Main Event
Date: July 1, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

This show was turned upside down last week as it was all about NXT, which is not something you see happen around here. I’m curious to see what they have this week, but it would not surprise me to see quite the downgrade this time around. Then again, the surprises have been coming a lot faster around here and it might be the case again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Veer vs. Drew Gulak

Shanky and Jinder Mahal are here with Veer. Gulak gets powered into the corner to start and seems a bit worried here. An armbar doesn’t get very far on Veer, who shrugs off a kick to the leg and punches him down. The sidewalk slam does it again but Veer misses a running boot in the corner. The nerve hold doesn’t last long so Veer goes with a neck crank instead. Back up and Gulak starts kicking at the leg, setting up a leglock to keep Veer down. That’s broken up as well so Veer slams him down, setting up a jumping elbow for two. Three straight corner splashes set up a baseball style clothesline to finish Gulak at 5:02.

Rating: C-. The match was a David vs. Goliath style but you are only going to get so far under these circumstances. Veer isn’t ready to carry a match on his own and Gulak isn’t going to win anything big. That makes Gulak’s control feel a bit like filler, though at least the match stayed short enough.

Quick look back at Roman Reigns destroying Rey Mysterio inside the Cell.

From Smackdown.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for the State Of The Universal Title Address. We see a video on Reigns beating Rey Mysterio in the Cell, plus Reigns beating up Dominik for a bonus. Heyman talks about all of the people that Reigns has beaten up, including the Fiend, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, Edge, Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio. Reigns has cleaned out the division, so now he needs to make an announcement.

Before he can speak, cue the returning Edge to jump Reigns and the fight is on, with Edge knocking Reigns outside. A clothesline off the apron lets Edge send Reigns face first into the announcers’ table over and over. Back in and Reigns hits a Superman Punch to cut Edge off. Reigns goes for a chair but walks into a spear.

Edge loads up the Conchairto but here is Jimmy Uso to cut him off. That earns Jimmy a spear through the barricade as Reigns and Heyman escape. Edge: “WHERE YOU AT ROMAN???” On the stage dude. Just turn to the right. Posing ends the show. This works well as Edge didn’t get his big singles match, so he’ll do fine for the Money in the Bank challenger. Like Heyman said, who else is there?

Video on Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston, including Lashley wrecking Xavier Woods inside the Cell.

From Raw.

Here is Kofi Kingston for a chat. Last week, his best friend Xavier Woods was locked in the Cell with Bobby Lashley and put in everything he had, like he always does. Woods showed he can hang at that level and he should get the respect he deserves. Kofi was forced to watch Woods in the Hurt Lock from outside the Cell and now it is time for some revenge.

Cue MVP, with Lashley’s women, to laugh off the idea that Kingston is going to be able to beat Lashley. Kingston thinks Lashley is going soft though, and that is coming from a unicorn wearing, pancake tossing hip swiveler. MVP had to save Lashley from losing the title a few weeks back and Kingston knows he can win. Every week, a layer is stripped away from Lashley and by the time we get to Money in the Bank, Lashley might look like MVP.

Kingston talks about never taking time off as WWE Champion, including taking the title to his hometown in Ghana to show that anything is possible. MVP has Lashley on vacation and taking days off and someone is going to take the title from him. That is going to be Kingston at Money in the Bank. MVP thinks Kingston did all that stuff to feed his own ego and is sounding as confident as Woods did last week.

Kingston says Woods is going to be back next week and thinks MVP has been milking his knee injury for the better part of six months. MVP says he isn’t cleared for combat or else he would take Kingston down. That’s enough for Kingston to go to the floor and, after ducking a cane shot, hit Trouble In Paradise. That’s a bit aggressive over someone not medically cleared.

Lucha House Party vs. Mace/T-Bar

Gran Metalik starts against T-Bar, including being sent to the apron so he can kick T-Bar in the head. The high crossbody is pulled out of the air so Metalik settles for the running hurricanrana instead. The reverse Sling Blade allows Lince Dorado to come in for a headscissors but T-Bar takes him into the corner for the tag to Mace. That’s fine with Dorado, who knocks him away and hits a top rope clothesline. The House Party clears the ring and poses as we take a break.

Back with Mace ramming Dorado’s head into the mat So T-Bar can slaps on the front facelock. Dorado gets rammed face first into the mat, allowing Mace to drop a middle rope elbow. A quick shot to the face staggers Mace though and a middle rope crossbody puts him down. It’s off to Metalik to pick up the pace and Mace is taken down again. A moonsault misses though and Mace grabs a Boss Man Slam for two, with Metalik making the save. Everything breaks down with T-Bar and being sent outside, leaving Mace to catch Metalik with a sitout chokebomb for the pin at 8:56.

Rating: C. Much like the opener, this was about a normal sized team against a pair of monsters. This time around though, you had some more talented small guys who could make Mace and T-Bar look a bit better. T-Bar shouldn’t need that as much, but the monsters just aren’t that good. I’m not sure why, but they should be a layup and instead are barely scraping by here.

We recap Riddle winning the battle royal to earn a shot at a Money in the Bank spot for Randy Orton.

From Raw.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Omos is here with Styles and if Riddle wins, Randy Orton gets the spot. McIntyre starts fast with the overhead belly to belly suplexes, followed by the crazy high backdrop to Styles. It’s too early for the Claymore so they go outside, where McIntyre loads up a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table. Riddle dives out of the air to break that up but Styles posts both of them to take over. Styles and Riddle fight to suplex the other through the announcers’ table until Riddle settles for one on the floor.

Back up and an enziguri drops McIntyre, allowing Riddle and Styles to slam him through the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Styles working on Riddle’s leg but wisely going outside to stomp on the still down McIntyre. Back in and a half crab has Riddle in trouble, with Styles being smart enough to keep it on when Riddle makes the rope. A brainbuster gives AJ two but Riddle is back up with a hanging DDT. The RKO is loaded up but AJ is back with something close to a Burning Hammer for two.

McIntyre is back in though and gets rid of AJ, setting up the reverse Alabama Slam to Riddle. The Claymore misses though and Riddle dumps McIntyre out to the floor. Riddle is back up with a penalty kick to each of them and the springboard Floating Bro hits both of them for a big crash. Some kicks to the chest have Styles and McIntyre down again but Styles sends a kick into the steps.

Riddle thinks his (bare) foot is broken so it’s time for some medics to take him out. We come back from another break with Riddle gone and McIntyre possibly tweaking his knee. A neckbreaker takes Styles down but he slips out of a superplex attempt. The fireman’s carry neckbreaker gets two, as does a Michinoku Driver to Styles.

A quick Calf Crusher has McIntyre in trouble but here is Riddle with a taped up ankle for the Bromission to break things up. AJ goes for the ankle for the save but McIntyre is back up. An enziguri, with the bad foot, drops McIntyre to the floor and Riddle jumping knees AJ out of the air. The RKO hits Styles but Omos pulls him out at two. The Claymore gives McIntyre the pin on Riddle at 26:41.

Rating: B-. This was really long and the ending was a bit disappointing, but at least they had some solid action to fill in a large chunk of the show. Riddle fighting for his best friend is a good story and I could go for more of that in the future, though I don’t think Orton is going to be overly happy with his partner taking the fall. Good main event overall, but they could have chopped it down a bit.

Overall Rating: C. You had some decent original wrestling but this was all about the big main event. This week’s show was certainly a return to form as there was nothing to suggest that the match had such a different episode last week. Money in the Bank needs to come and go already, if nothing else so we can have fans back. They need to add in what they can, but WWE needs to give them something to cheer about and I don’t think this was it.

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: July 5, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We have two Raw’s left before both the return of fans and Money in the Bank, meaning that it is time to start kicking things into a higher gear. WWE needs some momentum on their way back into normal and I’m not sure if they know how to do that at the moment. We are also likely getting some more hard pushes towards the ladder matches so let’s get to it.

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

We open with MizTV with Miz and John Morrison in the ring. Miz’s guests this week will be the four entrants in the men’s Money in the Bank match, starting with Morrison as you might expect. Morrison says it is time for the Aquaholics to get soaked as he becomes Senor Dinero En El Banco. This brings out Drew McIntyre to say he has been fighting back to the title since Miz cashed in Money in the Bank. McIntyre recaps the Money in the Bank concept and since the show is in Texas, it is time for McIntyre’s History Lesson. This week is about the Alamo, because he is a distant relative of Davy Crockett. Morrison: “……REALLY???”

McIntyre hopes that Morrison is wet for Money in the Bank, because McIntyre is sticking Morrison’s head inside Miz. Morrison says you can kick the ocean and all you’ll get is wet, but here is Ricochet to cut them off. Miz calls Ricochet rude and reckless and we see a clip of Ricochet’s huge dive last week. Ricochet promises to do whatever it takes to win but here is Riddle to interrupt this time.

With his foot taped up, Riddle climbs the ladder because this is the Money in the Bank edition. Riddle: “I’m really high.” He failed last week so now he is dedicating his Money in the Bank performance to Randy Orton. That’s too far for Miz, who wants to know why Orton hasn’t kicked Riddle’s head in yet. Riddle: “Because we’re best buds!” McIntyre can respect that but Miz wants Jinder Mahal to take McIntyre apart tonight. Cue AJ Styles and Omos to say last week’s triple threat shouldn’t have happened because Orton was out. But no, instead of Styles vs. McIntyre, it was a triple threat where he wasn’t pinned.

Riddle thinks AJ is really annoyed down there, hopping around like a little rabbit all nimbly bimbly like (Ricochet can barely hold it in on that one). That’s enough for Omos to shove the ladder, and Riddle, over for a crash onto the bad foot. The ladder is thrown out and it’s a big circle staredown. AJ kicks Riddle in the leg and the brawl is on with Ricochet throwing Morrison out. Omos gets clotheslined outside by McIntyre and Ricochet hits a triangle dropkick to put Morrison down again. This was your standard, long, everyone come in and chat about the match before fighting segment and it wasn’t very good.

Ricochet vs. John Morrison

Ricochet has even made this one personal by BREAKING THE DRIP STICK. Morrison gets sent into the corner to start and there’s a running clothesline to put him down. We hit the reverse chinlock with a knee in Morrison’s back but Morrison reverses into a chinlock of his own. This is so thrilling that we look at Ricochet’s big dive last week until Morrison hits a flipping neckbreaker for two. The chinlock goes on again but Ricochet fights up and sends is sent outside, with Ricochet sliding back after him.

Ricochet has to jump over Miz (in his wheelchair), only to have his hurricanrana countered into a powerbomb against the apron. We take a break and come back with Ricochet hitting a faceplant but walking into a Spanish Fly. A crucifix gives Ricochet two but he gets caught in the ropes. Morrison misses a slingshot elbow and Ricochet hits a running crossbody to take Morrison down HARD to the floor. Morrison rolls back in but Miz wheels in front of Ricochet so he can’t beat the count at 12:13.

Rating: C+. Yeah it was another countout ending but they certainly had a creative way to get there. Miz interfering to help Morrison at least helps up set that prospect for Money in the Bank, though I wouldn’t trust those two to be smart enough to make a cheese sandwich. Ricochet is only going to be in the match for the high spots, but that’s better than slumming on Main Event.

Jinder Mahal arrives on a motorcycle and talks about how he and Drew McIntyre were friends once. McIntyre was there with him when he bought this motorcycle to celebrate a WWE Championship victory. The other day, Mahal sent McIntyre a text asking if he wanted to go riding for old times’ sake. McIntyre took THREE DAYS to reply, saying he was “2 busy”. And yes he used the number 2! Tonight, Mahal is proving that he was always the better man.

Reginald comes up to Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, saying Alexa Bliss is behind them. Bliss is nowhere to be seen, so Baszler yells at him for being a mostly grown man scared of shadows. The three walk off and of course Bliss is there now.

We look back at MVP and Kofi Kingston’s argument last week.

Last week, Nikki Ash (just go with it) pinned Shayna Baszler thanks to an Alexa Bliss distraction.

Asuka and Naomi are happy to be part of a team with Nikki Ash, but she insists that she isn’t a hero. Now she has a chance to win Money in the Bank, though the other two aren’t so thrilled with the idea. Nikki runs off for her match when Alexa Bliss comes in to say Naomi and Asuka should lower their expectations for Money In The Bank.

Nikki Cross/Alexa Bliss/Asuka/Naomi vs. Eva Marie/Doudrop/Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax

Oh boy. First of all, it has gone from Nikki Cross to Nikki ASH to Almost A Superhero Nikki Cross. Second, this could be an all time train wreck. Reginald is here too because you just need nine people here for a match. Doudrop and Naomi start but Eva tags herself in and actually drives Naomi into the corner. A single forearm sends Naomi into the corner and it’s already back to Doudrop. Naomi kicks Doudrop to the floor and hits the dive onto everyone else.

The parade of dives is on until Eva is left alone in the ring. Bliss comes in and screams her to the floor as we take a break. Back with Bliss forearming Doudrop but getting headbutted down for her efforts. Jax comes in to hammer on Asuka and it’s off to Baszler to work on the leg. That doesn’t last long so Bliss channels Reginald, with Baszler breaking things up. Eva comes in, ducks a kick from Asuka, and hands it back to Baszler again. Everything breaks down with Nikki’s top rope splash connecting for two, only to have Jax (Nikki Jax according to Smith) Samoan drop her for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: D-. There were botches, there were timing issues, there were too many people involved at once and none of them were interesting, plus Cross loses so NIA JAX can get some momentum? This division is in a complete nose dive and feels so silly most of the time these days. It’s turning into the Divas Era where most of the women are either goofy or horrible in the ring and that’s a scary thought. It’s also very disappointing, though I really don’t think WWE cares.

MVP isn’t sure how Kevin Patrick keeps getting into his dressing room but promises to take out New Day tonight. Bobby Lashley promises to do the same.

Mustafa Ali vs. Mansoor

Ali takes him down with an armbar to start, including some trash talk, but Mansoor is right back up. A spinebuster out of the corner gives Mansoor two and he whips Ali into the ropes, with Ali’s foot getting tied up. Mansoor helps him out….and gets rolled up for the fast pin at 2:54. Ali: “I TOLD YOU! THE HIGH ROAD WILL ONLY GET YOU SO FAR!!!”

Drew McIntyre explains that his sword is made from the Loch Ness Monster’s tooth and a great story talks about how a warrior will use it….to beat Jinder Mahal and go on to Money in the Bank in Fort Worth, Texas.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal

Veer and Shanky are here with Mahal. McIntyre drives him into the corner to start and hits a running shoulder to drop Mahal. Another shoulder does it again and McIntyre runs him over a third time, setting up a release overhead belly to belly to the floor. The goons offer a distraction though and Mahal drops McIntyre onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Mahal holding a chinlock but McIntyre is right back up with another suplex. There’s a nip up into a 3MB reference and Futureshock plants Mahal again. The Claymore is loaded up so Veer and Shanky come in for the DQ at 10:13.

Rating: D+. Yep, he’s still Mahal and he has some enhanced Singh Twins. That’s not a good sign for what we’re going to be seeing in the future but WWE loves Mahal and we’re getting him no matter what. I hope this isn’t the start of some kind of a story but it feels like exactly what we’re getting.

Post match the beatdown is on….and Mahal steals McIntyre’s sword because this is continuing.

New Day is ready to fight Bobby Lashley and MVP because they are not going to stay down. What matters is getting to Money in the Bank and seeing the fans’ pleasure at watching Kofi Kingston becoming WWE Champion. Kingston channels Kevin Garnett by shouting ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE and says after Money in the Bank, MVP and Lashley can take some vacations because they won’t have those championship responsibilities.

Mace/T-Bar vs. Lucha House Party

Lince Dorado is in a Kane inspired mask. Dorado hammers on T-Bar to start and snaps off a running hurricanrana. T-Bar catches a high crossbody without much trouble though and Dorado is sent outside. Mace sends him into the announcers’ table, setting up a heck of a big boot from T-Bar back inside. Gran Metalik saves Dorado from High Justice though and hits a step up dive to drop T-Bar on the floor. Back in and a hurricanrana finishes Mace at 3:35.

Rating: D+. What even is this show anymore? I’m not sure what WWE thinks of Mace and T-Bar, but losing to Lucha House Party is not a good sign for their future. This was another short and not awful match, but it does not exactly seem like something that is going to be leading anywhere.

Riddle checks on his foot but Damian Priest interrupts. Priest is worried about Riddle’s foot but Riddle says he has fallen off higher things than that. One time he dive off a roof and broke his foot diving into a pool. Priest: “That’s rough. Not sure what it has to do with tonight.” Riddle isn’t done though because he did it again the next year and landed in the deep end. He isn’t scared of ladders and he’ll win tonight. For Randy Orton.

AJ Styles vs. Riddle

Omos is here with Styles, who goes straight for Riddle’s injured foot. An armbar attempt sends Styles bailing to the ropes so he takes the foot out all over again. Cranking ensues but Riddle is back up, meaning it’s another shot to the foot to take him back down. Riddle hits a jumping kick to the chest and hammers Styles down in the corner for a bit of a surprise. A gutwrench suplex drops Styles again but Omos sweeps the leg to take over.

We take a break and come back with Styles grabbing an ankle lock. The Calf Crusher is broken up though and Riddle blasts him with a knee. The Broton gives Riddle two but Styles is back up with something like a reverse Death Valley Driver for two. Then the Viking Raiders pop up to distract Omos and Styles, allowing Riddle to grab a rollup for the pin at 13:01 (though Styles’ shoulder was very close to being up in time).

Rating: C. This match had the most potential of anything announced tonight and this is the best they can do? I get that it’s just a Money in the Bank momentum match, but the ending felt like it was stapled on, which was about as good as you would expect. They were rolling until then but the legs being cut off like that didn’t help things.

Here is Charlotte, on a crutch after getting chop blocked by Rhea Ripley last week. She talks about the NBA Playoffs being ruined because of all of the injuries, and now she might miss Money in the Bank. Ripley must be scared because she is trying to hurt hurt in advance and that is exactly what Charlotte would do. Cue Ripley with a crutch of her own (Charlotte: “You’re taking my entrance too?”) and it’s time for a crutch fight. Charlotte knocks Rhea’s away but Ripley gets it back and sends Charlotte running (with the knee looking fine). I guess that counts as Ripley outsmarting her?

Cedric Alexander/Elias vs. Jaxson Ryker/R-Truth

Hold on though as 24/7 Champion Akira Tozawa runs into the ring so Truth can roll him up for two, with the usual gang of imbeciles chasing after him. Truth joins the chase and that means a handicap match. Ryker throws Alexander around to start and it’s off to Elias…..who runs off. The swinging Boss Man Slam finishes Cedric at 1:03.

Bobby Lashley is warming up.

Next week: Ricochet vs. John Morrison falls count anywhere and Sheamus defends the US Title against Humberto Carrillo.

In two weeks: the Viking Raiders get their Tag Team Title shot against AJ Styles and Omos.

New Day vs. MVP/Bobby Lashley

MVP works on Xavier Woods’ arm to start and then powers him down without much effort. Woods goes after MVP’s recently healed knee though and hammers away on the mat. Kofi Kingston comes in off the top with a shot to the knee and then slaps on a hammerlock. That doesn’t last long so Lashley comes in to unload on Kingston in the corner.

A neckbreaker gives Lashley two but Kingston slips power of a powerslam and kicks him in the face. Lashley isn’t having that and pounds Kingston down in the corner, allowing MVP to come back in for some right hands of his own. Kingston knees his way out of a delayed vertical suplex though and it’s into the corner for a short form Unicorn Stampede.

New Day sends them outside for the big dives and we take a break. Back with Lashley snapping off a suplex to Woods, setting up an armbar. MVP comes in to work on the arm as well but Woods shoves him away without much effort. If’s back to Kofi to clean house, including a Ballin Boom Drop to MVP. Everything breaks down with Lashley being knocked outside, allowing Trouble in Paradise to finish MVP at 14:36.

Rating: C-. This felt like a house show main event and I believe it is the match that was advertised for the house show main event when things come back later this month. The match itself was a fine way to get Kingston ready for the title match, but it wasn’t exactly something that got my interest up very high.

Overall Rating: D-. The opener was pretty good, AJ vs. Riddle was ok and the main event was acceptable. The rest of the show on the other hand was what happens when Raw does not try. WWE has made it clear that NOTHING matters until they get the fans back next week, which made this show feel even more pointless than usual. As bad as this was, that has me terrified for next week, which could be an even bigger chore to sit through.

I can handle bad shows and bad ideas, but the worst thing is when it feels like no one cares. That is what we had here, and it made for one of the worst shows I have sat through in a good while. Outside of the eight woman tag, nothing was overly terrible, but it felt like a show where most of the stories and segments were there because they had to be, and that is an awful feeling.

All night long, the message this show went was that what you’re watching doesn’t matter and keep waiting until next week. That’s fine in theory, but based on this show, I have no reason to believe that anything is going to be getting better in the near future. WWE, at least Raw, is just so bad right now and there is nothing to suggest that it is improving. What on here is supposed to make me want to keep watching? The scary part is I think WWE believes everything is supposed to, and that isn’t going to improve things.

Results
John Morrison b. Ricochet via countout
Nia Jax/Eva Marie/Shayna Baszler/Doudrop b. Nikki Cross/Asuka/Naomi/Alexa Bliss – Samoan drop to Cross
Mustafa Ali b. Mansoor – Rollup
Drew McIntyre b. Jinder Mahal via DQ when Veer and Shanky interfered
Lucha House Party b. Mace/T-Bar – Hurricanrana to Mace
Riddle b. AJ Styles
Jaxson Ryker/R-Truth b. Elias/Cedric Alexander – Swinging Boss Man Slam to Alexander
New Day b. MVP/Bobby Lashley – Trouble in Paradise to MVP

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 28, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’ll wrap up the first half of the year as we are on the way towards the Money In The Bank. A lot of the spots have already been filled in and this week we are finishing up the Raw’s men’s qualifiers with a triple threat match. I’ll take that over the building momentum matches so let’s get to it.

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

Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville tell us that Randy Orton is out of the triple threat match for reasons beyond WWE’s control. Therefore we are going to have a battle royal for the spot….but here is Riddle with a (football shaped) letter from Orton, saying Riddle should get the spot. The bosses think Riddle wrote the letter, mainly because most of these words aren’t real and there is a viper drawn in the corner. Riddle offers to wrestle on Orton’s behalf and giving Orton the spot if he wins. Deal.

Battle Royal

Riddle, Erik, Ivar, Jinder Mahal, Angel Garza, R-Truth, Mustafa Ali, Drew Gulak, Akira Tozawa, Damian Priest, Jeff Hardy, Cedric Alexander, Mansoor, Shelton Benjamin, Humberto Carrillo

Only Riddle gets an entrance and it is good to see Priest back in the ring. Gulak is out early (duh) and Cedric does his best Road Dogg impression by wrapping all four limbs around the bottom rope. Mahal dumps Benjamin and Mansoor throws Garza over, but Garza lands on one foot and hops around to get back in. Garza goes to eliminated Mansoor but Ali makes the save and dumps Garza instead. Then, as you might have expected, Ali tosses Mansoor.

The eliminations are teased among everyone else until Mahal tosses Truth. Mahal sends Tozawa out as well in a scary landing, allowing Gulak to steal the 24/7 Title. Then Truth gets it back from Truth and Tozawa takes it from him because this is still a thing. Cue Omos to pull both of the Vikings out and then beat them up as we take a break. Back with Hardy, Priest, Mahal, Riddle and Cedric still in.

That means a Priest vs. Mahal slugout with Priest kicking him out in a bit of a surprise. Cedric reverses a Twist of Fate and tosses Hardy out, setting up a lot of trash talking. Priest gets rid of Cedric and Priest starts striking away, only to get German suplexed down. The Bromission goes on but Priest sends him to the apron for the break. Riddle hangs on and grabs it again but Priest gets back inside. They fight to the apron again and this time Riddle knocks him out for the win at 14:48.

Rating: C-. They kept it fast paced enough here and moved some stories forward, but it’s rather tricky to rate these things. That being said, this was a battle royal for a spot in a match to determine a future shot at a champion at any time, with a wrestler appearing in another wrestler’s place. That should be enough to downgrade it a bit.

Riddle demands Randy Orton’s music be played.

Video on Shayna Baszler vs. Alexa Bliss.

Shayna Baszler is shuffling a deck of cards (there is a Shayna Baszler Queen Of Spades deck but it’s not them) when Nia Jax and Reginald come in to mock her for it. Baszler says it keeps her from hitting people in the face but now she needs to deal with Alexa Bliss and the doll. They all leave and Bliss is watching.

AJ Styles is ready for Riddle and doesn’t like the suggestion that Omos cheated the Viking Raiders in the battle royal.

Nikki Cross loves being a superhero and is so glad that she is in Money in the Bank. She is one win away from being a superhero, making her Nikki ASH: Almost A Superhero. There’s your reference to the released WWE writer.

Nikki Cross vs. Shayna Baszler

Reginald and Nia Jax are here too. Cross starts fast with a crossbody but Shayna sends her hard into the corner to take over. Cue Alexa Bliss for a distraction though and Cross dives onto everyone as we take a break. Back with Shayna kicking the knee out and hitting a gutwrench faceplant for two. A running knee in the corner connects but a Bliss distraction lets Cross hit a tornado DDT. Jax goes over to glare at Bliss, who starts mind controlling her. Reginald breaks it up so Bliss kicks Jax in the leg and gives Reginald a low blow before leaving. The distraction rollup gives Baszler two so Cross grabs la majistral for the pin at 9:42.

Rating: D+. Another match where they got their weird supernatural deal in and moved on, all while making sure to turn Baszler into even more of a lower. I like the idea of Cross winning something for a change, but egads man. What did Baszler ever do to deserve losing so much in this horrible angle?

We look back at Bobby Lashley destroying Xavier Woods last week.

Here is Kofi Kingston for a chat. Last week, his best friend Xavier Woods was locked in the Cell with Bobby Lashley and put in everything he had, like he always does. Woods showed he can hang at that level and he should get the respect he deserves. Kofi was forced to watch Woods in the Hurt Lock from outside the Cell and now it is time for some revenge.

Cue MVP, with Lashley’s women, to laugh off the idea that Kingston is going to be able to beat Lashley. Kingston thinks Lashley is going soft though, and that is coming from a unicorn wearing, pancake tossing hip swiveler. MVP had to save Lashley from losing the title a few weeks back and Kingston knows he can win. Every week, a layer is stripped away from Lashley and by the time we get to Money in the Bank, Lashley might look like MVP.

Kingston talks about never taking time off as WWE Champion, including taking the title to his hometown in Ghana to show that anything is possible. MVP has Lashley on vacation and taking days off and someone is going to take the title from him. That is going to be Kingston at Money in the Bank. MVP thinks Kingston did all that stuff to feed his own ego and is sounding as confident as Woods did last week.

Kingston says Woods is going to be back next week and thinks MVP has been milking his knee injury for the better part of six months. MVP says he isn’t cleared for combat or else he would take Kingston down. That’s enough for Kingston to go to the floor and, after ducking a cane shot, hit Trouble In Paradise. That’s a bit aggressive over someone not medically cleared.

We recap Doudrop turning on Eva Marie last week.

Eva Marie says Doudrop made a mistake last week so tonight it’s a rematch so the Eva-Lution can continue. Doudrop looks annoyed.

Asuka/Naomi vs. Doudrop/Eva Marie

Doudrop plants Naomi to start but misses a backsplash, allowing the tag off to Asuka. That means a missile dropkick into the corner and a kick to the face staggers Doudrop again. The Asuka Lock goes on but Doudrop walks over for the tag to Eva…who drops to the mat. Asuka goes after Doudrop but gets knocked down. Naomi gets the same and it’s a seated crossbody to give Doudrop the pin on Asuka at 2:19.

Eva Marie claims victory and Doudrop isn’t happy.

Miz and John Morrison talk Money in the Bank cashing in strategy. Ricochet comes in to say not so fast and steals the Drip Stick to spray them down.

Ricochet vs. John Morrison

Miz is on commentary as Ricochet blocks a kick to start and hits a slam. Morrison takes him down into an armbar but Ricochet fights up and kicks him to the floor. The baseball slide hits but Ricochet can’t bring himself to hit Miz. Instead Ricochet dives over said chair and hurricanranas Morrison, setting up a Drip Stick blast to Miz.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet striking away, including a knee to Morrison’s chin. A dolling Death Valley Driver and a basement clothesline get two on Morrison but Morrison is back with a knee to the face for the same. Starship Pain misses and Ricochet knocks him to the floor, with Morrison bailing over the barricade to avoid a dive. Morrison sits on the barricade so Ricochet hits a dive for a crazy disappearing crash. They’re both done and that’s a double countout at 10:04.

Rating: C+. The ending alone deserves a boost as those two disappeared over that barricade. That being said, this was the same thing that WWE does every year with the Money in the Bank participants: nothing matches which change nothing for the pay per view, which will reset everything and ignore what has happened in the previous few weeks.

We look at Charlotte beating Rhea Ripley via DQ at Hell In A Cell.

Charlotte talks about how she and Natalya and Tamina know what is expected from them.

Charlotte/Natalya/Tamina vs. Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke/Rhea Ripley

Hold on though as a huge brawl breaks out before the bell. Everyone fights on the floor and we take a break before the match starts. Dana headscissors Natalya to start but gets sent outside where Tamina offers a distraction. Charlotte gets in a shot to the back of the head of her own, allowing her to hit a cheap shot on Ripley. Back in and the beating continues, with Tamina stomping away in the corner.

Charlotte goes after the ribs but a slam is reversed into a cradle for two. The kickout sends Brooke into the corner for the tag to Ripley though and it’s time to pick up the pace. Natalya comes in and gets kicked in the head as everything breaks down. Mandy slips out of a pair of Sharpshooter attempt but Charlotte makes a blind tag. The big boot to the jaw finishes Mandy at 5:33.

Rating: D+. The pre-match brawl was good but things go downhill as soon as the bell rings. There is only so much you can do with a couple of losers like Rose and Brooke and that was apparent here. I’m sure they’ll get some fluke win and that’s going to be enough for the title match, but it isn’t like they have done anything to make the build work.

Post match Charlotte poses but Rhea chop blocks her. Charlotte is limping.

Jaxson Ryker whips himself as the 24/7 goofs come in. R-Truth stops to ask if Ryker hates himself or something. Ryker explains the idea of his strap match with Elias and says he is exploring the ways to inflict the most pain. Truth: “Thank you for sharing man.” He asks if can borrow the strap after the match so he can lasso Akira Tozawa. Ryker keeps whipping himself and Truth runs off. Your new Raw star people.

Elias vs. Jaxson Ryker

Strap match and Elias jumps him before the bell. Ryker gets tied over the post so Elias can pull him up by his arms for some pain. Back in and Elias hits a jumping knee to knock Ryker out of the air for two. That’s enough to fire Ryker back up though and a few whips set up the swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: D. So yeah the push continues as Ryker’s entire deal seems to be that he’s really serious and intense. The strap added a few spots here but these rather short gimmick matches are always kind of hard to take. Pretty much nothing to see in this one, but Ryker is probably going to be pushed pretty hard going forward.

Riddle, channeling Randy Orton, is warming up when Damian Priest comes up to give him a pep talk. After a Burger King plug, Riddle holds out his hand to do the lock and key deal, but when Priest doesn’t get it, Riddle admits that he isn’t Orton. Priest knew, and wishes him luck.

Drew McIntyre talks about how tonight’s triple threat match is like the Scots vs. the English vs. the Irish. They were all fighting once (Drew: “I can’t remember why.”) and tonight he is going to win. I’m not sure if I like these history lessons or not but they’re energized.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Omos is here with Styles and if Riddle wins, Randy Orton gets the spot. McIntyre starts fast with the overhead belly to belly suplexes, followed by the crazy high backdrop to Styles. It’s too early for the Claymore so they go outside, where McIntyre loads up a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table. Riddle dives out of the air to break that up but Styles posts both of them to take over. Styles and Riddle fight to suplex the other through the announcers’ table until Riddle settles for one on the floor.

Back up and an enziguri drops McIntyre, allowing Riddle and Styles to slam him through the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Styles working on Riddle’s leg but wisely going outside to stomp on the still down McIntyre. Back in and a half crab has Riddle in trouble, with Styles being smart enough to keep it on when Riddle makes the rope. A brainbuster gives AJ two but Riddle is back up with a hanging DDT. The RKO is loaded up but AJ is back with something close to a Burning Hammer for two.

McIntyre is back in though and gets rid of AJ, setting up the reverse Alabama Slam to Riddle. The Claymore misses though and Riddle dumps McIntyre out to the floor. Riddle is back up with a penalty kick to each of them and the springboard Floating Bro hits both of them for a big crash. Some kicks to the chest have Styles and McIntyre down again but Styles sends a kick into the steps.

Riddle thinks his (bare) foot is broken so it’s time for some medics to take him out. We come back from another break with Riddle gone and McIntyre possibly tweaking his knee. A neckbreaker takes Styles down but he slips out of a superplex attempt. The fireman’s carry neckbreaker gets two, as does a Michinoku Driver to Styles.

A quick Calf Crusher has McIntyre in trouble but here is Riddle with a taped up ankle for the Bromission to break things up. AJ goes for the ankle for the save but McIntyre is back up. An enziguri, with the bad foot, drops McIntyre to the floor and Riddle jumping knees AJ out of the air. The RKO hits Styles but Omos pulls him out at two. The Claymore gives McIntyre the pin on Riddle at 26:41.

Rating: B-. This was really long and the ending was a bit disappointing, but at least they had some solid action to fill in a large chunk of the show. Riddle fighting for his best friend is a good story and I could go for more of that in the future, though I don’t think Orton is going to be overly happy with his partner taking the fall. Good main event overall, but they could have chopped it down a bit.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event bailed out a good bit of this show but the warm streak came to an abrupt halt here. A lot of these matches were pretty dry or had annoying results (again, mainly the women’s division, which has fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, and it is still not the wrestlers’ fault) and a lot of this felt like filler instead of building to the pay per view. That is where this season starts to get hard to watch and you could feel it starting here. It wasn’t the worst (the lack of Lily continues to help a lot) but it was also not a show that you needed to see.

Results
Riddle won a battle royal last eliminating Damian Priest
Nikki Cross b. Shayna Baszler – La majistral
Doudrop/Eva Marie b. Asuka/Naomi – Running crossbody to Asuka
Ricochet vs. John Morrison went to a double countout
Charlotte/Tamina/Natalya b. Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke/Rhea Ripley – Big boot to Rose
Jaxson Ryker b. Elias – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Drew McIntyre b. Riddle and AJ Styles – Claymore to Riddle

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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Main Event
Date: June 17, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

We’re coming up on the Cell and that means things are likely going to be focusing on the pay per view. As is becoming the norm around here, you can’t really guess what you might be seeing and that is a welcome change after the years of monotony. Maybe we might even get something interesting this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mace/T-Bar vs. Lucha House Party

Mace throws Gran Metalik down to start as commentary points out the difference in size. Lince Dorado comes in with a middle rope hurricanrana and a double dropkick puts Mace in the corner. T-Bar isn’t having that and pulls Dorado to the floor for a clothesline. Back in and Dorado manages a faceplant on Mace but T-Bar takes out Metalik to avoid a hot tag. The alternating stomping ensues in the corner but Dorado manages to slip away and make the hot tag to Metalik. Everything breaks down and it’s Feast Your Eyes to finish Dorado at 5:18.

Rating: C-. This could have been worse, but it’s also the kind of match that Mace and T-Bar need. They could be a good power team and putting them in there against guys who can bounce off of them is a smart move. T-Bar has shown he can hang with anyone but Mace still needs a good bit of work. Maybe they can get better with time though, as the potential is there.

We recap the Usos failing to win the Smackdown Tag Team Titles and Roman Reigns intervening, which translates to smashing the Mysterios like they’re something easily smashable.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Jimmy Uso for a chat. Jimmy recaps last week and wants to know why Reigns cost them their second title shot. Maybe Reigns is jealous, because the Usos could be the champs and have some gold of their own. Jey isn’t Reigns’ brother and Jimmy is his brother’s keeper. Tonight, he’s doing something about it.

In the back, Reigns isn’t happy. Reigns to Jey: “He’s not my brother. He doesn’t look just like me. He’s not my twin. Ain’t no one going to confuse me for him.” Jey goes to take care of things.

Post break, Jimmy talks to Jey and asks if he thinks they could have won last week. Jey reluctantly says he thinks they could have been the champs, sending Jimmy into a rant about how this can’t keep happening. They’re twins and Reigns is the one disgracing the family. Jey says his loyalty is with Reigns because Jimmy was out for a year. Now Jey is stuck in the middle with no way out.

From Smackdown.

Roman Reigns and Jey Uso come in to see Jimmy Uso (with Jey standing in the middle for a perfect visual). Reigns holds up the Universal Title and asks what Jimmy is thinking. Jimmy goes on about how he doesn’t care about the title, saying that Reigns has been doing this since they were all kids. Jimmy knows that Reigns is going to the Hall of Fame one day, but he’s going in as a spoiled b****.

Reigns starts talking to Jey about what Jimmy is doing, but Jimmy says Reigns is doing the same thing. Jey says he’s tired of both of them and walks out. Jimmy is ready to fight but Reigns says they aren’t kids anymore. This is their family business and Jimmy needs to start using his head.

Reigns should be able to depend on Jimmy because it is all of them and continue to be the best every single week. That is all he has ever known: being the best. It’s time for Jimmy to make this right with him and his family. Jimmy leaves and Reigns looks serious. Reigns was VERY fired up here and sounded a bit like the Rock when he started talking fast.

From Smackdown.

Here is Rey Mysterio to call out Roman Reigns so here he comes (with Paul Heyman of course). Rey gets straight to the point by acknowledging Reigns as the rat that he is for putting his hands on Rey’s son. He wants to fight Reigns and he wants it inside the Cell. Reigns acknowledges him…and Rey whips out a surprise kendo stick to hammer him down. That’s broken up but here’s Dominik with a stick of his own to break up the spear. You don’t do that to Reigns, who POWERBOMBS Dominik over the top in a great visual (though you don’t see the landing). Rey dives onto Dominik to end the show on fire.

From Raw.

Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

This is Bliss’ first regular Raw match since February. Bliss kicks away to start and chokes away in the corner. After a creepy spider walk, Bliss avoids a running kick in the corner and hammers away. Jax runs her over for a change and we hit the chinlock. Back up and a running clothesline takes Bliss down but she sits up to avoid the legdrop. That means a glare into the camera and a kick to Jax’s head. Cue Reginald for a distraction but Bliss dropkicks Jax’s knees out instead. A short DDT sets up Twisted Bliss but Reginald comes in for the DQ at 3:57.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to make of this as Bliss has been successful, but there is a certain level of disbelief you have to reach to accept her cutting Jax down like this. The ending didn’t help as it involved Reginald, but Bliss being back in the ring is not the worst thing. Now her being a mini Undertaker/Fiend hybrid…..egads man.

Post match Bliss glares at Reginald and, with the force of a thousand camera cuts…..Bliss just walks away when Nia gets up.

Ricochet vs. Drew Gulak

They fight over wrist control to start with Ricochet getting the better of things. A kick to the face gives Ricochet two but Gulak sends him hard to the floor. We take a break and come back with Ricochet fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught in a gutwrench suplex for two. Gulak starts in on the leg and smacks Ricochet in the back of the head while calling him a good guy.

The armbar goes on again but Ricochet kicks him down. A middle rope crossbody gives Ricochet a breather and Gulak charges into an elbow. Gulak is fine enough for something close to a Michinoku Driver for two Ricochet is right back with a Side Effect into an Anaconda Vice of all things to make Gulak tap at 10:10.

Rating: C. I can go for Ricochet getting to do his and he has been busting out a bunch of new stuff lately. The best thing to come out of this would be seeing more of Ricochet on the main shows, but that has been all over the place in recent months. Gulak is good for a match against anyone too and having him here to make Ricochet look better is not a bad thing.

Long video on Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre.

From Raw.

Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles

Bobby Lashley, MVP and the ladies sit on the couches on the stage while Omos is here with Styles. McIntyre drives him into the corner to start but AJ comes back chopping away. A big chop is blocked and a heck of a backdrop has AJ in more trouble. Futureshock connects but McIntyre stops to glare at Lashley, allowing Omos to pull AJ outside. Cue the Viking Raiders and we take a break.

Back with Styles being sent hard into the corner and getting caught with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Styles manages to send him outside in a heap and, back in, cuts off a charge with some raised boots. The chinlock slows McIntyre down a bit but he jawbreaks his way to freedom.

McIntyre fights up with some elbows to the face for two and a Michinoku Driver (third tonight) gets the same. McIntyre’s superplex is countered though and Styles fireman’s carries him onto the knee for two of his own. Back up and McIntyre drops him with a shot to the face but goes outside to jump Lashley. McIntyre heads inside but Lashley comes in for the DQ at 13:31.

Rating: C+. This was getting a little better by the time it was wrapping up, but I don’t think there was much of a surprise to be had once everyone came out to ringside. Not giving AJ vs. McIntyre a definitive ending is a good thing as this could have been a big time match later, so save something for the future.

Post match the big brawl is on, with Lashley being suplexed on the floor.

Bobby Lashley/AJ Styles/Omos vs. Drew McIntyre/Viking Raiders

This starts as a handicap match as Lashley is in the back changing out of street clothes. Ivar takes AJ into the corner and it’s Erik coming in to crush him for two. Cue Lashley to run down the ramp and send McIntyre hard into the barricade. Lashley comes in to hammer on Erik but it’s right back to AJ…who brings Omos in to knee Erik in the corner. A Downward Spiral plants Erik and Lashley goes after McIntyre, but the distraction allows the tag back to Ivar.

The pace picks up as Ivar flips away from Lashley but charges into a spinebuster. It’s back to Omos so Ivar comes up swinging, only to get shouldered down. We take a break and come back with Lashley unloading on Ivar in the corner and grabbing a neck crank. Ivar fights up but gets taken down again, setting up a chinlock from AJ. That’s broken up and we get the double tag to set up Omos vs. McIntyre.

Omos chokes him down but McIntyre comes up with right hands. Styles tags himself in but gets caught in some overhead belly to belly suplexes. Everything breaks down and Erik dives at Omos on the floor….where he is tossed into the timekeeper’s area. AJ intentionally (Maybe?) avoids tagging Omos to tag in Lashley instead, allowing McIntyre to hit the Claymore for the pin at 13:38.

Rating: C+. Pretty run of the mill main event six man here and that is not a bad thing. McIntyre pinning Lashley works to set up their title match, though I’m not sure I buy McIntyre’s chances at getting the title back. The Raiders vs. AJ/Omos hasn’t been officially set so far so it’s cool for their match to not get the most focus. Good enough main event here, though nothing you haven’t seen before.

McIntyre promises to see Lashley in h*** to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Another pretty good show here as they continue to hype up the Cell by focusing on the matches that matter the most. The big stuff in WWE at the moment is actually pretty good and hopefully that can pick up as the fans come back. There are still a lot of problems to be fixed, but at least they are doing some things right.

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

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 21, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Jimmy Smith

We’re done with the Cell and that means it is time to start getting ready for Money in the Bank. That means a lot of qualifying matches before we have a series of matches with the people building momentum, whatever that means going into a ladder match. Other than that, Bobby Lashley needs a new challenger after beating Drew McIntyre again. Let’s get to it.

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

The briefcases and the Cell are above the ring and the MONEYMONEYMONEYMONEYMONEY song is back, because there are two songs ever for that show.

Here are Bobby Lashley and MVP, flanked by his latest group of women, for the VIP Lounge. MVP brags about Lashley retaining and hands him the floor. Lashley says he was pushed to his limit last night but proved that he is still the Almighty. They brag about their win and load up a toast but here is the New Day to interrupt, complete with a plate of toast. Said toast is thrown into the ring, prompting MVP to talk about how this is more proof of what goofs these two are.

MVP accuses Kofi Kingston of not taking things seriously and hanging out with his video game obsessed friend. Kofi says not so fast but Lashley talks about being on a higher level than the two of them. That makes Kofi laugh as he talks about becoming WWE Champion at Wrestlemania XXXV and then beating Lashley last week. We see a clip of said loss and Lashley isn’t cool with that. The challenge is on Lashley accepts for Money in the Bank, but he wants to make sure it’s one on one. Therefore, he can beat up Xavier Woods tonight.

That’s cool with Woods, who cuts off MVP from talking down to him. Woods runs down his own accolades, which mainly include being on YouTube and G4. Oh and let’s make tonight’s match inside the Cell. I’m surprised they didn’t put a USA NETWORK APPROVED sticker on the screen, as that could not be more of WWE appeasing them over FOX getting a Cell match if they tried.

Earlier today, AJ Styles ran into the Viking Raiders and promised to become the new Mr. Money in the Bank. He’s so sure that he’ll beat them for the Tag Team Titles soon after, but the Raiders aren’t convinced. AJ slaps the turkey leg out of Ivar’s hand but violence is held back.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

Ricochet knows what it takes to get to the WWE Title match and he’ll show why he’s something special. AJ gets sent to the apron to start and a springboard kick to the face puts him on the floor. Ricochet misses a springboard moonsault though and gets posted hard as we take an early break.

Back with AJ dropping Ricochet again but a shot to the face rocks Styles for a change. There’s a crossbody to send AJ into the corner and a running clothesline catches him for a bonus. Back to back suplexes give Ricochet two but AJ scores with a kind of torture rack powerbomb for his own near fall.

A strike off goes to Ricochet, who ducks the Pele Kick and grabs a bridging German suplex for two more. AJ grabs the fireman’s carry backbreaker but here are the Viking Raiders to go after Omos. A missed charge sends Omos through the barricade though and the distraction lets Ricochet counter the Phenomenal Forearm into the Recoil for the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. I’m rather glad to see Ricochet getting his chance and it isn’t like AJ needs to be in Money in the Bank when he might be defending the Tag Team Titles on the same show. Ricochet is a perfect person to put in this kind of a match and giving him a win over AJ isn’t such a big upset that it is too much to believe.

Riddle, now with RKBro merchandise (including a bag and a coffee cup) talks to Randy Orton about wanting to put a stash of Burger King Whoppers in the briefcase when one of them win it tonight. Orton: “RIDDLE! WHAT DO YOU WANT???” Riddle asks for some pointers and dances a bit while waiting. Orton tells him to stay out of his way, which Riddle thinks will be difficult if they’re both in the ladder match. Riddle thinks it would be awesome if they are both in the match, but Orton disagrees and walks off.

We look at Eva Marie’s return with her unnamed partner.

Eva Marie, while getting the interviewer’s name wrong, says that she had a cold last week to prevent her from getting in the ring. That’s why she had a substitute, in the form of….Doudrop. Well of course it is.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Eva Marie/Doudrop vs. Asuka/Naomi

Eva starts with Asuka and tags out immediately, as you would expect. Asuka can’t do much with Doudrop to start so it’s off to Naomi, as Eva drops down to the floor. Doudrop plants Naomi and hits the Cannonball in the corner, but Eva tags herself in as Doudrop goes up. This time it’s Doudrop heading to the floor as Eva reaches for the tag, meaning Naomi can grab a rollup for the pin at 2:50. That’s a change of pace and they have me curious so well done.

Eva is stunned and Doudrop smiles at her.

We look back at Charlotte beating Rhea Ripley last night via DQ, because Charlotte needed to win as the feud is extended.

We look back at the opening segment to set up the Cell match tonight.

Here are Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to deal with the Rhea Ripley/Charlotte fallout. Ripley comes out and wants to know why that was a DQ, but here is Charlotte to promise to destroy Ripley soon. Deville gets to the point and makes the rematch for Money in the Bank. They kept this really short here and there wasn’t much of a reason not to.

We recap the Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke vs. Tamina/Natalya, including Natalya beating Rose last night.

Tamina and Natalya were having a photo shoot when an interview broke out. Hold on though, as they were distracted by Rose and Brooke training in the nearby ring. Natalya said they were trying to have an interview (not exactly) and another fight was teased. Mandy and Dana kicked them off the apron and got rather smug.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Randy Orton vs. John Morrison

Miz is on commentary. Morrison takes Orton down to start and a kick to the head gets an early two. An armbar has Orton in more trouble but he fights up and takes it to the floor. Morrison sends him into the announcers’ table a few times but Orton does it far more times, setting up a belly to back drop onto the table.

We take a break and come back with Orton stomping away and grabbing his own chinlock. Morrison fights up and hits a springboard kick to the face to send things outside. Orton’s hand is slammed into the steps, setting up an armbar so we can get an inset ad for Fast and Furious 9.

Back to full screen with Morrison staying on the arm but Orton fights up and hits the hanging DDT. The RKO is loaded up but Miz fires off the Drip Stick, allowing Morrison to grab a rollup for two. An uppercut sends Morrison to the apron but here is Riddle for a slow speed chase after Miz. The distraction lets Morrison kick Orton down and hit Starship Pain for the pin at 12:20.

Rating: C-. This was similar to Ricochet beating Styles as it is an upset but it isn’t an earth shattering upset. Morrison being in the ladder match is a bit more interesting than Orton as it gives the chance of something fresh getting into the main event scene, even if Morrison has absolutely no chance of winning. The Drip Stick is a bit stupid, but that’s kind of the point of Miz and Morrison so it’s hard to complain that much.

We recap Alexa Bliss using her mind control powers to control Nia Jax and beat Shayna Baszler.

Nia Jax says she won’t attack Reginald again tonight. Shayna Baszler insists that she isn’t scared of anyone in the locker room and no one is stopping them from qualifying for Money in the Bank. Jax says there is something different about Alexa Bliss.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax

Bliss has new music, featuring her talking a lot. Before the match, Nikki Cross talks about how she is trying to stand out and needs something to find a way to succeed despite her shortcomings. Therefore, she now has a mask and superhero costume while saying she is embracing her spirit. So she’s Scottish Mighty Molly?

Baszler drives Cross into the corner to start and sends her to the apron. A slingshot Oklahoma roll gets two on Baszler so it’s off to Jax. Cross sends her outside where we pause so Bliss can mind control Reginald. Baszler and Jax talk him out of it but Cross dives onto all three as we take a break.

Back with Bliss hitting her moonsault knees on Baszler but Jax comes back in to take over. Baszler chokes on the ropes and grabs the chinlock for a bit. Bliss fights up and gets in a shot to the face, allowing the hot tag to Cross. House is cleaned for all of a few moments but Jax takes her into the corner. Baszler nearly hits Jax by mistake and the weekly argument is on. Bliss uses the distraction to control Reginald, who can’t bring himself to slap Jax. The distraction lets Cross grab La Majistral to pin Baszler at 10:09, because Nia Jax is just there to stand around while Baszler gets pinned.

Rating: C. There is a lot here, as Bliss continues her mind control deal, which I’ll still take over the Lily nonsense. At the same time, it’s really, really annoying to have Baszler become the designated jobber, as these stupid arguments between her and Jax continue. That has been their thing since they came together and it hasn’t been that interesting since it started. On the other hand, you have Cross FINALLY getting some TV time. Yeah the superhero deal is kind of dumb, but I’ll take that over her sitting on the sidelines doing nothing.

Drew McIntyre promises to fight despite being banged up, even quoting Winston Churchill.

Jinder Mahal, with lackeys, Jeff Hardy, Cedric Alexander and Sheamus are arguing about who should be competing for Money in the Bank. Sonya Deville doesn’t want to hear it and the decisions are final. Sheamus brings up being US Champion and thinks he should be in automatically. Adam Pearce takes that to mean Sheamus’ nose is healed and he can defend his title. Sheamus panics and goes off to find his doctor. Mahal complains about not being in and suggests he should be the alternate. Everyone leaves.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Riddle vs. Drew McIntyre

Drew, with his wrecked back, goes for the grappling to start so Riddle goes to the ropes. With that not working, McIntyre blasts him with a clothesline and fires away in the corner. There’s the big toss across the ring for two on Riddle and a toss suplex gives Drew the same. An elbow to the face gives Drew two more but Riddle pulls him off the middle rope for a crash. There’s the Broton to set up the gutwrench suplex, banging up Drew’s back again.

Another one is countered into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to send Riddle outside. That’s fine with Riddle, who snaps off a belly to belly as we take a break. Back with Drew fighting out of a chinlock but Riddle gets in a shot to the back to put him down again. The Broton hits raised knees though and it’s an overhead belly to belly into a neckbreaker.

Somehow Drew nips up and the reverse Alabama Slam gets a slightly delayed two. Riddle is taken up top but he manages to crotch Drew….who lifts himself up for the release German superplex anyway. Cue Randy Orton to watch and we take another break. Back again with Riddle reversing a super White Noise into a sunset bomb, followed by a knee to the face for two.

Drew grabs a Michinoku Driver for two and goes up, only to dive into a triangle choke. That’s reversed into a Futureshock for two but Riddle collapses before the Claymore can launch. There’s a ripcord knee to McIntyre but the Floating Bro misses. The Claymore is countered into the Bromission, which is countered as well. The Glasgow Kiss looks to set up an electric chair but Riddle reverses into a victory roll for the pin at 22:49.

Rating: B. This worked well, as McIntyre tried to fight through the pain but still lost in the end. The fact that McIntyre almost never loses a match clean makes this all the more interesting and Riddle gets to continue his rise back to being something. I’m curious to see where McIntyre goes from here, but he has been on top long enough that a step down isn’t going to hurt him.

Post match Riddle scooters up the ramp but Randy Orton isn’t pleased. Riddle: “Randy what’s wrong? You can always talk to me Bro.” Orton looks at him but Riddle still can’t get a fist bump.

We recap Elias vs. Jaxson Ryker, with Elias running away twice in a row.

Ryker is whipping himself with a strap when Mansoor comes up to ask for some advice. That doesn’t seem to sit well so Mansoor leaves, but Ryker says never let your enemy escape. More often than not, those closest to you are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Next week, it’s Elias vs. Ryker in a strap match. Elias is all about the music, and next week, the big hit will be the strap against Elias’ flesh.

Mansoor goes to leave when he runs into Mustafa Ali, who says Mansoor is asking the wrong people. Why are people in the Money in the Bank qualifying matches stealing spots from the two of them? If they don’t get the chance to climb the ladder of success, you have to build your own ladder. Ryker whips himself some more.

The Cell is lowered.

Bobby Lashley vs. Xavier Woods

Non-title with MVP and Kofi Kingston here as well. Woods tries to start fast but gets powered out to the floor. That means it’s time for a chair, which Lashley punches into Woods’ face. The running charge hits the post though and Woods is able to dropkick Lashley into the Cell twice in a row. A running chair shot drops Lashley again and we take a break.

Back with Lashley hammering away until Woods misses a charge and falls out to the floor. Woods’ charge lets Lashley tie him in the ring skirt though and the beating is on again. Lashley stops to yell at Kofi though and Woods gets back inside. A forearm to the leg cuts Lashley down for a second and Woods gets in a hard kendo stick shot. Woods gets in more shots with the stick on the floor and a victory roll faceplant is good for two back inside.

A tornado DDT gives Woods two more so he sets up a table. Lashley’s quick powerbomb attempt is broken up and a superkick puts him on said table. The rope walk elbow sends Lashley through the table for two (with Woods almost overshooting him) but Lashley sends him face first into a chair in the corner. The spear sets up the Hurt Lock to finish Woods at 13:37.

Rating: C+. This was another match that didn’t need to be in the Cell as it was little more than a street fight for the most part. The fact that it was the fourth match in the Cell in four days didn’t help either, but I would bet on this being a way to appease USA more than anything else. There was never any doubt here and that’s ok, as Woods got to look good for a bit.

Post match the beating stays on with MVP getting inside the Cell and locking it back. Lashley puts Woods up against the Cell as Kofi can’t do anything to end the show. That was an effective use of the Cell for a change, though I’m not sure why Kofi didn’t get the referee to unlock the door again.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, Raw is better when they have somethi0ng going through the course of the show to keep them from going way off course. That was the case here with a slate of mostly good qualifying matches, though you can’t do that every week. Money in the Bank is starting to take a nice shape, but there is a long time to go and that is where WWE can get in trouble. Good enough show this week though, and a FAR better version of Raw than usual.

Results
Ricochet b. AJ Styles – Recoil
Naomi/Asuka b. Eva Marie/Doudrop – Rollup to Marie
John Morrison b. Randy Orton – Starship Pain
Nikki Cross/Alexa Bliss b. Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax – La Majistral to Baszler
Riddle b. Drew McIntyre – Victory roll
Bobby Lashley b. Xavier Woods – Hurt Lock

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

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AND

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

Hell In A Cell 2021
Date: June 20, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s time for another big theme show with the event focusing on the match we saw two days ago. This time we have a pair of matches inside the Cell, as Bianca Belair defends the Smackdown Women’s Title against Bayley and Drew McIntyre challenges Bobby Lashley for the WWE Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Mandy Rose vs. Natalya

Dana Brooke and Tamina are here too. Natalya grabs a headlock takeover as commentary talks about Natalya complaining about Mandy’s looks. Mandy grabs a wristlock so Natalya spins out, only to get sunset flipped for two. They flip around each other a lot without making much contact until Natalya gets dropped throat first across the top rope. Some stomping in the corner keeps Natalya down, setting up the bodyscissors.

Natalya powers up to hit a slam but Mandy hammers her down with forearms to the back. An abdominal stretch goes on, with Mandy hooking the toe to make Gorilla Monsoon proud. Natalya reverses into one of her own (no toe hooking) as commentary goes back to Mandy being a fitness model.

That’s broken up so Mandy tries a bulldog, only to get dropped down instead. Natalya’s step over basement dropkick gets two but Mandy pops up for a middle rope version. A rollup gives Mandy two and Natalya blasts her with the discus lariat. Mandy is right back with a knee to the face for two and Mandy can’t believe the kickout. The grappling goes to Natalya, who pulls her into the Sharpshooter for the tap at 9:43.

Rating: C-. So to recap, Natalya complained about Mandy only being there for her looks and then beat her in a match. I’m not sure what kind of a future that offers for the women’s division but at least the match got a bit of time. Mandy did a little better than usual on the mat and you can tell that she has gained a lot with experience.

The opening video features a woman talking into a radio microphone on the radio station in h***. It’s ok to be scared when you’re standing at the gates, which moves us into the traditional look at the matches on the card.

The Cell is lowered.

We recap Bianca Belair vs. Bayley. Belair won the title at Wrestlemania but Bayley has laughed at her ever since. That’s too far for Belair, who has dealt with disrespect since she was three feet tall. Therefore, Belair challenged her to a match but after Bayley kept laughing, Belair wanted to put it inside the Cell. For some reason this included every screen in the Thunderdome being changed to a shot of Bayley laughing or holding up the title. Twice.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Belair is defending inside the Cell and slams Bayley down a few times to start. A clothesline puts Bayley on the floor and it’s time for an early breather. That lets Bayley snap Belair’s throat across the middle rope and it’s time for some chairs. Bayley’s big swing is countered into a rollup for two and Belair sends her hard into the corner to take over. A superplex is loaded up so Bayley tries to punch her down, only to have Belair backflip down onto her feet. Of course she can do that.

Belair is sent shoulder first into the post though and Bayley adds a boot for two. The bad arm is sent into the corner and something like a Downward Spiral on the arm keeps Belair down. Bayley brings the steps in but stops to tie Belair’s hair around the bottom rope. A running kick just winds up tripping Bayley onto the steps and Belair unties herself (McAfee: “I can’t untie my shoes sometimes!”) to send Bayley into the Cell.

Bayley bites her to escape and Belair seems to be in shock. A kendo stick shot (with two sticks taped together this time) rocks Belair again and a sunset bomb into the Cell makes it even worse. Bayley pulls out two more a pair of kendo sticks taped together to make them longer (as in four total between two sticks) but spends too much time telling Cole to shut up. The delay lets Belair spinebust her through the sticks for two back inside.

Belair grabs a chair but Bayley kicks it back into her face and then wraps the bad arm into said chair. Things get even more creative/painful as Bayley ties Belair’s hair to the chair. That takes too long though and Belair sends the steps into Bayley’s knees. Now it’s Belair tying her hair around Bayley’s wrist and beating her with the kendo sticks. Bayley tries to get out the door but can’t get around that pesky padlock.

And now, since we haven’t had enough stuff thrown in there, it’s time for a ladder. Belair is sent into said ladder and Bayley crushes her inside of it, setting up the Rose Plant. Bayley bangs up her knee in the process though and it’s a delayed cover for two. Back up and Belair hits a Glam Slam into the corner (with the shoulder giving out a bit so it doesn’t have full impact). Bayley is laid on the ladder for a backsplash and the KOD onto the open ladder retains the title at 19:45.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches where your standards may vary. As a Cell match, it wasn’t much as the Cell played a very small role in the whole thing. Granted that has been the case with the Cell for far too long now so it is kind of hard to make that much of a criticism. In other words, it was a weapons match which happened to be wrapped in a Cell, and it worked well in that regard. Good match, with Belair rising to the occasion and Bayley doing her thing as always.

Post Summerslam ads, Belair says that was tough but she will never forgive Bayley.

Bobby Lashley, with his female companions, is ready.

Alexa Bliss says that was a rough night for Bayley, but she is glad we’re here. Lily is still in time out (there is hope for this show) but tonight, Shayna Baszler needs to learn two lessons: expect the unexpected and be careful what you wish for, because you never know what might answer.

We recap Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins. Cesaro beat Rollins at Wrestlemania so Rollins came back to jump him soon thereafter. That put Cesaro on the shelf for a few weeks but he came back on Bayley’s talk show and jumped Rollins for a change. They had a sitdown interview where Cesaro shoved Rollins’ chair over while announcing the match.

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins jumps him during the entrance again and the brawl is on before the bell. Cesaro goes with the power to start and drives Rollins into the corner for an early two. Some uppercuts in the corner rock Rollins again but he pulls Cesaro face first into the buckle. A rake to the eyes lets Rollins choke with a boot but Cesaro muscles him up for a suplex and a breather. Rollins backdrops him out to the floor though and the running knee off the apron drops Cesaro again.

Back in and Rollins stays on the eye but Cesaro slugs away with the uppercuts to put Rollins down. The black glove is taken off and Cesaro kicks it out of the for a moment that might not be as symbolic as WWE was hoping it to be. A powerslam gives Cesaro two but the Neutralizer is countered with a backdrop to the apron. Cesaro’s superplex attempt is broken up so he goes with a high crossbody for two instead. Rollins is back with a forearm to the back of the head for two of his own and the kickout has him frustrated.

After shouting that Cesaro has not earned anything, Rollins grabs an armbar before hitting the Falcon Arrow for two. The Stomp misses and Cesaro is back up with a discus lariat for a double knockdown. Cesaro plants him down to set up the Swing (not as long as usual), followed by the Sharpshooter. With that not working, Cesaro switches into a Crossface but Rollins rolls him up for two. The Sharpshooter goes on again but Cesaro lets it go to stomp on the arm a few times. Rollins counters another Sharpshooter attempt into a small package for the clean pin at 16:15.

Rating: B. I was worried about this one for Cesaro but I can understand why they went with Rollins here. Rollins is one of the handful of truly established stars that WWE has and it makes sense to have him get a win back here. I’m not sure what this means for Cesaro, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up for his future. The match itself was the usual good back and forth WWE style match, with the ending being a bit of a surprise. Was anyone expecting these two to not work well though?

Money in the Bank is coming on July 18. Time for people to have random matches against each other and call it building momentum, even though pins and submissions have nothing to do with winning a ladder match!

We recap Shayna Baszler vs. Alexa Bliss. Baszler doesn’t like Lily because she’s a doll, but it turns out that Lily is evil and has used her fire powers to try and kill Baszler a few times. Now Lily is in time out so it’s time for a match. Yeah it hasn’t been any better off of paper either.

Shayna Baszler doesn’t like hearing about Lily and calls Alexa Bliss a lunatic. Bliss has fun playing with dolls, but Baszler has fun hurting people. Nia Jax and Reginald come in to offer support so Baszler slaps Reginald in the face.

Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler

Reginald and Nia Jax are here too. Bliss stands still at the bell so Reginald offers a distraction, allowing Baszler to hammer away in the corner. Baszler’s knee suddenly gives out so Bliss crawls over to her and starts kicking at the knee. Some kicks put Bliss in the corner for a running knee but she just laughs. Graves wants to know when you give up and call the Winchester brothers as Baszler suplexes her down. Some standing on the head sets up the big stomp on the arm to put Bliss in trouble.

That lasts all of a few seconds as Bliss starts laughing and glares at her as Baszler cranks on the arm. The evil face goes on and Baszler lets go, allowing Bliss to forearm her in the face. A Thesz press into some right hands set up a DDT to give Bliss two. With Baszler down, Bliss stares at Nia Jax, who goes into a trance and slaps Reginald down. They scream at each other so Baszler grabs the Kirifuda Clutch, which Bliss escapes in a hurry. The wind up DDT sets up Twisted Bliss for the pin at 6:55 as Nia snaps out of it.

Rating: D+. You know, Bliss having mind control powers and putting Nia in a trance is a heck of a lot better than I would have expected here. Throw in Reginald getting hurt and the match was actually a refreshing change. Of course it wasn’t very good or anything, but that’s not why you watch a match like this one. The lack of Lily has made this a good bit more bearable, though I’m almost scared to see where they go next with the thing.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Sami has laughed at and attacked Owens after Commander Azeez hurt Owens a few times. Owens unloads on him to start and hits the big chop in the corner. You can hear Owens coughing and he might be coughing up blood as he elbows Sami down. There’s the backsplash but Owens can’t breathe again. Sami uses the break to get in a few shots, only to have Owens chop the skin off of his chest. With the direct approach not working, Sami goes for the throat and puts on a quick chinlock to keep Owens down.

Owens drops him on the top rope and hits the Cannonball but the breathing catches up with him again. Zayn sends it outside and hits the big flip dive, leaving Owens holding his wrist. That’s not cool with Zayn, who kicks him outside where Owens can’t breathe again. Back in and Owens sweeps the legs to hammer away, followed by another trip to the floor. Owens hits a clothesline but the Swanton off the apron hits knees to put them both down again.

Back in and the Blue Thunder Bomb gives Zayn two but Owens gets in a few shots of his own. The Stunner is countered into a half and half suplex so Zayn can stomp away. Owens rolls outside and coughs a lot more but Owens manages a Stunner. Zayn barely beats the count so they slug it out from their knees with Owens getting the better of things. Now it’s Owens stomping away like Zayn did to him but the bad arm is snapped across the top rope. A running knee sends Owens’ throat into the rope and the Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin at 12:38.

Rating: C+. This had a different story to it, though I’m curious to see more about Owens’ arm injury. If that was legit, points to Owens for grinding through a pretty good match. If it wasn’t, points to Owens for making me think it was. Zayn needed this win a lot more than Owens and when you consider the breathing deal, there was no real reason to have Zayn lose. Makes sense, and good stuff because they know each other so well.

Zayn is VERY pleased with his win and calls it karmic justice. He even yells at commentary about what happened.

We look at Roman Reigns retaining the Universal Title over Rey Mysterio in the Cell on Smackdown. Jimmy Uso congratulated Reigns on his win.

We recap Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women’s Title. Ripley won the title at Wrestlemania and Charlotte wants it back. They have gone at it multiple times since then, with Ripley wanting to retain the title and avenge her loss at Wrestlemania last year.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte

Ripley is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. With those out of the way, Charlotte kicks her in the face before the bell and gets a very quick two as a result. Ripley is back up with a big boot of her own but Charlotte takes her straight into the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit but they head outside, with Charlotte kicking her into the barricade. Back in and Charlotte shouts a lot until Ripley rocks her with a headbutt. A superkick puts Charlotte down again but she ties the legs up in the ropes to slow Ripley right back down.

Ripley is fine enough to hit a running shot to put Charlotte down on the floor, setting up the Prism Trap back inside. That’s reversed with a roll into the buckle and Natural Selection, with a foot on the rope, gets two. Ripley grabs a quick suplex but the knee is too banged up, allowing Charlotte to hit a backbreaker into a Downward Spiral into the buckle. A moonsault (with Charlotte having to land on her feet and then hit a standing version) gets two but Ripley catches her on top.

That means a superplex can give Ripley two and they’re both down. The brawl is on with Ripley grabbing a quick Riptide for two and they head outside again. This time Charlotte dropkicks the steps next to Ripley’s knee (the camera angle really hurt that) and they head back inside for the Figure Four. Ripley manages to roll over and get to the floor for the break, complete with a lot of screaming. With nothing else working, Ripley tears off the top of the announcers’ table to hit Charlotte in the face for the DQ at 14:11.

Rating: C. So Charlotte mostly dominated the match and then wins by DQ in the end, setting up another title match down the line. There are a lot of criticisms of Charlotte being presented as far too strong and…..well this was kind of a good example. Ripley looked like she had to escape here and for the life of me I do not get why she is not being presented as an equal. She has all of the skills and talent you could want, but she has been treated as secondary to Charlotte every time they have been paired together. Charlotte is the most decorated woman in WWE history. Putting Ripley over once is not going to destroy her career.

Post match Ripley hits another Riptide and insists that she be named as the winner. Ripley leaves, with Charlotte saying “you’re learning b****.”

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Title. McIntyre beat Kofi Kingston to become #1 contender for the third straight pay per view, so Lashley wants it to be his last shot. That’s fine with Drew, who wants it in the Cell, and then broke a table with a sword.

WWE Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is defending with MVP in his corner. They stare each other down for a bit before Lashley heads outside to grab some weapons. That’s fine with Drew, who sends him face first into the Cell to take over. Lashley is right back with a hard ram into the Cell so McIntyre suplexes him into the steel as well. A shot with the steps puts Lashley down again and McIntyre takes it back inside for the overhead belly to belly. McIntyre sets up a table against the Cell but MVP slips Lashley the cane.

That goes into McIntyre’s throat to cut him off but he counters a suplex into the post. An Air Raid Crash plants Lashley onto the steps so he goes to the throat to cut McIntyre off again. McIntyre bounces off of the Cell and comes right back with a clothesline to drop Lashley. They head inside with a rather stoic McIntyre hitting him in the back with a chair but a top rope chair shot is countered into a failed Hurt Lock attempt.

McIntyre’s spinebuster gets two and Lashley is dumped hard to the floor. McIntyre picks up the steps but Lashley drives him straight into the Cell and goes nuts as he pounds McIntyre down. With some help from MVP, Lashley pins McIntyre in the corner of the Cell with a kendo stick and unloads on him again. Back in and the Downward Spiral sends McIntyre face first into an open chair for a nasty landing.

Lashley unloads on him with kendo stick shots but McIntyre blocks a swing and hits a headbutt. McIntyre grabs the chair so Lashley pokes him in the eye. The referee gets bumped and Lashley is sent into the chair in the corner, meaning the Futureshock gets no count. McIntyre counters the Hurt Lock and hits the Claymore as the second referee comes in, only to be pulled out by MVP. That earns him a beating including a Claymore but Lashley is right back with the Hurt Lock on the floor.

That’s broken up with McIntyre driving him through the table in the corner and they’re both down again. Back in and McIntyre (whose back is all cut and banged up) unloads with some chair shots but the Claymore misses. Lashley sends him to the apron for a release Rock Bottom through a table. Back in and the spear is sent into the corner, allowing McIntyre to grab a backslide for two. The Futureshock connects but MVP grabs McIntyre’s leg, allowing Lashley to roll him up with trunks for the pin to retain at 25:49.

Rating: B+. This felt like a match with some weight behind it and the violence helped a lot as well. These are two big guys who can beat each other up with power moves and that is all you need a lot of the time. It also had the right ending, as there was no reason to take the title off of Lashley yet. Two guys hitting each other over and over again for a long time with a title on the line. That’s a pretty good formula for a main event and it worked rather well.

Lashley and MVP pose while McIntyre looks devastated to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. They kept this to the point and had three out of the six matches be rather good with only Bliss vs. Baszler not being so great. You might not be pleased with Charlotte vs. Ripley, but the rest of the show ranged from pretty good to very good. The main criticism here is that the show did not feel like it mattered in the slightest, with more than one feud feeling like it is just going to continue. Odds are that is the case with Money in the Bank and then Summerslam on the horizon, but at least they had a good show on the way there.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Bayley – KOD onto a ladder
Seth Rollins b. Cesaro – Small package
Alexa Bliss b. Shayna Baszler – Twisted Bliss
Sami Zayn b. Kevin Owens – Helluva Kick
Charlotte b. Rhea Ripley via DQ when Charlotte used part of the announcers’ table
Bobby Lashley b. Drew McIntyre – Rollup with trunks

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.

The calendar has been changed around a bit this year so the October show is now in June and the show’s namesake match took place on the Smackdown before the show because….I’m assuming a ratings ploy. We still have two matches inside the Cell for Sunday though, because having three of them in about seventy two hours is perfectly acceptable. Let’s get to it.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

The eternal feud continues as these two somehow aren’t inside the Cell, despite it being something that would make sense. Owens has been banged up by Commander Azeez as of late and Zayn thinks it’s pretty funny so of course it’s time for these two to fight again. Granted I’m not sure if they needed that much thought put into it, as these two could probably have a fight over a stale sandwich.

For once I’ll take Zayn to win here, as he lost at Wrestlemania and Owens is coming in banged up after Friday. Owens would seem to be a likely challenger for the Intercontinental Title so Azeez and/or Apollo Crews interfering would make sense. Or they might both go into Money in the Bank (more likely probably) and that means this match has very little consequence whatsoever. But still, Zayn wins.

Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler

Do we have to? I mean do we really, really have to do this match? This is currently the dumbest thing going in wrestling and that is covering a lot of ground at the moment. The only thing that gives me a glimmer of hope is that Lily wasn’t around on Monday, but odds are they’re saving her for a special appearance here, because that’s how WWE thinks these days.

Of course Bliss wins here, because there is zero reason for Baszler to win despite the fact that she isn’t the one with an evil doll backing her up. I’m really hoping that they’re getting this out of their system before the crowds come back, because I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. At the same time, I’m not sure how much Baszler’s career can take, but that ship sailed a pretty long time ago.

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

It’s another Wrestlemania rematch because this show is more or less Wrestlemania Part III. These two have been going at it for months but somehow the match wasn’t made until this week on Smackdown. I’m not sure if it makes that big of a difference as the match has all but been set up in advance since Wrestlemania. It’s also the match where I’m the least sure of a winner, so there are some options here.

As much as I want to go with Cesaro so the upper midcard can be a bit more solidified and Cesaro’s Wrestlemania win doesn’t look like a fluke, I would be surprised if Rollins lost here. WWE likes to go back to him pretty frequently (fair enough) and he hasn’t won anything important in a pretty long while. I’m not sure if Rolling needs the win more, but I think he needs it enough to go over here.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Charlotte

Here we go again, as these two are another pairing that is getting joined at the hip. Thankfully they had a nice pull apart brawl on Raw to make up for the lacking….well everything else about the feud. Charlotte is back in the title picture because of course she is and Ripley is hanging on to any credibility that she has. There is a way to fix that, and hopefully it is what we get here.

I’ll go with hope and say that Ripley retains here, as she absolutely needs to win this one. Charlotte beating her at Wrestlemania last year was a club to the stomach of her career so hopefully she has recovered enough to win this time. There is really no reason for her not to, though that has never stopped WWE before. Ripley retains here, mainly because she needs to for the sake of her career.

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

This would be the annual “Really? This is in the Cell?” match inside the Cell as Belair goes from winning the title in April to defending it inside the Cell two months later. They have something kind of interesting with the last laugh deal but going from a regular match to Ding Dong Hello to this is a stretch. That being said, it would be weird if this show didn’t have a Cell match that was a stretch so it’s not even worth the complaint.

Belair retains here, as this seems much more designed to give her the big win on her way to a likely Summerslam rematch with Sasha Banks. The feud has been pretty good so far and Bayley vs. Banks in the Cell last year was great so there is potential for something awesome here. I’m hoping that they can live up to the hype, because there is a lot of pressure being put on someone as untested as Belair.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

This is back in the Cell and it’s McIntyre’s LAST shot against Lashley, as this feud should finally draw to a close. It’s a good example of WWE’s inability to wrap something up, as this is the third pay per view in a row where McIntyre has challenged Lashley. I get why they stretched it out to here, but it’s a good example of having a match in the Cell because the calendar says so, as this should have wrapped up last month.

I’ll take Lashley to retain here and FINALLY put this one to bed, with McIntyre likely moving on to the Money in the Bank chase. He doesn’t need the briefcase, but hopefully Jinder Mahal doesn’t interfere in either match to start their rumored summer feud. Either way, McIntyre should go down on his (possibly literal) sword here with a heck of a fight, but Lashley retains here and move on to something new, thank goodness.

Overall Thoughts

This show couldn’t be more of a B show if it included Bruce Buffer introducing a match between the B Team and the Killer Bees. The wrestling will be fine enough, but it isn’t likely to be anything more than a show which takes place and then sends us into Money in the Bank/Summerslam season. There’s a good chance that this show is completely watchable and I’m not dreading it, but I wouldn’t expect anything major.

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 14, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Hell in a Cell and there are only four matches set for the card. In theory we should be getting more matches announced this week, but WWE has a habit of leaving some of the build until the very end at times. On top of that, we have the continuing adventures of Lily the evil doll. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Alexa Bliss recapping the Lily/Shayna Baszler incident from last week. Bliss has put Lily in time out this week but she will see Shayna on Sunday. Nia Jax comes in and says they used to be friends but now Bliss needs to leave Shayna alone. Bliss laughs it off and Nia challenges her for tonight. The match is made as I try to figure out why Jax isn’t beating Bliss senseless when she is right in front of her.

We recap Nikki Cross’ technical wins over Rhea Ripley and Charlotte.

Charlotte is ready to get rid of Cross to move on to Rhea Ripley on Sunday.

Charlotte vs. Nikki Cross

The bell rings and here is Rhea Ripley 14 seconds in to watch from the stage. Cross rolls her up for one but gets kneed out to the floor, where Charlotte kicks her into the barricade. Back from a break with Charlotte hitting a clothesline but shouting down to Ripley. Some chops put Cross in the corner but she fights back for a change. Charlotte knocks her outside in a heap and gets in a few more shots….but stops to yell at Ripley and gets counted out at 7:50.

Rating: D. So we have an extended squash until Charlotte slips on a banana peel to give Cross the fluke win. That would be another win which means absolutely nothing for her but maybe WWE can treat her like something anyway. This was better than the fifteen minutes we got last week, so call it a slight upgrade? Maybe?

Post match Charlotte jumps Cross but Ripley makes the save with Riptide.

Jeff Hardy tells Riddle to respect his elders in the tag division and listen to Randy Orton. Hardy has a match with John Morrison tonight and freaks Riddle out with the double eyes. Riddle goes on a long bit about what he would do with four arms but Hardy leaves. Orton comes in to offer some advice, so Riddle asks if Orton likes him. Orton: “No.”

John Morrison vs. Jeff Hardy

Miz joins commentary and Morrison gets in a Drip Stick shot to put Hardy in early trouble. A cartwheel clothesline drops Hardy again…and here is Cedric Alexander. Hardy grabs a rollup for two and gets a boot up in the corner. A splash gives Hardy two and they fight to the apron with Morrison dropping him throat first across the top rope. Starship Pain finishes Hardy at 2:50.

Post break Cedric goes on a rant about how Hardy beat him last week but acted like a sore winner. The only think he’ll apologize for is not putting Hardy in a retirement home. Hardy grabs the mic and says he’ll retire if Cedric can beat him right now.

Jeff Hardy vs. Cedric Alexander

Cedric starts in on the knee, including a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes. The half crab doesn’t last long as Hardy sends him into the corner for a slingshot dropkick. Alexander is back with a Michinoku Driver for two but misses his own Swanton. The Twist of Fate sets up the Swanton to finish Alexander at 2:49. What a random match and use of Alexander.

We recap the setup of Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley inside the Cell.

Naomi vs. Eva Marie

Graves is downright giddy for the return. Or not as Eva brings out the unnamed Piper Niven to wrestle in her place.

Naomi vs. Piper Niven

Due to “it’s NXT UK”, commentary has no idea who Niven is. Niven runs her over to start and hits a release World’s Strongest Slam. A backsplash into a Michinoku Driver gives Niven the squash win at 36 seconds.

Post match, Eva announcers herself as the winner. That’s rather curious.

Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose were having a photo shoot but got distracted by Natalya and Tamina training in a ring. They got in an argument about looks vs. skills and a brawl broke out. Referee break it up.

Drew McIntyre dubs Bobby Lashley as Trashley but for tonight, the focus is on AJ Styles. The Scottish are known for their strategies though and we hear about William Wallace. Now what does this have to do with facing Lashley? Drew: “Nothing. I just love that story!” He’ll win on Sunday.

New Day vs. RKBro

Riddle has to keep the scooter slow so Orton can keep up with him, while also singing Orton’s song. Riddle chokes Woods to start but gets dropped onto Kofi’s knee for an atomic drop. Woods works on the arm but it’s off to Orton for a fight over a top wristlock. It’s off to Kofi for a frog splash crossbody and New Day clears the ring as we take a break. Back with Woods hitting a running forearm but getting caught with a jumping knee.

Orton grabs the armbar and it’s back to Riddle to try for a cross armbreaker. With that not working, Orton comes back in to stomp away. We hit the chinlock again with Woods fighting up and bringing Kofi in to clean house. The jumping clothesline drops Orton to set up the Boom Drop but a quick tag brings in Riddle to kick away. A ripcord knee sets up the Floating Bro for two on Kofi and we take a break.

Back with Woods crotching Riddle on top and hitting a superplex. Kofi’s frog splash gets two but Orton dives in for the save. Riddle’s small package gets two on Kofi and he northern lights suplexes Woods for the same. An assisted powerbomb (ala two thirds of the Shield) gets two more on Woods but Kofi saves him from the hanging DDT.

Orton gets knocked into the corner and it’s back to Riddle, who can’t muscle Woods up for an apron German suplex. Instead Woods takes him into an electric chair for a top rope double stomp (making it a modified Doomsday Device) for a very near fall. Orton tags himself in but can’t hit the RKO on Woods. He can however counter the Honor Roll into the RKO for the pin on Woods at 21:43.

Rating: B. This would be your latest exhibit of proof that Raw does know how to do some good things. It was a long, well built match with some good drama all the way to the ending. This match has been built up for a few weeks now and then they paid it off with a good match. Watching things like this makes the horrible stuff that much more frustrating but I’ll take what I can get here.

We look at Charlotte screwing up against Nikki Cross earlier.

Rhea Ripley thinks Charlotte is obsessed with her. After Sunday, Charlotte is going to the back of the line. She has to face Asuka tonight though so the interview is over.

Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Non-title. Asuka grabs a headlock to start and sends Ripley into the corner, meaning it’s time to dance. Ripley gets two off a crucifix and hits Asuka in the face, only to get pulled into an Octopus. That’s broken up as well so Asuka strikes away again before avoiding a running dropkick in the corner. They fight outside with Asuka being dropped onto the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Asuka hitting a middle rope missile dropkick and sending them into a strike off. A knee to the face gives Asuka two and the hip attack gets the same. Ripley grabs a northern lights suplex for the same but Asuka is back with a running kick to the face. A YES Kick is countered into some knees to Asuka’s chest and the Prism Trap goes on. That is reversed into a faceplant but the Asuka Lock is countered into the Riptide to finish Asuka at 10:47.

Rating: B-. These two beat each other up pretty well and it made for a rather solid match. I’m not wild on Asuka lose again, especially in a match that we have seen over and over, but at least it was a long enough, competitive one. Ripley needed some momentum on the way to the title match and this worked as well as anything else could.

Post match here is Charlotte to go after Ripley and the brawl is on until security breaks it up. They keep going after each other and Charlotte’s nose was busted open somewhere in there. Good as usual, but both of these two need to move on.

MVP does not like Kevin Patrick trying to interview Bobby Lashley. The champ isn’t working tonight because he is the WWE Champion, but he does promise to publicly execute Drew on Sunday.

Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

This is Bliss’ first regular Raw match since February. Bliss kicks away to start and chokes away in the corner. After a creepy spider walk, Bliss avoids a running kick in the corner and hammers away. Jax runs her over for a change and we hit the chinlock. Back up and a running clothesline takes Bliss down but she sits up to avoid the legdrop. That means a glare into the camera and a kick to Jax’s head. Cue Reginald for a distraction but Bliss dropkicks Jax’s knees out instead. A short DDT sets up Twisted Bliss but Reginald comes in for the DQ at 3:57.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to make of this as Bliss has been successful, but there is a certain level of disbelief you have to reach to accept her cutting Jax down like this. The ending didn’t help as it involved Reginald, but Bliss being back in the ring is not the worst thing. Now her being a mini Undertaker/Fiend hybrid…..egads man.

Post match Bliss glares at Reginald and, with the force of a thousand camera cuts…..Bliss just walks away when Nia gets up.

MVP is talking to New Day and suggests that Kofi Kingston is losing because Xavier Woods is the weak link. New Day doesn’t want to hear it and Kofi gives a fired up speech about how his friends helped get him here. MVP wishes him luck on Sunday….but then remembers Kofi doesn’t have a match on the show. Woods: “Kick rocks dude.” Kofi seems ok.

Jaxson Ryker vs. Elias

Earlier today, Ryker said Elias was holding him back. I’m thinking it’s the fact that he’s Jaxson Ryker. Elias goes right at him to start but gets clotheslined down. The chops in the corner have Elias rocked and something like a spinebuster drops him again. They head outside with Elias getting posted….and taking the countout at 2:28.

Video on the Cell.

Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles

Bobby Lashley, MVP and the ladies sit on the couches on the stage while Omos is here with Styles. McIntyre drives him into the corner to start but AJ comes back chopping away. A big chop is blocked and a heck of a backdrop has AJ in more trouble. Futureshock connects but McIntyre stops to glare at Lashley, allowing Omos to pull AJ outside. Cue the Viking Raiders and we take a break.

Back with Styles being sent hard into the corner and getting caught with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Styles manages to send him outside in a heap and, back in, cuts off a charge with some raised boots. The chinlock slows McIntyre down a bit but he jawbreaks his way to freedom.

McIntyre fights up with some elbows to the face for two and a Michinoku Driver (third tonight) gets the same. McIntyre’s superplex is countered though and Styles fireman’s carries him onto the knee for two of his own. Back up and McIntyre drops him with a shot to the face but goes outside to jump Lashley. McIntyre heads inside but Lashley comes in for the DQ at 13:31.

Rating: C+. This was getting a little better by the time it was wrapping up, but I don’t think there was much of a surprise to be had once everyone came out to ringside. Not giving AJ vs. McIntyre a definitive ending is a good thing as this could have been a big time match later, so save something for the future.

Post match the big brawl is on, with Lashley being suplexed on the floor.

Bobby Lashley/AJ Styles/Omos vs. Drew McIntyre/Viking Raiders

This starts as a handicap match as Lashley is in the back changing out of street clothes. Ivar takes AJ into the corner and it’s Erik coming in to crush him for two. Cue Lashley to run down the ramp and send McIntyre hard into the barricade. Lashley comes in to hammer on Erik but it’s right back to AJ…who brings Omos in to knee Erik in the corner. A Downward Spiral plants Erik and Lashley goes after McIntyre, but the distraction allows the tag back to Ivar.

The pace picks up as Ivar flips away from Lashley but charges into a spinebuster. It’s back to Omos so Ivar comes up swinging, only to get shouldered down. We take a break and come back with Lashley unloading on Ivar in the corner and grabbing a neck crank. Ivar fights up but gets taken down again, setting up a chinlock from AJ. That’s broken up and we get the double tag to set up Omos vs. McIntyre.

Omos chokes him down but McIntyre comes up with right hands. Styles tags himself in but gets caught in some overhead belly to belly suplexes. Everything breaks down and Erik dives at Omos on the floor….where he is tossed into the timekeeper’s area. AJ intentionally (Maybe?) avoids tagging Omos to tag in Lashley instead, allowing McIntyre to hit the Claymore for the pin at 13:38.

Rating: C+. Pretty run of the mill main event six man here and that is not a bad thing. McIntyre pinning Lashley works to set up their title match, though I’m not sure I buy McIntyre’s chances at getting the title back. The Raiders vs. AJ/Omos hasn’t been officially set so far so it’s cool for their match to not get the most focus. Good enough main event here, though nothing you haven’t seen before.

McIntyre promises to see Lashley in h*** to end the show.

Results
Nikki Cross b. Charlotte via countout
John Morrison b. Jeff Hardy – Starship Pain
Jeff Hardy b. Cedric Alexander – Swanton Bomb
Piper Niven b. Naomi – Michinoku Driver
RKBro b. New Day – RKO to Woods
Rhea Ripley b. Asuka – Riptide
Alexa Bliss b. Nia Jax via DQ when Reginald interfered
Jaxson Ryker b. Elias via countout
Drew McIntyre b. AJ Styles via DQ when Bobby Lashley interfered
Drew McIntyre/Viking Raiders b. AJ Styles/Omos/Bobby Lashley – Claymore to Lashley

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure if it is just how bad things have been in recent weeks or if they actually made some adjustments but this was a FAR better show than anything in recent memory. Nothing on here was completely horrible and even the worst stuff didn’t overstay its welcome. They build up some stuff for the pay per view and even added a new match while adding in some new stuff. The show is not great by any means but after weeks of some of the worst shows ever, this was an absolute breath of fresh air.

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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Main Event
Date: June 10, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

Things continue their up and down ways around here and I’m running out of ways to say I’m not sure what to expect. That is quite the change of pace after spending so many years talking about how I was out of ways to say that things were too repetitive around here. That means….I have no idea actually. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Angel Garza vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali takes him down by the arm to start and slaps on a headlock to annoy Garza even more. Back up and Garza knocks him into the corner, allowing Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS! A neckbreaker out of the corner gives Ali two though and we’re already in the chinlock. Garza fights back up with a kick to the face into a flapjack for two of his own. Ali tries to get up but dives into a right hand to the face for another near fall but it’s too early for a running knee in the corner. A hard posting knocks Garza silly and the Koji Clutch finishes him off at 4:52.

Rating: C. It was energetic while it lasted and it continues to be nice to see Ali getting somewhere. Ali needs to do something on a bigger show but for some reason he is stuck here. Ricochet getting some time on Raw is encouraging but I’m still not sold on that being the case again so soon. Garza is right there with him, making this all the more puzzling.

From Smackdown.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to get things going. Reigns talks about being direct in how he is feeling, because he wasn’t happy last week. He has had the counsel of a wise man and a week to chew on it though and now he has changed his mind on the Usos getting a Tag Team Title shot tonight.

Reigns may be the centerpiece but he is also a giver. Let’s get the Usos out here right now (Heyman: “USOS’ MUSIC RIGHT NOW!”) because we need to talk about this. Jey is cool with Reigns and Jimmy says it’s time to become the seven time champs. Reigns says bring him the titles when it’s over and drops the mic. The Usos seem cool with that.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Dominik Mysterio/Rey Mysterio

The Usos are challenging. Jimmy shoulders Dominik to start but it’s a dropkick into an armbar to put Jimmy down. Rey comes in and gets powerbombed onto Jimmy for two as Cole says the Usos have somehow never had a match against Rey Mysterio of any kind (I love little trivia like that). It’s off to Jey for a backbreaker, setting up an assisted hot shot for two. Jey gets in a cheap shot from the floor and drops Rey onto the apron to bang up his back.

Back in and Rey manages to send Jey over the ropes to the floor but a suicide dive is countered into a Samoan drop onto the announcers’ table (OW). We take a break and come back with Rey still in trouble, including Jey grabbing a reverse chinlock. Jey hands it off to Jimmy but Rey sends them into each other in the corner. The tag brings Dominik back in to dive onto both Usos at once. Back in and a neckbreaker drops Jey but Jimmy catches him with a kick to the ribs.

A run up the corner sets up a tornado DDT for two on Jimmy as everything breaks down. Rey hits a running seated senton to take Jey down on the floor but walks into a superkick from Jimmy. Back in and Jimmy hits Dominik with one as well but Dominik grabs a rollup to retain at 14:25, thought he replay shows that the shoulder was up at two (with commentary pointing it out several times).

Rating: C. The ending didn’t help things but the rest of this worked out well enough. What matters here is the finish though, as that is going to give Reigns a reason to yell at them. A pay per view rematch wouldn’t surprise me but I can’t imagine that this is done anytime soon. The Usos seem destined to get the titles eventually, and that is probably best for everyone.

Roman Reigns tells Paul Heyman to bring them to him.

From Smackdown.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Dominik Mysterio/Rey Mysterio

The Usos are challenging and Jimmy takes Dominik down for three straight near falls. It’s off to Jey, who hits a belly to back suplex into a neckbreaker to send Dominik outside. Jey’s dive takes Dominik out again and we take a break. Back with Jey hammering away on Dominik but getting rolled into the corner for his efforts. Rey, in a shirt for an odd look, comes in and hits the springboard spinning crossbody for two on Jimmy. A hurricanrana takes Jimmy down and there’s the sliding splash to crush him on the floor. Back in and the 619 connects and Dominik goes up….but Roman Reigns comes in for the DQ at 8:12.

Rating: C. The ending surprised me but it is cool to see Reigns getting to wreck people. There is a good chance that they do this a third time at the pay per view, which would be a good enough way to have the Usos take the titles. Either way, Reigns continues to be excellent and that is all you need around here for the most part.

Post match Reigns cleans house and yells at Jimmy for embarrassing the family twice. Reigns destroys both Mysterios with stair shots before throwing Rey over the barricade. Dominik gets choked out and Jimmy says that’s enough. Roman finally lets go as Jimmy says it doesn’t need to be like this. Jimmy walks off and calls Jey to come with him. Hold on though as Reigns gets in Jey’s face, leaving Jey confused. Reigns isn’t done with Dominik though as he hammers away and nails a big powerbomb to end the show. Rey vs. Reigns could work for the pay per view title match.

Video on Drew McIntyre beating Kofi Kingston in a heck of a match to become the new #1 contender to Bobby Lashley.

From Raw.

It’s time for the contract signing for the title match. Well in theory at least, as there is no Lashley. McIntyre talks about how he isn’t waiting because he knows how this is going to go. Yeah he has had a bunch of title shots (er, championship opportunities) and they remind him of a story from when he was a kid. He remembers the story of a Scottish King called Robert the Bruce who was once stuck in a cave for three months.

There was a spider on the roof of the cage and it never could put together a web. Finally he made it work and that inspired Bruce to go to battle one more time and he won Scotland’s freedom. There is a famous quote that Bruce said before the battle, and McIntyre is going to paraphrase it: “If at first you don’t succeed, beat Lashley’s a** at Hell in a Cell and get your championship back!”. McIntyre goes to sign but here are MVP, Lashley and the women to interrupt.

MVP asks what Lashley’s reward will be for not interfering last week. Maybe this should be McIntyre’s FINAL shot at the title, with McIntyre immediately accepting. However, he has something he wants to: no interference, no excuses, and inside the Cell. McIntyre signs and Lashley talks about how the real ending to the story is McIntyre tucking his kilt in shame and walking away.

Lashley signs as well so McIntyre talks about falling off the Cell before and being willing to go and do it again to win his title back. Everything seems to be set….so McIntyre whips out a sword and breaks the table. Well that escalated quickly. What didn’t happen quickly was the start of this segment, because NOTHING on this show can happen without five plus minutes of talking first.

Hell in a Cell rundown.

Jinder Mahal vs. Shelton Benjamin

Mahal has Veer and Shanky with him. Benjamin takes him into the corner for a clean break to start and then does it again for a bonus. With that not working, Shelton wrestles him down and then lifts him up by the waist a few times in a row. A clothesline puts Mahal on the floor, followed by the slingshot dive.

Benjamin gets sent hard into the steps though and we take a break. Back with Mahal working on a chinlock and sending Benjamin hard into the corner. The chinlock goes on again but this time Benjamin fights up with a suplex. Shanky offers a distraction though and it’s the Khallas to finish Benjamin at 10:30.

Rating: D+. And this is the Mahal that fans have been worried about seeing again. This was another boring match with Mahal’s big move being the Shanky distraction to set up the cobra clutch slam. I would really hope that he could figure out how to do something else during his long layoff, yet here we are for whatever reason. Lucky us indeed.

We look at Alexa Bliss and Lily tormenting Shayna Baszler.

The Eva-Lution is coming.

From Raw.

And now, Alexa’s Playground to wrap it up. Bliss talks about how she and Lily could make a new friend tonight but here is Shayna Baszler to interrupt in a hurry. She blames Bliss for everything that has been going wrong as of late, including Reginald’s “accidents”. Baszler can make it all better by apologizing to Lily, but that isn’t happening because it’s just a doll. That’s too far for Bliss, who jumps Baszler to start the fight.

Baszler sends her outside and, with an extreme closeup of the shoe, stomps on Lily’s head. Bliss freaks out and the video screens go all wacky. Then fire starts shooting out of the posts and Baszler freaks out and runs to the back. We go into horror movie mode with Baszler running through the back and saying it’s just a stupid doll. She hides in a locker room but sees Lily in the mirror. Baszler screams a lot and breaks the mirror as the lights go out to end the show.

I’m not going to bother telling you that this is dumb because you already know that. Shayna Baszler, probably the most successful woman in NXT history, is now in a bad horror movie because Alexa Bliss’ evil doll doesn’t like being called stupid. This was another good example of WWE trying to be WAY too smart for their own good and having a horrible ten minutes as a result, but in their minds this is probably gold. You knew it was coming and then it was even worse than expected, which is WWE in a nutshell these days. Absolutely awful, again.

Overall Rating: C-. The fact that Roman Reigns was good enough to make me get around the idea of Shayna Baszler being tormented by an evil doll should tell you where he is at the moment. That is about as high of a level of praise as you are going to be able to get and it worked here. The rest of the show was the usual Main Event mixture of hit and miss, but that Shayna/Lily stuff needs to go far, far away. Ali can’t make Raw but that can, and that should tell you a lot about where the show is these days.

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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Main Event
Date: June 3, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

I’m not sure what to expect from this show and that is a nice feeling to have. Above all else, Main Event has mixed things up a bit in recent weeks and above all else, that makes the show more fun. Main Event went so far overboard with the same wrestlers in the same matches every week and it is nice to see a few things being switched up. Let’s get to it.

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

Mansoor vs. Drew Gulak

Ok maybe not every match is brand new. Gulak takes him to the mat without much effort to start for all of a few seconds. Back up and Gulak slaps him in the face a few times but Mansoor gets in a shot of his own. A headscissors with an armbar has Gulak down for a bit this time and it’s a regular armbar to make it worse.

Gulak slips out of that in a hurry and starts working on the leg, but adds in a chinlock with the legs still tied up. That’s reversed into another armbar but Gulak slips out in a hurry for another standoff. It’s Gulak’s turn for a nasty hold so we hit the Gory Stretch. With that broken up, Gulak grabs something like a Texas Cloverleaf Liontamer but Mansoor switches into a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. Gulak grabs a sunset flip but Mansoor flips over into a jackknife for the pin at 5:49.

Rating: C. Mansoor continues to be a completely watchable guy in the ring and his charisma is starting to show through a bit. He really does come off like he is thrilled to be out there and it makes the matches that much more interesting. Now just let him do something of note on Raw and this might actually matter.

From Smackdown.

The Usos are ready for their first match back but here is Roman Reigns to interrupt. Reigns wants to know their endgame, with Jimmy saying the goal is to win. They want the Tag Team Titles next to Reigns’ Universal Title so they’ll have all the gold. Reigns is behind them and says good luck. Jimmy leaves and Jey looks worried, so Reigns asks if Jimmy is doing the talking for Jey now. Jey says he’s with Jimmy tonight but he’s with Reigns too. Reigns says he should go tell Jimmy, so Jey leaves too. You can feel the manipulation here.

From Smackdown.

Street Profits vs. Usos

Before the match, the Profits talk about how they had some fun with the Usos last week but now it’s time to get a little more serious. They were flattered by the challenge but they have been down since day one too. The Profits remember everything the Usos have been doing over the years, but these are some different Usos tonight. They haven’t been together in a long time and now Roman Reigns is living rent free in Jey’s head. Cue the Usos and we’re ready to go.

Well hold on actually as the Usos brag about their accomplishments and say a win here means they’re a step closer to getting the titles back. Angelo Dawkins doesn’t like the idea of being a stepping stone so they make a bunch of Mario references before we go to a break before the match.

Dawkins runs Jimmy over to start and it’s off to Ford, who wants to face Jey. That takes a little time to get going, so it’s a delay before Ford can armdrag him into an armbar. A double suplex lets Dawkins grab his own armbar but it’s off to Jimmy in a hurry. Jimmy hits a jumping forearm in the corner to take over and there’s a headbutt to keep Dawkins in trouble. Commentary can’t quite get Jey’s timeline with Reigns right (as the two of them have apparently been together for a year despite Reigns only being back about nine months) as Dawkins gets driven into the corner.

Jimmy comes back in and gets armdragged down, allowing the tag off to Ford. A double clothesline puts the Usos on the floor and Jey is sent into the timekeeper’s area. Jimmy goes over the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Ford ax handling Jimmy’s arm but Jey makes a blind tag and pulls Ford tot he floor. That means a toss into the barricade and the chinlock back inside as we see Roman Reigns watching in the back. A snap suplex gives Jimmy two and it’s back to Jey for a wishbone.

Ford manages a step up enziguri to send Jey outside so it’s Jimmy grabbing the legs. That’s fine with Ford, who nips up and hits a jumping enziguri to drop Jimmy as well. The diving tag….misses as Jey pulls Dawkins to the floor. Jimmy hits the Samoan drop and we take another break. Back again with Jey’s superplex being broken up and Ford hitting another enziguri. They clothesline each other though and that’s a double knockdown. Dawkins and Jimmy both come in with Dawkins sending him right back to the apron.

This time it’s Jimmy hitting an enziguri of his own but a right hand knocks him onto the top. Ford hits a heck of a running flip dive to drop Jey, leaving Jimmy to superkick Dawkins for two. The running Umaga attack is blocked and Dawkins’ double underhook swinging neckbreaker gets two, leaving him stunned. The spinebuster sets up the Cash Out but Jey pulls Jimmy out of the way. A low superkick finishes Ford at 21:46.

Rating: B+. This took some time to get going and they went a little enziguri happy but it was a heck of a match with the near falls and dives looking good in the end. The Usos are all but destined to get the titles back (or at least challenge for them) and I can certainly go for more of them. Either way, this was an awesome match from two great teams who got a lot of time. Check this out if you get the chance.

From Smackdown.

Jey Uso comes in to see Reigns, who isn’t happy about the title match. Reigns isn’t pleased as Jimmy is back and the Usos are relegated to the opening match. He doesn’t want Jey to go back to being “which one is he”. Jey seems to like this line of thinking.

Video on Shayna Baszler’s issues with Reginald.

The Eva-Lution is coming.

From Raw.

Shayna Baszler vs. Reginald

Reginald has to flip away from Baszler to start and even manages a slam to put her down. That’s too far for Baszler, who starts in on the leg to put him in trouble. Baszler stomps on the leg and cranks on it a bit, setting up the ankle lock. That’s broken up and Reginald hits a spinning crossbody, setting up a one legged moonsault. Reginald has to land on his feet when Baszler moves, so the Kirifuda Clutch goes on. Then fire comes out of the corner and Reginald rolls her up for the pin at 4:16 (ignore Baszler’s shoulder being off the mat).

Rating: F. So that just happened. The two time and longest reigning NXT Women’s Champion just lost to Reginald, a comedy character who has a job because he used to be in a circus, because an evil doll made fire come out of the post. This is the latest example of me thinking that WWE is actively trying to troll its fans.

Reginald escapes to the back and gets hugged by Nia Jax.

From Raw.

It’s time for Alexa’s Playground with Reginald as the guest. Shayna Baszler pops up to beat Reginald down, but Alexa Bliss says Lily doesn’t like her. Baszler says this is becoming a problem and she needs to have a “chat” with Bliss. They can see each other next week. Baszler tells Lily that she is just a stupid doll.

Jeff Hardy vs. Mustafa Ali

Hardy takes him down by the arm to start but Ali takes him into the corner for some kicks to the ribs. That doesn’t seem to bother Hardy who gets to the middle rope for an ax handle to the head. The Twist of Fate is broken up so Hardy knocks him outside, setting up a dropkick through the ropes. A dive takes Ali down again and we take a break.

Back with Ali hitting a running neckbreaker for two and putting on the chinlock. Jeff manages the jawbreaker and the legdrop between the legs sets up the basement dropkick. A splash gives Hardy two and his gordbuster gets the same. Ali counters the Twist of Fate into a superkick for two and they head outside with Hardy getting posted. Back in and the Koji Clutch knocks Hardy out at 11:09.

Rating: C+. Good stuff here with Ali getting back on track after losing the feud to Ricochet. I still want to see Ali get off of Main Event for good, but at least he is having a nice run around here. Then there is Hardy, and I cannot imagine him sticking around all that much longer. This is what he is there to do these days and while that is not great, at least he is putting some people over.

Video on Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre with the Hurt Business running in for the double DQ.

From Raw.

Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre

The winner gets the title shot against Lashley (who, along with MVP, are barred from ringside) at HIAC. Kingston has a Green Ranger look here, because he can make something like that work. They start fast with Kofi grabbing some rollups for two each, earning himself a chop into the corner. Back up and Kofi manages to knock him outside, setting up a springboard trust fall as we take a break.

We come back with Kofi hammering away in the corner but getting knocked down again. A suplex gives McIntyre two but Kofi grabs a guillotine, which is countered into a suplex which is countered into a small package to give Kingston two. Some running forearms in the corner rock McIntyre but he snaps off a belly to belly suplex.

There’s a second suplex but Kofi counters a right hand into the SOS for two. Drew heads outside so Kofi goes onto the top of the post for the trust fall. That’s pulled out of the air though (because you can do that) and Drew sends him over the barricade as we take a break. Back again with Drew getting two off a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and cranking on both arms at once. With that broken up, a frustrated Drew takes him to the top but gets reversed into a powerbomb.

Kofi’s middle rope dropkick connects but Drew gets creative with a swinging Futureshock for two. A spinebuster gives McIntyre two more and a superkick gives Kofi the same. Kofi goes up top but Drew hits the choke throw superplex. The Claymore is cut off by Trouble In Paradise for a very close two as Drew grabs the rope. Kofi sends him to the floor and hits the standing double stomp from the apron. Back in and Kingston goes up again but gets Claymored out of the air for the pin at 22:40.

Rating: B+. I really, really liked this one as you had McIntyre wanting to get back to the title match but Kofi was staying on him every step. You could feel Kofi’s efforts to get back to the main event because it has been a pretty long time. This worked very well as a result and they had a heck of a match with a clean finish to send McIntyre to the pay per view. That needs to be his last title shot, but at least he got there in a very good way.

We get a post match handshake and here are Bobby Lashley and MVP for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. What matters here is that they were putting in the effort to make a better show. The older stuff was some of the better material in recent weeks, assuming you ignore the Lily nonsense. I’m still not convinced that this show is going to stay at this level, but it is certainly nice while it lasts.

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