Smackdown
Date: January 7, 2022
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncastville, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the first show of the year and that means we’re in for a special night with two World Champions in the house. Last Saturday, Brock Lesnar became the WWE Champion and tonight he is here to confront Roman Reigns, who was not around at Day One due to health issues. I think that’s going to make for a sufficient explosion so let’s get to it.

Here is Day One if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Paul Heyman aligning with Brock Lesnar on Raw, revealing that he got Lesnar into the WWE Title match at Day One.

Here is Roman Reigns for a chat. He was gone for a week and everything fell apart….but here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to interrupt. We get the big staredown and Heyman loads up the catchphrase but Lesnar gets in Reigns’ face to introduce himself. That means Lesnar does Heyman’s catchphrases and tells Reigns to acknowledge him.

Last Saturday, they both got what they wanted: Lesnar got the WWE Title and Reigns got out of the match. Now let’s give the people what they want and go title vs. title, champ vs. champ. Reigns says it’s a good idea but it isn’t his idea. This is his show so we’ll do it on his time. Besides, he doesn’t do business with people who do business with trash like Heyman.

That’s too far for Heyman, who says he got Reigns where he is now. Heyman protected him from Lesnar and loved him….but Lesnar cuts Heyman off as he is about to cry. Lesnar wants to know what Heyman is talking about, sending Heyman into a crying rant about how Reigns was all he had while Lesnar was gone. Lesnar: “Shut up Paul!” Reigns: “Don’t talk to him that way.” Lesnar: “I said shut up.” Reigns drops Lesnar with a Superman Punch and leaves as Heyman looks stunned. That’s an interesting twist.

Sami Zayn talks about how the conspiracy against him started over a year ago but now he has the chance to win his Intercontinental Title back. First up though, he has to deal with Rick Boogs, who is a gorilla with a guitar. Hold up though, as Sami walks over to see Johnny Knoxville, who is here to get in the Royal Rumble. Sami laughs it off and says he needs technical wrestling skills, but Knoxville says he has to send someone over the top rope.

Sami Zayn vs. Rick Boogs

Boogs doesn’t waste time in gorilla pressing Sami to start, sending him outside as we take a break. Back with Sami hammering away but getting caught in a bearhug. Boogs isn’t done as he powers him up into a suplex, gets kneed in the head to take him down to one knee, and then powers back up into the suplex (because that can be done). Sami bails to the floor and manages to catch Boogs with a boot to the face. Back in and Boogs small packages him for the fast pin at 6:33.

Rating: C. Boogs is about as scary of a power freak as you can get and it is cool to see what kind of things he can come up with week to week. Sami losing again isn’t the best sign, but there is a good chance that he winds up winning the Intercontinental Title anyway. This didn’t have much time to get very far, but Sami’s frustrations are always funny.

Post match Sami yells a lot and here is Johnny Knoxville to dump him out. Apparently that is enough to qualify Knoxville for the Royal Rumble.

New Day sounds British and promise to take the Tag Team Titles from the Usos in a street fight tonight.

Here is Charlotte to mock the ideas of new year’s resolutions. Those are the things that are designed to make people feel better but she doesn’t have to do that. The Royal Rumble is coming up and it is a chance for a lot of women to make their mark. Here are a lot of the people already in the match:

Rhea Ripley
Nikki Ash
Nikki Bella
Brie Bella
Shotzi
Natalya
Michelle McCool
Dana Brooke
Carmella
Queen Zelina
Mickie James
Tamina
Kelly Kelly
Aliyah
Summer Rae
Naomi
Shayna Baszler
Lita
Charlotte

Pat McAfee: “That’s Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James!” As a bonus, there is a nineteenth entrant in the Royal Rumble: Charlotte herself! Cue Naomi to interrupt and challenge Charlotte to a title match right now. Charlotte doesn’t think so, meaning it’s a slap in the face and a toss to the floor (through the ropes).

Charlotte vs. Naomi

Non-title but a Championship Contenders match. Charlotte chops away to start and we’re quickly into the figure four neck lock, with Naomi’s face being driven into the mat. Naomi fights up and hits a bulldog into the middle buckle but Charlotte boots her off the top and out to the floor.

Back up and a Blockbuster off the barricade knocks Charlotte silly on the floor….but here is Sonya Deville to say that this match can’t be won by countout. Charlotte hits a chop block to take Naomi down and we take a break. Back with Naomi kicking Charlotte in the face, setting up a springboard spinning kick to the face for two. Charlotte shrugs it off and grabs the Figure Four so Naomi makes the rope….which has Sonya saying it’s No DQ.

Naomi is still down so Charlotte stomps away on the ropes, setting up the double jump moonsault for two. Back up and they hit stereo big boots but Naomi grabs a rollup for two more. Charlotte hits a backbreaker out of the corner for two of her own and breaks up the split legged moonsault. Natural Selection finishes Naomi at 13:10. Sonya: “And your loser: NAOMI!”

Rating: C. So they were going for the Vince McMahon vs. Steve Austin deal here with Sonya and Naomi, and there is at least a feud set up for that to work. I’m not sure how effective it was and I do kind of want to see Naomi take Sonya apart, but I also could have gone without Charlotte getting another win. This couldn’t have been Shayna Baszler? Just to give her SOMETHING?

The Usos are ready for the New Day.

We recap the opening segment.

Adam Pearce has been told that he can pick Roman Reigns’ opponent for the Royal Rumble and has until the end of the night. He and Sonya Deville are off to bounce some names off each other.

Here is Happy Corbin for Happy Talk. Corbin talks about how with the Coronavirus running around, you have to watch your back. That includes Drew McIntyre, and we see a clip of Corbin attacking him at Day One. McIntyre is here tonight though….and it’s Madcap Moss, dressed as McIntyre (complete with neck brace, cane, and limp inflatable sword).

Moss, doing the Scottish accent, says if he could survive haggis, he could handle anything Corbin did. If they had a match though, Moss would have all kinds of problems. As for the injury, he is going to milk it for all it is worth so he can write poetry about the Loch Ness Monster. McAfee: “When is this over?” Moss reveals that he isn’t really Drew McIntyre and it’s time for a match.

Madcap Moss/Happy Corbin vs. Viking Raiders

Joined in progress with Erik headlocking Moss but it’s off to Corbin before that can get very far. Deep Six gets two on Erik and it’s time for the villains to take turns beating on him in the corner. Moss pounds away until the referee has to pull him away, allowing Erik to score with a hard knee to the face. Corbin pulls Ivar off the apron though and Moss hits his forward neckbreaker (the Punchline) for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, though I don’t think there was any need for it to go long either. Moss and Corbin have things going on while the Raiders are just there to take a loss every now and then. I would assume we’re heading for McIntyre vs. Corbin at either the Rumble (if McIntyre is healthy by then) or in Saudi Arabia in February at the latest, and either of those sound like a long way off.

Drew McIntyre will get an update on his neck injury on Monday.

Sheamus isn’t worried about McIntyre because he is more worried about Ridge Holland’s broke nose. To take his mind off of it, he is entering the Royal Rumble.

Adam Pearce tries to tell Roman Reigns his Royal Rumble opponent but Reigns says there is no one on this roster he can’t smash. Reigns has Pearce leave without telling him the opponent so he can watch his cousins’ match. It’s going to be Goldberg isn’t it?

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. New Day

New Day is challenging in a street fight and this is their last shot at the titles. Woods and Jey get things going (because we are tagging to start) but it’s quickly off to Kofi for the Trust Fall to the floor. We take a very early break and come back with all four fighting on the stage.

That doesn’t last long as Woods hits a tornado DDT for two on Jey back inside. Jey whips out some duct tape to tie Woods to the rope, leaving Kofi to hit a messed up SOS for two on Jimmy. Woods is freed in a hurry and they fight to the floor again. The Usos take Woods over the barricade and hit him in the face with the steps, only to get knocked down by a diving Kofi as we take another break.

Back again with New Day pulling out a helmet and knight armor, meaning Woods can shrug off a superkick to the face. The armor and helmet are kicked into the Usos’ faces with some Van Daminators and it’s time to get a table set up in the ring. That takes a bit too long though and it’s a double superkick to Kingston. With Woods on the floor, the 1D through the table finishes Kingston at 18:14.

Rating: B-. The armor/helmet stuff was amusing but I don’t know how many more times I can see these teams fight. They fought before the pay per view, they fought at the pay per view, and now they fought after the pay per view. Thank goodness they announced this as the final match between the teams (at least for now), but forgive me for being a bit skeptical about that one.

We cut to the back where someone knocks on Roman Reigns’ door (sounding like a certain famous theme song)….and it’s Seth Rollins. He laughs at Reigns, who looks annoyed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where they started the build to the Rumble in a hurry, with most of the women’s field set, another name added to the men’s match, and a surprise main event being set up. The wrestling left a good bit to be desired, but they covered a lot of ground in the span of two hours. Sometimes that is the kind of show that you need and they made it work well here.

Results
Rick Boogs b. Sami Zayn – Small package
Charlotte b. Naomi – Natural Selection
Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss b. Viking Raiders – Punchline to Erik
Usos b. New Day – 1D through a table to Kingston

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

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

AND

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

Day One 2022
Date: January 1, 2022
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the first show of the year and as interesting as that is, everything has changed at the very last minute. Universal Champion Roman Reigns has announced that he has tested positive for Coronavirus, meaning that he is out of his title defense against Brock Lesnar. Worry not though, as Lesnar is now in a five way for the WWE Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Ridge Holland/Sheamus vs. Cesaro/Ricochet

Sheamus has called Holland the replacement for Cesaro in the Bar, while Ricochet eliminated Sheamus from a recent gauntlet match. Cesaro starts with Sheamus, who bails into the corner and brings Holland in. That’s fine with Cesaro, who hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by assisting Ricochet for a flipping stomp to Holland. That looked BAD as Ricochet’s boot hit him right in the face.

Sheamus comes back in for the Irish Curse to take over on Ricochet as a bloody Holland is taken to the back. The reverse chinlock goes on as we’re told Holland has a broken nose and will not be back in the match. Ricochet kicks him away and brings Cesaro back in to hammer on Sheamus for a change.

Sheamus is sent outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and the Swing sets up the Sharpshooter but Sheamus makes the rope. Ricochet comes in for a save and knocks Sheamus outside, where he gets caught with White Noise on the floor. Cesaro catches the returning Sheamus with an uppercut for two but the Brogue Kick gives Sheamus the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C. In case you didn’t understand that Cesaro and Ricochet are essentially done in WWE, they just lost a handicap match on the Kickoff Show. I know that they were probably losing anyway even without the injury, but you can’t throw in a curve to save a bit of them here? Like have Sheamus cheat or something? It’s hard to imagine the two of them recovering if this is how they’re seen by WWE, and that doesn’t seem likely to change.

The opening video talks about how this is a new year and a new opportunity, with a member of Migos (musicians who are appearing tonight) talking about how important this is. We also get the usual clips of the major matches. There is no mention of Reigns, but we do get a quick mention of Lesnar being added to the WWE Title match. In this situation, that is all that can be done.

Commentary recaps the Reigns/Lesnar situation. Of note: they keep referring to this as the first “premium live event” of 2022, because this company has to make EVERYTHING sound corporate and more impressive than it really is.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. New Day

The Usos are defending and are coming off a loss to New Day thanks to the referee missing a tag. Woods shouts out to his hometown and grabs Jimmy’s arm to take him to the mat to start. Kofi comes in so Woods can hit a backsplash, setting up Kingston’s splash for two. Back up and Jimmy kicks him to the floor, where Jey adds a clothesline to take over. Choking and a cheap shot have Kofi in more trouble and there’s the running Umaga attack in the corner.

Jimmy knocks Woods off the apron as McAfee talks about how hard it is to remember 2020 because 2021 was just like counting. A superkick to the ribs has Kofi down again but he manages a shot to the face, allowing the hot tag to Woods. The Honor Roll sets up a Cradle Shock for two on Jimmy and everything breaks down. A pop up Samoan drop (the “Alley-Oos” (like in Uso) according to McAfee) gets two on Woods but he gets the better of a slugout with Jey.

It’s back to Kofi for a jumping clothesline and the Boom Drop but Trouble in Paradise is broken up. Jey comes back in with the Superfly Splash for two so it’s time to go after Kofi’s previously injured knee. The rope is grabbed and everything breaks down again, with Kofi grabbing the SOS for two. Daybreak gives Woods the same but he gets sent into the corner. A bunch of superkicks drop Kingston and the double Superfly Splash….gets two as Woods makes a diving save. With the kicks not working, the Usos bust out a 3D of all things to finish Kofi at 17:09.

Rating: B. This is the latest proof that WWE is capable of having a great match when the wrestlers are allowed to go out there and do their thing without some kind of wacky idea. These guys could have a classic in their sleep and they did it again here, as it was all kinds of great action and a rather surprising finish. Yes it was something we’ve seen before, but it was still awesome.

Video on Big E., who loves being positive but can turn on the seriousness when he needs to.

Big E. is ready for everyone, even if no one had this on their New Year’s Bingo cards tonight.

Migos are big fans and can’t wait to see the show.

Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss

Happy Corbin is here with Moss so they call Atalanta fat and McIntyre’s prom date ugly. Moss, in suspenders, stomps away in the corner to start but McIntyre reverses into some chops. A suplex gets two on Moss and they head outside, where Corbin offers a distraction. That’s enough for Moss to post McIntyre to take over and it’s a running shoulder for two back inside.

McIntyre fights out of a chinlock and sends him hard into the corner, setting up the overhead belly to belly suplexes. The Futureshock is broken up so McIntyre settles for something like a Sky High for two instead. Moss can’t quite get a neckbreaker so McIntyre takes him into the corner. The top rope superplex is broken up and McIntyre it tied in the Tree of Woe. That’s fine with him as he does the situp into the big toss off the top. The Claymore finishes Moss at 9:40.

Rating: D+. This is certainly a match that happened and for some reason it happened on a major show like this one. I have no idea why they didn’t put this on television if it just had to happen but at least they didn’t do anything screwy like having Moss win (or even come close). McIntyre needs to move on, though there is a good chance that he has to beat Corbin soon too.

Kevin Owens calls this a tragedy or a travesty, whichever you prefer, because this was a three way match to start and now it’s five people fighting for one title. Worry not though, because he’s going to go talk to Seth Rollins.

Video on Seth Rollins, looking at how he got here and all of his successes.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. RKBro

RKBro is defending and come to the ring with Migos. Dawkins and Riddle start things off with Riddle getting taken down in a hurry. That’s not the best start so it’s off to Orton for a headlock. With that not getting them very far, it’s off to Ford, who gets dropkicked down. Riddle comes back in for the assisted Floating Bro for the early near fall. Back up and Riddle gets caught in the wrong corner so the double teaming can begin.

Dawkins gets two off a suplex but Riddle kicks him away without much effort. It’s back to Orton to take over, including a double hanging DDT to the Profits. The RKO is countered into a rollup to give Ford two and Orton is sent shoulder first into the post. That’s enough to send the champs outside, where Ford hits a HUGE running flip dive over the corner. Back in and Ford heads up top, only to miss….something. Instead Riddle comes back in to set up a pop up RKO to retain the titles at 10:17.

Rating: C+. We have had two Tag Team Title matches tonight. One of them ended with a 3D and the other ended with a pop up RKO. Are you starting to see why this company can be seen as repetitive at times? The match wasn’t anything memorable and is just another win for the champs, but it was completely acceptable for a PPV title defense.

Post match everyone celebrates together, including Migos. Ignore Ford still being down and having to crawl to the apron.

Drew McIntyre doesn’t have much to say about his win, but Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss jump him, with Corbin crushing his neck with a chair.

Video on Bianca Belair, who came a long way to get a scholarship to the University of Tennessee.

Brock Lesnar is asked about the WWE Title match and goes into a Paul Heyman impression, saying he is a free agent…thanks to Heyman. Tonight he is winning the WWE Title, and that is a spoiler.

We recap Edge vs. Miz. Edge returned a few weeks ago but the returning Miz (with Maryse) returned for a big talk off, with both of them praising and insulting the other’s careers. Miz got the better of things more than once, but Edge gave them a Broodbath (erg) to ruin the renewal of their wedding vows. Now it’s a showdown.

Miz vs. Edge

Maryse is here with Miz, while Edge gets the Brood/Alter Bridge double entrance. Feeling out process to start and Miz bails into the corner from the threat of an Edgecution. Miz knocks him outside though and sends Edge into the barricade to take over, setting up the top rope ax handle to the head back inside. It’s time to go after Edge’s leg before a reverse DDT gives Miz two.

Miz kicks him to the apron but gets planted face first on the floor for his efforts. They’re right back on the floor, with Miz trying the Skull Crushing Finale on the announcers’ table. That’s reversed into Edge’s faceplant onto said table and it’s a high crossbody for two back inside. Miz goes back to the leg but the Figure Four attempt earns him a kick into the corner. Edge is sent shoulder first into the post though and it’s right back to the leg. Now the Figure Four can go on but Edge turns it over, leaving Miz to struggle for a long time.

With that broken up, Edge goes to the Crossface, only to have Maryse get Miz’s boot into the rope. Back up and stereo big boots put both of them down and they get a breather. Miz takes him into the corner for the kicks to the chest and the running clothesline before going up top. Edge is right there with a super hiptoss of all things but the spear hits the corner. Maryse gets in a cheap shot of some kick and the Skull Crushing Finale gets two. Cue Beth Phoenix (who stands there glaring at Maryse until her music hits) to chase Maryse off, leaving Edge to spear Miz for the pin at 19:59.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but the fans were into it by the end. I’m a little surprised by the ending, but you can see the mixed tag coming, probably at the Rumble. That should make for a good match, though I’m not sure how much we need another month of these two fighting. The match was good stuff, with the leg work being a fine way to go and Maryse getting involved set up the finish, though it never hit that next gear.

MVP and Bobby Lashley aren’t worried about Brock Lesnar being added to the title match.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan for the Raw Women’s Title. Lynch had to cheat to beat Morgan in their first title match but Morgan wanted/got a rematch. Before accepting though, Lynch injured Morgan’s arm so she isn’t coming in at 100% here.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan

Lynch is defending and has goats on the shoulders of her jacket. Liv starts fast and knocks Becky outside for some rams into the announcers’ table. Back in and the Manhandle Slam is broken up, allowing Liv to roll her up for two. The Rings of Saturn send Becky straight to the ropes but she is able to catapult Liv throat first into the bottom rope. After a random shot of a fan in the crowd, Lynch hammers away on the mat as we keep cutting to the fans.

Morgan fights back and kicks her into the corner before hammering away with right hands of her own. There’s the enziguri to rock Lynch again and a middle rope dropkick gets two. Becky gets a cross armbreaker out of nowhere but Liv slips out and takes her down again. Liv goes up but gets knocked down, only to come back with a running springboard sunset bomb for two. A belly to back faceplant gives Lynch two but she misses a middle rope legdrop.

Liv is right back with a missile dropkick (to the stomach) and Becky bails to the floor. That means a big suicide dive but Lynch takes her around for some rams into the announcers’ table. Back up and Liv sends Becky into the steps before stomping on the arm like Lynch did to her. That’s broken up and Lynch hits her in the face but Lynch is right back with something like Oblivion off the top. The Rings of Saturn goes on again but Lynch reverses into a cradle for two. Another Oblivion is countered into the Manhandle Slam and the pin at 17:14, with Lynch reaching for the ropes to cheat but not quite getting there.

Rating: B-. These two were working hard out there and it wound up being a good match as a result. Morgan is not polished in the ring yet and still seems to be in over her head a lot, but she is getting better at making the most out of what she can do. This was about as close as she could get without winning, though aside from Rhea Ripley, I’m not sure who else on Raw is available for a fresh feud with Lynch at the moment. Maybe they run this back one more time, but that might be going too far with the feud.

Seth Rollins isn’t worried about the other four people in the WWE Title match because they’re not Seth Freaking Rollins. He’s going to stomp heads and win.

Johnny Knoxville, of Jackass fame, is in the Royal Rumble. Really.

We recap the WWE Title match. It was original a triple threat but then Bobby Lashley was added. Then Brock Lesnar was added to make it even wackier.

WWE Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Big E.

Big E. is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. It’s a big brawl to start and Lesnar fires off suplexes on Owens and Rollins. Big E. hits some running clotheslines to put Brock on the floor. Lashley sends Big E. into the post and hits the spear to drive Lesnar through the barricade. Lashley gets back in, where Owens and Rollins superkick him down.

Rollins knees Lesnar off the apron and Owens adds the bullfrog splash from the apron for a bonus. Some steps to the ribs put Lashley and Lesnar down before it’s time to set up the announcers’ table. Lashley fights both of them off but Big E. Rock Bottoms him through the table in the big crash.

Owens and Rollins are back up with a double DDT to drive Lesnar into the steps but Big E. takes Rollins down. The pop up sitout powerbomb gives Owens two on Big E. and Rollins adds a frog splash for two. Lesnar is back in with F5’s all around but Lashley is back in to spear Lesnar down for two more. The Hurt Lock has Lesnar in trouble until Big E. makes the save. There’s the Big Ending to Lashley but Lesnar escapes and hits an F5 on Big E. for the pin and the title at 8:23.

Rating: B. This was straight out of the Summerslam 2017 playbook, albeit with less time. They hit the gas to start and then never stopped, which is how a match like this should have gone. Lesnar winning the title is a surprise, though it seems like we are heading for a showdown between him and Lashley, which should be incredible. Big E.’s title reign was in trouble from the start and ended even worse, but dang I feel sorry for him to have to lose it like this. It was a heck of a match, but the idea of a long Lesnar reign makes my head hurt.

Overall Rating: B. It was a rather solid show, with only McIntyre vs. Moss bringing it down (and that is more to do with the match existing than the match itself). While there is nothing that blew the roof off, there were a bunch of good matches that felt like they belonged on a pay per view. The ending changes more than a few things and should set up the WWE Title match at the Royal Rumble, so it did have some important moments. Good show here and we could see some interesting things as we start the Road To Wrestlemania.

Results
Usos b. New Day – 3D to Kingston
Drew McIntyre b. Madcap Moss – Claymore
RKBro b. Street Profits – Assisted RKO to Ford
Edge b. Miz – Spear
Becky Lynch b. Liv Morgan – Manhandle slam
Brock Lesnar b. Big E., Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley – F5 to Big E.

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: December 24, 2021
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s Christmas Eve and thankfully we are taped instead of running a live show. We have a stacked card this week too, with a 12 man gauntlet match for to crown a new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title, along with a showdown for the SmackDown Women’s Title as Charlotte defends against Toni Storm. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last year’s show, with Roman Reigns hugging Paul Heyman, then firing him and laying him out with the Superman Punch. Then it was Brock Lesnar coming out and attacking Reigns to wrap things up.

Earlier today, Kayla Braxton sat down with a disheveled Paul Heyman (he needs to shave) so he can tell his side of the story. What happened was he was publicly fired, publicly attacked and publicly shamed. He told Roman Reigns the truth and he paid the price for it, publicly. Heyman doesn’t regret telling the truth because he was doing his job as special counsel.

Last week, his things had been thrown out of the locker room, but he had done his job. Reigns is the greatest Universal Champion of all time, but he needs to be protected from Brock Lesnar. Maybe now he needs to go to NXT and cherry pick a top talent and start over. But no, not at this stage. He put everything into Roman Reigns, but without him, maybe it’s time to acknowledge that his career is most likely over. Sweet goodness this man is talented.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Toni Storm

Charlotte is defending. They fight over a lockup to start with Storm not being able to get very far. Charlotte kicks her in the ribs but gets crossbodied down for an early one. The champ needs a breather on the floor before coming back in to stomp/chop away in the corner. We hit the figure four necklock for a bit until Charlotte flips her over, setting up the nipup. Back up and Storm scores with a headbutt, only to get kicked out to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Charlotte slapping her in the face and shouting about how much better she is than Storm. That’s enough to get Storm back up, so Charlotte blasts her with a clothesline. Storm finally hits a snap suplex but Charlotte forearms her in the corner. The Downward Spiral into the middle buckle cuts Storm off yet again, setting up the double moonsault for a double two.

Natural Selection is blocked though and Storm hits a quick German suplex. Not that it matters as Charlotte pulls her into the Figure Four (it takes a bit but she gets there), forcing Toni to roll into the ropes for the break. Back up and a big boot sends Storm out to the floor to keep up the near dominance. Some rollups give Storm two but Charlotte reverses into a small package of her own to retain at 14:35.

Rating: B-. Charlotte dominated the majority of the match until it felt like she caught Storm in the end. This was a feud that saw Charlotte get the better of things far more often than not and then beat Storm up in the title match. I’m not sure how this helped Storm in almost any way, but it wasn’t exactly a great look for her. I’m almost scared to see what is next for Charlotte, as she is running out of people to beat.

We look back at Drew McIntyre pulling Angela out of the desk after Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss couldn’t make it work.

Drew McIntyre and New Day are ready for the Usos and Madcap Moss tonight. It might even be time for some SEASONS BEATINGS!

Xia Li doesn’t like women like Natalya, who crush other women’s spirits. Violence/vengeance is promised.

Gauntlet Match

It’s a 12 Days Of Christmas Gauntlet Match with the winner getting an Intercontinental Title shot against Shinsuke Nakamura (ringside with Rick Boogs). Angel is in at #1 and Mansoor is in at #2 with the latter being pulled off the top for an early and nasty crash. An enziguri doesn’t get Mansoor very far as Angel hits the Wing Clipper for the pin at 1:36.

Erik is in at #3 and gets kicked off the apron before the bell. Angel tries a moonsault to the floor but gets pulled out of the air. Erik slams him hard on the floor and we take a break. Back with Erik kneeing him in the face for two but missing the running knees in the corner. Another Wing Clipper ends Erik at 6:59 and it’s Shanky in at #4.

A dropkick has no effect on Shanky, who knocks Angel hard into the corner. Wade Barrett’s old Wasteland ends Angel at 8:31 and it’s Ivar in at #5. A big boot drops Ivar but he’s right back up with some corner clotheslines to put Shanky down for a change. The Viking Splash ends Shanky at 9:51 so here is Sheamus in at #6. Sheamus hammers away but gets punched out to the floor as we take another break. Back again with Sheamus grabbing the chinlock to keep Ivar in trouble. That’s broken up with viking power but Sheamus Brogue Kicks him for the pin at 15:50.

Drew Gulak is in at #7 and gets Brogue Kicked for the pin at 16:31. Cesaro is in at #8 with bad ribs but hits a high crossbody for two anyway. That’s a Regal roll onto the ribs and we hit an armbar of all things to keep Cesaro down. Cesaro fights up but it’s a Ridge Holland distraction so Sheamus can hit another Brogue Kick for the pin at 21:18. Ricochet is in at #9 and kicks Sheamus outside for a heck of a top rope Asai moonsault to send us to another break.

Back again with Sheamus hitting the Irish Curse and grabbing a chinlock. Sheamus powerslams him to cut off a comeback attempt, setting up the ten forearms to the chest. A top rope clothesline misses though and Ricochet grabs a tornado DDT for two more. Ricochet’s Lionsault hits knees so Sheamus grabs a small package for a very near fall. Sheamus gets knocked off the top to set up a standing moonsault for two more. Holland offers another distraction though, allowing Sheamus to knee Ricochet off the apron. Cue Cesaro to take out Holland to distract Sheamus, with Ricochet getting the rollup pin at 30:52.

Humberto is in at #10 but first, Sheamus gets to knock Ricochet silly again. Humberto’s moonsault hits raised knees though and it’s the Recoil for the pin at 32.21. Jinder Mahal is in at #11 and drops Ricochet onto the apron toput him in trouble. The Khallas is countered into a cradle to give rid of Mahal at 33:01 though and it’s Sami Zayn in at #12. We take another break and come back with Sami pounding him in the corner and hitting a clothesline for two.

Sami goes up and talks trash, with the delay being enough for Ricochet to snap off a super hurricanrana for two of his own. Ricochet blocks the Blue Thunder Bomb and hits a crossbody for two more. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Sami a rather near fall but he can’t hit an exploder into the corner. Another attempt does connect but the Helluva Kick is cut off with a superkick. The Benedriller gives Ricochet a very close two so Ricochet heads up top. The shooting star press only hits knees though and it’s a second exploder into the corner. Now Sami can hit the Helluva Kick for the pin and the win at 42:16.

Rating: B-. This was rather long and that’s a good idea on a show like this one. Sami winning wasn’t quite a huge surprise, as he has been quite the focal point of Smackdown for the last few weeks. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him getting the title in the end. Nakamura has done well as champion, but Sami has more of a story going and it would make sense to see him win. The rest of the match had its moments, especially from Ricochet and Sheamus, but a lot of people were in and out without much going on. You have to do something like that in this kind of a match, though it does mean things go rather fast.

We look back at Roman Reigns firing Paul Heyman again.

We get a long, detailed look at Paul Heyman’s career, including a good bit of WCW and ECW footage. After a look at everything that happened to him with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, we wrap it up with the ending of the show’s opening segment, with Heyman saying his career is probably over. This was pretty cool and showed you just how far Heyman has come in his career.

Madcap Moss/Usos vs. Drew McIntyre/New Day

Miracle on 34th Street Fight with Happy Corbin in Moss/Usos’ corner. Woods headlocks Jey to start and then decks him with a forearm. It’s off to Kofi for the slingshot Vader Bomb but he gets taken into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long though as McIntyre gets the tag so he can hammer on Moss for a bit. Everything breaks down and it’s Corbin coming in with a candy cane kendo stick to drop McIntyre. The other four fight on the stage, with New Day being thrown through boxes and trees.

We take a break and come back with everyone at ringside, including the Usos still using the boxes on New Day. Kofi gets crushed between two trees (Cole: “The old Christmas tree sandwich!”) as Moss stops McIntyre with some raised boots in the corner. McIntyre is back with a suplex as Woods finds a chair in one of the boxes. We go ECW with a Van Daminator to Jimmy but some egg nog seems to slow him down.

That leaves Kofi to Boom Drop Jimmy, followed by a top rope spinning hurricanrana (cool). It’s time to bring in the cookies, which Kofi slams onto the Usos’ heads, because it’s a theme thing. Moss yells at McIntyre so it’s some snap belly to belly suplexes into a neckbreaker for Moss’ troubles. Corbin breaks up the Claymore though so Kofi egg nogs him. McIntyre does the same to Corbin and Moss at the same time, leaving Woods to kick Corbin into the announcers’ table. The Claymore finishes Moss at 12:30.

Rating: C. This is a match where your tolerance for goofy themed comedy will decide everything. Ignoring all that though, this was mainly a not that great six man, with the good guys fighting from underneath to win in the end. That’s not the most thrilling way to wrap it up, but at least McIntyre got to kick Moss in the face. For a fun main event on a less than serious show, not too shabby though.

Post match McIntyre and New Day throw presents into the crowd (McIntyre seems rather proud of one of his throws) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The Heyman stuff was excellent and makes me wonder where the story is going. Throw in a good and rather long gauntlet match, a somewhat depressing Women’s Title match and a fun enough main event and we’ll call this a goodish show. It’s definitely a week that seems like they were taking the night off, but at least they did enough good things to carry us to the last week of the year.

Results
Charlotte b. Toni Storm- Small package
Sami Zayn won a gauntlet match last eliminating Ricochet
New Day/Drew McIntyre b. Madcap Moss/Usos – Claymore to Moss

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Smackdown
Date: December 17, 2021
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re rapidly approaching Day One and the big main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns is all set. That should open a few interesting doors this week, but there are some other matches that need some work of their own. Hopefully the build keeps working so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week, with Paul Heyman not liking the friendlier Brock Lesnar and seemingly snapping him back into Beast Mode. Roman Reigns might not be pleased though.

Toni Storm/Sasha Banks vs. Shotzi/Charlotte

Fallout from Storm becoming #1 contender to Charlotte last week when Charlotte kicked her face in. Storm takes Shotzi down with a headlock to start and then kicks her in the chest. Banks, in Spider-Man gear, comes in for the showdown with Charlotte, who gets taken down with a running hurricanrana. It’s back to Storm, allowing Charlotte to kick Banks in the face. Shotzi knocks Storm outside as well and we take a break.

Back with Banks blocking Shotzi’s kick to the ribs but Charlotte gets in a cheap shot to take over. A backbreaker gets two on Banks and it’s Shotzi tagging herself back in. The running crotch attack on the ropes misses though and it’s back to Storm to atomic drop Shotzi. Everything breaks down and it’s Charlotte knocking Storm and Banks out to the floor.

We take another break and come back with Storm kicking Charlotte away and bringing Banks back in to clean house. Banks hits a spinning crossbody for two on Charlotte, followed by a rollup for the same. The Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog plants Charlotte and Storm comes in off a blind tag. A Downward Spiral is broken up and Charlotte sends her face first into the buckle in the corner. Charlotte loads up the moonsault but only hits knees, allowing Storm to cradle her for the pin at 18:57.

Rating: B-. This was your long form wrestling match and that’s something a show can use. The problem here is that it’s hard to buy into Storm as a threat to Charlotte after how the feud has gone so far. Yes Storm got a pin here, but is there any reason to believe she’s a threat to Charlotte? Storm has been treated as beneath Charlotte throughout the feud and that is likely to be the case in the title match too.

King Woods is on his throne while a variety of wrestlers sing his praises. The Usos come in to mock New Day but they promise to take the Tag Team Titles. Threats are exchanged.

Natalya isn’t worried about Naomi or Xia Li. Yeah Xia Li is a protector but she is going to need some protection.

Raw Rebound.

Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal/SShanky

Of note: the Raiders had their entrance, then we had a break, then we had Natalya’s promo and the Raw Rebound, then we had another break. How is that the best option? Anyway, we’re joined in progress with Mahal kneeing Erik in the face and bringing in Shanky to hammer away in the corner.

A big chop staggers Erik and it’s back to Mahal to stomp him down again. Erik fights out of a chinlock though and rolls over for the tag to Ivar to take over. Mahal gets knocked down and it’s back to Erik, who slams Ivar onto him for two. Everything breaks down and Ivar is driven into Shanky in the corner. Mahal is taken down and Ivar hits a top rope splash for the pin on Shanky at 4:58.

Rating: C-. I approve of the Vikings getting a win, but I don’t have much of a reason to believe they’re going to become a thing going forward. They have won before and gone nowhere, though they could be an interesting st of challengers for the Usos. I doubt we get there, but there is something nice about seeing Mahal and Shanky get beaten up.

We look back at Drew McIntyre driving his sword into Adam Pearce’s desk, which was then stolen by Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss.

Paul Heyman is waiting in the parking lot when a big SUV comes in. It’s Brock Lesnar though, who has Heyman rather nervous. Maybe Heyman was expecting Roman Reigns?

It’s time for Happy Talk, with Happy Corbin being rather pleased about the desk (still including sword). Moss hangs his hat on the sword and has some jokes about how McIntyre doesn’t have his sword anymore. The fans chant for CM PUNK but Corbin has a better idea: Moss can pull the sword out and keep it.

There are three problems though: Moss can’t pull it out, Corbin can’t pull it out, and the two of them can’t pull it out. Instead here is Drew McIntyre himself to cut things off (not a moment too soon) and ask if the two of them are having some performance issues. The fight is on with McIntyre clearing the ring and pulling the sword out with no problem. This segment was terrible and I usually love Moss’ terrible jokes.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville. He loves the idea of giving around the holiday season, but goes into a rant about everything he has had taken from him. The bosses have an idea though: Sami can be in a 12 man gauntlet match next week and the winner gets an Intercontinental Title shot. Zayn doesn’t seem thrilled.

Cesaro vs. Ridge Holland

Sheamus is here with Holland, who hits Cesaro in the ribs with his club before the bell. We take a break and come back with Cesaro’s ribs taped up, so Holland drives him ribs first into the corner. A backbreaker makes it even worse and we hit the abdominal stretch to stay on the ribs. Cesaro fights out and hits a belly to back, setting up a clothesline to the floor. Cesaro throws him back in but Sheamus offers a distraction, allowing Holland to hit Northern Grit for the pin at 2:59.

Drew McIntyre is hunting for Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin.

Here is Naomi for a chat. Naomi reads off her Christmas list: face Sonya Deville one on one at Day One. Actually Naomi wants to face Sonya right now, so cue Deville to say she isn’t fighting while she is wearing the suit. Instead, she has an opponent for Naomi right now: Shayna Baszler. That’s cool with Naomi, but she wants Sonya in the ring now instead. Sonya gets in but here is Baszler to take out Naomi’s leg. Ring the bell.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

Sonya goes for a leglock but gets cradled for the pin at 29 seconds.

Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss are hiding, but get interviewed anyway. They don’t like the lights being turned on, but they’ll be laughing all the way to new year’s, when McIntyre faces Moss. That doesn’t seem to be cool with Moss, though he smiles anyway.

Usos vs. New Day

Non-title, because the title match is at Day One. Kofi grabs the SOS for an early two on Jey but it’s off to Jimmy to unload in the corner. The chinlock goes on as McAfee gives Hulk Hogan a shoutout. Kofi fights up and hits a superkick but Jey breaks up the tag attempt. We take a break and come back with Woods coming in off the hot tag for the clothesline comeback.

There’s a big dive to the floor to take Jey down, setting up a guillotine legdrop on Jimmy. Jey sends Woods into the barricade though, leaving Kofi to get superkicked for two. Back in and Woods breaks up Jey’s Superfly Splash, allowing Kofi to hit Trouble in Paradise for the pin on Jimmy at 8:30.

Rating: C+. Naturally an Usos vs. New Day match was good, but are you really surprised by the dumb logic here? To make the match interesting, we see the match in advance? Usos vs. New Day is one of those rivalries that will never end and this was just another chapter, but egads this kind of thing makes my head hurt. Just do ANYTHING else but this kind of double match deal.

Roman Reigns arrives and wants to go to his arena.

Here is Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman still holding the belt and the loser Usos here too. After the required acknowledgment, Reigns says he doesn’t like it when his cousins lose. They can get through anything though because they’re blood. Heyman isn’t blood though, and he should know that Reigns can’t have people disrespecting him. If they disrespect him, they disrespect Reigns’ family.

Can he trust the wise man? Heyman seemed a little shady last week, so Reigns needs to know: did Heyman know Lesnar was going to be at Summerslam? Or at Madison Square Garden? Or that Lesnar’s suspension was going to be lifted? Reigns gets to the point: is Heyman a special counsel or is he an advocate? Heyman can’t answer, but Reigns wants Heyman to acknowledge him with the truth. Why is he protecting Lesnar?

Heyman says he isn’t protecting Lesnar from Reigns, but rather protecting Reigns from Lesnar. That’s not good with Reigns, but he hugs Heyman and says he loves him. Reigns thanks him for forty years of service (Heyman: “I love you my tribal chief.”)….and then fires him. The Superman Punch lays Heyman out and the Conchairto is loaded up.

Cue Lesnar, who takes out the Usos without much trouble (including shrugging off a superkick). Lesnar charges in and, despite Reigns hitting him with a chair over and over, lays Reigns out with a pair of F5’s to end the show. So there’s your big twist in the story and it is something that needed to happen after so many months of will Heyman/won’t Heyman.

Overall Rating: C. There was some pretty good wrestling here, but the big angle at the end is what matters the most. They moved things forward in a huge way at the end and that is one of the best things that they could have done. I’m curious about where this goes, but we could be in for some interesting twists. There were more than a few problems on this show though, with that Moss/Corbin nonsense dragging it down just enough to put the whole thing in the middle.

Results
Toni Storm/Sasha Banks b. Charlotte/Shotzi – Rollup to Charlotte
Viking Raiders b. Jinder Mahal/Shanky – Top rope splash to Shanky
Ridge Holland b. Cesaro – Northern Grit
Naomi b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup
New Day b. Usos – Trouble in Paradise to Jimmy

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Smackdown
Date: December 3, 2021
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

In something you probably don’t remember hearing around here, it’s the Brock Lesnar Show as he is back after his suspension last month. Odds are this is going to set something up for either Day 1 or the Rumble and that opens up a few questions. I’m curious to see where this is going so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Sami Zayn becoming #1 contender last week but Brock Lesnar’s return was announced for the show immediately thereafter.

Here is Brock Lesnar to get things going. Lesnar says he is here for the Universal Title but cue Sami Zayn to interrupt. Sami talks about how he’s a fan of Lesnar and is cut off almost immediately. Lesnar: “I’m sorry, you’re a fan?” Lesnar talks about living in Saskatchewan, where he hunts, kills and eats things. Now why hasn’t he ripped Sami’s head off yet? Sami explains the battle royal win….and Lesnar starts laughing.

Sami says it might be funny and Lesnar wants to see the title match tonight. Lesnar: “Sami right? Tonight! Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns!” Sami says he didn’t want to do it in Texas and he has a bad hip but Brock doesn’t want to hear this. Brock backs the babbling Sami up against the ropes and twists his arm until Sami agrees to the match. Lesnar will be there too! Crazy scary Lesnar who isn’t worried about anyone is great.

Post break, Sami is with Sonya Deville and tries to talk his way out of the Roman Reigns match. Brock comes up and Sami changes his tune, with Sonya making the match. Lesnar even gets to face the winner at Day 1!

Video on Shayna Baszler, including the stomp to mess up Nia Jax’s arm. After the video, McAfee refers to this as the Future Endeavors Kick.

Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is sent outside to start, where she counters a baseball slide into an ankle lock. Banks breaks that up and hits the Meteora off the apron for two as we take a break. Back with Baszler hitting a running knee in the corner, setting up a gutwrench suplex for two. Banks fights up and hits a springboard tornado DDT for two of her own. Baszler pulls her down into the Kirifuda Clutch but Banks flips out and grabs the Bank Statement. That’s broken up as well so Baszler hits a running knee, only to get caught in a hurricanrana for the pin at 8:49.

Rating: C. You knew it was happening as soon as the Baszler video aired. I’m not sure what the point of this one was other than getting Sasha a win, though there is no reason to get annoyed at WWE for having Baszler lose again. Baszler has long since reached the point of “it’s not going to happen” so this is about all you could have expected.

Adam Pearce calls Sonya Deville and says he isn’t going to show up because it would be better if he just remembers the Alamo. Deville: “Oh come on.” Drew McIntyre comes in and doesn’t like that it was Adam Pearce’s decision for him to not be in the battle royal last week.

It’s time for Happy Talk, with Happy Corbin in shorts to show off his rather tattooed legs. Corbin and Madcap Moss talk about last week’s battle royal, including Moss eliminating a bunch of people until Corbin tossed him out as well. Jeff Hardy did some stupid things and Drew McIntyre didn’t even get in the match. Cue McIntyre, with Angela the sword, allowing Hardy to jump Corbin from behind. Hardy and McIntyre steal their hats.

Xia Li debuts next week so we get another comic book video. This one talks about her walking through a quiet street until she has to beat up some muggers.

Viking Raiders vs. Los Lotharios

Erik plants Angel in a hurry and them knocks Humberto off the apron. Ivar gets knocked off the apron though and it’s a Muta Lock to Erick….and we pause for a good while until Rick Boogs can show up on the announcers’ table. This time though, Humberto is fine enough to roll Erik up for the pin at 1:41 anyway. Ok points for a surprise twist.

Post match the Vikings are mad at Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura but the power of rock calms things down.

We look at Toni Storm getting pied into fear by Charlotte last week.

Storm says she wants a title shot and doesn’t care how much Charlotte embarrasses her. All she wants is the title.

Jey Uso vs. King Woods

Before the match, the Usos call out Sami Zayn and Brock Lesnar for wanting to face Roman Reigns at Day 1. Woods cuts them off and brings out the returning Kofi Kingston to have his back. Jey hammers him in the corner to start but misses a running hip attack. Back up and Woods kicks him in the face but Jimmy interferes for the DQ at 2:02.

Post match Kofi helps Woods clear the ring.

Roman Reigns isn’t happy with everything happening tonight without his knowledge. Paul Heyman insists he didn’t know any of this would be happening, but Reigns promises to smash Sami Zayn and Brock Lesnar.

The New Day, with Aliyah for a bit for her latest random cameo, is ready to win the Tag Team Titles from the Usos at Day 1.

Here is Charlotte to respond to Toni Storm’s challenges. The point is that #1 doesn’t acknowledge #2, but she’ll get to the point: no. Charlotte leaves and Storm is waiting on her with a pie.

Video on Ricochet.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro

Sheamus sends him straight to the apron for the ten forearms to the chest and an early near fall. The double fish hook stretches Cesaro’s face but he fights up and knocks Sheamus over the barricade. Back in and Sheamus drives some knees to the head while shouting about how much better Ridge Holland is than Cesaro. That starts a comeback….and it’s cut off by the Brogue Kick to give Sheamus the pin at 3:47.

Rating: C. Can they please just release Cesaro already? They aren’t going to push him, they aren’t going to give him anything to do and they don’t see much in him. If they’re that sure he isn’t a star, why keep him on the payroll? I know the answer to most of these questions is AEW, but egads it’s frustrating to watch something like this after his token pay per view main event earlier this year.

Naomi challenges Sonya Deville again and Sonya accepts. The catch is Naomi can’t touch her until they’re in the ring, so Sonya hits her in the face and doesn’t give her a date for the match.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn

Sami is challenging but first he needs to rant about no one having his back for years. Cue Brock Lesnar so Sami keeps talking about how he’s going to win the title. Brock snaps off the German suplexes into the F5 and Sami is left laying. Another F5 makes it even worse and Lesnar puts Sami in the corner, despite him being out on his feet. Lesnar leaves and post break, Reigns comes out for the match. The Usos are here with Reigns and pull Sami back up so the bell can ring. Spear and guillotine retain the title at 16 seconds to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one as it was much more about setting things up for Day 1 rather than anything of note here. It wasn’t terrible or even that bad, but it’s a show where you would have been better off reading a recap than watching the show. At least they accomplished something, but don’t waste your time with anything on this show, save for maybe Lesnar having fun getting a fat check.

Results
Sasha Banks b. Shayna Baszler – Hurricanrana
Los Lotharios b. Viking Raiders – Rollup to Erik
King Woods b. Jey Uso via DQ when Jimmy Uso interfered
Sheamus b. Cesaro – Brogue Kick
Roman Reigns b. Sami Zayn – Guillotine

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

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Smackdown
Date: November 26, 2021
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Survivor Series, where a grand total of very little took place. Raw won the Battle For Brand Supremacy but Roman Reigns beat Big E. in the show’s main event. We are now on the way to Day 1 and Reigns’ next challenger will be determined this week via a battle royal. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Kayla Braxton is in the ring to talk about Brock Lesnar’s suspension but here are Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns to interrupt. Heyman says we don’t deal with rumors like this one on the Island of Relevancy. The fans aren’t pleased but Heyman tells them to stop booing Braxton. He wants Braxton to go get some sources and find some real news. Stop living through an Instagram filter because there is no real journalist filter. Braxton is allowed to leave so the fans want Brock. McAfee: “Did they say let’s go……Brandon?”

Reigns says the problem with rumors is they give losers false hope. Compared to him, everyone around here is a loser. He has beaten everyone around here and Brock is the biggest loser of them all. After Survivor Series, Big E. is a loser too and it’s getting embarrassing around here. Tonight we have a Black Friday Battle Royal to crown a new #1 contender. Why not let three or four of them win tonight because he can smash them all? When his days are done around here, which could be sooner than later, the world will acknowledge him.

We recap Drew McIntyre helping Jeff Hardy last week vs. Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss.

Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss vs. Drew McIntyre/Jeff Hardy

Corbin jumps Hardy to start and gets atomic dropped into the basement dropkick. Moss comes in and gets elbowed in the face to give McIntyre two. The fans are very pleased with Hardy as he comes back in to work on Moss’ arm. Moss is sent outside and Hardy dives off the apron to hit Corbin as well. A clothesline puts Hardy into the timekeeper’s area though and we take a break.

Back with Corbin throwing Hardy into the corner but he’s back up with a double clothesline to put himself and Moss down. The hot tag brings in McIntyre, who cuts off the slide under the ropes clothesline. Moss’ interference lets Corbin grab Deep Six for two and everything breaks down. The Glasgow Kiss drops Moss into the Claymore into the Swanton to give Hardy the pin at 8:25.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable tag match here and the hometown star even gets to win for a change. It was a simple match that played off of last week’s stuff and gave the fans something to cheer about. Again: WWE knows how to do this kind of thing and a (fairly long) string of matches like these could do a lot of good for restoring some fan confidence.

Aliyah and Kayla Braxton are chatting but Paul Heyman comes in to scare Aliyah off. Heyman asks if Braxton has any confirmations yet, before saying that Reigns isn’t scared of Lesnar. If she doesn’t have a confirmation by the end of the night, he’s pushing to get rid of her. Or is that just a rumor?

Cesaro vs. Ridge Holland

Sheamus is on commentary to sing Holland’s praises. Holland runs Cesaro over to start and grabs an early chinlock. That’s broken up so Holland busts out a heck of an overhead belly to belly for two. A powerslam drops Cesaro again for no cover as Holland would rather elbow him in the face a few times. Holland pauses for a second though and gets rolled up for the pin at 2:48.

Drew McIntyre says he wants in the battle royal but Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville don’t have a final lineup yet.

Rick Boogs vs. Angel

This is billed as a Thanksgiving Leftovers Throwdown. McAfee: “THINGS ARE MESSY IN MY PANTS RIGHT NOW!” There are a bunch of Thanksgiving leftovers around the ring and Boogs teases putting Angle through a table of them to start. That’s broken up and we hit the crossarm choke back inside. Boogs powers up and busts out a heck of a gutwrench suplex. Humberto has to be dealt with and it’s a gutwrench powerbomb for two on Angel. Humberto grabs the guitar but Shinsuke Nakamura puts him through the table. The distraction lets Angel hit a superkick into the Wing Clipper for the pin at 3:12.

Rating: C-. This was a bit messy, but the weirder part is that they didn’t even bother with the Thanksgiving stuff. What is the point in having it out there if you could have the same match without the stuff included? Boogs losing to Angel isn’t a terrible thing, and should lead to a big tag match, or maybe an Intercontinental Title match.

Video on Becky Lynch cheating to beat Charlotte at Survivor Series.

Kayla Braxton asks Adam Pearce about Brock Lesnar’s suspension, and happens to have a clip of Lesnar attacking Pearce ready. Pearce isn’t happy and says Lesnar’s suspension isn’t being lifted anytime soon.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. Charlotte says Becky Lynch had to cheat to beat her because Charlotte is the better woman. Cue Toni Storm to say she’s stepping up to Charlotte before Charlotte has the chance to come after her. Charlotte isn’t pleased and offers to beat Storm up right now. The brawl is on and Charlotte is sent outside, where she grabs a leftover pie to knock Storm down. Then Charlotte does it again for a bonus, with Storm….just standing there and looking at her. And yes, that’s the whole segment: Storm interrupts, gets pied twice, and does absolutely nothing.

Earlier today, Sasha Banks blamed Sonya Deville for costing them the Survivor Series match for not putting Naomi on the team. Deville doesn’t like that but Banks suggests that Deville is jealous. All Deville is now is a suit, which Deville says makes her the boss. Deville makes a tag match.

Xia Li is still coming soon.

Sasha Banks/Naomi vs. Natalya/Shayna Baszler

Sonya Deville is on commentary. Baszler goes with an early ankle lock on Banks but the Kirifuda Clutch is backed into the corner. Naomi comes in but gets taken to the floor, where Natalya gives her the release atomic drop. Back in and Banks has to break up the Kirifuda Clutch with a Backstabber to Baszler as we take a break.

Back with Baszler knocking Banks off the apron again and cranking on Naomi’s leg. A double suplex puts Naomi down and Natalya grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and Naomi flips out of a suplex but Natalya pulls her back down. The discus lariat gives Natalya two and a Michinoku Driver is good for the same. Back up and Naomi grabs a quick rollup for the pin at 10:16.

Rating: C. Banks kind of disappeared near the end, but this wasn’t about her anyway. I’m glad to see Naomi actually win something for once to get one up on Deville as their eventual showdown continues to loom. Overcoming the odds is the point to one of these evil bosses stories so this was a good way to move things forward.

Deville reluctantly applauds the winners.

The lineup has been released for the battle royal…but Drew McIntyre didn’t make it. Sneering ensues.

Raw Rebound.

Battle Royal

Ivar, Erik, Sheamus, Sami Zayn, Drew Gulak, Ricochet, Jinder Mahal, Humberto, Angel, Cesaro, Happy Corbin, Shaky, Mace, Rick Boogs, Mansoor, Madcap Moss, Ridge Holland, Jeff Hardy

Hold on though as here is Drew McIntyre with the sword to chase everyone off. Adam Pearce comes out to try and calm things down as we take a break. We come back with things having started and the Bloodline watching in the back. Mahal is out early and Sami kicks Gulak out. Sheamus and Holland knockout Mansoor and there goes Mace. Moss manages to get rid of Shanky and Cesaro dumps Holland, only to get tossed by Moss as well.

Corbin doesn’t seem to notice Moss’ success, but Moss tries to toss him instead. That’s fine with Corbin, who eliminates Moss instead. We take a break and come back with more halfhearted elimination attempts. Sheamus punches Zayn to the apron and Angel tosses Boogs. The Vikings get rid of Angel and Humberto and Zayn goes through the ropes (not out) to the floor. Sheamus gets beaten up by the Vikings as well but he manages to send both of them out. We’re down to Ricochet, Sheamus, Hardy, Corbin and Zayn as Ricochet hits a springboard crossbody to drop Sheamus.

A rolling dropkick hits Hardy but Corbin clotheslines Ricochet. There’s a chokebreaker to drop Ricochet again but he comes back with an enziguri. Sheamus Brogue Kicks Ricochet though and he’s out without much trouble. Corbin and Sheamus slug it out but Hardy is back up to catch Corbin with a Twisting Stunner. Sheamus is back up to help Corbin go after Hardy but Corbin turns on him for the elimination. Hardy tosses Sheamus….and forgets that Zayn is still in and gets eliminated to give Sami the win at 19:43.

Rating: C. It was a battle royal with the most annoying ending possible and the hometown star slipping on a banana peel to lose in the end. The “hey he’s still in” finish is one of the most overdone concepts that WWE loves to use and you could see it a mile away here. Zayn winning is interesting, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see something take that title shot away.

Roman Reigns is rather pleased in the back.

Kayla Braxton gets in the ring to interview Sami but we have BREAKING NEWS: Brock Lesnar’s suspension has been lifted and he will be back next week. Now Reigns isn’t pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This certainly wasn’t a great show but they did enough to make things work. I would still expect King Woods to wind up getting the next major Universal Title shot but they still have tome to get there. At least some things were moved forward here and it was a more interesting show with the Survivor Series stuff out of the way.

Results
Drew McIntyre/Jeff Hardy b. Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss – Swanton Bomb to Moss
Cesaro b. Ridge Holland – Rollup
Angel b. Rick Boogs – Wing Clipper
Naomi/Sasha Banks b. Natalya/Shayna Baszler – Rollup to Natalya
Sami Zayn won a battle royal last eliminating Jeff Hardy

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

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

AND

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

Survivor Series 2021
Date: November 21, 2021
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Pat McAfee

I’m running out of ways to say this show isn’t that interesting, but it seems that even some of the wrestlers are thinking the same. This is another Battle For Brand Supremacy and this time around we’ll be seeing more champions fighting each other. Not for any titles mind you, but for the glory of their t-shirt. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Shinsuke Nakamura (Smackdown) vs. Damian Priest (Raw)

Non-title and Rick Boogs is here with Nakamura. Priest grabs a hammerlock to start but Nakamura fights up thanks to the power of a guitar solo. Back up and Nakamura mocks Priest’s arrow before sending him into the corner for Good Vibrations, again complete with the guitar. Priest runs Nakamura over for two and an elbow the face gets the same. We hit the chinlock so Boogs plays him back up, earning a warning from Priest.

Back up and Nakamura kicks Priest down, setting up his array of strikes to the face. Nakamura goes up but dives into a spinwheel kick. Now it’s Priest firing off his own strikes, including throwing Nakamura into the air for a shot to the back. The Broken Arrow gets two but Nakamura is back up with a spinning kick to the face. Kinshasa misses though and Priest grabs a rollup for two.

Priest’s springboard is cut off with a knee strike for two but Kinshasa is countered into South of Heaven for a good near fall. The Reckoning is countered so Priest pulls him into a triangle choke. That’s enough to make Boogs play again, which draws Priest outside to break the guitar. McAfee: “YOU SON OF A B****! YOU SON OF A B****!” Nakamura goes out to save Boogs and gets hit with the broken guitar for the DQ at 9:21.

Rating: C+. I liked this one as they were going back and forth with the big moves until they had a finish other than a champion getting pinned. I’ll take that over either of them taking a fall here so at least they’re off to a good start. This was about the two of them beating on each other and they tied it together with Priest wanting to destroy Boogs. Good start here.

Smackdown – 1
Raw – 0

The opening video ties into the Rock’s Netflix movie Red Notice and focuses on a battle to be the better show.

We recap Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch, which is presented as a personal battle between two people with a deep history. They both want to be the best and then there was the whole title exchange, which led to a backstage issue which has been hinted at but never directly referenced. Charlotte talked about how Becky keeps screwing up at the big points while Becky is sick of Charlotte’s ego.

Becky Lynch (Raw) vs. Smackdown (Charlotte).

Non-title. Charlotte shoves her into the corner to start as they’re going very aggressive. Natural Selection misses so Becky grabs the Disarn-Her early. Becky kicks her in the face but gets speared down so they can brawl out to the floor. Charlotte is sent into the barricade and takes her time to get back inside, where Becky stomps away. A backbreaker cuts Becky off and Charlotte kicks her in the back to give them both a breather.

There’s another kick to the face and Charlotte sends her into the post. Charlotte’s moonsault off the top is broken up though, with Charlotte crashing down into the barricade. Back up and Charlotte knocks her down again before they get back inside to slap it out. Charlotte knocks her down but can’t crush Lynch’s leg in the corner. Becky goes for the arm but Charlotte powerbombs her down for two.

Back up and Lynch unloads in the corner with kicks and stomps, only to have the Bexploder blocked. Instead Charlotte Bexploders her into the corner. The double jump moonsault gives Charlotte two but Becky is back up with some shots to the face. Charlotte snaps her throat across the top gets pummeled again, setting up Lynch’s middle rope legdrop to the back of the head for her own two. Charlotte slips out of a double armbar and elbows Lynch in the face for another near fall.

A big boot gets two more on Becky, who comes back with a reverse layout DDT. Becky unloads with more right hands and the Manhandle Slam gets two, with the foot on the rope saving Charlotte. The Figure Four has Charlotte in trouble so they slap it out (with the required B**** Bomb being thrown in) until they turn it over into the ropes for the break.

Becky rolls outside and Charlotte moonsaults down onto her (or the general vicinity) to drop her in a hurry. Back in and Charlotte grabs a Dis-Arm Her, sending Becky straight to the ropes. Charlotte grabs a rollup with the rope for two but Becky does the same and grabs the rope as well for the pin at 18:35.

Rating: B+. This felt like a fight and that’s what it should have been. The idea here is that the two of them hated each other and wanted to prove they were the best so they went at it as hard as they could. Trading finishers set up Becky using the same cheating that Charlotte lost to finally get the win. I loved the aggression here as it fit a unique match, which turned out to be rather good.

Raw – 1
Smackdown – 1

We look at the Rock debuting at Survivor Series.

We look at Drew McIntyre’s rise and fall and second rise in WWE for some reason.

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men

Raw: Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins
Smackdown: King Woods, Jeff Hardy, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Happy Corbin

Woods starts for Smackdown but Owens and Rollins get in an argument over who gets to face him. Owens eventually gets the nod and is all fired up….so he rolls out to the floor and walks out for the countout at 53 seconds. McIntyre jumps Rollins from behind on the floor as Woods pulls Theory in. A running dropkick to the back gets two on Theory and McIntyre tags himself in to toss Theory hard into the corner. Sheamus comes in for a chop that is so loud that it has McAfee losing it even more than usual.

Now Corbin gets to add a right hand but Theory kicks him in the ribs and brings Rollins in. Corbin runs him over and hands it off to Hardy as the fast tags are continuing. Rollins is fine enough to get over to Balor, who gets hammered into the corner as well. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Corbin hits a heck of a chokeslam on Theory. Corbin misses a charge into the post though and an enziguri sets up the Coup de Grace for the elimination at 7:50 to tie it up.

Hardy comes in to atomic drop Balor, setting up the basement dropkick. Balor is able to get over to Rollins to drive Hardy into the corner though and Lashley is up with a running shoulder in the corner. Hardy gets sat on top where he has to elbow Rollins and Balor away. That means a double Whisper in the Wind to take them both down in a heap. With everyone down, Lashley slips around and pulls McIntyre down for a posting. Theory comes in and works on Hardy, who gets over to Woods in a hurry. Woods gets to clean house but Lashley crotches him on top, setting up the spear and the Hurt Lock to get rid of Woods at 13:46.

Everything breaks down again, with Balor and Rollins hitting stereo Sling Blades on Sheamus and Hardy. Some dives to the floor leave Lashley and Hardy in the ring as McIntyre pulls himself up and tags Hardy. They stare each other down and slug it out with McIntyre getting the better of things off a clothesline. Lashley gets sent outside, where McIntyre can’t quite post him. They fight over the barricade and it’s a double countout for the double elimination at 16:45.

So we’re down to Hardy/Sheamus vs. Theory/Balor/Rollins. Lashley and McIntyre aren’t done though and McIntyre hits a Claymore in the ring before yelling a lot. Rollins gets up and mocks McIntyre for the elimination, earning himself a Glasgow Kiss so Sheamus can get two. Balor comes back in for the Sling Blade and shotgun dropkick but the Coup de Grace misses. Instead it’s the Brogue Kick to get rid of Balor at 19:57, leaving it 2-2.

Rollins comes in to take Sheamus down and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s back to Hardy to pick the pace back up. A middle rope splash gets two on Rollins as everything breaks down again. Sheamus plays Matt in Poetry In Motion to both guys, followed by White Noise to Rollins. Theory offers a distraction though so Rollins can get two off a superkick. Hardy gets pulled off the apron though and Theory rolls Sheamus up for the pin (with trunks) at 25:06.

The frustrated Sheamus clotheslines Hardy so Rollins can add a frog splash for two. Hardy is back up and knocks Theory off the top, setting up the Swanton to tie it up at 27:26. Rollins gets back in and yells at Hardy, who tries a Twist of Fate but settles for two off a Russian legsweep. Rollins knocks him right back down for two more but the Stomp is blocked. Hardy goes up top for the Swanton but only hits knees, allowing Rollins to hit the Stomp for the win at 30:19.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going and then wound up being pretty awesome down the stretch. It was cool to see Hardy get reheated at the end as he continues to be one of the easiest stars in the world to get behind. The Owens deal was annoying but you know there is going to be something screwy in this kind of a match. Overall, it felt like a Survivor Series match, albeit not quite a classic one.

Raw – 2
Smackdown – 1

Earlier today, Vince McMahon arrived in a limo with a golden egg as a tie in to the Red Notice movie.

The Rock won the WWF Title at Survivor Series 1998.

Roman Reigns comes in to see Vince McMahon, who brags about the golden egg, which was given to him by the Rock. Vince recap’s Rock’s early days in the company and brags about the egg, which is worth MILLIONS……AND MILLIONS. Reigns: “I guess as much as my next contract.” Then he leaves.

Battle Royal

Sami Zayn, Commander Azeez, Apollo Crews, Angel, Humberto, Ivar, Erik, AJ Styles, Otis, Chad Gable, Angelo Dawkins, Omos, Montez Ford, T-Bar, Shelton Benjamin, Shanky, Robert Roode, R-Truth, Ricochet, Mansoor, Jinder Mahal, Drew Gulak, Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro

Only some of them get entrances, including the Street Profits, who deliver some pizzas (match sponsor) to Cole and Graves (not Saxton). Styles bails straight to the floor (without being eliminated and stands on the announcers’ table. Omos tosses Angel, Gulak and Benjamin in a hurry as R-Truth stops for some pizza. Truth offers Omos the pizza but he isn’t interested, so let’s try Otis instead.

Otis eats the pizza and then gets rid of Truth, setting up the showdown with Omos. This goes badly for Otis, who gets clotheslined out in a hurry. Ricochet dropkicks T-Bar out and Mansoor gets rid of Alexander. The ring is cleared out a bit and Angel, Mahal and Ivar being tossed makes it even emptier. Shanky and Omos have their big showdown and Omos gets rid of him in a hurry.

Mansoor goes after Ziggler and Roode but gets catapulted out for his efforts. Omos tosses Roode so Ziggler tries to make peace, earning himself the Phenomenal Forearm from AJ. Sami tries to rally the Smackdown troops, gets knocked down and tossed. Omos clotheslines Azeez out so AJ yells at him, setting off a tug of war between Azeez and Styles.

Crews goes after Omos, allowing AJ to be eliminated as well. The ticked off Omos tosses Crews with ease so it’s everyone else jumping Crews at once. Omos fights off the group elimination attempt and tosses Dawkins and Cesaro. Ford slaps Omos in the face and gets eliminated, leaving us with Omos vs. Ricochet. Omos isn’t about to have any of that and tosses Ricochet out for the win at 10:13.

Rating: C. This is about as good of a battle royal as you’re going to get, just because of the story being built around Omos. That’s a smart way to go too, as sometimes you need to have a monster run through everyone. Omos fits the description well, and now it might be time to start moving Omos away from the tag team, at least by a few steps.

Raw – 3
Smackdown – 1

Post match, the Street Profits steal the pizza and throw it into the crowd.

The Rock won the 2000 Royal Rumble.

Usos (Smackdown) vs. RKBro (Raw)

Non-title. Riddle gets taken into the corner early on but comes back out with the swinging gutwrench suplexes. It’s off to Orton to tease the RKO on Jimmy as we hear about Orton’s OVW days. We settle down to Orton being driven into the corner but he comes out with a shot to the face.

The assisted Floating Bro hits Jey for two and Riddle flip dives onto Jey on the floor. Jimmy gets in a cheap shot though and Riddle gets sent into the barricade to put him in trouble for a change. Back in and the double teaming ensues, even though Riddle manages a kick to the head. Jimmy pulls him back into a chinlock to keep him in trouble for all of a few seconds before getting taken down again.

Riddle fights up in the corner but it’s a double superkick to Orton. The basement double superkick rocks Riddle for two but he gets in a kick to the head. Orton tags himself in but gets kicked to the floor, with Jimmy not knowing about the tag. Jimmy goes up for the Superfly Splash to Jimmy but lands in an RKO to give Orton the pin at 14:45.

Rating: C+. They got some time here and as a result they were able to set something up. The ending was well timed too, as the Usos might have been the better team but there is only so much you can do when the RKO is around. Pretty good match here as both teams looked good. Now just get them some better competition.

Raw – 4
Smackdown – 1

Someone has stolen Vince McMahon’s golden egg, which he claims is worth $100 million. Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville are tasked with getting it back.

Xia Li video.

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women

Raw: Queen Zelina, Carmella, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan
Smackdown: Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Toni Storm, Shotzi, Sasha Banks

Carmella starts with Storm but hold on as she needs to put on her mask. Vega comes in to stomp on Storm as the mask goes on but it’s back to Carmella in a hurry. Ripley isn’t pleased, allowing Storm to roll Carmella up for the elimination at 1:08. Storm hands it off to Banks to face Belair, but it’s Shotzi coming in instead. Belair takes her down in a hurry and stomps away before Natalya and Morgan come in. Natalya powers her down to start but Morgan hits her with a basement dropkick. That’s enough to bring Ripley in, as Vega is still waving on the apron.

Natalya fights up and gets over to Shayna for a double suplex on Ripley. It’s too early to stomp on Ripley’s arm so Baszler settles for the gutwrench faceplant for two instead. The cross armbreaker is blocked and everything breaks down as the fans are doing the Wave. Baszler’s Kirifuda Clutch is broken up by Rhea dropping back onto her, allowing the double tag to Banks and Belair.

They slug it out until Belair gets sent into the corner so she can moonsault over Banks. That’s fine with Banks, who pulls her into the Bank Statement. Belair makes the rope and hits a fall away slam but Natalya accidentally gets knocked off the ropes. That means a grand total of nothing as Banks hits a double springboard tornado DDT as the rest of the match seems to have fallen into a hole.

Belair grabs a spinebuster for two but the KOD is countered by a grab of the hair. Vega comes in with Belair tossing her at Banks for two but the Code Red is blocked. Storm tags herself in and knees Vega in the face for the elimination at 14:07. Morgan comes in and rolls Storm up for two but Baszler comes in for the save without the tag. That’s broken up as well though and Oblivion finishes Storm at 15:14.

Baszler comes in legally this time and knocks Ripley off the apron before putting on the Kirifuda Clutch. Morgan is down so Shotzi tags herself in, setting up a frog splash. Banks does the same and her frog splash eliminates Morgan at 16:28. Ripley comes in to headbutt Banks and then walks her around the ring for a vertical suplex. Shotzi comes back in and gets suplexed down but Baszler knees Ripley in the face for the pin at 18:00.

That leaves Belair vs. Natalya/Shotzi/Baszler/Banks so it’s a rollup for two on Natalya. Banks runs Belair over but Shotzi and Banks get in an argument and wind up on the floor. Banks shoves Shotzi into Baszler so the fight is on again, with Natalya getting slapped as well. The rest of the team tries to keep Banks out of the ring and…apparently succeeds as she is counted out at 20:07, despite being mostly in the ring.

Back in and the Sharpshooter goes on but Belair reverses and rolls Natalya up for the pin at 21:23. A Glam Slam gets rid of Baszler at 22:00 and it’s Shotzi vs. Belair. Shotzi sends her throat first into the ropes for a running hip attack and two more. A missed charge sets up the KOD to give Belair the pin at 23:15.

Rating: C-. Not a good night for the Smackdown women as Belair shrugged off everything and then just ran through most of the team in a few minutes. That makes Belair look good but doesn’t do much for the majority of the division on a whole show. The rest of the match was just ok, with Banks being counted out despite being most of the way in the ring as a pretty low point. They did make Belair look like a monster though and that’s the major positive here.

Raw – 5
Smackdown – 1

The Rock and Becky Lynch beat up Baron Corbin the night Smackdown debuted on FOX.

Paul Heyman isn’t sure who stole the egg but thinks it was someone from Brooklyn. He makes fun of Brooklyn but gets a lot more serious upon hearing that Brock Lesnar’s suspension is up. Heyman isn’t happy about this and blames Adam Pearce.

Video on Bobby Lashley, including his path up through the WWE ranks.

We recap Big E. vs. Roman Reigns. Big E. became WWE Champion for his first major solo success but Reigns started attacking his New Day teammates. Now it’s serious Big E. coming after Reigns and we’re in for a fight.

Big E. (Raw) vs. Roman Reigns (Smackdown)

Non-title. Big E. powers him into the corner to start so Reigns takes a breather on the floor. Back in and Reigns hits the jumping clothesline and hammers away, with Big E. looking like he needs to think twice about this. Big E. powers up to knock Reigns down but the apron splash only hits apron. The crash seems to have caused Big E. to bang up his knee so Reigns puts on a chinlock.

With that going nowhere, Reigns goes more practical with a running big boot for two instead. Reigns is getting frustrated and takes it outside for a posting but Big E. sends him hard into the steps. Back in and Big E. hits the Warrior Splash but charges into a Samoan drop for two. Reigns charges into the Rock Bottom out of the corner so Big E. tries the Stretch Muffler, which is countered into a sitout powerbomb for another near fall.

The Superman Punch misses so Reigns hits a Rock Bottom to put them both down again. Reigns is back up for a pair of Superman Punches but Big E. keeps fighting back. A third Superman Punch rocks him again but Big E. sends him to the apron for the spear to the floor. Back in and Reigns hits his own spear for two and frustration has set in. Reigns talks a lot of trash but his guillotine choke is broken up.

Another spear through the ropes is countered and Reigns grabs another guillotine over the ropes. The choke in the middle of the ring is countered into the Big Ending to give Big E. two as Reigns makes the rope. They head outside with Reigns managing another Superman Punch. Back in and Reigns goes back to the bad knee and hits a spear for the very sudden pin at 22:24.

Rating: B. It was a good, hard hitting power match but the ending left a bit to be desired. It felt like they ran out of time and had to get out in a hurry, which didn’t seem to bother them at any other point during the show. Reigns winning makes the most sense, but I really could have gone for a screwier ending here rather than having the WWE Champion take a pin in the middle of the ring.

Raw – 5
Smackdown – 2

Overall Rating: B-. Good but not great show overall, as it never had that big moment that made it feel important. The Battle for Brand Supremacy was barely mentioned during most of the show, without so much as a scoreboard. The matches were better than I would have bet on for the most part, but this show did nothing to change the fact that the Raw vs. Smackdown deal needs to go far, far away.

Heck this show alone could have had Team Reigns vs. Team Big E., Team Belair vs. Team Banks and Team RKBro vs. Team Usos (Riddle could have had a field day). Just come up with something better, because this wasn’t enough to overcome the completely uninteresting setup to most of the show.

Results
Becky Lynch b. Charlotte – Rollup with a grab of the rope
Raw Men b. Smackdown Men – Stomp to Hardy
Omos won a battle royal last eliminating Ricochet
RKBro b. Usos – RKO to Jimmy
Raw Women b. Smackdown Women – KOD to Shotzi
Roman Reigns b. Big E. – Spear

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

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

AND

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

What in the world happened to this show? Fans have not exactly seemed thrilled with the Battle For Brand Supremacy for a long time now, but this year even the wrestlers have been complaining about how worthless the show really is. There is nothing of value here as the show is all about bragging rights, without even as much as a title on the line. Maybe the action can make up for the lack of…well everything else. Let’s get to it.

Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown) vs. Damian Priest (Monday Night Raw)

We’ll start it off with a battle of the midcard champions in a match that is kind of appealing. Nakamura has come a very long way since winning the King’s Crown and then the Intercontinental Title. At the same time, Priest is one of the few people to be called up from NXT and then actually do something good on the main roster. The fact that these are two of the exceptions tells you a lot about WWE, but that’s for another time.

I think I’ll go with Priest here, but I had to keep myself from writing Nakamura. You can’t go wrong with either choice here and that is always a good situation to be in. These two are going to hit each other rather hard, though I’m still not sure what is next for either of them after this. Priest has been gone from TV a bit as of late so it would be nice to have him get a win here to re-energize him a bit.

Usos (SmackDown) vs. RKBro (Monday Night Raw)

This is a great illustration of the usual different kinds of tag teams in WWE. You have the regular team vs. the odd couple team who happens to be great together. It’s the kind of thing that could be interesting if there was something on the line, but the quick deal they did on Monday Night Raw isn’t enough to carry it over the line. That leaves us with little more than a match with big names, which is where Orton tends to shine.

Maybe it’s the purist in me but I’ll take the traditional team and go with the Usos here. They’re a better team and one of the most successful teams of all time. RKBro is great and you can’t ignore the RKO, but I’m hoping that this winds up with a Superfly Splash to Riddle. The Usos need to win here to keep Roman Reigns happy, and that’s about as important as you can get these days. We’ll go with the twins.

Battle Royal

They were going to have to add in one more match for the sake of giving us an odd number and this works as well as anything else. The match will have twenty five people included to tie in with the Rock’s debut from 25 years ago, so at least they added a tiny bit of flavor. A Rock video wouldn’t surprise me here, and that’s about the extent of excitement I can muster.

For a winner I’ll go with….Otis for a random surprise. It’s not like this is going to be anything more than one match on the scorecard so why not have a little fun. Otis has been treated as a bigger deal as of late so give him a win that they can brag about for a bit. There isn’t much of a chance of him winning but it’s not like this is the Royal Rumble or anything huge.

Monday Night Raw Women vs. SmackDown Women

I’m not sure I could remember the lineups for this match if I had to and that’s a good illustration of what is wrong with the match. These women were thrown together and there is no real reason to get excited over what we’re seeing. Odds are it’s a bunch of fast falls with no one getting much of a showcase, which would be the norm around here. At least Toni Storm is getting a shot on a bigger stage for once.

I think I’ll take the SmackDown women here, as their lineup is just a bit stronger. We should be in for some good action, at least while it lasts, but you’re only going to get so far with little drama and a bunch of women trying to get their stuff in. The women’s matches have been decent in recent years, but things have changed so much that it is hard to get my hopes up here.

Monday Night Raw Men vs. SmackDown Men

Here we have the show’s other namesake match and another match where the teams might as well have been drawn out of a hat. There is little connecting these people other than their matching shirts and I don’t know how much drama they will be able to produce under these conditions. Then again you can always get SOMETHING out of one of these matches so maybe they have some hope.

I’ll go with the red ones here as that is a pretty awesome group. Then again that is assuming Kevin Owens doesn’t turn on the rest of the team, which certainly wouldn’t be out of the question. The match should work out well due to who is in there, but it’s another one that doesn’t quite excite me. Maybe if the teams hadn’t been added to their new shows about a month ago.

Becky Lynch (Monday Night Raw) vs. Charlotte (SmackDown)

I could actually see this headlining the show. This is the match that is built off of the backstage altercation the two of them had which hasn’t actually been mentioned on TV, but WWE is assuming that we all know what they’re talking about. While it would be nice to have something fresh in this spot for a change, I can get the special feeling they’re going for with these two.

The match is basically a coin toss but I’ll take Charlotte due to reasons of her being Charlotte. Lynch is still the biggest star in the Monday Night Raw women’s division but Charlotte winning sounds about right. I’m almost scared about how they’re going to end the match though, as this could be a prime target for some kind of a screwy finish to protect them both.

Roman Reigns (SmackDown) vs. Big E. (Monday Night Raw)

This one got a lot more personal this week and that’s a good thing. Anything involving serious Big E. feels like a boost and that is what we are getting now that Reigns has attacked King Woods. I’m not sure how much doubt there is about the winner here, but this is actually feeling like a clash of two guys who could do some serious damage to each other if they get the chance.

With that said, of course Reigns wins, likely thanks to an Usos distraction. Things seem to be setting up for Woods vs. Reigns at Day One in Atlanta so having Big E. win here wouldn’t make a ton of sense. It also isn’t likely that Reigns is going to lose a match that doesn’t have any meaning, as WWE has built him up far too strong. Reigns wins here, but only after he takes a beating.

Overall Thoughts

I think you get the idea of how Survivor Series isn’t what it used to be. Ultimately there is nothing on the line here and everyone but WWE seems to know that is a problem. I have no reason to believe that will change next year, but for at least this time we’re stuck with another show that feels like two TNA One Night Only specials got melted into each other. Maybe it will be good, though don’t expect much that happens here to matter, even in the short term.

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Smackdown
Date: November 19, 2021
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the go home show for Survivor Series and that means it is time to hype up the Battle Of Brand Supremacy. We don’t have anything else to talk about on the show because there are no title matches or really anything personal to build towards, but maybe Big E. can show up to avenge his friends. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, with the Usos getting Roman Reigns DQ’ed against Xavier Woods. Reigns got the crown anyway.

Here are the Usos to promise to win on Sunday and gives a passionate introduction to Roman Reigns. The throne is set up and Paul Heyman talks about how much he deserves to be crowned king more than anyone else. Heyman says Xavier Woods should never be king, nor should Big E., who will be smashed this weekend by the Tribal King. Reigns asks for the mic and wants to know whose idea this was. He has no idea why anyone would want this because he has already put in the work. Reigns: “HARTFORD, ACKNOWLEDGE ME!”

Cue Xavier Woods to say he challenges Reigns for tonight, with the Usos (referred to as the goons) staying in the back, but the stuff in the ring doesn’t matter. Reigns likes that and tells the Usos to destroy the throne and everything else. Only the crown is left, so Reigns gives him one more change to save it. Woods charges in and gets beaten down. Reigns has him dragged to the middle and says he doesn’t need props. The crown is destroyed and Woods is sent into the pieces. This is one of the best feuds going in WWE today and I’m looking forward to Woods challenging Reigns at Day One in Atlanta.

Post break Woods can’t walk through the back but he’ll be in the ring to face Reigns tonight. Everyone knows the Roman Empire wasn’t built in a day but it will fall tonight.

Cesaro vs. Sheamus vs. Ricochet vs. Jinder Mahal

The winner gets the final spot on the Survivor Series team. Cesaro and Sheamus knock the other two down to start so Sheamus can clothesline him. Sheamus does the Bar pose and then beats Ricochet up, only to get sunset flipped for two. Mahal is back up with a knee to Ricochet’s head and they pair off again. Ricochet is tied in the ropes so Sheamus can hit the forearms but Mahal rolls Sheamus up for two. That sets up the forearms to Mahal’s chest but Ricochet is back in to clear out Sheamus and Cesaro. A crazy high springboard flip dive takes out everyone and we take a break.

Back (with a graphic showing everyone’s name and face, which is a REALLY nice thing to have and something that should have been around a long time ago) with Sheamus superplexing Mahal, followed by Ricochet’s super hurricanrana to Cesaro. We hit a parade of taking each other down, leaving Cesaro to Swing Mahal.

The parade of secondary finishers is on but Mahal can’t Khallas Ricochet. Instead it’s Ricochet up with the 630 to Mahal but Sheamus Brogue Kicks him down. Sheamus gets two on Mahal with Cesaro making the save before uppercutting Sheamus out of the air. The Neutralizer is loaded up but here’s Ridge Holland for a distraction, allowing Sheamus to Brogue Kick Cesaro for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B-. There were some awesome spots in here and Ricochet looked like a star. You could go with a few different choices for the win here and Sheamus works well enough. You can always use a big brawler on a team and while it would be nice to see Ricochet getting the spot, at least it isn’t trying to shine Mahal up again.

Jeff Hardy is excited to team with some very talented people this year, but Happy Corbin is in his own world. Cue Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss, with the latter calling Hardy a redneck. Adam Pearce comes in to say he wants Smackdown to win on Sunday (Since when?) but for tonight, it’s Moss vs. Hardy. That makes Hardy point and laugh in a nice moment.

Sheamus is happy to have Ridge Holland in his corner and can’t believe he was Holland’s inspiration. To the bar they go.

Commentary introduces a long video on Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch, with an acknowledgment of their feud that the media has been talking about. This is a really weird feud as the most of the thing is about something that didn’t officially happen on WWE TV but everyone has heard about it and WWE is running with the thing. I could go with some kind of a direct acknowledgment, but this is feeling more like the AEW model where “yeah but everyone knows what we mean.” You can’t do it all the time, but it’s working here.

Anyway, we see the awkward title exchange and get a talk about how their careers will always be intertwined, including the first women’s match to main event Wrestlemania. Then we move into their on-screen stuff as of late, which is more of a traditional feud between two titans of the division.

Natalya/Shayna Baszler vs. Aliyah/Naomi

Aliyah starts fast with a hurricanrana to Natalya and everything breaks down in a hurry. Shayna grabs the Kirifuda Clutch on Naomi but Natalya tags herself in. That’s broken up and Natalya grabs a rollup for a fast count pin at 1:03 (with the referee bolting to the back). I don’t know if you’re picking up on this, but we might have a corrupt authority figure around here.

Sami Zayn tells Sonya Deville that everything is wrong with his documentary but Sonya has an idea: let’s have a 25 man battle royal at Survivor Series in honor of 25 years since the Rock’s debut. Hold on though as the referee pops in to ask if she did a good job in the women’s tag. Sonya has no idea who she is because she doesn’t associate with crooked referees so get out of here.

Madcap Moss vs. Jeff Hardy

Happy Corbin is here with Moss, so Hardy brings out Drew McIntyre to be in his corner. Hardy starts fast and takes Moss down, setting up the Swanton in a hurry. Corbin goes for a distraction so McIntyre throws him over the announcers’ table. Moss catches Hardy on top and tries a suplex but gets reversed into into a small package to give Hardy the pin at 1:45.

Post match McIntyre kicks Corbin in the face and Hardy adds the Swanton to Moss.

We recap the opening sequence.

Kayla Braxton scares Paul Heyman again and yes he has heard Xavier Woods’ challenge. He is tired of this idea that Roman Reigns needs the Usos. Reigns loves the challenge like Kayla loves Heyman, so tonight Reigns will face Woods later tonight.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Angel

Non-title and Angel TAKES OFF HIS PANTS before the bell. Nakamura starts fast and kicks Angel down, only to dive into a dropkick. We see Los Lotharios photoshopped onto People Magazine as the Sexiest Men Alive as Nakamura hits a knee off the apron. Rick Boogs beats up Humberto and the distraction lets Nakamura hit Kinshasa for the pin at 1:43. This was really messy with too much going on at once despite how short it was.

Post match, Humberto jumps Nakamura and runs off.

We look back at Shotzi turning on Sasha Banks a few weeks ago.

Shotzi and Banks glare at each other in the back with Sonya Deville cutting them off. Shotzi goes on a rant about how payback is a….and she’s cut off. Banks says everyone tries to make a name off of her and yeah, payback is a b****, and so is she. Sonya wants them to shake hands after their match.

Sasha Banks vs. Shotzi

Shotzi drives her into the corner to start but Banks cools things down with a headlock. Banks grabs Three Amigos but has to bail out of the frog splash attempt. Shotzi misses a charge to the floor, where she avoids Banks’ dive off the apron. The arm gets caught in the steps so Shotzi can kick away, allowing her to dive back in and break the count. Back to the floor and Banks gets sent inside for one before sending Shotzi back outside.

The Meteora off the apron drops Shotzi and we take a break. Back with Shotzi working on the arm but Banks kicks her away and hits a really good looking top rope Meteora for two of her own. Shotzi is right back with another arm snap over the top and a ram into the post. Back in and the Ball Pit connects, only to have Sasha roll outside. Banks is fine enough to grab the Bank Statement, but uses her leg to pull Shotzi’s head back for the tap at 11:09.

Rating: B-. This felt like a fight and that’s how they should have been going at each other. Banks nailed some of those Meteoras and the Bank Statement at the end was a cool finish. It would be nice to not have Shotzi lose all the time, but beating Banks is a career win that she isn’t quite reach for yet. Good match though as Shotzi continues to be treated like a somebody.

Post match Sonya Deville comes out to watch the handshake. They do shake hands, but Banks pulls Shotzi into a Backstabber.

Roman Reigns asks Paul Heyman if it is time, with Heyman confirming that it is. The Usos are told to stay in the back for this one.

We get a vignette from Xia Li in the form of a comic book. She talks about her dad protecting her as a kid and then dying for some reason. It made her feel vulnerable and their landlord was all over them. He threw their stuff out of their house and into the street, which made her hate vultures. Now she is the protector and she is coming to Smackdown. Cool.

Toni Storm is fired up for Survivor Series, but also after challenging Charlotte last week. We see Charlotte turning her down last week and Toni thinks that makes Charlotte vulnerable. After Survivor Series, she still won’t be scared of Charlotte. Cue Charlotte to say Toni can be next on the list after Becky Lynch. Charlotte makes threats of destruction and walks away, which Toni interprets as fear. Of note: Toni’s 80’s deal was nowhere to be seen here and she was just a normal person.

Here is Xavier Woods to call out Roman Reigns. Last week the Usos interfered when Woods has Reigns beat, because Reigns can’t beat him. Cue Reigns and Heyman, with the latter calling for the Usos. They don’t come out but do get tossed through the entrance….because Big E. is here. The fight is on in the aisle and Reigns is sent into the barricade. Big E. sends Reigns inside and the beating is on.

The Usos come in and get beaten up as well, setting up Woods’ big dive. Reigns is back up with the Superman Punch to Big E. but the spear is countered into a Big Ending attempt. Reigns bails away (while seeming to favor his left arm a lot) to end the show. This was a hot segment and what they have been waiting to do for a long time now.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a show with the Woods vs. Reigns stuff being flat out great. It’s a story that anyone can identify with as they would want to see Woods get some revenge on Reigns. Other than that, they did a nice job of setting up the pay per view, plus whatever is coming next. They were focused this week and that has been lacking over the last few weeks.

Results
Sheamus b. Cesaro, Ricochet and Jinder Mahal – Brogue Kick to Cesaro
Natalya/Shayna Baszler b. Naomi/Aliyah – Rollup with a fast count to Naomi
Jeff Hardy b. Madcap Moss – Small package
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Angel – Kinshasa
Sasha Banks b. Shotzi – Bank Statement

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Smackdown
Date: November 5, 2021
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re just over two weeks away from Survivor Series and it might be time to start talking about the show. Since it absolutely has to be Raw vs. Smackdown, it shouldn’t be that hard to get things going. The show almost has to be better than last week’s so at least they have a clear bar to clear. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. Roman Reigns talks about taking last week off after smashing Brock Lesnar, but now he’s back so this tiny little no name town can acknowledge him. He was on a private island running around sans clothes last week (his wife loved it), but not everyone had a good time. Brock Lesnar got fined a million bucks, but there was one more thing.

Reigns asks Paul Heyman what happened to the Usos, with Heyman talking about how it was a non-title match. When flat out asked though, Heyman has to admit that the New Day won the match. Reigns likes the New Day, even though the Bloodline is better. He wants to know what happened, with both Usos blaming the other for taking the pin. Eventually it’s Jimmy who admits he lost, so Reigns wants to know how he’s going to fix it.

Jimmy promises to make everyone acknowledge the head of the title and the Universal Champion, but here is New Day to interrupt. Woods thinks the King is supposed to be at the head of the table, but Reigns hasn’t stopped talking about sitting there for a long time now. Kofi thinks the table has been forgotten on Reigns’ island of relevancy. As for tonight, Woods has an idea: Woods vs. Jimmy, and when Jey loses, he has to bend the knee to the King. Jimmy says the Bloodline bows to no one but Reigns accepts for him, with Woods having to bend the knee if he loses.

We look at Sonya Deville cheating Naomi out of a match with Shayna Baszler last week.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

In the back, Sonya Deville insists that it has been tough love on Naomi. They start fast with Naomi hitting a Thesz press and then kicking Baszler in the face. Baszler snaps off a German suplex though and they fight outside, with Naomi sending her into the apron. Back in and a good high crossbody gets two on Baszler but she drops Naomi onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Naomi hitting a Heatseeker onto the apron. A sunset flip gets two but Baszler switches into the Kirifuda Clutch. That’s broken up with a rope break so Naomi grabs a rollup for the pin at 6:33. Hold on though because here’s Sonya Deville to say that should have been a rope break, so restart the match. Cole: “WHERE’S JACK TUNNEY???” The Kirifuda Clutch finishes Naomi at 7:30.

Rating: C-. Yeah we know. It’s the kind of story that we have seen over and over again: a corrupt authority figure does something to mess with a wrestler. The good thing here though is that it could bring Sonya back into the ring and that is certainly a positive. It has been a while since we’ve seen this so it’s far from the worst thing, but they might as well have had a big NOPE sign as soon as Naomi got the pin.

Roman Reigns is ranting to the Usos about what happened last week, saying he took a week off and this place is almost as bad as Raw. Jimmy laughs so Reigns gets in his face, saying they don’t lose.

Remember how Xia Li was coming? She still is.

Ridge Holland is here to meet his idol, Sheamus, because he would fight right in back home. He and his friends were all big fans and everything he knows he learned from watching Sheamus. That is bad news for everyone around here. Quite the interesting backstory.

We look back at Shotzi attacking Sasha Banks.

Shotzi talks about how she has lost everything, from matches to the support of the WWE Universe. That was her breaking point and she is going to run over everyone, even without the tank. This was a good example of someone writing a promo for a wrestler, even if it is not something that fits with their personality. Someone like Shotzi would never say “the support of the WWE Universe” but that’s how WWE people talk so here we are.

Los Lotharios vs. Mansoor/Cesaro

Mansoor takes Garza down by the arm to start but gets caught in a spinebuster as we get an inset interview from some bragging Lotharios. Carrillo comes in to punch Mansoor into the corner and a backdrop allows Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. The half crab goes on but Mansoor escapes and brings in Cesaro to start cleaning house. The springboard corkscrew elbow sets up the Swing but Carrillo makes the save. Mansoor breaks up the near fall and Cesaro gets knocked into Mansoor. Something like a Muta Lock from Carrillo sets up a basement dropkick from Garza (The Cero de la Silla?) for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. You can always use a team like Los Lotharios and they were doing their thing well enough here. The tag divisions have been dying for new talent so this is a perfectly fine addition. Now just let them win some matches and go somewhere with it and they might be on to something.

Aliyah hits on Jeff Hardy but leaves so Jeff can have his interview. Hold on though as Jeff goes over to Aliyah, who runs into Sami Zayn. Sami wants to help her out, so he has one suggestion: pants suit.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for this week’s open challenge.

Drew McIntyre vs. Ricochet

Ricochet says Drew needs to watch his mouth or someone is going to come out here and slap him in the face. That’s what Ricochet does so Drew starts fast, including a heck of an overhead belly to belly. Drew is knocked outside but he catches a running hurricanrana and drops Ricochet onto the apron. Back in and another belly to belly has Ricochet sprawling into the corner.

We cut to Mustafa Ali, who seems interested because he and Ricochet have a lot in common. Back to full screen with Ricochet dropkicking McIntyre out of the air. A standing shooting star press is blocked though and a brainbuster gives Drew two. Ricochet hits some superkicks but a middle rope moonsault press is Claymored out of the air (DANG) for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: B-. WWE is getting the hang of these awesome short matches as of late, as they packed in so much stuff that I thought they had gone twice as long. I’m glad to see Ricochet on the show again and that finish looked great. Then there’s the Ali stuff and while I’m still nervous, they might have shifted away from what it seemed to be in the first place.

New Day is ready for the main event and dancing ensues.

Mustafa Ali comes up tor Ricochet and proposes a team. Ricochet turns him down though, because Ali complains all the time, was mean to his last partner, and is just a jerk. Ali isn’t pleased.

It’s time for Happy Talk, with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss laughing about how they have no competition. That brings them to their guests this week, the Viking Raiders, who seem to impress McAfee. The Raiders say they aren’t here to be guests but to raid this corny show. Corbin laughs at the idea of two guys in their Halloween costumes. Moss tells them a joke about how bad vikings smell so the set is wrecked.

Viking Raiders vs. Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss

Erik powers Corbin around to start so it’s off to Ivar to work on Moss’ arm. A Corbin distraction lets Moss come back with a spinebuster to Erik though and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. Ivar has to make a save of his own but Moss shoves him through the ropes for something you don’t see very often.

Deep Six gets two on Erik but he knocks Corbin away and brings in Ivar to start breaking people. A crossbody hits Moss for two and there’s the seated senton in the corner. Ivar cartwheels away from Corbin (McAfee: “A VIKING DID A CARTWHEEL!”) and drives Erik into the corner. Corbin is sent outside and Erik powerbombs Moss (after almost dropping him at first) but Corbin pulls Moss to the floor. The threat of an Ivar dive sends Moss and Corbin away for the countout at 5:41.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere but they followed the formula so it wasn’t that bad. The Raiders getting pushed again is a good idea and I could go for seeing them face the Usos for the titles. Corbin and Moss are more likely to get the push though, which isn’t surprising and also not the most exciting. Odds are the rematch is next week and a Nakamura/Boogs cameo wouldn’t surprise me.

Raw Rebound.

Hit Row runs into Sami Zayn, who is giving them some advice as the locker room leader. Zayn thought their entrance a few weeks ago sucked, but with some work, they could be stars. Top Dolla asks him to demonstrate a big entrance and the team is rather excited to see this.

Here is Sami Zayn, who is rather fired up during his entrance. With that out of the way, here is Hit Row, who seems to get a bit of a more positive reaction, to send Sami away in some shame.

The Usos ask if Roman Reigns is coming to the ring with them. Reigns asks how many of their mistakes does he have to fix.

King Woods vs. Jimmy Uso

Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso are here too and the loser has to bend the knee. Woods starts fast by knocking Jimmy outside to start. Back in and Woods dropkicks him out of the air for two but Jimmy drops him on the top. We take a break and come back with Jimmy stomping away in the corner before grabbing the chinlock.

Woods fights back up and knocks Jimmy down for a change, setting up a heck of a top rope legdrop for two. Jey offers a distraction though and it’s a super Samoan drop to give Jimmy his own near fall. The Superfly Splash hits raised boots so Jey offers a hand but the referee catches the cheating. Woods grabs a rollup (and pants) for the pin at 9:21.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one by the end and they had me on a few of the near falls. Woods winning is the right call as he is getting some energy out of the crown, so you don’t want him losing so soon. The match was good action with solid drama and that’s not bad for a total midcard main event.

Post match Jimmy reluctantly starts to bend the knee but here is Roman Reigns to jump Woods and set up the beatdown. Woods’ leg gets taken out and Reigns promises violence next week. New Day is going to need some backup, perhaps in the form of the WWE Champion, who is probably going to be facing Reigns at Survivor Series later this month anyway. That’s some amazing timing.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah last week was a one off as this was definitely a return to course after last week’s near train wreck. This week had better matches and some good story advancement, so well done on getting things closer to Survivor Series. I want to see what happens when a serious Big E. comes after Reigns and Naomi get to beat up Sonya, plus wherever they are going with Drew McIntyre’s open challenges. Good show here, and that’s nice to see again.

Results
Shayna Baszler b. Naomi – Kirifuda Clutch
Los Lotharios b. Cesaro/Mansoor – Assisted basement dropkick to Cesaro
Drew McIntyre b. Ricochet – Claymore
Viking Raiders b. Madcap Moss/Happy Corbin via countout
Xavier Woods b. Jimmy Uso – Rollup with a handful of pants

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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