Monday Night Raw
Date: January 27, 2025
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Seth Rollins

It’s the last Raw before the Royal Rumble and that means we are likely going to be getting some last minute names added to the namesake matches. Other than that, Logan Paul is making his Raw debut and that should make for something interesting. We’re also getting the fallout from Saturday Night’s Main Event so let’s get to it.

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

Commentary welcomes us to the show.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. Rollins talks about how he’s going to win the Royal Rumble but he hasn’t had a good start to 2025. He remembers the debut of Monday Night Raw on Netflix and having the most humiliating loss of his career. Now though he is ready to win the Royal Rumble, but the question is what title he wants to go after. Maybe the Ring General Gunther, or maybe the American Nightmare Gunther.

Cue Gunther, who wants to know where Rollins has been. Gunther asks where Rollins has been because he’s been stuck fighting people like Jey Uso. He wants to know if Rollins still has it in him, even though he isn’t the greatest wrestler in WWE anymore. Gunther wants the old Rollins to come back and face him at Wrestlemania, just so Gunther can show him who the real World Heavyweight Champion really is.

Cue the debuting Logan Paul to interrupt and my goodness the heat on him is incredible. The booing is so loud that it’s hard to understand him as he talks about how these two are just average. Paul talks about how great he is and he’s officially in the Royal Rumble. It’s clear that he’s incredible at wrestling but now he gets to decide just who he faces for the title. Gunther likes the idea of facing Paul because he could slap the smirk off his face. Rollins says he’ll win and we’re done. Paul’s heat here was unreal and he came off like an absolute star in his first eight minutes or so on the show.

CM Punk isn’t worried about Paul because he’s going to win the Royal Rumble. He’d throw Cathy Kelly over the top if he had to but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt (with Kelly leaving). Zayn brings up Punk saying he wasn’t on his level last week but points out that he’s a Wrestlemania main eventer. Zayn walks off and runs into Karrion Kross, with Zayn not interested in anything he has to say. That’s fine with Kross, but what about what Zayn’s friends have been saying? Stop thinking with your heart and start thinking with your head. Cody Rhodes comes in and Zayn kind of blows him off.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. War Raiders

The Raiders are defending and get jumped to start. The brawl is on with Erik fighting back, only to get caught with a jawbreaker into a neckbreaker. McDonagh hits a big moonsault out to the floor but bangs his head on the announcers’ table. Cole sounds scared about the landing and the fans applaud McDonagh as he gets up (that’s nice to see). Erik gets double teamed in the corner but gets out without much trouble, allowing the tag off to Ivar to pick up the pace.

A seated senton out of the corner hits Mysterio but Ivar misses a charge over the barricade. Erik powerbombs the villains into each other though, allowing Ivar to hit a flipping dive as we take a break. Back with Erik cleaning house, including a Boss Man Slam and a hard knee to Mysterio.

The springboard clothesline misses though and McDonagh headbutts Erik (McAfee: “Might as well have had a bicycle hit your face.”). Ivar goes up but gets suplexed down by McDonagh and cue Carlito to spit the apple. Mysterio hits a 619 so McDonagh can add the moonsault, setting up the frog splash for two. Erik is back up and the War Machine retains the titles at 11:35.

Rating: B. It took me a bit to get into this one but it wound up being a heck of a match with the power vs. the speed/cheating. The Raiders are doing fine as champions, but it’s hard to imagine that New Day isn’t going to be getting the titles at some pint in the future. McDonagh banging into the table was certainly a sight but thankfully he seemed to be fine.

Ludwig Kaiser comes up to Pete Dunne and they don’t trust Penta. New Day comes in and even Kaiser and Dunne don’t like them. Xavier Woods is ready to face Rey Mysterio tonight. Kingston: “Atlanta’s favorite son has come home!” Cathy Kelly: “Bron Breakker? Austin Theory? Cody Rhodes?” Woods: “NO!” Woods’ family is supposed to be here and they have front row seats…though he hasn’t heard from them.

Rey Mysterio vs. Xavier Woods

The LWO (including Zelina Vega, who is going to Smackdown this weekend) is here too, along with Kofi Kingston. They trade takedowns to start before Woods chops away in the corner. A running hurricanrana gives Mysterio a breather but Woods is right back with a middle rope stomp to the back of the neck.

We take a break and come back with Woods hitting a rather delayed vertical suplex for two more. Woods strikes away before dropping him face first onto the turnbuckle. A Code Red out of the corner gives Mysterio two but Woods sends him outside again. We pause for Woods to go see his family though….and they’re wearing NEW DAY SUCKS shirts. Woods and Kingston yell at them, allowing Mysterio to hit a 619 into the slingshot splash for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B-. This is one of the better stories in WWE at the moment as New Day is going to start realizing that there are consequences for their actions. That opens up a variety of options and I’m really curious to see how it goes. For now though, it’s another nice match between two talented stars and I’m liking New Day losing given the situation.

Sami Zayn tells Seth Rollins that the Helluva Kick last week was a mistake and Rollins believes him. With the Royal Rumble coming up though, he can’t be so sure. They shake hands though and it seems to be ok.

We get a sneak preview of an interview with CM Punk, which will air during the Royal Rumble Kickoff. Punk is still elusive about the favor Paul Heyman owes him.

Here is Jey Uso, with a rapper name Cuevo, to say he needed that kind of a reception. He lost on Saturday because Gunther was that good. The reality is Uso can beat Gunther so now he has to win the Royal Rumble.

Lyra Valkyria enters the Royal Rumble. American Made comes in with Chad Gable suggesting that Ivy Nile will be the next Women’s Intercontinental Title. Valkyria says this is the closest either of them will get to being Intercontinental Champion but Nile seems to be in the Royal Rumble too. Then they see the Alpha Academy dancing for TikTok and Gable yells at them. Maxxine Dupri looks sad. This is a story that could be dropped without losing much of anything.

Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Naomi/Bianca Belair

Non-title. Morgan has to slip out of an early KOD attempt so she pulls Belair down by the hair. Belair nips up so Rodriguez comes in for a fight over a suplex. Naomi comes in and gets caught with a double Russian legsweep but gets sent into the corner for some running shots in the corner. It’s back to Morgan, who is taken down with a standing moonsault/legdrop combination for two. Everything breaks down and Naomi and Belair hit a high crossbody each.

We take a break and come back with Rodriguez front facelocking Naomi and swinging her around in quite the power display. A rather hard posting drops Naomi but she’s right back with a hanging Pedigree to the apron. Belair comes in for a suplex to Morgan, whose panicked face on the landing is quite the visual. Rodriguez is driven into Morgan in the corner so Belair can hammer away, only for Morgan to come back with a dropkick.

Rodriguez hits a chokebomb on Belair and powerbombs Morgan onto her for two. Naomi is back up with a slingshot X Factor for two of her own but Morgan is back up with the Codebreaker. The Oblivion is cut off though and Belair hits the KOD, only for Dominik Mysterio to offer a distraction. Naomi’s split legged moonsault connects with Rodriguez making the save and powerbombing her onto the apron. Morgan steals the pin at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This match felt long and I wasn’t getting interested in what they were doing. It wasn’t a bad match, but seeing the champions lose wasn’t exactly thrilling. In theory this sets up a title match down the line, though Naomi and Belair don’t exactly feel like a big time team in the first place.

Rhea Ripley is banged up after her match with Nia Jax but she reminded her why Mami is always on top. She doesn’t care who wins the Royal Rumble, so here is Bayley to tease a challenge. Ripley leaves so here is Iyo Sky to say she’ll see Bayley Saturday.

Since we’re in Atlanta, we look at Michael Cole beating Jerry Lawler at Wrestlemania XXVII in a match that should be erased from history. Pat McAfee rips Cole for his look in the match in a funny bit.

Penta says this is just the beginning so he’s in the Royal Rumble.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Here is Paul Heyman for a chat. He is the one behind the GOAT and the one behind the cover star of WWA (yes A) 2K25. We get the big reveal of the game’s cover and Heyman talks about how Reigns has all kinds of responsibilities to be the game’s cover star. Heyman says he is the one behind the one in 29 vs. 1 and now it is time for Reigns to get his WWE Title back.

Reigns is the biggest star in the world and when we colonize Mars, he’ll be the biggest star on that planet too. There are two stars in the Royal Rumble: Roman Reigns and 29 Roman Reigns wannabes. Those people get down on their hands and knees every night, praying to be Roman Reigns. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt and Heyman knows this isn’t good.

McIntyre says they never get to talk but the fans want Reigns. The reality is that McIntyre is responsible for all of Heyman and Reigns’ success. McIntyre won the Royal Rumble and WWE Title in 2020 and then Heyman was able to come back to work with Reigns. Heyman thanks McIntyre, but says McIntyre is crowding him. McIntyre backs up but asks for a favor: have Heyman tell his boy that McIntyre is coming for him at the Royal Rumble. Heyman says he’ll tell Reigns that, but McIntyre meant CM Punk. As usual, Heyman’s praise of Reigns was great, though McIntyre felt like a threat and that’s a good thing.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Dang they like running this match. McIntyre points out that he’s 10-0 against Zayn in singles matches so Zayn knocks him outside for an Arabian moonsault. Back in and Zayn wins a chop off before getting dropped with a shot to the face. Zayn fights up with a tornado DDT but McIntyre cuts him off on top. They go outside with McIntyre missing a Claymore and landing on the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with McIntyre hitting a spinebuster and sitout powerbomb for two each. Zayn is back up with a sunset bomb out of the corner for two of his own. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered though and McIntyre sends him flying with a suplex. Now the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two but McIntyre catches him on top with the choke suplex. The Claymore misses and McIntyre is sent into the post, allowing Zayn to suplex him into the corner. The Helluva Kick misses though and McIntyre rolls him up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. It says a lot that they have an interesting story in the idea of Zayn chasing both a World Title and a win over McIntyre. That’s something similar to what he did in NXT and I could go for seeing it again. Good enough match here, even if the ending was a bit weak compared to what they have done before.

Post match McIntyre jumps him again but Cody Rhodes runs in for the save. Kevin Owens comes in to deck Rhodes and the brawl is on but Zayn’s Helluva Kick hits Rhodes by mistake.

We get a look at WWE2K25, featuring Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman.

Post break Cody Rhodes is looking up at the two WWE Titles hanging above the ring. He won the title at Wrestlemania and in the last seven months, he has found out that it’s a mindset that makes you a champion. Rhodes is ready for Owens but here is CM Punk to interrupt. Punk asks Rhodes if he’s ok because he knows what it’s like to be WWE Champion for a long time.

Around the 300 day mark, it started to wear on him and he started being someone else. Punk knows Rhodes wants to be Bruno Sammartino or John Cena and do everything but no one is Superman. Rhodes knows that Punk is his friend….right? Punk says of course he is but he sees the road Rhodes is going down. Being champion turns into a heavy is the head that wears the crown situation. Rhodes says we need to cut through all of this and get to the point.

Punk talks about how Rhodes is going to be in his hometown tonight but he won’t sleep because he has an early media call. Either way, he’ll be thinking about his match at the Royal Rumble and even if he wins, he’ll be criss crossing the country after that. It doesn’t matter what is next for Rhodes because there is always something else to do. He’ll see all of these people cheering his name and every kid wearing his merchandise, but there is always going to be in the best shape of their life and coming for him at Wrestlemania. The good news is that one day, someone is going to take the belt from him.

Rhodes: “Tell me the bad news.” Punk: “The bad news is that someone is going to be me.” Punk says that since he’s Rhodes’ one true friend, he’ll stab Rhodes in the front. Rhodes talks about meeting him at OVW and how everyone wanted to be Punk. There was a ten year period with Punk gone, even though the fans were still chanting for him.

Now though, things have changed again because now Punk is chasing Rhodes. He wants Punk to realize that he isn’t the best in the world anymore. A rather tense staredown ends the show. This was GREAT and you could feel the tension here, which is not something you can see with a lot of people. Rhodes and Punk feel like top stars and seeing them have this serious of a segment is a treat.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show where the wrestling was good but that wasn’t the point. The majority of this show was about building up the Royal Rumble and, at least on the men’s side, my goodness did they hit that out of the park. There were all kinds of people talking about the match and they made it sound like the most important thing in the world. I want to see who is going to win the Royal Rumble because I’m not sure who is going to win it and what is next for everyone else. The rest of the show was good enough, but this was all about setting up the Royal Rumble and it worked very well.

Results
War Raiders b. Judgment Day – War Machine to Mysterio
Rey Mysterio b. Xavier Woods – Slingshot splash
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Naomi/Bianca Belair – Powerbomb onto the apron to Naomi
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Rollup with feet on the ropes

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 20, 2025
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re less than a week away from Saturday Night’s Main Event and less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble. That means both shows are going to need a push, with Jey Uso challenging Gunther already set for this coming Saturday. Odds are we get some more set up for that and the Rumble tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Nia Jax jumped Rhea Ripley on the way into the building. I guess we’re doing this again.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. After a long intro, Uso declares that he is now in this city but here is Gunther to interrupt. Gunther isn’t impressed, with Uso saying that he’s going to beat him and hang the World Heavyweight Title in his room. Gunther: “You really are a funny little man.”

Uso has talked about how he bets on himself every day and that had Gunther interested. Then he saw Uso coming out here and acting like a complete dork or a company mascot. Right now, Gunther might as well be fighting Jimmy Uso, which doesn’t have Jey happy. How long will Jey bet on himself?

Until Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns need him? He is nothing more than a useful idiot and he doesn’t even realize it. Gunther promises to expose him on Saturday. Jey agrees that he is a mascot and the people here are his team. They ride with him and they’ll be there Saturday when he wins the title. Gunther is going to respect him because Jey is the one who main evented Wrestlemania. The fight is on and Jey superkicks him out to the floor. There isn’t much in the way of drama for the match, but this is a fine story to tell.

New Day runs into JBL, who they’re sure will understand them. JBL is the guest commentator for their match against Rey Mysterio tonight and pay him off. Kofi Kingston brings up JBL cutting the dead weight of Ron Simmons from the APA and JBL gets it. You have Big E. with all that muscle and charisma and everyone loves him and that leaves people to cheer Kingston….I guess. New Day isn’t impressed.

Bayley says she is officially back on Raw and ready for Nia Jax tonight. And she’s in the Women’s Royal Rumble. Jax comes in and…her mic isn’t on at first but says she’s going to win the Royal Rumble. Violence is teased but nothing comes of it.

Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston

JBL is on commentary and Xavier Woods is here with Kingston. Hold on though as New Day comes out in street clothes and say cut the music. Kingston is starting to get annoyed with all of this and wants his money back from JBL. Now it’s time for the match, and Kingston is going to wrestle like this. Kingston knocks him into the corner as JBL says he has to be behind Mysterio for the only time ever.

A running shoulder drops Mysterio as JBL says he had a 98.7 degree ever when he lost his retirement match to Mysterio. Mysterio gets sent face first into the apron and Kingston stomps away in the corner as the beating begins. A sunset bomb doesn’t work for Mysterio but he sends Kingston into the steps as we take a break. Back with Kingston working on the arm and taking Mysterio up top. That’s broken up, only for Mysterio to miss a springboard high crossbody.

A basement dropkick gives Mysterio two but Kingston’s top rope splash to the back gets the same. Mysterio fights back but gets tripped by Woods, who is knocked off the apron. The 619 connects but a slingshot splash hits Kingston’s raised knees. Kingston tries what looks to be the SOS, only for Mysterio to reverse into a cradle for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: B-. Maybe not a great match here, but I kind of like Kingston losing. The key to the New Day deal is that they are completely in denial about what happened with Big E. and no one (save for Wade Barrett so far) is on their side. All they have to do is talk about that again and maybe find someone who agrees with them and they’ll be fine. It’s a weird way to go, but it works.

Post match the beatdown is on but the LWO runs in for the save. New Day bails but comes back in to take out Joaquin Wilde.

We look back at Penta’s debut.

American Made isn’t happy with what happened last week and promise to win a bunch of titles. Chad Gable has someone to help him master lucha libre: Dominik Mysterio.

We look at Wade Barrett winning the first season of NXT nearly fifteen years ago in this arena.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. He’s in the Royal Rumble and that’s because it’s time for him to move into the top level of WWE. Zayn has done a lot of great things and he has had a great life and career. The difference between himself and the top stars is a World Title. He doesn’t need one to validate his career but 14 year old him wants a World Title and he is going to take it.

Cue Kevin Owens (uh oh) and Zayn looks like he’s seeing a ghost. Zayn says he knew it was a matter of time before Owens showed up, so how does he want to do this. Owens isn’t sure what he means and talks about Zayn teaming with Roman Reigns. Owens didn’t get it at first, but it makes sense because Zayn is a good guy.

They are closer than brothers and the one thing they haven’t done is main event Wrestlemania against each other. That can happen because Zayn can win the Royal Rumble and Owens can beat Cody Rhodes. Owens has Zayn’s back and he knows Zayn will have him if he needs it. That’s enough for Owens to leave and Zayn looks confused. It’s been done to death, but you know things are getting serious when these two get together.

Sheamus is ready to win the Intercontinental Title because it is the one title he has never won and it drew him to WWE in the first place. Bron Breakker comes in to hold up the title and says this is as close as Sheamus is getting to it. On Saturday, he’s going to beat him like an old man. Sheamus shoves him away and Breakker laughs.

In Memory Of Bob Uecker.

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Roxanne Perez from NXT is in the front row. Bayley hammers away in the corner to start and grabs a DDT for an early two. Jax isn’t having that and headbutts her in the chest for two of her own to take over. Another knockdown sets up a release Rock Bottom out of the corner to plant Bayley again. Bayley breaks up the Annihilator though and knocks Jax outside, setting up an argument with Perez.

That’s enough for Perez to be dragged out by security and we take a break. Back with Bayley dropping an elbow for two and they fight to the apron, with Bayley hitting a sunset bomb into the post. Bayley’s Annihilator and a middle rope elbow get two each but Jax sends her into the corner for a running shoulder.

Bayley gets sent shoulder first into the post but the Annihilator is broken up again. They go up top and another sunset bomb gives Bayley two, setting up the best looking top rope elbow she’s had in a bit for the same. The pop up Samoan drop and a backsplash crush Bayley and the Annihilator finishes her off at 15:19.

Rating: B. They work enough together and that helps the fact that I’ve seen this match far too often. It’s a weird way to go to have Bayley move over to Raw and then lose in her first match, though Jax is getting ready for another showdown with Rhea Ripley. Kind of a strange way to go but the match was good.

Post match Rhea Ripley, still banged up, comes out for the brawl with Jax, with Jax getting in a splash. Security can’t break it up and the fight heads outside with Ripley knocking her through the barricade. Ripley gets the mic and issues the challenge for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

We look back at Damian Priest beating Finn Balor last week.

Chad Gable is in the back with the Judgment Day and talks about learning the secret arts of lucha libre from Dominik Mysterio. He gets the members’ names wrong and leaves, with the rest of the team (minus Balor) being sure Balor will like it. Liv Morgan and Mysterio seem to be ok, with Morgan having an idea.

We look at Lyra Valkyria winning the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Title last week.

We get the annual Martin Luther King Jr. video.

We look at the Notre Dame football coach talking about being a big wrestling fan.

Sami Zayn comes up to Seth Rollins and says he appreciates their talk last week. Rollins is glad to hear it but they’ll both throw the other out of the Royal Rumble. Karrion Kross is shown smiling in the back.

Penta vs. Pete Dunne

We hear about their history in Rev Pro as they strike it out to start. Penta gets the better of things but Dunne goes after his fingers, which doesn’t go well as Dunne works on the fingers. Back up and Dunne tries a moonsault out of the corner but gets superkicked out of the air for his efforts. Penta gets knocked onto the apron though and we take a break.

Back with Penta hitting a reverse Sling Blade int a slingshot dropkick in the corner. A Death Valley Driver plants Dunne for two and a Canadian Destroyer sends him crashing out to the floor. One heck of a running flip dive to the floor hits Dunne but he’s fine enough to work on the fingers back inside. Penta backbreakers his way to freedom and it’s the Sacrifice to leave Dunne in more trouble. The Penta Driver finishes at 10:01.

Rating: B-. Penta has another good match and looks successful with the win. That’s all this should have been, if not a bit shorter, as Penta has hit the ground running on Raw. I could go for seeing something more from him, and WWE certainly seems to know there is something to him. Another solid match here, with Penta likely in for another one next week.

Logan Paul thinks it must suck to hate him because he’s just so good at everything. Why should WWE be any different? He makes his Raw debut next week.

Here is CM Punk for a chat in the crowd. After hitting his catchphrase, Punk is asked about the various ways to get to the main event of Wrestlemania. We hear about the stacked Royal Rumble field, so why is this one different? Punk says it’s because of history, like the history he made when he won the first main event of Raw on Netflix. He’ll make that same kind of history in two weeks, which is when the lights and pressure are on the most.

That is when he is at his best and he can’t see John Cena throwing him out. Roman Reigns needed his help at WarGames and he isn’t worried about anyone, from Sami Zayn to Drew McIntyre to Hulk Hogan (Jackie Redmond’s jaw dropped at that one). At the Royal Rumble, he’s settling debts and calling in a favor if he needs to. This felt like Punk was told “you’ve got two and a half minutes, talk about the Royal Rumble” and it worked fine. The Hogan line alone was gold, if nothing else for Jackie’s reaction.

Pure Fusion Collective vs. Damage CTRL

Baszler and Kai start things off before it’s quickly off to Stark for a great looking springboard missile dropkick. The villains take turns beating on her until Baszler grabs a choke. That’s broken up in short order and it’s Sky coming in to pick up the pace. The top rope dropkick hits Stark and the Bullet Train Attack gets two. Sonya Deville’s distraction slows things down though and Stark plants Sky. Baszler hits a running knee for two with Kai making the save. Sky knocks Baszler down again and hits Over The Moonsault for the win at 6:34.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, partially due to not having a ton of time. It doesn’t help that it feels like these teams have been feuding for a good while without getting very far. They might have something with the whole attack on Kairi Sane, but that might take some time to come up again.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

They shove each other to start before running the ropes. Rollins jumps over him but gets dropped with a shoulder to slow things back down. A Sling Blade puts McIntyre own on the floor though and Rollins is right there with the suicide dives. The third is countered into an overhead belly to belly suplex onto the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Rollins in trouble but managing a victory roll for two.

A suplex is broken up and McIntyre is sent into the post a few times. Rollins wraps the arm around said post and hits a top rope knee to the head for two. A Swanton gets two more and Rollins takes him up for the superplex. McIntyre reverses into a Falcon Arrow for two but the Claymore misses. The Stomp is countered into a spinebuster for two but Rollins is back with a Falcon Arrow of his own.

The Pedigree doesn’t work for Rollins as McIntyre powers out and hits a hard clothesline. McIntyre goes up but dives into a crossface on the bad arm. The rope is grabbed for the save so Rollins yells a lot, only to get caught in a Futureshock for two. McIntyre slowly hits a clothesline but tries a second, allowing Rollins to roll him up for the pin at 17:00.

Rating: B. These two work well together and they’re two of the top stars on Raw at the moment. It was nice to see Rollins get a win back after last week and it isn’t like a loss is going to do much damage so close to the Royal Rumble. That match should change just about everything for everyone and this was a good way for two people to close out a show with a strong match.

Post match McIntyre attacks Rollins but here is Sami Zayn for the save. McIntyre headbutts Zayn down and goes after Rollins again, with Zayn’s Helluva Kick accidentally hitting Rollins. McIntyre leaves and Rollins stares at Zayn, who tries to calm things down as we go off the air.

Overall Rating: B. This was just over two and a half hours and that’s a nice enough sweet spot for the show thus far. Going three hours for a regular show doesn’t feel like the best idea so downsizing things a bit has been a nice treat. The Royal Rumble is in about two weeks and then everything is going to boost up into a higher gear. For now though, it’s another good Raw with solid action and enough things being moved forward at the right time.

Results
Rey Mysterio b. Kofi Kingston – Rollup
Nia Jax b. Bayley – Annihilator
Penta b. Pete Dunne – Penta Driver
Damage CTRL b. Pure Fusion Collective – Over The Moonsault to Baszler
Seth Rollins b. Drew McIntyre – 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: January 13, 2025
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with the big pomp and circumstance show last week and that means it is time to start getting on with the normal stuff. That’s what we’re going to be doing this week, along with getting ready for the Royal Rumble. Some of the names have already been filled in and now we get to do even more. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week.

CM Punk arrives in the back and does a hand to his ear before coming to the ring (with Michael Cole making fun of his Chicago Blackhawks). Punk gets into the ring and he thanks everyone who has been fighting the wildfires in southern California. With that out of the way, Punk brings up the Royal Rumble, where he came back last year but tore his triceps in the process. He thought his career was fading away and he couldn’t see (that’s a John Cena you can’t see me taunt) his dreams, but now he sees the Wrestlemania sign.

As for someone you can’t see, John Cena has declared himself for the Royal Rumble and now so has Punk himself. Then he’s going to win and point to the sign on the way to Wrestlemania….and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt (Punk isn’t happy, asking why it can’t be Rhea Ripley). Rollins says if he wasn’t a man of his word, all he would be is Punk. That gets a “but I’m still the winner right?” from Punk, but Rollins really isn’t pleased.

Rollins has lost all kinds of matches over his career but last week was the worst loss of his career. Rollins is ready to throw Punk out of the Royal Rumble and win, which Punk thinks is an easy way out since he couldn’t get a pin. Cue Drew McIntyre and Punk can’t believe this. McIntyre can’t believe someone could actually get worse, but Punk brings up what he did to McIntyre inside the Cell. Actually McIntyre was talking about Rollins, who says McIntyre can get in the ring and take a beating from him instead.

They all argue and Punk is ready to fight, with Rollins taking his jacket off. McIntyre comes towards the ring but then says no because he has no reason to do that. The bigger problem is Roman Reigns is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, so he’s going to have to step up again and get the title before Reigns. Now that Reigns already has the “falafel”, it’s a matter of time before he wants the title again. McIntyre is in the Rumble too so he can keep Reigns from getting it. These three work so well together and having them all tie into a few stories makes things that much more interesting.

Chad Gable vs. ???

This is Gable vs. the best luchador that Adam Pearce can find and of course it’s Penta, which to be fair they didn’t exactly try to hide. Cole: “It was the worst kept secret in the business!” The fans are rather happy to see Penta who poses a lot before taking Gable down. Gable wrestles up and it’s a standoff as the fans are way behind Penta. A dive is loaded up but Gable cuts him off with a high angle suplex for two.

Gable hammers away in the corner but gets caught with a Cheeky Nandos Kick. The German suplex drops Penta on the apron and Gable starts in on the leg, which is wrapped around the post. Gable misses a swan dive though and gets sent to the floor, with Penta hitting a big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gets two on Gable, who goes back to the leg to slow him down. The ankle lock goes on but Penta pulls him into the arm snap (the Sacrifice) and the Penta Driver (pumphandle driver) for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a heck of a debut, with Penta feeling far more like a solo star than he ever felt in AEW. The fans were ready for him and he was presented as a major deal, which certainly made for a big impact. Penta worked hard here and Gable an work well with anyone, making this a very nice start to Penta’s new run in WWE.

Post match Penta thanks the fans in English and Spanish, saying this was a dream come true to be in his new home. This is the new Netflix Era, but it is the Penta Era as well. The fans are WAY into this as he does the catchphrase.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to see most of Judgment Day and they aren’t happy with Finn Balor. They talk about revenge and here is Dominik Mysterio with flowers for Morgan. She’s not mad at all, but he can go grab their bags from the car anyway. She throws the flowers to Carlito and says put them somewhere nice. Dominik: “I don’t think she’s mad at all.” Balor: “Man, you’ve got a lot to learn.” McDonagh is off to get a rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Mysterio as the confused goof is still great.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They strike it out to start and go to the floor to trade chops. Back in and the ten forearms to the chest are broken up so Kaiser can kick him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Sheamus fighting up to hit the ten forearms. Kaiser goes to get the shillelagh but Sheamus knees him in the face for two instead. Back up and Kaiser manages a knockdown of his own before loading up a Brogue Kick. That doesn’t work either and Sheamus hits his own for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: B-. This is where Sheamus tends to shine, as they just had two people beat each other up for the better part of ten minutes. That’s all it needed to be, with Sheamus likely moving back into the Intercontinental Title scene. It’s a perfect spot for him, as he can easily be put into that spot with a win or two, which is exactly what he did here.

Post match Sheamus gets in a staredown with Bron Breakker (in the crowd) and shoving ensues.

Seth Rollins is ready to face Drew McIntyre next week. As Rollins goes to leave, he runs into Sami Zayn, who says he is here to talk if Rollins needs someone. Rollins thinks Zayn must have had a great week last week when Roman Reigns won Tribal Combat, which doesn’t sit well with Zayn.

Karrion Kross rants to Miz about the Wyatt Sicks being moved to Smackdown. Sami Zayn comes in to talk to Adam Pearce but Kross stops him, saying he found Zayn’s talk with Seth Rollins interesting. Miz says that if we’re talking about World Champions, we don’t need to worry about Zayn. That doesn’t work with Zayn, who is going to get a match with Miz tonight. Kross seems to approve, and laughs at Miz saying “we” have to deal with Zayn.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther was impressed with the presentation last week but there were a lot of people arguing over things like being the Best In The World and being the Tribal Chief. The title is the only thing that matters and here is Jey Uso to interrupt. Jey is willing to come after that title and he’ll do it at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Gunther isn’t impressed and even though Jey is funny, he isn’t on Gunther’s level. The title match is on though. Gunther goes to leave but Jey cuts him off, saying that everything Gunther said is true. It’s true that Jey isn’t supposed to be here but he has bet on himself and is still trying to earn that respect. That’s what he’ll do at Saturday Night’s Main Event. That doesn’t feel like a major match, but I’m not sure it’s supposed to do anything more than get Gunther into a title match here rather than at the Royal Rumble.

Video on Lyra Valkyria vs. Dakota Kai.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyria

For the inaugural title and we get some Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start as commentary compares this to various important men’s Intercontinental Champions. Valkyria sends her outside but a dive is cut off. Instead it’s a nasty suplex to send Kai outside and we take a break.

Back with Valkyria cranking on the arms and kicking her away for two. Kai’s scorpion kick is countered into a powerbomb which is countered into a hurricanrana. The Kairorpactor gets two on Valkyria but she’s back with a running sitout powerbomb for two. Back up and the GTK connects on Valkyria, who rolls outside for the save. Kai misses the running kick in the corner though and gets caught in something like a running Randy Orton backbreaker. The Nightwing makes Valkyria the first champion at 8:27.

Rating: B-. I could have sen this one going either way so having Valkyria win is certainly not a crazy pick. She’s been looking for that big win since she got to the main roster and this more than counts. Kai was already a lot further than anyone would have reasonably expected her to get in the tournament so this is hardly some terrible loss. Good match here, but the moment of the title win is the important part.

Post match Adam Pearce presents Valkyria with the title and we get a hug of respect.

Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Miz takes him into the corner and hammers away before mocking Zayn’s theme music. A quick ax handle gets Zayn out of trouble but Miz elbows him down. More mockery ensues but Zayn hammers away to cut if off. Zayn suplexes him down for two and grabs a quickly broken full nelson. Back up and the Helluva Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Miz at 4:08.

Rating: C+. I like the short run time here, as sometimes there is just no reason for a match to go that long. Zayn is the bigger deal right now and he defeated Miz without stretching things out longer than they needed to go. Perfectly nice match here, especially with the rare moment of Zayn winning with the Blue Thunder Bomb.

Also set for Saturday Night’s Main Event: Bron Breakker defends the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus.

Here is Rhea Ripley to brag about being Women’s Champion again. She’s back on top and even though she sounds like a broken record, here she is. Cue Nia Jax to interrupt, saying she’s here as part of the transfer window and can’t take listening to this anymore. She’s going to win the Royal Rumble and take whichever title she wants.

Tiffany Stratton might think she’s at the top, Ripley might think she’s on top, and Bayley, at ringside….why is she here? Bayley reminds Jax that she’s from here so Jax throws in some more mocking, which is enough for Bayley to get in the ring. This might not be Bayley’s show but it is her city and the fight is on. Jax shoves both of them down but a quick double team sends Jax bailing. Hopefully this isn’t a long term thing, as Ripley has already beaten Jax enough times.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including New Day returning to the ring and an appearance by JBL.

Video on Damien Priest vs. Finn Balor.

Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor

Street Fight and Balor jumps him from behind with a kendo stick to start fast. Priest is back up with his own stick shots and a flapjack puts Balor down. The lifting Downward Spiral sends Balor face first onto the announcers’ table and it’s time for a less talkative table. They fight into the crowd where Balor beats on him with a trashcan.

Priest hits him with the same thing and they go into another part of the crowd, where Balor gets in a chair shot. The fight heads up into the fans and a Falcon Arrow sends Balor crashing through a table. We take a break and come back with Priest in the ring and Balor being taken out on a stretcher. That doesn’t work for Priest, who wheels Balor down the aisle and into the ring (nice visual), for a heck of a clothesline.

Carlito and JD McDonagh runs in for the beatdown and Balor gets a near fall. Another table is loaded up but the War Raiders run in for the save, leaving it one on one again. Balor unloads with a bunch of chair shots but Priest gets in South Of Heaven for two. Back up and Balor double stomps him through a table on the floor but Priest gets in a drive through the barricade. Priest razor’s Edges him through a table and another South Of Heaven gives Priest the pin at 17:16.

Rating: B. This felt like a run of the mill street fight but then they cranked it up to another level to make it work that well. That’s all I can ask for out of something like this and it made for a good showdown. It should be the final match between the two of them as Priest got the big win, which hopefully wraps things up. Nice hard hitting brawl here and that’s all you could want out of it.

Overall Rating: B. This worked rather well and part of that was due to the show going just over two and a half hours. It prevented the show from feeling like it was stretched out for the sake of extending the show, and that made things so much better. That’s a nice change of pace and I liked what we got on the show, with a solid Penta debut and a good main event, plus some big additions to the Royal Rumble. Positive show this week as we get closer to the normal.

Results
Penta b. Chad Gable – Penta Driver
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Dakota Kai – Nightwing
Sami Zayn b. The Miz – Blue Thunder Bomb
Damian Priest b. Finn Balor – South Of Heaven

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 23, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re almost to the end of the year and since it’s the holiday week, we have a taped show from last week. We are also two weeks away from the show’s big debut on Netflix and that means it is time to finish building up the card. Everything is already looking big enough and now we could be in for some more additions tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Drew McIntyre to get things going. McIntyre talks about how banged up he has been since the Cell, but he has also been gone due to the death of a close family member. There are some people who are probably saying they didn’t know, but they also never asked. McIntyre’s brother John would never stab him in the back, but people like the Usos and Sami Zayn certainly would. He has given so much time over the years and kept fighting, only for those people to forget about him.

From now on, he is going to take and tell the truth, like the fact that the real villains are people like Roman Reigns and CM Punk. After Reigns did everything to those people, he snapped his fingers and they came running back. Cue Zayn to interrupt, saying he didn’t know what was going on with McIntyre’s family.

Zayn knows about losses and having to go to work, with missed birthdays, weddings and funerals. He knows exactly what it is like because this is the life that they have chosen. They are lucky to be here, but everyone in these stands have their own stories of losses and sacrifices. Those people keep getting up every day and doing what they have to do, but McIntyre thinks he’s different because someone called him the Chosen One.

What the Usos or Zayn do has nothing to do with him, but if McIntyre wants to blame them, that’s fine. It’s also fine with Zayn to face McIntyre right now. McIntyre talks about his family being far away but Zayn has never beaten him. Instead, McIntyre thinks Zayn needs to go to the back with his family and leave before things get worse. Zayn swings away but gets dropped. Cue Jey Uso for the save. This was McIntyre getting to explain everything wrong with him and why he was so angry, which is all you need for his situation. He’s arguably the biggest villain on the show and now we know why, which should do him good.

The Pure Fusion Collective suggests that Sonya Deville take Kairi Sane’s place in the Women’s Intercontinental Title tournament. That’s a no from Adam Pearce, who has put Iyo Sky in the spot instead.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Alba Fyre vs. Iyo Sky vs. Natalya

Fyre jumps Natalya to start but gets sent outside. Natalya’s basement dropkick to Sky is broken up with a basement dropkick and Sky takes them both out as we take a break. Back with Sky slipping between the ropes and springboard dropkicking Fyre. A tornado DDT drops Sky and Fyre pulls Natalya into a Koji Clutch. That’s broken up and Natalya puts both of them into a double Sharpshooter. That doesn’t last long either so Sky sends both of them outside and hits a springboard moonsault. Back in and Over The Moonsault to Natalya gives Sky the pin at 8:08.

Rating: B-. Pretty to the point here, with Sky getting to do her thing and move on to the final four. Her getting the spot over Kairi Sane makes for an interesting option, as there is always the chance that Sky had something to do with it. For now though, Sky has a real chance of getting the title, which would be a nice way to go.

Judgment Day bickers over their loss last week and Dominik Mysterio volunteers to face Damian Priest this week to step up. Things still aren’t good, with everyone sneering.

Sami Zayn and Jey Uso are glad they’re together again and they both want to take out Drew McIntyre tonight. Zayn has this, with Uso having next. They’re good.

We look at the Netflix Kickoff Show last week, with Logan Paul officially coming to Raw.

Chad Gable vs. Akira Tozawa

American Made and the Alpha Academy are here too. Gable wastes no time in chopping him down to start but stops to yell at Otis. That’s enough for Tozawa to snap off a spinning kick to the head but Gable pulls him into an armbar over the ropes. A slap to Otis lets Tozawa kick Gable in the face, only for the top rope backsplash to hit knees. Rolling German suplexes into a powerbomb into the ankle lock finish Tozawa at 2:10.

Post match the hold stays on but Otis makes the save.

New Day runs into Dominik Mysterio, and even he thinks what they did to Big E. was “crazy”.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Damian Priest

Mysterio bails to the floor to start as a good coward should do. Back in and Priest grabs a torture rack to crank out some aggression but Mysterio gets outside again. Priest throws him over the announces’ table but has to stop to go after a Santa Claus. That would be JD McDonagh, who is thrown over the announcers’ table. Carlito gets in a distraction but it’s Finn Balor jumping Priest for the DQ at 2;53.

Post match the brawl is on but the Viking Raiders make the save.

We get a sitdown interview with Seth Rollins, who is asked about the driving force behind his feud with CM Punk. Rollins talks about how he wants to cut Punk out and they’ll fight on January 6. He was sick of Punk after Survivor Series and now it’s time to wrap everything up for good. It’s going to be violent, but Rollins has to stop this. This was a fine way to bridge one of the weeks before the showdown.

The Miz vs. Dexter Lumis

They go outside in a hurry with Lumis sending him into the apron, followed by a running flip dive off said apron. Back in and Lumis hits a Thesz press into a running elbow but has to dive on the AOP on the floor. Then Karrion Kross jumps Lumis for the DQ at 2:25. Sweet goodness I know it’s a Christmas show but you can actually have a match get some time.

Post match the Final Testament surrounds Lumis but the lights go out and we’ve got Wyatts. The Wyatts quickly clear the ring and Nikki Cross is powerbombed onto the Testament.

Damian Priest thanks the Viking Raiders, who said they owed him one from last week. They’ll go to war with the Judgment Day together.

We recap the fans’ issues with the New Day, who come out to complain about commentary. They claim biased commentary, with Joe Tessitore not being around long enough to know how things work. Xavier Woods accuses Wade Barrett of being just like Big E., meaning not man enough to get back in the ring. New Day gets in the ring and says the fans shouldn’t be upset when they didn’t hurt Big E. again.

Tonight is a homecoming for Kofi Kingston and his mother is in the front row after a 20 hour flight from Ghana! Kingston says his mom doesn’t deserve this and goes over to her for a hug….but she just walks away instead. That’s a great visual and the heat on New Day is great. Turn that into something and they could go a very long way.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

New Day runs into Rey Mysterio, who thinks they should apologize if they want to start fixing things. Kofi Kingston says they didn’t do anything wrong, so Rey says he tried. Just get used to NEW DAY SUCKS chants.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn chops away in the corner to start and knocks McIntyre to the floor. That means the tease of the dive with a flip back into the corner as we take a break. Back with McIntyre suplexing him back inside, setting up a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Zayn manages a tornado DDT for a needed breather, with McIntyre bailing out to the floor. The slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and Zayn is sent into various hard objects.

A side slam onto the apron has Zayn screaming in pain and McIntyre looking all giddy as we take another break. Back again with McIntyre missing a shoulder into the post but he catches Zayn on top. The super White Noise gets two but the Claymore is cut off with a clothesline. Zayn’s back gives out on a Helluva Kick attempt though and the Claymore finishes him of at 15:45.

Rating: B. To the point match here, as they played up the idea that Zayn can’t beat McIntyre, which could make for a big payoff down the line. For now though, McIntyre working over the back and then having Zayn’s back give out at the end is a nice story for the match. McIntyre being all vicious and violent is good stuff and I could go for seeing just how far they can take it.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jey Uso runs in with a spear. Cue the Bloodline to lay Uso out, with McIntyre just walking away. Uso and Zayn fight back

Overall Rating: C. Oh they were phoning this one in and there was no hiding it. Other than McIntyre and Zayn, there was very little here that you needed to see and a good chunk of the matches were barely getting started when they wrapped up. WWE knew this show wasn’t going to get an audience this week and didn’t bother trying. That didn’t make for the best show, but it’s probably what they should have done here.

Results
Iyo Sky b. Natalya and Alba Fyre – Over The Moonsault to Natalya
Chad Gable b. Akira Tozawa – Ankle lock
Damian Priest b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Finn Balor interfered
Dexter Lumis b. The Miz via DQ when Karrion Kross interfered
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 2, 2024
Location: Angel Of The Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re done with Survivor Series and on the way to Saturday Night’s Main Event in less than two weeks. Gunther is still the World Heavyweight Champion and that means he is going to need a new challenger for the title. Other than that, it’s the ten year anniversary of the New Day but things are not going well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

We open with a Survivor Series recap.

CM Punk is on his way to the ring but stops to shake hands with Jey Uso and Sami Zayn. With that out of the way, here is Punk for a chat. Punk left WWE for a bit after Bad Blood but now he’s back and knows where he wants to go. Maybe he gets there through the Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber…but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. They stare each other down until Rollins says he should have knocked Punk out the day Punk came back.

A lot has happened in the year since Punk came back but the last time they saw each other, Rollins had pity on him. Now it’s time to rectify those problems and there is nothing between them but air and hatred. Punk says he is long past running races he didn’t know he was in. Six months ago, Rollins was champ but now he has nothing Punk wants. Rollins thinks about Punk for six months while Punk never thinks about him at all.

That’s enough for Rollins, who shoves him down but here are Zayn and Uso to break it up. Uso and Punk leave, with Rollins asking Zayn why he teamed with Reigns when they aren’t even family. Zayn cuts him off and says he asked Rollins to be on the team, but Rollins is too stubborn. Rollins says Zayn wanted to help Reigns get back to power, but Zayn says Rollins created the monster by hitting Reigns in the back with a chair ten years ago. Rollins: “You did the same d*** thing!”

Reigns hasn’t changed and Zayn is being really stupid. Zayn challenges him for tonight and Rollins is down. This was the latest big dramatic moment and the important part is they did a great job of explaining the motivations. It’s a story that weaves through years and impacts a lot of people and you can see how it is coming together. That’s hard to do and WWE is making it work really well.

After Survivor Series, Damian Priest and Finn Balor got in a fight in the parking lot. More of Judgment Day came in and beat Priest down.

Balor isn’t happy with Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan for not getting their jobs done. He’s taken care of things and they better do it too, including Morgan defending her title against Iyo Sky at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Damage CTRL vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Morgan has a bad back and Rodriguez has a banged up elbow. Sky gets sent to the floor to start but Sane is back with a flipping neckbreaker out of the corner. That lets Sky come back in for a German suplex to Morgan and a headscissors to Rodriguez. A missile dropkick sets up the Insane Elbow for two and there’s a dive to Morgan. Rodriguez kicks Sane in the face and the Tejana Bomb finishes at 3:59.

Rating: C+. They kept this fast and to the point and that is a good thing, as it made for a more exciting match. Damage CTRL can do that kind of match very well and Rodriguez was good for the power game. It was a fun sprint of a match with Rodriguez getting to show that she can still run through people if given the chance.

Post match Rodriguez goes after Damage CTRL again but Rhea Ripley (no mask) comes in for the brawl. Morgan gets up again though and Ripley is sent eye first into the announcers’ table.

Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio interrupt Gunther, with Balor saying Gunther owes him a title shot because that’s two times he’s helped him beat Damian Priest. Gunther isn’t convinced, but he’d be glad to beat up Dominik tonight.

Women’s Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Katana Chance

Kai kicks Baszler out to the floor to start and follows her out, only to be taken out by Carter. We take a break and come back with Kai kicking Baszler down for two. Chance is back up with a hurricanrana to pull Kai off the top and onto Baszler for two each. A DDT sends Chance outside but Baszler knees Kai for her own near fall. Baszler knees Chance to the floor, only for her to come back in with a 450. Kai grabs a fireman’s carry kick to the head to pin Baszler at 7:40.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here with everyone moving around and something of a surprise winner in Kai. Baszler winning would have made sense but it was nice to see Kai getting a chance for a change. Chance was flying around as well and did well, but Kai going forward is good stuff.

We get a long video on the New Day’s history, though things aren’t going great these days.

Here is Adam Pearce to host the New Day’s ten year anniversary, complete with some New Day memorabilia, including the giant Booty-O’s box from Wrestlemania XXXII. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods come to the ring and we get a NEW DAY ROCKS chant. Woods talks about how this is more than they could ever dream of and thanks the fans. Kingston says he never believed this would happen and it couldn’t have happened without the fans.

Woods says that they’re about to tell you isn’t the fans’ fault. Kingston teases the break up but here is Big E. to interrupt. You can see how emotional it is for him to be back but he wishes he was here under different circumstances. Seeing Kingston and Woods arguing has troubled him deep. Ten years ago, Kingston was considering retirement and Woods was frustrated. Then the two of them were there when he was in a neck brace making sure it was ok.

Big E. was the first person to be there when Woods won King of the Ring and left tears on his shoulder. That’s why Big E. is going to be here every week to remind them who they are by serving as their manager. Woods: “Now? Now you want to come back?” Where was Big E. when they were fighting for months. Woods: “E, you left us.” Big E.: “I broke my neck!” Kingston: “YOU LEFT US! You broke your neck. So what?”

Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and Edge broke their necks and came back without even having family to come back to. As big and strong as Big E. is, he could have been back here sooner. Big E. pleads his case about everything he’s been doing with the doctors but Woods says he was back in nine months after tearing his Achilles. If Big E. cared, he would have been back a long time ago, but Big E. chose his new life and girlfriend over him. Woods calls Big E. a burden because everyone says they miss him so much.

Kingston says it’s always been “we before me” but Big E. is all about himself. He’s never going to be medically cleared so get back to your desk where you belong. They’ll call if they need him. Big E. isn’t throwing this away and says they can fix this but the two of them won’t do it. Big E. slowly leaves and Kingston says it’s just them.

Well that was heartbreaking, as I didn’t think they would ever actually do it. I’m not sure how long this is going to last, but if they ever do a reunion, it could be one heck of a reaction. For now though, I just kind of want to be sad. I know a lot of people are sick of New Day or never liked them in the first place and I get that, but dang that’s a long time to be together and then split up.

Karrion Kross talks about how the Wyatt Sicks went too far last week when they went Nikki Cross after Scarlett. They started this fire and he’s going to end it.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Gunther

Non-title. Gunther puts him onto the apron for a pat on the head and a big boot to the floor. Dominik switches places though and hits a dive as we take a break. Back with Gunther holding a Boston crab, with Dominik going straight to the ropes. Gunther’s sleeper is broken up with a low blow and a 619 into the frog splash gets two. The fans are behind Dominik but it’s cut off with a bit boot into the powerbomb for the pin at 6:29. Not enough shown to rate but Gunther shrugging off Dominik’s offense and pinning him made sense.

Post match Finn Balor runs in to jump Gunther for three Coup de Grace’s.

Pete Dunne is ready to hurt R-Truth over calling him Butch, but we run over to see Jey Uso having been attacked.

Pete Dunne vs. R-Truth

Dunne knocks him down to start and goes after the arm before slowly kicking away. The fans chant BUTCH, with the distraction letting R-Truth grab a rollup for the pin at 1:53. Barrett thinks R-Truth is a master manipulator and…maybe?

Ludwig Kaiser interrupts Bron Breakker, saying he’s coming for the Intercontinental Title. Breakker likes a challenge and after a heck of a match on Saturday, he’ll talk to Adam Pearce. Just get out of Gunther’s shadow sooner, because Gunther’s stock is going down. That makes Kaiser think.

Adam Pearce won’t say who attacked Jey Uso but Sami Zayn seems to think it was Seth Rollins (without saying his name).

Finn Balor wants to know when he’s getting a World Title match so Adam Pearce makes it for Saturday Night’s Main Event. First though, Balor has another title match next week, opponent to be named.

Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn sends him to the floor to start and does his bounce back into the middle as we take an early break. Back with Zayn hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for two but the Helluva Kick is cut off with a superkick. Zayn is knocked to the floor, where he says he knows it was Rollins. That earns him a ram into the steps but Zayn is back with a kick to the face. Zayn grabs a chair and says Rollins did it but Rollins says it wasn’t him. Rollins suggests that it was Punk, which makes Zayn throw down the chair and get rolled up for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have much time here but it was more about the story than anything else. As usual, Zayn tries to be the peacemaker in the whole thing and gets distracted, causing him to lose. That’s about all you can expect from Zayn these days, but it would be nice to see him turn it on and make a serious run for a change.

Rollins leaves but Drew McIntyre is back to kick Zayn in the face. In theory, there’s your attacker.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was pretty mediocre this week but the storytelling was more than enough to make up for it. Between some matches being set up for Saturday Night’s Main Event and the pretty gut wrenching New Day segment, I want to see where these things are going and it could make for some good stuff going forward. You can see where a lot of these stories are going and that’s a great thing to see as we’re gearing up for the big season.

Results
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Damage CTRL – Tejana Bomb to Sane
Dakota Kai b. Shayna Baszler and Katana Chance – Fireman’s carry kick to Baszler
Gunther b. Dominik Mysterio – Powerbomb
R-Truth b. Pete Dunne – Rollup
Seth Rollins b. Sami Zayn – Small package

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: October 28, 2024
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last Raw before Crown Jewel and that means we get to hear about the entirely and completely important Crown Jewel Titles. Other than that, the Usos are back together with Roman Reigns after the Bloodline went too far last week. There is a good chance that we’ll hear some more about that this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Bloodline and Jey Uso costing each other titles last week.

Here is Jey Uso for a chat. After recapping what he’s done over the last week, Jey brings out Jimmy Uso, as the only person he wants to talk to. Jimmy says he’s here to say thank you because they need to be together to take down the Bloodline. Jey cuts him off though, saying they’re not the ones either.

Jey hasn’t seen him since Wrestlemania but now no one gets them confused because Jey is the former Intercontinental Champion. He’s won titles, but none of them top being Jimmy’s twin brother. They still have things to work out but they can be the USOS. Jimmy invites Jey to Smackdown to make things right with Roman Reigns, which Jey accepts. Cue the Bloodline to interrupt but the Usos fights their way out of a beating and clear the ring. Good reunion here, but it’s the next step in a very long story.

Post break, Adam Pearce is on the phone with Nick Aldis and yells about the Bloodline being here. Judgment Day comes in to ask which former World Champion Dominik Mysterio will be facing. Pearce doesn’t have time for this so it can be Damian Priest. Mysterio says he has this.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They slug it out to start and fight into the corner with Sheamus getting the better of things. That heads out to the floor, with Kaiser grabbing a guillotine but getting driven into the steps. We take an early break and come back with Sheamus hitting the ten forearms on the apron. Sheamus hammers away in the corner but gets powerbombed down, only to say COME ON when Kaiser starts punching him. Some hard shots from Sheamus set up the Brogue Kick to pin Kaiser at 9:46.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here due to the break and it’s a little strange to see this feud picked up again when it was mainly going back in the early summer. That being said, there is absolutely some value in building up Sheamus to challenge Bron Breakker for the Intercontinental Title in a hoss feud. It has some stories built in and that should be good enough if they go in that direction.

Rhea Ripley is sick of Raquel Rodriguez and her betrayal. All Ripley wants is the title back and nothing can stop her.

Sami Zayn talks to Jey Uso and can’t believe what he’s seeing. Solo Sikoa wasn’t the one who was getting in his head for years and Jey could just be his own may. Jey says Sami wouldn’t understand because he isn’t family. Oh that was harsh.

Gunther doesn’t think much of Cody Rhodes and is ready for a tag match on Smackdown.

Zelina Vega vs. Ivy Nile

The LWO and American Made are both here too. They start fast with Vega sending her outside for a Meteora off the apron as we take an early break. Back with Vega getting two off a moonsault (not much contact there). Nile is back with a German suplex for two but Vega is back with a Code Red. The guys get in a brawl on the floor though and the distraction lets Nile hit a swinging Rock Bottom for the pin at 6:28. Not enough shown to rate but it was short and not exactly great.

Jimmy Uso is ok with Sami Zayn not being family.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. He’s ready to go to war with a monster at Crown Jewel because a part of him that has been gone for a long time is back. Bronson Reed pops up on screen to say he promised that he wouldn’t wreck anything in the arena, but he’s out in the parking lot. Rollins comes out for the brawl, where Reed shrugs off a Stomp onto the hood of a car. They go into the back of a truck and Reed hits a Death Valley Driver through some tables to leave Rollins laying. That’s either a way to write the match off of the crowded card or to give Reed a way to injure Rollins again.

We recap Miz and R-Truth brawling, which drew out the Wyatt Six to attack Paul Ellering.

Miz tried to get away from the Final Testament but they weren’t letting that happen.

R-Truth was with the Alpha Academy when Miz came up to try to make amends. That earns him a shot to the face, with R-Truth saying good luck with the Wyatts. R-Truth runs into Pete Dunne, who he calls Butch. It’s rather funny when R-Truth gets it.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: LWO vs. War Raiders vs. New Day

Kofi and Lee dropkick Ivar to start but he crushes Lee in the corner for two. Erik comes in to knee Rey to the floor and the ring is cleared early on as we take a break. Back with Erik crushing Woods but Rey fights up and knocks Erik outside. Woods is back in but refuses to tag Kingston, with commentary talking about Woods being the “quarterback” of the team. Now Kingston comes in and his a Boom Drop. Woods hits a dive to the floor and Kingston dives onto them again as we take a break.

Back again with Rey kicking Kingston in the head and bringing Lee in to pick up the pace. The double stomp out of the Tree of Woe hits Kingston before Lee, Kingston and Erik go up at the same time. That’s broken up and Lee powerbombs Kingston for two with Woods making the save. Kingston loads up Daylight but Woods would rather dive onto Lee. Cue Chad Gable to pull Rey to the floor for an ankle lock, leaving the Raiders to hit the German suplex/springboard clothesline to pin Kingston at 17:34.

Rating: B. I would have bet on the LWO getting the win here but good idea of pulling the trigger with the Raiders. They’re an established team and a pair of monsters so why not see if they can get the gold again. If nothing else, Judgment Day isn’t doing a thing with the belts so moving them on to a more traditional team is a good idea.

Seth Rollins is off getting medical treatment at a facility.

Miz’s advice for the Final Testament regarding the Wyatt Sicks: run. That doesn’t work for Karrion Kross, who wants Miz to take Bo Dallas out.

The Usos are going to leave but see Sami Zayn talking to Solo Sikoa. Jimmy says he told Jey all they had was family, with Jey agreeing. Now usually this isn’t something that winds up being what it seems, but Jimmy is often presented as stupid so it kind of fits.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Mysterio is here on his own. Priest starts fast and knocks him to the floor without much effort. Dominik manages a posting to take over though and we go to an early break. Back with Priest breaking up the Third Amigo and hitting a hard clothesline for two. Priest gets sent outside though and here is Liv Morgan for a distraction so Carlito and JD McDonagh can come in for some cheap shots. Priest beats them up with a chair but Dominik grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to keep Priest’s issues with Judgment Day going until he can move on to a feud with Gunther and there are worse ideas. Priest lost because there were three people helping Mysterio, who had to cheat as well. If nothing else, the idea of Mysterio getting built up towards a World Title match could have quite the reactions, as the fans still love to boo him out of every arena.

Post match Priest wrecks Dominik and Carlito to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it’s the lack of any time left or realizing that it’s not working, but the lack of focus on the Crown Jewel Titles made this so much more enjoyable. WWE might have known that the idea was lame from the beginning but it’s nit to get the focus off of them for a night. Other than that, you had some things st up for the post Crown Jewel shows as Survivor Series is on the way. Not a great show, but it got some things done.

Results
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Ivy Nile b. Zelina Vega – Swinging Rock Bottom
War Raiders b. New Day and LWO – German suplex/springboard clothesline combination to Kingston
Dominik Mysterio b. Damien Priest – Rollup with tights

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: September 30, 2024
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the last Raw before Bad Blood and that means we are in for the final push before Saturday’s Cell match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Other than that, Jey Uso is the new Intercontinental Champion and that means he is going to need a new challenger. Finally we have a big showdown this week, with Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman, Last Man/Monster Standing. Let’s get to it.

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

Commentary is in the ring to welcome us to the show.

We look at Jey Uso beating Bron Breakker last week to become the new Intercontinental Champion.

Uso is in the back and comes to the ring, with his son helping lead the YEET chants for a great moment. After seeming pretty emotional about the title win, Uso talks about how he’ll fight every week to retain the title. He’s always been known as just a twin and part of the team but now he’s here by himself as Intercontinental Champion. Uso has a bunch of fans, but the biggest is his mother, who told him to go out there and show the people who he is. She told him to go get it and that’s what he did, but cue Bron Breakker to interrupt.

Breakker says he respects Uso after last week’s match and how he had said the best man should walk out as champion. On that night, Uso was the better man. Breakker says he isn’t here to attack Uso, and offers a handshake, which Uso accepts. As Breakker goes to leave (in peace), Uso stops him and says there are some dogs around here. That felt like a face turn for Breakker, which could be a rather interesting way to go.

Earlier today, Finn Balor called Dominik Mysterio, with the rest of Judgment Day not being sure where Balor was. Balor told Dominik that “it’s all taken care of” and he’ll see them soon. Dominik tells the rest of the team that Balor is just stuck somewhere but he’s on his way.

Rey Mysterio vs. Xavier Woods

This is fallout from an argument last week. Woods grabs a rollup to start but Rey sends him to the floor for a seated senton (West Coast Pop according to Tessitore) off the apron. We take an early break and come back with Rey sending him outside for a nice looking Asai moonsault. Back in and the 619 misses so Rey tries a reverse suplex, only for Woods to rip the mask off. Woods is upset at himself but grabs the rollup for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. Oh I think you know where this is going and it’s getting more and more interesting every week. Woods is going closer and closer to the dark side but I’m curious if Big E. is going to come back and reunite the team for good. For now though, it was a quite match and that’s all it needed to be.

Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler interrupts Lyra Valkyria, who doesn’t have Natalya or Zelina Vega with her tonight. Baszler will be with Deville instead, but Baszler will only bite on Deville’s orders.

Kofi Kingston comes up to Xavier Woods and asks if that was on purpose. Woods says of course he didn’t but notices the lack of congratulations. Kingston does congratulate him but says that Jey Uso has given him (as in Kingston) an Intercontinental Title shot. Woods says of course Kingston will climb the mountain again…but Kingston has said Woods should get the shot instead. That certainly works for Woods, who would love to be ringside with Kingston tonight to help cancel out American Mad. Everything seems ok for now, including Karrion Kross looking on in the background.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark

The rest of the Pure Fusion Collective is here with Stark. Feeling out process to start with Valkyria sending her outside for a dropkick through the ropes. We take an early break and come back with Valkyria hitting a crossbody and striking away, including an enziguri for two. The Z360 is blocked s Valkyria German suplexes her down. The rest of the Collective offers a distraction so Valkyria’s rollup gets a delayed two. Deville adds a running knee to the head though and Stark hits Z360 for the pin at 7:14.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t exactly a smooth match and the Collective continues to feel about as low rent of a stable as you can ask for in the division. What we got here was relatively sloppy as well, with the Collective barely being able to beat one person with the 3-1 advantage. Just not a very good match and this is one of the weaker parts of Raw at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is teased but Kayden Carter and Katana Chance run in for the save, with Carter running around the ring while Chance gets choked. Eventually the villains are taken out.

Video on Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman, set up like a monster movie.

Adam Pearce tells security to keep the match in the ring as CM Punk walks by.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance get in an argument with the Unholy Union. The Union absolutely tower over them in a pretty ridiculous visual.

The Cell is lowered, with Adam Pearce and security inside. Pearce talks about how he prides himself on delivering promised matches, so tonight there will be no physicality inside the Cell. There will however be a chance for both men to say their final shot, so here are CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. They both take their time and seem to respect the Cell a bit before getting inside.

Punk appears to say he has nothing to say to McIntyre, who says he’ll go first. McIntyre points out that he’s wearing black, which is out of respect to Punk’s wife. After Saturday, she’s going to have to take care of Punk and will probably just leave him. He’s wearing a tuxedo because it’s going to be a celebration after Punk is gone for good after Saturday. McIntyre has been telling the fans the truth for ten months but they still chant his names.

After all those months, Punk has taught McIntyre how to hate, and the hatred will die at Bad Blood. Punk says people have called him a lot of things over the course of his career, including the Voice Of The Voiceless. Tonight though, he is voiceless because he can’t speak to a piece of garbage like McIntyre. Punk has been living in a hotel for a month because he doesn’t want his wife to see what he has become. McIntyre needs to remember that he prayed for all of this, but on Saturday, he’ll be praying to Punk himself. This was another intense exchange and dang they need to destroy each other.

Braun Strowman is ready for Bronson Reed…but the Miz interrupts. Before he can get anywhere, R-Truth interrupts with Strowman being surprised that he’s back. R-Truth isn’t sure what Strowman is talking about but Strowman is off to get ready. R-Truth isn’t sure why he didn’t tell Miz that he’s back but he’s gotten a match with A-Op. As in the Authors of Pain, though R-Truth isn’t sure what books they have written.

Sami Zayn doesn’t like the disrespect from Gunther and no he isn’t over it despite getting it for his entire career. It doesn’t matter what happens to him because he’s going to keep fighting until he becomes World Heavyweight Champion.

LWO vs. Judgment Day

Del Toro kicks McDonagh in the face to start and hits a high crossbody. Wilde adds a 450 and we take an early break. Back with Wilde hitting a DDT and diving over to Lee for the tag to clean house. Lee’s slingshot dropkick in the corner rocks Carlito and the villains are sent into the corner in a big pile. That means a Coast To Coast dropkick from Del Toro for two on McDonagh and a big dive to the floor makes it worse. Liv Morgan offers a distraction though and here is Finn Balor for a cheap shot to Del Toro. The Devlin Side finishes at 7:10.

Rating: B-. Some of the spots were very entertaining and that shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there. At the same time, the numbers game being the LWO’s undoing isn’t that shocking. At the same time, it would have been ok if Judgment Day beat this version of the LWO. The good guys aren’t that strong in the first place, especially with Rey Mysterio not involved.

Post break, Balor promises to prove to Damian Priest that Priest needed him rather than the team needing Priest. Liv Morgan promises to prove that she is a home wrecking, man stealing, greatest champion of all time. Cue Rhea Ripley to interrupt and she brings out the shark cage for dramatic effect (her words).

The reality is Dominik Mysterio is scared of confined spaces so he’ll be terrified…and here is Damian Priest to jump Judgment Day. Ripley headbutts Morgan and sends Mysterio into the shark cage. Morgan is back up for the brawl, with Ripley throwing a shoe at her. Priest keeps beating up Judgment Day until Balor hits a Sling Blade. The Coup de Grace leaves Priest laying.

Sheamus talks about how bad it is to get hit in the back of the head by a man who used to be your friend. It’s even worse when that friend used to be named Butch, so now they’re in for a fight. We’ll even make it a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook.

Commentary pays tribute to Pete Rose, complete with some Wrestlemania footage. Simple and short here but anything is better than nothing, especially when the news broke about an hour before the show went on the air.

Damage CTRL want the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Chad Gable vs. Kofi Kingston

American Made and Xavier Woods are here too. Gable takes him to the mat to start but is quickly escaped both times. Kingston backflips out of a German suplex and flips out of a monkey flip as well. They go outside where Gable, with a cut forehead, hits a German suplex and we take a break.

Back with Kingston hitting a middle rope dropkick but coming up favoring his knee. An overhead belly to belly drops Kingston again and they trade rollups for two each. Kingston kicks his way out of the corner but misses a top rope shot to the head,. The ankle lock is countered into a rollup for two but Trouble In Paradise is countered into the ankle lock again. That’s broken up and they fall out to the floor, with Kingston hitting a dive onto American Made. Woods helps take out Julius Creed and trips Gable, which causes Kingston to miss Trouble In Paradise. Rolling Chaos Theory finishes Kingston at 9:30.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches where you knew it was going to be good because of who was involved. At the same time you had some interesting storyline advancement with Woods costing Kingston the win by trying to go evil. Solid match and I could go for seeing more from both of them, which is a nice feeling to have.

We look at WWE stars at various football games over the weekend, including Seth Rollins.

Bronson Reed isn’t worried that Rollins is getting ready to return to the ring, because he’ll take even more time off Rollins’ career. As for tonight, he’ll be the Last Monster Standing.

Adam Pearce is talking to security again when Gunther passes by.

We get another weird Wyatt Sicks video, saying “we see your intent” and talking about anger festering into rage, which will end in your demise. Do not force their hand, heed their admonition. Ok then.

Here is Gunther for a chat, though first we see some clips of his match with Ilja Dragunov over the weekend, where Dragunov tore his ACL and will be out 6-9 months. Gunther talks about how fantastic it is to be World Heavyweight Champion, as it comes with a lot of perks. There is one thing that he hates though, which is dealing with Sami Zayn every single week. Cue Zayn to interrupt, saying that all Gunther has to do is give him a title shot.

Gunther says Zayn isn’t on his level, which Zayn says Gunther knows is nonsense and that’s why Gunther is scared. Zayn beat him before and Gunther knows he can do it again. Gunther says Zayn is scared of his reputation, because losing to a better man would have been no problem, but losing to Zayn is an embarrassment. Gunther wasn’t sure he could win at Wrestlemania but he didn’t parade his worries around for sympathy.

After the match, Gunther had to talk to his father, who flew all the way from Vienna to see him lose to a bum. Zayn wouldn’t understand though because Zayn’s family always sees him fail. On the other hand, Gunther is his family’s golden goose. Zayn says it’s true that Gunther lost, and then he left for weeks because he couldn’t handle it. He never asked for a rematch and didn’t even show up, because his dad thought he was a loser. Now Gunther is showing his father that he is a coward, which is enough for Gunther to beat Zayn down and yell a lot. Gunther lays him out with the powerbomb and the match is on.

Awesome Truth vs. Authors Of Pain

Truth shoulders Rezar to start but gets caught in a quick Dominator. Karrion Kross is yelling at Miz from the floor as the double teaming is on. Truth manages to low bridge Akam to the floor and hands it off to Miz…who kicks Truth in the face and walks out. What A Rush finishes Truth (who wasn’t legal) at 2:58.

Bad Blood rundown.

Gunther, with Ludwig Kaiser, isn’t worried about defending against Sami Zayn next week. Bron Breakker, who beat Gunther in NXT, comes in to look at the World Heavyweight Title. He’ll see Gunther soon. New Day could be seen arguing in the back.

Bronson Reed vs. Braun Strowman

Last Monster (Man) Standing. Strowman hits a clothesline to start but Reed knocks him out to the floor. A missed charge sends Reed into the steps but he’s back up in a few seconds. Strowman hits him with the steps a few times and a chokeslam sends Reed through the announcers’ table. Reed is back up and we have another staredown as we take a break.

Back with Reed knocking him own as a bunch of chairs are set up on the floor. Strowman gets in a shot of his own and limps over for a forearm to send Red through the chairs. Reed is back up again and they fight up to the stage, where Strowman gets in a chair to the back. They climb onto some anvil cases with Reed slamming him through some tables but Strowman gets up again.

We come back from another break with Strowman having crashed through the barricade and beating the count. Another spear puts Strowman through another barricade, with some fans being taken out. Security and agents come out to check on the fans as Reed hits the Tsunami but there’s no referee. That means another Tsunami before Reed throws security inside. The referee is thrown down so Adam Pearce gets in Reed’s face.

The Agents go to make the save but Strowman goes up and dives onto the pile or the huge knockdown. They both beat the count so Strowman goes up, with Reed catching him in the superplex to break the ring (that’s always cool). They’re both getting up again but here is Seth Rollins to Stomp Reed onto the steps so Strowman can win at 19:18.

Rating: B+. While this didn’t quite hit the levels of violence and insanity that I was hoping for, it was still a good fight between two monsters with multiple big moments. Reed vs. Rollins can be a major match down the line (two weeks from now would work fine) and it wouldn’t stun me to see it dragged out a bit. Reed has done well in this role and I could go for more of it, but Rollins almost has to be the endgame one way or another.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a way to close out the three hours Raw’s, as they had a bunch of storyline developments and some strong action to balance it out. In addition to boosting up Bad Blood, they’ve also made me want to see next week’s pretty stacked show. Awesome stuff this week and one of the better Raw’s in a bit, as it did its own thing and set up matches for the future, which is a very efficient week.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Rey Mysterio – Rollup
Zoey Stark b. Lyra Valkyria – Z360
Judgment Day b. LWO – Devlin Side to del Toro
Chad Gable b. Kofi Kingston – Rolling Chaos Theory
Authors Of Pain b. Awesome Truth – What A Rush to R-Truth
Braun Strowman b. Bronson Reed – Stomp onto the steps

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 9, 2024
Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Albert, Canada
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s the season premiere of the show and since we’re in Calgary, Bret Hart is here for a special appearance. We’ve also got the Women’s Tag Team Titles on the line and a four way for the #1 contendership to the Intercontinental Title. Throw in the start of the build to Bad Blood in less than a month and we should be in for a big one. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers welcome us to the show and throw us to a video recapping American Made vs. the Wyatt Sicks.

American Made vs. Wyatt Sicks

Street fight. It’s a big brawl to start (as it should be) with Nikki Cross bringing out the weapons. The Creeds try some double teaming but Rowan suplexes both of them down on the floor and runs Gable over. Uncle Howdy (not in the match) sits in the rocking chair as Rowan brings out the first table.

Cross sprays Rowan with the fire extinguisher and the Creeds put him through a table before burying him with a bunch of stuff. Lumis gets chaired down but pops up and hits a belly to back suplex into a jumping legdrop on Gable. Gacy hits the Upside Down to drop the Creeds but Julius kendo sticks him in the back. The women fight over the announcers’ table as the Creeds load up another table.

Rowan comes back from the burial and wrecks the Creeds with a piece of the barricade but Gable takes him down with a shot to the back. Gable German suplexes Rowan into the barricade and the Brutus Ball into a steps shot puts him down again. Gacy dives onto Gable and Lumis flip dives onto the Creeds, followed by a clothesline to drop Gable inside.

Gable is back up with a super Angle Slam to put Gacy through the table for two. Gable grabs the ankle lock and Nile is in with kendo stick shots to Gacy but Cross makes the save. Rowan claw slams Gable onto the steps, with Howdy coming in with a Sister Abigail to Julius. Lumis’ frog splash pins Gable at 16:53.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a fight and a good bit better than I was expecting. I’m still not sure what the Wyatts do next as this should wrap up the feud, but at least they got a big win. That being said, can we please stop seeing Gable lose? It wouldn’t have been the same for one of the Creeds to take the fall, but dang seeing Gable get pinned again was sad.

Tessitore lets us know that from October 7 – the end of the year, the show will only be two hours. Oh that’s a big change.

We look back at Liv Morgan injuring Rhea Ripley’s leg last week and the Terror Twins going after the Judgment Day. Morgan defending the Women’s Title against Ripley is set for Bad Blood.

Here is Finn Balor for a chat. He wants to talk about Damian Priest holding him down while Balor was trying to hold him up. Balor should have been the World Heavyweight Champion a long time ago but Priest was always there with that briefcase. He calls Priest out here right now so here is Priest to say he’s dropping Balor right now. Balor says he wants a match at Bad Blood, one on one, which works for Priest.

Cue Judgment Day to swarm Priest, with Rhea Ripley, on a crutch, limping down the aisle, but cutting Liv Morgan off with a crutch shot. Dominik Mysterio comes after Ripley and gets crutched down instead. Morgan takes out the bad knee and they get inside. Priest covers Ripley and takes the crutch shots from Morgan, only for Dominik to pull him off and unload with crutch shots to the ribs, setting up Balor’s Coup de Grace. Cue Jey Uso for the save with a chair though and the fans approve. The Judgment Day had to get some heat on the Terror Twins and this worked well.

Braun Strowman talks about how he’s ready to win the four way tonight and become #1 contender to get the Intercontinental Title back. Bron Breakker comes in and says he’s ready to prove that you don’t have to be that big to be a monster. Breakker’s confidence is great and it feels earned.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Unholy Union vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending. Fyre gets taken down by Belair to start and it’s off to Cargill for the double shoulder. Dawn comes in and manages to take Cargill into the corner, where Fyre gets in a shot to the knee. Cargill kicks her away though and it’s back to Belair to clean house.

A double high crossbody takes the challengers out and there’s the handspring moonsault for two on Dawn. Belair’s superplex is blocked and a double powerbomb brings her back down for two. Cargill comes in for the save but Jaded is broken up with a superkick. The Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral hits Belair but Cargill dives in for a save. Belair gets over for the tag and the assisted German suplex to Fyre retains the titles at 6:35.

Rating: C+. That should pretty much do it for this feud as there is no reason for them to fight again. Belair and Cargill beat them cleanly here and that makes it two in a row. I’m not sure what is next for the Union, as there are only so many teams for them to face. That’s been a problem for the division since it started and it’s still the case now.

Dragon Lee and the LWO is ready for Dominik Mysterio. Judgment Day comes in to sneer and the Mysterios get into the usual argument. Rey challenges Finn Balor for tonight and the match is on.

Barrett and Tessitore are here to introduce Bret Hart to a hero’s welcome. After the announcement that Survivor Series is returning to Canada this November, Bret talks about what it meant to be a Canadian champion. It meant that he would fight anyone anywhere anytime for twenty years….and here is Gunther to interrupt (complete with what looked like a bit of a Bret pose on the way in).

Gunther is rather pleased to be here with one of his childhood heroes, but this is kind of a passing the torch moment. While Bret is the best there ever was, Gunther is the best there is and the best there ever will be. With that out of the way, Gunther talks about how everyone here watched Bret growing up and he will always be a close second to his all time favorite: Bill Goldberg. Oh that was HILARIOUS.

Cue Sami Zayn (in a Johnny Gaudreau jersey, paying tribute to an NHL player who was killed last month in an accident) to say that he can’t believe Gunther would make fun o a Canadian hero whose matches are still being studied to this day. Zayn issues the challenge to Gunther again but gets turned down again. As Gunther leaves, Hart calls him a coward so Gunther starts coming back, with Zayn brawling with him before posing with Hart. This was a nice moment and a great use of someone like Hart, but nothing was topping that Goldberg line.

Bron Breakker runs into Pete Dunne and, after teasing the Butch name, he mocks Dunne’s weird look and promises to beat him up if he wins. Breakker leaves and Sheamus runs in to jump Dunne with a knee to the face.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee

The rest of the Judgment Day and the LWO are both here too. Lee takes him down to start and goes up, only to get dropkicked out of the air in a nice spot. We take a break and come back with Dominik stomping away but Lee scores with a slingshot dropkick. A Michinoku Driver gives Dominik two but Lee muscles him up with a powerbomb for the same. Lee plants him for two again but Judgment Day interferes, meaning it’s a big brawl to the back. Liv Morgan uses the distraction to get in a chop block on Lee, setting up the 619. The frog splash finishes Lee at 8:15.

Rating: C+. What in the world happened to Dragon Lee? It felt like he was ready to be the next big thing and now he couldn’t be much more of an afterthought. Maybe it was too much too fast, but dang he has fallen through the floor. For now though, Morgan continues to help Dominik win as they are still a success, but Ripley is on the way and it’s going to be painful.

Damage CTRL come up to Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair, saying not to get used to holding the titles. That’s as good of a set of challenges as they have.

Commentary pays tribute to Johnny Gaudreau, with Jackie Redmond (who works in the NHL so she already has ties to this) looking at the memorial to him outside of the arena. You rarely see this kind of thing from WWE and it was very nice.

Pure Fusion Collective vs. Lyra Valkyria/Zelina Vega/???

It’s a mystery partner and…hang on as Sonya Deville cuts off Valkyria’s music to call out whomever the partner is going to be. It’s Calgary so here is the returning Natalya to even things up. Vega gets sent outside to start and the villains get to pose as we take an early break. Back with Natalya coming in to clean house before trading rollups with Stark for some near falls. Everything breaks down and a triple Sharpshooter ends the Collective at 6:57.

Rating: C. This was nothing more than a way to pop the live crowd and it went well enough. Natalya is only going to be so interesting no matter what she does but she’s been gone long enough that it was nice to see her again. The ending was a great thing to see in Calgary as well so this was a perfectly pleasant match.

Bret Hart congratulates Natalya, Zelina Vega and Lyra Valkyria on the win, saying it was a Nattie moment instead of a Bret moment.

Here is Drew McIntyre to mock the fans’ CM PUNK chants. Last week Punk was bragging about beating him by slapping some corners and saying that was it. McIntyre isn’t done with Punk though because he made Punk a bigger star. Things are going well for McIntyre right now, as he has his first movie coming out later this week, but he has some bad news. It has to do with Wade Barrett, who seems confused.

McIntyre talks about their history together, which involves living together, training together and being arrested together. Barrett has been one of only people to plead his case while Michael Cole lied, but last week Barrett tried to stop McIntyre from hurting Punk. McIntyre isn’t happy but if Barrett does it again, it won’t go well.

Barrett stands up and stares at McIntyre but Adam Pearce interrupts, saying he has something McIntyre will want to hear. Pearce has talked to Punk and he’s going to face McIntyre one more time. At Bad Blood. Inside Hell In A Cell. And this works because it’s a feud that has earned the spot in that kind of match.

Karrion Kross is talking to Miz when Xavier Woods (in Bret Hart cosplay) Comes in to ask what Kross is doing. Kross leaves and Woods asks Miz what’s going on. Miz says he invented that move but Woods wouldn’t understand. With Miz gone, Kofi Kingston comes in and says he’s got them a Tag Team Title shot next week. Woods is pleased and Bret posing ensues.

Finn Balor vs. Rey Mysterio

Balor kicks him down and stomps away to start but Rey is back up rather quickly. Rey manages to send him outside and hits a dive as we take a break. Back with Rey hitting a springboard crossbody and a 619 to the ribs. The regular 619 is cut off and Balor grabs a half crab in the ropes…which he doesn’t break and that’s a DQ at 8:00.

Rating: C+. This picked up a bit after the break but it’s much more of an angle than a match. With Balor getting ready for his big showdown with Priest, he needs to be reheated a bit and this was a fine way to do it. At the same time, Rey continues to be able to look good in the ring, which should not be happening for someone with a mixture of his age and knees.

Post match Balor stays on him and wrecks the knee even more.

Ilja Dragunov is ready to prove himself for another shot at Bron Breakker. Cue Breakker to say he’s beaten Dragunov before but if Dragunov wants, he can do it again. Jey Uso comes in and goes to the ring for his entrance.

Judgment Day says tonight was a message and it’ll be even worse at Bad Blood.

Braun Strowman vs. Jey Uso vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Pete Dunne

For the next shot against Bron Breakker. Strowman cleans house to start but gets knocked to the floor so Dragunov can hit some running knees on Dunne. Uso is back up to take out Dragunov, leaving Dunne to go after Strowman’s finger. Strowman throws him onto the other two and we take a break.

Back with Strowman shoving all of them away but getting knocked outside again. Strowman grabs for Dunne but Dragunov takes him down down a dive. Everyone gets together and shoves Strowman into the steps, leaving Dunne to X Plex Dragunov. They trade kicks to the head until Dragunov goes up, only to be superkicked out of the air by Uso for two.

We take another break and come back again with Dunne snapping more fingers and going up but Strowman cuts him off. Strowman does the freight train and loads up the announcers’ table but Bronson Reed returns and splashes Strowman through the table instead. Uso and Dragunov stare each other down with Uso hitting a spear but Dunne comes in to steal the near fall. Dragunov kicks Dunne in the face and gives him a powerbomb, setting up the H Bomb for two with Uso making the save with a superkick. The Superfly Splash gives Uso the pin at 13:39.

Rating: B. This was set up well as Uso felt like the most likely winner but Strowman was just enough of a threat to add some drama. Dunne and Dragunov would have felt like a big stretch no matter what they were doing but they both added enough. Reed’s interference made for a great moment and odds are they’ll have another match at Bad Blood. Good stuff here, with the right person winning.

Bron Breakker comes out for the staredown with Jey Uso to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This show covered a lot of ground with good action, matches being set up for both next week and Bad Blood, and an absolutely amazing moment with Gunther cracking me up. They set up three major matches for Bad Blood (with the IC Title likely coming there too) in the span of three hours, which is a rather efficient way to go. I liked this one a good bit and it flew by, but dang that shift to two hours in a few weeks sounds glorious.

Results
Wyatt Sicks b. American Made – Top rope splash to Gable
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Unholy Union – Assisted German suplex to Fyre
Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee
Natalya/Lyra Valkyria/Zelina Vega b. Pure Fusion Collective – Triple Sharpshooters
Rey Mysterio b. Finn Balor via DQ when Balor would not release a half crab
Jey Uso b. Braun Strowman, Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne – Superfly Splash to Dunne

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 26, 2024
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Bash In Berlin and the show could use a nice push. Last week’s show wasn’t as strong as the previous few weeks but maybe it was just a one off. This week will also see the start of a tournament to crown a new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Sid. That’s still a shocker.

Here is the Judgment Day for a chat. They brag about last week’s beatdown of Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley and then promise to do even worse to them in Berlin. Dominik is booed out of the building and tries to say that Liv Morgan helps him do things he has never done before (Cole: “TMI!”).

That’s why he is entering the Intercontinental Title #1 contenders tournament but here is the LWO to interrupt. Rey Mysterio calls Dominik a lost soul and says someone needs to put Dominik in his place. Dominik brings up Rey leaving for weeks, with Rey saying Dominik is even more of a jackass than usual. The brawl is on and the LWO clears the ring rather quickly.

Judgment Day vs. LWO

Joined in progress with Rey coming in to hammer away on Balor, setting up the sitout bulldog for two. Carlito comes in so del Toro comes in off the ropes to work on the arm. Wilde gets springboarded into a moonsault for two on Carlito, who easily takes him into the wrong corner. It’s back to Del Toro, who has to dropkick his way out of the wrong corner, allowing the tag to Wilde. Everything breaks down and Wilde does his insane springboard dive to take them out in the aisle as we take a break.

Back with Wilde in trouble in the wrong corner but managing to send Balor outside. A rolling tag brings in Rey to take over on Dominik, including a kick to the head for two. Dominik catches him on top but it’s a sunset bomb to give Rey two with Judgment Day making the save. Rey sends Dominik outside and the LWO hit a quadruple dive, setting up the 619 to Dominik. Liv Morgan pulls Dominik away from the frog splash though and la majistral gives Dominik the pin at 13:31.

Rating: B-. The LWO can do the high flying fast paced stuff rather well and it worked well here. The Judgment Day on the other hand is more a bunch of people who do whatever they need to win and make it work, which was the case again here. Dominik pinning Rey again with Liv’s help is a nice point in making him seem right, but punishment is coming.

Post match Judgment Day keeps up the beatdown but Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan make the save. Dominik and Liv bail, leaving JD McDonagh to get Riptided while Carlito gets South Of Heavened.

Miz talks about how everything has been going bad for him lately while he tries to do the right thing. Bronson Reed comes in to say Miz came after him because of R-Truth, who came after him in the first place. After Reed takes care of Braun Strowman, he’ll be back for Miz.

Xavier Woods, now in black gear rather than Kofi Kingston’s lime green (Woods calls it adding his own flavor) but they’re cool because they can talk about things. They’re both in the tournament for the Intercontinental Title shot and everything seems cool.

The Pure Fusion Collective brags about hurting various people.

Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective

Sonya Deville is here with the Collective. Sky and Stark start things off until Baszler tags herself in and low bridges Sky to the floor. Deville gets in a cheap shot and we take an early break. Back with Sane getting the tag to clean house, including some spinning backfists. Sane hits the sliding lariat to Baszler in the corner, setting up a top rope forearm for two. A choke is reversed into Baszler’s ankle lock and Stark adds a missile dropkick for two. Cue the returning Zelina Vega to take out Deville, leaving Sane to knock Stark down. Sky dives onto Baszler as Sane hits the Insane Elbow to pin Stark at 7:19.

Rating: C+. The teams both work well together and Damage CTRL gets a win to put them back on the right path. The women’s division has some depth at the moment and it is nice to see things picking up a bit. Vega being back should add a bit more, which could take them into a more in-depth feud that isn’t about a title for once.

Uncle Howdy doesn’t like Chad Gable being a false leader who sends his family into danger. The Wyatt Sicks are ready to take him out to prevent things from getting worse. This is a purge.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. He mocks CM Punk’s line about it being great to be alive here in Providence before moving on to how Punk had nothing to do with all of this success. McIntyre sits down cross legged and says this is what he does: he always tells the truth. The reason this keeps happening (standing back up now) is because the fans chant Punk’s name to enable him.

That’s why there is going to be a strap match on Saturday and each lashing is going to be on the fans. McIntyre brings up the bracelet but cue Punk to interrupt from behind and the fight is on. McIntyre grabs the strap but Punk backdrops him onto the announcers’ table. A few shots with the strap send McIntyre running so Punk beats up some security.

Braun Strowman isn’t going to be bullied by Bronson Reed.

Jey Uso does his walk through the concourse to start his entrance.

Intercontinental Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Jey Uso vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Karrion Kross

The winner goes on to a four way final. Kross gets knocked down into the corner to start for some alternating stomping, only for Uso to roll Kingston up for two. Back up and Uso gets sent outside as well, meaning it’s a big Kingston dive to take both of them down. We take a break and come back with Uso’s dancing punches putting Kross down. A running Umaga Attack hits Kingston but Kross cuts Uso off with a superkick for two. Kingston drops both of them for a double Boom Drop, only to have Trouble In Paradise broken up. With Kingston sent outside, Uso hits a spear on Kross, setting up the Superfly Splash for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: B-. I was hoping for singles matches in the tournament but I guess we covered those well enough for the King/Queen of the Ring tournaments earlier this year. Uso going over is the right way to go as he would make a great first challenger for Bron Breakker and that seems to be a possible way they’re going. Other than that, Xavier Woods might be happy with Kingston’s loss and that very well could be an issue if Woods makes the finals.

Earlier today, Gunther talks about being focused on Randy Orton at Bash In Berlin.

Here is Randy Orton for a chat. Orton talks about listening to voices in his head but lately he has been listening to the voices of the people. He loves listening to the fans singing his music, even if it took 15 years to happen. Orton wants the World Heavyweight Title back because he was the youngest champion ever and the final champion when the titles were unified ten years ago. Last year the title was brought back but he wasn’t sure if he would ever be back in the ring.

This weekend, Orton gets his chance to get the title back, even though he is in enemy territory against a living legend in Europe. Orton talks about the fans watching him grow up in front of their eyes but they have also seen him getting humbled. When Gunther came to WWE, he was a 30-something egotistical jerk who has never been put in his place. Orton has had to beat his own demons and those were a lot more dangerous than anyone Gunther has ever beaten. This weekend, Gunther gets the RKO. Good promo here as it made Orton winning the title feel that much more important.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn are ready to beat Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill to retain the Women’s Tag Team Titles on Saturday.

Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed

Strowman dropkicks him at the bell and hammers away in the corner, only to get dropped with a running clothesline. Back up and Strowman hits a crossbody but Reed hits one of his own to send Strowman outside. Reed’s suicide dive hits Strowman hard and we take an early break.

We come back with Reed hitting a DDT but a Tsunami attempt is countered with a slam off the top. Reed blocks a chokeslam with a neck snap over the top and goes to leave, which is not going to work for Strowman. They fight up to the entrance with Reed sending him into the video screen. Reed heads through the curtain and we’ll say this is thrown out at about 8:00.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to say about something like this as it was more about two people beating each other up rather than trying to go for a win most of the time. There is a good chance that we’ll be seeing this again, possibly with a special stipulation, and that is not a bad idea. Reed needs to get over as a monster and beating Strowman can help him do that, but they can wait a bit for the big win.

Strowman goes after him but Reed is waiting with a big trashcan shot. Strowman gets up and beats up security before Reed beats him out to the parking lot. A chokeslam puts Reed onto the hood of a car though and a running shoulder knocks him over the hood of another. Reed knocks him onto the top of a car though and Tsunamis Strowman off a wall for an awesome visual.

Post break Strowman says he can’t feel his fingers. Adam Pearce: “HE’S TALKING ABOUT HIS FINGERS!”

Intercontinental Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Miz vs. Xavier Woods vs. Pete Dunne

Woods does some Sid fist bumps in a nice moment. They start fast with some rollups for two each until Dunne is knocked out to the floor. Back in and Dunne stomps on both of their hands at once but Miz fights up. Another double knockdown leaves Miz standing as we take a break. We come back with Woods hitting a Russian legsweep on Dunne, followed by some running elbows in the corner. Woods swings Dunne but Miz is back in to grab a DDT. A double DDT gives Miz two on each and he alternates with the YES Kicks.

Dunne is sent to the apron where he enziguris Woods, only to be knocked out to the floor. Woods hits a suplex gutbuster on Miz before powerbombing Dunne onto him (there’s another Sid tribute) for two. Dunne gets kicked outside again and Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Woods, only for Dunne and Miz to get in a fight over who can cover him. Instead Dunne pulls Miz into a crossface, but Miz gets his hand onto Woods’ chest for a cover (that’s a new one) and a near fall. That’s broken up so Woods hits the Limit Break on Miz but Dunne pulls the referee out. The Bitter End gives Dunne the pin on Miz at 11:13.

Rating: B. That’s an interesting way to go as Woods is not going to be happy but he wasn’t involved in the pin. Maybe he’s annoyed at Kingston for not being there to help him, but Dunne going forward works as well. The Sid tributes were sweet, the cover in the crossface was clever and the action was good enough to make this a lot better than I was expecting.

Bron Breakker isn’t overly impressed but wants Jey Uso to keep his name out of his mouth. He’ll beat up anyone who wins the tournament.

Chad Gable is ready to show that Uncle Howdy is just an ordinary guy.

We look at Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest wrecking Judgment Day earlier.

Priest and Ripley say yeah of course they’re the bad guys. Pain is promised for Judgment Day.

Bash In Berlin rundown.

Commentary talks about Sid Vicious and we get the tribute video. They had to have this ready in advance or that’s incredibly impressive.

Chad Gable vs. Uncle Howdy

They’re on their own here. Howdy fires off some knees to start and hits some running shots to the face to send Gable outside. We take an early break and come back with Gable sending him outside, only to be tossed over the announcers’ table. Gable comes back with an Angle Slam onto the announcers’ table but Howdy beats the count back in.

Howdy gets planted with a high collar superplex, followed by the rolling German suplexes. Back up and Howdy hits a quick release Rock Bottom for two of his own, setting up a hanging swinging neckbreaker. Cue Ivy Nile for a distraction so Gable can grab the ankle lock, which is broken up into a ref bump. The Mandible Claw has Gable in trouble but the Creeds run in for the save. Cue the Wyatt Sicks for the brawl so everyone else heads off. Gable misses the moonsault and Sister Abigail finishes for Howdy at 13:58.

Rating: B-. Yeah this was pretty good. That’s one of the best things that can be said about it, as there was always a worry that anything Wyatt related was going to be total insanity. It helps that Howdy is a perfectly passable wrestler so this wasn’t ever going to be a disaster unless they went totally over the top. Instead we got a pretty straightforward match and it went well. I’ll absolutely take that over ridiculous nonsense so all this a success.

Overall Rating: B. This show did well with almost everything it had included, from the tournament stuff to building interest towards Bash In Berlin to a main event which could have been a lot worse. It was a rather enjoyable three hour show and while the only thing really worth seeing is the Reed beatdown, there was nothing on here that was bad. Good show here, and Saturday could be even better.

Results
Judgment Day b. LWO – La majistral to Rey
Damage CTRL b. Pure Fusion Collective – Insane Elbow to Stark
Jey Uso b. Kofi Kingston and Karrion Kross – Superfly Splash to Kross
Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed went to a no contest
Pete Dunne b. Xavier Woods and the Miz – Bitter End to Miz
Uncle Howdy b. Chad Gable – Sister Abigail

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: July 29, 2024
Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before Summerslam and that means it is probably time to firm everything up before the show. While there is a chance that we could see another match or two added, this week is probably going to be focused on things already set up. In particular, Seth Rollins will give the official referee instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins in his referee gear (even his boots have stripes) for the official instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre (“these two morons”). Punk and McIntyre come out and, according to Adam Pearce, any physical contact means the match is off. That makes Punk head to the floor, because he doesn’t trust himself. Rollins tells him to get back in the ring so Punk says enjoy being able to lord his authority over him while he can. McIntyre likes this but Rollins says he hates both of them.

The only rule is that he runs everything. Countouts will go as long as he wants and DQ’s are at his discretion. Punk hopes Rollins referees better than he dressed, but he doesn’t want Rollins’ help at all. McIntyre says he hates everything about Punk and Rollins is going to have to stop it because McIntyre will never want to stop hurting Punk. And it’s in a stadium so he’ll get paid a fortune to do something he would do for free!

Punk talks about how the fans chanted his name while he was gone for ten years. The best thing McIntyre did was hurt Punk but the worst thing he ever did was hurt Punk because he keeps dumbing himself out of position. Punk isn’t as big or strong as McIntyre but he has heart, which will be on display at Summerslam. They to face to face and McIntyre even has the bracelet to keep it personal. This was the big final push to the match, but I do like the explanation for why it is going to be more physical without officially making it a street fight or something.

Liv Morgan has wrecked the Judgment Day clubhouse. Rhea Ripley wants them to focus…but why is Carlito still here? Post break, the team regroups and Carlito is going to take care of Sami Zayn.

Creed Brothers vs. Akira Tozawa/Otis

Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri are here too and we actually hear about the Creeds appearing in Bloodsport over the weekend. Otis fights out of the corner to start and it’s off to Tozawa for a kick to Brutus’ head. A suicide dive drops Brutus but he gets in his own clothesline as we take a break. Back with Otis sending Julius into the corner and hitting a World’s Strongest Slam. The Caterpillar connects but Gable’s distraction lets the Creeds hit a double belly to back suplex for the win at 7:45.

Rating: C. So Otis is getting more and more popular after splitting from Gable and he is getting a strong reaction here but takes the fall anyway. I’m not sure why you would do that when you have Tozawa right there, but he was basically gone for the second half of the match anyway. Granted it doesn’t really matter when the Wyatts are going to be the bigger story, but Otis didn’t need to take the loss.

Post match the beatdown is on but Maxxine Dupri slaps Gable. Dupri hides in the corner but we’ve got Wyatts. The team shows up and, after taking off the masks, clear out the Creeds. Gable runs as well but has to avoid Uncle Howdy in the entrance.

Carlito has dealt with Sami Zayn…by getting him a match with Dominik Mysterio. Rhea Ripley says that means Carlito can deal with Jey Uso, on his own.

Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed

They slug it out to start with Sheamus knocking him to the floor and hitting a top rope clothesline. Reed knocks him over the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting a bunch of standing clotheslines until a running knee gets two. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets the same so he goes up, only to get pulled down with a super White Noise. Sheamus hits the 16 forearms to the chest but cue Pete Dunne with a shillelagh to knock Sheamus silly. The Tsunami gives Reed the pin at 9:57.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to go with Reed finally getting a nice win. That has been missing from his resume for the last few weeks and even though it came with an assist, it’s better than taking another loss. As for the match itself, they had the kind of hoss fight that you would expect them to have and that always works. Good match here.

Damian Priest talks about having to earn everything he has while Gunther was given everything he wanted. Priest fought for everything he got and now he’s willing to fight for everything he has. This was a much more traditional “talk to the camera” promo and it worked well for Priest as they’ve turned this into a match I want to see.

Bron Breakker respects Sami Zayn but now he’s seeing Zayn as a stand up comic. Zayn is already preparing for a life after WWE and after losing to Breakker. That’s why the joke is on Zayn and the Intercontinental Title is on Breakker.

Jey Uso vs. Carlito

Uso wastes no time in knocking him down for an early two and Carlito is sent outside for an early dive. A missed charge goes into the post though and Carlito grabs a neckbreaker as we take a break. Back with Carlito missing a charge into the corner, allowing Uso to hit the jumping enziguri. Uso knocks him down again and hits the spear for the pin at 7:47.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as Carlito is only going to be so much of a threat to any bigger names. It gave Uso a win to keep up his battle against Judgment Day, though I’m not sure how that is supposed to go anywhere. It’s also almost nice to see the match end without any shenanigans, as sometimes you just need a clean win.

Zelina Vega is glad Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville attacked her as it served as a wakeup call. Then the three of them jump her again.

Miz announces that he will be the host of Summerslam, which is in his hometown of Cleveland. R-Truth comes in to think that Miz is hosting the show at his own house. An hors d’oeuvre discussion ensues.

We look at the recent Japan tour.

Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

Woods is on his own while Kross has the rest of the Final Testament. Hold on though as Kross says that it’s interesting that Kofi Kingston “re-injured his shoulder” during the Japan tour when the spotlight is on Woods for the first time. He wants Woods to join the team right now and admit that the Power Of Positivity was a lie. Woods hits him in the face to start fast instead and we take an early break.

Back with Woods fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked back down for two. Woods fights up but gets punched in the face by Rezar. The Final Prayer is broken up and Woods hits a superkick, only to go after the AOP. The Limit Breaker misses as a result and Kross hits the Final Prayer for the win at 6:23. Not enough shown to rate but they got a good deal in.

Jesse Ventura was backstage earlier today and met with HHH. That’s just great to see.

Sami Zayn did a comedy show the night before Money In The Bank and he beat Bron Breakker anyway. He’ll just do it again at Summerslam, but this time it’s about taking Breakker out rather than teaching a lesson.

Liv Morgan burns a bunch of Dominik Mysterio stuff and promises to complete the revenge tour at Summerslam.

Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title. Dominik hammers away to start but Zayn punches his way out of the corner. They head outside where Zayn hits the Arabian moonsault as we take an early break. Back with Zayn fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a clothesline. Dominik’s Three Amigos connect but the frog splash misses. Zayn exploders him into the corner but cue JD McDonagh and Carlito for a distraction and then the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: C+. The DQ was the right way to go here as you can’t have the champion take a fall before he’s coming up on an unrelated title match. At the same time, you don’t want to have Dominik look weak before he’s going to be a centerpiece of a title match of his own on Saturday. The match was just a bit better than ok, but they didn’t have the time to really go anywhere.

Post match the beatdown is on when Jey Uso makes the save. Cue Bron Breakker to go after Zayn, who suplexes him into the corner. Breakker bails before the Helluva Kick can connect.

We get another Wyatt Sicks interview, this time focusing on Dexter Lumis, who says people should run when the buzzards stop circling.

Chad Gable and the Creeds get a match against the Wyatt Sicks next week.

Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville

Valkyria and Deville start things off with Valkyria slipping between the legs and hammering away. Stark comes in and gets taken down into a wristlock. The villains are sent outside and we take a break. Back with Valkyria getting stomped down in the corner but managing to get over for the tag off to Carter. Everything breaks down and Valkyria hits a gutwrench powerbomb, only to have the After Party broken up. Stark gives Carter the Z360 for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C. This went as it should have, with Valkyria not taking the fall as the villains get a nice boost. The team is starting to get a little somewhere and hopefully they get the chance to change the division up a bit. I’m not sure where that’s going since none of them are going to go after Liv Morgan or Rhea Ripley, but at least Valkyria didn’t take the fall.

Post match Damage CTRL comes in to beat up the villains. Oh yeah. That’s who they could fight.

Gunther talks about how Damian Priest is a weird man who is using his childhood trauma as an excuse. Tonight, Gunther is facing Finn Balor and wants to see if there is any of the great wrestler left in there.

Damage CTRL says they’re back, with Dakota Kai wanting Shayna Baszler next week.

Judgment Day gives Finn Balor a pep talk.

Gunther vs. Finn Balor

Somehow this is their first singles match. Balor tries to chop away but Gunther shows him how it’s done. The powerbomb is blocked so Balor stomps away, only to get booted in the face. We take a break and come back with Gunther’s belly to back suplex getting two. The Boston crab goes on, with Balor reaching over to make the rope.

Gunther chops him again and tries a belly to back superplex, only to be reversed into a crossbody. Balor’s Sling Blade is countered into a choke but he reverses the powerbomb into a DDT. They chop it out and now the Sling Blade can connect for Balor. The Coup de Grace misses though and Gunther is back with the sleeper. Now the powerbomb can connect for two and the sleeper goes on again…and Balor is out at 12:06.

Rating: B-. This felt like a big time match but the ending was a bit of a surprise. You don’t often see someone win a match with a sleeper, but it does continue Gunther’s trend of finishing with whatever is appropriate at the time. Balor put up a fight before falling here, which makes Gunther look strong on the way to Cleveland.

Post match Gunther goes after Balor again but Damian Priest runs in for the brawl. Gunther gets knocked to the floor and over the barricade to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a tricky show as they didn’t add much of anything new to Summerslam and the wrestling here was only so good. The Priest/Gunther stuff was good and the midcard feuds got some attention, but this was another show that you could have skipped without missing much. Summerslam is what matters, but there was only so much of interest here.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Akira Tozawa/Otis – Double belly to back suplex
Bronson Reed b. Sheamus – Tsunami
Jey Uso b. Carlito – Spear
Karrion Kross b. Xavier Woods – Final Testament
Sami Zayn b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Carlito and JD McDonagh interfered
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville b. Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Z360 to Chance
Gunther b. Finn Balor – Sleeper

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