IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 3, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Michael Cole

While it might not feel like it, this is the go home show for Wrestlemania. The show is again taped, and maybe now that we are only twenty two hours away from the start of the show, we can get some kind of information about the changed World Title match. I mean it’s not like it’s that important or anything. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

There are ladders around the arena and it’s time for MizTV, but here are the Usos instead. They aren’t waiting to be invited out here because it’s time for them to win the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania. Cue the New Day to say not so fast because it’s time for them to enter the annals (Big E: “Hehe annals.”) of history by winning the titles again. The fight is about to start but here are Miz and Morrison to interrupt.

Miz talks about how New Day and the Usos will destroy each other, allowing he and Morrison to retain. They climb the ladders and say BE JEALOUS but New Day and the Usos run up the ramp so the brawl can be on in a hurry. The ladders are knocked over and, just as Miz said, New Day and the Usos beat each other up, allowing the champs to pose.

Naomi vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina

Sasha Banks and Bayley are on commentary. Tamina cleans house to start and we take a very early break. Back with Tamina getting one on Naomi but Lacey comes back in to take over. The slingshot Bronco Buster connects as Sasha and Bayley no sell questions about turning on each other at Wrestlemania. Sasha gets up and sends Lacey into the steps, leaving Naomi to sunset flip Tamina for two. A Samoan drop gives Tamina two so Bayley offers a quick distraction, allowing Tamina to superkick Naomi for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: D+. This was your “hey Tamina really could win” match, followed by everyone collectively laughing. She’s in the match to get it up to a higher number, though I’m still not entirely sure why she’s on the roster. Nothing to see here of course, but at least they got the Tamina stuff out of their system tonight.

Post match Bayley tries to make amends with Tamina and gets superkicked. Sasha tries the same and gets Samoan dropped.

Tucker is warming up when the circle of lights pops up. This time the words “THE TRUTH WILL BE TOLD” flashes up on screen.

From Wrestlemania XXIV:

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

Flair has the blue robe one more time and while I’m still a fan of the black and white one, I can’t help but smile at seeing the classic look again. Shawn shoulders him down to start and it’s clear that they’re going to have all the time they want here. They trade some hammerlocks with Shawn getting the better of it on the mat. That’s broken up as well and we get the first WOO.

The chops in the corner let Flair yell about Old Yeller but Shawn slaps him in the face and asks if that’s all he has. An exchange of chops in the corner goes to Flair (as it should) but Shawn elbows him in the jaw and goes up. This time Flair slams him off the top and goes up…..for a crossbody into a near fall! You would think that would get more of a reaction but he has to fail at an early Figure Four attempt.

Shawn kicks him to the floor and tries an Asai moonsault, which only hits the announcers’ table, with his ribs landing on the edge which doesn’t break (I’ve seen that many times and it draws a very real cringe). That’s only good for a nine count and Shawn can barely move because of the ribs. A belly to back suplex gives Flair two and he manages a delayed vertical for the same. Note: Charles Robinson (Little Naitch) is referee here and for some reason he’s in a Smackdown shirt. Yeah he’s a Smackdown referee, but you can’t just throw him in a Raw shirt for the occasion?

Flair’s neckbreaker gets two more but Shawn sends him outside. That means a moonsault to the floor which takes Flair out and bangs up the ribs even more. They chop it out back inside and it’s Shawn’s forearm into the nipup as the pace picks up a bit. A slam drops Flair and Shawn’s top rope elbow connects, meaning it’s time to Tune of the Band. Shawn can’t bring himself to do it though and Flair grabs the legs and slaps on the Figure Four in the middle of the ring.

The hold is turned over and they load up the bridge into the backslide….but Flair just can’t do it anymore so they go into a rollup instead. It’s time for the chop block and NOW the Figure Four is on for real. Shawn crawls to the rope so Flair stomps away some more until the referee drags him away. That’s enough of a delay for Shawn to hit Sweet Chin Music for a very close two and the fans go nuts on the kickout.

Shawn loads it up again but stops to tell Flair to get up. That means a low blow (again, you knew he was getting that in somehow) for two more and the fans really bought the near fall. To mix things up a bit, Shawn sweeps the legs and tries a reverse Figure Four (thank goodness it wasn’t a Sharpshooter) to send Flair bailing to the ropes this time.

A rollup with tights gets two and they chop it out from their knees. The chops bring them to their feet and Shawn hits another superkick to put Flair down. There’s no cover though as Shawn goes into the corner and Flair slowly gets up. Shawn says the now legendary I’m Sorry, I Love You and superkicks Flair one more time, this time for the pin at 20:34.

Rating: B+. I don’t remember truly liking this one before and that’s because there are different ways to look at it. It’s hard not to look at a match like this through the emotional lens but if you take that away (which you kind of have to given that Flair wound up wrestling again), it’s actually a heck of a match with all of the old Flair tropes thrown in. Those worked for so long because it’s a great formula that can work against anyone. When you add in Shawn’s second to none abilities, there was no way this wouldn’t be outstanding.

The problem though is that Flair just can’t do a lot of this stuff anymore. He’s trying as hard as he can and what he could still do was good, but seeing him not be able to bridge up anymore was rather sad because it’s something he’s done for so many years before. I don’t remember liking this match that much but it really is a strong one, even ignoring all the other things added to it.

Post match Shawn leaves the ring and a crying Flair gets to his feet for one of the best standing ovations you’ll ever see. This is more than deserved and while he should have retired a long time ago (you could argue all the way back in the 90s), he was far from embarrassing himself and someone as influential, successful and downright talented as he was should absolutely get this kind of a sendoff. And for those who are wondering why, this was originally going to close the show but Flair refused and insisted it go in the middle.

We look back at Elias being attacked last week.

Goldberg is now defending against Braun Strowman. No reason is given and the match is just changed.

Otis tells Tucker to leave him a little piece of Dolph Ziggler. Tucker says he ran into Mandy Rose earlier and she asked about him. Otis gets a text and is rather happy before running off.

Tucker vs. Dolph Ziggler

No Otis this time. Tucker runs him over to start and the fight is on in a hurry, including some kicks to Ziggler’s ribs. A quick shot puts Tucker down for the jumping elbow but he’s right back up with a big boot. Ziggler’s DDT out of the corner puts them both down and we take a break. Back with Tucker slugging away and knocking Ziggler outside. That means a ram into the barricade and a side slam gets two back inside. They head outside again and this time it’s a Zig Zag onto the steps for the DQ at 9:17.

Rating: D+. This is the latest part of your soap opera story around here and that’s not the best thing in the world. Otis vs. Ziggler could be entertaining but at the same time, it’s not the kind of match that I need to see at WrestleMania. Ziggler probably could have won here and then taken Tucker out but it could have been a lot worse.

Post match Ziggler loads up the steps but Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville appear to break it up with Otis making the real save. The Truth Will Be Heard appears again and this time we go to a control room. Someone whose face we can’t see says he told us the truth will be heard. He plays a video from Valentine’s Day showing Mandy talking to Sonya.

After Mandy leaves to do something, Sonya picks up Mandy’s phone and sends Otis a text, saying she’ll be late. We see Otis saying that sounds great and Sonya deletes both messages. Sonya then talks to Ziggler, saying both of them will get what they want. Back in the arena, Mandy walks away from Sonya. Otis chases Dolph out as well. Eh GTV could be fun back in the day so this should work.

Post break, Mandy won’t talk to Sonya.

Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Cesaro and Drew Gulak are at ringside while Sami Zayn is on commentary. They fight over arm control to start until Bryan dropkicks him to the floor the running baseball slide sets up Bryan’s running knee from the apron and Nakamura is down. Back in and Bryan hits a running dropkick in the corner, only to get knocked off the middle rope. Nakamura’s middle rope knee to the chest gets two and the sliding German suplex in the corner takes us to a break.

Back with Bryan still in trouble as Nakamura kicks away at the chest. Bryan kicks away and goes for the arm, followed by even more kicks to stagger Nakamura again. The YES Lock is countered and Nakamura pulls him into a blocked cross armbreaker. That’s reverses into another armbreaker from Bryan (Sami: “HOW DID HE DO THAT???”) which is switched into the LeBell Lock. Cesaro runs in for the DQ at 11:39.

Rating: C+. This was the first match all night that felt like something worth watching. Bryan and Nakamura are a great pairing and can have a solid match against each other, which is what we got here. They had some time and while Bryan getting the tap out would have been a bit better, this was the best match of the night by a mile.

Video on the Fiend vs. John Cena.

Here’s Cena for the big closing segment. Cena thanks the fans for getting us here and now we are less than one day until Wrestlemania. The thing is, no one knows what is going to happen, including Bray Wyatt himself. See, no one, including Bray, will tell him what a Firefly Fun House match is. Fear can lead to panic and panic can lead to collapse. The Fiend feeds on fear and panic and here we are. Cena will not be afraid and the poor man’s Mr. Rogers isn’t scaring him.

Goldberg has shown how to beat the Fiend and now the Fiend has made this happen. Cena promises a beating but here are the Firefly Fun House characters, saying that after Fiend is done with Cena, he’ll play with them forever. They say forever over and over again until Ramblin Rabbit says he’s here. The lights go out and the Fiend appears in the crow’s nest. Bray himself pops up behind Cena to say let him in. The lights go out again and Cena is alone to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This didn’t add much to Wrestlemania but then again it’s not like this is the kind of show that really needs to. Not this year at least, as nothing else makes sense this time around. The announcement of Strowman replacing Reigns was laughably bad as there was no build or explanation, but other than that we had some perfectly fine building for the matches. I don’t really want to see anything more than I did coming in though and the wrestling was mostly weak, but it could have been a lot worse.

Results

Tamina b. Lacey Evans and Naomi – Superkick to Naomi

Tucker b. Dolph Ziggler via DQ when Ziggler slammed Tucker into the steps

Daniel Bryan b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Cesaro interfered

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: March 5, 2020
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Mickie James

It’s the go home show for Elimination Chamber and most of the show is already set up. At the same time though it is another show helping to set up Wrestlemania. That’s an interesting combination and I’m not sure how well it is going to work here. Things might work out well enough, but you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Curt Hawkins

Time for a hometown boy to lose again. Hawkins snaps off some armdrags to start and Shelton needs an early breather. Back in and Shelton sends him shoulder first into the post for two and a flying armbar makes the arm even worse. We hit the armbar but Hawkins fights up and slugs away, setting up a Falcon Arrow for two. An enziguri gives Hawkins two but Shelton pulls him into the reverse cross armbreaker for the tap at 5:02.

From Smackdown.

Here’s John Cena for the big close. After taking in the crowd reaction, Cena says that he’s back so it must be Wrestlemania season. So what is he doing at Wrestlemania this year? He knows his role has changed so now it’s time to do something a little different. Cena always listens to the biggest superstar there is, which would be the fans. He knows he can probably say or do whatever he wants and have it happen at Wrestlemania, but he’s going to do the right thing.

This year’s Wrestlemania should go on without him. It’s not goodbye but it’s goodbye for now, because Cena cares about the future. Wrestlemania spots should be earned and not demanded so this year’s he’s betting on the future and sitting out. That makes tonight special because he doesn’t know when he’s going to be back. He has an announcement tonight and he wanted to make it in front of his friends and family.

The fans cheer for him and Cena drops the mic before heading to the front row to shake hands with some kids. Cena goes up the ramp and salutes….and there go the lights. They come back up and the Fiend is…..right behind him. Cena looks at the Fiend, who points at the sign. Cena looks at the sign, looks at the Fiend, and nods, as the lights go out and we get the laugh to end the show.

From Raw.

Here are Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar to get things going. Heyman does his usual shtick and then says he can’t do this. It’s their job to make you interested in Wrestlemania and yes, this year’s card looks like the best in years. The problem is the main event, which is a sham. Drew McIntyre is overhyped, because he eliminated Lesnar from the Royal Rumble with the help of a low blow from Ricochet.

McIntyre leaves and the fans sing goodbye to Brock, who is having trouble standing after the kick. Brock staggers up the ramp and here’s McIntyre to take him down with another Claymore and pose with the title. The fans want one more so McIntyre delivers and Lesnar is out cold. You don’t see someone take Lesnar down like that every day so well done.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Akira Tozawa vs. Eric Young

Young jumps Tozawa at the bell but Tozawa chops him to the floor. That earns Tozawa a neckbreaker and it’s Young taking over again. Another neckbreaker off the apron drops Tozawa and we take a break. Back with Young stomping away in the corner and elbowing him in the face for two.

We hit the neck crank as commentary talks about Elimination Chamber to avoid talking about the match. Tozawa fights up and hurricanranas him to the floor, setting up the suicide dive. Back in and a missile dropkick drops Young again but he blasts Tozawa down for a change. The top rope elbow gets two but Tozawa is back with the Black Widow. That’s broken up so Tozawa goes up, shoves Young down, and finishes with the top rope backsplash at 11:20.

Rating: C. Nice stuff here with Tozawa continuing to be able to have a good match against anyone around here. That’s what he did again, as Young is fine for a solid performance almost any time. It’s a lot better than the opener, though that might be due to not having the hometown star lose.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Goldberg to get things going. It’s not about who’s last because it’s all about who’s next. He throws the mic down and here’s Roman Reigns (dang they’re not waiting around for this one), which Goldberg seems to like. They stare each other down until Reigns says “I’m next”, as the Wrestlemania sign looms over them.

Recap of Edge returning and getting destroyed by Randy Orton.

From Raw.

Here’s Beth Phoenix for the medical update on Edge. Before she can get anywhere though, it’s Randy Orton interrupting to offer her a hug and a handshake. Those aren’t happening so Orton sits on the top, only to cut her off again. Orton talks about going to a show in 1999 when he was 19 years old with his dad Bob Orton introducing him to agents Tony Garea and Jack Lanza. Orton was just a fan back then and couldn’t believe that he was seeing all of these stars.

Edge was the only wrestler to come up and shake his dad’s hand though and Randy was so proud. Bob introduced the two of them and Edge said maybe one day they could work together. That gave Orton some confidence and just a few years later, they were fighting for the Intercontinental Title and stealing the show every night. Then they came together as Rated RKO and won the Tag Team Titles.

Orton started making some bad decisions though and got himself into a hole that he shouldn’t have been able to get out of. He was able to be there for his family though and now he wants Edge to be able to do the same thing for their daughters. Everyone has blamed Orton for what he did but it wasn’t Orton’s fault at all. It’s Beth’s fault because she has enabled Edge, who is a junkie for the roar of the crowd.

Beth did nothing to stop him so Orton had to stop him so Edge could be a husband and father. Orton has realized that he loves Edge’s kids and Edge more than Beth ever could. Beth finally slaps him and it’s an RKO to drop her, with Orton immediately storming off. A bunch of referees and wrestlers come down to check on her to end the show. There’s your other big incentive for Edge to come back and the fiery promo should be great. Orton’s explanation was good and fits his rather crazy outlook on things, which is all you need most of the time.

Overall Rating: C-. There are some good things being set up for Wrestlemania and what matters is that they have a card in sight. With so little time left, they have to do something to get the rest of the card ready and there is a good chance that we are going to be starting that run on Monday. Then again they might have yet another show lined up to do in between because WWE loves running as many shows as they can. Fine enough show for its purpose here, but it wasn’t anything worth seeing, as usual.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: February 27, 2020
Location: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Mickie James

The Wrestlemania season is in full build, but so are the Super ShowDown and Elimination Chamber builds. That can cause a bit of a problem as there is so much stuff going on at once and they might not be able to make everything work at once. Main Event has surprised me before, but I would be surprised with a surprise. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

No Way Jose vs. Shelton Benjamin

Jose starts fast by taking him into the corner and snapping off an armdrag to the floor. That means a quick beatdown of the Conga Line, plus a little bit on Jose as well. Back in and Shelton grabs an armbar but Jose fights up and hits a splash in the corner. A fireman’s carry flapjack gets two so Jose goes up, only to dive into a cross armbreaker for the fast tap at 4:35.

From Raw.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a chat. The Canadian fans are happy to see their honorary Lesnar but Heyman cuts them off with his usual introduction. Heyman talks about how wrestlers are always trying to make catchphrases for themselves but Lesnar has never needed one. All Lesnar has to do is decide to be champion and no one can stop him. Lesnar getting in the ring is special and that’s what you’ll be seeing on Thursday at Super ShowDown. He owes Ricochet an uppercut and since Lesnar is wrestling, it is special by definition.

The stakes on Thursday have never been higher though, but why is that the case? If Ricochet can pull off the miracle, he is going on to face Drew McIntyre at Wrestlemania and the consequences are huge, if that happens. Heyman: “If my aunt had balls, she would be my uncle, but she is not!” (that one cracked Lawler up). Lesnar is going to wreck McIntyre at Wrestlemania and be champion forever. And that is a spoiler.

From Raw again.

We get a sitdown interview with Drew McIntyre, who isn’t scared about Brock Lesnar because he’s main eventing Wrestlemania. Drew talks about debuting in 2009 (which he says was thirteen years ago) and how he hasn’t won a single World Title since that time. He lost his passion, which included his time in 3MB. Then he got fired and it put a chip on his shoulder, but he knew he could only blame himself. He wasn’t about to let people remember him as the idiot playing air guitar.

When McIntyre came back, he came back to NXT, which was where he could be a leader. Then he debuted on Raw in 2018, four years to the day since he was released. He’s been called the future but then he was a past superstar without ever being the present. That’s why he knew he had to eliminate Lesnar and now he’s going to Wrestlemania to fulfill his destiny. They’re doing everything they can to make McIntyre into a star and it’s slowly working.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler.

From Raw.

All six women’s Elimination Chamber participants, save for Baszler, are in the ring for a contract signing. Asuka counts the participants but realizes there’s one missing. Lawler continues anyway, with Sarah Logan, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott (who nearly comes to blows with Morgan) and Asuka all sign, which draws out Baszler through the crowd. Lawler wisely leaves as Shayna and Natalya are about to fight, but Asuka breaks it up.

Asuka tells Shayna to bite her but Natalya takes Asuka down and the fight is on, with Liv diving over the table to get at Riott. Shayna is eventually left alone so here’s Becky to take her down. Officials break it up in a hurry. I don’t remember the last time there was a big match with such an obvious winner but it’s getting annoying in a hurry.

24/7 Title: Riddick Moss vs. Cedric Alexander

Moss is defending and throws Cedric down with ease. A running shoulder drops him again but Cedric is right back with clotheslines and elbows. That sends Moss outside for a kick from the apron but Alexander’s slingshot is knocked out of the air back inside. We take a break and come back with Moss cranking on a waistlock. That’s broken up for a double stomp to the back of Moss’ head and a running dropkick to the same spot. The springboard Downward Spiral gives Cedric two but the Neuralizer misses, allowing Moss to hit a Rock Bottom to retain at 9:50.

Rating: D+. Again, I’m actually surprised by this one as they threw in something different in the form of a title match. Who in the world would have seen them doing something like that on THIS show? The match was nothing to see, but points to WWE for putting someone like Moss on television. I know he’s not some breakout star, but he’s been sitting in NXT forever and the show needs some fresh faces.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Goldberg for a chat. He’s glad to be back and whatever the Fiend is, he’s ready. Cue the Firefly Fun House with Bray doing some construction. Bray wants Goldberg to get to know his friends, including most of the cast. There is one person left though….and the lights go out. The Fiend is here but Goldberg is smart enough to turn around and spear him.

Goldberg loads up another one but the lights go out again and Fiend disappears to end the show, complete with Fiendish laughter. As usual, Goldberg is at his best when things are kept simple. He hit Fiend hard and Fiend went down, can he do it again? What more do you need?

And from Raw to wrap it up.

Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton

Owens pounds away to start but the threat of hit the Cannonball sends Orton outside. Cue Rollins and company for the distraction though and Owens is sent into the barricade as we take a break. Back with both of them down and the Profits and Viking Raiders running in for the big brawl. They fight to the crowd with everyone else, leaving Owens to get crotched on top.

Owens knocks him off anyway and hits the Swanton. Rollins is back though and Owens has to knock him off the apron, allowing Orton to come back with a clothesline. Another Rollins distraction lets Orton hit the hanging DDT….for a very fast counted pin at 8:10. Even Orton looks confused by what happened but he’ll take it.

Rating: C. The match had a lot of stuff going on at once but I can go for a few different stories being mixed together, even if it is just for a week. There is no need to always keep things separate so doing something like this is a good idea on occasion. The story is fine as well, with what seems to be a referee going along with what Rollins has been preaching, though I’ve never liked the trope for some reason. It’s a new wrinkle though and that’s fine.

Post match Rollins throws Orton some chairs but Owens pucks one up. The referee pulls it away so Owens grabs him and opens the referee’s shirt to reveal a Seth Rollins shirt. That means a Stunner to the referee and a powerbomb through a table ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The show wasn’t anything great or even good but they did something different this time around and that’s what I’ve been asking for since before I can remember. At least TRY to do something new or different, or at least look like you’re making an effort. That’s what they did here, at least to a certain degree, and the show was better as a result. Still not good, but at least different.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Super ShowDown 2020
Date: February 27, 2020
Location: Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re back in Saudi Arabia and for the first time ever, they’re on a streak of a good show. Last October’s Crown Jewel was a pretty good show, though I’m not sure what reason I would have to believe that will be the case again here. I’m not sure how the main event of Goldberg vs. the Fiend is going to go though and that’s a nice feeling. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Viking Raiders vs. OC

Anderson headlocks Erik to start but that’s broken up with straight power. Ivar comes in for a knee to the face before wrapping his beard (yes his beard) around Anderson’s face. Erik slams Ivar onto Anderson for two but it’s Gallows coming in to try his luck. That means a fall away slam to Erik and the chinlock goes on. Anderson sends Erik into the corner again and Gallows drops the big elbow.

The chinlock goes on again but Erik fights up and rolls over for the hot tag to Ivar. The seated senton out of the corner crushes Anderson and there’s a clothesline to Gallows. Everything breaks down and Erik suplexes Gallows into the corner. Gallows is right back with a chokebomb to Erik, who knees Anderson in the face to get out of trouble. Ivar’s double handspring elbow puts the OC down but he misses a moonsault. The Magic Killer gives the OC the pin at 9:58.

Rating: C. What is with the Vikings not being able to beat these guys over here? It’s a bit of a confusing result as the Vikings have been in a much more prominent role than the OC as of late. That being said, it’s not like this match is going to mean anything in the long run so it’s not something I’m going to get annoyed at. Decent enough power match too.

The opening video talks about making your mark on the world.

That’s a lot of pyro.

Tuwaiq Trophy: Gauntlet Match

Andrade’s US Title isn’t on the line, there are six entrants and it’s R-Truth in at #1 and Bobby Lashley, with a completely covered Lana, is in at #2. R-Truth leapfrogs him to start and snaps off a headscissors, only to get knocked hard off the apron. Back in and Lashley slams him down hard, setting up the chinlock. R-Truth reverses into a sleeper but Lashley runs him over again. The Dominator is broken up though and it’s time for the John Cena sequence. Lashley is fine enough to come back with the Downward Spiral but the spear hits the corner. A rollup gives R-Truth the upset pin at 5:37.

Before the third entrant comes out, Lashley destroys him with a bunch of whips into the steps. The spear drops R-Truth again and it’s the returning Andrade (no Zelina Vega) in at #3. Andrade knees him in the corner to start and puts on an armbar over the ropes. A regular armbar keeps R-Truth in trouble and the running knees in the corner get two.

The hammerlock DDT is broken up and Andrade’s running knee only hits buckle, meaning it’s a crash to the floor. Back in and Truth scores with a Lie Detector for two, followed by a collision of heads so R-Truth can fall on him for the pin at 13:30 (there’s Andrade’s bonus punishment).

Erick Rowan is in at #4 and stars with the power, including a running slam in the corner. R-Truth gets up a boot in the corner and low bridges him to the floor, setting up the big dive. Rowan sends him into the steps but it knocks the cage down, meaning he sends R-Truth into the steps over and over again. A big shot with the steps is enough for the DQ to eliminate Rowan at 17:48. Rowan isn’t done yet as he adds in the Iron Claw before AJ Styles is in at #5.

R-Truth’s shoulder is done and he can barely get to his feet so AJ kicks him in the face. Another into the shoulder lets AJ mock the dancing and it’s time to start on the leg. AJ dances even more and kicks R-Truth in the legs again as the AJ STYLES chants are going fairly strong. The Calf Crusher makes R-Truth tap at 23:36 so it’s Rey Mysterio in at #6 to complete the field. Or not as there’s no Mysterio, who has been attacked in the back by Anderson and Gallows.

AJ grabs the mic and says there’s no Mysterio so he wins by forfeit. He demands his trophy but the referee is willing to give Rey a count of ten. The referee gets to seven but we see the OC down….and some large black boots. Then the gong strikes and there go the lights, as usual. After the full entrance, it’s a chokeslam to give Undertaker the Trophy at 32:27. Undertaker didn’t even take off his hat and coat.

Rating: C-. This was long, though nowhere near as long as some gauntlet matches WWE has done in recent years. Undertaker winning is fine for a surprise and at this point, far better than having him wrestle a full match. I’m sure this will set up the Wrestlemania match and that’s a fine way to go about it. R-Truth did well and as luck would have it, he has a new documentary on the Network. Imagine that timing!

New Day is ready for Miz and John Morrison because this is a big night.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. New Day

New Day is defending. Big E. powers Miz into the corner to start and there’s the spanking abdominal stretch. The Warrior Splash brings in Kofi and Morrison with the former hitting a running backsplash. It’s already back to Big E., who gets sent outside for the slingshot dive from Morrison. Miz grabs the chinlock but Big E. fights up, only to get caught with a modified Hart Attack (Flying Chuck instead of a running clothesline).

The Rock Bottom out of the corner puts Miz down and that’s enough for the hot tag to Kofi. A running knee and the Boom Drop look to set up Trouble in Paradise but Miz makes the save. Back up and Morrison hits an Alabama Slam into a running knee for two. Kofi is fine enough to get two off the SOS and it’s a pretty awesome powerbomb/top rope double stomp combination for another near fall.

Miz fires off the YES Kicks to Big E. but Starship Pain misses. Kofi is back in for a quick Midnight Hour for two on Morrison with Miz making another save. Kofi loads up the Trust Fall but crashes HARD to the floor instead, leaving Miz to hit the Skull Crushing Finale for two on Big E. It’s back to Kofi, who reverses another Finale into a victory roll for two more. Morrison sneaks in a chair to the ribs though and Miz grabs a rollup (with tights) for the pin and the titles at 12:58.

Rating: B. This felt a bit longer as they packed a lot in there. Miz and Morrison winning the titles is the right call as we’ve seen New Day as champions for what feels like forever. Miz and Morrison can feud with New Day and the Usos in the coming months, but more importantly they’re something fresh and that’s what the titles have needed. If nothing else, a victory Dirt Sheet will be great.

Seth Rollins and Murphy are ready to retain their titles because it is their destiny to get rid of the Street Profits.

Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo

Garza lays on the corner and does some crunches during Carrillo’s entrance. They both miss a bunch of strikes and it’s a standoff with Carrillo backflipping away. The big spinning springboard crossbody winds up being a headbutt for Carrillo. They head outside with Garza getting taken down off a headscissors and then getting knocked into the barricade off a suicide dive.

Back in and a basement dropkick gets two on Garza but he scores with a running dropkick in the corner. You can tell they’re in a different country as there’s little reaction when GARZA TAKES OFF HIS PANTS! Carrillo fights out of a camel clutch and hits a spinning kick to the head for two. Garza is back up to dropkick him out of the air for two but Carrillo hits a Canadian Destroyer to put both of them down. They go into the pinfall reversal sequence like Garza won on Raw….and he does so again with a rollup for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: C. These matches continue to not exactly hit thrilling as they are just lucha matches without a ton of heat. What we got was fine enough, but it was nothing better than what we got on Raw. I just can’t bring myself to care about them and while the matches are fine, they’re forgettable and not exactly making me interested in either of them.

Bayley is ready to make history again and retain her title. I’m liking these quick interviews before the matches to get me a bit more in the mood.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Murphy/Seth Rollins

Rollins and Murphy are defending. Dawkins spears Murphy down to start and wrestles him into the corner so Ford can come in. That means the big dropkick but Rollins comes in to take over on Ford. Murphy’s Meteora gets two and it’s back to Rollins for more stomping. Ford finally sends them both outside but Murphy pulls Dawkins off the apron to keep Ford in. Rollins is sent into the corner though and the hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house.

Dropkicks and suplexes abound for two and it’s back to Ford who gets rolled up for two more. Ford kicks Rollins down though and hits the frog splash for his own two. Dawkins knocks Murphy hard over the announcers’ table but he’s back in to save Rollins again. A double Pedigree is countered into a double DDT on the champs to send them outside. Ford’s big running flip dive is caught though and he gets planted hard. Dawkins dives off the apron to take both of them down and they head back inside. Murphy gets in a knee to Dawkins, sending him into the ropes for the Stomp onto the apron to retain at 10:42.

Rating: B-. The Profits can do a lot of great things and there is little doubt that they are going to win the titles one day. What we had here was an entertaining match but there was no way the title change was taking place. Rollins and Murphy are big deals on Raw and they aren’t dropping the titles on a show that is the wrestling equivalent of a side quest.

We recap the Kickoff Show match.

Mansoor vs. Dolph Ziggler

Robert Roode is here with Ziggler but gets ejected before the bell. They trade headlocks to start until Mansoor hits a hard running shoulder. A standing moonsault gets two but Ziggler rakes the eyes across the rope to slow things down. The big jumping elbow sets up another chinlock on Mansoor, which is switched into something like a Crossface and then the Rings of Saturn.

Mansoor fights up and avoids the Fameasser, setting up the slingshot neckbreaker. A kind of reverse Big Ending gets two more but Mansoor gets pulled off the top. The Zig Zag gives Ziggler two but they seem to get a little messed up when fighting over a suplex. A reverse Sliced Bread (kind of a running flip DDT) plants Ziggler and the moonsault (with only the legs hitting Ziggler) finishes at 9:12.

Rating: C-. This was miles away from the Cesaro match as they were missing some cues and the match was hardly interesting in the first place. The Mansoor match has become the token crowd match. That’s all well and good, but when you do it over and over again, the charm is gone. When the match isn’t exactly great either, it isn’t making things that much better either.

Post match Mansoor says the same thing he says after every win: Saudi Arabia is awesome and he’s proud.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet. It’s the latest smaller guy challenging Lesnar in an underdog role. Ricochet has as much chance of winning as I do of becoming Miss Nevada 1974, but he has that natural underdog charisma to him that makes you believe a miracle could maybe kind of sort of have a prayer of happening.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet

We recap King Corbin vs. Roman Reigns. They’ve been feuding for months but want to keep everyone else out, meaning it’s time for a cage match. This feels tacked on after the feud ended so there isn’t much of a reason to care about it.

King Corbin vs. Roman Reigns

In a cage and commentary says this is the final time these two are fighting. Reigns chains the door shut so one escape route is cut off. Corbin uses the delay to jump Reigns from behind and the cheap shots take us to the opening bell. The slow beating begins and Corbin goes for an early climb but Reigns cuts him off without too much effort. They come back down with Reigns firing off the clotheslines in the corner.

The Superman punch is countered and Deep Six plants Reigns for two. Corbin looks for the key to the door but settles for two off a powerbomb instead. Some hard forearms keep Reigns down and the door is unlocked, only to have Reigns send him into the door. The Superman punch is countered into a chokeslam for two though and Corbin grabs the chain.

Corbin tries his own Superman punch but gets dropped by the real thing. They both go climbing and wind up on top for the slugout. Reigns has to be pulled back in so Corbin can send him into the cage and back to the mat. That just earns Corbin back to back Superman punches, followed by the Superman punch with a chain for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: C-. I know they kept hyping this up as the end but do you really believe we won’t see it again within a few months? This feud has been driven so far into the ground, which isn’t a good idea as it didn’t have the longest legs in the first place. It was your normal cage match, but they have made me sick of seeing both guys so it wasn’t exactly something that matters anyway.

We recap Undertaker’s surprise (I guess?) appearance earlier tonight.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Naomi vs. Bayley

Naomi is challenging and thankfully her big hair didn’t make it through customs. Bayley takes her to the mat to start but Naomi gets up and hits the splits splash. A kick to the face gives Naomi two more and a hurricanrana puts Bayley on the floor. The running corkscrew dive takes her down again but Bayley drives her back first into the apron to take over.

Back in and we hit the chinlock, with Bayley shouting at fans to shut up. Naomi fights up and hits a kick to the head, followed by a kick to the head for a change of pace. A springboard kick to the face drops Bayley again, followed by a knee to the ribs for two. The reverse Rings of Saturn has Bayley in more trouble but she gets a foot on the rope.

Bayley grabs a quick Bayley to Belly for two and there’s a running knee to rock Naomi again. Naomi catches her on top but misses the split legged moonsault. It’s time to get creative as Bayley ties Naomi’s legs into her shirt and finishes with that weird bulldog driver at 11:38.

Rating: C. I know WWE is going to be doing their big “rah rah we’re awesome and trailblazers and amazing” stuff out of this and I get why they go there, but it’s not a great match. Bayley has been champion for a long time now and it’s going to take a big win to get it off of her. Maybe they have something interesting planned at Elimination Chamber, but for now she has cleaned out the division.

We recap Goldberg vs. the Fiend. Goldberg was the most dominant force of his day and never got a rematch for the Universal Title. Therefore, he’s back to go after Fiend, who is a whole different animal.

Smackdown World Title: Goldberg vs. Fiend

Fiend is defending and gets in Goldberg’s face to start. Goldberg hits a quick spear for two but gets caught with the Mandible Claw. That’s broken up with a ram into the corner and Goldberg hits two more spears. There’s a fourth for two more and Fiend is right back with the Claw. Goldberg knees his way out and hits the Jackhammer to win the title at 2:59.

Post match Fiend gets up, the lights go out, and Fiend disappears. Goldberg celebrates to end the show.

What else is there to say about this? WWE has made it clear for a long time now that outside of Wrestlemania season and Saudi Arabia, nothing else matters. Fiend could have beaten Rock and Austin at the same time and there was no way he was going to defend the title at Wrestlemania because Fiend vs. anyone (save for that colorful guy from Massachusetts) isn’t a Wrestlemania style main event. I’m sure Reigns will get the title back in Tampa and it’ll be Reignsamania again as Fiend gets a pat on the back and is told he did well, just not well enough for the big show.

Overall Rating: D+. While it’s a far cry from the depths that these shows have sunk to before, it’s a pretty weak show with only a few good things throughout. They did make it feel more important with multiple title changes, but at the same time there is so much that just comes and goes like it’s on a slightly bigger than usual house show. The ending is annoying as a big Wyatt fan but I pretty much knew he was done as soon as the match was announced. I wanted to imagine Goldberg going down to the Claw but that’s not how WWE works. Anyway, not the worst, but the main event is almost all anyone will be talking about.

Results

Undertaker won a gauntlet match last eliminating AJ Styles

John Morrison/The Miz b. New Day – Rollup with tights to Kingston

Angel Garza b. Humberto Carrillo – Rollup

Seth Rollins/Murphy b. Street Profits – Stomp to Dawkins

Mansoor b. Dolph Ziggler – Moonsault

Brock Lesnar b. Ricochet – F5

Roman Reigns b. King Corbin – Superman punch with a chain

Bayley b. Naomi – Bulldog driver

Goldberg b. Fiend – Jackhammer

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s that time of year again. About four months after getting back from the disaster that was the Crown Jewel trip, WWE is heading back to Saudi Arabia because they need the money. The card isn’t exactly looking stacked this time, likely because a lot of the wrestlers don’t want to go and risk being stranded on the other side of the world in a country that isn’t so friendly. But hey, maybe the stock can go up or something. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: OC vs. Viking Raiders

Remember when the OC got a random win over the Viking Raiders at the end of a gauntlet match and it didn’t mean anything significant long term? Well now we get a rematch! I mean one that comes after all of the other rematches of course but then again these shows exist in their old universe anyway. These teams have nothing to do with each other at the moment but it could be a nice power match.

The Vikings should go over here, at least based on the American storylines at the moment so I’ll go with them here. The OC are fine for anything you want them to do and the Vikings have some awesome squashes so we could be in for a fine match here. I don’t expect any real connection to the previous match in the country, but at least it should get the fans going.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Naomi

This is something I’m still surprised to see but the fact that it is happening again is a positive sign. Maybe they are making some tiny steps forward in the country and that’s better than nothing. I’m not sure how much it is going to mean in the bigger picture but I’ll take what I can get here. These two have been circling each other for a long time now and Naomi is an interesting challenger, but I’m not sure where this is going.

I’ll take Bayley to retain here, as there could be something big in the works at WrestleMania. I mean, I’m not sure how big as the only match they could really do of note is Bayley vs. Sasha Banks but we’ll have to get through the Elimination Chamber to figure that one out. Bayley retaining here makes sense, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see Naomi leaving WrestleMania as champion.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Seth Rollins/Murphy(c) vs. Street Profits

This was set up on Monday when the Profits ran in to make the save at the end of the show and that’s a good thing. The Profits are the kind of team who are always going to get a reaction, though I’m not sure how well things are going to go in a big stadium that might not recognize them. The energy alone is going to get them somewhere, though that’s not what matters here.

Rollins and Murphy retain here, as they should. The Profits will get the titles eventually, but Rollins and Murphy are doing something a lot bigger and shouldn’t be taking a fall at the moment. The Viking Raiders seem to be the likely candidates to take the titles and that can come later. For now though, Murphy and Rollins retain, though the Profits probably steal the show again.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar(c) vs. Ricochet

I want to believe that Ricochet has a real chance here and I’m doing everything I can to get a Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vibe. Ricochet is the kind of guy who can do all kinds of good things in the ring and is one of the real stars that they have for the future. The problem is the timing though, as we’re a month and a half away from WrestleMania and it would take a miracle to change the title here.

Therefore, Lesnar wins in the easiest layup of the show, but I’m curious to see how good the match can be. It all comes down to Lesnar being interested in trying and you never know with him. If they’re willing to put in the effort, we could be in for a good match here and maybe even a great false hope spot, but it’s all going to be false hope because Lesnar retains here without much doubt whatsoever.

Mansoor vs. Dolph Ziggler

I know Mansoor is someone who is going to draw some eye rolls and that’s understandable, but he has managed to not embarrass himself whatsoever. His match against Cesaro was quite good and I could easily see him as a regular on NXT. Having him on this show isn’t absurd or going too far or anything like that and I’d rather Ziggler be in this spot than somewhere higher.

Of course Mansoor goes over because there’s no other point to putting him on the show. It’s not like this match is going to mean anything and it’s nice to see someone fresh getting a win. If nothing else, there’s something nice about seeing Ziggler lose, just because we don’t have to see him doing anything positive. Mansoor is little more than a (talented) mascot but he goes over here.

Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match

This is your multiple person match of the show and this one isn’t the most interesting in the world. There are six people in this one and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. WWE has been making these gauntlet matches go on a little longer as of late and while that can be a good idea in some situations, I’m not sure how well it’s going to work here as the names involved are hit and miss.

I’ll play it safe and go with AJ Styles here, as he is the kind of person you can put over in something like this with no worry of damage to anyone else. He’s won almost everything else in wrestling so having him pick this up is hardly going to be a surprise. If nothing else, Undertaker is all but confirmed for the show and maybe they can set something up for the rumored WrestleMania match.

Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin

So yeah, after what really felt like the blow off match on SmackDown a few weeks back, we get another match here with the two of them in a cage. This feud has been going on for about four and a half months now and any interest there might have been in it has gone through the floor ever since. The thing needs to just go away forever now because there’s nothing left for them to do.

Of course Reigns goes over here because there is no reason for the two of them to keep fighting. Reigns is going to go on to the World Title scene at WrestleMania and Corbin is likely to go on to some other big spot because WWE keeps pushing the heck out of him for whatever reason without ever learning why that’s a bad idea. But yeah Reigns wins here, as he should.

SmackDown Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. The Miz/John Morrison

I know I’ve said this before but New Day are great filler champions. The problem is that they’ve been filler champions for the better part of ever over different reigns. The division never gets any better and that can be a little tiresome at times. It’s certainly not anything that seems to be getting better, but at least we have a fresh heel team here and what should be a good match.

For the sake of a little curve ball, I’ll go with a title change here, just to give the show some flavor. Miz and Morrison winning the titles would be a good way to make things move a bit though it wouldn’t surprise me to see the titles stay with New Day. They have to lose them at some point though and doing the title change here to set up a rematch at Elimination Chamber is as good as anything else they could do.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Angel Garza

This is another bonus match and yet another rematch from a recent show. The quality is going to depend on the amount of time that they get and you never know how that is going to be on a show like this. If nothing else, it’s going to be annoying having Andrade and Garza on the same show as I keep writing the wrong name for them anyway. At least Carrillo is easy enough to remember because of the Power Ranger outfit alone.

I’ll take Garza here as he has more charisma and overall ability though I’m not sure how much good it is going to do to have them fight again. The match will be an entertaining one and should get a few minutes, but it’s a match that has been done a few times now to not incredible results. Maybe this one will be the blow away match that gets the fans interested, but I can’t bring myself to get interested.

SmackDown World Title: The Fiend vs. Goldberg

And yet, they somehow have a main event that makes me wonder what we’ll be seeing. They really could go either way here and that should make for an interesting match. The Fiend losing here would seem strange, but the idea of Goldberg losing to someone like the Fiend just seems impossible. The match shouldn’t go on too long and very well could end with a spear, but I don’t think I can imagine it going that way.

I just can’t go with Goldberg here so I’ll say Fiend retains. If nothing else I certainly hope so, because I don’t want what has been an interesting character arc come crashing down just so we can get a “more WrestleMania” match between Reigns and Goldberg. You can do that match without having to take the title from Fiend and I’ll stick with the hope that they’ll do the right thing and have Fiend retain.

Overall Thoughts

I have no idea what to think of these shows anymore. Most of them have been disasters but Crown Jewel wasn’t half bad so maybe they’re getting the hang of things. Then again I have no reason to believe that is going to be the case again and I’m almost scared to imagine how some of these matches are going to end. Maybe it winds up being ok, but they don’t exactly have the track record to back that up.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: February 21, 2020
Location: Gila River Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

As tends to be the case far too often these days, WWE is building to several things at once. This time around it’s the go home Smackdown for Super ShowDown, Elimination Chamber is in about two weeks and we’ve got Wrestlemania (and its sign) looming over everything. The big story tonight is Goldberg being in the arena for a change as he’s ready to face the Fiend next week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are the Usos to get things going. They aren’t happy with Miz and John Morrison targeting them last week so tonight is about revenge. They’re not coming in alone though so here’s New Day. The Usos are glad to have them here, though they better be keeping those titles warm. Both teams put over the others’ accomplishments but Big E. points out that they’re up 7-6 in title reigns over the Usos. That makes them the better team, but the Usos want one more shot after Super ShowDown. Now it’s Miz and Morrison interrupting and they have a song the fans can sing about their names. They have partners too.

Usos/New Day vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/Miz/John Morrison

Joined in progress with Ziggler in trouble in the corner, including Big E. whipping the Usos into Ziggler. The Usos send Kofi into him as well but Morrison throws Kofi to the floor for a big boot from Miz. Kofi gets sent into the barricade as Big E. has to be held back. Roode chinlocks Kofi back inside and sends him into the corner for the tag to Ziggler. With the referee distracted, Kofi gets triple choked but Miz spends too much time posing.

Kofi goes up top but gets shoved outside in a big crash. Back from a break with Kofi backdropping Ziggler to the floor and hitting a running stomp on Roode. That’s enough for the hot tag to Big E., who comes in and beats the heck out of Miz. Morrison cuts off the spear through the ropes so Big E. gives him the Rock Bottom out of the corner for two (during the kickout, the screen glitches to show what looks like a letter).

Morrison’s running knee to the face into the standing shooting star press gets two so it’s a spinebuster/Zig Zag combination (more like a spinebuster/slap to the back combination) for two on Jey with Jimmy making the save. A bunch of superkicks have Ziggler in trouble and, after escaping the Glorious DDT, another finishes Roode at 11:45.

Rating: C. It’s a formula tag match which mixed up two feuds and that is something that works far more often than not. The Usos are back at full speed and that’s a very good sign for the future of the division. You can only do New Day vs. Usos so many times though and a title change to someone fresh would be a smart move. Also, what was up with the glitch?

Drew Gulak offers Daniel Bryan a PowerPoint presentation about what is wrong with him but Heath Slater comes in. Heath is annoyed at Bryan for beating him (Heath: “You made my kids cry. Nobody makes my kids cry but me!”) so he wants a rematch. Bryan is game.

Long video on the Mandy Rose/Otis saga, including last week’s failed date.

Tucker accuses Mandy of inviting Dolph Ziggler but Mandy says Ziggler was there when Otis was late. She doesn’t seem to know anything about sending out a text saying she was going to be late.

We get a sitdown interview with Lacey Evans, who was hurt by the loss to Bayley but she isn’t finished until the job is done. Yes she used to be a bully but then Sasha Banks and Bayley brought her daughter into it and that made her change. Now, her sights are on the Elimination Chamber and she will win the Women’s Title at Wrestlemania. Wait, how many Elimination Chamber matches are we getting??? The Raw women’s match has already been announced and you would assume a men’s match so…..at least three?

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Elias/Braun Strowman

This is a Symphony of Destruction match, meaning there are musical instruments around the ring and falls count anywhere. Elias sings a song to introduce Braun, which actually isn’t interrupted. Braun brings out the huge bass for a nice callback to the first version of this thing. Elias hiptosses a tambourine out of Nakamura’s hands to start and then knees him out to the floor.

Everything breaks down in a hurry and Strowman breaks a drum over Cesaro’s head. That earns him a ukulele to the back from Sami Zayn, which has even less effect than you might have expected. Nakamura catches Strowman with a mic stand to the face though and we take a break. Back with Cesaro playing the cowbell and then sending Elias through a table.

That just earns him the running shoulders from Strowman, followed by a chokeslam onto the apron. Sami offers another distraction though and it’s a double suplex to send Strowman through the bass. It’s Elias with another guitar to the back but Nakamura breaks up an elbow through a table. Instead, Strowman powerslams Nakamura onto (not through) a piano, leaving Elias to elbow Cesaro through the table for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: C+. I liked this one well enough as the sight gag of the big bass coming back alone helped. Then you have a powerslam onto the big piano, which was a cross between painful and impressive. I’m not sure how far anything in this feud is going to go but it gives some people something to do for the time being so good enough.

Video on Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin.

Corbin is tired of Reigns’ face being everywhere and he’s ready to get rid of Reigns one on one at Super ShowDown. Then Corbin becomes the face of the company.

It’s time for a Moment of Bliss, with Alexa Bliss talking about the Hall of Fame. This year’s class includes the NWO and Batista, and now it will also include the Bella Twins, her guests tonight. They can’t believe how awesome this is and they’re all about breaking barriers, like making this announcement on the first ever women’s talk show. Brie brings up being pregnant at the same time and….uh yeah everything is awesome. Daniel Bryan comes out for his match and brings his daughter for a nice moment.

Daniel Bryan vs. Heath Slater

Drew Gulak is on commentary and is rather pleased with Slater starting on on Bryan’s knee. A knockdown gives Slater two and he goes up, only to have Gulak yell at him. The distraction lets Bryan move and the YES Kicks are on. The running knee finishes Slater at 2:44.

Mandy is in the back (with another letter glitch, though it might look like a ticking clock) when Ziggler comes up to offer her a ride. She accepts and they leave, with Otis popping up behind them, looking rather sad.

Sheamus is going to be in the Elimination Chamber. So that’s three, minimum.

Shorty G. tries to fire Apollo Crews up but Apollo doesn’t want to hear it. He’ll handle Sheamus his way.

Naomi vs. Carmella

The winner gets Bayley, at ringside, for the Women’s Title at Super ShowDown. Naomi pulls her into a headlock to start but Carmella reverses into one of her own. That’s broken up as well so Naomi gets two off a sliding clothesline. The very spinning headscissors has Naomi in trouble but she’s back in with a high crossbody for two. A quick Bayley distraction lets Carmella get two off a middle rope hurricanrana. That’s enough for an ejection and Carmella takes Naomi out with a suicide dive as we take a break.

Back with Carmella cutting off the dancing kicks and getting two off an Edge-O-Matic. Naomi misses a springboard kick to the head so she settles for a slingshot corkscrew dive to the floor. A sunset flip gets two back inside and Carmella reverses into the Code of Silence. That’s escaped into a Rear View for another near fall on Carmella. A middle rope Blockbuster sets up the split legged moonsault to pin Carmella for the title shot at Bayley at 12:47.

Rating: D+. That’s about as good as you were going to get here as neither of them are exactly known as ring generals. You could have gone with either winning but Naomi’s entrance inside a stadium will be worth seeing. I’m not sure what this means should Bayley win, but since we’re getting another Chamber match, it should be explained in a hurry.

John Cena is back next week.

Here’s Goldberg for a chat. He’s glad to be back and whatever the Fiend is, he’s ready. Cue the Firefly Fun House with Bray doing some construction. Bray wants Goldberg to get to know his friends, including most of the cast. There is one person left though….and the lights go out. The Fiend is here but Goldberg is smart enough to turn around and spear him.

Goldberg loads up another one but the lights go out again and Fiend disappears to end the show, complete with Fiendish laughter. As usual, Goldberg is at his best when things are kept simple. He hit Fiend hard and Fiend went down, can he do it again? What more do you need?

Overall Rating: C. This was the annoying show that we have to get through but thankfully next week will only have two things to build towards. That’s the big overarching problem at the moment: there is too much stuff coming up on the calendar and it is causing a lot of issues. This week’s show was designed to set things up for next week and beyond, which is fine, but doesn’t exactly make for a thrilling show. It did its job, but that job isn’t an exciting one.

Results

Usos/New Day b. Miz/John Morrison/Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode – Superkick to Roode

Elias/Braun Strowman b. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura – Top rope elbow through a table to Cesaro

Daniel Bryan b. Heath Slater – Running knee

Naomi b. Carmella – Split legged moonsault

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Royal Rumble 2020
Date: January 26, 2020
Location: Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler, Tom Phillips

It’s time to get started on the Road to Wrestlemania and while you could say the Rumbles are predictable, you could also say that they’re wide open. This is a very strange situation and I’m rather pleased with that. I’m not sure who is going to win either but they’re going to mean a lot. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Shorty G. vs. Sheamus

Tale as old as time: monster vs. guy with a stupid name. Sheamus shrugs off a wristlock to start and hits a crossface shot to the face. Gable is back up with a running crossbody over the top so Sheamus hits him a few more time. Gable’s ear is bleeding and Sheamus grabs an armbar as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus working on the arm and then hitting the ten forearms to the chest. More forearms to the chest on the floor make it worse but Gable is back with a dropkick to the knee to stagger him. Some Liger kicks in the corner put Sheamus down and Gable stomps away at the leg. The moonsault connects for two and it’s Rolling Chaos Theory for the same. Gable grabs the ankle lock but Sheamus rolls out, only to have it go on again. That’s broken up again and Gables gets two off a crucifix. Back up the Brogue Kick gives Sheamus the pin at 12:31.

Rating: C. Just a match here and they were smart to put this on the Kickoff Show instead of doing it on the regular card. This is the kind of match that wasn’t exactly hard to predict as it was all about Sheamus being the monster and running over Gable, which isn’t quite a story that gets people excited but at least WWE can make more short jokes.

Kickoff Show: United States Title: Andrade vs. Humberto Carrillo

Andrade is defending and they go with the dodging to start. Carrillo sends him outside for the slingshot dropkick through the ropes but the dive off the top only hits barricade. Back from a break with Andrade hitting a running kick to the side of the head and countering the high angle armdrag. Carrillo elbows him in the head though and now the springboard crossbody can drop the champ.

The rolling moonsault hits raised knees though and Andrade tries a baseball slide, only to wind up on the floor for an Asai moonsault. Back in and Andrade tries Three Amigos but Carrillo reverses the third into one of his own. The top rope moonsault misses as well though and Andrade rolls him up into the corner. Andrade’s running knees in the corner get two and they stagger to their feet to slug it out. They go to the corner with Andrade getting in a shot to the face, only to have Carrillo snap off a super hurricanrana for two. Carrillo tries another hurricanrana but Andrade reverses into a sunset flip to retain at 14:31.

Rating: C. This never got into that next gear, though they got the winner right. Carrillo is someone who the fans haven’t taken to yet and really, I’m not sure what it’s going to take to make them care. There isn’t much to him as far as charisma goes and that’s not enough when you have people who can fly just as well if not better. Fine for a Kickoff Show match, but that’s all it needed to be.

The opening video is narrated by Steve Austin, who talks about how important the Royal Rumble is because it can send you to Wrestlemania. Always cool to see Austin used for something important.

Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin

Falls Count Anywhere. Reigns goes after Corbin’s throne carriers and the fight is on before they get in the ring. Corbin is sent into the post and Reigns hammers away inside. The Samoan drop is blocked though and Corbin gets in a right hand for a breather. Corbin heads outside but gets pulled back over the barricade so the fight can continue. Back in and Corbin hits Deep Six for two but Reigns is right back up.

They fight outside again and over the barricade, this time into the crowd for the walking around the stadium sequence. It’s back to ringside with Reigns being dropped onto the announcers’ table for two, followed by a chokeslam through another announcers’ table for the same. With Corbin being rather frustrated, it’s time to go back through the crowd for more punching.

Reigns hits a Samoan drop through an international announcers’ table and then does the same thing again for two. They go over to the tech area and here are Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to jump Reigns (you knew that was coming). Ziggler busts out a chain but here are the Usos to even things up. We stay on this brawl for a good while with Roode and Ziggler getting the better of things….until Jimmy dives off a balcony to take them down. Corbin remembers he’s in the match and drops Jimmy onto a barricade.

Rating: D+. Completely bleh match with little drama and the pure fact that it was Reigns vs. Corbin for 20+ minutes. WWE seems to think that this is some epic feud and it’s just not, mainly because Reigns is a top star and Corbin isn’t a main event level heel. Hopefully this is it because there’s no need to continue it, which is why you can probably pencil them in for two more matches at least.

Kevin Owens talks to Samoa Joe about his success in Houston and thinks he can win tonight. Samoa Joe likes the idea of getting rid of Seth Rollins but he’ll go through Owens if he has to.

Cole offers condolences to the families of Kobe Bryan and everyone else involved in the helicopter crash.

Women’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals with Alexa Bliss in at #1 and Bianca Belair is in at #2. Belair wastes no time in hitting a running shoulder in the corner and takes Bliss to the middle rope for some forearms. A running headscissors is countered into a backbreaker to put Bliss down again and Mighty Molly of all people is in at #3 (and to the Hurricane’s music of course). She clotheslines Bliss and Belair down and a high crossbody does the same. Molly can’t get Belair out and it’s Nikki Cross in at #4.

Bliss and Cross get to clean some house but stop to hug, only to have Molly and Belair run them over. Belair gives Cross the KOD onto Bliss, who is right back up with a sunset bomb. A neckbreaker drops Molly and everyone is down until Lana is in at #5. Hold on though as she takes her sweet time getting the ring because she needs to talk about how great she is and how this is for her hot husband.

Lana finally gets to the ring and can’t eliminate Molly as Mercedes Martinez is in at #6. Martinez gets to clean house, including a butterfly suplex to Lana (in the Captain Marvel gear). It’s not enough to get rid of her though and it’s Liv Morgan in at #7 to eliminate Lana. For some reason Liv goes up so Lana shoves her off for an elimination, meaning the fight is on.

Dana Brooke is in at #13 and hits the Swanton on Mia. Belair tosses Candice and Bliss slaps Sane off the top for an elimination in a bit of an upset. Tamina is in at #14 to superkick Brooke and get in the brawl with Belair. A charge lets Belair backdrop Tamina out for Belair’s sixth elimination so far. Dakota Kai is in at #15 to get us to the halfway point and there’s the running kick to Brooke in the corner.

Bliss gets rid of Yim and it’s Chelsea Green in at #16 (to Summer Rae’s old NXT theme). Green dumps Kai but gets tossed by Bliss, followed by by Belair knocking out Brooke. Bliss knocks Belair down but Twisted Bliss hits knees. They both go over the top to the apron and Belair knocks her out to stand alone until….Charlotte is in at #17. Charlotte starts with the chops but Belair knocks her into the corner.

Naomi is in at #18 for a return and a big reaction. Charlotte and Naomi trade missed dropkicks and nip up for a staredown. They both go after Belair and it’s Beth Phoenix in at #19, sending Charlotte into a panic. Naomi gets sent to the apron but manages to springboard back in to take down Charlotte and Beth. Charlotte pairs off with Naomi as Beth tries to get rid of Belair and Toni Storm is in at #20, giving us Charlotte, Naomi, Phoenix, Belair and Storm.

Belair goes up top and Charlotte tosses her out, with the fans not being pleased. Kelly Kelly is in at #21 and hits her screaming headscissors on Storm. The Stinkface to Storm is Kelly having more fun as Beth goes nuts trying to get rid of Charlotte. Sarah Logan is in at #22 and Charlotte gets rid of her in a hurry. Kelly tries to dump Charlotte and gets knocked out a second later for her efforts.

Natalya is in at #23 for a bunch of discus lariats, followed by teaming up with Beth for a powerbomb to bring Charlotte out of the corner. Xia Li is in at #24 and starts with the rapid fire kicks as the back of Beth’s head is busted open. Zelina Vega is in at #25 and hurricanranas Beth, who probably shouldn’t be messed with given her head. Charlotte survives a three on one elimination attempt and Shotzi Blackheart is in at #26.

Naomi gets sent to the apron but runs down the steps and dives onto the barricade with her feet inches above the floor. She gets onto an announcers’ table and tries to figure it out as Carmella is in at #27. Carmella gets a very long headscissors on Natalya as Naomi goes to another table. The Glam Slam hits Charlotte as Naomi goes to the third table. Charlotte goes through the ropes to the floor to a big reaction as fans have some false hope. Tegan Nox is in at #28 and walks into a Glam Slam as Beth’s hair is almost half red from all of the blood.

Naomi FINALLY uses an announcers’ table cover to make it back to the ring as Baszler gets rid of Carmella, plus Storm who was put out somewhere in there. Naomi is back in and the missed Rear View lets Baszler get rid of her as well. Natalya and Beth get together for a Hart Attack on Baszler but Beth dumps Natalya in a surprise. Charlotte tries to dump Baszler and Beth but they both save themselves, meaning it’s a Charlotte vs. Baszler showdown. That’s broken up and Baszler gets rid of Phoenix but can’t toss Charlotte, who skins the cat and eliminates Baszler to win at 54:31.

Rating: B. A few weeks back, I picked Charlotte to win, no matter how illogical or annoying it might be because that’s what Charlotte does. I changed my mind to Baszler because that made more sense and now here we are, because WWE can’t help themselves with Charlotte. It’s such an anti-climactic ending because Charlotte has been in a major spot so many times that it doesn’t mean anything anymore. And now, more weeks of hearing how great Charlotte is, because we haven’t heard that recently enough.

Other than that, this was a very good Rumble with far better pacing than last year and the NXT women carrying the slack. Belair and Baszler looked like killers and I’m hoping Shayna is main roster bound. There’s nothing left for her to do in NXT and she looked awesome here. Even the Santina bit was funny for some comedy. This was a solid Rumble, despite the disappointing ending.

Post match, Charlotte says she knows some people aren’t happy with her winning but she’s the diamond and will win the title again.

Corbin says Reigns made a mockery of their match so tonight, he’s tossing Roman.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Lacey Evans

Lacey is challenging and her daughter is here. Bayley gets taken down early to start so she goes to the corner to try for a turnbuckle. That just earns her a sweep of the leg and a slingshot elbow, meaning it’s time to claim a knee injury. The obvious goldbricking is obvious and Bayley hits her with a forearm, setting up a top rope elbow for two on Evans. Bayley grabs a chinlock as we hear Lacey’s military resume. The hold stays on for a good while and Bayley mocks Evans for being a mother. That’s quite the odd insult.

Evans fights up and gets in a knee from the apron. A slingshot rollup gets two but Bayley mocks the salute, allowing Evans to dodge a middle rope crossbody. The slingshot dropkick hits Bayley (and Evans has to catch her foot on the rope to keep from falling). Bayley rolls to the floor and avoids a slingshot dive, drawing hisses from Lacey’s daughter. Back in and the Bayley to Belly is blocked but so is the double jump moonsault, with Bayley grabbing a rollup with trunks to retain at 9:23.

Rating: C-. I got a nice chuckle out of Lacey losing in front of her daughter because having a child is quite the stretch for a reason to cheer for her. Bayley retaining the title is a bit of a shaky decision, but I’d assume that we’re getting Charlotte vs. Bayley at Wrestlemania in one of those fresh matches that WWE loves. Kind of boring, but it was coming after a huge match and there wasn’t much they could do.

We recap the Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan for the Smackdown World Title. Fiend beat him at Survivor Series so Bryan brought back the YES Movement (and cut his hair) for one more shot. This time it’s a strap match so Fiend can’t run away.

Smackdown World Title: Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan

Fiend is defending and they’re strapped together at the wrist with pin or submission to win. More importantly though: NO RED LIGHTS! After the Big Match Intros, Bryan goes right at him in the corner with the kicks and right hands. Those just earn him a powerbomb though as Fiend doesn’t seem to mind the pain. It’s time to start the whipping and a headbutt rocks Bryan. A missed charge puts Fiend on the floor so Bryan tries a dive, only to get sent into the barricade.

Alternating YES Kicks and whips keep Fiend down and the big one connects. Fiend pops back up and asks for more so Bryan kicks him in the head again. The running knee is countered into Sister Abigail for two and Fiend looks confused. Bryan is back with a kick to the face but Fiend slaps on the Mandible Claw with Bryan on the top.

Bryan pulls him into a triangle but Fiend keeps the Claw on, only to get reversed into the LeBell Lock with the strap over the mouth. That’s broken up as well though and Fiend whips him some more. Sister Abigail is countered into a rollup for two and another running knee gets another two. Fiend pops up again and stares down at Bryan, who whips him with the strap. That just earns him the Claw, including a Claw slam, for the pin to retain at 17:28.

Rating: B. They beat each other up rather well, though the lack of drama on the near falls hurt a lot. What didn’t hurt a lot was the lack of the red light, which didn’t take away a lot of the monster effect but did take away a lot of the stupid. Fiend came off as in control here though, as he looked like he shrugged off everything Bryan threw at him and then won the match because he was done with the torture. Bryan can move on to something else now and Fiend can get ready for something at Wrestlemania. Good match, but not much drama.

Post match Fiend disappears and Bryan has to be helped out. He probably does need a break after this one.

Super Showdown is confirmed for Saudi Arabia on February 27.

We recap Asuka vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Title. Asuka beat Lynch last year at the Royal Rumble, which was Becky’s last loss before she went on towards the main event of Wrestlemania. Lynch has been champion since and wants to avenge her loss.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Asuka

Asuka is challenging and has Kairi Sane with her. Becky avoids a dropkick to start and Asuka seems to be favoring her arm early on. Her feet are fine though as she kicks Lynch down to take over. Asuka throws her into the corner but charges into some elbows. A bulldog into a low dropkick gives the champ two and she hits a release front suplex off the apron.

Back in and the guillotine legdrop gives Becky two but Asuka slugs away. Something like a suplex into a sitdown drop gives Asuka two and they fight to the apron. That means a hip attack can send Becky into the post, but she’s right back with a middle rope Rock Bottom for two. Becky goes up again and mistimes a dive into a Codebreaker, only to go for the arm immediately after the kickout.

That’s broken up with a foot on the rope so Asuka unloads with kicks to the head. Becky has to grab the referee to prevent the referee stoppage so Asuka kicks her in the head for a very close near fall. A quick Disarm-Her attempt doesn’t work so Becky plants her for two instead. Becky goes for the arm again but the referee almost gets bumped. Asuka loads up the mist but Becky kicks her in the ribs, sending the mist into the arm. Now the Disarm-Her can go on to make Asuka tap at 16:32.

Rating: B. Another good match here as Becky gets the win over the one person she couldn’t beat. They beat each other up with Becky seeming desperate to finally beat Asuka, who was ruthless with her aggression. Asuka’s cheating coming back to cost her the match played into their story well too. This doesn’t leave her with many options, but she could wind up against Baszler or Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania, either of which could be awesome. With the match out of the way, maybe WWE can remember that Asuka is already a champion.

The Street Profits aren’t sure who will win the Royal Rumble, with Dawkins humming various theme musics.

Bobby Lashley and Rusev are out of the Rumble after getting in a fight in the parking lot earlier today.

Booker T. joins commentary.

Men’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals, Brock Lesnar is in at #1 and Elias is in at #2 (more bad luck as he was #1 last year). Elias talks about the gorilla in the ring and asks the fans to clap along for his new song, Sacrificial Lamb. Lesnar gets annoyed at the song and chases Elias (tripping a bit on the way out of the ring), meaning the match can start with Brock taking him down.

The first German suplex connects and Lesnar breaks the guitar over Elias’ back. That’s the first elimination so Brock gets a breather until Erick Rowan, with crate, is in at #3. Rowan blocks the German suplex and gets clotheslined out in about eight seconds. Robert Roode is in at #4, slugs away, gets clotheslined, F5, Brock stands alone. Brock poses with the title until John Morrison is in at #5 and it’s a belly to belly over the top in nine seconds.

Kofi Kingston is in at #6 and starts slugging away until Lesnar drives him into the corner. The first German suplex drops Kofi on his head and Brock starts smiling. The clock speeds WAY up so Rey Mysterio can come in at #7. Rey tries to run the ropes but gets sent into Kofi in the corner.

Ricochet is in at #15 and gets caught with a quick backbreaker. There’s a German suplex as Cole says he doesn’t want to hear about Lesnar not defending his title. In a non-title match. Drew McIntyre is in at #16 and gets in a staredown with Lesnar. Ricochet gets in a low blow from behind and McIntyre eliminates Lesnar to a nice reaction. McIntyre gets rid of Ricochet as well and Miz is in at #17.

Drew knocks Miz down and glares down at Lesnar, setting up the Claymore to get rid of Miz and stand alone. Lesnar and Heyman are still standing behind the barricade as AJ Styles is in at #18. Some early shots take AJ down but he pulls McIntyre down into the Calf Crusher. That’s broken up as well and Dolph Ziggler is in at #19.

Ziggler and AJ double team McIntyre until Ziggler punches AJ in the face. That means a suplex from McIntyre as Karl Anderson is in at #20, giving us McIntyre, Styles, Ziggler and Anderson. Everything settles down and it’s EDGE (THAT FREAKING LIAR!) at #21. Spears abound and we get an Edge vs. Styles showdown, capped off by another spear. King Corbin is in at #22 (YOU SHALL NOT BE ENTERTAINED!!!) and cleans house with Ziggler until Edge dumps AJ (who may have been favoring his wrist).

Reigns no sells McIntyre’s chops and it’s Kevin Owens at lucky #27. Cannonballs abound and there’s a Stunner to Reigns. Another one hits Orton and it’s Aleister Black in at #28. A jumping knee hits Owens and a running one drops Edge, followed by Black Mass to McIntyre. Samoa Joe is in at #29 and Black is waiting on him with the strikes.

Joe kicks him down, smiles at Owens, and starts the slugout again. Seth Rollins is in st #30 (sweet, no Velasquez), giving us Orton, Reigns, Owens, Black, McIntyre, Edge, Rollins and Joe. Rollins comes out with Buddy Murphy (who was scheduled to be in this) and the AOP so Joe and Owens roll outside to start the fight. Rollins and Murphy pull Edge outside before throwing Orton over the announcers’ table (not eliminated).

The Stomp hits Reigns and Rollins eliminates Black and Owens. The Koquina Clutch has Rollins in trouble but Murphy makes the save so Rollins can eliminate Joe as well. Owens, Black and Joe brawl to the back with Murphy/AOP, leaving us with Reigns, Rollins, Edge, Orton and McIntyre. Everyone surrounds Rollins so he tries to reunite with Reigns. That just earns him a Superman punch into an Orton powerslam into the Claymore so McIntyre can get the elimination.

Reigns hangs onto the bottom rope to stay alive and he pulls Edge to the apron with him. Edge gets knocked off and Reigns gets back in for the fight with McIntyre, who nails the Claymore. McIntyre tosses Reigns to win at 1:00:09 (Sally, I know you’re smiling. Don’t worry if you don’t get this reference.).

Rating: B+. The ending is what matters most here, as McIntyre has been ready to move up to the next level for the better part of ever now. They FINALLY pulled the trigger on him and while it is another step to win the World Title at Wrestlemania, this is a heck of a good sign for him and his future.

Then there’s the first half of the Rumble and your mileage is probably going to vary. I wasn’t wild on it, but it didn’t ruin the match for me. I didn’t need Lesnar to run through that many people, but at least the right person won in the end and we should be in for a big Wrestlemania showdown. It could have been a lot worse, and McIntyre winning warms the cockles of my heart (whatever cockles are).

Drew looks very emotional to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a good show and WAY better than last year’s (partially due to it being half an hour shorter) with Reigns vs. Corbin and Bayley vs. Evans not being great. Other than that, it’s a very solid show with two good Rumbles and one good winner. Becky vs. Asuka was awesome too and Bryan vs. Fiend was solid storytelling. Wrestlemania is feeling a lot more interesting than it was just a few days ago and that’s the best feeling you can have coming out of this show. Now just keep it up going into Tampa.

Results

Roman Reigns b. King Corbin – Spear

Charlotte won the Women’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Shayna Baszler

Bayley b. Lacey Evans – Rollup with trunks

Fiend b. Daniel Bryan – Mandible Claw

Becky Lynch b. Asuka – Disarm-Her

Drew McIntyre won the Men’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Roman Reigns

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s finally arrived. After what felt like a very long wait, we are ready to get on the Road to Wrestlemania. That means starting things off in Houston with the Royal Rumble, which feels both wide open and pretty clear about the winners. There are some odds on favorites but both feel like they are favored due to default more than anything else. I’m holding out hope for a surprise, but that hope might be false. Let’s get to it.

Shorty G. vs. Sheamus

We’ve waited for the better part of a year for Sheamus to come back and this is what he gets to do: make fun of someone for being short. Words can’t express how much I can’t stand this horrible gimmick for Gable, who deserves so much better (anyone would). The whole idea is built off one joke that probably only Vince McMahon himself finds funny, but Gable does seem willing to try and make it work.

That being said, Sheamus isn’t losing his first match back so Gable will try hard (as always) but still lose in the end. WWE does not see anything in Gable and while I can understand what they see in Sheamus, I can’t get my head around how they’ve set this up. I really hope this winds up on the Kickoff Show because it doesn’t feel like a match that needs to be on the main show at all.

SmackDown World Title: The Fiend(c) vs. Daniel Bryan

This is a strap match, which is kind of a weird choice for a gimmick. It fits their story well enough, but a cage match would make a lot more sense. I’m not sure what the point is in tying them together and whipping each other, as Fiend can survive a lot worse than pain. Bryan will be able to deliver some good visuals by letting out his aggression, but it still feels like an odd choice.

Of course I’m going with the Fiend here as there’s no logical reason to expect him to lose in this spot. Fiend seems destined to defend the title at WrestleMania in Tampa so winning here seems obvious. I’m not sure what Bryan is going to do next but he can take a few weeks off and come back to set up his WrestleMania program. Fiend wins here, after a pretty brutal match.

United States Title: Andrade(c) vs. Humberto Carrillo

They set this one up on Monday Night Raw and that’s not the biggest surprise in the world. Andrade took Carrillo out a few weeks ago and now it’s time to get revenge and the title. The fact that Andrade tried to take out Rey Mysterio made it even worse, but it’s nice to see two younger guys getting a spot like this.

I’ll take Andrade to retain, as he seems primed for a serious run for the title. Carrillo is someone who makes sense on paper but hasn’t exactly clicked with the audience yet. Someone with his skills is going to be around for a long time though and they should have a good match, but it isn’t going to include a title change. Andrade is too hot at the moment and Carrillo isn’t ready.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Asuka

This is the match that I’ve been looking forward to more than anything else on the roster. It was set up last year when Asuka made Lynch tap, which set her forward on her path to winning the Royal Rumble later in the night and then winning the Women’s Titles at WrestleMania 35. The loss is still in Lynch’s head though and that is driving her to want to face Asuka again.

I think Lynch wins here, but it’s after a war. Lynch is going into WrestleMania 36 for a heck of a showdown with someone (who we’ll find out tonight as well) and having her beat Asuka on the way there would be a great way to start. This could be an outstanding match and I could see an upset being possible, but the champ retains here, as she should.

Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin

This feud is still going and I’m really not sure I get why. Well ok I get why from WWE’s perspective, but the fans are the ones getting stuck with this boring story as WWE continues to try to make us care about Corbin. It’s Falls Count Anywhere so they can brawl around the stadium, which is a good bit better than trying to imagine them having another regular match.

Corbin wins here and, assuming Reigns can win the Royal Rumble, we get ANOTHER match out of them for the title shot in February. It’s the same idea that they had with Lynch last year and since WWE sees their wrestlers as the same all around, Corbin will win here, likely with the help of all of his cronies. I really don’t want to watch this but the faster we get done with this match, the faster both of them can get on to ANYTHING else.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Lacey Evans

I’m curious about this one as it could go either way. Bayley has been Women’s Champion for a good while now and WWE seems to like what they have with her during the heel run, but at the same time, Evans is the kind of person they have been trying to push for years now. This really could go either way and that’s a very nice feeling to have.

I’ll play it safe and pick Bayley to win, though other than Sasha Banks, I’m not sure who in the world she’s supposed to face at WrestleMania. The SmackDown women’s division isn’t exactly strong at the minute and Bayley could use a fresh challenge. I’m not exactly confident in this one and Evans could very easily walk away with the title, but I’ll take Bayley to retain.

Women’s Royal Rumble

This is your wide open Rumble as there are only five entrants announced as we come into the show. Out of those five, the only one who has a realistic chance to win is Charlotte, and I’m only kind of believing she could win. This is going to require some mixture of returning stars, NXT names and legends, which leaves the whole thing wide open.

I’m going with Shayna Baszler to debut and win, though I’m holding out hope for a Ronda Rousey return. Lynch vs. Rousey is the dream match that WWE would want at WrestleMania and one of the only logical ways they could go. Baszler is the other option and I’m hoping that’s the way they go, as she has certainly earned the chance. Then again the Survivor Series main event was kind of horrible and I don’t really need to see Baszler vs. Lynch again. Either way, Baszler wins here, save for Rousey returning.

Men’s Royal Rumble

I’m completely lost on this one. Brock Lesnar is starting the match at #1 and the question is who, if anyone, throws him out. There are a ton of wrestlers who are already announced for the match who could take him out, plus the possibility of Cain Velasquez returning (take me now) or a surprise Edge return (maybe but I’ll believe it when I see it). Then again there’s one name that seems to be a strong favorite.

As much as I don’t want to see it, I’ll take Reigns to win here so we can have his latest coronation at WrestleMania. I’m not sure why I’d want to see that, but Reigns vs. Fiend is the most likely choice they can have. Hopefully we get some nice surprises or that I’m completely wrong, as there are probably a dozen people who could get a rocket push out of this thing. They won’t, but they could and that gives me some nice false hope.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about the two Rumble matches, the more confused I am. That’s the best thing that you can have happen, but I’m scared that we’ll get the easy way out and that’s the most annoying possibility. This year’s matches do feel wide open so maybe we can get a better show than last year. Then again, if it’s over six and a half hours counting the Kickoff Show, it isn’t going to matter how good things are.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: January 17, 2020
Location: Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re nine days away from the Royal Rumble and everything is pretty much set. We still have some time to set things up though and that includes a tables match between Roman Reigns and Robert Roode, with the winner getting to pick the stipulation for Reigns vs. King Corbin at the Rumble. That’s the brilliant “stipulation begets stipulation” booking, which makes so much sense. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Kane to open things up. It’s his favorite time of the year because we’re coming up on the Royal Rumble. The match gives wrestlers a chance to go through h*** to get to immortality and Kane is proud of having eliminated more than anyone ever before. It was a lot of fun….and here’s the Firefly Fun House.

Bray is glad to see Kane but doesn’t like someone bragging at someone else’s misfortune. He gives Kane a chance to say he’s sorry but nothing happens. Oh and before we move on: Ramblin Rabbit is alive and well (complete with an IV of carrot juice). Anyway, winning the Royal Rumble isn’t the best deal in the world because it means you get to challenge for the Universal Title at Wrestlemania. Kane’s picture is on the wall though because he and the Fiend got it on.

Bray says he’ll never forget Kane and we see a clip of their match at Summerslam 2013 (Bray’s in-ring debut). Neither will he, and there go the lights. The red lights come on and Kane is on the floor as Fiend crawls through the ring. Kane: “WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?” Cue Daniel Bryan with the running knee to the Fiend and a bunch of right hands to send Fiend into the hole. The smokes comes up as Fiend disappears….and Bryan pulls out some of Fiend’s hair. The lights come back up and Kane and Bryan do the YES pose. Good segment.

Post break Bryan says the Fiend is best at disappearing, so let’s make the Rumble match a strap match. Bryan is done with the mind games and the running so Fiend isn’t running down the hole anymore. At the Rumble, Bryan is changing the Fiend.

Big E. vs. John Morrison

Kofi Kingston (with blond hair) and Miz are the seconds and yes the slow motion is back. Morrison starts fast by kicking Big in the head a few times and hammering away, setting up a neckbreaker off the apron as we take a break. Back with Big E. fighting out of the chinlock but getting kicked back down. Morrison’s spinning splash gets two but Big E. powers him up.

Morrison kicks him in the head and springboards into a flip over Big E., only to get caught in the belly to belly suplexes. The Warrior Splash connects but Morrison cuts him off with the Moonlight Drive. Kofi and Miz get into it on the floor and Morrison flip dives off the top onto Kofi (with his knee getting dangerously close to Kofi’s head). Back in and Morrison kicks Big E. in the head again, setting up Starship Pain (which still looks bad) for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C. Morrison is back and it’s still really hard to not want to make him a face. He looks great, he has the flips and a high flying finisher. The problem is he hasn’t exactly done well as a face before so I get why they don’t go there, but the temptation must be strong. I could certainly go for Miz and Morrison taking the titles from New Day as singles runs might be the way to go for Kofi and Big E. for the time being.

Video on Roode vs. Reigns.

Reigns and the Usos are in some dark place and they’re ready to go tonight.

Usos vs. Revival

Scott and Jey run the ropes to start until Dawson gets knocked down. Jimmy comes in but it’s a cheap shot from Dash to put him in trouble in a hurry. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Jimmy fights up and hits the spinning enziguri for the break. Wilder comes in and cuts off the hot tag, only to give it up seconds later. Double superkicks put Dash down and the Superfly Splash from Jimmy (as Jey dives onto Dawson) finishes Wilder at 5:00.

Rating: C-. This was rather underwhelming as there was little drama and they went through the formula in a hurry. It wasn’t a bad match but you expect a lot more from these teams. I can go with getting the Usos back on track, but it would have been nice to see this get a little more time and energy.

Post break Revival says they’re frustrated and a change needs to be made. Hold on though as we hear a fight and pan over to see Bayley and Lacey Evans brawling as Sasha Banks is down and holding her ankle. Referees break it up.

We look back at Mandy Rose giving Otis the cake last week and Otis….staring at her for lack of a better term, while eating it.

Mandy is ready for Sonya Deville’s match tonight but Sonya asks her if Otis can be at ringside tonight. She won’t say why but if Mandy asks, Sonya will do it.

Sasha is icing her ankle while she and Bayley rant about Lacey. Adam Pearce comes in and says Bayley is facing Lacey instead, albeit in a non-title match.

Bayley vs. Lacey Evans

Non-title. Bayley starts forearming away to start so Lacey snaps off a headscissors to sent her outside. Back in and Lacey small packages her for two but Bayley’s rollup with feet on the ropes doesn’t get anything. Bayley grabs the hair to snap the back of Lacey’s neck across the rope and we hit the armbar (Wouldn’t a chinlock make more sense after you started on the neck?).

Lacey fights up and kicks her in the ribs, followed by the running clotheslines. Another kick to the chest puts Bayley in the corner for the slingshot Bronco Buster but the double jump moonsault hits knees (looked great otherwise though). Lacey gets sent outside for a whip into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Bayley being sent back inside again but she snaps off a belly to back for two. A middle rope back elbow to the face gets two for Bayley but she misses a high crossbody. The Woman’s Right finishes Bayley at 11:25.

Rating: D+. This was a weird one as I like both of them but there were parts here that felt like they didn’t know what they were doing. It felt like some of this was a bunch of stuff instead of something that flowed from the beginning to the end. Lacey saluting time after time didn’t help either as it’s as pandering as you can get. It also didn’t help when this whole thing was filling time until we could get to one of WWE’s favorite booking tropes. At least there is a bit of an explanation this time as Bayley wasn’t ready, but it’s still more of the same.

Shorty G doesn’t like Sheamus coming back and talking down to everyone so he’s willing to teach him a lesson. Sheamus comes in to ask if anyone has seen Shorty G. After finding him, Sheamus pats Shorty on the head and gets double legged for some right hands to the face. Referees break it up and Sheamus is furious.

Braun Strowman wants an Intercontinental Title shot anytime. For now though, he’ll settle for entering the Royal Rumble.

Here’s Elias for a song, though he makes it clear that he needs our help. The song is about walking in Greensboro but here are Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn and Cesaro to interrupt. Sami is sorry to interrupt the sing song, but they have to deal with Braun Strowman to deal with right now. Strowman isn’t getting any Intercontinental Title show because he’s in no position to demand anything. Sami calls the shots around here and reminds everyone that Nakamura has won the Royal Rumble. Elias sings a song about how Sami needs to shut up so the fight is on. Strowman runs in for the save and cleans house.

Video on Rocky Johnson, who passed away earlier this week. It’s quite the tribute actually and Johnson was a lot of fun to watch in the little I’ve seen of him.

Alexa Bliss vs. Sonya Deville

Mandy Rose, Nikki Cross and Heavy Machinery are at ringside. Sonya knees her in the chest and ribs for two to start and we’re in the chinlock less than thirty seconds in. Bliss fights up and slugs her down so Mandy gets on the apron, only to get knocked into Otis’ arms. The distraction lets Bliss grab a rollup for the pin at 1:48. This is feeling more and more like the days of women’s divisions past every week.

King Corbin and Dolph Ziggler give Robert Roode a pep talk before the main event.

Shorty G. vs. Sheamus and Lacey Evans vs. Bayley for the title have been added to the Rumble card.

Roman Reigns vs. Robert Roode

Tables match and the winner gets to pick the stipulation for Corbin vs. Reigns at the Rumble. Roode jumps him from behind to start but Reigns punches his way out of trouble and loads up the announcers’ table. That earns him a whip into the steps but Reigns fights up again, only to miss a VERY hard spear through the barricade. Cue King Corbin on the throne and we take a break.

Back with Reigns slipping out of a superplex attempt but not being able to powerbomb Roode through a table. Instead Roode is sent outside as Reigns sets up a table in the corner. Corbin runs down and offers a distraction, allowing Dolph Ziggler to run in with a superkick (or Sweet Chin Music according to Cole). Reigns is sat on the announcers’ table but the Usos run in for the save. Ziggler is splashed through the table and Reigns spears Roode through the table for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C. This was just a way to get to the stipulation at the end and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not like Roode was any serious threat to Reigns and they advanced the story a bit by having the Usos there to make things even, which allows Reigns to be the better man even against adversity. I really hope they blow off Reigns vs. Corbin on Sunday though because egads I don’t think I can take much more of it.

Post match Reigns picks Falls Count Anywhere.

Overall Rating: C. The point of this show was to set up the Royal Rumble and they did that rather well on a lot of fronts. At the same time though, it was a rather uninteresting show on its own, with none of the matches being worth seeing and almost everything just coming and going with little impact tonight. It’s a watchable show, but something that you would be better off recapping rather than watching.

Results

John Morrison b. Big E. – Starship Pain

Usos b. Revival – Superfly Splash to Wilder

Lacey Evans b. Bayley – Woman’ Right

Alexa Bliss b. Sonya Deville – Rollup

Roman Reigns b. Robert Roode – Spear through a table

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 23, 2019
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re in kind of a strange place this week as next week will be one of the busiest and most important that WWE has ever seen. Based on all of those changes, this week’s show doesn’t mean as much, but WWE is trying to make it interesting by having a #1 contenders match for a World Title match next week, even though the title is on the line next Sunday. Let’s get to it.

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

The Then Now and Forever video is taken over by the Fiend, sending us into a recap of last week’s issues between Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins.

Here’s Rollins for an opening chat. Last week he was attacked by five people and then the living embodiment of a nightmare was right next to his face. There’s a monster waiting for him next week but he’ll do what he always does: survive and prevail. Cue Braun Strowman, who doesn’t like Rollins saying he prevailed over him. Rollins says Strowman can do something about it and a match seems to be made for tonight. They’ve been getting better at these opening sequences. There was a recap before Rollins came out and they were in a commercial by 8:12. If you have to do these talking segments, at least make them fast like this.

Good Brothers vs. Viking Raiders

AJ Styles is here with the Brothers. Erik throws Anderson around to start and Ivar comes in for a knee to the head. The slam drops Ivar onto Anderson so it’s off to Gallows for a change. AJ gets in a cheap shot on Ivar so Gallows can take over and that’s an ejection. Cue Cedric Alexander to jump AJ and we take a break.

Back with Ivar fighting out of the corner and handing it off to Erik to strike away. Everything breaks down and the springboard clothesline/German suplex combination is broken up by Anderson. The Boot of Doom hits Erik for two but the Magic Killer is broken up. Ivar comes back in and the Viking Experience is good for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: C+. This was all about having two teams hit each other rather hard for ten minutes and that’s all it needed to be. The Raiders almost have to be next in line for the Tag Team Titles as there is no one left to stand in their way other than the champs. Other than the AOP, who is supposed to stop them?

Robert Roode promises to win the five way and become GLORIOUS next week.

Michael Cole has a sitdown interview with Becky Lynch. First up, why would Becky want to face Sasha Banks inside the Cell? Becky loves the idea of Sasha being on a hot streak because she can’t make history on her own. Yeah Banks has been in the lone Cell match in women’s history but she lost. Who cares if Bayley is going to be running around ringside? Becky wants Sasha at her best, because Becky certainly will be.

Rusev vs. EC3

The fans want Lana and commentary makes it clear that Rusev isn’t the father of Maria Kanellis’ son. EC3 goes straight at him to start and gets knocked back without much effort. Some suplexes send EC3 flying and the jumping superkick sets up the Accolade for the tap at 1:41.

Rey Mysterio doesn’t think it’s impossible for him to win the #1 contenders match tonight. Thanks to Dominick he’s still here and now he has a chance. Tonight’s match is dedicated to Dominick.

Sasha Banks vs. Nikki Cross

Bayley and Alexa Bliss are here too. Sasha drives her into the corner to start and hits the running slap, only to get run over with a shoulder. Back up and Banks gets in some shots to the face, setting up an armdrag into the armbar. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Nikki goes with a crossbody for two.

They head outside with Nikki grabbing a sleeper until Sasha drops backwards for the crash (nasty looking one too) and we take a break. Back with Nikki sending her to the apron but getting kneed in the face. A slingshot Meteora gives Banks two but she misses a charge in the corner. Nikki hits some forearms and a bulldog out of the corner gets two.

Sasha is right back with a twist of the leg but Nikki sends her outside and hits a running crossbody off the apron. With Banks still staggered, Nikki ties her in the ring skirt and hammers away, followed by the Purge back inside. Bliss and Bayley get in a fight though and the delay lets Banks roll through a high crossbody into the Bank Statement for the tap at 15:33.

Rating: C-. That was a good bit longer than it needed to be and well done for making a champion tap out twice in two weeks. There really was no one else that could be put in this role whatsoever and the best result was to have the champ lose again. The match was only hurt by the length, though to their credit they never seemed to run out of things to do, which is more than some people can say.

The OC is annoyed so AJ is going to win the five way tonight.

Brock Lesnar is back next week.

The Street Profits hype up the five way before talking about Ricochet being accused of being the father of Maria’s son. Cue Miz to make two announcements: his second daughter was born last Friday and next Monday, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan will be on MizTV.

We see Brock Lesnar returning and challenging Kofi Kingston for the first Smackdown on FOX. Kofi accepted and got F5ed.

Lacey Evans vs. Ember Moon

Lacey throws a napkin at her and gets knocked down in a hurry. Ember sends her to the apron but gets caught with the slingshot dropkick to get knocked outside. Back in and we hit the chinlock for a bit as Natalya is watching backstage. The slingshot Bronco Buster gets two more and it’s back to the chinlock.

Back up and the Woman’s Right is blocked, allowing Ember to hit an enziguri to start the comeback. Lacey gets sent outside but gets Ember hung upside down by her feet above the floor. That’s fine with Ember, as she pulls herself up and kicks off the apron into an Eclipse on the floor. After that awesome move gets two, Lacey breaks up the regular Eclipse with the Woman’s Right and finishes with the Sharpshooter at 5:14.

Rating: D+. The Lacey vs. Natalya feud has all the legs of a bowling ball but that has never stopped WWE before. Why I would want to see a rematch between them is beyond me and I don’t even know why Lacey is doing this after their previous matches. That Eclipse was awesome though, even if Moon continues to flounder.

Natalya says if Lacey wants a rematch, she better be ready to tap out.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House, with Bray hanging pictures on his Wall of Friendship. This one is blank and Bray says there is always room for one more. Huskus and Ramblin are fighting over a Seth Rollins action figure because they’re such big fans of Seth. Bray says you have to share because if you love something so much, it can make you weak. He knows what it’s like to be abandoned by those you love most. Ramblin doesn’t want the Fiend to hurt Seth, but Bray says the Fiend doesn’t like to share. The two of them can though, so Bray breaks the figure in half. Sharing is caring and he’ll see you in h***.

R-Truth and Carmella run to the ring with the Mob not far behind. Carmella says hang on though and grabs the mic. They need a break because this has been going on for four months now. Truth isn’t worried because his clown friend is giving them a ride to Derry, Maine. Carmella says she can’t do this anymore….and rolls him up for the pin and the title. What took them so long to get there? Renee: “Graves! You can finally consummate the 24/7 Title!” Cue the women’s locker room so Truth gives her a ride out of the arena. The regular Mob isn’t sure what to do. Graves: “Great night to be me.”

Bayley and Sasha Banks give the terribly scripted speech about beating Becky soon.

Sami Zayn gives Shinsuke Nakamura a pep talk before the five way but Nakamura shushes him.

Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable

Corbin has a new crown and cape (which looks like the Barbarian’s version from about 1991), plus a remixed entrance song. Hold on though as Corbin has to get in some short jokes before the bell. Gable’s waistlock is thrown outside and we’re in the very early chinlock. Gable is back up with a spinning armdrag and a flip neckbreaker to send Corbin outside. One heck of a toss over the barricade sees Gable knocking out some security guards and we take a break.

Back with Corbin getting two off his under the rope clothesline and the chinlock goes on again. Gable fights up and hits a middle rope crossbody but Corbin sends him into the corner for a running clothesline. Corbin makes sure to soak in the booing and point at his crown and cape though as he is slowly getting this heel thing. Another sliding clothesline is cut off by the Liger Kick and a few more connect in the corner.

The moonsault is broken up with a crotching and a chokeslam gets two. For some reason Corbin goes to the middle rope but lands throat first on top, allowing Gable to hit a German suplex. This time the moonsault connects for two and the ankle lock goes on. Corbin can’t make the rope (which he’s next to) so he grabs the scepter and knocks Gable silly for the DQ at 14:55.

Rating: B-. Not as good as last week’s match but this extends the feud and makes Gable look like he has a future. Corbin is getting a lot better at the heel stuff and has gotten better over the course of the tournament. Again: he has always had a place around here, as long as they don’t go into complete overkill with him.

Post match Corbin lays Gable out with the scepter a few more times.

We get another AOP sitdown interview with the two of them promising to show us who they are. They get up and go into the hallway to beat up two people (one of whom looked like Heath Slater) before going back into the dark room and saying that’s who they are.

Rey Mysterio vs. Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles vs. Robert Roode

Non-title, elimination rules and the winner gets a Universal Title shot next week. Sami Zayn is here with Nakamura for a bonus. Roode heads straight to the floor to start so Ricochet and Rey hit a headscissors each, allowing Rey to roll him up for one. Instead of going after each other again, it’s a pair of dives to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Ricochet kicking Nakamura in the face but missing a dive to the floor, allowing AJ to clothesline him down. Roode throws Rey outside for the inadvertent sliding splash to Ricochet, leaving AJ and Roode to glare at each other. As the TNA chants begin, they decide to beat up Ricochet instead, only to turn on each other seconds later (well duh).

Nakamura gives Ricochet a gordbuster and knees him in the head but Ricochet flips out of the reverse exploder. Ricochet knocks him to the floor and gets the showdown with Rey. Cue AJ to break that up pretty quickly though, only to get dropkicked down instead. The Recoil hits Roode but Ricochet walks into Kinshasa for the first elimination at 9:45. Back from a break with Mysterio getting the worst of a Tower of Doom and Roode covering everyone for two each.

Nakamura hits the middle rope knee for two on Roode and a sliding knee gets the same on AJ. Rey is back up with a 619 to Nakamura but AJ suplexes Rey on the apron. The Phenomenal Forearm gets rid of Nakamura at 17:44 and the Glorious DDT finishes Styles at 18:03. We’re down to Roode vs. Mysterio and the fans come alive for Rey. The Glorious DDT is countered but the 619 is cut off with a spinebuster for two. Rey is right back up with the 619 into the springboard splash for the pin and the title shot at 20:04.

Rating: C+. The match was fun and Rey winning is a safe pick. He’ll have a good match with Rollins and even if he loses, it’s not like it’s going to hurt anything. It helps that Rey has the slightest glimmer of stealing the title as Wyatt beating him to win the title would work as well. Good match and a better result so nicely done.

Rollins says congratulations to Rey and he’s ready to face both Mysterio and Fiend next week because that’s what he does.

Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman

Non-title. Strowman starts fast by running Rollins over with the referee having to check on him. Rollins gets knocked to the floor in a heap and we take a break. Back with Rollins fighting out of a bearhug and dropkicking the knee. The Pedigree is easily broken up and Rollins bails to the floor.

For once Rollins is smart enough to avoid the charging Strowman by jumping over the barricade, though Strowman is fine enough to throw him down anyway. Back in and Strowman charges into some boots in the corner and then the post for a bonus. Seth wraps the leg around the post and hits a pair of frog splashes for two.

A suicide dive doesn’t knock Strowman down so Rollins hits a second to take him down. For some reason Rollins tries a third and stumbles a bit, allowing Strowman to chokeslam him onto the apron. The running powerslam hits on the floor so Strowman loads up another one in the ring….and there go the lights. They come back on with Strowman in the Fiend’s Mandible Claw for the DQ at 12:30.

Rating: C+. I liked what we got well enough and I’ll take Strowman winning via DQ and getting knocked out over Rollins pinning him again and taking away even more of Strowman’s status. The Fiend interference isn’t shocking but that doesn’t make it a bad idea, as taking out someone like Strowman is a little more impressive for him.

Post match Strowman is out as Rollins cowers in the corner, even screaming a bit as the Fiend crawls to him. Strowman gets up so Fiend claws him down again and glares a lot as the lights go out to end the show with more laughter.

Overall Rating: B. Strong show here with mostly good wrestling throughout and a nice segment at the end to make the Fiend look even more intimidating. That’s what they have to do with so little time between pay per views and at this point, he almost has to win the title. Other than that, things are building towards next week, which should be a heck of a time for WWE. Now if only they can live up to the hype/pressure for once.

Results

Viking Raiders b. Good Brothers – Viking Experience to Anderson

Rusev b. EC3 – Accolade

Sasha Banks b. Nikki Cross – Bank Statement

Lacey Evans b. Ember Moon – Sharpshooter

Chad Gable b. Baron Corbin via DQ when Corbin used the scepter

Rey Mysterio b. Robert Roode, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet – Springboard splash to Roode

Braun Strowman b. Seth Rollins via DQ when the Fiend interfered

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

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

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

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