Smackdown
Date: April 14, 2023
Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

The Draft is coming up and that is going to change quite a few things around…well everywhere really. The good thing is we still have enough time before it gets into the lame duck period. Backlash is coming up in less than a month and it is time to start getting things ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to get things going. Sami talks about how they closed out Wrestlemania by winning the Tag Team Titles but they haven’t had the chance to process it all. There is the Bloodline and the Draft, which makes things uncertain. Owens doesn’t care where they wind up, because they are the undisputed Tag Team Champions and they will defend them with everything they have.

One day the Usos are coming for a rematch….and here they are (with Solo Sikoa) to interrupt. The Usos don’t want to hear about a two week reign but Sami says they’ll keep going back to their daddy Roman without their titles. Jey promises that they’ll get the titles back because Owens and Zayn are going to turn on each other, again. Sami says Jey is great at lying to himself and the fight is teased but here is Matt Riddle to even things up. The Bloodline gets knocked down before bailing.

Post break, Adam Pearce makes Solo Sikoa vs. Matt Riddle for tonight’s main event.

LA Knight vs. Xavier Woods

This is fallout from a broken controller. They fight over a headlock to start until Woods snaps off a dropkick to take over. Woods’ headlock doesn’t last long as it could due as Knight shoulders him down. Knight it sent outside and taken out with the big running flip dive. He’s fine enough to post Woods though and we take a break.

Back with Knight getting two off a neckbreaker and choking on the ropes, only to have Woods pop back up for a leg lariat. Knight plants him with a DDT but Woods blocks a suplex attempt. Woods manages to drop him ribs first across the top, setting up a top rope double stomp. A middle rope legdrop gets the same but Knight catches him in a powerslam. Knight’s jumping elbow connects so he tries a rollup, only to get caught pulling the trunks. Then Woods grabs his own rollup (also with trunks) for the pin at 11:20.

Rating: C+. Nice back and forth match here with Woods getting to show Knight how the cheating thing worked in the end. Woods is the last remaining member of the New Day at the moment and it’s no surprise that WWE wants to keep him strong. As for Knight….just let him do something other than lose for a few weeks. Please.

Gunther gives Imperium a pep talk/instructions when Xavier Woods, with his trombone, comes in. Gunther isn’t happy and calls Woods a goof, but Woods challenges him for the title. There’s no answer but Gunther isn’t one to turn down a challenge.

We look at Solo Sikoa taking out Matt Riddle in December.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens give Riddle differing forms of advice, but Riddle is rather serious when he talks about taking out his aggression on Sikoa.

Judgment Day, minus Finn Balor, has had it with the LWO. Damien Priest is going to do his talking about Bad Bunny in the ring.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. Damien Priest says Backlash is in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Bad Bunny is guest host. We look at the team taking out Bunny on Raw two weeks ago and we even see it in slow motion. Cue the LWO and it’s time to fight, with the LWO quickly clearing the ring.

Damien Priest vs. Santos Escobar

The rest of their groups are here too. Joined in progress and they head outside, with Priest knocking him out of the air. Back in and the Broken Arrow gives Priest two and he fires off the kicks to the chest. Escobar fights up and hits a few kicks of his own, setting up the running knees in the corner. Some right hands have Priest in trouble but he knocks Escobar outside in a heap as we take a break.

Back with Priest getting two off a Downward Spiral and cranking on both arms. Priest goes up top but gets hurricanranaed right back down for a delayed two. They slug it out until Escobar hits a jumping knee and running hurricanrana to send Priest into the corner. There’s the jumping kick to Priest’s head and a top rope moonsault press gets two.

Rhea Ripley offers a distraction though and it’s Priest decking Escobar. Everyone gets into it on the floor with Priest joining the fight, only to get taken down by a suicide dive. Back in and Ripley grabs Escobar’s foot, leaving Zelina Vega to hurricanrana her into the barricade. That leaves Priest to kick Escobar in the face and hit South Of Heaven for the pin at 11:33.

Rating: B. These guys were rocking by the end and I wasn’t sure who was going to win. That’s a nice feeling to have, much like seeing Priest get a win. Escobar losing again is tough to take, but you can tell there is going to be more of this feud sooner than later. Heck of a match here, with everyone putting in the energy.

Post match Priest goes after Escobar again but Rey Mysterio runs in for the save. Rey gets to beat on Dominik, who has to be saved from the 619.

The Usos and Paul Heyman give Solo Sikoa a pep talk about how Matthew Riddle insulted the family, with Heyman listing off a bunch of members of the family who were insulted. Solo puts his hand on Heyman’s shoulder and says tell the Tribal Chief that he has this. Has Sikoa spoken since he debuted on the main roster? If he has, it hasn’t been very often.

Here are Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for a championship celebration. Raquel appreciates Morgan allowing her to be used as a projectile and Morgan can’t wait to see how good they can get. Cue Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville to interrupt, with Deville telling the fans to sit down and shut up.

They want to know why Morgan and Rodriguez are champions when there is nothing special about them. It must be an upper management thing! Like from Adam Pearce! Where is everything for Green and Deville? The fight is on and the champs stand tall. This was every other not great women’s tag team segment and Morgan’s talking continues to be weak.

Madcap Moss vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Emma gives Moss a pep talk in the back and is in his corner here. Moss starts fast and hits a running shoulder in the corner for two. Nakamura strikes back, hits the sliding German suplex and finishes with Kinshasa at 1:30.

Post match Moss goes after him again, leaving Emma to have to pulls him to the floor for the save.

Scarlett has a Nakamura tarot card and Killer Kross says tick tock.

The Viking Raiders jump Ricochet and Braun Strowman, with Ricochet being powerbombed through a table.

Matt Riddle vs. Solo Sikoa

The Usos, Paul Heyman, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are here too. Before the match though, Heyman says that Roman Reigns has decided the Usos will get their title rematch in two weeks. Riddle kicks away to start but his armbar is counters with a hard slam. It’s right back up with a chinlock but Sikoa punches him down again. The Usos offer a distraction and a trip so Zayn and Owens come over. The referee ejects them all, leaving Sikoa to take over as we go to a break.

Back again with Sikoa elbowing him in the face for two, meaning it’s time to get frustrated. The nerve hold doesn’t work on Riddle as Sikoa knocks him away again, only to get forearmed into the corner. The Floating Bro connects but here are the Usos again, with Zayn and Owens not far behind. Riddle dives onto the Usos but dives into a superkick back inside. The Samoan Spike finishes for Sikoa at 10:45.

Rating: B-. Riddle losing his first match back is certainly a weird way to go, but Keeping Sikoa strong is a good idea as well. Yes he lost to Cody Rhodes, but it was a few days before Rhodes headlined WrestleMania. There is going to be at least one six man tag in here to build Riddle back up so he’ll be fine for the time being, kind of like this match really.

Post match Sikoa plants Riddle on the announcers’ table and then turns it over to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There was good action throughout and some stuff was set up for the future. This was a nice, productive episode of Smackdown, even though nothing was added to the pay per view card. The main thing about this show is that it flew by, with nothing dragging (save for maybe the Women’s Tag Team Title segment). Good show this week, as Smackdown seems to continue its successful run.

Results
Xavier Woods b. LA Knight – Rollup with trunks
Damien Priest b. Santos Escobar – South Of Heaven
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Madcap Moss – Kinshasa
Solo Sikoa b. Matt Riddle – Samoan Spike

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

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Smackdown
Date: April 7, 2023
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Wrestlemania and based on Raw, may be done with a way of life in WWE. The question now becomes if Raw was a one off or if it is the new normal. Triple H is apparently here for some kind of announcement and that could go in a variety of directions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania (Night One and Night Two) if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Wrestlemania.

Imperium vs. Brawling Brutes

Butch starts fast and chases people off before handing it off to Holland to bring in the power on Kaiser. It’s right back to Butch, who works on Vinci’s finger and stomps on the arm. Kaiser shoves Butch off the middle rope into a suplex from Vinci (who catches him in the air in a scary power display) as we take a break.

Back with Butch fighting out of a chinlock and bringing Holland in to clean house. Imperium isn’t having that and catches him with a triple boot in the corner. Gunther comes in to chop Holland down, setting up the running dropkick into the corner. A powerbomb gets two with Butch having to make the save. The Boston crab goes on but the crawl lets Holland get the tag to Sheamus. The ten forearms have Gunther in trouble and White Noise gets two. Vinci and Kaiser are back in with a high/low to Butch but Sheamus knees Vinci out of the air. The Brogue Kick finishes Vinci at 11:41.

Rating: B-. These guys work well together and there is nothing wrong with letting them beat on each other for awhile. It’s nice to see Sheamus getting some momentum back after the loss at Wrestlemania and I can go for having all of the Brutes together again for a change. Good opener here and it’s nice to see that on WWE TV again.

Long recap of the Cody Rhodes/Brock Lesnar saga from Raw.

Paul Heyman, with Solo Sikoa, says he will pass over a question about Lesnar and thank Roman Reigns for the amazing Wrestlemania. Jey Uso comes in to say he hasn’t seen Jimmy Uso all night. Heyman says Jimmy isn’t here, because Reigns wanted Jey to face Sami Zayn on his own tonight. Jey leaves, and Heyman tells Solo to solve the Sami Zayn problem tonight, or solve the Bloodline’s problems tonight. Well that’s ominous.

Ricochet vs. Ivar

Both partners have been banned from ringside but Valhalla is here with Ivar. Ricochet starts fast by sending Ivar outside, where Ivar crushes him against the apron. Back in and Ricochet flips out of a suplex and hits a running knee. Ivar knocks him down again and for some reason Ricochet tries a fireman’s carry. That level of brilliance earns him a spinning kick to the face but Ricochet knocks him out of the corner. The shooting star press finishes Ivar off at 4:05.

Rating: C+. I can go with Ricochet fighting a monster and getting a nice boost out of it as a result. More Ricochet is a good thing and it would be great to see him being elevated again. I’m not sure what is next for any of the teams from the showcase match but at least Ricochet is getting a little momentum.

Kevin Owens is looking at the titles but insists that he is LEERING at them. Sami Zayn is happy to be here and Owens talks about how big Sami vs. Jey Uso is going to be tonight. They can put the Bloodline behind them but Sami thinks something about this feels off. He can’t shake the feeling that he has to talk to Jey about…something. Everything Owens has said is true but Sami feels obligated to talk to him. Owens wants to know what Sami thinks is going to happen but knows he can’t talk him out of this. Sami knows he’s right but is going to do it anyway. I don’t see this going well at all.

Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan vs. Natalya/Shotzi

Natalya and Shotzi send Rodriguez outside with Shotzi hitting a dive so hard that Rodriguez kind of belly to belly suplexes her. Back in and Shotzi hits a knee but a springboard hurricanrana is countered. It’s off to Morgan, who trades rollups with Natalya to limited avail. A release German suplex into a discus clothesline drops Morgan and Shotzi is back in for an assisted Sliced Bread. Rodriguez breaks up a Hart Attack and Oblivion finishes Shotzi at 2:50. This was very fast paced and gives Morgan and Rodriguez a bit of a boot on the way to their title match.

Madcap Moss and Xavier Woods are playing WWE2K23 when LA Knight comes in to complain about all the gaming. Why was Woods on Wrestlemania for video games and not him? Woods is tired of this and says he’ll beat Knight again if he has to.

Here is HHH for a chat. After saying there is nothing like that kind of a reaction, HHH brags about Wrestlemania and all of the successes it has had. Now though, Wrestlemania is behind us and we look to the future. Are you ready? In just a few weeks, it is time for the WWE Draft. This year’s will be bigger than ever with every single superstar eligible. When it is time, this year’s Draft will truly change the game. Speaking of that, here is someone who is doing just that: Rhea Ripley (with the rest of the Judgment Day.

Ripley says that everything changed at Wrestlemania when she did the impossible. She’s the star now and it is time to rise for Mami. Finn Balor talks about how Edge hut him but he is still standing (PLEASE tell me that story isn’t continuing). Dominik….has to pause for the fans booing him before talking about how he couldn’t bring himself to really hurt his father at Wrestlemania. He can’t stand Bad Bunny though and we see the big brawl with Bad Bunny on Monday. Damian Priest can forgive Bunny for what he did, but hopes Bunny can forgive Priest for what he had to do. Cue Rey Mysterio and the LWO as we’re ready to go.

Rey Mysterio/Santos Escobar vs. Judgment Day

It’s Dominik Mysterio/Damian Priest for the team here and Dominik tags out rather than face his dad to start. With Priest knocked down, Dominik comes in to hammer away and gets one off a suplex. Rey manages to flip out bring in Escobar to pick up the pace. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker drops Dominik and stereo dives take the villains down.

We take a break and come back with Dominik grabbing a front facelock on Escobar. A backdrop gets Escobar out of trouble and it’s Rey coming back in. Rey starts firing off some dropkicks but Rhea Ripley has to chase Zelina Vega. The 619 hits Dominik but Priest breaks up the Phantom Driver. South of Heaven finishes Escobar at 10:06.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match that you would expect from Escobar and company, but unfortunately there was no real way to end this other than Escobar getting pinned. Since you can more or less pencil in Rey/Bunny vs. Priest/Dominik at Backlash, how else could they have gone? For now, it’s nice to see Priest getting a win as it doesn’t happen very often.

Shinsuke Nakamura is back next week.

Sami Zayn comes up to Jey Uso and says it’s fine if Jey doesn’t want to talk. Zayn says it’s the same as it has been for the last few months: everything Zayn has said would happen has happened. Jimmy Uso isn’t here and Roman Reigns isn’t here, while Solo Sikoa is looking like he is ready to drop the hammer. Now Sami will beat as much sense into Jey as he has to, but he’d rather not. Jey doesn’t say anything but we hear some kind of a fracas. Kevin Owens has been attacked by Solo Sikoa, who has dropped an anvil case on Owens’ leg.

Jey Uso vs. Sami Zayn

Before the match, Sami says Kevin Owens was right but he’s about to show Uso that he isn’t the only one with a problem. Jey shoulders him down to start but gets sent to the floor. Cue Solo Sikoa for a distraction as we take a break. Back with Sami hitting a superplex and hammering away. Sami gets superkicked out of the air but exploder suplexes Jey into the corner. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two and they go up top, where Sami gets headbutted to the apron. Sikoa gets in a cheap shot and Jey superkicks him for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: B-. If the Bloodline is continuing for the time being (or beyond), Uso needed to win here as the non-Reigns members needed the boost. If nothing else, this keeps up the idea of Sami/Owens needing each other to deal with the Bloodline, though Owens is not going to be happy here. In other words, the saga continues, despite a huge step being taken at Wrestlemania.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jey breaks up the Samoan Spike. Then he superkicks Sami himself and has Sikoa get a chair. Cue Matt Riddle for the save (remember that Sikoa put him on the shelf in December) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it was just the comparison to Raw, but this was a rather good show and felt like everything before this Monday’s debacle. There were good matches and storylines advanced so it was a totally useful two hours of TV. That is better than I would have expected and we’ll it a huge relief. On top of that there is the Draft announcement so something big is on the horizon.

Results
Brawling Brutes b. Imperium – Brogue Kick to Vinci
Ricochet b. Ivar – Shooting star press
Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan b. Natalya/Shotzi – Oblivion to Shotzi
Judgment Day b. Rey Mysterio/Santos Escobar – South of Heaven to Escobar
Jey Uso b. Sami Zayn – Superkick

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: April 3, 2023
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the night after Wrestlemania and while WWE will hype it up a lot, there have only been so many big moments/surprises on this show in recent years. Maybe they will surprise us this year, but I’m not sure who is out there to bring in for the right kind of surprises. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania XXXIX (Night One) (Night Two) if you need a recap.

Here is HHH for a chat. He talks about what a great weekend it was and wants to think everyone who came to the show and everyone who worked together to make it work (including a cameraman named Stu). Finally, he thanks all of the fans who makes everything possible. It’s the day after Wrestlemania and WWE is the water cooler talk, with WWE making a huge announcement.

What you need to know is that WWE is going nowhere and it’s the same WWE put on Wrestlemania this weekend. We will be here week in and week out, event after event and sold out event and sold out event after sold out event. Then, now, forever, together. For now though, there is one more person who we need to acknowledge.

Cue Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa, for a chat. After walking around for a bit, Reigns tells the crowd to acknowledge him but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Rhodes says he thought he would be champion and he’ll acknowledge that Reigns won last night. He wishes these other guys were a factor but he knows that Reigns knows there have been matches where he skated by.

Last night, Rhodes had him, so there is one word that is on his mind: rematch. Heyman asks Rhodes would like this hypothetical rematch. Rhodes: “TONIGHT!” Reigns shakes that off so Heyman says no to a rematch in Puerto Rico, at Summerslam, Survivor Series, the Royal Rumble, Madison Square Garden, San Francisco, California or anywhere else. If that’s off, then Rhodes wants a tag match because he was fighting both of them last night. Heyman and Reigns have a huddle and Reigns nods to something.

The tag match is accepted, but the partner has to be someone who will never get another title shot against Roman Reigns as long as he is champion. In addition, they had to wrestle at Wrestlemania, which is going to limit Rhodes’ options. Cue BROCK LESNAR and Heyman/Reigns know this is trouble. So there’s your main event and yeah it feels huge, though Lesnar vs. Reigns in any form is a bit much to take.

Omos vs. Elias

MVP is here with Omos. Elias gets slammed, thrown around, booted in the face and chokebombed for the pin at 1:36.

The Usos go to see Roman Reigns but get Paul Heyman instead. Reigns is talking to Solo Sikoa about the tag match tonight but Reigns wanted Heyman to congratulate them on Wrestlemania. The seafood is already loaded onto the jet. Heyman goes into Reigns’ locker room and says he took care of it.

Video on the Hall Of Fame ceremony.

Bad Bunny is here and is very happy to be hosting Backlash in Puerto Rico.

Here is Rey Mysterio for a chat. Rey thanks the fans for the 619 chants because he wouldn’t be here without them. He also thanks Bad Bunny for everything he does, but here is Austin Theory to interrupt. Theory talks about how only he and Rey did what they promised at Wrestlemania, but he doesn’t want to hear the YOU TAPPED OUT chants. Theory is waiting on the post-Wrestlemania Raw crowd to eat him alive. The fans are chanting for Cena but Theory says he’s a part timer. Theory offers to add Rey to his collection so Rey is in.

Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory

This seems to be non-title. Theory gets shouldered down to start and we take an early break. Back with Theory holding a chinlock before putting Rey on the top. Rey fights out of trouble though and hits a tornado DDT. Some right hands in the corner rock Theory, who is right back with a torture rack bomb for two. Rey is right back with a 619 attempt but Theory blasts him with a clothesline. A Town Down finishes Rey at 9:26.

Rating: C. This was ok while it lasted but it was kind of a flat match. There was no drama about Rey winning the title or anything that ever went to another level. Going through the motions might be a good phrase here, as they’re both capable of more but it just didn’t happen this time around.

Post match Dominik Mysterio and Damien Priest come out to go after Rey. Dominik goes after Bad Bunny though and shoving ensues. Bunny jumps the barricade and decks Dominik, earning a shot from Priest. The chokeslam through the table knocks Bunny silly and probably sends him to Backlash.

Post break, Adam Pearce yells at Damien Priest, who doesn’t really care.

Here are Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for a chat. The fans think they deserve it, which Owens agrees with, though the fans deserve it too. Sami says they couldn’t be here without them, and yes he knows how cliched that is. Zayn thinks they should celebrate, and Owens thinks the best way is with a good fight. So bring out someone who wants a chance, which brings out the Street Profits. After a quick exchange, it seems like we have a match.

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Street Profits

Again seems to be non-title. Zayn armdrags Dawkins down to start and works on an armbar but Dawkins is up with a jumping elbow to the face. Ford slingshots in with a hilo and Sami is in a bit of trouble. Back up and Owens gets the tag, only to be armbarred as well as we take a break.

Back with Zayn getting the tag and hitting a tornado DDT. The running flip dive hits both Profits and Zayn sunset bombs Ford back inside. Dawkins is back in to pick Zayn up for the Doomsday Blockbuster, with Owens having to break up the cover. Ford is rather fired up and hits the big no hands flip dive to take both of them down. Back inside and Owens is fine enough to snap off a Stunner. The Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin at 12:54.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine match here, though nothing from either team that we haven’t seen. You don’t want your champs losing anytime soon but I’m not sure how smart it is to have them face probably the biggest non-Usos team out there. The match was good enough and the best in-ring action on the show so far, but I’ll need a bit more than that.

Seth Rollins is happy with his victory and it’s time to celebrate. The party is in the ring and after the break, Rollins comes out, listens to the chants, and leaves without saying a word.

Bobby Lashley isn’t happy with not being on Wrestlemania when Bronson Reed shows up. Reed requests to be Lashley’s student so that one day the pupil can surpass him. That’s not happening so Reed leaves. Cue Mustafa Ali, who talks about how Lashley has had a bunch of losses. Lashley agrees, so he’ll beat up Ali.

Bobby Lashley b. Mustafa Ali

Hurt Lock finishes Ali at 31 seconds.

The Bloodline is ready for Brock Lesnar, because he can’t get another title shot anyway and it’s a one night only thing.

Here is Bianca Belair to celebrate her Wrestlemania win because they did it. Cue Rhea Ripley to interrupt and say that she won at Wrestlemania too but she’ll be back for Belair. That’s fine with Belair, who is ready to do this when Ripley is ready. Glaring ensues.

Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Damage Ctrl

Winner gets a future Tag Team Title shot. Rodriguez gets knocked into the ropes to start so Morgan tags herself in. The Backstabber hits Kai and Sky gets dropkicked into the corner. Kai gives her a better dropkick but Damage Ctrl is sent outside. That lets Rodriguez powerbomb Morgan over the top onto both of them and we take a break. Back with Morgan fighting out of the corner so Rodriguez can clean house. The Tejana Bomb is broken up though but the second attempt works, setting up Oblivion to finish Kai at 7:01.

Rating: C. So the team who didn’t win the showcase is getting a title match because the showcase wasn’t for a title shot? I’m sure there’s a logic in there somewhere but this was just another match that came and went. Morgan and Rodriguez at least have the energy and popularity to be plucky challenges, but if WWE wants this t be a division, they need to actually develop some more teams.

Here is Miz to talk about how he had to deal with surprises for a few days. We hear about Pat McAfee, Shane McMahon (Miz: “I beat him so badly he couldn’t even finish the match!”) and Snoop Dogg. Now he’s done with surprises….but here is the returning Matt Riddle (Corey Graves: “It’s been nearly a year!” It was December.). The beating doesn’t take long and Miz is left laying.

Trish Stratus, Lita and Becky Lynch are happy with Wrestlemania and ready to keep it going next week.

Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa vs. Cody Rhodes/Brock Lesnar

We get the Big Match Intros….and Lesnar jumps Cody before the bell. Two F5’s in the ring ensue and the beating goes to the floor as Reigns and company walk away. The beating continues on the floor and then another F5 drops Rhodes on the steps. Lesnar chokes Cody with a chair to end the beating that went on for the better part of ten minutes. Medics come down and Lesnar returns for a double middle finger to end the show. I’m guessing Lesnar is mad that he can’t fight Reigns for the title again and he’s mad that Cody didn’t get the title back in play?

Overall Rating: D. What was THAT? I know that WWE has lowered the amount of effort and energy they put in the Raw after Wrestlemania in recent years but this was horrible. When the best match on your show is a just pretty good tag match, there isn’t much to be seen here. The only real surprise was Riddle’s return, with Bad Bunny and the angle at the end as the big deals. WWE has been very busy lately, but this was one of the worst Raw’s I’ve seen in a very long time. Maybe it’s a one off, but dang this was a hard sit.

Results
Omos b. Elias – Chokebomb
Austin Theory b. Rey Mysterio – A Town Down
Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens b. Street Profits – Helluva Kick to Zayn
Bobby Lashley b. Mustafa Ali – Hurt Lock
Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan b. Damage Ctrl – Oblivion to Kai

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: March 13, 2023
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We have six major TV shows left before Wrestlemania and there is still some work to do. Most of the matches and stories are already set but there are a least a few things that need to be finalized. There is a good chance that some of those will be covered, or at least addressed, tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Edge to get things going. He loves that kind of reaction from the crowd but wants to get straight to the point. Edge calls out Finn Balor so here is the full Judgment Day. Edge says that Balor’s request for a Wrestlemania match is on, which Balor appreciates. With that out of the way, Edge recaps the feud and says he doesn’t have time to deal with all of these people anymore. That’s why at Wrestlemania, he wants Hell in a Cell.

Balor says Hell couldn’t handle his demons so they’re on for Wrestlemania. Judgment Day storms the ring and the big beatdown is on until Dexter Lumis, Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae run in for the save. They had to make the match and at it feels special so nice job. I’ll take it over “it’s October so here’s the Cell”.

Johnny Gargano/Dexter Lumis vs. Judgment Day

It’s Dominik Mysterio/Damien Priest for the team here and Edge/Balor have both left. Joined in progress with Gargano kicking Dominik in the head and Priest coming in. Lumis comes in as well but gets taken into the corner for some shots to the face. A front facelock of all thins gets Lumis out of trouble so it’s back to Gargano, who gets dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle. Gargano sends Dominik outside for a dive though and we take a break.

Back with Priest hitting the Broken Arrow for two on Gargano and slapping on the chinlock. Dominik comes in but misses the 619, allowing Gargano to nail the slingshot spear. It’s back to Lumis to clean house, with a spinebuster and legdrop getting two on Priest. Dominik rolls Lumis up with feet on the ropes but Candice LeRae makes the save. Rhea Ripley takes out LeRae and Gargano dives onto Priest. Back in and Lumis tries to Silence Dominik, only to get caught with South of Heaven for the pin at 13:59.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match to open the show as the fans are going to respond to everyone involved. They started to turn it up at the end and it was a good opener as a result. Lumis getting pinned is fine as Gargano has the big match coming up at NXT Stand & Deliver so they even got the ending right.

Miz arrived earlier today and after confirming that he hadn’t seen Otis (as asked by Chad Gable), he laughed of the idea of having a co-host for Wrestlemania. We cut over to Damage CTRL beating up Trish Stratus and leaving her laying.

Here are MVP and Omos to call out Brock Lesnar, who doesn’t leave them waiting long. Lesnar, with the top of his head coming up to Omos’ neck, stares up at Omos, who puts his fist out towards Lesnar’s face. The fist is turned into an open hand and they shake before the fight is on. Lesnar can’t suplex him and Omos shoves him out tot he floor as referees and security run down. Really basic stuff here and I still don’t care to see the match.

We recap the reunion of the Usos, with Cody Rhodes joining Sami Zayn to fight them on Smackdown.

Cody Rhodes vs. LA Knight

Cody knocks him down to start and grabs a headlock before sending Knight outside. The dive is cut off with a shot to the face but Cody sends him into the steps. Back in and Knight superplexes him down as we take a break. We come back with Knight getting two off a DDT but getting caught with the Disaster Kick for two more. The Cody Cutter into Cross Rhodes finishes Knight at 9:38.

Rating: C. The nearly perfect Cody push continues as they aren’t doing anything too out there. Rhodes is winning match after match and building himself up for the Wrestlemania main event. This was as it should have been, with Rhodes hanging in there until the end and winning with his big stuff. Nice job and another good piece of the bigger story.

Post match Rhodes grabs the mic and says he has been told to stay out of Bloodline business. Well he doesn’t work for the Bloodline, so he’ll do whatever he wants. Cody talks about wearing a suit because he wants to be someone and the Bloodline needs to acknowledge him. He grew up thinking he was a prince in this business but has no crown or even a Master Sword. On April 2, when the sun goes down on Hollywood, it is going down on Reigns’ run as well. Those who have followed him until the end (nice) will see him crowned the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul being made last week.

Seth Rollins talks about Logan Paul knocking him down last week but not being able to keep him down. Miz comes in to call Rollins jealous of Paul, who will be hosting Impaulsive next week. Baron Corbin comes up to ask about being the guest host of Wrestlemania but gets laughed off. Instead, Corbin offers Rollins boxing lessons for Wrestlemania but has to settle with facing Rollins tonight.

Bronson Reed vs. Elias

Rick Boogs is here with Elias and taking notes. Reed runs him over to start and hits a rolling splash, setting up a nerve hold. With that not working, Reed hits a clothesline and drops the Tsunami for the pin at 2:06. Total destruction.

Chad Gable is still looking for Otis (he has fliers) but nearly gets knocked down by Lita and Becky Lynch, who go to check on Trish Stratus.

Kevin Owens needs help but he doesn’t want to fight alongside Sami Zayn. He also appreciates Cody Rhodes’ help but wants to do everything alone tonight. Rhodes needs to be focused on Roman Reigns, so tonight he wants to face Solo Sikoa on his own.

We recap John Cena ripping Austin Theory apart last week.

Earlier today, Theory ran into the Street Profits, who laughed at him for last week. Theory thinks they’ll be fired soon before bragging about how big of a Wrestlemania match he has. He asks about which of the Profits has a backbone and Angelo Dawkins seems ready to fight. Instead, Theory laughs about the two of them having nothing to do at Wrestlemania and walks away.

Austin Theory vs. Angelo Dawkins

Non-title. Dawkins wrestles him down to start and hits a good dropkick for two. Back up and Theory fires off the shoulders in the corner before grabbing the chinlock. Dawkins is sent outside and we take a break. We come back with Dawkins hitting a suplex, followed by the jumping back elbow. Theory scores with a dropkick though and A Town Down finishes Dawkins at 9:33.

Rating: C. It wasn’t much, but Theory absolutely needed this win to boost him back up after last week’s massacre by Cena. Theory is only now getting back to where he feels like a legitimate star and the Cena stuff from last week tore a lot of that down. Hopefully they can do something with him in the coming weeks, or Wrestlemania could be ugly.

An annoyed Paul Heyman is ready to get rid of Kevin Owens tonight and at Wrestlemania Cody Rhodes is next. Cody went too far by mocking Roman Reigns so next week, he can do it in person when Reigns is on Raw. Next week, Cody can decide if he is a problem or a challenge.

Rey Mysterio Hall of Fame video.

Here is Rey Mysterio for a chat. Rey is so glad to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after all these years. He is looking forward to being with the fans…and here is Dominik Mysterio to interrupt. Dominik complains about how his dad neglected him over the years, like with going to Wrestlemania instead of taking him out for getting good grades. And when Rey got him a BMW instead of a Mercedes, it wasn’t even an M series!

Dominik calls him an excuse for a man and a father. Don’t worry though, as Dominik will let Rey have his Hall of Fame induction, but he wants a match with Rey at Wrestlemania. Rey says no because he still loves his son and walks away. Dominik yells at him about walking away before saying the only thing Rey taught him was what not to be. They’re taking their time setting this up, but you can see Rey getting closer and closer to saying yes every week. The match itself is going to be tricky, but this was another layer on an already deep build.

Trish Stratus, Lita and Becky Lynch are sick of Damage CTRL and the only thing they managed to do was anger Stratus.

This week’s Wrestlemania trailer: Rhea Ripley is Eleven from Stranger Things. She uses her mind powers to crush a can, turns over a table…and that’s it. This was the weakest one they’ve ever done.

Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin

Miz is on commentary. Corbin jumps Rollins before the bell but of course Rollins wants to go anyway. Rollins fights up and kicks Corbin to the floor, setting up the suicide dive onto the announcers’ table. There’s the knee to the face and Corbin is knocked into Miz for a bonus. Rollins cuts off an interfering Miz by kicking him into the ring. Miz is used as a launch pad to Stomp Corbin for the pin at 2:19. Quick and to the point here, as it should be with Corbin.

Mustafa Ali, now in a hat and sunglasses, hasn’t seen Otis either. Chad Gable finds Otis posing with the Maximum Male Models. Gable gets in on the photos and breaks the camera. Otis blows off training for more photos. Otis doing comedy is the best thing for him, but I could see this joke getting old fast.

Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title and Carmella is here with Green. Belair scares her into the corner to start and backflips over her out of the corner. There’s the standing moonsault for two on Green but a Carmella distraction lets Green sweep the legs. We take a break and come back with Green getting kicked off the ropes, only to walk into a side slam. Belair kicks Carmella off the apron but gets hit in the face to give Green two. I’m Prettier is blocked though and the KOD gives Belair the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. The build to Belair vs. Asuka has been weird as Belair has run over the pretty weak opponents she has been facing on her way to Wrestlemania. At the same time, Asuka hasn’t done much other than run in on people after they have been beaten up by Belair. That doesn’t give me much of a reason to want to see Belair vs. Asuka, but it should wind up being good.

Post match Green and Carmella beat Belair down until Asuka makes the save. Asuka picks up the title and doesn’t immediately hand it back. Instead she dances a lot and drops it, with Belair not being happy.

Solo Sikoa vs. Kevin Owens

Street fight.  The brawl starts outside with Owens getting the better of things. Owens fights up but the Cannonball doesn’t quite Sikoa loads up a chair on the floor and we take a break. Back with Owens throwing in a bunch of chairs and setting them up. That takes too long too though and the splash only hits a raised foot.

Owens gets slammed onto the chairs for two and Sikoa is stunned. Owens fights up and they go outside, where the Cannonball crushes Sikoa against the barricade. They fight into the back and…the Usos jump Owens as soon as they walk through the entrance. The beatdown takes Owens back to the ring, where the Samoan Spike gives Sikoa the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. This was the “shoe is on the other foot” moment for Owens, as he needs his own help dealing with the Bloodline. I don’t know if this is enough to get him to saying yes to Sami Zayn but something is going to have to break him. Again they’re taking their time to get there, but the reaction for the reunion is going to be worth it.

Owens can’t breathe to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. We are absolutely in the time of “don’t do anything stupid” with Wrestlemania just a few weeks away. There was a big match added to the show this week and some steps taken to two other important ones, but other than that it was more fine tuning the Wrestlemania card than anything else. That can make for some less than interesting TV, but they are putting in the work to get us to the important stuff in Los Angeles.

Results
Judgment Day b. Dexter Lumis/Johnny Gargano – South of Heaven to Lumis
Cody Rhodes b. LA Knight – Cross Rhodes
Bronson Reed b. Elias – Tsunami
Austin Theory b. Angelo Dawkins – A Town Down
Seth Rollins b. Baron Corbin – Stomp
Bianca Belair b. Chelsea Green – KOD
Solo Sikoa b. Kevin Owens – Samoan Spike

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

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Smackdown
Date: March 10, 2023
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are just over three weeks away from Wrestlemania and the biggest development coming into this show was Jey Uso rejoining the Bloodline by taking out Sami Zayn. That seems to be the step that we have been waiting for on the way to whatever the Usos and Zayn are going to be doing at Wrestlemania so we might see something big tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jey rejoining his brother Jimmy on Smackdown in a great turn. Cody Rhodes made the save to tie it into the World Title situation.

The Usos arrive and are greeted by Paul Heyman. Jey asks where Roman Reigns is but Heyman hugs him. Jey says let Reigns know he’s here so Heyman goes to find him. When asked why he turned on Sami Zayn, Jey says he’ll make it clear tonight. Jimmy says Cody Rhodes needs to stay out of the Bloodline’s business.

Opening sequence.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. LA Knight vs. Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

The winner gets Gunther for the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania and only Scarlett is here as a second. Sheamus and McIntyre clear the ring to start and bicker at each other, only to get jumped from behind. We take a break and come back with the brawl on the floor and Kross/Knight double teaming McIntyre down. Sheamus is back up with a top rope clothesline. Knight neckbreakers Sheamus down, with Kross letting go of his half crab on McIntyre for the save.

Woods is back up and takes out Knight with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The Limit Breaker gets two with everyone else breaking it up. Cue Imperium to watch as we take a break. Back with McIntyre doing his situp in the corner to superplex Kross and McIntyre down for the big crash. McIntyre gets to clean house but Knight takes him down.

Sheamus is back up with the forearms to Kross and Knight but McIntyre breaks up the Brogue Kick. McIntyre and Sheamus have the staredown but Sheamus has to Brogue Kick Woods out of the air. The Claymore hits Knight and Sheamus and McIntyre get a double pin at 17:32.

Rating: B-. The match got some time and the ending probably sets up a triple threat, which is more interesting than Sheamus vs. Gunther again. I could go for McIntyre vs. Gunther in a singles match, but this should make for a heck of a fight. Gunther is on a record setting title reign and having him face two former World Champions at Wrestlemania sounds like a worthy challenge.

Paul Heyman, looking distracted, talks about how Roman Reigns has been champion for almost 1000 days and the two of them have managed to outsmart everyone. They have done it by getting inside everyone’s heads but now there is Cody Rhodes as a stylistic nightmare for them. Should they go after him like gangsters like they have done before? The smart thing is to go after him with the truth and weigh his mind down. He’s going to walk into Wrestlemania as a defeated man and that is why Reigns will retain.

The first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame (it took long enough): Rey Mysterio. I didn’t have that one coming but yeah that’s a headliner.

Here is Rey Mysterio to talk about his induction but Dominik Mysterio and the Judgment Day interrupts. Dominik talks about how much time Rey sacrificed with him for the sake of his career. Cue Legado del Fantasma, with Santos Escobar saying they have a match scheduled for later but let’s do it right now.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Judgment Day

Joined in progress with Balor hitting a basement dropkick on Del Toro. Priest comes in to stomp away in the corner, followed by the jumping elbow to the face. Del Toro manages a quick hurricanrana so Escobar can come in for some running knees to Balor in the corner. Legado takes turns with some running corner clotheslines but Priest runs Del Toro over. The toss suplex sets up Dominik’s slingshot hilo and we take a break with Legado in trouble.

Back with Escobar making a comeback and handing it off to Del Toro for the springboard crossbody. A standing C4 gets two on Dominik and a rope walk dropkick sends Priest outside. Everything breaks down and the double dives take out Judgment Day. Vega’s hurricanrana off the steps is pulled out of the air and Rhea Ripley throws her into Legado. Dominik takes out Rey and Priest hits a basement superkick to give Dominik the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This got going and turned into a fast paced six man tag, with judgment Day beating the team that has barely been a team for the last month or so. Escobar has mainly been a solo act but having his friends with him is not a bad thing. Good, fun match here and I can always go for a nice six man.

Post match Dominik asks to talk to Rey man to man, even asking Judgment Day to leave him alone. Dominik says the only Hall of Fame Rey belong in is the one for deadbeat dads. He should have been Eddie’s son and knocks Rey down, but Rey ducks a charge to send Dominik outside. Dominik screams at Rey to fight him but Rey still says no. Legado comes in to calm Rey down. This match is actually going to feel big when we get there.

Adam Pearce runs into Charlotte in the back and wants a match, any match, tonight. He’ll see what he can do.

Ricochet/Braun Strowman vs. Viking Raiders

Ricochet takes Erik down to start but Ivar comes in to hit him in the face. It’s off to Strowman, who LAUNCHES Ricochet over the top onto both Vikings as we take a break. Back with Ricochet getting his neck cranked and getting punched down for daring a comeback. Ivar distracts Strowman so Erik can drive him off the apron as the dominance is on.

Ricochet fights back and rolls Erik up for two, only to get caught in a good looking sitout powerbomb for two more. A springboard moonsault press drops Erik as Strowman is getting back up to the apron to take the tag. Strowman gets to clean house and Ricochet kicks Ivar down. Valhalla offers a distraction though and the 450 misses. Ivar kicks Ricochet in the face and hits a top rope splash for the pin at 10:55.

Rating: C. The ending had me a bit scared as I was wondering if Valhalla was going to do some weird supernatural stuff but thankfully they didn’t go that way. The Vikings are a team who keeps getting started and stopped and right now seems to be the former. Maybe they can put something together, as there is value in having a pair of monsters like this in any tag division.

Gunther asks Adam Pearce about the Intercontinental Title match and is told there will be potential challengers. That’s not cool with Gunther, but Pearce makes Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre next week for the title shot at Wrestlemania.

Charlotte vs. Shotzi

Non-title and Charlotte runs her over to start. Shotzi grabs a rollup for two but gets waistlocked down. Cue Rhea Ripley for a distraction but Charlotte grabs a suplex anyway. We take a break and come back with Charlotte booting her off the apron. Charlotte gets driven into the apron but is fine enough to cut off a dive attempt. A fall away slam sends Shotzi flying and the spear sets up the Figure Eight to finish Shotzi at 8:22.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a workout for Charlotte, who ran over Shotzi without much trouble, even with Ripley there for the distraction. Charlotte needs a few wins of her own to keep up with Ripley, who is on a roll at the moment. This helped make Charlotte look like a killer, which she hasn’t been in recent weeks.

Post match Ripley gets in the ring and says that she can see why she chose to face Charlotte at Wrestlemania. She can see all of those insecurities and now she is going to take Charlotte’s title. Charlotte says that she has improved every day and can outwork anyone, male or female. Ripley can rip apart anyone, except for her.

Here are the Usos for their big speech. Jimmy talks about the team being back together and Jey says let’s flip roles for a bit. If your family is in trouble, you’re going to take their side and help them out. If they need a ride to work or their power is about to be shut off, you’re going to help them.

Jimmy is his twin and his blood and of course he helped his brother out. The only person Jey blames is Sami Zayn because the reality is, Sami is selfish. All Zayn had to do was fall in line but he isn’t blood and never will be. The only problem left is Cody Rhodes….and here he is to interrupt.

Cody says if you’re going to say his name, say it straight to him. He doesn’t answer to Reigns but rather the people….and here is Sami Zayn to jump the Usos. The big brawl is on and they head into the crowd until it’s back to ringside. Sami and Cody clear the ring to end the show. That was a hot segment but I’m not sure I can imagine Cody/Sami vs. the Usos, as that feels pay per view worthy rather than TV.

Overall Rating: B-. This was another show where they were mainly building up things already set, or all but set, for Wrestlemania. The Usos’ reunion didn’t mean much but at least they were on the show and confirmed Jey’s status. Next week’s #1 contenders match should be good and we took a big step towards the battle of the Mysterios. It was another show that felt like it had a big to do list and checked off one item at a time. Good show here, as Wrestlemania is getting a proper build instead of the rush jobs that we have seemed to get in recent years.

Results
Sheamus and Drew McIntyre b. Xavier Woods, Karrion Kross and LA Knight – Double pin
Judgment Day b. Legado del Fantasma – Superkick to Del Toro
Viking Raiders b. Ricochet/Braun Strowman – Top rope splash to Ricochet
Charlotte b. Shotzi – Figure Eight

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: March 6, 2023
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than a month away from Wrestlemania and tonight is going to be one of the bigger shows, as John Cena is back. There is a good chance that we get his Wrestlemania match set up this week, as he is running out of time. Other than that, we also get a face to face staredown between Logan Paul and Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

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

The Bloodline (Paul Heyman, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa) arrived earlier today, with Heyman reiterating Roman Reigns’ orders to deal with Sami Zayn. Now Zayn escaped on Friday, so he must be here in Boston tonight. Instead, Sikoa is going to solve the Kevin Owens problem tonight, and Jimmy will solve Zayn, whether Jey is here or not. Jimmy and Solo leave and Heyman calls Reigns.

Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa

Owens jumps him before the bell but Sikoa fights back and we officially get going. Sikoa kicks away at him a few times and a right hand gets two. Owens slugs away but gets taken down with a shot to the stomach. Some standing clotheslines put Sikoa down and there’s the backsplash for a bonus. The Cannonball is loaded up but Sikoa bails to the floor, allowing Owens to take him down with a dive.

Cue Jimmy Uso for the save and Sikoa slams Owens off the top. It’s too early for the running Umaga attack so Sikoa hits it against the barricade as we take a break. Back with Sikoa hitting a Samoan drop as Jimmy is looking all over the building, presumably for Jey. Sikoa goes shoulder first into the post and Jimmy’s distraction fails, allowing Owens to hit the Cannonball. The Swanton connects on Sikoa but Jimmy comes in for the DQ at 11:20.

Rating: C. This was ok, with even commentary saying it wasn’t about the win or loss but rather the Bloodline hurting Owens. That does make sense in this case, as the Bloodline has long since been all about taking care of Owens’ enemies. The Zayn reunion is still coming for Owens, and this is the reason why he would need him. It’s another step in a long path, but the payoff is going to be huge.

Post match the beatdown is on with the splash through the announcers’ table loaded up. Cue Sami Zayn for the save and he chases the villains off with a chair. Sami leans down to help Owens up but Owens rolls away and leaves on his own. The long form teases continue.

Bobby Lashley wants Bray Wyatt to face him like a man.

Carmella is sick of Adam Pearce and Chelsea Green comes up to applaud her. They want the Wrestlemania match changed and are going to go to Pearce’s manager after tonight. They’re rather pleased and then throw Byron Saxton out for eavesdropping.

Bianca Belair vs. Carmella

Non-title and Chelsea Green is here with Carmella. A few early shots have Belair in trouble but she sends Carmella into the corner and pops back up. Carmella knocks her off the corner though and we take a break. Back with Belair fighting back but Green distracts the referee to avoid the count. Carmella hits a quick superkick for two and isn’t happy with the kickout. Belair rains down right hands in the corner but Green offers another distraction. This time Green is sent over the barricade and the KOD finishes for Belair at 8:35.

Rating: C-. These two feel like they have fought a few dozen times and I don’t remember any significantly different result. WWE tries to make Carmella feel like a big deal but just being a former multiple time champion doesn’t mean you feel like a threat to Belair here. This was little more than a workout for Belair, which is what she needs on her way to Asuka.

Post match the beatdown is on again and Asuka makes the save.

Sami Zayn comes up to Kevin Owens and says tonight was proof that the Bloodline is too big for any one person. They need to go after them together but Owens remembers Zayn joining the team right here in this very arena. Sure they could fight them together, but Owens doesn’t want to. Zayn should just rejoin Roman Reigns and get the acceptance he wants. Just leave Owens out of it.

Video on Rhea Ripley.

Here is the Miz to moderate a meeting between Seth Rollins and Logan Paul. The fans sing Rollins’ song for so long that Paul tells them to shut up before the segment runs out of time. Rollins sucks up to Boston and mocks the idea of Paul gracing us with his presence. Paul talks about how he is just better than Rollins at his job and he has done more in a year and a half than Rollins has done in twenty. If Paul was Rollins, he wouldn’t like him either.

Rollins calls Paul the scum of the earth and a troll, plus a fraud. Rollins and the fans don’t want him in their house but Boston is here to see Rollins get his pound of flesh. The fight is teased but Miz says not so fast. Miz isn’t going to let any violence go down tonight, but Paul says don’t put words in his mouth. Paul isn’t going to fight here in Boston, but he might if the stage is bigger.

Miz brings up that he is the host of Wrestlemania and can make the match happen, which has Rollins very interested. He even throws Miz out so he can get there faster. Paul jumps Rollins from behind but misses the Stomp, only to drop him with one heck of a right hand. Paul says that when Rollins wakes up, he can tell him about Wrestlemania. Imagine that: Paul is an outstanding heel when he is given the chance to be one. This was more great stuff from Paul, who is getting to be his natural self for a change.

We recap Brock Lesnar agreeing to face Omos at Wrestlemania.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Omos

This is thanks to Mustafa Ali getting the match made. Ziggler gets in a shot but charges into a big boot. The chokebomb finishes Ziggler at 52 seconds.

The Maximum Male Models are amazed by someone. Baron Corbin comes up to say thank you, but they mean Otis. Corbin: “What does he have that I don’t have?” Mansoor: “Hair.” Maxxine Dupri tells Corbin to beat Chad Gable and maybe she’ll take him on as a client.

Paul Heyman tells Jimmy Uso to deal with Sami Zayn, but he better make sure Jey Uso is on Smackdown.

Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano

The rest of the Judgment Day and Dexter Lumis are here. Balor works on an armbar to start but Gargano sends him outside. The suicide dive drops Balor and we take an early break. Back with Gargano fighting back and hitting the slingshot spear, only to get suplexed down. Balor reminds Gargano of his name and hammers away, only to get sunset flipped for two.

Gargano goes after the rest of Judgment Day, allowing Balor to hit a double stomp to the chest. The shotgun dropkick connects….and here is Edge through the crowd (as telegraphed by Damien Priest going up the aisle), allowing Edge to shove Balor off the top. One Final beat finishes Balor at 9:34.

Rating: C+. These two have had some awesome matches before but that was then and this isn’t NXT. For now, Gargano needed a win to give him somewhere to go and Edge costing Balor another win pushes them even closer to Wrestlemania. Nice TV match, but it does kind of show you how long has passed since the heyday of NXT.

Post match Lumis and Edge take out Judgment Day.

We recap Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns’ showdown on Smackdown. Reigns asking “have you ever won that one” got me.

King and Queen of the Ring are back in Saudi Arabia on May 27. That’s the day before AEW Double Or Nothing.

Edge says he’ll be in the ring alone next week. If Finn Balor has the guts, come finish this.

Nikki Cross vs. Piper Niven

It’s a big brawl before the bell but Niven says ring the bell. Cross hits a crossbody to send Niven outside but can’t grab a swinging neckbreaker back inside. Instead, Niven grabs the Loch Ness Slam for the pin at 52 seconds.

Rick Boogs is trying to lift a semi truck when Elias comes in. Elias is trying to help him by getting Boogs to fight, so Boogs goes up to Bronson Reed. Unfortunately we get a miscommunication and it’s Elias vs. Reed next week. That’s not what Elias meant! Of note: Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens could be seen talking in the background.

Here is John Cena (looking to have dropped A LOT of muscle) but before he can say anything, Austin Theory interrupts. Theory says Cena inspired him to get into wrestling so he has a gift for him (after the CENA chants die off that is): the two of them, one on one for the US Title at Wrestlemania. Cena: “No.” Cena says that Theory doesn’t have the authority to give a gift like that. Theory is a nothing guy with a generic look and no heart.

Cena points out a sign saying Theory is a Cena wannabe and says Theory is in the Ruthless Aggression Era. That time almost got Cena fired and now the people don’t see anything in Theory. Cena: “You’re a pair of trunks away from being a jabroni.” Cena says that Theory has the best name in WWE history. Not Steve Austin, the Rock, or the Undertaker, because there is no name better than Austin Theory. That’s exactly what he is: a theory.

In theory, he should be great and everything that a WWE executive look for. But he’s just a guy with no heart. Therefore, Cena and the people of Boston are giving him a gift: the chance to leave in one piece. Theory says he isn’t going anywhere, just like Cena’s bald spot. Theory talks about Cena’s NEVER GIVE UP shirt but saying no sounds like giving up to him.

The hat says RESPECT, but where is the respect for the people? Cena has a chance to face the greatest US Champion ever and he’s giving up? Where is the hustle, loyalty and respect? Cena: “I would much rather be bald than have them pipe in fake crowd noise for my matches because nobody cares.”

Cena didn’t say no because he gave up, but rather to save an unready Theory. If they fight at Wrestlemania and Theory loses, he loses everything. Then he’ll have to go out the next night on Raw and explain what happened. Therefore, Cena now has to ask the fans what they want. The fans are into it and approve, so Cena is in. Cena goes to leave but says Theory isn’t ready for Wrestlemania. Here’s someone who is though: Cody Rhodes, who gets the hug from Cena for the endorsement.

This was another very heavy verbal beating from Cena, as Theory needs to win something, but I’m not sure if it did much good for him, even if Cena wins. Cena beat him down so heavily and now Theory is going to have to do something big against Cena and then follow it up even better to make things better.

Sami Zayn can’t get through to Kevin Owens but he isn’t leaving without getting rid of Roman Reigns. Tonight, that means taking out Jimmy Uso.

Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable

The fans want Otis as Corbin puts on an over the shoulder backbreaker. Gable is right back up with some rolling German suplexes and the ankle lock finishes Corbin off at 2:02. That worked, as it’s amazing how much easier it is to deal with the Alpha Academy when they don’t do their catchphrase over and over.

We look back at Becky Lynch and Lita winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles last week.

New Wrestlemania trailer: Miz and Maryse in Top Gun. These trailers feel like they came up with an idea but then didn’t bother making them funny/entertaining/good.

Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins is set for Wrestlemania.

Here are Becky Lynch and Lita to celebrate being the new Women’s Tag Team Champions. Lita wanted one more chance and took what she had, but there is one more person to thank. Cue Trish Stratus, who is glad she could help, but here is Damage Ctrl to interrupt. Bayley is sick of hearing from Trish, who threatens to go from retired to unretired. The challenge for a six woman tag is thrown out and accepted rather quickly. That felt rather fast as I’m wondering if the show is running long.

Sami Zayn vs. Jimmy Uso

Solo Sikoa is here too. Sami goes right after him to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Sami in trouble but he gets in a DDT for a breather. Zayn’s high crossbody gets two but he gets sent outside. Hold on as Sikoa almost goes after him, which is enough for an ejection. Back in and the Blue Thunder Bomb gives Zayn two as we take a second break just over six minutes into the match. We come back with both of them down and Jey Uso comes through the crowd. The distraction lets Zayn grab a rollup at 10:37.

Rating: C-. That was dangerously close to not having enough shown for a rating, which is hard to do in a ten minute match. This was of course all about the Jey appearance and setting up the big decision on Friday, which is going to be the latest step in the Bloodline Saga. It’s nice to see Zayn getting a win though, as you don’t want to have him get beaten into a pulp over and over again before the big Wrestlemania moment.

Post match Zayn goes to the floor and Jey gets in the ring to confront Jimmy. They stare at each other for a good while and Jey grabs him by the shoulders. Jey leaves, stares at Zayn, and hugs him (Zayn is SHOCKED), leaving Jimmy looking crushed. The posing is on, but then Jey superkicks Zayn and throws him inside (with Jimmy’s face turning into an evil smile). The big beatdown ensues, with Solo Sikoa coming out to make it worse. Cody Rhodes runs in for the save to end the show. That was great, as they FINALLY did something definitive and pulled the trigger on Jey, which had to be done.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that was heavy on the emotion and moving the chains for Wrestlemania, which is what you need to do with less than four months to go. We had three new matches set up for the show, plus the big moment at the end. What matters is getting those things done by the time they get to Los Angeles and this show did a lot of the heavy lifting. It wasn’t so much that these matches were surprises (the six woman tag might be) but rather things that needed to be done. WWE did that tonight, and Wrestlemania feels bigger as a result. It was an efficient show, and that’s what WWE needed.

Results
Kevin Owens b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when Jimmy Uso interfered
Bianca Belair b. Carmella – KOD
Omos b. Dolph Ziggler – Chokebomb
Johnny Gargano b. Finn Balor – One Final Beat
Piper Niven b. Nikki Cross – Loch Ness Slam
Chad Gable b. Baron Corbin – Ankle lock
Sami Zayn b. Jimmy Uso – Rollup

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: February 13, 2023
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

It is the go home show for the Elimination Chamber and that means we need to finalize everything for the red half of the event. We should be in for some hard pushes, including the contract signing between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar. There is also the Lita return last week to deal with so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Becky Lynch, with Adam Pearce, for a chat. Becky is happy to be here and says she even dressed spiffy for us. She thanks Lita for her help last week but realizes that she needs a path to Wrestlemania. That sounds like something to do with a title to her, so she wants in the Elimination Chamber.

Cue Bayley, who says she should be in the Chamber, because Lita CHEATED last week. That match should be stricken from the record book, which sends Bayley and Becky into an argument over Wrestlemania credentials. Bayley says Becky lost in her Wrestlemania main event (Huh?) and brags about defending both Women’s Titles there instead.

With that bizarre bit out of the way, cue Bianca Belair to say all this talk about the title should involve the champ. She wants both of them in the Chamber, so Pearce has an idea: a triple threat between the three of them tonight. If Bayley or Becky win, both of them are in and the Chamber, with seven women, starts in a triple threat. If Belair wins, the two of them are both out of the Chamber. I’m thinking that was either worded badly or I misheard it, because that’s some insane booking otherwise. I’m assuming if Becky or Bayley wins, the winner and only the winner goes in?

Judgment Day is ready for their upcoming week, including tonight and at Elimination Chamber.

Judgment Day vs. Street Profits

Priest hits Ford in the face to start and it’s Balor slingshotting in with a stomp for two. A kick to the head rocks Balor though and it’s Dawkins coming in for a double flapjack to Priest. The house is cleaned and we take a break, maybe three minutes after coming back from the previous one.

Back with Dawkins coming in to clean house but missing the spinning splash in the corner. Not that it matters as Ford tags himself in and catches Balor with a German suplex for two. The Doomsday Blockbuster gets two more and Ford hits the big flip dive onto Priest. Dominik gets brought in and Pounced by Dawkins, allowing Balor to hit the Sling Blade. The shotgun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace to give Balor the pin at 7:35.

Rating: C+. The energy was high but my goodness I could go with them not having the breaks in the middle of the match. What does it even help? You have a somewhat hot match here but instead of letting the fans see it, we get about two half of it due to a pair of breaks. There has to be a better way to format this show and it would be nice if they could make the change.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Edge and Beth Phoenix run in for the save. Beth loads up the Glam Slam on Dominik but Rhea Ripley (not supposed to be here) runs in and lays Beth out with the Riptide.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley for a contract signing. Since Lesnar signed last week, Adam Pearce needs Lashley out here, so here is….a bunch of security. Lashley sets up his own table at the stage and says he isn’t sure about this. He has had everyone from his agent to his kids sign and he doesn’t know if he’s going to do it. Lashley calls him Basic B**** Brock so Lesnar goes up the aisle. Security is dispatched and Lashley backdrops (yes backdrops) him on the floor. There’s the spear to cut Lesnar down and Lashley signs. That was a bit uneventful.

Mia Yim vs. Piper Niven

This is fallout from Niven threatening Yim’s friend Candice LeRae last week. Niven runs her over to start and falls on top of Yim in a slam attempt. Yim grabs a fairly scary looking DDT but charges into something like a Rock Bottom out of the corner. The backsplash gives Niven two but Yim slips out of the over the shoulder piledriver. Instead, Niven grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam (the Loch Ness Slam) for the pin at 2:41.

Long recap of the Jey Uso Saga from Smackdown.

Baron Corbin is asked about his fallout with JBL last week….but we need to cut back to the arena because Sami Zayn is in the ring. He isn’t here to hold up the show but he has something to say to someone and he might not get the chance after this week. Zayn wants Cody Rhodes out here right now and his request is quickly granted. Rhodes asks what Zayn wants to talk about, so Zayn brings up Cody saying he thinks it’s going to be himself vs. Zayn at Wrestlemania.

Zayn wants to hear it from his face and yes, Cody did mean what he said. Fans: “THIS IS AWESOME!” Cody says that with all due respect, that’s not what this is all about. Does Zayn believe that he can beat Reigns? Fans: “OLE!” Zayn says that the truth is he doesn’t know. Reigns is telling the truth when he talks about being on another level. Now after 900 days, does he know if he can take out Reigns?

Yes he believes he can do it but he doesn’t know if he can. Fans: “YOU CAN DO IT!” Cody doesn’t know how to take that but says there is distention in the Bloodline for the first time ever and that is because of Zayn. Everything going on right now is because of him and Reigns is just a man. Go crack him open and take him out, because Rhodes is going to be waiting on him at Wrestlemania.

Michael Cole said Cody can finish hist story, but now it is time for Zayn to finish his. Rhodes goes to leave, but says one more thing: he doesn’t want to see Zayn on Raw next week, because he wants to see him at Wrestlemania. This was more greatness and while I don’t buy Zayn having a real chance to win, they’re pushing the heck out of this and it’s starting to feel bigger and bigger every week.

Nikki Cross and Carmella are ready for a six woman tag, with Asuka coming in, complete with clown look, to scare Carmella off. Candice LeRae comes in to see Cross, asking why she has been following her. Cross laughs.

Baron Corbin is sick of being disrespected and at Elimination Chamber, Roman Reigns beats Sami Zayn. Corbin was the last person to beat Reigns, and then Reigns is going to run through Rhodes at Wrestlemania. He doesn’t get Rhodes, who happens to be behind him. Corbin mocks Rhodes’ brother and dad, which is enough to start the brawl. They fight into the arena with Cody, in a suit, saying get a referee.

Cody Rhodes vs. Baron Corbin

They start on the floor with Corbin being sent into the barricade and then the post. They fight onto the announcers’ table before Corbin is sent into the steps. Cody sends him inside for the first time and hits the Cody Cutter, setting up Cross Rhodes for the pin at 2:03. This made Cody look like a killer and it went very well.

Natalya, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez don’t like the Raw women in the Elimination Chamber. They’re not sure about each other either.

Asuka/Carmella/Nikki Cross vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Natalya/Liv Morgan

Rodriguez fall away slams Cross to start so Carmella comes in, earning a Sharpshooter from Natalya. Everything breaks down and the Smackdown women clear the ring as we take a break. Back with Natalya fighting out of a bodyscissors and bringing Morgan in to kick away at Cross. Everything breaks down and it’s an exchange of kicks to the head. Asuka ties up Morgan’s arms for the tap at 7:13.

Rating: C-. They blazed through this (again, with a mid-match commercial) and it was little more than a way to remind you that the match was taking place on Saturday. There are not many potential winners for the Chamber match so boosting Asuka, one of the potential winners, is a good idea. Nothing to see here for the most part, but at least they didn’t do anything ridiculous.

Otis is having a hot dog but Chad Gable doesn’t approve. Gable throws it away and hits the Maximum Male Models, with Maxxine Durpri thinking Otis could be the face of their brand. She gives him a card, with Gable critiquing the design. Bronson Reed comes up and scares them.

Bronson Reed vs. Mustafa Ali

Reed starts fast and knocks Ali outside. A shot off the apron takes Ali down again but he gets back inside for a running kick to the face. They go outside again and Ali is LAUNCHED over the barricade and into a pile of chairs. Ali’s hurricanrana doesn’t get him very far as Reed runs him over. The Tsunami finishes Ali at 3:09.

Rating: C. There is something so fun about watching someone the size of Reed crush someone, as that Tsunami looks absolutely effortless every time. That is what we got to see again here and it absolutely still works. At the same time, it is becoming more and more clear that Ali is never going to be anything more than this around here, but he does seem to still be putting in the effort. That’s more than some will do so good for him.

Here is Miz for MizTV. Miz isn’t happy about not being in the Elimination Chamber but he’d rather talk about his guest. That would be Seth Rollins, who may be a mastermind, but is his mind in the Chamber or on Logan Paul? First though, Miz looks at Rollins’ huge red boots and asks WHAT ARE THOSE!

Rollins says it’s style so Miz moves on to Logan Paul. That’s not what the people want to talk about so we pause for the fans to sing Rollins’ music. If Miz wanted to hear singing, he would listen to Taylor Swift (Miz: “You’re all jealous because I got tickets and you didn’t!”). Rollins talks about having a dream but Paul doesn’t buy into it. All Paul wants is to be a star and that makes Rollins want to kick his teeth in. Miz: “It sounds like you’re jealous.” Rollins: “Come on Mike. We all know you’re stupid but you’re not THAT stupid.” Miz: “I AM NOT STUPID!”

Miz goes on about their accomplishments and gets hit in the face. Rollins hits him in the face with a chair as well but here is Austin Theory to pull Rollins to the floor. The distraction lets Miz kick Rollins in the face but Rollins takes him down. Theory is back up with A Town Down to drop Rollins.

Elias comes up to see Rick Boogs and compares their backgrounds. If Boogs can impress him tonight, maybe there is a collaboration in the future. Boogs: “RIGHTEOUS!” He’s ready to beat up Miz tonight and Elias approves. Sidenote: MVP was seen talking to Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in the background.

Miz vs. Rick Boogs

Miz is barely able to get to his feet and says the match isn’t happening. Boogs disagrees and jumps him, setting up a pumphandle slam with fifteen curls. The gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam finishes Miz at 1:01.

Chelsea Green comes in to see Adam Pearce and brings up the emails she has sent management. Pearce says he got them and responded to them, but Green wants to be treated like a star. She wants to be in the triple threat match tonight and won’t leave until she’s in. Green feels VERY threatened so Pearce leaves.

Judgment Day promises to win both of their matches at Elimination Chamber. Then Rhea Ripley can go on to win the Smackdown Women’s Title at Wrestlemania. Ripley knows she is going to win and that rise to the top starts at Elimination Chamber.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Video on the Elimination Chamber.

Bianca Belair vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

Non-title and if Bayley (with Damage Ctrl) or Lynch win, they are in the Elimination Chamber. If Belair wins though, neither goes in. Joined in progress with Belair cleaning house but Bayley fights up to take over. Becky dives back in with a save with Belair having to make her own as well. A double DDT plants Belair and Bayley as we take a break.

Back with Belair dropping Bayley onto the turnbuckle for two but Becky sends Belair into the corner as well. Bayley comes back in and takes Becky down for two each, followed by a top rope elbow for two more on Becky (ignore Belair laying on Becky as Bayley went up, which should have been a pin).

The Manhandle Slam hits Bayley but Damage Ctrl makes the save to pull Becky outside. Another distraction lets Bayley can roll Belair up for two. Cue the people in the Elimination Chamber to brawl with Damage Ctrl, leaving Belair to throw Sky onto the pile. Back up and Belair KOD’s Becky onto Bayley (with Becky rolling off for no logical reason), allowing Belair to get the pin at 15:00.

Rating: D+. I don’t even know where to start with this mess. First and foremost, absolutely nothing has changed as a result. Becky and Bayley weren’t in the Chamber coming in and they’re not in it with Raw over. They were both playing with the house’s money and it changed nothing. Then you had all of the (expected) interference, plus the multiple occasions where there should have been pinfall attempts but the referee either didn’t count or one of them rolled away from a legal cover. Bad wrestling, weird stipulations and pieces that were just a mess make what could have been big into a pretty awful main event.

We run down the Elimination Chamber card again to fill out the rest of the show’s time.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show and a lot of that is due to the Elimination Chamber matches. Neither feels remotely important, as you have Asuka, Rodriguez and….are any of the other four realistic winners? Carmella and Natalya aren’t winning and Cross/Morgan are long shots at best. On the other hand you have the US Title match, which has little heat and feels all over the place. Ford and Priest were in a tag match (granted against each other), Rollins is fighting with Miz and talking about Logan Paul and Gargano wasn’t even on the show.

Now on the other hand, there was some good stuff on here. The Cody/Zayn segment was outstanding and Cody looked awesome against Corbin. You also had Reed feeling like a monster, Niven and Boogs being boosted up and Lashley managing to get one over on Lesnar. There was good stuff on the show, but the bad stuff was bringing it right back down. The good news is that Elimination Chamber is over in six days and we can move on to the stuff that really matters. For now, this was another show that would have been great at two hours but was only pretty good at three.

Results
Judgment Day b. Street Profits – Coup de Grace to Dawkins
Piper Niven b. Mia Yim – Loch Ness Slam
Cody Rhodes b. Baron Corbin – Cross Rhodes
Asuka/Carmella/Nikki Cross b. Raquel Rodriguez/Natalya/Liv Morgan – Armbar to Morgan
Bronson Reed b. Mustafa Ali – Tsunami
Rick Boogs b. The Miz – Gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam
Bianca Belair b. Becky Lynch and Bayley – Belair KOD’s Lynch onto Bayley

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: February 6, 2023
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than two weeks away from Elimination Chamber and that means it is time to start getting more qualifying matches out of the way. In addition to that though, we have a cage match between Bayley and Becky Lynch which should be a heck of a showdown. That should be enough but Cody Rhodes will be somewhere as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Edge and Beth Phoenix for a chat, but first we see a clip of Edge quitting at Extreme Rules to save Beth from a Conchairto, which happened anyway. Then they returned at Elimination Chamber, where they took out Judgment Day again. In the arena, Edge talks about how he wanted Judgment Day to be about finding new talent. We hear about the members of the team but then everything fell apart. The team attacked Edge so here is their golf clap. Fans: “YOU STILL GOT IT!” Edge: “I never lost it!”

Beth wants to get the fight on but here is Judgment Day, minus Rhea Ripley, to interrupt. Dominik threatens prison violence, just like he used on Rey Mysterio, and Damian Priest talks about qualifying for the Money….er, Elimination Chamber, to get his US Title back. Edge doesn’t want to hear this and suggests that Dominik isn’t that tough. Beth wants to get her hands on Rhea, so the mixed tag challenge is thrown out for Elimination Chamber. Game on, and so is the fight, with the Street Profits running in. The Glam Slam drops Dominik.

Elimination Chamber: Angelo Dawkins vs. Damian Priest

Everyone is gone from ringside and we’re joined in progress. They head outside with Priest being thrown over the announcers’ table. Back in and Priest hits the toss suplex for two but Dawkins fires off the right hands. Priest slams him on the floor again and we take a break. Back with Dawkins hitting an exploder suplex for two and going up top.

Priest pulls him down into a Downward Spiral for two but the Silencer drops Priest again. A top rope Swanton gives Dawkins two but Priest is back up to kick Dawkins in the head. South Of Heaven is plants Dawkins down rather hard and sends Priest on to the Chamber title shot at 11:00.

Rating: C+. This was a match where there wasn’t much doubt but Dawkins was putting in the efforts to make the most of it. The Profits are already starting to get their singles pushes and they are slowly getting better in both areas. Dawkins getting a singles run of his own would have been a bit much over a former champion, but he certainly did better than I would have expected.

Adam Pearce welcomes the Maximum Male Models to Raw but gets interrupted by Chelsea Green. She isn’t happy with the BELGIAN chocolates she got last week when she wanted Swiss. Therefore, Pearce either needs to get it right or she’ll get him fired with one phone call. Green: “K thanks bye.”

We look at Sami Zayn jumping Roman Reigns on Smackdown but getting beaten down again. Their match at Elimination Chamber is set.

Baron Corbin vs. Dexter Lumis

Johnny Gargano is here with Lumis and JBL is here with Corbin, who takes Lumis down with a chinlock to start. Some elbows to the back of the head set up another chinlock. Lumis fights up with a belly to back suplex but he can’t Silence Corbin. A missed charge lets Lumis hit the Silence for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: C-. Yeah this still didn’t work and I’m not particularly surprised. Corbin has lost all kinds of steam and Lumis is much better before and after the bell than in between them. The match was rather dull and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Corbin taking a bigger backseat in the future, as this stuff with JBL just isn’t working.

We look back at Becky Lynch being attacked in the cage two weeks ago, then attacking Damage Ctrl to even things up a bit.

Lynch is ready to face Bayley inside the cage here in Orlando, where it all began. Bayley made this personal when she brought in Becky’s family so tonight, it is time to play her last card.

We look at the Braveheart trailer from Wrestlemania XXI.

Here is Brock Lesnar (high fiving fans, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do before) for a chat. Lesnar is glad to be here and asks if anyone saw the Royal Rumble. He didn’t like it because Bobby Lashley tossed him out. Lesnar wasn’t here last week because he had to get his mind right. Last week he couldn’t go hunting or ice fishing but all he could think about was Bobby Lashley. To make it even worse, Lashley ruined his steak dinner and his, ahem, time with his wife. Well, maybe after four or five hours after his time with his wife started that is.

Lesnar pulls out a contract for a match with Lashley at Elimination Chamber so he wants Lashley out here for a signing. Cue Lashley to recap their feud and he thinks they need to do a third match on his terms. His team is going to look at the contract and thinks Lesnar should understand. F5ing ensues. You knew the match was happening either at Elimination Chamber or at Wrestlemania so this opens some doors for Wrestlemania.

Dexter Lumis has drawn a picture of the Gargano Family, including Nikki Cross looking on. Cross is behind them and runs off.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Carmella vs. Candice LeRae vs. Mia Yim vs. Piper Niven

One fall to a finish and Carmella bails to the floor to start. Back in and Niven uses the power to take over, including crushing all three at once for some near falls. Niven throws Carmella outside and poses as we take a break. We come back with Yim and LeRae double teaming Niven down.

Niven is back up with a headbutt to Yim but LeRae hits a missile dropkick into a middle rope moonsault for two. Carmella comes back in and stomps away on LeRae in the corner, setting up a Cannonball From Niven. Carmella kicks Niven to the floor and rolls LeRae up for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C. So LeRae needs the win, whatever Yim is being called this week needs a win, Niven is back as the force who needs a win, but the right answer is Carmella, who is the same thing she was before she left for months. Carmella is going to be cannon fodder in the Chamber, which is the case for more than one person in there. Maybe they should get someone a little more interesting, but why do that when you can have Carmella?

JBL quits on Baron Corbin for being such a screwup. Corbin promises he can do better but JBL walks away anyway. Well points for pulling the plug on a bad idea, but odds are we are going to be seeing more Corbin because of course we are. Sidenote: MVP can be seen talking to Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander in the back.

Piper Niven goes after Candice LeRae in the back but Mia Yim makes the save.

Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin vs. Alpha Academy

MVP is here with Cedric and Shelton. Cedric and Gable go to a wrestle off to start with Gable taking him down without much trouble. Otis and Shelton come in with Otis sending him hard into the corner. Shelton gets away and brings in Cedric to clean house in a hurry. The Neuralizer sends Gable outside, where he catches a charging Cedric in an exploder suplex. Back in and Gable hits a top rope headbutt for two as everything breaks down. Gable misses a moonsault though and it’s a Lumbar Check for the pin at 4:54.

Rating: C+. Sure why not. The Hurt Business worked well in its day and it’s not like Benjamin and Alexander have anything else going on. Put them back together and let them see if the magic is still there. I’ll take it over some lame comedy team and MVP can make almost anything work.

We look back at the returning Rick Boogs beating Miz in an impromptu match last week.

Miz swears revenge on Boogs, who comes out of Adam Pearce’s office. Pearce pokes his head out to hear Miz run his mouth, setting up a rematch for next week. With that gone, Chelsea Green pops in and demands an opponent right now or she’ll call Pearce’s manager.

Chelsea Green vs. Asuka

The rest of the women in the Elimination Chamber are here as Green jumps Asuka to start. The lifting Downward Spiral plants Asuka but Green stops to yell at everyone else on the floor. The distraction lets Asuka come back with a bunch of strikes, setting up a double arm crank for the tap at 2:23.

Post match we get the big staredown but here is Bianca Belair to ask who is going to win the Chamber. She knows what it means and wishes them all luck, because she’ll be waiting at Wrestlemania.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes talks about how we are on the Road To Wrestlemania, but first of all, we have a special night for Sami Zayn in his hometown. Cody wishes him luck, but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman is here on behalf of Roman Reigns to congratulate Cody on winning the men’s Royal Rumble. We get a polite handshake and Cody calls him Mr. Heyman before wanting to pull the curtain back.

Cody wants to talk about a moment in 2000, when Dusty Rhodes got a call to work for ECW. Heyman wanted Dusty in ECW to face Steve Corino with promised of great pay, which he received. That run gave Dusty his confidence back and Cody thanks him. Then when Cody was here before, Heyman showed Cody the way so thank you again. Heyman is a bit emotional and talks about how far of a road this has been for Cody. Now though, Cody is trying to take away from Roman Reigns, which makes Heyman wonder how Cody will handle the pressure.

Right down the road from here is the WWE Performance Center, where Dusty Rhodes trained and prepared the top stars of this generation, including Reigns himself. What Cody didn’t do is prep Cody. As a father, Heyman might have wanted Cody to make it on his own (Cody seems to be fine with that) and make it as Cody Rhodes, not Dusty’s son.

Heyman talks about how much he loved Dusty, and in their last conversation, Dusty said Cody was his favorite son…..but Roman Reigns was the son he always wanted. Cody gets in Heyman’s face and says he was just trying to win a title. Now Reigns is going to pay for Heyman making it personal when Cody takes the titles….personally.

Oh yeah this was awesome and they managed to make me more interested in seeing Cody vs. Reigns than they were before. As Cody said, he was just in this to win a title, and now he has something personal to fight about. That has been lacking in the feud, while Sami vs. Reigns has been entirely personal. I don’t know if this makes it more interesting than Sami vs. Reigns, but it cut the gap down fast.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Elias vs. Montez Ford

Austin Theory is on commentary. Elias shoulders him down to start and grabs a chinlock but Ford is right back up with a dropkick. Theory doesn’t like us talking about anything but him as Elias sends Ford outside. We take a break and come back with Elias pulling him off the top and countering a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb. Ford fights up and hits a high crossbody, setting up the clotheslines to keep Elias in trouble. Elias gets sent outside for a heck of a flip dive, followed by the frog splash for the pin and the spot at 10:14.

Rating: C. The Ford singles push has seemed to be on the horizon for months now and maybe this is the first step on the way there. Ford can absolutely hang in a singles match and now he has a US Title shot on pay per view. He does need to (and won’t) win but just being in the match is something noteworthy. That athleticism can’t be ignored and this should be a great boost for his career.

Post match Seth Rollins pops up to take out Theory, including the Stomp on the floor.

Becky Lynch vs. Bayley

In a cage with the rest of Damage Ctrl at ringside. Lynch goes after her to start but gets sent into the cage to cut her off. Bayley starts going up but a dropkick to the cage brings her back down. They go up top with Bayley knocking her down, setting up the top rope elbow for two.

We take a break and come back with both of them going up again and kicking away. Lynch knocks her down for a crash and a near fall but Bayley gets in a whip to the cage. Bayley grabs a kneebar so Becky crawls for the door before sending Bayley face first into the corner. They go up top at the same time again and slug it out until a super Bayley to Belly plants Becky for two.

Instead of going for the door, Bayley tries to climb out, allowing Becky to get up there and catch her. Becky throws Bayley down but Iyo Sky is right up there to cut her off too. Dakota Kai throws in a crutch…..and Lita of all people is here. She takes out Sky with a Twist of Fate on the floor, slams the door on Bayley’s head and sets up Becky’s Manhandle Slam for the win at 15:07.

Rating: B. The Lita stuff was a surprise, but what mattered here was having two top stars having what felt like a main event match. It was the kind of a match that was the main event of the show rather than the last match on the card and they made it work well. I was into this and now I’m wondering where the Lita connection is going. One more match on the big stage, say against Bayley, would be great to see and that might be where we’re going.

Overall Rating: B-. This is another show that was good on its own but would have been great at two hours. If you could cut out a little bit here and there and get it trimmed down, there is almost nothing bad to be found. They advanced the Elimination Chamber card, they had a surprise at the end and they had an instant classic exchange between Cody and Heyman. WWE is in a very good place right now and if they can keep it up through Wrestlemania, we could be in for a classic.

Results
Damian Priest b. Angelo Dawkins – South Of Heaven
Dexter Lumis b. Baron Corbin – Silence
Carmella b. Piper Niven, Mia Yim and Candice LeRae – Cannonball to LeRae
Shelton Benjamin/Cedric Alexander b. Alpha Academy – Lumbar Check to Gable
Asuka b. Chelsea Green – Double armbar
Montez Ford b. Elias – Frog splash
Becky Lynch b. Bayley – Manhandle Slam

WWE, 2023, Monday Night Raw, Edge, Beth Phoenix, Judgment Day, Maximum Male Models, Chelsea Green, Angelo Dawkins, Damian Priest, JBL, Baron Corbin, Johnny Gargano, Becky Lynch, Dexter Lumis, Candice LeRae, Carmella, Michin, Piper Niven, Nikki Cross, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Alpha Academy, Miz, Rick Boogs, Asuka, Bianca Belair, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Montez Ford, Elias, Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Damage Ctrl

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.

Smackdown
Date: February 3, 2023
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and the main event of Wrestlemania is set. That being said, there is a Sami Zayn sized road block on the Road To Wrestlemania and I’m not sure how they are going to deal with it. You can almost guarantee Zayn is getting the Elimination Chamber title shot, but dang it’s going to be a fun right on the way there. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Sami Zayn finally turning on the Bloodline with a chair shot to Roman Reigns, but Jey Uso couldn’t bring himself to help with the ensuing beatdown.

The Bloodline, minus Jey Uso, and everyone but Paul Heyman ignores questions about Jey. Heyman says they cannon confirm or deny Jey’s Bloodline status at the moment.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament: Imperium vs. Braun Strowman/Ricochet

For a future Smackdown Tag Team Title shot. Strowman shoves Kaiser around to start before it’s off to Ricochet for a headlock. A dropkick puts Kaiser down and it’s back to Strowman, who picks up Kaiser on the floor. Vinci hits a big dive onto both of them though and we take a break.

Back with Strowman going shoulder first into the post, allowing the double teaming to begin. Strowman fights out of it though and it’s back to Ricochet with the springboard crossbody. A running shooting star press hits Vinci and everything breaks down. Ricochet avoids the double dropkick in the corner but gets in a staredown with Gunther on the floor. That’s enough for Gunther to be ejected but he gets in a staredown with Strowman on the floor.

Ricochet gets caught in a high/low for two and we take another break. Back again with Ricochet escaping the Imperial Bomb and getting back over to Strowman to clean house. Vinci’s springboard spinning forearm has no effect on Strowman, who blasts Kaiser with a clothesline. The Monster Bomb into a Swanton off of Strowman’s shoulders finishes Kaiser at 16:16.

Rating: B-. What a weird tournament this was, as Ricochet and Strowman, who are at least regular partners, get the win rather than McIntyre and Sheamus, who are such a dominant force that they could conceivably take the belts. Ricochet and Strowman are good enough as challengers, but I’m not sure how much I buy them as a threat to the titles.

We look at Rhea Ripley winning the Women’s Royal Rumble, plus her choosing to challenge Charlotte for Wrestlemania.

Charlotte is ready for Rhea Ripley but Sonya Deville shows up and says she’ll be taking the title. Wrestlemania is in Los Angeles and needs a star.

Rey Mysterio and New Day were at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a promotional appearance for an upcoming NASCAR race. Judgment Day interrupted and started yelling, resulting in…..a car race between the Mysterios. They talk a lot of trash and Rey wins in the end. Of all the cross promotional stuff I’ve seen, this is far from the bottom of the list.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Sonya Deville

Charlotte is defending. They start slow with Charlotte taking over and knocking Deville down. A high crossbody connects but Charlotte misses a charge in the corner, allowing Sonya to get in a shot as we take a break. Back with Charlotte fighting out of trouble and hitting a belly to back suplex. The big boot gives Charlotte two but another one misses, allowing Sonya to snap her leg across the top.

A pump kick gives Sonya two and a middle rope knee to the face is good for the same. Sonya tries a Figure Four but gets reversed into a small package for two. Charlotte’s moonsault hits raised boots so Sonya, with feet on the ropes, can get two. Back up and Charlotte gets the Figure Four into the Figure Eight to retain at 10:22.

Rating: C. This felt like the story that we had to get cleared out before we get to the Wrestlemania title matches as Charlotte has a lot more important things to do than beat up Deville. The result wasn’t in doubt here and while the match wasn’t bad, it was little more than a glorified workout for Charlotte. The Ripley match was already set up Monday, so why was this going to be a big deal on Friday?

Video on Cody Rhodes, who came back from a horrible injury and won the Royal Rumble to get a title shot at Wrestlemania.

The Bloodline is in the back and Jimmy Uso hasn’t hear from his brother. Reigns: “Don’t you find that disrespectful?” He isn’t happy with what happened, but asks Jimmy a bit more emphatically if he has heard from his brother. Jimmy says again, he hasn’t heard from him, but Jey will be there next week for the title match. Reigns asks what about the rest of them. Has Solo Sikoa talked to Jey either? It’s Wrestlemania season, and Jimmy isn’t finding Jey on the couch. Find Jey, now.

Black History Month video on Kofi Kingston.

Brawling Brutes vs. Viking Raiders

Ivar and Butch start things off and it’s a brawl early on. A Valhalla distraction lets Ivar send Butch hard into the barricade though and we take a break. Back with Holland throwing suplexes on Erik, who cuts him off with a knee lift. An Alabama Slam plants Ivar but he takes Holland into the corner for some rapid fire elbows to the face. Butch tags himself in and hurricanranas his way out of something off the top. Butch’s moonsault is pulled out of the air though and Ivar picks him up. Holland gets kicked in the face on the floor and Ragnarok finishes Butch at 10:48.

Rating: C+. Another good enough match here, as the Raiders get built up for a likely Elimination Chamber showdown with McIntyre and Sheamus. It’s kind of weird that Sheamus has more or less dumped the Brutes for McIntyre, but he was overshadowing the other two anyway. I’m not sure how Butch and Holland will do on their own, but they’re going to get the chance.

Post match McIntyre and Sheamus come out to bet up the Vikings.

We look at the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match from the Rumble.

Bray Wyatt is in his chair….and Uncle Howdy comes up to him. A jump scare ensues.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs. Shotzi vs. Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler

It’s a brawl to start with Vega Code Redding Natalya for two, with Baszler making the save. Baszler drops Shotzi and stands on her head until Natalya makes the save. A knee to the face gives Baszler two on Natalya and we take a break. Back with Natalya’s Sharpshooter being broken up and Baszler Kirifuda Clutching Vega. Natalya breaks that up and has to break out of another Clutch. The Sharpshooter makes Zelina tap to give Natalya the Chamber spot at 7:28.

Rating: C. The second her music hit, you could pencil Natalya in for the spot. I understand that she is going to be in there to walk a lot of people through the match, but dang there is an emotional drop when she comes in. Natalya has talent, but she takes away so much interest because she is the same wrestler she has been for years now.

The rest of the Bloodline can’t find Jey Uso and Roman Reigns says that if they aren’t all on the same page, the Bloodline is done. Paul Heyman has sent catering to the bus so Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso can go eat while Reigns takes care of business.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat. Reigns would rather talk about Cody Rhodes, but the people are insisting that he talk about the past. We can do that, and the story goes back to WarGames. Reigns saw greed in Zayn’s eyes that night, which is the same thing he sees in everyone’s eyes these days. When he goes to a restaurant, Reigns has to deal with everyone using him for something else instead of doing something for him. Now he has to deal with the same thing from Zayn.

The people here can’t ever give back either….and here is Zayn through the crowd to jump Reigns from behind. Heyman hands Reigns a chair but Zayn hits a spear to send Reigns running. Zayn says Reigns is wrong because he never wanted anything from him. Until now, because he is coming for the title. Heyman and Reigns look scared but Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa sneak in for the beatdown. The beating is on and Zayn gets taken down in the corner. Reigns blames Zayn for breaking up the Bloodline. He wants Zayn at Elimination Chamber in Montreal so he can ruin Zayn in front of his friends and family.

This Sami stuff continues to be phenomenal as he’s the hottest thing in wrestling right now. I know it’s still likely Cody’s title to win and yes he might be a bit of a better option long term, but those reactions for Zayn are something else, as he is showing fire like no one in WWE has done in years. It’s going to be tough watching him come up short, but dang it is going to be one heck of a ride.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a weird show as the ending is by far the best thing, even if the rest of the show was pretty good. Part of the problem is Elimination Chamber is in just over two weeks and that means a very rushed build to the event. What we got was good, but Zayn vs. Reigns is dwarfing everything else and it is showing hard.

Results
Ricochet/Braun Strowman b. Imperium – Swanton Bomb to Kaiser
Charlotte b. Sonya Deville – Figure Eight
Viking Raiders b. Brawling Brutes – Ragnarok to butch
Natalya b. Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega and Shotzi – Sharpshooter to Vega

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: January 30, 2023
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

It’s the first show after the Royal Rumble and that means we are going to be seeing a lot of build towards Wrestlemania. Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley are the Royal Rumble winners and are on their way to Los Angeles, but the Sami Zayn situation is going to have to be resolved at some point. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

We open with a look at Cody Rhodes returning and winning the Royal Rumble on Saturday.

Here is Cody Rhodes to a pretty awesome reaction. Cody soaks in the cheers and asks what we want to talk about. Rhodes has been doing this for over fifteen years and he started in Ohio Valley Wrestling. There is a sign on their building that says “tomorrow’s superstars today”. He remembers getting ready to go in on his first day and thinking he would be WWE Champion in two years and he would be the next John Cena. If he could talk to his 19 year old self, he would tell him that it would be a little harder than that.

Would he tell him about Dashing Cody Rhodes or about painting his face or marrying the woman who keeps saying the wrestlers’ names every night? Or that he lost a 295lb friend but gaining a six pound one with the same eyes? Or about taking a hiatus to try to build up the industry but then coming back to punch a ticket to go to Wrestlemania? Cody wouldn’t tell himself a single thing because every step on this broken road has been 100% worth it.

He heard some people singing Kingdom with him on the way to the ring tonight and the first words are true: wrestling has more than one royal family. That is true in WWE as well, and to prove it, he has to stand across from the Tribal Chief. He has to stand across from the LeBron James of this era and the man who has been the champion for 800-something says: Roman Reigns.

Wrestlemania is in 62 days and that is 62 days for the rest of his life. That is the night for Cody to prove everything but here is Judgment Day to interrupt. Dominik Mysterio talks about how Cody ruined his Royal Rumble, which wouldn’t have worked in prison. Now if Cody had run the whole way through like Rhea Ripley, it might have meant something. They insult each others’ family and Cody is ready to fight any of them tonight. The match seems to come on.

We look at tonight’s card.

Back in the arena, Cody is high fiving fans but here is Edge to go after the Judgment Day. The big brawl takes us to a break.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Seth Rollins vs. Chad Gable

Gable wrestles him down to start and Rollins has to think about this a bit. Another takedown has Rollins in trouble and we take an early break. Back with Rollins hitting a clothesline and some kicks to the face. The Chaos theory doesn’t work for Gable and the Falcon Arrow gives Rollins two. They go to the pinfall reversal sequence until Gable muscles him down for two more. The ankle lock goes on but Rollins kicks him away and rolls into the Pedigree to plant Gable for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that probably would have been better off being dropped with Rollins just getting the spot, but WWE has to fill in the next few weeks somehow. Rollins is someone you can put into any title match at any time and he’ll be fine here. On the other hand you have Gable, who is still better than most in the ring, and as long as you can keep him away from repeating his one line over and over, he has a job for a long time.

Iyo Sky vs. Candice LeRae

Damage Ctrl and Michin (her name this week) are here too. Sky takes her down without much effort to start and we take a break…for a few seconds as it’s just a quick ad for a movie. LeRae gets sent outside for the big suicide dive but she’s right back up with a springboard spinning dive.

We take a real break and come back with LeRae grabbing a German superplex (from the bottom rope) for two. A poisonrana plants Sky again but Mrs. LeRae’s Wild Ride is blocked. Over The Moonsault only hits knees but the distraction at ringside means it’s only good for two. LeRae goes after Bayley, allowing Sky to grab a sunset flip for the pin at 9:15.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one as they had a big chunk cut out and the distraction wasn’t exactly inspired stuff. LeRae needs to win something at some point because these constant losses are taking away a lot of her interest. Also, it’s not like Sky is a singles star at the moment so having her lose here wouldn’t have been some devastating moment.

We look at Rhea Ripley winning the Women’s Royal Rumble.

Here is Rhea Ripley for her Wrestlemania announcement. She ran the gauntlet on Saturday and now she gets to pick who she wants to face at Wrestlemania. Three years ago, her career was just about to start but then Charlotte took her down at Wrestlemania. Somehow, Charlotte is always in the title picture and somehow always at the top of her game. Ripley doesn’t like things to be overplayed though, so Charlotte should enjoy everyone bowing down to the queen, because they are about to rise to someone new. The challenge is officially on and for once, I actually have the hope that WWE will go the right way.

Seth Rollins is ready for Elimination Chamber so he can win the US Title and then go on to Wrestlemania. Rollins is asked about Logan Paul eliminating him from the Royal Rumble but he just smiles and walks away.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Baron Corbin

Dexter Lumis and JBL are here too. Corbin starts fast and hits an early chokebreaker for two. That’s broken up and Gargano sends him to the floor for the dropkick through the ropes. Corbin breaks up the One Final Beat though and punches Gargano to the floor. There’s the chokeslam onto the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Gargano hitting the slingshot spear, followed by a superkick for two. Deep Six gives Corbin two more but Gargano knocks him outside. Lumis is up with his hatches and hacks up JBL’s hat, which is enough of a distraction for Gargano to….get kneed out of the air. End of Days is countered into a rollup though and Gargano is going to the Chamber at 9:08.

Rating: C. What in the world happened to Corbin? He was looking primed for his latest push a few months ago but now it seems to have all fallen away. Granted that’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s more than a bit surprising to see him dropping so much. Gargano isn’t going to win the title, though I can go with him finally winning a match or two.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with MVP with special guest Austin Theory. After some nice welcomes, Theory talks about watching the VIP Lounge a long time ago. Theory wants to come here and revitalize the show, but instead they should just change the show to Austin Theory Live. MVP doesn’t think that has the same ring but shifts over to the Elimination Chamber.

Theory says he has been in the Chamber before and got beaten up by Brock Lesnar. MVP talks about being in the Chamber before and getting beaten up by the Undertaker, which is what would happen if Theory faced Bobby Lashley. That’s brushed off, as Theory has already beaten Lashley twice. Theory isn’t scared of Lashley because Brock Lesnar is coming for him, but MVP thinks he should be. Cue Lashley to go after Theory but MVP is accidentally run over by Lashley. Theory bails and yells at Lashley as he goes.

Finn Balor wants Edge to know that he works Mondays. As for Cody Rhodes, tonight Balor is proving that it should have been his.

Batista has a new movie.

It’s time for MizTV and he isn’t happy that he was the first man out. Miz has been humiliated about everything that has gone wrong and he wants what he deserves. Cue Adam Pearce to say there is a new member of the Raw roster who wants to fight so it’s match time.

Miz vs. Rick Boogs

Hold on though as Miz wants to know if Pearce is serious. Does Pearce know that he is in at $10,000 suit that his wife bought him? Cue a referee so we’re ready to go. Boogs powers Miz into the corner to start so Miz can unbutton his jacket. A left hand just annoys Boogs so he does the spinning gutwrench suplex. The gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam finishes Miz at 1:12.

The Alpha Academy walk past the Maximum Male Models. Maxine Dupree thinks someone, presumably Otis, is perfect.

We look back at Roman Reigns retaining the World Title over Kevin Owens, leading to the big Bloodline beatdown. Sami Zayn tried to call him off but eventually turned on Reigns, earning himself a huge beatdown. That pop/eruption is going to be in my head for a bit.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She dominated the Royal Rumble, with a highlight of eliminating Becky Lynch. That means it’s over with Lynch because she has beaten her again and again. Cue Becky to say they’re not done until she says they’re done. Her goal at the Royal Rumble was to prevent Bayley or Damage Ctrl from winning. Becky thinks Bayley is making excuses for getting out of the cage match last week but Bayley isn’t having that.

Bayley says that Becky isn’t good enough for any of this, including her husband Seth Rollins. Bayley: “The only reason he married you is because he knocked you up.” Becky thought they were only fighting about wrestling so how about they have that cage match next week in Orlando where all of this started. Bayley says no so Becky drags out Dakota Kai with a chair wrapped around her leg. That’s enough for the match to be mad, but Becky implies she already took out Iyo Sky.

Adam Pearce has two announcements. First up: Bayley vs. Becky Lynch in a cage is set for next week. Second: there will be a women’s Elimination Chamber match for the right to challenge Bianca Belair at Wrestlemania. The first four participants are the four runners up in the Royal Rumble: Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, Asuka and Nikki Cross. We will also find out one more of the final two participants in a four way match between Candice LeRae, Michin, Carmella and Piper Niven, but here is Chelsea Green to interrupt. She is NOT happy with her accommodations and wants Pearce to do something about it. Swiss chocolate is promised.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Bronson Reed

Earlier today, Mustafa Ali annoyed Ziggler about getting ANOTHER opportunity handed to him. Ziggler tries to go fast to start but Reed runs him over without much trouble. We’re already in the chinlock but Ziggler fights up and grabs a front facelock. That’s broken up and Reed drops him, setting up the Tsunami for the pin at 3:18.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but I wouldn’t have bet on Ziggler losing, at least not so dominantly. Reed is someone who might not have the longest shelf life, but he has one of the best looking splashes I’ve ever seen. That might be enough to take him pretty far and there are far worse ideas out there.

Carmella is back but runs into Asuka (minus clown gear). She isn’t scared of Asuka, who smiles to reveal blue teeth and mist dribbling down her chin.

Corey Graves is a bit freaked out.

Rick Boogs is glad to be back and lets out a yell. The Street Profits and Elias are glad to have him back too. Well maybe not so much Elias, who isn’t sure if Elias is a real artist. With Boogs gone, Ford and Elias talk some trash about their Elimination Chamber qualifying match. Angelo Dawkins is ready to qualify against Damian Priest too.

Cody Rhodes vs. Finn Balor

The rest of Judgment Day is here with Balor, who gets knocked outside to send us to an early break. Back with Cody not being able to hit the Alabama Slam, allowing Balor to start in on the recently repaired pectoral. Rhodes (not Rollins, Graves) grabs a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes though and there’s the suicide dive on the floor. Priest and Dominik are taken out and it’s a snap powerslam for two on Balor back inside. The Cody Cutter is blocked though and we take a break.

Back with Cody hitting a superplex and the Cody Cutter connects for two. Cross Rhodes is broken up though and Balor hits a Pele. The shotgun dropkick is countered with a superkick but Cody’s Figure Four is countered into a small package for two. The Judgment Day surrounds Cody and, like clockwork, here is Edge to go after them. Beth Phoenix runs out to spear Rhea Ripley and an Edge distraction breaks up the Coup de Grace. Three Cross Rhodes finish Balor at 14:58.

Rating: B-. Solid match here as Rhodes gets another win over another former World Champion. Rhodes is going to get the rocket strapped to his back until Wrestlemania and there is a very good chance that it works out. On the other hand you have Balor, who is somehow by far the most successful star on his team and is also the least important member at the moment. I’m not sure I get that but

Overall Rating: C+. Good enough show, though it was definitely taking a breather after the Rumble. Cody’s spot is set, but for now the more interesting thing is going to be the Sami Zayn story. WWE can work on that at Elimination Chamber, but Mondays are going to belong to Cody for the next few months. This week mainly set up Elimination Chamber, which is only going to be so interesting as qualifying matches have a pretty firm ceiling. What we got was good though, and the Road To Wrestlemania is already looking promising.

Results
Seth Rollins b. Chad Gable – Pedigree
Iyo Sky b. Candice LeRae – Sunset flip
Johnny Gargano b. Baron Corbin – Rollup
Rick Boogs b. Miz – Gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam
Bronson Reed b. Dolph Ziggler – Tsunami
Cody Rhodes b. Finn Balor – Cross Rhodes

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.