Monday Night Raw
Date: September 12, 2022
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith

We are less than a month away from Extreme Rules and Raw could use some matches on the card. There are already some feuds going here and we should have a few things ready to go sooner than later. As for tonight though, this is all about the Edge/Rey Mysterio vs. the Judgment Day, because this story is still going. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going and the fans seem to approve. Rollins dubs himself the host for the evening and talks about how he is in Riddle’s head. Now Riddle wants a rematch, but since Rollins isn’t interested, it’s time to move on. Rollins hasn’t been a champion in far too long, but here is Riddle to start the fight fast. They fight into the crowd with Rollins managing a rake to the eyes and run off.

Riddle gives chase but here is Judgment Day to interrupt. Damian Priest says he, Rhea Ripley and Riddle go way back. They talk about how Riddle has never gotten his chance before and think he would fit in well on the team. Riddle appreciates the offer but passes, earning a threat from Balor. The fight is on and we’ll do this after the break.

Finn Balor vs. Riddle

Joined in progress with Riddle rolling some gutwrench suplexes and hitting a Broton. Balor starts going after the knee, including pulling it off the middle rope to send Riddle’s head into the buckle. The chinlock doesn’t last long but Balor neckbreakers him right back down to cut off the comeback. They fight to the apron with the reverse DDT planning Riddle as we take a break. Back with Riddle hitting a release fisherman’s suplex for a much needed breather. Riddle sends him outside and hits the kick to Balor’s chest, setting up the springboard Floating Bro onto Balor and Priest.

Back in and Priest offers a distraction so Balor can hit the Nightmare On Helm Street. Cue Rey Mysterio to post Priest and fight with him into the crowd so things are even again. A Bro To Sleep into a German suplex gives Riddle two but the Floating Bro hits knees. Balor misses the Coup de Grace and Riddle is back with the hanging DDT. Cue Rollins for a distraction, allowing Balor to hit 1916 and the Coup de Grace for the pin at 13:33.

Rating: C+. There was some interference, but Riddle needs to win a match of note sometime soon before he falls even further. The good thing is that very well could be at Extreme Rules, as you can all but pencil in Riddle vs. Rollins II in some kind of a big violent match. Other than that, Balor is probably heading for a showdown with Edge and that should work well when we finally get there.

Post match Rollins comes in for a Stomp to leave Riddle laying.

Bayley and Damage Ctrl aren’t happy with Bianca Belair, Raquel Rodriquez and Aliyah, but all will be made right tonight.

Dominik Mysterio is tired of just being Re Mysterio’s son and says Edge got what he deserved. Tonight, he’ll finish Edge for good, because he’s tired of living in Rey’s shadow. Rhea Ripley pops up to whisper in his ear, causing Dominik to say he isn’t a little boy anymore, but rather a man. Ripley smiles.

Video on Johnny Gargano.

Austin Theory doesn’t think much of Gargano and is looking forward to Chad Gable beating Gargano tonight. Gable comes in to say after tonight, it’s Johnny SHUSH!

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez

Aliyah/Rodriguez are defending and Bayley is here too. Rodriguez and Kai start things off with Rodriguez using the power to take over. Aliyah comes in for a clothesline and splash in the corner before it’s back to Rodriguez to run Kai over for two. Rodriguez launches Aliyah over the top and onto both champs as we take a break.

Back with Aliyah coming in and hiptossing Sky as Bayley isn’t pleased at ringside. Aliyah gets sent into the corner for the running boot to the face and seems to be favoring her arm. Kai comes back in to pull on both arms as Bayley says stick to the plan. Aliyah fights up and hits a double neckbreaker to get herself out of trouble.

The hot tag brings in Rodriguez to clean house but Aliyah is right back in. Sky hurricanranas Rodriguez outside, leaving Aliyah to hit a springboard X Factor for two on Kai, with Bayley putting the foot on the ropes. Rodriguez goes after Bayley, leaving Sky to moonsault down onto her. The Kairppractor finishes Aliyah for the pin and the titles at 12:09.

Rating: C. They more or less telegraphed this ending the second Aliyah and Rodriguez won the titles in the first place. Rodriguez more or less was the team as Aliyah can’t do much of anything on her own, so getting rid of Rodriguez pretty much guaranteed new champions. Damage Ctrl should have been the champions in the first place but at least we only had to wait for two weeks.

Rey Mysterio tries to talk Dominik Mysterio out of his match with Edge because it is a point of no return. They can still be family and fox all of this but Dominik won’t say anything. Rhea Ripley pops up to say Dominik is a man and doing what he wants, leaving Rey distraught.

Johnny Gargano vs. Chad Gable

Otis is in Gable’s corner. They go to the mat to start with a grapple off going nowhere. Gable takes him down by the arm but gets reversed into a headlock. Back up and a running hurricanrana into a crucifix gives Gargano two, setting up a front facelock. Gable gets up and hits Gargano in the face to take over, setting up a waistlock. Gargano knocks him to the floor though and hits the running dive to take Gable down again as we take a break.

Back with Gable working on the leg, which he banged up during the break. Gargano manages to send him to the corner though and the slingshot spear gets two. Gable is fine enough to pull him into the ankle lock though, followed by something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator for two. The moonsault misses so Gable settles for a nasty wheelbarrow suplex for two more.

What looked to be a top rope headbutt misses though and Gargano pulls him into the Gargano Escape. That’s reversed into another ankle lock, which Gargano breaks up as well. The American Automatic gets two and Gargano is back up with a discus lariat to leave them both down. Gargano sends him outside for a dive onto Gable and Otis, setting up One Final Beat (slingshot DDT) for the pin at 13:50.

Rating: B-. Gargano is back and that’s a good thing, though he wasn’t quite as sharp as he was at his best in NXT. That being said, he’s going to be fine as he has the Theory match all but guaranteed for down the road. Then you have Gable, and my goodness he better be grateful that he is this good in the ring. The SHUSH thing has turned him into another joke character, but it does get better when he’s in the ring and gets to show what he can do. And it’s still better than being called Shorty G.

Post match Otis goes after Gargano, who hits two superkicks and runs off. Theory pops up with a briefcase shot to drop Gargano though, meaning it’s selfie time.

Post break Theory is in the ring to ask if he disappointed the fans. Gargano needed someone to show him how this works but here is Kevin Owens to interrupt. Before Owens can say anything, Theory cuts him off and says he is sick of people interrupting him. He is too good to have this keep happening and he is going to take over this entire industry. Theory says he has done more in a few months than Owens has done in five years, but that’s too far for Owens.

That doesn’t work for Owens, who points out that Theory has had everything handed to him. Sure Owens’ Universal Title was handed to him, but that’s the only similarity between them and thank goodness for that. Owens says there have been a lot of guys like Theory to come along and a lot of them have failed. Then you have people like Owens and Gargano who have come along and you can count their success on one hand. They are the heart and soul of this business but people like Theory are the appendix of this business: completely disposable.

Owens doesn’t see it in Theory but begs him to prove him wrong. Theory needs to let his passion loose and get better every time he is in front of these people. That is how you prove him wrong and become the face of WWE. Theory says he’s just better than Owens, who decides to hit him in the face to get the point across. The brawl is on and referees/agents have to fail at keeping them apart. Theory, with his forehead and nose busted, gets away, with Owens saying that was just the beginning. This was a heck of a segment with Owens speaking from the heart as only he can.

Here is Bianca Belair for an open challenge. She announces said challenge, even though it was made clear before the break. Cue Sonya Deville to say she remembers what Belair did to her and that is why she isn’t Raw Women’s Champion. Belair: “This is an open challenge, not an open mic.” She wants a referee down here.

Raw Women’s Title: Sonya Deville vs. Bianca Belair

Belair is defending. They go with the grappling to start until Deville takes her into the corner and fires off the kicks to the ribs. A clothesline out of the corner gets Belair out of trouble and a suplex into a handspring moonsault gives her two. Sonya is sent outside and avoids a moonsault, setting up a heck of a clothesline as we take a break.

Back with Deville being sent into the corner, setting up the chinlock. Belair is sent outside and into the announcers’ table, setting up another chinlock back inside. A rollup gives Belair two but Sonya is back up with I think a middle rope knee for two of her own. Belair powers up and uses the corner to flip out of a dragon sleeper. The KOD retains the title at 12:07.

Rating: C. Well, at least it wasn’t a returning Carmella. Belair vs. Bayley is another match that is all but locked in already so there isn’t much of a reason to get worried about Belair possibly losing her title. Bayley should be all but ready to win the thing as Belair has gotten her two big Wrestlemania wins and is pretty much set for the rest of her career. Let the best woman in WWE get back to the top where she belongs.

Post match here is Bayley to say Belair has a big fat ego. Bayley says the match can happen later, but here are Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai to surround Belair. The brawl is on but Alexa Bliss and Asuka run in for the save. Well good thing Damage Ctrl got to win earlier, because they looked pretty lame here.

Omos vs. Cash Morazi/Ryan Tombs

Graves wants to call them Thing 1 and Thing 2 as the destruction is on. A double shoulder drops them and something like a cobra clutch has Morazi flailing. For some reason Tombs makes the save so Omos beats them up again. Two chokeslams set up the double pin at 1:38. It’s as good as any other way to keep Omos on TV.

Rey Mysterio tries to talk Edge out of the match but Edge says this has to happen.

We look back at Seth Rollins and Riddle earlier tonight.

Rollins declares himself the face of the show but Bobby Lashley comes in to say not so fast. Lashley mocks Rollins’ colorful gear but doesn’t see any gold, which determines the power around here. The title match is set for next week. Now there’s a fresh match that feels big and hasn’t been run into the ground before.

We get a special interview with Miz and Maryse at their home, with the kids running in for a cameo. Maryse comes in and mocks Miz for being scared about Dexter Lumis, who she guarantees will never be here. With Maryse gone, Miz refuses to talk about Lumis and refuses to talk about what Lumis did to him. Miz and Maryse leave to go to a premiere and Lumis is in their house, where he draws a picture of Miz and Maryse with their daughters. And Lumis is the good guy in this right?

Dominik Mysterio vs. Edge

Rhea Ripley is here with Dominik. Edge knocks him into the corner to start and this a headbutt as Dominik is in early trouble. Dominik is sent outside for a pep talk with Ripley, which goes badly for him as well. Some forearms do nothing for Dominik as Edge throws him back inside, only to have Ripley trip Edge down. Dominik sends him into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Dominik working on the knee, setting up the Three Amigos (which do not go very well. Dominik goes up top, does the Eddie dance, knocks Edge off, and hits the frog splash for two. Edge sends him shoulder/head first into the post and the comeback is on, including the Edge-O-Matic for two. The spear is loaded up but gets reversed into the half crab. That’s broken up and Edge ties him in the ropes and hammers away, only to have Rey run in and cut off the spear attempt. Edge shoves him away so here is Damian Priest to pull Rey outside. With Rey thrown over the announcers’ table, Finn Balor runs in for the DQ at 15:03.

Rating: D+. This was a rough sit and it made me feel sorry for Dominik all over again. Dominik is far from some colossal disaster in the ring and he can do his moves (well most of them at least) decently enough. The problem is that is the end of his talents. He doesn’t have charisma, he doesn’t show much fire, and most of what he does in the ring is flat out copying Rey or Eddie. I don’t want to see him in the ring and I have no interest in his issues with Rey and Edge. Making this the main event was a rough watch and odds are it is going to continue for whatever reason.

Dominik isn’t horrible at what he does, but he needs to get FAR away from Rey and wrestle on a show where he can get experience at a lower level. Throwing him straight into the WWE fire didn’t help him and while the Tag Team Title win with Rey was a genuinely nice moment, there is nothing there for him to make something like this work. Let him go somewhere else and find his own way, because this is crippling his career.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with a bunch of chair shots to Edge’s leg and the Coup de Grace to make it worse. Judgment Day poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of this show, as WAY too much of it was focusing on Edge/Rey vs. Judgment Day, which hasn’t been interesting in a long time. Rollins vs. Riddle seems set for Extreme Rules and odds are Riddle costs him the match with Lashley next week. Other than that, there wasn’t much to see here and some of the momentum is starting to slip. Certainly better than the Vince shows, but they need to move on from this Dominik obsession fast because it’s dragging everything else down.

Results
Finn Balor b. Riddle – Coup de Grace
Damage Ctrl b. Raquel Rodriguez/Aliyah – Kairopractor to Aliyah
Johnny Gargano b. Chad Gable – One Final Beat
Bianca Belair b. Sonya Deville – KOD
Omos b. Cash Morazi/Ryan Tombs – Double pin
Edge b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Finn Balor interfered

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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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: January 15, 2008
Location: Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re coming up on the Royal Rumble, which isn’t likely to mean much around here. This show is more concerned with Chavo Guerrero getting another shot at a title shot against ECW World Champion CM Punk, because two times wasn’t enough yet. We do have a guest star this week though, as Smackdown World Champion Edge is here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge to get things going. He is excited to be here, just like he is excited to defend the Smackdown World Title against Rey Mysterio at the Royal Rumble. The fans chant 619 but Edge says that isn’t going to happen to him. We see a clip of Rey beating Chavo Guerrero on Smackdown and getting beaten down by Edge after the fact. That brings Edge to his guest for the week: CM Punk, who Edge knows has his hands full with Chavo Guerrero.

Edge praises Punk and says he sees a lot of Punk in him. Punk laughs that off and says he would love to face Chavo again, anytime. On top of that though, Punk knows that he can beat Edge too. Cue Chavo to put in another challenge, but Punk says they both know what happens when he beats Chavo again. Edge pops up and helps Chavo double team Punk down, including sending him shoulder first into the post.

Post break, Edge leaves. Forgive me for not believing him.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Highlanders

Non-title. Morrison takes Rory down to start and walks over his back, only to have Rory grab a flapjack for two. That earns Rory a knockdown so Miz comes in to pull on the leg. Back up and Rory gets over for the tag to Robbie, who hits a fast powerslam. Everything breaks down and the Reality Check gives Miz the pin. The Highlanders were no Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore.

Kofi Kingston is still coming and still doesn’t like bullies. He debuts next week.

Here is Kelly Kelly in a robe to challenge Lena Yada and Layla to a best body contest next week, when ECW goes HD. The robe comes off and the fans approve.

As Kelly leaves, Colin Delaney, now with both arms and ribs taped up, is in the ring to say he’s going to try this one more time.

Kane vs. Colin Delaney

Chokeslam finishes in about a minute.

CM Punk is still in for his match against Chavo Guerrero tonight.

Raw Rebound.

Jeff Hardy is out of the hospital after diving onto Randy Orton on Raw.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Nunzio

Benjamin throws him down without much trouble to start and snaps off a t-bone suplex. A shot to the face cuts off Nunzio’s comeback attempt and Benjamin hits a buckle bomb. The jumping Downward Spiral finishes Nunzio off.

Rating: D+. Benjamin’s roll continues and that shouldn’t be a surprise. It makes sense for WWE to push someone with his credentials as a bigger star on a show like this. If nothing else, Benjamin can be built up for someone else to defeat and get a big rub out of later, which is one of the reasons to go in this direction.

CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title again and again if Chavo wins, he gets a future title shot. Hold on though as here is Edge to join commentary. Chavo goes after him to start but gets kicked away without much effort. Back up and Chavo pulls him to the mat by the arm and cranks away as we take a break.

We come back with Punk fighting out of the corner but getting his arm wrapped around the ropes again. The armbar is broken up and Punk hits an enziguri, only to get dropkicked in the shoulder. It’s back to another arm crank, with Chavo bridging over with a hammerlock. Punk fights up again and gets taken down again, this time with a flip dive onto the arm.

We’re right back to the armbar but Punk manages to get to his feet for a spinning backfist. Punk goes to the top but gets pulled down by the arm. That’s enough for Edge to hit him in the back of the head with the title, giving Chavo the countout win, earning him a title shot in the process.

Rating: C. The match finally set up the title showdown but it wasn’t exactly a thrilling fight. Chavo worked on the arm for a rather long time and then Edge interfered to cause the DQ. This showed you about how much you can get out of Chavo working on an arm for ten minutes and the fact that it was their third match didn’t make things much better.

Overall Rating: C-. Not much to this one but the main event did set up Chavo vs. Punk IV if you’re rather obsessed with this feud. Other than that, Punk vs. Edge might have been teased for the future and that could be a nice way to go. The show didn’t exactly get heavy on the wrestling, but with the Royal Rumble coming up, does it really make that much of a difference?

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 5, 2022
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Clash At The Castle and that means we have about a month to go before Extreme Rules. Odds are we’ll be seeing a bunch of Clash rematches at the show, some of which might be set up tonight. In addition to that, the extreme starts tonight as we have a steel cage match with US Champion Bobby Lashley defending against the Miz. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash At The Castle if you need a recap.

Here is Edge to get things going. Edge wants to talk about Dominik Mysterio, who he has watched grow up. He sees Dominik like family and is here to help the Mysterios against Judgment Day. Is it because of that one accidental spear? If so Edge is sorry, but what is going on with Dom? Rey raised him better than that but Edge is a different beast entirely. If Dom thinks he’s a man, then he needs to come out here and pay a man’s price.

Cue Rey, but Edge says that isn’t the Mysterio he wanted. He calls out Dominik again, only to get Rhea Ripley instead. She talks about Edge and Rey thinking Dominik as just a little boy, but she saw the potential in him and turned him into a man. Cue Dominik with his hair slicked back and in all black, so Rey says snap out of it and make things right. Rhea says Dominik isn’t listening to Rey anymore and Edge can’t stop his judgment day. Rey says he can’t be part of this and walks away, but stops to talk to Dominik in the aisle.

Dominik won’t even look at him, though he might be listening to the EDDIE SUCKS chants. Rey walks off and looks back (great shot) as Edge tells Dominik to get in the ring. Cue Finn Balor and Damian Priest from behind to jump Edge and the beatdown is on. Rey comes back and gets taken out as well. A Coup de Grace onto a chair onto Edge’s knee likely writes him off TV for the time being, with Rey coming in to clear things out. Priest puts his arm around Dominik, who seems to have joined the team.

Earlier today, Miz and Ciampa arrived, with the former not wanting to talk about Dexter Lumis being in the back of his car as he left last week. Then eh asks why he is never asked how he is doing. Interviewer: “How are you?” Miz: “None of your business.” They walk over and see a car turned upside down. Uh oh.

New Day vs. Alpha Academy vs. Los Lotharios vs. Street Profits

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot and whoever gets pinned gets to explain why the Viking Raiders aren’t included. Woods and Garza start things off but we pause so Garza can TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. Then Garza tags in Kofi so New Day has to face off. They get smart by going New Age Outlaws with Woods laying down so Kofi can steal the pin, which draws in everyone for the save.

New Day is left alone in the ring and for some reason they don’t do the same thing again, instead hitting stereo running flip dives onto everyone else as we take a break. Back with Ford kicking his way out of trouble and handing it off to Dawkins to clean house. Dawkins hits his own running flip dive, leaving the once again legal Ford to have to flip out of the American Automatic.

Back in and everyone but Alpha Academy go up top, with Ford and Woods being slammed out of different corners. Humberto’s moonsault hits raised boots and Otis plants Ford for two with Kofi making the save as we take a break. Back with Ford throwing Otis down but getting caught on top by Los Lotharios. With the two of them taken out, Ford dives onto Otis but gets ankle locked by Gable….and never mind as Braun Strowman is back. Strowman wrecks everyone and we’ll call it a no contest at about 14:30.

Rating: C+. The match was fun while it lasted but this was all about the big surprise in the end. The other good thing is that none of the teams are actually getting a title shot at the moment, because there is no reason to have any of them get a chance. New Day and Profits vs. Usos have both been run into the ground so let’s move on and do something fresh, hopefully with the Vikings, who should be the #1 contenders anyway.

Post match Strowman wrecks everyone, including powerslamming Dawkins through the announcers’ table.

Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nikki Ash/Doudrop

Non-title. Aliyah tries to take Doudrop down to start and gets hit in the face for her efforts. A running hurricanrana goes badly as well and Doudrop swings her into the buckles a few times. We see Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky watching in the back and they are officially dubbed Damage Control.

Nikki takes Aliyah down out of the corner for two, with Rodriguez having to make a save. The tag brings in Rodriguez a few seconds later and house is cleaned. Rodriguez can’t powerbomb Doudrop though and a backsplash gives Doudrop two. Everything breaks down and Aliyah pulls Ash off the apron, leaving Rodriguez to manage a Tejana Bomb out of the corner to pin Doudrop at 3:31.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it was a good enough way to get the new champs on the show. I don’t know how long they are going to hold the titles but at least they got to win a match and hold up the titles for a week. Odds are those titles are Damage Control’s to win, though the question is when they get there.

Rey Mysterio says he needs to talk to Dominik but he will never put his hands on his son, no matter what Judgment Day does to him. For tonight though, he wants any member of the team one on one.

We look at Sheamus getting a standing ovation at Clash At The Castle.

Here is Austin Theory for a chat. Things went well on Saturday and Crown Jewel (Theory: “Just kidding, Clash At The Castle!”) was a success. He’s still the youngest Mr. Money In The Bank ever, but unlike everyone else, he keeps getting up after being knocked down by a World Champion boxer. Theory is glad that Roman Reigns is still champion because they have history together. His jaw still hurts and here is Kevin Owens to interrupt.

Owens wonders what’s wrong with Theory’s jaw and then remembered that he got KO’D! Oh and he found his first name again! Owens can’t stand delusional people and no one is more delusional than Theory. What Tyson Fury did to him on Saturday was a good thing, because if Theory had cashed in, Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns would have put him down.

Theory brings up how long it has been since Owens won a title. Owens talks about how he had McIntyre and Reigns beaten and the only reason Theory has the briefcase is because Owens wasn’t in the ladder match. As Owens gets into a frenzy, he thinks a referee is about to come down here and one of them is going to say let’s fight (Owens: “That’s me!”) so let’s go.

Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory

Theory bails to the floor to start and gets run over, setting up a corner clothesline back inside. There’s the Cannonball to send Theory back outside, where the apron frog splash crushes him to take us to a break. Back with Owens fighting out of a chinlock and sending Theory face first into the announcers’ table. A backsplash hits Theory for two back inside but he manages the rolling dropkick for two. The chinlock goes on and we go to a split screen to see Fury knocking Theory out again on Saturday.

Owens fights up and forearms away, setting up a series of clotheslines to the floor. A Swanton to the floor only hits raised knees though and we take another break. Back again with Owens hitting the middle rope Swanton but getting knocked down again. A Town Down is blocked and Owens nails a superkick, only to be sent outside. Theory sends him HARD into the steps for a close nine count and takes Owens back up top. That earns Theory the swinging superplex and the Pop Up Powerbomb sets up the Stunner to give Owens the pin at 16:52.

Rating: B-. They got some time here, minus the pair of commercials, so this was a rather nice showcase for Owens. I’m still not big on seeing Theory lose over and over again, but at least he is back on TV and has his first name back. The problem with Money In The Bank right now is having to deal with such a dominant champion, so we could be waiting around for a good while. That isn’t likely to go well for Theory either, as things have already been going badly for him and could get even worse.

Miz still doesn’t want to talk about Dexter Lumis, but he is cool with the United States Title match tonight, because he is better than Bobby Lashley one on one.

Long recap of Clash At The Castle.

Video on a soldier who earned the Medal Of Honor.

Here is Damage Control for a chat. Bayley brags about their win at Clash At The Castle and says imagine what they can do to the rest of the women’s division. Sky promises to take the Tag Team Titles next week because Kai wasn’t legal last week. Bayley wants Bianca Belair too, so here is Belair to say let’s do it right now. That’s a no from Bayley because she isn’t working on Labor Day, but for now all we’re doing is celebrating that she beat Belair, YEAH.

Belair remembers it took three women to beat her and she still has the title, so Bayley is in control of nothing. The trio heads to the floor, with Bayley saying she has nothing to prove to Belair. She’ll take the title when she wants it and promises to get it one way or another, which seems to be a threat from Sky and Kai.

We take a long look at Drew McIntyre’s entrance at Clash At The Castle.

Johnny Gargano is glad to be back here but Austin Theory comes in to say Gargano has been Johnny Talking since he got back. Gargano says that’s true, but he’s back in the ring next week.

Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest

Rey goes right at him to start but has to escape the South of Heaven chokeslam. A big boot drops Rey fast and a running shoulder to the ribs makes it even worse. Another charge only hits post though and Rey hammers away as hard as he can. A springboard spinning crossbody lets Rey fire off more right hands to the face but Priest gets in a few shots to take over again. Rey dropkicks him to the floor but gets dropped again as the rest of Judgment Day comes out.

We take a break and come back with Rey fighting out of a chinlock and sending Priest outside for more kicks. Back in and Rey hits a Lionsault, followed by a spinning DDT for a breather. The 619 is countered though and Priest kicks him in the face again. Back up and Rey tries another 619, only to get cut off by Dominik. That’s enough for the South of Heaven to finish Rey at 13:28.

Rating: C+. Rey knows how to deal with a monster like this and Priest looked good in victory. Dominik costing Rey the match makes it even better and odds are we’re coming up on the Mysterio showdown, whenever they actually get there. Rey isn’t going to be hurt by the loss and now the question becomes how well Dominik can be presented on his way to the match with his dad. Priest was just the heavy here but he knows how to make it work so this went well.

Post match Rhea Ripley says that Dominik is ready to get rid of Edge next week.

We look back at Braun Strowman attacking everyone again.

Strowman says he’s back and no one is safe. See you on Smackdown.

We look back at Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle on Saturday.

Riddle says he let his emotions get the better of him.

Rollins is proud of his win and moving on to bigger and better things.

United States Title: The Miz vs. Bobby Lashley

Miz, with Tommaso (yes Tommaso) Ciampa is challenging inside a cage. We get the Big Match Intros and Miz jumps him with the title before the bell. They go to the floor (not an escape as the match hasn’t started yet) with Lashley being double teamed for some double applause. Lashley’s arm is crushed with the steps and we take a break before the match actually starts.

We take a break and come back with the match joined in progress as Miz covers him for two. Miz stomps away and the YES Kicks get two more. Lashley gets fired up and hits a swinging neckbreaker before sending Miz into the cage a few times. The threat of a spear sends Miz bailing for the door but even Ciampa’s assist can’t get him outside. Lashley sends Miz into the cage a few more times but Miz goes for the bad arm to block the Hurt Lock. That’s enough to send Lashley up the cage, only to have Ciampa swat him down with a chair. Miz is back up with a running knee for two and we take another break.

Back with Lashley fighting out of a Crossface and taking Miz up for a top rope superplex and two. Miz avoids a spear to send Lashley into the cage, setting up the Skull Crushing Finale for two. Back up and Lashley goes for the door but has to knock Ciampa down, allowing Miz to slam the door on Lashley’s head over and over. Miz goes to escape…and Dexter Lumis has crawled out from underneath the ring. That makes Miz climb back in and the spear retains the title at 13:58.

Rating: C+. See how easy it is to make a title feel important again? Over the last few weeks, Lashley has been defending the title because people have been trying to take it from him. That puts Lashley on a winning streak, which is what you need to make a champion feel that much more important. It is such a simple idea and it worked well here. Miz did his thing and the Lumis deal at the end was the logical way to go, making this a good main event on both fronts.

Post match Lumis climbs into the cage and Lashley shuts the door. Lumis chokes Miz out and…strokes his head to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The positive about this show is really simple: they had stories going on throughout the match and added in wrestling to fill things out. They didn’t waste much time (fair enough on the video packages as a lot of the roster was in Wales two days ago) and the feuds were advanced. Throw in a big return from Strowman and this was an efficient and even well done Raw. Good show here as the show is starting to get into more of a much needed rhythm.

Results
New Day vs. Alpha Academy vs. Los Lotharios vs. Street Profits went to a no contest when Braun Strowman interfered
Raquel Rodriguez/Aliyah b. Nikki Ash/Doudrop – Tejana Bomb to Doudrop
Kevin Owens b. Austin Theory – Stunner
Damian Priest b. Rey Mysterio – South of Heaven
Bobby Lashley b. The Miz – Spear

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 29, 2022
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith

It’s the go home show for Clash At The Castle but there is a lot to cover tonight as well. This week will see the finals of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles as Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai face Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah, plus a special appearance by hometown boy Kurt Angle. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler vs. Judgment Day

Rhea Ripley is here with Judgment Day, who Graves says “no one has had an answer for”. As I try to remember when they last won a big match over someone not named Mysterio, Priest stomps Styles into the corner to start and knocks Ziggler off the apron. Styles is back up with a dropkick and a clothesline to the floor, setting up the slingshot forearm as we take an early break.

Back with Ziggler in trouble but managing to counter Balor’s Styles Clash into a Fameasser. That’s enough for the (not exactly necessary) jump into the tag to Styles so the pace can be picked up. Priest knocks Styles into Balor to knock him off the apron but Styles is back with the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. Balor breaks up the Calf Crusher and Styles is sent outside, setting up the South of Heaven chokeslam to give Priest the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what Graves was talking about with saying no one can stop Judgment Day but they did need a win to put them back on track. The match was good enough for a short opener and that is all it needed to be. Odds are Edge is going to be back for Balor sooner than later and this gives them some momentum towards that match.

Judgment Day goes to leave but we see Edge arriving. That makes the team head back to the ring to wait on him as we take a break. Post break, Judgment Day calls Edge to the ring because we aren’t in Toronto and Beth Phoenix isn’t here to save him. Cue Edge to say we’re not in Toronto but rather Pittsburgh and Beth isn’t here tonight. Edge is confident enough in his masculinity to say he and Beth both wear the pants in his family. That’s because he isn’t a caveman who couldn’t get tickets to the My Chemical Romance tour. Edge is indeed back, but he didn’t come alone.

Cue the Mysterios with kendo sticks (because chairs aren’t a thing in wrestling anymore) but Dominik can’t bring himself to hit Rhea Ripley. Instead he hands her the stick and lets the team leave after a staredown. Dominik continues to look like a moron in this whole story. And he still needs a haircut.

Miz and Ciampa don’t want to talk about Dexter Lumis.

Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez promise to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Asuka/Alexa Bliss/Bianca Belair vs. Danny Mo/Kay Sparks/Katie Arquette

Belair faceplants Sparks to start so it’s off to Katie, who gets flipped over in the corner. Belair tells the other two to come in and suplexes Katie down. Bliss comes in with a splash before Asuka misses a charge in the corner. Some spinning strikes drop Mo for two and everything breaks down, with Belair hitting the KOD to Sparks. Asuka grabs something like an Octopus on the mat to make Mo tap at 3:17.

Rating: C-. Quick match here with the stars getting a chance to be built up on the way to their showdown at Clash At The Castle. You don’t see that happen very often on Raw and it’s nice to have around for a change. The jobbers got in some offense to keep it from being total destruction but the match accomplished its goal.

Miz doesn’t want to talk about what Dexter Lumis did and since he didn’t press charges, Lumis has been released from custody. He still won’t talk about it.

Here is Kurt Angle for the big homecoming. He hypes up Clash At The Castle but here is the Alpha Academy to interrupt. Post break, Chad Gable talks about how Kurt won a gold medal in the Olympics. Angle: “And I won it with a broken freaking neck.” Gable was ready to continue the open challenge here in Pittsburgh but there is no talent in this town. The fans don’t approve but Gable says there is an Olympic hero in this ring, AND KURT ANGLE, so show some respect.

As a special one night only offer, Angle can join the Alpha Academy with no strings attached. Angle throws the jacket back though, with Gable saying “Exqueeze me?” Angle loads up the It’s True but gets SHHHHsed, setting up a SHUSH off. That’s too far for Gable, but the Street Profits run in before Otis violence can ensue. The Profits set up the match and we’re ready to go. Hang on though: Gable throws in a stipulation that if the Academy wins, Angle joins the Academy. Sure why not.

Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy

Ford chops at Otis to start but gets caught with a gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam. Gable comes in but Ford gets over to Dawkins to pick up the pace. Gable and Otis are sent outside for the running flip dive from Dawkins for a big crash. Back in and Gable dragon screw legwhips Dawkins out of the corner and Otis stands on Dawkins to make it worse.

Dawkins is back up without much trouble though and hands it off to Ford to clean house. A suplex into a standing moonsault gets two on Gable but the frog splash is broken up as we take a break. Back with Dawkins coming in but getting planted by Otis. Ford low bridges Otis to the floor so Dawkins can hit the Silencer for two.

Gable is right back with a bridging northern lights suplex for two and everyone is knocked down. Back up and Gable grabs the ankle lock on Ford, who reverses into one of his own. Otis makes the save with a splash but goes outside to go after Angle. That lets Dawkins knock Otis over the announcers’ table, leaving Gable to get slammed down. The frog splash finishes for Ford at 16:01.

Rating: C+. This was more than a bit longer than it needed to be but the Profits getting a win is a good thing. The problem though is they have nowhere to go as the Usos have the titles tied up seemingly forever and that feud has been done to death. They need something to do to keep the team going, and while this worked for a week, it isn’t going to work long term.

Post match the Profits give Angle a red cup but he spits it out. Angle is ready though and busts out the milk for the feel good throwback.

Riddle and Seth Rollins got in a fight in the parking lot earlier today.

We get a split screen interview between Riddle and Rollins. Riddle wants to fight but Rollins says he isn’t on his level. They’re both ready for the fight, with Rollins not exactly taking things seriously. Riddle promises to prove that there is only one man in their marriage though, and that is Becky Lynch. Rollins gets WAY more serious as we’re out of time.

Miz is paranoid about security as he comes to the ring.

We get some extra footage from after the cameras stopped rolling on the interviews. Rollins wasn’t happy with Riddle talking about his family so let’s talk about Riddle’s family. Oh wait he doesn’t have one because Riddle’s wife left him and took the kids. Riddle wants to know where the f*** Rollins is because he wants to f*** him up. That’s the kind of segment you didn’t get for a long time around here and that’s a nice change of pace.

Miz vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title and Ciampa is here with the still traumatized Miz. Lashley knocks Miz into the corner to start and then outside, where Ciampa gives him a pep talk. That earns both of them a knockdown as we take a break. Back with Lashley still in control until Miz manages to send him into the steps. Lashley shrugs off some choking and loads up the powerslam before settling for a spinebuster. Ciampa gets in a cheap shot though and a DDT gives Miz two. The Skull Crushing Finale is loaded up but Dexter Lumis is in the crowd. The distraction is enough for Lashley to grab the Hurt Lock for the win at 10:45.

Rating: C-. This was more about Miz being all messed up by Lumis than anything else. Lashley isn’t going to lose to Miz in a cold match on Raw so this was a matter of time rather than anything else. I’m curious about where the Lumis/Miz deal is going, but they are doing a good job of making you wonder what happened to Miz to freak him out this much.

Edge comes in to see Kurt Angle and recreates the messages written on the back of big pictures, talking about the various horrible things Edge did to Angle over the years. The Mysterios find it funny and Angle loses it because Edge did it again. Kurt: “Cripes all Friday!” With Angle gone, Dominik isn’t happy that it’s Edge and Rey vs. Judgment Day at Clash At The Castle but he’ll be there too. That’s the kind of call back that still works because it hasn’t been beaten into the ground.

Video on Connor’s Cure, which started in Pittsburgh.

Here are the Usos and Sami Zayn for a chat. The Usos are excited about Roman Reigns celebrating two years as Universal Champion on Friday but Sami cuts them off. He has been named the master of ceremonies for Reigns’ celebration, which doesn’t sit well with the team. The Usos brag about their success….and here is Kevin Owens to cut them off.

Owens mocks the Usos and Jey is ready to explode. Sami explains the situation to Owens, who doesn’t seem interested in listening. Owens didn’t think Sami could look worse than he did by growing that ridiculous hair out but here he is. Zayn doesn’t get what a joke he is despite being one of the best wrestlers in the world.

Zayn insists that the Usos like him…or at least Jimmy does and they’re working on Jey. Threats are made but Owens gets in the ring anyway, telling the Usos that they can keep sucking up to Reigns, just like when they cost Owens the Universal Title. Zayn says Jey is about to take Owens out, which works for Owens so let’s get a referee out here.

Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso

Jey Uso and Sami Zayn are here too. Owens starts fast and knocks him into the corner for the right hands to the head. Jey misses a charge and gets Cannonballed as Sami is looking confused at ringside. A distraction brings Owens outside, where Jey hits a superkick and a Samoan drop onto the steps as we take a break.

Back with Owens knocking Jey off the top and hitting the Swanton for two. Jey hits his own superkick and adds a Superfly Splash for two more. Another Superfly Splash hits raised knees though and Owens drops the bullfrog splash for another near fall. Jey gets in another shot and chokes on the ropes as Jimmy offers a distraction….but Sami can’t hit Owens with a chair. Jimmy yells at Zayn, who claims the referee would have seen it, leaving Owens to Stun Jey for the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. This is the Owens that I have been wanting to see back for a long time and you can see the long road they are taking with his eventual reunion with Sami. Those two have been joined at the hip for so long but somehow have never won the Tag Team Titles. It would be great to see this story take what seems to be an obvious course, just for the emotional moment at the end.

Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Shirai promise to be taking over.

Miz leaves the arena, despite Ciampa (who is covered in glitter for some reason) asking what happened. Dexter Lumis is in the back of Miz’s car as he pulls away.

We look back at Johnny Gargano’s return last week.

Gargano was in an empty arena and talked about how happy he is to be back in wrestling. Theory didn’t ruin anything because Gargano sees him as family, even though Theory didn’t call when the baby was born. Cue Theory, who asks why Gargano didn’t call when Theory won anything, with Gargano saying they had a baby. Theory thinks that’s an excuse and Gargano must be a bit jealous.

We run down the Clash At The Castle rundown, with Riddle having gotten his Matt back.

Recap of the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai

For the vacant titles and Bayley is here too. Aliyah and Sky trade rollups to start before it’s off to Kai for a change. Kai misses a charge over a splitting Aliyah, who misses a baseball slide to the floor. That means Aliyah gets sent into the steps while Rodriguez gets knocked down as well as we take a break.

Back with Rodriguez getting kicked down for a running dropkick to the back for two. Rodriguez fights up and takes Sky down in the corner for the spinning Vader Bomb elbow. Kai is back up with a kick to Rodriguez to set up the Over the Moonsault for two. Bayley gets on the apron so Bianca Belair, Asuka and Alexa Bliss run in to chase her off. Rodriguez makes a tag off to Aliyah, who immediately drops to the floor to hide. The villains go after Rodriguez, leaving Aliyah to grab a rollup for the pin and the titles at 11:20.

Rating: C. That ending wasn’t the best as the camera almost missed the pin, though it was a clever enough idea. The problem here is simple though: it’s still the Women’s Tag Team Titles, which mattered for approximately 18 minutes after they were established. Aliyah and Rodriguez are the latest thrown together team to win the belts and that isn’t likely to get a big reaction. I’m sure Banks and Naomi, the previous thrown together team to win the belts after about four matches, returning will be a boost, but then why exactly should I believe that things will be different this time?

Pyro goes off and we hear about some big Clash At The Castle matches to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this show as much but it was still more than a few miles better than the shows from earlier this year. What matters still is that there is an energy to the shows that wasn’t around for so long and that is a notable difference. This was a go home show for a card that was mostly already set and that doesn’t often leave much for the final episode. If nothing else, we can get Clash At The Castle out of the way this weekend and move on to the build for something else, but for now this was hopefully just a one off misstep.

Results
Judgment Day b. AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler – South Of Heaven to Ziggler
Asuka/Alexa Bliss/Bianca Belair b. Dani Mo/Kay Sparks/Katie Arquette – Octopus to Mo
Street Profits b. Alpha Academy – Frog splash to Gable
Bobby Lashley b. The Miz – Hurt Lock
Kevin Owens b. Jey Uso – Stunner
Aliyah/Raquel Rodriguez b. Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai – Rollup to Sky

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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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: January 8, 2008
Location: Wachovia Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re still in the CM Punk Era and this time that means he has to deal with Chavo Guerrero. I’m not sure why either, but given how many challengers have just been dropped, Guerrero could at least offer some stability. Other than that, Miz and John Morrison are continuing their pretty sweet feud with Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Joey Styles runs down the card and sounds a bit depressed to be doing so.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: John Morrison/Miz vs. Shannon Moore/Jimmy Wang Yang

Miz and Morrison are defending and this is a Fifteen Minutes Of Fame match, meaning a fifteen minute Iron Man match. Moore backslides Miz for some early near falls to start before it’s off to Morrison to unload in the corner. A running knee the head rocks Moore again but the chinlock doesn’t last long. Instead Moore kicks Morrison away and brings Yang in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Morrison gets monkey flipped onto his face. Yang’s running spinwheel kick gets no count as the referee is distracted, allowing Morrison to grab a rollup for the first fall with 11:17 to go.

Miz/Morrison – 1
Yang/Moore – 0

We take a break and come back with the same score at 7:30 to go. Yang fights out of another chinlock (Morrison’s chinlock game is pretty weak tonight) but gets crotched on top to cut him off again. Miz ties Yang in the Tree of Woe, as a villain should, and hammers on the knee but Yang fights out anyway. A quick moonsault press (which didn’t make a ton of contact) finishes Morrison at 6:16 to go to tie us up.

Miz/Morrison – 1
Yang/Moore – 1

Miz comes right in and goes after the knee, including a half crab to keep him down. It’s back to Morrison to stay on the knee with a cannonball and some cranking. The leg is wrapped around the post and another leglock goes on to burn off more of the clock. Yang slips out though and starts the comeback, including a top rope dive (erg) to drop Morrison on the floor.

Moore comes back in with a minute left and hits something like a Whisper in the Wind for two on Miz. A Samoan drop/running neckbreaker combination connects for the same with 24 seconds left. Yang hits another moonsault press (or at least his leg hits Morrison in the head) for two as time expires, meaning Miz and Morrison retain.

Rating: B-. These teams work well together and the ending should give them a chance to have one more match, which wouldn’t be the worst thing to see. It’s nice to see a new team getting put together for something like this, even if I have no reason to believe that Moore and Yang are going to get the titles or have much of a future, but at least they are giving us something fresh for a change.

Kofi Kingston is still coming.

Colin Delaney is here to try his luck again.

Colin Delaney vs. Mark Henry

The bad luck continues as Delaney is thrown into the air for a crash, setting up a powerslam for the easy pin.

Lena Yada is in the ring to host a Diva Dance Off between Layla and Kelly Kelly. Layla dances, Kelly dances, the fans cheer for Kelly, Lena announces that she is in too, dances, and declares herself the winner.

WWE HD is coming.

Shelton Benjamin enters the Royal Rumble and talks about gold.

Chavo Guerrero vs. CM Punk

Non-title but, just like last week, if Chavo wins, he gets a future title shot. They fight over a lockup to start and that’s good for an early standoff. Chavo shoulders him down but gets pulled into a headlock as the slow start continues. That’s reversed into a headscissors, which is countered into a basement dropkick for two but Chavo is right back up with uppercuts in the corner. Punk gets slammed down hard and we take a break.

Back with Chavo’s abdominal stretch being broken up but Punk’s splash just bangs up his ribs again. The double arm crank is reversed into a rollup for a quick reprieve so Chavo kicks him in the ribs again. We hit the logical bodyscissors until Punk fights up and catapults him over the top in a clever counter.

The suicide dive that you knew was coming connects and Punk hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker back inside. There’s the running knee in the corner to set up the bulldog for two more but Chavo is right back with the Three Amigos. An over the shoulder backbreaker gets another two and the frustrated Chavo pulls the turnbuckle pad off. With the referee distracted, Chavo goes for the title belt but gets caught again, which is enough for the referee to call for the DQ.

Rating: B-. Another nice effort from these two, but that really shouldn’t be a surprise. Chavo is not exactly interesting but he can have a good match with just about anyone. Put him in there with someone as talented as Punk and give them this kind of time and this was almost guaranteed to be at least pretty good. There’s a good chance that the ending sets up another rematch though, even if that might be more than a bit of overkill.

Punk seems relieved to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. You had a pair of good matches and that is enough to cut down on the negative impact from the dance off. They have figured things out a good bit better around here and the show has gotten better as a result. ECW still feels like little more than a holding pin for people who are going to be bigger stars down the line or who have nothing to do, but for an hour long show, it could be a lot worse.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 22, 2022
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re still north of the border and this time there is a special treat for the hometown crowd. Edge is going to be facing Damian Priest for the big homecoming match and that should be a heck of a fight. Other than that, we should be seeing the continuing adventures of Dexter Lumis, plus any other possible returns. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the back with Riddle and Seth Rollins brawling in the Gorilla Position. They are separated by security but brawl into the arena to keep it going. More brawling leads to more separations until they’re finally held apart on the ramp, much to the fans’ annoyance.

Here is hometown legend Trish Stratus for a chat. The fans seem rather happy to see her and Trish seems overwhelmed by the reception. The ONE MORE MATCH chant starts up and Trish has been thinking….but here are Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky to interrupt. We take a break and come back with Bayley talking about how awesome it is to have Trish back, but why is she here?

Through translation, we hear about Sky being a huge fan but Bayley still wants to know why Trish has been after them over the last few days. Cue Bianca Belair to say Bayley isn’t in the same stratosphere. Bayley still isn’t convinced so Trish takes off her jacket. Asuka and Alexa Bliss come out to uneven the odds so Bayley and company are ready to leave but it’s time for a match. Trish vs. Bayley down the line could be a heck of a showcase for the latter and Trish looks like she could still go.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament: Asuka/Alexa Bliss vs. Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky

Asuka knocks Kai outside and then off the apron for a bonus as we take an early break. Back with Bliss getting out of trouble and handing it back to Asuka to face Sky. They circle each other and trade kicks to the face, with Asuka getting the better of things. Bliss comes back in to knock the villains outside, setting up a big dive to the floor. A cheap shot cuts her off though and we take a second break.

We come back again with Asuka striking away at Sky for two as Aliyah, Doudrop and Nikki Ash are watching in the back. Sky gets over to the apron for a springboard missile dropkick, allowing Kai to come back in with a scorpion kick. Bliss makes the save and hits a double DDT but Kai breaks up some kind of stretch from Asuka.

Bliss makes the save and tries Twisted Bliss but only hits raised knees. Asuka tags herself in though and hits some spinning backfists to Kai. A blind tag brings Sky back in but Asuka doesn’t realize it, meaning Kai tapping to the Asuka Lock doesn’t matter. Instead, Sky comes in for the rollup pin at 18:34.

Rating: C+. There were some sloppy points here but the ending was a nice way to make Kai and Sky look rather smart. Asuka got distracted and was pinned clean, which works perfectly well to send the villains to the finals. It would be hard to fathom them not winning the belts, but stranger things have happened. Long match too, and that isn’t something you see from women’s tags very often.

Dolph Ziggler is ready to bounce back after his loss to Theory but Judgment Day interrupts. Finn Balor doesn’t think much of Ziggler attaching himself to another up and comer to stay relevant. Ziggler slaps him down and heads to the ring.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Finn Balor

Rhea Ripley is here with Balor. An early superkick attempt is blocked and Ziggler is sent into the corner, allowing Balor to talk trash. Ziggler gets whipped hard into the corner and we take an early break. Back with Ziggler getting an elbow up in the corner and hammering away with some right hands.

The Fameasser is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two but Ziggler is back with his DDT for the same. The second Fameasser attempt connects for two and they’re both down for a bit. It’s Balor up first with the shotgun dropkick but the Coup de Grace misses. The Zig Zag gets a very near fall and it’s time to slug it out. Ziggler’s headbutt knocks Balor silly but Ripley gets in a cheap shot. 1916 sets up the Coup de Grace to finish Ziggler at 12:57.

Rating: B-. Those near falls were good and the fans were WAY into this so they were doing a lot right. Ziggler is still a solid choice to have a match like this and put someone over, though I can’t help but roll my eyes when I see him set something up. Balor winning is nice to see though, even if I have no reason to believe the momentum is lasting.

Aliyah brags about being the bougie bada** but Bayley and company come in and mock her for showing up alone. Trish Stratus comes in to ask when Bayley is getting back in the ring. Bayley vs. Aliyah is set for tonight. Bayley and company leave, with Adam Pearce and some security looking at some photos and walking the other way.

Here is Alpha Academy to accept new students. The search is starting here in Toronto but all Chad Gable can find is a bunch of toothless hockey players at Tim Hortons. The Toronto Mapleleafs lost a hockey game to a team from Tampa Bay and they don’t even have hockey! So send me your best Toronto….and here we go.

Kevin Owens vs. Chad Gable

Gable gets knocked outside to start as the fans are WAY behind Owens. Back in and Gable’s headlock is broken up, allowing Owens to hit a hard clothesline. It’s too early for the Cannonball so Gable rolls outside. A t-bone suplex drops Owens again and two more drop him on the apron as we take a break.

Back with Owens hitting a Cannonball and dropping Gable onto his knee. Owens goes up, while favoring his own knee, and hits a frog splash for two. The Pop Up powerbomb and Stunner are both countered, with the latter being reversed into a bridging German suplex to give Gable two. Gable hits a top rope headbutt for two of his own so he takes Owens up top. That means the swinging superplex can give Owens a delayed two but the Swanton hits knees. Back up and a superkick sets up the Pop Up powerbomb to finish Gable at 11:07.

Rating: B. It’s really, really nice to see Owens back and thankfully he is the older, more hard hitting version. I liked this one a good bit, though I could have seen it end after that frog splash. They gave Gable a lot here and it should save him some credibility in the future, as beating him will mean a bit more if he can hang with Owens for this long.

Post match Otis jumps Owens and gets Stunned for his efforts. Then Owens powerbombs Gable onto Otis for a bonus.

Judgment Day mocks the Mysterios, with Finn Balor saying Dominik might be enjoying getting beaten up by Rhea and declaring Rey “6 1 Mine”. Damian Priest promises to send Edge back into retirement.

Bayley vs. Aliyah

Aliyah rolls her up for to and the Matrish sets up a hiptoss. A running crossbody in the corner hits Bayley and a hurricanrana brings her back out for one. Bayley grabs her by the ear and pulls her into a chinlock, only to be armdragged down. Aliyah gets sent into the corner for some shots to the head and the chinlock goes on again.

Back up and Bayley mocks Trish’s pose but what looks to be a Stratusfaction attempt is broken up. Aliyah slides to the floor and hits a sitout bulldog, which is about as she is getting to being Trish. Back in and the half crab keeps Bayley in trouble but she’s right back up. The Rose Plant finishes Aliyah at 6:32.

Rating: C. It’s great to have Bayley back, but Aliyah continues to drag down just about everything she does. There comes a point where it just isn’t working and I think we passed that point with her several years ago. The problem comes down to the fact that she just isn’t very good and shouldn’t be on Raw or Smackdown. Bayley being back is a good thing though and she is already the top heel in the Raw women’s division, where she should be for a long time to come.

Miz/Ciampa vs. AJ Styles/Bobby Lashley

Styles dropkicks the heck out of Ciampa to start and hands it off to Lashley. A double suplex is loaded up but Styles steps to the side, allowing Lashley to hit his own delayed vertical. Miz comes in and Lashley gets to wreck things again, including tossing both villains to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Styles in trouble and Ciampa putting on a chinlock. Styles fights out of trouble and hands it back to Lashley, meaning house can be properly cleaned. A DDT/Downward Spiral combination plants the villains but Ciampa rolls outside before the spear. Lashley posts Ciampa and clotheslines Miz, but the distraction lets Ciampa hit Willow’s Bell for two.

Lashley is back up with the spear so Miz has to make a save. Styles is knocked outside where security pulls someone (definitely NOT Dexter Lumis) away. Then on the other side of the ring, Lumis appears and pulls Miz over the barricade and through the crowd for the DQ at 13:52.

Rating: C+. The ending was an interesting way to go as I wasn’t sure how they were going to tie the Lumis stuff into the rest of the show. Lumis finally having an official target and getting point in a direction is a big step forward and if nothing else, Ciampa didn’t take another loss. He still needs to win something, but at least they have something actually happening with the story.

Post match Ciampa gets beaten up, including a Phenomenal Forearm and spear. Replays show Miz being taken away, including several closeups of Lumis and commentary mentioning him by name.

Video on Edge.

And now, here’s Johnny Gargano, complete with the still awesome REBEL HEART theme. The fans get in their JOHNNY WRESTLING chant and Gargano seems rather happy with his reception. Gargano gives us a brief history of his NXT success but he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to do this again over the last nine months. He has been a father to Baby Wrestling (Gargano: “He’ll appreciate that when he gets older.”) and now he remembers what he has always wanted to do. Gargano wants to win every championship and go to Wrestlemania and now it is time to continue with his dreams.

Cue Theory (who was kind of Gargano’s idiot son in NXT), with Gargano being pleased to see him. Fans: “WHO’S YOUR DADDY!” Theory asks what Gargano has been doing for the last nine months, which Gargano says includes changing a lot of diapers. Now though, Theory has the briefcase and has done everything Gargano wanted to do. He couldn’t do what he did without Gargano (who appreciates that) but now it’s like Theory is the veteran and Gargano is the rookie.

Theory thinks Gargano can even carry his bags. Or maybe just the briefcase. Theory: “Maybe I can show you The Way!” With that reference to their NXT group out of the way, Theory wants to do their old high five and tells Gargano to hit him with it. That earns Theory a superkick and Gargano does a self high five before leaving. Gargano got a major reaction and it seems like he is actually going to have a chance, which puts him way ahead of his nothing original run on the show.

The Women’s Tag Team Title match is next week, as is Kurt Angle.

Edge vs. Damian Priest

Edge is the hometown boy and in very Canadian tights to hammer the point home. Throw in his wife, Beth Phoenix, sitting in the front row and I think you get the idea. Priest powers him into the corner to start but Edge sends him outside. That means it’s time to slow things down and Edge gets in a few shots, only to be taken outside again. A powerbomb onto the barricade knocks Priest silly and we take a break.

Back with Priest missing something off the top and being sent outside again for a huge top rope dive. Priest is fine enough to Razor’s Edge Edge through the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Edge hitting a super hurricanrana (about three and a half minutes after Edge took the same move that put him out for a month earlier this year) but the spear is countered with a kick to the head.

An Unprettier gives Priest two (and allows Graves to make a bit of a veiled reference to Christian) and he’s annoyed at the kickout. Priest loads up a spear but charges into a South of Heaven chokeslam to give Edge two, with commentary saying they know each other so well from their time together in Judgment Day. As you remember that was about a month long, Edge gets kicked into the referee and Priest hits his own chokeslam.

It’s time for a chair, which Edge takes away and breaks off to set up the Crossface with the bar in Priest’s mouth. Since that means nothing, Edge loads up a spear, which is cut off with a bar to the head for two. Another Razor’s Edge is countered into a Canadian Destroyer (because of course) and Edge hits the spear for the pin at 19:34.

Rating: B+. It felt like a pay per view style match and the live crowd ate it up so this couldn’t have gone much better. I’m not completely sure if Edge should have won, but I’ll take it over the hometown star losing again, as was the WWE trademark for so long. Priest got something out of the loss just because he hung in there with Edge, though it could have been really interesting to see him get probably the biggest win of his career.

Post match Edge loads up a Conchairto but Rhea Ripley comes in with a low blow. Finn Balor adds the Coup de Grace and the chair is loaded up but Beth Phoenix takes it from Ripley. Phoenix holds the three off with the chair to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. I know I’ve said this a few times now, but what makes this show that much better is having a lack of anything awful while also keeping the shows energized. It feels more like there is a plan to some of these stories and that they are building to a goal instead of putting whatever out there and hoping it makes sense by the pay per view. I’m digging these shows and you are getting some awesome matches to go with the stories, so nicely done. This show has become a bit of a joy to watch in recent weeks and while I don’t know if that is going to last, it has been a great relief after so many years of drek.

Results
Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai b. Asuka/Alexa Bliss – Rollup to Asuka
Finn Balor b. Dolph Ziggler – Coup de Grace
Kevin Owens b. Chad Gable – Pop Up powerbomb
Bayley b. Aliyah – Rose Plant
Miz/Ciampa b. AJ Styles/Bobby Lashley via DQ when Dexter Lumis interfered
Edge b. Damian Priest – Spear

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: August 15, 2022
Location: Capital One Arena Washington DC
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

The resurgence of the United States Title continues as we have Bobby Lashley defending against AJ Styles in a match that somehow has not happened before. Other than that, we might be getting more from the odd adventures of Dexter Lumis, who returned last week, seemingly unannounced, and was arrested to end the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Judgment Day to get things going. Rhea Ripley is rather pleased by taking out Dominik Mysterio last week and Finn Balor says the Mysterios will not be here tonight. That’s enough about this week and last week though, because Damian Priest is ready to destroy Edge next week. As for tonight though, does anyone want to see Edge confront this team right now? Well too bad because he isn’t here.

Priest is ready to send Edge back into retirement and that means no more movies or TV shows, but rather more of him being wheeled around. Cue Rey Mysterio to jump the team, but he can’t bring himself to hit Rhea Ripley. Instead Rey goes after Finn Balor with a chair, only to have Riple get in the way. The numbers get the better of Rey and Rhea DDTs him onto a chair. The Coup de Grace onto a chair onto Rey leaves him laying. Anytime this feud wants to be over, I’d be glad to assist in any way I can.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Asuka/Alexa Bliss vs. Doudrop/Nikki Ash

Bianca Belair comes out to offer some support to Asuka and Bliss. The villains are knocked outside early on and we take a break just over thirty seconds in. Back with Bliss getting away from Doudrop and handing it off to Asuka to clean house. Some strikes to Ash set up a bridging German suplex for two but Doudrop is back up to run Bliss over to put everyone down. Ash is sent outside and Doudrop’s Michinoku Driver gets two on Asuka. Bliss comes back in to break that up and it’s the cross armbreaker to make Doudrop tap at 8:48.

Rating: C. The doubt was lacking but Bliss and Asuka work well enough together to make a match passable. Doudrop and Ash are just sad at this point though, as the team continues to lose while Ash looks ridiculous as a villain with a name involving being (ALMOST) a superhero). Let her be herself again and it should be fine, but that could take some time given how long this has been going.

Post match Belair, Asuka and Ash go to leave but run into Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. Yelling ensues.

Theory is ready to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase and become the World Heavyweight Champion. Cue Dolph Ziggler to mock Theory for losing over and over, but Theory calls him a has been. The brawl is on and we take a break.

The brawl continued during the break.

We recap last week’s rather awesome Bobby Lashley vs. Ciampa’s United States Title match.

Ciampa says he worked hard last week but we don’t have participation trophies around here. Next time, he’ll be champion. Miz blames AJ Styles for interfering last week and smells collusion about Styles getting a title shot this week. As for Ciampa, Miz gives him a necklace with a picture of the two of them inside (Miz has a matching one because).

Miz/Ciampa vs. Cedric Alexander/Mustafa Ali

Ciampa drives Alexander up against the ropes but gets taken down into a hammerlock. Back up and Alexander hits a dropkick before handing it off to Ali for a slingshot hilo, followed by Alexander hitting a slingshot hilo for two. Ciampa runs Alexander over though and applauds with Miz as we take a break.

Back with Alexander fighting out of a chinlock and bringing Ali in to chop Miz. Ali hits a running boot to Ciampa in the corner, setting up the rolling…well kind of Sling Blade as Miz wasn’t facing the right way for the neckbreaker. Alexander comes back in with a Michinoku Driver for two on Miz, with Ciampa putting the foot on the rope. Ali hits a heck of a dive to take Ciampa out and dropkicks Miz into a sunset flip to give Alexander two. Back up and Ali kicks Miz in the face but Ciampa knees/kicks a 450 out of the air (pretty sweet). The Fairy Tale Ending finishes Ali at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that can happen in almost any given week as there is so much talent around that all they need is a chance. Ali and Alexander are capable of having a good match at any time and they did it here against Miz and Ciampa. If nothing else though, it is nice to see Ciampa actually getting another pin, which hasn’t happened enough around here.

We look back at Kevin Owens taking out Ezekiel.

Ezekiel’s family (including Elias and others, likely including Elrod) is standing around his bedside, with his father, Ernie Jr., saying his son will be back. That’s quite the visual.

Drew McIntyre is on his way to the ring and passes someone putting out a fire in a trashcan, with Adam Pearce and others standing by.

Video on the Wrestlemania on sale launch party.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. Drew is tired of hearing about the Island of Relevancy and is ready to win the titles and defend them everywhere they should be. Now there have been reports that he is suffering from a bit of a back injury. That’s true, mainly because he has been carrying the load of twenty men for three years in and out of the ring. This isn’t a job for him because he is living a dream. He’s here to scout future opponents, so what do you think of him vs. Ciampa? Or AJ Styles? Seth Rollins? Maybe Karrion Kross?

Cue Kevin Owens to interrupt and Drew likes that idea too. Owens doesn’t like his name being left out and thinks Drew believes he is in Medieval Times. If Drew thinks he has been carrying anyone around here, he is a real dumb***. Owens knows who he is though because he is Kevin Owens and he is as real as it gets in this business. For the last few years, he has been having a good time coming to work, but then something dawned on him earlier today as he got to the arena.

This is the same arena where he and Sami Zayn had the fight of their lives and left it all in that ring six years ago. There is a side of him that is missing and he misses the old Kevin Owens. It might be time to bring back the prizefighter and now he wants a title again. Every champion is a target and he doesn’t care if it’s McIntyre or Roman Reigns because he is coming for the biggest prize of them all.

McIntyre is tired of people making stuff up to get a cheap reaction and goes on a rant about how he has done everything around here. They called him to come back after he was the Chosen One fifteen years ago. Now he’s a two time World Champion and he’s ready to go. Drew: “We’re wrestlers in a freaking wrestling ring so let’s wrestle!” For the first time in years, that probably won’t get him fined so Owens is in.

Drew McIntyre vs. Kevin Owens

Feeling out process to start with Owens’ shoulder not having much of an effect. Owens grabs a headlock and sends him into the corner for the Cannonball into a backsplash. A middle rope moonsault gets two but McIntyre is up with a toss, sending Owens outside. Back in and Owens sends McIntyre outside, setting up….nothing as McIntyre cuts him off with a forearm. Owens posts him and hits a frog splash off the apron as we take a break.

Back with McIntyre fighting out of a chinlock but the Futureshock is countered into a DDT from Owens. The Swanton only hits knees though and McIntyre gets a breather. Owens catches him on top but McIntyre does the situp….with Owens blocking the choke throw. Another Cannonball in the Tree of Woe sets up the bullfrog splash for two, followed by a Swanton for two more.

McIntyre catches him on top with the super White Noise for two before hitting a Glasgow Kiss. Owens is back with a superkick but McIntyre clotheslines him down for another double breather. Back up and the slugout goes to McIntyre, who hits the Futureshock. The Claymore is loaded up but the Usos come in to jump McIntyre for the DQ at 14:52.

Rating: B. That was a rare occasion where the DQ ending was the right call, as you don’t want either of these two taking a fall right now. McIntyre is going on to the World Title match at one of the biggest shows of the year and this was Owens’ return to form. The good thing is that Owens looked like his own self out there and it made for a hard hitting fight between two guys who could bring it. Pretty awesome match here and I could go for a rematch.

Post match McIntyre fights the Usos off and backdrops Jey onto Jimmy on the floor (OUCH) but walks into a Stunner from Owens. The 1D is broken up though and McIntyre drops the Usos again. If this is what the Usos are doing, get the titles off of them already.

Here is Seth Rollins to watch a special interview with Riddle. Rollins mocks Riddle for needing to retire from his mother’s basement but maybe he can go finish seventh grade or start a farm (that’s very lucrative). Riddle pops up on screen to say he’s medically cleared and it’s on. Rollins mocks every other time it has been on and promises to wreck Riddle again. He wishes Riddle was here right now so he could stomp the final brain cells out of his head.

That’s cool with Riddle, who is in fact here right now, meaning he’s coming to the ring RIGHT NOW. Riddle storms the ring and head fakes Rollins to avoid the Stomp. Rollins drops him onto the apron anyway and they go over the announcers’ table with Rollins unloading on him. The Stomp through the table misses though and Riddle knees him over the barricade. The chase is on through the crowd.

Video on Bobby Lashley vs. AJ Styles later tonight for Lashley’s US Title.

Riddle wants to fight Seth Rollins and issues the challenge for Clash At The Castle.

Veer Mahaan vs. Beaux Keller

Keller bails to the floor and Veer isn’t happy with having to get in a chase. Back in and Keller hits a dropkick, earning himself a big toss out to the floor. Mahaan hits something like a Thesz press minus the press, setting up the Million Dollar Arm. The Cervical Clutch puts out Keller’s torch at 1:46.

Bayley, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky are ready to win the Tag Team Titles, plus the six woman tag at Clash At The Castle. They go over to see Dana Brooke, who is ready 24/7. Kai tells her to be scared.

United States Title: Bobby Lashley vs. AJ Styles

Lashley is defending and powers him down to start but Styles is back up with the drop down into the dropkick. They head outside with Lashley blocking a posting but getting caught with a Phenomenal Forearm off the apron. We take a break and come back with Styles being sent hard into the barricade. Styles is back with a few shots of his own but gets whipped hard into the corner.

Cue Miz and Ciampa to watch as Styles is dropped onto the top rope. Miz goes outside to go after Styles….and someone (Dexter Lumis) dives out of the crowd and onto Corey Graves. Security breaks it up and we take an abrupt break. Back with commentary confirming that it was in fact Lumis and Lashley missing a spear to the floor. Styles hits a slingshot forearm to take Lashley down again but Lashley is back with a running powerslam.

They go up top with Styles slipping out of a superplex and hitting a spinning torture rack bomb for two. Lashley is fine enough to hit the spinning Big Ending for two and takes him outside for the posting. Back in and Styles grabs the Calf Crusher but Lashley powers out again. A forearm sets up a missed Phenomenal Forearm, allowing Lashley to hit the spear for the retaining pin at 21:40.

Rating: B. Another awesome match here as you had two guys beating the figure out of each other. The Miz/Ciampa stuff was appropriate and tied into the things that they had been doing before so there was even some logic there. On top of that, you have the Lumis stuff, which continues to be intriguing as we wait for an explanation. Great stuff here, with the US Title growing every week right before our eyes.

Dakota Kai vs. Dana Brooke

Non-title. Kai starts fast and knocks her down, setting up some rather cocky kicks to the head. Brooke fights up but gets knocked into the corner without much trouble. The running boot to the face gives Kai the pin at 2:19.

Video on Edge vs. Judgment Day.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Theory

Ziggler takes him down to start but Theory is back with a heck of a forearm. Ziggler’s arm is sent into the post twice in a row, allowing Theory to talk some trash. Ziggler is fine enough to catch him on top with a super Fameasser. We take a break and come back with Theory hitting his rolling dropkick, setting up another ram into the post.

Ziggler fights up and hits some right hands in the corner, setting up the jumping elbow for two. Theory catches him on the middle rope but another slingshot dropkick is countered with a Fameasser to give Ziggler two of his own. They slug it out from their knees until the Zig Zag is blocked.

Theory hits a running shot to the face and loads up A Town Down, which is countered into a sunset flip for two more. The Zig Zag gives Ziggler another near fall so Theory rolls him up for two, despite his feet being on the ropes. Ziggler is back up and walks into A Town Down for the clean pin at 16:07.

Rating: B-. Theory winning clean is weird to see but it is the kind of win that he needed to make a comeback after his not so great last few weeks. What matters here is that they had another good wrestling match without many shenanigans. That is the kind of thing that audience needs to be reeducated towards and if it helps build Theory up in the process, so be it.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with three rather good matches, some storyline advancement and reason to believe that Kevin Owens might be going somewhere sooner than later. The wrestling carried this show and, again, there was nothing terrible to drag the show down. Heck of a show and one of the best Raw’s in longer than I can remember. Maybe it is due to so many years of awful, but the last few weeks have been great and this is the best one of the new run by a fairly wide margin.

Results
Asuka/Alexa Bliss b. Doudrop/Nikki Ash – Cross armbreaker to Doudrop
The Miz/Ciampa b. Mustafa Ali/Cedric Alexander – Fairy Tale Ending to Ali
Drew McIntyre b. Kevin Owens via DQ when the Usos interfered
Veer Mahaan b. Beaux Keller – Cervical Clutch
Bobby Lashley b. AJ Styles – Spear
Dakota Kai b. Dana Brooke – running boot in the corner
Theory b. Dolph Ziggler – A Town Down

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: January 1, 2008
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’ll start a new year right here and that means things are not going so well for ECW World Champion CM Punk. In addition to dealing with the monsters in Mark Henry and Big Daddy V, he has to deal with the heel that will never go away in Chavo Guerrero. That’s where we are after a week off to close out the previous year so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of two weeks ago, with CM Punk escaping against MVP but getting laid out by Chavo Guerrero after the match.

Opening sequence.

Here is Armando Estrada to introduce Chavo Guerrero. People have been asking how he could do that but he has been stuck at home doing nothing but watching TV. During that time, he has seen the emergence of CM Punk, the future of WWE. Cue Punk, who doesn’t quite buy that. Chavo says he sees Punk as a stepping stone and promises to be a champion again in 2008. Punk says if Chavo wants a title shot, he’s right here. Estrada says Chavo can earn a title shot if he beats Punk tonight.

Miz/John Morrison/Layla vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore/Kelly Kelly

Kelly and company have matching cowboy hats. The women start things off with Layla getting in a cheap shot to knock Kelly down, allowing Morrison to come in. Men can face women here so Kelly slaps Morrison and brings in Moore for a bit fairer fight. Miz’s clothesline from the apron puts Moore down though and the villains take over. A chinlock doesn’t last long for Morrison as Moore fights up and gets in a shot of his own for a double knockdown. Yang comes in off the hot tag and a missile dropkick hits Miz as everything breaks down. The top rope moonsault press gives Yang the fast pin.

Rating: C+. These guys work well together and the women didn’t bring it down that far. If nothing else, I like the idea of adding in the women to mix things up a bit, which is always appreciated when you have a bunch of non-title matches. Now just get to the actual title match and see where things go from there.

Post match, square dancing ensues.

Tazz is in the ring with Colin Delaney and we see him getting wrecked by Shelton Benjamin in his debut match. Delaney says he has been training even more and he wants to be a WWE superstar. Tazz wishes him luck.

Big Daddy V vs. Colin Delaney

Gorilla press drop, Samoan drop and elbow drop finish Delaney in short order.

Shelton Benjamin vs. James Curtis

Benjamin gets an inset promo promising to show how great he is this year. Curtis gets driven into the corner to start and a slightly delayed suplex gets two. Benjamin bends his back over a knee before switching to the chinlock. Some shots to the face set up a buckle bomb to rock Curtis again and the jumping Downward Spiral finishes for Benjamin.

Rating: C. Another total squash for Benjamin, who is turning into one of the better stars around here. Benjamin has always had the talent and abilities but he hasn’t had a chance in a rather long time. It was a good beating, and once Benjamin actually gets something to do, he should do well around here.

Raw Rebound.

CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title but Chavo gets a future title shot if he wins here. Punk armdrags him down to start before Chavo rolls out of a waistlock. Back up and Punk has to flip out of a belly to back suplex but bangs up his knee on the landing. The knee is fine enough to hit a middle rope crossbody as we take a break. We come back with Chavo working on the knee in the corner and snapping it down ala Curt Hennig with a neck. The knee crank goes on before a dropkick takes the leg out again.

For some reason Chavo switches to an armbar so Punk fights out, earning himself a chop block to cut him off again. More leg cranking ensues but Punk is back up with a running knee in the corner and the bulldog for two. Chavo isn’t having that and rolls him into a half crab, sending Punk straight over to the ropes. Three Amigos are broken up so Chavo hits a running crossbody to put them both on the floor. Punk kicks him down though beats the count back in for the win.

Rating: C+. So are we just dropping everything with MVP, Big Daddy V and Mark Henry? And for the sake of Chavo Guerrero? That might be an upgrade in some cases but Chavo is still Chavo, and that means there is a pretty firm limit on what they are going to be able to do here. Punk winning early is a bit weird, but you can probably expect it to continue for at least a little while to come.

Chavo is frustrated to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was one of the better shows they have had in awhile and that is because they mixed things up rather well. There were good enough matches while also boosting up a few stars. Hopefully they can keep that going, but what matters the most here is that they had a nice show here. Now just keep something like that going and we should be in for a nice future as the new year begins.

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: December 25, 2007
Hosts: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s Christmas night and even WWE isn’t crazy enough to try to run a third brand show under those circumstances. Therefore it is a Best Of show, which is all it should be. There have been some good enough moments to fill in such a show and I’m curious to see what is picked. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Joey Styles and Tazz are in the studio and welcome us to the show, which will be a bunch of clips. As usual, I’ll be posting the full versions of matches and segments instead of the clipped versions.

We get a long recap of Vince McMahon and pals vs. Bobby Lashley, which dominated a good chunk of the first half of the year around here. Vince with the title and the doorag is an all time look for him. The big blowoff came at One Night Stand, where Lashley got the title back from Vince (even if he was stripped of it soon after as he went to Raw in the Draft, but at least he won it back).

Kofi Kingston is having a good day in paradise, though he has to deal with a thief. Security is terrible around here.

Quick look at the ECW eight man tag at Wrestlemania.

From ECW On Sci Fi, April 3.

New Breed vs. ECW Originals

Extreme Rules, which was going to happen sooner or later. We’re joined in progress with Sabu dropping Striker to set up the one armed camel clutch and everything breaks down in a hurry. The weapons are brought in to clear out the New Breed, meaning it’s time for some dives. Dreamer whips Striker into a trashcan in the corner but Cor Von gets in a cheap shot so the New Breed can take over.

The rest of the Originals are held outside but Dreamer manages a DDT/neckbreaker combination to get a breather. Now the rest of the Originals can come back in to clean house with Sabu getting two on Striker. Burke knocks a swinging Sandman down without much effort but Dreamer hits the baseball slide into the chair into Striker’s face in the Tree of Woe. Sandman cleans house with the kendo stick but Cor Von is back up to suplex Dreamer onto an open chair.

There’s the Pounce to send Dreamer outside so Sabu comes back in to throw a chair at Cor Von’s head. Van Dam slips out of a Razor’s Edge through a table and rolls Thorn up for two. Ariel crotches Van Dam on top but Sabu makes another save. Van Dam and Sabu drive Thorn through the table at the same time but the Van Dam is sent outside. The Elijah Express sends Sabu through a table in the corner though and Burke gets the pin.

Rating: B. This was actually a heck of a sprint and that is what this should have been. Once they came back from the break, this was a pretty awesome match with all eight guys working hard and beating each other up. Odds are this sets up a tables match at Extreme Rules for the big blowoff, though the Punk factor is going to be interesting as well.

Video on Elijah Burke.

Video on John Morrison.

Taz and Joey look at the Best Of 2007 WWE Magazine (complete with a SHAMELESS PLUG graphic).

We take a very quick look at Morrison beating CM Punk to become the ECW World Champion at Vengeance.

Video on the Morrison vs. Punk rivalry, with Punk FINALLY winning the title.

Video on CM Punk.

From Survivor Series.

ECW World Title: Miz vs. John Morrison vs. CM Punk

Punk is defending and for the sake of sanity, I’ll only refer to him as champion. It’s a brawl to start with Punk getting double teamed down into the corner. Morrison catapults Punk into the corner but he comes out with a middle rope crossbody. Punk knocks Miz to the floor but the springboard clothesline is broken up to put Punk down again. Miz breaks up Punk’s springboard with a shot to the floor though and it’s a camel clutch to Punk.

That means Morrison comes in for the save, setting up a backbreaker into a neckbreaker to drop Punk again. A suplex from the apron gets two on Miz but he is right back with a running corner clothesline. Punk is back in with a hurricanrana to send Morrison into Miz for a powerbomb and a near fall. The running knee in the corner sets up the corner bulldog to give Punk two on Miz and a double underhook backbreaker onto the knee gets the same. Morrison is back up to go after Miz, only to be sent outside. That leaves Punk to GTS Miz and retain.

Rating: C+. Miz and Morrison’s rise continues as the two of them have become rather dependable on ECW, and now elsewhere. It makes sense to give them the Tag Team Titles and now we should be seeing even more of them. This was a good way to get the show going as Punk has to work to retain and Miz and Morrison have come far enough that they didn’t seem like cannon fodder.

Video on Big Daddy V.

Joey and Tazz talk about the Smackdown/ECW talent exchange.

Quick clip of Miz and Morrison winning the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

Video on Kane.

Quick look at Big Daddy V/Mark Henry beating CM Punk and Kane at Armageddon.

From ECW On Sci Fi, December 18.

MVP vs. CM Punk

Non-title. Before the match, MVP brags about himself and wants MVP out here now. We’re joined in progress with Punk fighting out of a headlock but getting taken back down into an armbar. That’s reversed into a headscissors but they stay on the mat with MVP going back to the armbar. Punk grabs a headscissors before dropkicking him in the back of the head for two as things pick up a bit. MVP is right back with a running boot to the head and the armbar goes on.

We’ll make that a cravate, with MVP firing off some knees to the face for a nasty bonus. There’s a kick to the face to put Punk down again and we hit ANOTHER armbar. MVP switches to a reverse chinlock until Punk drops him down onto his back for a break. Punk hits a running knee lift and the springboard clothesline gets two. Back up and MVP avoids a charge in the corner, where Punk gets tied in the Tree of Woe. A bunch of stomps in the corner are enough to get MVP disqualified.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah this was about what I would have expected from a holiday week show, as they didn’t bother trying to do anything here. You don’t want either champion losing but this was a match designed to get by on name only. Neither was interested in trying here and then they have an ending to save face. Not much to this one, but it could work on a bigger stage.

Post match MVP hits the running boot in the corner and leaves. Cue Chavo Guerrero Jr. in a surprise return to brainbuster Punk. The frog splash crushes Punk to end the show. I’m not sure why they have a new villain in here, especially when Big Daddy V and possibly MVP are right there now, but why do that when you can have Chavo Guerrero?

Tazz apologizes for wrecking the Christmas tree last year and has a gift for Joey. Styles goes to pick it up…and gets kicked into the tree because he’s a schnook.

One more ECW video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. You can only get so annoyed at a show like this as they moved through the year and didn’t exactly miss many of the big things. That shows you were ECW has been this year though, as it hasn’t been the most thrilling show. Things are moving in the right direction though as there are multiple stories going on, which was missing earlier in the year. Easy watch here, but that’s how Best Of shows are supposed to be.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 8, 2022
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

This could be a very interesting show, as we are coming off last week’s pretty awesome episode, but now the question is how they follow it up. They certainly don’t need to have some big moment or debut/return, but keep up the energy and put on a good show and they should be fine. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Bayley/Iyo Shirai/Dakota Kai coming together at Summerslam and running some roughshod last week.

We get the brackets for the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament:

Tamina/Dana Brooke
Iyo Sky/Dakota Kai

Alexa Bliss/Asuka
Nikki Ash/Doudrop

Raquel Rodriguez/Aliyah
Xia Li/Shotzi

Nikkita Lyons/Zoey Stark
Natalya/Sonya Deville

That’s a heck of a lot better than I would have bet on.

Here are Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai for a chat. Bayley: “DING DONG!” Bayley can’t believe that she’s getting this kind of a reception when the fans need her. They are here to save this women’s division and the role model needed to do something. Bayley says they are here to bring back the hunger and get rid of Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. She mentions Iyo Sky and Dakota Sky (Bayley: “YEAH I KNOW I SAID IT WRONG!”) and talks about how bad things have gotten, but here are Alexa Bliss and Asuka to interrupt.

Bianca Belair joins them, with Asuka dancing to Belair’s music (and ducking a pony tail whip). Bliss threatens Sky and Kai because she and Asuka will be waiting on them in the next round. On top of that, Belair isn’t worried about Bayley, and they can have that six woman tag right now. Bayley laughs that off and the match is on for Clash At The Castle instead. That’s good for Belair and the fight is on right now. Everyone brawls into the crowd and Bliss gets in a dive off the barricade to take everyone down. Energetic opening segment if nothing else.

Angelo Dawkins vs. Seth Rollins

Montez Ford is here too. Rollins knows him into the corner to start but Dawkins jumps over him and hits a nice dropkick. Back up and Dawkins scores with the jumping back elbow, which sends Rollins outside (where Ford….I’m not sure what he does, but he shakes a lot and yells at Rollins). There’s a Pounce to send Rollins over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with Rollins drawing Ford into the ring with a chair, which is enough to earn Ford an ejection. Dawkins uses the distraction to jump Rollins and send him outside for the big running flip dive. Back inside and the Silencer drops Rollins for two but he’s right back up with a forearm to the back of the neck. The Stomp misses though and Dawkins hits a Sky High for a close two. Another Sky High is loaded up but Dawkins reversed into a Pedigree for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that suits people like Dawkins and Rollins well. They’re both athletic and can work a fast paced match, making this one of the better ways they could have gone. The Profits losing to Rollins is hardly some horrible fate but it seems that there might be bigger things afoot for at least one of them in the future.

Post match Rollins goes after Dawkins again but Ford runs in for the save. I could see this setting up a Ford vs. Rollins rematch on the bigger stage.

Recap of Edge returning last week and promising to take out Judgment Day, followed by the team going after the Mysterios. Rhea Ripley accidentally caused Dominik Mysterio to get speared by Edge to add in some conflict.

Edge comes up to the Mysterios and says he has their backs against Judgment Day tonight. Rey can go with that, but Dominik doesn’t buy it. Rey says he’s known Edge for 20 years and he’s family, but Dominik says he’s known Rey for 25 and walks off.

Ciampa is asked about his United States Title match but Miz cuts him off and doesn’t like the word phenomenal being used. Miz rants about AJ Styles for a bit before Ciampa says believe in him, just like Harley Race, his trainer, did. Race passed away about three years ago almost to this day and he is dedicating his win to Race, whose Starrcade 1983 robe is behind him. Tonight Bobby Lashley will feel his sacrifice and he has already lost.

Ezekiel vs. Kevin Owens

Owens rushes him to the floor to start and hits the apron powerbomb. The referee calls for medics and we’ll call this a no contest at about 1:00 (the ending bell never rang).

Ezekiel is taken out on a stretcher.

Finn Balor vs. Rey Mysterio

Only Damian Priest is at ringside. Before the match, Finn Balor declares himself to be danger and promises to show that to Rey tonight. Priest isn’t worried about Edge and says he’ll take care of him in two weeks in Edge’s hometown of Toronto. We cut to the back, where Rey tells Edge that Dominik will come around.

After a break, we actually start the match and Rey takes over early on by taking Balor down with straight speed. The top rope seated senton sets up the hurricanrana into the corner. A crossbody misses for Mysterio though and Balor kicks him in the ribs for two. Balor mocks Eddie Guerrero’s Three Amigos as I try to remember the last Mysterio match without an Eddie reference. Rey reverses the third suplex into one of his own, followed by the sitout bulldog for two. The 619 hits Priest by mistake though and Balor posts Rey as we take a break.

Back with Rey going after Priest and getting dropped as a result. Cue Edge to take out Priest, leaving Rey to grab a Code Red for two. The 619 is blocked with a clothesline and it’s the shotgun dropkick but the Coup de Grace misses. Rey loads up the 619 again but here is Rhea Ripley carrying a destroyed Dominik Mysterio. The distraction lets Balor hit 1916 into the Coup de Grace for the pin at 13:52.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Balor win a match but I’m still trying to figure out why I’m supposed to care about Dominik. He has never done anything significant without his dad being involved and he isn’t exactly likable in the first place. Seeing Ripley beat him up is a funny moment and I don’t see myself feeling sympathetic for him anytime soon. That being said, it was nice to see Balor actually get a win for a change, as it feels like it has been awhile.

Dana Brooke/Tamina are ready for the first round of the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament. Bayley and company come up to laugh at them, while promising not to take the 24/7 Title. Tamina gets in Bayley’s face and…no.

Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky vs. Dana Brooke/Tamina

Bayley is here too. Kai and Brooke start things off but Tamina comes in rather quickly to clean house. Sky and Shirai are sent outside for a big dive from Brooke as we take an early break. Back with Kai cranking on Brooke’s arms before Sky and Kai hit back to back kicks for two.

Brooke fights out of a chinlock and dives over for the tag off to Tamina to start the house cleaning. Sky and Tamina slug it out until Tamina hits a superkick into the Samoan drop for two. Bayley has to pull Sky out of Kai’s way of Brooke’s dive against the barricade, leaving Tamina to load up the Superfly Splash. Sky gets her knees up but Tamina puts the brakes on, only to get kicked in the face by Kai. The moonsault gives Sky the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough and Sky’s moonsault is always impressive, but it’s a little much to buy Kai and Sky needing ten minutes to beat Tamina and Brooke. No they haven’t been above NXT, but the top of NXT is a heck of a lot better than….whatever level Brooke and Tamina are on. It never got too ridiculous, but this should have been more of a dominant win.

Kevin Owens is leaving and doesn’t like being asked for a comment. Unlike Ezekiel, he knows who he is, and since there are a lot of eyes on this show, he is here to remind people who he is. This is still the Kevin Owens Show. During the segment, there were a bunch of people (including Doudrop and Nikki Ash) looking at a car that had crashed in the background. Neither the people nor the car were ever referenced.

Video on the United States Title, I believe the same one from last week.

United States Title: Ciampa vs. Bobby Lashley

Ciampa, with Miz, and wearing the Harley Race robe, is challenging. After the Big Match Intros, Lashley runs him over to start and hits the delayed vertical suplex. A spinning back elbow to the face looks to set up the spear but Ciampa bails outside. Miz’s distraction fails as Lashley knocks Ciampa off the apron and then rams him into Miz as we take a break.

Back with Ciampa holding a chinlock until Lashley fights up and hits the spinning Big Ending for two. The spear connects but Miz puts Ciampa’s foot on the ropes. Cue AJ Styles to chase Miz out of the arena and Ciampa gets two off a small package. Lashley loads up the Hurt Lock but Styles and Miz run back in for a distraction.

Ciampa uses said distraction to send Lashley into an exposed buckle and the post for a VERY close two (I bought that one). The Hurt Lock is loaded up but reversed into the Gargano Escape (Graves: “Sometimes you gotta do it yourself!”). That’s reversed into what looked to be a powerslam, only to have Ciampa send him outside. Back in and Willow’s Bell connects for two more but another running knee is countered into the spinebuster. The Hurt Lock retains the title at 12:52.

Rating: B. Dang I was buying those near falls and they pulled me way into this. Lashley retaining the title is a fine way to go and it was nice to see something like the old Ciampa here instead of the same loser we have seen for so long. Great match here and one of the better WWE TV matches in a good while.

Miz and Styles brawled backstage during the break and had to be separated. They’ll face off later tonight, No DQ.

Omos vs. Andrea Guercio/Spencer Slade

General destruction sets up the chokebomb to finish Guercio at 1:39. The best part here was Graves talking about how the jobbers were going to be destroyed from the opening bell and throughout the match.

Seth Rollins isn’t worried about Riddle being back for an interview next week. He mocks Riddle’s catchphrases and dubs himself the gatekeeper of this industry. If you want to know what is so bad about him, just ask Dana White. He’s still Seth Freaking Rollins.

Chad Gable vs. Dolph Ziggler

Otis is here with Gable. They go technical to start with neither being able to get very far. Ziggler can’t quite get a backslide and gets caught with the American Automatic. A dragon screw legwhip takes Ziggler down and Gable start going after the leg. The moonsault misses though and Ziggler is back with the DDT for a delayed two. Gable grabs the ankle lock and Ziggler can’t roll out of it, instead having to kick Gable in the face. The superkick doesn’t work as the leg gives out though and Gable powerbombs him back into the ankle lock. Ziggler breaks it up this time and manages to hit the superkick for the pin at 6:34.

Rating: C+. It might not have been the most well received match but this was logical and fairly well done. Ziggler tried to wrestle with him but was in over his head against a former Olympian. That left Ziggler to have to escape and wait for an opening, which he used to pull off the come from behind victory. I liked this, and it worked out well.

Nikki Ash and Doudrop are ready for Asuka and Alexa Bliss next week.

Asuka and Alexa Bliss are ready for Nikki Ash and Doudrop next week. Bayley and company come up to mock them as the wrecked car from earlier is loaded up on a truck. Then some cops come running from the car and by the women.

Miz vs. AJ Styles

No DQ. Styles starts fast and knocks him outside to take over. A kendo stick and a chair don’t work for him though, so it’s time to grab a table. Miz hits a dropkick through the ropes (with the camera oddly cutting away before contact) and puts the table back under the ring. The kendo stick works for Miz and he hammers on AJ, who manages to fight back and take it outside. Styles loads up something on the announcers’ table but gets backdropped onto the floor for a crash as we take a break.

Back with Styles pulling out the table but taking too long and getting kendo sticked down. Styles manages to take it away and unloads on Miz, including a low blow. Miz gets in another shot and loads up the Skull Crushing Finale but Styles slips out and hits the Phenomenal Forearm….for two as Ciampa comes in for the save.

That doesn’t go well for Ciampa, who gets knocked off the apron and through the table at ringside. That’s enough of a distraction for Miz to get two but Styles hits him in the face. Another Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but Miz throws the chair at Styles’ head. The Skull Crushing Finale gets two so Styles hits him with the chair, setting up the Styles Clash for the pin at 12:34.

Rating: B-. They were starting to cook near the end here and I was liking a lot of what was going on. What mattered here was having Styles overcome the odds and get a win instead of losing over and over. Styles is someone who could be a big enough deal around here and a lot of that comes from winning a few matches every so often.

As Styles is celebrating, cops are seen arresting someone in the front row. Styles looks over at them….and that appeared to be Dexter Lumis they were arresting. Commentary says Lumis’ name as Styles celebrates to end the show. When is the last time when Raw ended without things being all wrapped up?

Overall Rating: B. It might not have been as good as last week’s show, but the main thing here was the energy. There was nothing really close to bad and that Lumis deal at the end has me interested. That Lumis/car story has me intrigued and that is a nice feeling. It’s the kind of a story that has me wondering where things are going and I haven’t felt that on Raw in a long, long time. Pretty awesome show here and that’s two in a row, which hasn’t happened since I don’t know when. Good stuff.

Results
Seth Rollins b. Angelo Dawkins – Pedigree
Kevin Owens vs. Ezekiel went to a no contest when Ezekiel couldn’t continue
Finn Balor b. Rey Mysterio – Coup de Grace
Dakota Kai/Iyo Sky b. Tamina/Dana Brooke – Moonsault to Tamina
Bobby Lashley b. Ciampa – Hurt Lock
Omos b. Andrea Guercio/Spencer Slade – Chokebomb to Guercio
Dolph Ziggler b. Chad Gable – Superkick
AJ Styles b. The Miz – Styles Clash

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.