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

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

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

Team Belair vs. Team Damage Ctrl

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team McIntyre vs. Bloodline

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s WarGames

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

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

Men’s WarGames

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

 

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 14, 2022
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than two weeks away from Survivor Series and that means it is time to start building some things up for the show. While we have a few matches, the real focus is going to be on WarGames. It looks like Raw will only be supplying the women’s match and more of the lineup needs to be locked in. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going and we see a package on Austin Theory’s failed cash in last week. Last week, he put out an open challenge and now there are people coming out of the woodwork for a shot at the title. Rollins talks about the cash-in and the fans say THAT WAS STUPID. Rollins is ready to defend against Finn Balor tonight but here is Bobby Lashley to interrupt. Rollins isn’t worried and brings up the loss to Brock Lesnar, so here is Mustafa Ali to interrupt. Lashley tosses him out with ease so Ali jumps on him again, only to be thrown right back to the floor. That’s not enough for Lashley, who says ring the bell.

Mustafa Ali vs. Bobby Lashley

Ali charges at him to start and gets knocked outside. Lashley gives him the posting and the spinning Big Ending connects back inside. A pair of spinebusters drop Ali but he says bring it. Lashley jumps over a charge in the corner and grabs a tornado DDT for a breather. And then the spear turns Ali inside out, setting up the Hurt Lock to finish at 4:23.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a squash with Ali trying what he could but getting run over almost every time. I’m not sure why WWE feels the need to crush Ali over and over but that’s what he had to deal with again here. The match was a way to make Lashley look great, but I’m not sure why Ali needed to be the sacrifice.

The OC is happy to have Mia Yim, with AJ Styles challenging Finn Balor for Survivor Series. Tonight though, Mia Yim is returning to the ring.

Mia Yim vs. Tamina

Tamina jumps her to start and hammers away as Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio come out to watch. Yim fights up and grabs a quick Eat Defeat for the pin at 1:54.

Post match Ripley teases the big brawl but walks away instead.

Matt Riddle says Elias is off doing his rock star thing and getting them their gig. Chad Gable comes in for some SHUSHING and brags about Otis’ win last week. The SHUSH vs. the bongo deal was about as annoying as you could imagine.

Damage Ctrl comes up to Mia Yim in the back and teases violence, but the OC comes in with the beer for the celebration.

Matt Riddle vs. Chad Gable

Otis is here with Gable. They grapple to start until Gable dragon screw leg whips him out of the corner. Another one slows Riddle down again but he’s back up with a kick to the chest. Riddle goes up top but Otis messes with the steps for a distraction, allowing Gable to grab a release German superplex to drop them both.

We take a break and come back with Riddle striking away, including a jumping knee to the face. There’s an overhead belly to belly into the running backsplash sets up a powerbomb for two on Gable. A triangle choke is broken up so Riddle grabs a hanging DDT instead. Gable is back up with a backslide and puts his feet on the rope, with Otis holding on, for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was mostly good stuff, though the ending was kind of weird to see. Riddle has fallen a pretty long way in the last few months, as the lack of Randy Orton is hurting him a lot. The Alpha Academy winning a match, even by cheating, feels weird and I’m not sure what the point is in having them beat Riddle. We’ll get a rematch I’m sure but dang that was out of nowhere.

JBL and Baron Corbin are winning at poker and don’t like being offered Kentucky bourbon. Akira Tozawa sits down to gamble, despite not knowing any of the rules. JBL: “Your money is good here!”

It’s time for MizTV, with Miz as the guest and Byron Saxton asking the questions. Miz has a statement about the Dexter Lumis situation: he regrets paying Lumis, but all he wanted was empathy. Miz has been in WWE for 18 years and he has worked so hard without ever getting so much as a cheer. All he wanted was for people to care about him, but here is Johnny Gargano to cut him off. Gargano says Miz wasn’t depressed because Maryse posted pictures of their vacation in Cabo over the weekend.

Miz says he was depressed in his hotel room but Gargano mocks Miz’s sweater (Miz: “IT’S A CARDIGAN!”) and calls him Mr. Rogers. Miz is ready to move on but Gargano wants Miz to pay Lumis what he is owed. It’s cool though because Gargano has an idea: in two weeks, it’s Miz vs. Lumis and if Lumis wins, he gets Miz’s money and a contract. Miz says beating Lumis will be AWESOME. Then a cameraman pops up and it’s Lumis, who steals Miz’s sweater as Miz runs to the back. This was rather bad, but Miz did make the cardigan work.

Earlier today, Dominik Mysterio mocked Shelton Benjamin, who threatened him with a beating. Damian Priest got in between them and we get Dominik vs. Benjamin later tonight.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Shelton Benjamin

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are here too. Dominik bails to the floor to start but a Judgment Day distraction lets him get in a few cheap shots. Benjamin punches him down without much effort and Dominik bails to the floor again. Back in and Dominik tries a 619 but gets caught in a powerslam. A t-bone suplex has Dominik on the floor for the third time so Benjamin finally goes after him. The ankle lock goes on back inside but Benjamin gets rolled into the corner. Dominik goes straight up and hits a frog splash for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a great match, but Dominik as the pest is a much better use of him going forward. He isn’t going to get anywhere based on his own abilities so having him do something like this is the right way to go. Not a terrible match and I can go for more Shelton, even though he is out there as a jobber.

Austin Theory says he didn’t fail last week because now he feels more alive than he ever did. That briefcase was an anchor around him but he was trying to make the most of an opportunity. Cue Dolph Ziggler to say it was the worst cash in ever but Theory doesn’t want to hear it from him. This is Theory’s time, but Ziggler doesn’t seem to buy it.

Video on WarGames.

Dana Brooke vs. Iyo Sky

The rest of Damage Ctrl is here with Sky and we get an inset promo from Brooke, who promises to never give up. Sky wastes no time in kicking her down and hitting a springboard missile dropkick. Brooke fights up but gets dropped again, allowing Sky to pose near the ropes. Back up and Brooke grabs a DDT but the handspring elbow is countered into a release German suplex. Running knees in the corner sets up Over The Moonsault for the pin on Brooke at 3:13.

Rating: C. Commentary was getting to the point with Brooke here: she’s trying, but at some point you have to win something. That has haunted her throughout most of her career, as she doesn’t really do anything outside of stuff like the 24/7 Title. Sky wasn’t going to lose here and Brooke tried, but she was in over her head.

Post match Mia Yim comes out to join Team Belair in WarGames.

Tozawa has cleaned out JBL and Baron Corbin. The villains try to cheat but Tozawa doesn’t fall for it.

Austin Theory vs. Dolph Ziggler

Theory takes him down to start and chokes on the rope, allowing for some trash talk. Back up and Ziggler charges into an elbow for two but he slips over Theory in the corner. Theory blasts him with a clothesline and sends Ziggler shoulder first into the post though and we take a break.

We come back with Ziggler hitting the running DDT but getting caught in a torture rack powerbomb for two. A Town Down is reversed into a sleeper but Theory slips out as well. The Fameasser gives Ziggler two, only to have Theory send him shoulder first into the post. Ziggler reverses another whip though and hits the Zig Zag for a rather near fall.

Back up and Theory forearms him in the face before hitting A Town Down….for no cover. Instead he hits a second one and stomps away before taking Ziggler outside for a whip into the steps. Theory rams him into the announcers’ table enough times to draw a rather violent DQ at 14:33.

Rating: C+. This started rather slowly but then they got going near the end. That being said, it was more about the Theory angle than the match itself. Theory going all angry is a different direction, but having it be against Dolph Ziggler isn’t exactly helping him. Cut a few minutes out of the beginning and it’s better, but Ziggler has a firm ceiling these days and that was on display here.

Post match Theory destroys Ziggler and sends him over the barricade to keep up the beating until agents break it up.

Rhea Ripley joins Team Damage Ctrl.

Baron Corbin vs. Akira Tozawa

JBL is here with Corbin, who shoulders Tozawa down to start. A chokeslam is countered into a DDT and a missile dropkick gets one on Corbin. They head outside with Corbin sending him into the steps, only for Tozawa to come back with a top rope headbutt to a standing Corbin back inside. Tozawa tries it again but dives into End of Days for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: D+. I have no idea what they were going for with the angle and the match, as Tozawa beat Corbin in poker and then had him in trouble here. The action was ok, but then you realize that it’s Tozawa giving Corbin a run for his money. Of all the people on the roster for something like this, Tozawa? How long has it been since he meant anything anywhere? Really not seeing what they were trying to do here but it didn’t quite work.

We look back at Austin Theory snapping.

Team Belair is ready for a singles match next week against Team Damage Ctrl. Damage Ctrl is all about games but Team Belair is all about war.

The Alpha Academy comes in to brag about their win but Seth Rollins dances by while singing shush. Ok then.

Finn Balor accepts AJ Styles’ Survivor Series challenge. For tonight though, he’s winning the US Title.

US Title: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Rollins is defending and gets taken down into an early chinlock. With that broken up, Rollins sends him outside for a heck of a dive as we take a break. Back with Balor knocking Rollins into the corner and mocking the conducting the fans motion. The abdominal stretch goes on but Rollins slips out and slugs away. Balor gets knocked outside for a suicide dive into the barricade but the Sling Blade is cut off back inside. Rollins kicks him down and hits a frog splash for two as we take another break.

We come back again with Rollins swinging Balor into the barricade but Balor hits a running dropkick to send him into the barricade as well. Back in and Rollins grabs a sitout powerbomb for two but Balor knocks him down again. Rollins catches him on top with a superplex but the Falcon Arrow is countered into 1916, leaving Balor rather frustrated. The Pedigree and Buckle Bomb are blocked and Rollins is right back with the Falcon Arrow for two.

The Stomp is loaded up but here is the Judgment Day for a distraction. Balor sweeps the legs and hits the jumping double stomp but here is the OC to take out Judgment Day. The shotgun dropkick sends Rollins into the corner, only to have AJ Styles break up the Coup de Grace. Rollins hits the Stomp to retain at 20:02.

Rating: B. This was the best part of the show as you had two guys who know how to work that kind of a match. At the same time, the ending with that much chaos and the referee being fine with the whole thing was a bit much to take. It does move us towards Styles vs. Balor at Survivor Series, but they went a few steps too far with the interference. Anyway, good match, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Post match Austin Theory runs in to beat up Rollins. The beatdown is on with Theory hitting a belt shot to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. What was this show? This felt like they dipped into the Vince McMahon playbook for some reason, with a bunch of weird choices and only a handful of decent matches. They did advance Survivor Series a bit and the show wasn’t a disaster, but it was one of the least interesting shows since McMahon left. Hopefully this is just a misfire, as it felt like a major step backwards after weeks of much better stuff.

Results
Bobby Lashley b. Mustafa Ali – Hurt Lock
Mia Yim b. Tamina – Eat Defeat
Chad Gable b. Matt Riddle – Backslide with feet on the ropes
Dominik Mysterio b. Shelton Benjamin – Frog splash
Iyo Sky b. Dana Brooke – Over The Moonsault
Dolph Ziggler b. Austin Theory via DQ when Theory attacked Ziggler on the floor
Baron Corbin b. Akira Tozawa – End of Days
Seth Rollins b. Finn Balor – Stomp

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 24, 2022
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

We are less than two weeks away from Crown Jewel and that means the card is going to need a little more build up. Two more matches were added last week and now we are probably going to get either some build towards those matches and/or even more matches added. That is what the show needs so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Judgment Day to get things going. Rhea Ripley says that last week, AJ Styles found out that Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw and that Dominik Mysterio is all man. Damian Priest wants the people to rise for the greatest luchador of all time. Dominik says these are the only people who ever believed in him and says last week was proof that Eddie Guerrero was his generation’s Dominik Mysterio. Cue the OC to say Dominik is stupid because he’s more like the James Ellsworth of this generation. Karl Anderson is ready to face Finn Balor right now so let’s do this.

Karl Anderson vs. Finn Balor

Everyone else is at ringside and Anderson knocks him outside as we take an early break. Back with Anderson fighting out of the corner and dropkicking Balor in the knee. A kick to the leg sends Balor to the apron and Anderson twists the leg around the middle rope. Balor knocks him down and hits some forearms to the back of the neck to set up the chinlock.

Back up and Anderson hits an uppercut to the face and adds the spinebuster for two. We take another break and come back with Anderson powerbombing him out of the corner but Balor reverses a fireman’s carry into a Nightmare on Helm Street. Balor’s kick in the corner is countered and Anderson’s middle rope neckbreaker gets two.

Balor is back up with a Sling Blade into the dropkick in the corner but Anderson catches him on top. A superplex drops Balor so Judgment Day offers a distraction, meaning the fight is on outside. Ripley posts Gallows and slams him on the floor (dang) as Dominik distracts the referee. Anderson fireman’s carries Balor but gets low blowed by Ripley to give Balor the pin at 17:09.

Rating: B. This was a long, back and forth match with the ending being what it should have been. Anderson is better on his own than he is as part of a team and he got to showcase himself well here. The good thing is that Anderson was protected in a loss and both teams are ready to go on the way to Crown Jewel. Heck of a match here and it didn’t feel nearly as long as it was.

We recap Miz attacking Dexter Lumis last week and Johnny Gargano saying he knows what’s going on.

Johnny Gargano mocks Miz, saying he knows what’s going on between Miz and Dexter Lumis. Miz says there’s nothing going on and he’s going to go tell the truth.

Here is Miz for a chat/explanation. Miz admits that Johnny Gargano is right and he has been keeping a secret, but first let’s recap. We hear about some of the things that Dexter Lumis has been doing to him before Miz says that this is all because of Tommaso Ciampa. Miz chose to mentor Ciampa instead of Lumis and now Lumis is out for revenge. Also, if anyone has seen Ciampa, send him back!

Cue Johnny Gargano to say Ciampa isn’t missing but rather injured, so Miz is just a huge liar. If Miz wants Lumis and Gargano out of his life, all he has to do is tell the truth. Gargano loads up the whistle….and it’s R-Truth interrupting (Gargano is very confused). Truth wants to talk about the truth but Miz isn’t going to talk down about Truth’s hometown comfort food. Truth: “You aren’t talking down about my North Carolina mac and cheese!” The challenge is on and Truth/Gargano say Miz can’t handle the truth.

R-Truth vs. The Miz

Miz jumps him to start but Truth takes him down ala John Cena. You Can’t See Me takes too long though and Miz is back up with a running knee. Then Dexter Lumis, or someone who looks like him, pops up near ringside to distract Miz so Truth grabs a rollup pin at 2:54. Nice to see a hometown win.

It’s Johnny Gargano instead of Lumis.

We get a sitdown interview with Candice LeRae who is thrilled to be back in WWE. She can’t believe she made it to Raw but here is Damage Ctrl to interrupt. Bayley talks about the people they’ve put on the shelf but Candice thinks all Bayley is missing is the Raw Women’s Title. The beatdown is quickly on.

Elias runs into Matt Riddle and his bongos, who still wants the two of them to jam together. Elias is willing to let last week slide but Riddle says he has been hitting the bongs all week. Cue the Alpha Academy to tell them to SHUSH so the argument sets up the challenge for later.

Austin Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Hold on though as Seth Rollins comes out to join commentary. Theory knocks him into the corner to start but Ali is back up with a spinning headscissors into another corner. An elbow to the face sets up an elbow on the apron though and Ali is in trouble as we take a break. Back with Ali being sent outside, leaving Theory to pick up his phone.

Some picture taking allows Ali to hit a dropkick to the floor, setting up the top rope flip dive. Ali strikes away back inside and hits the rolling neckbreaker for two. A tornado DDT gets two but Theory pulls him into a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. Ali takes him down and goes up but Rollins’ distraction sets up A Town Down to give Theory the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Theory get a win for a change, even if it’s over Ali, who probably needs the win even more. Again though it wasn’t a clean fall so it could have been worse, and you can probably pencil in Ali for the title shot at Crown Jewel, or at least on a big Raw. Now just let Ali beat someone on the way to the title shot.

Post match Rollins beats up Ali a bit before walking away….where Ali manages to jump him near the stage. The brawl is on with Rollins being sent into the video screen.

Miz comes up to Johnny Gargano in the back and wants to know what’s up with that. Miz leaves and it’s JBL and Baron Corbin taking his place. JBL wants Gargano to stop messing with Miz and show him some respect. Gargano shakes JBL’s hand and calls him MC Hammer Pants. He isn’t sure what Corbin is calling himself now either and that seems to set up a match later.

Video on Bianca Belair vs. Bayley before their match later tonight.

Omos vs. ???/???/???/???

MVP is here with Omos and talks about Omos’ recent showdown with Braun Strowman. The four victims are called over, with MVP telling them to look at Omos’ hands. Threats are made but let’s ring the bell. The beating is on and all four going after Omos at once completely fails. Big boots and elbows have the four down and a chokebomb gives Omos the double pin at 1:42. That’s how you make a monster look dominant.

Elias vs. Chad Gable

Otis is here with Gable, who wrestles Elias down without much trouble to start. Elias can’t get a backslide but can hit a suplex for two. Back up and Otis low bridges Elias to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Gable hitting a Swan Dive but Elias fights up with elbows to the face. A splash in the corner but Gable pulls him into an ankle lock. With that broken up, Gable pulls him into a Razor’s Edge, which is flipped forward into a DDT for two. Gable goes up top but gets kneed out of the air for a rather near fall. Elias’ swinging suplex finishes at 8:32.

Rating: C+. That knee probably should have finished it but Elias getting the win is the right choice. Elias is freshly back after being gone for a long time so he needs the win, even if it is over someone who loses a lot more often than he wins. I’m not sure how far Elias is going to go in his latest run, but at least it is off to a decent starts.

Post match the beatdown is on but Riddle runs in to save Elias.

We look back at the OC/Judgment Day sequence.

The OC is in the trainer’s room and AJ Styles says they have a Rhea problem. Worry not though as Luke Gallows says he has a way with women and can solve this. Styles: “He’s terrible with women!”

Post break, Gallows is back, apparently having suffered a low blow from….I’m guessing Rhea Ripley. More planning is needed.

Johnny Gargano vs. Baron Corbin

Before the match, JBL mocks millennials who want safe spaces and makes fun of Charlotte’s professional sports teams. JBL sits in on commentary as Gargano is sent into the corner but comes out with a rollup for two. A running hurricanrana sets up a dropkick to send Corbin outside for the suicide dive. One Final beat is blocked with a right hand to the floor though and Corbin takes over while slowing things down.

Gargano manages a discus forearm and a dropkick sends Corbin back to the floor. The apron superkick sets up a dive, which is pulled out of the air and Gargano is planted on the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Corbin hitting his torture rack neckbreaker for two. Corbin misses a charge in the corner and Gargano hits a bulldog for a breather.

The slingshot spear gives Gargano two but Corbin is right back with Deep Six for two of his own. The slid under the ropes clothesline is countered with a superkick to give Gargano two more. They head outside with Gargano sending him into the steps, then stealing JBL’s hat for some dancing. A tornado DDT off the announcers’ table drops Corbin again but JBL breaks up One Final Beat. End of Days finishes Gargano at 14:09.

Rating: C+. For those of you keeping track, we have now had six matches tonight and four of them have ended in some kind of distraction/interference finish to set up the pin. Corbin seems to be the bigger priority right now and the question was more about would it be JBL or Miz costing Gargano. I don’t like Gargano losing, but at least he’s on Raw.

Post break, Miz comes up to Johnny Gargano with a get well card for Candice LeRae. Miz is willing to tell the truth next week, but Gargano will do it if Miz doesn’t. And Miz didn’t even sign the card!

We get a long video on Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, looking at how similar they are and how dominant both of them have been, setting up their match at Crown Jewel.

Bayley vs. Bianca Belair

Non-title and Bayley has Damage Ctrl with her. Feeling out process to start until Belair powers her to the mat. A slam drops Bayley and we slow down a bit until Belair runs her over again. Belair can’t roll some suplexes though as Bayley pulls her into a crossface. That’s countered into a backbreaker for a breather and Bayley gets dropped on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Belair fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken down by a clothesline to the back of the head. A suplex from the apron to the floor puts Belair down again and Bayley starts in on the arm. Belair’s arm is wrapped around the rope and then twisted a bit, followed by more around the rope cranking. A suplex drops Bayley to give Belair a breather and the right hands in the corner put her in more trouble.

Bayley gets smart by pulling the braid but the Bayley to Belly is blocked. Belair’s handspring moonsault only hits knees but so does Bayley’s middle rope elbow. Now the handspring moonsault can connect for two and they head back outside, where Bayley cranks her down by the arm again.

We take another break and come back again with Bayley snapping the arm over the top but not being able to hit her own KOD. Instead Belair hits her own Bayley to Belly for two. A spinebuster gives Belair two more but a Sky distraction lets Bayley hit a super Bayley to Belly for a rather close two. Damage Ctrl loads up the announcers’ table but Belair powerbombs Bayley onto (not through) the table.

Another powerbomb against the post sets up a face first drop onto the apron. Sky gets in a distraction though and Kai kicks Belair in the face. Back in and…the referee ejects both of them as Nikki Ash dives off the top onto Damage Ctrl and the referee. Back in and the Rose Plant is countered into the KOD for no count as the referee is still down. Nikki (Cross, not Ash, and with no mask) comes back in and DDTs Belair so Bayley can steal the pin at 23:10.

Rating: B. This had the time and the ending, while the fifth instance of interference/some kind of a distraction tonight, has me interested in where things are going. Bayley had to win here as she had come back as a big deal but it doesn’t matter much if she keeps losing to Belair. At the same time, Belair was being booked a bit too strong when she survived against all three members of Damage Ctrl at Extreme Rules. This is the right way to go and there is a good chance that you can see the women’s WarGames match from here.

Post match Nikki comes back in and beats on Bayley as well with those nutty eyes being back for a change.

Overall Rating: B-. While the finish choices could certainly use some work, this was a rather good show with a pair of solid matches. They also gave us something important with the main event return and advanced a few stories along the way. It might not have been a classic show, but it was an efficient use of three hours and that is not a bad way to spend a Monday night.

Results
Finn Balor b. Karl Anderson – Low blow from Rhea Ripley
R-Truth b. Miz – Rollup
Austin Theory b. Mustafa Ali – A Town Down
Omos b. ???/???/???/??? – Double pin
Elias b. Chad Gable – Swinging suplex
Baron Corbin b. Johnny Gargano – End of Days
Bayley b. Bianca Belair – DDT from Nikki Cross

 

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Extreme Rules 2022
Date: October 8, 2022
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back with the violent pay per view and in this case the card might be able to live up to that hype. There is a different, or mostly different, gimmick to every match on the card and some of them could get rather violent. In addition, we find out who the White Rabbit is tonight and that could be a huge moment. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is narrated by Paul Heyman (of course) and features a boy in a spelling bee, trying to spell EXTREME. He asks for the definitions, with Heyman talking about what it means for tonight.

Imperium vs. Brawling Brutes

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

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

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

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

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

Miz isn’t happy about the idea of Dexter Lumis ruining his birthday tomorrow night. He’ll even talk about it with HHH….but something catches his eye. That would be Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty, who offers him a shirt. Miz throws it down and stomps on it, become the most despised man in the arena.

We recap Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan for the Smackdown Women’s Women’s Title. Morgan escaped with the title over Rousey at Summerslam so tonight it’s Extreme Rules so Morgan can prove she can hang with Rousey with no rules.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan is defending and it’s Extreme Rules, meaning Morgan brings a baseball bat. That works fine for Rousey, who starts the brawl and takes it outside, with Morgan being knocked down. Rousey picks up the bat but takes too long, allowing Liv to blast her with a fire extinguisher. That’s not enough though as Rousey hits a Piper’s Pit on the floor, followed by a baseball bat to the ribs (with Rousey looking to the crowd to see how far that shot went for some good heeling).

Some more shots to the knee put Morgan down but she’s fine enough to hit an enziguri for a breather. Back up and Rousey gets in some shots with a bat to the knee but Morgan sends her into the steps. A table is set up in the corner inside but Rousey sends her face first into it a few times. The running knee sets up an armbar over the ropes but Morgan slips out and grabs a chair.

Said chair is wedged in the corner….and then falls out, meaning there is nothing for Rousey to hit when Morgan kicks her into the corner. Back in and Morgan hits some awful chair shots, followed by a Codebreaker to drive the chair into Rousey’s face for two. Rousey is put on the table for the top rope backsplash for two, followed by a pretty awful powerbomb onto the broken table. That’s enough for Rousey to pull her into some kind of a leg choke for the knockout win (with Liv smiling for some reason) at 12:17.

Rating: D+. I’m trying to be nice with this one because they were absolutely trying, but this just didn’t work. I don’t think there was any reason to believe that Morgan had a chance to win a fight against Rousey, weapons or no weapons, and there was no way around that. Now that being said, Rousey unloading on Morgan’s knee with a bat and having it do nothing is inexcusable and had me wondering who put this match together because they need to be fired. They were in a bad situation that didn’t suit them and then it was all downhill from there. Bad match, but they put the effort in and it got better by the end.

We recap Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre. Kross debuted about a month and a half ago, saying he wants to reset the timeline, meaning taking McIntyre out. McIntyre isn’t down for that and is tired of Kross disappearing, so they’ve having a strap match.

Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre

Strap match and Scarlet is here with Kross. Hold on though as Kross jumps him before the strap is tied, meaning the fight goes into the crowd. They fight through the arena and make it back down to ringside, where Kross can’t suplexes him onto the steps. They get back inside with McIntyre in control and tying the strap to Kross’ wrist to officially start the match.

Some LOUD whips have Kross in trouble but Scarlet offers a distraction so Kross can manage a posting. McIntyre’s bad shoulder is banged up again but he wants to keep going, even as Kross hammers away. A Downward Spiral onto the announcers’ table (which isn’t like a Futureshock Cole) knocks McIntyre silly and the Doomsday Saito gives Kross two back inside.

McIntyre gets fired up by the whipping and a jumping neckbreaker drops Kross. Back up and the whip the heck out of each other until Kross finally gets staggered. The Futureshock drops McIntyre so he loads up the Claymore, only to have Scarlet get in the way. Some pepper spray blinds McIntyre and the Krosshammer (running forearm to the back of the head) finishes for Kross at 10:19.

Rating: B. Much like the opener, you went into this one expecting violence and that is exactly what you got. This was about two big, strong men beating each other senseless with a weapon that was going to make people cringe and they did exactly that. The ending was one of the ways they could go and McIntyre keeps face, but Kross needed to go over here after a brutal match and that is what happened.

Miz is on the phone about his birthday again when Gritty interrupts. More yelling ensues.

We recap Bayley vs. Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Title. Bayley returned at Summerslam and wanted to take over the division, including with her Damage Ctrl teammates. That means she needs a title and by pinning Belair at Clash At The Castle, she earned the shot here in a ladder match.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Belair is defending in a ladder match. After the Big Match Intros, they waste no time in going outside to grab a ladder each. Belair gets the better of things and goes up, only to have Bayley break it up without much trouble. After explaining to a fan that she is winning and therefore cannot suck, Bayley sends her into a ladder, with Belair using it for a quickly broken climb attempt.

Belair takes her down and hits the handspring moonsault onto Bayley onto the ladder but Belair is banged up too. A ladder is set up in the corner and a running sunset bomb sends Belair into the ladder for a big crash. Belair has to make another save so Bayley sends her outside and bridges a ladder between the steps and the barricade. The running elbow off the apron hits Belair on the ladder but Belair is back up with a ladder shot of her own.

Back in and Bayley knocks her down again, meaning it’s time to….break off a piece of her knee brace. The charge misses though and Belair grabs a KOD. Belair goes up but the rest of Damage Ctrl take her down, including a big shove off the ladder. That’s broken up with Belair hitting a double KOD (geez) but Bayley is back up to Roseplant Belair.

Bayley loads up the ladder over Belair….who presses it up to shove Bayley off for the insane power display save. It’s Bayley going up but Belair uses the braid to bring her back down. Bayley picks up a ladder but Belair picks up Bayley (and the ladder) and KODs them both, allowing Belair to pull the title down and retain at 16:38.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure on this one and a lot of that is due to how the ending of the match went. They did a good job of making Belair look like a monster, but this was Damage Ctrl slamming into a brick wall, as Bayley had worn her down and then the other two couldn’t finish it off. It made Belair look great but for the rest of the team, not so much. Other than that, this was a good ladder match with some creative enough spots, but there are so many of them these days that it’s hard to get overly excited about them anymore.

We recap Edge vs. Finn Balor. Edge formed Judgment day after Wrestlemania and then Balor turned on the team to take Edge’s place. Edge has since tried to destroy the team but can’t get rid of them no matter what he does. Tonight is his chance in an I Quit match.

Finn Balor vs. Edge

I Quit match and Edge starts fast with a neckbreaker. Edge drives him face first into the corner but Balor gets in a shot to the face to take over, including stomping Edge in the corner. It’s time to work on Edge’s knee and a leglock sets up a figure four. Edge isn’t about to quit but he can’t turn it over, meaning Balor can crank on it even more. With that not working, Balor takes it outside and ties Edge up in the ring skirt to keep up the beating.

Edge fights up and knocks him over the announcers’ table so they can fight into the crowd. They brawl around the arena and over by the Kickoff Show set, but Balor still won’t quit. Now it’s off to the concourse, where Balor is launched face first into the concrete overhead. The spear only results in Edge low blowing himself on a barricade though, with Balor bending Edge’s neck around said barricade.

They get back to ringside, where Balor can’t get Edge to quit so he wedges a chair in the corner instead. A Crossface has Edge in more trouble but he fights out and grabs the Edgecator for a bit of a flashback. Cue Damian Priest (Cole: “I was wondering when this idiot was going to show up.”) for the save, with Dominik Mysterio following, so Edge spears Balor through the ropes to take them all down. Back in and Rhea Ripley pops in to handcuff Edge to the top.

The three men of Judgment Day beat Edge down and Balor unloads with kendo stick shots to the back. Rey Mysterio FINALLY comes in with a chair (where the heck was he five minutes ago) and makes most of the save but Dominik knocks Rey off the apron. Cue Beth Phoenix to make the real save and beat the fire out of Balor with the kendo stick. Ripley gets up for the staredown so Beth beats her down as well and gets the key.

Edge is freed and spears down Priest, followed by three spears to Balor. Beth grabs the chair for Edge, who loads up the crossface but Ripley comes back in to blast Beth with brass knuckles. Judgment Day beats Edge down, including a bunch of Coup de Graces. Edge still won’t quit, so Beth is loaded into a Conchairto. That’s enough to make Edge quit at 29:53.

Rating: B. This did work and it did feel extreme, but they probably needed about five to seven minutes cut out to make it that much better. The ending was about the only way that they could go as you don’t want Edge quitting clean and it also makes him look like a hero for trying to save his wife. Balor and the team absolutely needed this win though and having them be all evil towards Beth made them look even better.

That being said, the Rey/Dominik stuff still isn’t working and still isn’t as interesting as WWE thinks it is. It’s also not as evil as Michael Cole would have you believe, as he was REALLY annoying on commentary, screaming like Dominik was blowing up a bus full of orphans when he hit Rey. Cole was going so far over the deep end that I wanted Rey to hit him instead of Dominik and I don’t think that’s the right idea. Other than that though, good, violent brawl.

They Conchairto her anyway. Panic ensues, because this time Beth is some helpless creature instead of the time when she’s a Hall of Famer and unstoppable force.

Charlotte is coming back at some point in the future.

Gritty gives Miz another shirt so Miz beats him up….but Dexter Lumis is behind Miz. The choke out ensues, followed by Lumis helping Gritty up. Gritty kicks Miz in the ribs and leaves with Lumis.

We recap Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins. They have been fighting for months and making it very personal, with both insulting the other’s family. Rollins beat Riddle at Clash At The Castle when Riddle let his anger get the better of him, so now it’s a match in the Fight Pit, which is Riddle’s style.

Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle

This is in the Fight Pit, which is a cage with no ropes and a platform around the top of the ring that they can walk on. You can only win by knockout or submission and UFC legend Daniel Cormier is referee for some extra flavor. The bell rings and the fans immediately want Bray Wyatt, but have to settle for Riddle walking the cage wall for a kick to the head.

Riddle hammers at the head and Cormier pulls him off, even accidentally sending Riddle into the cage. Rollins is back up to hammer away but Riddle flips out of a German suplex. More shots put Riddle down but Rollins shoves Cormier a bit, earning him a stiff lecture. A hard forearm to the back of the head drops Riddle and Rollins is getting cocky. A twisting frog splash rocks Riddle and a Stomp makes it worse, but Riddle beats the count.

Rollins isn’t exactly keen on fighting a ticked off Riddle so he climbs the cage and makes it to the platform. Riddle follows up and they fight near the edge, with Riddle grabbing a choke while holding onto a chain to avoid falling back to the ring. Rollins gets in a few more shots but Riddle catches him with an RKO, which is enough to send Rollins back down to the mat (not much of a fall when he grabs the edge and hangs from the platform before dropping).

Since he’s a bit nuts, Riddle drops a Broton from the platform to the mat (that looked good) for the huge crash. After taking some time to learn to breathe again, Riddle grabs a triangle choke so Rollins drives him into the cage over and over. That and a powerbomb aren’t enough to break it though and Rollins taps at 16:42.

Rating: C. What you have here is an idea that sounded good on paper but didn’t work out so well in execution. It was basically a cage match with room for some big bumps, but all that did was make me wonder why they didn’t just have a cage match. Yeah Riddle gets the big win, but he gets it in a match tailor made for him, which isn’t that impressive. The Broton looked excellent with the camera looking up, but other than that, this wasn’t the most memorable match and it didn’t exactly draw me in. I wouldn’t call it bad, though it’s nothing I need to see again.

Riddle goes to leave….and the lights go out, with the Fireflies coming up and Bray Wyatt’s voice singing He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands. We see real life versions of the Firefly Fun House creatures in the crowd, plus a Fiend mask on the stage. Then the Fiend pops up near the barricade and we cut to the stage, where there is a real life Firefly Fun House. A TV comes on with a monster saying something I can’t quite make out. Light comes from behind the door to the Fun House and it bursts open…..with someone holding a lantern coming out and wearing the mask from the TV.

The mask comes off and it’s Bray Wyatt. The lantern is blown out and a logo that looks like an upside down mutated butterfly comes up on screen to take us out. To say the place went coconuts for this would be an understatement as they lost it for every bit, but Bray has a long way to go to make up for the mess that was his last run with the company. I’m not saying he can’t, but he needs to be on a really, really short leash.

Overall Rating: B. As cliched as it sounds, this was a show where what was good was good but what was weak was weak. The best thing about this show was the fact that it had a variety of stuff and I was never bored watching it. The ending is the part that is going to have people talking, as it should, but the Donnybrook stole the night with one heck of a brawl. It’s a good show, even if it was a bunch of rematches with stories that need to be wrapped up already.

Results
Brawling Brutes b. Imperium – Brogue Kick to Vinci
Ronda Rousey b. Liv Morgan via referee stoppage
Karrion Kross b. Drew McIntyre – Krosshammer
Bianca Belair b. Bayley – Belair pulled down the title
Finn Balor b. Edge when Edge quit
Matt Riddle b. Seth Rollins – Triangle choke

 

 

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We’re off to another WWE pay per view and in this case it is another show where they already seem to have moved on to getting ready for the next major shows. In this case it’s Extreme Rules, but WWE is already hyping up Crown Jewel next month. That is the kind of show that can make for some good violence, but the show has been hit and miss over the years. Let’s get to it.

Edge vs. Finn Balor

We’re starting big with an I Quit match, as Edge’s war against Judgment Day continues. This is the kind of a win that could mean quite a bit for Balor, but WWE has a history of giving Edge one big win after another in major spots. I’m not sure why they would do that here, but there is a very real chance that they could go in the wrong direction, as Balor needs the win FAR more than Edge.

I’ll go with what should be the sane move here and pick Balor, likely due to Judgment Day threatening Rey Mysterio, or more likely Beth Phoenix. This is probably going to be quite the violent brawl with the usual assortment of weapons, including Edge’s obsession with breaking off a piece of a chair and putting it in Balor’s mouth. Despite that though, Balor wins, as he definitely needs to. I hope.

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

This is a ladder match, because WWE enjoys those quite a bit. Bayley returned at Summerslam and has gone on to become one of the biggest deals in the division, as she is pretty easily the top heel at the moment. That means she is going to need some gold sooner rather than later, and this would be a very good place to start for her. In theory that is, as it might not be that easy.

As much as I want to go with the easy path here and take Bayley, I’m not sure I can imagine Belair losing the title so soon. I’ll go with my instinct and pick Bayley, but this is one of the picks that doesn’t give me much confidence. I could absolutely see WWE wanting to give Belair a longer win, but I would hope that Bayley isn’t going to lose in one of her first major matches since her return.

Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium

The feud continues with a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook, which is the latest fancy (Is that fancy?) term for a street fight. It is the kind of match that suits these guys the best and after the screwy finish to Sheamus vs. Gunther II on SmackDown, there is a lot of revenge to be had for the Brutes. This is tailor made for these guys and they have a story to go with it, so we should be in for a…well a good old fashioned donnybrook actually.

I’ll take the Brutes winning here, as there is a good chance that Sheamus is going to get the pin over Gunther here to set up their third match. What matters is that these guys are going to be able to beat each other up for awhile and hit each other really hard until one of them doesn’t get back up. That is exactly what you need on a sow like this and I’m looking forward to a brawl, which hopefully keeps a good feud going.

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

They have backed themselves into a pretty severe corner with this one, as Extreme Rules or not, there is almost no way for me to buy that Morgan would ever be a threat to Rousey. The first win came via Money in the Bank cash-in and the second came on a fluke. Yet here we are, being asked to believe that Rousey wouldn’t rip her head off in a matter of seconds. That is something that can be set up, but Morgan suddenly wanting to prove how violent she can be isn’t the way to go.

I’ll take Rousey here, as hopefully Morgan’s title reign is finally put out of its misery. Morgan has been trying but WWE has done a pretty miserable job of making Morgan feel like she is a serious threat to the top names in the division. You can only get so far winning off of flukes and screwups and Morgan has hit that wall. She needs to drop the title here, if nothing else before Charlotte comes back and beats her even worse. Rousey wins here, as she should.

Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

This one has gotten my interest over the last few weeks as it feels like the kind of match where two guys are going to beat each other up while looking like they want to destroy each other. Kross is in one of his first major matches on the main roster while McIntyre is still pretty much the default top face on SmackDown. That makes for a showdown and they have made this feel like a violent feud.

As much as it would make sense for McIntyre to win here, this needs to be Kross getting a win. After debuting and feeling like little more than a joke, Kross needs to come in and make a name for himself with a big win. That can be with or without Scarlett’s help, but Kross needs to go over here. McIntyre has been a made man for a long time now and he can get a win back later, but for now, this should be Kross.

Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle

I’m guessing that this will be the main event, as it is the most developed and by far most personal feud on the show. This is going to be in the Fight Pit, which was only used in NXT and is a cage featuring a platform around the top. There is potential to this one and Riddle could get a heck of a rub out of beating him. That being said, beating Rollins is quite the task and I’m not completely sold on Riddle being able to pull it off.

I’ll go with what makes sense here though and have Riddle win. It’s his match type and I’m not sure I can imagine Daniel Cormier being brought in to hold up Rollins’ hand after this kind of a violent match. Riddle could become a big deal with a win and the company needs some more top faces, so I’ll pick Riddle to win here, as he certainly could use a victory like this more than Rollins.

Overall Thoughts

The best thing about this show is its variety. There are some different gimmicks throughout the card and some of them feel like they have been built up over the last few weeks. Last year’s show had a total of one violence based match so having everything involved actually be about the carnage this time should help. I’m not sure how big of a show this is going to be, but at least they have set things up well. The White Rabbit stuff (I’ll go safe and say it’s Bray Wyatt) should help as a big moment, though I’m not sure how it is going to play in. I’m interested in the show though and now I have a reason to believe that it could work.

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 26, 2022
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We are less than two weeks away from Extreme Rules and the card could use some work. There are some more matches that could be added to the card and the show could use some more extreme. That shouldn’t be difficult to figure out and I’m curious to see what they do. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss and Asuka for a chat. Belair would call out Bayley right now but she knows it wouldn’t be a fair fight. Last week, Bayley should have fought Bliss one on one but that wasn’t the case. Cue Damage Ctrl, with Bayley saying she is taking over WWE and that means getting the title back. Belair says Bayley was great but then she got hurt and now someone new is here. Bayley wants the title and she’ll take it in a ladder match at Extreme Rules (of course she will). For now though, we need a match.

Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky

Non-title. Belair knocks her outside and we take an early break. Back with….Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa arriving, followed by a return to the match that absolutely had to start before the break. Belair blocks a headscissors with a backbreaker for two but Sky hits the slingshot knees in the corner for two.

Belair is back up with some right hands in the corner but they head outside, where Sky gets in a posting as we take a break. Back with Belair sending her into the corner again and suplexing her into a delayed vertical suplex for two. Sky kicks her down again though and steps on Sky’s hair. That doesn’t last all that long as Belair is back up for an exchange of missed moonsaults.

The handspring moonsault gives Belair two and she easily pulls a diving Sky out of the air. The fall away slam gets two but Sky knocks her off the top. Belair evens that up by shaving Sky off the top as well, setting up a slingshot dive to the rest of Damage Ctrl. Back in and the KOD finishes Sky at 17:49.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but eventually they were able to get something going. Belair and Sky can do some very good things in the ring and they had the time to make it work here. The bad sign here is Damage Ctrl losing again, but that is all forgiven if Bayley wins the title at the pay per view.

Rey Mysterio talks about what it means to be a father, but tonight, he is focused on Seth Rollins.

Miz talks to his security force, promising them a variety of things and talking about how they are here to be stealthy. They are dubbed the Miz Force and sent off to find Dexter Lumis.

Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins

Before the match, Rollins talks about how Matt Riddle cost him the US Title last week. That means Rollins has to get his revenge in the Fight Pit, which isn’t his type of match. No worries though because he is Seth Freaking Rollins baby! All Rollins does is win so he’ll do it again there. As for now, he’ll give Rey the beating Rey’s son deserves.

We get to the match, with Rey dropkicking him to the floor before the bell and it’s off to a break. We’re joined in progress with Rolling having been busted open off a posting during the break but being fine enough for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Rollins misses a charge into the corner though and a drop toehold sends him into another buckle.

Back up and a heck of a gutbuster drops Rey and Rollins sends him face first onto the floor for a bonus. Cue Dominik Mysterio with a chair to approve of Rollins’ actions as we take a break. We come back with Rollins kicking him in the head as Dominik watches from ringside. Rey manages a quick DDT for a breather before countering the Buckle Bomb. Rollins buckle bombs him on the second attempt, setting up Michinoku Driver for two. Back up and a hurricanrana sends Seth to the floor, allowing Rey to hit his sliding splash outside.

Rey takes him back inside where the 619 is broken up, leaving Rey to setting for a top rope hurricanrana. Now the 619 connects and sends Rollins outside. With Rollins down, Dominik loads up the chair and tells Rey to hit him with it. The distraction lets Rhea Ripley come in for a chair shot of her own. Back in and the Stomp sets up a choke to finish Rey at 17:10.

Rating: B-. Similar to the opener, this was a match where talented people were allowed to do their thing for a good while and the match worked as a result. These two had one of the most dragged out feuds in recent memory a few years ago but a match like this shows you what they can do under less pressure. Another good match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Bobby Lashley wishes Matt Riddle good luck about tonight’s match against Damian Priest. Oh and don’t ever interrupt one of his matches again. As for the Fight Pit, knock Rollins’ teeth out.

Johnny Gargano/Kevin Owens vs. Alpha Academy

Gargano grabs a running hurricanrana on Gable to start before it’s off to Owens. Gable gets taken down and crushed for two but Otis gets the blind tag. That means the real beating can ensue, including a gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam for two. We take a break and come back wit Gargano still in trouble in the corner.

Some backdrops get Gargano towards the middle of the ring but he has to kick Gable in the face first. NOW the hot tag can bring in Owens to clean house, including a Cannonball into s sharpshooter. Gable grabs the rope so Owens hits a Swanton for two more. It’s off to Gargano, who gets suplexed down, setting up a Steiner Bulldog of all things for two.

Everything breaks down and Otis clotheslines Owens on the floor. Otis loads up the announcers’ table but gets superkicked onto it, setting up an elbow from the barricade to put Otis through the table. Cue Austin Theory to distract Gargano, allowing Gable to hit a Dominator DDT for two more. Gargano superkicks Theory and One Final Beat is enough to finish Gable at 12:50.

Rating: C+. Owens and Gargano may not be Owens and Zayn but they are working well in the short term. As usual, one of the best things that can be done is to throw together a few talented people and let them see what they can do. That is what we are getting to see here and it was nice to see Alpha Academy getting to wrestle without talking for a change.

AJ Styles talks about why he turned down Judgment Day when Finn Balor comes in. Balor hypes up the team some more ans wants AJ to keep thinking about it.

Chad Gable defends Otis’ loss to Austin Theory, who thought they could take out Johnny Gargano. Then Theory gets a phone call from Braun Strowman, who says he wants to face Gable next week.

Omos vs. Greg Lester/Joe Gibson

MVP is on commentary. Omos throws them outside to start, beats them up on the floor, beats them up back inside, and hits a chokebomb to set up the double pin at 1:40. MVP talked about Braun Strowman a good bit during the match so there might be a showdown looming.

Post match, Omos stacks them up on the announcers’ table and poses over them.

Miz finds his security force knocked out, plus Dexter Lumis dressed as a hockey statue. Lumis knocks Miz out and cradles his head for a bonus.

Nikki Ash vs. Candice LeRae

LeRae is making her return to the company and main roster debut. LeRae knocks her to the floor to start but a baseball slide is caught in the ring skirt so Ash can pound away. Back in and Candice hammers away, setting up a Backstabber. Ash catches her on top, but it’s Mrs. LeRae’s Wild Ride (middle rope swinging neckbreaker) for the pin at 1:40.

Video on Logan Paul vs. Roman Reigns.

Damian Priest isn’t worried about Matt Riddle tonight because he has his family with him.

AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn

Solo Sikoa is at ringside too. Sami grabs a headlock to start and then runs him over, meaning he can throw up the one. A backbreaker puts Zayn down for a change but he’s back up with an elbow to the head for two. Styles gets knocked outside but comes right back in to slug away. The fireman’s carry neckbreaker looks to set up the Styles Clash, which doesn’t work so soon.

Instead Styles settles for the torture rack neckbreaker for two and Zayn is sent outside for a change. The slingshot forearm connects and we take a break. Back with Styles being sent hard into the corner but managing to counter the exploder suplex into a rollup for two. Sami is right back with a boot to the face and the Blue Thunder Bomb for two of his own and frustration is setting in.

Styles is sent outside and knocked into the timekeeper’s area, leaving him to dive back in to beat the count. They slug it out again and exchange kicks to the head for a double knockdown. We take another break and come back again with Zayn having to fight out of the Styles Clash. Instead, Zayn grabs the exploder suplex into the corner for a breather. The Calf rusher sends Sami bailing to the ropes, followed by a jawbreaker to stagger Styles. Sami sends him outside, where Sikoa grabs a Rock Bottom onto the apron. Back in and the Helluva Kick finishes for Sami at 20:01.

Rating: B-. Zayn continues to be the most interesting person in WWE and it is great to see him getting some in-ring time to back it up. Sikoa and Zayn as a mini piece of the Bloodline could have some potential too and it should be great to see where this is going. At the same time, Styles kind of floats around, but he could be great as part of Team Guys Roman Reigns Hasn’t Beaten Yet against the Bloodline.

Post match here is the Judgment Day, who offer Styles a spot on the team again. Styles flips them off and gets beaten down, with Finn Balor loading up the chair around his neck. Pillmanizing is loaded up but Balor cuts himself off, saying that’s not what friends do.

Candice LeRae doesn’t think much of Damage Ctrl, but she and Bayley can fight later.

Matt Riddle vs. Damian Priest

The rest of Judgment Day is here too as Priest shoves Riddle down to start. Riddle counters a suplex into a choke, which doesn’t last long. They trade missed kicks to the head and that’s good for an early standoff. Priest gets dropped and the Broton gives Riddle two. Back up and Priest kicks him HARD in the face but Riddle manages to pull him outside.

Finn Balor takes the running kick on the apron for Priest, leaving him to suplex slam Riddle HARD onto the barricade as we take a break. Back with Riddle fighting out of a double arm crank and striking away, including a big shot to knock Priest outside. Now the apron kick can connect, setting up the springboard Floating Bro for a knockdown.

Back in and a knee to the face drops Priest again but he is right back up to shove Riddle off the top for a huge crash. Priest drops him hard again and we take a break. We come back again with Riddle hitting a superplex for two and they’re both down. A slugout from their knees goes to Riddle, who hits Bro Derek for two.

Back up and a Ripley distraction lets Priest hit something like a swinging Downward Spiral for two. Riddle flips out of a chokeslam but the RKO is blocked. Instead it’s a jumping knee to the face, which draws Balor up for the distraction. Another chokeslam is loaded up but Riddle reverses into a cradle for the pin at 18:51.

Rating: B. This was a good way to build Riddle back up and Priest getting to main event the show helps too. What matters here is Riddle getting back on track after some losses as his huge match (which will likely headline the show) with Rollins on the way. Good stuff here again, and I liked the non-finisher ending for a change.

Post match the beatdown is on but here is Edge for the save. Edge clears the ring and says he is tired of dealing with Judgment Day. That’s why at Extreme Rules, Edge wants Balor in an I Quit match. Balor stares up at Edge to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was pretty awesome, with one long/good match after another. That has been more of the norm in recent weeks, which has left little room for a bunch of the stupid stuff that has plagued WWE for years. Extreme Rules looks a lot more extreme than it did just a few hours ago, meaning they covered the short and long term here. Great show, with all kinds of solid wrestling.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Iyo Sky – KOD
Seth Rollins b. Rey Mysterio – Choke
Kevin Owens/Johnny Gargano b. Alpha Academy – One Final Beat to Gable
Omos b. Joe Gibson/Greg Lester – Double pin
Candice LeRae b. Nikki Ash – Mrs. LeRae’s Wild Ride
Sami Zayn b. AJ Styles – Helluva Kick
Riddle b. Damian Priest – Rollup

 

 

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

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 22, 2022
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re still north of the border and this time there is a special treat for the hometown crowd. Edge is going to be facing Damian Priest for the big homecoming match and that should be a heck of a fight. Other than that, we should be seeing the continuing adventures of Dexter Lumis, plus any other possible returns. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the back with Riddle and Seth Rollins brawling in the Gorilla Position. They are separated by security but brawl into the arena to keep it going. More brawling leads to more separations until they’re finally held apart on the ramp, much to the fans’ annoyance.

Here is hometown legend Trish Stratus for a chat. The fans seem rather happy to see her and Trish seems overwhelmed by the reception. The ONE MORE MATCH chant starts up and Trish has been thinking….but here are Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky to interrupt. We take a break and come back with Bayley talking about how awesome it is to have Trish back, but why is she here?

Through translation, we hear about Sky being a huge fan but Bayley still wants to know why Trish has been after them over the last few days. Cue Bianca Belair to say Bayley isn’t in the same stratosphere. Bayley still isn’t convinced so Trish takes off her jacket. Asuka and Alexa Bliss come out to uneven the odds so Bayley and company are ready to leave but it’s time for a match. Trish vs. Bayley down the line could be a heck of a showcase for the latter and Trish looks like she could still go.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament: Asuka/Alexa Bliss vs. Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky

Asuka knocks Kai outside and then off the apron for a bonus as we take an early break. Back with Bliss getting out of trouble and handing it back to Asuka to face Sky. They circle each other and trade kicks to the face, with Asuka getting the better of things. Bliss comes back in to knock the villains outside, setting up a big dive to the floor. A cheap shot cuts her off though and we take a second break.

We come back again with Asuka striking away at Sky for two as Aliyah, Doudrop and Nikki Ash are watching in the back. Sky gets over to the apron for a springboard missile dropkick, allowing Kai to come back in with a scorpion kick. Bliss makes the save and hits a double DDT but Kai breaks up some kind of stretch from Asuka.

Bliss makes the save and tries Twisted Bliss but only hits raised knees. Asuka tags herself in though and hits some spinning backfists to Kai. A blind tag brings Sky back in but Asuka doesn’t realize it, meaning Kai tapping to the Asuka Lock doesn’t matter. Instead, Sky comes in for the rollup pin at 18:34.

Rating: C+. There were some sloppy points here but the ending was a nice way to make Kai and Sky look rather smart. Asuka got distracted and was pinned clean, which works perfectly well to send the villains to the finals. It would be hard to fathom them not winning the belts, but stranger things have happened. Long match too, and that isn’t something you see from women’s tags very often.

Dolph Ziggler is ready to bounce back after his loss to Theory but Judgment Day interrupts. Finn Balor doesn’t think much of Ziggler attaching himself to another up and comer to stay relevant. Ziggler slaps him down and heads to the ring.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Finn Balor

Rhea Ripley is here with Balor. An early superkick attempt is blocked and Ziggler is sent into the corner, allowing Balor to talk trash. Ziggler gets whipped hard into the corner and we take an early break. Back with Ziggler getting an elbow up in the corner and hammering away with some right hands.

The Fameasser is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two but Ziggler is back with his DDT for the same. The second Fameasser attempt connects for two and they’re both down for a bit. It’s Balor up first with the shotgun dropkick but the Coup de Grace misses. The Zig Zag gets a very near fall and it’s time to slug it out. Ziggler’s headbutt knocks Balor silly but Ripley gets in a cheap shot. 1916 sets up the Coup de Grace to finish Ziggler at 12:57.

Rating: B-. Those near falls were good and the fans were WAY into this so they were doing a lot right. Ziggler is still a solid choice to have a match like this and put someone over, though I can’t help but roll my eyes when I see him set something up. Balor winning is nice to see though, even if I have no reason to believe the momentum is lasting.

Aliyah brags about being the bougie bada** but Bayley and company come in and mock her for showing up alone. Trish Stratus comes in to ask when Bayley is getting back in the ring. Bayley vs. Aliyah is set for tonight. Bayley and company leave, with Adam Pearce and some security looking at some photos and walking the other way.

Here is Alpha Academy to accept new students. The search is starting here in Toronto but all Chad Gable can find is a bunch of toothless hockey players at Tim Hortons. The Toronto Mapleleafs lost a hockey game to a team from Tampa Bay and they don’t even have hockey! So send me your best Toronto….and here we go.

Kevin Owens vs. Chad Gable

Gable gets knocked outside to start as the fans are WAY behind Owens. Back in and Gable’s headlock is broken up, allowing Owens to hit a hard clothesline. It’s too early for the Cannonball so Gable rolls outside. A t-bone suplex drops Owens again and two more drop him on the apron as we take a break.

Back with Owens hitting a Cannonball and dropping Gable onto his knee. Owens goes up, while favoring his own knee, and hits a frog splash for two. The Pop Up powerbomb and Stunner are both countered, with the latter being reversed into a bridging German suplex to give Gable two. Gable hits a top rope headbutt for two of his own so he takes Owens up top. That means the swinging superplex can give Owens a delayed two but the Swanton hits knees. Back up and a superkick sets up the Pop Up powerbomb to finish Gable at 11:07.

Rating: B. It’s really, really nice to see Owens back and thankfully he is the older, more hard hitting version. I liked this one a good bit, though I could have seen it end after that frog splash. They gave Gable a lot here and it should save him some credibility in the future, as beating him will mean a bit more if he can hang with Owens for this long.

Post match Otis jumps Owens and gets Stunned for his efforts. Then Owens powerbombs Gable onto Otis for a bonus.

Judgment Day mocks the Mysterios, with Finn Balor saying Dominik might be enjoying getting beaten up by Rhea and declaring Rey “6 1 Mine”. Damian Priest promises to send Edge back into retirement.

Bayley vs. Aliyah

Aliyah rolls her up for to and the Matrish sets up a hiptoss. A running crossbody in the corner hits Bayley and a hurricanrana brings her back out for one. Bayley grabs her by the ear and pulls her into a chinlock, only to be armdragged down. Aliyah gets sent into the corner for some shots to the head and the chinlock goes on again.

Back up and Bayley mocks Trish’s pose but what looks to be a Stratusfaction attempt is broken up. Aliyah slides to the floor and hits a sitout bulldog, which is about as she is getting to being Trish. Back in and the half crab keeps Bayley in trouble but she’s right back up. The Rose Plant finishes Aliyah at 6:32.

Rating: C. It’s great to have Bayley back, but Aliyah continues to drag down just about everything she does. There comes a point where it just isn’t working and I think we passed that point with her several years ago. The problem comes down to the fact that she just isn’t very good and shouldn’t be on Raw or Smackdown. Bayley being back is a good thing though and she is already the top heel in the Raw women’s division, where she should be for a long time to come.

Miz/Ciampa vs. AJ Styles/Bobby Lashley

Styles dropkicks the heck out of Ciampa to start and hands it off to Lashley. A double suplex is loaded up but Styles steps to the side, allowing Lashley to hit his own delayed vertical. Miz comes in and Lashley gets to wreck things again, including tossing both villains to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Styles in trouble and Ciampa putting on a chinlock. Styles fights out of trouble and hands it back to Lashley, meaning house can be properly cleaned. A DDT/Downward Spiral combination plants the villains but Ciampa rolls outside before the spear. Lashley posts Ciampa and clotheslines Miz, but the distraction lets Ciampa hit Willow’s Bell for two.

Lashley is back up with the spear so Miz has to make a save. Styles is knocked outside where security pulls someone (definitely NOT Dexter Lumis) away. Then on the other side of the ring, Lumis appears and pulls Miz over the barricade and through the crowd for the DQ at 13:52.

Rating: C+. The ending was an interesting way to go as I wasn’t sure how they were going to tie the Lumis stuff into the rest of the show. Lumis finally having an official target and getting point in a direction is a big step forward and if nothing else, Ciampa didn’t take another loss. He still needs to win something, but at least they have something actually happening with the story.

Post match Ciampa gets beaten up, including a Phenomenal Forearm and spear. Replays show Miz being taken away, including several closeups of Lumis and commentary mentioning him by name.

Video on Edge.

And now, here’s Johnny Gargano, complete with the still awesome REBEL HEART theme. The fans get in their JOHNNY WRESTLING chant and Gargano seems rather happy with his reception. Gargano gives us a brief history of his NXT success but he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to do this again over the last nine months. He has been a father to Baby Wrestling (Gargano: “He’ll appreciate that when he gets older.”) and now he remembers what he has always wanted to do. Gargano wants to win every championship and go to Wrestlemania and now it is time to continue with his dreams.

Cue Theory (who was kind of Gargano’s idiot son in NXT), with Gargano being pleased to see him. Fans: “WHO’S YOUR DADDY!” Theory asks what Gargano has been doing for the last nine months, which Gargano says includes changing a lot of diapers. Now though, Theory has the briefcase and has done everything Gargano wanted to do. He couldn’t do what he did without Gargano (who appreciates that) but now it’s like Theory is the veteran and Gargano is the rookie.

Theory thinks Gargano can even carry his bags. Or maybe just the briefcase. Theory: “Maybe I can show you The Way!” With that reference to their NXT group out of the way, Theory wants to do their old high five and tells Gargano to hit him with it. That earns Theory a superkick and Gargano does a self high five before leaving. Gargano got a major reaction and it seems like he is actually going to have a chance, which puts him way ahead of his nothing original run on the show.

The Women’s Tag Team Title match is next week, as is Kurt Angle.

Edge vs. Damian Priest

Edge is the hometown boy and in very Canadian tights to hammer the point home. Throw in his wife, Beth Phoenix, sitting in the front row and I think you get the idea. Priest powers him into the corner to start but Edge sends him outside. That means it’s time to slow things down and Edge gets in a few shots, only to be taken outside again. A powerbomb onto the barricade knocks Priest silly and we take a break.

Back with Priest missing something off the top and being sent outside again for a huge top rope dive. Priest is fine enough to Razor’s Edge Edge through the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Edge hitting a super hurricanrana (about three and a half minutes after Edge took the same move that put him out for a month earlier this year) but the spear is countered with a kick to the head.

An Unprettier gives Priest two (and allows Graves to make a bit of a veiled reference to Christian) and he’s annoyed at the kickout. Priest loads up a spear but charges into a South of Heaven chokeslam to give Edge two, with commentary saying they know each other so well from their time together in Judgment Day. As you remember that was about a month long, Edge gets kicked into the referee and Priest hits his own chokeslam.

It’s time for a chair, which Edge takes away and breaks off to set up the Crossface with the bar in Priest’s mouth. Since that means nothing, Edge loads up a spear, which is cut off with a bar to the head for two. Another Razor’s Edge is countered into a Canadian Destroyer (because of course) and Edge hits the spear for the pin at 19:34.

Rating: B+. It felt like a pay per view style match and the live crowd ate it up so this couldn’t have gone much better. I’m not completely sure if Edge should have won, but I’ll take it over the hometown star losing again, as was the WWE trademark for so long. Priest got something out of the loss just because he hung in there with Edge, though it could have been really interesting to see him get probably the biggest win of his career.

Post match Edge loads up a Conchairto but Rhea Ripley comes in with a low blow. Finn Balor adds the Coup de Grace and the chair is loaded up but Beth Phoenix takes it from Ripley. Phoenix holds the three off with the chair to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. I know I’ve said this a few times now, but what makes this show that much better is having a lack of anything awful while also keeping the shows energized. It feels more like there is a plan to some of these stories and that they are building to a goal instead of putting whatever out there and hoping it makes sense by the pay per view. I’m digging these shows and you are getting some awesome matches to go with the stories, so nicely done. This show has become a bit of a joy to watch in recent weeks and while I don’t know if that is going to last, it has been a great relief after so many years of drek.

Results
Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai b. Asuka/Alexa Bliss – Rollup to Asuka
Finn Balor b. Dolph Ziggler – Coup de Grace
Kevin Owens b. Chad Gable – Pop Up powerbomb
Bayley b. Aliyah – Rose Plant
Miz/Ciampa b. AJ Styles/Bobby Lashley via DQ when Dexter Lumis interfered
Edge b. Damian Priest – Spear

 

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 8, 2022
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

This could be a very interesting show, as we are coming off last week’s pretty awesome episode, but now the question is how they follow it up. They certainly don’t need to have some big moment or debut/return, but keep up the energy and put on a good show and they should be fine. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Bayley/Iyo Shirai/Dakota Kai coming together at Summerslam and running some roughshod last week.

We get the brackets for the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament:

Tamina/Dana Brooke
Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai

Alexa Bliss/Asuka
Nikki Ash/Doudrop

Raquel Rodriguez/Aliyah
Xia Li/Shotzi

Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark
Natalya/Sonya Deville

That’s a heck of a lot better than I would have bet on.

Here are Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai for a chat. Bayley: “DING DONG!” Bayley can’t believe that she’s getting this kind of a reception when the fans need her. They are here to save this women’s division and the role model needed to do something. Bayley says they are here to bring back the hunger and get rid of Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. She mentions Iyo Sky and Dakota Sky (Bayley: “YEAH I KNOW I SAID IT WRONG!”) and talks about how bad things have gotten, but here are Alexa Bliss and Asuka to interrupt.

Bianca Belair joins them, with Asuka dancing to Belair’s music (and ducking a pony tail whip). Bliss threatens Sky and Kai because she and Asuka will be waiting on them in the next round. On top of that, Belair isn’t worried about Bayley, and they can have that six woman tag right now. Bayley laughs that off and the match is on for Clash At The Castle instead. That’s good for Belair and the fight is on right now. Everyone brawls into the crowd and Bliss gets in a dive off the barricade to take everyone down. Energetic opening segment if nothing else.

Angelo Dawkins vs. Seth Rollins

Montez Ford is here too. Rollins knows him into the corner to start but Dawkins jumps over him and hits a nice dropkick. Back up and Dawkins scores with the jumping back elbow, which sends Rollins outside (where Ford….I’m not sure what he does, but he shakes a lot and yells at Rollins). There’s a Pounce to send Rollins over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with Rollins drawing Ford into the ring with a chair, which is enough to earn Ford an ejection. Dawkins uses the distraction to jump Rollins and send him outside for the big running flip dive. Back inside and the Silencer drops Rollins for two but he’s right back up with a forearm to the back of the neck. The Stomp misses though and Dawkins hits a Sky High for a close two. Another Sky High is loaded up but Dawkins reversed into a Pedigree for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that suits people like Dawkins and Rollins well. They’re both athletic and can work a fast paced match, making this one of the better ways they could have gone. The Profits losing to Rollins is hardly some horrible fate but it seems that there might be bigger things afoot for at least one of them in the future.

Post match Rollins goes after Dawkins again but Ford runs in for the save. I could see this setting up a Ford vs. Rollins rematch on the bigger stage.

Recap of Edge returning last week and promising to take out Judgment Day, followed by the team going after the Mysterios. Rhea Ripley accidentally caused Dominik Mysterio to get speared by Edge to add in some conflict.

Edge comes up to the Mysterios and says he has their backs against Judgment Day tonight. Rey can go with that, but Dominik doesn’t buy it. Rey says he’s known Edge for 20 years and he’s family, but Dominik says he’s known Rey for 25 and walks off.

Ciampa is asked about his United States Title match but Miz cuts him off and doesn’t like the word phenomenal being used. Miz rants about AJ Styles for a bit before Ciampa says believe in him, just like Harley Race, his trainer, did. Race passed away about three years ago almost to this day and he is dedicating his win to Race, whose Starrcade 1983 robe is behind him. Tonight Bobby Lashley will feel his sacrifice and he has already lost.

Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens

Owens rushes him to the floor to start and hits the apron powerbomb. The referee calls for medics and we’ll call this a no contest at about 1:00 (the ending bell never rang).

Ezekiel is taken out on a stretcher.

Finn Balor vs. Rey Mysterio

Only Damian Priest is at ringside. Before the match, Finn Balor declares himself to be danger and promises to show that to Rey tonight. Priest isn’t worried about Edge and says he’ll take care of him in two weeks in Edge’s hometown of Toronto. We cut to the back, where Rey tells Edge that Dominik will come around.

After a break, we actually start the match and Rey takes over early on by taking Balor down with straight speed. The top rope seated senton sets up the hurricanrana into the corner. A crossbody misses for Mysterio though and Balor kicks him in the ribs for two. Balor mocks Eddie Guerrero’s Three Amigos as I try to remember the last Mysterio match without an Eddie reference. Rey reverses the third suplex into one of his own, followed by the sitout bulldog for two. The 619 hits Priest by mistake though and Balor posts Rey as we take a break.

Back with Rey going after Priest and getting dropped as a result. Cue Edge to take out Priest, leaving Rey to grab a Code Red for two. The 619 is blocked with a clothesline and it’s the shotgun dropkick but the Coup de Grace misses. Rey loads up the 619 again but here is Rhea Ripley carrying a destroyed Dominik Mysterio. The distraction lets Balor hit 1916 into the Coup de Grace for the pin at 13:52.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Balor win a match but I’m still trying to figure out why I’m supposed to care about Dominik. He has never done anything significant without his dad being involved and he isn’t exactly likable in the first place. Seeing Ripley beat him up is a funny moment and I don’t see myself feeling sympathetic for him anytime soon. That being said, it was nice to see Balor actually get a win for a change, as it feels like it has been awhile.

Dana Brooke/Tamina are ready for the first round of the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament. Bayley and company come up to laugh at them, while promising not to take the 24/7 Title. Tamina gets in Bayley’s face and…no.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky vs. Dana Brooke/Tamina

Bayley is here too. Kai and Brooke start things off but Tamina comes in rather quickly to clean house. Sky and Shirai are sent outside for a big dive from Brooke as we take an early break. Back with Kai cranking on Brooke’s arms before Sky and Kai hit back to back kicks for two.

Brooke fights out of a chinlock and dives over for the tag off to Tamina to start the house cleaning. Sky and Tamina slug it out until Tamina hits a superkick into the Samoan drop for two. Bayley has to pull Sky out of Kai’s way of Brooke’s dive against the barricade, leaving Tamina to load up the Superfly Splash. Sky gets her knees up but Tamina puts the brakes on, only to get kicked in the face by Kai. The moonsault gives Sky the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough and Sky’s moonsault is always impressive, but it’s a little much to buy Kai and Sky needing ten minutes to beat Tamina and Brooke. No they haven’t been above NXT, but the top of NXT is a heck of a lot better than….whatever level Brooke and Tamina are on. It never got too ridiculous, but this should have been more of a dominant win.

Kevin Owens is leaving and doesn’t like being asked for a comment. Unlike Ezekiel, he knows who he is, and since there are a lot of eyes on this show, he is here to remind people who he is. This is still the Kevin Owens Show. During the segment, there were a bunch of people (including Doudrop and Nikki Ash) looking at a car that had crashed in the background. Neither the people nor the car were ever referenced.

Video on the United States Title, I believe the same one from last week.

United States Title: Ciampa vs. Bobby Lashley

Ciampa, with Miz, and wearing the Harley Race robe, is challenging. After the Big Match Intros, Lashley runs him over to start and hits the delayed vertical suplex. A spinning back elbow to the face looks to set up the spear but Ciampa bails outside. Miz’s distraction fails as Lashley knocks Ciampa off the apron and then rams him into Miz as we take a break.

Back with Ciampa holding a chinlock until Lashley fights up and hits the spinning Big Ending for two. The spear connects but Miz puts Ciampa’s foot on the ropes. Cue AJ Styles to chase Miz out of the arena and Ciampa gets two off a small package. Lashley loads up the Hurt Lock but Styles and Miz run back in for a distraction.

Ciampa uses said distraction to send Lashley into an exposed buckle and the post for a VERY close two (I bought that one). The Hurt Lock is loaded up but reversed into the Gargano Escape (Graves: “Sometimes you gotta do it yourself!”). That’s reversed into what looked to be a powerslam, only to have Ciampa send him outside. Back in and Willow’s Bell connects for two more but another running knee is countered into the spinebuster. The Hurt Lock retains the title at 12:52.

Rating: B. Dang I was buying those near falls and they pulled me way into this. Lashley retaining the title is a fine way to go and it was nice to see something like the old Ciampa here instead of the same loser we have seen for so long. Great match here and one of the better WWE TV matches in a good while.

Miz and Styles brawled backstage during the break and had to be separated. They’ll face off later tonight, No DQ.

Omos vs. Andrea Guercio/Spencer Slade

General destruction sets up the chokebomb to finish Guercio at 1:39. The best part here was Graves talking about how the jobbers were going to be destroyed from the opening bell and throughout the match.

Seth Rollins isn’t worried about Riddle being back for an interview next week. He mocks Riddle’s catchphrases and dubs himself the gatekeeper of this industry. If you want to know what is so bad about him, just ask Dana White. He’s still Seth Freaking Rollins.

Chad Gable vs. Dolph Ziggler

Otis is here with Gable. They go technical to start with neither being able to get very far. Ziggler can’t quite get a backslide and gets caught with the American Automatic. A dragon screw legwhip takes Ziggler down and Gable start going after the leg. The moonsault misses though and Ziggler is back with the DDT for a delayed two. Gable grabs the ankle lock and Ziggler can’t roll out of it, instead having to kick Gable in the face. The superkick doesn’t work as the leg gives out though and Gable powerbombs him back into the ankle lock. Ziggler breaks it up this time and manages to hit the superkick for the pin at 6:34.

Rating: C+. It might not have been the most well received match but this was logical and fairly well done. Ziggler tried to wrestle with him but was in over his head against a former Olympian. That left Ziggler to have to escape and wait for an opening, which he used to pull off the come from behind victory. I liked this, and it worked out well.

Nikki Ash and Doudrop are ready for Asuka and Alexa Bliss next week.

Asuka and Alexa Bliss are ready for Nikki Ash and Doudrop next week. Bayley and company come up to mock them as the wrecked car from earlier is loaded up on a truck. Then some cops come running from the car and by the women.

Miz vs. AJ Styles

No DQ. Styles starts fast and knocks him outside to take over. A kendo stick and a chair don’t work for him though, so it’s time to grab a table. Miz hits a dropkick through the ropes (with the camera oddly cutting away before contact) and puts the table back under the ring. The kendo stick works for Miz and he hammers on AJ, who manages to fight back and take it outside. Styles loads up something on the announcers’ table but gets backdropped onto the floor for a crash as we take a break.

Back with Styles pulling out the table but taking too long and getting kendo sticked down. Styles manages to take it away and unloads on Miz, including a low blow. Miz gets in another shot and loads up the Skull Crushing Finale but Styles slips out and hits the Phenomenal Forearm….for two as Ciampa comes in for the save.

That doesn’t go well for Ciampa, who gets knocked off the apron and through the table at ringside. That’s enough of a distraction for Miz to get two but Styles hits him in the face. Another Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but Miz throws the chair at Styles’ head. The Skull Crushing Finale gets two so Styles hits him with the chair, setting up the Styles Clash for the pin at 12:34.

Rating: B-. They were starting to cook near the end here and I was liking a lot of what was going on. What mattered here was having Styles overcome the odds and get a win instead of losing over and over. Styles is someone who could be a big enough deal around here and a lot of that comes from winning a few matches every so often.

As Styles is celebrating, cops are seen arresting someone in the front row. Styles looks over at them….and that appeared to be Dexter Lumis they were arresting. Commentary says Lumis’ name as Styles celebrates to end the show. When is the last time when Raw ended without things being all wrapped up?

Overall Rating: B. It might not have been as good as last week’s show, but the main thing here was the energy. There was nothing really close to bad and that Lumis deal at the end has me interested. That Lumis/car story has me intrigued and that is a nice feeling. It’s the kind of a story that has me wondering where things are going and I haven’t felt that on Raw in a long, long time. Pretty awesome show here and that’s two in a row, which hasn’t happened since I don’t know when. Good stuff.

Results
Seth Rollins b. Angelo Dawkins – Pedigree
Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel went to a no contest when Ezekiel couldn’t continue
Finn Balor b. Rey Mysterio – Coup de Grace
Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky b. Tamina/Dana Brooke – Moonsault to Tamina
Bobby Lashley b. Ciampa – Hurt Lock
Omos b. Andrea Guercio/Spencer Slade – Chokebomb to Guercio
Dolph Ziggler b. Chad Gable – Superkick
AJ Styles b. The Miz – Styles Clash

 

 

 

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

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AND

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

 

Summerslam 2019
Date: August 11, 2019
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 16,904
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

I know I say something like this every year but it never ceases to amaze me how little I can remember about a show from the previous year. I can remember midcard matches from thirty years ago but the main event of this show? It took me a little while to come up with it and that’s not good. How can these things be that unmemorable? Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Oney Lorcan vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak is defending and thank goodness there are fans in the building for the Kickoff Show. Drew hits a shotgun dropkick to start but Lorcan shoves him away. We hit the lockup and then go to the mat with Gulak gaining mat control. Back up and Gulak slams him hard into the corner and we take a break. We come back with Gulak riding him into a chinlock until Lorcan fights up again. Some uppercuts set up the running Blockbuster for two on Gulak.

They head outside with Gulak being sent into various things, only to come back with the Gulock back inside. Lorcan makes the rope so it’s a double clothesline to put them both down again. Back up and Gulak actually wins a slugout, setting up the Gulock. That’s flipped over into a cradle for two but the half and half is broken up. Lorcan does the Ultimate Warrior pose and pulls Gulak back in, which brings the ring skirt in with him. The distraction lets Gulak hit him in the throat, setting up the Cyclone Crash to retain the title at 8:49.

Rating: C. They beat the heck out of each other in some short bursts here and that is one of the better ways to open things up. Lorcan is always good for a spot like this and I dug Gulak’s singles run. It wasn’t an epic showdown or anything but it got the show off on a nice enough foot, which is the point of this division.

Kickoff Show: Buddy Murphy vs. Apollo Crews

This is during the time when Murphy could barely get on television and was still the Best Kept Secret. A quick knee gets two on Crews and Murphy stomps away in the corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long and they get up for an exchange of crossbodies. It’s Crews up first with a kick to the head and a jumping clothesline. The Angle Slam is escaped but Crews hits a Samoan drop into a standing moonsault for two.

Crews gets caught in the corner though and a running powerbomb gives Murphy his own two. Murphy hits another knee but Crews reverses Murphy’s Law into a cradle for another near fall. A backdrop sends Murphy to the floor, where he sends Crews into the steps. The big no hands flip dive drops Crews again….and here’s Erick Rowan to jump Murphy for the DQ (part of the Who Attacked Roman Reigns story) at 4:39.

Rating: C. It was an action packed match but they didn’t have much time before they got to the storyline ending. This is another case where it’s amazing how fast this stuff goes in one side of my head and out the other as I barely remember any of this aside from Murphy being taken out of the story so fast. I could have gone with more from these two, but it wasn’t going to matter with the big story going on.

Post match Rowan destroys Murphy even more, including a powerbomb against the post.

Here’s Elias for a song about Toronto. They think they are the center of the universe but they can’t win the Stanley Cup and no one goes to the Blue Jays game. Oh and the Toronto Raptors’ best player left town….and here’s Edge to interrupt. Edge gets the big hometown pop and then hits a very surprising spear, marking Edge’s first physical contact in over eight years. Then he never did anything physical again ever. Apparently he was medically cleared here but WWE was waiting on the big moment at the Rumble. Fair enough.

Kickoff Show: Women’s Tag Team Titles: Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross vs. IIconics

Bliss and Cross are defending after winning the titles earlier in the week on Raw. Bliss has the Buzz Lightyear gear on and that’s a rather good choice. Kay on the other hand is Maleficent, sending Graves into a rant about how this isn’t Disney. Graves talks about the IIconics being locked in a hotel and laying in bed together for 24 hours to meld their energies but since Jerry Lawler isn’t on commentary, no one bites. Kay and Bliss trade headlocks to start until Bliss threatens her with the laser on her arm. That sends Graves through the roof again, to the point where he threatens to turn in his Bliss fan card.

It’s off to Cross as the Toy Story references come in fast. Peyton rolls Cross up for two but a blind tag lets Kay come back in to get in a cheap shot. A double kick to the back keeps Cross down and we hit the chinlock. Kay gets two off a gutwrench suplex but Cross faceplants Peyton and the hot tag brings in Bliss to clean house. Corey: “I was expecting Moana to come save the day.” Everything breaks down and Peyton hits something like a Widow’s Peak for two on Bliss. The kickout sends her into hysterics so Bliss punches Peyton down and nails Twisted Bliss to retain at 6:11.

Rating: D+. These titles continue to mean a grand total of nothing and are little more than a way to get the IIconics out there to annoy the fans while Bliss works on her cosplay skills. There isn’t enough of a division to hold them up at the moment and it becomes more and more obvious every time they’re defended. As in probably every month and a half or so.

The opening video talks about how we have arrived. You don’t get chances like these very often, so when you do, seize the moment. Tonight, we are Summerslam.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Natalya in a submission match for the Raw Women’s Title. Natalya won a four way to get the title shot in her home country, because WWE still thinks that Natalya makes for an interesting challenger.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Natalya

Natalya is challenging in a submission match. The fans certainly seem to like both of them, though that might be due to Natalya coming out carrying a Canadian flag. They stare each other down and trade slaps to start so Becky drives her into the corner. That earns her a discus lariat but Becky is right back up to slug away again. The Bexploder sends Natalya down but the cross armbreaker is blocked. Becky grabs a triangle instead so Natalya tries a powerbomb.

That doesn’t break it up so Natalya lifts her up, only to get hurricanranaed down. Becky cranks on the legs near the apron and they fall to the floor with Natalya sending her into the barricade. Back in and Natalya suplexes her into the ropes to bang up the knee. The fans are behind Becky as she fires off knees but Natalya wraps the knee across the rope. The Sharpshooter goes on in the corner, which doesn’t seem like it would be as effective since there is almost no torque on Becky’s back and therefore the knees.

That’s broken up in a hurry and they fall outside with Natalya being sent into the announcers’ table. Now it’s a LET’S GO BECKY/NATTIE SUCKS chant as Natalya hits a superplex back inside for a double knockdown. It’s Natalya up first but the basement dropkick is countered into Becky’s version of the Sharpshooter. Natalya crawls over to the corner and rolls Becky into it for the escape and they’re both down.

Becky misses a kick out of the corner though and Natalya grabs the Disarm-Her for a change. That’s reverses and Becky tries the Sharpshooter but Natalya reverses into one of her own in the middle of the ring. Becky crawls to the rope for the break and this time pulls Natalya into the Disarm-Her to retain at 12:24.

Rating: B-. It was a good back and forth match but more importantly, now we can stop acting like Natalya is anything more than a good hand who gets the occasional title shot. Even her home country fans weren’t caring about her because they see what she is: talented in the ring but boring everywhere else. She’s been around forever and seeing her in these spots over and over again just makes me groan most of the time. I can’t believe I’m alone in that sentiment either. Also, like Becky was losing to anyone just four months after Wrestlemania. Well except to Charlotte of course.

Trish Stratus is ready to show Charlotte that legends are better than modern wrestlers because Charlotte couldn’t walk a mile in her boots.

We recap Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler. Dolph had been set up for a match against Miz but insulted Shawn Michaels and Goldberg on the way there. This set up a match against a legend instead, with Ziggler expecting Michaels but getting Goldberg. Just keep it short.

Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler

Before the match, Ziggler says he’s the best thing that could happen to this show because he gets rid of legends. Goldberg might not even be here tonight….and there’s the music. We get the full entrance and the pyro is rather strong as usual. The bell rings and they stare each other down, with Ziggler hitting a superkick for an early one. Another superkick gets another one but Goldberg hits a heck of a spear. The Jackhammer finishes Ziggler at 1:46. That’s how it should have been and Ziggler sold that spear as well as anyone in a good while.

Post match Ziggler says Goldberg hits like a baby and wants Goldberg to do it again. Goldberg is fine with coming back and hitting another spear. For some reason Ziggler grabs the mic and says anyone can get lucky twice. Goldberg is a joke in wrestling…and there’s another spear to put him down again.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Ricochet for the US Title. Ricochet didn’t think much of AJ treating him like an afterthought and then beat AJ to retain the title. Then Styles beat him up and took the title in their second title match with some help from Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Now it’s the trilogy match.

US Title: AJ Styles vs. Ricochet

Styles is defending and has Gallows and Anderson in his corner. Ricochet is in the full body suit here, which is always a weird visual. AJ goes right for him to start but gets knocked outside, with Ricochet using Anderson and Gallows as stepping stones to grab a hurricanrana on Styles. Back in and AJ stomps him down in the corner before switching to the leg in a smart move. Some elbows to the knee have Ricochet down and the knee is bent around the middle rope.

Ricochet manages to get in a kick to the face and another one to the head out of the corner. A one legged springboard clothesline (nice touch) gets two on AJ and a jumping neckbreaker into the running shooting star is good for the same. AJ is smart enough to kick the knee out again and Ricochet is sent outside. The fans are split but the dueling chants are cut off by AJ hitting a baseball slide.

Back in and AJ’s fireman’s carry backbreaker gets two more but Ricochet hits another kick to the head for another two. They’re both down with Ricochet slapping the leg, which would seem to hurt it even more but it’s wrestling logic. Since AJ knows his logic as well, we hit the Calf Crusher but Ricochet slams AJ’s head into the mat and slaps on an Anaconda Vice of all things.

With that broken up, Ricochet muscles him up with a suplex for two more and can’t believe AJ kicks out. How deadly does he think his suplex is? Ricochet takes out a distracting Gallows but the delay lets AJ crotch him on top. AJ gets knocked back though and Ricochet tries something like a Whisper in the Wind, only to have AJ pull him out of the air and into the Styles Clash to retain at 12:54. That looked awesome.

Rating: B. These two work well together and that’s all you need in this situation. Let them go out there and do their thing, with Ricochet looking great and AJ getting to show why he’s as great as everyone thinks he is. This was pretty much it for Ricochet as a singles challenger though, which has been the case ever since. I’m not sure what more you could want from Ricochet (just don’t let him talk) but hey, it’s not like WWE needs new stars with insane athletic ability, experience and charisma right?

Post match Anderson and Gallows give Ricochet the Magic Killer.

The Street Profits, still waiting to wrestle on Raw, hype up the show so far and everything else that they have coming up tonight. Dawkins hits on Nikki Cross but Ric Flair shows up to…well to be Ric Flair.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Ember Moon

Moon is challenging and it’s almost weird to see old school Bayley these days. Bayley armdrags her down to start so an annoyed Moon sweeps the leg. A headlock doesn’t work for Bayley as Ember sends her into the corner for the front flip clothesline. Moon splashes her for two and it’s off to a bow and arrow. Back up and Moon misses a crossbody, allowing Bayley to hit the sliding lariat.

Bayley hangs her over the top and grabs a suplex for two more, setting up the stomping in the corner. The fans sing to Bayley, who pulls her shoulder first into the rope. Moon gets tied in the Tree of Woe for the springboard elbow and we hit the inverted Boston crab. That’s broken up and Moon nips up for a headscissors (nice) to send Bayley outside.

Back in and a super hurricanrana sets up a twisting Dominator into some knees to the face (nice as well) for the next near fall. Bayley gets in a kick to the face and goes up, but Moon pulls her into a spinning powerbomb (Moon has a lot of nice stuff). Moon goes up top but Bayley is right there to pull her down with a super Bayley to Belly for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: B-. This is a weird one as Moon had some sweet stuff in there but just got pinned almost out of nowhere in the end. I know a lot of people don’t like the new Bayley and I get that, but watching her back, you can see how much she has grown with the heel turn and the new character. At this point, she was just kind of a person with a reputation and not much else. Good enough match, but Moon wouldn’t be around much longer due to her ankle injury and Bayley would turn heel in less than a month so none of this meant anything long term.

We recap Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens. Shane went on a power/ego trip that the Attitude Era would think was a bit much and Owens was sick of him. This somehow meant EVEN MORE SHANE, who probably should have been #1 contender to the Smackdown World Title at this point. Anyway, Owens is gone if Shane wins and that is a rather popular idea.

Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens

The fans chant for Owens, but hang on though as Shane heads outside and says he has a guest outside referee: his personal goon Elias. Shane drops to the floor to start and Owens yells at Elias, with Shane sliding back in to try for the countout. That doesn’t work so the chase is on until Elias trips Owens. Back in and Owens hammers away in the corner, setting up the Cannonball.

A clothesline sends Shane outside for the third time but another Elias distraction lets Shane send Owens into the barricade. Back in and the Russian legsweep gets two on Owens and we hit the YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chants. A DDT gets two more and let’s hit that Hart reference with the Sharpshooter attempt. That’s broken up and Owens hit the Pop Up sitout powerbomb but Elias grabs the referee.

Owens picks up a chair and Shane offers a free shot but Owens goes with a superkick instead. There’s the Swanton into a frog splash for two, with Elias pulling the referee out again. The Owens cannonball hits both referees and that means he can grab the chair. Elias breaks that up so Owens chairs him over and over, leaving Owens to go after Shane again. The referee gets up and takes the chair away, so it’s a low blow into the Stunner to finish Shane at 9:19.

Rating: D+. Yeah what else were you expecting here? That being said, it was probably an easier sit this time around without having to watch all of the build to get to this match. Shane was a nightmare around this time and thankfully would be gone on the first Smackdown on Fox. At least Owens won here as someone had to finally beat Shane, who was completely ridiculous for the better part of a year at this point.

We recap Roman Reigns being attacked by a mystery man. Samoa Joe was accused of being the attacker but Buddy Murphy said it was Erick Rowan. Therefore, we flash back to the Kickoff Show with Rowan attacking Murphy.

Charlotte vs. Trish Stratus

Charlotte is the best of today and Trish may be the best ever, dream match ensues. They stare each other down (or up in Trish’s case) before going to the lockup against the ropes. The fans sing O Canada as it’s a standoff until Trish hits a quick Thesz non-press. Charlotte is right back with a Figure Four attempt but Trish flips her away with the headscissors. That lets Trish pose and soak in the YOU STILL GOT IT chants, followed by more circling.

This time it’s Charlotte being sent outside and Trish hits a Thesz press into the right hands off the apron. The posing is on but Charlotte isn’t ready to head back inside just yet. Instead she sends Trish hard into the barricade as they’re setting things up well so far. Back in and Trish is slammed face first into the mat a few times, setting up the double arm crank with a knee between the shoulders.

Charlotte nips up and mocks Trish’s point before bending the neck around the middle rope. Trish reverses a belly to back suplex into a crossbody for two, earning herself a knee to the neck. Some trash talk in the corner bring Trish back up so she double legs Charlotte for some right hands. That just earns her a big boot to the floor as Trish can’t get anything going here. Back in and Charlotte stomps her down but, say it with me, the moonsault misses.

Trish gets in a slap and starts the chops, including a WOO for a bonus. The Stratusphere is blocked but Trish pulls herself up and starts slapping away, setting up a super hurricanrana for two with the fans getting right back into things. The Chick Kick misses as well and Charlotte boots her in the face for her own two. It’s back to the leg but the Figure Four is countered into a small package to give Trish two more.

Trish gets her own Figure Four into the Figure Eight (Corey: “THIS IS NOT FAIR TO FLAIR!” You knew he was getting that in somewhere) but Charlotte escapes again. Charlotte’s spear only hits buckle and the Stratusfaction connects for two more. They go head to head from their knees and slug it out until the Chick Kick gives Trish the next near fall. Another Chick Kick is countered with the big boot and the Figure Eight makes Trish tap at 16:37.

Rating: B+. Match of the night by a long stretch and the storytelling was working hard here. Charlotte being overconfident made sense as she never believes anyone is in her league and it’s not like Trish surviving here and getting back into things is a stretch. I had more fun with this the second time around and it’s a heck of a match with Trish showing she could easily hang at this level. Her generation gets a lot of (often deserved) flack but she was that good and deserves all kinds of praise for being an actual trailblazer.

Post match Charlotte leaves and Trish gets the big hero’s moment with the posing.

Bret Hart wishes Seth Rollins luck.

We recap Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton. They brought up the infamous Madison Square Garden moment, which Orton claims for driving Kofi to where he is now. However, that wasn’t enough to make him better than Orton and now Orton wants the title. He even takes credit for the Wrestlemania moment and now Kofi is ready to prove that he got himself here.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton

Kofi is defending on his own and his kids are in the front row (cue your Scooby Roo ruh roh sound effect). Orton taunts him with a pancake to start so a fired up Kofi drives him into the corner to start. That gives us dueling KOFI’S STUPID/RANDY SUCKS chants and Kofi runs the corner for a spinning shot to the head to….oddly quiet the fans down. Weird Canadians. Kofi hammers away in the corner until a poke to the eye cuts him off again. A big shove sends Kofi off the top and down into the barricade for your first big crash.

Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table and the dueling chants are back. Back in and Orton bends Kofi’s back around the middle rope, followed by an uppercut to the floor. Kofi jumps over the steps though and hits a shot to the head. The crossbody off the apron misses though and Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table again. Back in again and Orton seems to approve of the dueling chants. The superplex is broken up though and Kofi hits a top rope DDT for two.

The chops have Orton rocked but he comes back with the backbreaker for two more. Kofi backdrops his way out of the hanging DDT though and mostly nails the Trust Fall. Back in and Orton catches him on the apron with the hanging DDT. The RKO is countered though and Kofi goes up, only to dive right into the RKO. For some reason Orton doesn’t cover though and Kofi rolls outside. Orton follows and yells at Kofi’s kids, which sends Kofi into a frenzy for….I guess a very fast double countout at 16:28.

Rating: C+. They were working well together and Kofi was starting to make Orton sweat at the end, but then they did the ending that was designed to do nothing more than set up a rematch at Clash Of Champions. That’s such a big problem with WWE today. Outside of Wrestlemania, everything is built around the idea of setting up a match at whatever show, leaving this show to feel unimportant. You’re already at Summerslam. How much of a bigger stage can you have for the rematch?

Post match the fans call BULLS*** and don’t seem interested as Kofi unloads with a kendo stick. Trouble In Paradise gets even less of a reaction.

We recap the Fiend vs. Finn Balor. Bray Wyatt had returned just after Wrestlemania with the Firefly Fun House, where he eventually started hinting at some kind of monster called the Fiend. Finn Balor became his first target and Balor said bring it on. The Fiend has attacked a few times before but this is his in-ring debut.

Finn Balor vs. The Fiend

Balor is all in white for the hero’s entrance but Fiend blows him away, with the debut of the severed head lantern and the upgraded theme music. Balor looks rightfully terrified and we’re ready to go. They even have the full lights on instead of going red for a nice relief. Fiend headbutts him down to start and wildly stomps away as the YOWIE WOWIE chants start up.

Balor manages a whip into the corner but Fiend leans back to scare him off. A clothesline to the back of the head sets up a release Rock Bottom and Fiend glares at him a lot. Sister Abigail is countered and Balor hits a Sling Blade into the jumping double stomp to the chest. The shotgun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace but Fiend moves and grabs the mandible claw for the pin at 3:30.

Rating: C-. This is a hard one to grade as the match itself was far from the point. They were going with the idea of introducing the Fiend and making him out to be the new scary monster. That was accomplished in spades as Balor was completely destroyed and wound up heading back to NXT. Good stuff here, even if the match was barely anything to see.

Post match the lights go out again and Fiend appears on the stage. Balor’s eyes bug out as he isn’t sure what happened to him.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar. Seth beat him for the Universal Title at Wrestlemania but Brock cashed in Money in the Bank at Extreme Rules. Therefore, a now injured Seth, has to do it all over again. So yes, that’s really their best idea for the main event of Summerslam: just do Wrestlemania again.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is challenging and has injured ribs. After the Big Match Intros, Brock hits him in the ribs and drives shoulders in the corner. More shoulders have Paul Heyman rather pleased but Rollins flips out of a German suplex and hits a quick Stomp for two. The fans are properly woken up now and Brock bails to the floor, with Rollins hitting a running knee off the apron.

Back in and a pair of superkicks look to set up the Stomp but Rollins counters into the F5. Lesnar can’t follow up so he throws Rollins around by the rib tape. It’s time for the German suplexes to send Rollins outside, with Lesnar adding another suplex on the floor. Rollins slips out of an F5 though and posts Lesnar a few times, setting up the springboard knee to the head.

Lesnar is right back up with another German suplex though and they’re both down again. The dueling chants start again and Brock takes off the gloves. We hit the waistlock to stay on the ribs for a bit until Brock’s charge hits the post. Seth hits two suicide dives but the third one is countered with a hard ram into the post for another double knockdown.

The announcers’ table is loaded up but Seth superkicks Brock onto it instead, setting up the super frog splash from the top of the post. Another frog splash connects back inside and the Stomp gets two. The next Stomp is countered into a failed F5 attempt so Rollins superkicks him into another Stomp for the pin and the title at 13:21.

Rating: B. And then Lesnar went away forever, never to go after the World Title again. Or he won it again in about two and a half months because that’s what always happens. Anyway, this was another solid match between the two of them and it was a lot more engaging because it actually got some time. Lesnar’s spamming finishers matches get old in a hurry because he does them so often. Mix it up a bit with something like this between some talented people and it makes that big of a difference. It doesn’t have the impact because we saw it four months earlier, but at least it was good.

The celebration ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is a pretty strong show with nothing terribly bad (Shane’s match is the weakest and even that involves seeing him get beaten up) and some solid performances in the big matches. It’s also a pretty short show with the main card clocking in at less than three and a half hours. They didn’t stretch this out further than they needed to and it felt like a big show. Good stuff here and worth a look if you have the time.

Ratings Comparison

Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan

Original: C+

Redo: C

Apollo Crews vs. Buddy Murphy

Original: C-

Redo: C

IIconics vs. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross

Original: D+

Redo: D+

Becky Lynch vs. Natalya

Original: B

Redo: B-

Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

AJ Styles vs. Ricochet

Original: B

Redo: B

Ember Moon vs. Bayley

Original: D+

Redo: B-

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

Original: D+

Redo: D+

Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte

Original: B

Redo: B+

Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston

Original: B-

Redo: C+

The Fiend vs. Finn Balor

Original: C+

Redo: C-

Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: B-

Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: B

Oh come on it was better than that.

Here is the original review if you’re interested:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/11/summerslam-2019-the-summertime-purples/

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