Monday Night Raw
Date: November 4, 2024
Location: Mohammed Abdo Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in Saudi Arabia for the first time ever with a taped show as we are fresh off of Crown Jewel. There wasn’t much in the way of development there as neither of the top titles were on the line. We’re also less than a month away from Survivor Series and that means the card is going to need to start coming together. Let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

Long Crown Jewel recap.

Here is Judgment Day to get things going, with commentary already pointing out that Liv Morgan won the Crown Jewel Title on Saturday but only gets to keep the ring. The Revenge Tour is over and it’s time to start the World Tour. Morgan lists off her recent accomplishments but here are Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair to cut off Dominik Mysterio. Belair brags about their success “last night” but Morgan isn’t impressed.

Morgan points out that Belair and Cargill both think they’re the best, unlike herself and Raquel Rodriguez, who are real friends. Belair issues the challenge for the tag match but Adam Pearce interrupts and says not so fast. Morgan keeps talking and the fight is on, only for Pearce to say there’s a battle royal to crown a new #1 contender. Belair and Cargill are included and it starts right now.

Battle Royal

Iyo Sky, Kairi Sane, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Natalya, Lyra Valkyria, Sonya Deville, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Shayna Baszler, Isla Dawn, Alba Fyre, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Zoey Stark, Zelina Vega

For a shot at Liv Morgan’s Title. Carter and Chance waste no time in diving off the top onto a bunch of people, setting up some catapult cannonballs in the corner. Dawn is knocked out and Deville gets rid of Carter shortly thereafter. Dupri busts out an inverted Worm but gets knocked out without too much trouble. Vega 619s Nile out and we take a break.

Back with Damage CTRL hitting a double dropkick on Natalya as we apparently missed Chance walking on her hands to avoid an elimination. Then she was eliminated shortly thereafter. Sane and Natalya are knocked out, as are Deville and Baszler. We’re down to Valkyria, Belair, Cargill and Sky, with the fans rather impressed.

Belair and Cargill send the other two to the apron before staring each other down. Valkyria and Sky come back in but get planted with some finishers. Morgan and Rodriguez get involved though, with Belair being pulled out BY THE HAIR (GEEZ), with Cargill falling out with her. That leaves Sky and Valkyria to fight to the apron with Sky stomping her down. Sky snaps off a German suplex to eliminate Valkyria for the win at 12:48.

Rating: C+. With Ripley hurt, this is as logical of a move as you can have. Sky is someone with the experience and success to be a threat to anyone and she’s been treated as a major star. It’s a fast way to set up a title match and that’s a good thing to see. Throw in Belair and Cargill having issues with Morgan and Rodriguez and things are even more interesting.

New Day isn’t happy with losing last week, with Xavier Woods blaming Kofi Kingston for the loss. The Wyatt Sicks hack the feed and show a kidnapped Miz, who says he isn’t part of the Final Testament. Bo Dallas says there is no mistake because they want him, not the Final Testament.

We look at Goldberg announcing his retirement match for 2025, though no details are set.

New Day vs. War Raiders

Erik wastes no time in sending Woods outside, where Ivar gets in some shots of his own. A half nelson backbreaker plants Kingston and we take a break. Back with Woods fighting out of trouble but getting knocked down again for a quick two. A jumping enziguri and superkick get Woods out of trouble and it’s back to Kingston to pick up the pace. The big running flip dive to the floor hits Ivar and Trouble In Paradise connects. Woods tags himself in to hit the Limit Break, only to get caught with the War Machine for the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C. The issues continue and the #1 contenders get a win over a still rather efficient team. It feels like they’re dragging this out for the big tenth anniversary of the New Day though and that almost has to mean Big E. showing up. If he’s the thing that brings them back together and gives them the titles back, I could think of far worse ideas.

We look at the European tour coming next spring, including Raw and Smackdown. Cool.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn speaks (I believe) Arabic and is very happy to be here but cue Jey Uso to interrupt. Jey gets right to the point: did Zayn kick Roman Reigns in the face on purpose at Crown Jewel? Cue Jimmy Uso to interrupt before Jey can respond, asking what Jey is thinking. Of course Zayn kicked Reigns in the face on purpose!

Zayn says Jimmy isn’t exactly trustworthy but he’s not a bad guy. He’s just someone who has made bad choices. Zayn liked the minute that felt like old times, but he’s not going to do this again. Jey asks a departing Zayn to come to Smackdown and deal with this like family. Jimmy says Zayn isn’t family, but Jey disagrees, dubbing him Sami Uso. Zayn doesn’t give an answer but appears to be thinking about it. The saga continues, but you can see the WarGames teams coming from here and with 26 days to go, that’s a good place to be.

Seth Rollins is ready to get back to the World Title picture. He and Bronson Reed can pick that up again later.

Dragon Lee vs. Chad Gable

Zelina Vega and Ivy Nile are here too. Gable throws him down to start and the referee has to check on Lee, who landed on his head. Back up and Gable does it again but Lee fights out of a headlock and snaps Gable’s singlet against his chest. A high crossbody gives Lee two and they go to the apron, where Lee hits a nasty knee. Gable is fine enough to hit a backdrop to the floor, which has commentary panicking as we take an early break.

Back with Lee hitting his top rope double stomp but Gable suplexes him into the corner. Lee fights up and they trade forearms until Lee snaps off a scary German suplex. Gable hits one of his own as commentary isn’t sure what they’re seeing with this kind of intensity. Gable’s rolling German suplexes have Lee in trouble but he’s fine enough to hit a running powerbomb. Gable is back with a Dominator into a DDT but Vega shoves his feet off the ropes to break up the pin. Nile chokes Vega out so here is Rey Mysterio, which is enough of a distraction for Operation Dragon to give Lee the pin at 12:30.

Rating: B. Well they weren’t taking it easy here. This was a surprisingly hard hitting match with both of them trying rather hard. It’s still disappointing to see Gable lose AGAIN though as that has happened far too often. We’re reaching the point where it just isn’t going to happen with him and that was on full display here. As for Lee, I’m not sure I can see it with him either, but he’s in a better place than Gable at the moment.

Gunther, with Ludwig Kaiser, is ready for any opponent after tonight’s four way #1 contenders match. They both have to do better though.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio vs. Sheamus vs. Seth Rollins

For a future shot at Gunther. As you might expect, Dominik gets beaten up to start but Rollins breaks it up. Rollins knocks Sheamus and Priest outside for the big dive and we take an early break. Back with Dominik hammering on Priest, who fights back up with a lifting Downward Spiral.

Sheamus is back in with the Irish Curse to Priest and another to Rollins and Mysterio. Sheamus goes up top and drops a knee on Dominik but Rollins makes the save. Priest and Rollins kick each other down and we take another break. Back again with Dominik’s 619 being broken up by a Sheamus powerslam.

Rollins scores with a Pedigree but cue Bronson Reed to wreck Sheamus and Rollins as well. Reed hits a Death Valley Driver into the Tsunami on Priest and then another to Sheamus. A third Tsunami sends Rollins through the announcers’ table and Reed is gone. Dominik tries to steal the pin on Sheamus but gets caught with South Of Heaven to give Priest the pin and the title shot at 17:40.

Rating: B-. The good thing about this match is you could have had it go multiple ways. Rollins is always an option, there was a slim chance of Mysterio stealing it to set up his pure destruction, and Sheamus has enough of a history with Gunther to be at least a slim hope. That being said, Priest was the right call here due to how Gunther got the title, as a rematch is not an unreasonable thing. Reed interfering helped as well and made sense, as he and Rollins aren’t done.

Overall Rating: B-. The important aspect of this show is they actually got some stuff done. I’m not sure why Sky vs. Morgan and Gunther vs. Priest are going to happen, but they are officially ready to go at some point and that’s more interesting than the Crown Jewel Titles. Survivor Series can start getting set up in the near future and there is a good chance that we started setting that come together here. Not a great show, but more engaging than what they’ve been doing in recent weeks.

Results
Iyo Sky won a battle royal last eliminating Lyra Valkyria
War Raiders b. New Day – War Machine to Woods
Dragon Lee b. Chad Gable – Operation Dragon
Damian Priest b. Dominik Mysterio, Sheamus and Seth Rollins – South Of Heaven to Mysterio

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 19, 2024
Location: FLA Live Arena, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re on the way to Bash In Berlin and that should make for a big show this week. There is a good chance that we will be getting more from Gunther vs. Randy Orton, which is set for the pay per view World Title match. Other than that, Bron Breakker is going to need a new challenger for the Intercontinental Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Randy Orton to get things going. He hasn’t opened the show in awhile but the next time he does, he will be a fifteen time World Champion. That’s after he drops Gunther with an RKO in Berlin, so here is Gunther to interrupt, telling these Florida rednecks to shut up. He isn’t sure what Orton is celebrating but gets annoyed at the USA chants.

Orton is never going to RKO him again, so Gunther will just have to leave Orton a bloody mess. Gunther will reveal him as a one trick pony, which has Orton saying it’s going to be a long flight after losing the title. Cue Ludwig Kaiser to jump Orton (who comes up holding his arm despite being chop blocked) and the beatdown is on.

We look at Pete Dunne attacking Sheamus last week.

Sheamus is ready to beat Dunne up, despite having a bad hand thanks to Dunne.

Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

Sheamus has a bad hand/wrist coming in. The Brogue Kick misses early and Sheamus hits a clothesline, only to get hit in the face a few times. An Alabama Slam puts Dunne back down but he comes right back with a DDT. Sheamus is fine enough to knock him off the apron and into the announcers’ table but stops to say something to McAfee, allowing McAfee to stomp the bad hand on the steps.

We take a break and come back with Dunne slapping Sheamus in the face, which has Sheamus calling him a b****. Dunne hammers away, only to get clotheslined in the corner. A powerslam plants Dunne but he’s right back with his own ten forearms. You do not do that to Sheamus, who is right back with the real forearms.

The Brogue Kick is cut off by an enziguri but Sheamus knees a moonsault out of the air (possibly low) for two. A super White Noise is loaded up, only for Dunne to reverse into a sitout powerbomb to leave both of them down. Dunne gets creative and ties the hand in the turnbuckle for a running kick, only to have Sheamus rip the turnbuckle off. The Brogue Kick finishes Dunne at 11:23.

Rating: B-. As usual, you can tell how much Sheamus is doing in a match based on how sweaty his hair gets and he was hitting the higher levels this week. The ending was a bit different but I can go with cool power displays before kicking someone in the face. Maybe not someone in a #1 contenders match for the NXT Title tomorrow night, but that’s a bit beside the point.

Kofi Kingston asks Xavier Woods if everything has been ok for the last few weeks. Woods says he’s ok about the Karrion Kross stuff but does wish that Kingston talked to him more about bringing Odyssey Jones in. Woods says it feels like Kofi is trying to replace Big E. but Kingston apologizes and says he was hoping to bring Jones in just like was done to them back in the day. Woods can go with that and seems a bit better with the whole thing.

Video on Bron Breakker.

We look back at Ivy Nile turning on Maxxine Dupri last week.

Chad Gable welcomes Nile to the team and says they’re still coming for the Wyatt Sicks.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile

Chad Gable, American Made and the Alpha Academy are here too. Dupri jumps her from behind to start and they head outside, where Nile throws Dupri over the announcers’ table. Back in and…we’ve got Wyatts, with Nile looking scared by the smoke. Gable and American Made get in the ring for the brawl as we’ll say the match is thrown out at about 1:30. American Made is laid out and Gable gets hit with Sister Abigail.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley still want to destroy the Judgment Day.

Here is CM Punk, with a leather strap around his neck, for a chat. After praising the Florida Panthers for winning the Stanley Cup, Punk talks about being asked about the hot streak WWE has been on for months. Punk credits the fans, a lot of whom he met at Fanatics Fest over the weekend. The first fan he met was a girl who beat cancer and said Punk was an inspiration while she was fighting. Then a fan from Taiwan said she had flown fifteen hours to meet him. He hasn’t stood in this ring in Florida in a very long time and fans like these drive him.

We pause for the CM PUNK chants before he pulls out a handful of bracelets that fans have made for him. Punk says they might be a Taylor Swift thing, but he’s Taylor Swift for men. We’ve covered the love, so now let’s move on to the hatred, like the kind he has with Drew McIntyre. Punk has a bracelet for McIntyre in the form of this strap, and if McIntyre agrees, they’re in for a strap match at Bash In Berlin.

That’s what Punk wants so he can hurt McIntyre, who comes out to respond. McIntyre asks if Punk has started drinking, because Punk should know what McIntyre is like in this kind of a match. The match is on but McIntyre wants to fight right now, if Punk drops the strap. Punk will do it in exchange for the bracelet (which I believe he said he didn’t care about last week). McIntyre says no, but Punk says McIntyre will be attached to him in Berlin. This was missing a certain spark and while the strap match is fine, they lost me around the bracelet for the strap line. Not the best work from either of them here but the match is made.

Dominik Mysterio wants Damian Priest tonight, one on one. He’ll even leave Liv Morgan in the back.

Final Testament vs. New Day/Odyssey Jones

Scarlett and Paul Ellering are here too. Kingston sends Kross into the corner for some running clotheslines to start but Scarlett offers a distraction. Akam comes in for a Death Valley Driver into the corner and we take a break. Back with Kingston still in trouble, only to fight out of the corner. The hot tag brings in Jones and Woods is almost incensed. Jones cleans house but gets taken down by Kross. Kingston hits Trouble In Paradise and Kingston adds the Limit Breaker, leaving Jones to hit the Boss Man Slam to finish Rezar at 7:55.

Rating: C+. The action got better at the end, but this is all about that look of shock from Woods. I won’t believe it until I see it, but they might actually be splitting New Day up. That’s hard to fathom, as they’ve been together or so long that you can’t imagine them arguing. Woods is being a bit unreasonable, but that’s kind of the point of any heel turn. Assuming they actually pull the trigger, which I almost can’t believe is possible.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are ready for more violence.

Afa tribute video.

Miz is ready to fight Bronson Reed to stand up for one of his few friends in R-Truth. He isn’t sure if he wants to do this, but he has to. That’s one of the best Miz promos ever, mainly because he sounded like a normal person for once.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed

No DQ. Miz hammers away to start and manages to drop the monster, meaning it’s time for the weapons. That’s broken up with Reed snapping the kendo stick and stepping on Miz’s head as we take a break. Back with Miz hitting a tornado DDT onto a chair but Reed is right back up. Reed’s Death Valley Driver is escaped but he’s right back with a clothesline to cut Miz off. The Death Valley Driver sends Miz through the able and the Tsunami finishes at 8:11.

Rating: C. It’s weird that a match that didn’t even break ten minutes probably went about as long as it should have. Miz was fighting for a purpose and is a crafty wrestler, but at the end of the day, he’s up against a monster here and there wasn’t much he could do about it. That’s how to make Reed a force and it worked well here.

Post match Reed loads up another Tsunami but Braun Strowman returns for the staredown. See, that’s a logical way to go as Strowman is a perfect choice to be fed to Reed here.

Ludwig Kaiser mocks Sheamus, who is ready to see Kaiser take an RKO.

Bron Breakker, who went to a highly educated university, is ready for a tournament next week to crown a new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title. It’s not his fault that he’s a genetic freak but he’s going to spear the winner through the floor.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Hold on though as here is Judgment Day to go after Priest before the bell. Priest clears the ring and it’s Rhea Ripley in behind Dominik. Priest is in as well and it’s a headbutt from Ripley into the right hand from Priest. The announcers’ table is loaded up but Liv Morgan runs in with a chair to break up Riptide. The rest of Judgment Day is up to beat on Priest and Ripley gets posted over and over. The Coup de grace and Oblivion set up Dominik’s frog splash as the villains get to stand tall. No match.

Post break, Judgment Day says that’s just a preview of what happens at Bash In Berlin. Liv Morgan promises to make Rhea Ripley her b****.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Pure Fusion Collective vs. Damage CTRL

Dawn and Fyre are defending. The brawl is on before the bell, with the referee just kind of standing around waiting for the wrestlers to calm down. Damage CTRL clears the ring to start and hit a pair of dives (with Sky being bounced onto the top into a flip, which might not have been a botch but she made it work) as we take an early break.

Back with Sane hitting a DDT, allowing her to awkwardly pause in front of Sky until Baszler can be kicked away, allowing the real tag. Sky gets to clean house, including the running knees in the corner, with Sane tagging herself back in for a double superplex to Fyre. Baszler is back in and strikes away on Sane, who drops Baszler anyway. Dawn tags herself back in though as Sane hits the Insane Elbow. That means a Backstabber into a Swanton from Dawn can retain the titles at 9:23.

Rating: C. They’re trying with Dawn and Fyre but it still feels like they’re afterthoughts despite being champions for a few months now. The titles just do not seem that important and almost nothing that has been done in their history has changed that. I like that there are a few teams going for the belts, but dang nothing is really making them feel big and that’s a long term problem.

Jey Uso says Sami Zayn is taking some time off to clear his head. If Zayn can’t be champion, Jey can be, so he’s in the tournament for the Intercontinental Title shot. Good choice.

Michael Cole announces that Pat McAfee is leaving for college football season and we look at some McAfee highlights from the year. He’ll be back in January.

Randy Orton vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Orton shoulders him down to start and hammers away, setting up a heck of a fall away slam. They head outside to load up the announcers’ table but cue Gunther for a distraction. Kaiser goes after the knee (which he attacked earlier in the night) and drops Orton onto the table as we take a break.

Back with Kaiser staying on the knee until Orton kicks him out to the floor. Now the suplex drop can send Kaiser onto the table…and then does it four more times. Back in and Kaiser blocks the hanging DDT but gets superplexed down. Now the hanging DDT can connect and, after Kaiser gets a rollup for two, the RKO finishes at 14:27.

Rating: C+. This is booking 101, as Orton shrugs off trouble and beats the lackey clean to set him up for next weekend’s title match. That’s all it needed to be and they made it work here. Orton isn’t someone who needs to be reheated for very long as the RKO is one of the most over finishers ever. Throw in Kaiser getting a bit of a boost in status in recent weeks and this helped even more.

Gunther and Orton brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was missing a little something and there is a good chance that it was due to the Democratic National Convention. It felt like they were doing a show where they knew it wouldn’t draw a lot of attention, which isn’t the worst idea. The strap match being announced was the biggest thing and that was all but guaranteed last week. Bash In Berlin is mostly set anyway and this show, while not exactly must see, was far from bad. Not a show you needed to see, but there were worse ways to spend an evening.

Results
Sheamus b. Pete Dunne – Brogue Kick
Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile went to a no contest when the Wyatt Sicks interfered
New Day/Odyssey Jones b. Final Testament – Boss Man Slam to Rezar
Bronson Reed b. Miz – Tsunami
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Pure Fusion Collective and Damage CTRL – Swanton to Baszler
Randy Orton b. Ludwig Kaiser – RKO

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 12, 2024
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than three weeks away from Bash In Berlin and the main event seems to have been set as Gunther will be defending the Raw World Title against Randy Orton. Other than that, there is a good chance we are on the way to a mixed tag between Damian Priest/Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan. Odds are we see more of both of those feuds this -week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Judgment Day splitting, with Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest seemingly being ready to destroy the new version of the team.

Here is Ripley to get things going. She has gone through every feeling imaginable since Summerslam but now she is just mad. Dominik stabbed her in the back, but in something he’s probably heard before, it just wasn’t deep enough (McAfee: “GEEZ!”). As for Liv, she’s run away with the title but you can’t run far enough. Dominik and Liv pop up in the crowd, with Liv saying Dominik has something to get off his chest.

Dominik talks about how he is a man and deserves to be treated like one. Now he has a woman who calls him daddy and lets him eat tendies and play video games whenever he wants, but she also finally helped him beat his dad. Ripley says she’s proud of Dominik because seeing him grow up is one of her greatest accomplishments. She wanted to see Dominik beat Rey Mysterio on his own but now he’s made the wrong decision. It’s just the last decision he’s ever going to make. Liv says Dominik is all his and she took Rhea’s family away, along with her title. Ripley: “Are you done?”

Ripley says Liv made the mistake of leaving her standing and it’s a good thing Liv loves to talk so much, because now we know where she is. Damian Priest pops up behind them and brawls with Dominik into the concourse. Ripley charges after them and goes after Liv, with the guys going down to ringside. Cue Carlito (with one shoe on) for the save, allowing Dominik to escape. This was laying everything out and odds are the mixed tag is coming.

Damian Priest vs. Carlito

Carlito is still in one shoe and this was scheduled for later tonight. Priest faceplants him to start but it’s too early for the Razor’s Edge. A DDT gives Carlito two and a suplex puts Priest down again as we take a break. Back with Carlito hitting a swinging neckbreaker for two but Priest snaps off a spinwheel kick. The Broken Arrow sends Carlito flying and South Of Heaven finishes him off at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Carlito got in some shots here but Priest gets the win that he should be getting on the way to whatever is waiting on him in Berlin. Priest has become one of the biggest stars on the show and having him march through Judgment Day to get to Finn Balor is a fine way to go. Carlito might not be a huge star but he’s good enough to make Priest look like ore of a star on the way there.

Post match Judgment Day runs in for the beatdown but Rhea Ripley makes the save and takes out JD McDonagh. For some reason Dominik Mysterio comes after Ripley but Liv Morgan has to save him from Riptide.

Ivy Nile tells Maxxine Dupri to be careful tonight and maybe not be at ringside. Dupri is going to be there with her friends.

Bo Dallas talks about how everything came full circle last week when the Wyatt Sicks had their in-ring debut where the Wyatt Family made their debut eleven years ago. Bray Wyatt was there and now something big is going to happen. Dallas keeps saying “my life for you”.

Kofi Kingston is fired up for Odyssey Jones’ debut but Xavier Woods isn’t quite as enthusiastic.

Odyssey Jones vs. Vincent Winey

Jones throws him around to start, shrugs off some forearms, and grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 1:35.

Post match the Final Testament comes out and Karrion Kross says that while the obvious suggestion would be Odyssey Jones is replacing Big E., but the reality is Kofi Kingston is using Jones to replace Xavier Woods. That has Woods issuing the challenge for a tag match but Kofi says we should make it a six man (Woods again doesn’t look sure) and it seems to be on.

Drew McIntyre comes in to see Adam Pearce and asks why Randy Orton is getting the World Title shot. Don’t worry though because McIntyre will take care of things and stay on his best behavior.

Chad Gable is still in Paris and says he’s not done with the Wyatt Sicks.

Alpha Academy vs. Creed Brothers

Texas Tornado rules with Maxxine Dupri here with the Academy. The Creeds start fast and take Tozawa to the floor, leaving Otis to be whipped hard into the corner. Otis shoves his way out of said corner and Tozawa hits a big dive off the top. Tozawa gets launched over the top onto the Creeds and we take a break. Back with Tozawa being powerbombed into the barricade for two as Otis is still down on the floor. Tozawa’s double DDT puts the Creeds down as Otis is back up.

The Caterpillar hits Brutus for two as Cole calls Otis a “heavy machinery” type competitor. Julius knees Otis down and Brutus hits a standing moonsault into Julius’ shooting star for two. A superbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Tozawa’s suicide dive….gets caught in the ropes and barely makes any contact whatsoever. Julius electric chairs Otis, who superplexes Brutus, allowing Tozawa to hit a top rope backsplash for the big knockdown. Cue Ivy Nile to jump Dupri, with the distraction letting the Creeds roll Tozawa up for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B. This was a lot better than I was expecting and allowed Tozawa to showcase himself in the ring a lot more than usual. That’s a good thing to see as the team has long since been the Otis/Chad Gable show and Tozawa adds a different side to the whole thing. The ending is good as well, as there was little reason to keep Dupri and Nile on the same page given everything else that was going on.

Earlier today, Pete Dunne was in the mostly empty arena and says Sheamus was under his wing, not the other way around. Sheamus went on a great run with Dunne in his corner, while Dunne just had a stupid name. So what happened to the Brawling Brutes while Sheamus became a bigger star? Dunne never wants to hear the name “Butch” again because he is an eighteen year veteran and the Bruiserweight.

We look at Bronson Reed wrecking Seth Rollins last week, complete with breakdowns of the physics involved.

Reed tells Adam Pearce to give him an opponent tonight or he’ll find a new victim.

Damage CTRL is ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Sonya Deville and company seems to imply that their collection name is the “Pure Fusion Collective” and they want the titles as well. If that’s their name….my goodness just release them already.

Candice Michelle is here.

Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective

For a future shot at Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn (at ringside). Sky strikes away at Baszler to start and a double dropkick puts her down again. Sane adds her sliding clothesline in the corner but Baszler is back with a backbreaker for a breather. Stark comes in and the champs aren’t impressed as we take a break. Back with Sky coming in to clean house, including the running knees to Stark in the corner. A butterfly backbreaker looks to set up Over The Moonsault but Sonya Deville offers a distraction. Sky accidentally superkicks Dawn, which is enough to draw Dawn in for the DQ (by hitting Sky) at 9:22.

Rating: C+. The action was good, but there were two things here. First and foremost is the name, which even commentary was mocking because not only is it a really dumb name that no one would give themselves, but it’s hard to remember because NO ONE TALKS LIKE THIS. Second is the ending, which is going to be a no contest to set up a triple threat, even though that’s just not what happened but they’ll do it anyway because having Dawn and Fyre jump one member of each team at the same time was too much to ask.

Post match the champs lay out both teams. Cole makes it clear that we have no #1 contenders, which is nonsense as Dawn only hit Sky, meaning it should be a DQ with Damage CTRL winning, but for some reason that’s not what we’re getting.

Miz is upset when R-Truth comes in. R-Truth asks about various bad things that have been happening to Miz as of late, but he’s gotten Miz an Intercontinental Title match with Bron tonight. Miz: “Doesn’t he have a match with Sami Zayn?” Truth points him to the graphic….and it’s Miz against Bronson Reed. Truth: “Isn’t that the guy who killed Seth Rollins last week?” Randy Orton comes in and asks if Reed is the guy who killed Seth Rollins last week. Orton fires Miz up….but realizes he has no chance.

Randy Orton threw out the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals game.

Here is Orton for a chat. He talks about winning the World Title for the first time twenty two years ago and promises to win it for the fifteenth time at Bash In Berlin…and cue Gunther to interrupt. Orton says he’s coming to win the title but Gunther says Orton wastes his potential. There isn’t room for that kind of person in Gunther’s era, but Orton says he has owned up to his mistakes over the years.

Orton is a legend with five kids and a hot wife at home before he becomes a fifteen time World Champion, so he has done pretty good for himself. Gunther calls Orton predictable and says all three generations of his family have been screwups. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt….and the distraction lets Orton hit the RKO. Cue CM Punk to jump McIntyre, even beating him with his own belt, sending McIntyre running. A strap match between those two has potential.

Sheamus is interested in mysteries but the biggest of them all is how Pete Dunne’s failures are his fault. Ludwig Kaiser comes in to say it’s not over between them…and here is Dunne to jump Sheamus with a shillelagh, including a shot to his exposed hand.

CM Punk, who was said to not have been here due to travel issues, says he was lying to lure Drew McIntyre in. Punk can keep the bracelet but keep his wife and dog’s name out of McIntyre’s mouth. Punk mentions being attached to McIntyre and says the belt he’s holding gives him an idea.

Mark Henry and his son are here.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed

R-Truth is here with Miz. Reed charges into a boot to start but runs him over without much trouble. Miz is sent outside and dropped with a running shoulder off the apron as we take a break. Back with Miz fighting back and managing a tornado DDT for one. Reed isn’t having that and hits a Death Valley Driver, setting up the Tsunami for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here due to the break that Reed shouldn’t be in long matches right now anyway. The point is to get Reed over as a monster and having him make short work of an established name is going to do just that. At the same time, Miz and R-Truth’s issues intensify as R-Truth got him into this mess in the first place. Not a particularly good match, but rather nice storytelling.

Post match Reed tries another Tsunami but R-Truth gets in his way, earning himself a high crossbody. Reed hits a pair of Tsunamis on R-Truth (Cole: “TRUTH IS A D*** NATIONAL TREASURE!”) and then adds two more until Adam Pearce and security cut Reed off. That just causes Reed to go to another corner to hit a fifth Tsunami, even with Pearce yelling at him. Then Reed goes back to hit a sixth Tsunami.

Jey Uso fires Sami Zayn up before his Intercontinental Title match. Then they’re getting the Tag Team Titles.

Rhea Ripley/Damian Priest vs. Liv Morgan/Dominik Mysterio is set for Bash In Berlin. Makes sense.

Video on the new Judgment Day.

Bron Breakker says he’s going to do bada** things.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn

Breakker is defending and this is 2/3 falls. Zayn starts fast and knocks him outside, setting up the big running flip dive as we take an early break. Back with Breakker hitting his Rick Steiner style powerslam for two but Zayn walks the corner for a tornado DDT. Breakker hits some running corner clotheslines but Zayn is right back with the Helluva Kick for the first fall at 6:55.

They had outside with Breakker catching a moonsaulting Zayn and powerslamming him over the barricade. We take a break and come back with Breakker running the corner for a super Frankensteiner, setting up the gorilla press powerslam. A pair of spears gives Breakker the second fall at 12:34 total.

Breakker goes with a rather lackadaisical cover and gets rolled up for two, meaning it’s time to send Zayn outside again. Zayn gets sat on the announcers’ table for a huge clothesline from the apron for a nine count. Back in and Zayn manages a sunset bomb for two but has to avoid a spear. Breakker hits a jumping knee but Zayn hits a running boot for two. Zayn goes up again, only to dive into a spear to give Breakker the win at 17:33 overall.

Rating: B+. This was a hard hitting match but it was also a heck of a story with Zayn trying to outsmart Breakker and having to take chances. The big chance at the end is what cost him the match as Breakker was too strong and powerful for the underdog style to overcome. That’s what they’ve been doing for their matches so far and the idea of Breakker getting smarter is a scary proposition. Awesome match here.

Overall Rating: B. The more I watch Raw, and almost any other WWE programming at the moment, the more of a flow they seem to be in. This show had the same vibe as a classic NXT, where not only did they have stuff they needed to do but they made it feel important. It would have been the Creeds vs. the Alpha Academy or the #1 contenders match for the Women’s Tag Team Titles or the main event, but the show made it feel like it mattered. That is such a huge boost for any show and it was on full display here. Rather good show and the three hours flew by.

Sidenote: the graphics that WWE has been putting up during its shows are outstanding features. Stuff like “here’s a recap of what you’ve missed tonight” and “these are your announcers” and “these are the people involved with their names and faces in case you’re not familiar.” It’s so simple and helps catch new fans up really fast while not being a distraction. I love that kind of stuff and it makes the show feel so much more polished and fan friendly.

Results
Damian Priest b. Carlito – South Of Heaven
Odyssey Jones b. Vincent Winey – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Creed Brothers b. Alpha Academy – Rollup to Tozawa
Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective went to a no contest when Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn interfered
Bronson Reed b. Miz – Tsunami
Bron Breakker b. Sami Zayn 2-1

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 5, 2024
Location: CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Summerslam and quite a few things have happened. First and foremost, Gunther is the new World Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Damian Priest to win the title. The match saw Finn Balor turn on Priest, continuing a rather bad night for Judgment Day. Earlier in the night, Dominik Mysterio left Rhea Ripley for Liv Morgan, which means punishment is likely. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a Summerslam recap.

Here is Ludwig Kaiser to introduce Gunther as the new World Heavyweight Champion (and rocking a suit). Gunther lists off his resume and says this title and company have deserved more for a long time. He is above everyone in this ring and nothing can catch him off guard because he is greatness personified. From this day forward, Raw and the greatness of this legacy belong to him….and here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Gunther: “That caught me off guard.”

Orton thinks the title looks good on Gunther’s shoulder but Orton is the reason he has that title. Did Gunther really beat him at King Of The Ring? The referee’s decision is final but there needs to be a part two. Orton is here to call that match in. Gunther considers himself a living legend but Orton has made a career out of killing legends. Gunther talks about how the voices in Orton’s head are wrong, but he accepts. The mic is dropped and Gunther says nothing, including the RKO, catches him off guard. Orton says he wants Gunther to see it coming. That’s a fine way to go for a first title defense for Gunther.

Sheamus is ready to face Ludwig Kaiser, who is the latest young guy coming after him. Bring them all on, including Pete Dunne.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They go straight to the brawl on the floor before the bell before Kaiser slaps him in the face in the corner. The exchange of chops goes to Sheamus but Kaiser goes to the knee to take him down. The Regal Roll, to Kaiser’s bad ribs, sends Kaiser outside and we pause for a breather, which is a ruse to send Sheamus ribs first into the steps. A running dropkick sends Sheamus into the steps again but he manages to beat the count back in.

Sheamus’ knee is tied up in the ropes so Kaiser can crank away before stopping to pose. For some reason Kaiser thinks it’s a good idea to do the ten forearms, which just makes Sheamus knock him backwards. More chops just wake Sheamus up and they slug it out until Sheamus hits some running ax handles.

The Irish Curse sets up White Noise for two and we hit the cloverleaf, sending Kaiser over to the ropes. The ten forearms are broken up with a clothesline and they’re both down. Sheamus wins a slugout though and NOW the ten forearms can knock Kaiser silly. Cue Pete Dunne for a distraction but Sheamus knees him out of the way. The distraction lets Kaiser hit a jumping enziguri for two, only for Sheamus to come back with a Brogue Kick for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B-. You can tell how good a Sheamus match is going to be based on how low down his hair is pushed by all of the sweat. They were having a good one here with Kaiser being able to hang in there against a bigger name in Sheamus. I liked them avoiding the cliched distraction into the ending, with Sheamus getting a win to boost him back up a bit.

We look at the original Wyatt Family debuting in this building eleven years ago. The path of distraction ensued and now, in the same building, the Wyatt Sicks are having their in-ring debut.

Another look at Summerslam.

Here is Damian Priest, who wastes no time in calling out Finn Balor for a beating. He has been on his own for most of his life and the Judgment Day was his family. Now these people are his family and losing made him feel like he disappointed them. Balor pops up on screen, saying that Priest betrayed the team. There wasn’t supposed to be a leader but then Priest won the title.

A year ago, Balor lost at Summerslam and Priest told him to man up. Balor did that at Summerslam and now he isn’t going to fight a loser from the streets. He’ll wait until Priest has almost forgotten about him and then Balor will pop up and stab him in the back again and again. The camera pulls back to reveal JD McDonagh, Carlito and Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan. Priest storms up the aisle to go stable hunting.

We look at Pat McAfee and Michael Cole failing at the HHH water spit at the Judgment Day press event.

Bronson Reed comes in to see Adam Pearce, saying he should have a match tonight because he beat Sheamus last week. He’ll figure it out himself.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Shayna Baszler

Sonya Deville and Zoey Stark are here with Baszler. Valkyria gets her arm cranked to start as Cole talks about Baszler’s love of…cooking soup? Baszler lifts her up by the arm but Valkyria fights back with a gutwrench powerbomb. Deville gets knocked off the apron and the Nightwing connects, only for Stark to come in for the DQ at 2:38.

Post match the beatdown is on but Damage CTRL runs in to clear the villains out.

The Final Testament is ready to end the New Day tonight and it’s all Xavier Woods’ fault for not taking the team up on their offers.

Ivy Nile talks to the Creed Brothers but Maxxine Dupri interrupts them, saying the Creeds attacked Otis and Akira Tozawa. Nile tries to calm things down, but Chad Gable comes in to make Nile leave.

Here is an upset looking CM Punk for a chat. Punk congratulates his friend on winning the UFC Welterweight Title and yes he lost on Saturday, but he is still happy. He hasn’t been here in ten years but ten thousand people are still cheering for him. Summerslam was not a guarantee and neither was tonight but people don’t like him because he won’t stay down. He was told he would be out of action for nine months and he’s back in five.

His road to Wrestlemania started on Summerslam and it’s still summer, so these people deserve to see him fighting. Punk calls out Drew McIntyre but gets Seth Rollins instead. Rollins says they’re both in a good mood because it is finally time for him to put Punk in the dirt. The fight is almost on but cue McIntyre in the crowd. What is with all of the negativity around here? McIntyre is going to talk about Punk’s favorite topic: CM Punk! McIntyre is the new best in the world and he still has the bracelet, which sends Punk chasing McIntyre through the crowd.

Cue Bronson Reed to jump Rollins and take him out in a twist I didn’t see coming. The Tsunami crushes Rollins and Reed does it again for a bonus. Referees come out to break it up but Reed hits a third, fourth, fifth and even sixth Tsunami as Cole is going ballistic on commentary. Rollins is spitting up blood as Reed goes up AGAIN, only for the personnel to get Rollins out. Reed went so far with that that it got awesome as I wanted to see just how far it would go. Why not see what Reed can do in a spot like this?

Post break Punk asks Adam Pearce about McIntyre but Pearce says he saw McIntyre leave the building.

Authors Of Pain vs. New Day

New Day is dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles due to a newly released line of action figures. Kingston can’t do much with Akam to start so he superkicks Rezar, only to walk into a spinebuster. We take a break and come back with Woods getting the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and Karrion Kross interferes, but Odyssey Jones of all people comes out to wreck Kross and send him over the barricade. Woods small packages Rezar for the pin at 6:56.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t exactly the point here as they only had a few minutes around the break (which was completely needed in a match that didn’t break seven minutes) but Jones of all people being back for the save is interesting. He hasn’t wrestled on TV in well over a year due to injuries/creative having nothing for him so I was rather shocked to see him. Nice job, and having a powerhouse around is always a good thing.

Post match the Authors beat on Woods but Jones side slams BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME before dropping Kross again. Kingston is pleased, though Woods isn’t as sure (he does shake Jones’ hand though).

JD McDonagh swears revenge on Damian Priest.

Kofi Kingston thanks Odyssey Jones again and Jones is grateful to be on the team. Xavier Woods still isn’t sure what is going on but apparently Kingston and Jones became friends at the Performance Center and Kingston said New Day needed some help. Woods doesn’t seem completely pleased (to be fair, Kingston just bringing someone in is VERY un-New Day) but the Alpha Academy comes in for dancing anyway, with Woods participating.

A-Town Down Under vs. Awesome Truth

R-Truth takes both of them down to start and it’s a double dropkick (both moves are Rock N Roll Express moves in a call back to Summerslam) to send the villains outside as we take a break. Back with Waller and Theory missing their own double dropkick, allowing the tag back to Miz. House is cleaned, including the alternating YES Kicks. Miz dives onto Theory and hits the basement DDT for two. Truth tags himself in and tries the AA, only swing Waller into Miz by mistake. A Town Down finishes Truth at 7:28.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see as you could tell but the ending does at least set the stage for Awesome Truth’s split. The team doesn’t have much going for it right now anyway so splitting them up and letting them do their own things again isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, A-Town Down Under needed a win if they’ll be staying together much longer.

Damian Priest says he never wanted JD McDonagh in Judgment Day, because no one but Finn Balor did. Tonight, pain is coming.

Bron Breakker says his name is on the Intercontinental Title and no one can take it from him.

Damian Priest vs. JD McDonagh

Carlito is here with McDonagh, who strikes away to start but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A faceplant drops McDonagh again but a distraction lets him stomp Priest down in the corner. Priest kicks McDonagh outside and but gets distracted again, allowing McDonagh to get in a posting. McDonagh’s suicide dive connects and we take a break. We come back with McDonagh headbutting him down, setting up a moonsault for two. Priest fights up and strikes away including dropping Carlito…but Finn Balor runs in for the DQ at 9:19.

Rating: C+. This one could have gone either way, as I could have gone for Priest smashing McDonagh here, but having Balor come in for another cheap shot is a good way to go. It feels like we’re in a long form story here before Priest finally gets his hands on Balor and that could be interesting if done right. Priest needs to be a smashing machine in there, but it’s ok to wait a bit before it happens.

Post match the beatdown is on but Priest fights up and is left alone with Balor. Cue Rhea Ripley to chase Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan, with the latter getting caught and posted hard. Dominik saves Morgan from a Razor’s Edge through the table, leaving Ripley to headbutt McDonagh into South Of Heaven. Hot segment here, with Ripley and Priest looking like the coolest pair in a good while.

We look back at Roman Reigns returning at Summerslam.

Sonya Deville and company jump Damage CTRL and take out Dakota Kai’s knee. Please tell me she’s not hurt again.

Post break Deville and company are here to mock Dakota Kai for not being able to wrestle but we have a replacement.

Iyo Sky vs. Sonya Deville

Both of their associates are on the floor. Deville starts fast and misses a basement clothesline as McAfee confuses Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. The fight heads to the floor, where Sky is sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Sky fighting out of trouble and getting two off a rollup. A dragon screw legwhip takes Deville down and a missile dropkick gets two. Deville runs her over for two more but Sane is back up as well. Damage CTRL hit big dives off the same corner, setting up Over The Moonsault to finish Deville at 7:12.

Rating: B-. Sky got to showcase herself here, which isn’t surprising as she is still one of the most talented stars in WWE. It was good for her to get a win to slow down Deville and company’s momentum, but the lack of Kai worries me. She hasn’t been back long after her knee injury and that felt like a way to write her off.

Ilja Dragunov congratulates Sami Zayn on being a great champion. Zayn says Dragunov will be a great champion one day but here is Jey Uso to give Zayn a pep talk. The rematch for the title is next week and then they can win the Tag Team Titles.

We get another Wyatt Sicks video, this time on Joe Gacy, who thinks he is Huskus The Pig Boy. He’s a bit out there.

Chad Gable/Creed Brothers vs. Wyatt Sicks

The lights go out and the rocking chair, with the lantern, is in the ring. The Wyatts come out for the brawl and the fans approve, even as Lumis takes over on Julius to start. It’s oft to Gacy to clean house, including a belly to back neckbreaker on Julius. A pull of the Gacy’s hair brings Rowan in to clean house and we take a break.

Back with Gable hitting a top rope moonsault for two. Julius fights up and hands it off to Rowan to clean house. Rowan’s swinging slam puts Gable down for two as the Creeds make the save. Lumis dives off the post onto them and, the Creeds get sent over the announcers’ table. A claw slam plants Gable and it’s a frog splash to give Lumis the pin at 12:19.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match and the fans were into the Wyatts, but I’m not sure I can see what they’re going to be doing. They’re the kind of team who needs time to set up a match or a feud and that is going to require some explaining most of the time. I like the idea of the team, but I’m not sure how well it is going to work long term.

All of the Wyatts pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that was more about the drama and setting things up for later rather than what was happening here. As a result, we got another good show that has me wanting to see where they’re going for the pay per view a the end of the month. The Judgment Day stuff is hot right now and the women’s team feud has be intrigued. It was a hot show coming out of Summerslam and that’s a really good sign.

Results
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Shayna Baszler via DQ when Zoey Stark interfered
A-Town Down Under b. Awesome Truth – A Town Down to R-Truth
Damian Priest b. JD McDonagh via DQ when Finn Balor interfered
Iyo Sky b. Sonya Deville – Over The Moonsault
Wyatt Sicks b. Chad Gable/Creed Brothers – Frog splash to Gable

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 1, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We are less than a week away from Money In The Bank and that means we have a few qualifying matches to go for the ladder matches. That could make for some big stuff, but we also have the Wyatt Sicks and their love of old school technology to deal with first. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Jey Uso for a chat to get things going. Uso promises to win the Money In The Bank briefcase no Saturday but here is Chad Gable to interrupt. Gable gets straight to the point: YEET IS NOT A WORD! He is a walking miracle, after surviving both the Wyatts and his family leaving him before qualifying for the ladder match last week. Uso thinks Gable is scared of the Wyatts but Gable says Uso is the one who took the Fireflies.

The fight is on until Uso gets the better of it and goes up, only to have Gable roll away before the Superfly Splash. Gable: “You think I’m just going to lay there while you splash me?” Cue the Wyatts, with Gable running off but only finding more of their silhouettes. Nikki Cross shows up at commentary to give Cole something else.

Post break, it’s another VHS, saying “PLAY ME”.

Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

Kofi Kingston and the Final Testament are here too. Woods chops away to start but gets thrown down with a t-bone suplex. Kross gets sent to the floor for a suicide dive, only to powerbomb Woods against the post as we take a break. Back with Woods making the comeback, including some right hands in the corner. A kick to the head rocks Kross but he forearms a diving Woods out of the air. Then Woods grabs a small package for the pin at 7:26. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: C+. Woods getting a big win of his own is always nice to see as he’s a talented star who doesn’t get to showcase his skills all that often. At the same time, it’s almost hard to fathom that Kross is losing again, as it’s yet another case of him getting some momentum and then having the rug pulled out from underneath him. It explains why he’s never gotten anywhere on the main roster, and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

Post match the Final Testament wrecks New Day, including a nasty armbar on Kingston.

Damian Priest tells Dominik Mysterio to deal with this Liv Morgan stuff. He just talked to Rhea Ripley and she isn’t happy. It’s time to deal with Morgan….who is in the Clubhouse for some reason. Morgan quickly leaves because her match is next, leaving Finn Balor to yell at Priest for not trusting anyone. Priest is ready to beat Seth Rollins on Saturday.

Video on Sika.

Zelina Vega says she is after the title and not Dirty D.

Raw Women’s Title: Zelina Vega vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan is defending. Vega charges at her to start and snaps off a springboard armdrag. Morgan chokes away in the ropes but gets dropkicked to the floor as Dominik Mysterio comes out to watch. The distraction lets Vega hit a Meteora as Rey Mysterio is out here to even things out a bit as we take a break.

Back with Morgan hitting Three Amigos before pointing at Dominik and putting on Rhea Ripley’s Prism Trap. That’s broken up and Vega snaps off a quick moonsault for two. Morgan hurricanranas her way out of trouble and blows a kiss to Dominik, who might smile. Vega is back with a super Code Red but Morgan rolls outside. Hold on though as Rey goes after Dominik, earning himself a baseball slide from Morgan. Vega hits a 619 into a tornado DDT for two so Dominik throws in a chair. That doesn’t work either, as the distraction lets Morgan hit Oblivion for the pin to retain at 11:33.

Rating: B-. This was more about Morgan and Dominik than anything else but they did a good job with some nice near falls from Vega. The title match kind of came out of nowhere but it was nice to see Vega getting a chance. Nice match here as Morgan and Dominik are still the best thing on the show, with the big moment still to come.

Post match Morgan dedicates her win to Dominik.

Drew McIntyre promises to win tonight and go on to win Money In The Bank.

We look at the first few minutes of the Wrestlemania documentary.

Here is Seth Rollins to say he thinks he’ll be back in this ring next week as World Heavyweight Champion. Rollins talks about how this is a championship city and they know why he has to win on Saturday. If he can’t win at Money In The Bank, he has to take another look at himself, but he is at his best when the pressure is on.

Cue Finn Balor to interrupt to say he’s in a bad mood because everything is changing. Rollins thinks Balor is changing, like Priest being the World Heavyweight Champion. Cue Priest to interrupt, with Rollins thinking it’s a trap, but Priest accuses Balor of getting in his business. Rollins is ready to fight and superkicks them together, setting up the Stomp to Balor. Priest gets in the South Of Heaven to leave Rollins laying.

Ludwig Kaiser has broken ribs and swears vengeance on Sheamus.

Post break Damian Priest tells Finn Balor that he appreciates the help but he has this on Saturday. Balor seems to accept that.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Dakota Kai vs. Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile

Kai kicks Nile to the floor to start but gets baseball slidden by Stark. Back in and Starks stays on Nile in the corner as we take an early break. We come back with Stark hitting a double super bulldog to put the other two down, followed by a double German suplex for two. Kai is back up with a Scorpion Kick, allowing Nile to German suplex Sky for two. The Kairopractor gets two on Nile with Stark making the save. Cue Damage CTRL so Isla Dawn and Ivy Nile run in to jump them. The distraction lets Stark hit the Z360 to pin Kai at 9:45.

Rating: C+. As usual, you can only get so much out of a match that runs about ten minutes and has a long stretch spent in a commercial. Stark going forward is a good way to go and Kai taking the fall is going to make things even worse for her status in Damage CTRL. Nice enough match, but there was so much taken up by the commercial.

We get the Wyatts video from earlier, with another interview between Uncle Howdy and Bo Dallas. Howdy asks what Dallas was thinking and Dallas says they are the ones who were forgotten. They were clay in the hands of the potter and now they are a family. The false prophets must pay for their sins. They talk about being the reckoning and their voices start to merge together.

Then Howdy disappears, leaving Dallas to say he sets them free. Then Dallas disappears, with Howdy popping back in to say there you are. Of note, which I’m assuming was true last week too: they are sitting in the Firefly Funhouse. Good stuff here again, as the motivations are continuing to be revealed. That’s better than having them attack people every single week and makes their actual attacks more important.

Chad Gable tries to talk Otis into coming back into the fold but Otis isn’t convinced. The rest of the former Alpha Academy pops in to stand by Otis.

Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

Dominik starts fast and runs him over, only to get dropkicked to the floor. Rey grabs a hurricanrana from the apron and we take a break. Back with Rey in trouble and getting elbowed in the face for two. Rey sends him into the corner though and hits a top rope seated senton, followed by a kick to the head for two more.

Cue Liv Morgan for a distraction, allowing Dominik to grab a half crab of all things. Dominik hits Three Amigos but Rey knocks him onto Liv, who seems to like being underneath him. Cue Vega to go after Morgan, with Dominik hitting a 619. Dominik goes up but Vega sends Morgan into the apron, crotching Dominik in the process. The 619 into Dropping The Dive gives Rey the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. These two work well together but, again, this was much more about Morgan and Dominik than the match itself. That’s not a bad thing either, as the story could take a bit of a turn with Morgan costing Dominik a big match. For now though, we’re getting closer and closer to the big stuff, which can happen whenever Rhea Ripley can show up again.

Sheamus is ready to hit hard and get his chance to become a two time Mr. Money In The Bank.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. He knows people are thinking Bron Breakker is going to destroy him, so here is Breakker to interrupt. Breakker knows Zayn has guts after he accepted the challenge, but it also shows that Zayn is nuts. Breakker promises to win the title, but Zayn has heard that far too many times.

Zayn thinks Breakker might not be as smart as he says he is….and then Breakker spears him in half. Breaker goes to leave and tries the big run around the ring, only to spear the steps instead. Zayn suplexes him into the corner and loads up the Helluva Kick but Breakker spears him in half again. Good stuff here, with that last spear looking awesome.

Damage CTRL isn’t happy and here is Lyra Valkyria to make it worse. The fight is quickly on and broken up shortly thereafter.

We look at the Bloodline turning on and destroying Paul Heyman.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Ilja Dragunov is ready to qualify for Money In The Bank.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Ilja Dragunov vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

Sheamus and McIntyre stare at each other with the later shoving Dragunov away. That doesn’t work for him as breaks things up with a headbutt, leaving Dragunov vs. Sheamus. The brawl is on with Sheamus hitting an Irish Curse before knocking Dragunov outside and into the barricade. McIntyre is back up to send Sheamus over the barricade but gets posted by Dragunov. Sheamus is back up with the ten forearms from over the barricade and we take a break.

Back with McIntyre sending Dragunov flying off an overhead belly to belly suplex but Sheamus hits a top rope clothesline. Dragunov drops Sheamus and hits an H Bomb each for two on McIntyre. We take another break and come back with Dragunov pulling the other two down out of the Tower Of Doom. The fans declare this awesome as Dragunov hits a Constantine Special on Sheamus.

Back up and the Torpedo Moscow cuts off the Claymore so Dragunov goes up. Coast To Coast is kneed out of the air to give Sheamus two and frustration is setting in. The Brogue Kick hits Dragunov but McIntyre pulls him outside. Back up and the Brogue Kick is countered into a rollup for two but Sheamus hits him with a jumping knee. Not that it matters as the Claymore hits Sheamus to send McIntyre to Money In The Bank at 17:43.

Rating: B+. What is there to say here? You had three physical guys beating the fire out of each other until McIntyre got the win. McIntyre is the right choice to go forward as he has the biggest story going of the three and needs to be in the ladder match. They had an awesome match on the way there too and it was more than worthy of the main event spot.

Post match McIntyre promises to win the briefcase and shows off the stolen CM Punk bracelet to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is by far the best thing about this show but they also kept a few other stories moving with some good action as well. The Morgan/Dominik story is the best story going on and it should be setting up for a big moment at Summerslam. I’m interested in where things are going around here and that is a great sign as they are coming up on some of the biggest shows of the year.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Karrion Kross – Small package
Liv Morgan b. Zelina Vega – Oblivion
Zoey Stark b. Dakota Kai and Ivy Nile – Z360 to Kai
Rey Mysterio b. Dominik Mysterio – Dropping The Dime
Drew McIntyre b. Sheamus and Ilja Dragunov – Brogue Kick to Sheamus

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 24, 2024
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: The Miz, Michael Cole

We have less than two weeks to go before Money In The Bank but the big story here is that the Wyatt Sicks debuted last week and it’s not clear where that is going to go. Odds are we are going to hear something about it this week, along with Drew McIntyre attacking CM Punk on Smackdown. Let’s get to it.

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

Pat McAfee is not here this week, with Miz taking his place. Michael Cole says we aren’t going to read anything into that and we go into the Wyatt Sicks (with the name being official). Drew McIntyre walks by though and comes into the ring for a chat.

McIntyre talks about attacking Punk on Smackdown and we see exactly what happened. After everything Punk did, the people still chant his name. Punk attacked everything McIntyre has and cost him the World Title. McIntyre had promised his wife the title but Punk took it from him, so if you still chant his name, you are dead to him.

He hopes that Punk is at home in pain and eating through a straw because McIntyre put him there. McIntyre also has the bracelet he took from Punk, which was made by a fan and says AJ and Larry, the names of Punk’s wife and dog. Punk wears that with him on the road to take his family with him, but now McIntyre has them instead. McIntyre will be taking that bracelet to Toronto when he wins Money In The Bank. Now there’s a personal touch that makes sense and gives Punk another reason to want to fight McIntyre.

We look back at the Wyatt Sicks’ attack last week, including an attack on Chad Gable.

Gable arrives with security and doesn’t want cameras looking at him.

Post break, Gable’s locker room is guarded by security and various wrestlers are apparently surprised that he is even here.

Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

In the back, Kaiser promises to show Breakker that he is no Kaiser. They slug it out to start until Breakker runs the ropes and plows through Kaiser as only he can. Kaiser gets powered into the corner and Breakker fires off some shoulders to the ribs, only to have Kaiser go to the eyes. Breakker is sent shoulder first into the post but he’s able to drive him into the apron. With Kaiser sat on the announcers’ table, Breakker dives off the apron for a clothesline in a ridiculous athletic display as we take a break.

Back with Breakker getting fired up and hammering away (the fans approve), setting up a jumping elbow. A super Frankensteiner has Miz losing his mind but Kaiser slips out of the gorilla press and knocks Breakker outside. The spear hits the steps though and Kaiser has an opening….which is closed as Sheamus comes in with a Brogue Kick to Kaiser for the DQ at 10:06.

Rating: B. That’s a case where the ending makes sense as Sheamus has issues with both of them, though he owed Kaiser one after previous weeks. This could lead to some interesting outcomes, with the Intercontinental Title hanging over the whole thing. Good match here too, with Kaiser continuing by far the best streak of his time in WWE.

Post match Sheamus loads up the announcers’ table but gets speared in half by Breakker.

Judgment Day is having some food and playing video games when Damian Priest comes in. Apparently this is all from Liv Morgan, which doesn’t work for Priest. Mysterio holds up something Morgan sent him on his phone (Carlito: “THAT’S COOL!”) but Priest says Mysterio needs to figure out how to explain to Rhea Ripley why Morgan has his number. Oh and they ALL need to worry about Braun Strowman.

Bron Breakker goes to Adam Pearce’s office and rants about being sick of everyone interrupting him. Sami Zayn pops in to say Breakker can challenge him for the title anytime, anyplace. Breakker issues the challenge for Money In The Bank and the match is on.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Lyra Valkyria vs. Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler gets knocked into the corner to start as Miz talks about what the briefcase can mean for your career. Sane grabs a headscissors to take both of them down and hits a big dive to the floor as we take a break. Back with Sane dropping Baszler but getting kicked down by Valkyria. A fisherman’s buster gives Valkyria two on Sane but Baszler is back in with her own suplex.

Sane adds a running Blockbuster, only to miss the Insane Elbow. They trade running shots to the head to everyone is down, with the fans deeming this awesome. The Kirifuda Clutch has Valkyria in trouble but Sane breaks it up with the Insane Elbow. Valkyria is right back up with the Nightwing to finish Sane at 8:26.

Rating: B-. This was almost all action and the only thing keeping it from being that much better was the break in the middle. Valkyria gets a win to make up for some of the loss at King And Queen Of The Ring, though I’m not sure I can imagine her winning the briefcase. The field is still fairly wide open and that should make for an interesting ladder match, which comes after a solid match here.

Drew McIntyre wants in Money In The Bank but Adam Pearce isn’t sure. McIntyre threatens various chaos if he isn’t in.

Next year’s Royal Rumble and a future Summerslam/Wrestlemania are coming to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Here is Liv Morgan (after a long tracking shot from the back) for a chat. She’s here to get Dominik Mysterio’s attention and hopes he likes those gifts she sent him, especially the text. Morgan invites Mysterio out here right now for one more gift but gets Zelina Vega instead. Vega doesn’t get Morgan’s obsessions but she’s here about the title. Vega has fought to get here and that’s because her why will always be bigger than Morgan’s libido. The title challenge is sent out and Morgan says they can do it next week.

Cue Mysterio, who says he doesn’t like the gifts, but Morgan knows he likes the texts. The fans chant SLOPPY SECONDS and Mysterio is booed out of the building, with the two women trying to calm them down so he can say anything. Mysterio wants anyone but Morgan to have the title so Morgan decks Vega. Rey Mysterio runs in to break it up but Dominik decks him, with Morgan looking so happy. Morgan follows Dominik out. This continues to be one of if not the best things on Raw at the moment.

Adam Pearce leaves Chad Gable’s locker room and says Gable is shaken up after last week but he’s medically cleared.

We look back at Seth Rollins’ return last week, with Damian Priest giving him a World Title shot at Money In The Bank. It also includes a look at Rollins’ rise through WWE and how hard he has fought to get here.

Liv Morgan hugs a not so thrilled Dominik Mysterio. With Dominik gone, R-Truth comes in and says he loves reluctant heroes. Morgan says she can get Dominik a match with Rey this week, but for this week, the Judgment Day can get a Tag Team Title shot. R-Truth agrees because he’s always loved Carmella.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed vs. Chad Gable

During his entrance, Gable (with a bandage on his head) asks if we believe in miracles. The rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated because CHAD GABLE LIVES! He promises to win Money In The Bank and we’re ready to go. Gable chops at Reed to start and it goes as well as you would expect. That leaves Gable on the floor so the monsters can chop away at each other. Strowman is sent outside with Gable being tossed onto him, leaving Reed to hit a big dive onto both of them.

We take a break and come back with Gable avoiding Reed’s backsplash. Reed doesn’t seem to mind and sends Gable into Strowman’s raised boot in the corner. Strowman clears Reed out and hits the running shoulders at ringside, only for Gable to German suplex Reed for two back inside. Strowman breaks up the moonsault and slams Reed on the floor. Cue the Judgment Day to jump Strowman, leaving Gable to moonsault Reed for the win at 8:23.

Rating: B-. Gable winning after the loss last week is interesting, but they are still playing into the idea that he is more than a little shaken up. That should open up a lot of options and I’m curious to see where it goes. Gable escaping the two monsters is a fine enough idea, especially with Strowman being taken out by the Judgment Day.

Post match Gable is in the ring and we’ve got Wyatts. Nikki Cross crawls through the smoky ring and chases him off before presenting Michael Cole with a box and walking out. She was the only who appeared.

Post break the box is addressed to Pat McAfee and it’s a VHS (yes Cole explains what it is) which says PLAY ME. Cole sends it off to be played.

Chad Gable runs into the Alpha Academy and apologizes to them, but Otis says Gable hurt them, so they’re still done. Maxxine Dupri seems more sympathetic but a reunion isn’t likely. They leave, only for Gable to run into the Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile, who ask if he needs help.

Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre

Non-title. The champs are knocked to the floor to start and Carter throws Chance onto them as we take an early break. Back with Fyre having to make a rope for a break as Cole recaps his commentary partner issues. The Keg Stand gets two with Fyre having to make the save. The After Party is broken up and the Downward Spiral/Gory Bomb combination finishes Carter at 5:53. Not enough shown to rate but this was rather short.

Post match Damage CTRL comes in to take out the champs.

Finn Balor tells Damian Priest about the matches Liv Morgan has gotten them set up but Priest thinks it’s too good to be true.

Miz catches up to R-Truth and asks him about the Tag Team Title match (apparently it took him 20 minutes to get back find R-Truth). This is all about love, but Miz isn’t sure about this. R-Truth loves him…but only as a friend.

Here is Damian Priest for a chat. He saw that video on Seth Rollins earlier and thinks they have a lot in common. They are both the kind of wrestlers who could be in a group and stand out as a leader. For now though, as long as Priest is World Heavyweight Champion, Rollins will never see the mountaintop again.

Cue Rollins to interrupt and, after hyping up Indianapolis for the Royal Rumble, asks what Priest meant by that. Rollins talks about how Priest is part of a team, but Priest says he didn’t ask for any help to win the title. After waiting for the fans to stop yelling about him, Priest says he has the title and Rollins has nothing. Rollins: “For now.” Priest one upped him last week, but Rollins wants to one up him here.

Let’s add a little side bet: if Rollins can’t win the title, he can never get another shot at Priest. But if Rollins does win the title, Priest has to stand on his own two feet and leave Judgment Day. Priest says the Judgment Day needs him ore than he needs them (the fans know that was dumb) and he’s in. Cue Gunther to say he understands that there is a lot on the line here and wishes them both good luck. He’s excited for the match and may the best man win…but that man will be the lesser man at Summerslam.

We see the tape the Wyatts had for Pat McAfee. It features Uncle Howdy asking how we eel since the loss. Do you feel forgotten? Do you remember who you are? We cut to Bo Dallas, sans mask, saying he is no one. Howdy asks Dallas how it felt when his brother died, with Dallas saying it felt like the most important thing in his life was taken from him.

Howdy asks if this is exploiting Bray Wyatt’s legacy, with Dallas saying he wanted to be like his brother. Dallas worked his entire life to be next to him and they were going to rule together. They had finally made it and then everything was taken away from him. No one knows what it feels like and he will not let Wyatt be forgotten.

They wanted to forget about everyone but Dallas said they made everyone remember. Howdy: “Yes we did.” They stare at each other and the tape ends. That’s definitely a way to go and they are probably smart for leaning into the Wyatt stuff. Making it clear that Wyatt’s brother is behind everything should help, along with making it clear that they don’t have powers and such.

Karrion Kross vs. Kofi Kingston

None of the seconds stick around. Kingston starts fast and knocks him to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and a suplex puts Kingston down for two as we take an early break. We come back with Kingston hitting a dropkick and getting two off a crossbody. Hold on though as the Final Testament pops up on the Titantron, showing the AOP beating up Xavier Woods. The distraction lets Kross hit the Final Prayer for the pin at 5:49. Not enough shown to rate but this feels like it has a long way to go.

We look at the debut of Jacob Fatu on Smackdown. Set for Money In The Bank: Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton vs. the Bloodline.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Awesome Truth vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is challenging. Truth starts fast by kicking McDonagh down and Balor gets double hiptossed as well. Cue Liv Morgan to watch as we take an early break. Back with R-Truth having to fight out of trouble, allowing a tag off to Miz to stomp away on McDonagh in the corner. Miz sends Balor face first into the apron as Dominik Mysterio and Carlito come out as well. A double DDT connects on the challengers and the Skull Crushing Finale hits McDonagh, with Carlito putting the boot on the ropes.

Cue Braun Strowman to chase off Mysterio and Carlito, leaving R-Truth to go into the John Cena finishing sequence. The STF is broken up so R-Truth is back with a Ten Knuckle Shuffle. Morgan gets on the apron to shout about how this is about love before snapping R-Truth’s throat across the top. The distraction lets Balor get in a cheap shot. The Coup de Grace gives Judgment Day the titles back at 11:32.

Rating: B-. This was the fun match with all of the moving parts and everything going nuts until we had a big moment with the title change. Awesome Truth got their big moment at Wrestlemania but I don’t think there was any reason to believe they would be long term champions. This was good enough for what it needed to be, as it tied a bunch of stories together and got the titles onto bigger names.

Morgan poss with the new champs, who aren’t sure what to think of her but will take their titles.

Overall Rating: B. This show started hot and kept going, with a bunch of stuff either taking place or being set up to take place later on. There are a lot of things going on where I either don’t know where they’re going or want to see where they’re going and that is a great feeling. WWE is clicking right now and they’re doing it on both Raw and Smackdown. Rather solid show this week, and hopefully fans saw it with Game 7 of the Stanley Cup on.

Results
Ludwig Kaiser b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Sheamus interfered
Lyra Valkyria b. Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler – Nightwing to Sane
Chad Gable b. Bronson Reed and Braun Strowman – Moonsault to Reed
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination to Carter
Karrion Kross b. Kofi Kingston – Final Prayer
Judgment Day b. Awesome Truth – Coup de Grace to R-Truth

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

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 27, 2024
Location: EnMarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with King And Queen Of The Ring and we have a new Raw King in Gunther. That means he is going to get a World Title shot at Summerslam, but first Damian Priest has to defend against Drew McIntyre next month at Clash In The Castle. Other than that, Liv Morgan is the new Raw Women’s Champion and has to defend the title against former champion Becky Lynch tonight in a cage. Let’s get to it.

Here is King And Queen Of The Ring if you need a recap.

Long King And Queen Of The Ring recap.

Here is Ludwig Kaiser to introduce King Gunther, who carries the crown to the ring. We pause for a WE WANT RANDY chant before Gunther brags about beating Randy Orton to earn his crown. With that out of the way, he is ready to challenge for the World Heavyweight Title at Summerslam. He elevated the Intercontinental Title and now he has done it again with the King Of The Ring.

Cue Judgment Day to interrupt, with Damian Priest saying Gunther didn’t win anything because Orton’s shoulder was up. Yes Priest cashed in after winning a ladder match because that’s how it works. Priest offers to teach him a lesson, so Gunther says Priest can teach him before Summerslam and call him King, or teach him after and call him World Heavyweight Champion.

Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt and introduce himself to Gunther, who steps aside so McIntyre can face Priest. McIntyre says Judgment Day has been screwing up left and right since Rhea Ripley has been hurt. We hear about some British wrestling legends, but McIntyre is the only one to win the World Title.

McIntyre gives us a quick geography lesson because they don’t teach it in America, as he draws out where Scotland is located. WWE has called him a psycho and the terminator, but in Scotland they call him Drew, because everyone is like that. Priest brings up McIntyre’s wife for the sake of seeing if he can get under McIntyre’s skin but here is Braun Strowman for his scheduled match with JD McDonagh. This is an interesting way to go as you have two possible champions but the monster is waiting for either of them.

Braun Strowman vs. JD McDonagh

Joined in progress with Strowman powering him up and sending him into the corner. One heck of a toss sends McDonagh flying, setting up a running charge into the corner. Another charge is cut off though and Strowman goes shoulder first into the post. McDonagh gets in a shot to the knee on the floor and we take a break. Back with Strowman sending him outside and hitting the freight train. Finn Balor offers a distraction so here is Carlito for a cheap shot. That gets him nowhere, as Strowman grabs the powerslam for the pin at 9:32.

Rating: C. This didn’t need to be so long with Strowman flattening McDonagh without much trouble. Carlito not being able to help out in the end likely doesn’t bode well for him, which is part of his ongoing story. What matters here is Strowman getting a nice win in return and it went well enough.

Post match Strowman clears out the Judgment Day and Carlito without much trouble. McDonagh chairs him in the back and runs off.

Liv Morgan didn’t know Dominik Mysterio was going to interfere on Saturday but she’s ready to beat Becky Lynch in a cage. Watch her.

Damian Priest isn’t happy with Finn Balor and Carlito. Just find McDonagh before Strowman does.

We look at Bron Breakker being all violent last week.

Ricochet is banged up from last week and wants Breakker, but that can’t happen. Ilja Dragunov comes in and says thank you for the save last week and they can fight when Ricochet is better. Ricochet is cleared so he wants it tonight, with Adam Pearce making the match.

Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov

We get another QR code before the match and Dragunov chops away to start. Ricochet, with his bad ribs, is wrestled to the mat and a German suplex gives Dragunov two. Dragunov hits a running knee and bites the rope as we take a break. Back with Dragunov striking away but the Constantine Special is broken up.

Ricochet moonsaults him on the floor but a 450 misses back inside. Now the Constantine Special can connect to give Dragunov two and he plants Ricochet with a powerbomb. The top rope H Bomb is blocked and Ricochet hits the Recoil. A shooting star connects on Dragunov but Bron Breakker comes in to spear Ricochet for the DQ at 10:26.

Rating: B-. This was starting to heat up near the end but I like the DQ as you don’t want either of these two taking a fall. Dragunov already lost a big match in the tournament and Ricochet loses pretty often as well. Breakker getting involved makes him look like even more of a monster and that has potential as we move forward.

Post match Dragunov gets speared as well. Adam Pearce comes out to yell at him but Breakker isn’t having it.

Post break Pearce is still yelling at Breakker but walks off with Kiana James instead.

Earlier today, Awesome Truth was running an ice cream truck (because they’re like vanilla and….strawberry) when New Day came up to ask about some contest for a Tag Team Title shot. Karrion Kross comes up and Kofi mocks him for being all cryptic. Kross warms them about the AOP, so Woods tells him to bring Tokka and Razar.

Authors Of Pain vs. Creed Brothers

The Final Testament and Ivy Nile are here too. The Creeds go right after them to start, with Julius being knocked outside. Brutus slugs away but gets elbowed in the face for two. Rezar grabs a neck crank but misses a charge in the corner. Julius comes in for the suplexes into the nipups, but Scarlett sends Nile into the steps. The distraction breaks up the Brutus Ball and the suplex/sitout powerbomb combination (dubbed What A Rush) finishes Julius at 2:57.

We look at Carlito injuring Cruz del Toro last week.

Rey Mysterio talks about Carlito taking the wrong path out of jealousy over Dragon Lee. Tonight, Carlito isn’t going to face an old friend because he’s going to find out what happens when he faces the LWO.

Braun Strowman is limping around looking for JD McDonagh.

Memorial Day video.

Here is Sheamus for a chat. Sheamus hypes up King Of The Ring, which was banger after banger after banger, but sadly he was out in the first round. He blames Ludwig Kaiser but isn’t bitter. The only thing he isn’t happy about is Gunther’s coat rack bragging about what he did. Kaiser pops up on screen and says Sheamus is always talking, so Sheamus goes to get him. We follow Sheamus to the back where Kaiser jumps him, with the fight heading into the arena. Adam Pearce and the referees break it up.

Becky Lynch gives Lyra Valkyria a pep talk.

Kairi Sane vs. Lyra Valkyria

Dakota Kai is here with Sane and Valkyria has banged up ribs. Valkyria takes her down to start but the ribs flare up. A northern lights suplex hurts the ribs again and Sane catches her on top. Sane hits a hard sliding forearm to the ribs and a stomp to the ribs makes it even worse. The Insane Elbow is blocked with raised boots though and Valkyria gets a rollup for the pin at 3:42.

Rating: C. This was a nice win to get Valkyria back on track after her loss to Nia Jax. That’s exactly what she needed as she fought through the injury and won in the end by stealing a pin. Valkyria continues to feel like someone WWE wants to make into a big deal and it’s smart to give her a boost right back up the ladder.

Damian Priest isn’t pleased with Carlito for still being here, but Carlito steps out and Finds JD McDonagh. Priest isn’t happy with McDonagh for talking to Liv Morgan earlier but here is Dominik Mysterio. Priest isn’t happy with him either, though Mysterio says he’ll make it right tonight, including with Rhea Ripley.

Iyo Sky is not pleased with Kairi Sane’s loss and breaks a bunch of stuff before storming off screaming.

Rey Mysterio vs. Carlito

The LWO (minus Cruz del Toro, who is announced as well by mistake) is here with Rey. This is their first singles match in 20 years, with McAfee saying he was a junior in high school at the time. Cole: “I called that match.” McAfee: “…..D***.” Carlito starts fast with a whip into the corner and ties him in the Tree of Woe. A charge misses though and Carlito crotches himself against the post and we take a break.

Back with Carlito blasting him with a forearm for two, followed by a nasty faceplant. Carlito goes strong with an apron superplex for two more, meaning it’s time for frustration to set in. Mysterio fights up and hits a quick moonsault but gets planted for another near fall. A quick 619 attempt is blocked and Carlito dropkicks him out of the air. Carlito gets posted but here is Finn Balor, with Mysterio having to take him out as well. The Backstabber is blocked and the 619 sets up Dropping The Dime to give Mysterio the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C+. The match was perfectly fine with two guys who might not have been in the ring against each other in a good while but they can still work well together. This isn’t much in the way of revenge though, as Mysterio just beat him. If that’s all that is going to happen to him, why does he need the Judgment Day to protect him?

Post match Damian Priest comes in for the beatdown and Judgment Day stands tall.

Chad Gable asks Akira Tozawa why he wasn’t in Saudi Arabia, but he’s just disappointed. Braun Strowman pops in to look for JD McDonagh but has no luck. Otis shows up and Gable tells him to make up for his mistakes by beating Bronson Reed.

Otis vs. Bronson Reed

Chad Gable is here with Otis and accidentally distracts him to start, allowing Reed to hit a running splash in the corner. Reed hits a running elbow and Otis is knocked to the floor for some yelling from Gable. Back in and Reed hits a running dropkick but Otis slugs away and hits a running crossbody. Otis splashes him in the corner but Gable breaks up the Caterpillar attempt. Otis loads it up again so gable yells at him, allowing Reed to hit a superkick. The Tsunami hits Otis for the pin at 3:40.

Rating: C. This was a story advancing match as Gable is still causing Otis trouble and that is likely going to lead to a big blowup at some point in the future. I’m not sure when it is going to happen, but the fans are going to go nuts when the split happens. At the same time, Reed gets his own rebound win and it would be nice to see him keep moving forward.

Post match Gable calls the Alpha Academy into the ring and after a break it’s time for a meeting. Gable takes off his belt and tells Otis to grab the rope, but Maxxine Dupri cuts Gable off. Gable throws her out of the ring but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt. Zayn calls Gable a weak little man who can’t get the job done. That doesn’t work for Gable, who loads up the belt to Otis again, only to have Zayn take it away. Zayn tries to talk some sense into Otis but Gable takes Zayn out. The fans chant for Otis, who stays behind as the rest of the team leaves. Then Otis leaves on his own as the simmering continues.

Video on the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.

Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark want Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair to come to Raw and face them. Sonya Deville comes in and says they’re talking like they’re already champions but Baszler shouts her down. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn come in and a match seems to be made. Oh yeah. They work here too.

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

Morgan is defending inside a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win. We’re joined in progress after a break with Morgan driving her into the cage. Morgan sends her face first into the cage a few times, followed by some hard shoulders to send her into it again. Lynch fights back and sends her head first into the cage, followed by a missile dropkick for two. A missed charge sends Lynch to the cage though and we take a break.

Back with Lynch getting two off a superplex but the Disarm-Her is broken up. Morgan’s Codebreaker gets two and they both go up top. Morgan gets knocked down but pulls her off cage, with a powerbomb getting two. Oblivion misses so Lynch grabs the Disarm-Her in the ropes. They go into the corner and crash back down…as Dominik Mysterio comes out.

He opens the door and begs Lynch to crawl out but here are Finn Balor and JD McDonagh to yell at him. Morgan hits an enziguri….but Braun Strowman comes out to go after Judgment Day. Dominik is sent flying into the door, which hits Lynch in the face, allowing Morgan to escape and retain at 13:22.

Rating: B-. This was pretty impressive from a storyline perspective as you had a few different things moving around at the same time. They managed to give Morgan another win over Lynch while also having the whole Judgment Day story advancing at the same time. The match itself was good enough, but this was a case where almost everything else is what mattered. Points for using the unrelated Strowman deal as a bonus too.

Morgan goes to leave but stops to look at Dominik in the aisle to end the show.  And then Morgan kisses him, with Mysterio not being sure how to react.  This did not air on all versions of the broadcast but is on WWE’s Youtube channel.

Overall Rating: B-. After weeks of focusing on the tournaments, everything changed this week as it was much more about advancing storylines on the way to Clash At The Castle. There are a lot of things coming in the next few weeks and this show did a good job of setting those up. The wrestling was ok enough but it wasn’t the focus here, and that’s ok after weeks of far above average in-ring content.

Results
Braun Strowman b. JD McDonagh – Powerslam
Ricochet b. Ilja Dragunov via DQ when Bron Breakker interfered
Authors Of Pain b. Creed Brothers – What A Rush to Julius
Lyra Valkyria b. Kairi Sane – Rollup
Rey Mysterio b. Carlito – Dropping The Dime
Bronson Reed b. Otis – Tsunami
Liv Morgan b. Becky Lynch – Morgan escaped the cage

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 20, 2024
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before King And Queen Of The Ring, which means we need to set some things up for that show. This includes setting up the Raw finalists in both tournaments, plus maybe even setting up a World Title challenger for Damian Priest. Other than that, Sami Zayn gets Chad Gable again. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, wrestlers arrived at a wrestling show.

Here is Sami Zayn to get things going. He has five days before he is ready to defend the Intercontinental Title in a triple threat match and people aren’t sure why he would want to do that. Chad Gable has made it personal with him, while Bronson Reed wants the title. It’s a match between the mind (Gable), body (Reed) and soul (Zayn), with Zayn betting on the soul every time.

Cue the Alpha Academy, with gable taking credit for coaching Zayn to the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania. Compare that to the three failures he has in the team, with Otis being the biggest disappointment on the planet. Zayn wants to know how long the team is going to put up with Gable, but Gable cuts him off. Gable promises to win the title on Saturday but Zayn says they’re both ready, so let’s have their match right now.

Chad Gable vs. Sami Zayn

Non-title and they go with the grappling to start. Gable bails out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Gable hitting a suplex but missing a Swan Dive. The Blue Thunder Bomb doesn’t work for Zayn as Gable suplexes him down again. Dupri is given a chance to get in a cheap shot but can’t bring herself to do it.

Instead Gable hits a shoulder and uses a Dupri distraction to stomp away. Tozawa can’t bring himself to interfere either so Gable labels them as failures and ejects them. The distraction lets Zayn hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and we take a break (with another QR code on the way to the commercial).

Back with Gable rolling some German suplexes until Zayn reverses into a Michinoku Driver for two. The Helluva Kick is reversed into the ankle lock with Zayn making the rope and being sent outside for his efforts. Otis won’t interfere either so Gable slaps him in the face and grabs the title. That’s enough for Zayn to exploder Gable into the corner but NOW Otis will interfere. The cheap shot lets Gable grab rolling Chaos Theory for the pin at 16:05.

Rating: B. They had good action and the story at the end tied things together as one of the better feuds in WWE today gets to continue. We’ve been getting solid stuff from these two (and Reed) for weeks now and I’m wanting to see how the title match goes. Otis being all conflicted should extend things out until he and Gable finally have their big blowup. Nice work here all around.

Commentary talks about the QR codes.

Video on Iyo Sky, who is underwater for some reason. She promises to be Queen Of The Ring.

We run down the rest of the card.

The Alpha Academy’s interview is cut off as someone has attacked Cruz del Toro.

Bron Breakker vs. Kale Dixon

Breakker compares about not being in the tournament before hitting the spear and throwing Dixon outside. Another spear hits on the floor and the referee calls it at 1:57.

Post match Breakker hits another spear and then puts the steps on Dixon’s head. A chair to the steps crushes Dixon. There’s a joke in there about crushing kale for a salad that I’ll leave you to make for yourselves.

Post break Dixon is put in an ambulance. Adam Pearce yells at Breakker for what happened but Breakker blames him for not putting him in the King Of The Ring.

We look at last week’s Queen Of The Ring matches.

Becky Lynch gives Lyra Valkyria a pep talk.

Queen Of The Ring Semifinals: Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria takes her down by the arm to start and gets a quick two off la majistral. A quick crossbody gives Valkyria two more and we take a break. Back with Sky ducking an elbow and grabbing a double underhook backbreaker for two of her own. The cross arm choke doesn’t last long for Sky as she grabs some one counts instead.

Valkyria snaps off a release German suplex and kicks her in the head, setting up a rocking horse. That’s reversed into a crossface but Valkyria is out just as fast. Valkyria’s tornado DDT is blocked and Sky sends her outside, setting up an Asai moonsault to drop Valkyria as we take another break.

Back again with Valkyria hitting the tornado DDT, followed by a quick suplex for two. Sky puts her back down but Over The Moonsault is broken up. The break up is broken up as well though and Valkyria gets powerbombed. Over The Moonsault misses but Sky counters the Nightwing into a rollup….which is reversed into another rollup to give Valkyria the pin at 19:17.

Rating: B+. This was rather awesome as Valkyria gets another win to further establish herself on the main roster. That’s how you get someone over, and it wouldn’t stun me to see her win the whole tournament. Then again there is always the chance that she gets crushed by Nia Jax, along with various hopes and dreams.

Post match Valkyria is happy with her win.

R-Truth is teaching the New Catch Republic how to do the Hokey Pokey, but Miz is worried about facing Judgment Day tonight. It’s cool though, because Andre The Giant told R-Truth that they’ll be fine. Miz asks Andre to be there in spirit. R-Truth: “And they say I’m the crazy one.” He means Braun Strowman right?

Ilja Dragunov is frustrated after last week’s loss. Ricochet comes in and seems to want a rematch but Bron Breakker comes in to spear Ricochet in half.

Post break Ricochet is checked out by medics.

We look at Gunther and Jey Uso advancing to the King Of The Ring semifinals.

Earlier today, Gunther was in an empty arena and talked about how Jey Uso has gone from someone Gunther mocked to the hottest thing on Raw. Tonight, the seats will be filled with fans cheering for Uso and pouring out hope and illusion. The bad news is Gunther is in the business of taking hope away and bringing them back to reality. Then he’ll win the King Of The Ring.

Damian Priest gives Finn Balor and JD McDonagh a pep talk before turning to Carlito. Word is that Cruz del Toro will be out for a while after that attack, which is why Carlito is laying low here. Priest missed the sign that says this is the APA, so Carlito can’t hang here forever. The rest of the team leaves and Carlito asks if Priest saw the New York Knicks lose. Priest: “What’s wrong with you?”

Baron Corbin presented a title to a professional bowler for winning a tournament.

Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler are getting ready when Sonya Deville returns and has something to talk to them about.

Tag Team Titles: Awesome Truth vs. Judgment Day

Awesome Truth is defending and Dominik Mysterio is here with the challengers. Balor and Miz fight over a wristlock to start and it’s off to Truth for the dancing legdrop. McDonagh comes in and takes over on Miz, meaning Judgment Day gets to pose and we take a break. Back with Miz kicking McDonagh in the head, with McAfee worrying about Miz’s foot. The tag brings in Truth to take over on Balor, including the John Cena finishing sequence.

The STF goes on but McDonagh makes the save. Everything breaks down and the champs hit stereo Five Knuckle Shuffles. Cue Carlito for a distraction but R-Truth hits Little Jimmy on McDonagh. Carlito puts the foot on the rope so here is Braun Strowman to wreck various people. R-Truth grabs an AA for the pin on McDonagh at 9:25.

Rating: C+. While I don’t think Awesome Truth last long as champions, they’re working well enough at the moment. One day they’ll run into a big team who will take the titles but I’ll take them doing this kind of thing for the time being. If nothing else, Strowman as the American Andre fits him well enough, as he’s that kind of a monster when he needs to be.

Becky Lynch congratulates Lyra Valkyria on her win. Liv Morgan comes in to do the same, but doesn’t seem as sincere. Morgan throws in a slap for a bonus.

Bronson Reed tells Sami Zayn he’s going to use his body to win the Intercontinental title. Reed leaves and Otis comes in, with Zayn yelling at him for costing him the match. Otis apologizes, with Zayn saying he knows Otis is a good guy. Zayn has been where Otis is before, and as soon as Otis starts listening to the fans, things will get a lot better. The fans chant for Otis.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. Lynch talks about her history with Liv Morgan, who has never beaten her. Morgan is a different person now though and she thinks this is what will help her become champion. Cue Morgan to interrupt and ask how she could be the bad guy in all of this. She doesn’t care about anyone or anything but completing the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.

Lynch laughs about Morgan finally finding a purpose, but Lynch says she has known her own purpose since she was 15 years old. She has accomplished all kinds of things, though her purpose is still the same: to leave this place better than she found it. What is next for Morgan after she gets her revenge? Morgan laughs that off and says Lynch has only ever cared about herself. After mocking the WHAT chants, Morgan mocks the fans, with Lynch talking about how she’ll do anything for all of them.

The challenge is on for right now and Morgan teases going to the ring but stops to mock Lynch for looking stupid. She’ll wait for the title match and tells Lynch to cry about it. Morgan is a lot of things, and one of those is really bad on the microphone. There isn’t much of a way around it: she’s just not good at talking.

Damian Priest isn’t pleased with the Judgment Day’s loss and walks off. Finn Balor agrees with him.

Xavier Woods is cleared to return to action. Kofi Kingston leaves to talk to Adam Pearce when Karrion Kross and Scarlett come in. Kross suggests Woods can still turn things around.

Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile vs. Damage CTRL

For a future Women’s Title shot. Nile and Sane start things off and everything breaks down seconds later. Carter and Chance clear the ring and hit a Keg Stand to the pile on the floor. We take a break and come back with Dupri getting to clean house until Carter gives her a Downward Spiral.

The After Party connects Carter isn’t legal so the delayed cover is broken up. A Tower Of Doom puts Baszler down and Chance gives Stark a super hurricanrana onto her. Dupri does her reverse Worm but gets taken down by Sane. The Insane Elbow connects on Dupri but Baszler and Stark cut Sane off. Stark tosses Dupri into Stark’s knee for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C. There was so much going on here and while Sonya Deville possibly being the brains behind the new team, it’s hard to get behind the idea of Baszler as part of another tag team. She felt like she was going to be the next big villain and then just got stuck in this never ending string of teams. As for the rest of them, Damage CTRL was their usual acceptable selves and the other two teams are athletic but little more.

Ludwig Kaiser isn’t worried about Gunther looking ahead to the finals and mocks Sheamus again. Sheamus can come back so Kaiser can put him down. Kaiser leaves and Drew McIntyre comes in to say he’s here because the people want him. He’s coming for Damian Priest and the title.

Chad Gable is talking to the Creed Brothers when Otis comes in. Gable tells them to remember what they talked* about before Otis tells him he apologized to Sami Zayn. That works for Gable, who thinks Otis is softening him up for Saturday. Gable has all of Otis’ documents ready for the trip and he’ll see him on the plane. Otis doesn’t seem convinced.

King And Queen Of The Ring rundown.

Jey Uso is ready to go because there is no tomorrow (unless he wins that is). We get the tracking shot of him walking from the back to the arena as he starts the YEETing early.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Gunther vs. Jey Uso

They fight over a lockup to start until Uso starts slugging away. Gunther gets knocked outside and taken down again but manages to send a charging Uso into the post back inside. They head back outside with Uso being sent into the timekeeper’s area as we take an early break.

Back with Gunther working on the (right) arm and shrugging off Uso’s comeback attempt. The arm is bent backwards but Uso catches him on top. Another armbar is countered into a super Samoan drop for the double knockdown. Uso hits a step up enziguri and a superkick gets two. Gunther goes back to the arm by grabbing a Fujiwara armbar but Uso slips out again.

Some suplexes have Uso down again and the top rope splash into the clothesline gets two. Gunther chops him down so Jey gets in a slap, which just annoys Gunther into more chopping. The referee gets knocked down by mistake so the spear into the Superfly Splash gets a delayed two. Gunther has had it and pulls Uso into a choke with the arm trapped and Uso is out at 17:37.

Rating: B+. This was just a step away from being a 17 minute squash as Uso was getting wrecked throughout. That’s exactly how this match should have been, as Gunther is a monster who can pick you apart, especially with an injury like Uso had here. Other than that, Uso got in a few hope spots but this was about Gunther, which worked as well as usual.

The show is off the air about five seconds after the match is over so they barely got it done.

Overall Rating: B. They were all over the place this week, with some rather good matches to go with some that were as mediocre as you could get. The talking in between the matches was about the same, with Gunther and Zayn’s promos being rather strong and the Lynch/Morgan stuff being dreadful. There was more good than bad, but the bad was definitely there and it showed…uh, badly.

Results
Chad Gable b. Sami Zayn – Rolling Chaos Theory
Bron Breakker b. Kale Dixon via referee stoppage
Lyra Valkyria b. Iyo Sky – Rollup
Awesome Truth b. Judgment Day – Attitude Adjustment to McDonagh
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter, Damage CTRL and Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile – Knee to Dupri’s face
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Arm trap choke

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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NXT
Date: May 14, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re coming up on Battleground and last week seemed to set the stage for the show’s main event. Noam Dar seems to be coming for Trick Williams and the NXT Title, but Lash Legend is in the middle of the whole thing. Other than that, the Heritage Cup is on the line as Tony D’Angelo challenges Charlie Dempsey. Let’s get to it.

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

Noam Dar has been attacked, with the rest of Meta Four arguing about it. Dar looks…confused?

We look back at last week’s combine, which set up the qualifying matches for the Women’s North American Title match.

Kiana James gives Izzi Dame a pep talk.

Sol Ruca won the combine and is ready to win the title too.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame

Ruca walks to the ring on her hands. Dame grabs an armbar to start but Ruca suplexes her way out rather quickly. A middle rope flipping X Factor sends Dame outside and another dive hits her on the floor. Back in and Ruca tries a headscissors but gets thrown over the top for a face first landing into the steps.

Ruca gets dropped onto the announcers’ table and Dame grabs a backbreaker back inside. The reverse chinlock goes on but Ruca fights up with a springboard elbow to the face. Ruca’s standing moonsault gets two but Dame’s big boot gets the same. Dame sends her into the corner, where Ruca tries another headscissors, with this one being flipped into the Sol Snatcher for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. There are certain moves where you know it’s over as soon as they connect and the Sol Snatcher is the newest on the list. I’m still not sure I can believe she’s doing it every time and you do not see a move like that very often. It’s pretty clear that Ruca is destined to be a star so her winning here was hardly a big surprise.

Ava isn’t happy with the D’Angelo Family for switching referees last week but they claim a bad case of bronchitis. Tony can still have his title match, but he’s getting fined $20,000. That’s fine, as an envelope full of cash (more than $20,000) is handed over.

Brinley Reece fires up a nervous Edris Enofe (with his rabbit’s foot) and Malik Blade.

Shayna Baszler, with Lola Vice implies she’s coming for the Women’s Title but Natalya and Karmen Petrovic run in for the brawl.

OTM vs. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade

Jaida Parker and Brinley Reece are here too. Nima picks Enofe up to start as it’s off to Blade for a double drop toehold. Some rapid fire elbows stagger Nima but he’s up for the tag to Price. Everything breaks down and OTM get caught with stereo hurricanranas and dropkicks. Parker grabs Enofe’s foot though and the women get in a fight on the floor as we take a break.

Back with the women getting into it again and this time they go up the aisle, with referees getting rid of them. Enofe gets knocked down out of the corner for two, setting up a standing camel clutch (with Enofe’s legs wrapped around the standing Price’s ribs). That’s broken up but Enofe, who is losing his boot, can’t get over for the tag. The assisted Alabama Slam to Enofe is enough at 10:43.

Rating: C. It’s a bit weird to see a team whose story is bad luck but it’s not like Enofe and Blade have anything else going on at the moment. They still feel like a team who could go somewhere if they were treated as a basic, athletic team but instead they’re in a spot like this. OTM is already better without Scrypts, as he really didn’t add anything to the team.

Meta Four is still arguing about Noam Dar but Lash Legend doesn’t have time for this.

Ridge Holland praises Chase U to Axiom and Nathan Frazer. The OC come in to mock him but Holland is willing to find a partner for a match tonight.

Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Ivy Nile vs. Lash Legend

Jakara Jackson is here with Legend who wastes no time in knocking Nile out to the floor. Nile fights up and glares at Jackson, followed by a spinning kick to Legend’s head. Legend’s super chokeslam is countered into a super bulldog for two and the Diamond Chain Lock goes on. Jackson offers a distraction though and Legend hits the pump kick for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what happened to Nile but she has fallen through the floor. There was a time where she seemed primed for at least a title run but it never came together. Now here she is, more or less just a jobber to a potential big star like Legend. There wasn’t much to the match, but Legend has come a VERY long way in the last few months.

Je’Von Evans doesn’t know who attacked Noam Dar but he’s ready to face Oro Mensah.

Carlee Brights wants to face Lola Vice tonight but Ava isn’t sure after Bright’s combine score. Then she gives Bright the match anyway.

Oro Mensah vs. Je’Von Evans

Jakara Jackson is here with Mensah, who strikes away to start and rakes Evans’ eyes over the top rope. Mensah sends him crashing out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Mensah hitting Big Show’s old Alley Oop for two but Evans fights up. Evans goes up top and kicks Mensah down, setting up a springboard clothesline. A springboard cutter sends Mensah outside and of course Evans is right there with the dive. Cue Lash Legend with a chair but Trick Williams pops up to glare at her. Evans fights out of a powerbomb and hits a superkick into the corkscrew splash for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C+. It was good, though not quite up to the levels of excitement that Evans has shown in his previous outings. He’s athletic and the fans like him, but right now he still needs wins like this one to boost him up. That is a necessary thing, but it might not make for the most riveting action.

Post match Williams shows respect to Evans.

Charlie Dempsey is on his own tonight and promises violence and revenge against Tony D’Angelo.

Here is Wes Lee for a chat. Last time he was in this ring with this mic, things were going very badly for him. He wasn’t sure if he was ever going to be able to get back but dang did he miss this. Fans: “WE MISS YOU!” He is back six months earlier than scheduled because he missed this so much. Lee needs a minute to compose himself but Oba Femi interrupts. Femi respects him but Lee has taken the title as far as he can. While Lee has shown the spirit of a warrior, Femi is a real warrior. Lee says he wants a title shot, but Femi tells him to prove it.

Cue Ivar to interrupt, saying he knows what it’s like to have a career ending injury. He and Lee even had the same spinal surgeon! They both want a title shot, but here is Josh Briggs to interrupt and try to get in on this too. He came this close at Stand & Deliver with broken ribs, but now he’s all healed up. Femi likes the arguments, so Femi says make it a fatal four way. Instead, Femi says fight among yourselves and the winner gets the title shot. This was really basic simple stuff but it did its’ job.

Chase U comes up to see Ridge Holland, who can have Riley Osborne as his partner tonight. Holland is very grateful.

We hear an alarm clock go off but see nothing.

Lexis King hits on some women when Jazmyn Nyx comes in with a get well soon card for Jacy Jayne. King signs but gets the name wrong.

OC vs. Ridge Holland/Riley Osborne

The rest of Chase U is here with Holland and Osborne. Holland trades shoulders with Gallows to start, with a jumping version putting Gallows down. Osborne comes in and is quickly taken into the wrong corner. Some dropkicks get him out of trouble in a hurry though and a standing shooting star press gives Osborne two. Gallows isn’t having that and knocks Osborne into the corner again and we hit the chinlock.

Osborne fights up again but gets sent hard into the corner. A quick flip dive out of the corner finally gives Osborne a breather and the diving tag brings Holland in to clean house. Holland loads up an Alabama Slam but Osborne misses a springboard dropkick and hits Holland by mistake. That’s enough for Anderson to roll Holland up for the pin at 5:10.

Rating: C. The OC might be stars but they’re not exactly the most thrilling addition to the show. They’re the same team they’ve been for years now, meaning they’re here to collect a check and follow the formula they’ve had for far too long. The ending was what mattered here, as it is going to be an issue for Holland and his path to redemption.

Video on Carlee Bright.

Carlee Bright vs. Lola Vice

Vice has Shayna Baszler in her corner. Bright tries some early rollups to start but Vice kicks her off the ropes. More kicks and strikes set up a dance, allowing Bright to grab a rollup for two. A front flip kick to the face in the corner gets two more but Vice kicks her out of the air. The spinning backfist finishes Bright at 3:10.

Rating: C+. Bright has been around on NXT LVL up in recent weeks and it’s nice to see her do some things that she hadn’t done around there. Right now though, she’s just another newcomer in great shape and that isn’t going to be enough to carry her to the next level. It was a nice match, but little more than a decent first step.

Post match Natalya and Karmen Petrovic come out for the brawl, with the villains bailing in a hurry. The tag match is made for next week.

Riley Osborne apologizes to Ridge Holland in the back but Holland says it’s cool. Holland hopes Chase U trusts him and that seems to be the case, albeit a bit tentatively.

We look back at Noam Dar being attacked. NXT loves itself some mystery attacker stories.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Heritage Cup: Tony D’Angelo vs. Charlie Dempsey

D’Angelo, with the Family, is challenging. Round One begins with D’Angelo taking over and grabbing an early rollup for two. Dempsey isn’t sure what to do to start and D’Angelo takes him down again to make it worse. A cravate finally slows D’Angelo down for a bit, only to have him reverse into a cradle for the first fall at 2:46.

We take a break and come back with just under a minute to go in Round Two. They trade forearms until Dempsey suplexes him into a cross armbreaker but D’Angelo survives until the round ends. Round Three begins with D’Angelo’s arm in trouble so Dempsey goes right for the cross armbreaker. With that broken up, Dempsey grabs a Fujiwara armbar. That’s reversed into a rollup but D’Angelo misses a charge into the post, allowing Dempsey to German suplex him and tie it up at 2:10 of the round and 9:14 overall.

Round Four begins with D’Angelo going right after the arm, including some stomps into a short armscissors. D’Angelo can’t quite roll out so Dempsey pulls him into a triangle choke. A powerbomb gets D’Angelo out and a belly to belly puts Dempsey down. D’Angelo grabs a spinebuster but can’t cover as the round ends. Round Five begins with D’Angelo grabbing a German suplex as the rest of the No Quarter Catch Crew, looking a bit banged up, arrives. They’re dispatched just as fast and Forget About It gives D’Angelo the pin and the cup at 1:08 of the round and 14:08 overall.

Rating: B-. I was a bit surprised by the ending as they seemed to be setting up the No Quarter Catch Crew interference to retain the Cup. D’Angelo needed to win something on his own and it’s nice to see him finally do it. He has the talent and has managed to get this rather stupid gimmick over, which is more than I would have expected. Solid stuff here, with the Crew’s run already looking to be in trouble.

We cut to the back where Wes Lee, Josh Briggs and Ivar have been attacked. The camera pans up to Gallus, as the trio is back (I wonder if they attacked Noam Dar) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t the strongest show from a wrestling standpoint but the main event was good and it had a nice surprise at the end. You can see at least some of the Battleground card coming together and there is almost a month to go before the show to fill in the gaps. Not their best show here, but it covered a bit of ground, including the first few qualifying matches.

Results
Sol Ruca b. Izzi Dame – Sol Snatcher
OTM b. Edris Enofe/Malik Blade – Assisted Alabama Slam to Enofe
Lash Legend b. Ivy Nile – Pump kick
Je’Von Evans b. Oro Mensah – Corkscrew splash
OC b. Ridge Holland/Riley Osborne – Rollup to Holland
Lola Vice b. Carlee Bright – Spinning backfist
Tony D’Angelo b. Charlie Dempsey 2-1

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 13, 2024
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Center, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

The tournaments continue as we are less than two weeks away from King And Queen Of The Ring in Saudi Arabia. That should make for a big night as the matches are starting to get interesting. Other than that, we could use some more matches on the card, which is only starting to come together. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Drew McIntyre to get things going. The fans chant for CM Punk but McIntyre talks about how Punk only makes the big town. The greatest trick that Punk ever pulled was looking like a drug addict despite never taking any drugs. Punk keeps messing with the fans but they keep taking him back. McIntyre is going to get his hands on him one day and he’ll beat Punk so bad that Punk will wish he had a torn tricep.

In other news Jey Uso lost another match so McIntyre will deal with him later. For now, McIntyre wants the World Heavyweight Championship and here is Damian Priest to interrupt. Priest says if McIntyre has something to say, say it to his face. McIntyre praises Priest for his success, but he doesn’t deserve to be champion. The title has made the man but now the title needs McIntyre to make it. Priest calls McIntyre delusional and accuses him of blaming everyone for his troubles.

The reality is Priest wanted to cash in on Seth Rollins and then they could have gone at it at Wrestlemania. But who stopped Priest from cashing in so many times? McIntyre! All he had to do was have his moment at Wrestlemania, take his wife by the hand, and then go about his business. Instead, he got beaten up by a guy with one arm. If McIntyre wants a title shot he can have one, but he better be ready to eat his words. That’s a match that needs to happen and this exchange was a good way to get us there. If nothing else, it’s weird seeing someone stand eye to eye with McIntyre.

We look back at last week’s first round of the Queen Of The Ring.

Earlier today, Shayna Baszler and Iyo Sky yelled at each other in the parking lot.

Queen Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Iyo Sky vs. Shayna Baszler

Damage CTRL and Zoey Stark are here too and Baszler gets in a cheap shot before the bell. We take a break and come back joined in progress with Sky missing a charge out to the floor. Commentary talks about these two fighting in Stardom and NXT but stop to notice the weird graphic popping up on screen again. Baszler sends her into the apron and wraps the arm around the structure underneath the ring skirt. Back in and Sky grabs a running hurricanrana before they go up top. Baszler’s leg gets tied in the corner so Sky sends her to the floor for the big springboard moonsault.

We take a break and come back with Sky snapping the leg over the middle rope, setting up some running knees to the back for two. A kick to the head sets up a very bridging rollup for two but Baszler pulls her into the Kirifuda Clutch. That’s reversed as well so Baszler hits a running knee to the head for two. Another knee is countered with a dragon screw legwhip and Over The Moonsault finishes for Sky at 10:38.

Rating: B-. I would have loved to see more of this one as they were starting to cook near the end. It’s no surprise that they have good chemistry together given their history as they’re both talented and know each other well. At the same time, it would be nice to see Baszler actually win something important on her own, though I’m not sure I can imagine it actually happening.

Post match Sky says something in Japanese.

Damian Priest comes into the Judgment Day’s clubhouse, with Carlito around again. Carlito thinks the team could use some help with all of their injuries. Priest is fine with him helping the boys, but not him. Carlito: “You don’t trust me?” Priest: “Nope.”

Chad Gable doesn’t like what the Alpha Academy has been doing lately but Otis has a chance to redeem himself against Sami Zayn. Akira Tozawa is facing Bronson Reed, but Gable DOES NOT want to see that dance. The men leave and Ivy Nile comes in to ask why Maxxine Dupri didn’t ask for help in training for the Queen Of The Ring (Perhaps that Dupri had only a few hours’ notice that she was competing?). Apparently Gable says no training outside of the Academy but Gable comes in to break it up. Gable advises Nile to stop talking to “Taylor Not So Swift, referring to Dupri.

We recap last week’s first round King Of The Ring matches.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are fired up for Kingston’s match against Gunther, because Kingston can teach him a lesson.

Awesome Truth are in the back with Adam Pearce, who tells them that they won’t be defending the titles tonight. Kiana James comes in and says she’s here to adjudicate. R-Truth doesn’t know what that means but doesn’t think it’s PG.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Kofi Kingston vs. Gunther

Lilian Garcia pops up in a cameo to introduce the match. Kingston jumps him before the bell and hammers away on the floor before going after Gunther’s knee in a smart move. The knee is rammed into various things and we get the bell with Gunther still down. Kingston comes off the top to send Gunther outside but a dive is cut off. Gunther drives him into various things, including the announcers’ table for a crash. The Boston crab on the table has Kingston in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Gunther stomping away as Cole says this is somehow only Kingston’s third King Of The Ring tournament. Kingston reverses a backbreaker into a rollup for two and Gunther is all the angrier as a result. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker hits Kingston but Gunther’s knee is banged up as well. The SOS is blocked so Kingston hits a high crossbody instead. That doesn’t work for Gunther either, as he grabs another Boston crab (minus the table).

Kingston slips out and knocks Gunther down so we can get a double breather. Gunther dropkicks him into the corner and hits a clothesline for two as some frustration is setting in. Kingston’s back is bent around the post but he slips out and hurricanranas Gunther into the post. Trouble In Paradise connects on the floor but they both beat the count back in. Another Trouble In Paradise misses back inside and Gunther powerbombs him into the Boston crab for the tap at 13:51.

Rating: B. These two have worked well together before and it’s nice to see Gunther adding something different with the submission wins. It makes him feel all the more dangerous and I’m curious to see who, if anyone, is going to be able to knock him off in the thing. At the same time, Kingston can still go in the ring and it’s kind of a shame that he doesn’t get some bigger singles matches, as he can more than hang in there. Rather nice match here, with Kingston holding his own against the monster.

We look at Liv Morgan challenging Becky Lynch for a Raw Women’s Title match last week. Lynch accepted, but then Lyra Valkyria had to save Lynch from Damage CTRL.

Valkyria says she has Lynch’s back anytime, with Lynch popping in to thank her. With Lynch gone, Morgan comes in to ask if Lynch has always been such a b****. Valkyria says ask her yourself, with Lynch returning to shove Morgan down. Lynch says she isn’t the one scared of a face to face fight.

Kofi Kingston is walking through the back when Karrion Kross pops in to say there’s always more time. Kross leaves and Xavier Woods shows up with some ice for Kingston, who isn’t sure what Kross wanted.

Bronson Reed vs. Akira Tozawa

Chad Gable is here with Tozawa, who slugs away to start to little avail. A spinning kick to the head works a bit better and a missile dropkick actually puts Reed down. Gable is VERY happy as Tozawa goes up again, only to flip into the Death Valley Driver. The Tsunami finishes for Reed at 1:14.

Ludwig Kaiser is NOT happy with Gunther being interrupted with annoying questions. Gunther leaves and Kaiser is asked about Gunther’s loss to Ilja Dragunov and the interference that cost Jey Uso his match against Gunther. Kaiser lists off Gunther’s accomplishments and says he has nothing to prove.

As for Sheamus, he was delusional for thinking he can beat Gunther. Sheamus has never beaten Gunther despite a legendary career and it is never going to happen. In reality, Sheamus should be right here thanking Kaiser for last week. That’s the most fired up I’ve ever heard Kaiser before as he was sounding like a preacher for a bit.

Adam Pearce has an announcement about the Raw Tag Team Titles when the New Catch Republic comes in to interrupt. Pearce gives them a welcome to the show but Pete Dunne grabs Tyler Bate’s arm and leaves. Pearce’s announcement is a four way for the #1 contendership to the Tag Team Titles. With that out of the way, Pearce is asked why Bron Breakker wasn’t in the King Of The Ring. Breakker doesn’t have that kind of experience yet but here is Breakker to say his opponents would have been the ones in the deep end. He would have smiled while he watched them drown. That’s a bit much.

McAfee barks a lot.

We look at more of the Queen Of The Ring.

Queen Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Zoey Stark vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria grabs some armdrags into an armbar to start as commentary talks about the inspiration behind Valkyria’s name. A hurricanrana takes Stark to the floor, where she drops Valkyria with a clothesline as we take a break. Back with Stark hitting a springboard missile dropkick for two and grabbing the cravate. That’s broken up and Valkyria manages a quick jumping enziguri for the needed breather.

Stark hits her in the face and adds a spinning kick to the ribs for two of her own. Something misses off the top though and Valkyria is back with a running spinwheel kick. Stark suplexes her into the corner for two and frustration is starting to set in. The Z360 is loaded up but Valkyria blocks the knee, setting up Nightwing for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: C+. They were starting to hit a wall near the end there and thankfully they went home when they did. Valkyria is getting a heck of a run in this thing and while it might end against Iyo Sky next week, it’s nice to see her getting a chance. They’re doing a good job with making the tournaments interesting and Valkyria is a part of that.

Post match Valkyria says something in Gaelic, promising that we’ll learn what that means. She only travels as the crow flies, which is straight to the top.

More from last week’s King Of The Ring first round.

Jey Uso is ready to give Ilja Dragunov a Yeetdown, just like Gunther is getting one next week.

Sami Zayn vs. Otis

Non-title and Chad Gable is here with Otis. The beating is on fast and Zayn is dropped through straight power, only to have Gable cut off the Worm attempt. Otis rips the shirt off anyway and drops the elbow, drawing Gable to the apron. The Vader Bomb misses for Otis and the Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin at 2:03.

Post match Zayn leaves so Gable berates Otis, earning him a suplex from the returning Zayn. Otis helps Gable up but Gable blames him for everything. Gable slaps Otis and leaves on his own before stopping to say let’s go, with Otis following.

Braun Strowman (in a snazzy hat) gives the Creed Brothers a pep talk before their four way match tonight. JD McDonagh comes in to give him an official Judgment Day warning, which is quickly shrugged off.

Becky Lynch vs. Dakota Kai

Non-title and the rest of Damage CTRL is here with Kai. Lynch starts fast and stomps away in the corner with Kai falling out to the floor. There’s the baseball slide to drop Kai again, with Lynch adding a clothesline from the apron. Kairi Sane offers a distraction though and Kai manages quick kick to the head. Kai’s running kick in the corner….is mistimed as Lynch comes out of the corner and gets dropped by a regular kick to the ribs instead.

The chinlock goes on but Lynch fights up and we get a double knockdown as we take a break. Back with Kai striking away until Lynch catches her over the middle rope. Kai’s running kick in the corner connects for two but Lynch is back up with some rollups. Lynch finally pulls her into the Disarm-Her but Damage CTRL runs in for the DQ at 10:00.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as they didn’t feel like they were on the same page more than once. At the same time, it was a bizarre choice for an ending, as you would think Lynch should be able to beat Damage CTRL’s designated jobber in Kai. Not their greatest match, and I’m not sure why they did what they were doing.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lyra Valkyria runs in for the save. Liv Morgan sneaks in to send Lynch shoulder first into the post.

Ilja Dragunov is ready to beat Jey Uso to move closer to being the Czar of the Ring. He’s different because he beat Gunther….who comes in for the staredown.

Creed Brothers vs. Judgment Day vs. New Catch Republic vs. Authors Of Pain

For a future Tag Team Title shot against Awesome Truth, who are at ringside. Bate grabs a headscissors on McDonagh to start and drags him into the corner, where it’s off to Dunne for the finger snapping. The Creeds tag themselves in to start on McDonagh but the Authors come in to wreck everyone. McDonagh gets thrown over the top and onto the pile and we take a break.

Back with Balor stomping on Brutus in the corner before Judgment Day knocks the Republic off the apron. Brutus manages to get over for the tag to Julius, who double suplexes Judgment Day down. Balor is back up with the Sling Blade, setting up the dropkick to send Julius into the corner. The Republic breaks up the Coup de Grace, allowing Julius to grab a top rope superplex for two on Balor.

The Authors come back in with the Super Collider to Judgment Day. Now it’s the Republic cleaning house again but Brutus hits the Brutus Ball onto the pile at ringside. Bate airplane spins Akam and the Birminghammer hits Balor, with McDonagh making the save. Cue Carlito with a Backstabber to Dunne though, allowing Balor to hit the Coup de Grace for the pin and the title shot at 10:42.

Rating: B-. Total insanity here for the most part and that made for an entertaining match, even if there were so many people out there that it was hard to keep track of everything. The Judgment Day getting the shot makes things interesting as they have issues with Awesome Truth. The Authors can continue to be monsters, the Creeds can continue searching for charisma and the Republic can hope everyone forgets their rather awful name.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Ricochet wishes Ilja Dragunov luck.

Damian Priest asks Dominik Mysterio if he and Rhea Ripley are good but the rest of the team and Carlito come in. Priest tells Carlito that was cool, but makes sure that Carlito can handle his business with Rey Mysterio. The crew doesn’t roll with cowards.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Jey Uso vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov backs him into the corner to start and then fires off the chops. A discus chop puts Uso down, leaving Dragunov to try and get CZAR OF THE RING over. Uso catches him going up with a heck of a right hand though and there’s the suicide dive to send Dragunov into the announcers’ table. Dragunov fights back and puts him onto the announcers’ table, only to miss an H Bomb from the barricade. A spear sends Dragunov over the table and we take a break.

Back with Uso hiptossing his way out of the abdominal stretch to leave them both down. Uso wins a slugout and drops Dragunov with a jumping enziguri, only to get kicked in the face for his troubles. Dragunov’s Constantine Special gets two and they both need a breather. Uso hits a heck of a jumping superkick but the spear is cut off with a running knee. A toss powerbomb into the H Bomb gives Dragunov two but the Torpedo Moscow is countered with the spear. The Superfly Splash gives Uso the pin at 12:50.

Rating: B-. The ending kind of came out of nowhere but it was a hard hitting, back and forth match until the end. As disappointing as it is to not get Dragunov vs. Gunther, they might be saving that kind of a showdown for a bigger stage. Uso was putting in the work here and look good in the win, though beating Dragunov clean so soon is quite the choice.

Gunther comes in for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was another wrestling focused show and that worked again, with the matches being rather high quality (save for that weird Kai vs. Lynch match). They’ve also set up two big showdowns for next week and now we should be in for a hot show heading into the pay per view. They aren’t reinventing the wheel around here but what they’re doing is going rather well as the streak of good shows continues.

Results
Iyo Sky b. Shayna Baszler – Over The Moonsault
Gunther b. Kofi Kingston – Boston crab
Bronson Reed b. Akira Tozawa – Tsunami
Lyra Valkyria b. Zoey Stark – Nightwing
Sami Zayn b. Otis – Helluva Kick
Becky Lynch b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Damage CTRL interfered
Judgment Day b. New Catch Republic, Authors Of Pain and Creed Brothers – Coup de Grace to Dunne
Jey Uso b. Ilja Dragunov – Superfly Splash

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