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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Judgment Day vs. Street Profits

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

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

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

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

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

Mia Yim vs. Piper Niven

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

Long recap of the Jey Uso Saga from Smackdown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cody Rhodes vs. Baron Corbin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bronson Reed vs. Mustafa Ali

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

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

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

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

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

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

Miz vs. Rick Boogs

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

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

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

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Video on the Elimination Chamber.

Bianca Belair vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 6, 2023
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

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

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

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

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

Elimination Chamber: Angelo Dawkins vs. Damian Priest

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

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

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

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

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

Baron Corbin vs. Dexter Lumis

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

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

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

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

We look at the Braveheart trailer from Wrestlemania XXI.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin vs. Alpha Academy

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

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

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

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

Chelsea Green vs. Asuka

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Becky Lynch vs. Bayley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: March 25, 2008
Location: Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s the final ECW before Wrestlemania and that means pretty much nothing around here. There is no title match set for Wrestlemania as it is going to be all about the battle royal. I’m not sure what that is going to leave us to do on this show but maybe they have one more week of nothing before things, at least hopefully, reset next week. Let’s get to it.

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

Hardcore Holly/Cody Rhodes/Kofi Kingston/Kane/Tommy Dreamer/Jesse & Festus/Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore/Jim Duggan/Val Venis/Jamie Noble vs. Great Khali/Miz/Chuck Palumbo/Matt Striker/Mark Henry/Snitsky/Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch/Brian Kendrick/Deuce N Domino/Elijah Burke

Because THIS is a good idea. This is all twenty four entrants into the battle royal thrown into a tag match, which makes me wonder how many people the aprons can hold. Cody rolls Kendrick up for a fast two and then backslides him for the same. It’s quickly off to Noble vs. Palumbo, with the latter grabbing a belly to back suplex.

Yang comes in off some of that Jung Dragons chemistry but gets suplexed for his efforts. A middle rope hurricanrana gets Yang out of trouble and it’s time for a parade of dives. We take a break and come back with everything breaking down, as you might have expected. Kofi dives onto Deuce N Domino and Holly gets to hit an Alabama Slam. Khali and Kane have finally had enough of this and start wrecking people. With the two of them down, Henry feeds Dreamer into a big boot from Snitsky for the pin.

Rating: C. This is one of those matches that isn’t about the action itself but rather telling you what you might be seeing on Sunday. In that sense it worked out well enough, but my goodness the battle royal might as well have about three people. Chavo almost has to lose at this point as there is just nothing to his title reign and someone else can take the title to hopefully do something with it.

Post match everyone gets in the ring for the huge staredown.

Boxing personalities talk about Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Chavo Guerrero comes up to mock the injured Tommy Dreamer. A match is set for tonight, thanks to some insults to Colin Delaney (sure why not).

Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito

Feeling out process to start with Carlito slugging away as Taz says he has been hit in the face with a ladder in a match but never had a ladder match. Benjamin skins the cat but Carlito snaps his throat across the top for a crash to the floor. We hit the chinlock back inside and the fans do not seem impressed. Benjamin fights up but gets knocked back into the corner as this isn’t exactly burning up the mat.

Another chinlock goes on but this time Benjamin electric chairs his way to freedom. Carlito is back with a neckbreaker for two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Benjamin’s back. Benjamin finally makes the comeback and hits the overhead belly to belly. A neckbreaker gives Carlito two more but the Backstabber is countered into a buckle bomb. Paydirt is countered into a backbreaker to give Carlito two more but Benjamin catches him on top. A super Paydirt finishes Carlito off.

Rating: C-. These two were left out there to fill in as much time as they could and it didn’t exactly work. There were far too many chinlocks to get them through the match until Benjamin finally won in the end. This really didn’t work very well, but like everything else around here, none of that is going to matter by next week.

Video on the Raw World Title triple threat match.

Wrestlemania rundown.

The final inductee into the Hall of Fame Class: Gordon Solie.

Kelly Kelly/Stevie Richards vs. Mike Knox/Layla

The women actually wrestle to start with Kelly getting two. Knox gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Layla takes over for a bit. The men come in and Richards swings away until the women getting in a fight distracts him. Knox grabs a swinging Downward Spiral for the fast pin.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title and the battle royal participants are at ringside. Dreamer backdrops him to the apron and punches him out to the floor to start, with the unofficial lumberjacks sending Chavo back inside. Chavo sends him shoulder first into the post and we hit the front facelock. The fans think Chavo sucks, even as Dreamer fights up with a bulldog. Guerrero blocks something out of the corner so Dreamer settles for a neckbreaker. Dreamer gets crotched on top though and the frog splash gives Chavo the pin.

Rating: C-. And that’s another Chavo match these days, as they are still rather uninteresting with little going on that could make me care about the title. Dreamer making his comeback is always decent enough but there was only so much that can be done with a three minute match less than a week before Wrestlemania. Just get the title off of Chavo already because this reign is dragging down everything else.

Post match everyone gets inside and the fight is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. My goodness Wrestlemania needs to come and go already because this show is falling apart in a hurry. There is only so much that can be done when you have one important story and that one is in limbo due to the champion not having an opponent. Other than that, it is a bunch of people trying to fill in time and that is not going to work long, or even short, term.

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

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 30, 2023
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

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

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

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

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

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

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

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

We look at tonight’s card.

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

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Seth Rollins vs. Chad Gable

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

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

Iyo Sky vs. Candice LeRae

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Baron Corbin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Batista has a new movie.

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

Miz vs. Rick Boogs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Bronson Reed

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

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

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

Corey Graves is a bit freaked out.

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

Cody Rhodes vs. Finn Balor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: January 27, 2023
Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means we have some final pushes to make to get us to the big event. In this case, we are probably going to have some more names added to the Royal Rumbles, but there is also a Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa match that will probably involve the Bloodline. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Trial Of Sami Zayn from Raw. Roman Reigns told Sami Zayn to not be seen until the Royal Rumble.

The Usos and Solo Sikoa arrive and Sami Zayn sneaks in to thank Jey for having his back. If Jey ever needs anything, let him know. Sami leaves.

Opening sequence. Smackdown has an opening sequence?

Rey Mysterio vs. Karrion Kross

Scarlett is here with Kross. Rey snaps off the hurricanrana to start but gets tossed over the top for his efforts. They switch places though and the sliding sunset flip sends Kross into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Rey fighting back and shrugging off Scarlett’s attempted distraction. Rey hits the 619 into the top rope splash for two and Kross is mad. He’s so mad that Rey is able to crucifix him for the pin at 7:17.

Rating: C. That was rather short for a match that felt like it was a while in the making. Odds are we’ll see a rematch, probably after Kross attacks Rey again. Giving Rey some momentum going into the Royal Rumble is fine, but it’s weird to see Kross take a fall like this after being built up as a pretty solid monster.

We look at Brock Lesnar returning to cost Bobby Lashley the US Title on Raw.

Damage Ctrl is in the Royal Rumble.

Here is US Champion Austin Theory for a chat. Theory says he’s winning the Royal Rumble but here is the New Day to interrupt. Kofi Kingston says there are three Austin’s he respects: Austin Creed, Stone Cold Steve and Austin, Texas, where he lives. New Day says one of them will win, because when one of them wins, they all win. Theory says he is the biggest star in WWE but here is Miz to interrupt.

Miz: “Theory, I have been competing in Royal Rumble matches since before you hit puberty.” Theory: “Doesn’t that just mean you’re old?” The fight is on but Bobby Lashley runs in to clean house. Lashley promises to take out Brock Lesnar but cue Lesnar through the crowd to F5 Lashley. Lesnar is in the Rumble too and panic ensues. Nice segment here, as it added some names to the Rumble and didn’t waste a ton of time.

Rhea Ripley is in the Royal Rumble.

Lacey Evans vs. Jazmin Allure

Evans beats her down in the corner to start but takes off the sole of her own boot. That’s taken away so Evans hits her in the stomach instead. The Women’s Right sets up the Cobra Clutch for the win at 2:14.

Post match Evans says the Cobra Clutch is unbreakable and she’ll use it to win the Royal Rumble. She demands people salute her before throwing Allure over the top. Evans seems to have finally gotten the gimmick down but the promo was pretty bad.

Sheamus and Drew McIntyre both think the other will win the Royal Rumble. They chop each other until they remember they have to beat up Hit Row tonight.

Video on Cody Rhodes’ return from injury.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Drew McIntyre/Sheamus vs. Hit Row

Hold on though as here are the Viking Raiders to jump McIntyre and Sheamus from behind. After a break, Adam Pearce says we have some replacements.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Braun Strowman/Ricochet vs. Hit Row

B Fab is here with Hit Row. Ricochet hammers on Adonis to start and sends him outside but Top Dolla breaks up the dive. Dolla gets kicked to the floor but the distraction lets Adonis get in a cheap shot to take over. Dolla runs Ricochet over and B Fab gets in a right hand of her own for two. Ricochet fights up and ducks underneath a clothesline, allowing him to DIVE (that looked good) over to Strowman for the tag. Ricochet’s dive hits Dolla and the Monster Bomb finishes Adonis at 4:57.

Rating: C. Ricochet and Strowman are good choices for a big/little team as they work well together and are both popular. If nothing else, it is nice to see Ricochet having something to do and the team getting a title shot wouldn’t be a bad idea. Hit Row continues to fall down the ladder and that might be best for everyone, as they just haven’t worked since their return.

Kevin Owens says he is going to beat up Solo Sikoa tonight so he can beat Roman Reigns tomorrow. The Usos show up for the fight but things get broken up, with Adam Pearce throwing the Usos out.

Jey Uso makes a phone call and says he needs a favor.

Here is LA Knight, with a tiny lantern, to Bray Wyatt’s old Broken Out In Love theme. Knight talks about how he was involved in the biggest moment at Raw XXX and now Bray Wyatt 24 hours before the Pitch Black match at the Royal Rumble. He wants whatever version of Wyatt to come out tomorrow because he’ll beat any of them up. Cue Wyatt on the stage in his rocking chair to say the time for talking is over. Tomorrow night, Knight is meeting the man he has been looking for. Uncle Howdy pops up in the balcony and Knight seems a bit shaken.

Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Legado del Fantasma vs. Imperium

Zelina Vega is here too. Wilde and Kaiser trade wristlocks to start but Wilde seems to slip a bit on a springboard attempt. Kaiser drops him with a right hand and it’s off to Vinci vs. Del Toro. Imperium double teams Del Toro for a bit and alternate with the shots to the face. That’s broken up though and the hot tag brings in Wilde as everything breaks down.

We take a break and come back with Wilde still in trouble. The uppercuts don’t get him away but a tornado DDT does plant Kaiser. Del Toro comes back in to clean house and Legado hits stereo running flip dives to the floor. A top rope splash hits Vinci for two with Kaiser needing to make a save. Vinci and Wilde head up top with Vinci hitting a super gorilla press (cool spot), setting up the Imperium Bomb for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: C. The fact that the tag team division has come far enough to have a midcard match like this is an amazing sign, as there was no way that would have been the case just a few months ago. It might not have been a classic, but it is nice to have that kind of depth for a change. Imperium vs. Strowman/Ricochet is a fine #1 contenders match and we should be in for a nice final to a bit of a weird tournament.

And now, one of my favorite moments of the year: Rumble By The Numbers.

30 Men and Women in the Royal Rumble matches
1988 was the first Royal Rumble (at least televised)
1,250 competitors
32 winners
2.5% of the participants have won
19 have gone on to win a title at Wrestlemania
57:12 is the longevity record for women, held by Bianca Belair
62:12 is the longevity record for men, held by Rey Mysterio
1 second is the fastest elimination
4 times San Antonio has hosted the Royal Rumble
3 times the Alamodome has hosted the Royal Rumble
3 is the record for most Royal Rumble wins, held by Steve Austin

Xia Li is in the Royal Rumble.

Earlier today, Sonya Deville interrupted Charlotte’s interview.

Charlotte comes in to ask Adam Pearce to give Sonya Deville a title match to get rid of her. It’s on for next week.

Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa

Owens starts the fight fast and runs Sikoa over. The backsplash hits but Sikoa bails before the Cannonball can hit. Owens follows him outside and gets rammed into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Owens in trouble but hitting a clothesline and DDT for a breather. The bullfrog splash gets two and they trade superkicks to no avail.

The Stunner is countered into a Samoan drop to give Sikoa two but Owens superkicks him into the corner. Now the Cannonball can connect and there’s the Swanton, only to have Sami Zayn break up the cover. For some reason that isn’t a DQ so Sikoa misses a superkick and hits Sami by mistake (we’ll say it’s a no contest at about 8:30, when Sami pulled Sikoa out).

Rating: C+. This was the hard hitting brawl that you would expect from these two and the Sami interference ending made the most sense. Sami continues to cause issues, including going against what Roman Reigns told him to do, and that is going to come up big at the Royal Rumble. For now though, it’s a good way to give us a cliffhanger to end the show.

Owens clears off the announcers’ table but gets chaired in the face. A splash through the table takes too long though and Owens superkicks Sikoa out of the air. The pop up powerbomb onto the table leaves Sikoa laying and a chair shot knocks him over the barricade. Owens throws the chair at Zayn (doesn’t hit him) and shouts at the camera about Roman Reigns to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The point of this show was to inch closer to the Royal Rumble and not rock the boat too much. Not only did they do that, but they set up two matches to give us a reason to come back next week. That is the kind of efficient show that I love to see and they did it well here. It’s great to see WWE actually planning this stuff out and giving us a good show as a result. Doing that over and over makes Smackdown, or any show really, so much easier to watch and it’s great to see WWE making it work.

Results
Rey Mysterio b. Scarlett – Crucifix
Lacey Evans b. Jazmin Allure – Cobra Clutch
Ricochet/Braun Strowman b. Hit Row – Monster Bomb to Adonis
Imperium b. Legado del Fantasma – Imperium Bomb to Wilde
Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa went to a no contest

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 23, 2023
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

It’s Raw XXX as the company celebrates thirty years on the air. As usual with the big Raw milestone episodes, we’ll be seeing a bunch of legends for special appearances. In addition, there are two title matches and a cage match so the card is stacked. If that isn’t enough, it’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble so let’s get to it.

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

Here are Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart to get things going. Hogan talks about Raw debuting in 1993, pauses because the mic doesn’t work, praises the Philadelphia Eagles and is all done.

We look at some of the cities the show has taken place in over the years before switching into the big highlight package. The hit a lot of the big names, including a bunch of AEW names, debuts, title changes, reveals and almost anything else you could want. WWE has absolutely not forgotten how to montage.

Here is the Bloodline with their long form entrance for the Trial Of Sami Zayn. After having Philadelphia acknowledge him, Reigns hands the mic to Paul Heyman so we pause for an ECW chant. Heyman: “ECW is dead and I wish the same for Sami Zayn.” Heyman accuses Zayn of being in a conspiracy with Kevin Owens since day one (that was only last January).

Zayn has been trying to lure the Bloodline into a false sense of security, just like the Philadelphia Eagles. Heyman brings up BROCK….Purdy, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, who will beat the Eagles next week. We see some clips of Sami not exactly helping in fights, capped off by Zayn BUMPING INTO REIGNS while going on a rant. Heyman says that should be enough for Zayn to be GUILTY AS CHARGED (nice).

Zayn gets his chance to talk and he wasn’t sure how he was going to feel when he came out here. He can’t believe that he is on trial here, but his defense is that he has no defense. Reigns is disgusted at the disrespect and tells Solo Sikoa to take care of him. The Samoan Spike is loaded up but Jey Uso cuts Sikoa off.

Jey has his own footage, showing a montage of Sami helping the Bloodline over the last few months, including taking out Kevin Owens in WarGames. Jey talks about how Sami saw the good in him the entire time and that’s what family does. Fans: “UCEY!” We get a fan poll of whether Sami should stay and the fans seem pretty unanimous.

Jimmy even agrees and Reigns gets to his feet. Reigns finds Zayn not guilty…..for now. In the meantime, Sami can finish out tonight by making the Bloodline proud. After that, Reigns doesn’t want to see or hear from Sami until the Royal Rumble, where Sami delivers his final test. There’s your drama for Owens vs. Reigns on Saturday as this story takes a pretty big step forward.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Judgment Day

The Usos are defending and have Sami Zayn in the corner to counter Finn Balor/Rhea Ripley. Jimmy and Dominik start things off but Jimmy has to kick Priest to the floor. Priest Pounces Jimmy over the announcers’ table and the champs are in trouble. Back in and Dominik chokes a bit, only to have Jimmy get over to Jey without much trouble. The running Umaga attack gets two on Dominik but Priest is back in with a superkick.

Priest hits the step up flip dive to take the Usos down again. Back in and the Usos fire off some superkicks to drop Priest and Dominik, but Balor offers a distraction. The referee catches Balor crotching Jey and gets ejected, leaving Priest to get superkicked down. Jimmy’s Superfly Splash gets…..two and everyone can breathe a bit. Jimmy takes Priest down on the floor and hold on as Jimmy has hurt his knee.

The referee throws up the X and Jimmy is taken out, with Adam Pearce saying if Jimmy is out, the match and titles are forfeited. Sami says not so fast, as Sami USO is ready to go, with Pearce saying let’s go. We get back to the match with Sami diving on Dominik and Priest on the floor. Dominik grabs a quick rollup with his feet on the ropes for two but Sami suplexes him into the corner. Ripley breaks up the Helluva Kick though and it’s South Of Heaven from Priest to give Dominik two.

The 619 is broken up by Jey’s superkick but Jey can’t bring himself to superkick Ripley. The distraction lets Dominik hit the 619 on Jey and the frog splash gets two as Sami makes a diving save of his own. Priest goes shoulder first into the post so Dominik dumps Sami, who is back in with a blind tag. The superkick into the 1D retains the titles at 14:06.

Rating: B+. I needed a breath after that one as those were some crazy hot near falls. They had me believing that Judgment Day could have taken the titles more than once and it was one close two count after another. This was one of the best Raw matches WWE in years and one of the better things WWE has done anywhere in a good while. Everything was laid out so well and the wrestlers executed it to near perfection.

In the back, Roman Reigns says he still doesn’t want to see Sami until the Royal Rumble.

JBL and Baron Corbin ask the Godfather to put him in the poker game. Godfather will have to ask the host. Said host happens to be Ron Simmons, who is happy with a payoff to get Corbin’s name on the list. They go into the APA’s office and it’s pretty much a full on casino with all kinds of wrestlers and wrestling personalities included.

Here is LA Knight who says he is all man and doesn’t want to wait for the Pitch Black match. He calls out any legend…..and the gong sounds. And then it’s the American Bad***, with song and motorcycle. Knight talks about how he’s going to have everyone chanting his name….and then the lights go out. Bray Wyatt, with lantern, pops up to back Knight into Undertaker, who grabs him by the throat. Bray gets inside and Undertaker tosses Knight over for Sister Abigail. Fans: “HOLY S***!” Undertaker goes to leave but stops to whisper something to Bray before riding off.

We go back to the poker game, where Madusa (with Women’s Title belt) seems to win but loses to Diamond Dallas Page.

Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

In a cage with pinfall, submission or escape. Hold on though as Becky has to beat up the rest of Damage Ctrl on the floor. All of Damage Ctrl gets inside to beat on Becky before the bell rings. Adam Pearce finally gets inside as Damage Ctrl sits on top of the cage. No match.

Here is D-Generation X, with Kurt Angle. Road Dogg does the catchphrase but asks why Angle is here. Kurt says he always wanted to be in the team and pulls off his own shirt to reveal a DX shirt. Hold on as Kurt will have to pass a test. HHH: “Are you ready?” Kurt: “Was that the test?” They load up the bigger catchphrase but Imperium of all people interrupts. Imperium doesn’t like these degenerates and a fight is teased. HHH: “I’m retired.” Shawn: “I’m too old.” Dogg: “Who am I kidding?”

We get a DX huddle and HHH volunteers Kurt to fight. Kurt: “No I won’t.” Dogg: “We’re in a pickle.” Cue Seth Rollins and then the Street Profits and we seem to have a six man. Dogg thinks we need to make it official and looks at HHH for an announcement. HHH: “Why does everybody look at me for something like this? This booking stuff isn’t easy!” We need someone body out there to make sense of this. Cue Teddy Long for the only possible payoff, but we also need a guest referee. Kurt just happens to have a referee shirt on too (red white and blue stripes of course) and we’re ready to go after some funny stuff.

Imperium vs. Seth Rollins/Street Profits

Kurt Angle is guest referee and Jerry Lawler is on commentary. Vinci’s headlock on Rollins doesn’t last long so it’s off to Ford, who gets clotheslined down. Kaiser comes in and strikes it out with Dawkins for a double knockdown. That means the tags to Gunther and Rollins with Gunther taking over and knocking Rollins out of the air.

We take a break and come back with Rollins fighting out of a chinlock and backflipping out of a belly to back suplex. The hot tag brings in Ford and the Profits grab stereo ankle locks. That’s too far for Gunther, who comes in and breaks them up. Gunther stares Angle down and pokes him in the chest, with Rollins coming in for the save. The Profits hit the flip dives to the floor, leaving Rollins to get dropkicked and powerbombed to give Gunther two. Rollins is back in with an Angle Slam and the Profits hit a Doomsday Blockbuster on Kaiser. A Pedigree sends Gunther outside and it’s a frog splash into the Stomp to finish Vinci at 13:03.

Rating: C+. It was a good six man, with the most important part being Gunther not taking the fall. They had me worried that Rollins would pin him to set something up between them (which might be the case anyway even without the pin) as it wasn’t the time for Gunther to get beaten. The Profits and Rollins winning works well and they had a good match on the way there, though DX and Angle were the stars of the whole deal.

Back to the poker game where Ted DiBiase loses a fortune….but IRS wants JBL and Baron Corbin to pay their taxes and takes the money back. Well save for $100. Ron Simmons, catchphrase.

Bobby Lashley promises to get the US Title back when MVP interrupts. MVP again offers the reunion but Lashley isn’t in.

Here is Ric Flair for a chat. He hits the catchphrases and introduces Charlotte for the big family moment. Charlotte thanks the other women for making her such a decorated champion but this will always be her show. Cue Bianca Belair to interrupt, saying she goes here now and this is her show. Cue Sonya Deville to ask about her recognition for working so hard. Charlotte owes Deville but offers Belair the chance to deal with Deville. Deal.

Sonya Deville vs. Bianca Belair

Non-title. Belair flips over her to start but Deville gets in a shot to the face. Back up and Belair is sent into the corner, where she backflips over Deville and hits a backbreaker. A running boot knocks Deville outside but Belair gets sent into the barricade as we take a break. We come back with Deville dropping her again for two but Belair pops up and hits the KOD for the pin at 8:33 (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: D. That was a weird ending and it wouldn’t shock me if something was cut for time. In addition to that though, the match was quite the mess as it felt like a complete lack of chemistry. Deville feels in way over her head and it doesn’t help that she seems to be there as a filler challenger to Charlotte until we get to the important stuff. Not a good match whatsoever, but at least it didn’t take up too much time.

Post match Belair says that was just a preview for what she is going to do to Alexa Bliss. Cue Bliss on screen, talking into a mirror about how violent she can be with no one helping her.

Video on Cody Rhodes’ 2022 before he returns this weekend at the Royal Rumble.

John Cena is the cover star for WWE 2K23.

Here is Miz to ask where his special time on this show is. Cue Kevin Owens to Stun Miz and leave him laying, promising to take out Roman Reigns at the Rumble.

Royal Rumble rundown.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory

Lashley is challenging and this is No DQ. Lashley goes with the power to start and clotheslines him out to the floor. The posting rocks Theory and we take an early break. Back with Theory slipping out of the delayed suplex and catching Lashley with the rolling dropkick for a stagger.

Lashley is fine enough to send him to the apron for a running forearm and the table is sent inside. The Hurt Lock is broken up but Lashley sends him face first into a chair in the corner. Lashley loads up the table, only to get sprayed with a fire extinguisher. A whip into the steps keeps Lashley in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Lashley hitting a superplex, leaving both of them down. The spear through the table in the corner is broken up and Theory kicks him low. Lashley is fine enough to put Theory through another table….and Brock Lesnar is here. The F5 plants Lashley and another one to Theory puts him on top of Lashley to retain at 14:23.

Rating: C+. You almost have to expect that Lesnar is going to show up somewhere in there on these shows and going after Lashley again isn’t a surprise. Given that Lashley mentioned a rematch with Lesnar was coming soon, they were kind of telegraphing the whole thing. That should be a heck of a fight, though this one was only pretty good, with Theory retaining in the right result.

Overall Rating: B. This was kind of an all over the place show, but the biggest problem was the first hour, as nothing was touching that Bloodline segment and the Tag Team Title match. Other than that, you had a few random cameos from the legends and a bunch of classic stills, but the majority of the show was just an amped up Raw. I liked more than enough of it for the show to be a success, but it wasn’t quite as much of a nostalgia trip as I was expecting.

Results
Usos b. Judgment Day – 1D to Dominik
Seth Rollins/Street Profits b. Imperium – Frog splash to Vinci
Bianca Belair b. Sonya Deville – KOD
Austin Theory b. Bobby Lashley – F5

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Smackdown
Date: March 21, 2008
Location: Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

We’re almost to Wrestlemania and I’m not sure what else there is to build around here. Last week’s main event was a weird combination of a Raw and Smackdown match which felt like a weird off ramp match. Odd are the focus will still be on Edge vs. Undertaker, which really doesn’t need it at this point. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recreation of Batista vs. Umaga in Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. Well that’s a change of pace.

Batista vs. Deuce N Domino

No Cherry this week as she is in the competition later tonight. Batista doesn’t look amused as he drives Deuce into the corner to start. A double team manages to take Batista down but he’s right back with an elbow to Domino’s face. Batista isn’t having that though and sends Deuce outside, setting up the Batista Bomb to finish Domino in a hurry.

Maryse comes up to see Cherry and can’t believe she’s still in the Divas competition. Look at the two of them: Maryse is a Diva but Cherry is a dog.

It’s time for the Divas Competition with Michelle McCool, Eve Torres, Cherry and Victoria left. This week’s competition is an arm wrestling contest so Victoria cheats to beat Eve, Michelle beats Cherry and Michelle beats Victoria. With that out of the way, Victoria is eliminated after last week’s fan vote. Instead of leaving, she gets in a fight with Michelle but gets sent outside.

Video on Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Michael Buffer and Evander Holyfield talk about Mayweather Jr. vs. Big Show.

Big Show vs. Chase Stevens/Andy Douglas/Luke Hawx

Stevens and Douglas were the Naturals in TNA a few years earlier. Before the match, we see Chris Jericho talking about how Show’s right hand is going to make it Wrestlemania RIP for Mayweather. Destruction ensues and the big right hand finishes Stevens in less than a minute and a half.

Raven Symone will be bringing kids to Wrestlemania for Make-A-Wish. Cool.

Edge vs. Funaki

Non-title and the Edgeheads are here with Edge. Funaki seems to be taking this a bit more seriously than Edge, who knocks Funaki down fast. The stomping in the corner keeps Funaki in trouble until he manages an enziguri. Edge hits the spear but pulls Funaki up at two. Instead it’s a Tombstone and arm cross pin (with tongue) to finish for Edge.

Rating: D+. This was just a quick workout for Edge but the Tombstone was a nice touch. Edge knows how to get under people’s skin like no other and mocking Undertaker is the kind of mind game that he would play. Funaki is fine for something like this and they didn’t mess around by letting him get a near fall or anything unnecessary like that. Nothing match, fine use of time.

Post match Edge says he’ll win at Wrestlemania and promises to show us something by the end of the night.

It’s time for MVP’s VIP Lounge with MVP pointing to the Money in the Bank briefcase above the ring. Therefore, his guest this week is Chris Jericho, but first MVP wants to talk about the ladder underneath the briefcase. MVP brags about his career successes and how he has beaten so many World Champions. That means he is the next World Champion because he is better than everyone else in the match. Cue Jericho to interrupt and the fans certainly seem to approve.

Jericho is excited about being back on Smackdown for the first time in five and a half years, but he can’t stand a loudmouthed blowhard who can’t shut up with his own talk show. MVP mocks Jericho and Jericho is right back, pointing out that MVP could have had far worse initials (and yes, he has graphics spelling out some stupid names). That’s too far for MVP, who goes on a rant about how Jericho couldn’t save anyone from anything. He climbs the ladder and gets the briefcase….so Jericho turns said ladder over.

Kane vs. Chuck Palumbo

They fight over the power to start with Palumbo actually taking over off an armbar. Kane fights up and hits the big boot as they head outside. They head back in, where Kane clotheslines him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Kane charging into an elbow in the corner…and here is Great Khali to go after Kane for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Thankfully they didn’t bother trying to make Palumbo a thing here as he stopped showing much potential a good while ago. Kane winning the battle royal and the ECW Title as a result would make good sense and there is a real chance that is where they are heading. Not much of a match, but what were you expecting with Palumbo in there?

Post match Khali beats both of them down but here is Mark Henry to interrupt. Henry World’s Strongest Slams Khali and stands tall.

Eddie Graham Hall of Fame video.

Tag Team Titles: Jesse & Festus vs. Miz/John Morrison

Miz/Morrison are defending. The bell makes Festus snap and he hits Morrison in the face to start fast. An interfering Miz is knocked out of the air and some headbutts to Morrison’s back set up Jesse’s running neckbreaker. Miz gets in a cheap shot though and works on Jesse’s arm before choking on the rope.

Morrison’s chinlock is broken up as Jesse sends him into the corner, where Festus scares Morrison in a funny bit. Miz grabs another chinlock before Jesse neckbreakers his way out of Morrison’s….something. It’s back to Festus for the house cleaning before handing it off to Jesse again. That lets Morrison send Festus outside and the Reality Check retains the titles.

Rating: C-. We’re now to the point where Miz and Morrison have cleaned out the division, which granted doesn’t take that long when there are about four teams. Jesse & Festus need to either win the titles or find something else to do, as the novelty is kind of wearing off. This was mainly a chinlock match with Festus coming in to do his thing and then Jesse gets pinned. That’s only going to get you so far and we have reached that point.

Raw Rebound.

Undertaker vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title and Edge/the Edgeheads are here with Chavo. Undertaker starts fast and knocks Chavo down without much trouble. Old School connects and Chavo is rocked early on. A distraction from the floor lets Chavo hammer away in the corner, only to have Undertaker LAUNCH him into said corner as well.

The side slam gives Undertaker two but another distraction sends him outside. This time Chavo manages a baseball slide from behind and the likely not very effective beating begins. Chavo grabs a short armscissors but Undertaker powers out in short order. Snake Eyes into the big boot set up a chokeslam and the Hell’s Gate to finish Chavo.

Rating: C. Chavo has to lose the title at Wrestlemania now as his big win in recent weeks has been over Colin Delaney. Other than giving him a win to make him into something a little bigger, his title reign has been pretty much nothing and that was on display here. Undertaker beating Chavo isn’t a bad thing, but the champ just lost in about five minutes in little more than a squash.

Post match Edge and the Edgeheads come in, each with a chair, and the huge beatdown ensues. The Conchairto leaves Undertaker laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. It’s not a good sign when the best match on the show is Undertaker squashing Chavo Guerrero. The problem is the same as it has been for weeks now: Wrestlemania is set and all that Smackdown can do is fill in time on the way to Orlando. This show was just a bunch of filler with some build towards Wrestlemania, plus the bigger moment at the end. That’s a rough two hours, but none of that is going to matter nine days from now. Not a good show, but it doesn’t mean a thing anyway.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: March 18, 2008
Location: Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Now we continue the lame duck string of shows as there is very little actually going on around here that matters for Wrestlemania. The main ECW involvement is going to be a battle royal for a title shot later on and that isn’t something that is easily built up outside of the Royal Rumble. Maybe they have something else for the next two weeks though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kane vs. Elijah Burke

Kane snaps off an uppercut to start and Burke bails out to the floor. Burke pulls him outside too and gets driven into the apron for his efforts. Back in and Kane hits a backbreaker before cranking on the neck for a change. That’s broken up and Burke gets in a shot of his own before avoiding a charge in the corner. The Elijah Express is loaded up….and cut off with a chokeslam to give Kane the pin.

Rating: C-. Pretty nothing match here as Kane gets a squash and Burke continues to be little more than a jobber to the stars. Kane is someone who can be pushed as a top star around here as he is the definition of a big fish in a small pond. It’s not like he was doing anything on Smackdown anyway so let him come here and get reheated.

Armando Estrada shakes hands with Mark Henry, who is in the Wrestlemania battle royal. ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero comes in and panics over the giants in the battle royal. Colin Delaney comes in to ask about a contract but Chavo doesn’t like being interrupted. Chavo rants about Delaney being disrespectful and a match is made, with Delaney getting a contract (rather than the title) if he wins.

Video on Floyd Mayweather Jr., the same as on Raw.

Kofi Kingston vs. James Curtis

Kofi shoulders him down to start and grabs a drop toehold as commentary talks about Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather. A headlock takeover has Curtis down again but he fights up and actually takes over for once. Curtis works on an armbar until Kofi upkicks his way to freedom to start the comeback. The double chops set up the double legdrop and the buzzsaw kick finishes for Kofi.

Rating: C. Kofi continues to get built up, at least as much as you can be by beating James Curtis again. What matters is keeping him in the ring and making him look dominant until they find something or him to do. ECW has been needing fresh talent for a long time and Kofi is as good as anyone else they can throw in there.

CM Punk meets Jesse and Festus before their six man tag. Jesse insists that Festus will be fine when the bell rings.

CM Punk/Jesse & Festus vs. Miz/John Morrison/Shelton Benjamin

Festus clears the ring at the bell until he slams Morrison down. Jesse comes in for a basement dropkick before Punk comes in to send Miz and Morrison outside. There’s the springboard spinning crossbody before Festus pulls Benjamin over the top and out onto everyone else in a big crash.

We take a break and come back with Punk kicking Miz in the head (Morrison: “Stay in there Miz! You’re doing good!”). Benjamin pulls Punk off the top though and the villains take over for the first time, despite the CM PUNK chants. We hit the chinlock, followed by an exploder suplex to plant Punk again. Morrison comes back in for a chinlock of his own until Punk fights out. The tag brings in Festus to clean house and everything breaks down. Miz can’t hit the Reality Check, allowing Festus to hit the fireman’s carry flapjack for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was a fun match, as Punk never felt like he was overly worried about any of his opponents. That’s how this match should have gone anyway, as Punk is by far and away bigger than any other regular ECW star right now. Let him have an entertaining match and give Jesse & Festus a win before their Tag Team Title match later this week.

We look back at HHH making John Cena and Randy Orton face the Raw roster this week. Or some of it at least.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Eddie Graham is going into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Now there’s an influence on the business.

Video on Big Show.

Colin Delaney is in the ring and says he’s ready to go, despite JBL beating him up last night.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Colin Delaney

Non-title and Delaney gets a WWE contract if he wins. Chavo pounds him down without much trouble to start but Delaney fights up. A dropkick sends Chavo outside and he isn’t pleased with the developments. Back in and Chavo kicks away before hitting a belly to back suplex. We hit a seated double arm crank for a bit as the slow beating continues. The frog splash (with a lot of trash talk) misses though and Delaney gets a desperation two. Chavo is annoyed and finishes with the Gory Bomb.

Rating: C-. What else were you expecting here? Delaney has been treated as a joke his entire time in ECW and he wasn’t going to pin the champion for his first singles win. The good thing is that they didn’t treat this as anything more than what it should have been, though Delaney getting in a bit of offense here and there is a nice little progression.

Overall Rating: C. This show isn’t much to see at the moment and I don’t see that getting any better next week. The good thing is it seems like we might be in for a change of course after Wrestlemania, as Chavo hasn’t been doing much as ECW Champion and it seems like time to move somewhere else. That doesn’t make the shows on the way there that much better though, as these shows are in a holding pattern as you can get until Wrestlemania.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 16, 2023
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

We’re less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and also quite possibly on the second straight week of doing very little because the show is up against a huge football game. The Royal Rumble is in less than two weeks and odds are that we’ll be seeing some more names announced for the namesake matches. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are the Usos and Solo Sikoa for a chat. They’re here in our city but need to address what happened on Smackdown. Kevin Owens needs to learn that you can’t be a problem for Roman Reigns. Speaking of Reigns, there is something big planned for next week’s Raw XXX. Every generation of the Bloodline will be joining together for an acknowledgment ceremony, plus they’ll beat Judgment Day.

Cue Judgment Day, with Rhea Ripley saying they run Raw and Finn Balor saying they ran through the tag division and are now the #1 contenders. They find it interesting that the Bloodline has never stepped to the Judgment Day and Dominik thinks he smells fear. Jey says their Tag Team Title reign started when they beat the Mysterios and they’ll do it again to Judgment Day next week.

The Uso Penitentiary is mentioned, sending Dominik into a story about the tough people he saw in jail. When you’re locked up, an Usos is a wannabe, and there is no bigger one than Sikoa. Ripley gets in Sikoa’s face and the fight is on, only to have Mustafa Ali appear and dive onto Sikoa.

Mustafa Ali vs. Solo Sikoa

Joined in progress with Ali flipping over him out of the corner but walking into a Samoan drop. The running Umaga attack connects and we go to a split screen interview from earlier today, with Ali saying everyone got to fight back against the Bloodline except for him. He’ll do that tonight and we go back to full screen with Sikoa headbutting Ali down to cut off a comeback.

Ali manages some running dropkicks though and a superkick sends Sikoa outside. The dive is cut off by a shot to the face but Ali avoids another Umaga attack. Sikoa posts him so the Usos are back…and here is Kevin Owens to go after them. Ali grabs a tornado DDT for a close two but misses the 450. The Samoan Spike finishes Ali at 5:31.

Rating: C. This was mainly a way to have Owens come out there and interfere to keep up his issues with the Bloodline, which isn’t really enough to make the match interesting. Ali has heart and cuts those fired up promos but he is in total jobber to the stars territory. He wasn’t going to be Sikoa’s first loss either, which continues the running problem for the Bloodline: it’s really hard to imagine them losing an important match.

Post match Owens hits the Stunner on Sikoa but the Usos break up the splash off of the barricade. Owens throws some chairs until officials break it up.

Bobby Lashley is ready to win a six way elimination match to get a US Title shot next week. These hoops aren’t going to keep him from getting to Austin Theory.

Video on Cody Rhodes’ surgery and recovery. He is officially back at the Royal Rumble.

Elias wants to talk to Adam Pearce about main eventing Wrestlemania but bumps into MVP. There is no need to get into the Royal Rumble because the winner has been decided. Elias agrees to a match tonight, but MVP never specifically said who he was talking about.

Street Profits vs. Shelton Benjamin/Cedric Alexander

Dawkins (hometown boy) elbows Benjamin in the face to start but walks into a German suplex. Ford comes in with a kick to the head and a high crossbody to Alexander. They go to the apron with Alexander hitting a running clothesline to put Ford down. Cue MVP as we take a break. Back with Ford sliding through Alexander’s legs to bring in Dawkins for the house cleaning.

The frog splash gives Ford two but a Doomsday Device is broken up so Shelton can belly to belly superplex Ford for two. We hit the parade of dives and it’s Dawkins hitting the big running dive to take out the pile. Back in and Benjamin tosses Dawkins into the knee to the face but Dawkins reverses into a crucifix for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. Again, one of those subtle changes from the Vince days is letting the hometown boy win a match. Letting Dawkins get the pin here was a special moment for both himself and the life crowd, even if the match didn’t quite mean much. In other words, let the fans be happy for a change instead of squashing them every chance you can find.

Here is Becky Lynch, coming through the crowd, for a chat. She wastes no time in calling out Bayley, then accuses her of wanting to find a manager backstage. Cue Bayley, who doesn’t like being accused of being a Karen, though she also doesn’t seem to get the idea. Bayley points out that she has Damage Ctrl here with her but Becky has no friends. Becky says she has an arena full of them and Bayley just has a career that peaked in 2015.

They argue over who should have had Becky’s success, with Becky saying she’s going to keep working for this until she can’t anymore. Bayley accuses her of only being The Man because a woman punched her in the face. Becky offers to punch Bayley in the face and the challenge is on for next week in a cage, with no Damage Ctrl. The challenge has Bayley thinking twice but she accepts. They took some time to get to the point here but they did set up the match.

Mustafa Ali hopes Dolph Ziggler loses the #1 contenders match but Ziggler doesn’t have time for this. Ali hits him in the head and asks if he has Ziggler’s attention now.

Elias vs. MVP

Or not as MVP says there has been a breakdown in communication. Here is the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble winner.

Omos vs. Elias

Omos knocks him down to start but Elias manages a trip to the floor. MVP blocks a charge so Elias grabs the guitar. That’s taken away and broken by Omos but Elias hits some jumping knees to the face. They don’t exactly do much though as Omos catches Elias on top and hits the chokebomb for the pin at 2:31.

Adam Pearce talks about the main event when Akira Tozawa comes in. Tozawa wants in the Royal Rumble and is willing to have a qualifying match tonight. Pearce says he can have the match but a win only means he’ll be considered.

Judgment Day vs. Alpha Academy

Chad Gable thinks twice about a test of strength with Dominik Mysterio, who drops at the threat of a leg dive. Priest comes in and blocks a drop toehold but misses a charge. The dragon screw legwhip takes Priest down and it’s Otis coming in to work on the arm. Gable and Priest fall to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Priest hitting Gable with the running hip attack in the corner and a Broken Arrow getting two. Dominik takes too long on top though and Gable shoves him down, only to miss a top rope splash. The double tag brings in Otis to run over Priest and hit (kind of) the Caterpillar for two. Dominik makes the save though and a middle rope South Of Heaven connects. Gable is back in with the ankle lock to Dominik but another South of Heaven finishes Gable at 10:55.

Rating: C. It seems like the Academy is turning and maybe that is what they need, because they are as stale as it comes right now. It’s not even that they’re a bad team, but it feels like they are on TV every week cutting the same promos and doing the same matches. Shaking them up a bit, or at least giving them a fresh way to go, could do wonders for them. Just try something new already.

Video on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Iyo Sky vs. Mia Yim

Dakota Kai and Candice LeRae are here too. Yim sends her to the apron to start but gets caught with a throat snap across the top. A missile dropkick sends Yim into the corner and the running knees make it worse. Yim fights back but Sky flips out of a backdrop attempt. Instead a running neckbreaker gives Yim a breather and she kicks away at Sky. A German suplex drops Sky again but Kai offers a distraction. That earns her a pull from Candice, who gets knocked down as well. Eat Defeat finishes Sky at 4:32.

Rating: C-. On one hand, it wasn’t a great match, but on the other hand, it’s very nice to see WWE’s women’s division at the point where it can have something close to a midcard match. There are only so many ways to present a division when most of the matches are either blood feuds or title matches, so this was a bit of a change of pace. It’s also nice to give Yim a win as she needs a bit of momentum after the OC lost the feud to Judgment Day.

Video on Alexa Bliss saying she isn’t under Bray Wyatt’s control but then being interrupted by Uncle Howdy.

Here is Bianca Belair, who didn’t like being gone last week after being busted open. There is always a risk vs. reward and the reward is being the Raw Women’s Champion. She wants Alexa Bliss out here right now, so here is Bliss to say she’s ready to fight now. Belair throws out the challenge for the Royal Rumble and Bliss accepts, but they need to have a brawl now too. They fight around ringside and into the back with Belair getting the better of things. Belair loads up some chairs but sees Uncle Howdy in a tunnel. That’s enough for Bliss to hit a DDT and see Howdy, which she doesn’t like. The mystery continues, because….yeah.

Bronson Reed vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa isn’t sure what to do here and gets wrestled to the ground without much trouble. Reed sends him into the corner for the loud chop and a running shot to make it worse. We hit the waistlock but Tozawa fights up and sends him to the floor. The suicide headbutt connects but Reed toss powerbombs him into the apron. A shoulder from the apron sets up the Tsunami to finish Tozawa at 4:18.

Rating: C. The point of this was to make Reed look like a monster and it did that well enough. There is something about seeing a big guy do his stuff and abuse someone else with all of the big power stuff and that is what we got here. Tozawa can sell it well too, making this a good usage of both, with the Tsunami looking awesome as always.

Seth Rollins is VERY fired up about getting the US Title back because he’ll take it to Wrestlemania and beat Roman Reigns.

Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley

Elimination rules, JBL is here with Corbin, and the winner gets a US Title shot against Austin Theory next week. We’re joined in progress with Theory on commentary and three separate brawls all over the place. JBL distracts Lashley so Corbin can get in a cheap shot on the floor. Rollins goes after Balor’s bad ribs inside but gets caught on top by Corbin. The required Tower Of Doom brings Rollins down hard and Lashley is looking rather serious.

The spear hits post though and it’s time to go after Lashley. Ziggler hits a Fameasser and Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale for two on Lashley, which is quite the kickout. Miz boots Ziggler in the face and grabs a Figure Four but Ziggler turns it over. With Miz facing the mat, Rollins hits a Stomp for the elimination at 5:12.

We take a break and come back with Lashley knocking Corbin into the barricade, only to have Balor and Corbin post him. Rollins goes after Theory and throws a drink in his face before going inside to help Ziggler hammer on Corbin. Ziggler and Rollins trade rollups for two each before Balor hits a big running flip dive onto the floor. Ziggler dives onto the bigger pile and then superkicks Corbin back inside. A superkick hits Lashley and the Zig Zag takes him down again. Rollins is back in with the Pedigree to get rid of Ziggler at 13:05.

We take another break and come back with Corbin Deep Sixing Balor for two. Corbin punches Rollins outside but gets clotheslined in the corner by Lashley. The spinning Dominator gives Lashley two on Rollins but here is Omos for a distraction before the Hurt Lock can go on. Corbin hits a big clothesline on the distracted Lashley but gets caught with Balor’s Sling Blade. Balor dropkicks Lashley into the corner and hits the Coup de Grace, only to get Stomped by Rollins for the pin at 19:47.

Corbin pulls Rollins to the floor where Omos sends him over the announcers’ table. Omos glares down at Corbin, who gets back inside for a spear from Lashley for the pin at 22:12. That leaves Lashley vs. Rollins, but Theory hits Lashley with the belt. Omos goes after Theory, earning himself a Stomp onto the announcers’ table. Rollins dives on Theory and clotheslines him over the barricade, only to have MVP offer another distraction. Lashley hits the spear on Rollins for the pin and the title shot at 23:16.

Rating: B. This was the kind of controlled chaos that worked well and got the point across, mainly because of the elimination rules. Lashley was built up throughout the night and was hyped up coming into the show so it was smart to not pull the rug out from underneath him. There were other things going on in the same match and it didn’t feel close to that long, so well done with the whole thing.

Lashley and Theory stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show still felt like it was designed to take the week off and set something up for the next time, but it was a little bit more interesting than last week. Next week’s Raw XXX is looking like a great show and if they can deliver there, they can hit the ground running on the Road To Wrestlemania. This one felt like the show that set the stage for next week and beyond, but at least they did well with what they offered. Entertaining enough show here, and now we can move on to the big stuff that actually matters.

Results
Solo Sikoa b. Mustafa Ali – Samoan Spike
Street Profits b. Shelton Benjamin/Cedric Alexander – Crucifix to Benjamin
Omos b. Elias – Chokebomb
Judgment Day b. Alpha Academy – South of Heaven to Gable
Mia Yim b. Iyo Sky – Eat Defeat
Bronson Reed b. Akira Tozawa – Tsunami
Bobby Lashley won a six way elimination match last eliminating Seth Rollins

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: March 11, 2008
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Attendance: 15,121
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Wrestlemania continues to inch closer and thankfully it seems that Chavo Guerrero can finally move on from CM Punk and find a new challenger for the ECW Title. This week is about the Tag Team Titles though as Tommy Dreamer and Colin Delaney are challenging Miz and John Morrison for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles in an Extreme Rules match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer/Colin Delaney

Miz and Morrison are defending in an Extreme Rules match. Since there are tags in an EXTREME RULES match, Dreamer gets taken into the corner for an early double teaming. Delaney, realizing how rules should really work, dives onto both champs and the fight goes to the floor. A big running flip dive takes Miz and Morrison down as Taz and Cole are way behind Delaney doing nutty things.

Miz manages to knock Dreamer down though and it’s a double gutbuster to Delaney inside. Hold on though as Dreamer slides in a kendo stick and Delaney gets to swing a bit. Dreamer comes back in and the champs are able to get back up with some weapon shots of their own. The catapult into the slingshot elbow crushes Delaney but Dreamer is back with some trashcan lid shots.

With Morrison down, Delaney puts on a Chicago Bears helmet for What’s Up because ECW. Miz is back up with some trashcan lid shots but Dreamer and Delaney tie the champs in the Tree of Woe for running shots to the face. Stereo covers get stereo twos with stereo feet on the ropes, so let’s grab a table.

With that taking too long, Dreamer and Miz go up, with Morrison going over to break it up. That means a superplex to Miz and a superbomb to Morrison for another double delayed near fall. Delaney’s Sliced Bread is broken up with a hard toss out to the floor, allowing Morrison to moonsault off the apron while holding a trashcan. Back in and Miz and Morrison send Dreamer through the table to retain the titles.

Rating: B-. This was WAY better than it had any right to be and it worked out rather well. Delaney and Dreamer were never going to be serious threats to win the titles but they did have some fun on the way there. The helmet spot was fun if nothing else, but this should wrap up the feud for good.

Here is Armando Estrada to announce a 24 man battle royal at Wrestlemania. The winner will get an ECW title match later that night. Estrada brings out one of the participants.

Great Khali vs. Stevie Richards

I’m assuming you can guess which of the two Estrada was excited about. Chokebomb finishes Richards in about 20 seconds.

Post match Mike Knox comes out and wrecks Richards even more. So much for that push.

Deuce vs. Kofi Kingston

Domino and Cherry are here with Deuce. Kofi goes after the arm to start but Deuce snaps the throat across the top rope for a breather. Granted not for Kofi but it’s kind of hard to share one of those. The neck crank goes on but Kofi pops up for the right hands in the corner. The Boom Drop connects and a spinning kick to the face (the Jamaican Buzzsaw according to Joey) finishes Deuce fast.

Rating: C. This is Kingston starting to move up the ladder a bit as Deuce might not be a big star but he is a bigger deal than the other people Kingston has beaten. You can see some potential in him and WWE seems to be moving him in the right way. Nothing special as far as a match goes, but at least he is moving in the right direction.

Raw Rebound.

Wrestlemania rundown.

CM Punk is ready to beat Big Daddy V. and qualify for Money In The Bank. And hey, we’re in his hometown.

Festus vs. Elijah Burke

Jesse is here too. Festus goes off on Burke to start but gets punched back into the corner for his efforts. Burke works on the arm and dropkicks him down for one. Festus shoulders him down, drops a knee, and finishes with the fireman’s carry flapjack. This really wasn’t good and you could see the fans walking out.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Big Daddy V. vs. CM Punk

Shelton Benjamin is on commentary and Matt Striker is here with V. Punk gets shoved down to start so he switches to the leg kicks. V runs him over though as the CM PUNK chants are rather loud here. The slow, plodding offense begins but Punk is back with a running knee in the corner. For some reason, Punk tries the GTS and gets crushed by V landing on his back (a deserved result for being stupid). Back up and Punk knocks him to the floor and that’s a fast countout for the win.

Rating: D+. Yeah what else were you expecting here? There is only so much that anyone can do with V and as a smaller wrestler, Punk is even more limited. Punk winning wasn’t much of a shock here, but what mattered was giving the fans something to cheer about. It was a bad match of course, but they did what they needed to do.

Overall Rating: C. The opener was good but the rest was a mixture of dull and bad. ECW just has nothing going on with Wrestlemania as the title match is going to be set up at the show. What does that leave for the next few weeks as we get to the show? Not a great show here, but at least they set something up going forward.

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