of the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai

For the vacant titles and Bayley is here too. Aliyah and Sky trade rollups to start before it’s off to Kai for a change. Kai misses a charge over a splitting Aliyah, who misses a baseball slide to the floor. That means Aliyah gets sent into the steps while Rodriguez gets knocked down as well as we take a break.

Back with Rodriguez getting kicked down for a running dropkick to the back for two. Rodriguez fights up and takes Sky down in the corner for the spinning Vader Bomb elbow. Kai is back up with a kick to Rodriguez to set up the Over the Moonsault for two. Bayley gets on the apron so Bianca Belair, Asuka and Alexa Bliss run in to chase her off. Rodriguez makes a tag off to Aliyah, who immediately drops to the floor to hide. The villains go after Rodriguez, leaving Aliyah to grab a rollup for the pin and the titles at 11:20.

Rating: C. That ending wasn’t the best as the camera almost missed the pin, though it was a clever enough idea. The problem here is simple though: it’s still the Women’s Tag Team Titles, which mattered for approximately 18 minutes after they were established. Aliyah and Rodriguez are the latest thrown together team to win the belts and that isn’t likely to get a big reaction. I’m sure Banks and Naomi, the previous thrown together team to win the belts after about four matches, returning will be a boost, but then why exactly should I believe that things will be different this time?

Pyro goes off and we hear about some big Clash At The Castle matches to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this show as much but it was still more than a few miles better than the shows from earlier this year. What matters still is that there is an energy to the shows that wasn’t around for so long and that is a notable difference. This was a go home show for a card that was mostly already set and that doesn’t often leave much for the final episode. If nothing else, we can get Clash At The Castle out of the way this weekend and move on to the build for something else, but for now this was hopefully just a one off misstep.

Results
Judgment Day b. AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler – South Of Heaven to Ziggler
Asuka/Alexa Bliss/Bianca Belair b. Dani Mo/Kay Sparks/Katie Arquette – Octopus to Mo
Street Profits b. Alpha Academy – Frog splash to Gable
Bobby Lashley b. The Miz – Hurt Lock
Kevin Owens b. Jey Uso – Stunner
Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez b. Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai – Rollup to Sky

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

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Summerslam 2020
Date: August 23, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

We’re a year removed from this show and things have indeed changed a bit. For one thing, we are FINALLY out of the Thunderdome, which was a full two days old when this aired. In something that hasn’t changed, I have no idea what happened at this show, save for the main event. That’s kind of nice for another look so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: US Title: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Crews is defending and it’s strange to see him as just a guy in trunks and not….whatever he would become next year. As a bonus, the rest of the Hurt Business is banned from ringside. MVP takes him down into a very quickly broken knee bar but Crews is back up with a sunset flip for two. That’s enough for MVP to bail to the floor as things cool down a bit. Back in and Crews flips away from him, setting up a quick dropkick for two. MVP is fine enough to toss him over the top and out onto the steps as the beating begins.

The running boot misses in the corner so Crews goes up, only to get crotched on top. The superplex brings Crews back down but MVP lands hard and the delayed cover gets two. A clothesline puts MVP on the floor and there’s the big flip dive to take him down again. They both dive back in to beat the count and it’s time to slug it out. Crews gets the better of things and it’s a spinebuster into the standing moonsault for two. The toss powerbomb retains the title at 6:37.

Rating: C. This was about as Kickoff Showey of a match as you could get and it happened to have a title on the line. There was nothing wrong with it and Crews gets a win to make him feel that much more important as US Champion. You’re only going to get so much out of a standard Raw level match and this was about it. Not bad, but as forgettable as any other Kickoff Show match.

The opening video is much more about the Thunderdome than anything else, though the matches themselves do actually get some attention. Well the bigger ones at least. The Smackdown World Title match between the Fiend and Braun Strowman has a tagline of “You’ll Never See It Coming”. That’s one way of advertising things.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Asuka

Bayley is defending as part of the Bayley/Sasha Banks Are The Most Amazing Women Ever stretch. Granted it wound up being pretty awesome so it’s kind of hard to complain all that much. Banks (the Raw Women’s Champion and Bayley’s partner as the Women’s Tag Team Champions) is at ringside too as they fight over the grappling against the ropes to start. Asuka dropkicks her in the ribs to take over and pulls Bayley down into a reverse Koji Clutch.

The foot on the rope gets Bayley out of trouble in a hurry so she bails to the apron, allowing Asuka to kick the leg out again. There is something fun about watching Asuka pick someone apart like that and it always works. Bayley gets kicked out to the floor and Banks is already looking worried. Asuka grabs a DDT (or close enough) off the steps for two back inside but Bayley manages to snap her neck across the middle rope for a much needed breather.

Some stomping sets up the chinlock with Bayley shouting a lot as she keeps Asuka down. Back up and a quick Bayley to Belly gets two but Asuka kicks her in the head for a double knockdown. A German suplex into the hip attack gives Asuka two and they head to the apron for the slugout.

That doesn’t last long so they head back inside for an exchange of leglocks. Asuka knees her in the face for two but Bayley is right back with a running sunset flip into the corner. The “patented” (I want paperwork) top rope elbow is countered into a quickly broken cross armbreaker so Asuka is back with a kick to the head. Banks takes the running hip attack though, allowing Bayley to grab a rollup to retain at 11:33.

Rating: B-. Good and logical choice for an opener here with Asuka fighting as hard as she could to pick up the first title. That didn’t wind up working out, but they did a nice job of going back and forth against each other. What mattered here was having Asuka seem ready to pick up the win until Banks’ interference was enough to throw her off for a split second. Nice match with the story making perfect sense.

Post match Banks (who faces Asuka later tonight) and Bayley beat Asuka down and leave her laying.

Dominik Mysterio asks Rey Mysterio to let him go out there alone tonight. Rey, realizing how much of a disaster it would be to ask fans to care about Dominik on his own, says no but is finally talked into staying in the back.

Video on Retribution’s path of….well really just annoyance so far, though this period of breaking stuff would be their apex as a team.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Angel Garza/Andrade

Garza and Andrade, with Zelina Vega (who recently poisoned Montez Ford), are challenging and Kevin Owens is on commentary. We get the traditional rain of red solo cups to start as the Profits’ inset promo talks about how they are here for revenge. Andrade slugs away at Ford to start but gets caught with a big jumping clothesline. A jumping hurricanrana brings Andrade off the top and there’s the double flapjack to drop Garza.

Ford loads up the big flip dive, but gets countered into a double powerbomb onto the floor (as tends to happen). Back in and we hit the armbar on Ford, allowing Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS (Vega approves). A cross armbreaker over the ropes has Ford in more trouble and it’s back to Andrade for an armbar of his own. Garza adds a running knee to the ribs (and promises to win the titles, which Owens does not like) and the running kick to the ribs makes it worse.

There’s the top rope Alberto Double Stomp for Andrade’s next near fall. Ford flips out of a belly to back suplex though and the enziguri sets up the diving tag to Dawkins. Chris Jericho’s Judas Effect only takes Dawkins off one foot (ha) and he spears Andrade down. Ford comes back in with the crazy high crossbody but Garza rolls through for two, even with Vega holding his feet on the rope. Vega gets on the apron to yell but Ford knocks Garza into her. The Sky Cash Out into the twisting frog splash retains the title at 7:50.

Rating: C. Total Raw match here which was the latest exhibit of how much charisma that Garza has. The guy can make anything look better but Andrade had the star power and that is what gets you ahead around here. This feud, or some form of it, went on for the better part of ever and never once got interesting because the Profits were that much better. Now get some fresh competition in the tag division.

The long form celebration is on.

Bayley and Sasha Banks don’t like Kayla Braxton’s questions but know that Sasha will beat Asuka tonight. Bayley even busts out a broom because it’s going to be a sweep.

We recap Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose, which has been going on for a long time. Sonya got jealous of Mandy getting all of the attention and eventually turned on her by calling her selfish. Since it’s WWE, we’re supposed to side with the bombshell model, which was made even worse when Sonya was about five levels ahead of Mandy on the mic. Sonya cut off some of Mandy’s hair so the hair vs. hair match was set.

Then a psychotic fan broke into Deville’s house with zip ties and a knife, likely in an attempt to kidnap and/or kill Deville. Rose happened to be staying there and the two got away as the stalker went into the wrong part of the house. This sent Deville into a lengthy legal process and since her lawyer felt that cutting her hair off was a bad idea, it was turned into a No DQ Loser Leaves WWE match. Fair enough, but next time you have a crazed stalker who might be trying to kill you, make sure you think of kayfabe. Go out separate doors or something and worry about being stabbed later.

Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose

No DQ and the loser leaves WWE. Mandy offers a handshake to start so Deville rolls her up for two. Back up and Mandy hits her in the face and they head outside with Deville getting suplexed onto the ramp. A clothesline off the announcers’ table puts Deville down again and let’s get a table. As usual, that takes way too long and it’s Sonya ramming Mandy into the announcers’ table to take over.

Back in and a running knee to the chest gets two and it’s a dragon sleeper with a bodyscissors to put Mandy in even more trouble. The trash talking fires Mandy back up though and it’s a jumping knee for two on Sonya. It’s back outside for more ramming into the announcers’ table before Mandy slides chairs over the regular table, with Sonya having to duck the decapitation attempts. That’s either brilliant or really stupid and I’m not sure which. Back in and three straight running knees set up Angel’s Wings to crush Sonya. Another running knee gives Mandy the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C-. This had the intensity but dang Mandy is not the greatest in the ring. I completely get why WWE would want to push the heck out of here but Sonya was so much more of a complete package and felt like a natural. It’s a shame that she had to go away, though it was a rare instance where something is more important than wrestling (egads that’s hard to say).

Post match Otis comes out to celebrate with Mandy (Yeah remember when that was a thing?), who fails at the Caterpillar.

Here’s what’s coming on the WWE Network!

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio. This was part of the never ending Rollins vs. Mysterios feud, which saw Rollins gouge Rey Mysterio’s eye out. Dominik is willing to fight for his father in a street fight, which also happens to be his in-ring debut. Rollins also destroyed Dominik by tying him into the ropes and destroying him with a kendo stick for a pretty nasty moment. Other than that though, this feud was complete death by this point and this was the match that I was dreading coming into the show.

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Street fight and Rollins, with Murphy, is in gear inspired by Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc 1997. Rey is here with Dominik, as you might expect. Rollins wrestles him down without much trouble to start and seems rather comfortable. He’s so comfortable that he offers Dominik a headlock before tripping him down with ease. Dominik gets in a few right hands before getting dropped again. A springboard armdrag and then some regular versions have Rollins down, which is just a step too far.

Rollins drops him again and gets a kendo stick, which is dropkicked out of his hands. Dominik gives chase but gets knocked down, only to have Rollins kick the stick away. The one armed camel clutch has Dominik in more trouble and Rey is nervous. The Sling Blade lets Rollins work on Dominik’s hand and Murphy sends in a chair. Seth yells at Rey a lot as he stomps away but the Stomp (that’s confusing) is countered into a drop toehold into the chair. The Buckle Bomb is countered into a hurricanrana into the corner to stagger Rollins again as this comeback needs a crowd reaction.

A tornado DDT out of the corner gets two and the kendo stick shots have Rollins in more trouble. Dominik goes up but it’s Rollins running the corner for the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two. Rollins is mad (as he should be) and it’s time to kendo stick Dominik for a change. Murphy throws in a table but Rollins takes too long going up, allowing Dominik to hit a super White Russian legsweep through the table. Since wrestling logic is a thing, Dominik is fine and hits a frog splash for two.

Dominik takes too long grabbing things again, allowing Rollins to superkick and kendo stick him some more. Saxton: “Rey can do nothing to help his son!” As you try to see the invisible wall keeping Rey from doing anything, Rollins pulls out some handcuffs. Cue Rey’s wife Angie to try and do something but Rey holds her back.

Murphy loads up the steps to take out Dominik’s eye, meaning the invisible wall is smashed as Rey finally gets involved (making the last five or so minutes subject to wrestling logic). With Dominik as backup, Rey is quickly cuffed to the ropes as the villains look up at Angie. Dominik is back up to make the save this time….and his frog splash hits knees, because he isn’t very good at this. Rollins tells Rey to reach for Dominik and then hits the Stomp for the pin at 22:36.

Rating: C-. Being away from this story for a year has taken away some of the bad feelings about it, but this still wasn’t very good. Above all else, this was WAY too long as Rollins felt like he was dealing with an annoyance than any real threat. Dominik isn’t an embarrassment in the ring by any means but he also isn’t ready to be in a 20+ minute featured match at Summerslam. He looked ok for a debut, but the length of the match (and the feud) dragged it way down.

The villains sneer post match and Rey hugs Dominik.

Raw Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Asuka

Banks is defending and has Bayley in her corner. Commentary points out that Banks has never had a successful singles title defense, which does not bode well for her future. Banks goes straight for the knee (ala Bayley in the first match) but Asuka spins up and fires off the Kawada kicks. A sliding forearm (minus some power because of the knee) sends Banks outside and Asuka is right there with a kneebar on the floor.

They wind up on the apron, where Asuka kicks the post by mistake. Bayley cranks up the trash talk (because she’s very good at that) and Banks takes her back inside to fire off kicks in the corner. Banks switches to the shoulders but gets caught in an electric chair faceplant. Asuka can’t be trusted with two legs in front of her and Banks has to bail to the ropes to escape the kneebar.

With that broken up, Asuka gets a bit creative by taking her up top for a super DDT. The missile dropkick gives Asuka two but Banks goes after the knee again, setting up the double knees in the corner. They’re both down so Bayley goes into coaching mode….and Asuka immediately grabs the ankle lock. Bayley isn’t good at coaching. The Bank Statement is countered into the Asuka Lock which is countered as well. Bayley’s distraction fails and the Asuka Lock goes on again to make Banks tap for the title at 11:31.

Rating: B-. I liked this one a good bit as Banks and Bayley had a plan to take Asuka out but still couldn’t do it. That’s a nice way to make Asuka look even more impressive while also continuing the build to Banks vs. Bayley. They took their time to get there but Bayley was awesome almost every step of the way. Banks held up her end as well and it was a heck of a match on top of the storytelling.

Post match Banks glares at Bayley, who begs forgiveness.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre for the Raw World Title. Orton has attacked a variety of legends, which has McIntyre ready to fight back and defend their honor, along with his title. McIntyre talked about how Orton has been protected for years while McIntyre fought every day to get here. They did a nice job with the culture clash here and the video does a good job of making this feel big.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre is defending and we get a quick inset promo from Shawn Michaels, who wants Orton to get Claymored. Orton bails to the floor to start as the mind games are going strong early on. Back in and Orton begs off again but does hit a few right hands before bailing to the floor for a second time. This time the chase is on but Orton catches McIntyre on the way back in. The RKO attempt is blocked so McIntyre shoulders him down. Another threat of the RKO sends McIntyre bailing outside and you can see a bit of shock.

Back in again and McIntyre unloads in the corner but has to block the RKO for a third time. The ensuing charge sends McIntyre shoulder first into the post and Orton sends him into the barricade to make it worse. A posting sets up a drop onto the announcers’ table and then Orton does the latter again. Orton gets a bit creative by suplexing McIntyre off the table for a delayed one (that kickout at one was a good deal for McIntyre).

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the Orton Stomp and some slow staring at the….uh, screens. McIntyre comes back with a Stunner to the knee in the corner and a spinebuster for the double knockdown. With the knee banged up, McIntyre goes Flair with the Figure Four (nice job given Orton attacking Flair and other legends leading up to this). Orton can’t roll out so he grabs the referee for a distraction and goes to the eye to escape. McIntyre’s eye looks to be cut a bit as they slug it out from their knees. Make that from their feet, with McIntyre having to block the RKO again.

The overhead belly to belly sends Orton flying and McIntyre does it again for a bonus. A top rope shot to the head drops Orton and McIntyre nips up as the adrenaline starts flowing. McIntyre loads up a superplex, gets knocked into the Tree of Woe, and pulls himself up to send Orton flying with the choke superplex as usual. As impressive as that is, commentary shouldn’t be that impressed or surprised, but WWE commentators are seen as stupid for a reason.

The Futureshock gets two but McIntyre misses coming off the top. Orton’s powerslam gets two and he is busted open as well. The hanging DDT is broken up and it’s a Cactus Clothesline to put both of them on the floor. They get back in fast but this time the hanging DDT connects. With nothing else working, Orton loads up the Punt but McIntyre cuts him off. The Claymore misses so Orton tries the RKO again, only to get caught in a backslide of all things to retain the title at 20:34. Commentary shouts about how Orton NEVER SAW IT COMING because they need to hit that tagline.

Rating: B. I liked this one a good bit as they were playing up the story they had established coming in. The idea was that Orton was the seasoned veteran who had learned from the legends and he was cheating every chance he had here. Throw in the RKO as the ultimate weapon (which he never hit, as it is probably being saved for later) and this was a chess match with McIntyre using everything he could while Orton just waited to hit the RKO. I liked what they were doing and the ending worked well. Good match, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Orton looks up at McIntyre from the floor because this isn’t over.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt for the Smackdown World Title. These two have been feuding for MONTHS in one bad match after another. Last month, they fought in the swamp (because reasons) and Wyatt made Alexa Bliss appear because Strowman has always wanted her. Strowman doesn’t buy it because he knows the Fiend is going to corrupt her as well. Bliss slapped Strowman a bunch so he teased attacking her but decided to fight the Fiend instead. In other words, this feud was really, really stupid and nothing they were changing made it any better at all.

Smackdown World Title: The Fiend vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman is defending and this is Falls Count Anywhere. Fiend is driven back into the corner to start but comes back with a heck of a clothesline to drop Strowman. They’re already on the floor with Fiend busting out a toolbox. A few shots with said toolbox don’t do much to Strowman, who runs Fiend through the barricade. Strowman chokeslams him onto (not through) the announcers’ table and a steps shot to the face drops Fiend again.

Back in and the powerslam sends Fiend right back to the floor, which doesn’t mean as much as he can get pinned out there as well. Strowman kicks him up the ramp and they fight backstage. Fiend whips him into a few walls and Sister Abigail gets two. They come back into the arena where Strowman is sent into the video screen to bust up some of the color.

The Mandible Claw goes on but Strowman gets up anyway and shoves him into the apron for the break. Back in and another powerslam gets another two on Fiend so Strowman yells a lot. Strowman grabs a box cutter from the toolbox and starts cutting up the mat to expose the wood. That takes WAY too long so Fiend is back up with a Rock Bottom and a pair of Sister Abigails onto the wood for the pin and the titles at 11:58.

Rating: C. The shorter time helped but egads this feud was death and everyone but WWE seemed to know it. You could have seen this title change coming from before Extreme Rules last month, making for a very long and slow build. They kept this the way they should have and the lack of anything involving Bliss helped here. It could have been worse, but you’re only getting so much out of a hoss fight like this one. As long as Strowman isn’t champion any longer though, it’s an upgrade.

Post match Roman Reigns is back (for the first time since March) with the spear to the Fiend and the beating is on. Another spear hits Strowman and Reigns shouts about how they aren’t monsters unless he’s here. Reigns bends a chair over Strowman and spears Fiend down again. He grabs the title, says it has always been his, and calls Fiend a freak in a mask. Cole: “WE NEVER SAW THIS COMING!” Reigns would win the title a week later, as he should have, along with joining Paul Heyman, which was an amazing twist.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a bit of an odd show as the stuff that was good was quite good but the weaker stuff just felt tacked on. WWE was still figuring things out after getting into the Thunderdome and this came off as somewhat of a Summerslam in name only. It certainly isn’t a bad show with the Bayley/Banks/Asuka stuff and McIntyre vs. Orton all being good. Tighten things up a bit and it could be great, but for now it just has to settle for being pretty good.

Ratings Comparison

Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Original: C
Redo: C

Asuka vs. Bayley

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Street Profits vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Original: C
Redo: C

Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose

Original: D+
Redo: C

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Original: D+
Redo: C-

Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Original: B
Redo: B-

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: B+
Redo: B

Fiend vs. Braun Strowman

Original: C+
Redo: C

Overall Rating

Original: C
Redo: B-

I’m not sure if that overall rating makes sense but the rest of the show was certainly in the same ballpark, save for Rose vs. Deville.

Here is the original review if you are interested:

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 25, 2022
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We’re officially in an all new era as Vince McMahon is completely gone and HHH is now in charge of creative. That may sound very interesting on paper but I would give it another week before you see any major changes. There might be some surprises here and there this week though as it’s the go home show for Summerslam. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Miz and Logan Paul mid-brawl in the ring with referees having to break it up. There’s your fresh way of starting the show.

With that out of the way, here is the Bloodline for a chat. Roman Reigns gets to the point by having the Garden acknowledge him before handing it off to Paul Heyman. After the mic goes out (Heyman: “We have a sound guy that must be from New Jersey or something. We want your name written down. You’re the next one out the door.”), we hear about everything Brock Lesnar has done over the years.

Lesnar has ruined a lot of things over the years, including the Streak, but he won’t do that on Saturday when Roman Reigns nears 700 days as Universal Champion. Reigns is tired of hearing about Lesnar every time you mention his name so it is time to send Lesnar back to Canada to slaughter a bunch of hogs. Heyman explains the concept of Last Man Standing, which is how Reigns is finally going to get rid of Lesnar once and for all.

Now cue Theory with the briefcase, but Reigns says that if you’re going to come out here, get in the ring and acknowledge the Tribal Chief. Theory stares Reigns down, but Reigns says that Theory’s daddy isn’t here to protect him anymore. Fans: “WHO’S YOUR DADDY?” Reigns says it’s going to be him if Theory doesn’t mind himself. The Bloodline goes to leave but Jimmy Uso taps Theory on the neck. A briefcase shot to the back…actually doesn’t get any reaction from Jimmy, as the Bloodline leaves in peace.

Post break Theory is still in the ring but Drew McIntyre cuts him off.

Theory vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre starts fast and hammers away with the power but gets caught with a jawbreaker. Theory gets to stomp away in the corner until McIntyre blasts him with a clothesline. Futureshock connects but Theory rolls outside before the Claymore can launch. That’s cool with McIntyre, who drops him chest first across the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Theory sending him outside and then whipping him hard into the steps. Back in and McIntyre reverses a suplex into one of his own before winning the slugout. The Claymore is loaded up again but here are the Brawling Brutes to jump McIntyre for the DQ at 9:37.

Rating: C. I liked this one well enough as you had Theory in there with a fresh opponent but he also didn’t use the briefcase for the DQ. It was nice to not go with the obvious ending that Theory has been using as they actually mixed it up a bit. Now just let Theory win a match and we might be getting somewhere.

Post match the beatdown is on until Bobby Lashley makes the save. Theory has to bail before he gets wrecked as well.

Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre vs. Theory/Sheamus

Joined in progress with Lashley beating on theory before handing it off to McIntyre. A cheap shot from behind puts McIntyre down though and it’s Sheamus coming in to choke away in the corner. The Irish Curse plants McIntyre and Sheamus hammers away but he won’t tag Theory back in.

That’s enough for McIntyre to get in the Glasgow Kiss and bring Lashley back in. Sheamus gets suplexed and knocked outside, where Lashley’s spear to Theory is cut off by Sheamus’ knee. Butch gets in the ring for a distraction so Ridge Holland can go after McIntyre. That’s fine with McIntyre, who suplexes Butch onto Holland, earning the Brutes an ejection and we take a break.

Back with Lashley fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked down again so Sheamus can come back in. Lashley spinebusters his way to freedom and the hot tag brings in McIntyre to clean house. A Sky High gets two on Theory but McIntyre gets low bridged to the floor, leaving Lashley to hit the big spinebuster on Theory. Sheamus breaks up the cover with a top rope knee so McIntyre takes him outside. The fight is on until Sheamus hits the White Noise on the floor. Theory is back up but cue Dolph Ziggler for a distraction so Lashley can grab the Hurt Lock for the tap at 12:20.

Rating: B-. This got some more time and advanced Lashley vs. Theory a bit more. Sheamus vs. McIntyre is already set for Friday so they got a little extra time of their own here. It might not have been the best match but it was an effective bit of storytelling and there is always room for that.

Post match Theory goes up the ramp but gets superkicked by the Usos. Roman Reigns comes back out to hand Theory his briefcase.

We look back at 20 years of Rey Mysterio in WWE.

Rey arrived with his wife and kids earlier tonight.

Dolph Ziggler says he wants Theory to back up his potential. AJ Styles comes in to say he likes that idea but here is the Alpha Academy to interrupt. A tag match is set up.

Here is Rey Mysterio, with Dominik, for the 20th anniversary celebration. Rey talks about having his first match in Mexico at 14 years old and now here he is. Rey can’t believe he made it here after making all kinds of legendary rivalries. As a smaller guy and a proud Latino, he became World Champion at Wrestlemania XXII and made a lot of friends along the way.

Rey thanks Dean Malenko, Konnan, Batista, Kurt Angle and Edge, but then there is Eddie Guerrero. He thanks Eddie for always watching over him and feels truly humble for all of the support he has received for the last twenty years. Rey also thanks his family (watching backstage along with some friends) and Dominik in particular but finally he needs to thank the fans. We get some thank you’s in Spanish but here is Judgment Day through the crowd for their scheduled match.

Mysterios vs. Judgment Day

Joined in progress (a theme tonight) with Dominik taking over on Balor before sending him into the corner for right hands from Rey. We get the Eddie dance in the corner as Rey hammers away, only to get sent face first into the buckle. Priest comes in for the hard whip into the corner and the toss suplex gets one.

It’s back to Balor for the chinlock but Rey pops u for a quick escape. Dominik comes back in to clean house, including a dropkick to put Balor on the floor. Priest cuts off Dominik’s dove and sends him into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Dominik hitting a reverse Sling Blade and bringing Rey back in for a kick to Priest’s head.

A top rope seated sent on gets two on Priest, who boots Rey down for two of his own. It’s back to Balor, who has to avoid the 619 and hit the Coup de Grace for two as Dominik saves. With nothing else working, Balor tries the Eddie Guerrero chair trick but Rey does the same thing right back. A double 619 sets up the frog splash to finish Balor at 11:29.

Rating: C+. This feud really needs to wrap up already because it has already run out of steam. Granted that might be due to Judgment Day being treated as a bunch of losers for so long now but I’m sure they’ll stretch it out again. It was nice to see Rey get a win on his big night, though the evening is young and ripe for something happening later.

We look at Cody Rhodes winning the ESPY Award for WWE Moment of the Year.

The Mysterios join their family and friends backstage with drinks being poured. Rey also gets what looks like his gear from Halloween Havoc 1997. Rhea Ripley comes in and pie faces Rey’s daughter, meaning it’s Judgment Day coming in to beat Rey down (Balor: “It’s not your anniversary. It’s my birthday!”), including Priest powerbombing him onto a table.

Here is Bianca Belair for a chat, but first we see how her match with Becky Lynch at Summerslam. Cue Becky but Belair cuts her off with the EST names. Becky decks her and the brawl is on with referees having to break it up. Short and to the point here.

Alexa Bliss is ready for Doudrop tonight and then is coming for the title.

Rey Mysterio is pretty banged up but Dominik has to chase off Judgment Day. The distraction lets Rhea kick Rey in his bad arm.

Doudrop vs. Alexa Bliss

Nikki Ash is here with Doudrop and her distraction lets Doudrop hit a running crossbody for an early two. The chinlock goes on to keep Bliss in trouble but she fights up and kicks away. A running basement dropkick gives Bliss two but she has to avoid a charge in the corner. Doudrop is favoring her shoulder so the referee checks on her, allowing Ash to shove Bliss off the top. Not that it matters as Bliss grabs a tornado DDT for the pin at 4:19.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here as Bliss’ offense was a bit hard to buy against a monster like Doudrop. That being said, Doudrop hasn’t meant anything in a long time so the result wasn’t a surprise. At least Bliss seems to have something in mind now and her getting back into the title picture wouldn’t be the biggest stretch.

Post match Bliss signs a fan’s sign for a nice moment.

AJ Styles tells Logan Paul that he doesn’t know much about him, but if Paul doesn’t like Miz, AJ must like him.

It’s time for the debut of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive TV and he gets straight to the point by calling Miz out. An insult to the size of Miz’s testicular fortitude, here is Maryse to answer instead. Maryse can’t pronounce genitalia but she does have some statistics about average size. Paul: “Who measures their testicles?” Cue Miz to say he does, as does every single man in this arena. Miz yells about how he gave Paul everything and now Paul is ruining it. Paul says Maryse has a bigger set than Miz and the brawl is on, with Ciampa running in to help beat Paul down. The Skull Crushing Finale drops Paul.

The Street Profits and the Usos have a staredown with Jeff Jarrett in the middle. Trash is talked but Jarrett says he wants peace kept tonight, because he’ll remember it on Saturday.

AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler vs. Alpha Academy

Before the match, Chad Gable praises himself and mocks Styles and Ziggler as a thrown together team. Like the New York Knicks! AJ starts fast with the drop down into the dropkick to send Gable outside. There’s the big slingshot dive and we take a break. Back with Otis running over AJ, who manages to slip over for the tag to Ziggler. That’s fine with Otis, who drops Ziggler with a hard elbow to the face. Gable comes in and misses the moonsault, allowing Ziggler to hit the superkick. Everything breaks down and AJ knocks Gable into a Zig Zag for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C. Pretty much just a “there” match with Styles and Ziggler having nothing in common and now getting a tag match for whatever reason. They did need to get Ziggler something to do until Theory is freed up so maybe this is the best that they have. Then again, the Alpha Academy doesn’t mean anything anymore after so many losses so this was some decent filler and little more.

Summerslam rundown.

Bloodline vs. Riddle/Street Profits

Dawkins takes Jimmy down to start and hands it off to Ford. Jimmy pulls Ford into the corner for some choking from Jey and Reigns but Ford is fine enough to grab the arm. Riddle comes in for the rapid fire kicks and the Usos are sent outside, with Ford hitting the big flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Riddle getting stomped in the wrong corner, including some from Reigns himself. Reigns cranks on the arm and hands it back to Jimmy, who misses a splash in the corner. That’s enough for the tag to Ford, who starts the house cleaning with some kicks to the head. Reigns comes in off a blind tag though and a release Rock Bottom plants Ford hard for two. Ford got busted open somewhere in there and the Usos make it worse with something like a top rope Demolition Decapitator.

We take another break and come back with Ford managing to knock Reigns down. Riddle gets the tag to clean house and everything breaks down in a hurry. That includes a bunch of moves with the word Bro, including the springboard Floating Bro to the floor. Reigns tags himself back in and drops Riddle for two, with Ford making the save. Jimmy hits a big dive onto Ford on the floor but Dawkins takes him out. Riddle hits the hanging DDT on Reigns but the RKO is shoved off, allowing Reigns to hit the spear for the pin at 19:25.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting and long main event tag match that is going to work more often than not. Riddle taking the fall is a bit sad to see, but it is a fall against Reigns and the Profits have a title match at Summerslam so it could have been a worse pick. Good, long match here though and sometimes that’s what you need.

Post match here is Seth Rollings to give Riddle a Stomp onto the steps to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show wasn’t a masterpiece by any means, but it was WAY better than the last few terrible weeks. There was a bit more energy to the show and while we didn’t get anything significantly different, I’ll take some slight changes over what we were getting and hope for more after Summerslam. Other than that, the sad part of this show is how Madison Square Garden feels like any other arena. There was little here that made the Garden feel special and that is sad for the World’s Most Famous Arena. Overall though, this was a breath of fresh air and I’ll take that any week.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Theory via DQ when the Brawling Brutes interfered
Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre b. Theory/Sheamus – Hurt Lock to Theory
Mysterios b. Judgment Day – Frog splash to Balor
Alexa Bliss b. Doudrop – Tornado DDT
AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler b. Alpha Academy – Zig Zag to Gable
Bloodline b. Riddle/Street Profits – Spear to Riddle

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 11, 2022
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re well on the way to Summerslam and that means the card is mostly set. I’m curious to see what that means we are going to be seeing added to the show, as that can often be more interesting than seeing things built up even more. If nothing else, Brock Lesnar is here tonight so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap from Smackdown with Roman Reigns saying things pick up when the Big Dog comes around.

Here is Brock Lesnar to get things going. Brock says God bless Texas and even takes his hat off to show some manners. Reigns talks about how Roman Reigns has been living high on the hog and at Summerslam, the hog is being slaughtered, like Lesnar does on his ranch. Violence is promised, but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Lesnar: “Speak of the hog.” Heyman talks about how Lesnar is a monster, but the fans say Heyman sucks. Lesnar asks if Heyman is going to say anything worthwhile, sending Heyman into a rant about how this match plays into Lesnar’s hands.

We hear about how Lesnar is a killer and someone who will destroy everything. Reigns is approaching 700 days as Universal Champion and that is a streak Lesnar won’t break. Heyman will have Reigns ready, even if that means reaching up Lesnar’s a** and ripping out his heart. Lesnar isn’t sure what to make of that but here is Theory to interrupt. Theory promises to win the title at Summerslam, but Lesnar tells him to come down here and let’s do it right now.

We see a clip of Lesnar beating Theory up in the Elimination Chamber, which Theory says is what could happen to Reigns. It could happen to Lesnar too, and here is the Alpha Academy for a distraction. Chad Gable’s chop block just annoys him and the ring is cleared out with no trouble. Lesnar F5’s Otis through the announcers’ table for a bonus. And that’s how Brock Lesnar is used this week.

Rey Mysterio vs. Finn Balor

Damian Priest and Rey Mysterio are here too and before the match, Priest says that the Mysterios being attacked last week was one for the old guys. Now Rey has nothing to offer Dominik but an ugly mask and some old, tired tricks that aren’t even his. The offer is tossed out to join the Judgment Day again but Dominik turns them down. Balor points out what happens to people they don’t like and we see the beatdown on Edge from a few weeks ago. Balor calls Rey a bad father and the villains are cleared out without much trouble.

As for the actual match, we’re joined in progress after a break with Balor choking on the ropes until Rey is back with a kick to the floor. The big dive connects but Balor is back up with a backbreaker to take over again. Rey fights back but gets caught on top with a shot to the knee.

Said knee is fine enough to send Balor outside for a sliding sunset bomb into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Rey hitting a super hurricanrana for two, despite having one good leg. The 619 connects but Balor avoids the frog splash. Rey crucifixes him for two but Balor is back with something close to 1916. The Coup de Grace gives Balor the pin at 10:12.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t a great match but Balor vs. Rey is going to work just because of the two people involved. There is so much talent involved that it will be fine enough, which is about what we got here. What matters is continuing the story, which could mean the end of Dominik and that is a very promising world.

Post match Dominik checks on Rey as Judgment Day looks down at both of them.

Here is Becky Lynch before the Raw Women’s Title match. She gets on the announcers’ table and rants about how she should have gotten her rematch but didn’t have a shortcut like Liv Morgan or a title shot like Carmella is getting tonight. Lynch gets where she goes because she is that good and works that hard, so tonight she is DEMANDING the title shot at Summerslam.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Carmella

Belair is defending and drives Carmella into the corner without much trouble to start. They go outside with Belair sending her into the corner, only to stop to yell at Lynch as we take a break. Back with Carmella grabbing a figure four necklock across the ropes. Carmella goes up, only to get pulled out of the air and caught with a delayed vertical suplex for two. The trade rollups for two each and Belair hits a double chickenwing facebuster.

Raised knees block the handspring moonsault though and Carmella rolls her up for two more. The low superkick is countered into a faceplant on the turnbuckle but the KOD is countered into an X Factor (nice) for another near fall. Belair is back with a clothesline, only to get caught with a spinebuster. Carmella low bridges her to the floor, where Carmella rakes her eyes. That earns her a posting and Belair throws her back inside. Cue Becky for the distraction so Belair gets counted out at 11:47.

Rating: C. Of course they did. Of course they did. Of course they have to keep Carmella in this spot, meaning she is probably going to get a title match at Summerslam out of all this stuff. I’m sure Becky vs. Bianca is coming, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Carmella added somehow. Pretty good match here, but the result is pretty awful.

Post match Carmella holds up the title until Belair finally punches her in the chest. The KOD plants Carmella, because THIS FEUD MUST CONTINUE SINCE A CLEAN WIN MEANS NOTHING!

Here’s the same creepy vignette from the last few weeks.

We look back at Miz and Ciampa joining forces to beat down AJ Styles.

Here are Miz and Ciampa for MizTV. Ciampa wants to open eyes around here and Miz can help him do that better than anyone else. This sends Miz into a rant about Logan Paul, who has posted a video saying that he is still coming for Miz. That doesn’t work for Miz, who offers Paul one more chance to be his partner, or he’ll just team with Ciampa to win the titles.

Cue AJ Styles to say Miz has found someone to do his dirty work, which sounds like the actions of someone with…..Miz: “DON’T YOU DARE!” AJ calls him a coward….with tiny, tiny testicles. Styles clears the ring and here is Ezekiel to interrupt. His brother Elias talks about how Styles really is phenomenal. He was almost as insistent about that as he was about Miz having tiny testicles. Ezekiel has been talking to Adam Pearce and the scheduled handicap match is now going to be a tag match.

Ezekiel/AJ Styles vs. Ciampa/Miz

Joined in progress with Ciampa working on Ezekiel, who comes back with some shots to the face. Miz comes in and gets knocked down as well, meaning it’s back to Ciampa, who gets suplexed for his efforts. A cheap shot from the apron puts Ezekiel in trouble though and Ciampa sends him into the barricade, setting up the pat on the back.

We take a break and come back with Ezekiel fighting out of Ciampa’s chinlock and slugging his way out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Styles to clean house, including a gutbuster for two on Miz. The short DDT plants AJ but the fireman’s carry neckbreaker gives Styles two, with Ciampa making the save. AJ puts on the calf Crusher until Ciampa makes another save, this time hammering on Styles until it’s a DQ at 11:32.

Rating: C-. Well I guess it’s better than Ciampa taking another pin. I’m not sure how much better it is to have Ciampa in this team than in anything else but at least he has something to do. Still though, actually having him get a win that matters would be better, though I’m not sure if that is something that is actually going to happen. So call it an upgrade? Maybe?

Post match AJ hits Ciampa with the slingshot forearm to the floor as Miz bails.

Riddle talks to Bobby Lashley about their tag match with Seth Rollins and Theory later tonight. Before that, maybe they can watch Stranger Things together so Riddle doesn’t get scared! Lashley is going to go warm up instead.

Alexa Bliss/Asuka vs. Doudrop/Nikki Ash

Asuka knocks Ash down without much trouble to start and it’s off to Bliss for some rollups. Doudrop comes in off a blind tag though and runs Bliss over. Some forearms allow Ash to come back in for a quickly broken chinlock. Bliss avoids a charge in the corner, allowing Asuka to come back in and strike away at Doudrop. Asuka knees Ash out of the air and adds the sliding kick for two. Back in and Bliss hits her DDT to pin Ash at 4:12.

Rating: C-. The good thing here is that they didn’t have this go on too long, as there was little doubt about who was winning. Bliss has been on a roll since being back and Asuka is Asuka, meaning there isn’t much for Doudrop and Ash to do. This was one of those “get them on the show” matches and that’s fine for a short one.

We look back at the Street Profits getting a shoulder up against the Usos at Money In The Bank but losing anyway.

Jimmy Uso vs. Angelo Dawkins

Jey Uso and Montez Ford are here too. Before the match, the Usos brag about how great they are. This brings out the Street Profits to be rather serious and say that they’re going to win at Summerslam because they want the smoke. And now here’s R-Truth, to say he needs to serve as counselor here. That isn’t going to work for the Usos, unless R-Truth can be the referee for the Summerslam rematch.

Well……actually he is a certified WWE referee so he demonstrates refereeing abilities. Jimmy calls R-Truth a clown, so R-Truth is ready to fight. A handicap match is set up, but now it’s Omos and MVP interrupting. MVP thinks Omos should be the referee, but R-Truth doesn’t think Omos can count to ten. MVP: “Neither can you Truth.” The Profits are in and R-Truth is in, complete with a REMEMBER THE ALAMO (which Riddle said tonight too), so Omos and the Usos knock everyone down without much trouble.

Usos/Omos vs. R-Truth/Street Profits

R-Truth gets caught in the corner to start with all three villains getting in a forearm or two. Some shots out of the corner get R-Truth out of trouble and he flips out of a belly to back suplex. The Profits come in without a tag and hit stereo dropkicks, sending the Usos to the floor. Some dives hit the Usos (though Dawkins mostly crashes in a NASTY landing) but Omos pulls R-Truth out of the air and drops him on the apron to take over.

We take a break and come back with Omos still working on R-Truth as a power giant should. Jey comes in and gets knocked down, allowing the hot tag off to Ford. House is cleaned, including an enziguri to put Omos on the floor. Omos gets posted and a Doomsday Device (back elbow instead of a clothesline) gets two on Jimmy with Jey making a save. Dawkins hits the spinebuster but Omos tags himself in for the chokebomb and the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. It was a bit random, but I will absolutely take this over another singles match between one of the Profits and an Uso. There is no need to keep doing that same thing so mixing it up with some fresh faces is a good idea. I’m not sure if Dawkins needed to take the fall when R-Truth was right there but Omos getting the pin at all is good enough.

Seth Rollins is ready for tonight’s tag match but he doesn’t think much of Riddle attacking him last week. Riddle is just a bro that Randy Orton felt sorry for and now there is no Randy to hide behind. Rollins moves on to talking about Cody Rhodes but here is Theory to ask for Money In The Bank cash-in advice. That works for Rollins and they go off for a chat.

Creepy vignette again.

We look at Miz calling out Logan Paul again earlier tonight.

Paul has responded and wants Miz one on one at Summerslam. He’ll be here next week and (with eyes bugging out) it’ll be AWESOME!

Bobby Lashley/Riddle vs. Seth Rollins/Theory

Rollins knocks Riddle down and drops a knee to start before handing it off to Theory. Some rapid fire kicks in the corner drop Theory and it’s Lashley coming in for a change. A DDT to Rollins and a Downward Spiral to Theory at the same time gets two so Riddle comes back in. Everything breaks down and Rollins is sent outside for a ram into the post….and we have Dolph Ziggler?

We take a break and come back with Rollins hitting a reverse superplex on Riddle for a near fall. Theory comes in but charges into a choke from Riddle. That’s enough for the tag back to Lashley so house can be cleaned. A forearm to the back of the head cuts him off though and Rollins adds a frog splash for two. It’s back to Riddle for the Randy Orton comeback on Theory as Lashley spears Rollins through the barricade. Theory blocks the RKO and rolls Riddle up with feet on the ropes, only to have Ziggler (Remember him?) shove them off. The RKO gives Riddle the pin on Theory at 13:40.

Rating: C+. I kind of like the ending as Theory doesn’t have anything specific going on other than teasing a cash in, so give him some kind of a match at Summerslam instead. It isn’t like Ziggler has been around in the better part of ever anyway so bring him back in for something like this. Good enough match too, with the twist helping a bit.

Post match Ziggler superkicks Theory to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the kind of show that felt long and then went even longer than that. There was some good action here and there, but for the most part it felt like a show where they were trying to fill in as much time as they could. Summerslam got a bit of a build, but the show was rather uninteresting and there wasn’t much worth getting excited about here.

Results
Finn Balor b. Rey Mysterio – Coup de Grace
Carmella b. Bianca Belair via countout
Ezekiel/AJ Styles b. Miz/Ciampa via DQ when Ciampa wouldn’t stop attacking Styles
Alexa Bliss/Asuka b. Doudrop/Nikki Ash – DDT to Ash
Omos/Usos b. R-Truth/Street Profits – Chokebomb to Dawkins
Riddle/Bobby Lashley b. Theory/Seth Rollins – RKO to Theory

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 13, 2022
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith

It’s the first Raw without Cody Rhodes in a bit and that doesn’t exactly leave us with a ton of options. The biggest problem would seem to be the lack of a main event star around here, but maybe we can find someone in the Money in the Bank qualifying matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is last week’s show if you need a recap.

We open with MizTV with special guest Paul Heyman. Miz talks about the Money in the Bank ladder match and puts over how important the briefcase can be, including his two wins. Heyman says that the percentages don’t matter because whoever wins is going to lose to Roman Reigns.

We hear about Reigns vs. Riddle on Friday, so here is Riddle to discuss various testicles. Riddle is ready to win the title on Friday but Heyman doesn’t think Riddle is even going to win tonight. As for Friday though, he can win, or he can never have another title shot ever. Heyman brings out the Usos but here are the Street Profits to uneven the odds.

Jimmy Uso vs. Montez Ford

Feeling out process to start with Jimmy knocking him down and getting a bit cocky. Back up and Ford takes him down with an armbar but Jimmy sends him to the apron and snaps off a suplex to put Ford in even more trouble. We take a break and come back with Jimmy staying on the ribs with a waistlock.

Ford flips out and starts kicking away, including a step up enziguri for two. The spinebuster gets two more on Jimmy but he’s right back with a pop up Samoan drop for the same. Ford is back up with a super hurricanrana to catch Jimmy on top but the frog splash hits knees, allowing Jimmy to get the pin at 12:51.

Rating: C. This was a nice singles match from both though the ending was only so good. I’m not entirely sure I can buy a countered splash as enough for a pin but it does make the impact of the splash look that much better. Ford getting a single match sounds like a good idea, though I’m not sure he’s ready for the singles push that people have been wanting for a long time.

We recap Seth Rollins showing respect to Cody Rhodes last week and then attacking him with a sledgehammer anyway.

We get a sitdown interview with Seth Rollins, who is asked if he feels any remorse over what he did. Of course not, because Rollins sees Cody as a virus. Sometimes you have to take matters into his own hands, like Rollins has a sledgehammer in his own hands. As for tonight, he wants to qualify for Money in the Bank and suggests using that sledgehammer on AJ Styles. Cue Styles to forearm Rollins, saying that was for Cody.

We look back at Dana Brooke beating Becky Lynch last week.

24/7 Title: Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke

Brooke is defending but gets jumped before the bell. Becky beats her down and says this isn’t about the 24/7 Title because she is tired of the disrespect. She thinks she should just win that Money in the Bank briefcase but for now, she’ll go after Brooke again. Cue Asuka for the brawl and Becky is cleared out. No match.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss/Liv Morgan vs. Nikki Ash/Doudrop

Nikki now has new black and gold gear. Bliss takes Ash to start but it’s quickly off to Doudrop, who isn’t having anything of a headscissors. A backsplash crushes Bliss for two and it’s back to Nikki to hammer away. Nikki’s running bulldog is countered and it’s off to Morgan to clean house. Morgan hits a middle rope dropkick for two on Doudrop, allowing the tag back to Bliss for the running Blockbuster. Ash makes a fast save and everything breaks down, with a side slam/reverse DDT combination getting two on Bliss. The fight goes to the floor but Bliss grabs a DDT to finish Ash at 4:21.

Rating: C-. Not terrible here, but the important part is getting two potential Money in the Bank winners to qualify at the same time. There were a lot of spots to fill and now they have two more covered in the span of one match. That is more than you get most of the time, even if there was little doubt given who was on the other side of the ring.

We recap the Judgment Day shakeup from last week with Finn Balor knocking Edge out and seeming to take over.

Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel

Owens knocks him into the corner and hits a Cannonball, setting up the Swanton for two at twenty seconds. Ezekiel is back and knocks Owens to the floor to take over, setting up a spinebuster for two back inside. That lets Ezekiel go up but Owens rolls away, which means Ezekiel goes outside with him.

An AA onto the steps knocks Owens silly and we take a break. Back with Owens holding a chinlock until his backsplash only hits Ezekiel’s raised knees. Ezekiel hits a running splash in the corner, followed by a jumping knee to put Owens on the floor again. Owens gets in a shot of his own but stops to yell at commentary, meaning Ezekiel wins by countout at 8:31.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as the structure was all over the place, with Owens starting so fast and then losing when he got too annoyed. The problem was that Ezekiel got in a bunch of offense in the middle and it wasn’t close to a squash. The action was ok, but the match wound up being a mess.

Post match Ezekiel says he wants Money in the Bank, but before that there is next week….and Elias will be back.

Video on John Cena visiting a non-verbal refugee in the Netherlands.

MVP vs. Cedric Alexander

Omos is here with MVP. Before the match, MVP says Alexander needs to learn that he is down here and Omos is up here, with the Money In The Bank briefcase. Cedric knocks him down to start and there’s the springboard Downward Spiral for an early two. An Omos distraction lets MVP hit a clothesline and Ballin gets two more. The Playmaker gives MVP the pin at 1:31.

AJ Styles is ready to beat Seth Rollins in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.

Rollins dedicates his match to Cody Rhodes.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

Styles slugs away to start and grabs some early rollups for two each. Rollins gets in a shot of his own but AJ sends him outside, setting up the slingshot forearm to the floor to drop Rollins again. Styles gets sent over the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Styles striking away, setting up the belly to back faceplant for two. The low superkick gives Rollins the same but the Stomp is countered into the Calf Crusher.

That’s broken up but AJ grabs it again, this time sending Rollins over to the ropes. Back up and Rollins hits a discus forearm, only to have his buckle bomb countered into a suplex into the corner. Rollins is fine enough to hit the Buckle Bomb but the frog splash only hits mat. The Styles Clash is loaded up but Rollins reverses into a sunset flip for the pin at 15:11.

Rating: B. We’ll call this another case of “what were you expecting”. These two could probably have a very good match in their sleep and that is what they did here, with Rollins winning to get back on track and Styles putting over someone else who is already a big star. That is kind of Styles’ thing as of late but at least Styles is done with Edge for the time being.

Riddle vs. Ciampa

Miz is on commentary. Riddle takes him down into a cross armbreaker to start, only to be sent into the corner for his efforts. Ciampa comes back with a shot of his own but has to escape Bro Derek. Another shot runs Riddle down but he wins a strike off and hits the Orton scoop powerslam. The hanging DDT gets the same but Ciampa grabs an ankle lock. The running knee to the face gives Ciampa two but Riddle hits his own knee. The RKO finishes Ciampa at 4:35.

Rating: C. What is Ciampa supposed to be in WWE? He is a big enough star that he is consistently on Raw and some people seem to think something of him, but he has been treated as a loser for weeks. What was the point in bringing him up if this is the best they have for him? Other than crushing another HHH guy of course.

Bianca Belair is sick of Rhea Ripley and promises to shut her up at Money In The Bank. Judgment Day pops up on screen to recap getting rid of Edge and seems rather happy with it. Ripley promises to take the Women’s Title from Belair.

Theory is ready to beat Bobby Lashley in a pose down tonight.

John Cena is back in two weeks.

Chad Gable vs. Mustafa Ali

Otis is here with Gable, who takes Ali down without much effort. Ali hurricanranas him into an armdrag but he misses a charge into the middle buckle for a nasty crash. The bow and arrow hold goes on but Ali slips out without much trouble. Gable misses the moonsault though, allowing Ali to hit a running clothesline. The tornado DDT connects but Otis offers a distraction, allowing Gable to hit Chaos Theory for the pin at 3:44.

Rating: C+. I’m glad to see Ali back on TV but I don’t think there is any reason to believe that things are going to get better for him than this. WWE is not going to give Ali much of a chance to do anything after his disagreement with the company and while it is sad, it certainly isn’t that surprising. I mean, he’s losing to Gable on Raw. How much worse can it be?

We look back at Veer Mahaan taking out Dominik Mysterio.

Veer Mahaan vs. Rey Mysterio

Dominik is here too. Rey goes for the leg to start but gets taken down with a single shot. Veer sends him chest first to the floor for the crash, followed by the chest first whip into the corner back inside. A missed charge sends Veer into the post and out to the floor, where he beats up Dominik for fun. Back in and Veer spins him into a faceplant, setting up the Cervical Clutch to make Rey tap at 3:39.

Rating: C. If there is a point coming to this seemingly never ending feud, I’m not seeing it. Mahaan has wrecked both Mysterios multiple times now but for some reason we are seeing it again and again. How long are they supposed to do it before WWE gives up? So far it has been two plus months, so I guess about that long plus.

And now, a pose down between Bobby Lashley and Theory. They both get to do the same three poses, with Theory looking fine but being outmatched. Lashley wins, but Theory sprays baby oil in his eyes and dropkicks him. This could have been a segment at 9:14 on any given week and far from the closing of Raw.

Overall Rating: C-. This was right back to the norm for Raw: a bunch of stuff that we have covered before without anything that you really need to see. Couple that with a pretty dreadful last half hour and there was no reason to care about this show. Money in the Bank got a little build, but I still have no idea why I should want to see a bunch of qualifying matches for a ladder match for a title shot that might not have happened a year from now.

Results
Jey Uso b. Montez Ford – Countered frog splash
Liv Morgan/Alexa Bliss b. Doudrop/Nikki Ash – DDT to Ash
Ezekiel b. Kevin Owens via countout
MVP b. Cedric Alexander – Playmaker
Seth Rollins b. AJ Styles – Sunset flip
Riddle b. Ciampa – RKO
Chad Gable b. Mustafa Ali – Rolling Chaos Theory
Veer Mahaan b. Rey Mysterio – Cervical Clutch

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 6, 2022
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We are done with Hell In A Cell and that means we are done with Cody Rhodes for the time being. Rhodes defeated Seth Rollins in the main event last night but did so with a torn pectoral muscle. We won’t be seeing him for a long time, so now the question is what happens on the road to Money In The Bank. I’m sure that song will ensue. Let’s get to it.

Here is Hell In A Cell if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of last night’s Cell match, featuring Cody somehow not losing an arm.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. After welcoming us to the show, Cody talks about how it is a privilege to do what he does. Cody talks about his daughter and how he wants her to know that in the darkest part of his career, he stood and fought. He did it against one of the best ever in Seth Rollins (Cody: “Yeah I don’t like him either.”) and now the book is closed.

With that out of the way, he wants to talk about what’s above him, which would be the Money in the Bank briefcase. It has eluded him throughout his career, but if he were to retrieve the briefcase and win it, he would be the WWE Undisputed Universal Champion (that needs a new name).

Cue a limping Seth Rollins to interrupt and say that while he doesn’t like Cody, after last night, he respects him. Rollins says Dusty is proud of his baby boy right now and they shake (left) hands. Rollins whispers something we can’t hear and limps away, leaving Cody looking a bit taken aback. Cody gets the long walk up the ramp….and Rollins hits him in the back of the head with a sledgehammer. A stomp on the peck and some pokes with the hammer later, Rollins leaves him alone. There’s Rollins getting his heat back after last night.

Post break, Cody pulls himself up and refuses the stretcher.

Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke

The bell rings and here are the 24/7 goons, with Brooke winning the title. Becky grabs the mic and says this isn’t happening, so right now she’s challenging for the 24/7 Title, with promises of violence against anyone who interferes. Call this a no contest at about 1:00.

24/7 Title: Becky Lynch vs. Dana Brooke

Brooke is defending and gets Bexploded to start. Cue Asuka for a distraction though and the rollup…actually only gets two. Becky blasts Brooke with a clothesline but Brooke is back with the handspring elbow. The Swanton misses though and Becky kicks her in the face. The Manhandle Slam is countered though and Asuka grabs Becky’s leg so Brooke can retain the title at 2:13.

John Cena is coming back on June 27.

It’s time for MizTV, featuring the return of Maryse. Miz hypes her up and talks about how great she is before talking about the premiere of the new season of MizTV. Cue Riddle, tonight’s guest, to interrupt and stumble through some French. Maryse speaks some better French and Riddle says gesundheit. Riddle says hi to Randy Orton and hopes he is back soon…unlike his stepdad. With that out of the way, Miz says Orton’s career is over and he isn’t coming back.

That’s too far for Riddle, who is tired of fighting Roman Reigns’ minions every week. He wants Reigns himself and he’s going to take the title from him. Riddle finds it funny that John Cena is playing Peacemaker while Miz is playing homemaker, while Maryse leads him around by the testicles. This sets off a discussion of the size of Miz’s testicles, with Riddle saying prove it. Miz looks disturbed so Riddle asks for a match right now. Miz, in a tuxedo, says no but here is Ciampa to jump Riddle from behind. Sure, Miz is down for the match.

Miz vs. Riddle

Joined in progress with Riddle in trouble but he makes a pretty quick comeback. Riddle gets sent outside where he pulls off Miz’s pants, leaving Maryse to send in the (seemingly) loaded purse. That’s cut off with an RKO to give Riddle the pin at 2:13.

We look at NXT In Your House, which was a pretty good show.

Street Profits vs. Usos

Non-title Championship Contenders match. Dawkins rolls Jimmy up a few times for some early near falls before hitting the jumping elbow for two more. A double flapjack gives Ford his own two and the Usos need a breather. The Usos need a breather on the floor before Jey comes in, only to get taken down by Dawkins as well. Back in and Jey gets knocked off the top for a crash and we take a break.

We take a break and come back with Dawkins in trouble, including the running hip attack in the corner. Dawkins is sent outside for a whip into the steps and we take a rather fast second break. Back again with Jey running Ford over for two but Ford sends him outside. That means the parade of dives, including Dawkins hitting the big running flip dive. Back in and the spinebuster into the frog splash gives Ford two, with Jimmy making a last second save. They fight to the floor and it’s Ford diving back in to beat the count for the win at 16:28.

Rating: C+. The two breaks in the middle didn’t help things but at least a regular team is getting a title match at some point. I’ll take that over the next thrown together team, as you can only do so much with them. The Profits are one of the better teams around today so go with someone who might be a threat to the titles.

We look back at Seth Rollins attacking Cody Rhodes earlier today.

Here is Bobby Lashley for a chat. He talks about the history he has with MVP but even MVP and Omos couldn’t take him out. So what is next for Lashley? Cue Theory of all people to interrupt, because he doesn’t like being interrupted. Lashley doesn’t like this and is ready to fight but Theory wants to show off his bicep. Lashley is fine with that and shows Theory a bigger one. The challenge is on for the US Title shot but Theory doesn’t think Lashley has earned it. Theory says Lashley has never beaten him so Lashley kicks him to the floor.

Veer Mahaan vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rey Mysterio is at ringside. Dominik starts fast and gets Veer a bit frustrated with the chasing. A dropkick through the ropes staggers Veer and a kick to the face makes it worse. Back in and Veer blasts him with a jumping clothesline before knocking Dominik outside. Dominik gets thrown into Rey, with Veer kicking Rey in the mask to make it worse.

We take a break and come back with Dominik fighting out of a neck crank and starting the comeback. A missed charge in the corner lets Dominik hit a 619 to send Veer’s head into the post. The frog splash connects for two, but Veer is back up with the Million Dollar Arm. The Cervical Clutch is loaded up but Rey comes in for the DQ at 9:14.

Rating: C-. Can we just wrap this story up already? It started all the way back in April and now it just keeps going. If WWE wants to do something with Mahaan, then have him crush the Mysterios for good so they can move on to anything else. Mahaan is only so interesting in the first place and dragging this out over and over isn’t helping him.

Here is Judgment Day to announce their newest member. Damian Priest says ALL RISE and Rhea Ripley talks about how they love power. Edge is proud of the two of them and announces the newest member of the team: Finn Balor. Edge is rather pleased and asks how this happened. Balor talks about how there was clarity last week, because joining Judgment Day was a calling. Now he can finally see clearly and after last night’s loss, Balor reached out to talk about how things have been going.

Balor didn’t realize how similar they were, with Priest saying that they are ready to shake off the last issues with Judgment Day….which is Edge. Priest decks Edge and the other three lay him out, with Balor adding the Coup de Grace. A Razor’s Edge toss sends Edge through the announcers’ table but we’re not done yet. The Crossface with the chair bar has Edge in more trouble and there’s the Conchairto to knock Edge out again.

Omos vs. Cedric Alexander

Chokebomb finishes Cedric in 7 seconds.

Post match Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode return but MVP isn’t happy with them stealing Omos’ spotlight. Ziggler superkicks MVP but the two of them run off from Omos.

Otis vs. Ezekiel

Chad Gable is here with Otis, who powers Ezekiel into the corner to start. There’s the t-bone suplex to send Ezekiel down, setting up the neck crank. Ezekiel fights up and strikes away, including a jumping knee into an enziguri to finish Otis at 2:19.

Post match Ezekiel grabs the mic and talks about how Kevin Owens disrespected him. Next week, he wants a rematch so here is Owens to agree, with one condition: Ezekiel has to admit that he is Elias. Ezekiel admits that his name is Elias, which has Owens very happy. The rematch is on, but Ezekiel says that he was lying. A jumping knee leaves Owens laying.

We look at Bianca Belair retaining the Raw Women’s Title last night.

Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

The winner gets Bianca Belair, at ringside, at Money in the Bank. Morgan and Bliss are knocked outside to start, leaving us with Ripley and Doudrop slugging it out. Ripley gets the better of things but Morgan and Bliss pull Doudrop out to the floor. Morgan and Bliss get back in to double team Ripley, who isn’t having any of that. Morgan is sent outside, leaving Ripley to stomp away. The delayed suplex is broken up by Morgan but Doudrop runs everyone over and we take a break.

Back with Doudrop beating on Bliss and hitting a clothesline for two. Morgan and Ripley pop back in with Morgan hammering away in the corner, setting up the middle rope hurricanrana. Doudrop is back up with a sitout powerbomb for two on Monday with Bliss making the save.

They all go to the corner and it’s a Tower Of Doom to bring everyone back down in a crash. Bliss and Morgan are up first for the exchange of rollups for two each. Twisted Bliss hits knees though, leaving Morgan to load up the Oblivion to Doudrop. Nikki Ash makes the save though, leaving Doudrop to Michinoku Driver Liv. Ripley makes a save of her own and it’s Riptide to Doudrop for the pin at 14:18.

Rating: C+. I don’t think there was any serious question about the winner here as Ripley is in the big stable and the team needs something to make them look more important. You don’t have her lose a match so soon to take away their momentum so this was the right way to go. Doudrop isn’t doing anything anyway so they went with the right option, with Morgan and Bliss being spared from taking an unnecessary fall.

Belair and Ripley stare each other down and the rest of Judgment Day come in to join Ripley to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. You know, I really didn’t dislike this show and a lot of that was due to it feeling like things were happening. They had some fresh stories, or at least some fresh matches, which is more than I can say about the last few weeks. It was far from a great show and I have no confidence that it is going to continue, but we didn’t get a bunch of Money in the Bank stuff and they had a surprise with the Judgment Day thing, so I’ll call this a success.

Results
Dana Brooke vs. Becky Lynch went to a no contest
Dana Brooke b. Becky Lynch – Rollup with Asuka holding the leg
Riddle b. Miz – RKO
Street Profits b. Usos via countout
Veer Mahaan b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Rey Mysterio interfered
Omos b. Cedric Alexander – Chokebomb
Ezekiel b. Otis – Crucifix
Rhea Ripley b. Liv Morgan, Alexa Bliss and Doudrop – Riptide to Doudrop

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