Monday Night Raw
Date: December 26, 2022
Hosts: Jackie Redmond, Corey Graves

It’s the final show of the year and for the first time in a long time, we’re having a Best Of special. That should make for a pretty easy night, but there are also several things to pick from this week. WWE probably put about 18 seconds of thought into this, but it’s nice to have a bit of a week off for once. Let’s get to it.

Note that I’ll be including the full versions of the matches/segments rather than the edited versions broadcast here.

The Street Profits are in a white room, with Montez Ford saying he doesn’t think this is Gorilla. Angelo Dawkins uses his psychic powers to turn the walls into a Profits video. They realize they can make anything (PG at least) appear on the screen so we start with a look at various returns. Ford gets a little too excited over the hype videos so we slow things down a bit.

Opening sequence.

Our hosts welcome us to the show and send us to our first match.

From Summerslam.

WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Reigns is defending in a Last Man Standing match…..and Lesnar rides to the ring in a tractor. Lesnar cuts off Paul Heyman’s entrance and does his own, while standing in the….whatever you call the part of a tractor that holds stuff. Lesnar dives out of the tractor to start and Reigns is knocked outside, setting up a big overhead belly to belly. They fight over to the lighting structure and knock each other into it, with Lesnar getting the better of things again.

A German suplex sends Reigns flying again so it’s table time. Heyman begs enough for a distraction, allowing Reigns to Samoan drop Lesnar through the table. Reigns puts him through another table and takes it back inside for a pair of Superman Punches. The spear keeps Lesnar down for a bit but a second attempt is countered into a failed F5 attempt. Reigns gets sent outside in a heap so Lesnar goes to the tractor.

With that going nowhere, he hits Reigns in the head with a piece of the table for about six. Lesnar throws Reigns into the bucket of the tractor, raises him up, and then drops him down into the ring. With that not working, Lesnar rolls some German suplexes and hits an F5 for nine. Another F5 is countered into a guillotine, which Lesnar reverses into one of his own. Reigns is mostly out but dives back to the ropes to break the count at nine.

Lesnar gets back in the tractor….and starts ramming the ring. Then he lifts the ring up to send Reigns sprawling out onto the floor but here are the Usos for the save. Lesnar dispatches them so Heyman tries to call it off, only to get F5’ed through the announcers’ table (they’ve been teasing that for a LONG time). Reigns is back up with a spear and they’re both down…so here is Theory to cash in.

A briefcase shot drops Reigns but Lesnar F5’s Theory onto the briefcase. The Usos are back up with a double superkick for nine, followed by a spear for nine more. Reigns unloads with the briefcase for nine more, followed by a belt shot, but Lesnar gets up again. A shot with the other belt knocks Lesnar down and the Bloodline piles a bunch of stuff onto him before standing on top of it to retain at 22:44.

Rating: B-. This is going to be the really divisive match of the night and that isn’t a surprise. They did a lot of stuff and the match was a total spectacle, but they lost me at the end with Reigns knocking him down for nine over and over. It’s a good example of a match that needed to be trimmed down by a few minutes to hammer the point home better. At the same time, I’m sure the fans on the other side of the ring loved looking up at the video screen, because those front row tickets are pretty worthless when the ring is halfway on its side for the last seven minutes of the match.

The other problem here is simple: who in the world is supposed to be able to stop Reigns? Drew McIntyre is the next big challenger, but is that their solution? McIntyre has already had his time and while you can’t really gauge things from the pandemic, I don’t know how much of a success it was. Reigns has cleared out the company by this point, and they are going to need something special to get the title off of him, whenever they finally do it.

We get a long video tribute to John Cena.

From Raw, June 27.

Here is Vince McMahon to introduce John Cena, who comes through a tunnel of adoring stars. With Vince gone, Cena says this is a milestone, which he rarely likes to celebrate because he is always looking forward. However, tonight he has been looking back at what he has done and he couldn’t do it without these people. Cena has been allowed to do this for two decades and that is because of the fans.

The people have been honest enough to tell him when he sucks and kind enough to tell him when he doesn’t. Cena has been waiting for that right moment and this feels like that right moment. We get a THANK YOU CENA chant and he says his heart is beating out of his chest. Cena thanks the fans for moments like that one and for making him who he is. He has always said WWE prepared him for anything and he doesn’t mean Fast and the Furious or Peacemaker.

WWE has made him a better human being, person and husband. Spending moments with the families he has spent time with today has taught him empathy and kindness. The fans have taught him humility and perseverance and every time he gets in the ring, he gives everything he has because these fans give him everything they have. This isn’t about a last name but about people coming together and he’s 45 years old. He doesn’t know when you’ll see him again, though he isn’t saying it isn’t happening. Fans: “ONE MORE MATCH!” Cena: “It ain’t just gonna be one. Don’t worry about that.”

It isn’t about him but about us. If you like something, tell the people. If you see something that sucks, tell the people. Cena thanks the people and asks Laredo to show what kind of noise they can make. Some catchphrases wrap us up. Cena didn’t say much here, but it felt a lot more real than some of the things he usually says. Good stuff, even if it didn’t mean a great deal.

We take a very fast look at Steve Austin returning to a*action at Wrestlemania and beating up Kevin Owens in the main event of night one. This gets maybe two minutes for the setup and match.

We look at Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Knoxville in the Jackass match at Wrestlemania. Not my thing, but dang that crowd reaction was impossible to deny.

Zayn joins us to ask why you would show that. He’s not hurt but disappointed, though it doesn’t matter as we have enough Bloodline stuff to make it work.

We get a sitdown interview with New Day, who praise the NXT tag team division. After talking about the origins of New Day, we hear about the importance of their feud with the Usos. Kofi Kingston talks about how they have a lot of quirks, but they have found their way to what they are now. Over their years though, they have fought the Usos many times as their paths keep crossing.

From Smackdown, November 11.

Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Usos

The Usos are defending and they’re starting big here. Jey, with his hand taped, starts with Woods and they stare each other down a bit. Woods grabs a headlock as we hear about the histories between the teams. Kofi springboards in with a crossbody for two on Jey but it’s off to Jimmy with a right hand to the face. Everything breaks down and Kofi hits a Trust Fall onto both Usos as we take a break.

We come back with Jey hitting a suicide dive to send Kofi into the barricade and then whipping him into it again for a bonus. The fans want Sami, who is apparently missing due to a personal issue. We slow down a bit to Kofi being sent into the corner, setting up a wishbone leg split. A middle rope dropkick gets Kofi out of trouble though and Jey gets kicked away, only to have Jimmy pull Woods off the apron in a classic move. The pop up neckbreaker gives Jey two and we take a break.

Back again with Kofi fighting out of a chinlock and making the hot tag to Woods so house can be cleaned. Kofi hits a splash to set up a good looking Woods top rope legdrop for two. The Boom Drop connects on Jimmy but Jey makes a blind tag. That’s fine with Kofi who hits the SOS for two. Frustration is setting in as it’s off to Woods, who gets superkicked down to set up the double Superfly Splash. The 1D is broken up though and the Midnight Hour hits Jey on the floor.

Back in and a tornado DDT to Jimmy sets up the Midnight Hour for two as Jey makes a VERY last second save for two. The four of them stand up and slug it out with Woods being sent outside and superkicked over the barricade. That leaves Kofi to be sat up top where he goes old school with a double noggin knocker. Kofi tries a diving something, only to land in the 1D to retain the titles at 23:47.

Rating: A-. Yeah these guys are awesome together and this was no exception, as they had a long, pay per view quality tag match. I know it’s been done before and I’ve not been wild on seeing them fight again, but this should have been the final match to give the Usos the record. Unless there is some surprise Tag Team Title match on Monday (and there might be), New Day’s record has fallen and it happened after a great match.

Bianca Belair talks about her life starting from childhood, when she found out she was awesome in track. She started at the University of South Carolina but put too much pressure on herself and developed bulimia.

Belair joins us via satellite to talk about how much she loves Christmas and maybe she should make her own wrapping paper. We move on to how great her year has been, with so much of it leading to her Wrestlemania match with Becky Lynch.

From Wrestlemania.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is defending and gets a special intro (similar to the WWE TV intro as we look at moments from her career)….but Belair one ups her with the Texas Southern University marching band playing her to the ring. They both have special gear, with Lynch coming out in a kind of skirt/jacket combination and Belair in black and red with her top made to look like her lips logo. They both look like they’re on the big stage and it’s an awesome addition.

They both take the time to soak it in a bit but Lynch would rather punch than shake hands. The very early Manhandle Slam gets two and Lynch can’t believe the Summerslam plan didn’t work. Belair goes to the ropes to avoid the Disarm-Her so some covers give Lynch two. They trade rollups for two each and Lynch reverses a suplex into a DDT for two more. Belair tries….something but can’t get Lynch onto her shoulders so she switches to a rollup instead.

They head outside with Lynch slipping off the shoulders to send Belair into the steps to take over. Some Bexploders connect back inside and we hit the chinlock to slow things down a bit. With that broken up, Lynch switches to a cross armbreaker but Belair powers up and dumps her outside for the double crash. Back in and Belair drives some shoulders into the ribs in the corner, setting up a gutbuster for two. The handspring moonsault gets two more but Lynch catches her on top.

Belair gets creative with a Chicago Skyline of all things and a middle rope 450 gets another near fall. Lynch is back up with a Molly Go Round, with her feet hitting Belair in the face (OUCH) for two of her own. Belair is back with a spinebuster and a cradle but the kickout sends her into the corner.

The KOD is broken up but Belair KOD’s her to the floor. That doesn’t work for Belair so she tries to come back inside, only to have Lynch hit the Manhandle Slam onto the steps. Belair dives back in at nine and then kicks out at two, sending Lynch even further into hysteria. Another Bexploder is loaded up but Belair gets to the middle rope, moonsaults over Lynch, and hits the KOD for the pin and the title at 19:09.

Rating: B+. The action was good to great, but what mattered here was the feeling. This felt like the rise of a new champion, with Belair surviving what Lynch threw at her and then winning in the end, showing that she was the better woman when things were even. It came off like the Wrestlemania showdown with the special entrances and gear and I had a great time with the whole deal. Best thing on the show by a mile so far.

Post match Lynch falls out to the floor and collapses as Belair celebrates, giving us a great visual of the fallen former champion and the new queen.

Video on Gunther vs. Sheamus at Clash At The Castle.

Sheamus joins us from his house to talk about how important Christmas is for him. After a tour of his home bar, Sheamus talks about how the Brawling Brutes work well together because they have no egos. We hear about the Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook at Extreme Rules so you know where this is going.

From Extreme Rules.

Imperium vs. Brawling Brutes

This is a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook, meaning street fight with some props at ringside. It’s a brawl to start, as it should be, with everyone pairing off in and around the ring. Kaiser is tied in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick but the rest of Imperium comes over for the save. Everyone goes for the weapons and Sheamus is sent into various things at ringside.

With Kaiser and Vinci holding Sheamus over a bar, Gunther chops away and hits the big boot before dropping him onto said bar. Back in and it’s Butch and Holland getting beaten up, including the double running dropkick to Butch in the corner. As Imperium poses, Sheamus fights up and it’s time to wreck Gunther’s minions.

Gunther tells Sheamus to bring it and the slugout is on. A release German suplex drops Sheamus but he’s right back up with a clothesline. Holland and Butch are back up to help with the beating until everyone knocks each other down. The teams get up and fight to the floor, with Butch hitting a heck of a moonsault off some barrels.

Gunther is back up and hits the shillelagh shot for two Sheamus. The rest of the Brutes get back in and beat down Gunther, allowing Sheamus to hit a heck of a shillelagh shot to knock Gunther silly. Gunther gets powerbombed through the announcers’ table, leaving Kaiser to get Brogue Kicked for the pin at 17:42.

Rating: A-. The good old fashioned part was right as these guys didn’t bother with anything more than what was advertised. They beat each other up for about eighteen minutes and you could feel a lot of the pain and violence they were showing off here. Sheamus getting the win was the right way to go and he can probably have a final showdown with Gunther. This was what I was looking for from this match and they delivered hard.

Sami Zayn, wearing glasses and reading from the Bloodline Dictionary, talks about the greatness of the Bloodline.

We look at Drew McIntyre getting ready for Clash At The Castle.

McIntyre joins us to talk about how he is on the mend from a minor injury and can’t wait to be back. We hear about his match with Roman Reigns at Clash At The Castle.

Video on Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre.

We look at various returns this year (and there have been a lot of them).

Cody Rhodes (whose return was not shown) talks about how much his return meant and how much he needed that kind of a reaction. We hear about his history with Seth Rollins, including the Cell match with the horrible pectoral injury. He feels he has paid his price and is ready to pick up where he left off. There is one thing that he came back for and he has made that clear (meaning the WWE Title). It’s still weird having Cody sound sane and not going all over the place whenever he talks.

From Hell In A Cell.

Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

Inside the Cell and Cody has a torn pectoral muscle. Rollins cranks up the evil by coming out in Dusty Rhodes polka dots but Cody’s chest steals the show, because it looks AWFUL, making him seem all the nuttier for being out there. Cody starts firing off the left hands and manages a Disaster Kick, setting up a not so great Cody Cutter. The Figure Four goes on but Rollins manages to reach underneath the ring and grab a tool box. That doesn’t work so it’s a kendo stick to the bad arm to break things up.

Rollins stabs him in the chest with the stick and then knocks Cody into the Cell. Cody manages a whip of his own but can barely follow up. The steps off the shoulder rocks Cody again so Rollins puts on Cody’s jacket. He also grabs the weightlifting belt to beat on Rhodes before setting up the table. The fans chant THANK YOU ROLLINS as he steps on the bad arm in the corner. Cody can’t powerbomb him through the table but he can avoid the frog splash through the table, leaving Rollins down.

With nothing else working, Rhodes pulls out a bullrope with a cowbell so Rollins is confused. Rhodes ties one end around his wrist and Rollins does the same, giving us an impromptu bullrope match. Cody takes him down and hits a superkick, setting up the cowbell to the head for two. Rollins gets in another shot and unhooks the rope, allowing him to set up a table. A one armed Cross Rhodes gives Cody a quick two but the arm gives out on a powerbomb attempt.

Rollins cranks on the arm and toss powerbombs Cody through the table for two. It’s sledgehammer time but Cody kicks it away and hits a Pedigree for two of his own. Cody grabs the hammer but gets caught with the Stomp for two more. Another Stomp is countered into Cross Rhodes from Rollins but Cody pops up and hits one of his own for the double knockdown. They both go for the hammer but Cody switches to back to back Cross Rhodes. Now Rhodes picks up the hammer and hits a running shot for the pin at 24:18.

Rating: B+. That’s on a heck of a sliding scale as Cody was almost literally fighting with one arm. Having him win, especially before he goes off for surgery that might have him missing all the way through the Rumble, is quite the choice. It might be a feel good moment, but Rollins is going to need some time to recover from that kind of a loss. Cody looked like an absolute star and points for an amazing effort, but that arm was about as gruesome as you could get and it was hard to watch at times.

Video on Liv Morgan’s rise to the top of the Smackdown women’s division, including a cameo from Morgan’s mom to talk about what wrestling meant to Liv as a kid.

Morgan joins us to talk about what it meant to her and how happy she has been. She is ready for anything and the best is yet to come.

We get a quick look at Ronda Rousey taking the Smackdown Women’s Title from Morgan at Extreme Rules.

Video on the rise of Judgment Day.

Video on the rise of Austin Theory.

We look at Bobby Lashley’s year, setting up his nearly getting fired, plus Seth Rolling beating him to get the US Title shot next week on Raw.

From Crown Jewel.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Logan Paul

Reigns, with Paul Heyman (for the sake of clarity, any mentions of “Paul” will mean Logan), is defending and powers Paul into the corner to start. Paul wrestles him down a few times and Reigns actually needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Paul tells him to stop running so Reigns hits an elbow to the face. Some rights and lefts to the ribs set up a hiptoss to Reigns, followed by a running clothesline to the floor. A diving clothesline off the barricade takes Reigns down again and it’s a Buckshot Lariat for two back inside.

Paul’s springboard is knocked out of the air and Heyman is right there with the big rah rah speech. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the corner clotheslines. The jumping clothesline gives Reigns two and he grabs a one armed camel clutch. Paul fights up and hits a gutwrench suplex for a much needed double knockdown. A Blockbuster gives Paul two and he hits his own Superman Punch (which looked a lot more like a Shawn Michaels flying forearm) into a high crossbody.

The standing moonsault gets two and Heyman is stunned. Sweet Chin Music (complete with Tuning Up The Band) is countered into a release Rock Bottom for two. The Superman Punch is countered with a shot to the ribs and the big right hand, followed by the Superman Punch to give Paul two. They head outside with Logan putting him on the announcers’ table. Paul talks to his friends in the front row, with one of them giving him a camera as Paul goes up top.

The splash through the table (with camera in hand) connects but here are the Usos to beat up Paul’s friends. Cue Logan’s brother Jake (also Paul) to take the Usos out with a right hand each. Logan hits a frog splash for two and here is Solo Sikoa to go after Jake. Logan dives onto the Usos and goes back inside, where Reigns hits the Superman Punch. The spear retains the title at 24:45.

Rating: B+. They went too far with the run-ins and interferences, but this was GREAT for a celebrity match and I was having a very good time. I didn’t think for a second that they were going to change the title, but that isn’t the point of something like this. The match was all about Paul getting to blow people’s minds and it worked well. Very fun stuff here, as Logan absolutely has the talent to be a special attraction around here. This was highly entertaining (Jake Paul easily dispatching the Tag Team Champions aside) and far better than I would have expected.

The hosts wrap it up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I never know how to rate something like this so we’ll call this quite good and that’s about it. This show did what it advertised and covered a bunch of stuff throughout 2022 while also hyping up future major events. That was more than enough to make a three hour show interesting and they didn’t leave out anything overly important. We can move on to the important stuff this Friday and next Monday, but it was nice to have a one off, fun show that didn’t mean anything.

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.

Tribute To The Troops 2022
Date: December 17, 2022
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s time for another of the annual holiday specials, though in this case this was tacked on after a TV taping over a month ago. These shows are basically short form house shows with a healthy dose of “WE LOVE THE TROOPS” thrown in. There are almost no expectations for one of them as a result so let’s get to it.

We get the presentation of the colors and Star Spangled Banner, led by someone who sang it at the 2009 Tribute To The Troops.

The opening video looks at the history of Tribute To The Troops, featuring several clips from the original shows and not so many from the recent editions.

Braun Strowman vs. LA Knight

Strowman throws him around to start but misses a charge into the corner. Knight goes after the knee but Strowman shrugs it off. The Monsterbomb finishes Knight at 2:05.

We meet Morgan Prigmore, who is proud to be in the Navy.

Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler vs. Emma/Tamina

Baszler takes Emma into the corner to start and it’s off to Rousey. Emma fights up and grabs the Dil-Emma to send Rousey outside. The big dive to the floor takes out the villains and we go to a break. Back with Tamina coming in off the tag with a Samoan drop for two. Rousey catches Tamina on top though and Baszler grabs the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap at 7:34.

Rating: C-. There wasn’t much to this one and that shouldn’t be a surprise. Rousey and Baszler are monsters and aren’t going to be losing to a pair like Emma and Tamina. Rousey was likely there for the star power and Tamina was there for reasons that are still not entirely clear. At least she took the fall instead of Emma, even if Emma has meant nothing since she returned.

Video on Congressional Medal of Honor winner Matthew Williams and how he won the medal.

Video on wrestlers meeting the troops.

Video on the history of Tribute to the Troops. Worked the first time they aired it, not so much the second time, and now it’s just reminding you how far this show has fallen.

Imperium vs. Drew McIntyre/Sheamus/Ricochet

Kaiser takes Ricochet down to start and stomps on his hand. The villains draw McIntyre and Sheamus in, allowing Imperium to hit the double corner dropkick. We take a break and come back with commentary talking about previous editions of the show as Imperium takes turns on Ricochet.

Gunther works over Ricochet’s back and the minions pull Sheamus and McIntyre off the apron. Ricochet counters a powerbomb into a Code Red for a breather though and we take another break. Back again (after a three minute video where we meet Steven Green, who loves America) with Sheamus coming in to clean house.

McIntyre and Gunther come in for the big showdown, followed by the big double knockdown. Everything breaks down and Ricochet hits the big running flip dive to the floor. The Claymore/Brogue Kick combination sets up Ricochet’s shooting star to finish Kaiser off at 16:34.

Rating: C+. Completely watchable six man tag and a fine way to main event the show. This could have been a featured match at any house show and probably could have headlined a few of them. Gunther still feels like a star and isn’t in over his head against McIntyre or Sheamus, which has me wanting to see him against either of them again. Good stuff here as we get the feel good ending to the show.

Overall Rating: C. I never know how to rate these things as they are designed as a special with nothing involving storyline advancement or anything important. At the same time, the vignettes looking back at previous editions just show you how worthless this show has become. It used to feel like WWE was putting in some effort but this probably took half an hour to film after a Smackdown. If you want to act like this is supposed to be some big, important and special show, treat it like one.

Results
Braun Strowman b. LA Knight – Monsterbomb
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler b. Emma/Tamina – Kirifuda Clutch to Tamina
Drew McIntyre/Sheamus/Ricochet b. Imperium – Shooting star press to Kaiser

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.

Note that this was written live in 2010 and the quality is far, far below what I would have today.  I apologize in advance.

Over the Limit 2010
Date: May 23, 2010
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Matt Striker, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole

It seems like we’re STILL on the same angles as we were on at Mania. I’m not sure if that’s good or not. Allegedly tonight is Batista’s last or one of his last appearances with WWE. I’m not so sure if that’s the case or not but with the gimmick match tonight, it’s certainly possible. Also on the card tonight we have Swagger vs. Big Show in a match I truly can’t predict but on instinct it’s Swagger. That all being said, let’s get to it.

We have a Spanish announce team. That’s rather odd for this day and age.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre

Could Drew’s music be sweeter? So remember the idea here is that Drew got stripped of the belt and Kofi won a tournament for it. Drew got it put back on him because Vince likes him. This is the big showdown for it I guess. Drew jumps him early as Striker thinks we need to know that it’s been eleven years since the title has changed hands in Detroit. Ok then. The fans are all over Drew who is dominating early.

Apparently most people don’t like working with him which is odd. I guess you can tell more when you’re in the ring though. That makes more sense at least. Smackdown has definitely been having the better in ring stuff lately and this shouldn’t be an exception. Drew does one of those idiotic spots where he jumps into Kofi’s feet when he puts them up. What the heck was that supposed to be? The set might look cool but I can’t tell.

There’s this weird kind of spotlight thing going on from the end of the arena behind the announcers. It’s rather odd and looks like 6 lights coming off of it. Boom Drop in the corner of all places hits. Ok then. Trouble in Paradise misses and the SOS gets a clean pin. Wow did not see that one coming.

Post match Drew gets on the mic and says the show doesn’t keep going until he’s declared champion by Teddy Long. Instead we get Matt Hardy to an ERUPTION. Seriously it’s been like two weeks not 4 months. Twist of Fate puts Drew down.

Rating: B-. Not bad for an opener I guess. Kofi winning is kind of a surprise but I’d bet on Drew being pushed higher up on the card or into something against Christian or someone like that. Anyway, Kofi doesn’t need the title really, but then again neither does McIntyre. This worked well enough I guess and wasn’t bad at all. Not up to their TV stuff but not bad at all.

Punk is looking in a mirror and says he’s awesome. Tonight Mysterio goes straightedge. Luke hugs him which is kind of awkward.

We recap Ted DiBiase vs. R-Truth. This is a simple but effective feud. What more can you ask for? In short, Ted wanted Truth to be his Virgil.

Ted DiBiase vs. R-Truth

Truth’s entrance is awesome. I’m not a fan of him but I have to give him that one. The real Virgil is here with him instead. You can’t beat that for old school guys. Striker says rich people are better. Amen to that brother man. We even get a Virgil chant. WOW. Cole says that DiBiase paid a couple of guys a few weeks ago to take out R-Truth. One was Carlito. That’s rather amusing.

We get a Harley Race impression from about 1983 and the bounty to take out Flair. I love obscure references like that. Truth busts out a Downward Spiral. I hate that move. Virgil looks more or less exactly the same as he used to. That’s either really impressive or bad. This is really sloppy. Truth…kind of hits the Lie Detector (spinning forearm) for the clean pin. That was bad. Virgil gets the Million Dollar Belt and tries to wake up DiBiase, despite the forearm grazing him at best.

Rating: D. Not very good and just SLOPPY. The stuff came off as weak looking and just all over the place. I didn’t like what I was seeing and the Truth pin just came off as from out of nowhere, which isn’t bad I guess.

Drew goes into Teddy’s office and says change the decision. Drew destroys the office and a picture of Martin Luther King. Never mind as he doesn’t wreck the picture.

We recap the Punk/Rey feud. More or less, Punk wants Rey in the SES. Rey says they’re hypocrites. This is one of the matches I have no clue on, which is the point I guess.

CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio

All outside parties are banned here, which makes me think Masked Man messing things up somehow. Rey is in yellow tonight which makes him look stupider than usual somehow. Punk jumps him to start. That’s my boy. We get into a semi-Master/Slave dialectic from Lawler. That was bizarre but an essay on that got me through a college class. In a SICK spot, Rey gets thrown into the barber’s chair at ringside. That seriously HURT.

Punk is cut open too so they have to stop the blood flow. Can we get Linda in the Senate already? Rey looks at something under his wrist tape for some reason. The match stops for like three minutes because of this. We get an EPIC boring chant and Punk goes off. Seriously, a trickle of blood is ok. Stopping a PPV for that long because of a cut like that is idiotic. I’ve never seen Punk snap like that and I loved it.

Rey hits a sunset flip powerbomb for two. They crank it up and they both get a bunch of near falls. We get some weird dueling chants that I can’t quite make out. GTS of course doesn’t work. Punk gets a corner powerbomb though. Nice one. Punk kicks Rey’s head off. GTS is reversed again and Rey hits the 619. Springboard Splash misses though and this is a good match.

And then we get the same pin that HHH beat Jeff Hardy with at some PPV where Rey rolls him up off a sloppy pin. I hate Vince. Punk is busted open again. Here comes Gallows and Serena and I hope I don’t know what’s coming. They have handcuffs. And here’s….KANE? What the HECK? Punk is handcuffed and gets his hair cut. I hate WWE sometimes. I truly do.

Rating: B+. I really liked this match. I hate the booking, but the in ring stuff was great. There were all kinds of great back and forth things going on here with the great near falls. I can’t blame them for the cut thing as that’s a company decision. Also Punk just going OFF after that was great.

Ad for Fatal Fourway with all championships being in the title of the show style of matches.

Jericho makes fun of Show and Miz sneaks up on him which doesn’t work. Show threatens to know Jericho out, wake him up and knock him out again. This was funny.

And now let’s have a trailer for Prince of Persia.

Unified Tag Titles: Hart Dynasty vs. Chris Jericho/The Miz

There’s not much to say here at all. It’s not bad but it’s ok I guess. Natalya is solid as a manager. They say that on Monday when Hart won the US Title he was in his homeland. They make it sound like he came from an island nation with like four people on it. It’s a very standard tag match which is both good and bad I suppose. Kidd takes the Walls and the Codebreaker off a springboard. It just wasn’t a very good one. Somehow that only gets two. Wow.

Jericho goes off and yells at Kidd to stay down. That was kind of amusing. We’re getting a lot of near falls here. Miz and Jericho yell at the referee A LOT. Natalya trips Jericho and Smith hits the powerslam for the LONG two. This started slow but has gotten a lot better.

Skull Crushing Finale is blocked but Miz gets a rollup and the tights for two. VERY good match here. I’m very surprised. Miz does his running clothesline into the corner but Smith catches him to set up the Hart Attack. NICE match with a SWEET ending.

Rating: B. I liked this a lot more than I expected to. Like I said it started slow but it picked WAY up soon after that. The clean retaining surprised me very much actually but it’s certainly a good thing. They needed that for some credibility and I’ve very glad they didn’t do the switch to another random tag team. Nice match and a very pleasant surprise.

We recap Edge vs. Orton which is just that Edge turned heel again and had a great segment on Raw to set this up. This is the most hyped show on the card. Not sure if it’s going to live up to it. I doubt it will actually.

Edge vs. Randy Orton

They try to talk down the pop that Orton gets for no apparent reason. Orton goes for no tape again which is his new look I guess. Nothing wrong with that. Orton dominates early as would be expected I guess. Edge takes ove and the match is decent enough I guess. Edge hooks a body scissors and the fans think it’s boring. Orton reacts and counters with elbows to get a HUGE RKO chant going. Orton hits the elevated DDT to a huge pop.

The lack of tape thing is working for me. Spear is blocked by a kick. This crowd is NUTS for Orton but his arm is hurt from earlier. Hey we got some psychology in there! Orton might be legit hurt. Yeah he must be. We go to the floor and Edge misses a spear. This has to be legit. At least I think it is. Oh dear.

Rating: C-. What we got is what I’m grading it on as it’s pretty clear that wasn’t the planned ending. Orton was doing his mat slap thing and just stopped dead. Also no way that was going to end in a double count out. Until then it wasn’t that good but it did ok.

We recap Swagger vs. Show which you can read the Smackdown review if you want the story on.

Smackdown World Title: Jack Swagger vs. Big Show

This is another one where I don’t know how it’s going to end. Show uses some wrestling here and Swagger’s look is great. SHOW DOES PUSHUPS! Somebody get that boy a Twinkie before he passes out! Swagger goes for the leg and that doesn’t work. Show keeps coming back. After some boring stuff, Show sets for the chokeslam…..and Swagger blasts him in the head with the belt for the intentional DQ. WOW.

Well they went old school with that so I can’t complain. Two belt shots and Show gets up. A chair shot doesn’t work either and Swagger takes a chokeslam. So the world champion can’t put a guy down with two belt shots and a chair. Right. Show drops him with a punch again. Pay no attention to Swagger opening his eyes to make sure things are going right.

Rating: D. It was short and the ending completely sucked. Swagger looks weak after losing to Kofi on Monday. He’s also lost to Morrison and Orton. Is there a point to him being champion? Yes he’s champion, but he’s another weak champion. It’s a good bit annoying but that’s WWE for you. They’ve been awesome lately so I can’t complain much I guess.

We recap Batista vs. Cena and Batista says he’ll make Cena say he quits.

Raw Women’s Title: Maryse vs. Eve Torres

This is better than I’d expect it to be actually. This has gotten some great build over the past few weeks and due to a lack of matches they have to give it a lot of time. Maryse randomly starts crying for no adequately explained reason. We actually get some near falls. Eve hits some messed up face plant into a rollup for the pin. Cole, Striker and Lawler make jokes about Eve and just lose it on commentary.

Rating: C-. For what you had to work with here and given what Divas matches tend to be, this was actually decent. I tend to start most Divas matches at a D or so, meaning this was pretty good. There was some actual drama and Eve won with a nice finisher. Solid little match.

We recap Batista vs. Cena which is about 3 months old now. Mainly it’s about Batista being mad about getting Duct-Taped to the post to lose last time.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Batista

Batista has a mic and asks Cena if he wants to quit right now. Batista says the words I Quit but for some reason that’s not the end of the match. Cena of course blasts him with the mic. He has a chair within seconds. Some hero eh? Cena gets the split chants again. You can’t argue the guy gets people talking. The problem here is you don’t have to watch the first 20 minutes or so here as nothing is going to happen.

Batista hits the spear if you want to call it that. The fans are awesome tonight. Batista hooks his Rings of Saturn kind of thing but puts far less pressure on it. Cena stands up to get out of it and there’s the STFU. Ropes don’t count for breaks here. Batista passes out in the hold. Some animal indeed. In Austin vs. hart that would be enough. Not here I guess though. Cena gets some water and wakes him up. Ok, now HOOK THE HOLD AGAIN.

Cena won’t quit off a spinebuster. So Batista takes about 9 hours to set up the two tables on the floor and Cena just lets him. I can’t say I blame him though as it’s a breather for him. Batista gets a powerslam through one of the tables and Cena is cut BAD. Let’s get an EMT out there as we can’t have blood in an anything goes match! This is idiotic. We head into the crowd for a bit now and walk forever.

I guess they wanted to get away from the doctors. Cena is told to quit or he’ll be thrown over. Cena has to answer apparently. Or what? He’ll get water thrown on him? Idiotic line if there ever was one. Cena fights out of it and they fight on the barrier up there. Dangerous looking spot and Batista falls all of 6 feet onto some people. Shockingly, that doesn’t end it. I’m glad as if they didn’t it would have sucked to say the least.

They fight up to the entrance near some cars. I wonder if that’s how it ends. Cena won’t quit and the crowd POPS. Batista gets in a car which of course has the keys in the ignition and he runs into Cena and the set which shoots off some sparks. Apparently he didn’t hit Cena as he’s up and fighting. Striker says Cena had to have moved since there’s no other way to explain that. FU onto a 78 Camaro and he won’t quit.

Cena grabs the mic and says he was really hoping Batista would say that. They go on top of the car and Batista quits to avoid the massive FU. Of course he gets it anyway and goes through the stage. Post match Cena celebrates and the graphic in the corner pops up and they say good night but Sheamus kicks his head off as he turns around to really end it. I like that.

Rating: B. This was good. I don’t think anyone believed Cena was going to lose here which is fine. He went over as strong as possible and Batista looks like a defeated man if that’s the end of his run with the company. Either way this was a solid match and a solid way to end the show. It was over the top but that’s fine. Now, KEEP THEM APART.

Overall Rating: D. This just didn’t do it for me. And before anyone jumps on me and says I overreacted to Punk/Rey, heck yes I did. I don’t like Rey and Punk is my favorite wrestler. It’s part of being a fan so shut up with the whole biased arguments. Heck yes I’m biased. Anyway, this show just wasn’t very good.

The best way I can put it is unnecessary. This show was unnecessary. Nothing of major note happened other than Punk and Rey. There was some solid wrestling on the show, but there was just too much that didn’t work for me. Having literally no heels win is just a weird thing to do. This show isn’t as bad as people are saying, but it wasn’t good.

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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Survivor Series 2022
Date: November 26, 2022
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s time for WarGames and no that still doesn’t feel right to say. We have a men’s and women’s version of the match here and that should make for a great core of the show. There are only five matches on the card but double WarGames is probably enough to carry things, especially with the Bloodline vs. Team Drew McIntyre as the likely headliner. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a five minute Ozzy Osborne music video, with Ozzy saying Welcome To WarGames at the end. That works.

Team Belair vs. Team Damage Ctrl

Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Mia Yim
Bayley, Iyo Sky, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley, Nikki Cross

If you’re not familiar, we have two teams of five, with each team sending in a person for dive minutes. After that, the team who won the advantage coming into the match (Damage Ctrl in this case) will send in its second wrestler (standing in a mini cage with their teammates on the stage until their turn) for a three minute advantage. The teams alternate for three minutes until all ten are in, when it becomes first pin (erg) or submission to win.

Belair and Kai start things off with Belair throwing her around early on. A neck snap across the top rope gives Kai a breather but Belair drags her into the other ring and takes over. Kai gets in a few kicks to stagger her right back though and they head back into the original ring. The scorpion kick rocks Belair but she shoves Kai off without much trouble. Kai is the first one to go into the cage a few times, including off a toss powerbomb, until Iyo Sky is in for the advantage.

Belair gets in a shot but the double teaming gets the better of her, allowing Sky to hit the running knees in the corner. A double suplex gets Belair out of trouble for a second but a springboard missile dropkick puts her right back down. Asuka is in to even things up though and we go right to the Asuka vs. Kai slugout. It’s Asuka getting the better of things as Belair gets back up to make things even for a change. Asuka’s dropkick takes Kai down again until Nikki Cross is in for the villainous advantage.

Nikki spends about a minute throwing in weapons and slamming the door onto Asuka’s head before coming in. The beating is on, including several shots with Nikki’s jacket to Asuka and Belair. Nikki chokes Belair with a kendo stick until Bliss is in to even things up. Bliss cleans house until Kai and Sky are back up with stick shots of her own. Nikki uses the distraction to go up top and dive onto the huge pile (thankfully standing in the right spot) for the group knockdown and first high spot.

It’s Bayley in next and she brings in a pair of ladders, because WARGAMES needs to go TLC. Bayley finally gets in and goes smart by pinning Belair between the rings with a table holding her in place. More ladder shots abound until Mia Yim gets to come in and clan house, including freeing up Belair. Various weapon shots clean house until Kai drops Yim, leaving everyone down at the same time.

Rhea Ripley comes in to complete Team Damage Ctrl and everyone gets beaten up in a row. Yim is left alone in one ring for whatever reason, only to have her dive between the rings cut off so Kai can trashcan lid her in the head. Lynch comes in to complete the field, meaning falls can now take place, and cleans house without much trouble. Kai gets sent face first into a ladder and then into a garbage can, leaving Lynch to go to the other ring for the showdown with Bayley.

Ripley is back up to stare Lynch down though and a quick Riptide gets two, with Asuka making the save. A bunch of people pair off until Asuka mists Ripley. Bayley decks Asuka and Lynch before the Roseplant sends Lynch into the steel plate between the rings. Asuka and Sky go up top but get caught by a trashcan shot to the back. The Tower Of Doom is loaded up but Cross is back up to pull people off. Belair gives Bayley a scary powerbomb but thankfully she is still moving.

Sky moonsaults off the top of the cage onto Yim and Belair for the VERY nasty crash, with Belair coming up holding her leg. It’s Cross up next and she whips out some handcuffs to tie herself to Bliss. They go to the corner and knock each other down until Yim is driven through a ladder in the corner. We get the big Lynch/Belair vs. Damage Ctrl showdown and it’s the heroines getting the better of things. Sky and Kai are loaded onto a table as Bayley gets hit with the KOD into the cage. That leaves Lynch to go up top for the legdrop off the top of the cage through the table to pin Kai at 39:35.

Rating: B. There was almost no way that a team with Belair and Lynch was going to lose here so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. The match itself had the violence and the carnage (and the weapons, but those are just a standard these days). What mattered here was making the match feel epic and while almost forty minutes is WAY too long for WarGames, the match went by fast enough that it didn’t feel that long. Good opener, with Lynch feeling like her old self.

We look back at Sami Zayn lying to Jey Uso about talking to Kevin Owens last night.

Jey Uso wants to know what Roman Reigns is going to do about this. Roman says deal with it and win the match tonight. Jey leaves and, after a long stare, Reigns tells Heyman to get Zayn in here.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor, which is a one on one match to represent OC vs. Judgment Day. Either way, this should be good stuff.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

Dominik Mysterio/Damien Priest and the OC are here too. Feeling out process to start with Balor driving him into the corner for an actual clean break. Styles runs him over with a shoulder and some right hands stagger Balor again. Balor rolls through into a basement dropkick to take over though and we hit the abdominal stretch of all things. Styles eventually hiptosses his way to freedom and the basement forearm gets two.

The Styles Clash is blocked so Balor sends him to the apron, only to have his knee get snapped across the rope to slow him down again. Dominik and Priest offer a distraction so Styles can be sent onto the apron, meaning the big brawl is on outside. With everyone else in the crowd, Balor hits a Sling Blade but charges into a jumping enziguri.

Balor kicks him down again but Styles….whatever his version of Hulking Up is. Another knockdown gives Balor two though, even as you can see the welts on his back. Balor tries his own Styles Clash but Styles blocks, setting up an exchange of Pele Kicks for a double knockdown. Some knees to the ribs give Balor two and the fireman’s carry backbreaker gets the same.

1916 is countered though and Styles hits a moonsault….Nightmare on Helm Street for a change of pace. A 450 misses for Styles and Balor shotgun dropkicks him into the corner. The Coup de Grace misses though and Balor bangs up his knee again. The Calf Crusher goes on until Balor rams his head into the mat for the break. Balor sends him to the apron but gets caught with an enziguri, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm to give Styles the pin at 18:25.

Rating: B+. Yeah this worked and I don’t know why anything else would have been expected. This was a really simple concept: take two world class talents, give them time, and watch them have a great match. Both of them can still go with the best of them and while I’m a bit surprised Styles won (first singles win on pay per view in three years), it was really entertaining stuff throughout and a nice change of pace after WarGames

We recap Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi for Rousey’s Smackdown Women’s Title. Rousey is the monster champion but Shotzi isn’t scared and is willing to come for the belt. To make it even more lopsided, Rousey has Shayna Baszler in her corner.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

Rousey is defending with Shayna Baszler in her corner. They start fast with the ankle lock having Shotzi in trouble less than twenty seconds in. Shotzi reverses by sending her outside, where the suicide dive takes out Baszler instead. Back in and Rousey reverses a high crossbody into a kind of belly to belly to take over again. The ankle lock goes on again but Shotzi escapes for a second time.

That doesn’t work for Rousey, who hammers away against the ropes. They go to the apron and crash out to the floor, with Shotzi hitting a heck of a dive off the barricade onto Rousey and Baszler, taking out people behind them as well. Back in and Rousey grabs the ankle lock for the third time, only to switch into the armbar to retain at 7:12.

Rating: C. There was never any drama here as Shotzi isn’t going to be the person to take the title from Rousey. Shotzi gave it her all and that big dive was cool, but other than that, what was there to make me believe that Shotzi was a real threat. We are probably on the road to Rousey vs. someone a bit bigger for the title, bu Shotzi did put in some effort here.

Sami Zayn finally comes in to see Roman Reigns, who asks about Sami talking to Kevin Owens last night. Zayn did talk to him, so Reigns flat out asks him why he lied to Jey Uso. Sami says that he didn’t want to put anything on Jey’s plate before the main event. Owens was the one doing the talking and said Sami should turn on the Bloodline. Reigns says this is his blood and asks if Sami is with them. Sami insists that he is with the Bloodline and Reigns stares at him. They both stand and Reigns says let’s do it. They hug, but Reigns doesn’t seem entirely convinced.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is defending and Lashley sends Theory outside to start. A neckbreaker drops Rollins but it’s too early for the Hurt Lock. Theory pulls Rollins outside and sends him into the barricade, allowing him to actually hammer Lashley down back inside. Lashley shrugs that off and sends Theory outside again. This time Theory grabs a chair, only to have Lashley take it away.

Rollins is back with a knee off the apron to drop Lashley though and there’s a toss into the steps. Theory is back up with the steps to both of their faces and sends Rollins back inside. There’s the rolling dropkick to drop Rollins and Theory sends Lashley into the barricade for a bonus. Back in and Rollins slugs away at Theory, followed by a suicide dive to Lashley. The big running flip dive drops both challengers and the fans seem rather pleased with Rollins.

Back in and Rollins misses the Stomp, allowing Lashley to hit the spinebuster. The Hurt Lock goes on but Theory grabs a sleeper on Lashley to break it up. Rollins knocks Theory down but misses the Phoenix splash. Theory grabs a rolling Blockbuster on Lashley, who is right back with Hurt Lock.

The rope walk flip into a rollup gets two but Rollins Phoenix splashes them for the save. Rollins discus forearms Theory but Lashley Hurt Locks both of them at the same time. Since that can’t last long, Rollins breaks it up and Stomps Lashley but he has to superplex Theory. Rollins tries to roll into the Falcon Arrow but Lashley spears him down, allowing Theory to fall on top for the pin and the title at 14:49.

Rating: B. I wasn’t big on a lot of the match but they had some creative stuff in there. The ending made Theory feel more like he was thinking instead of coming in there and stealing the pin. Theory getting the title back is the right call and now he can hopefully get more of a proper push. Granted that was what seemed to be the case the first time, but at least he is getting somewhere.

Jey Uso asks Roman Reigns if Sami Zayn lied to him too. Reigns says he looked Sami in the eye and saw everything he needed to see. That’s good enough for Jey.

Team McIntyre vs. Bloodline

Drew McIntyre, Butch, Ridge Holland, Sheamus, Kevin Owens
Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn

Same rules as the women’s match. Butch and Jey start things off and stare at each other for most of the first minute. Jey finally goes after him and gets dropped with a clothesline. Butch goes after the fingers but Jey manages to get in a shot to the face for a needed breather. Things slow down but Butch stomps on the arm to slow Jey down again. The arm is tied around the rope and it’s Ridge Holland to put Jey down 2-1.

Jey manages a shot to Butch before Ridge can get here, leaving Ridge to get kicked in the ribs. The Brutes go high/low on Jey and it’s back to the hand. Ridge weakly twisted on the ankle at the same time until Sami is in to even things up. Zayn takes his sweet time to get in, burning off over a minute of the three minute period just coming to the ring. Butch is dropped in the corner as Reigns seems pleased that Jey and Sami are working well together. That lasts for all of a few seconds before Sami has to calm Jey down.

The delay lets Holland get up but he charges into the cage, allowing Jey to beat on Butch (favoring his arm) even more. McIntyre is in next and house is cleaned, albeit at a bit of a slow pace. The overhead belly to belly sends Sami flying and the sit up choke throw sends Jey flying, but off the top this time. There’s the Futureshock to Sami as Jimmy is in to even the score, but he has some tables as well.

Jimmy has to calm Jey and Sami down again, with commentary not being sure what Jey’s problem is here. The Bloodline beats everyone down until Kevin Owens (in a pretty sweet Dusty Rhodes shirt) unevens things again. Owens swings away with a chair but stops to have the staredown with Zayn. The slow beatings continue as the energy is definitely shifting down a bit until we get to the big finale.

Solo Sikoa is in next and gets to clean a bit of house. Owens can’t powerbomb Sikoa between the rings, as he is instead backdropped onto the plate between them. Sikoa superkicks McIntyre down into the corner and it’s Sheamus coming in to complete the good guys. The Bloodline comes back and everyone is down until Reigns comes in to complete the field. Everyone stands up for the big showdown visual, more or less rendering the last 28 minutes entirely worthless.

Reigns’ Superman Punch misses Sheamus, who ties him in the ropes for the ten forearms, only to have all of his partners do the same thing to someone else on the Bloodline. After twenty forearms each, Sheamus Brogue Kicks Sikoa but gets speared by Reigns for two. Sami yells at Butch but (seemed to be aiming for Butch but it’s not clear) gets superkicked by Jey. Not that it matters as the Usos have to give Butch a super 1D.

There’s the spear to send Holland through a table in the corner but McIntyre is back on Reigns. The powerbomb through the table is broken up by Sikoa, who Spinning Solos McIntyre through the table instead. Owens and Reigns slug it out with the superkick cutting off the spear. There’s the Pop Up Powerbomb into the Stunner but Sami grabs the referee to break up the pin.

Owens and Zayn stare at each other (while Owens has reigns covered for about a 19) and the fans chant for SAMI USO. Owens has to block a Jey superkick, allowing Sami to hit him low. Sami looks around at everything and might be second guessing himself. Reigns looks at Sami, who Helluva Kicks Owens. Sami and Jey look at each other, with Sami leaving Owens to get Superfly Splashed for the pin at 38:30.

Rating: B+. This is a weird match as the action was mostly there and the Sami drama was great, but as has been the case with almost every WarGames, it was WAY longer than it needed to be. The classic WarGames matches were about 21-25 minutes and this is so far beyond any of those times. Cut down the periods to two minutes instead of one and this gets WAY easier, just by shaving off about eight minutes.

As for the match itself, it was a lot of violence with one big move after another. The problem here though was that everything was waiting on Sami’s decision. It was the only thing that mattered in the match and there was only so much to get interested in until the ending. Sami going full Bloodline in a more serious way should take things in a different direction. Very good match, but trim off ten or so minutes and it’s that much better.

Post match Sami hugs Reigns and gets the big hug from Jey as he is officially accepted as part of the team. The Bloodline poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. The two big matches more than carried this and the weakest part of the show was a seven minute match that would have been perfectly fine on TV. What mattered most here was it felt like stuff was mattering after so many years of Raw vs. Smackdown with no stakes to be seen. The main event felt important and there was a logical title change in the middle. Very good show here, and WarGames makes a pretty awesome main roster debut.

Results
Team Belair b. Team Damage Ctrl – Legdrop off the cage to Kai
AJ Styles b. Finn Balor – Phenomenal Forearm
Ronda Rousey b. Shotzi – Armbar
Austin Theory b. Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley – Spear to Rollins
Bloodline b. Team McIntyre – Superfly Splash to Owens

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

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AND

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It’s time for Survivor Series and for the first time in years, there is a feeling of interest about the show. Instead of the completely dead in the water Raw vs. Smackdown Battle For Brand Supremacy, WWE has thrown their old ideas out the window and brought in a pair of WarGames matches. That alone should be enough to carry the show and….well there are only three more matches so WarGames is kind of carrying things. Let’s get to it.

AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor

I would have bet on this being the elimination match but instead we’ll just have Judgment Day and the OC at ringside to make things more crowded. Then again, I think I can go with the idea of Balor vs. Styles on a major show and likely getting a lot of time. That being said, Styles hasn’t won a singles match on pay per view in something like three years, so there might not be so much drama.

Judgment Day has dominated the feud so far and it makes sense for them to do it again here, so I’ll go with Balor. At the end of the day, the OC hasn’t felt important in the entire thing, even when Mia Yim returned. Balor winning will continue his rise and once this feud is over, it wouldn’t shock me to see him get his hands on some gold. For now though, he’ll win a good match against one of the best ever.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Shotzi

This is a match that feels like a stepping stone in a bigger story. Rousey is MUCH better as a heel than she was as…whatever she was for all those months. Now the question is who can give her a real run for her money as champion. Shotzi is the latest person to try and while Shotzi has all kinds of charisma, that doesn’t exactly mean that she is ready to take the title.

In case it isn’t clear, I’ll be taking Rousey, as we build to what seems like a title match with Shayna Baszler. Shotzi is certainly someone who has come a long way in a short amount of time, but she isn’t ready to take down a monster like Rousey. This is going to be a match that gets more intense than you might expect, but at the end of the day, Rousey keeps going as champion and finds her next victim.

US Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory

This is another match where it feels like there is something else going on instead of just the main story. While Rollins has been feuding with the two challengers at the same time, this has felt a lot more about Theory, at least in the last few weeks. Theory seems to be in the middle of a rebuild and now he needs to actually do something to get back onto the higher level after so much bad.

That being said…..yeah I think I’ll actually go with Theory winning the title. Rollins and Lashley don’t need to be champion while Theory has a long rebuild in front of him. This is a match where Rollins and Lashley can do most of the work and Theory can come in at the end to steal the title. It’s a tired cliché, but it is something that can work well, especially for someone like Theory.

Women’s WarGames

It’s still weird to see this on a WWE show but dang it feels cool. This match got turned upside down with the return of Becky Lynch this week on Smackdown. Lynch being added to the match is one of the biggest upgrades Team Belair to a much higher level. The talent is rather strong with both teams, but there is something about a pair of aces that puts one team ahead of the other.

Yeah I’ll go with Team Belair, as outside of a betrayal, I can’t imagine a team with Lynch and Bianca Belair losing to pretty much anyone. Go with what makes sense here and have Lynch and Belair get revenge on Damage Ctrl for putting Lynch on the shelf a few months back. It should be a hard hitting match, but there is pretty much just one way to go here given the lineups.

Men’s WarGames

Oh boy did this thing take a turn this week. The Bloodline has been so dominant for so long and it has seemed like it has all hinged on what Sami Zayn was going to do. The question becomes when that actually takes place, and now we might be ready to see it taking place. Zayn has already lied to Jey Uso about taking to Kevin Owens, but at some point the trigger actually has to be pulled.

If the Bloodline is ever going to lose a major match, it very well might be here so I’ll say that is what we see. Solo Sikoa getting pinned by Sheamus or Drew McIntyre isn’t going to hurt him so odds are that is how we go. Sheamus getting the Royal Rumble title shot would not be out of the question, but this is a story that could have all kinds of directions and that is a lot of fun to see.

Overall Thoughts

That is a very skinny card, but much like the Royal Rumble or most Survivor Series, there is only so much you can do when two matches are taking up twenty wrestlers. What matters here is WarGames, and if WWE manages to make the first runs go well, we should be in for a heck of a night. Bloodline and Damage Ctrl could be in for some rough matches, but at least we should have a pretty awesome show.

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

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Smackdown
Date: November 25, 2022
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the go home show for Survivor Series and we have a big time main event. This week it’s the Usos vs. Sheamus/Drew McIntyre for the WarGames advantage and what wouldn’t surprise me as a big preview for a future Tag Team Title match. Other than that, we’ll find out the final member of Team Belair, so let’s get to it.

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

Team Damage Ctrl is in the ring to start and Bayley doesn’t want to waste any time. She wants to know who the fifth member of Team Belair is right now, so here is Team Belair in a hurry. Belair doesn’t waste time and introduces the fifth member of her team: the returning Becky Lynch. The brawl is quickly on, with Team Belair clearing the ring.

Smackdown World Cup Semifinals: Butch vs. Santos Escobar

The rest of their teams are at ringside and Zelina Vega joins commentary. Escobar takes him down fast to start but gets pulled into an armbar for his efforts. That’s reversed into an armbar from Escobar as Vega is sounding very cocky. Butch fights up again and goes to the top, only to be shoved down onto the apron for a nasty crash.

We take a break and come back with Dunne hammering away and knocking Escobar off the top to the floor this time. Butch hits a great moonsault onto the rest of Legado. Stereo clotheslines put them both down and we see Team McIntyre and the Bloodline brawling in the back. Zelina gets on the apron for a distraction, allowing Legado to make a save so the Phantom Driver can give Escobar the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. Escobar winning is an interesting way to go as he continues to get a bit of a push around here. I’m not sure how far that is going to go for him but even a little shine is better than nothing. Butch is a far more made man than Escobar, but it’s still strange to see him losing after so much dominance earlier in his career. Good opening match and I think I like the result.

Long video on LA Knight vs. Bray Wyatt over the last two weeks.

Here is Bray Wyatt for a chat. He talks about everything he has gone through and how everyone wants to see the monster. Everyone wants to see the Fiend. That is not what he wants though, because he did not attack LA Knight last week. Uncle Howdy pops up on screen to show us clips of Wyatt’s past before saying everyone lies. So the split personality continues? I think?

LA Knight had a horrible Thanksgiving because of his injuries and now he has to hear Wyatt lie like this. When he gets the chance, he’ll beat Bray up. Yeah.

Hit Row vs. Viking Raiders

B Fab and Valhalla (Sarah Evans’ official new name) are the respective seconds. Adonis gets pulled into the corner to start and the double teaming clubbering is on. Ivar loads up a suplex but Adonis slips out and brings in Dolla to clean house. That doesn’t last long as Adonis comes back in, misses a dive, and gets Ragnaroked for the pin at 2:45. Pretty much a squash.

We look at Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley invading Rey Mysterio’s house and beating the daylights out of him in a rather effective assault.

LA Knight has been attacked again.

Smackdown World Cup Semifinals: Ricochet vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman powers him around to start but Ricochet turns up the speed. A quick dropkick gets Ricochet out of trouble and he knocks Strowman outside. That’s fine with Strowman, who whips him into the barricade, followed by the big toss back inside. Cue Imperium for a distraction though, allowing Ricochet to steal the crucifix pin at 3:46.

Rating: C. It was pretty much get rid of Strowman here or have him win the whole thing so this was the better of the two choices. Strowman vs. Gunther seems likely no matter what else they do so this way they can set up someone else to get there first. Strowman saves some face by losing clean and Ricochet gets a nice win for once, making this a nicely put together match.

Post match Imperium comes in to go after Strowman but Ricochet makes the save. Strowman has to save Ricochet though and Imperium bails, leaving Strowman to show respect and help Ricochet up.

We look back at Kevin Owens being revealed as the fifth man on Team Brawling Brutes for WarGames.

Sami Zayn is heading to the Bloodline’s locker room when Owens cuts him off. With Jey Uso listening at the door, Owens tells him to turn on the Bloodline before they can do it to him. Owens says see you tomorrow and leaves. Jey comes out and asks who Sami was talking to, but Sami says no one. Uh oh.

Becky Lynch wants to hurt Damage Ctrl for putting her on the shelf.

Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey jump Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez in the back, with Rodriguez’s arm being crushed in an anvil case. Referees arrive just too late.

Post break here are Rousey and Baszler to gloat, only to have Shotzi want to do it alone.

Shozi vs. Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler

Shotzi charges in and tries to start fast but gets caught in an armbar over the ropes. Baszler adds her own armbar on the mat….and here is Rodriguez, favoring her arm, to make it an even match. Shotzi gets over to Rodriguez to clean house with one arm, only to have Baszler take her down by said arm. The stomp set up Rousey’s armbar for the win at 3:18.

Rating: C-. This was more of an angle than a match as Rousey and Baszler get to beat up Rodriguez to make up for her getting involved with them last week. Other than that, Shotzi gets to look like she is standing up to the bullies before she gets crushed by Rousey on Saturday. That is about as good as she is going to get and Rodriguez is probably set up as a future challenger.

Post break Shotzi swears vengeance.

Usos vs. Sheamus/Drew McIntyre

Non-title but for the WarGames advantage with the rest of the rest of the WarGames teams, minus Roman Reigns, at ringside. Sheamus throws Jey around to start and a double clothesline puts him on the floor. We get the big staredown on the outside and take an early break. Back with Sheamus being low bridged to the floor but he manages a knockdown back inside. The tag brings in McIntyre for some house cleaning, including a spinebuster for two on Jimmy.

Jey has to break up the Claymore attempt and Jimmy knocks Drew to the floor, setting up back to back Uso dives. McIntyre gets sent into the steps and we take a break. Back with Jey hitting the running Umaga Attack in the corner but McIntyre runs Jimmy over. The hot tag brings in Sheamus to clean house, including seventeen forearms to Jey’s chest.

There’s a knee to Jimmy’s face for two but Jey manages to knock Sheamus down. Sheamus pulls Jey off the top for a crash as everyone else brawls on the floor. McIntyre takes them out so Sami grabs a belt, which is taken away by Owens. The referee pretty easily sees Sami with the belt in the ring and that’s an ejection. The Brogue Kick finishes Jey at 17:18.

Rating: B. It would not surprise me a bit if this was a preview for a Tag Team Title match (it should be with the champs losing) but it is a little weird to see the good guys with the advantage going into WarGames. That isn’t how things usually go, but now we might be in for something all the more interesting with Sami Zayn possibly having some differing loyalties.

Overall Rating: C+. The main focus here was on the men’s WarGames match, but they also had something big with the return of Becky Lynch. I’m more interested in what is happening at Survivor Series than I was coming into this week’s show and that is the best sign from a go home show. The Bloodline saga could get a lot more interesting tomorrow if they go in a certain direction and now I want to see if that is what they do. If that is what WWE was hoping to accomplish tonight, they did it very well.

Results
Santos Escobar b. Butch – Phantom Driver
Viking Raiders b. Hit Row – Ragnarok to Adonis
Ricochet b. Braun Strowman – Crucifix
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler b. Raquel Rodriguez/Shotzi – Armbar to Rodriguez
Sheamus/Drew McIntyre b. Usos – Brogue Kick to Jey

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: November 21, 2022
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Survivor Series and the card is mostly set. Both WarGames matches are almost entirely ready to go following the return of Kevin Owens on Smackdown. Tonight is going to be about finding the final woman in the other WarGames match and adding in some other stuff to the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Kevin Owens to quite the welcome. Owens says he is joining WarGames for the sake of one person and it’s not Sami Zayn. No matter what, he and Zayn are like brothers and they can deal with that later. No he’s doing this to remind Roman Reigns who he is. If it wasn’t for the Bloodline, the history making title reign would have been stopped earlier. Now he wants to take out the Bloodline so there is no one standing between him and the Universal Title.

Owens isn’t here alone tonight so here are the Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre (through the crowd, because it’s Survivor Series season). Sheamus talks about being ready for the big fight on Saturday and their fifth member is Kevin Owens. McIntyre talks about Reigns abusing his power and the numbers game, but all of that changes in WarGames.

Cue the Judgment Day to interrupt, with Dominik Mysterio telling them to go back to Smackdown and say hi to his deadbeat dad. Finn Balor is sick of AJ Styles but also hopes the Bloodline smashes everyone in the ring. Sheamus says that he and Balor lived ten miles apart in Ireland but they might as well be a million miles apart here. He calls Balor a “plastic paddy” (I think) but Balor describes himself as salty. The challenge is on for a six man and let’s do it.

Judgment Day vs. Brawling Brutes

The fight is on before the bell with the Brutes clearing the ring and we take a break. Back with Sheamus and Priest having a staredown and then slugging it out in the corner. Kevin Owens is on commentary and enjoys seeing Holland come in, only to get taken down by Balor’s suplex. Butch comes in but gets pulled out to the floor for an apron chokeslam from Priest as we take a break.

Back again with Butch fighting out of trouble by hitting an enziguri to Balor, but Dominik breaks up the tag attempt. Dominik hides behind Rhea Ripley on the floor but the hot tag brings in Holland without much effort. Sheamus chases Dominik up the ramp as the OC is here to cut him off. Back in the ring and Sheamus hits the twenty forearms to Dominik, setting up the Brogue Kick for the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice six man here with the OC vs. Judgment Day feud being tied in to make things more interesting. Other than that, it’s fine to have the Brawling Brutes, an established team, beat the Judgment Day as it isn’t like some thrown together group is taking them down. Good hard hitting opener, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was involved.

Post match Sheamus and company clear the ring, with a Stunner dropping Balor.

Johnny Gargano is ready to take care of the Miz tonight and wants to do the right thing regarding Dexter Lumis. He and Lumis have an agreement to say out of each others’ business so things should be fine tonight.

Johnny Gargano vs. The Miz

Hold on though as the Miz is in street clothes. He has an injured hand (he chopped a cactus, because he is rich enough to own one in California) but worry not, because he has an opponent for Gargano.

Johnny Gargano vs. Omos

MVP is here with Omos. Miz is on commentary as Omos kicks Gargano outside and easily throws him back inside. Gargano gets dropped onto the apron but manages a quick shot for a breather. That’s enough for Miz to offer a distraction and Gargano sends Omos into the corner. Three basement superkicks set up a top rope…dive into a chokeslam to give Omos the pin at 3:05.

Rating: D+. What are you supposed to say about a match like this? They didn’t have much time and there is little that Omos can do aside from the big power spots. The good thing is that Gargano was there to bounce off of him and get in a few hope spots before falling short. That’s how it should have gone and it isn’t like losing to the monster is going to hut anything.

We look at Austin Theory and Bobby Lashley coming after Seth Rollins and the US Title. The triple threat title match is set for Survivor Series.

Rollins joins us in a sitdown interview and talks about how he’s looking forward to killing two birds with one stone. Theory and Lashley keep jumping him but he knows how to keep getting up. That’s what he’s going to do again and Theory can call Cody Rhodes to ask him about picking a fight with Rollins. They aren’t in WarGames but they’re going to be in a war because none of them like each other. Rollins is one of one and after Survivor Series, he will still be the US Champion.

Austin Theory watches what we just saw and says he is tired of this disrespect. He is a new man and he knows Rollins and Lashley will be watching when he takes out Mustafa Ali tonight.

Austin Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali has taped up ribs coming in so Theory knees him in the tape and stomps away. The waistlock goes on but Ali is up with a knee to the face. Theory is sent outside but he cuts the dive off and sends Ali into the barricade. Back in and Ali hits a fast superkick for two but Theory knocks him into the corner. Ali is right back with a sunset bomb into a 450 but the bad ribs mean there’s no cover. A-Town Down finishes Ali at 5:05.

Rating: C. Ali’s losses are piling up and just pointing to the ribs as an excuse is only going to get him so far. I know Ali might not be the biggest guy, but you would think there would be something he could do other than lose over and over. Theory needs to get some wins together though and this was a clean pin, which is more than he did for most of his time as Mr. Money In The Bank.

Post match Bobby Lashley pops up on screen to say he’s coming for Theory right now.

Post break here is Lashley to say he’s surprised Theory is still here if he knows the pain that is coming for him. Theory talks about Lashley getting beaten up by Brock Lesnar and how he keeps failing over and over. The kid that Lashley and Rollins knew is dead and gone so the new Theory is coming for them at Survivor Series.

The fight is on with Lashley not quite being able to post him. Theory hits Lashley with a chair to no effect so Theory runs to the back. Once at the Gorilla Position, Theory jumps Mustafa Ali and throws him at Lashley before sprinting off. Ali shoves Lashley and gets taken into the arena for the Hurt Lock. Seems like a waste of a change of scenery.

Alpha Academy vs. Matt Riddle/Elias

Elias can’t get very far with a wristlock on Gable, who takes him down into an armbar. Back up and Elias clears the ring without much trouble and we take a break. We come back with Riddle getting two on Gable but a shot to the arm takes Riddle down. Otis and Gable take turns on the arm, with Gable hitting a belly to back suplex for two.

A dragon screw legwhip takes Riddle down again but he’s fine enough to get over to Elias without much effort. The assisted Broton hits Gable and Otis gets knocked to the floor. Elias’ dive off the steps is broken up though and Otis drives him into the barricade. Gable German suplexes Riddle onto the apron and we take another break. Back again with Gable driving Riddle face first so Otis can get two. Riddle fights up without much trouble though and it’s Elias coming in to clean house.

A hangman’s neckbreaker gets two on Gable but he hurricanranas his way out of a sitout powerbomb. Otis comes in for a reverse DDT and Gable adds a top rope headbutt for two more. Riddle makes the save and gets the tag, setting up the springboard Floating Bro onto the Academy. Back in and Elias plants Gable, allowing Riddle to hit the Floating Bro for the pin at 15:55.

Rating: C. This is a good example of a match that was more long than good. While not a terrible match by any means, they never got into any kind of a higher gear and it kind of kept going more than anything else. It’s nice to see slightly more serious Riddle, but the Alpha Academy going from something interesting to Gable doing his sound effect has taken away a lot of their steam.

JBL and Baron Corbin are playing poker again and complain about Akira Tozawa last week. Drew McIntyre come in so JBL can mock him, resulting in McIntyre challenging Corbin for tonight. McIntyre decks him and I think that’s a yes.

Video on the Men’s WarGames match.

Survivor Series rundown.

Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre

JBL is here with Corbin, who bails to the floor to start. A cheap shot lets Corbin take over but McIntyre slugs away to come back. They head outside with McIntyre sending him over the barricade and then dropping him onto the announcers’ table. A JBL distraction lets Corbin get in another shot though and a corner clothesline has McIntyre in trouble.

McIntyre fights up and runs over Corbin in the corner but Corbin breaks up the Futureshock. Instead McIntyre hits a Michinoku Driver for two, only to have Corbin get in a shot of his own for a double knockdown. We take a break and come back with Corbin hitting a superplex for a delayed two, followed by the chokeslam for the non-delayed version of a near fall.

A torture rack dropped back into a slam gives Corbin two more and Deep Six is good for two more. Corbin yells at the referee but here is Akira Tozawa (now with Blond hair) to jump into JBL’s arms and steal his hat. That’s enough of a distraction for McIntyre to hit the Claymore for the pin at 17:41.

Rating: C+. And that is a good example of the problem with Corbin: you know almost exactly what you are going to get out of a Corbin match because he barely ever changes anything up. It’s the same offense in the same sequence with the same pretty good looking power moves. You know what he is going to do in any given match and the only question is how will the finish go. The surprise here was Tozawa, who seems like he is actually going to go at least a little somewhere out of last week’s random match and segment. Cool, as taking some of the talent you already have and doing something with them is often a wise move.

The OC is ready for Finn Balor on Saturday. Balor comes in to say he’s ready for Styles and indeed here is the Judgment Day to start the big fight. They brawl to the floor with the OC getting beaten up on and around a rental car. Security and referees finally get out there to break it up with the OC down.

Here is Team Belair for a pre-main event chat. Belair talks about how her team is ready for war and promises to reveal the fifth member….on Smackdown. Cue Team Damage Ctrl, with Bayley mocking the entire team, mainly because Belair couldn’t possibly find someone else to team with her. Asuka tells Rhea Ripley to get in there and we’re ready to go.

Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka

For WarGames control and everyone else has been sent backstage. Ripley powers her into the corner to start but Asuka is back up with some strikes to knock her to the apron. The running hip attack rocks Ripley again and it’s time for a rather long breather on the floor. Back in and Ripley pulls her down by the hair for some smacks to the back of the head.

A hard clothesline drops Asuka again but she’s back with a kneebar out of nowhere. That doesn’t work for Ripley, who rolls backwards and muscles her up for the escape. Ripley kicks her off the top and out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Asuka kicking away and grabbing a German suplex.

Ripley is back up and pulls her into the Prism Trap (I’ve missed that) but Asuka makes the rope. Asuka catches her on top and kicks her in the face for two but can’t follow up. An armbar has Ripley in more trouble but it’s Damage Ctrl appearing for a distraction. Bianca Belair and Alexa Bliss come out to even things up a bit as Ripley slips out. Riptide finishes Asuka at 16:16.

Rating: B-. These two hit each other rather hard and it made for a good main event style match. Ripley winning was the only way to go as having the good women control WarGames would make no sense. They kept the interference until the ending, which was nice as it let the stars involved do their thing for a long while before the screwy (as it should have been) ending.

Post match the big brawl is on with Mia Yim running in to brawl with Ripley over the apron. Asuka hits a big dive to leave everyone laying.

We run down the Survivor Series card again as the women seemed to wrap up a bit too early. The rundown goes on so long that the show cuts off and we’re done.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing that this show did was make me care more about the men’s WarGames match. That seemed to be the goal of the show and they did it well enough. At the same time, OC vs. Judgment Day got a nice boost while being tied into the bigger story. Things got a bit dull in the middle, but the show did its important job while tying some stories together. That is more than some of the late McMahon shows can say so this is a step up in at least one regard.

Results
Brawling Brutes b. Judgment Day – Brogue Kick to Dominik
Omos b. Johnny Gargano – Chokeslam
Austin Theory b. Mustafa Ali – A Town Down
Matt Riddle/Elias b. Alpha Academy – Floating Bro to Gable
Drew McIntyre b. Baron Corbin – Claymore
Rhea Ripley b. Asuka – Riptide

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: November 18, 2022
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

Survivor Series is next week and odds are we find out what we are going to be getting in the men’s WarGames match. You can probably guess one of the teams but we are going to need another team to oppose them. The rest of the show could use some work too though and we might be getting something like that tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are the Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre for a chat, likely about their officially announced WarGames match against the Bloodline. Sheamus checks his mic in a callback to last week before asking how many times he and McIntyre have been to war. They have known each other for twenty years and it has created respect between them. Sheamus even had McIntyre as the best man at his wedding three weeks ago.

The fans chant UCEY but Sheamus says they want a Brutey. Drew: “Did you just say Brutey?” Sheamus wants McIntyre to be an honorary Brute in WarGames and McIntyre is down. Cool moment, though it might have been a bit better if they hadn’t shown McIntyre in the graphic when they came to the ring. They’re ready for WarGames, but they need a fifth member. That will be….interrupted by Sami Zayn, calling them “his dogs”.

Sami says the Bloodline is feeling pretty ucey about WarGames because you’re talking to the master strategist, the Honorary Uce and…..Ucey In The Sky With Diamonds. He guarantees that the Bloodline will win WarGames and if Butch is ready, they can go earlier than expected tonight. Sheamus thinks Sami will have a problem with the fifth man, because it’s the last person he’s going to expect. Sami continues to mine gold with Ucey, but they better have someone good for the fifth man.

Smackdown World Cup First Round: Mustafa Ali vs. Ricochet

Ali has taped up ribs after Bobby Lashley wrecked him on Raw and is wrestling against doctor’s/Ricochet’s recommendations. Ricochet takes him down to start and Ali’s ribs are already bothering him. Ali grabs him in the corner but a reluctant Ricochet elbows his way out of trouble. That doesn’t work for Ali, who hits him in the back of the head to take over. A top rope Backstabber sends Ricochet outside and we take a break.

Back with Ali in trouble off a superplex during the break but still managing a headscissors. A running dropkick sends Ricochet to the floor and a good looking sling shot dive….is pulled out of the air. Ricochet Michinoku Drivers him on the floor (ouch) but the Phoenix splash misses inside.

Ali’s Koji Clutch sends Ricochet over to the ropes so he blasts Ali with a heck of a discus lariat. A moonsault gives Ricochet two and he goes to the ribs to cut off Ali’s comeback. The ribs are fine enough to grab a tornado DDT but the 450 takes too long to set up. Ricochet goes up as Ali is getting to his feet and hits a shooting star crossbody (Kind of?) to finish Ali at 11:02.

Rating: B-. Ali was selling the heck out of his ribs here and even teased going to the dark side to compensate for his injury. That being said, there was no reason to have Ricochet even come close to losing here so they went with the smart idea. Ricochet was even mocked by Gunther last week so he has a personal reason to keep moving forward.

Respect is shown post match.

Jey Uso yells at Sami Zayn for speaking for the Bloodline and guaranteeing a win in WarGames. Jimmy finally gets involved and says they need to be on the same page before Roman Reigns arrives. Sami is told to chill and seems ok, complete with a special handshake with Jimmy as Jey glares.

We look at the Usos retaining over the New Day last week.

New Day is disappointed but Imperium comes in to say New Day is everything wrong with wrestling. Woods says they’ll get a partner.

Emma gives Madcap Moss some water as Moss is upset over getting choked out three weeks ago. She seems to believe in him.

Madcap Moss vs. Karrion Kross

Scarlett is here with Kross. Moss goes right after him to start and stomps away in the corner as we get a graphic with both of their names and faces. Simple, effective, tells fans who they are without wasting any time. Do more things like that. Back up and Kross runs him over, setting up a release tiger suplex. Scarlett even gets in a slap, which fires Moss up enough to run Kross over with a shoulder. Some running shoulders in the corner have Kross in trouble but a Scarlett distraction lets Kross get in a cheap shot. The Krossjacket goes on and Moss can’t power out, setting up the tap at 3:45.

Rating: C. This was more about dealing with Moss having troubles lately and needing someone, perhaps like Emma, to help him with those troubles. At the same time, Kross seems destined to move on to something bigger so there was no reason for him to be in trouble here. Moss did his thing but Kross weathered the storm and won, like he should have.

Kross takes his time letting go and Emma runs down to check on Moss.

Here is Bray Wyatt to make amends. Bray talks about being conditioned a certain way and it makes you feel like changing is impossible. Then last week he got a little too violent on LA Knight and wants to apologize. Cue Knight, who says that he might have earned some respect by not being afraid of Wyatt last week. Knight says respect is the most valuable quantity around here and slaps Wyatt in the face. That makes them even but Wyatt looks ready to snap.

Wyatt says ok, they’re even, and he’s going to fight the urges of what he wants to do to Knight. Now though, Knight has a decision to make that will affect the rest of his life. Wyatt extends his hand but Knight slaps him again, saying he has been waiting all week to do that. Wyatt stares him down as the Titantron behind Knight starts to go all wacky. This should work well for Wyatt’s first match back.

We look back at Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey beating down Shotzi last week.

The Usos ask Karrion Kross if he is the fifth member but Jimmy doesn’t think so. Kross says he isn’t a follower but he’ll come for Roman Reigns’ titles on his own time.

Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi

Ronda Rousey is here with Baszler. Baszler knocks her down to start and strikes away until Shotzi fights up. Rousey trips Shotzi up though and the beating is back on. Shotzi fights up again but this time Rousey messes with the hair. An enziguri gets Shotzi out of trouble but she goes after Rousey, allowing Shayna to grab a German suplex.

Shotzi makes her third comeback with the hip attack against the ropes but Rousey offers her fourth distraction so Shayna can knocks Shotzi into the corner. Cue Raquel Rodriguez to even things up so Shayna yells at her. That’s enough of a distraction for Shotzi to avoid the arm stomp and roll Shayna up for the pin at 4:55.

Rating: C+. The action here was just ok but they put the match together well. Yes Shotzi won off a distraction rollup, but it was a case of her fighting through a lot of cheating before winning when things evened out a bit. Also note that Rodriguez didn’t do anything to Baszler, who got mad all on her own. This kept Shotzi looking strong, even if she is going to get smashed by Rousey.

LA Knight tries to leave, but he is NOT scared of Bray Wyatt.

Post break and Knight is out cold in the back with a bunch of stuff on top of him.

Imperium vs. New Day/Braun Strowman

The brawl is on before the bell and Kofi tries the trust fall, only to get pulled out of the air. Imperium drops him onto the apron so Woods loads up a dive of his own. Gunther cuts that off with a chop but Strowman comes in and we ring the bell. That’s enough for Gunther to bail as we take an early break.

Back with Woods fighting out of trouble and kicking Kaiser away, allowing the tag off to Strowman. Gunther comes in as well and Strowman chases him around the ring, shouldering various people down on the way. Back in and Gunther has to escape a powerslam, setting up the big chop. A spinebuster gives Strowman two but Gunther slips out of the Monster Bomb. The double tag brings in Kaiser and Kofi but a blind tag allows Woods to hit the Midnight Hour for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. This was a fun one with Strowman coming in as the wrecking machine that even has Gunther thinking twice. They are doing a very nice job of tying the tournament in to other stuff so that it feels more important, along with teasing people going after Gunther. Some interference next week to cost Strowman the match wouldn’t shock me and WWE planted the seeds for it here.

Strowman heads to the back where he runs into Ricochet, who doesn’t think Strowman is winning the tournament. Ricochet dubs himself a flippy flipper (Ricochet: “Your words not mine”) and says Strowman will have some trouble with him.

Smackdown World Cup First Round: Sami Zayn vs. Pete Dunne

The respective groups are here too. Butch hammers away to start but charges into a powerbomb. That’s enough for Dunne to be sent outside but he’s right back in with a tornado DDT for two. Sami knocks him outside and we take an early break. Back with Sami hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb as everyone else gets in a fight on the floor. Sami cuts off a comeback with an exploder suplex into the corner but Sheamus throws Jey Uso inside, breaking up the Helluva Kick. The Bitter End gives Butch the pin at 7:49.

Rating: C+. There is only so much you can get when such a big chunk of the match was taking place during the break. Butch winning is going to cause some problems with the Bloodline and that is where things should get interesting. Sami is someone who can lose a match or two and not be hurt, so Butch going forward was the right move.

Post match the big brawl stays on but Roman Reigns comes out to wreck things. McIntyre takes the shirt off and wants the big fight but Solo Sikoa offers a distraction. The spear drops McIntyre so Sheamus wants a fight of his own. The slugout is on with Reigns hitting a Superman Punch….and it’s Kevin Owens (limping a bit) for the staredown with Reigns, apparently as the fifth man.

The knee is good enough to hit a superkick on Jimmy Uso before Owens goes inside for the fight with Reigns. After Roman is cleared out, Sami comes in for the big distraction, allowing Reigns to hit the Superman Punch on Owens. The spear is cut off though and it’s a Stunner to Reigns to end the show. They’re doing a great job of building up an army of people who could take the title from Reigns. The walls might be starting to close in.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where it was more about setting things up for later rather than what was going on here. That is the kind of show you need at times and they made it work well this week. What mattered here was setting up WarGames but also making the tournament feel that much more important. Tournaments matches are tied into something else or at least build up in some way and now that is paying some dividends. This might not have been the best show, but it was a very well set up one.

Results
Ricochet b. Mustafa Ali – Shooting star press
Karrion Kross b. Madcap Moss – Krossjacket
Shotzi b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup
New Day/Braun Strowman b. Imperium – Midnight Hour to Kaiser
Butch b. Sami Zayn – Bitter End

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Fatal 4-Way
Date: June 20, 2010
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker

The opening video focuses on the World Title matches with a special feature on Kane, who is looking for whoever recently attacked the Undertaker and is basically accusing everyone in sight.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre

Kofi is defending and McIntyre is a Scottish wrestler and has been dubbed the Chosen One by Vince. McIntyre has also been treating Teddy Long like trash because he can have Teddy fired (that happens to him WAY too often). We see Vince leaving in his limo before Drew tells Teddy to get out here right now to hand Drew the title when he becomes the new champion. Kofi starts fast with kicks to the ribs and a clothesline to send Drew outside. Considering all the jumping and high flying, Drew is smart enough to go after the let to take over.

The Boom Drop looks to set up Trouble in Paradise but Drew kicks Kofi in the face instead. The Futureshock (double arm DDT) is countered with a springboard tornado DDT for two on McIntyre. Kofi hammers away in the corner but Drew comes out with a running powerbomb for two of his own. Kofi gets the same off the SOS so Drew throws him into the referee. Drew sends the good shoulder into the post before hitting the Futureshock for no count.

With no referee, Drew goes outside and gets Teddy to put on the referee shirt. Teddy makes the count but stops at two, FINALLY standing up to McIntyre. Drew loads up another Futureshock but Matt Hardy, who Drew has been going after as well, for the Twist of Fate. Kingston gets up (after being down from that one DDT for the better part of two minutes) for Trouble in Paradise to retain at 16:29.

Rating: B. I liked this one quite a bit with the story building up towards the ending and Teddy advancing his own story with Drew at the same time. Kofi is rapidly becoming a modern Tito Santana, as in someone who can have a good match with anyone you put him against. McIntyre should have been a much bigger deal and I could easily see him becoming a big star in WWE.

Divas Title: Maryse vs. Gail Kim vs. Alicia Fox vs. Eve Torres

Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho

Smackdown World Title: Jack Swagger vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Big Show

One fall to a finish, Swagger is defending and Punk is now under a mask after having his head shaved. Punk is also the leader of the Straight Edge Society but his minions Luke Gallows and Serena are sent to the back before the match. Swagger and Punk go after Mysterio to start but Punk bails before Big Show can get over there. Punk is easily slammed down and Mysterio starts going after his mask.

The champ is sent outside as well, leaving us with the Big Show vs. Mysterio showdown. Rey tries to fire away and has as much success as you would expect. Mysterio bails to the floor and is palmed back inside by the head. Swagger comes back in as Lawler suggests that Show has put on weight. Mysterio actually dropkicks Show down for two and the Vader Bomb gets the same for Swagger. Punk and Mysterio stomp Swagger in the corner but the champ drops them both for two on Rey.

Rating: C. The match was watchable but it felt like a long time until we got around to Kane interfering to work on that storyline. If nothing else it gets the title off of Swagger, who never fit as a World Champion, mainly because his only accomplishment before this was an ECW Title reign over a year earlier. But hey, he won Money in the Bank and that makes him main event material apparently.

US Title: The Miz vs. R-Truth

Hart Dynasty vs. Usos/Tamina

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

Post match, Cena takes a beating, including a Superman Punch, from the NXT guys. Sheamus poses on stage with the title and gets chased off to end the show.

World Titles changing hands is a big deal but they both felt like minor notes compared to the angles attached.