Smackdown
Date: June 7, 2024
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We have just over a week to go before Clash At The Castle and after last week, it seems that we are going to be seeing AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes II for the Smackdown World Title. Other than that, LA Knight and Logan Paul have been circling each other and there is a good chance that we will see that match set up this week as well. Let’s get to it.

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

We look back at AJ Styles faking retirement last week and attacking Cody Rhodes to end the show.

An annoyed Rhodes is waiting for Styles.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. The still nervous looking Paul Heyman says that until Roman Reigns comes back, Solo Sikoa is at the head of the table. The fans want Reigns, which has me wondering how long they can hold off on the return. Sikoa has decided to make a double proclamation tonight, starting with Tama Tonga being named the Right Hand Man. Second, Tonga Loa is officially a member of the team. Heyman tries to wrap it up but Sikoa asks what’s going on.

Heyman should be thanking them for the save against Kevin Owens last week, with Heyman doing just that. In addition, Heyman was here earlier today and heard that Owens is wanting a piece of the Bloodline. Cue Owens (Heyman bails) and the brawl is on but the numbers game has Owens in trouble. The Street Profits run in for the save though, allowing Owens to grab a chair and clear the ring. This feels like it’s going to keep building until Reigns comes back for the big moment and they need to make Sikoa feel that much more evil on the way there.

Post break, Sikoa tells Heyman to make this a six man or it’s Heyman vs. Tama Tonga. Heyman: “I like the six man idea a lot better.”

Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Non-title. The bell rings and here are Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre and Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark to watch. Belair takes LeRae down to start and hits a quick moonsault for two. Hartwell comes in for a cheap shot though and the posing takes us to a break. Back with Belair getting over for the tag to Cargill so house can be quickly cleaned. The assisted German suplex finishes Hartwell at 6:32. Not enough shown to rate but Cargill and Belair wrecked them after the break.

Post match the other four come in to beat down the champs, only to fight amongst themselves. Cargill and Belair take them out and stand tall.

Nick Aldis tells Cody Rhodes to not get in a fight with AJ Styles on the loading dock but Cody says he’s taking care of this himself.

Apollo Crews is ready….to get jumped by Angel and Berto. Nick Aldis calls for medics but as Crews is taken away, LA Knight comes in to ask where Logan Paul is. Carmelo Hayes pops in to say he’s getting to Knight so Aldis makes the match for later tonight. Aldis implied that this was taking the place of Crews’ match so points for some continuity.

Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller

Tommaso Ciampa and Austin Theory are here too. Gargano knocks him into the corner to start and chops away but a spinning backbreaker puts Gargano down. The rolling Stunner is countered into a belly to back suplex though and they head outside. Gargano’s Sliced Bread leaves both of them down and we take an early break.

Back with Gargano hitting some clotheslines into an enziguri, setting up the slingshot spear for two. An electric chair belly to back suplex drops Gargano for two more but something like a Destroyer out of the corner plants Waller hard. Waller bails outside and pulls Theory into a dive before posting Gargano. Back in and a running flipping Unprettier (picture Cena’s Throwback but landing on the other person instead of grabbing their head) finishes Gargano at 8:16.

Rating: C+. Assuming DIY is going to get the title shot, I’m not sure how logical it was to have Gargano lose here. Then again, at least it’s something different than winning singles matches to set up a tag match. For now though, the match was perfectly fine, with Waller pulling Theory in the way of the dive being completely in line with his way of thinking.

Nick Aldis, with security, tells Cody Rhodes that AJ Styles is arriving. Post break the car arrives with Styles in the sunroof and the OC standing in Rhodes’ way. Rhodes goes into the arena and calls Styles out for a fight RIGHT NOW. Cue Styles to say he doesn’t care what Rhodes wants, but Styles wants a title shot at Clash At The Castle. Works for Rhodes, but he wants it to be I Quit. Nick Aldis comes out to make the match and Rhodes beats up security. With Rhodes held back, Styles gets in a cheap shot.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill leave Aldis’ office and announce a triple threat Women’s Tag Team Title match at Clash At The Castle, with Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark and Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre getting the shots. Makes sense and goes another step towards trying to make the champs feel like they’re in danger. They aren’t, but points for trying.

LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes

Knight isn’t impressed to start and takes Hayes outside for some rams into the announcers’ table. A backdrop onto the table makes it worse and we take a break. Back with Knight fighting out of a top wristlock but getting hit in the face for two. Knight avoids something from the top and hits a faceplant, only to charge into a superkick. A slam puts Hayes down again but the LA Elbow (minus the LA, making it just a jumping elbow) misses. The powerslam connects but the BFT is countered into a rollup with trunks for two. Knight reverses the rollup into a rollup of his own for the pin at 8:33.

Rating: C+. This is a match where there was not harmless result, as Knight needed a win to boost him towards the likely US Title shot, but my goodness Hayes needs to win something sooner than later. Other than a fluke rollup against Baron Corbin, he hasn’t won anything of note since earlier this year in NXT. He doesn’t have to be beating top names, but he can beat some lower level names just to build himself up a bit.

Post match Knight promises to bring Smackdown to Logan Paul.

Tiffany Stratton offers to unite with Nia Jax, who looks as annoyed as someone who has to watch a Nia Jax match. With Stratton gone, Michin comes in to throw water in Jax’s face and they have to be held apart.

Video on Bayley vs. Piper Niven.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She mentions the match with Niven but here are Chelsea Green and Niven to interrupt. Niven promises to make Bayley lose again and says that the two of them will be the new champ. Bayley respects Niven, which is why she was watching from the front row at the Mae Young Classic.

She’s lost in front of everyone she’s loved and knows how bad it feels, so she’ll do it again to Niven next week. Niven gets in the ring to talk about her journey from 2008. She worked around the world while Bayley walked into a perfect situation in the Performance Center. Now she has an annoying friend in Naomi and everything handed to her. Niven promises to win the title, with Green mimicking almost every word in a nice touch.

Logan Paul sends in a video and says he’s in Los Angeles for the World Tetris Championships because he wants a real challenger. Knight needs to go back to the midcard where he belongs.

Naomi doesn’t like what Chelsea Green and Piper Niven said out there. Nick Aldis makes Naomi vs. Green for next week.

Kevin Owens/Street Profits vs. Bloodline

Dawkins powers Tonga into the corner to start and hands it off to Ford. The shoulders to the ribs have Tama in trouble but he fights out rather quickly. Loa comes in for the forearms to the head and Sikoa sends Ford outside for the crash as we take a break. Back with the slow beating to Ford continuing, with Loa hitting a basement clothesline.

Ford finally manages to get in a shot of his own and the diving tag brings in Owens to face Sikoa. Owens drops him fast and hits the Swanton for two as everything breaks down. Ford hits a big running flip dive onto the pile at ringside, which just causes Sikoa to chair Ford for the DQ at 9:40.

Rating: C+. This was picking up near the end but then they pulled all of the energy out with the lame ending. It makes the Bloodline look more violent as they would rather swing chairs than compete, but it doesn’t exactly make for the most thrilling conclusion. At least Owens didn’t take another pin though.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with Owens being put through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show did a nice job of setting up the Smackdown side of Clash At The Castle, but the problem is that half isn’t very interesting. The show is going to be ALL about Drew McIntyre getting his title shot with Rhodes vs. Styles II not exactly feeling hot, even with the stipulation. Paul vs. Knight should be good as well, but it wasn’t officially announced here. Stuff did happen here and that’s good, but the stuff wasn’t that interesting, which is a problem. Odds are that changes after next week though, so this shouldn’t be a long term issue.

Results
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Assisted German suplex to Hartwell
Grayson Waller b. Johnny Gargano – Running flipping Unprettier
LA Knight b. Carmelo Hayes – Rollup
Kevin Owens/Street Profits b. Bloodline via DQ when Sikoa used a chair

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Smackdown
Date: May 31, 2024
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are just over two weeks away from Clash At The Castle and the show needs to start coming together. In addition, we still have some fallout from King And Queen Of The Ring, including the official coronation of Queen Nia Jax. Finally, the Bloodline is in action tonight, which feels rather important. Let’s get to it.

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

King And Queen Of The Ring recap.

Here is Nick Aldis to introduce Nia Jax for her coronation. Jax brags about the win and demands that Bayley come to the ring right now. Cue Bayley but Piper Niven and Chelsea Green jump her from behind. Bayley gets crushed but Green tells Jax to be ready to face Niven at Summerslam instead. This was to the point and that’s what it needed to be.

AJ Styles goes on to see Nick Aldis and asks for some time to say something, but he only wants to say it once. Aldis agrees.

Naomi checks on Bayley in the trainer’s room and Bayley is good to go tonight.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Austin Theory

Both partners are here too. Ciampa elbows him in the face to start and hammers away, only to walk into a brainbuster onto the knee. Theory gets in some knees in the corner and a hanging neckbreaker to the floor puts Ciampa down again as we take a break. Back with Ciampa fighting out of a chinlock but getting elbowed in the face for his efforts.

Ciampa fights up again and hits a hard clothesline, setting up a reverse DDT for two. Theory gets in another shot but A Town Down is blocked. Waller goes to yell at commentary for some reason and seems to claim credit for Theory’s success. That allows the distracted Ciampa to roll Theory up for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. We continue the fairly slow build towards DIY challenging for the Tag Team Titles, though the champs having some issues makes it a bit more interesting. The idea of “tag teams in singles matches” has been done for years and it’s only going to get them so far. For now though, it’s better than DIY losing another match.

Naomi comes in to see Nick Aldis and, after a mini argument with Blair Davenport, gets a tag match with Bayley against Chelsea Green and Piper Niven. With the women gone, LA Knight comes in to ask if Aldis knows where he can find Logan Paul. Well that’s interesting.

We look at Cody Rhodes defeating Logan Paul to retain the WWE Universal Title at King And Queen Of The Ring.

LA Knight says Logan Paul isn’t here this week, but Knight IS here, so he’ll make it clear: he wants the US Title. Carmelo Hayes comes in to suggest he’s a better candidate for a title shot.

Andrade vs. Apollo Crews

Earlier today, Andrade turned down an invitation to Legado del Fantasma. Andrade snaps off a dropkick to start and slowly stomps away but here is Angel for a distraction. A dropkick sends Andrade to the floor and us to a break. Back with Andrade hitting a high crossbody to leave both of them down. Andrade strikes away and the running knees gives hit Crews for two. Crews is back with the gorilla press drop into the standing moonsault for two. Andrade isn’t having this and elbows him in the face, setting up the double underhook swinging DDT for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. This was a match where the commercial took away so much of the energy, as there is only so much you can do with seven minutes including a break. Crews’ athleticism continues to be impressive but his ship has long since sailed. As for Andrade, a feud with Legado is better than nothing, but it’s not the most thrilling concept.

Post match Andrade walks past Legado del Fantasma so Angel seems ready to deal with this.

Solo Sikoa tells the Bloodline to deal with it when Paul Heyman comes in. Heyman has been trying to make things better for the team but he sees random acts of violence with no bigger plan. He thinks they need Cody Rhodes in check for when Roman Reigns comes back but Sikoa says we already do. Heyman: “With all due respect, who is we?” The answer is cut off by Kevin Owens coming to the ring, with Sikoa telling Heyman to go deal with this. Heyman is starting to snap under the pressure and that opens up a lot of possibilities.

Apollo Crews jumps Angel.

Kevin Owens is in the ring and says he was in Saudi Arabia to help Randy Orton in person. Orton has had his back for weeks now and…here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman is sounding rather nervous as he says he hopes to come to a mutual understanding with Owens. The fans want Roman but Heyman says no one wants him here more than Heyman himself.

Heyman talks about how Reigns respects Owens but Solo Sikoa and the new members of the Bloodline are going to hurt him. He begs Owens to back off but Owens doesn’t quite buy the kind offer. Owens thinks Heyman sees Sikoa as his next cash cow. In four years of fighting the Bloodline, Owens has been superkicked thirty times at once and thrown off high things, but he’s never going to stop fighting to get rid of them.

He neither wants nor needs Heyman’s help, so Heyman goes on a rant about how he might be trying to redeem himself. Heyman says he is a Hall of Fame wise man and is worried about Sikoa taking over the entire Bloodline SO WHY WILL NO ONE LISTEN TO HIM??? Heyman goes so nuts that he throws the mic and hits Owens, who appears ready to destroy him. Cue the Bloodline but the Street Profits (set to face the Bloodline tonight) run in to even things up. Angelo Dawkins hits a big flip dive to take out the Tongas. And there is Heyman snapping, which is not going to go well for him. I’m not sure how soon Reigns is going to come back, but dang they have a wide open field with this thing and it’s great.

Bloodline vs. Street Profits

Joined in progress with Ford firing off shoulders to Tama in the corner and Dawkins coming in for a double belly to back suplex. Loa gets in a cheap shot though and hammers away on the floor as Paul Heyman is looking terrified on the floor. A slingshot elbow hits Ford but he gets over for the tag to Dawkins. House is quickly cleaned but it’s back to Loa off a blind tag to run Dawkins over. A Saito suplex connects and Dawkins is taken outside for a ram into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Tama hammering away as Heyman is looking even worse. Dawkins manages to suplex his way out of trouble and it’s a double tag to bring in Ford and Loa. The Profits take over and grab a Doomsday Blockbuster, with Tama having to make the save. Tama gets in a blind tag so Ford’s frog splash to Loa means nothing. Back up and Ford walks into the jumping Downward Spiral for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B-. This was a way to make the Bloodline look good because the Profits are a pretty established team for them to take down. I’m not sure if the feud continues whenever Bobby Lashley is back, but it might be time for the Profits to move on to something else. For now though, the Bloodline looks good and that’s what matters.

Indi Hartwell is upset at Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair for injuring Candice LeRae…but not upset enough to agree to face Cargill.

Michin is asked about AJ Styles but Nia Jax interrupts. That doesn’t work for Michin, which REALLY does not work for Jax.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Bayley/Naomi

Green runs from Bayley to start and hands it to Niven, who crushes Bayley in the corner. That doesn’t seem to matter much as Bayley fights up and hits a clothesline on Green. Naomi comes in and knocks Green to the floor, with the villains being beaten down as we take a break.

Back with Niven missing an elbow, allowing the tag back to Naomi. A running basement dropkick in the corner sets up a split legged moonsault, with Niven having to make a save. The Rear View gets two more with Niven making another save with a backsplash. Niven puts Green on top for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. Another pretty to the point match here, with Niven getting to look strong as we are coming up on a show in her home country. Bayley is going to need a title challenger and putting here in there against Niven for the title could be a heck of a moment. The match was just good enough, with Naomi taking the fall to build Niven up that much more.

LA Knight runs into AJ Styles in the back and says if the rumors are true, he respects Styles. With Knight gone, Styles runs into Cody Rhodes and they shake hands. Styles hugs the OC, who have his back out there tonight.

Here is Styles, with the OC, for his big announcement. Styles talks about how he has dwelt on Nick Aldis saying he had to earn another title shot for a week. At this point in his career, he can’t do that though, and we pause for some applause. He just got to have his son’s graduation party and it made him wonder how many of them he missed. Maybe it’s time he became a phenomenal father. Styles thanks the OC for being there and they do the pose one more time. There’s one more thing though, and Styles would like Cody Rhodes out here.

Cue Rhodes, with Styles saying their match at Backlash was one of their best ever. This is still the house that Styles built and Rhodes says they shared their first text after that match. Styles called Rhodes his little bro, but Rhodes says Styles is a good big bro. They have a hug and Rhodes holds Styles’ arm up, only for Styles to channel his inner Mark Henry and beat him down.. The Styles Clash from the steps to the floor drops Rhodes to end the show. They weren’t exactly hiding what they were going for here and that works well enough, as having another title match between them at Clash will be a fine way to go.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show with good enough action, but the main positives came from the storytelling. Odds are we have a Smackdown main event set for Clash, plus Heyman losing his mind and Bayley probably set to defend against Niven. As usual lately, WWE knows how to move things forward while having completely acceptable (at worst) wrestling and that makes for a very easy watch.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Austin Theory – Rollup
Andrade b. Apollo Crews – Double underhook swinging DDT
Bloodline b. Street Profits – Jumping Downward Spiral to Ford
Piper Niven/Chelsea Green b. Bayley/Naomi – Backsplash to Naomi

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Speed
Date: May 3, 2024
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentator: Corey Graves

So this is Speed (as the title implies), which is basically a single match series that airs weekly on Twitter. It’s not a show I’m going to watch regularly (though the gimmick of a three minute time limit is interesting) but I was in the building for this one, which happens to be for the inaugural title. Let’s get to it.

Speed Title: Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano

For the inaugural title, meaning a special five minute time limit, in a tournament final and they’re starting fast here with no entrances. They go to the mat to start as Graves recaps the tournament and even says which is which. Ricochet powers him out to the apron to start, where Gargano manages a kick to the head. Gargano gets knocked to the floor but Ricochet misses the step up moonsault.

That means Gargano can hit a diving tornado DDT for two back inside and the Gargano Escape goes on. Ricochet powers out without too much trouble, only to miss the 450. A superkick into a poisonrana gives Gargano two and he drops Ricochet face first onto the turnbuckle. The low superkick gets two more but Ricochet is back with the Benadriller into the Recoil for two of his own. A Lethal Injection gives Ricochet the pin and the title at 4:21.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of “it is what it is” as WWE is flat out saying that this is about going as fast as you can with as many moves as possible. It’s not something I would want to see a full length show from, but for a one off match where you’re in and out in less than six minutes, it’s virtually impossible to complain.

Ricochet poses with the title and that’s the show, which clocks in at 5:38 total. Ricochet cut a promo about being the best and feeling like he would hold the title for a long time because it looks good on him but it didn’t air here.

Overall Rating: B-. What is there to say here? The show is literally one match and you’re done in less than six minutes. I’m sure WWE got a nice check from Twitter to run this every week and sure why not. It’s filming one match with the thinnest of gimmicks and a tournament can be held to put some continuity with it. The show isn’t anything great or brilliant but how much complaining can you do when the whole thing is shorter than a Roman Reigns entrance?

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: January 8, 2024
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We are less than three weeks away from the Royal Rumble and while there is still a lot to cover, some of the show is starting to come together. This includes some names being announced for the Royal Rumble matches, including CM Punk. As luck would have it, Punk is here tonight, and he might have something to say. Let’s get to it.

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

Cody Rhodes arrived earlier today but he’s cut off by Drew McIntyre in the ring. McIntyre says he had the title won last week but he overdid it with the cover. Maybe Seth Rollins is right and McIntyre is the problem. If that is the case, maybe he needs to step away from WWE for a bit. But wait, that can’t be it because Damian Priest cashed in during the match and the distraction cost McIntyre. You have all these people around here, including CM Punk, so maybe McIntyre should just leave for nine years so he can come back to a hero’s welcome.

Cue Punk, who says we are in Piper Country, but McIntyre didn’t wear a kilt. Piper was known for talking, just like Punk, but that’s not the case with McIntyre. Since Punk has been back though, all he’s done is see McIntyre talking. McIntyre says Punk has been back for more than a month without self destructing. We hear about Punk declaring himself as the “locker room leader” back in the day but no one helped McIntyre. Randy Orton couldn’t help either because he had his own demons, but Punk is straight edge so he doesn’t have demons.

Now McIntyre is back and he’s Punk’s leader. With McIntyre laying over the top, Punk says he has always led by example. Has McIntyre ever watched him? Does he know who walked out of WWE about ten years ago? He has all kinds of demons and when he’s pushed, he’s the devil himself.

Punk saw McIntyre come back bigger than ever so Punk is following his lead. McIntyre brings up how unlike Punk, he has main evented Wrestlemania, but those title wins he had were because someone needed to step up. Punk says it’s getting heated here so he’s going to lead by example and leave now, but he’ll throw McIntyre out of the Royal Rumble. Interesting showdown here, with Punk’s past being brought up again.

Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Damian Priest is here with Balor. We see Ciampa walking to the ring (with Johnny Gargano) where he talks about how his new year’s resolution is for DIY to win the Tag Team Titles. Ciampa starts fast with an elbow to the face but Balor rolls through a sunset flip and hits a basement dropkick. Back up and a Thesz press with right hands has Balor in more trouble but a Priest distraction lets Balor knock Ciampa into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Ciampa hitting a running clothesline into the reverse DDT for two. A knee to the face and Project Ciampa get two as Ciampa has gotten in quite the run of offense here. Balor knocks him down again but the Coup de Grace misses, allowing Ciampa to grab a crucifix for two. The seconds get in a fight on the floor so Ciampa knees Priest off the apron. Back in and Balor kicks the middle rope into Ciampa and loads up a suplex, only to have Gargano sweep the leg so Ciampa can fall on top for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C+. Ciampa can still go with just about anyone and that was on display here, as part of DIY gets a win to move the team forward to a likely Royal Rumble Tag Team Title shot. The ending was more evening the odds as it’s nice to see Judgment Day get what’s coming to them for a change. Nice stuff here and I can go for more of DIY getting a chance.

Becky Lynch talks about how Nia Jax hit her hard last week but she’s back up. Now she’s entering the Royal Rumble and maybe it’s not over with Jax.

Kofi Kingston vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Kaiser stars fast and hits an early clothesline and takes him into the corner for some right hands. Kingston fights back but gets sent into the buckle to shut that right own. A ram into the corner has Kingston in more trouble but he fights right back to send them both outside. Kingston gets whipped into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Kaiser stomping away in the corner but Kingston sends him outside again. There’s the top rope trust fall and they brawl is on outside for the double countout at 8:56.

Rating: C. This was more about Kaiser wanting revenge for his injured friend, which is a logical story even if it is coming from an evil team. We can get to the big rematch with the teams when Vinci is back to full health but for now, his keeps things going in a bit of a surprising way, which is nice to see.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Kaiser throwing one of the announcers’ chairs at Kofi. A running dropkick slams Kingston’s head into the steps to leave him laying. Sounds like something Gunther will approve of rather strongly.

Post match Kaiser says that Kingston brought it on himself for taking out Giovanni Vinci last week.

Here is Nia Jax for a chat. Last week was no shock and she threatens to do something shocking by breaking Michael Cole’s face. No one can stop her…but here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt. Ripley talks about eliminating Jax from the Rumble last year, but now Jax is laughing about beating Becky Lynch. Well Lynch isn’t Rhea Bloody Ripley. Jax promises to win the Rumble and come after Ripley, who isn’t the unstoppable one anymore. That’s probably Elimination Chamber.

We look at the Rock’s return last week.

Cody Rhodes says it should be over with Shinsuke Nakamura, who jumps him from behind to start a brawl.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven

Green and Niven are challenging. Green kicks Carter to the floor to start but they get back in, where Carter kicks her in the face. It’s off to Chance, who gets sent into the corner for a Cannonball from Niven and we take a break. Back with Chance kicking her way to freedom and handing it back to Carter to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Niven hits a backsplash for two. A release Rock Bottom out of the corner plants Carter but a quick replacement means the Vader Bomb hits Green. Niven gets dropped with a top rope Codebreaker and it’s the Keg Stand to retain the titles at 9:53.

Rating: C+. They kept this one relatively short and that makes sense, as the new champs get a win under their belts to help establish them a bit more. At the same time, the win clears out a good chunk of the division, as it isn’t like there is depth to the thing. Nice enough match with Niven being the monster the champs have to overcome using teamwork and athleticism.

R-Truth gives us a special look at his childhood dream of joining the Judgment Day. Then he did it, especially now that JD McDonagh is out. Quite a bit of altered photography ensues here.

JD McDonagh vs. Miz

Dominik Mysterio and R-Truth are both here too. Miz sends him outside to start and poses a bit, with the fans being rather happy. Back in and McDonagh kicks away a bit, with a Dominik distraction making it even worse. We take a break and come back with Miz jawbreaking his way out of a chinlock. McDonagh knocks him back down and hits a slingshot corkscrew splash for two.

A suplex gets the same as Truth is playing cheerleader. Miz fights up and hits a clothesline for two, followed by the YES Kicks. Some shots to the knee set up the Figure Four but McDonagh is straight into the ropes. A Truth distraction lets Miz send McDonagh into Mysterio though and the Skull Crushing Finale gives Miz the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C. The build towards what seems to be Awesome Truth vs. Judgment Day continues and I’m not opposed to the idea. It gives us a simple title program for the Royal Rumble until someone else can come along and get the real challenge going later. Either that or just change the belts so Priest can use his briefcase. For now though, not exactly a great match but it did what it needed to do.

The rest of Judgment Day is in the back and says this has to end.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins lets the fans sing the song before saying it’s time to get ready for the Royal Rumble. He has done a lot of things at Wrestlemania but he has never walked into the show as a World Champion. Rollins asks who he is going to have to beat at the Royal Rumble to get to Wrestlemania….and here is Jinder Mahal to interrupt (Rollins is stunned too).

Mahal says he was a bigger revolutionary last week than Rollins has been in years. He talks about how Rollins does some horrible things, including throwing tantrums after the show goes off the air. Yet he disrespects Mahal, but now Mahal has his attention. Rollins agrees that Mahal has been overlooked, but it has been by design. He appreciates Mahal coming back out here but tells Mahal to take a swing. A cheap shot from behind lets Mahal beat him down but Rollins clears the ring without much trouble.

Otis vs. Ivar

Maxxine Dupri, Akira Tozawa and Valhalla are here too. Otis hits a running elbow to start but Ivar knocks him into the corner. A quick World’s Strongest Slam gives Otis two and the Caterpillar gets the same. Ivar kicks him in the face though and finishes with the moonsault at 3:48.

Rating: C+. You’ve seen this kind of match more than once recently and it still works very well. It’s two big, strong guys hitting each other with cool looking power moves and WWE knows just how to present it. I could have gone for this one going a bit longer, but someone powering Ivar around like that was impressive.

Jey Uso is ready to win his first singles title but Bronson Reed comes in to say not so fast.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Cody Rhodes

Street fight and Nakamura tries to make him wait, only to have Cody hammer away. They fight towards the entrance with Cody sending him into the barricade. Back in and Nakamura rolls away, allowing him to grab a kendo stick for some hard shots. We take a break and come back with Nakamura missing a knee drop.

That’s enough for Cody to get a breather, including some stick shots of his own. Nakamura knocks him down again though and some kicks to the chest have Cody in more trouble. Rhodes is back with a powerslam and grabs a table but Nakamura takes him outside. The mist is loaded up but hits the timekeeper, allowing Nakamura to deck a concerned Cody as we take a break.

Back with Nakamura chairing him down and hitting a middle rope knee to the face to rock Cody again. The Kinshasa is loaded up but Cody cuts it off with a superkick. The Pedigree gets two so Cody sends him through the table in the corner. That and the Cross Rhodes are enough to finish Nakamura at 24:08.

Rating: B. This felt like a big time house show main event and that has probably been the case more than once. It gives Cody the big conquering hero win over a dangerous threat going into the Rumble and that should be enough momentum. Nakamura is still really good in this kind of role, but it would be nice to see him actually win a big match once in awhile.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was good but the rest of the in-ring action was only ok for the most part. The Punk vs. McIntyre situation was interesting, but it did feel like they kind of punted again due to the big college football title game. That might have been a smart move, though they can only do that so many times. Not a bad show here, but they need another big one at some point before the Rumble.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Finn Balor – Ciampa landed on Balor
Kofi Kingston vs. Ludwig Kaiser went to a double countout
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance b. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green – Keg Stand to Green
Miz b. JD McDonagh – Skull Crushing Finale
Ivar b. Otis – Moonsault
Cody Rhodes b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Cross Rhodes

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: December 11, 2023
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

The big question this week is where CM Punk is going to sign, though that might not exactly be a huge surprise given how things have been going lately. Then again, Punk showed up at both Smackdown and NXT Deadline in the last few days so maybe things are a bit more complicated than they seem. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Drew McIntyre beating an injured Sami Zayn and then attacking him after the match. Later in the night, McIntyre attacked Jey Uso after Uso lost to Seth Rollins

Opening sequence.

Here is Jey Uso for a chat before his match with Drew McIntyre. Jey is happy to have YEET back and hopes Sami Zayn gets well soon. Last week, McIntyre showed that he was two faced so here is McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre wants Nick Aldis to sign CM Punk to Smackdown because Punk will destroy the locker room. As for Zayn, McIntyre owes him an apology, which is something Uso doesn’t know how to give. Imagine if someone hurt your family. Wouldn’t you want revenge on them? Uso hasn’t given McIntyre one, so it’s time to fight.

Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre

Uso slugs away and the YEET chants are strong with this one. McIntyre gets knocked to the floor and we take a very early break. Back with Uso favoring his knee and getting knocked down in the corner. McIntyre runs him over again for a trip to the floor, only to miss the Claymore. Uso takes him out with a dive and we take another break.

Back again with Uso sitting on top and hammering away, only for McIntyre to sit up and belly to belly superplex him down. A top rope ax handle misses or McIntyre though and Uso gets two off the Samoan drop. The Claymore attempt is cut off with a superkick but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees.

McIntyre Futureshocks him for two but takes too long loading up another Claymore, allowing Uso to hit a spear for two of his own. A turnbuckle pad is ripped off and the referee goes to fix it, allowing McIntyre to poke Uso in the eye. Now the Claymore can finish for McIntyre at 17:10.

Rating: B-. Good, hard hitting opener here as Uso continues to get close to one of those big wins but comes up short again. McIntyre’s thirst for revenge continues and as usual, there is nothing that is actually going to satisfy him other than winning everything. That is a good way to go and we should be in for a nice run from evil McIntyre going forward.

We look at CM Punk’s trip to Smackdown, where he called out a bunch of people, including Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.

Shinsuke Nakamura says Cody Rhodes will never reach his dream and says Rhodes doesn’t respect him. Tonight, Nakamura will show that he is the real nightmare, which is what Rhodes wanted.

Judgment Day isn’t happy with what has been going on but they’re ready for the Creed Brothers. Rhea Ripley says talking about being the leader is easier than being the leader, which doesn’t sit well with Damian Priest. Tonight, Ripley is wrecking Maxxine Dupri.

The Creeds and Alpha Academy give Maxxine Dupri a pep talk when R-Truth comes in. He has Christmas lights to decorate Judgment Day’s clubhouse and wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Rhea Ripley vs. Maxxine Dupri

Non-title and Ivy Nile is here with Dupri. After we hear some Twitter advice for Dupri, Ripley starts with some clotheslines. Dupri runs away a bit but gets caught with Riptide. Instead of covering, Ripley yells at her a lot before finishing with the Prism Trap at 2:08.

Post match Nile has to save Dupri, with Ripley not seeming very worried.

Video on Katana Chance and Kayden Carter, who want the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Adam Pearce goes into CM Punk’s locker room.

Post break, Pearce brings out Punk for a chat. Punk talks about how happy these people make him but he has a decision to make. This town and this building hasn’t always been nice to him. He debuted in this building with Mickie James on his arm, which is when he got sent to OVW. That’s where he learned to love a lot of things and then he came back here….where Randy Orton kicked him in the head and was stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship.

Then he came here ten years ago and walked out, which hurt people who wanted to see him that night. Now, he has received offers from Nick Aldis and Shawn Michaels, but his mind was made up when he saw this show was in Cleveland. Ten years ago, he walked away in this town and he’s walking back in right here. Punk signs the contract….and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt.

They go face to face and Rollins grabs a mic to welcome Punk to Monday Night Rollins. He’s glad Punk is here, but Punk better not call this place his home. Punk walked out on this company and has spent ten years trying to tear it down. Rollins: “I hate you.” However, if Punk is going to be around, Rollins wants him on Raw.

This is Punk’s last chance so either Punk will self destruct like he always does, or if by some miracle there is some gas left in his tank, Rollins will show him what it means to be the best in the world. Punk: “Are you done?” Punk is here to make things difficult and he is officially entering the Royal Rumble. Once he wins, maybe he’s coming after Rollins. There’s the big step into what is all but guaranteed to be a major title match and they’re off to a good start.

Ivar and Bronson Reed are ready for each other.

Bronson Reed vs. Ivar

Valhalla is here with Ivar. Reed goes right after him to start and sends Ivar hard into the corner. Ivar elbows his way out of trouble and a collision sends them both out to the floor. Another collision on the floor gives us a double knockdown and we take a break. Back with Ivar hitting a spinebuster for two but missing a charge into the corner. Ivar knocks him to the floor for a big flip dive and Reed is down for a change. Back in and the moonsault is broken up, allowing Reed to hit a superplex for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: B-. There is something very fun about a hoss fight and that is what we had here, with a pair of monsters beating the fire out of each other. Reed winning is the right call as he has a brighter future, but Ivar has been right there as a heck of an opponent the whole time. Good stuff here, and points for not ending with a finisher for a surprise.

CM Punk meets Judgment Day, with Damian Priest threatening to use the Money In The Bank briefcase on Punk if he wins the World Heavyweight Championship.

Here is Judgment Day, minus Rhea Ripley, for a chat. Damian Priest, sounding rather angry, doesn’t want to have to remind everyone who they are. Finn Balor says all rise, with Priest putting everyone in the locker room on notice. The fans won’t let Dominik Mysterio talk, but here is R-Truth to interrupt.

Truth doesn’t know why the clubhouse is locked and thinks he hasn’t been invited to their holiday party. It’s ok though because he has some great ideas for the team. First up: kick out JD McDonagh! Second: Priest needs to stop calling himself the boss because Ripley doesn’t like it. Priest knows everyone here likes Truth…except Priest himself. The beatdown is on until the Creeds run in for a save to clear the ring.

CM Punk meets Drew McIntyre, who wants to finish the story. With McIntyre gone, Adam Pearce says McIntyre is getting the title shot against Seth Rollins on New Year’s Day. Some wrestlers come up to meet/greet Punk. Pearce wants to talk to the three of them (Kofi Kingston, Ricochet and Chad Gable) about the Intercontinental Title.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven are on commentary. Hartwell runs Carter over to start but an assisted headscissors lets Chance take Hartwell down for a change. Everything breaks down and Hartwell spinebusters Chance, who is back with a basement superkick. The After Party finishes for Chance at 2:24.

DIY has a mystery partner to face Imperium, with Gunther coming in to say he doesn’t believe it.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat about Nia Jax. They have never fought, but we see a clip of Jax breaking Lynch’s nose back in 2018, resulting in the still awesome shot of the bloody Becky posing in the crowd after beating up Ronda Rousey. Becky says it’s petty to bring it up now but she’s a petty person. They have gone on different paths, with Becky going on to main event Wrestlemania and Nia going on to double ACL surgery because Nia is so unlikable that her body won’t stand up for her.

Cue Nia to interrupt and say she is ready to fight. That punch in 2018 was a lucky punch, so imagine what would happen if she was aiming. Nia says Becky should owe her for her entire career, but Becky says it’s about what that night represented. Becky wants to prove that she is more than that but Nia says Becky really needs to prove that her career wasn’t a mistake. Becky is ready to fight so of course Nia walks away, saying Becky needs it more than she does. Nia? Still really bad.

Cody Rhodes understands that he and CM Punk have the same idea but they realize it can’t work at the same time. As for Shinsuke Nakamura, Rhodes knows that he had a heck of a career in Japan, but this is Cleveland. Heck, STARDUST debuted in this building! Rhodes is ready for tonight.

DIY/??? vs. Imperium

The mystery partner is….the Miz. Gargano and Vinci start but let’s go with Gunther instead. Gargano goes to tag Miz but Gunther drops him with a right hand to keep Gargano inside. Vinci comes in and gets clotheslined by Ciampa, only to have Gunther nail a big boot as we take a break.

Back with Vinci coming in for a running crossbody to Ciampa, who is so banged up he rolls to the Imperium corner. Ciampa is fine enough to roll over for the tag to Gargano and house is cleaned. The slingshot spear gets two on Kaiser as everything breaks down. We get the Miz vs. Gunther showdown with Miz getting the better of things and hitting a high crossbody.

Gunther cuts off the YES Kicks and grabs the Boston crab with Ciampa making the save. Gargano and Miz hit stereo tornado DDTs and Miz gets the Figure Four on Gunther. Gargano gets the Gargano Escape on Kaiser at the same time but Gunther, while still in the hold, tags Vinci, who makes the save. The Skull Crushing Finale finishes Vinci at 10:42.

Rating: C+. Miz vs. Gunther II is coming and while I know it might not be the most popular decision, I’m curious about how it could go. At the same time, there is also that group of three wrestlers who were in discussions about the title, which makes me think a big multi-person title match could be coming. That’s about as good of a way as possible to get the title off of Gunther, but for now, we had a nice six man tag to keep a pair of feuds going a bit past their expiration dates.

We look back at CM Punk signing with Raw and having his showdown with Seth Rollins.

Gunther yells at Imperium when Miz comes up, asking for another Intercontinental Title match. Gunther grants it, but this is Miz’s FINAL title shot while Gunther holds the title. Deal.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Cody Rhodes

Feeling out process to start with Nakamura working on a wristlock. That’s broken up and Rhodes knocks him into the corner for some right hands. Nakamura dumps him out to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Nakamura stomping away in the corner before we hit the chinlock.

That’s broken up so Nakamura grabs the cross armbreaker, sending Rhodes over to the ropes. Kinshasa is broken up and Rhodes grabs a half crab, with Nakamura quickly getting away. Rhodes nails a suicide dive to send us to another break and we come back with a double clothesline/knockdown.

They get up and slug it out until Nakamura pulls him into a choke. Rhodes slips out again and scores with the Disaster Kick for two. The Cody Cutter connects and Cross Rhodes is loaded up, only to have Nakamura slip out and spray Rhodes in the face with the mist for the DQ at 17:42.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time but the ending should set up a rematch. I’m not big on a first match getting this much time and setting up a rematch but they do need something to fill in the next month and a half before the Rumble. For now, Rhodes has something to do and that is a good sign for him before he gets back into the World Title picture.

Post match the beatdown is on until the Creeds run in for the save. Referees check on Rhodes, allowing Nakamura to get in one more cheap shot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. After a week or two where it felt like they were just burning time until we got to something more important, this show set some things up for the future while advancing stories and giving us some good action at the same time. It was a solid use of three hours and the Punk vs. Rollins feud should be a heck of a match when we finally get there. For now though, they gave us good wrestling and enough stories being built to make this a worthwhile night.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Jey Uso – Claymore
Rhea Ripley b. Maxxine Dupri – Prism Trap
Bronson Reed b. Ivar – Superplex
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – After Party to Hartwell
Miz/DIY b. Imperium – Skull Crushing Finale to Vinci
Cody Rhodes b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Nakamura used red mist

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: November 28, 2023
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re in the final week of the Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches with Jerry Lawler as the guest picker this week. In addition to that, with about a week and a half to go before Deadline and the rest of the card could use some more firming up. That should come this week with the NXT Title match hopefully getting some extra attention. Let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles: Tony D’Angelo/Stacks vs. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza

D’Angelo and Stacks are defending and it’s a brawl in the aisle to start. We settle down with D’Angelo beating up Carrillo, including a belly to belly for two. Garza gets in a cheap shot though, allowing Carrillo to hit a springboard spinning kick to the head. A tackle gets D’Angelo out of trouble though and Stacks comes charging in, only to get caught in the wrong corner. Stacks fights out and hits an uppercut into a German suplex from D’Angelo. The PowerPlex is cut off though and a double slam off the top rope drops Stacks as we take a break.

Back with Stacks fighting out of trouble and handing it off to D’Angelo as everything breaks down. Everything breaks down and a spinebuster gives D’Angelo two on Carrillo. A distracted referee lets Garza hit Stacks low, setting up a Jay Driller for two, with the kickout hitting Garza low as well. D’Angelo comes back in with the Bada Bing Bada Boom to retain at 12:25.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see the champs get a win, though Garza and Carrillo felt like they could have gotten the title shot at Deadline, or at least been more than challengers of the week. I’m not sure who is up next for the champs but they looked good enough here. The tag division has a lot of teams but I’m not sure how many of them I can imagine being serious threats to the belts right now.

Some wrestlers aren’t sure if Ilja Dragunov’s success equal up to all the things Baron Corbin has. Dragunov comes in and doesn’t seem to appreciate Nathan Frazer’s take on things. Dragunov knows how to fix this.

Jerry Lawler picks Eddy Thorpe vs. Bron Breakker and Kelani (which sounds like it was dubbed in) Jordan vs. Kiana James for Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches.

Video on Johnny Gargano.

Josh Briggs is fired up for the Iron Survivor Challenge but Lexis King comes in to take some credit for his success and, after slightly hitting on Fallon Henley, mocks Brooks Jensen. King vs. Jensen is set for later.

Nikkita Lyons is back in training and is here tonight.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Kiana James vs. Kelani Jordan

James stomps away in the corner to start but Jordan dropkicks her way out of trouble. A headlock slows James down on the mat until she grabs the hair to escape. They head outside where Jordan is dropped onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with James snapping off a spinebuster but Jordan grabs a Playmaker for two. James hits a quick 401k….but Roxanne Perez pops in to ring the bell. That’s enough of a distraction for Jordan to knock James down and hit the split legged moonsault for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C+. I’m still not entirely sure why James vs. Perez is continuing but that’s what we’re getting out of this one. Jordan continues to feel like a long term project for NXT and that is not a bad idea. She’s athletic and can do well enough in the ring but is lacking experience. Get that through to her and they could have something.

Video on Cameron Grimes.

The Alpha Academy isn’t happy with what happened in the Heritage Cup match last week and now they want revenge. That can come in a six person tag next week.

NXT Anonymous has released a video showing Lexis King following Trick Williams on the night of Williams’ attack. We don’t see King do anything physical though.

We get a press conference from Chase U, with Andre Chase talking about the ongoing investigation. There are allegations of gambling and misusing funds, leaving the university in debt. Chase says it’s all true and he’ll do whatever he can to get things back on track. He takes some questions but won’t say how much he owes. It’s all his fault and he’ll address the student body at the next assembly. Well that’s rather specific and again I’m not sure how smart it is to have Chase get in trouble when the team was as popular as they have been.

Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Eddy Thorpe vs. Bron Breakker

Thorpe has taped up ribs. Breakker slams him down to start and grabs a quick gator roll. Something like a powerslam puts Thorpe on the floor, where Breakker sends him into the barricade. A fireman’s carry gutbuster has Thorpe in more trouble and we take a break. Back with Thorpe slipping out of a torture rack and striking away but getting whipped hard into the corner. Thorpe fights back with some suplexes but Breakker spears him down for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: C+. It’s not much of a surprise that Breakker, one of the most successful stars in the history of NXT, was able to get into the big #1 contenders match. This was actually a bit better than I was expecting, as Breakker had a target with the ribs and focused on it. Sometimes it’s fine to go as basic as you can and that’s what they did here.

Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes are ready for revenge on Lexis King but Williams says they can wait for after the Iron Survivor Challenge.

The women’s locker room breaks into a fight over next week’s Last Chance matches to qualify for the Iron Survival Challenge.

Video on Bronson Reed.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Nathan Frazer

Non-title and Dragunov explodes on him to start. Frazer gets knocked hard into the corner to start before Dragunov grabs a waistlock. Frazer is back up with a hard shot of his own into a springboard missile dropkick to put Dragunov down for a change. The phoenix splash misses though and Dragunov hits a powerbomb into the H Bomb…but pulls up at two. Another H Bomb finishes Frazer at 5:26.

Rating: C+. That was a bit weird as Dragunov more or less squashed him. Frazer isn’t a major star but he’s big enough that he should be able to make Dragunov work a bit. That being said, it takes Dragunov look like more of a killer to run through Frazer like this so well done on boosting up the champion.

Post match Baron Corbin pops up on screen to mock Dragunov, who he will meet face to face next week.

Lyra Valkyira knows all of the challenges that could come out of the Iron Survivor Challenge. Fallon Henley pops in to say she’s going to win but someone (Tatum Paxley maybe?) appears from behind the curtains to say Valkyria would beat Henley anyway.

Karmen Petrovic talks about how martial arts teach you to trust your instincts. Her instincts tells her to beat up Arianna Grace.

Meta Four is in for the match with Alpha Academy.

Joe Gacy is underneath the ring because he’s beneath us and wants our attention.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Arianna Grace

Grace powers her into the corner to start and offers to let Petrovic kiss the ring. Petrovic is right back and offers to let Grace do the same. A rollup gives Petrovic two….but here is Joe Gacy from underneath the ring to steal the ring bell. We take a break and come back with Grace bouncing Petrovic’s head off the mat, setting up a chinlock. Petrovic fights up and grabs a choke but Grace goes to the eye. A fireman’s carry slam finishes Petrovic at 9:06 (without a bell because Gacy has to be a thing).

Rating: C. Grace needed to win here as she has been presented as someone who could become a player but hasn’t really gotten much momentum going yet. Beating Petrovic only has so much value but it’s better than not winning. I’m still not wild on Grace as the pageant queen as it isn’t a great idea, though it should do for now.

Gacy rings the bell in the crowd.

Wes Lee is ready for all of his opponents tonight because he needs to go to Deadline and get the North American Title back.

Brooks Jensen vs. Lexis King

Jensen starts fast with a rolling kick to the head and they’re already on the floor for a slugout. We take a break and come back with King hammering away as Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes watch in the back. Hayes goes to deal with something as King grabs the chinlock. Jensen powers him into the corner and grabs a suplex or the break. A missile dropkick gets two on King but here is Hayes to go after King. The distraction lets King grab the Coronation fr the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C. This felt like one of those random house show matches you get from time to time in NXT, as Jensen has had almost no singles success. What mattered here was getting King a win, as he seems to be ready to become something pretty big around here. They’re still polishing the details, but what matters here is getting him another win.

Video on the Iron Survivor Challenges.

Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Wes Lee

If Lee wins, he gets a North American Title shot at Deadline (against Dominik Mysterio, on commentary) but if he doesn’t, he never gets another shot. Reed cleans house to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Reed getting triple teamed out to the floor, followed by Grimes being sent outside as well.

Lee gets the better of things but Reed is back in to wreck them both. Grimes can’t sunset flip Reed but Gargano catapults Grimes head first into a low blow to put Reed down. Everyone is back up until Lee sends Reed outside. Gargano sends Grimes outside for a knockdown of his own and the fans approve.

The slingshot spear gets two on Grimes but Lee is back in to take over. Reed is back in as well and a Death Valley Driver gets two on Lee. Grimes’ high crossbody gets two on Reed, who is right back up to pick all three of them up for something like a triple Samoan drop (geez). The other three are able to powerbomb Reed out of the corner, leaving Grimes to grab his flipping powerslam for two on Lee.

The Gargano Escape goes on but Lee saves Grimes for a change. That doesn’t work for Reed, who buckle bombs Lee and backsplashes the other two. Reed takes Lee to the middle rope and gorilla presses him onto the other two. Cue Ivar to jump Reed though and they fight to the back, leaving the other three in the ring. Grimes hits the Cave In on Gargano but the Cardiac Kick gives Lee the pin at 17:19.

Rating: B+. Now this was more like it as they had almost nonstop action for a pretty long TV match. Reed came off like an absolute star here and they even had a logical and productive way to get rid of him. Lee winning is hardly a surprise but he feels like he earned the win. That should help him a lot on the way to Deadline, but he almost has to win there.

Roxanne Perez and Kiana James are brawling in the parking lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was another show that got things done and helped build up Deadline, plus some other things not for the show. The qualifying matches were to the point and the main event was very good. Throw in King and Dragunov both looking strong, plus Chase U’s story getting a pretty big step forward and this was another good show. That has been a theme for NXT as of late and I could go for a lot more of it.

Results
Tony D’Angelo/Stacks b. Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza – Bada Bing Bada Boom to Garza
Kelani Jordan b. Kiana James – Split legged moonsault
Bron Breakker b. Eddy Thorpe – Spear
Ilja Dragunov b. Nathan Frazer – H Bomb
Arianna Grace b. Karmen Petrovic – Fireman’s carry slam
Lexis King b Brooks Jensen – Coronation
Wes Lee b. Johnny Gargano, Bronson Reed and Cameron Grimes – Cardiac Kick to Grimes

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: November 13, 2023
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are juts over a week away from Survivor Series and the big story on the Raw side is a WarGames match between Judgment Day/JD McDonagh vs. Cody Rhodes and Pals. There is always the chance of having another person added on either side and we very well could be getting another match or two thrown onto the card. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the setup for WarGames and last week’s announcement.

Opening sequence.

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going. Rhodes wants to talk about getting the Tag Team Titles back tonight, but we also have WarGames at Survivor Series. He brings out the rest of his team, with Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins joining us. Cody greets all of them, but brings up some past issues with Rollins. Cue Judgment Day to interrupt, with Finn Balor bringing up that Rollins can’t beat Rhodes. Oh and Uso can never win anything on his own and Zayn is a loser.

Dominik Mysterio tries to bring up Uso’s time with the Bloodline but Zayn says the truth is no one likes Mysterio. Zayn asks how the team got out here without Rhea Ripley, with Cody poking fun about the team not having a leader. Priest: “I AM THE LEADER!” Rollins wants a fight so a tag match is made.

Seth Rollins/Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio

An early cheap shot to Rollins slows him down but he’s right back up to take Dominik into the corner. Rollins gets stomped back down but reverses Three Amigos to put Dominik down. The villains try to leave but get cut off, allowing Zayn to exploder suplex Dominik into the corner.

Stereo dives put McDonagh and Mysterio down and we take a break. Back with Zayn catapulting McDonagh into the corner, allowing stereo catapults to bring in Rollins and Mysterio. The Pedigree is blocked so Rollins settles for a superkick and Buckle Bomb. Cue the rest of Judgment Day for the DQ at 10:35.

Rating: C+. With WarGames coming up, the DQ was all but a guarantee here as you don’t wan either side taking a clean loss. Rollins and Zayn beat them up pretty well here, which makes sense as they were fighting the lower level Judgment Day contingent. This was how the match should have gone and they didn’t bother wasting time with this one.

Post match the beatdown is on until Uso and Rhodes run in for the save. Adam Pearce comes out to say everyone involved in WarGames has to be out of the building by tonight’s Tag Team Title match.

Post break Rhea Ripley yells at Pearce, who says get over it. Ripley is…well he can’t get to saying she’s banned but here is Zoey Stark to interrupt. Stark talks about how many things Ripley has to worry about, but Ripley talks about her success and how she can handle all of this. She is always on top and can handle herself, Dominik and the fans because she is RHEA BLOODY RIPLEY! The fight is teased with Zoey sending her outside but not being able to launch the dive.

Shinsuke Nakamura is tired of someone having so much handed to him and how he is willing to wait on someone. Whomever that may be.

Seth Rollins runs into Cody Rhodes, who says they can hate each other 364 days a year but he needs Rollins for one night. Works for Rollins.

Otis vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

The rest of the Alpha Academy is here too. Nakamura strikes away to start but Otis easily slams him down. The running splash in the corner sends Nakamura outside, where Otis clotheslines him down. We take a break and come back with Otis fighting out o trouble and hitting a running elbow in the corner. A hard clothesline drops Nakamura and the Caterpillar gets two. Kinshasa is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam for two more. Nakamura strikes away and hits a middle rope knee. Two more Kinshasas finish Otis at 8:58.

Rating: C+. They kept Otis looking strong here but ultimately Nakamura is looking like he is in for a big showdown with whomever he is talking about this time. A match with Chad Gable wouldn’t be surprising either as that could do both of them some good. For now though, Nakamura gets an impressive enough win and he could use a few more of them.

Nakamura glares at Chad Gable post match.

Video on WarGames.

Seth Rollins runs into Drew McIntyre in the back, who shakes his hand after the loss at Crown Jewel. Rollins limps off.

Video on Tegan Nox returning from injury and her career taking off on the main roster.

Piper Niven vs. Tegan Nox

Chelsea Green and Natalya are here too. Nox strikes away to start but gets knocked down, setting up a backsplash for two. The chinlock keeps Nox in trouble and there’s a clothesline to put her back down. A shoulderbreaker gets two (and a Papa Shango reference from Barrett) but Nox kicks her in the head for the same.

The basement crossbody misses for Niven and Nox hits the Shiniest Wizard for two, thanks to a leg on the rope. Niven misses a sitdown splash and Nox crucifixes her for the pin at 4:48. I’m wondering if that Shiniest Wizard was supposed to be the pin but they were too close to the ropes and had to improvise.

Rating: C. It seems like WWE has been wanting to push Nox for a long time now and maybe they are trying again here. If she can stay healthy, it wouldn’t be shocking to see her move up the ladder a bit. Other than that, it’s almost strange to see Niven lose, though Green has lost enough already.

We look at Miz becoming #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title but getting decked by Ivar after the match.

Miz mocks Gunther but Ivar and Bronson Reed come in to threaten violence. Reed and Ivar threaten each other and Ivar walks off.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Johnny Gargano and Giovanni Vinci are here too. Ciampa knees him outside to start but Kaiser stomps away back inside. A clothesline gives Ciampa two, only to have Vinci grab the leg for a distraction. That’s good for an ejection as we take a break. Back with Ciampa fighting out of a chinlock and blocking the wind up DDT. They strike it out until Kaiser goes up, only to get kneed out of the air. Cue Vinci to jump Gargano and the distraction lets Kaiser grab a rollup (with tights) for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: C+. DIY is in a weird place here as they’re freshly on Raw but keep losing. Even though there was some interference here, it is more than a little annoying to see them lose time after time. Ciampa is more than good hand, though it would be nice to see he and Gargano move on from this Imperium feud already.

Damian Priest apologizes for the leader comment but is appointed leader for WarGames. As for JD McDonagh, he’s on the team.

Xia Li vs. Indi Hartwell

Candice LeRae is here with Hartwell. Li kicks her into the corner to start and hammers away, followed by a running knee. Hartwell hits a clothesline into a spinebuster but Li kicks her silly for the stoppage at 2:38.

Post match here is Becky Lynch (who Li kicked out last week) to say we’ll do this on her time. She’s looking for a fight but Li bails from the threat of a Manhandle Slam. Lynch says Li has seven days to run because their match is official for next week.

Gunther comes up to Miz and says it’s time for the beating. Miz tells Gunther to watch his match tonight to see what he can do. At Survivor Series, Gunther is learning the difference between longest reigning and greatest of all time. Gunther says good luck for tonight, but it won’t be anything like Survivor Series.

We look back at Zoey Stark winning a battle royal to become #1 contender.

Shayna Baszler praises Stark, as does Raquel Rodriguez. Nia Jax comes in to mock all of them but Rodriguez challenges her for a fight.

Ivar vs. Miz

Valhalla is here with Ivar, who elbows him into the corner to start. A middle rope hurricanrana takes Ivar down but he runs Miz over on the floor. Back in and Miz strikes away but it’s too early for the Skull Crushing Finale. Cue Bronson Reed as Miz hits a bulldog out of the corner. The ans are actually behind Miz, even as Ivar hits a sitdown splash out of the corner. Reed grabs a chair as we take a break.

We come back with Ivar slamming Miz out of the corner for two but missing a Bronco Buster. The YES Kicks hit Ivar but he counters a super Skull Crushing Finale into a World’s Strongest Slam for two. Ivar loads up the moonsault but Reed offers a distraction, allowing Miz to grab a rollup (with feet on the ropes) for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: C+. This was similar to Lex Luger (as Miz so often is) fighting one giant/monster after another on his way to a match against the Giant in WCW back in the day. That being said, he needed help to beat Ivar and that isn’t going to bode well for him against a real monster like Gunther. For now though, they’re at least setting things up well, even if Miz couldn’t feel much more like an underdog.

Post match Reed drops Ivar and hits the Tsunami.

Another video on WarGames.

Damian Priest goes up to JD McDonagh (It took him that long to find him?) and officially puts him on the team. Finn Balor comes in and tells McDonagh to find Dominik Mysterio and get out (as per Adam Pearce’s orders).

Gunther praises Giovanni Vinci for getting Imperium a win, making sure to ignore Ludwig Kaiser in the process. Indus Sher (egads they’re back) pop in to tell Kaiser to pick his next move wisely.

Otis is upset by his loss but the Creeds come in to say maybe he needs a new training method. Chad Gable isn’t impressed but the Creeds say they want the Tag Team Titles. New Day pops in and arguing ensues while Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri chat. Akira Tozawa comes in to dance with one of the NFL titles and everyone approves.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

Rhodes and Uso are challenging. Jey knocks Balor down to start and it’s a big slugout with Rhodes and Priest fighting to the floor. Cody comes in to work on Balor’s arm before it’s back to Uso, who gets kicked down by the champs. The fight heads outside again and we take a break.

Back with Balor raking the eyes to escape a fireman’s carry so Priest can slug away. Balor pulls Cody into an abdominal stretch before handing it back to Priest for something similar to Matt Riddle’s Bro Derek. Cody is right back up and handing it off to Uso to clean house. Balor cuts Uso off though and a clothesline puts him on the floor as we take another break.

Back again with Uso enziguring his way to freedom and handing it back to Cody. For some reason it’s already off to Uso again, meaning it’s a Superfly Splash for two on Priest. South Of Heaven is broken up and Cody gives Priest Cross Rhodes. The spear hits Balor and the Cody 1D connects with Priest making the save. Uso dives onto Priest but here is Drew McIntyre to hit Uso with a Claymore. Balor gets the pin to retain at 22:41.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time, though McIntyre’s segment earlier felt like a bit of a warning sign for the ending. That isn’t a bad thing at all as there is a good chance that he will be added to WarGames in one way or another. For now though, they had the best match on the show and teased a title change before going with the more logical ending.

Rhea Ripley comes out to shake McIntyre’s hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. To say this show was only focused on a few things would be an understatement as this was mainly about WarGames and a few other things (the Women’s Title match and Gunther vs. Miz). There were other stories being touched on, but they were nothing compared to what really got the focus here. WarGames is pretty much all that matters for Raw on Survivor Series though and that’s what this show focused on. Next week can look at some other things, but for now, this was the WarGames’ show and not much else.

Results
Seth Rollins/Sami Zayn b. JD McDonagh/Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Judgment Day interfered
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Otis – Kinshasa
Tegan Nox b. Piper Niven – Crucifix
Ludwig Kaiser b. Tommaso Ciampa – Rollup with tights
Xia Li b. Indi Hartwell via referee stoppage
Miz b. Ivar – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Judgment Day b. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso – Claymore to Uso from Drew McIntyre

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: October 23, 2023
Location: American Airlines Arena, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are closing in on Crown Jewel and a good chunk of the Raw side is covered. Seth Rollins is ready to defend the World Heavyweight Title against Drew McIntyre, who is still acting a little strange. Other than that, Judgment Day will likely have something to say and that should be important. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Judgment Day regaining the Tag Team Titles from Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso last week, thanks to an assist from Jimmy Uso.

Opening sequence.

Here are Finn Balor and Damian Priest to get things going. Priest say Judgment Day has a lot for us tonight but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Cody says he’s here to talk to the leader of the Judgment Day….but he doesn’t see Rhea Ripley. Priest laughs at him and says there are people involved in Cody’s story who are here right now.

The story is that Cody failed, which has him ready to fight. Priest has a match with Jey Uso tonight, but he’ll fight Cody at Crown Jewel. Cody is down but cue the rest of Judgment Day. Jey Uso runs in to even things up a bit and the fight is on but JD McDonagh comes in to take out Rhodes’ knee. Priest slams the leg against the steps with a chair and Rhodes is left writhing in pain.

Post break, Cody is in trouble.

New Day vs. Alpha Academy

Gable wrestles Woods to the mat to start so it’s quickly off to Kofi. The pace picks up but Gable pulls him out of the air (that was nifty) and sends him outside. Otis wrecks New Day and we take a break. Back with Kofi bringing Woods in to pick up the pace. A nice twisting powerslam gives Woods two on Gable but the Honor Roll is pulled into some German suplexes.

Otis comes in for a bulldog and Kofi has to make the save as everything breaks down. The Caterpillar hits Kofi but Woods is back up. Woods tries a reverse Worm (that’s different) but Gable pulls him into the ankle lock. That’s broken up though and Kofi hits Trouble In Paradise on Otis. Gable is taken out and the Limit Breaker gives Woods the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. This was another good example of taking two teams and giving them some time to show what they can do. The Academy is best known or their comedy stuff but they can have a solid match if given the chance. New Day is still one of the best teams around and it’s nice to see them getting to go out there and do their thing at a pretty high level.

Becky Lynch is ready for Indi Hartwell tonight and Lyra Valkyria tomorrow night.

We look back at Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins’ argument last week.

Rollins runs into Rhea Ripley and brings up her meeting with McIntyre two weeks ago. He says he has style and a title so clearly he’s not McIntyre. Ripley brings up the Judgment Day’s history with Rollins but thinks he might need their help. Rollins laughs it off but Ripley says he’ll need their help if he wants to be champion as long as Roman Reigns. Rollins says the last thing he wants to be is like Reigns. Ripley: “That’s not a no.”

Natalya offers Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae advice tonight and wishes Hartwell luck. Also mentioned: Tegan Nox is hurt.

NXT Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Indi Hartwell

Lynch is defending. Hartwell hits an early clothesline but Becky is back with a backslide for two. Snake Eyes and a side slam give Hartwell two and we take an early break. We come back with Hartwell hitting a top rope elbow to the back for two. Lynch’s reverse DDT gets the same but a big boot gives Hartwell two more. Hartwell goes up top but gets superplexed back down, only to have the Disarm-Her blocked. A powerbomb gives Hartwell two and a spinebuster is good for the same, meaning it’s time for frustration to set in. Hartwell pulls her up again but gets pulled into the Disarm-Her to retain the title at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This felt like checking another box on Lynch’s run with the title. She beats another former NXT Women’s Champion while closing the not very large loophole of Hartwell never being pinned for the title. Lynch is on to more important things and fans are around to forgetting that Hartwell was called up from NXT in the first place.

Xia Li jumps Hartwell’s friend Candice LeRae in the back.

Nick Aldis comes in to apologize to Adam Pearce in the back for what happened on Smackdown. All he wants is friendly competition and Pearce can go with that. He offers to let Aldis stay tonight, but once Aldis leaves, Pearce tells a referee to double security.

It’s time for the contract signing for the fatal five way for the Raw Women’s Title. We get entrances for Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Raquel Rodriguez and Zoey Stark, all of whom sign. Champion Rhea Ripley comes out last and complains that Adam Pearce is making her life a nightmare. Not that it matters because she’s retaining the title anyway. Jax doesn’t buy it as Ripley stays on the apron, accusing Ripley of wanting her to beat up the other challengers. Jax insults Rodriguez and the fight is on, with Ripley watching from the floor.

Akira Tozawa, now in Alpha Academy gear, chops Bronson Reed to set up a match. Maxxine Dupri comes in to ask if he’s nuts but Tozawa wants to go through with it.

Johnny Gargano vs. Giovanni Vinci

Ludwig Kaiser is here with Vinci. An early backbreaker puts Gargano down but no worries as we go split screen for a preview for the upcoming movie Friday Night At Freddy’s. Back to full screen and Vinci stays on Gargano until a superkick gets a breather. Kaiser goes for the distraction but cue the returning Tommaso Ciampa to cut him off. One Final Beat gives Gargano the pin at 2:30. At least Gargano got a win.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants a better opponent to set his inner self free.

Here is Logan Paul for a chat. Paul brags about beating up a boxer earlier this month but here is Dominik Mysterio to…..eventually say he can’t wait to see Paul beat up his deadbeat dad. Paul says they have a lot in common because they overcame the odds. The fans boo them out of the building until Paul says he can’t wait to be the new US Champion. For now though, he invites ring announcer Samantha Irvin into the ring to announce him as the new champion. Cue Ricochet to take the villains out.

Natalya/??? vs. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green

Natalya’s partner is….Nikki Cross, who is so serious she almost looks to be in a trance. Natalya rolls Green up to start as Cross stands on the apron, not touching anything and seemingly catatonic. Cross drops to the floor and walks out, even as Natalya fights back. Niven comes in though and hits the basement crossbody for the pin at 3:12.

Rating: C-. This was an angle rather than a match with the focus being on Cross’ new direction. I’m not sure what that is going to be but I’m a bit worried about Nox’s status. She has had so many devastating injuries over the years and hopefully she is back in the ring sooner than later. She didn’t miss much here, but that was kind of the point of the match.

We look back at Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre not getting along last week.

Miz complains to Adam Pearce about how Nick Aldis might appreciate him more, when Rhea Ripley comes in to sign the contract for Crown Jewel. She keeps the pen and goes to run into Dominik Mysterio, who is banged up from the fight earlier.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Feeling out process to start with Zayn taking him into the corner and chopping away to start taking over fast. They’re quickly on the floor with Zayn hitting a moonsault off of the barricade as McIntyre can’t get much going early on. Back in and McIntyre takes over with a suplex but Zayn sends him outside again.

The slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and McIntyre sends him over the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Zayn knocking him to the floor for the big running flip dive as the ans stay behind Sami. A sunset bomb gives Zayn two but McIntyre hits him with the Glasgow Kiss.

The Claymore takes too long to load up as McIntyre’s ribs are banged up, allowing Zayn to grab the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn can’t hit the exploder suplex so McIntyre snaps off some belly to belly suplexes. A neckbreaker drops Zayn again but cue a smiling Rhea Ripley, allowing Zayn to get two. Now the exploder can connect but McIntyre offers a distraction and McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: B. I can’t imagine it’s any surprise that these two had chemistry together as they’re both incredibly talented stars. Zayn is trying to find his way on his own again and having him go about fifteen minutes with a former World Champion fits him well. McIntyre needed some momentum on his way to Crown Jewel and that is what he got with his win here. Good stuff, and that shouldn’t be a shock.

Nick Aldis talks to Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, who are both wearing blue. Adam Pearce comes in to take issue, though Aldis says he’ll leave. Nikki Cross slowly walks in front of Pearce, who needs a drink.

Bronson Reed vs. Akira Tozawa

Maxxine Dupri is here with Tozawa. Reed throws him into the corner to start but Tozawa slips out of a slam. For some reason Tozawa tries a waistlock, which goes as well as you would expect. Reed plants him, hits a backsplash, and finishes with the Tsunami at 2:35.

Post break Akira Tozawa is given the Dallas Cowboys belt and New Day/DIY come in to cheer him on as he lifts with it.

Seth Rollins mocks Drew McIntyre for joining the Judgment Day (which he hasn’t done), but both of them say they don’t need the team to win.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Jey Uso vs. Damien Priest

Priest slugs away to start but gets knocked to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Priest hitting a running elbow in the corner and planting Jey with the Broken Arrow for two. Jey slugs his way out of trouble and hits a high crossbody for two. That doesn’t work for Priest who turns him inside out with a clothesline, only to get Samoan dropped to the floor.

The dive doesn’t work though as Priest Downward Spirals him onto the announcers’ table. Back in and a swinging Downward Spiral gives Priest two so he loads up the Razor’s Edge. That’s broken up as well and Uso hits a superkick but cue Finn Balor for a distraction. Priest hits South Of Heaven for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. Another solid performance from Jey, but much like the Zayn vs. McIntyre match, one of the two has a lot more going on at the moment than the other. It wouldn’t have made sense for Priest to lose before his big match with Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel so him going over here was the right call. The fact that it came after a pretty good match helps too.

Post match the beatdown is on but here is a limping Cody Rhodes for the save with a chair.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show that got some stuff done for Crown Jewel but was only so interesting. Things seemed fairly run of the mill with only Cody vs. Priest being set up for the pay per view. It’s not a bad show, but there isn’t anything on here that really stood out, save for McIntyre vs. Zayn (which shouldn’t come as any shock). Good enough show and I’m wanting to see Crown Jewel, but not a week where you needed to watch.

Results
New Day b. Alpha Academy – Limit Breaker to Woods
Becky Lynch b. Indi Hartwell – Disarm-Her
Johnny Gargano b. Giovanni Vinci – One Final Beat
Piper Niven/Chelsea Green b. Natalya/??? – Basement crossbody to Natalya
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Bronson Reed b. Akira Tozawa – Tsunami
Damian Priest b. Jey Uso – South Of Heaven

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: October 16, 2023
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Wade Barrett

It’s the season premiere, which comes off of last week’s season finale, as the idea of seasons in wrestling is still weird. One of the big attractions this week is Judgment Day getting their rematch for the Tag Team Titles against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, which could be a heck of a showdown. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Sami Zayn to get things going. After welcoming us to the season premiere, Sami says it feels a little weird to be out here by himself. His brother and partner has been moved to Smackdown and he is obviously very sad that their partnership has ended this way. He is excited for Owens though because he knows Owens will do huge things on Smackdown. He’s excited for himself too, because now he gets to stand on his own two feet.

It’s time to prove that he is a World Heavyweight Champion level superstar, which the fans seem to find accurate. There is an elephant in the room though and that is due to the arrival of Jey Uso. It took Owens and Zayn years to get to the highest point but then they had to deal with Judgment Day. Now they’re getting a Tag Team Title shot tonight, but Zayn wants to thank the fans for getting him here.

Cue Judgment Day to interrupt, with Damian Priest bragging about who they’ve gotten rid of around here. Rhea Ripley cuts him off and talks about how they would recruit lost wrestlers and give them directions. In Zayn’s case though, they want to get rid of him permanently. The team surrounds him but Jey Uso runs in with a pair of chairs to even things up a lot. Finn Balor calls the team off and Sami leaves, not looking completely pleased with Jey.

We look at Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet getting in a fight last week, with Nakamura possibly costing him an Intercontinental Title shot.

Nakamura gives us another subtitled video about how he is going to smash Ricochet like a fly.

Jey Uso catches up with Sami Zayn in the back and asks if they’re cool. Sami says he needs a minute to think because even though Jey made the save, all he was thinking was that it should have been Kevin Owens making the save. Owens isn’t here and it’s because of Jey, even though Zayn wants him to be happy. Jey has the momentum and the titles and Sami has nothing and it’s because Jey is here. Jey says Sami has him and walks off. Sami shoves a ladder over and catches up to Jey, apologizing for what he said. He offers a handshake but Jey hugs him instead.

Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Falls Count Anywhere and Ricochet kicks him to the floor before the bell. They get inside with Nakamura kicking him in the head, setting up the reverse exploder for two. The Recoil gives Ricochet the same and a triangle dropkick puts Nakamura on the floor. That sets up a big twisting flip dive to drop Nakamura for two and they fight up to the stage.

That means a trip to the gorilla position, where Ricochet flips over Nakamura and hits a knee to the face for two. They come back to the stage, where Nakamura gets his knees up to block a standing moonsault. We take a break and come back with Ricochet climbing a balcony (where he half hugs a fan) and then shooting stars onto Nakamura and a bunch of security.

They head back to ringside and it’s time for a table….and nunchucks. Ricochet shrugs that off (because nunchucks) and kicks him down inside, setting up a springboard 450 for two. Nakamura cuts him off on top though and sends him crashing through the table at ringside. Kinshasa finishes Ricochet at 13:43.

Rating: B. This was what it needed to be, as it was a display of violence between two guys who have a reason to be mad at each other. Nakamura gets a nice win to put him back on track, though I could have gone with Ricochet winning to establish him as a bit of a bigger star. Still though, rather hard hitting match though and that’s what it needed to be.

Piper Niven and Chelsea Green interrupt a group of women who are standing around not doing much. Green says she and Nox are best friends, though Nox points out that Niven ordered them to be a team. Green doesn’t want to hear it but Nox threatens her away. Niven seems to threaten Nox on the way.

Video on Imperium.

Piper Niven vs. Natalya

Chelsea Green is here with Niven. Natalya tries an early rollup before going with a basement dropkick for two more. Niven manages a ram into the buckle though and Natalya crashes out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Niven missing a backsplash and getting…not hit with a basement dropkick, which thankfully Niven doesn’t sell. Niven’s basement crossbody misses as well and Natalya hits the discus lariat for two. That’s enough for Niven, who runs Natalya over and hits the basement crossbody for the pin at 6:27. Not enough shown to rate but Natalya worked well trying to fight the monster.

Post match Green comes in for the beatdown but Tegan Nox runs in for the save.

Damian Priest and Finn Balor want to take out Drew McIntyre but Dominik Mysterio doesn’t seem to like the idea. Rhea Ripley comes up after a phone call, saying she was handling Judgment Day business, as usual. She has Shayna Baszler on her own tonight too.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins recaps last week with the Crown Jewel title match against Drew McIntyre being set up, plus McIntyre saving him from a Money In The Bank cash-in. Cue McIntyre, with Rollins asking if McIntyre has been getting himself a little help. We see a clip of McIntyre and Rhea Ripley talking in the background last week.

McIntyre says first of all, he isn’t a thirsty creep like Jey Uso and Ripley came up to him. Second of all, what they were talking about is none of Rollins’ business and he should be worried about McIntyre taking his title. Rollins says no one is doing that to him but McIntyre needs to worry about stepping up in the big moment. McIntyre talks about the Bloodline costing him but Rollins tells him to GET OVER IT.

We hear about McIntyre stepping up during the pandemic when WWE needed it. Then he had his chance again in front of 50,000 people but the Bloodline cost him the title. Rollins says he understands what McIntyre is going though as he spent four years trying to get back to the top of the mountain. McIntyre is pointing fingers and making excuses and it won’t get him anywhere. When Rollins beats him at Crown Jewel, it will be the best thing to happen to him, because McIntyre will have no one to blame but himself. This was a good exchange and got more to the core of McIntyre’s issues, with Rollins calling him out for his whining.

Video on Bronson Reed.

Johnny Gargano vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Giovanni Vinci is here too but Tommaso Ciampa is injured after last week’s Imperium attack. Gargano starts fast but Kaiser kicks the knee out to take over. Kaiser knocks him down again and we take an early break. Back with Gargano fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the rolling kick to the head.

A springboard swinging Downward Spiral gives Gargano two and the Cheeky Nandos Kick connects. The sunset bomb gives Gargano two more and Willow’s Bell rocks Kaiser again. One Final Beat connects but Kaiser pokes Gargano in the eye. Gargano goes after Vinci but the distraction lets Kaiser kick him in the face. A twisting DDT finishes Gargano at 9:51.

Rating: C+. They’re playing up the idea that Gargano needs help to fight Imperium and losing to the numbers game isn’t the worst way to go. DIY vs. Imperium can be a big showdown when they get the chance, though I’m really not sure about having Gargano lose in his first match back. He doesn’t have the strongest reputation in the world on the main roster and this isn’t going to help things, cheating or not.

Indi Hartwell asks Becky Lynch for an NXT Women’s Title shot. Becky is cool with that and says she’ll go get it set up. As Becky leaves, she runs into Rhea Ripley for a staredown. Ripley smiles and walks away, with Becky saying something about being Becky Two Belts.

Drew McIntyre comes up to Sami Zayn and isn’t happy with him instantly forgiving Jey Uso earlier. That’s the right hand man of the Bloodline and Zayn just easily forgave him. Zayn doesn’t like that and we get a match set up between the two of them for next week.

Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler

Non-title. Before the match, Ripley says that no matter what, this is her division and Mami will always be on top. Baszler takes her to the mat with a quickly broken ankle lock but Ripley gets up and unloads in the corner. With that not working, Baszler takes her down by the arm and starts stomping. Ripley is back up with a spinning back elbow for a breather.

They go into the slugout with Baszler snapping off a German suplex. Baszler hits a knee to the face for two but Ripley knocks her back again. A missile dropkick of all things drops Baszler and Ripley loads up Riptide. That’s countered into a cross armbreaker (that was cool) but Ripley powerbombs her way out of trouble. Cue Nia Jax but Raquel Rodriguez and Zoey Stark pop up to take her down. Stark comes in and decks Ripley for the DQ at 5:35.

Rating: C+. This was good while it lasted but then the last minute plus was focusing on everything at ringside. Jax showing up took a lot of the fun out of this one and it didn’t get any better. As usual, Baszler is treated like someone who happens to be there as well and that gets annoying in a hurry.

Post match Ripley calls Jax in for the fight and Stark/Ripley beat Jax down, only for Stark to break up a slam and clear the ring. They’ve got something here

Becky Lynch gets a match with Indi Hartwell next week, per Shawn Michaels’ approval. Xia Li comes in to say she wants a shot too. Becky says say the word, but Li says on her time. Then why did she come in? Anyway here is Jade Cargill, with Becky telling her to get in line. Becky leaves and Cargill calls her funny.

Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso are ready for the main event.

Intercontinental Title: Bronson Reed vs. Gunther

Gunther, with Imperium, is defending. Reed powers out of the corner to start and staggers Gunther with a shoulder. That’s fine with Gunther, who boots him in the face twice in a row. Reed comes back out with a knockdown of his own, setting up a splash in the corner. They head outside with Gunther powering him into the apron, setting up the sleeper back inside. That’s broken up and Reed drops him on the apron, setting up the running shoulder to drop Gunther as we take a break.

Back with Reed winning a slugout, setting up a nasty Death Valley Driver for two. Gunther’s big clothesline gets two so he goes up top, only to get superplexed down for the huge crash. The Tsunami misses though and Gunther clotheslines him down. The top rope splash only gives Gunther two and he can’t believe the kickout. With nothing else working, Gunther hits the powerbomb to retain the title at 12:39.

Rating: B. I’ve said this before but there is something about building up a match between two monsters who are going to hit each other really hard. That’s exactly what you go there as it was a question of which one was going to manage to survive, which is how Gunther felt in the end. Reed didn’t feel like a major threat to win the title, but my goodness it was a heck of a fight on the way there.

Miz complains about being put on the third hour of the show and thinks Nick Aldis should take over Raw. Nia Jax comes in and says she’s still taking everyone’s best shot and looking pretty. No one has taken her best shot because she does the squashing around here. Miz isn’t pleased but we’re out of time for him.

Rhea Ripley comes in to see Adam Pearce and tells him to get the women’s division in line. Pearce is tired of threats so it’s a five way match for the title at Crown Jewel. Ripley isn’t happy and says she’ll eradicate them all. With Ripley gone, Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher come in to say they want to talk.

The Alpha Academy, with Akira Tozawa, is doing Pilates, when New Day comes in. Gyrations occur and a match is made for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Logan Paul.

We look at the opening of Kofi Kingston’s children’s library and digital center in Ghana to help with education. That’s awesome.

Gunther is proud of Ludwig Kaiser for his win tonight. Giovanni Vinci on the other hand, didn’t accomplish his goal. Gunther saw Johnny Gargano walking around tonight, so next week, he wants Gargano stretchered out. It’s Kaiser’s responsibility.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

Rhodes and Uso are defending. We’re joined in progress with Cody working on Balor’s arm and handing it off to Uso to do the same. Uso gets low bridged to the floor and it’s a backbreaker/elbow combination for two back inside. A quick escape allows the tag back to Cody, who hits a pair of powerslams. Cue Dominik Mysterio for a distraction but Uso superkicks Balor to break up 1916.

Cody hits Cross Rhodes on Priest but Dominik puts the foot on the ropes. Balor hits a dropkick on the floor and we take a break. Back with Cody snapping off the leg hands but Priest kicks him in the head. Cody manages to get over to Jey for the tag and the pace picks up. The Cody 1D hits Balor for two but Priest hits a chokeslam to put Cody onto the apron. Dominik shoves Uso off the top so Balor can roll him up for two.

Cue Sami Zayn to jump Dominik so Cody throws Priest over the barricade. Balor breaks up the tag though and it’s a double clothesline to put Uso and Balor down. Priest is back with a low blow to Cody and the toss Razor’s Edge puts Cody through the announcers’ table. Jey dives onto Priest but gets caught by Balor’s Sling Blade. Balor hits the shotgun dropkick but misses the Coup de Grace. Uso spears Balor and gives Priest another one before loading up the Superfly Splash. Cue Jimmy Uso to superkick Jey, allowing Balor to hit the Coup de Grace and win the titles back at 14:00.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t quite as good as the Fastlane match but they got things rolling by the end. There is definitely chemistry between these teams and it was a big time feel with the title change. I’m not sure what this is going to mean for Jimmy vs. Jey going forward, but it would not surprise me to see them getting a showdown at Crown Jewel. For now though, the title change is big enough.

Judgment Day poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt like a big deal and it was nice to see a bunch of stories advanced with an important moment at the end. There was nothing bad (save for maybe the ending to Ripley vs. Baszler) on the show and the matches were good to pretty good on the low end. I had a fun time with this show and it was one of the better Raw’s in awhile. WWE is starting to heat up again and that’s great timing as the important season is around the corner.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Ricochet – Kinshasa
Piper Niven b. Natalya – Basement crossbody
Ludwig Kaiser b. Johnny Gargano – Twisting DDT
Rhea Ripley b. Shayna Baszler via DQ when Zoey Stark interfered
Gunther b. Bronson Reed – Powerbomb
Judgment Day b. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso – Coup de Grace to Uso

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 5, 2023
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re near WWE’s home this week and it’s a big night as Seth Rollins is defending the World Heavyweight Title against Damian Priest. Other than that, we’ll have some more Money In The Bank qualifying matches and more from Imperium and Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. It has been a party since he won the title but tonight, he has Damian Priest. Judgment Day is good, but they’re not as good as him. Cue Priest and Finn Balor, with Rollins wondering where Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio are. Priest brags about how awesome he is so Rollins challenges him to make it one on one tonight, with Judgment Day in the back.

Rollins also brings up how things go badly for Finn Balor when they square off, including a poke to the shoulder, which is a rather cruel line given how badly Balor was hurt in their first match. Anyway, Priest say deal and promises to win the title while Rollins can go down in history with one of the shortest reigns ever. Actually it’s already the longest in the history of the title but that’s not the point Priest is going for.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Becky Lynch vs. Sonya Deville

Chelsea Green is here with Deville, who knocks Becky into the corner to start. Some forearms in the corner and against the rope have Becky in trouble but she’s right back with the Bexploder. A middle rope crossbody gives Becky two but cue Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark to watch. The distraction rollup gets two and we take a break.

Back with Deville hitting a superplex for two, followed by the forearm off. Becky starts slugging back but Green offers a distraction, earning herself a heck of a beating on the floor. Deville goes to help and gets sent into the barricade as well (with some hair extensions coming out). Deville’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two back inside but Becky has had it with this, setting up the Manhandle Slam for the pin at 11:24.

Rating: C+. The interference was needed to help make this match competitive as Deville has never been a big deal in the singles ranks. Winning the Money in the Bank briefcase is about all that there is left for Becky to do in her career so giving her the win here was the way to go. Green and Deville need something to do, but beating Lynch isn’t it.

We look at the Bloodline split on Smackdown.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn won’t say they told you so about the Bloodline, but you get the idea. Imperium pops up, sending Owens into a rant about how no one said their name. Gunther comes in to say Owens is undisciplined so Owens wants to go to the ring right now.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are ready to party. And wrestle.

Gunther vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title. They go right to the slugout to start with Owens hitting him in the face and knocking Gunther into the corner. Gunther is back with a German suplex and we take a break. We come back with Gunther working on a neck crank and hitting a big boot for two. Another big boot sets up a Boston crab but Owens is back up with a failed suplex attempt.

Instead Gunther blasts him with a clothesline, but Owens is back with some clothesline of his own. They trade German suplexes and both of them are down for a breather. Owens knocks him into the corner for the Cannonball and another near fall. Gunther blasts him with the shotgun dropkick but Owens’ fisherman’s buster gets two.

Back up and Gunther takes him to the top for a single underhook superplex, only to have the big splash hit raised knees. Owens’ Swanton hits Gunther for two but Imperium and Zayn get in a fight on the floor. Kaiser comes inside and gets Stunned, allowing Gunther to roll Owens up for the pin at 17:10.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was a heck of a lot of fun to watch them out there. Gunther can go with anyone and those chops are still great. At the same time, Owens is going to be out there swinging away against anyone and he did thing rather well here. The ending made sense too, as you don’t want Owens taking a clean pin and Gunther rolled him up for a pin rather than hitting him low or something like that. Makes sense, and it suited him well.

Post break, Imperium interrupts Matt Riddle’s interview so Riddle takes Vinci down and hurts his leg before being pulled off. That’s a different Riddle and that’s what he needs to do.

Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler want competition and Kayden Carter/Katana Chance (both about six inches shorter than the champs) come in to ask about a title shot. The champs laugh but sure.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler

Rousey and Baszler are defending. Baszler takes Chance into the corner to start and it’s off to Rousey, who wants Carter. That’s exactly what she gets as everything breaks down, with Carter and Chance hitting dives out to the floor. Back in and Rousey works on Chance’s arms but Chance fights up and brings Carter in. Carter hits a low superkick to Baszler and a hanging Pedigree, only to get elbowed in the face. Rousey comes back in but gets caught in the neckbreaker/450 combination (Carter/Chance’s finisher) for two, with Baszler making the save. Baszler has had enough and chokes out Carter to retain at 6:42.

Rating: C+. This was a weird one as you had the newcomers trying to get their start but being up against a couple of monsters in Rousey/Baszler. Carter and Chance did look good in defeat, but having a loss in their main roster debut isn’t the best look. Rousey and Baszler are likely going to be the champs for at least a bit as not only are they dominant, but there is no one out there to give them a serious challenge at the moment. Maybe there is some kind of a big twist coming, but for now, we could be seeing Baszler and Rousey with the titles for a long time.

Bronson Reed isn’t happy that Ricochet is in the Money in the Bank ladder match instead of him. Ricochet said he earned his shot and Reed lost his, but Reed says he was dominating until….and here is Nakamura to interrupt. Reed leaves, saying next time would be different.

Video on Johnny Gargano’s rise through NXT and road here, despite being told he had no place in WWE. This Gargano is more interesting than whatever else he’s been doing lately.

Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Ricochet grabs a headlock to start but gets his leg kicked out. Nakamura kicks him down again but gets knocked off the top and out to the floor in a crash. Ricochet’s big running flip dive connects and Nakamura is down as we take a break. Back with Ricochet knocking Nakamura down and hitting the running shooting star press for two. Nakamura takes him into the corner for Good Vibrations but Kinshasa is countered with the Recoil. Ricochet gets caught up top but here is Bronson Reed to jump Nakamura for the DQ at 8:07.

Rating: C+. They were both talented stars in the ring and got to show themselves off a bit here, but there is only so much you can do in an eight minute match with about four minutes of that being in a break. Throw in that this is the first of the still idiotic “building momentum to Money in the Bank” (because getting a pinfall or submission somehow makes it easier to climb a ladder) matches and they did rather well with a good number of factors making it harder.

Post match the destruction is on, with Ricochet getting crushed with the Tsunami. Fans: “ONE MORE TIME!” Reed: Nah.

We look at Maxxine Dupri being chased off by Valhalla last week.

Maxxine Dupri and Chad gable aren’t sure what to do about the Viking Raiders, but Otis seems to have a plan. Dupri is ready to train and has the perfect outfit in her locker.

It’s time for MizTV with Miz wasting no time in bringing out Cody Rhodes. Miz: “You look dashing tonight.” Miz brings up Rhodes challenging Brock Lesnar to a fight anytime, which Miz thinks is rather stupid. Cody: “Mike….” Miz: “In this ring, it’s the Miz. First name The, second name Miz.” Instead, Cody has been told it was brave, not that Miz would know anything about large testicles.

Miz talks about how we love surprises around here, so here are Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley. After Ripley shushes Miz (Miz: “Yes ma’am”.), Dominik deals with quite the chorus of booing to get to his point: Cody is a bad father. Dom compared him to Rey Mysterio, but Cody says that Dominik was in jail for about 15 minutes. Cody: “You even have a worse prison tattoo than mine.”

Then Dominik got a public spanking at Wrestlemania. Dominik slaps Cody and then hides behind Ripley when Cody comes after him. Cody drops Miz with a cast shot to blow off some steam. Funny stuff here, and Cody needs something to do until Lesnar gets back. If nothing else, Dominik going against another high level opponent is a good thing, as it tells me WWE has faith in him.

We look back at the opening sequence.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Zoey Stark vs. Natalya

Trish Stratus is here with Stark. Natalya takes her down by the arm to start but Stark fights up and goes after the knee. Stark stomps on said knee as Trish seems to think this is rather intelligent. Some knees to the ribs have Natalya in more trouble but she armdrags her way out. A German suplex drops Stark for two and the Sharpshooter goes on. Stark makes the ropes so Natalya yells at Trish, who kicks her in the knee. The Z36 finishes Natalya at 3:45.

Rating: C. It’s a Natalya match without much time so I think you know what you’re getting here. As has been the case for….oh the last five years or so, Natalya is as smooth of an in-ring worker as you can get and there is very little reason to get interested in anything she is doing. She’s there to put people over and make them look good, which she often does, but the lack of excitement over her being in the ring doesn’t help things whatsoever.

Paul Heyman invites us to hear Jey Uso’s decision this week on Smackdown. This week, Jey will choose to stand by his brother Solo, because he can share a womb with Jimmy, but he’ll never be closer to him than he will be to Roman Reigns.

Indus Sher vs. Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin

Indus Sher jumps them before the bell and lays Cedric out. No match.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest

Rollins is defending and takes Priest down fast to start, meaning we go to a break in less than a minute. Back with Rollins taking him to the floor but being sent into the timekeeper’s area. Rollins dive is punched out of the air, followed by a superkick back inside. We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by a double arm crank to keep Rollins in trouble. Rollins fights up and hits a few shots, followed by a backbreaker.

The frog splash misses though and Priest kicks Rollins in the head. Rollins knocks him to the floor but the suicide dive is countered into a Downward Spiral onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Rollins hitting the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two. Three straight suicide dives send Priest over the announcers’ table and the frog splash gives Rollins two back inside.

Priest is back up with a headlock driver for the same and a spinning kick to the head catches Rollins on top. A super hurricanrana brings Rollins down for two but he’s back with a Pedigree for the same. They go to the floor and a barricade powerbomb hits Priest, followed by a superkick to cut off an interfering Finn Balor. Priest hits South of Heaven for a slightly delayed two back inside. Rollins is back with a superkick though and the Stomp retains the title at 21:53.

Rating: B. The match was the good stuff you would expect in this spot, but they are hammering in the “workhorse title” concept like something that is hammed in rather quickly and often. Rollins beating Roman Reigns by DQ about a year and a half ago doesn’t make him feel like the other World Champion, but rather trying to make the Intercontinental Title feel like a big deal when Brock Lesnar wasn’t around. I’ll certainly take Rollins having one good match after another, but this “it’s the other World Title” stuff is going to feel lame until Reigns gets beaten, which could take a very long time.

Rollins and Balor have a staredown to end the show. Because Rollins is going to have to defend against him next, because it’s the WORKHORSE TITLE you see.

Overall Rating: B. All in all, this was a rather good Raw, as they took care of some stuff for Money in the Bank with the qualifiers, gave us a pair of very strong matches and didn’t do anything overly stupid. Cody even made fun of his own tattoo to throw in some comedy. This show worked, and I’ll absolutely take it as the offering from one of WWE’s brands for a weekly show.

Results
Becky Lynch b. Sonya Deville – Manhandle Slam
Gunther b. Kevin Owens – Rollup
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Kirifuda Clutch to Carter
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Ricochet via DQ when Bronson Reed interfered
Zoey Stark b. Natalya – Z360
Seth Rollins b. Damian Priest – Stomp

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.