Women’s Match To Take Place At Crown Jewel

I never thought I’d see the day but that’s very impressive. No this doesn’t change everything in Saudi Arabia but it’s cool to see WWE actually make something like this happen. I have no idea if Lacey Evans and Natalya will have any form of restrictions, but they’re on the show and that’s something.

Monday Night Raw – October 14, 2019 (2019 Draft Night Two): The Go Home Show With Nothing To Go Home To

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 14, 2019
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Dio Maddin, Vic Joseph

It’s time for another big episode here, because we just can’t have a regular show these days. This time around it’s the second night of the Draft and that means maybe we can find out how WWE can manage to screw it up again. They’ve gotten really good at that in recent weeks and there is no reason to believe they won’t do it again. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Fiend vs. Seth Rollins, including everything that happened at Hell In A Cell. Normally I would say “they’re really just moving on like that wasn’t a big deal” but of course they are, because WWE knows that they can get away with it, which they of course will, even running another Cell show next year and talking it up as the ultimate evil which it hasn’t been in the better part of twenty years. Nothing ever changes, which is the biggest problem around here.

Opening sequence.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She’s proud to be the #1 overall draft pick but it turns out that Sasha Banks isn’t here because of the beating Becky gave her in the Cell. We have a replacement on hand though and it’s a woman Becky just can’t get away from. She’s ready to rip an arm off though so let’s do this.

Charlotte comes out and says maybe she can be drafted to Raw so they can fight forever. She doesn’t want the people to think she’s selfish though because she doesn’t even want to fight Becky. Instead, she would rather the two of them be friends again. Then she hits Becky in the face again and the fight is on in the corner. Referees break it up and we take a break before the opening bell.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Non-title, the winner’s show gets the first pick. They slug it out to start with Becky’s forearms beating Charlotte’s chops, only to have Charlotte pull her down by the hair. We hit the figure four necklock, complete with some faceplants to send Becky into the mat. Back up and Charlotte forearms her in the back of the head, only to get dropkicked down. Becky sends her to the apron and then kicks her to the floor but gets posted as we take a break.

We come back with Becky hitting some clotheslines, plus a missile dropkick for two. Charlotte shrugs it off and grabs a Boston crab before switching to a failed Figure Four attempt. Becky’s middle rope forearm misses though and Charlotte hits Natural Selection for two more. A big boot gets another two so it’s time to go for the leg. Becky kicks her into the buckle for two off a rollup and the middle rope legdrop gets the same. Charlotte gets in a spear but Becky crucifixes her ala Wrestlemania, meaning Charlotte’s shoulder is up as the referee counts the pin at 14:43.

Rating: B-. I’m thinking Becky needs to drop the crucifix as she can’t keep shoulders down no matter what she does. The match itself was the usual good back and forth stuff between these two, though Charlotte is absolutely right about these two fighting each other so many times that it stops having any impact.

We explain the Draft rules.

Seth Rollins is happy that it’s Draft night and he’s ready to keep things going with Bray Wyatt. He isn’t happy with what he did in the Cell but he isn’t ashamed of it either. Tonight, he’ll find Wyatt and end this by burning it down. That would imply there is something positive that can be burned and that is not the case here.

Jim Cramer of Mad Money (a stock show) goes over draft picks.

We see the War Rooms again and…..yeah the overacting is still strong.

Here’s Stephanie McMahon for the first round picks:

Raw – Seth Rollins

Smackdown – Brock Lesnar

Raw – Charlotte

Smackdown – New Day

Raw – Andrade/Zelina Vega

The expert panel (Samoa Joe, Renee Young, Booker T., Beth Phoenix) talks about the picks.

Andrade vs. Ali

On the way to the ring, Zelina Vega talks about how everyone on Raw will learn to suffer a loss to Andrade. Joined in progress with Ali hitting a dropkick but getting crushed in the corner. Andrade shoves him off the top and out to the floor in a heap so the posing can begin. Ali gets sent shoulder first into the post and then the arm gets bent around the rope for a bonus.

As the armbar goes on, we get breaking news: THERE WILL BE A NEW FIREFLY FUN HOUSE TONIGHT. That’s uh, quite the huge story there commentators. The arm gets bent over the top rope this time but Andrade misses a charge and falls out to the floor. Vega offers a distraction so Ali jumps over her for the big flip dive. The referee distraction lets Zelina hurricanrana Ali from the apron, setting up the hammerlock DDT to finish Ali at 5:48.

Rating: C. This was an extended squash as Ali continues to go nowhere in WWE after a big debut. I get that it happens to a lot of people but it can be a little saddening when someone shows that much heart in their matches. On the other hand, Andrade is someone who has seemed ready to move up to the next level for a long time now and maybe this is his chance after a long time waiting around.

More picks:

Raw – Kabuki Warriors

Smackdown – Daniel Bryan

Raw – Rusev

Smackdown – Bayley

Raw – Aleister Black

It is made clear that the Women’s Tag Team Titles will still be defended on both shows. So they’re already having loopholes in the thing.

The Saturday Night Live guys from the Wrestlemania battle royal talk about how awesome this is. I refuse to believe that these things have any kind of a significant impact on the show’s audience as I would hope that people aren’t that dense.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode vs. Viking Raiders

The Raiders are challenging and start fast with a running dropkick into the corner. Roode gets sent to the floor for a dive and a top rope splash gets two on Ziggler with Roode making a save. Ziggler gets back up with a chop block to Erik and a posting makes it even worse. Something that was supposed to be a Zig Zag sends Erik into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break.

Back with Erik fighting out of a chinlock but a pull of his beard breaks up the hot tag attempt. Roode dropkicks the knee out and Ziggler adds the elbow drop. A few shoves are enough to annoy Erik, who forearms the heck out of Ziggler for the double knockdown. It’s off to Ivar for the house cleaning as everything breaks down.

The Zig Zag/spinebuster combination gets two on Erik and a Fameasser gets the same. Ziggler avoids a charge to send Erik into the post and it’s a superkick into the Glorious DDT for two with Ivar making a save. Ivar hits a double handspring elbow to both champs and it’s the Viking Experience to Ziggler for the pin and the titles at 12:06.

Rating: C-. Well that was about….forever overdue. The Raiders have been one of the most dominant teams in years and it made little sense to leave them on the sidelines or toiling against nothing teams while a makeshift team like Roode and Ziggler held the titles. The match was a little boring at times, but the right team won and that’s what matters most.

NHL analysts talk about wrestlers making good hockey players.

The War Raiders are ready to defend their titles. They list off the titles they have won before, including the IWGP and Ring of Honor titles. The raid is here.

More picks:

Raw – Cedric Alexander

Smackdown – Shinsuke Nakamura with Sami Zayn

Raw – Humberto Carrillo

Smackdown – Ali

Raw – Erick Rowan

Aleister Black vs. Eric Young

Young goes straight at him to start but has to bail to the floor to avoid Black Mass. Back in and some kicks to the chest set up the dragon sleeper (the Dark Ritual) to finish Young at 1:36.

More picks:

Raw – Buddy Murphy

Smackdown – Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode

Raw – Jinder Mahal

Smackdown – Carmella

Raw – R-Truth

The Street Profits are glad to be on Raw when the OC comes up. They could be better hosts of Raw and the beatdown is on with the Profits being left laying.

Ricochet vs. Shelton Benjamin

Ricochet hits the dropkick to start so Shelton snaps off the belly to back suplex to send him outside. Back in and a big boot takes Ricochet down and we hit the chinlock with a bodyscissors. Ricochet fights back up with a kick to the face and a springboard clothesline. The 450 is broken up but Ricochet flips over him from the top and this the Recoil for the pin at 4:45.

Rating: D+. Ricochet has as much potential as anyone in WWE at the moment and it would be nice to see him get a big push on Raw. That being said, I’m not sure how you put him on Raw when he belongs on a bigger stage like Smackdown. Maybe he’ll have a better chance to shine on Raw though and that’s what matters in the end.

Video on Tyson Fury.

Lana is getting a massage at a spa. She likes the deeper rubs, so here’s Lashley to handle the rest. Rusev was never as good as he is so the towel is removed and she flips over so Lashley can get the other side.

It’s time for the contract signing between Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury. Jerry Lawler recaps everything and brings the two of them out for the big staredown. Strowman talks about how big of an ego that Fury has and that’s why he was at the premiere of Smackdown. He isn’t letting Fury use him to advance his career so he’ll beat him at Crown Jewel.

Fury says he isn’t out of his element in any ring and Strowman will be looking up at him after Fury knocks him out. They stand up and Fury snaps the pen before leaving. Fury is a good promo but Strowman is still one of those forced promos where the writers have to get in their lines that they think sound good because they don’t know how humans communicate with each other.

Al Roker talks about changes in the company like it’s a weather report.

More picks:

Raw – Samoa Joe

Smackdown – The Miz (the FOX war room lets off confetti)

Raw – Akira Tozawa

Smackdown – King Corbin

Raw – Shelton Benjamin

So to clarify, the pecking order in WWE goes Humberto Carrillo, Samoa Joe, the Miz, Akira Tozawa, King Corbin.

Buddy Murphy vs. Cedric Alexander

Well it worked on 205 Live. Cedric spins out of a wristlock to start so Murphy does the same as neither can get anywhere. Murphy is smart enough to pull him down by the hair so they take turns sweeping the legs until we get a staredown. An elbow to Cedric’s head sets up a whip into the middle buckle, followed by a drop onto the top turnbuckle for a fall to the floor.

Back from a break with Murphy kneeing him in the face to block the springboard Downward Spiral. Murphy hits the big flip dive and the top rope Meteora gets two. Cedric is right back with a shot to the face and the suicide dive to the floor. Back in and the springboard Downward Spiral connects this time around but Murphy catches him with a kick in the corner. The Powerbomb out of the corner sets up Murphy’s Law for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: C+. Yeah this was entertaining like their previous matches were, though it still isn’t enough to make me believe that WWE is going to push either of them with anything that sticks. Cedric came close but then was put in his place by AJ and the OC while Murphy just vanished after a few weeks of what looked like a huge push. Hopefully it’s different this time around, but I can’t bring myself to believe it.

Crown Jewel rundown, including Seth Rollins defending against the Fiend in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

The Street Profits are ready for the OC and want the smoke.

Hosts of the NBC Premiere League show compare chants from both sets of fans.

The final picks:

Raw – Rey Mysterio

Smackdown – Shorty Gable

Raw – Titus O’Neil

Smackdown – Elias

Raw – Liv Morgan

The expert panel talks again.

Kabuki Warriors vs. Natalya/???

Non-title. Natalya has been asked to pick a partner so she has picked someone who has taken her to the limit. Say it with me: Lacey Evans. I actually laughed because this match might miss the point more than anything since….well since the end of Rollins vs. Wyatt really, though that doesn’t make this any better.

Joined in progress with Lacey in trouble and being knocked outside for a spinning backfist from Kairi. Back in and Kairi hits her in the face again, allowing Asuka to come in for some Kawada kicks. Lacey fights up and makes the ice cold tag to Natalya, who snaps off a release German suplex to Asuka. A kneebar has Natalya in trouble but she rolls through, only to get rolled up by Asuka for two each.

The Sharpshooter has Asuka in trouble until Sane makes the save with a bulldog. Asuka’s hip attack sends Natalya to the floor and we take a break. Back with Natalya fighting out of Asuka’s Octopus Hold and scoring with a basement dropkick. Asuka breaks up the hot tag attempt and ties up the leg while pulling the arm back (kind of the first half of a surfboard crossed with half of a camel clutch).

That’s broken up so Asuka grabs a regular armbar as the fans are eerily silent. Sane comes back in for a double suplex for two and we hit the chinlock. These women were sent out there to die and they are achieving it to near perfection. Natalya muscles her up for a suplex and makes the hot tag to Lacey to clean house.

The slingshot Bronco Buster into the slingshot dropkick rocks Sane for two but Lacey gets caught in the corner. Sane hits an Alberto top rope double stomp for no count as Natalya makes the fast save. The sliding forearm hits Lacey in the corner and Asuka tags herself in. The Woman’s Right knocks Sane out on her feet but Asuka rolls Lacey up for the pin at 15:26.

Rating: D-. What in the world was THAT? They set up Lacey as some big partner for Natalya and then they have a match that went on far too long (I was very surprised when they went to a break) where Lacey just gets pinned? No angle, no title hunt, nothing of the sort. It’s like they were experimenting with something and didn’t realize that it was taking place on Raw. On top of that, the match was incredibly boring with one hold after another as we waited on Lacey Evans, who we’re now supposed to cheer for, to get the hot tag. This feels like they tried something and forgot the ending, leaving it as a total mess.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House to end the show. Bray thinks Rollins is smart but the Fiend never forgets. Ramblin Rabbit says Rollins is on his way but Wyatt doesn’t think much of it. Rollins comes in and jumps Wyatt from behind so the beatdown is on (with the friends freaking out in a nice little touch). Seth breaks the pictures but Bray gets up and asks why Seth is doing this.

They go through a wall off camera and Rollins gets an evil look on his face. He says burn it down….and then lights Bray’s table on fire. The wall catches fire and the pictures burn as the Fiend starts to laugh to end the show. I mean, the character was in trouble anyway so they might as well get rid of the thing. Then again, odds are he’ll find a way back before losing to Rollins (again) in Saudi Arabia.

Overall Rating: D. Maybe it was the extra hour but this had most of the same problems that Smackdown had yet felt even longer. The picks make next to no sense in places (Carrillo over Mysterio, Corbin, Samoa Joe and Miz?), the War Room stuff was still stupid and the wrestling was just something they threw out there to stretch out the shows.

In a way this felt like a go home show, as it isn’t this week that matters, but what you’re seeing set up this week. The fans were completely done with this show after about an hour and can you blame them? It was a bunch of nothing matches, a token title change to make the show seem important, and Stephanie trying to make Akira Tozawa and Liv Morgan sound like important picks. WWE has been doing things like this a lot recently and they need to get back to normal so we can have something enjoyable for a change. This was really bad and I don’t see single branded shows being their big way out.

Results

Becky Lynch b. Charlotte – Crucifix

Andrade b. Ali – Hammerlock DDT

Viking Raiders b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – Viking Experience to Ziggler

Aleister Black b. Eric Young – Dark Ritual

Ricochet b. Shelton Benjamin – Recoil

Buddy Murphy b. Cedric Alexander – Murphy’s Law

Kabuki Warriors b. Lacey Evans/Natalya – Rollup to Evans

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Monday Night Raw – October 7, 2019: Two In A Row!

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 7, 2019
Location: Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, Jerry Lawler

I don’t think there’s any other way to put it: the ending to last night’s show was a nightmare, with no one coming out of Seth Rollins vs. the Fiend in the Cell looking good. Things need to be put back on track, so tonight we have a singles match to build towards Crown Jewel, a boxer talking to set up a likely match at Crown Jewel, and Lacey Evans vs. Natalya V: Last Viewer Awake loses. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show with Lana and Bobby Lashley, for lack of a better term, canoodling on the stage right in front of Rusev. This is interspersed with clips of Rusev and Lana’s wedding and marriage.

Opening sequence.

Rusev vs. Randy Orton

Hang on a second as we come straight out of the opening sequence to Orton and Baron Corbin stomping on Rusev. He fights back but Lashley pops up on screen in a robe. That would be Rusev’s robe, because Lashley is in Rusev’s house. Actually he’s in Rusev’s bedroom, which includes a rather comfortable bed.

There is only one thing missing, which would be Lana herself. She comes in and climbs in next to Lashley, while mentioning that everything they own is now in her name, plus they no longer have separate checking accounts. Lana removes some of the little clothing she still has on and the lights go out with more laughter.

We come back to the arena where Rusev is taking this as expected and Orton and Corbin laugh on the floor. Rusev snaps and beats both of them up, including various shots to Corbin with the steps. A jumping superkicks each knocks both of them into the crowd. No match of course.

Lacey Evans vs. Natalya

Last Woman Standing so Lacey brings out a garbage can with Natalya’s name on it. They have reached the end of the line so it’s time to take out the trash. Natalya starts the fight on the floor by driving Lacey back first into the barricade and knocking her around ringside. The Sharpshooter goes on inside but Lacey climbs the ropes for a break. Lacey slams her head first into the mat for a nine so they head outside, with a swing sending Natalya head first into the barricade.

That’s good for another nine so Lacey teases a table, only to whip Natalya into the steps instead. Back from a break with Natalya being whipped into the timekeeper’s area and being hit with a kendo stick for nine. Lacey gets annoyed so she gets creative by putting Natalya in the chair and strapping her in with the stick before turning the chair over.

That’s only good for nine as well and more stick shots get the same. A hard trashcan shot (which actually includes actual trash) and a moonsault off of the barricade get another nine. They head up the ramp with Natalya being sent into the set, followed by a suplex onto the announcers’ table. Natalya gets back up and hits a suplex on the stage, followed by a powerbomb off the stage and through a table for the win at 17:10.

Rating: D. Good grief this was bad with Natalya selling for almost the entire match, which was mainly Lacey doing something and Natalya laying around for a long time before Natalya hit two moves and won. On top of that, NATALYA gets the big blowoff win in the series? They can’t possibly be setting her up as the next challenger again right? They couldn’t possibly think that is a good idea.

Aleister Black is still in his dark room and talks about the calm and collective demeanor on Raw. That is not who he is though because he is as unforgiving as fire and as cold as death. He is forever restless so come knock on his door for a fight.

The Street Profits do their thing. After the regular recap, it’s time for a scouting report for the upcoming Draft. Apollo Crews is a blue chipper, Buddy Murphy is the best kept secret and Drake Maverick is WWE’s Steve Carrell: the forty year old virgin. With that out of the way though, it’s time to talk about Tyson Fury.

We see Braun Strowman and Fury squaring off on Smackdown and Fury accidentally getting knocked down, drawing him over the barricade for a near fight.

Fury says maybe he shouldn’t have jumped the barricade, but he’s not leaving until he gets an apology. If not, Strowman is going to get these hands.

Viking Raiders vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode

Non-title. Ziggler gets beaten up by Erik to start and Ivar gets slammed onto him for a bonus. That sends Ziggler, clutching his chest and ribs, over for the tag so Ivar beats up Roode instead. The knee to Roode’s face has both champs on the floor and Roode gets knocked outside again as we take a break.

Back with Erik being knocked off the barricade and getting caught with Ziggler’s running DDT on the floor. The chinlock goes on to keep Erik in trouble so Ziggler grabs a neckbreaker for two. Roode comes back in for another chinlock but Erik fights up and shrugs off some double teaming. Ziggler misses a splash and the hot tag brings in Ivar to clean house.

The Fameasser cuts Ivar off for two but Erik is back in for the German suplex/springboard clothesline combination for two more. Ivar gets sent outside and it’s a spinebuster/Zig Zag combination for two on Erik. The Glorious DDT is blocked Erik comes back in for the Viking Experience and the pin on Ziggler at 14:50.

Rating: C. When all else fails, go with the booking that is the easiest and least interesting way to get the Raiders to a title match. Why they needed anything more than “the Raiders are unstoppable and deserve a shot” is beyond me but why not beat your not great champions to get there?

Here are the Singh Brothers, who seem to have been left to Raw in the 205 Live will. They call out Aleister Black so they can prove themselves for the Draft.

Aleister Black vs. Singh Brothers

Kick to the head, kick to the chest, jumping knee, Black Mass and something like a dragon sleeper give Black the win at 1:05.

Video on the Smackdown premiere.

It is now 9:15pm and we have not had a single mention of last night’s show, or at least nothing major. Unless I missed some quick reference in passing, it has not been mentioned once.

Strowman says he was having fun with Fury on Friday but if he wants to get serious, tonight Fury can get these hands. We get a quick clip of Strowman knocking AJ Styles out with one punch last night, which is as big of a reference as we have gotten so far.

We look at Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Title from Kofi Kingston and the ensuing beatdown by the debuting Cain Velasquez.

Rey Mysterio is upset about what happened to Dominick but the physical scars will fade. He let himself and his family down though but he was sitting in the hospital when Cain Velasquez, Dominick’s godfather, came in. Cain can brag about beating Lesnar and he’s coming for revenge.

AOP talks about fighting to keep food in front of their families and promise violence.

OC vs. Lucha House Party

Kalisto starts in on Anderson’s arm before handing it off to Dorado for the same. Metalik comes in with the splash off of Dorado’s shoulders for two but it’s off to Gallows to take over. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the House Party hits a triple moonsault (off the same corner) for the big knockdown as we take a break.

Back with Dorado fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a high crossbody for the breather. A roll into the diving tag brings in Kalisto with a slingshot hurricanrana and the rolling kick to the face. The hurricanrana driver gets two on AJ with Anderson making the save. The Pele into the Phenomenal Forearm ends Kalisto at 9:30.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable six man here with the OC getting back on track after last night’s dumb result. The House Party is perfectly fine for a spot like this as they work well together and have exciting matches, meaning it’s not like a loss is going to hurt them. The OC will be fine, assuming they stay together. They could be fine on their own but they seem to work better together.

Post match the House Party takes another beating, including the super Styles Clash to Dorado.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks from last night.

It’s time for MizTV with Miz talking about how awesome Smackdown was with all of the big names coming out. With that out of the way, here are his guests for the week with Becky Lynch and Charlotte taking seats. Miz talks about all of Becky’s accomplishments in the last year, including being on Golden Crisp cereal. Becky is proud of everything she has done but what matters right now is beating Sasha Banks. As for Charlotte, it’s good to be the queen because she is champion again.

They get into an argument over whose reign means more with Charlotte saying she made Becky famous. Becky says her reigns mean more but Charlotte says ten times is ten times. Cue the Kabuki Warriors with Asuka shouting in Japanese. The previously announced fight is on and we get a referee, but it’s a double baseball slide to drop the Warriors as we take a break.

Kabuki Warriors vs. Charlotte/Becky Lynch

Non-title. Becky and Asuka start things off with a cheap shot from the apron allowing Asuka to send her outside. Becky fights up and brings Charlotte in to take over on Asuka, including Natural Selection to send Asuka outside. Sane gets sent outside as well and Charlotte busts out the moonsault to the floor to put them both down again. A Figure Eight attempt is broken up and Asuka kicks a diving Charlotte out of the air as we take a break.

Back with Charlotte taking Sane down and bringing Lynch back in to clean house. Asuka gets in a distraction though and Sane hits Becky in the face to take over again. Becky fights back but Charlotte is down and holding her knee. The Disarm-Her has Sane in trouble but Asuka hits the mist, allowing Sane to roll Lynch up for the pin at 11:25.

Rating: C. I’ll give them some rather nice points here for getting out of what could have been a messy ending without screwing things up. None of the new champions took the fall and Becky was protected in the loss. Given that they had other champs lose clean earlier tonight, it’s at least a step in the right direction.

Post match the beatdown is on until Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross make the save.

Roman Reigns talks about the impact children with cancer had on him.

We look back at Lana and Lashley from earlier.

Apollo Crews is ready for Ricochet tonight and is ready to showcase himself.

The Viking Raiders get a Tag Team Title shot next week.

Ricochet is ready for what could be his last night on Raw. This is a showcase, not a swan song.

Ricochet vs. Apollo Crews

Ricochet flips out of a German suplex attempt to start but Crews cartwheels his way out of a hurricanrana as well. They both miss moonsaults to the floor before heading back in for a dropkick from Crews. Ricochet rolls away again and heads to the apron for the kick to the face in the corner. The springboard clothesline sets up a running shooting star press for two. It’s too early for the 450 though and Crews hits an enziguri into the standing moonsault for his own near fall. Not that it matters as Ricochet is right back with the Recoil for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C+. They packed a lot into a four minute match and that’s exactly what you would want from these two. Don’t leave them out there long enough to let them overstay their welcome and leave you wanting more from them. Crews is his usual self and Ricochet looks more and more like a star every time he’s out there.

We actually look at Rollins vs. Wyatt in the Cell and Rollins not being able to end him. The DQ is included, as I still see no referee stoppage. There is no announcement or conclusion, as they just air clips and move on.

Jerry Lawler brings Fury to the ring for a chat. He didn’t like Strowman making him look like a fool last week and he is here to demand an apology. Cue Strowman to say he was just giving Fury a present last week and then he told security to let Fury go. If Fury wants to get in Strowman’s ring, he’ll eat him for lunch.

Fury says he would have knocked Strowman out but Strowman says he would do the same. How man titles has Strowman won? They go into the corner and here’s security to break it up in a hurry. That doesn’t last long though and the fight is on again but here is the locker room for the save. They keep breaking it up and the fight starts up over and over again.

In the back, Strowman says Fury is tough but there will be no apology. Strowman comes charging back out and the brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I came into this show hoping that WWE could find something to start a new path towards fixing last night. What I got was WWE taking the night off after a horrible pay per view and basically saying none of what you’re seeing here matters. It was nowhere near as bad as last night and there were some interesting moments here, but this show felt like they just weren’t interested in trying until the Draft, as everything changes again. That’s not a good sign two nights in a row, no matter how much effort you put in last week.

Results

Natalya b. Lacey Evans – Powerbomb off of the stage

Viking Raiders b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – Viking Experience to Ziggler

Aleister Black b. Singh Brothers – Dragon sleeper to Sunil

OC b. Lucha House Party – Phenomenal Forearm to Kalisto

Kabuki Warriors b. Charlotte/Becky Lynch – Rollup to Lynch

Ricochet b. Apollo Crews – Recoil

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Smackdown – August 27, 2019: Score One For Easy E

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: August 27, 2019
Location: Raising Cane’s River Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

The first round of the King of the Ring wraps up tonight and it’s getting pretty clear that Raw is the favored side. The talent pool just feels deeper over there as this show is going to include Shelton Benjamin getting a first round match. Maybe that would have been interesting fifteen years ago but it doesn’t quite work right now. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the same video on Roman Reigns’ attacks that we saw last night.

Reigns promises a response to Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan in the ring tonight.

Here’s Kofi Kingston for a chat, but first we see a video on Randy Orton’s attacks since Summerslam. Kofi has heard Orton calling him stupid but who got knocked out last week? Now Orton is trying to turn this personal and he’s bringing in the Revival to help him out. That means Orton is seeing the look when you mess with Kofi’s family so Kofi is ready for Clash Of Champions. Kofi starts the hip thrusts but Orton appears on screen to say STUPID over and over.

Earlier today, Orton was in his hotel room when someone knocked on his door and slid a letter underneath. Normally he doesn’t reply to fan mail but this one was different. It says that Orton is hurting Kofi and he needs to stop hurting him every night. Kofi isn’t just his hero because Kofi is his daddy. It’s from Kofi’s son Kai, and Orton realized that he is staying in the same hotel as Kofi’s family. Maybe he should pay them a visit. Kofi charges to the back and the fight is on in the gorilla position, with Kofi getting hit with the hanging DDT onto the concrete. Kofi is out cold and medics are requested. That was certainly a great THUD.

Post break, Big E. assures us that Kofi will be ready for Clash of Champions but after his match with Orton tonight, Randy might not be.

Recap of the first round of the King of the Ring.

King of the Ring First Round: Ali vs. Buddy Murphy

The winner gets Elias next week. Ali starts fast with a running hurricanrana to put Murphy on the floor. The running flip dive doesn’t work as Murphy catches him with a running knee to the face and we take an early break. Back with Ali catapulting him chest first into the corner and hitting a pop up dropkick to put Murphy on the floor again.

Murphy is right back with a shot of his own and that means the big running flip dive, which is quite the landing given Murphy’s size. Back in and Ali ducks the top rope Meteora, setting up the reverse hurricanrana for a close two. Murphy comes back with another knee to the face and a brainbuster for two of his own. The fans deem this awesome as the slugout is on, including Ali’s spinwheel kick. A tornado DDT from the apron back inside plants Murphy and Ali’s 450 is good for the pin at 9:09.

Rating: B. I can see why these two are the choice for the dark match so often. They beat the heck out of each other and it’s easy to cheer for either of them. That being said, it’s probably not a good sign for Murphy’s future if he’s losing clean in the first round of the tournament. Being able to have that kind of a match will keep him around for a long time though and he should be fine, albeit maybe not as fine as he looked last week.

They do the big respectful handshake.

Ember Moon comes up to Bayley, who seems to be worried about Charlotte. Moon doesn’t want to talk about Summerslam but also doesn’t want to hear about Charlotte being the face of the division. It’s all about bringing everyone up, so here’s Lacey Evans to say Bayley is bringing the title down. Egads it’s like the return of the summer. Bayley against Evans tonight.

Here’s the Miz to address Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn attacking him last week. Nakamura is a champion and Sami is a hanger on who couldn’t make it in the ring himself. Nakamura may be the King of Strong Styles but Miz is the man who made the Intercontinental Title relevant and he can do it again. The challenge is made for Clash of Champions but here’s a laughing Sami to interrupt. Sami says Miz still doesn’t get it because he has liberated Nakamura.

Instead of the King of Strong Style, Miz is the King of Soft Style. Miz throws out the challenge to face Sami right now but that’s a no. Miz goes after Sami but Nakamura jumps him from behind as Sami talks about how awesome the artistry is. Kinshasa against the LED board leaves Miz laying. Sami: “AHAHAHAHA!” They get inside with Sami talking about Miz’s lack of respect for artistry, setting up another Kinshasa.

Kevin Owens comes in to see Shane McMahon but finds Elias playing the guitar instead. There is no Shane tonight (yet his roving office was set up) so Owens leaves.

Bayley vs. Lacey Evans

Non-title. Lacey takes her time removing the glove but her cheap shot is blocked. An armbar doesn’t work very well for Bayley as Lacey slams her way out of it and kicks away in the corner. They head outside with Bayley hitting a running clothesline but here’s Charlotte for a distraction.

Back from a break with Bayley hitting a middle rope crossbody but getting caught in….a layout DDT I think? Lacey slams the arm onto the apron and the slingshot Bronco Buster gets two. A dropkick to the back gives Bayley a breather and some clotheslines have Lacey rocked. An Indian Deathlock of all things has Lacey….in the rope about two seconds later.

Lacey knocks her down again and hits a good looking spinning moonsault for two. Charlotte is NOT impressed as Bayley goes outside and manages a suplex off the barricade. Back in and Bayley gets more aggressive, including a knee to the head. The Bayley to Belly gets two so Bayley hits it again and drops the top rope elbow for the pin at 14:28.

Rating: C+. They had some time here and the match was entertaining enough but they still can’t get out of Charlotte’s shadow. Even if Bayley retains the title at Clash of Champions, how long before Charlotte gets a rematch and wins the title again anyway? They don’t have anything else for her to do though and this is about as good as they’re going to do.

Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan aren’t leaving until they get an apology from Reigns.

Randy Orton vs. Big E.

Big E. isn’t playing and knocks Orton outside early on. Orton is thrown into various things, including over the barricade. Back in and Big E. does the spanking abdominal stretch, which isn’t exactly playing into the angry theme. Some hard running clotheslines keep Orton down as it’s completely one sided so far. Big E. misses the apron splash though, with his face bouncing off the apron in a nasty landing.

Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Big E. dropping him onto the table to even things up and it’s time for the belly to belly suplexes. Cue the Revival for a distraction and cheap shot from the floor, setting up the RKO to give Orton the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C. One of these days, WWE is going to open their eyes and see what they have in Big E. and strap a rocket to his back. Or at least they should, because there is almost nothing that he can’t do. The idea here was to have Orton continue to take out the New Day and while the idea of “Kofi can’t do it by himself” is played out, at least they’re actually doing something about it to set things up. If nothing else, the Revival should get the titles out of it.

Post match Orton and the Revival hit the super RKO.

Chad Gable is ready for his King of the Ring match when Shelton Benjamin comes up. Shelton can’t see him because he’s short.

We look at the weekend’s 24/7 Title shenanigans.

Elias is sitting on the throne and says none of the previous winners will be able to wear the crown like he can. But what would a bunch of Louisiana people understand about that? Cue Owens to jump Elias and hit the Stunner in the ring. Cue R-Truth to steal the title but Drake Maverick breaks it up and gets the title for himself.

King of the Ring First Round: Shelton Benjamin vs. Chad Gable

The winner gets Andrade next week. Shelton hits a spinebuster for a very early two and whips him hard into the corner for the same. One too many short jokes wakes Gable up though and he hits a running flip neckbreaker. A scary looking German suplex drops Shelton on his head but he’s right back up with a hard clothesline. Gable knocks him off the top but misses the moonsault, allowing Shelton to knee him in the face. Shelton’s powerbomb is countered into a very fast sunset flip for the pin at 3:43.

Rating: B-. That was a heck of a sub four minute match as they were hitting each other rather hard and packed a bunch into so little time. I was surprised that it was such a short match as it felt like something that would have needed twice as long. If nothing else, maybe we don’t have to listen to the short jokes anymore because that’s about as bad as you can get.

Here’s Roman Reigns for the apology to Bryan and Rowan. The two of them appear on screen with Bryan demanding his apology. We see a video of the forklift attack and Rowan is shown pushing some of the crates onto Roman. Bryan slaps him in the face, shouting about how he hates liars. With Rowan gone, Bryan comes to the ring and says he trusted Rowan for almost the last year and now he has been betrayed. Bryan comes to the ring and says he didn’t know what happened but it’s a spear to put him down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a show with storyline developments and nothing bad throughout the show. What mattered here was getting things ready for Clash of Champions while also moving things forward in various places, including the main event and King of the Ring. I had a really good time with this show and it flew by for a nice plus. Very good show and easily the best of the Bischoff Era so far.

Results

Ali b. Buddy Murphy – 450

Bayley b. Lacey Evans – Top rope elbow

Randy Orton b. Big E. – RKO

Chad Gable b. Shelton Benjamin – Sunset flip

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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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:

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Main Event – June 27, 2019: It’s….An Angle?

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 27, 2019
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Renee Young, Byron Saxton

The show hits the big city and I’m not sure what is going to happen here. It’s rare that anything of note happens here and for some reason, I have a pretty strong feeling that it is going to be exactly the same thing here. If nothing else, getting to see the, ahem, highlights, could be rather hard to go through. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dana Brooke vs. Sarah Logan

Rematch from last week when Dana’s head exploded. Brooke ducks a swinging elbow to start but gets knocked down for an early two. Sarah throws her outside for a bit before grabbing the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up with some elbows to the ribs and a rollup gives Dana two. Sarah does a rather loud howl but misses some running knees in the corner. The comeback is cut off in a hurry though as Brooke forearms her in the face and loads up the knee to the post from last week. That’s broken up though and Brooke hits a Swanton for the pin at 6:09.

Rating: D. So that’s the full version from last week, complete with a bonus of the storyline built from Logan going after Brooke’s head again. I’m so thrilled that we got to see this epic, which was every bit as good as I expected it to be. Brooke is trying so hard but WWE has left her out there to die on a roster she’s not ready for and it’s kind of sad.

Recap of the Universal Title match at Stomping Grounds with Lacey Evans serving as guest referee.

From Raw.

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.

We look at Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns from Stomping Grounds.

From Raw again.

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.

We look at Ricochet winning the US Title at Stomping Grounds.

From Raw again.

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?

Lucha House Party vs. EC3/Cesaro/Robert Roode

Renee dubs the trio the Main Event Muscle Men. Dorado and EC3 start things off with Dorado hitting a forearm out of the corner and a high crossbody for two. The House Party comes in to beat up EC3 without much effort and we take a break. Back with Metalik’s rope walk dropkick getting two on Cesaro. The Salida Del Sol is broken up so Kalisto dives onto Roode. That leaves Cesaro to uppercut Metalik out of the air for the pin at 5:51. Not enough shown to rate but what we got was energetic.

From Smackdown.

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.

We look at Samoa Joe choking out Kofi Kingston.

And from Smackdown again.

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 have no reason to believe that the Main Event Muscle Men are going to go anywhere or that this is anything more than a token story (assuming it lasts beyond tonight) to say they’ve got something to do. However, I’ll take a little change, even for the sake of one week. Still though, all this show did was remind me how poorly handled the “no wrestling during the breaks” was. You know, as Main Event tends to do.

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:

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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.

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

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

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

Main Event – June 20, 2019: The Unnecessary Show

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 20, 2019
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Renee Young, Byron Saxton

This should be an interesting one as Monday Night Raw was a lot better this week, meaning there is a new level of stuff for Main Event to screw up. You never know what they might be able to pull off around here, but the Smackdown highlights aren’t exactly looking promising. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Sarah Logan vs. Dana Brooke

Logan shoves her into the corner so Dana talks a bit. A small package gives Dana two and a cartwheel splash gets the same. Dana hits a running shoulder but gets sent into the ropes. That means a trip to the apron where Logan hits a running knee to drive Brooke’s face into the post. Brooke is busted BAD and the match is called off at 2:59. Just a freak accident and not something to be blamed on either of them.

From Raw.

Here’s Roman Reigns, who isn’t happy with having to see a video of his loss to Shane McMahon at Super ShowDown. He wants to beat someone up tonight so Shane can come out here and fight. Shane pops up on screen to say no because Reigns needs to worry about McIntyre on Sunday. Drew promises to beat Roman up on Sunday until it becomes very uncomfortable. Maybe he’ll pin Reigns then, but it won’t be over until Reigns is physically disfigured.

He wants Reigns’ children to scream at the sight of him and that’s enough for Reigns to come through the crowd and head after him. Reigns beats up the Revival and puts Drew through the table before chasing Shane into the arena. A diving clothesline over the barricade drops Shane and it’s the Superman Punch into the spear. Reigns tells him to tell Drew he’s getting beaten up on Sunday. Somehow, this is still all about Shane.

From Raw again.

Here’s Becky Lynch for a chat. She gets straight to the point and calls out Lacey Evans, who comes out without much trouble. Evans talks about how jealous Becky is of her and how many things she’s done that Becky can never dream of. She’s a former United States Marine who can run boot camp in the morning and a cotillion at night. Lynch just wants to fight while Evans talks about how the women’s division needs a real woman as champion. Becky is beatable, but Lacey spends too much time getting in the ring and gets caught in the Bexploder. Becky steals her hat. More of the same from these two, though that’s not terrible.

From Raw. Again.

Here are Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for a Moment of Bliss. Hang on though as Bliss doesn’t have her coffee. Cue Bayley with the coffee, though she drinks it instead. Bliss starts talking about Bayley being horrible so Bayley wants to hear it from her face to face. Bliss gets up and the size difference is hilarious, even though Bayley isn’t that tall.

After Bliss calls Bayley out for being two faced, Bayley talks about Bliss always being the one who tries to start drama because she’s an entitled little princess. Bliss: “I’m not entitled. I’m just better than you.” Bayley says she has proven herself but Bliss says Bayley peaked in NXT. The fight is on but Nikki offers a distraction so Bliss can deck Bayley.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House. Bray is watering his plants, which he says is just like our minds. If you water them and give them care, they can grow. Some ideas are just full of worms though and that’s not good. Some kids have been told bad ideas, like the earth being round or dinosaurs being extinct. Bray knows what it feels like to not belong or to be different.

That’s why he built this place for us, so they can all be together. We see all the puppets looking at him as Bray gets more sinister and tells everyone to join him here. People worship what they fear and fear is power. Follow the leader. The video starts breaking up and we see various clips from the series’ history, including the Muscle Man Dance, all with the words LET HIM IN flashing on the screen and voices singing “Follow the Leader” as the Fiend appears. Let him in. So is this all in Bray’s mind or some way for him to deal with his psychosis?

Cedric Alexander vs. Robert Roode

Remember when Roode was supposed to be something? Roode goes for the arm to start so Cedric elbows him in the face. An anklescissors into a dropkick has Roode in trouble and a basement dropkick gets two. The armbar goes on and it’s time to mock Roode’s pose. A rather hard clothesline puts Alexander down and we take a break.

Back with Alexander fighting out of a chinlock and the Neuralizer gets two. The Lumbar Check is countered into a failed Glorious DDT attempt so Roode hits the spinebuster for two more. Cedric goes up top and gets broken up, setting up the Glorious DDT to give Roode the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C. Not a bad little match here, though it’s not like it matters all that much because neither of them are going to be able to get to the main show in any significant role. That’s so much of the problem with WWE these days and I don’t see it getting any better anytime soon. Hence the people not watching you see.

Stomping Grounds rundown.

We look at Seth Rollins attacking potential referees with his chair.

From Smackdown.

Seth Rollins/Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

2/3 falls with less than twelve minutes to go. Seth hits Trouble in Paradise to pin Sami for the first fall in nine seconds and we take a break about 45 seconds in. Back with the bell ringing to start the second fall and Seth hitting the Sling Blade on Owens. The champs start in on Owens’ arm but he gets a DDT on Rollins. We see Paul Heyman watching in the back and according to WWE.com, he’s officially on Raw so that’s nine.

Sami grabs a chinlock but can’t hit a superplex. Instead Rollins headbutts him down but has to slug it out with Owens while still sitting on the buckle. The Blockbuster takes Owens down again and that’s enough for the tag off to Kofi. The pace quickens and the Boom Drop hits Sami.

There’s the spinning high crossbody for two more but Sami’s Blue Thunder Bomb gives him two of his own. Rollins comes back in to run Owens over but Sami breaks up the Stomp. Owens gets two off a rollup, followed by a superkick. The Pop Up Powerbomb is countered and the low superkick sets up an enziguri. Now the Stomp can finish Owens at 11:19.

Rating: D+. The match itself was fine if it’s a one fall match but for a 2/3 falls match, this felt like the cop out that it was. Oh and well done on having Kevin and Sami lose AGAIN, which sets them up for their next loss on Sunday to New Day. The booking continues to make my head hurt but that’s just what you have to expect.

Overall Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse and that’s an improvement for this show. The biggest issue for Main Event is that the highlights are usually rather boring but they kept this one moving well enough to make it work. Until Raw and Smackdown get better, this show doesn’t need to exist and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

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

Money In The Bank 2019: Talent Talent Everywhere And This Is All We Get

IMG Credit: WWE

Money In The Bank 2019
Date: May 19, 2019
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s time to climb, even if the build for the show hasn’t been as aggressive as previous years. The last few weeks have been all about the Wild Card Rule and Counting Lessons With WWE, meaning the ladder matches have felt like afterthoughts. No wonder this one has been one of the least frustrating. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Rowan/Daniel Bryan vs. Usos

Non-title because now the Brand Split means something. Jey and Bryan get things going with an exchange of chops but it’s Rowan coming in as we take a break. Back with Jey in trouble thanks to a powerslam during the commercial. Bryan strikes away in the corner before it’s back to Rowan for the fists squeezing Jey’s head.

Bryan’s surfboard makes Jey cringe some more but Bryan misses the running dropkick in the corner, allowing Jimmy to come in and pick up the pace. The Whisper in the Wind gets two on Rowan with the kickoff launching Jimmy. Something close to a Jackhammer plants Jimmy for two more and we take a break.

Back again with Rowan superplexing both Usos at the same time for a pretty cool visual, allowing Bryan to come back in for the YES Kicks on Jey. A superkick gets Jey a breather but he gets pulled down into the LeBell Lock, drawing Jimmy in for the save. Four superkicks put Rowan down on one knee and a double suicide dive takes him down for good, leaving Bryan to get kicked in the face. The Double Us finishes Bryan at 11:05. Graves: “What does this mean?” Like WWE knows. Oh and this is billed as part of the Wild Card Rule, which makes even less sense than usual.

Rating: B-. You know, I should have known that WWE couldn’t help themselves with this as it’s a couple of annoying things in a row. Not only do champions lose in their first regular tag match since winning the titles, but now we’ll get the Wild Card Rule to have the Usos get a shot, meaning that again I’m supposed to go with the Usos, as in TWO Usos, counting as one Wild Card Rule spot because THAT RULE IS STILL TOO COMPLICATED FOR WWE TO FIGURE OUT!

In Memory of Ashley Massaro.

The opening video looks at diving off of high things. As someone with a lifelong fear of heights, MOVE ON ALREADY! Regular opening, title matches get attention, we’re done.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

We’ve got Ember Moon, Bayley, Naomi, Natalya, Dana Brook, Nikki Cross, Mandy Rose, Carmella with Nikki replacing an injured Alexa Bliss. Sonya Deville is here with Mandy. The fight is on in a hurry with Nikki grabbing the ladder for the spinning ladder shots to the face. Brooke gets caught in the corner with the ladder and Ember drives Nikki into said ladder for a big crash.

Naomi, with her hair shaped like Mickey Mouse ears and gear that looks like a bumblebee, comes in for the house cleaning but gets knocked outside by Bayley. Carmella and Mandy slide back in and knock everyone down, leaving a bunch of women to come in and pick up a pair of ladders. That lets Naomi walk onto the ladders for a jumping kick to Mandy and then drop down between the two of them in a bunch of spots that felt rather choreographed.

As the overly scripted part takes place, Carmella is down and having her knee looked at, meaning she has to be taken to the back. Dana sends Ember into the ladder in the corner but Bayley does the same to take her down. The big ladder is set up but Mandy and Natalya make a save by crushing Bayley between the legs. Naomi’s split legged moonsault onto Bayley onto the ladder makes for a good crash and Nikki spears Natalya down.

Ember makes the save this time and Dana shoves a ladder over, sending it crashing hard onto Nikki’s head for a scary crash. Dana and Mandy go up with Dana dangling from the briefcase, eventually hanging over Mandy’s head in a scary crash. Four women go up at once with the ladder falling over, leaving Ember to hit a huge Eclipse from a ladder on the floor onto Natalya in the ring.

Mandy goes up but here’s Carmella limping down to superkick a bunch of people and go up. Sonya makes a save of her own and spears Carmella down before helping Mandy go up. Since Mandy can’t stand, Sonya throws her in a fireman’s carry but Bayley is right there. Mandy and Sonya get shoved down and Bayley wins at 13:39.

Rating: C+. Convoluted spots aside, this was short and to the point with a good choice in Bayley. I mean it’s two years late and her career has been wrecked due to WWE having no idea what they’re doing with her as she has been on a treadmill for over a year, but at least they did something with her. It’s a good match, though eight (or seven at times) people in one match is still too many.

Post match Charly Caruso talks to Bayley about the win and mentions Sasha Banks staying on Raw while Bayley moved to Smackdown. Bayley says she’s proud of what she and Sasha accomplished but she’s here to prove a point, which she just did.

We look at Sami Zayn and Braun Strowman’s issues over the last few weeks.

Sami interrupts HHH’s phone call to look for Shane McMahon and gets him off the phone. Sami is worried about Strowman going insane and killing him later tonight but HHH assures him that Strowman has been banned from the building. Zayn: “I’ve heard that one before.” He wants protection so HHH tells him to tape up his fists and leave.

US Title: Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio is challenging in the rubber match and his son Dominic is watching in the back. Rey hammers away in the corner so Joe sends him to the apron, earning himself an enziguri. The springboard seated senton takes Joe down but he’s right back with a chop. Joe’s nose is busted as he loads up a powerbomb….with is reversed into a hurricanrana for the pin and the title at 1:40??? Joe’s shoulder was a good foot off the mat, which is likely going to be addressed.

Post match Dominic comes out to celebrate but Joe runs Rey over and destroys him in the ring.

Strowman is here and wants to know where Sami is.

We recap Shane McMahon vs. the Miz, which started back in November and is still going today because Shane is that great. Shane attacked Miz’s dad and Miz has sworn revenge, even though he lost at Wrestlemania. Tonight it’s a cage match to keep them in one place.

The Miz vs. Shane McMahon

In a cage and Shane goes to escape twice in a row early on to no avail. Some kicks to the ribs and chest have Shane down until he comes back with right hands. The CM PUNK chants start up as Shane sends Miz into the cage. A torture rack neckbreaker gets two and Shane is already drenched in sweat less than five minutes in.

Coast to Coast is caught and Miz slaps on an ugly Figure Four, sending Shane to the door for the break but not the escape. A chair is dragged in though, with Miz taking it away and blasting Shane in the back with the chair instead. The Skull Crushing Finale onto the chair knocks Shane silly….but he puts his foot on the rope for the break. In a cage match. Five minutes after Shane grabbing the rope in the Figure Four wasn’t a break.

Cole and the fans call the referee out for that MAKING NO SENSE BECAUSE THEY CAN’T KEEP CONTINUITY IN THEIR OWN MATCHES ANYMORE, probably along with a World Champion’s finisher onto a chair isn’t enough to pin Shane. Also, there was almost no way the referee would have been able to see the foot from that angle.

Miz hits Shane in the leg to keep him from climbing out and slams him face first into the cage for the big crash. A top rope splash gives Miz two but Shane is right back with his triangle choke. Miz bridges back into a cover so Shane has to let go. Shane climbs so Miz catches him and loads up a superplex….but Shane falls to the floor to win at 13:10.

Rating: F. Yeah no. Under no circumstances does this make sense or come off as the right move, mainly because it seems that this feud is going to continue for reasons that I do not want to understand. The match was more Shane McMahon Is Awesome with continuity problems and Shane winning AGAIN because of course he does. Keep defending this. I beg of you.

Mick Foley will be on Raw tomorrow to introduce a new title. Let the ratings gimmicks continue.

Sami Zayn has been attacked and hung upside down.

Cruiserweight Title: Ariya Daivari vs. Tony Nese

Nese is defending and Daivari drives a Mercedes into the arena. They start fast with Daivari missing a kick to the head and getting legdropped for two. Daivari goes to the eyes to take over and stomps away as the fans call this boring. A Billy Goat’s Curse (reverse Boston crab) keeps Nese in trouble but he gets out and hits a spinwheel kick as the crowd still doesn’t care. The springboard moonsault gives Nese two but a pumphandle is escaped.

They head outside for a few seconds with Nese throwing him back in and then back out for the running Fosbury Flop. Back in and the 450 gets two on Daivari as the fans want this to end. That’s not fair as it’s been fairly good but the lack of a 205 audience doomed this from the start. Daivari hits a superkick and the Persian Lion frog splash connects. The hammerlock lariat gets two and that’s it for Daivari’s chances. Nese sends him into the corner for the running knee and the pin to retain at 9:28.

Rating: C. These guys tried and I feel bad for the lack of a reaction they received. 205 Live is a good show and it’s not their fault that no one watches it due to how ridiculous their taping schedule is or that WWE raided their talent pool (and hey, Cedric and Buddy have done wonders on the big shows so far). They were working hard out there and tried to get the fans into things but they weren’t going to get a chance. Not a bad match at all, but not the right audience.

HHH asks Strowman to leave, though Strowman says he doesn’t know what’s going on.

Ad for Super ShowDown in Jeddah. No country listed or anything. Just Jeddah.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Lacey Evans. Lacey wants to get rid of the Nasties and that starts by winning the Raw Women’s Title. Becky has to defend both titles in one night and this is the first of two matches.

Raw Women’s Title: Lacey Evans vs. Becky Lynch

Lacey is challenging and has the traditional money guns (in holsters of course) for her entrance. They start brawling in a hurry and head outside with Lynch sending her hard into the barricade. Back in and Lacey winds up the arm to send Becky face first into the mat and stomp on the arm and shoulder. The arm gets slammed into the apron as Graves points out the picture of Lacey punching Becky on Lacey’s boots. Renee: “Cute.” Probably not what she was going for there.

The arm cranking continues and it’s a swinging neckbreaker to keep Becky down. Lacey pulls out a napkin to wipe down a bit and shoves it into Becky’s face, earning herself a middle rope clothesline. Becky starts the comeback with the Bexploder and a top rope dropkick which might not have completely connected.

It’s still enough to send Lacey outside so the delayed cover can only get two. Something like a middle rope Dudley Dog gives Lacey two and she chop blocks Becky down. The referee takes forever to start counting (making sure to check the shoulders to avoid a fine) and it’s reversed into the Disarm-Her to make Lacey tap at 8:41.

Rating: D+. The lack of strong villains continue to vex WWE as there was nothing to make me believe that Lacey was a threat to the title. That’s the case in a lot of title feuds right now and it’s really showing. Shane McMahon is the top heel in the company and it’s all downhill from there. You can be the biggest champion in the world and get all the rubs like Becky has, but without a good challenger, it doesn’t matter. That’s the case with Becky, plus several others at the moment.,

And here’s Charlotte for the second title defense.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Becky is defending again. Charlotte takes her straight into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs and Becky’s rollup goes nowhere. Some chops keep Becky rocked and a Boston crab has her crawling over to the ropes for the break. Becky’s comeback is cut off with a kick to the leg but a running forearm drops Charlotte. The Disarm-Her is blocked but here’s Lacey to punch Becky in the face. Becky is right back with a small package for two but Charlotte hits a big boot for the pin and the title at 6:12.

Rating: D+. And thus we get one step closer to Charlotte winning her sixteenth title, because Charlotte and her dad both having sixteen titles is such a cool idea that I’m sure HHH, Shawn and Flair will all love very much. I’m rather over Charlotte as champion and it was nice to have someone new in there for all of six weeks. At least we got something out of it though and that’s an improvement.

Post match Becky goes after Lacey but gets double teamed. Cue Bayley with the briefcase but she gets beaten down as well. Becky and Lacey fight to the floor and Bayley sends Charlotte into the corner, meaning the cash-in is on.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is defending and the top rope elbow gives Bayley the title at 22 seconds. Ignore the rule about the champion having to be on her feet being waved. Oh and ignore Sasha Banks because WWE is making it pretty clear that they don’t care about her.

Bayley celebrates in the crowd in a cool moment. I give them three weeks before they screw it up.

Elias blasts Roman Reigns in the back with a guitar and heads to the ring in a long tracking shot. There’s an electric guitar waiting on him and we get a song about how much Elias hates Hartford. He can’t stand it here and is getting out, just like the Whalers. Elias stops to pose on the ramp and here’s Reigns to take him to the ring.

Roman Reigns vs. Elias

Spear in six seconds. If you don’t have time to run these matches and have to rush through so many matches, maybe your show is too freaking long/has too many matches. It makes sense to have Reigns run him down like that because Elias is no threat to him, but then why book the match?

We recap Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles. Rollins wants to prove that he’s the best and AJ wants to prove that he can win on the Raw stage. Now go have a great match.

Universal Title: Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

Rollins is defending and they start with a wrestling sequence as AJ takes over early on. The second such sequence goes to Seth and it’s a hard whip into the corner to take AJ down this time. A knee drop gives Seth two but AJ is right back up with the dropkick to take over. Some shots to the ribs keep Seth down as AJ is the subtle heel here. Rollins blocks a hiptoss and hammers away, followed by the Downward Spiral into the middle buckle.

They head to the apron with Rollins saving himself from a Styles Clash but a sliding knee to the face takes him down. Rollins is right back with the suicide dive to send AJ into the announcers’ table, followed by a second for a bonus. Back in and Rollins grabs the Sling Blade, setting up the springboard clothesline for two. The fireman’s carry onto the knee (thankfully now with the normal name of the Revolutionary Knee) drops Seth again and it’s off to the pinfall reversal sequence.

The Buckle Bomb drops AJ and the frog splash gets two. AJ’s torture rack powerbomb gets the same but Seth breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm. The reverse superplex into a reverse suplex slam gives Seth two more and they’re both down. The Stomp is countered into the Calf Crusher so Seth goes with a shot to the head for the break. AJ is right back up with the moonsault into the reverse DDT for another near fall. Seth superkicks his head off but the Stomp is countered into the Styles Clash (SWEET) for the closest two yet. Rollins’ Ripcord knee sets up the low superkick and the Stomp retains the title at 19:52.

Rating: A-. Well yeah this was great and I’m not sure why you would have expected anything else. They beat the heck out of each other and traded a bunch of spots, which is exactly what this was going to be the entire time. Rollins getting a big win is a great sign for his title reign, but that title defense against Lesnar scares me more and more every day. Great match though.

Post match they shake hands as everything is cool.

Kofi Kingston is ready to prove that he’s a champion on his own. He might not be here without the New Day, but Xavier Woods doesn’t want to hear that. Kofi earned this and tonight, Kofi gets to prove things one on one. Woods is even going to honor his wishes and let Kofi do this on his own.

Lucha House Party comes out for a six man tag but Lars Sullivan (gotta work to pay off that fine) comes out and destroys them all. Lars busted himself open in there somewhere.

We recap Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens. Kofi won the title at Wrestlemania and Owens pretended to be his friend for about two weeks before attacking him to set up the title match. The idea here is that Kofi can’t do it on his own and wants to prove himself.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens

Kofi is defending and they start fast with Kofi knocking him to the floor for a running chop off the steps. Another top rope shop to the head keeps Owens in trouble but he’s right back with a shot to the face of his own. The running backsplash gives Owens two and the trash talk begins. Kofi knocks him away and goes up, but gets kicked out of the air. The buckle bomb is countered with a backdrop into the corner and Kofi is getting fired up.

The Boom Drop is countered into a Boston crab to keep Kofi’s ribs sore. Kofi is in the ropes soon enough and they head to the apron, with Owens walking into the standing double stomp. Kofi’s top rope spinning chop is superkicked out of the air as Owens keeps cutting him off. Back in and the Pop Up Powerbomb is countered into the SOS for two to put them both down.

Another superkick is blocked and Kofi hammers away with forearms to the head on the mat. Kofi is fired up but walks into the Pop Up sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Owens demands that the fans stop clapping and tries the Stunner, which is reversed into Trouble in Paradise. Kofi throws him back in and walks into the Stunner for two with the champ having to grab a rope. Owens’ Swanton hits knees and it’s Trouble in Paradise to retain the titles at 14:55.

Rating: B. The ending felt kind of out of nowhere but what mattered most here was a well done story with Kofi having to fight through adversity and win the big match on his own. I’m not sure where it goes with New Day, but the way Smackdown goes, we should be leading to Kofi vs. Shane. Tell me that isn’t a possibility at the moment.

Super ShowDown ad.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

We’ve got Baron Corbin, Ricochet, Andrade, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Ali, Randy Orton and no Sami Zayn, meaning it’s a seven man match this time around. Orton wastes no time in taking Ali outside for a whip onto the announcers’ table. That leaves us with a Ricochet vs. Balor showdown but Orton throws Balor onto the table as well. Orton drops Ricochet back first onto the table, meaning it’s time for the ladder.

Andrade breaks that up with an elbow to the face but it’s Corbin and McIntyre cleaning house with the ladders. Ali breaks that up and hits a suicide dive, setting up a staredown with Ricochet. They both climb with McIntyre and Corbin making some quick saves. McIntyre throws Ricochet hard into a ladder and Corbin does the same to Ali. Orton gets back inside but walks into the Claymore to send him outside again.

Balor comes back in and starts taking people out with the ladder but Andrade’s ladder shots break it up. Now it’s Ali getting back in for a reverse hurricanrana on Ricochet but Andrade ties Ali up in the big ladder. Ali gets out and hits the middle rope Spanish Fly to Andrade, only to be pulled outside by McIntyre for another beating. Corbin chokeslams Ali through the announcers’ table and now it’s McIntyre being pulled off the ladder. Deep Six plants Ricochet on the floor but McIntyre hits the Claymore to drop Corbin.

A suplex onto the ladder takes Balor out and the reverse Alabama Slam sends Andrade onto Balor for a bonus. Ricochet is back up and gets thrown over the top and through a bridged ladder. That leaves McIntyre to climb the ladder until Orton pulls him into the RKO. Ali and Corbin climb up at the same time but come back down so Ali can hurricanrana him to the floor. Ali is alone….and BROCK LESNAR is here to take Sami’s place and win the briefcase at 19:00.

Rating: B. I’m going to try and remain calm until Lesnar actually cashes in, but EGADS if they go back to him as champion anytime soon I think my head will explode. The match was a lot of fun but I was hoping for someone a little more interesting than Lesnar. Then again this is WWE, where the solution to things not getting better in six weeks is go to right back to what people got sick of in the first place to get them into trouble. I’m hoping they just do this in Saudi Arabia and move on to something fresh, but I have no reason to believe that’s going to be the case.

Brock laughs and says he’s back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a case where the wrestling was mostly good but the booking took a lot out of things. Having the show not be quite four hours helped a bit, but that took three matches totaling about two minutes to get there. If that’s the best they can do with a lot of this stuff, don’t bother doing it.

Throw in somehow being at the point where Shane and Lesnar at the top heels and it’s a mess of a time in WWE again. They bring in all these people to the main roster but rarely want to ever actually use any of them as top stars. At some point they need to bite the bullet eventually and that’s not what they did here. I liked the show in parts, but other times made me want to pull my hair out.

Results

Bayley won the Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Rey Mysterio b. Samoa Joe – Hurricanrana

Shane McMahon b. The Miz – McMahon escaped the cage

Tony Nese b. Ariya Daivari – Running knee

Becky Lynch b. Lacey Evans – Disarm-Her

Charlotte b. Becky Lynch – Big boot

Bayley b. Charlotte – Top rope elbow

Roman Reigns b. Elias – Spear

Seth Rollins b. AJ Styles – Stomp

Kofi Kingston b. Kevin Owens – Trouble in Paradise

Brock Lesnar won the Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Money In The Bank 2019 Preview

IMG Credit: WWE

I don’t know if it’s because of everything else that has been going on with WWE over the last few weeks or trying to learn how to count for the Wild Card Rule, but there is something about this year that has made the Money In The Bank build that much easier. The show feels like a complete afterthought at this point, though I’m not sure what the major thought is. There is a stacked card here (gotta fill those four hours somehow) so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Daniel Bryan/Rowan vs. Usos

This is actually not a title match, because Bryan and Rowan defeating the Usos for the titles on SmackDown is totally different than the Usos challenging for the titles on pay per view. Then again I’m apparently not smart enough to understand that two Usos count as one superstar for the Wild Card Rule, because I’m slow enough to see two people as two people. Anyway, this is non-title because rules suddenly apply around here, which is fine enough.

Since the titles aren’t on the line, I’ll go with the champs winning in another rather good match. The Usos are long past being bullet proof in WWE so another loss here isn’t going to hurt them in the slightest. Bryan and Rowan need a few wins to establish themselves as champions (maybe a title defense would help that) and beating the Usos again is a good idea.

Cruiserweight Title: Tony Nese(c) vs. Ariya Daivari

I figured I’d knock this one out near the start because A, I expect it to be on the Kickoff Show and B, I’ll probably fall asleep if I do it much later. The annoying thing here is that these guys are trying as hard as they can to make the title match interesting and that’s something that I can always appreciate. The problem though is they feel like two midcarders who are headlining a C show instead of something worthwhile, which is more the fault of 205 Live losing all of its talent in the Shakeup (yet Buddy Murphy still can’t get on the show).

I’ll go with Nese retaining here as while he might not be the most interesting person in the world, he’s still better than the most stock villain you could have in Daivari. The division is dying for someone more interesting though and I don’t see that on the horizon at the moment. They’re trying to build something with Nese and he has gotten better in recent weeks, though they still have a long way to go.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Charlotte

Oh yeah this is one of the reasons why those people don’t have time to get on: a double portion of Lynch (that’s not a bad thing). This is either the first or second title defense that Lynch has on the show and since it’s a Lynch match, she has to be facing Charlotte for the title. These two have been joined at the hip for years now and why bother making two new challengers when you can only make one? It’s not clear who Lynch faces first and it kind of makes a difference here.

I’ll take Lynch to retain here, assuming it’s the first match. My guess is that Lynch will be worn down in a successful title defense in the first match and then lose the title, so if this goes on second she can lose to Charlotte. This of course would set up a rematch, because these two have to fight until the end of time. The match is likely to be good, but I could go for something else.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Lacey Evans

Something fresh like this perhaps. Evans is far from a perfect or well rounded character but she’s SOMETHING new and that’s what the division needs. It wouldn’t shock me to see her win the title here, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. She has a unique character and can work well enough in the ring, but it still does feel a little early for Lynch to be losing either title.

I’ll go with Lynch retaining here, as Charlotte getting one of the titles makes more sense than Evans. This double champion on both shows thing is making for a complicated situation, but above all else it would be nice to have one champion per show for the sake of letting someone else get a chance in there. It’s clear at the moment that some new blood is needed up and down the show, which is why I’d rather have Evans get one of the title, even if I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Roman Reigns vs. Elias

Oh yeah there’s this match too. I’m not sure why anyone is going to buy Elias as a threat to Reigns, but that is the case with just about anyone on the roster at this point. That and the fact that it’s really Shane McMahon feuding with Reigns instead of Elias, which isn’t the most interesting thing in the world. Why anyone would expect anything but the obvious from this match is beyond me, but that’s never stopped WWE before.

Of course I’m going with Reigns here because Elias doesn’t win major matches and Reigns could get hit by a train, pop up and hit a spear for the pin. That’s just how Reigns matches go and while it (and the concert from Elias) is likely to be entertaining, it’s not going to be the most dramatic match. Hopefully they don’t give this one too much time because delaying the inevitable is rarely the most interesting use of time in a match.

Shane McMahon vs. The Miz

We might as well get this one out of the way next. This feud has been going since November 2 and that’s about six months longer than a McMahon feud should be going at the moment. I guess it’s still about Miz’s dad, who hasn’t come off looking good and isn’t exactly an inspiring plot device. This time it’s in a cage to prevent interference, meaning you can almost guarantee interference coming.

I’ll go with Miz winning here as we NEED a trilogy match between these two, probably in Saudi Arabia so the feud can enter a seventh month. This feud has been one of the biggest groan inducers in recent months as it just keeps going, even if the match itself should be entertaining. I still have no idea why McMahon, who is pushing fifty, is a semi-regular wrestler and the top heel in the company, but that’s the world we live in today. Miz wins here, but the feud still isn’t done.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

It’s rather nice to be coming up on one of these things without having watched the same singles and tag matches over and over again to drive me away from things. On the downside though, I also have next to no idea who is actually in the thing as the match has left that little of an impact on me. Odds are it’s going to be someone that hasn’t gotten a ton of hype recently, because the idea of building momentum to these things is a bunch of nonsense.

I’ll take Andrade to win, which is more of a hunch than anything else. I don’t think he’ll win the title (which has been more of a trend lately) but it could be cool to see someone new near the main event scene. The SmackDown World Title scene feels like an upper midcard title at the moment and it’s not like anyone but Reigns feels like a top star on the show. Would Andrade as a World Title contender feel that out of the question at this point? Odds are it’s wrong but I’ll take Andrade here.

United States Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Rey Mysterio

For some reason this seems to be more about Mysterio’s son Dominic than the match or the title, but it’s not like the US Title has meant anything in months anyway. Samoa Joe beat Mysterio in less than a minute at WrestleMania so Mysterio beat him in a nothing match on Monday Night Raw to get another title shot. Then Mysterio’s son has been around and annoyed Samoa Joe, setting things up here.

I’ll take Samoa Joe to retain again because his pointless title reign needs to continue. It’s a shame that the US Title has become a near curse to the champions, but that’s where we are with the title these days. Hopefully things get a little bit better, but I’ve been saying that for so many months now that it’s almost impossible to buy that anything else is going to happen. Expect Dominic to get involved and likely become more of a focus in the coming weeks, which isn’t likely to be a good idea.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. AJ Styles

They’ve been trying with this one but it’s still falling a little flat. I know they’re going for a dream match idea here but there’s a fine line between a dream match and an “oh that will be good” match. Rollins is still getting into being the face of the show and while Styles is an incredible talent, he is just coming off a year long reign as champion over on SmackDown, making a title change here not that likely.

I’ll take Rollins to retain here, which makes me all the more sad as it feels like we’re coming up on the dreaded Baron Corbin title push. He’s going to get to the main event scene at some point and it would make sense to go after Rollins rather than Styles. The match should be awesome though and hopefully it happens before the ladder match so we don’t have to worry about a cash-in to take away from the ending.

SmackDown World Title: Kofi Kingston(c) vs. Kevin Owens

This is an interesting one as Kingston won the title six weeks ago and while he still feels like a transitional champion, I’m not convinced that he’s going to be losing anytime soon. As mentioned earlier, the SmackDown main event scene feels like we’re just waiting for Reigns to come after the title and until then, everything is completely wide open. That brings us to here though.

I’ll take Kingston retaining, though a briefcase cash-in wouldn’t shock me. I don’t think that’s going to happen two years in a row, though it would be nice to not have the briefcase running around for another year. The match should be good and they have a story set up with Owens telling Kingston that he can’t do things on his own, though I think it’s a way for Kingston to get his first pay per view title defense.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

And then there’s this to close things out, which is quite the wide open field. Nikki Cross is replacing the (again) concussed Alexa Bliss and that….doesn’t really change anything as Bliss wasn’t the most likely candidate to win in the first place. That leaves a bunch of potential winners, though some of them are a lot less likely than others and can be cut off pretty easily.

I’ll take Mandy Rose to win, as it would set up an instant feud with Sonya Deville and give WWE the push that they’ve been wanting to run with for months now. That’s a fine choice too as Rose has gotten a lot better and could be worth a try in the title scene. I mean, it isn’t going to be Natalya, Brooke (I kind of want to see her get a run though, just for the sake of comedy), Moon, Carmella or Cross, which only leaves a few options. Rose seems to be the best of the remainders so we’ll go with her.

Overall Thoughts

Money In The Bank is looking like the most “oh dang we need to do a show” that happens to be one of the bigger events in recent years. It feels like WWE is trying to do all kinds of things at once and almost nothing is getting a real focus. That being said, I’ve had a far less annoying time with the build this year and that has made me a lot more interested in this show than in previous years. WWE feels like they’re booking day to day at the moment though and that needs to change, either starting with or the night after this show.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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