Main Event – August 1, 2019: Even This Show Worked

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: August 1, 2019
Location: Verizon Arena, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Renee Young

So things are back to normal around here this week and it’s just in time to start getting ready for the final push towards Summerslam. That rushed feeling has been a problem for the show ever since Extreme Rules ended and I don’t see it getting any better this week either. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lacey Evans vs. Dana Brooke

Lacey throws her glove at Dana to start but Dana ducks the Woman’s Right and forearms her to the apron. That just earns her more forearms and a choke in the corner as Lacey gets serious. A clothesline gives Lacey two and the chinlock goes on. The slingshot Bronco Buster gets two and it’s right back to the chinlock. To mix it up a bit, Lacey even pulls the leg up for a pretty unique twist.

That’s good for two and yes it’s the chinlock going on again. Dana fights up and starts slapping away, followed by a bulldog. The cartwheel splash hits Lacey’s knees but Dana is fine enough to hit a sitout powerbomb out of the corner for two. Not that it matters as Lacey is back up with the Woman’s Right for the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C-. This was better than I was expecting as Brooke has been showing some fire as of late and certainly seems to be trying. The problem is that she’s still stuck on the main roster and needs time to develop something else. Lacey seems to have been dropped from the main event scene and after the disaster that was this summer, can you blame WWE whatsoever?

From Raw.

Gauntlet Match

The winner gets AJ Styles for the US Title at Summerslam. Rey Mysterio is in first and Cesaro is in second with the latter sweeping the legs to start. A headscissors into a rollup gives Rey two but Cesaro clotheslines his head off. Cesaro slaps on the chinlock for a bit until Rey winds up on Cesaro’s shoulders. They fall over the top with Cesaro landing on his feet with Rey still on his shoulders. A headscissors sends Cesaro into the apron and Rey hits the sliding splash.

Back in and a springboard hurricanrana but Cesaro is out of the way of the 619. That’s fine with Rey, who anklescissors Cesaro into the crowd as we take a break. Back with Cesaro in trouble as Rey was powerbombed into the post during the commercial (so the no action during breaks policy seems to be over, thank goodness). Cesaro’s camel clutch doesn’t last long as he puts Rey on top for a top rope seated senton. A kick to the head gives Rey two but Cesaro uppercuts him out of the air for two of his own.

The running big boot gets two but Rey sends him into the corner again. They fight on top with Rey managing a super sitout bulldog. The top rope splash finishes Cesaro at 11:13. Sami Zayn is in third, misses a big boot, and gets rolled up for the pin at 11:53. Andrade is in fourth and we take another break.

Back again with Rey not being able to hit a flying mare so he grabs a headlock instead. That goes nowhere so they chop it out with Andrade hitting Three Amigos into the double moonsault for one. Rey’s enziguri looks to set up the 619 but Andrade reverses into a spinning Rock Bottom backbreaker. The hammerlock DDT finishes Mysterio at 21:57. Post fall Andrade rips Rey’s mask open and we see most of his face in a big surprise. Ricochet is in fifth to make the save and we take another break.

Back with Ricochet flipping over Andrade and nailing a dropkick to put Andrade on the floor. Zelina Vega breaks up the dive though and Andrade sends Ricochet into the barricade. Back in and Ricochet gets hiptossed into the corner for a painful looking crash. The double knees in the corner give Andrade two but the hammerlock DDT is broken up. Ricochet drops him on his head with a reverse hurricanrana and it’s the 630 to send Ricochet to Summerslam at 32:27.

Rating: C+. This was your usual gauntlet match, though they did give most of the falls some extra time to make it a little easier to watch. Ricochet winning was the logical move and it’s good to see him back in the ring after the elbow deal. At the same time, it was rather nice to not have every fall be the space between commercials. The whole no action between the breaks deal was a bad solution to a problem that didn’t need to be solved.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the King’s Court with Jerry Lawler bringing out Trish Stratus as his guest. Lawler talks about Raw Reunion and everyone wanting to have one last match. He asks if Trish ever has that feeling and we get a ONE MORE MATCH chant. Trish says she can never get rid of that itch but she’s a mom now and has to do those kinds of things. Cue Charlotte to say you can’t have King’s Court without a queen, but she has a big question: how is she not on Summerslam yet?

Charlotte congratulates Trish on being a mom and, after having Lawler hold the ropes open for her, calls it an excuse. Charlotte makes the challenge for Summerslam but Trish doesn’t say anything. That’s fine, as Charlotte knows Trish can’t hang with the queen anyway. Charlotte tells her to get out of the ring so Trish calls her a b**** (it’s a WWE women’s feud so you knew that was coming).

Trish talks about how there would be no throne for Charlotte without the trailblazers like Trish, Lita, Ivory, Beth Phoenix and others. To be the woman you have to beat the woman so the match is on. Good, as Charlotte is too big for the title again anyway and would just take away Bayley’s momentum otherwise.

From Smackdown.

We IMMEDIATELY cut to the back with Roman Reigns walking up to announce his Summerslam challenge…..and then someone drives what looks like a forklift to knock a piece of set and a bunch of anvil cases onto Reigns. The camera goes haywire and everyone screams for help, but Reigns is ok and on his feet. The medics want to check on Reigns but he tells them to back off. We don’t see who was behind it (the fans chanting JOE is a likely clue) as Reigns walks off to end the show.

From Smackdown again.

Randy Orton talks about Kofi Kingston saying this had all started in 2009 so let’s talk about 2009. By then, Orton had won World Titles and main evented Wrestlemania so all he had to do was be Randy Orton. Kofi didn’t have that luxury so he developed the personality of being the fun guy who danced a lot. That wasn’t cool with Orton so he RKO’ed him and called him stupid, which we see in clips. If you tick Orton off, you go back to the bottom of the ladder.

We jump ahead to 2019 and Ali is the new Kofi Kingston. Orton injured Ali to take him out of the Elimination Chamber and Kofi got the spot instead. There is no Kofi Mania without Orton so Kofi wants to prove himself. That’s stupid, stupid, stupid and the title reign is ending with an RKO. As has been the case with everything in this feud, this was well done and made me want to see the match.

Summerslam rundown.

Lucha House Party vs. Robert Roode/Eric Young/EC3

Renee brings up the Main Event Musclemen name but says Cesaro was kicked out of the team for being a weak link. Roode headlocks Kalisto to start but Kalisto rolls away and hits the kick to the head. Young gets headscissored into Roode and the House Party’s triple flips lets them pose.

We take a break and come back with Dorado knocking EC3 off the top and hitting a high crossbody. The hot tag brings in Metalik to take over and the rope walk dropkick gets two. There’s the double Golden Rewind to Roode and Young, setting up the triple dives to the floor. Back in and Metalik kicks Roode in the head, only to get caught in the Glorious DDT for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C-. It was fun at times but this is the kind of thing that you’re going to get on these shows. The match doesn’t mean anything and none of these people are going anywhere anytime soon. That being said, it makes sense to have some extra people on the show instead of just doing a pair of singles matches every week. Let them get in the ring and do a little something if they can.

From Raw.

Post match Lesnar destroys Rollins with suplexes and an F5 into the post. Lesnar chairs him down and has a seat to laugh at Rollins. That’s not it though as Lesnar hits a pair of F5’s onto the open chair. Rollins starts coughing up blood so Lesnar loads up a third. Even Heyman tells Lesnar to stop as Brock hits the third F5 onto the chair. That’s enough for Rollins to go out on a stretcher. Remember in the build to Wrestlemania when Lesnar hit a bunch of F5’s and Rollins came into the match banged up? No reason for asking.

Post break Rollins is taken to the ambulance as Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch look on. The OC and Samoa Joe come up and gets in a fight with the Usos coming in to get beaten down as well. Rollins leaves in the ambulance, though this time without Lynch to make sure that it’s a little different. Hang on though as Brock blocks the ambulance from leaving and pulls Rollins out to beat him up even more. A release F5 onto the stretcher makes Rollins scream, though it looked awesome.

Overall Rating: C+. See, now this is how Main Event should be. They had a good look at both Raw and Smackdown instead of just doing one show with a single clip from the other. What’s the point in having a recap show if you only recap half of what mattered in the week? This was a lot better than usual and the show flew by as always, but this time it had a bit more of a purpose.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Main Event – July 25, 2019: I’m Actually Surprised

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: July 25, 2019
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Renee Young

I know this show is built around the idea of recapping but when you consider that Monday’s show included Raw Reunion, the recapping is going to be strong on this one. You can pretty much guess where everything is going this week and that could be good or bad depending on what you thought of Raw this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Sarah Logan vs. Naomi

Naomi is the hometown girl here. That means it’s time to escape a few waistlocks and dance a bit, followed by a splits drop for two. Naomi’s sunset flip gets two but Logan forearms her in the face and hits a dropkick to the floor. Back in and Logan pulls on both arms before stomping her down. The standing Cloverleaf goes on, which isn’t as serious as they’re going for given Naomi’s light up shoes. Naomi makes the rope and hits an enziguri out of the corner to start the comeback. Some right hands set up the split legged moonsault to finish Logan at 4:55.

Rating: D. I can go for having Logan show up on this show more often as she has a unique enough style to stand out. She’s not quite good enough to be a star on the main shows but this is better than sitting at home. It was nice to see the hometown star win though, as bringing her out here is a good way to fire up the crowd early on in the night.

Long recap of Raw Reunion.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Kofi Kingston to announce his Summerslam opponent. Before he gets jumped from behind though, he wants Randy Orton out here right now. Orton comes out and Kofi talks about their history from 2009. That would have been in Madison Square Garden when they were in the ring together and the fans were chanting Kofi’s name.

We see a clip of the huge Boom Drop through the production area which should have made Kingston the next big star. That’s not what happened though and Kofi accuses Orton of holding him back. It didn’t work though and now Kofi is WWE Champion. Orton admits that he help Kofi back because he wasn’t ready then. He’s still not ready now though and that title is a fluke.

Orton has been on top for eighteen years and he never had to work hard a single day. He’s gotten where he is by being Randy Orton and hasn’t had to throw pancakes or fake a Jamaican accent. Orton takes credit for Kofi getting a title shot at Wrestlemania because he injured Ali before the Elimination Chamber so Kofi could take his place. Kofi wants to prove himself at Summerslam and Orton agrees to the title match at Summerslam. The RKO will be waiting for Kofi. This was a heck of a segment and them bringing up the history was a very nice surprise.

We look at Bray Wyatt returning to attack Finn Balor.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Finn Balor for a chat. We look at Bray Wyatt returning to attack him last week on Raw with Balor saying that he can’t explain the Fiend. He isn’t scared of Wyatt though….and it’s the return of the Firefly Fun House. Wyatt says he and his friends are fans of Finn but the Fiend doesn’t like him, no matter how many times they tell him how super duper he is. The Fiend has accepted Balor’s challenge for Summerslam. Things get more serious though with Bray saying the Fiend isn’t so nice because the Fiend is power. Let him in. The Fiend appears on the screen and growls the same thing.

Summerslam rundown.

Lucha House Party/Titus O’Neil vs. Robert Roode/Eric Young/EC3/Cesaro

Ok then. Cesaro throws Dorado down to start but the required headscissors is enough to send Cesaro into the corner. Kalisto comes in for the splash and we take a fast break. Back with Kalisto being dragged into the corner and Cesaro getting two off an uppercut. Roode comes in for a backbreaker and Cesaro hits a gutwrench suplex for two more. Cesaro’s gorilla press is countered into a DDT and the tag brings in Titus. Roode has to be saved from the Clash of the Titus, leaving Metalik and Dorado to hit running flip dives. Don’t worry though as Young takes Clash of the Titus for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: D. You can imagine how much of this was clipped for the sake of time as you don’t have an eight man tag that runs for three and a half minutes shown. I do like the idea here as it gets more people in the ring, even if most of the people didn’t get to do much. It wasn’t a good match, but it got wrestlers wrestling so it’s better than nothing.

Video on Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens from last week.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Shane to open things up. He talks about getting to see some old friends last night but he was glad to not see Kevin Owens. Speaking of Owens, he has challenged Shane to a match at Summerslam. Shane accepts, and shows us a clip of Owens quitting on Raw last year in a story that went nowhere. That’s what Shane wants: if Owens loses at Summerslam, he’s gone from WWE.

Cue Owens (Xavier Woods: “I don’t like him but I want to see him beat Shane up!”), to say Shane was smart to find that footage. That was the low point of Owens’ career and he’s a different man today. Owens knew Shane would accept because Shane loves the spotlight. The match is on but Owens isn’t quitting because he’ll beat Shane for good. Owens wants to fight right now but Shane cuts him off and says not until Summerslam. Tonight, Owens can fight Roman Reigns instead.

And from Smackdown again.

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

Shane is guest ring announcer, Elias is guest timekeeper and Drew McIntyre is guest referee. Shane does his own rather insulting versions of Big Match Intros but Owens grabs the mic to say he’ll drop Shane tonight no matter what. Reigns takes it away and says he’ll take care of Owens tonight. McIntyre breaks up some early lockups in the corner so Reigns punches him in the face and sends him to the floor. The match is thrown out at we’ll say 1:00.

Post match the fight is on with Shane and company getting the better of things. Owens breaks up a spear from Shane though and it’s superkicks a go go. A spear drops McIntyre and a Stunner drops Elias. Shane tries to escape but gets caught with a Superman Punch and a Stunner. Another Stunner drops Shane again and Owens promises to hurt him even worse at Summerslam to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m actually surprised at this as it was almost all Smackdown save for that one package on Raw Reunion. I guess they need to hurry up for Summerslam as the show is in a few weeks and they’re still announcing matches for the show. It was nice for a change, but Raw was a lot more fun this week and I’d have rather seen that. At least it makes sense for a change, which is more than tends to be the case on this show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackville: At? In? On? Not Seeing Much Of A Difference.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackville
Date: July 27, 2019
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tom Phillips, David Otunga

This is another special event with WWE presenting a show for the sake of having some competition. The schedule says that this is going to be an hour long show but an overrun would not surprise me. There are three matches on the card and an Elias performance for a bonus, meaning they’re going to be fairly packed. Let’s get to it.

The announcers tell us that Finn Balor is injured and therefore out of the Intercontinental Title match. This brings out Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura to say that he wins by forfeit, but the referee has to count Balor out first. We have a challenger though.

Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ali

Ali is challenging after saying that he isn’t missing another opportunity. Feeling out process to start until Ali kicks him in the face and out to the floor. That means a big dive to the floor and a high crossbody for two back inside. Nakamura knees him in the face and Good Vibrations have Ali in even more trouble. The hard knees to the face get two and it’s off to a front facelock.

Nakamura switches into a front facelock but Ali fights out again and hits the rolling X Factor. Ali gets thrown off the top but still manages to dropkick Nakamura out of the air for two more. Back up and Nakamura hits the sliding German suplex but Kinshasa is cut off by a superkick. The big tornado DDT gives Ali two more but the 450 misses. Kinshasa retains the title at 8:02.

Rating: C. So you know how it seems that we’re watching a house show here? Well this felt like a house show match from beginning to end. It’s cool to see Ali getting a shot like this but they’re not changing the title at a random house show just because it’s getting some time on the Network. Just a match with Ali getting in some hope spots before going down, which is fine.

Samoa Joe likes the idea of a triple threat match because he has multiple targets.

Here’s Elias for his performance and he has several guitars with him. After complaining about the volume of his microphone, Elias plays for a long time, maybe the longest he ever has before. Elias likes that people want to walk with him but he hears no standing ovation. He talks about meeting Johnny Cash here in Nashville, when Cash told him that the Tennessee Titans will never win the Super Bowl.

His first song is dedicated to Shane McMahon….or it would be if the people would be quiet and let him play. Elias going to and from the stool gets the BOO/YAY chants before he says he’ll sing anyway. The song is about how Shane deserves more TV time and to be champion because he’s the best in the world. Vince McMahon calls him to say he’s watching and Elias says Nashville is horrible. Apparently Elias can have as much time as he wants so he sings about Kevin Owens being ugly.

Cue Owens from behind to steal a guitar and send Elias outside with one right hand. Owens has a request: SHUT YOUR FACE. He wants a match right now, so if a referee can please run down the aisle and slide in here please. A referee does so (Owens: “WHAT A SLIDE!”) and we’re ready to go.

Elias vs. Kevin Owens

Owens shrugs off an early beating and hits the backsplash to take over. Elias gets in a jumping knee to the face to rock Owens and it’s an Old School Meteora for two. A headbutt gets Owens out of a superplex attempt and the Swanton connects for two. The Stunner is blocked and Elias hits another knee. Elias’ top rope elbow misses and the Stunner gives Owens the pin at 4:44.

Rating: D+. Well at least it was short. Owens is starting to gain a lot of momentum and if he keeps up the talking and work, he could be a big star in a very short amount of time. Elias continues to be passable enough in the ring but there’s nothing to his matches that make me want to see him wrestle. Talking and insulting sure, but that’s about it.

We recap the main event. Kofi Kingston won the Smackdown World Title at Wrestlemania and has survived ever since. Dolph Ziggler thinks it should have been him and Samoa Joe likes to hurt people. Kofi has beaten them both before and now he has to beat them both at once.

So the Women’s Title triple threat match isn’t happening, though it might not have been official.

Kofi Kingston puts pancakes behind the title and says he wants the challenge to put him closer to being an all time great champion. Kofi: “Right here on Smackville. At Smackville? In Smackville?”

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe vs. Dolph Ziggler

Kofi is defending and dropkicks Ziggler to the floor at the bell. Ziggler pulls Kofi out with him and it’s the champ going into the barricade. The double teaming begins as the fans are behind Kofi. A double back elbow drops Kofi again but he fights out of Joe’s clutches. The crossbody hits Ziggler with Joe stealing the two count.

That’s enough to break up the alliance and Kofi takes down the arguing villains with a top rope shot to their heads. There’s the Boom Drop to Ziggler but Joe powerslams Kofi to break up Trouble in Paradise. A superplex is broken up and Kofi hits the high crossbody for two on Joe. The SOS gets the same on Ziggler as an angry Joe makes the save. They all head outside and Kofi is whipped into the steps to keep him down. Ziggler gets thrown over the announcers’ table and Joe elbows Kofi in the face back inside.

Kofi jawbreaks his way to freedom from the Koquina Clutch but Joe slaps on an ankle lock of all things. That’s broken up by a Ziggler superkick for two with Kofi making his own save. The Zig Zag gets two on Kofi but Joe suplexes Dolph to the floor. Joe blasts Kofi with a clothesline for two and tries the Clutch, which is reversed into Trouble in Paradise to retain the title at 12:09.

Rating: B-. Pretty good match with the obvious finish of Joe taking the fall instead of Ziggler because if there’s one person more valuable than Samoa Joe, it’s Dolph Ziggler. They had a few nice near falls in there and the action wasn’t bad. For a house show main event this worked fine, though Kofi has got to get away from these two for good now.

Overall Rating: C. This show certainly does exist and that’s about all I can come up with to say. It’s not worth the time to watch even though it’s just over an hour long, but you would be much better off watching something that had some actual stakes involved. If you want to watch the last hour of a house show for some reason then have fun, but it’s not something you’ll ever miss.

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Ali – Kinshasa

Kevin Owens b. Elias – Stunner

Kofi Kingston b. Samoa Joe and Dolph Ziggler – Trouble in Paradise to Joe

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackdown – July 23, 2019: More The Other Speed

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: July 23, 2019
Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, David Otunga

Depending on what you thought of last night’s Raw Reunion, this show either has a lot to live up to or a very easy path to being the best show of the week. We’re less than three weeks away from Summerslam and that means we could be in for an eventful night as the card gets filled in. If nothing else, we should be hearing about Kofi Kingston’s opponent, which shouldn’t be hard to figure out. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens over the last few weeks.

New Day is on commentary instead of the advertised Shawn Michaels, who will be on MizTV instead.

Post break, Elias and Drew McIntyre are very happy with Shane’s decision but Shane thinks it needs to be more special. That’s why Drew will be the guest referee and Elias will be guest timekeeper. Elias: “I always wear my watch. I got this.” Shane can be guest ring announcer too.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Apollo Crews

Non-title. Crews shoulders him down to start as New Day interrogates Tom about whether or not Crews will get a title shot for winning here. We get a crazy long delayed vertical suplex, with Crews walking around for a bit before finally dropping Nakamura after thirty seconds. Nakamura gets set outside and taken down by a big flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Crews getting kicked in the head and taking the sliding German suplex. Kinshasa is blocked with a kick to the head and an Olympic Slam gives Crews two (I bought that because that’s what would happen to the new champ). Crews gets caught on top though and it’s the running knee to the ribs. Kinshasa is blocked with a pop up face plant but the standing shooting star misses. Now Kinshasa can connect for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: C. This seems to be Crews’ sweet spot: the athletic performances where he impresses but never wins the big one. That’s not a terrible place to be as Crews can do a lot of very impressive things in the ring. At the same time though, what does it say that Nakamura surviving against a jobber to the stars nine days after he wins the Intercontinental Title is a relief?

Post match Nakamura hits another Kinshasa to leave Crews laying as New Day wants someone to come help him.

Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville get a match against the IIconics next week and if they win they might get a title shot.

Ali talks about how he has to change the story around here. He was on track to being a star but then he got injured. Now he needs to restart his story and become WWE Champion. No one is writing his story and it ends with him achieving his goals.

It’s time for MizTV. After a quick plug for Miz and Mrs., here’s a package on Raw Reunion. Back in the arena, Miz introduces his guest tonight: Shawn Michaels. New Day nearly has a fit singing Shawn’s music, with Big E. playing the belt like a guitar. Miz talks about Shawn being on Raw Reunion last night, with Shawn saying he’s been on both sides. He understands what it’s like to be a young guy who wants those ol…..legends to get out but like Steve Austin said, they’re all family.

Shawn talks about inducting Seth Rollins into DX/the Kliq (Miz: “Thanks for the invite.”) and moves on to the Summerslam match with Brock Lesnar, only to have Dolph Ziggler interrupt. Miz wants to punch him in the face again but Ziggler has something to get off his chest. A lot of people used to idolize Shawn but he keeps coming back time after time to wave to the crowd. Ziggler: “It was as embarrassing as Goldberg in a wrestling ring.”

Last November, Shawn broke Ziggler’s heart when he came back to wrestle last November because he embarrassed himself. Shawn won’t disagree with him but what’s more embarrassing is working your whole career but being known as a second rate Shawn Michaels wannabe. Ziggler calls Shawn a Shawn wannabe so Miz tells Ziggler to do something about it. Ziggler goes to leave but Shawn grabs his arm and has to duck a punch. It hits Miz by mistake and since this is an angle, Miz goes down from one right hand. Ziggler superkicks Shawn and leaves.

You really could feel the energy go away when Ziggler’s music hit. Shawn is absolutely right about Ziggler doing the same stuff for years and just being known as a Shawn wannabe, but Shawn was famous for one show stealing performance after another. Ziggler is known as being the guy who just stays around and sucks the life out of any angle he’s in. Feel free to leave anytime.

Charlotte vs. Ember Moon

Charlotte knocks her down but here’s Bayley for the distraction into the rollup to give Moon the pin at 47 seconds.

Post match Moon throws Bayley in to Charlotte, who kicks her in the back of the head. Moon Eclipses both of them. Please, not a triple threat.

Michael Cole replaces New Day on commentary.

Samoa Joe vs. Kofi Kingston

Non-title and Orton is at ringside. They fight over arm control to start with Joe grabbing the ropes to give us a standoff. Kofi goes right back to the arm and has to fight out of the corner with some chops. A dropkick puts Joe on the floor and that means the big dive over the top. Back in and Joe hits a hot shot, followed by the Rock Bottom out of the corner for two. We take a break and come back with Kofi fighting out of a neck crank and hitting the Boom Drop. Trouble in Paradise is loaded up but Orton comes in for the DQ at 7:37.

Rating: C. This was more of a storyline segment than a match and there’s nothing wrong with that (and Joe actually didn’t get pinned). Kofi vs. Orton is suddenly a lot better than it was looking and Kofi hanging with Joe and not beating him is a good way to help set things up. Kingston is looking a lot stronger these days and the match with Orton could look be quite a good one.

Post match Orton can’t hit the RKO on Kingston so he hits it on Joe instead, leaving Kofi to hit Trouble in Paradise on Orton.

We recap last night’s wild ride of 24/7 Title changes.

Charlotte wants to know why she was left out of the title match or off of Summerslam in general. She’s going to wrestle at Summerslam and she’ll have a better opponent than Ember Moon.

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

Overall Rating: C+. Fans who didn’t like last night’s show probably enjoyed this one a lot more. They announced three matches for Summerslam as the rapid fire build continues. What matters here is they started getting the card ready after last night’s big detour. Summerslam is looking good, though they have a lot more buildup to take care of first. This felt a little more serious than previous weeks, though it certainly didn’t feel like an all new show or really anything close to one. It was good though and these shows are blowing away anything that WWE was doing in the last few months.

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Apollo Crews – Kinshasa

Ember Moon b. Charlotte – Rollup

Kofi Kingston b. Samoa Joe via DQ when Randy Orton interfered

Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns went to a no contest when Elias and Shane McMahon interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Extreme Rules 2019: Extremely Surprising

IMG Credit: WWE

Extreme Rules 2019
Date: July 14, 2019
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Michael Cole, Renee Young

We’re finally wrapping up a long stretch with what feels like a show from one company or another every week for months. This is a show built around violence and a full three matches out of the twelve have some form of gimmick that includes violence. The card doesn’t look bad though and hopefully it works out. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is challenging and this is a bonus match. Balor starts fast with a running dropkick but gets laid over the top rope for a running knee to the ribs. A middle rope knee to the head is broken up though and Nakamura falls out to the floor. That means the running flip dive but Nakamura is right back with an armbar back inside.

Balor is in the ropes in a hurry but has to fight out of a dragon sleeper. A running dropkick takes Nakamura down by the knee and we go to a split screen. Back with Balor hitting the shotgun dropkick in the corner but the Coup de Grace misses. Nakamura hits the running knee to the back of the head, followed by Kinshasa for the pin and the title at 7:03.

Rating: C. Well ok then. Nakamura winning the title is probably the right move as Balor wasn’t doing anything with it, but that’s going to present the same problem: is Nakamura going to do anything with it? Recent history would suggest no, but at least it’s better than Nakamura sitting around doing nothing all day.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Tony Nese vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak, the hometown boy, is defending. They go straight at it to start with Nese taking him down for some left hands. A leg sweep gives Nese one and a running clothesline puts Gulak on the floor. Gulak gets in his own clothesline on the outside though and they’re both down. We go split screen again and come back with Nese hitting a pumphandle powerslam for two.

Nese sends Gulak to the apron and ties him in the ropes for a middle rope moonsault (that’s a new one). Back in and Nese’s 450 goes a little far, meaning his knees go into Gulak’s chest for two. The sunset driver is countered into a powerbomb to give Gulak two, followed by the Cyclone Crash to retain the title at 7:28.

Rating: C+. They’re not wasting time with these Kickoff Show matches. In this case that’s for the best as you don’t want to have the matches go long and take away from what is being planned for the main show. These are designed to get the fans going and that is what this one did. Gulak retaining is the only logical choice and a showdown with Oney Lorcan is probably penciled in for Summerslam.

The opening video features a woman who might be Mandy Rose whispering that the rules are changing. We shift into a look at most of the matches, the majority of which are in no way, shape or form extreme.

We recap Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns/Undertaker. Shane has had the power go to his head (again) and helped Drew beat Reigns at Stomping Grounds. Undertaker is back to even the odds and take Shane down a few pegs.

Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns/Undertaker

No Holds Barred. Undertaker has some slightly different gear as the front of his top covers up the middle of his chest now, as opposed to the lower cut style he has had for years. It’s No Holds Barred, so of course tags are required with Reigns and McIntyre starting. An early belly to belly has Reigns in trouble and it’s off to Shane for the punches in the corner, drawing some nice booing.

Somehow Reigns survives and brings in Undertaker to hammer away, including Old School. Undertaker strikes away in the corner and we get the YOU STILL GOT IT chants. It’s back to Drew so we get a nice looking staredown before the slugout is on. A clothesline puts Undertaker on the floor but he lands on his feet and pulls Drew down. That means the apron legdrop and Reigns comes back in for his own right hands.

Undertaker has had it with Shane interfering and goes for a chair to chase him up the ramp. Reigns is sent into the steps as Shane comes back to watch McIntyre grab an armbar. Back up and Reigns nails the Samoan drop, allowing the tag back to Undertaker. It’s time to load up the announcers’ table but here’s Elias to guitar Undertaker in the back. McIntyre adds the Claymore to Reigns and another one saves Elias from the revived Undertaker.

Shane drops the top rope elbow to put Undertaker through the table and pops up far too fast. Coast to Coast drives a trashcan into Undertaker and McIntyre takes Reigns down. Undertaker sits up (thank goodness….I think) and chokeslams Shane, followed by another to Elias. McIntyre rises up behind him (cool shot) but it’s the spear from Reigns. The Tombstone finishes Shane at 16:56.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to think of this one but they were smart to start with this. What matters most for me though is Shane losing like this, marking the first time he’s been pinned since November. It would be great if they were toning down the Shane love, which has caused more problems than almost anything else as of late. Good thing they gave that rub to someone who needed it so badly too.

Undertaker gets to pose on his own because we’re supposed to believe he’s not going to wrestle much longer.

Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins talk about taking a walk through Philadelphia last night and coming up with ideas of how to hurt Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin. Losing is not an option.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Revival

The Usos are challenging with Jimmy and Dawson starting things off. Jimmy’s backslide gets two as Graves and Renee argue about the Revival enjoying the good life. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Usos hit stereo dives to take the champs out as the fast start continues. Jey stalks Wilder, who suckers him into a clothesline from Dawson to take over.

Back in and Dawson takes over on Jey before picking Wilder up for an assisted legdrop. The waistlock goes on for a bit before Dawson comes back in, only to distract the referee so we don’t get a hot tag. Dawson even throws in some Eddie Guerrero by pretending to be down so the cheating doesn’t come off as so obvious. Jey gets taken up top but a double collision knocks Dawson to the floor and Jey down to the mat. A double tag brings in Jimmy and Wilder as everything breaks down.

Jimmy can’t fight off the numbers though and gets sent into the corner, only to have him come out with a Whisper in the Wind. Dawson grabs a brainbuster for two and it’s an ode to Power and Glory with the PowerPlex. Jey dives in for a save and everyone is down again. The double dives are broken up but so is Wilder’s tornado DDT. That’s fine with the champs as the Shatter Machine finishes Jimmy to retain at 12:34.

Rating: B. This was the usual fast paced and entertaining match between the two teams and that’s why it was put on the show. There is nothing wrong with having two awesome teams go out there and do something entertaining, which is exactly what we got here. The Revival needed this far more than the Usos did too so it’s a good idea all around.

We recap Aleister Black vs. Cesaro. Black wanted someone to pick a fight with him and Cesaro did. Time for a match.

Cesaro vs. Aleister Black

An early Black Mass attempt misses and Cesaro uppercuts him into the corner. The Neutralizer is reversed into a backdrop but Cesaro sticks the landing and sits down, ala Black’s signature pose. Black knocks him to the floor and hits the middle rope moonsault for the first big knockdown. Back in and Black sweeps the leg but gets caught by the springboard uppercut for two. Black fights out of the chinlock in a hurry before switching over to an armbar. A Meteora attempt is caught in the air and Swiss Death gets two to keep Black in trouble.

Cesaro’s springboard uppercut is knocked out of the air with a springboard knee, followed by more kicks to the leg. That means a kneebar but Cesaro turns it over into a Sharpshooter in a sweet counter. Black crawls out so Cesaro switches over into a nasty Crossface. That’s broken up as well so they slug it out with Cesaro loading up the Neutralizer again. Some punches to the leg get Black out and Black Mass is good for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: B. Yeah that was awesome and exactly what it needed to be. Black could go on like this for a long time to come as his striking really is that good. Couple that with an awesome look and the great entrance and how could he not be a success? Maybe by having him sit in a room for months without doing anything but talking?

R-Truth is putting wanted posters everywhere for Drake Maverick, including on his own back. He asks Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross if they’re in the women’s locker room but Carmella drags him away. Bliss gives Cross her own Bliss shirt when the Street Profits come up to say they interrupted a special moment. They think Bayley is going to lose the title but it turns into an argument over stolen shrimp. Nikki screams at them and leaves, though Dawkins seems to approve of her in a certain way.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross

Bliss and Cross are challenging but Bayley has accused Bliss of using Cross. We get an early Sasha Banks reference as Cross tags Bliss in after about ten seconds. Bayley slugs away and drives Cross outside for a ram into the barricade. That’s fine with Bliss, who sends her into the steps to take over.

Back in and Cross gets two off a neckbreaker before tying Bayley up in the ring skirt for a beating. Bliss comes back in for the near falls and it’s time to tie Bayley in the Tree of Woe (Referee: “YOU HAVE TO LET HER GO! Bliss: “I KNOW!”). There’s no Alberto double stomp though as Bliss chokes instead and slams Bayley down by the hair.

Insult to Injury gets two but Bayley pops up with a clothesline and some more aggressive than usual right hands. Cross comes back in so Bayley slams Bliss onto her, followed by a modified Indian Deathlock. Bliss’ save attempt is countered into a Crossface while Cross is caught as well. The rope is finally grabbed and Cross hits a DDT but Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Bayley knees Cross in the face and drops the top rope elbow to retain at 10:23.

Rating: C. Not bad here and it opens the door for where this is going to go in the future. Cross and Bliss could have an interesting split, but the manipulation could go on a bit further. What matters most is Bayley continuing to build moment, though you know Charlotte is getting the title shot at Summerslam because that’s what always happens. Nice enough match, especially with another nice nod of “Bayley doesn’t need help.”

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley. They’ve been feuding for awhile now with Strowman winning their previous match, so they crashed through the set and caused a big explosion. Tonight, it’s Last Man Standing.

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

Last Man Standing and the fight is on before the bell with Strowman running him over. We get the opening bell and Lashley has to roll outside to beat the count. Strowman hits the running shoulder but a second attempt is cut off by the spear. That’s barely even good for a count so Lashley grabs the steps to knock Strowman over the barricade. They go up the steps with Lashley still in control, which is a bit more than I was expecting for him.

Strowman gets knocked into the concourse and they ram into a wall. Back up and Strowman sends him into a merchandise stand with a suplex sending Lashley into the t-shirt stand. That’s enough to bring them back into the arena with Lashley getting knocked down some steps. Strowman runs him over again but Lashley is fine enough to drive him through the barricade to get back to ringside.

A big charge drives Strowman over the table and Lashley turns it on him for a bonus. Strowman gets up again and heads into the crowd again, leaving Lashley frustrated. Lashley follows him out and gets tossed onto the international announcers. That doesn’t even keep him down for a long count and he sends Strowman into another wall.

Strowman gets up and kicks him in the chest so Lashley tells him to bring it, meaning it’s even more knockdowns. They go up the steps again with Lashley throwing a fan at Strowman, who tosses him aside. Strowman catches up to him and they fight on top of a tunnel, with Strowman hitting the powerslam down into the abyss for the win at 17:27.

Rating: B+. This was far better than I was hoping for with both guys beating each other up in a match that felt like two monsters wanting to finish each other. Strowman needs something new and I’m not sure what that is, but I can’t imagine it’s going after the World Title again. At least wait until Brock Lesnar doesn’t have the briefcase again because I can’t take Strowman losing to him again.

AJ Styles says he didn’t reform the Club to win the US Title. He can’t take away Ricochet’s skills but he can take away the title tonight.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Heavy Machinery vs. Daniel Bryan/Rowan

Bryan and Rowan are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Woods runs the ropes with Bryan to start and slides between his legs to set up a hard rolling elbow. Tucker tags himself in and gets headscissored right into the corner, allowing Rowan to tag himself in. That doesn’t go well for Woods, who gets slammed down, followed by the running corner dropkick from Bryan.

The surfboard goes on with Bryan remembering that it’s No DQ and grabbing Woods by the face. It’s back to Rowan but Bryan suckers Big E. to the floor and sends him into the steps. Woods manages a middle dropkick and tags Otis in instead due to a lack of Big E. Otis gets to clean house and it’s a corner splash to set up the Caterpillar to Bryan. A slingshot into a belly to belly gives Tucker two but Big E. comes back in.

The Warrior splash hits knees though and it’s an Otis suplex with Tucker adding a high crossbody for two. Rowan kicks Otis in the face and runs Woods over on the floor, leaving Big E. to spear Bryan through the ropes. Otis teases a dive, goes to the apron, and jumps off instead. Tucker adds a dive off the top and it’s the Compactor to Big E. Woods dives in for the save with Rowan following. Heavy Machinery hits a bunch of splashes in the corner but can’t double superplex Rowan.

Bryan tags himself in as Big E. superplexes Rowan but gets caught in the LeBell Lock. That’s switched into the Rings of Saturn with a leg grab but Big E. manages to pull him other leg over….until he realizes there are no rope breaks so he has to crawl to the floor to get Bryan to let go. Bryan fires off the kicks and slaps to Big E., who tells him to bring it. The backflip out of the corner is caught on Big E.’s shoulder and UpUpDownDown gives New Day the titles back at 14:00. Woods: “WE GOT ALL OF THEM!”

Rating: B-. Another good and fast paced match with a lot of action to keep the fans going. New Day winning the titles back isn’t the most interesting change but it feels similar to Balor losing the Intercontinental Title. What’s the point in keeping it on him if they’re not going to do anything with him? At least New Day will be on the show every week.

Kofi Kingston is celebrating with New Day in the back when Paul Heyman walks by. Heyman comes to the stage and says he is the advocate for the future Universal or WWE Champion. He is Philadelphia and the entire concept of extreme. Tonight, Lesnar is cashing in Money in the Bank and that is a spoiler. To tell you that in advance would make him stupid, so maybe he’s lying. Is he telling you the truth or is he Paul Heyman?

US Title: Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

Ricochet is defending and this is their rubber match. AJ has the Good Brothers with him and gets in a cheap shot before the bell with Ricochet saying he’s good to go. Ricochet is back up with a dropkick and a running chop in the corner as the pace stays fast to start. They head outside with AJ taking over and yelling at the referee as a bonus.

Back in and Ricochet gets whipped hard into the corner as the announcers actually explain the idea of AJ not wanting to be a mentor and put out to pasture just yet. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Ricochet flips out and hits an enziguri. A running hurricanrana sends AJ into the corner but Ricochet stops to go after the Good Brothers. That means a moonsault only gets two, followed by the rolling northern lights suplexes for the same.

Another springboard is countered into the fireman’s carry backbreaker but AJ can’t follow up. AJ suplexes him into the corner for two and a reverse DDT gets two more. The Styles Clash is countered with a hurricanrana and they’re both down again. It’s AJ up first with a Pele and a brainbuster for two more. Ricochet goes up top and knocks AJ down but Karl Anderson offers a distraction, allowing Gallows to get in a crotching. That means the Super Styles Clash (with Ricochet’s face bouncing off the mat) gives AJ the title back at 16:30.

Rating: B. This show is on a roll and I can live with Styles winning the title back. There wasn’t a terrible ending around here so it worked as well as anything they could have done. Ricochet can come back and win the title back in the big match at Summerslam, though I wouldn’t have done two matches in the first place to set this up. Do something else and keep things a bit more fresh.

We recap Kevin Owens coming after Shane McMahon earlier this week. Kevin complained that Shane was on the show and he wasn’t so Dolph Ziggler called him out. A match is made.

Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

Trash talk, Stunner, Owens get the pin in 19 seconds. Ok I can go with this.

Post match Kevin says that since Shane got Tombstoned, there’s no one to cut his mic. Owens says that Shane’s time is coming up and there’s something he can kiss.

We recap Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe for the Smackdown World Title. Like everyone else, Joe doesn’t believe in Kingston but you can believe that he’s the next champion.

Samoa Joe says he’s here to end Kofi’s unremarkable dream. New Day has all the titles right now and it’s time to begin the nightmare.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe

Kofi is defending and hits a running dropkick into the corner to start. Joe clotheslines him right back down though and it’s time to slug it out. A spinning kick to the leg has Kofi’s knee bending backwards and Joe runs him over again. Joe tells him to stay down and takes Kofi outside to crush his fingers in the steps. Back in and Kofi chops away, setting up the jumping clothesline to rock Joe.

The high crossbody gets two but Joe grabs the scoop powerslam for the same. The STF goes on with Joe switching into a Crossface. That’s broken up and Kofi grabs the SOS for two but Joe is right back with the Koquina Clutch. Kofi tries to walk the corner so Joe slams him down, setting up the backsplash for two. Another Clutch attempt is countered and Trouble in Paradise retains the title at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This was slow paced, but Kofi gets another win and is likely heading to 100+ days as champion (he has to make it to Tuesday). That’s a long longer than I was expecting him to make it, but it isn’t exactly going to matter as long as Lesnar is looming over him. I’m not sure where he goes at Summerslam, but I’m still hoping for the New Day triple threat.

We recap the Winners Take All match with Becky Lynch/Seth Rollins facing Baron Corbin/Lacey Evans. This is the third title shot for both of them and believe it or not, the interest isn’t that high. It’s a mixed tag with the personal relationship vs. the business relationship.

Raw World Title/Raw Women’s Title: Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch vs. Baron Corbin/Lacey Evans

Corbin and Evans are challenging, it’s Extreme Rules and the winners take all. Lacey has SETH written on the back of her trunks. There are tags again, because Extreme Rules means something very different in WWE. The men start with Corbin grabbing a kendo stick but walking into a Sling Blade. Lacey comes in and grabs the stick before getting rather close to Seth, earning a beating from Becky. She and Seth get in stereo beatdowns with the sticks and stand tall early on.

Back in and Seth has to knee his way out of a suplex attempt but Corbin is smart enough to get in a chair shot. Some chairs are brought in as Lacey points out the writing on the trunks. A DDT sends Seth onto a chair for two but Corbin makes the mistake of wedging a chair in the corner.

Becky has had it and unloads on Lacey with the chair before ramming her face first into one. The Bexploder onto the chairs and a legdrop onto the chair onto Lacey gets two. Lacey is right back with an elbow and a double springboard moonsault. The Woman’s Right misses so Becky grabs a reverse DDT. It’s off to Seth, but Corbin is still down on the floor. Since Rollins can’t go after Lacey, he brings in a table instead.

Becky gives him a hand and they set up a pair of them on the floor, which takes WAY too long. Lacey gets up and sends Becky into the steps, meaning it’s time for the champs to get destroyed with kendo sticks. A double chokeslam gives Corbin and Evans a double two and it’s time to go back outside. Becky saves Seth from a double suplex through a table so it’s a double suplex onto the ramp.

Corbin and Evans are laid on the tables and it’s a legdrop for Lacey and a very high frog splash for Baron in a pair of big crashes. Back in and Corbin is fine enough to hit Deep Six for two on Rollins with Becky making the save. Evans gets tossed outside but Baron gets smart by hitting End of Days on Becky. Corey: “Too far man.” As I roll my eyes, Rollins erupts and beats on Corbin with the chair, followed by the Stomp. Another Stomp sets up a third to retain the titles at 19:53…..and here’s Brock.

Rating: C. So I think I should probably get through this one in a hurry to get to what matters. The match wasn’t too bad but there is only so much that you can get out of Corbin and Evans as challengers. At least they didn’t win the titles, but egads man, I’m hoping Lesnar doesn’t get the title here.

Universal Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins

Brock snaps off some German suplexes and Heyman says ring the bell. The bell rings and the F5 gives Lesnar the title at 17 seconds. So yeah, everything from the moment Wrestlemania went on the air in the Universal Title picture? Forget about it.

Overall Rating: A-. I mean, what more can you ask for? There was nothing really close to bad and things certainly happened, though your definition of how good they were could vary. This was the final stopping point to the bad summer before we can get the new direction for Summerslam and it was one of the best shows that they’ve done in a long time. Maybe it was pure exhaustion or having no expectations, but this worked very well and I had roughly a 485% better time than I expected. Oh and it’s done before eleven, putting this at 4:55 instead of over five hours so…..good? Anyway, great show.

Results

Undertaker/Roman Reigns b. Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre – Tombstone to McMahon

Revival b. Usos – Shatter Machine to Jimmy

Aleister Black b. Cesaro – Black Mass

Bayley b. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross – Top rope elbow to Cross

Braun Strowman b. Bobby Lashley – Powerslam into a tunnel

New Day b. Daniel Bryan/Rowan and Heavy Machinery – UpUpDownDown to Bryan

AJ Styles b. Ricochet – Super Styles Clash

Kevin Owens b. Dolph Ziggler – Stunner

Kofi Kingston b. Samoa Joe – Trouble in Paradise

Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch b. Lacey Evans/Baron Corbin – Stomp to Corbin

Brock Lesnar b. Seth Rollins – F5

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Extreme Rules 2019 Preview

IMG Credit: WWE

The summer of WWE continues. There are a lot of problems in WWE at the moment and any WWE fan can list them all off for you at a moment’s notice. I’ve been right there with them, though things have gotten slightly better in recent weeks. One of the underlying problems has been the amount of shows that the company has been running and it’s time for another one in the form of Extreme Rules, which doesn’t have the most extreme set of rules. Maybe the card itself will surprise me. Let’s get to it.

Aleister Black vs. Cesaro

This was literally set up with a knock on the door and even though that is where the story was supposed to go, it doesn’t make things that interesting. There is no history between the two of them but that’s kind of the point with Black. I have no idea how they’ve managed to screw up Black’s push so badly but I’ll take what I can get, even if it has taken this long.

I’ll go with Black to win because that’s the only thing that makes sense. I know the fans are going to be annoyed at seeing Cesaro lose again, but that’s just kind of what happens with him. He’ll help get Black somewhere, but it’s going to be the Black Mass for the pin, just as it should be. Black is the kind of guy who could go a long way, and Cesaro is a fine first step. Well the second first step as that first run with Ricochet has been forgotten.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Revival(c) vs. Usos

These two are joined at the hip and that’s fine by me. The best part about this whole thing has been the Revival getting away from the HORRIBLE pranks at the hands of the Usos, which didn’t help anyone whatsoever. The Revival enjoying the good life is funny enough, though at least they’re not looking like the bad end of jokes and that’s better than nothing at this point.

This could go either way but I’ll take the Revival to retain with some cheating. The Usos have been champions so many times that it doesn’t feel important anymore and they certainly don’t need the belts. Let the Revival keep them a little longer and rehab their image that much more, which they really do need after the last few months. They can still be a great team, as long as WWE will just let them do so. A win here would help.

SmackDown Tag Team Titles: Daniel Bryan/Rowan(c) vs. New Day vs. Heavy Machinery

As I was getting ready for this show, I wasn’t sure if New Day was doing anything on the show or who had these titles. That’s how little they matter and that says a lot about the tag division as a whole. Heavy Machinery doesn’t exactly belong in this match after they lost last month but when has that bothered them before? The titles are nearly ice cold right now so this isn’t the most important match on the show.

Give me the champions retaining here, as I’m hoping that we’re getting closer to the New Day getting frustrated with Kofi Kingston getting most of the glory and success. Much like the Usos, the New Day winning the titles again wouldn’t mean anything and I can’t imagine Heavy Machinery actually winning the titles. Bryan and Rowan are doing nothing as champions, but somehow they’re the best option at the moment.

Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak(c) vs. Tony Nese

Somehow this isn’t on the Kickoff Show (yet) but you can probably pencil it in. Gulak won the title from Nese in a three way at Stomping Grounds and this is his first title defense. What matters most here is Gulak’s new, aggressive character which has gotten him a lot further than his entertaining For A Better 205 Live deal. He’s fitting well as champion, though I’m not sure how long he’ll have the title.

He’ll have it longer than the end of Extreme Rules though as I’ll go with Gulak to retain here. Nese has had his run and while he was a success, he’s not the long term solution with the title. They’ve already got Oney Lorcan waiting to challenge Gulak over Summerslam weekend as well and that could be a heck of a match. Nese has come a long way, but he’s not getting back to the top again, at least not here.

SmackDown World Title: Kofi Kingston(c) vs. Samoa Joe

This has been a better feud than anything Kingston vs. Ziggler did, mainly because it feels like something fresh. What matters here is having a good match, because this feels like a one off match instead of the start of something big. While there is a chance that we could see a rematch at Summerslam, odds are this is going to be it and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Kingston retains here, at least I think, as I could see Samoa Joe puling off a surprise win. That’s the kind of thing he tends to do, though I’m not sure if he’s going to do so here. Kingston’s title reign has not gone very well so far, though it’s hard to put the entirety of the blame on him. Samoa Joe almost has to win the title at some point, but I don’t think that’s the case here.

Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley

This is Last Man Standing and a result of the two of them blowing up part of the set a few weeks back. It feels like we’ve seen this kind of thing from Strowman for years now as he gets to look dominant in a story like this, though I have no reason to believe that he’s going to win the title in the end. Lashley has looked great as well, though there is a lot more to be done with Strowman, at least in a company that makes sense.

Of course I’ll take Strowman here, though it’s going to come after a lot of stuff is destroyed. That’s not a bad place to go and the match should be fun (or at least extreme) but I have no confidence for where this is going in the future for either guy. At least it’s better than arm wrestling or a tug of war though, which means Heyman at least has one good thing going for him.

Undertaker/Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre

No Holds Barred for the sake of McMahon. The match itself isn’t what matters here, as the whole point is much more about who Undertaker gets to face at Summerslam. Odds are that it’s going to be McIntyre, but I’m not sure who would win once we get there. That’s for later though so for now, we get more McMahon getting to hang with multiple time World Champions, if not beating them.

For the sake of my sanity, I’m going with Undertaker and Reigns squeaking by a guy whose career highlight is the NXT Title and the Monster McMahon, because somehow this is one of the biggest feuds of the summer. Assuming Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler isn’t added to the card (or even if it is), I could easily see Owens interfering here and taking McMahon down. Not for a pin of course because Undertaker and Reigns aren’t on that level, but maybe he can help bring McIntyre down.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Nikki Cross/Alexa Bliss

This feud has gotten a lot of time in recent weeks, though I’m not entirely sure which way it’s going. That’s the best thing about it though, as they really could take it in a lot of different directions and see what they can find. Cross is being conned by Bliss, but Bayley has been showing some more heelish tendencies as of late. That opens up a lot of doors and any of them could be followed up on here.

I’ll take Bayley winning to retain here, likely pinning Cross in the process. Above all else, Bayley needs to get FAR away from Bliss, as the two of them have been joined at the hip for far too long now. It almost never goes well for Bayley either and the longer they’re together, the more I expect Bliss to get the title and kill Bayley’s momentum again. Odds are Charlotte gets the title shot at Summerslam (because she’s Charlotte) so Bayley has to win here to set that up.

US Title: Ricochet(c) vs. AJ Styles

This one is going to come down to how much you believe the stories about Paul Heyman being so high on Ricochet. At the end of the day, Ricochet is the kind of guy who could be turned into a new top star for the company in the blink of an eye and it seems that they’re heading that way. At the same time though, Styles is Styles and you don’t want the newly reformed Club losing their first big pay per view match.

I think they’ll put the title on Styles though, likely through Good Brothers interference, meaning it’s time to have Ricochet chase the title again. Ricochet losing due to the numbers game is acceptable, but it would be nice to let the younger guys get a longer term chance. I’m not confident whatsoever in this one though and that’s a nice feeling for a match like this.

Universal Title/Raw Women’s Title: Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch(c) vs. Lacey Evans/Baron Corbin

We’ve covered every possible bit of ranting that can be done about this match and these feuds but now we get an Extreme Rules match for both titles. The big story here is the real life relationship between Lynch and Rollins (because that’s REAL while everything else is fake) vs. the business relationship between Evans and Corbin, because that’s what we want at an EXTREME show.

For the sake of my sanity (again with the sanity), I’ll go with the champions retaining here because….how could Corbin ever be World Champion? I mean I know he will be someday, but egads the possibilities of that give me hives. I’m not sure where this takes Rollins and Lynch (though the Power Couple battle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon is starting to seem plausible) but for now, they keep the titles.

Overall Thoughts

Main event aside, this is actually a pretty good looking card and I don’t remember the last time that was the case for a WWE pay per view. There are a few violent matches sprinkled here and there but did anyone really expect an actual EXTREME show from this event? You take what you can get here as the nightmare summer continues. I don’t know what Heyman and Bischoff have in mind for Summerslam, but it almost has to be better than what we’ve been doing for the last few weeks. At least it’s going to be fresh and that’s what matters most.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackdown – July 9, 2019: The Final Pull Over The Line

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules and after last night’s long list of changes, you have to think that the card is mostly set for a change. Tonight is likely going to focus on Shane McMahon, with Roman Reigns possibly even gracing us with his presence for a change. We’re still waiting on the Eric Bischoff regime to start though, meaning this might not be the strongest show. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, Dolph Ziggler arrived and complained about carrying Kevin Owens when Owens showed up in his car and honked at him. They yelled at each other and got in a fight but some well placed wrestlers ran in and broke it up. Shane came in and told Owens to get out of here. Better than fifteen minutes of talking, though it would be better if Ziggler was arrested by the cops in the background for impersonating an entertainer.

In the back, Shane said he was doing his job and will replace the originally scheduled Ziggler vs. Owens main event.

Owens runs into the arena and rants about how Shane needs to hear the truth. He’s tried to be a good company guy for a long time now but a few months ago, the whole McMahon Family was out here saying they were going to listen to the fans. But now Shane gets more TV time than anyone else and NO ONE HAS EVER WANTED THAT!

It makes him sick, to the point where he wants to smash his head on the table, which he climbs onto. Shane comes out and says cut Owens’ mic. Owens finds another mic and rants about Shane calling himself the Best in the World being an insult to everyone in the back. Shane has that mic cut as well so Owens grabs a commentary headset and keeps going. Security finally chases him off.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor

Non-title. On the way to the ring, Nakamura says that he’s getting his career back on track. Balor says that Nakamura won’t be using him to do that. Nakamura knocks him into the corner and we take a rather early break. Back with Balor getting kneed in the ribs but managing to send Nakamura into the corner. A Nightmare on Helm Street gets two but Nakamura is right back with a sliding German suplex. Kinshasa is countered with a Sling Blade so Nakamura hits the running knee in the corner.

The middle rope knee to the head sends Balor outside and a posting makes it even worse. They both beat the count back in but Nakamura sends him back outside for Kinshasa, where Balor beats the count again. We’re not done yet as Nakamura throws him outside for a third time, this time for a whip into the steps. Balor beats it AGAIN, so this time it’s Kinshasa for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: D+. So they had a wide open chance to have Nakamura knock Balor silly on the floor for a countout but nah, let’s just have Nakamura pin him instead. I was even getting my hopes up as they could have set up some kind of gimmick rematch on Sunday, but instead we get this. I’m sure we’ll get the rematch on Sunday, though Balor will be lessened a bit because that’s what the Intercontinental Title does.

Shane, Drew McIntyre and Elias are ready for Sunday’s tag match when Ziggler comes in and wants to fight. Instead of Owens, he’ll face Roman Reigns in the main event.

Video on Kofi Kingston’s title win and reign. Then Samoa Joe choked him out to set up their match on Sunday.

Joe says Kofi can deny the truth all he wants but that changes nothing. Kofi is everything Joe said he was and now Joe is coming for everyone Kofi has used to get where he is today. On Sunday, Joe is taking the title. Joe’s delivery alone has made this 49x better than Ziggler.

It’s time for a contract signing for the Women’s Title match on Sunday. Nikki Cross represents herself and Alexa Bliss and here’s Bayley as well. After looking at a clip of Bayley attacking Nikki last night, Bayley wonders where Alexa is again. Nikki says last night was the real Bayley, which Bayley attributes to Bliss being in her head. Bayley promises to bring whatever she has to on Sunday to beat both of them. Then what happens when Bliss loses and blames Nikki? That sends Nikki over the edge and she promises to win the title so they can be co-champions. She wants Bayley to stick around for the next match too.

Nikki Cross vs. Carmella

Bayley is at ringside as Nikki takes Carmella down to start. A faceplant and some rams of the head into the mat have Carmella in trouble. Nikki gets two off a snap suplex and it’s off to something like a Rings of Saturn. It’s off to a regular chinlock for a bit until Carmella gets up and avoids a charge. The Bronco Buster keeps Nikki down but she’s right back up with the Purge to finish Carmella at 3:42.

Rating: D+. The match wasn’t great but the storyline was fine with Nikki being serious and showing what she can do when she’s serious. Now that doesn’t help the fact that Bayley beat her clean last week but I’ll take what I can get. They’ve got something interesting with everyone playing mind games with each other and it could make for an interesting twist.

We look back at the Kabuki Warriors defeating the IIconics in Tokyo to earn a future title shot.

The IIconics run into Paige and the Warriors, who wan their title shot tonight. That’s not happening because Billie is sick though with mad cow bird flu (Peyton: “It’s really rare.”). Paige calls them annoying clowns and slaps Billie, before reminding her that she’s sick. The title match is coming.

We look back at the end of last night’s show with Cedric Alexander dressing up like a janitor to shock Drew and Shane, only to lose in the end and be unmasked, rendering the whole thing rather pointless.

Roman Reigns promises to make Shane and Drew rest in peace.

It’s time for a Tag Team Summit with New Day (whose music came on for half a second before Big E.’s intro), Rowan and Daniel Bryan and Heavy Machinery. New Day is out first and Big E. is excited about the idea of all three members of New Day being able to touch their championship tips together. Bryan and Rowan cut off the hip swivel though with Bryan saying no one takes the titles seriously because New Day doesn’t take them seriously.

Woods wants to hear from Rowan though, because Rowan is always taking orders from someone. It might be Bray, Harper or Bryan and they’re having trouble remembering who his daddy is. Bryan cuts that off and says New Day isn’t serious enough and they have always been a comedy act. It wouldn’t be as bad as if Heavy Machinery won, so here’s Heavy Machinery. Tucker talks about getting close to the titles at Stomping Grounds and now they’ve earned another title shot. Otis mocks New Day’s swiveling as the Chris Farley is strong with this one. Now it’s time for a triple threat.

Otis vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Xavier Woods

Bryan bails to the floor to start so Woods grabs a headlock. That’s reversed with a toss around the ring so here’s Bryan again for an attempt at a double suplex on Otis. He delayed vertical suplexes both of them at the same time (geez), leaving the other three to get in a brawl on the floor. Big E. and Tucker put Rowan over the announcers’ table and get thrown out.

Back from a break with Woods throwing Bryan into the barricade, only to have Bryan grab the LeBell Lock inside. Otis dives in for the save so Bryan kicks at him a bit. The big one is reversed into a suplex and there’s the Caterpillar, with Bryan rolling to the apron. That leaves Woods to take a World’s Strongest Slam for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C-. The break in the middle was a little better and didn’t feel as forced so it wasn’t as bad as last night. Otis winning was the right call as it adds a little big more intrigue to Sunday’s match. I still don’t see Heavy Machinery winning the titles, but it’s a nice way to make things more interesting.

Video on Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler, which isn’t happening tonight.

We recap the opening segment.

Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville interrupt Ember Moon at catering because this is still going. Ember’s win last week brought the two of them closer together and it’s a tag match for next week, assuming Ember can find a partner. If she can’t, she’ll fight on her own.

Ali isn’t scared of the devil in any form because he’s seen so much evil on the streets of Chicago as a police officer. He’ll ask the devil if he can have this dance and evil only shows up if you won’t fight.

Extreme Rules rundown.

We get a split screen interview between Aleister Black and an empty chair. Black looks a bit confused and then laughs when he is told that the opponent will not be announcing his identity at this time. This is something that Black himself would do so it’s very smart. Black doesn’t care who it is anymore but someone walks up to the chair. Their hand touches the chair and they sit down to reveal…..Cesaro. Black says he’ll fight him on Sunday.

Shelton Benjamin is asked about tonight’s main event, says “well” and leaves.

We’re ready for an interview with Kofi Kingston but Paul Heyman walks by first. Kingston, who didn’t seem to see Heyman, comes in and says last week he kicked Samoa Joe in the head. He likes facing people like Samoa Joe because it makes his title reign more impressive. This Sunday, he’s keeping the title.

Roman Reigns vs. Dolph Ziggler

Hang on though because here are Shane, Drew and Elias to watch. Shane is on commentary as Ziggler kicks Reigns down to start and nails a quick Shot to the Heart. Roman fights back up and knocks Ziggler outside for the apron dropkick. A distraction lets McIntyre post Reigns though, which Shane just happened to miss. Back in and Ziggler gets two, followed by another Shot to the Heart for two. A neckbreaker is good for the same and we hit the chinlock.

Another neckbreaker is broken up, as is Ziggler’s running DDT. Reigns starts the comeback but has to Superman Punch Elias, allowing the Zig Zag to hit for two. The superkick is countered with a Superman Punch for two but Elias pulls Ziggler out before the spear. Reigns hits the no hands dive but goes too far and lands face first on the floor. Thankfully he pops up as Shane comes into the ring. Ziggler superkicks Reigns but here’s Owens for a Stunner to Shane. Reigns and Ziggler get back in so the spear can finish Ziggler at 8:48.

Rating: C-. The Owens interference breathed some much needed life into this one but it wasn’t doing well before then. Ziggler and Shane continue to feel like the annoying friends who tag along on everything you do whether you want them there or not. Shane is likely gearing up for a match against Owens at Summerslam and Ziggler….well he’ll be there too, likely saying the same things he always says.

Overall Rating: D+. Owens was by far the best part of this show but so much of tonight felt like watching everything drag across the finish line to Extreme Rules as we FINALLY end this horrible stretch of programming. The build for Summerslam can’t get here soon enough, just because we’ve been watching these same boring stories for weeks now. Owens hopefully will be a breath of fresh air, but I fully expect him to be looking up at the lights at Summerslam as Shane’s music plays. Until that changes, things aren’t going to get much better.

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Finn Balor – Kinshasa

Nikki Cross b. Carmella – Purge

Otis b. Daniel Bryan and Xavier Woods – World’s Strongest Slam to Woods

Roman Reigns b. Dolph Ziggler – Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Main Event – July 4, 2019: Smackdown Independence

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: July 4, 2019
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Renee Young

It’s a holiday edition of the show and that isn’t likely to matter as this is mainly an international show. Things got a lot more interesting this week on Raw and hopefully that carries over to here as well. Smackdown was its usual slog of a two hour show but it’s not like Smackdown means anything around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dana Brooke vs. Sarah Logan

It’s trilogy time and we even get a recap of their previous matches. Logan kicks her in the face to start and hits a few slams, setting up some howling. We’re already in the chinlock, drawing a rare DANA chant. Dana sends her outside for a cartwheel elbow to the face, followed by the Wade Barrett middle rope suplex into a suplex. A headscissors sets up a rollup for two on Logan, who is right back with the standing Texas Cloverleaf. That’s broken up as well so it’s the cartwheel splash for two on Logan. That’s fine though, as Logan hits a running knee to the back of the head for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: D. Well I’m glad they gave us the end to the feud and a definitive winner. This was on the same level they’ve been on since their first match and that’s not the best thing in the world. Brooke is trying to get somewhere and is better than she used to be but she’s a long, long way from being ready to be at the top levels.

From Raw.

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

Falls Count Anywhere. Lashley hits an early spear and they’re on the floor in a hurry. Strowman hits the big shoulder and drops a backsplash for two. A big tackle knocks Strowman into the timekeeper’s area for two more and they head into the crowd. It’s the walking around form of brawling until Lashley hits him in the back with a chair for two. They get into a clearing with Strowman hitting a heck of a charge to run Lashley over for two.

It’s up to the stage with Lashley getting in an impressive suplex for two of his own. A big spear sends Lashley through the set and it’s a BUNCH of explosions (Graves: “HOLY S***! Uncensored too.) with the screen’s lights going out. Both guys are sprayed with fire extinguishers and the referees call for EMTs as the match is of course thrown out at about 6:00.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah I’d say we have some new management now. This was All a bunch of killing time until we got to the big angle at the end and there’s nothing wrong with that. What matters most here is that they started with something different and fans are going to want to keep watching. It’s a different style and if that’s what we’re going to get, well done.

The medics look at both of them for a good while with no commentary. We even take a break and come back with the two of them being put into ambulances.

And from Smackdown.

We see a video from Lashley’s Twitter, saying Strowman got what he deserved. That had nothing to do with wrestling because they went into an unsafe area. Lashley could have been electrocuted or something worse but Strowman didn’t care. The next time Lashley sees that son of a b****, he’s sending him to the morgue.

From Smackdown again.

Here are Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe for a face to face showdown. Joe talks about choking him out last night, which was an act of generosity. It seems that Kofi is always receiving some kind of act of generosity. Whenever New Day is given a singles match, it’s always Kofi getting the shot because he’s the New Day’s guy. Joe says they’re using the people just like he does and in a few years, Woods and Big E. can be the hype man and butler.

Kofi talks about everything he has done by himself while Joe lost the US Title to Ricochet. Joe is the one always jumping people from behind but Joe isn’t convinced. He knows Kofi always has a way out planned, like when he brought in his kids. Kofi calls Joe jealous but Joe offers a handshake in honor of choking Kofi out two weeks in a row.

If Kofi will shake his hand, Joe will promise the safety of everyone Kofi holds dear until Extreme Rules. There’s no handshake, so Joe gives him five seconds before he starts slapping Kofi around the ring. Instead Kofi flips him off (that feels WAY out of character for him) and hits Trouble in Paradise.

Video on Baron Corbin/Lacey Evans vs. Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch.

Extreme Rules rundown.

Robert Roode vs. Cedric Alexander

Roode headlocks him to start so Alexander is right back with some running shoulders and a hip swivel. We take a very abrupt break and come back with Alexander kicking him in the face. The suicide dive connects and Cedric’s springboard clothesline gets two. Roode snaps off the spinebuster for his own two but the Glorious DDT is countered into the Neuralizer for another near fall. Roode gets smart though and grabs a rollup with rope for the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C-. Better than you might have guessed here with Roode looking smooth in the ring but still lacking in any reason to take him seriously. I know the mustache is incredible but I need more than that. Alexander continues to be the same talented but unpushed guy that he always is, mainly because he has no character to speak of.

From Raw.

Here are Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre for a chat. After the long intro, Shane talks about having other responsibilities other than gracing us with his presence. We look back at McIntyre and Shane beating up Roman Reigns last week but cut it off before Undertaker appeared. Shane promises to destroy the Undertaker again at Extreme Rules and Drew says he will not be intimidated by Undertaker. Drew is ready to fight right now and wants Undertaker out here right now. The thunder rumbles and the lights go out. Lightning hits some turnbuckles and here’s Undertaker.

Shane and Drew bail into the crowd and Undertaker says Reigns never asked for his help. If you need to know what happened last week, Undertaker will explain. He has been the reaper of wayward souls for a long time and he is here to collect Shane and Drew’s. Shane had a little of Undertaker’s respect for awhile because of their match inside the Cell. Just like most mortals though, Shane fell victim to his greed and ego. Therefore, Undertaker is claiming his soul for all of eternity. The two of them will never rest in peace. Fine enough explanation for a one off match.

And from Raw again.

US Title: Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

Ricochet is defending. An early rollup gives Ricochet two and he knocks AJ down in a hurry. The springboard splash hits raised knees though and AJ takes over. The fans are split as Ricochet knocks him to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and AJ knocks him backwards a few steps, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin and the title….despite Ricochet having his foot under the ropes at two. Cue a second referee as we find another way to not have action during a break.

Back with the match restarting and the Good Brothers at ringside. Ricochet hits an enziguri and a lifting swinging neckbreaker for two. The Phoenix splash misses so Ricochet sends him over the top and face first onto the apron. The big running flip dive misses but Ricochet lands on his feet. That’s fine with AJ, who hits another Phenomenal Forearm to the floor. Back in and the torture rack powerbomb gives AJ two but he gets caught on top. Ricochet knocks him down and grabs a spinning rollup for the pin to retain at 10:13.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to build up because of the spot in the middle. Is it that much to just have Styles vs. Ricochet in a straight ten minute match without the big part in the middle to change things up? It feels so unnecessary and doesn’t add anything more than a detail that doesn’t need to be there.

Post match they shake hands but the Good Brothers get on the apron. Ricochet is ready to fight but AJ decks him for the heel turn. The beatdown is on with a Magic Killer and a middle rope Styles Clash leaving Ricochet laying. AJ and the Good Brothers give the Too Sweet sign and Gallows says they’re back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse and I’ll certainly take what I can get here. The Raw stuff is far better than the Smackdown material but at least they were playing it smart by not having Smackdown get too much time. What we got here was a watchable enough show but as long as they keep up the good Raw stuff, they’ll be fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackdown – June 25, 2019: By Fingertips And Crossed Fingers

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: June 25, 2019
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

Since the schedule is so packed together these days, this is the fallout for Stomping Grounds, the followup show from last night and one of the setup shows for Extreme Rules all at once. Kofi Kingston retained the WWE Title over Dolph Ziggler on Sunday but now has to deal with Samoa Joe. Other than that, we could be in for some more matches being set up for the next pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Undertaker saving Roman Reigns from Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre last night. The tag match is already set for Extreme Rules.

Shane says Reigns finally gave into fear last night and asked the Dead Man for help against his greatest foes. Therefore, Reigns is a dead man himself at Extreme Rules. Shane is ticked off tonight so don’t get on his bad side. This was the most obviously scripted speech as I’ve seen from WWE in at least a week.

Kingston vs. Samoa Joe is confirmed for Extreme Rules.

Here’s New Day for a chat. Kingston talks about the path he has had to travel to get here and everything he has had to do. This includes an actual leap of faith against Dolph Ziggler on Sunday, but the next night it was Samoa Joe attacking him. Kofi talks about the Koquina Clutch being a devastating hold because Samoa Joe is like a shark. At Extreme Rules, Joe thinks he’s found his prey but that isn’t happening.

Cue Dolph Ziggler to say that he isn’t doing the work while someone else gets the credit. Kofi: “How many times do I have to beat you?” Ziggler talks about how this is his life and career as Big E. stops to have a snack. Dolph should be champion because Kofi took the coward’s way out of the cage on Sunday. They’re facing each other again tonight and if Ziggler wins, he’s added to the title match at Extreme Rules. Tonight, it’s 2/3 falls.

Daniel Bryan and Rowan are walking to the ring. Bray Wyatt’s pig can be seen in the background.

Elias is guarding Shane’s office and tells Miz to not go in. Miz doesn’t listen so Elias stops him and plays some guitar. Miz tells him to stop or it’s going to be sent upside the dark side of his moon. He wants to finish things with Shane because the entire WWE Universe is sick of it. True, but not in the way that he means. Miz leaves and Shane comes out to compliment the music. Tonight, it’s Miz vs. Shane….if Miz can beat Elias, 2/3 falls. How forced can they make this concept?

New Day vs. Daniel Bryan/Rowan

Non-title. Bryan shoulders Woods down to start and Rowan does the same, albeit much harder. Stomping in the corner sets up a top rope knee to the back of the neck and it’s a running crossbody to run Woods over. We take a break but since we can see the match in the split screen, it doesn’t count as wrestling during the break.

Back with Woods making the tag to Big E. so suplexes can abound. The Warrior splash hits knees though and the LeBell Lock goes on. Woods breaks it up before too much damage can be done and then dropkicks Rowan into the barricade for a bonus. The Rock Bottom out of the corner sets up the Midnight Hour for the pin on Bryan at 9:28.

Rating: C. You can probably book the triple threat title match for Extreme Rules and that could be a heck of a match if done right. Therefore, I don’t expect them to do it right because this division is one of the least important in all of WWE. Yet somehow Bryan is stuck in it, which is quite the shame. I get why he seems to be, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Post match Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn run in for the beatdown but Heavy Machinery makes the save.

New Day/Heavy Machinery vs. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn/Daniel Bryan/Rowan

Just like last night, they have so many people who can’t get on TV and how many people are working twice? Tucker gets triple teamed to start and Rowan hits a good superplex for two with New Day making the save. Everything breaks down and Bryan hits the running knee on Big E. The Iron Claw plants Woods but Tucker finally runs Bryan over and makes the tag to Otis. A spinning slam to Sami sets up a running splash in the corner. The Caterpillar connects as Owens walks out, leaving Sami to take the Compactor for the pin at 4:39.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. I have no idea why we needed to see the bonus part of this match. Yeah there’s the international tour, but this is the best they can do? Instead of putting some fresh talent on the show to just get them a chance? A pair of 2/3 falls match and another match that takes place after the first just because?

We recap Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross having issues. If Nikki can beat Bayley tonight, Bliss gets a rematch at Extreme Rules. Bliss wants Nikki to do whatever it takes to win.

Video on Ali, who wants to be the light for those lost in the night. In other words, an inspiration to those on the streets. If nothing else, these vignettes are unique, which is always the case for Ali’s stuff.

Elias vs. The Miz

2/3 falls with Shane in Elias’ corner. After Elias sings a quick jab against the Portland Trail Blazers, we’re ready to go. Miz clotheslines him to the floor but Shane offers a distraction, allowing Elias to knee Miz out of the air. Drift Away is good for the first fall at 57 seconds. Back from a break with the second fall beginning and Elias unloading in the corner. The chinlock goes on until Miz fights up and makes the comeback, including a DDT for two. Elias’ rollup gets two more but Miz has to go after Shane.

An electric chair doesn’t work for Elias and the Skull Crushing Finale connects, only to have Shane come in for the DQ at 10:25. Before the third fall starts, Shane and Elias destroy Miz even further, even throwing him over the announcers’ table. A whip into the barricade keeps Miz down and they throw him back inside for a spear from Shane. The bell rings and the top rope elbow gives Elias the pin at 11:23.

Rating: D. Thank goodness for that. I was almost starting to forget how awesome Shane was for a few minutes there. Miz’s stock has fallen through the floor since this Shane feud started (back in November) and I have no idea why he needs to be the personal punching bag. Then again if you try to use logic on this stuff at the moment, your head is going to hurt quite a bit so we’ll move on.

Post match Shane hits Coast to Coast because WWE doesn’t know what special moves are anymore.

Finn Balor is proud of his win over Andrade when Shinsuke Nakamura comes up to stare at the Intercontinental Title. Balor smiles.

Miz is still getting out of the ring and….now he’s out of the ring.

Nikki Cross vs. Bayley

Non-title. If Nikki wins, Alexa Bliss gets a rematch against Bayley at Extreme Rules. Nikki goes right after her to start but gets sent into the corner for her efforts. A high crossbody gives Nikki two but Bayley ties her in the Tree of Woe for the springboard elbow. Back from a break with Bayley in trouble, including a missed dive to make it even worse. Nikki gets two off a neckbreaker but Bayley gets the same off a small package. An Oklahoma roll is countered into a cradle to give Nikki the pin at 6:58.

Rating: D. Not only was the match sloppy, but the champ loses again to set up another match with Bliss. Nikki and Bliss’ story is interesting and could go somewhere, but it’s another match we just saw at Stomping Grounds. Why not put Nikki in there for something fresh? Ok to be fair given how bad this match was that’s not a good idea, but it sounds more interesting on paper.

Carmella is looking for R-Truth but runs into Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. That goes nowhere so the two of them leave and Truth crawls out from behind some hockey boards. Drake Maverick comes up but he doesn’t have a referee. He apologizes for stealing the title but Truth has ruined his life. The wedding was supposed to be the best day of his life and he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his mother in law’s money but Truth came and stole the title.

Truth hugs him, calls him Hornswoggle, and tells him to find a referee. Truth: “Psyche! I love this title more than you love your wife!” Truth says arrivederci and leaves, with the mob chasing after him and running Maverick over. Maverick puts his head in his hands and looks near tears.

Sonya Deville vs. Ember Moon

Fallout from Deville and Rose tormenting Moon over the last few weeks. Deville takes her down to start but Ember is right back with the quick kicks. Mandy offers a distraction though and Sonya rams Ember into the post for the pin at 1:20.

Aleister Black is frustrated that no one will fight him. This is WWE with the highest form of competition in the world and he can’t believe no one is man enough to pick a fight. The lights go out and someone knocks at the door. Black looks stunned but smiles without opening the door.

Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title, 2/3 falls and if Ziggler wins he is added to the title match at Extreme Rules. Ziggler starts fast with the dropkick and grabs a chinlock with a bodyscissors. Kofi gets up and hits his own dropkick, followed by a pinfall reversal sequence for some near falls each. A sunset flip gives Kofi the first fall at 3:37 so Ziggler throws him outside. Kofi gets sent into the barricade and a Zig Zag on the floor takes us to a break.

Back with the second fall beginning and Kofi eating a superkick to tie it up at 8:19, which is the first time Kingston has been pinned since winning the title. Ziggler sends him hard into the corner and it’s back to the chinlock. That’s broken up and Ziggler goes charging chest first into the buckle. Kofi can’t follow up though and it’s the Shot to the Heart for two. Kofi’s high crossbody is rolled through for two and a DDT gives Ziggler the same.

Back up and Kofi gets in a shot but Ziggler rolls away from the Boom Drop. Instead it’s the top rope forearm to the head for two and the Fameasser is countered into a sitout powerbomb. Trouble in Paradise misses though and Kofi gets set into the post, setting up the Zig Zag for two more. The superkick misses though and now Trouble in Paradise can finish Ziggler at 17:16.

Rating: C+. Ok, so Ziggler is done now right? That’s four times that Kofi has beaten him, though the first two weren’t enough to get rid of Ziggler in the first place. There was no reason for this match to happen (and even less of a reason for it to be 2/3 falls) but at least Kofi won and the title match that was already set up gets to happen.

Overall Rating: D. I can appreciate the idea of the show being really, really wrestling oriented but the way they’re going about it is a mess. The multiple 2/3 falls matches, the tag match turning into a bigger tag match and restarting last night’s main event have turned the last two shows into some of the most convoluted things I can remember in a long time.

Now, we know why this is taking place. That’s all well and good, but how strange does this show seem to someone who doesn’t know that stuff? All of a sudden this show REALLY likes gimmick matches and is moving everything around like its star got pregnant and we can’t see her stomach. It’s an idea that can work, but get the execution down a lot better.

As for the show itself….no. We spent most of the night either setting up rematches for Extreme Rules or confirming a match that has already been set. The wrestling felt rushed a lot of the time, though some of that was for the sake of getting a match done before the dreaded commercial break. Maybe it’s the roster being split up by the international tour but egads the feel like they’re holding this show together with paper clips and crossed fingers. It’s not as bad as some of the recent Raws but this felt like they were spiraling out of control and hanging on by fingertips.

Results

New Day b. Daniel Bryan/Rowan – Midnight Hour to Bryan

New Day/Heavy Machinery b. Daniel Bryan/Rowan/Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn – Compactor to Zayn

Elias b. The Miz – Top rope elbow

Nikki Cross b. Bayley – Cradle

Sonya Deville b. Ember Moon – Ram into the post

Kofi Kingston b. Dolph Ziggler – Trouble in Paradise

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw – June 24, 2019: Working Some Doubles

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 24, 2019
Location: Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Corey Graves

It’s the night after Stomping Grounds and given how things are looking at the moment, I’m not sure how much that’s going to change the direction we’re going. Extreme Rules is in less than three weeks and there is a strong chance that we’re looking either at rematches or matches that are so similar you won’t notice much of a difference. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Seth Rollins to get things going. Rollins says last night, Baron Corbin thought he was going to take the title from him, but here’s Becky Lynch to interrupt. Seth: “Hey, you kind of interrupted me.” Rollins talks about how Corbin tried to stack the deck but he didn’t know that Rollins had the best backup on the planet. Becky: “I guess it pays to be the Man’s man.” Lynch recaps the evening between herself and Lacey Evans but Corbin’s music interrupts.

There’s no Corbin though as Evans runs in from behind to jump Becky. Now Corbin comes in and gets taken down with a Sling Blade. The Bexploder sends Lacey outside as well and the villains are left on the floor. Corbin tells Seth to go make the Man a sandwich and Lacey threatens to hit them both again. Lacey wants a mixed tag for Extreme Rules, which works for Becky, but with a condition: after Baron and Lacey lose, neither get to face Seth and Becky again. Actually hang on as Baron has an idea: both titles are on the line and it’s winners take all. Never let it be said that WWE can’t drag things out beyond their expiration date.

Daniel Bryan/Rowan/Revival vs. Usos/New Day

Elimination rules here with a fall getting rid of a team. Dawson tags himself in to take Bryan’s place so New Day takes him down for a splash/legdrop combination. Rowan comes in and cleans house, including a sitout Rock Bottom to Big E. The splash misses though and it’s Woods kicking Bryan in the chest. Bryan sends him outside for the suicide shove but it hits Dawson by mistake. Woods gets forearmed for his efforts and Bryan adds a missile dropkick. The YES Kicks connect but Dawson elbows Bryan by mistake, allowing Woods to roll Bryan up for the pin at 3:32.

The Shatter Machine gets rid of Woods at 4:03 and we take a break. Back with the Usos hitting stereo dives, followed by a bell so the match is “officially” restarted. Ignore that there seemed to be action during the break and the lack of a bell between the previous falls as they now have to find ways around the “no wrestling during a break” rule. To be fair though, it’s not an official rule.

Dawson grabs a powerslam on Jimmy, followed by a Steiner Bulldog (Renee: “Classic Revival!” Steiners, Revival, whatever.) for two. Dawson’s superplex hits Jimmy but Jey tags himself in and dives off of Wilder’s back with a Superfly Splash to Dawson to steal the pin at 11:36. Nice finish there.

Rating: D+. This was the usual elimination match with everything having to happen in a hurry because they don’t have a lot of time. At least one pair of champions lost via miscommunication and the other lost via a quick pin. I’m sure we’ll get some title matches at Extreme Rules and that’s fine.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns last night to set up tonight’s handicap match.

Earlier today, Braun Strowman pulled a 17,000lb tractor trailer. Tonight, it’s a tug of war against Bobby Lashley.

Miz is walking to the ring and Abby the Witch from Firefly Fun House appears behind him, though she isn’t mentioned.

Here’s Miz for MizTV and we get straight to the guests: R-Truth/Carmella. Truth is nervous about getting inside but the 24/7 Title rules are suspended during the course of the interview. Miz recaps the history of the title, including the pinfall at Drake Maverick’s wedding over the weekend. Miz: “Truth, A MAN’S WEDDING??? REALLY???” Truth talks about how he can’t do anything in life without having to look over his shoulder. He can’t even have a picnic! WWE Superstars are showing up at his house dressed up as police officers and telling him that his car is on fire.

Cue Maverick to say that winning the title was the biggest moment of his career and his wedding was supposed to be the biggest day of his life. Truth ruined everything and now his wife won’t talk to him. They haven’t even consummated the marriage. Truth: “Fiber is good for that!” Maverick wants a rematch right now. For the title, not his wedding. Miz gets word that the title match can happen right now and all other competitors are banned from interfering. Truth grants Hornswoggle his match.

24/7 Title: R-Truth vs. Drake Maverick

Truth is defending and hits Little Jimmy to retain in 14 seconds.

Post match the mob comes out to give chase and Cedric Alexander hits the Neuralizer. No Way Jose makes the save though, allowing Truth and Carmella to run. Drake is asked where he goes from here but can’t say anything.

We recap the opening segment.

Evans and Corbin are ready to win at Extreme Rules. If they take out Lynch, they can take out Rollins.

Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns

Rating: D. Well that came out of nowhere. The match itself was inconsequential of course and there’s nothing wrong with that. As scared as I am of Shane pinning Undertaker at Extreme Rules, I’ll take it over a handicap match with Reigns having to sell for Shane again. At least Drew didn’t take another fall here so it could be worse.

And now, a tug of war between Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman. Lashley gets the early advantage and has Strowman at the line, but then Strowman smiles. Strowman pulls him over without much effort but Lashley jumps at him and the beating is on. The rope goes around Strowman’s eyes and he falls to the floor with Lashley beating him down. At least it was short, though putting it on after Undertaker wasn’t the best idea.

AJ Styles tries to talk about Ricochet but No Way Jose’s conga line interrupts him. The Good Brothers have joined in but AJ tells them to take their match against the Viking Raiders more seriously. AJ wants to know what happened to the guys he met in Japan but Gallows says they’re at the top of their game.

Good Brothers vs. Viking Raiders

Anderson gets taken down to start with Erik slamming Ivar onto him. One heck of a clothesline takes Ivar down and it’s Gallows coming in for a chinlock. The Boot of Doom gets two on Erik and the Good Brothers are rather pleased. Ivar comes back in for the seated senton in the corner though and a dive takes out Gallows. The Viking Experience finishes Anderson at 3:20 as AJ is disgusted in the back.

Rating: D+. Again this was much more about angle advancement than the match and there’s nothing wrong with that. The Good Brothers joining forces with AJ again is about all they’re going to get at the moment, though I can’t imagine that’s going to be enough to keep them in WWE. Given how they’ve been used in the last year or so though, that’s hardly the worst thing for everyone involved.

Nikki Cross apologizes to Alexa Bliss about last night. Bliss says it’s ok because she’s going to try to get a rematch against Bayley.

Post match Naomi and Natalya come in to see Cross, who doesn’t know what Bliss is all about. Bliss comes in and accuses them of talking about her behind her back. That classic women’s dialogue sets up a match between Naomi and Bliss for tonight.

Heath Slater vs. Mojo Rawley

And then Slater walks into the Little Jimmy to give Truth the title back.

And then Cedric Alexander hits a Lumbar Check on Truth to win the title.

And then EC3 hits the 1%er on the floor to win the title.

And then Carmella comes out to distract EC3 so Truth can roll him up and win the title for the ninth time.

We look back at Ricochet winning the US Title last night.

Ricochet talks about working hard to win the title but tonight he’s facing someone he’s looked up to for his entire career in AJ Styles.

Here’s Kofi Kingston for a chat but Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens cut him off for a quick interview. Why is he here, who does he think he is and why won’t he leave? Sami wants to know why Kofi’s entire identity as WWE Champion is having New Day save him. The New Day that Sami and Kevin DESTROYED last night. Kofi talks about New Day being a brotherhood that nobody can break and brings up beating Owens at Money in the Bank. Sami gets invited to the ring to take another Trouble in Paradise right now.

Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn

Non-title and this was announced earlier in the show. Kofi takes him down for an early splash before grabbing a headlock. The top rope forearm to the head sets up the Boom Drop but Trouble in Paradise misses. Sami kicks him in the ribs to take over and Owens gets in a few shots of his own.

Back in and Kofi fights back with some right hands but charges into the exploder into the corner. The Michinoku Driver gets two but Kofi is right back with his jumping double stomp. Sami makes another comeback and tries the Blue Thunder Bomb, which is reversed into a rollup to give Kofi the pin at 8:12.

Rating: C-. Not much time to do anything here, but the other problem is Sami and Kevin being knocked down yet another peg. I’m not sure how many more times WWE thinks they can lose to Kofi but I’m sure we’re going to find out. It’s like that’s their only job on TV anymore and it’s not really helping anyone.

Post match Owens says he wants a shot and Kofi comes back to the ring.

Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title again. Sami’s early distraction lets Owens go up for the Swanton, which hits raised knees. A superkick gives Owens two and they head outside with Owens trying the apron powerbomb. Kofi reverses and hits an SOS (with a NASTY landing on the ramp) for the rather fast countout at 1:34.

Post match Kofi sends Sami to the floor and hits the big dive onto both of them. Kofi poses but Samoa Joe jumps Kofi from behind. A Rock Bottom plants Kofi on the stage and Joe glares down at Kofi. Joe leaves but runs back out to put Kofi in the Koquina Clutch. BUT WE HAD TO SIT THROUGH DOLPH ZIGGLER TWICE???

For Extreme Rules: Undertaker/Reigns vs. McMahon/McIntyre.

Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss

Cross is here with Bliss. Naomi starts with the splits and a little gyrating on the mat, only to be pulled down by the hair. Back up and Naomi gets her own takedown, setting up the splits splash. Naomi baseball slides Nikki by mistake, with the distraction being enough for Bliss to hit the DDT for the pin at 1:15.

Post match Bliss beats Naomi down and has Nikki help her but Natalya runs in for the save.

Natalya/Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross

Natalya drives Bliss into the corner to start and it’s off to Naomi for a full nelson. It’s already back to Natalya but a distraction lets Bliss take her down into a chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Natalya pops up with some suplexes to put Bliss down. The Sharpshooter doesn’t work and it’s off to Cross for the faster pace. A running bulldog gets two on Natalya and the fisherman’s neckbreaker connects, but Bliss steals the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D. Nothing match here as Bliss vs. Cross continues, albeit without being the most interesting prospect in the world. At some point Cross is going to have to snap into her old self if they want her to matter, because what they’re doing here isn’t working. However, I have a bad feeling that it’s what they want her to be.

Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

Non-title. Ricochet tries his flipping counter to a wristlock but AJ just drops down into a headlock for a smart counter. They get up to their feet but here are the Good Brothers to stand at ringside. Anderson offers a distraction but AJ goes to the floor and throws them out so they can’t ruin the match. That’s fine, as the match will be restarted after the break.

Back with Ricochet flipping into an anklescissors to stagger AJ and a dropkick gets two. Ricochet starts in on the arm and rolls AJ up for two more but Styles is right back with the Pele. Another dropkick sends Styles outside though and that means the big running flip dive to take him down again. Styles is fine enough to suplex him into the corner for two and it’s off tot he reverse chinlock.

Ricochet fights up so Styles hits a spinning backfist, which is answered with an enziguri. A springboard clothesline into a standing shooting star press gets two on AJ. The moonsault into the reverse DDT gets two on Ricochet, followed by the Phenomenal Blitz for the same. Ricochet knocks him down again and hits a moonsault for two but the 630 misses. AJ’s forearm sets up the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: B-. You know, I blame myself for this one. I was dumb enough to believe that they might actually give Ricochet a solid push without throwing in these stumbling blocks like so many other wrestlers have to face. This isn’t the death knell and I’m not mourning the end of Ricochet’s push but he really had to lose a day after the title win? Hopefully he gets to beat AJ at Extreme Rules, but the clean pin is the only way to get there?

AJ helps Ricochet up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Man there was a lot on this show. A lot of the wrestling wasn’t very good, but the energy was back and the show had some surprises in there to keep things going. That’s WAY better than what we had been getting and I think WWE knew they had to pick up the pace after the last few months. Extreme Rules is already looking better than I was expecting, but we have a long time to go for them to grind me down into nothing. Still not a good show here, but they’re getting a few steps away from those nightmare shows in May and early June.

Results

Usos/New Day b. Daniel Bryan/Rowan/Revival – Superfly Splash to Dawson

R-Truth b. Drake Maverick – Little Jimmy

Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns went to a no contest when Undertaker interfered

Viking Raiders b. Good Brothers – Viking Experience to Anderson

Kofi Kingston b. Sami Zayn – Rollup

Kofi Kingston b. Kevin Owens via countout

Alexa Bliss b. Naomi – DDT

Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross b. Naomi/Natalya – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Naomi

AJ Styles b. Ricochet – Phenomenal Forearm

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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