Survivor Series 2019 (2025 Edition): Are They The Third Brand?

Survivor Series 2019
Date: November 24, 2019
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 13,271
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

I was thinking about this show the other day and couldn’t remember it very well so it was time for a rewatch. The theme here is the three way fight between all of the brands, with NXT launching a full on invasion for the sake of this show. That should be more than enough to carry things with a bunch of different brand vs. brand vs. brand matches. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck and looking straight at the Titantron.

Kickoff Show: Tag Team Battle Royal

OC, Revival, Forgotten Sons, Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler, Street Profits, Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins, Breezango, Lucha House Party, Imperium, Heavy Machinery

Only one member has to be eliminated. It’s the usual brawl to start and the Forgotten Sons are out rather quickly. The House Party follows them (thankfully meaning their seconds go with them), as do Hawkins and Ryder in a hurry. Ziggler is catapulted to the apron and pulls Dawson with him for an exchange of headbutts.

Kaiser tries to make a save but it lets Roode knock Dawson out to get rid of the Revival, with Kaiser being eliminated to eliminate Imperium too. Otis stops to dance and gets tossed as they are flying out of here so far. Fandango is sent outside (not out) and manages to catch Breeze, who is eliminated a few seconds later. The Profits dropkick the Revival out and we’re already down to Roode/Ziggler, the OC and the Profits.

Ziggler has to save Roode from the Magic Killer and superkicks the OC out to leave us with two. Roode and Ziggler get the better of things until Ziggler superkicks Roode by mistake. The Sky High lets Ford go up but he gets sent out to the apron. He’s able to get back up and frog splash Ziggler, only to get tossed by Roode for the win at 8:22.

Rating: C. They flew through this and that’s probably a good thing, as this was little more than a way to get things going. It’s nice to see the match just move along so quickly, with Ziggler and Roode being a fine choice to win. Not a good match or anything, but it was a fast paced start.

Smackdown – 1
NXT – 0
Raw – 0

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush (NXT) vs. Akira Tozawa (Raw) vs. Kalisto (Smackdown)

Rush is defending. They stare at each other to start until the challengers get together to knock Rush outside. Back in and Rush tries to make a save but is sent to the floor just as fast. Kalisto kicks Rush in the head on the apron but gets kicked down by Tozawa. Rush is back in to strike away at both of them as they’re at a very fast pace to start. Tozawa punches Rush in the face (he’s always been good at that) and a sliding boot to the face drops him as well.

Kalisto catches Rush on top and Tozawa goes up with them for a super….well they all flipped over and they’re all down. It looks like Rush super armdragged both of them, setting off an exchange of strikes to the face. Tozawa’s bridging German suplex gets two on Rush, as does the Salida del Sol, with Tozawa making the save. Tozawa’s top rope backsplash hits Rush as well but Kalisto makes the save this time. Another Salida del Sol hits Tozawa but Rush is in with the Final Hour to Kalisto to retain the title at 8:20.

Rating: B. They went with the fast paced, rather athletic match here and it worked rather well. Rush might have some issues behind the scenes, but the way he can move and fly is rather impressive. There is something fun about watching these people go nuts, even if they didn’t have a ton of time. Another rather good choice for the Kickoff Show.

Smackdown – 1
NXT – 1
Raw – 0

Kickoff Show: Viking Raiders (Raw) vs. New Day (Smackdown) vs. Undisputed Era (NXT)

They’re all champions but this is non-title. Big E., Ivar and O’Reilly start things off with O’Reilly’s strikes not working in the slightest. Fish comes in and gets tossed with ease, leaving Ivar to slip out of Big E.’s slam attempt. Instead Big E. runs him over with a shoulder, only to get low bridged to the floor by the Era. That leaves the Vikings to beat the Era up until Big E. is back in for a tag to Kingston.

New Day and the Vikings have their big showdown until the Era is back in to break it up. Fish kneebars Kingston with Ivar making the save, leaving Fish to beat on Kingston on the apron. With the other four on the floor, Ivar slams Erik onto the pile for the big crash. Back in and Ivar misses a charge into the corner, allowing Kingston to hit a standing double stomp on Erik.

The Midnight Hour gets two, with Ivar making the save. Big E.’s spear through the rope hits Erik but Kingston’s Trouble In Paradise hits the post. That leaves Big E. to get caught with the German suplex/springboard clothesline combination. The Era gets back in and O’Reilly is promptly powerslammed onto Fish to give Ivar the pin at 14:42.

Rating: B-. It got a good bit more time and while it wasn’t hard to figure out the result, it was another fast paced match that made for an entertaining showcase. The Raiders winning is a good way to go, as occasionally the best method is just straight power. It’s rarely great to see a champion lose, but a developmental champion losing to a main roster one makes it a bit better.

Smackdown – 1
NXT – 1
Raw – 1

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the brand vs. brand vs. brand issue, with the big focus on NXT invading, as it should be. The other matches get some attention as well, which is a nice bonus.

Women’s Survivor Series Match

Smackdown: Sasha Banks, Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross
Raw: Charlotte, Natalya, Sarah Logan, Asuka, Kairi Sane
NXT: Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Toni Storm, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae

Three in the ring at once, regular elimination rules. Storm, Evans and Logan start things off with Evans knocking both of them down but walking into a double flapjack. Cross comes in and gets knocked down, leaving Logan to cartwheel knee Storm in the back of the head. Everyone gets knocked down and it’s off to Sane, Sky and Carmella, the latter of whom tries to get attention while the other two stare each other down. That earns her some shots to the face so Brooke comes in instead.

A springboard headscissors drops Shirai and it’s Brooke coming back in for some rollups. The handspring elbow crushes Shirai and Sane, followed by a Swanton to both of them. It’s back to LeRae to kick Evans down and strike away in the corner. A middle rope spinning Downward Spiral plants Evans for two and it’s off to Ripley for a heck of a roar. That earns her a cross armbreaker from Asuka, setting off the parade of knockdowns.

Banks clears the ring and LeRae and Shirai are knocked out to the floor for a nasty crash (which comes after they were both in WarGames the previous night). That’s enough for the two of them to be out at around 7:45 so NXT is already down to three. Ripley, Charlotte and Banks come in, with Ripley taunting the other two of them to quite the reception but it’s off to Belair, Logan and Cross without any contact being made. Cross hammers on Storm on the floor, but the distraction allows Belair to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes to pin Cross at 9:38.

Carmella comes in to clean house but walks into a KOD, sending Carmella outside. Logan is back up with running knees from the apron to Charlotte and Storm but gets tossed down by Belair. The handspring moonsault gets two with Natalya making the save so Belair 450s Logan for the elimination at 12:10.

Charlotte comes in to yell at Belair and gets rolled up for her efforts. Carmella is in with a super hurricanrana to send Charlotte onto Belair for two each. Back up and Natural Selection hits Carmella for the pin, allowing Charlotte to mock Banks’ dance. That leaves us with four for Raw and three each for the other two as Banks, Sane and Storm come in. Storm takes Sane down in a hurry and Banks adds the Meteora to get rid of Sane at 16:48. Asuka is in to fire off the kicks, including a huge one to eliminate Brooke at 17:25.

Charlotte forcefully tags herself in and gets in a shoving match with Asuka, who gets shoved down. Evans tries to come in off a cheap shot and gets struck down, only for Asuka to mist Charlotte. Asuka walks out and the Women’s Right gets rid of Charlotte at 19:07. So Natalya is alone for Raw against Evans/Banks for Smackdown and Ripley/Belair/Storm for NXT. Natalya comes in and drops Evans, followed by the discus lariat to Storm. A rollup gets rid of Evans at 19:56 as commentary realizes that NXT is suddenly way ahead. Storm gets caught in a Sharpshooter/Banks Statement for the tap at 20:47.

Belair yells at Natalya and gets caught in a Hart Attack for the elimination at 21:16 to continue the rapid fire eliminations. That leaves us with Natalya vs. Banks vs. Ripley, with Banks quickly turning on Natalya and getting the easy elimination. We’re down to one on one and you can tell the fans are into the idea of Ripley getting this kind of a chance. Ripley stares her down and adds a running dropkick but Banks is right back up with a choke.

Banks sends her into the corner for some running knees, followed by the middle rope Meteora for two. That sends Banks back up, with Ripley kicking her out of the air for two more. The Prism Trap has Banks in more trouble until she flips her way into a Bank Statement on Ripley. Cue Shirai and LeRae to make the save…as I guess they’re still in this.

As I try to figure out if that means Asuka should still be in there as she left without her elimination being announced either, Banks knocks both of them down with a baseball slide. Ripley cuts that off but the Riptide is broken up. Shirai offers a distraction and hits a springboard missile dropkick, followed by Ripley’s Riptide for the win at 27:53.

Rating: B. The kind of confusing ending aside, this was one heck of a coming out party for Ripley, who came off like an absolute star throughout and that’s exactly the point. Other than that you have Charlotte and Asuka’s issues continuing and Belair looking like a star as well. The fans get to cheer for NXT though (especially in Ripley’s case), and that’s exactly what needed to be done for this crowd, who are certainly more behind them than anything else.

NXT – 2
Smackdown – 1
Raw – 1

We look back at Kevin Owens making a surprise return to NXT last night at Takeover.

Seth Rollins comes up to Owens, his Raw teammate, and asks what was up with that. Owens says NXT doesn’t need him like Raw does, so tonight he’s on the red side. He does however find it interesting that SETH ROLLINS of all people is talking about disloyalty…and he mocks the Shield pose.

Shinsuke Nakamura (Smackdown) vs. Roderick Strong (NXT) vs. AJ Styles (Raw)

Battle of the midcard champions with a dancing Sami Zayn here with Nakamura. Styles gets kicked down to start and a knee to the ribs drops Strong as well. Strong is back up to clean house and send Nakamura outside. Styles knocks Strong to the floor as well, followed by a hard knee to the head. Nakamura is back up with a suplex to Strong and a knee drop to Styles, with Zayn looking rather pleased.

Back up and Strong stretches Nakamura over his back before swinging him into a gutbuster. Styles sleepers Strong down, which doesn’t last long as Strong is back up to strike away at both of them. The running forearms in the ropes have Styles in trouble, as does a belly to back faceplant. Nakamura sends Strong into the corner though and kicks Styles down for two more. A sliding knee gets two on Strong with Styles making the save. Strong kicks Styles down to break up the Clash to Nakamura, who is pulled outside by Zayn.

Back in and a tiger driver gives Strong two before Nakamura drops him. Kinshasa is broken up by Styles, who is cut off by Zayn. That leaves Strong to knee Nakamura down for two but Nakamura is back up to clean house. Strong is knocked outside so Nakamura tells Styles to COME ON, meaning it’s time for a strike off. The Landslide gives Nakamura two and he blocks the Styles Clash attempt. Instead Styles settles for the Phenomenal Forearm, only for Strong to steal the pin at 16:48.

Rating: B+. I didn’t remember liking this one as much but they were all working hard and it didn’t get dull despite getting quite a bit of time. In addition to NXT getting yet another win, there was something great about Zayn on the floor as he was giving it his all out there. Solid match here and a rather nice treat.

NXT – 3
Smackdown – 1
Raw – 1

Daniel Bryan is warming up when the Miz comes in. Miz talks about feeling the evil of the Fiend and wants Bryan to put an end to him for the sake of themselves and their children. Bryan: “Get out of my face.”

NXT Title: Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and is really banged up after being in WarGames last night. Dunne works on the arm to start, which is quickly broken up. They fight outside with Cole getting in a shot and starting in on Dunne’s bad knee. Dunne fights up and moonsaults over Cole in the corner, setting up an enziguri. The release German suplex sets up a big kick to the head, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two as they take a bit of a breather.

Dunne’s moonsault to the floor drops Cole again but another one hits raised knees back inside. The Last Shot gives Cole two and he brainbusters Dunne onto the knee for the same. The Boom misses and Dunne grabs the Bitter End for another near fall. They trade kicks to the head until Dunne goes up, only to have his moonsault superkicked out of the air (that always looks awesome) for two.

Dunne powerbombs him down for two more and Cole bails out to the floor. They head out to the apron, where Cole grabs a Panama Sunrise for a near countout. Back in and Dunne slugs away but the Bitter End is spun around into another Canadian Destroyer (and it didn’t look bad). The Boom retains the title at 14:06.

Rating: B. At this point, it was feeling like Cole was never going to lose the title no matter what happened, as he was coming in banged up from the night before and still hung in there to beat someone as good as Dunne. It’s still a good match, but seeing Cole retain without even having to cheat is a bit much to take. Yeah Dunne wrestled the night before as well, but Cole took the big bump in WarGames. That should mean a bit more.

The Smackdown men argue over leadership.

We recap the Fiend defending the Smackdown World Title against Daniel Bryan. The Fiend won the title at Crown Jewel and is all evil and such, even attacking Bryan, who was a heel at the moment. It seemed that the Fiend wanted to push Bryan into bringing back the YES Movement so he could kill it once and for all, which is quite the fiendish thing to do.

Smackdown World Title: Daniel Bryan vs. The Fiend

The Fiend is defending. Bryan fires off the dropkicks in the corner (under the red lights) until Fiend hits a running clothesline. Fiend slugs away and knocks him to the floor for a ram into the barricade. A hard posting drops Bryan again and there’s the backsplash on the floor. The release Rock Bottom drops Bryan back inside and a toss suplex makes it worse. The nerve hold goes on for a bit before they head outside again.

This time Fiend’s running knees hit the steps, followed by a posting from Bryan. Fiend gets taken down by a running knee from the apron, plus a big dive from the top. Back in and Bryan kicks away at the head, with Fiend getting up over and over. The stomping to the head has Fiend down and the running knee connects for two. Fiend does the big scary stand up so Bryan grabs a rollup, only to get caught in the Mandible Claw to retain the title at 10:01.

Rating: B-. This was about the Fiend running through one of the biggest heroes WWE has ever seen because the Fiend is one of the biggest monsters around. It made for a nice story, though it was hard to believe that Bryan had much of a chance here. Even with the alleged return of the YES Movement, it didn’t feel like much of a threat to beat the Fiend, certainly not so soon after he won the title.

Rey Mysterio is going to be more violent against Brock Lesnar and hopes his son Dominik is watching up close.

Men’s Survivor Series Match

Raw: Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton
Smackdown: Roman Reigns, King Corbin, Shorty G, Braun Strowman, Mustafa Ali
NXT: Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Walter, Damian Priest, Matt Riddle

The fans are VERY behind Walter (who you might know better as Gunther) as we figure out who is starting. Ciampa, Rollins and Strowman start things off, with Ciampa being shoved down. McIntyre and Walter come in, with Walter being more than happy to have a hoss fight. A running clothesline drops Strowman and McIntyre gets crushed with a seated senton.

Walter German suplexes McIntyre but can’t do the same thing to Strowman. Instead it’s a running dropkick to send Strowman into the corner, only for McIntyre to Claymore Walter for the pin at 2:57 in one heck of a middle finger to the fans. Priest comes in and strikes it out with McIntyre as the fans are ticked off about Walter. Strowman misses a charge into the post, allowing G (Gable, in case you had blocked out this stupid idea) to moonsault Priest. Riddle comes in and gets into a wrestling match with G, which doesn’t seem like a good idea.

The grappling goes to a standoff so Ricochet comes in with a springboard moonsault to G and McIntyre. Owens gets the tag and picks to frog splash G for the pin at 6:27. Owens goes outside but gets caught by Ciampa with the Willow’s Bell for the pin at 7:46. Orton comes in to stare Ciampa down but Ciampa is smart enough not to walk into the RKO. Instead they get up and brawl, with Orton grabbing the RKO a few seconds later. Priest tags himself in though and tries to roll the dice, only to get reversed into the RKO for the pin at 10:16.

Riddle comes in and has to escape an RKO attempt, which he counters into a rollup to pin Orton at 10:29. Riddle celebrates the huge win and walks into an RKO, allowing Corbin to get the pin at 10:54. Lee comes in and the fans are VERY pleased, only for McIntyre to take him down with a cheap shot. It’s back to Strowman, who takes them outside for the running shoulders….and then does it again for a bonus, only for Lee to cut him off in a massive crash.

McIntyre adds a Claymore to Strowman, who is counted out at 13:18. So we’re down to Rollins, Ricochet and McIntyre for Raw, Reigns, Corbin and Ali for Smackdown and Lee and Ciampa for NXT. Ricochet comes in to clean house but walks into the End Of Days for the pin at 14:30. Ali (hometown boy) comes in to clean house, including a sweet pop up X Factor to Ciampa. The tornado DDT drops Rollins and Ciampa gets posted. Corbin pulls Ali back to the floor though and yells a lot, which is enough for Rollins to hit the Stomp for the pin at 16:10.

Reigns yells at Corbin and McIntyre plants Ciampa with the reverse Alabama Slam for two. The Claymore is cut off with a spear though and McIntyre is done at 17:33, leaving Rollins alone. Rollins jumps Reigns but the suicide dive is knocked out of the air. Willow’s Bell hits Reigns, who counters the Fairy Tale Ending into a Superman Punch. With both of them down, Corbin comes in to knock Lee off the apron, though he’s also smart enough to drag Reigns over for the tag. Corbin yells at Reigns but a chokeslam to Ciampa doesn’t work, leaving Reigns to spear Corbin and Ciampa gets the pin at 19:55.

That leaves Reigns vs. Rollins vs. Ciampa/Lee with Reigns and Rollins getting together on Ciampa before doing the same to Lee. Rollins throws Ciampa outside but Lee is back up to cut off the TripleBomb through the announcers’ table. Back in and Ciampa’s running knee and Project Ciampa get two on Rollins but the Fairy Tale Ending is escaped. Ciampa avoids the Stomp but can’t avoid Reigns’ Superman Punch. The Stomp gets rid of Ciampa at 24:00 and we’re down to one each. The fans start to sing for Lee, who gets serious as he heads back inside.

Lee runs them both over with shoulders and sends Rollins flying, followed by a slingshot crossbody to take both of them out. Rollins escapes the Big Bang Catastrophe and kicks Lee down, setting up a frog splash for two, leaving commentary stunned. Back up and the Big Bang Catastrophe gets rid of Rollins (and Raw) at 26:34.

Reigns is back up with some Superman Punches for two on Lee, who kicks out, even as the referee hits the mat for the third time. The spear is countered into the Spirit Bomb for two more and my goodness the heat on that near fall. Lee goes up but misses the moonsault, allowing Reigns to hit the spear for the pin at 29:55.

Rating: B+. This was a lot more like it, as it felt like NXT had a chance to shock the world. Lee came off like an absolute star here and Ciampa more than held his own. At the same time, it might have been a bit of a stretch for NXT to be able to beat all star teams like this, even with their issues. The good thing is that NXT held its own here, and that’s exactly how you make it feel like a genuine third brand rather than just developmental. The Walter nonsense aside, this was a good performance from NXT and the fans went nuts all the way.

NXT – 3
Smackdown – 2
Raw – 1

Post match Reigns shows Lee some well earned respect.

Becky Lynch is tired of these fights with Shayna Baszler because Baszler has been training while Lynch has been going around the world. It doesn’t matter though as Lynch knows there is nothing Baszler can do to take her down. Then there’s Bayley, who made Lynch come looking for her. Now she’s going to hurt her.

We recap Brock Lesnar defending the Raw World Title against Rey Mysterio. Lesnar beat up Rey and then attacked his son Dominik (almost unrecognizable compared to what he would be a few years later) to make it personal. Rey brought in former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez to go after Lesnar, which went pretty horribly, so now Rey is fighting for himself.

Raw World Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar, with Paul Heyman, is defending and anything goes. Mysterio gets smart by grabbing a lead pipe to start, sending Lesnar to the floor. Back in and Lesnar runs him over with some clotheslines, sending Mysterio outside. Mysterio gets sent flying over the announcers’ table and then rammed hard into the post as the slow beating is on. Another posting is broken up though as Mysterio sends him into the post instead, only for Lesnar to German suplex him onto the pipe.

Lesnar gets in another German suplex but here is Dominik Mysterio with a towel. Lesnar grabs Dominik so Rey gets in a low blow, as does Rey. Some pipe shots have Lesnar in trouble and Dominik adds a chair shot, followed by a double 619. Dominik and Rey hit a frog splash each…for two, and you can feel the air go out of the place. Lesnar is back up with a German suplex to Dominik before pulling Rey out of the air for the F5 to retain at 6:55.

Rating: B. The good thing about Mysterio is that you can put him in a spot like this and the fans will believe that he could pull off a miracle. The false finish with the double 619 was great but after that, you knew it wasn’t going to happen. They were smart to keep this short and action packed, as there was only so much of a way to believe that Mysterio was going to be a threat long term.

We recap the women’s triple threat. Becky Lynch is still arguably the biggest star in WWE but Shayna Baszler isn’t scared of her. Bayley has to be there too because of the triple brand thing.

Bayley (Smackdown) vs. Becky Lynch (Raw) vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT)

Non-title again. Bayley rams Baszler into Lynch but Lynch fights out without much effort. A clothesline puts Lynch down, leaving Baszler and Bayley to brawl to the floor. That’s broken up and Baszler is knocked outside, leaving Bayley to sunset bomb Lynch into the corner. Baszler takes Lynch’s place and gets beaten up again, only to come back with a stomp to Bayley’s arm.

Bayley is back up and knocks Baszler outside before unloading on Lynch in the corner. A Stunner over the ropes cuts Baszler off again but Lynch knocks Bayley down to take over. Lynch plants both of them and drops the top rope legdrop for two on Bayley. Baszler is back up as well, only to get kneed down by Bayley, who takes Lynch out as well. The Bayley To Belly gets two on Baszler, who is right back with a gutwrench faceplant.

Baszler fireman’s carries Bayley, which is broken up by a missile dropkick from the returning Lynch. Bayley breaks up the slugout and gets choked by Baszler, with Lynch making the save. Lynch powerbombs Baszler out of the corner but gets choked as well. Baszler is sent into Bayley for the save and Lynch gets the Disarm-Her, which is broken up too. Bayley pulls Baszler outside but hurts her own leg, allowing Baszler to take both of them out. Baszler plants Lynch on the announcers’ table but gets suplexed by Bayley back inside. That’s shrugged off and the Kirifuda Clutch gives Baszler the win at 18:03.

Rating: B-. They were working hard and it was far from a bad match, but there was very litter crowd energy for this. At the end of the day, the crowd was just done after the Lesnar/Mysterio and Men’s Survivor Series matches. You can’t take that much energy out of them and then expect a match which doesn’t mean a ton (NXT was at worst tying here) to feel special. It’s not bad, but the show needed to be laid out better.

NXT – 4
Smackdown – 2
Raw – 1

Post match Baszler poses over Lynch, who knocks her onto the announcers’ table. Lynch puts her through said table (with a chair falling on Baszler’s head to make it even worse) and poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Excellent show here, with NXT feeling like they had arrived and actually winning with a pretty dominant performance. There’s nothing close to bad on the whole show and the crowd carried it to another level. I had forgotten how good the matches were throughout and the three way competition actually worked all night. Find a better way to finish and it’s that much better, but this was awesome stuff.

Ratings Comparison

Tag Team Battle Royal:

Original: D
2020 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: C

Lio Rush vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto

Original: C+
2020 Redo: C
2025 Redo: B

New Day vs. Viking Raiders vs. Undisputed Era

Original: B
2020 Redo: B
2025 Redo: B-

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women vs. NXT Women

Original: B-
2020 Redo: B-
2025 Redo: B

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong vs. AJ Styles

Original: B
2020 Redo: B
2025 Redo: B+

Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole

Original: A-
2020 Redo: B+
2025 Redo: B

The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan

Original: B
2020 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: B-

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men vs. NXT Men

Original: B+
2020 Redo: A-
2025 Redo: B+

Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: C+
2020 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: B

Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Becky Lynch

Original: D+
2020 Redo: C
2025 Redo: B-

Overall Rating:

Original: B+
2020 Redo: B+
2025 Redo: A-

The main event was a lot better than I gave it credit for before, as was the tag team battle royal. All around, an outstanding show.

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

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

WWE Vault: Iconic Tag Teams Earliest Appearances Collection: The Prequels

Iconic Tag Teams Earliest Appearances Collection
Commentators: Gordon Solie, Keith Hart, Jim Ross, Mr. Perfect, Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Michael Hayes, Dean Hill, Jim Cornette, Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick, Bruno Sammartino, Al Snow

This is part of Tag Team Week on the WWE Vault and in this case it’s a look back at when some famous tag teams first got together. I’m going to assume there is an unseen asterisk that says “on television in a big promotion” but I’ll take what I can get. This has the potential to be rather interesting so let’s get to it.

From a Smackdown dark match, September 16, 2003.

Paul London/Spanky vs. Albert/Sean O’Haire

What a random heel team. Albert shoves Spanky (Brian Kendrick) down to start and unloads on him in the corner. Spanky gets in some right hands of his own but O’Haire comes in for a chop. It’s off to London to strike away but Albert cuts him off, including the catapult into the bottom rope for two.

O’Haire plants him in the corner for two and the slow beating ensues. London manages a double knockdown with O’Haire though and it’s Spanky coming in to pick up the pace. Albert charges into a boot in the corner and Spanky hits a tornado DDT for two. London and O’Haire go outside, leaving Spanky to reverse the Baldo Bomb into a bulldog. O’Haire interrupts though and Albert’s over the shoulder backbreaker finishes Spanky at 7:49.

Rating: C+. That’s quite the interesting tryout, as rather than getting a win over the makeshift team, London and Spanky lose in their first time out. I’m not sure the point of that as it’s not like the masses were going to see it, but you could see the chemistry already coming together. A fast paced young team is something that works almost every time and London/Spanky did it very well.

From Georgia Championship Wrestling TV, June 11, 1983.

Road Warriors vs. Randy Barber/Joe Young

And yes, this actually is their first time teaming together (at least on television). They’re also in matching leather hats and vests, with Paul Ellering wearing a snazzy top hat. The Warriors are also the National Tag Team Champions, winning the titles in a tournament that didn’t actually happen. Hawk drives Barber into the corner and it’s off to Animal to drop a leg. Young comes in and gets forearmed in the corner, followed by a double clothesline. A slingshot splash finishes for Hawk at 2:05. Total squash, as it should have been.

From a WWE house show, October 4, 2014.

Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods vs. Stardust/Goldust

I’m not sure if Goldust and Stardust’s Raw Tag Team Titles are on the line here or not but Big E. is here with the not yet New Day. Actually Stardust clarifies that this is NOT a title match, which is some nice attention to detail. After confirming that we are in Trenton, New Jersey and arguing about whether or not the town is awful, we’re ready to go with Kingston and Stardust starting tings off.

They fight over a top wristlock and then trade some flips, with Stardust stopping to dance. Kingston sticks the landing on a monkey flip and sends Stardust into the corner for the tag off to Woods. The Honor Roll gets two and it’s time to work on Stardust’s arm. Kingston’s high crossbody gets two but Stardust takes him up against the ropes for a shot from Goldust. Kingston is right back with a jumping back elbow and Woods gets two off a middle rope clothesline as the fans are only somewhat into this.

They fight to the floor for something we can’t see (single stationary camera and all that) and come back inside for Goldust’s chinlock on Woods. That doesn’t last long so it’s the snap powerslam so Stardust can come back in to stomp away. Another chinlock goes on and for a bit longer this time, though Woods is able to shove off the ensuing bulldog attempt. Kingston comes back in to clean house and everything breaks down. The referee tries to get Woods out, leaving a springboard spinning kick to the head Hart Attack to drop Kingston for two. Woods is back up for UpUpDownDown to pin Goldust at 10:43.

Rating: C+. Much like London and Spanky, you could see the foundations from the start here, though they had a long way to go with the details. What mattered the most was Kingston and Woods (with Big E. of course) working well together. They had the athleticism and natural chemistry and those are the kinds of things that are either there or not from the start.

From Stampede Wrestling, July 11, 1983.

Dynamite Kid/Davey Boy Smith vs. Cuban Assassin/Ciclon Negro

As tends to be the case, we’re joined in progress with a brawl on the floor before Assassin takes Kid (bleeding from an attack by Bad News Allen earlier in the night) inside. Smith, who was jumped earlier as well, tries to make a save but gets tossed as well. We settle down to Negro hammering on Kid up against the ropes but he accidentally elbows Assassin. The tag brings Smith back in to clean house, including letting Negro hit Assassin AGAIN.

A dropkick takes Assassin down, followed by a headscissors and headlock takeover at the same time (a big spot in 1983). The villains finally get it together and send Smith into the corner, which lasts all of a few seconds before it’s back to the rather bloody Kid. Some flips and clotheslines have Negro down but he manages a knee to the ribs to cut Kid off. Negro runs into Assassin for the third time in less than five minutes, allowing Kid to drop a knee for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as it came off more like the villains screwing up more than Kid and Smith winning. They idea of Kid and Smith being in trouble and having to overcome adversity was fine, but it didn’t feel like they were better. The Assassin and Negro seemed to run out of ideas rather quickly and that only helped the good guys so much.

From Superstars, June 1, 1996.

New Rockers vs. Hardy Boyz

The entrances let commentary plug the Ultimate Warrior’s comic book and you can hear Vince hating it. Cassidy and Matt start things off with Cassidy easily taking him down. Jeff is pulled in and the Hardys are sent outside, setting up some dives and….I guess dancing from the Rockers. Commentary isn’t sure what is wrong with Jannetty and that is an essay question we don’t have time to answer.

Jeff’s bandanna is pulled over his eyes to keep up the beating. Cassidy gets in a nasty spinning belly to belly and a double elbow drops Jeff for two. The Rockers get Jeff up for a kind of Alley Oop/top rope bulldog combination (which doesn’t really work for the most part) for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: C+. Total destruction and it’s bizarre to see, but the Hardys would wind up being fine while the New Rockers are a punch line. The Rockers were little more than a running joke and they weren’t going to be a big deal, but they were still decent enough in the ring. This was more of a case of the Hardys being a detail, but you have to start somewhere.

From the Global Wrestling Federation, April 17, 1992.

Ebony Experience vs. Brute Force

This might be interesting as you might not know which is the important team. In this case it would be the Experience, who would show up in WCW the next year as Harlem Heat. If you’ve never heard of Global….well just be lucky actually, as it was not very good. Booker is backed up to the ropes by #1 to start as Gorgeous Gary Young joins commentary to scout. Stevie comes in with a double clothesline to clear the ring. #2 comes in and gets kneed in the face as Young isn’t overly impressed so far.

Booker gets clotheslined down but pops up with the yet to be named Spinarooni, only to get taken into the wrong corner. Commentary remembers that Brute Force are actually Slammer and Jammer (I’m guessing someone gave him a note) as Booker misses a charge into the corner. Jammer (I guess, though I can’t imagine it matters) misses a dropkick but avoids a clothesline. Booker is back up with a clothesline, allowing the tag off to Ray (commentary gets the Experience confused) as everything breaks down. Jammer shoves the referee down and it’s a DQ at 5:54.

Rating: C-. While this wasn’t the team’s debut (they had begun teaming in the late 80s), it was their first spot in a bigger promotion. You could see the team working together well, which makes sense for brothers. Brute Force was….well hey did you see the Experience? They were pretty good.

Post match we get a tease of an interview with BARRY HOROWITZ but we have to go to the next match. Dang it that’s such an unfair tease.

From a Wrestling Challenge dark match, April 5, 1993.

Kip Winchester/Barry vs. Barry Horowitz/Reno Riggins

I’m guessing the ring announcer got confused, as Winchester’s partner is named Brett Colt and the team will eventually be known as the Smoking Gunns (the better known Billy and Bart Gunn names would come with their next dark match). We take a good while for the Gunns to be ready and the women REALLY seem to approve. Or maybe they’re fans of Horowitz’s mullet. Either way, Billy (er, Kip) grabs a headlock, followed by a hiptoss into an armbar. Bart (er…eh I did that joke already) comes in to stay on the arm and an assisted Russian legsweep gets two.

Riggins avoids a crossbody and Bart is taken into the wrong corner so the alternating beatdowns can ensue. Horowitz’s catapult sends him into the bottom rope and a northern lights suplex gets two. The abdominal stretch goes on for a bit, followed by Horowitz’s jawbreaker for two more. The chinlock is broken up and a collision gives us a double down. Billy comes in to clean house with some dropkicks and a powerslam plants Riggins. A spinning side slam plants Riggins again and Billy hits a not great looking top rope bulldog for the pin at 8:41 (and Barry is suddenly Brett Colt).

Rating: C. The Gunns were basically what they would become right out of the gate and that’s fine. The cowboy trope has been done for decades in wrestling and it still works here. Throw in something like the cap guns they fired off before the match and you easily get the idea of the team. It’s not a good or memorable match at all, but it was a case of what you see is what you get, which is fine.

From WCW TV, June 10, 1989.

Steiner Brothers vs. The Raider/Snake Brown

The Steiners had already had some house show matches but close enough. Also, Raider is Randy Barber, who was in the Road Warriors’ first match as well. Rick has a big fan in the crowd and gives her his jacket in a nice moment. Scott powerslams Raider down and gives hands it off to Rick, who runs both of them over. The Steiners clear the ring, allowing Rick to jump onto Scott’s back for a bit. Brown comes in and gets caught with Scott’s spinning belly to belly, followed by Rick’s overhead version. An elbow gives Rick the pin at 1:47.

Post match the Varsity Club comes in and get beaten up in a hurry before their match at the Clash Of Champions the next week.

From OVW TV, April 17, 2004.

Joey Matthews/Johnny Nitro vs. Matt Cappotelli/Maven

Melina is here with Matthews and Nitro. We’re joined in progress with Matthews getting beaten down and sent outside for the introductions and opening bell. Matthews gets elbowed in the face by Maven, allowing Cappotelli to come in for a legdrop. A double clothesline drops Nitro and Matthews with Nitro bailing to the floor. That lets Nitro hide behind Melina and Matthews gets in a cheap shot from behind.

Back in and a bridging northern lights suplex gets two on Cappotelli, allowing Nitro to come in. An uppercut to the back of the neck gets two but Matthews accidentally crashes into Nitro. Cappotelli bulldogs his way over to Maven to clean house, including a missile dropkick for two on Nitro with Matthews making the save. Melina comes in to rake Maven’s eyes and Nitro’s spinning fisherman’s suplex finishes at 4:50.

Rating: C. Now this was a case where the team had a lot of development to go, as MNM was pretty much just there in name only. They were all there, but they didn’t have the look or gimmick whatsoever. That would come in time, but for now it was pretty much Morrison’s athleticism carrying things. As for the match, you’re in a bit of trouble when Maven is your biggest star.

From Main Event, September 16, 2021 (oddly enough the last episode I watched when I was regularly covering Main Event).

Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza vs. Lucha House Party

Carrillo and Garza (Los Garza) being introduced as “iconic” is more than a bit of a stretch. Carrillo and Metalik trade some armdrags to start before Dorado comes in with a top rope hurricanrana. The pop up dropkick sends Garza outside and the Party hit stereo flip dives as we take a break.

We come back with Metalik hitting a top rope splash for two and grabbing a chinlock on Carrillo. That’s broken up and it’s back to Garza for a backbreaker. Carrillo suplexes Metalik for two more but Metalik is back with a super hurricanrana. Dorado gets the tag and cleans some house, including a running headscissors to Garza. A nice superkick sets up a high crossbody for two, followed by the Golden Rewind. Metalik’s moonsault sets up Dorado’s moonsault for two as Garza makes the save. Garza comes in, TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, and hits the Wing Clipper for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C+. This was one of the better matches thus far, which shouldn’t be a surprise as it takes a bit more time to get to WWE TV (as low as Main Event might be) than some of the other places these matches have aired. Carrillo and Garza are far from “iconic”, but I guess they needed to fill in some time. The House Party is something that can work at pretty much any time and they were starting to click when they were split up.

From an AWA house show, April 19, 1987.

Tag Team Tournament First Round: Nasty Boys vs. Curt Hennig/Greg Gagne

The Nastys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saganowich (his real name), as they were still workshopping the whole thing) are in their second match together, which I think we can call close enough. Hennig and Knobbs start things off with Knobbs ducking a right hand, which hits Gagne instead.

Back up and Hennig stares at Knobbs a bit before Knobbs drops him with a shoulder. Sags comes in and gets caught with a running dropkick into an armdrag as apparently Knobbs is the key to the team. It’s back to Knobbs for a clothesline so Sags comes back in. That’s fine with Hennig, as he and Gagne take turns working on the leg. Gagne sits on the leg and grabs a standing Figure Four.

With that broken up, so Gagne kicks the leg out again and cranks away. More kicks finally draw Knobbs in for the save before he gets in legally, with a headlock takeover to Hennig. Sags distracts the referee so Knobbs can choke away in the corner but Hennig gets in a shoulder for the double down. The stereo tags bring in Gagne and Sags, with the former getting in a double noggin knocker. The dropkick hits Sags and Hennig’s missile dropkick finishes at 10:54.

Rating: C+. The Nasty Boys weren’t really close to what they would become here, as they more or less wrestled a really basic match rather than their traditional brawling style. Putting them in there with a team as experienced as Hennig and Gagne was smart as they can help with anyone, though the Boys had a long way to go. That being said, they picked it up fast, which is all the more impressive.

From (I believe) WWC, October 14, 1987.

Wild Samoans vs. Miguel Ramos/Sabu

It isn’t the famous Samoans, but rather Fatu and Samu, who would become known as the Headshrinkers. It’s also not the famous Sabu, but rather the wrestler who would be better known as Invader #1. Samu takes Sabu back into to the corner to start and gives him an early slam. A spinwheel kick drops Sabu again and it’s off to Fatu for a belly to back suplex/clothesline combination. Ramos comes in and is immediately knocked down for a falling headbutt. With Sabu knocked to the floor, a belly to back superplex sets up a Superfly Splash to give Fatu the pin at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird pick as the team was pretty much nothing like what they would become. This was more the Samoan Gangster Party under a different name and as a longtime Headshrinkers fan, I’m glad they made the change. The top rope splash looked great as usual though, and stuff like that was enough to give the team a chance.

From Championship Wrestling, April 20, 1985.

Hart Foundation vs. Mario Mancini/SD Jones

Jimmy Hart is here with the Foundation. Neidhart powers Jones up against the ropes to start and they trade some shoves. Mancini comes in to work on the arm and is quickly forearmed down. Hart adds a dropkick and rakes Mancini’s eyes over the rope. The Hart Attack finishes at 2:39. Total squash, with the finish looking great of course.

From OVW TV, May 24, 2006.

Southern Tag Team Titles: Cryme Tyme vs. Kasey James/Roadkill

James and Roadkill are defending. James and the Neighborhoodie (JTG) start things off with the latter grabbing some early slams. Neighborhoodie leapfrogs him and stops to dance, only to walk into a slam from James. Roadkill comes in for a World’s Strongest Slam but a Vader Bomb misses. It’s off to Gaspard to kick Roadkill down for two and Neighborhoodie adds a pop up splash in the corner.

Roadkill fights out of the corner without too much trouble though and it’s back to James to pick up the pace. Gaspard is there to cut him off before missing a splash. That’s enough for Roadkill to come back in and clean house, including a Boss Man Slam for two on Neighborhoodie. Everything breaks down with James and then Roadkill hitting some running corner splashes. Roadkill’s top rope splash connects but cue Cherry for a distraction. Deuce N Domino run in with Cherry’s skates to knock Roadkill silly and put Neighborhoodie on top for the pin and the titles at 6:25.

Rating: C. This was a rather odd choice to end on, as Cryme Tyme was more of a product of their time than anything remotely important long term. The Neighborhoodie was basically the same as he would be as JTG, while Gaspard needed some adjustments. The gimmick didn’t seem to be there yet either, but that’s the point of being in developmental.

Overall Rating: C+. The thing to remember here is that these were the teams’ first (or close enough) appearances. They all needed to be fine tuned to become the versions that would work during their heydays. That being said, for what is in essence a bunch of prequels, this was a fun look back, even with some rather odd choices for teams. They could easily do something else like this, and that’s something I could definitely see happening with the way the Vault goes.

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Main Event – September 16, 2021: The Big Ending

Main Event
Date: September 16, 2021
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

We’re on the way to Extreme Rules, which is currently missing out on anything extreme. I can’t really picture that changing here, but Main Event isn’t exactly a show that likes changing things up very often. At best we can get a few good original matches and that’s about all. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jaxson Ryker vs. Drew Gulak

Ryker powers him into the corner to start so Gulak tries a slap to the face. This goes as well as you would expect as Ryker plants him down and hits a running headbutt. A shot to the throat slows Ryker down though and it’s a headlock takeover to put him on the mat. It takes Ryker a bit longer than expected to suplex his way to freedom as the comeback is on. A top rope hurricanrana of all things sets up the swinging Boss Man Slam (to a much weaker reaction) to finish Gulak at 5:24.

Rating: D. As has been the case with a lot of Ryker matches, this just wasn’t interesting. A good chunk of the match was spent in a headlock on the mat and that’s not exactly the best way to go. Both of them can do better than this, but it felt like they were doing the bare bones to get by.

From Smackdown.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. Roman says WWE runs sports entertainment in New York. He runs WWE, so therefore, he runs New York City and Madison Square Garden. Therefore, MSG should acknowledge him. That leads to quite the cheering….and here is Brock Lesnar to interrupt. The Usos immediately get between Reigns and Lesnar, as Paul Heyman asks why Lesnar needs to go after the Universal Title. He could do….and then Lesnar grabs the mic.

Lesnar asks why Heyman didn’t tell Reigns he would be at Summerslam and the crowd’s YOU F’D UP chant has to be censored. Reigns glares at Heyman, takes the title and leaves with the Usos. Lesnar does his bouncing dance and Heyman does the old Lesnar introduction. Lesnar says that was great, but wants Heyman to accept his challenge to Reigns before Lesnar kills him.

That would be the challenge for the Universal Title, and Lesnar gives him five seconds. The F5 is loaded up but Reigns makes the save with the Superman Punch. Superkicks from the Usos don’t do much good and the Usos are destroyed as Reigns leaves with Heyman. This was another amazing segment and I was eating up every second of it.

From Smackdown.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Street Profits

The Usos are defending and they start fast by sending the Profits outside. The big dive drops Dawkins and we take a very early break. Back with Dawkins shouldering Jimmy down for two but getting hit in the face. Jimmy knocks Dawkins down for two more but misses a jumping legdrop. That’s enough to bring Ford back in for a huge no hands dive onto both Usos. Cue Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to watch as we take another break.

Back again with Dawkins grabbing a swinging neckbreaker and handing it back to Ford for the house cleaning. Ford loses a shoe and throws it out but hits a one shoed running Blockbuster for two. A Doomsday Blockbuster gets two and Dawkins is stunned at the kickout. Back up and Dawkins’ running leapfrog over Jey lands in a superkick from Jimmy. Ford pulls Jey outside, leaving Jimmy to get rolled up for two. The kickout sends Dawkins into a superkick though and the Superfly Splash connects for two more. Dawkins is back up to plant Jimmy and Ford adds the twisting frog splash, which draws in Reigns for the DQ at 15:20.

Rating: B-. This was another high energy match but the two commercials didn’t exactly make this much better. What we got was good enough though, even with the screwy ending. Reigns getting so frustrated that he comes in for the save worked out well enough, as he has a lot going on. I’m just not sure who else is around to challenge the Usos at the moment and that’s a problem.

Post match Reigns says he’ll take Brock Lesnar on once he gets done with Finn Balor. Cue Balor….meaning the Demon. Thankfully Michael Cole is right there to walk us through the idea of the Demon because it’s that complicated to understand. The Demon stares Reigns down to end the show.

From Raw.

Charlotte vs. Shayna Baszler

Non-title, but it is a Championship Contender’s match, which is treated as more important around here at times. Earlier today, Nia Jax was annoyed at Baszler for costing her the Raw Women’s Title last week but they’ll be fine going forward. Maybe they can get some acting lessons together. Shayna goes after her to start but gets sent outside for the big slingshot dive to send us to a break.

Back with Baszler shaking the ropes to break up a moonsault but some elbows get Charlotte out of the Kirifuda Clutch. Baszler German suplexes the heck out of her for two and kicks away, which brings Charlotte back to life. A shot to the face staggers Baszler and Charlotte sends her outside for the moonsault.

Cue Nia Jax for a distraction though, allowing Shayna to send Charlotte into the steps as we take another break. Back again with Charlotte starting in on Baszler’s knee but missing a middle rope knee to the knee. Nia gets up on the apron to distractions Shayna so Charlotte can hit a big boot for the pin at 14:25.

Rating: C+. It was a fine back and forth match but egads I’m done with trying to care about Nia and Shayna fighting. This has been going on for the better part of a year now and for some reason they keep at it, despite it being WAY past time to have them go their separate ways.

Post match Charlotte stays in the ring and here is Alexa Bliss, carrying both Lillie and a present. It’s a gift for Charlotte, but she doesn’t think Bliss knows her taste. Charlotte collects titles instead of dolls and at some point you have to leave your dolls at home. They do a near cartoon exchange of “you want it/no I don’t” until Charlotte accepts the present. Charlotte: “Well it’s not ticking.” And it’s a Charlotte style Lillie doll, which Bliss names Charlie.

Bliss wanted Charlotte to have someone to play with after she takes the title at Extreme Rules. Bliss: “She’s even a narcissistic little b**** like you!” Charlotte doesn’t want the doll and she’ll send Bliss a Mattel Charlotte figure when she is in the padded room. The fight is on and Bliss kicks her out to the floor. Back in and Bliss grabs a Code Red to send Charlotte running. This was another case of insane things being said as written by bad writers and going WAY too nuts to make it work.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for a contract signing for Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch (not here yet) at Extreme Rules. Belair looks at the contract, but first talks about how she can’t believe she is here. She respects Lynch for being a new mom and a champion but she can’t believe Lynch ran from a fight. Lynch keeps talking about that 26 seconds at Summerslam because Lynch knows what happens when they’re in the ring in a real match. We’ll find that out at Extreme Rules and Belair signs.

Cue Becky, in a big red coat and sunglasses to amp up the heel look. Becky says she knew she had Esther’s number at Summerslam when she saw Belair’s face as her music hit. Belair can be the Man or she can be a fan and there is nothing wrong with sitting out there with the regular people. She’s going to give Belair a rematch and maybe she would have beaten her in twenty seconds here in MSG. So what if she doesn’t sign the contract. Adam Pearce: “What do you mean if you don’t sign it?” Belair: “SIGN THE D*** CONTRACT!”

The fans chant SIGN IT and Becky is confused. She sat at home and heard them chant WE WANT BECKY and she came back at the last second but this is how you treat her? She left her baby girl at home and now they’re picking a flash in the pan over her? Well if you can’t join them, beat them, and there’s the signing. Becky throws the contract at Belair and leaves. Becky is getting the heel stuff to work, but the “Belair gets a fair match” stuff isn’t exactly accurate. She had one at Summerslam and lost. Stop acting like she was some kind of a victim.

Lucha House Party vs. Angel Garza/Humberto Carrillo

Garza and Metalik tried takedowns for no counts to start and come up with a handshake. Metalik gets a boot up in the corner so Dorado can come in with a top rope hurricanrana. Garza and Carrillo are sent outside for the stereo dives and we take a break. Back with Dorado hitting a splash off of Metalik’s shoulders to crush Carrillo. Garza gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over and come in though and Carrillo adds a powerbomb for two.

Carrillo and Metalik both head up top with the ladder snapping off a jumping super hurricanrana, allowing the double tag. Dorado kicks both of them in the face and gets two off a high crossbody. The Golden Rewind kind of connects with Garza and the moonsault kind of connects for two, leaving Carrillo to flip dive onto Metalik on the floor. Garza kicks Dorado in the face, TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and finishes with the Wing Clipper at 8:07.

Rating: C. These teams work well together and that shouldn’t be a surprise after watching Main Event at any point in the last year or so. It’s another case where you could have any of them taking up some time on Raw and being completely acceptable, though you are not likely to see that anytime soon. It was certainly better than Ryker vs. Gulak at least.

We look at Seth Rollins injuring Edge.

On Raw, Big E. promised to cash in Money in the Bank.

From Raw.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Randy Orton

Orton is challenging and MVP/Riddle as the seconds. They head outside early on where Orton has to save Riddle by sending Lashley into various things. A ram into the announcers’ table gives Orton one back inside but Lashley sends him into the corner. Lashley misses a charge into the post but he is fine enough to counter the hanging DDT. Orton gets sent outside and comes up holding his leg, only to be fine enough to drop Lashley onto the barricade. A clothesline sends Lashley over said barricade and we take a break.

Back with Orton forearming away and hitting a superplex to send them both crashing down. The delayed near fall sends Lashley outside, where he picks Orton up and sends him head first into the post. Back in and a running shoulder hits Orton’s ribs in the corner to drop him in pain. A neckbreaker gives Lashley two and we hit the chinlock. Orton fights up and hits a heck of a clothesline, setting up the scoop powerslam for two.

The RKO takes too long to set up though and Lashley hits the spear for the big near fall. The Hurt Lock doesn’t go on and it’s the RKO to drop Lashley…who rolls to the apron, with an assist from MVP. Orton gives MVP and RKO and the fans are WAY behind him…until another spear retains the title at 13:18.

Rating: C+. You had two talented guys getting some time here and it worked well as a result. I liked the match and even though it was unlikely that Orton was going to win, there was just enough of a chance and that makes things so much better. They built up how fresh of a match this was and while that wasn’t a game changer, it was a nice detail to remember.

Post match the brawl is on again with Riddle making the save. That earns him a beating as well, so Lashley puts him through the announcers’ table. Lashley comes up holding his knee though….and it’s cash in time!

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Big E.

Lashley is defending….or he would be if not for his knee injury. Big E. slaps him in the face and that’s enough to ring the bell. Lashley takes him to the mat and the brawl is on. A spear cuts Big E. down for two but he goes back to Lashley’s bad leg. The Big Ending gives Big E. the pin and the title at 1:18!

New Day comes out to celebrate and a lot of pyro goes off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The recap stuff helped a good bit here as you can tell WWE is slowly starting to fix some things. They have nowhere to go but up at this point, at least on Monday, so it is quite the relief to see things getting better. The original stuff was as useless as it often tends to be on Main Event, and I can’t even pretend to be surprised anymore.

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Main Event – September 9, 2021: Including The Halftime Show

Main Event
Date: September 9, 2021
Location: FTX Arena, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

We’re on the way to Extreme Rules and because of course it does, Main Event becomes more and more like its traditional self. There is very little taking place on this show that you need to see and that should not be a surprise to anyone paying attention. This is how Main Event goes and I don’t think there is any reason to think otherwise. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dana Brooke vs. Doudrop

Dana can’t power her around for a change and gets shoved into the corner. A running shoulder bounces off of Doudrop but a headscissors manages to take her down. Back up and Doudrop runs her over but Dana kicks her in the head. For some reason Dana thinks a suplex is a good idea, with Doudrop shoving her away without much trouble.

Back up and Dana’s tornado DDT is countered into a suplex but Doudrop’s next suplex is countered into a small package for another near fall. A running splash in the corner sets up a missed Cannonball though and Brooke is back with a sitout bulldog. Brooke misses the Swanton though and it’s the running seated crossbody to finish for Doudrop at 4:58.

Rating: D+. What else were you expecting here? There isn’t much that can be done with Doudrop outside of a match like this and it worked out about as well as it could have. I’m glad to have Brooke back but I think we are long past the point of expecting her to be able to get up to the next level. Sometimes it just isn’t going to happen and I think we have long since been at that point with her.

We look at Finn Balor challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Title.

From Smackdown.

Universal Title: Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns

Balor is challenging, but here are the Usos to jump him before the bell. The big beatdown is on and Balor is left laying until the Street Profits come in to chase the Usos off. Reigns comes out for the match and we take a break. Back with Balor saying he can go so we get the Big Match Intros. Reigns is smart enough to throw Balor down onto the bad ribs to start as the ribs are banged up again. Balor tries to fight back but charges into an uppercut. A spinebuster plants him again and we take a break.

Back with Reigns missing the Superman Punch, allowing Balor to hit a Pele for a breather. Balor starts the comeback but gets sent outside to cut him off again. Reigns gets pulled down into the ring skirt though and Balor hammers away, including the big flip dive. They head back inside where the Coup de Grace misses, allowing Reigns to hit the Superman Punch for two. Balor is back up with 1916 for two of his own and the Coup de Grace connects for a VERY close two. The kickout includes a low blow and Reigns hammers away on the downed Balor, setting up the guillotine choke to retain at 10:31.

Rating: B-. There wasn’t the most drama here but the Coup de Grace near fall was quite good. They have an out for Balor with the Usos’ attack and that could set up the rematch. What we got here was good though and it felt like a main event, which is what they were shooting for with this one. Balor isn’t going to be hurt off a loss to Reigns, so it isn’t some career stopper for him either.

Post match Reigns and Heyman go to leave, but the lights flicker a bit. Reigns isn’t sure what that was to end the show.

From Raw.

Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is defending and Nia has Shayna Baszler in her corner. The bell rings and Shayna grabs the mic, saying that she’s interested in seeing if Jax is going to choke. Charlotte jumps Nia and it turns into quite the scrap as we try to recreate last week. Nia tells her to pull her hair and Charlotte bails while seeming to throw in a crotch chop. Charlotte grabs her title and goes to leave but stops to yell at Shayna.

That’s enough for Nia to pull her inside and run Charlotte over. A superplex is countered into a powerbomb out of the corner to give Charlotte two and we take a break. Back with Charlotte hitting(ish) her moonsault to the floor but she has to stop and yell at Shayna. They head inside again where Nia hits a headbutt into a splash in the corner before taking Charlotte up top. Shayna offers another distraction though and Charlotte hits a super Natural Selection to retain at 8:42.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to think of this one but it’s nice to see Nia and Shayna seemingly being FINALLY ready to split. Charlotte and Nia teased another worked shoot deal here and while it wasn’t good, it was on a different planet than last week’s all time disaster. Charlotte gets away from Nia for now (in theory) and that’s the best thing for everyone involved.

Post match Alexa Bliss pops up on screen to invite Charlotte to come to the Playground. Lillie wants to try on one of the robes! Charlotte says no, with Alexa asking if Charlotte knows what it’s like to be stuck with a maniac. Bliss: “Of course you do. You’re a Flair.”. They’ll just bring the Playground to her, so here is Alexa, with Lillie, in the ring. Charlotte asks if Bliss wants a title match and says fine, but this is her playground.

Cedric Alexander vs. Ricochet

Feeling out process to start with Cedric going after the arm. That lasts for all of three seconds as Ricochet is back up to start flipping away. A cradle gives Ricochet two and it’s time to chop it out. Ricochet gets the better of things but they head to the apron where Alexander shoves him into the post.

We take a break and come back with Alexander kicking him between the shoulders for two. The chinlock goes on for a short while until Ricochet fights up with a kick to the head. A dropkick puts Alexander down and the springboard clothesline makes it worse. Alexander is back up with a Michinoku Driver for two of his own but Ricochet grabs a cradle for two more. Back up and Ricochet grabs a not perfect looking poisonrana into the Recoil for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. I don’t think it’s any surprise that these two are going to have a good match against each other, but it would be a surprise to see them getting to do something else. For the life of me I can’t imagine Ricochet wanting to stick around WWE at this rate and could you really blame him for wanting to leave? He is that talented and this is about as good as it gets for him. Maybe that changes in the future, but why would I really believe that is going to be the case?

From Raw.

Tag Team Turmoil

RKBro is watching at ringside and New Day is in at #1 and the Viking Raiders are in at #2. Kofi jumps over Ivar a few times to start and elbows him into the corner. Ivar sends him into the corner instead though and Erik drives Ivar into Kofi for the big crash. Back up and Kofi slips away, allowing the tag to Woods. That’s fine with Erik, who sends Woods flying with a suplex. Woods is back with a tornado DDT into a superkick, with Kofi adding a spinning kick to the head for two.

Erik sends Kofi outside but Woods blocks the knee and comes up with a discus forearm. Kofi comes back in and dives onto the Vikings on the floor, only to be caught and thrown into Woods as we take a break. Back with Kofi striking away at both Raiders and hitting the Boom Drop on Erik. Ivar comes back in for the springboard elbow/belly to back suplex combination for a near fall. A hurricanrana gets Kofi out of trouble though and it’s back to Woods…who is powerbombed by Erik. The top rope splash gets two but Kofi takes out Ivar, allowing Woods to small package Erik to advance at 10:06.

Jinder Mahal and Veer, with Shanky, are in at #3 and Woods hits a fast high crossbody for two on Mahal. Veer comes in to run Woods over but Kofi gets cut off by Shanky on the floor as we take a break. Back with Woods kicking Mahal away and Kofi coming in with a kick to the head. Everything breaks down and Daybreak gets rid of Mahal and Veer at 17:17 total.

Lucha House Party, with new music, is in at #4. The luchadors start fast and moonsault off the apron onto New Day on the floor. Metalik splashes Woods from Dorado’s shoulders and Dorado wins a chop off. Dorado goes up for a high crossbody but Woods seems to counter into a Codebreaker….I think.

Commentary doesn’t seem too sure either but Metalik cuts off the tag anyway. The tag goes through a few seconds later anyway though and Kofi comes in with the top rope splash to Metalik’s back. Woods comes back in and gets taken down again, with Dorado hitting a moonsault for two with Kofi making the save. Woods cuts Dorado off with a faceplant though and Kofi cuts off the save for the pin at 21:46.

Mace and T-Bar are in at #5 and we take another break. Back again with Woods fighting out of Mace’s chinlock but getting chopped back up against the ropes. A running knee in the corner sets up a nerve hold to keep Woods in trouble. T-Bar comes in with an elbow to the face and a chinlock of his own as this is grinding pretty badly. Woods kicks his way to freedom but T-Bar sends Kingston into the barricade to cut him off. That leaves T-Bar to load up Feast Your Eyes, which is countered into a rollup to give Woods the pin at 30:15.

Hold on though as the big beatdown is on from Mace and T-Bar until Mansoor and Mustafa Ali are in at #6. Mansoor goes after Mace and T-Bar out of sportsmanship while Ali stays on the floor and asks what he’s doing. Mace and T-Bar wreck Ali and Mansoor, which somehow isn’t a DQ because reasons.

Mace holds up the steps and Mansoor is sent into them as Graves says Mace and T-Bar can’t be disqualified. That’s not how DQ’s work but it’s not like consistency matters in WWE. Everyone is down and we take another break, coming back with….well the match is on hiatus actually, as Sonya Deville and Adam Page have ruled that they will continue after New Day and Mansoor/Ali have had a breather.

From Raw.

Tag Team Turmoil

RKBro is at ringside again. We’ll continue with New Day vs. Mansoor/Mustafa Ali as Ali low bridges Kofi to the floor to put New Day in trouble. Woods comes back with a dropkick to Ali’s back though and Kofi grabs a superplex (off of Mansoor’s back) on Ali to send him outside. Woods’ back is too banged up for a fireman’s carry so Mansoor wants to give him a break but Ali tags himself in and kicks away. Kofi is right back in for a high crossbody on Ali but going after Mansoor takes too much time. Ali gets in a superkick and goes up top, only to miss the 450. Trouble in Paradise into Woods’ top rope elbow finishes Ali at 4:18.

AJ Styles/Omos are in at #7 and we come back after a break with Woods being whipped into the corner to damage his back even more. Omos comes in to stand on Woods’ back and send him into the corner again. A running splash from behind crushes Woods again and Styles grabs the chinlock. Woods fights up and sends Styles outside before a double clothesline gives us a double breather. Omos knocks Kofi out of the air though and we take a break. Back with Kofi hitting Trouble in Paradise for two on AJ with Omos making the save. With Woods down, the Styles Clash finishes Kofi at 11:42.

Bobby Lashley and MVP are in at #8 to complete the field and it’s Lashley vs. AJ to get going. Lashley kicks him into the corner but AJ is back up with the Phenomenal Blitz into the Pele. Styles might have banged up his ankle though and it’s off to Omos to face Lashley. Omos wants the test of strength but has to pull his arms back in so Lashley can reach both hands.

The fans are WAY behind Lashley as he drives Omos into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Lashley can’t suplex him though and Omos picks him up for a delayed gordbuster. Lashley heads outside and starts yelling at Orton, allowing AJ to dive off of the announcers’ table onto both of them. Omos sends Riddle into the barricade and AJ takes out MVP. Back in and the Phenomenal Forearm misses Lashley, who spears AJ down for the pin and the title shot at 27:50 (2:28:27 total).

Rating: C+. That’s for both parts of the match as I try to figure out what I thought of the whole thing. It was certainly good with solid action and a nice story with New Day, but at the same time, it wasn’t like there were more than three teams with a real shot at winning. You knew it would be AJ/Omos, New Day or Lashley/MVP, and it wasn’t going to be New Day as soon as they started. What we got was good and I understand the break in the middle (a match that long is going to tank ratings in a hurry without one), but it was about a third of the show and that’s a long time on any one match.

Post match Omos gives Lashley the double chokeslam before leaving. Lashley gets up and it’s an RKO to leave Lashley laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It’s another Main Event and this time around they had a lot to cover from the previous shows. Even a clipped version of Tag Team Turmoil is better than nothing and it isn’t like there was anything else to to cover from the show. Hopefully we are going to get something a little more interesting on the way to Extreme Rules though, because this wasn’t all that great.

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Monday Night Raw – September 6, 2021: That Glaring Problem

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 6, 2021
Location: FTX Arena, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s time to start getting ready for Extreme Rules as the show is in less than three weeks. You can probably guess where a lot of the card is going and that should make things a bit easier. There is some stuff taking place tonight as well, in the form of a rematch between Charlotte and Nia Jax. You know, since the first one was such a smashing success. Let’s get to it.

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

New Day is ready for Tag Team Turmoil. They’ll win because New Day Rocks.

The Viking Raiders will raid the entire division tonight.

Mansoor is ready for Tag Team Turmoil but Mustafa Ali tells him to follow his lead.

Lucha House Party says it’s LUCHA TIME.

Mace and T-Bar say Tag Team Turmoil means six more victims.

Jinder Mahal and Veer are going to be the next champions.

AJ Styles and Mansoor can’t imagine Riddle (AJ: “Old Smoky Brain himself.”) being in charge of anything so they’re taking the titles back. Bring these things back regularly! It’s a ten second sound byte and you get to know the characters just a little bit. Why is that so much to ask for week to week?

Here is RKBro for a chat. After looking at a clip of the two of them retaining the titles over MVP and Bobby Lashley last week, Randy Orton says the win was due to Bobby Lashley being a greedy son of a b****. That’s behind them though, because it’s time to find out who they are facing next. Riddle goes over some of the teams, thinking they should borrow the look from various other teams. Orton looks like he is about to bite through is lip as Riddle suggests going on a raid and drinking ale, even though Orton looks like he has never had a carb in his life.

Cue MVP and Bobby Lashley to interrupt, with Lashley not being pleased with what Orton did to him last week. Lashley wants Orton one on one and he is interested because it has been 10-15 years ago since they fought. Orton is down, if that WWE Title is on the line. Lashley and MVP have a chat and the match is on for Extreme Rules.

That’s not all though, as Lashley and MVP are going to get into Tag Team Turmoil so Lashley can be a double champion. Cue New Day to say Lashley and MVP better hurry up because Tag Team Turmoil is starting right now. The odds are against them, but that was true a few weeks ago when Xavier Woods beat Lashley.

Tag Team Turmoil

Mace holds up the steps and Mace is sent into the steps as Graves says Mace and T-Bar can’t be disqualified. That’s not how DQ’s work but it’s not like consistency matters in WWE. Everyone is down and we take another break, coming back with….well the match is on hiatus actually, as Sonya Deville and Adam Page have ruled that they will continue after New Day and Mansoor/Ali have had a breather.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus

The winner gets a future US Title shot. Sheamus grabs a headlock takeover as Damian Priest is watching backstage. The forearms to the chest send McIntyre outside and Sheamus hits the top rope forearm to the head. Back in and McIntyre grabs a spinebuster for his own breather. McIntyre heads up top but Sheamus catches him with the top rope superplex and we take a break.

Back with McIntyre making a comeback and sending Sheamus into the corner, only to charge into a shot to the face. Sheamus pulls himself up top but gets belly to belly superplexed back down for two. McIntyre tries the Glasgow Kiss but hits Sheamus’ mask to knock himself silly. The Alabama Slam gives Sheamus two but he takes too long setting up the Brogue Kick (complete with McIntyre style countdown). The Futureshock gives McIntyre two and he sends Sheamus shoulder first into the post.

An armbreaker sends Sheamus to the ropes and the bad arm is snapped over the ropes. Sheamus is right back with a jumping knee to the face for his own very near fall. McIntyre grabs his own White Noise for two and they slug it out from their knees. McIntyre takes the mask off and kicks Sheamus down, setting up the Claymore, which is countered into a rollup with trunks to give Sheamus the pin at 14:49.

Rating: B. Two big guys beat on each other with one big spot after another for about fifteen minutes. That’s what you expect from a match like this and that’s what they gave you. Good match too, but would you expect anything else from them? Sheamus vs. Priest II should be fine, though it wouldn’t surprise me if McIntyre is added in to recreate last week’s triple threat.

Post match McIntyre hits Sheamus in the face with the mask and drops him with the Claymore.

Damian Priest is impressed by what we just saw because that was a fight. He’s going to enjoy Extreme Rules and he has Sheamus’ number. That means Sheamus is going to be hearing something new at Extreme Rules: “AND STILL United States Champion, Damian Priest.”

Nikki Ash is very happy about teaming with Rhea Ripley, who isn’t that enthusiastic. Ash thinks the team should be dubbed SUPER BRUTALITY and Ripley has to smile a bit.

Charlotte says she didn’t get splatted by Nia Jax last week so tonight she is going to beat Nia to retain the title. Not even the irresistible force can resist the Queen.

Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash vs. Tamina/Natalya

Champions Contenders match as I guess Shotzi and Nox’s title shot is on hold for the moment. Tamina powers Nikki around to start but Nikki is smart enough to take her down by the legs. Ripley comes in and ducks a swinging Nikki to kick Tamina in the face. The brawl is on but Natalya comes in. That’s fine with Ripley, who puts Nikki on her shoulders to swing into Natalya’s face.

Tamina sends Rhea into the steps though and we take a break. Back with Nikki kicking away from a Sharpshooter attempt and handing it back to Rhea for the clotheslines. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Ripley two and Nikki’s high crossbody gets the same with Tamina making the save. Natalya blasts Nikki with a discus lariat but Rhea makes the blind tag and hits Riptide for the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C-. I don’t care. The Women’s Tag Team Titles are the biggest joke in wrestling as Shotzi and Nox have beaten the champs THREE TIMES NOW but still can’t get a freaking title shot. I know WWE can’t keep their minds straight for more than two seconds because of the star power of TAMINA, but I’m sorry for not getting excited over another thrown together joke of a team who doesn’t see eye to eye but happens to win together getting a title shot. Maybe. One day. When WWE gets around to it. I mean, Natalya and Tamina haven’t defended their titles on TV since May 24, so I wouldn’t expect it soon.

Earlier today, Karrion Kross was on Moist TV. John Morrison asked what he was going to do next, with Kross saying he was going to make Morrison suffer. Morrison asks about going for various titles or opponents, with Kross saying that all sounds good. He’ll do all that, after he hurts Morrison tonight.

Karrion Kross vs. John Morrison

The Doomsday Saito drops Morrison to start but he gets to the ropes before the Krossjacket goes on. Morrison tries the Drip Stick and that does not seem wise. Kross backdrops him over the post for the crash and the Krossjacket knocks Morrison out at 2:00. Total destruction.

Video on Nia Jax.

Nia Jax doesn’t care about Charlotte and isn’t going to be bashed in the head with a crown this week.

Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Charlotte

We recap Reggie running away from R-Truth and Akira Tozawa over and over.

24/7 Title: Reggie vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa is challenging and Reggie is in street clothes. Reggie kicks him down and hits the running flipping seated senton to retain at 35 seconds.

Post match the usual gang of idiots comes in to go after the title so Reggie flip dives onto them and runs off. Drake Maverick cuts him off but R-Truth stops Maverick, allowing Reggie to run away again.

We recap Doudrop attacking Eva Marie in their non-match last week.

Doudrop liked beating up Eva last week and wants a rematch next week. The beating will be part of the Doudrop-alution.

Tag Team Turmoil

Post match Omos gives Lashley the double chokeslam before leaving. Lashley gets up and it’s an RKO to leave Lashley laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. The women killed this show and there is no way around it. You had the worthless Women’s Tag Team Titles, the Nia vs. Charlotte match, Bliss vs. Charlotte continuing and Doudrop vs. Eva Marie II being set up with only a two minute Karrion Kross squash to break things up. The wrestling was far from bad but the storytelling is so horrible that it is dragging down everything else.

As for the rest of the show, it ranged from good to quite good, with Sheamus and McIntyre having a hoss fight, Kross continuing his very slow and unlikely road to redemption, Reggie being crazy athletic and a really really really long gauntlet match. I like where some of the show is going and it is far from a disaster, but they need to blow up the women’s division and fast, because it is killing so much every week.

Results
Sheamus b. Drew McIntyre – Rollup with trunks
Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash b. Tamina/Natalya – Riptide to Natalya
Karrion Kross b. John Morrison – Krossjacket
Charlotte b. Nia Jax – Super Natural Selection
Reggie b. Akira Tozawa – Running flipping seated senton
MVP/Bobby Lashley won Tag Team Turmoil last eliminating AJ Styles/Omos

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Main Event – September 2, 2021: They’re Back

Main Event
Date: September 2, 2021
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

We’re out of the Summerslam fallout week and that means we are ready to get started on the road towards Extreme Rules. Some of the build began this week on Raw and odds are we’ll be seeing a lot more of that this week. As for the Main Event stuff, it’s probably time for more of the usual. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jeff Hardy vs. Cedric Alexander

They trade spinning of their jackets to start until Alexander drives him into the corner and shouts about what Jeff has. A headlock has Hardy in more trouble but he sends Alexander face first into all four buckles. An ax handle sets up a failed Twist of Fate attempt and Alexander heads outside.

Hardy misses a dive and bangs up his knee so Alexander can choke away back inside. Alexander takes him into the corner but Hardy headscissors his way to freedom. They slug it out until Hardy atomic drops him to set up the basement dropkick. The Twist of Fate is countered into a Michinoku Driver for two but now the Twist of Fate can connect. Hardy adds the Swanton for the pin at 6:12.

Rating: C+. Maybes it’s due to how lame Main Event matches can be a lot of the time but I had a nice time with this one. They are both veterans who can do some good things in the ring and that is what they did here, with Alexander looking good in defeat. Hardy is still valuable in a few places on the roster, and I would think there is a better spot available for him than this.

We look at Becky Lynch returning at Summerslam to win the Smackdown Women’s Title from Bianca Belair in about thirty seconds.

From Smackdown.

Here is Becky Lynch, with a jacket that makes her look like a matador, to say she is back on top. A year and a half ago, she had to give up her Raw Women’s Title in a hard moment. It was giving up her identity but she has been working every day since to get back here. Now we get to Summerslam, and the fans don’t seem to like that. She knows there have been some people unhappy with her, but she is sorry…..FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! The fans like that and Becky talks about how she needs to be prepared around here.

Cue Bianca Belair, who the fans seem to like as well. She isn’t about to make excuses because that isn’t who she is, but she isn’t cool with what happened at Summerslam. Belair issues the challenge for tonight but here is Zelina Vega to interrupt. She thinks it’s funny that Belair has fallen this far down and thinks she should get the title shot. Now it’s Carmella coming out to say she should face Lynch tonight. She didn’t have time to be prepared at Summerslam and didn’t even have her nails done.

Cue Liv Morgan (to a rather strong reaction) to ask why Carmella and Zelina should get title shots when they lose over and over. Carmella laughs at her for sitting in catering all the time but Belair isn’t having this. Belair: “All three of y’all done lost your d*** minds.” She challenges Becky again but gets a “nah, not tonight”. Lynch might be a heel, but no one seems to care. The brawl is on between the other four and I think you know where this is going.

Carmella vs. Zelina Vega vs. Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan

Joined in progress, elimination rules and the winner gets a future shot at Lynch. Belair shoulders Carmella in the ribs and then gorilla presses Vega, who doesn’t seem thrilled with going up. Vega avoids Morgan’s charge in the corner and hits a rolling kick to the face, only to get rolled up by Carmella for two. Belair comes back in and KOD’s Vega for the pin and the elimination at 3:02. Since Carmella and Morgan are both down on the floor, Belair has to throw Morgan back in, allowing Carmella to get in a cheap shot. That allows Morgan to hit Oblivion for the pin on Carmella at 3:57.

So we’re down to Belair vs. Morgan and we take a break. Back with Belair hitting the running shoulder in the corner but Morgan drop toeholds her into the corner. A spinebuster gives Belair two and she counters Oblivion into a delayed suplex….which is countered into a Codebreaker for Morgan’s two. The KOD is blocked so Belair drops her onto the turnbuckle. Now the KOD can finish Morgan off at 11:56.

Rating: C+. This was two matches rolled into one as the Carmella and Vega stuff was completely useless but it got a lot better when we got to the one on one part. They needed Morgan in there as beating Vega and Carmella means nothing for Belair, who needed the rebound win after Summerslam. Now they can build towards Extreme Rules and we should be in for a good road there.

We see the big revolving door of interrupts segment from Raw, with multiple matches being set up for later in the night.

From Raw.

Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. MVP/Bobby Lashley

RKBro is defending and AJ Styles, with Omos behind him, is on commentary. MVP drives Riddle into the corner to start but Riddle is right back with some shots to the face. That’s enough to put MVP on the floor, setting up the big springboard Floating Bro as we take a break. We come back with Lashley working Riddle over until a hot tag brings in Orton. The hanging DDT hits Lashley but MVP is still legal and gets in a cheap shot. It’s back to Riddle for a knee to Lashley, setting up the Floating Bro for two. Everything breaks down and AJ decks Lashley, only to have to deal with Omos. The distraction lets Riddle hit a jumping knee to MVP, setting up the Floating Bro to retain at 10:49.

Rating: B-. Now this was more like it with much more of an action packed match. They had a bunch of stuff happening throughout and the ending was the right call. There wasn’t much doubt about a possible title change, but at least they got in and did their thing with some time. Not a great match, but it was good enough to get the show out of a bit of trouble.

Post match Lashley goes after Riddle but walks into an RKO to end the show. Orton vs. Lashley could be interesting.

Lucha House Party vs. Mansoor/Mustafa Ali

Ali makes sure Mansoor doesn’t spend too much time high fiving fans on the way to the ring. Mansoor and Metalik trade early covers so it’s a double tag to bring in Ali and Dorado. A running hurricanrana and dropkick have Ali in trouble but Mansoor gets in the way of the double dives.

We take a break and come back with Dorado being sent over the top and over the announcers’ table in a heap. Ali grabs a suplex into a gutbuster for two and tells Mansoor to stomp on him. Dorado shoves Ali off the top though and a high crossbody drops him again. It’s back to Metalik to pick up the pace and his splash off of Dorado’s shoulders crushes Ali. A rollup with feet on the ropes gives Ali two, though Mansoor breaks up the cover by shoving said feet off of said ropes. The distraction lets Dorado hit the Golden Rewind but Mansoor tags himself in for the slingshot neckbreaker and the pin at 6:23.

Rating: C. I’m curious about where they’re going with Ali and Mansoor, as I can’t imagine them getting the Tag Team Titles anytime soon, but I’m also not sure I can see them being split up. Either way it is nice to have Ali doing something, even if this is likely leading to a big Mansoor moment in Saudi Arabia. Good enough match here, though it isn’t like the tag division has meant anything in forever.

We look at Roman Reigns beating John Cena at Summerslam but then Brock Lesnar returns to mess everything up.

From Smackdown.

Here is the Bloodline for the big family celebration. Roman Reigns takes his time listening to the fans booing him so Paul Heyman says the people have the chance to acknowledge him. In addition, you may cheer for the Usos as well! Heyman says we have seen enough of John Cena, who was beaten by Roman Reigns at Summerslam. Cue Finn Balor to say that a lot of people are talking about the Universal Title, but he was wanting to challenge for the title himself.

Balor doesn’t trust anyone around here though and he isn’t waiting around. Instead, he wants his title shot next week on Smackdown. There is no answer but Balor charges at the three of them to start the brawl. Cue the Street Profits to go after the Usos, setting up a bunch of house show matches around the horn. Balor hits the Coup de Grace on Jey as an annoyed Reigns watches from the stage to end the show. The challenge didn’t get an answer.

Overall Rating: C. That was quite the Main Event and I’m not sure what else I should have expected. They are firmly back into their formula around here and that is rather depressing. Main Event can be better, but this isn’t exactly something that makes me care about what is going on in WWE. Even the highlight packages aren’t all that great, but that has been the case for a long time now. Watchable show as usual, as long as you don’t want to be overly entertained.

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

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Main Event – August 26, 2021: They Can Do It

Main Event
Date: August 26, 2021
Location: Perchanga Arena, San Diego, California
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Summerslam and now it is time to get back to normal around here. Granted Main Event has been at normal for a long time now so maybe we can get a little change of pace, even if it does not last long. I’m not exactly thrilled by either option but such is life on this show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

They slap hands to start and Benjamin runs him over with a shoulder. Neither can hit their finisher early so Hardy sends him into four top turnbuckles in a row. Another Twist of Fate attempt is countered and Benjamin runs the corner for a knee to the face. We hit the reverse chinlock but Hardy fights up in a hurry and knocks Benjamin down for a breather. Hardy’s leg trap rollup gets two but Benjamin hits a powerslam for the same. The Twist of Fate is countered into a German suplex to give Benjamin two more but now the Twist connects. The Swanton finishes Benjamin at 5:22.

Rating: C+. Sometimes you need to have two skilled veterans go out there and do their thing, which is what you got here. The match was entertaining and hard hitting with both guys getting to do their thing for a few minutes. They aren’t going to get to do that on Raw every week, but at least they had their chance here, and it worked.

We look at Bobby Lashley retaining the WWE Title over Goldberg at Summerslam due to referee stoppage. Yeah it still doesn’t work.

From Raw.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley (in a snappy orange jacket) to get things going. After another recap of Goldberg vs. Lashley, because Raw needs more montages than a Rocky movie, MVP says he’d like to explain what happened on Sunday at Summerslam. We all know about Goldberg’s extraordinary history but not so much about his recently unextraordinary history.

What we didn’t know was that his son would be at Summerslam. Maybe he needed a good luck charm or something but Goldberg did score a couple of two counts. Either way, Lashley beat up Goldberg and won by referee stoppage. Goldberg quit like a coward and Lashley would have done that to anyone, including everyone here in San Diego. Lashley doesn’t owe Goldberg or his son an apology but here is Damian Priest to interrupt.

Priest doesn’t care about Lashley and MVP calling people a coward. Well Priest isn’t jumping him from behind and the challenge is on for tonight. Lashley seems interested but MVP tries to talk him out of it. Priest suggests that Lashley is the coward for not saying yes and the fight is on. A big boot sends Lashley outside so MVP says the match is on.

Damian Priest vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title and Lashley starts fast with the shoulders in the corner. A running shot to the face in the corner rocks Priest again but he makes the comeback….and here is Sheamus to jump him for the DQ at 1:28.

Post match the beatdown is on but Drew McIntyre runs in for the big brawl. A suplex puts Lashley onto the announcers’ table and I think we have a Teddy Long special.

Damian Priest/Damian Priest vs. Bobby Lashley/Sheamus

Joined in progress with McIntyre hammering on Sheamus until he gets taken into the wrong corner. Lashley comes in for a hard whip into the corner but McIntyre comes out with a clothesline. A shot to the throat cuts McIntyre off but he gets over for the tag to Priest anyway. Lashley takes him outside in a hurry and it’s a hard ram into the post. Back from a break with Priest fighting out of Sheamus’ chinlock but Lashley comes in for a head and arm choke.

That’s enough to drag Priest back into the corner for the tag back to Sheamus as the beating continues. Priest elbows his way to freedom though and the hot tag brings in McIntyre to clean house. The numbers game lets Lashley knock McIntyre down but the missed charge in the post puts Lashley in more trouble. Sheamus comes back in and catches McIntyre on top for a super White Noise and a near fall. Priest comes back in to clean house with the variety of kicks but Priest knees him in the face as Lashley walks out. McIntyre comes back in and Claymores Sheamus for the pin at 14:00.

Rating: C+. Nice power tag match here but I’m more curious about where this is heading for Lashley. They aren’t going to do another match with Goldberg at Extreme Rules, but a four way hoss fight between these four could be an interesting way to go. At least Priest didn’t lose in his first match as champion either.

Next week on Raw: Sheamus vs. Bobby Lashley.

Stills of Summerslam.

Money in the Bank is coming to Allegiant Stadium over next 4th of July weekend.

From Raw.

Here is Charlotte for her championship speech. She told us it would happen and now she has her twelfth title. There is no one as talented as she is and she is going to hold this title as long as she wants. She doesn’t need friends, family or the WWE Universe because she only needs the title.

That’s enough for some pyro to go off and Charlotte talks about how great she looked in the mirror this morning. She knows how amazing she is and she is here because she is starting the new Women’s Evolution (there’s a Stephanie McMahon joke in there somewhere). Long live the Queen.

Alexa Bliss interrupting Charlotte is left out.

We look at Becky Lynch returning at Summerslam and beating Bianca Belair to win the Smackdown Women’s Title.

Viking Raiders vs. Lucha House Party

Haven’t seen the Raiders in a bit. Lince rolls away from Erik and hammers away to start so Erik runs him over with a shoulder. Ivar comes in for a shot to the face and a pair of knees gives Erik two. A backbreaker into a gutbuster looks to set up a powerbomb but Dorado hurricanranas his way to freedom. Everything breaks down and the Vikings toss Lince at Metalik to knock the latter outside.

Ivar gets slammed onto Metalik and we take a break. Back with Dorado hitting the Golden Rewind and handing it back to Metalik to pick up the pace. A running headscissors puts Erik on the floor for the big dive, followed by a splash off of Dorado’s shoulders back inside. Dorado adds a moonsault for two but it’s back to Ivar to clean house. This doesn’t take long as the Viking Experience finishes Metalik (ignore Erik not being legal) at 9:03.

Rating: C+. This was more like it as there is something to be said about having the Vikings beat the fire out of a pair of smaller guys. The House Party was doing their thing as well though and it made for a pretty nice match. Certainly better than what you usually get around here and I could go for the Raiders getting another push on Raw. It’s not like the division has any depth to speak of at the moment.

We look at RKBro winning the Raw Tag Team Titles.

Elias is still dead.

From Raw.

Here is Riddle for the RKBro title celebration, complete with balloons and a red mat. Randy Orton comes out, looking rather annoyed. After a bunch of pyro and a special introduction as champions, Riddle has a present for Orton: his own scooter, complete with his name and tassels! Cue AJ Styles and Omos, with AJ calling this stupid and promising to beat Riddle right here, right now. Riddle admits that he lost last week but that was before he had Orton in his corner. Riddle promises to win with the three most dangerous letters in wrestling: RKBRO! Orton looks like he has a headache.

Post break, we have a few recaps, including announcements of Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus, Doudrop vs. Eva Marie and John Morrison vs. Miz for next week.

Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Omos and Randy Orton are here too. Styles charges straight at him and they go to the mat for the technical off. That’s broken up and Riddle looks just fine with the whole thing. Riddle kicks him to the apron and then out to the floor but the springboard is broken up. AJ still can’t get anything going as Riddle rolls some gutwrench suplexes for two. A sunset flip can’t set up the Styles Clash so Riddle hurricanranas him over the top for the big crash to the floor instead.

We take a break and come back with Riddle kicking him in the head, setting up the Broton for two. The bridging German suplex gets the same but Riddle is favoring his hamstring. AJ is back with the middle rope moonsault into the reverse DDT for two of his own. The Phenomenal Forearm is broken up but AJ gets him into the Calk Crusher on the bad leg. That’s reversed into the BroMission but AJ flips back for another near fall.

Riddle goes up but another Omos distraction breaks it up (just like last week). This time Orton goes after Omos, earning himself a toss into the barricade. A Burning Hammer gives AJ two as Orton unloads on Omos with the scooter. The distraction lets Riddle hit a jumping knee and the Bro Derek for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: C+. The talent lone in this one is going to make it work but Orton getting in there and helping Riddle out made things that much better (especially with the scooter). Riddle gaining energy from Orton makes for such a great story and I’ve liked the whole thing. It was a good main event and probably the best match on the show, which shouldn’t be that surprising.

Post match RKBro poses and AJ gets the RKO to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They covered some of the good stuff, they avoided most of the bad and the two original matches both delivered. That’s how Main Event can work, though it happens so infrequently that it is easy to forget. What we got here was a fine usage of about 45 minutes as WWE has a lot of places to go now that Summerslam is over.

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

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Main Event – July 1, 2021: Keep Spinning The Wheel

Main Event
Date: July 1, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

This show was turned upside down last week as it was all about NXT, which is not something you see happen around here. I’m curious to see what they have this week, but it would not surprise me to see quite the downgrade this time around. Then again, the surprises have been coming a lot faster around here and it might be the case again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Veer vs. Drew Gulak

Shanky and Jinder Mahal are here with Veer. Gulak gets powered into the corner to start and seems a bit worried here. An armbar doesn’t get very far on Veer, who shrugs off a kick to the leg and punches him down. The sidewalk slam does it again but Veer misses a running boot in the corner. The nerve hold doesn’t last long so Veer goes with a neck crank instead. Back up and Gulak starts kicking at the leg, setting up a leglock to keep Veer down. That’s broken up as well so Veer slams him down, setting up a jumping elbow for two. Three straight corner splashes set up a baseball style clothesline to finish Gulak at 5:02.

Rating: C-. The match was a David vs. Goliath style but you are only going to get so far under these circumstances. Veer isn’t ready to carry a match on his own and Gulak isn’t going to win anything big. That makes Gulak’s control feel a bit like filler, though at least the match stayed short enough.

Quick look back at Roman Reigns destroying Rey Mysterio inside the Cell.

From Smackdown.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for the State Of The Universal Title Address. We see a video on Reigns beating Rey Mysterio in the Cell, plus Reigns beating up Dominik for a bonus. Heyman talks about all of the people that Reigns has beaten up, including the Fiend, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, Edge, Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio. Reigns has cleaned out the division, so now he needs to make an announcement.

Before he can speak, cue the returning Edge to jump Reigns and the fight is on, with Edge knocking Reigns outside. A clothesline off the apron lets Edge send Reigns face first into the announcers’ table over and over. Back in and Reigns hits a Superman Punch to cut Edge off. Reigns goes for a chair but walks into a spear.

Edge loads up the Conchairto but here is Jimmy Uso to cut him off. That earns Jimmy a spear through the barricade as Reigns and Heyman escape. Edge: “WHERE YOU AT ROMAN???” On the stage dude. Just turn to the right. Posing ends the show. This works well as Edge didn’t get his big singles match, so he’ll do fine for the Money in the Bank challenger. Like Heyman said, who else is there?

Video on Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston, including Lashley wrecking Xavier Woods inside the Cell.

From Raw.

Here is Kofi Kingston for a chat. Last week, his best friend Xavier Woods was locked in the Cell with Bobby Lashley and put in everything he had, like he always does. Woods showed he can hang at that level and he should get the respect he deserves. Kofi was forced to watch Woods in the Hurt Lock from outside the Cell and now it is time for some revenge.

Cue MVP, with Lashley’s women, to laugh off the idea that Kingston is going to be able to beat Lashley. Kingston thinks Lashley is going soft though, and that is coming from a unicorn wearing, pancake tossing hip swiveler. MVP had to save Lashley from losing the title a few weeks back and Kingston knows he can win. Every week, a layer is stripped away from Lashley and by the time we get to Money in the Bank, Lashley might look like MVP.

Kingston talks about never taking time off as WWE Champion, including taking the title to his hometown in Ghana to show that anything is possible. MVP has Lashley on vacation and taking days off and someone is going to take the title from him. That is going to be Kingston at Money in the Bank. MVP thinks Kingston did all that stuff to feed his own ego and is sounding as confident as Woods did last week.

Kingston says Woods is going to be back next week and thinks MVP has been milking his knee injury for the better part of six months. MVP says he isn’t cleared for combat or else he would take Kingston down. That’s enough for Kingston to go to the floor and, after ducking a cane shot, hit Trouble In Paradise. That’s a bit aggressive over someone not medically cleared.

Lucha House Party vs. Mace/T-Bar

Gran Metalik starts against T-Bar, including being sent to the apron so he can kick T-Bar in the head. The high crossbody is pulled out of the air so Metalik settles for the running hurricanrana instead. The reverse Sling Blade allows Lince Dorado to come in for a headscissors but T-Bar takes him into the corner for the tag to Mace. That’s fine with Dorado, who knocks him away and hits a top rope clothesline. The House Party clears the ring and poses as we take a break.

Back with Mace ramming Dorado’s head into the mat So T-Bar can slaps on the front facelock. Dorado gets rammed face first into the mat, allowing Mace to drop a middle rope elbow. A quick shot to the face staggers Mace though and a middle rope crossbody puts him down. It’s off to Metalik to pick up the pace and Mace is taken down again. A moonsault misses though and Mace grabs a Boss Man Slam for two, with Metalik making the save. Everything breaks down with T-Bar and being sent outside, leaving Mace to catch Metalik with a sitout chokebomb for the pin at 8:56.

Rating: C. Much like the opener, this was about a normal sized team against a pair of monsters. This time around though, you had some more talented small guys who could make Mace and T-Bar look a bit better. T-Bar shouldn’t need that as much, but the monsters just aren’t that good. I’m not sure why, but they should be a layup and instead are barely scraping by here.

We recap Riddle winning the battle royal to earn a shot at a Money in the Bank spot for Randy Orton.

From Raw.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Omos is here with Styles and if Riddle wins, Randy Orton gets the spot. McIntyre starts fast with the overhead belly to belly suplexes, followed by the crazy high backdrop to Styles. It’s too early for the Claymore so they go outside, where McIntyre loads up a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table. Riddle dives out of the air to break that up but Styles posts both of them to take over. Styles and Riddle fight to suplex the other through the announcers’ table until Riddle settles for one on the floor.

Back up and an enziguri drops McIntyre, allowing Riddle and Styles to slam him through the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Styles working on Riddle’s leg but wisely going outside to stomp on the still down McIntyre. Back in and a half crab has Riddle in trouble, with Styles being smart enough to keep it on when Riddle makes the rope. A brainbuster gives AJ two but Riddle is back up with a hanging DDT. The RKO is loaded up but AJ is back with something close to a Burning Hammer for two.

McIntyre is back in though and gets rid of AJ, setting up the reverse Alabama Slam to Riddle. The Claymore misses though and Riddle dumps McIntyre out to the floor. Riddle is back up with a penalty kick to each of them and the springboard Floating Bro hits both of them for a big crash. Some kicks to the chest have Styles and McIntyre down again but Styles sends a kick into the steps.

Riddle thinks his (bare) foot is broken so it’s time for some medics to take him out. We come back from another break with Riddle gone and McIntyre possibly tweaking his knee. A neckbreaker takes Styles down but he slips out of a superplex attempt. The fireman’s carry neckbreaker gets two, as does a Michinoku Driver to Styles.

A quick Calf Crusher has McIntyre in trouble but here is Riddle with a taped up ankle for the Bromission to break things up. AJ goes for the ankle for the save but McIntyre is back up. An enziguri, with the bad foot, drops McIntyre to the floor and Riddle jumping knees AJ out of the air. The RKO hits Styles but Omos pulls him out at two. The Claymore gives McIntyre the pin on Riddle at 26:41.

Rating: B-. This was really long and the ending was a bit disappointing, but at least they had some solid action to fill in a large chunk of the show. Riddle fighting for his best friend is a good story and I could go for more of that in the future, though I don’t think Orton is going to be overly happy with his partner taking the fall. Good main event overall, but they could have chopped it down a bit.

Overall Rating: C. You had some decent original wrestling but this was all about the big main event. This week’s show was certainly a return to form as there was nothing to suggest that the match had such a different episode last week. Money in the Bank needs to come and go already, if nothing else so we can have fans back. They need to add in what they can, but WWE needs to give them something to cheer about and I don’t think this was it.

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

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Monday Night Raw – July 5, 2021: Try, And Not Again

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 5, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We have two Raw’s left before both the return of fans and Money in the Bank, meaning that it is time to start kicking things into a higher gear. WWE needs some momentum on their way back into normal and I’m not sure if they know how to do that at the moment. We are also likely getting some more hard pushes towards the ladder matches so let’s get to it.

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

We open with MizTV with Miz and John Morrison in the ring. Miz’s guests this week will be the four entrants in the men’s Money in the Bank match, starting with Morrison as you might expect. Morrison says it is time for the Aquaholics to get soaked as he becomes Senor Dinero En El Banco. This brings out Drew McIntyre to say he has been fighting back to the title since Miz cashed in Money in the Bank. McIntyre recaps the Money in the Bank concept and since the show is in Texas, it is time for McIntyre’s History Lesson. This week is about the Alamo, because he is a distant relative of Davy Crockett. Morrison: “……REALLY???”

McIntyre hopes that Morrison is wet for Money in the Bank, because McIntyre is sticking Morrison’s head inside Miz. Morrison says you can kick the ocean and all you’ll get is wet, but here is Ricochet to cut them off. Miz calls Ricochet rude and reckless and we see a clip of Ricochet’s huge dive last week. Ricochet promises to do whatever it takes to win but here is Riddle to interrupt this time.

With his foot taped up, Riddle climbs the ladder because this is the Money in the Bank edition. Riddle: “I’m really high.” He failed last week so now he is dedicating his Money in the Bank performance to Randy Orton. That’s too far for Miz, who wants to know why Orton hasn’t kicked Riddle’s head in yet. Riddle: “Because we’re best buds!” McIntyre can respect that but Miz wants Jinder Mahal to take McIntyre apart tonight. Cue AJ Styles and Omos to say last week’s triple threat shouldn’t have happened because Orton was out. But no, instead of Styles vs. McIntyre, it was a triple threat where he wasn’t pinned.

Riddle thinks AJ is really annoyed down there, hopping around like a little rabbit all nimbly bimbly like (Ricochet can barely hold it in on that one). That’s enough for Omos to shove the ladder, and Riddle, over for a crash onto the bad foot. The ladder is thrown out and it’s a big circle staredown. AJ kicks Riddle in the leg and the brawl is on with Ricochet throwing Morrison out. Omos gets clotheslined outside by McIntyre and Ricochet hits a triangle dropkick to put Morrison down again. This was your standard, long, everyone come in and chat about the match before fighting segment and it wasn’t very good.

Ricochet vs. John Morrison

Ricochet has even made this one personal by BREAKING THE DRIP STICK. Morrison gets sent into the corner to start and there’s a running clothesline to put him down. We hit the reverse chinlock with a knee in Morrison’s back but Morrison reverses into a chinlock of his own. This is so thrilling that we look at Ricochet’s big dive last week until Morrison hits a flipping neckbreaker for two. The chinlock goes on again but Ricochet fights up and sends is sent outside, with Ricochet sliding back after him.

Ricochet has to jump over Miz (in his wheelchair), only to have his hurricanrana countered into a powerbomb against the apron. We take a break and come back with Ricochet hitting a faceplant but walking into a Spanish Fly. A crucifix gives Ricochet two but he gets caught in the ropes. Morrison misses a slingshot elbow and Ricochet hits a running crossbody to take Morrison down HARD to the floor. Morrison rolls back in but Miz wheels in front of Ricochet so he can’t beat the count at 12:13.

Rating: C+. Yeah it was another countout ending but they certainly had a creative way to get there. Miz interfering to help Morrison at least helps up set that prospect for Money in the Bank, though I wouldn’t trust those two to be smart enough to make a cheese sandwich. Ricochet is only going to be in the match for the high spots, but that’s better than slumming on Main Event.

Jinder Mahal arrives on a motorcycle and talks about how he and Drew McIntyre were friends once. McIntyre was there with him when he bought this motorcycle to celebrate a WWE Championship victory. The other day, Mahal sent McIntyre a text asking if he wanted to go riding for old times’ sake. McIntyre took THREE DAYS to reply, saying he was “2 busy”. And yes he used the number 2! Tonight, Mahal is proving that he was always the better man.

Reginald comes up to Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, saying Alexa Bliss is behind them. Bliss is nowhere to be seen, so Baszler yells at him for being a mostly grown man scared of shadows. The three walk off and of course Bliss is there now.

We look back at MVP and Kofi Kingston’s argument last week.

Last week, Nikki Ash (just go with it) pinned Shayna Baszler thanks to an Alexa Bliss distraction.

Asuka and Naomi are happy to be part of a team with Nikki Ash, but she insists that she isn’t a hero. Now she has a chance to win Money in the Bank, though the other two aren’t so thrilled with the idea. Nikki runs off for her match when Alexa Bliss comes in to say Naomi and Asuka should lower their expectations for Money In The Bank.

Nikki Cross/Alexa Bliss/Asuka/Naomi vs. Eva Marie/Doudrop/Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax

Oh boy. First of all, it has gone from Nikki Cross to Nikki ASH to Almost A Superhero Nikki Cross. Second, this could be an all time train wreck. Reginald is here too because you just need nine people here for a match. Doudrop and Naomi start but Eva tags herself in and actually drives Naomi into the corner. A single forearm sends Naomi into the corner and it’s already back to Doudrop. Naomi kicks Doudrop to the floor and hits the dive onto everyone else.

The parade of dives is on until Eva is left alone in the ring. Bliss comes in and screams her to the floor as we take a break. Back with Bliss forearming Doudrop but getting headbutted down for her efforts. Jax comes in to hammer on Asuka and it’s off to Baszler to work on the leg. That doesn’t last long so Bliss channels Reginald, with Baszler breaking things up. Eva comes in, ducks a kick from Asuka, and hands it back to Baszler again. Everything breaks down with Nikki’s top rope splash connecting for two, only to have Jax (Nikki Jax according to Smith) Samoan drop her for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: D-. There were botches, there were timing issues, there were too many people involved at once and none of them were interesting, plus Cross loses so NIA JAX can get some momentum? This division is in a complete nose dive and feels so silly most of the time these days. It’s turning into the Divas Era where most of the women are either goofy or horrible in the ring and that’s a scary thought. It’s also very disappointing, though I really don’t think WWE cares.

MVP isn’t sure how Kevin Patrick keeps getting into his dressing room but promises to take out New Day tonight. Bobby Lashley promises to do the same.

Mustafa Ali vs. Mansoor

Ali takes him down with an armbar to start, including some trash talk, but Mansoor is right back up. A spinebuster out of the corner gives Mansoor two and he whips Ali into the ropes, with Ali’s foot getting tied up. Mansoor helps him out….and gets rolled up for the fast pin at 2:54. Ali: “I TOLD YOU! THE HIGH ROAD WILL ONLY GET YOU SO FAR!!!”

Drew McIntyre explains that his sword is made from the Loch Ness Monster’s tooth and a great story talks about how a warrior will use it….to beat Jinder Mahal and go on to Money in the Bank in Fort Worth, Texas.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal

Veer and Shanky are here with Mahal. McIntyre drives him into the corner to start and hits a running shoulder to drop Mahal. Another shoulder does it again and McIntyre runs him over a third time, setting up a release overhead belly to belly to the floor. The goons offer a distraction though and Mahal drops McIntyre onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Mahal holding a chinlock but McIntyre is right back up with another suplex. There’s a nip up into a 3MB reference and Futureshock plants Mahal again. The Claymore is loaded up so Veer and Shanky come in for the DQ at 10:13.

Rating: D+. Yep, he’s still Mahal and he has some enhanced Singh Twins. That’s not a good sign for what we’re going to be seeing in the future but WWE loves Mahal and we’re getting him no matter what. I hope this isn’t the start of some kind of a story but it feels like exactly what we’re getting.

Post match the beatdown is on….and Mahal steals McIntyre’s sword because this is continuing.

New Day is ready to fight Bobby Lashley and MVP because they are not going to stay down. What matters is getting to Money in the Bank and seeing the fans’ pleasure at watching Kofi Kingston becoming WWE Champion. Kingston channels Kevin Garnett by shouting ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE and says after Money in the Bank, MVP and Lashley can take some vacations because they won’t have those championship responsibilities.

Mace/T-Bar vs. Lucha House Party

Lince Dorado is in a Kane inspired mask. Dorado hammers on T-Bar to start and snaps off a running hurricanrana. T-Bar catches a high crossbody without much trouble though and Dorado is sent outside. Mace sends him into the announcers’ table, setting up a heck of a big boot from T-Bar back inside. Gran Metalik saves Dorado from High Justice though and hits a step up dive to drop T-Bar on the floor. Back in and a hurricanrana finishes Mace at 3:35.

Rating: D+. What even is this show anymore? I’m not sure what WWE thinks of Mace and T-Bar, but losing to Lucha House Party is not a good sign for their future. This was another short and not awful match, but it does not exactly seem like something that is going to be leading anywhere.

Riddle checks on his foot but Damian Priest interrupts. Priest is worried about Riddle’s foot but Riddle says he has fallen off higher things than that. One time he dive off a roof and broke his foot diving into a pool. Priest: “That’s rough. Not sure what it has to do with tonight.” Riddle isn’t done though because he did it again the next year and landed in the deep end. He isn’t scared of ladders and he’ll win tonight. For Randy Orton.

AJ Styles vs. Riddle

Omos is here with Styles, who goes straight for Riddle’s injured foot. An armbar attempt sends Styles bailing to the ropes so he takes the foot out all over again. Cranking ensues but Riddle is back up, meaning it’s another shot to the foot to take him back down. Riddle hits a jumping kick to the chest and hammers Styles down in the corner for a bit of a surprise. A gutwrench suplex drops Styles again but Omos sweeps the leg to take over.

We take a break and come back with Styles grabbing an ankle lock. The Calf Crusher is broken up though and Riddle blasts him with a knee. The Broton gives Riddle two but Styles is back up with something like a reverse Death Valley Driver for two. Then the Viking Raiders pop up to distract Omos and Styles, allowing Riddle to grab a rollup for the pin at 13:01 (though Styles’ shoulder was very close to being up in time).

Rating: C. This match had the most potential of anything announced tonight and this is the best they can do? I get that it’s just a Money in the Bank momentum match, but the ending felt like it was stapled on, which was about as good as you would expect. They were rolling until then but the legs being cut off like that didn’t help things.

Here is Charlotte, on a crutch after getting chop blocked by Rhea Ripley last week. She talks about the NBA Playoffs being ruined because of all of the injuries, and now she might miss Money in the Bank. Ripley must be scared because she is trying to hurt hurt in advance and that is exactly what Charlotte would do. Cue Ripley with a crutch of her own (Charlotte: “You’re taking my entrance too?”) and it’s time for a crutch fight. Charlotte knocks Rhea’s away but Ripley gets it back and sends Charlotte running (with the knee looking fine). I guess that counts as Ripley outsmarting her?

Cedric Alexander/Elias vs. Jaxson Ryker/R-Truth

Hold on though as 24/7 Champion Akira Tozawa runs into the ring so Truth can roll him up for two, with the usual gang of imbeciles chasing after him. Truth joins the chase and that means a handicap match. Ryker throws Alexander around to start and it’s off to Elias…..who runs off. The swinging Boss Man Slam finishes Cedric at 1:03.

Bobby Lashley is warming up.

Next week: Ricochet vs. John Morrison falls count anywhere and Sheamus defends the US Title against Humberto Carrillo.

In two weeks: the Viking Raiders get their Tag Team Title shot against AJ Styles and Omos.

New Day vs. MVP/Bobby Lashley

MVP works on Xavier Woods’ arm to start and then powers him down without much effort. Woods goes after MVP’s recently healed knee though and hammers away on the mat. Kofi Kingston comes in off the top with a shot to the knee and then slaps on a hammerlock. That doesn’t last long so Lashley comes in to unload on Kingston in the corner.

A neckbreaker gives Lashley two but Kingston slips power of a powerslam and kicks him in the face. Lashley isn’t having that and pounds Kingston down in the corner, allowing MVP to come back in for some right hands of his own. Kingston knees his way out of a delayed vertical suplex though and it’s into the corner for a short form Unicorn Stampede.

New Day sends them outside for the big dives and we take a break. Back with Lashley snapping off a suplex to Woods, setting up an armbar. MVP comes in to work on the arm as well but Woods shoves him away without much effort. If’s back to Kofi to clean house, including a Ballin Boom Drop to MVP. Everything breaks down with Lashley being knocked outside, allowing Trouble in Paradise to finish MVP at 14:36.

Rating: C-. This felt like a house show main event and I believe it is the match that was advertised for the house show main event when things come back later this month. The match itself was a fine way to get Kingston ready for the title match, but it wasn’t exactly something that got my interest up very high.

Overall Rating: D-. The opener was pretty good, AJ vs. Riddle was ok and the main event was acceptable. The rest of the show on the other hand was what happens when Raw does not try. WWE has made it clear that NOTHING matters until they get the fans back next week, which made this show feel even more pointless than usual. As bad as this was, that has me terrified for next week, which could be an even bigger chore to sit through.

I can handle bad shows and bad ideas, but the worst thing is when it feels like no one cares. That is what we had here, and it made for one of the worst shows I have sat through in a good while. Outside of the eight woman tag, nothing was overly terrible, but it felt like a show where most of the stories and segments were there because they had to be, and that is an awful feeling.

All night long, the message this show went was that what you’re watching doesn’t matter and keep waiting until next week. That’s fine in theory, but based on this show, I have no reason to believe that anything is going to be getting better in the near future. WWE, at least Raw, is just so bad right now and there is nothing to suggest that it is improving. What on here is supposed to make me want to keep watching? The scary part is I think WWE believes everything is supposed to, and that isn’t going to improve things.

Results
John Morrison b. Ricochet via countout
Nia Jax/Eva Marie/Shayna Baszler/Doudrop b. Nikki Cross/Asuka/Naomi/Alexa Bliss – Samoan drop to Cross
Mustafa Ali b. Mansoor – Rollup
Drew McIntyre b. Jinder Mahal via DQ when Veer and Shanky interfered
Lucha House Party b. Mace/T-Bar – Hurricanrana to Mace
Riddle b. AJ Styles
Jaxson Ryker/R-Truth b. Elias/Cedric Alexander – Swinging Boss Man Slam to Alexander
New Day b. MVP/Bobby Lashley – Trouble in Paradise to MVP

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

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Main Event – June 17, 2021: He Keeps Doing Things

Main Event
Date: June 17, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick

We’re coming up on the Cell and that means things are likely going to be focusing on the pay per view. As is becoming the norm around here, you can’t really guess what you might be seeing and that is a welcome change after the years of monotony. Maybe we might even get something interesting this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mace/T-Bar vs. Lucha House Party

Mace throws Gran Metalik down to start as commentary points out the difference in size. Lince Dorado comes in with a middle rope hurricanrana and a double dropkick puts Mace in the corner. T-Bar isn’t having that and pulls Dorado to the floor for a clothesline. Back in and Dorado manages a faceplant on Mace but T-Bar takes out Metalik to avoid a hot tag. The alternating stomping ensues in the corner but Dorado manages to slip away and make the hot tag to Metalik. Everything breaks down and it’s Feast Your Eyes to finish Dorado at 5:18.

Rating: C-. This could have been worse, but it’s also the kind of match that Mace and T-Bar need. They could be a good power team and putting them in there against guys who can bounce off of them is a smart move. T-Bar has shown he can hang with anyone but Mace still needs a good bit of work. Maybe they can get better with time though, as the potential is there.

We recap the Usos failing to win the Smackdown Tag Team Titles and Roman Reigns intervening, which translates to smashing the Mysterios like they’re something easily smashable.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Jimmy Uso for a chat. Jimmy recaps last week and wants to know why Reigns cost them their second title shot. Maybe Reigns is jealous, because the Usos could be the champs and have some gold of their own. Jey isn’t Reigns’ brother and Jimmy is his brother’s keeper. Tonight, he’s doing something about it.

In the back, Reigns isn’t happy. Reigns to Jey: “He’s not my brother. He doesn’t look just like me. He’s not my twin. Ain’t no one going to confuse me for him.” Jey goes to take care of things.

Post break, Jimmy talks to Jey and asks if he thinks they could have won last week. Jey reluctantly says he thinks they could have been the champs, sending Jimmy into a rant about how this can’t keep happening. They’re twins and Reigns is the one disgracing the family. Jey says his loyalty is with Reigns because Jimmy was out for a year. Now Jey is stuck in the middle with no way out.

From Smackdown.

Roman Reigns and Jey Uso come in to see Jimmy Uso (with Jey standing in the middle for a perfect visual). Reigns holds up the Universal Title and asks what Jimmy is thinking. Jimmy goes on about how he doesn’t care about the title, saying that Reigns has been doing this since they were all kids. Jimmy knows that Reigns is going to the Hall of Fame one day, but he’s going in as a spoiled b****.

Reigns starts talking to Jey about what Jimmy is doing, but Jimmy says Reigns is doing the same thing. Jey says he’s tired of both of them and walks out. Jimmy is ready to fight but Reigns says they aren’t kids anymore. This is their family business and Jimmy needs to start using his head.

Reigns should be able to depend on Jimmy because it is all of them and continue to be the best every single week. That is all he has ever known: being the best. It’s time for Jimmy to make this right with him and his family. Jimmy leaves and Reigns looks serious. Reigns was VERY fired up here and sounded a bit like the Rock when he started talking fast.

From Smackdown.

Here is Rey Mysterio to call out Roman Reigns so here he comes (with Paul Heyman of course). Rey gets straight to the point by acknowledging Reigns as the rat that he is for putting his hands on Rey’s son. He wants to fight Reigns and he wants it inside the Cell. Reigns acknowledges him…and Rey whips out a surprise kendo stick to hammer him down. That’s broken up but here’s Dominik with a stick of his own to break up the spear. You don’t do that to Reigns, who POWERBOMBS Dominik over the top in a great visual (though you don’t see the landing). Rey dives onto Dominik to end the show on fire.

From Raw.

Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

This is Bliss’ first regular Raw match since February. Bliss kicks away to start and chokes away in the corner. After a creepy spider walk, Bliss avoids a running kick in the corner and hammers away. Jax runs her over for a change and we hit the chinlock. Back up and a running clothesline takes Bliss down but she sits up to avoid the legdrop. That means a glare into the camera and a kick to Jax’s head. Cue Reginald for a distraction but Bliss dropkicks Jax’s knees out instead. A short DDT sets up Twisted Bliss but Reginald comes in for the DQ at 3:57.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to make of this as Bliss has been successful, but there is a certain level of disbelief you have to reach to accept her cutting Jax down like this. The ending didn’t help as it involved Reginald, but Bliss being back in the ring is not the worst thing. Now her being a mini Undertaker/Fiend hybrid…..egads man.

Post match Bliss glares at Reginald and, with the force of a thousand camera cuts…..Bliss just walks away when Nia gets up.

Ricochet vs. Drew Gulak

They fight over wrist control to start with Ricochet getting the better of things. A kick to the face gives Ricochet two but Gulak sends him hard to the floor. We take a break and come back with Ricochet fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught in a gutwrench suplex for two. Gulak starts in on the leg and smacks Ricochet in the back of the head while calling him a good guy.

The armbar goes on again but Ricochet kicks him down. A middle rope crossbody gives Ricochet a breather and Gulak charges into an elbow. Gulak is fine enough for something close to a Michinoku Driver for two Ricochet is right back with a Side Effect into an Anaconda Vice of all things to make Gulak tap at 10:10.

Rating: C. I can go for Ricochet getting to do his and he has been busting out a bunch of new stuff lately. The best thing to come out of this would be seeing more of Ricochet on the main shows, but that has been all over the place in recent months. Gulak is good for a match against anyone too and having him here to make Ricochet look better is not a bad thing.

Long video on Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre.

From Raw.

Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles

Bobby Lashley, MVP and the ladies sit on the couches on the stage while Omos is here with Styles. McIntyre drives him into the corner to start but AJ comes back chopping away. A big chop is blocked and a heck of a backdrop has AJ in more trouble. Futureshock connects but McIntyre stops to glare at Lashley, allowing Omos to pull AJ outside. Cue the Viking Raiders and we take a break.

Back with Styles being sent hard into the corner and getting caught with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Styles manages to send him outside in a heap and, back in, cuts off a charge with some raised boots. The chinlock slows McIntyre down a bit but he jawbreaks his way to freedom.

McIntyre fights up with some elbows to the face for two and a Michinoku Driver (third tonight) gets the same. McIntyre’s superplex is countered though and Styles fireman’s carries him onto the knee for two of his own. Back up and McIntyre drops him with a shot to the face but goes outside to jump Lashley. McIntyre heads inside but Lashley comes in for the DQ at 13:31.

Rating: C+. This was getting a little better by the time it was wrapping up, but I don’t think there was much of a surprise to be had once everyone came out to ringside. Not giving AJ vs. McIntyre a definitive ending is a good thing as this could have been a big time match later, so save something for the future.

Post match the big brawl is on, with Lashley being suplexed on the floor.

Bobby Lashley/AJ Styles/Omos vs. Drew McIntyre/Viking Raiders

This starts as a handicap match as Lashley is in the back changing out of street clothes. Ivar takes AJ into the corner and it’s Erik coming in to crush him for two. Cue Lashley to run down the ramp and send McIntyre hard into the barricade. Lashley comes in to hammer on Erik but it’s right back to AJ…who brings Omos in to knee Erik in the corner. A Downward Spiral plants Erik and Lashley goes after McIntyre, but the distraction allows the tag back to Ivar.

The pace picks up as Ivar flips away from Lashley but charges into a spinebuster. It’s back to Omos so Ivar comes up swinging, only to get shouldered down. We take a break and come back with Lashley unloading on Ivar in the corner and grabbing a neck crank. Ivar fights up but gets taken down again, setting up a chinlock from AJ. That’s broken up and we get the double tag to set up Omos vs. McIntyre.

Omos chokes him down but McIntyre comes up with right hands. Styles tags himself in but gets caught in some overhead belly to belly suplexes. Everything breaks down and Erik dives at Omos on the floor….where he is tossed into the timekeeper’s area. AJ intentionally (Maybe?) avoids tagging Omos to tag in Lashley instead, allowing McIntyre to hit the Claymore for the pin at 13:38.

Rating: C+. Pretty run of the mill main event six man here and that is not a bad thing. McIntyre pinning Lashley works to set up their title match, though I’m not sure I buy McIntyre’s chances at getting the title back. The Raiders vs. AJ/Omos hasn’t been officially set so far so it’s cool for their match to not get the most focus. Good enough main event here, though nothing you haven’t seen before.

McIntyre promises to see Lashley in h*** to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Another pretty good show here as they continue to hype up the Cell by focusing on the matches that matter the most. The big stuff in WWE at the moment is actually pretty good and hopefully that can pick up as the fans come back. There are still a lot of problems to be fixed, but at least they are doing some things right.

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

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AND

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