ECW on Sci Fi
Date: July 24, 2007
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Tazz, Joey Styles

We’re done with the Great American Bash and John Morrison is still the ECW World Champion, having beaten CM Punk again. That means he needs a new challenger and I have no idea who that is supposed to be. The roster isn’t exactly deep at the top and that could become a problem. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap

Here is ECW World Champion John Morrison, billed as the reason you are here, the man who beat CM Punk in the middle of the ring, and the new face of extreme. Morrison says he is here to make us believe, which is because he is destined to do great things. That was the case at the Great American Bash, where he retained his championship. Some are born to sweet delight and some are born to endless night.

Punk does not have the glow of the ECW World Title to brighten his existence and will never get another shot. A real champion doesn’t face the same person over and over so it is time for someone to claim their Fifteen Minutes of Fame. If anyone can last fifteen minutes with him or somehow even beat him, they will get an ECW World Title shot. Morrison already has someone in mind, and they are from right here in Fresno!

John Morrison vs. ???

Non-title Fifteen Minutes Of Fame match and Morrison hits the flipping neckbreaker for the pin in about thirty seconds. Useful enough gimmick for Morrison going forward and a good way to start.

HHH is back at Summerslam.

Kevin Thorn vs. Stevie Richards

Thorn knocks him down with a clothesline to start but Richards hits a kick to the face. That’s enough to send Thorn outside, where he sweeps the leg to knock Richards off the apron. Back in and Thorn grabs an over the shoulder backbreaker to set up a series of slams. Richards kicks his way out of the corner but gets taken right back down. The Razor’s Edge out of the corner is countered though and Richards grabs a backslide for the huge upset.

Rating: C. I certainly didn’t see that one coming so well done on the surprise. Richards has been working hard as of late and he doesn’t feel like an easy win these days, so giving him a win isn’t the craziest idea. He isn’t going to be anything more than a meal for a bigger star later, but points for laying the ground work.

We look back at Extreme Expose dancing on Miz last week.

Miz vs. Nunzio

Before the match, Miz says he feels like the women of Fresno are undressing him with his eyes. He can’t help it that he’s a chick magnet, so he invites Extreme Expose to come watch at ringside. Miz’s headlock doesn’t get him very far to start so he shoulders Nunzio down instead.

Nunzio manages to send him face first into the corner though and a top rope shoulder gets two. The running corner clothesline gives Miz two of his own and we hit the chinlock, with Extreme Expose approving. Back up and Nunzio strikes away, including some running forearms. The Sicilian Slice gets two but Miz is right back with the Reality Check for the win.

Rating: D+. The match wasn’t exactly great, but the point is to get Miz in the ring and have him annoy people by winning matches. Throw in Extreme Expose having a thing for him and it’s easy to see why this is starting to work. It always helps to have someone with Miz’s punchable face, and I’m digging the whole thing a good bit more than I probably should.

Post match, Miz invites the ladies in for more dancing.

Big Daddy V vs. Jimmy Cruz/Victor Calvio

Matt Striker is on commentary. Calvio is taken over with a headlock, followed by a gorilla press toss to Cruz. A Samoan drop and something like a spinebuster set up a double splash in the corner. Cruz gets Boss Man Slammed onto Calvio for the fast pin. As squashish as it should have been.

CM Punk/Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke/John Morrison

Burke starts with Punk, who wants Morrison instead. That’s exactly what Punk gets, plus a headlock from Morrison for a bonus. Punk gets taken into the corner for some alternating stomping but he kicks Morrison to the floor. A backdrop sends Burke outside as well and we take a break.

Back with Dreamer suplexing Burke for two and handing it back to Punk for a hilo. Dreamer and Morrison come back in, with the latter being tossed away without much trouble. A catapult sends Morrison into the buckle for two and there’s the bulldog out of the corner for the same. The Texas Cloverleaf sends Morrison over to the rope, allowing him to get up for an enziguri.

Burke comes in to kick Dreamer in the head as well and we hit the chinlock. A heck of a running kick to the back of the head rocks Dreamer again and Burke hits the Vader Bomb elbow. Morrison’s figure four necklock is countered with an electric chair but Burke comes in to slam Dreamer’s face into the mat over and over.

Morrison comes back in for a slingshot dropkick to the floor and we hit the chinlock back inside. Dreamer fights up and catches him on top though, setting up a hanging neckbreaker. That’s finally enough for the hot tag to Punk so house can be cleaned in a hurry. There’s a Shining Wizard to put Morrison on the floor and the GTS puts Burke away.

Rating: C. This was your main event style tag match, ECW edition, meaning that it served its purpose perfectly well. It seems that we’ll be getting Punk vs. Morrison again, which answers the question of “how are they getting around having no one else but Punk”. Dreamer and Burke were fine seconds here, but the match never got above just ok.

Overall Rating: C-. Not the most thrilling show here, but it does seem that they are building things up for the future. The Fifteen Minutes Of Fame deal should work well and I could see Richards giving Morrison a run for his money. Other than that, there is nothing major going on, but at least they are trying to do something with someone else. It’s not a great show, but at least they are trying to do a few things.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: December 27, 2021
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the final show of the year and that means it’s also the go home show for Day One. There are a few big stories this week, including the renewal of Miz and Maryse’s wedding vows, but we also get to find out how the Coronavirus outbreak has impacted the roster. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is RKBro for a chat. Riddle, in a party hat, talks about how the team had a good year but Randy Orton won’t read a Christmas card. Orton wants to beat Otis right now to make sure he has a good new year, but Riddle wants to look forward to the future. Next year could see them patent Brogurt! Last week Riddle was thinking about the future and thought he turned into a viper but Orton doesn’t want to hear about it.

Instead he asks to see a clip from last week, which has Riddle wondering what Orton means by “production truck”. Anyway, Otis might be non-RKOable, so here is the Alpha Academy for a chat. Chad Gable again brags about his recent Masters degree and doesn’t like that being booed. Riddle tells him to be quiet because Riddle considers himself a man of higher education. That has Orton pleased, as does Riddle wanting to face Gable right now.

Chad Gable vs. Riddle

Gable wrestles him down to start and gets an early near fall as Riddle can’t do much with him. Riddle fights up so Gable takes out the leg by wrapping it around the ropes. Some shots to the leg keep Riddle in trouble, setting up a tiger suplex for two. The ankle lock goes on but Riddle is out in a hurry with a jumping knee to the face. The Floating Bro finishes Gable at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was a showcase for Gable until Riddle hit a few shots for the pin at the end. That’s rather typical of Gable in WWE: he looks good for a bit and then comes up short in the end, despite feeling like a star in the making. I could go for him getting a big win and while that wouldn’t have been the case here, it would have been a nice start.

Otis vs. Randy Orton

We’re joined in progress with Orton not being able to hit the RKO but Otis being able to hit a big splash. A knee drop has Orton in more trouble and another RKO attempt is shoved away. Orton heads outside, where Otis misses a charge into the steps. Back in and the hanging DDT plants Otis but a third RKO attempt is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam. The Vader Bomb misses though and now the RKO can connect to finish Otis at 3:21.

Rating: C. This was starting to go somewhere but they had to go home before it could really go anywhere. The RKO not working on Otis seemed like something that could have lasted for a bit but then Orton just hit the thing to finish him off. Why have an interesting and longer story when you can just not?

Post match Riddle wants to give Orton his present….and we get the big hug. Riddle is thrilled and celebrates as Orton leaves.

We look back at Bobby Lashley wrecking everyone in last week’s tag team main event, only to be laid out by Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens.

Kevin Owens is ready to talk about what happened but we get a message from Big E., who promises to retain the title after getting back to himself. He knows he is worth more and didn’t come this far to just come this far and you have to feel that. Owens says Big E. is wrong and says this is his own story. Everything is coming together and he’ll win the title at Day One. Oh and interviewer Kevin Patrick is now named Bert.

Veer Mahaan is coming. Still.

Dana Brooke/Reggie vs. Tamina/R-Truth

Corey: “R-Truth couldn’t have picked a better partner.” Truth headlocks Reggie to start as Graves rants about Reggie’s red and yellow gear. Tamina comes in and knocks Reggie into the corner, meaning Brooke can come in to strike away. Everything breaks down and Reggie grabs a victory roll on Truth (who gets spiked down hard) for the pin at 2:46.

Post match Tamina goes after Truth but Brooke makes the save.

Nikki Ash is feeling confident and issues the challenge for herself and Rhea Ripley against Queen Zelina and Carmella for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Video on the Paul Heyman/Roman Reigns/Brock Lesnar saga.

RKBronament Finals: Mysterios vs. Street Profits

The winners get the Day One title shot. Ford takes Dominik down with a headscissors but they both nip up in a hurry. Dawkins comes in to run Rey over but everything breaks down. The Profits are sent outside, with the Mysterios hitting a sliding splash/sunset bomb into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Ford missing a splash in the corner so Dominik can hit a flip cutter to put them both down.

The hot tag brings Rey back into beat up Dawkins, including the springboard crossbody. Dawkins elbows him down to break up the 619 so Rey is right back with a tornado DDT for two. The Silencer drops Rey so Ford can hit the Cash Out for two, with Dominik having to make a save. Dominik dives out onto Dawkins and the 619 hits Ford, setting up a frog splash for two. The double 619 only half hits but Rey is sent hard to the floor. That leaves Dominik to get caught in a Doomsday Blockbuster for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B. These guys got rolling here and it was a pretty awesome match as a result. Dominik still might not be the most interesting character but he can have a fast paced match that gets the crowd going. That’s enough to add to Rey’s legendary status and the Profits’ general awesomeness to make a really solid showing here. One note: Ford has changed his hair and it makes him look a good bit older, which is not a positive.

Video on AJ Styles and Omos.

Miz is NOT happy with the flowers ready for his wedding vow renewal with Maryse. He is however happy with the guest officiant: Eric Bischoff, who promises to make this must see TV.

Here is AJ Styles for a chat and he wants to know where Omos is. He has been around for twenty years and has seen them come and go…but NXT’s Grayson Waller is in the front row, with a sign mocking Styles. AJ has him get in the ring, where Waller says Mondays feel right. Maybe he can take AJ’s spot when Omos is done with him! AJ says let’s get this over with because Waller isn’t a star, but here are Commander Azeez and Apollo Crews. Since Omos isn’t here tonight, AJ can fight Crews’ giant instead.

Carmella accepts the Women’s Tag Team Title shot from Rhea Ripley and Nikki Ash, because that means Ash will have to be involved at some point. Nikki is ALMOST second best or almost a good tag partner, but Carmella and Zelina aren’t ALMOST going to retain their titles. Not a bad promo here.

AJ Styles vs. Apollo Crews

Apparently Crews changed his mind during the break and took Azeez’s place. Sure. Crews snaps him throat first across the top and hits a big backdrop to take over. Styles is sent hard into the corner and Crews pulls him outside for a knee to the ribs. There’s a face first drop onto the apron and we take a break with Styles in big trouble.

Back with Styles fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the Pele kick. Styles charges into a boot in the corner but comes back with a fireman’s carry backbreaker anyway. The Styles Clash is countered into a sitout powerbomb to give Crews two but Styles is back with the moonsault reverse DDT. They head to the apron, where Crews hits a Death Valley Driver to knock Styles silly for two. A superplex is broken up and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence until the Styles Clash finishes Crews at 10:42.

Rating: C+. This was a good performance from Crews and Styles was his usual self, but it doesn’t say much about how the show is set up. They actually changed their minds during a commercial about a match that probably doesn’t mean anything in the long term. Styles as a face again is not a bad thing either, and now I’m curious about what is next for him after Omos.

Post match, Commander Azeez goes after Styles as well but gets taken down.

Seth Rollins, at his home and still in a purple suit, says Kevin Owens can take credit for last week, but Rollins will take the title.

Here is Kevin Owens for a chat. Owens talks about what a great time he has been having lately, from an amazing Christmas with his family to beating Edge in Madison Square Garden this week (don’t bother looking that up and take his word for it). He is the only member of the four way match here tonight and that gives him a huge advantage. Owens loves watching Big E. and Bobby Lashley fight while he and Seth Rollins are like this. He’ll win the title on Saturday, but here is MVP to interrupt.

MVP is looking forward to Bobby Lashley shutting Owens up at Day One, because Lashley has a message for Owens. MVP reads from his phone, but Owens doesn’t think Lashley actually wrote it. Owens tells him to text Lashley that he’s going to win but MVP insults Owens’ mother. Owens: “My mother says I’m special.” Cue the former Hurt Business but MVP doesn’t know why they’re here. They know Lashley can’t win on his own so they’re here to help take Owens out. Owens says let’s get this over with so they can text Lashley about reforming the Hurt Business.

Kevin Owens vs. Cedric Alexander

MVP is on commentary. Owens runs him over to start and hits the fisherman’s buster onto the knee for an early two. They head outside with Owens being sent into the barricade, setting up a springboard Downward Spiral for two back inside. Owens shrugs that off and hits the Pop Up powerbomb, setting up the Stunner to finish Alexander at 3:19.

Rating: C-. Short and to the point here with Owens getting a fine win to give him some momentum going into the title match. Alexander continues to be one of the best hands that doesn’t get a lot of time so it was nice to have him actually get in the ring for a change. That being said, this didn’t need to be a competitive match and it certainly wasn’t, so they did put it together well.

Post match Shelton Benjamin wants to go after Owens but gets Stunned as well.

We recap Damian Priest snapping last week, setting up his US Title defense against Dolph Ziggler.

Damian Priest likes having his violence take over, even if he is facing Dolph Ziggler.

US Title: Damian Priest vs. Dolph Ziggler

Priest is defending after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Ziggler goes straight for him and gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A few shots stagger Priest but he knocks Ziggler outside. Priest sends him flying into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break. Back with Ziggler hammering away in the corner but Priest fights back and hits a heck of a flapjack. The Broken Arrow gets two but Ziggler is back with a quick DDT. That’s not enough to finish Priest either so Ziggler slaps him in the face. You don’t do that to Priest, who snaps and beats the tar out of Ziggler in the corner for the DQ at 10:25.

Rating: C. The ending hurt this one a good bit and I don’t know how much of a surprise it really was. WWE loves to find a way to extend these feuds that don’t really need to be extended and that was the case again here. The match was fine enough and the ending made sense with Priest’s inner anger coming out, but oh joy, another Ziggler title match.

We recap Edge vs. Miz.

It’s time for Miz and Maryse to renew their wedding vows, with Eric Bischoff (to a VERY strong reaction) officiating. Miz comes to the ring and trips on his way into the ring. Maryse comes out in the wedding dress and they are both rather happy. Well as happy as Miz can be in a place like Detroit. Maryse praises Miz for being a great father and husband before asking if he will continue being her husband. Miz: “Should I?”

Of course he will, and then recites his vows in French. Or at least he tries, because he needs help from Maryse and slips into Spanish. Maryse tells him to just do it in English so he praises her again, including their fireworks inducing lovemaking. She’ll continue to be his wife too, so Bischoff goes to wrap it up. We know how this is going to end though (his words) so here is Edge to interrupt.

Edge talks about how he was getting sick listening to those vows and can’t wait to crush Miz at Day One. Miz calls it true love with Maryse and kisses her, so Edge tells them to get a room. Edge promises to embarrass Miz on Saturday but then starts looking around. Miz isn’t sure what is going on but Edge is just messing with him. Hold on though: they did want this to be a white wedding right? We get the Brood music and there’s the blood (now gray/black) bath to end the show. At least Edge finally got one up on them.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where they had to make do with the resources that they had and it came off fairly well. There is only so much that you can do with a limited roster as you try to build towards the pay per view, but in a way it worked even better than usual. It felt like a show building to something else rather than blowing a lot of stuff off, so nicely done on keeping things open going forward. Not a classic or anything, but it was much better than the recent usual Raws.

Results
Riddle b. Chad Gable – Floating Bro
Randy Orton b. Otis – RKO
Dana Brooke/Reggie b. Tamina/R-Truth – Victory roll to R-Truth
Street Profits b. Mysterios – Doomsday Blockbuster to Dominik
AJ Styles b. Apollo Crews – Styles Clash
Kevin Owens b. Cedric Alexander – Stunner
Dolph Ziggler b. Damian Priest via DQ when Priest attacked in the corner

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: December 20, 2021
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Day One and the Raw World Title match has grown. Last week Bobby Lashley won a series of matches to earn the right to be added to the match as the bad guys had a big night. Now we need to change things up a bit on the way to the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Bobby Lashley running the gauntlet last week to earn the Day One title shot.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley for a chat. MVP hypes up Lashley’s accomplishments last week and explains just how impressive it really was. Now no one can hang with him, but here is Big E. to interrupt. Big E. was impressed last week, but the Lashley that he knows (the one with a lot of sisters) has all of his success on his own.

That made it all the more surprising when MVP hit Big E. in the knee with a cane last week. Lashley says he’s a monster but he’ll take a win how he can. Besides, MVP said if he couldn’t do it, MVP could…so let’s do that right now. Lashley heads outside so MVP loads up the cane, only to have Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins jump him from behind. The brawl is on, until Big E. helps Lashley clear the ring. Just announce the tag match.

We recap Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop.

Belair is ready for the final showdown with Doudrop so she can take her out once and for all.

Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens are panicking over Bobby Lashley when Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce come in. They make the main event tag match for later tonight.

Doudrop vs. Bianca Belair

Belair wastes no time in trying the KOD, sending Doudrop bailing to the floor. Doudrop s smart enough to snap the throat across the top rope and take her into the corner for the big forearms. A World’s Strongest Slam plants Belair but she rolls away from the backsplash. Belair rolls outside, where she catches Doudrop with a spinebuster to send us to a break. Back with Belair getting crotched on top and then failing at a sunset bomb.

Instead, Doudrop hits a splash in the corner, setting up a Cannonball. The confidence is starting to pick up so Belair strikes away to start the comeback. Belair scores with a middle rope crossbody and the handspring moonsault gets two (hit the shocked kickout face). It’s time for Belair to go up top this time but Doudrop powerbombs her down in a heap. Another Vader Bomb misses though and now the KOD can finish Doudrop at 10:48.

Rating: C+. This was a showcase for Belair as the power game was on full display. The KOD at the end looked very good as she muscled Doudrop up and planted her perfectly. They billed this as the big finale of the feud and it would be nice to see Belair move back into the title picture. It’s not like there is anything else for her to do at the moment.

We recap Austin Theory attacking Finn Balor over the last few weeks.

Finn Balor vs. Austin Theory

Balor goes right after him to start and the fight heads out to the floor. Theory actually gets the better of things and takes it back inside for corner clotheslines. We hit the chinlock to keep Balor down but he fights up, only to get neckbreakered off the apron to send us to a break. Back with Balor scoring with a quick double stomp to get a breather, setting up more kicks to the downed Theory. Balor gets crotched on top though, setting up a springboard Spanish Fly. Theory is so happy that he grabs the phone, allowing Balor to reverse into a cradle for two. ATL is escaped though and the Coup de Grace connects for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on having Theory lose but it was to one of the more established stars on the show. Theory seems to be one of the projects on Raw at the moment, which could be good or bad. I could go for more of both of these guys and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them do this again at Day One.

AJ Styles and Omos are ready to fix things on MizTV.

Smackdown Rebound.

It’s time for MizTV. Before we get to the point, Miz wants to clear everything up: he and Maryse are perfectly fine. With that out of the way, we get our guests for the week with AJ Styles and Omos. The two of them have been having problems but Styles wants them to get together and win ALL of the titles. That’s not what Miz has heard though, as Omos has been saying that Styles holds him back and Omos could do all of this himself. Styles recruited Omos to WWE but now he is ready to be the big star all on his own. Styles doesn’t know what to say but he has to worry about that later.

AJ Styles/Omos vs. Mysterios

Dominik picks up the pace to start but gets pulled into an abdominal stretch to slow him down. That’s fine with Dominik, who flips out and brings Rey in to hammer away. The tornado DDT sets up a 619 but the frog splash hits knees. Back up and Omos won’t tag in, allowing Rey to grab a rollup for the pin at 2:23.

Post match AJ yells at Omos, who shoves him away. That’s enough for Styles, who starts hammering on Omos to limited avail. Omos catches him in a fireman’s carry faceplant and says he’ll see Styles in a match.

Austin Theory goes to Vince McMahon’s office.

Randy Orton vs. Chad Gable

Orton is here alone while Otis is with Gable. Orton goes after the arm to start but gets taken to the mat without much trouble. Gable wrestles him down again and Orton needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Orton grabs a headlock takeover but Gable quickly reverses into an armbar. Some armdrags set up another armbar as Orton is getting frustrated. Orton sends him outside and catches Gable with the hanging DDT on the way back in. That’s broken up and Gable hits an armdrag (not a German suplex Graves) but misses another, allowing Orton to hit the RKO for the pin at 2:59.

Post match Otis goes after Orton, who bails when he can’t hit the RKO.

Bobby Lashley/Big E. vs. Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens is set for later.

Lashley can’t trust Big E. but he can beat up all three of them tonight. MVP isn’t worried either.

Earlier today, Dana Brooke and Reggie went on another not-date, this time around a bunch of nice looking Christmas trees. This time Akira Tozawa is an elf but Tamina is here to yell at him for getting in the way. Santa Truth showed up and the brawl was on between the women and Dana escapes again. I’d rather just look at the Christmas lights.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Damian Priest

Non-title but a Champion’s Contenders match, with Robert Roode in Ziggler’s corner. Ziggler kicks at the knee to start but has to counter a powerbomb attempt into a sunset flip for two. Priest takes him down and goes up top though, only to get superplexed back down as we take a break.

Back with Ziggler hitting his running DDT for two but Priest strikes away to cut him down. The Broken Arrow gets two and a kick to the face knocks Ziggler silly. The referee has to check on Ziggler, allowing Roode to trip Priest off the apron. That sends Priest too far so he goes after Roode, earning himself a countout at 9:01.

Rating: C. Not exactly a surprise here as Ziggler has a tendency to get more title shots and rematches than anyone in the history of wrestling. Priest getting to beat him up will work out well enough for him in the future, but for now this wasn’t exactly an interesting match. At least Priest didn’t take a pin here, so I’ll call that a minor victory.

Post match Priest chases Ziggler off and beats Roode up again, including the Reckoning on the floor.

Finn Balor is on to more important things but Austin Theory jumps him. Theory drops him hard onto the anvil case and Balor is grimacing.

Post break, Austin Theory goes in to see Vince McMahon, who liked Theory getting at Balor again. Not that it matters though as Theory lost his match. Vince likes watching revenge though, as it makes him feel like he had a good meal. Next week, Theory gets to face Balor again and Vince threatens him with the eraser again. Then he blows eraser shavings at Theory and says Ho Ho Ho.

It’s time for the Cutting Edge, because this show needed two talk shows. Edge talks about how much he has in common with his guest, in that they are both Canadian and frustrated with Miz. The guest is Maryse, who isn’t here to be Edge’s friend, but she goes on a rant about how she can’t get a word in around Miz. She has a lump in her stomach but she wants people to know that there is a woman behind Maryse. It has been fifteen years with Mike Mizanin and she wants a thank you. She takes care of everything from the house to the kids and now she is exhausted.

Edge looks a bit stunned as Maryse moves on to how she almost got hurt last week. If something happens to her, who is taking care of her kids? Would Edge have ever done this to his wife? Edge apologizes that Maryse’s life is some kind of horrible country song. Is anyone else buying this? Of course he wouldn’t do this to Beth Phoenix because he respects her. Get Miz out here already, so here is Miz to interrupt. Edge catches him coming in from behind but Maryse hits Edge with her purse, setting up the Skull Crushing Finale. Of course everything is ok with Miz and Maryse. Phoenix has to be showing up soon right?

Rhea Ripley vs. Queen Zelina

Nikki Ash and Carmella are barred from ringside. Zelina promises that Ripley won’t be able to end her reign. Ripley blocks a kick to the ribs to start but misses a big boot. Instead Vega tries a tornado DDT, which is blocked as well. Vega spins into a jawbreaker for two on Ripley, who easily blocks a running knee. A delayed superplex doesn’t work for Ripley as Vega slips between the legs and hits a running knee for two. Not that it matters as Ripley hits Riptide for the pin at 2:09, meaning she is a bit better without Ash.

Big E. doesn’t have to team well with Bobby Lashley tonight. Cue Lashley, with Big E. wondering where MVP is to jump him again. Lashley says don’t worry about that, but just be ready for later.

Here is Liv Morgan for a chat, complete with a kendo stick. Morgan talks about how Becky Lynch accepted the rematch for Day One, but only after she injured Morgan’s arm. She talks about going to Iowa to jump Becky at her gym in Iowa and we see a clip of the attack. Morgan showed up and went after Becky, but it was a lookalike so the real Becky could jump her (ignore the pretty big gap in logic to get there).

Instead, Becky got beaten up anyway and Morgan is ready for Day One. Becky can try to break her arm, but she’s going to break Becky’s face. Cue Becky, who asks how Morgan feels about beating up an innocent woman. Morgan says Becky went after her arm but she beat Becky up with one good arm. That gets some respect from Becky, but she doesn’t think Morgan can handle the heat. Morgan throws the stick to Becky, who leaves anyway.

I like Morgan a good bit, but STOP HAVING HER DO THESE LONG RECITED PROMOS. They don’t sound like things she would say and it’s obvious that she is just reading words given to her. She got popular doing one thing and now they’re having her do the opposite to weaker effect. Why is this a surprise anymore?

Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens vs. Big E./Bobby Lashley

Lashley wrecks them both to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Lashley hitting a one armed delayed vertical suplex to drop Rollins again. Rollins manages to send him outside though and Owens stomps away to take over. Lashley gets thrown back inside to keep up the beating, which he shrugs off without much trouble.

Big E. comes in for the suplexes and gyrating, setting up a clothesline to send Rollins outside. Owens gets in a cheap shot though and Rollins adds a frog splash for two. We take another break and come back with Lashley wrecking things again, allowing the tag back to Big E. Everything breaks down and Lashley spears Big E., followed by another spear to Owens for the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C. I’m curious about how that ending was supposed to go as it felt like the match was going to end sooner rather than later anyway. The good thing is that Lashley gets another big win, as he is looking more and more like an unstoppable monster. I don’t know what that means for his chances at Day One, but he’s looking awesome on the way there.

Post match Rollins makes a save about ten seconds late, as it seems the ending wasn’t as it was supposed to be. The Stomp hits Big E. and Lashley gets hit with the steps. The apron powerbomb and a Stomp on the steps leave Lashley laying. Owens and Rollins celebrate

Overall Rating: C-. While it wasn’t the mess that last week’s was in this area, this show continued to make me wonder why I would cheer for any of the heroes around here. Save for one or two, this show was filled with heroes who were either inept, lame or just stupid. Between Big E. being left laying again, Morgan not being able to tell which redhead was which (and Lynch being some genius strategist) and Edge knowing Miz’s plan and getting laid out anyway, there wasn’t much to get excited about here.

That’s been a major WWE problem for a long time and it was on full display this week. It’s like WWE builds someone up, gets us to cheer for them and then changes their minds and decides to cut them back down to size. Why they would want to do that is beyond me, but it is making for some dreadful television. The wrestling was fine, but egads it would be nice to have a main event face stand tall and look smart for a change around here.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Doudrop – KOD
Finn Balor b. Austin Theory – Coup de Grace
Mysterios b. AJ Styles/Omos – Rollup to Styles
Randy Orton b. Chad Gable – RKO
Dolph Ziggler b. Damian Priest via countout
Rhea Ripley b. Queen Zelina – Riptide
Big E./Bobby Lashley b. Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens – Spear to Owens

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: July 17, 2007
Location: Entertainment Center, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re on the way to the Great American Bash and that means we need the final push towards CM Punk vs. Johnny Nitro for the ECW World Title. Other than that, there isn’t much going on here but we do now have the monster Big Daddy V to deal with. Unfortunately that means more Matt Striker, but I would much rather have him as a manager than a wrestler. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

There are a bunch of reporters outside Johnny Nitro’s locker room, where a spokesman says this is the last night Nitro will be on ECW. He’ll answer more tonight in a press conference.

CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke

Burke is replacing Marcus Cor Von, who has taken a sabbatical from ECW. Feeling out process to start with Burke driving him into the corner and getting absolutely nowhere as a result. Punk takes him to the mat for some knees to the arm into an armbar. A legdrop gives Punk two and it’s right back to the armbar.

Burke fights up and takes Punk into the corner again, only to get caught in armbar the third. The next escape attempt sees them crash outside and we take a break. Back with Burke grabbing a Boston crab, sending Punk crawling over to the ropes in a hurry. Punk is able to strike away until Burke drops him with an uppercut for two more.

Burke cranks on both arms at once, setting up some backbreakers for two each. Another comeback is on, with Punk kicking away and hitting a flapjack for his own near fall. A suplex gives Punk two and the German version gives Burke the same. Back up and Burke tries a clothesline, only to get reversed into the GTS to give Punk the sudden pin.

Rating: C+. These two have fought each other quite a few times now and the impact is starting to wear thin. This is a bit of a different situation due to the last second replacement, but it is nice to have guys who know each other this well. Maybe not a great match, but good enough and with nearly fifteen minutes to build things up.

Raw Rebound.

Big Daddy V vs. Tim Storm

Matt Striker handles Big Daddy V’s intro which includes a look at V destroying Boogeyman last week. You might know Tim Storm as the future NWA World Champion, but he still looks old here anyway. V unloads in the corner and hits some headbutts, setting up a Samoan drop and a swinging Boss Man Slam for the fast pin.

Here is the Miz for a chat. He can’t help it that he’s a chick magnet, but maybe it’s his personality/charisma/good looks. For example, there are three chicks here with a special surprise for him. Cue Extreme Expose, who sit Miz down in a chair and dance around/on him this week.

We look at Tommy Dreamer beating up Johnny Nitro last week before falling short (how Tommy Dreamer of him).

Tommy Dreamer vs. Kevin Thorn

Thorn goes after the arm to start so Dreamer hits him in the face. A hiptoss and drop toehold take Thorn down but he’s right back up to go after Dreamer’s bad shoulder. Dreamer fights out of another armbar with a neckbreaker, setting up a frog splash of all things. Dreamer’s arm won’t let him hit a powerbomb but he can escape a Razor’s Edge. A clothesline drops Thorn but he sends Dreamer shoulder first into the post for the fast pin.

Rating: D+. Not much to this one other than Thorn working on Dreamer’s arm, which only gets you so far. It’s also kind of weird to see Thorn winning, but it isn’t like beating Dreamer means much of anything. Thorn is just kind of there, but you can always use a decent midcard vampire enthusiast right?

Post match, Thorn hits the Original Sin for a bonus.

It’s time for Johnny Nitro’s press conference, with his spokesman saying we will never see Johnny Nitro again. Instead, please meet…well Nitro in better clothes with slightly bigger hair. His name is now John Morrison, which was his name at birth and he was destined for great things. He could walk at 4th grade and skipped first grade. In high school, he was elected Class President but didn’t even run. Now you look at him today and see a champion who destroyed Tommy Dreamer last week.

You can hear greatness in his name, but what is in CM Punk’s name? Morrison asks what the CM stands for but here is Punk to cut him off. He wants to keep things cool….and then hits Punk with the microphone. The flipping neckbreaker drops Punk and Morrison stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Kind of a weird show between Nitro becoming Morrison, Miz having three women all over him and a long match to start. It still feels like they are trying to figure things out with the new roster, but the show certainly wasn’t boring so at least they’re getting somewhere. Just tighten things up a bit and they should be at least ok in the near future.

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: December 13, 2021
Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than three weeks away from Day One and the card seems to be at least somewhat set. That being said, it seems that we might be seeing a new addition to the Raw main event in the form of Bobby Lashley. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the change made official tonight so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s cage match with Big E. defeating Kevin Owens, followed by Bobby Lashley laying out Owens, Big E. and Seth Rollins.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley to get things going. MVP says last week is what happens when you disrespect Lashley and that’s a problem with this generation. That’s why it is imperative to have Lashley added to the Day One WWE Title match, because that’s a great way to start the year.

Cue Kevin Owens to say he hasn’t been disrespecting the two of them because he hasn’t been paying attention to anything they have done in two years. Owens earned his way into the title match and in nineteen days, he becomes WWE Champion so the fans can have someone to believe in.

Now it’s Seth Rollins interrupting, saying you can’t start the show without the star. Rollins respects Lashley’s suit game and has to take Owens’ side, even though he can’t blame him. Lashley shouldn’t be in Rollins’ title match, which has MVP thinking the two of them are terrified. Lashley says get in the ring and do something about it, so Owens thinks they should go after him together. Rollins is in, so Owens tells Rollins to go first.

Arguing ensues so now it’s Big E. to interrupt, calling this his favorite group of idiots. Big E. talks about beating Lashley a few times so he has no problem doing it one more time. Cue Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to say the four way sounds like a good idea, so Lashley is in….if he can beat all three of the others tonight.

We look back at the Alpha Academy attacking Riddle last week.

Earlier today, Riddle is looking at the blazers, saying he has been watching tapes for ideas. Randy Orton says he hopes Riddle is focusing on their potential opponents, but Riddle is focusing on podcasting. Orton doesn’t want to hear about podcasting, being a shaman, or hanging out with jackasses on Smackdown. Riddle goes into a thing about the Jackass cast being at Smackdown, but Orton wants him to focus on Otis. If Riddle can beat Otis tonight, maybe, one day, a long time from now, he can put the blazer back on.

Kevin Owens is told that he has to face Bobby Lashley first and isn’t overly happy. Seth Rollins is reminded he has to face Lashley as well and storms off to get ready. Big E. is fine with a triple threat or a four way.

Riddle vs. Otis

Randy Orton and Chad Gable are here too. Otis knocks him outside to start and then drives Riddle back first into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Otis missing a charge to go shoulder first into the post. Riddle hits a kick to the face but a high crossbody is pulled out of the air. That’s broken up and Riddle strikes away, setting up the Floating Bro to a standing Otis. Somehow Otis gets back up and blocks the RKO, setting up the pop up World’s Strongest Slam to finish Riddle at 8:25.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to get very far due to the commercial, but at least they were doing something to make Otis look like a monster. I’m not sure how that is going to work since the Alpha Academy was eliminated from the tournament last week, but maybe we get a bit of a swerve.

Post match Orton hits the RKO on Gable but Otis elbows him down.

We look back at Doudrop attacking Bianca Belair.

Doudrop vs. Bianca Belair

They fight over a lockup to start with Belair having to climb the corner. That doesn’t work so well for Doudrop, as Belair armdrags her way out. Back up and Belair can’t drop her again, so it’s time for that dance she does in every match. Doudrop sends her into the corner but Belair is back with a pretty ugly hurricane into said corner and out to the floor.

Back in and Belair gets her own legs tied over the ropes, allowing Doudrop to hit a hard elbow as we take a break. We come back with Doudrop hitting a Michinoku Driver for two as Belair is in trouble. Doudrop loads up a Vader Bomb but gets reversed into a powerbomb, setting up a 450 to give Belair the pin at 10:33.

Rating: C+. I can go for the idea of Belair getting to show off her power and that 450 looked great. Doudrop is good as the monster but she was just there for Belair to slay. This should be enough to move on to something else, though that isn’t how WWE tends to work most of the time.

Post match, Doudrop jumps Belair again because a pinfall isn’t enough to finish a feud.

We look at the Next In Line signings from the NCAA.

Gable Steveson is here, complete with gold medal.

Kevin Owens says a lot of this is trash, but him winning the WWE Title will help.

Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens

The first of three matches Lashley has to win to get into the Day One title match. Lashley powers him around to start but gets sent outside. The Cannonball from the apron misses though and Lashley runs him over again. Back in and Owens scores with a quick superkick, setting up the Cannonball in the corner.

There’s a backsplash for two on Lashley, followed by a tornado DDT for the same. Owens hits him in the face though and Lashley is mad, earning Owens a whip into the corner for an upside down crash. The Hurt Lock is blocked but so is the Stunner, allowing Lashley to hit a spinebuster. Lashley gets one arm up for the Hurt Lock and Owens taps immediately at 4:33.

Rating: C+. They packed a good bit of stuff in here and it was a good showcase for Lashley as a result. Owens tapping out immediately makes sense as he is the kind of guy who would hope Big E. and Seth Rollins will do the hard work for him. It’s just part one of three though, so we have a long way to go.

In the back, Seth Rollins is annoyed but is told that he is up next. Growling and walking ensue.

We look back at Liv Morgan coming up short in her title match against Becky Lynch.

Veer Mahaan is still coming.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She’s still the champ, though some fans might be happier than others. Those people who are booing her are the same ones who begged for her to come back but then didn’t like her being mean. We see the Angry Liv Girl from last week, which makes me miss Angry Miz Girl. They aren’t the ones who got in this ring and broke down those gender barriers to become the biggest star in the industry. If you don’t evolve in this business, you get left behind, but don’t worry because she is holding this title for a long time.

Cue Liv Morgan to say that she made Becky doubt herself, hence the cheating to win. Girl in the crowd: “NO!!! BECKY RULES!!!” We see a photo of Becky cheating to win last week, which makes Liv know she can win. That’s why she wants a rematch at Day One, but the fight is on for now. Becky stomps gets her down onto the steps and stomps on the arm to leave Liv laying. With that out of the way, Becky accepts the challenge for Day One, but says she’s off to her house with her baby girl and hot husband.

We look back at Omos snapping and costing himself and AJ Styles a tag match last week. The team seemed to split after the match.

AJ Styles says this team isn’t done and you don’t give up on someone like Omos. Styles praises Omos as someone special, so here is Omos behind him. Omos thanks him and they seem good.

Reggie and Dana Brooke were in the snowy park earlier today, with Reggie offering some tips on keeping the 24/7 Title. Maybe over hot chocolate? Dana seems interested but R-Truth and Akira Tozawa are there in costumes. Cue Tamina to jump Brooke but she escapes, leading to a big chase into a pile of snow. Tamina tells Truth and Akira Tozawa to stay out of their way.

Damian Priest/Finn Balor vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler

Priest throws Ziggler around to start but Roode comes in, allowing Priest to beat up both of them at once. Ziggler is sent outside with Roode following him, meaning Priest can drop them both as we take a break. Back with Priest beating up Ziggler until he is sent outside for a spinebuster from Roode. Balor comes in to clean house but cue Austin Theory for a distraction. Ziggler uses said distraction to hit the Zig Zag for the fast pin at 7:24.

Rating: D+. This was barely long enough to rate but the point was to move Theory vs. Balor (and maybe/hopefully Priest as well). That being said, being pinned by Ziggler in 2021 is not exactly the best sign for a wrestler’s future and I’m not sure how much more Balor is going to be doing in WWE. Maybe he sticks around, but egads it’s not the smoothest course for him.

We look at Zelina Vega beating Nikki Ash last week, setting up Jerry Lawler’s return to accidentally humiliate her even more.

Nikki Ash talks about how depressing things have been but Rhea Ripley wants the old Nikki back.

Queen Zelina vs. Rhea Ripley

Carmella and Nikki Ash are here too. Before the match, Vega talks about how the fans can cheer her, but loses the accent when they boo. Ripley shoves Vega around to start but Carmella goes after Nikki. A superkick leaves her laying so Ripley gets rid of Carmella, allowing Vega to grab a rollup for the pin at 58 seconds.

Kevin Owens pitches Seth Rollins another alliance but Rollins storms off.

Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley

Second match Lashley has to win to be added to the Day One title match. Lashley knocks him outside without much effort to start but Rollins escapes the ram into the post. Back in and Lashley snaps off some suplexes, setting up the Downward Spiral. MVP: “BOBBY! SMASH!” Rollins bails outside to escape the Dominator but here is Kevin Owens to punch Rollins in the face…and that’s a DQ at 2:23. Hold on though as Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville come out to say not so fast. It’s being restarted as a No DQ match (which will be the case for Big E. vs. Lashley as well) so Lashley spears Rollins down for the pin at 3:36.

Austin Theory comes in to see Vince McMahon, who is meeting with Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez, to brag about taking out Finn Balor. Vince offers a pat on the back or a participation trophy, but Theory would rather have a match. Vince says they’re not friends and Theory hasn’t impressed him. Instead, Vince gives him a pencil and points out the eraser. I don’t think I get it.

Here is Maryse to host MizTV, with special guest….the Miz. After saying Maryse looks especially gorgeous tonight, Miz gets to the point: it’s almost the Road to Wrestlemania, and that means the Hall of Fame class will be announced soon. Miz would like to officially nominate himself to be the first member of the class, complete with a career highlight video. Miz and Maryse are near tears, but still toast the champagne to the idea of retiring Edge again at Day One.

Cue Edge to mock Miz for talking too much and telling him to shut up. Edge doesn’t get why Miz complains so much, but Miz doesn’t see what is so scary about him. We hear about Edge not helping him in 2006 so Miz throws the champagne in his eyes. The fight is on with Miz hiding behind Maryse to avoid the spear. The Skull Crushing Finale lays out Edge but Maryse yells at Miz for using her as a shield. Maryse slaps him and leaves. I’m not sure about this one, as Edge didn’t add anything with his comments, but the Maryse deal seems to open up the mixed tag door.

Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins give Big E. a pep talk but he calls them idiots and leaves.

Smackdown Rebound.

Commentary recaps Bobby Lashley’s gauntlet. Three fans get up from the front row and walk away as they’re talking.

We recap Lashley’s efforts so far.

MVP says Lashley is ready for Big E. in a No DQ match.

Big E. vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title and No DQ, with Lashley needing a win to advance to the Day One WWE Title match. It’s a power brawl to start with Big E. knocking him down, meaning it’s already table time. Hold on though as Big E. has to go back inside and plant Lashley again. NOW the table can be tossed in but Big E. has to save himself from going through it. Lashley grabs a Downward Spiral but gets sent face first into a chair in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Big E. blocking a suplex through a table. Instead Big E. knocks him to the apron for some forearms to the chest and an apron splash. They head outside with Lashley driving him into the post but having to block the spear through the ropes. Back in and Lashley hits a heck of a spinebuster through the table as we take another break.

We come back with Big E. dropping Lashley onto the steps and then heading back inside. The Hurt Lock is blocked and a spear connects, but here are Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens to go after Lashley. Big E. fights both of them off but then gets double teamed down. Owens and Big E. head outside, where a Rock Bottom puts Owens through a table. Lashley spears Rollins through a table in the corner, allowing Big E. to get back in. That’s fine with MVP, who hits Big E. in the knee with the cane. Lashley’s spear is enough to send him to Day One at 19:45.

Rating: C+. It was a good power brawl and would have made a fine house show main event when Lashley was still champion, but egads this didn’t do Big E. any favors. I can only assume that Lashley is becoming a face after this as he has now beaten three former World Champions in one night, including in this match where two of them had to save the third. I’m not a fan of the champ losing, but it certainly made Lashley look like the biggest star on the show, which he pretty much is at this point.

Overall Rating: D. This is a show where the wrestling absolutely does not make up for everything else. I don’t remember the last time I felt like a company was trying to take away every single person I might want to cheer for on one night. Belair wins, then gets taken out two minutes later. That is the lone face win on the night, with everyone else losing or being laid out, including Liv Morgan and Edge in the big interview segments.

Then you have the main story of the night, with Lashley running through pretty much the entire main event scene so he can be added to the main event scene. That’s something that could have been stretched out for weeks but instead we gt it here in the span of a few hours. What does this leave for the story for the next two weeks? Talking and/or wacky tag matches? How lucky we are to receive such Christmas gifts.

Overall, this show felt like WWE was trying to take away the fun from the show and they certainly succeeded. There was nothing to cheer about all night and the show just kept dragging on. Day One has gone from a show I wanted to see to a show we need to get through so we can move on to the Road to Wrestlemania. Maybe it winds up working, but this was one of the most depressing episodes of WWE TV I can remember in a long, long time.

Results
Otis b. Riddle – Pop up World’s Strongest Slam
Bianca Belair b. Doudrop – 450
Bobby Lashley b. Kevin Owens – Hurt Lock
Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler b. Damian Priest/Finn Balor – Zig Zag to Balor
Queen Zelina b. Rhea Ripley – Rollup
Bobby Lashley b. Seth Rollins – Spear
Bobby Lashley b. Big E. – 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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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: July 10, 2007
Location: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 2,271
Commentators: Tazz, Joey Styles

We are on the way to the Great American Bash, where Johnny Nitro will defend the ECW World Title against CM Punk. That’s about all that we have going on at the moment, but there is a new detail that is going to chance everything: it’s time for the Miz’s debut, as ECW goes reality. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence, now with a new theme song.

It’s time for Striker’s Classroom, with the Boogeyman as this week’s guest. Striker is going to change tradition a bit this week, because the teacher has a gift for the student: a bowl full of worms! We see Boogeyman worming Striker two weeks ago so Striker explains that worms are hermaphrodites who have laid eggs in Boogeyman’s mouth. Worms are coldblooded, just like what Boogeyman has been doing to Striker! That ends right now though….and here is the former Viscera, now known as Big Daddy V, to slam Boogeyman onto the desk. Boogeyman gets thrown through a chalkboard to wrap it up. Nice debut.

HHH is coming back. I’m sure he’ll make time for ECW.

Elijah Burke vs. Balls Mahoney

Mahoney slugs away to start but Burke punches him down even faster. The headstand elbow out of the corner gets two on Mahoney and we hit the chinlock. Mahoney fights up but misses the New Jersey Jam, setting up the Elijah Express to give Burke the fast pin.

Rating: D+. This was a rehab match for Burke, who has been losing a lot as of late. Sometimes the best thing that you can do for a wrestler is put them in the ring for a quick win like this and let them get back on track. I don’t think Burke has much of a ceiling around here these days, but a win is better than nothing.

Video on Tommy Dreamer.

CM Punk vs. Stevie Richards

Punk strikes away to start and hits a swinging neckbreaker for an early two, followed by a kick to the head. There’s a running legdrop for two and we’re already in the chinlock on Richards. That’s broken up and Richards scores with a few kicks for a near fall of his own. Richards grabs a chinlock to even the score, only to have Punk grab a kneebar.

Richards fights up so Punk suplexes him down into a half crab. That’s broken up as well so Punk hits the running knee in the corner, setting up the bulldog for two. This time it’s Richards back up with a Downward Spiral into a Koji Clutch, but Punk is next to the rope. Back up and Richards tries the tornado DDT, only to get caught in the GTS for the pin.

Rating: C. This was more competitive than I would have bet on and that’s a good thing. It’s nice to have Punk break a sweat in a match like this as there is little benefit to have him in an easy win. Richards is good for a match like this if you need him out there to make someone look better. Nice surprise here.

Extreme Expose is rather pleased to meet the Miz, who they find cute.

Miz vs. Nunzio

Miz takes him to the mat and they exchange some grappling. Nunzio forearms him in the back and kicks him in the ribs, setting up a middle rope dropkick. There’s some choking on the rope and the chinlock goes on to keep Miz in trouble. Nunzio gets caught using the ropes so he switches to a headscissors, which triggers Miz’s comeback. Some running clotheslines set up a middle rope clothesline for two on Nunzio, followed by the Mizard of Oz for the pin.

Rating: C-. Miz was wrestling more like a face here and that’s a weird thing to see after everything else he has done so far. He’s another case where you need to get the fresh blood on the show and this is as good of a place as any. Let him get some reps in here and see what you can get out of him, as Miz certainly has the intangibles.

Extreme Expose.

We look back at Big Daddy V destroying Boogeyman.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Johnny Nitro

Non-title and Extreme Rules so Dreamer brings out the weapons. Nitro spends a bit too much time posing on the floor so Dreamer goes after him to start the beating. The brawl actually goes to Nitro, who gets rid of all of the weapons save for a crutch. Dreamer takes that away though and starts going after Nitro’s leg. The Cloverleaf keeps up the pain until Dreamer lets go and gets sent into the post. Nitro breaks the crutch over Dreamer’s arm and starts kicking away until a fall away slam cuts him off.

A slingshot dropkick puts Dreamer on the floor, where Nitro wraps a chair around his neck and sends it into the post. The corkscrew moonsault off the barricade gets two, because Extreme Rules now means falls count anywhere. Back in and Dreamer crotches him on top, setting up a few trashcan lid shots to the head. Dreamer goes up top but gets pulled down onto the lid, but he’s fine enough to catch Nitro on top. Nitro gets put in a trashcan for the running Tree of Woe dropkick. Dreamer is back up but Nitro drop toeholds him face first into an open chair for the fast pin.

Rating: C. This was about what you would expect, as Nitro gets some more momentum. It means a bit more to beat Dreamer in the violent match as that’s about all Dreamer is known for, so at least they’re getting the concept right. It’s still a bit hard to take Nitro seriously as the champion of the show, but they’re trying to make him seem above everyone else.

Overall Rating: C-. They are certainly trying to bring up a new generation as of late and it is only working out so well so far. Granted that’s kind of the point of an introductory period, as you have to get used to having these guys around. It was a totally watchable show, but you can tell that there is a lot less attention and effort from WWE than you would get on the major shows. Not a great show, but they’re working through a tricky period at the moment.

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 6, 2021
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s a double main event week as have not just a title match but also a steel cage match to go with it. First up, Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will defend her title against Liv Morgan in a match that has been treated as a big deal. Then Big E. will face Kevin Owens in a cage, which should be a heck of a spectacle. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show, with Seth Rollins attacking Kevin Owens, setting up Day 1’s triple threat match for the WWE Title.

Seth Rollins is ready for tonight’s cage match because it will make things ready for Day 1.

Big E. is ready to go to war with Kevin Owens in a cage.

Kevin Owens is ready to win tonight and then take the title at Day 1.

Kevin Owens vs. Big E.

Non-title in a cage. Owens goes straight for the door to start and then gets crotched on the top. Big E. chases him up top and shoves Owens’ head into the cage for a bit of pain. With that escape attempt cut off, Owens is sent into the cage a few times, only to have Owens do it to him as well.

We take a break and come back with Owens hitting a backsplash for two. They trade rams into the cage with Owens going up, where he has to take Big E. down with sunset bomb. Big E. is back up with some belly to belly suplexes but Owens bails before the Warrior Splash can hit. A superkick knocks Big E. into the corner, setting up Owens’ Cannonball. Owens slaps on a Boston crab of all things but Big E. powers out and goes for the door. Cue Seth Rollins to slam the door on both of their heads though and we take another break.

Back again with Big E. catching him on top but not being able to hit a super Big Ending. Instead, Owens hits the bullfrog splash for two, setting up the sitout Pop Up powerbomb for two more. Owens goes up again butt his time it’s the super Big Ending to bring him crashing back down. Big E. goes for the door instead of covering and Owens grabs the boot. Not that it matters as Big E. kicks him away and escapes for the win at 20:06.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time and felt like a showdown, but it wasn’t quite the great match. Rollins interfering was completely expected and makes sense, though his interference didn’t really change anything. At least it was nice to have a big time match on Raw though, even if it still feels weird to have a cage match set up a triple threat.

Post match Rollins jumps both of them (with the cage being raised in record time) but Big E. suplexes Rollins to save Owens from the Stomp. The Big Ending leaves Owens laying.

Post break, all three are still down, as Bobby Lashley had run in and attacked the trio during the break.

Here are Queen Zelina and Carmella for a chat, with Vega wondering why the people aren’t cheering. Would you rather be cheering for that fake superhero Nikki Ash?

Nikki Ash vs. Queen Zelina

Carmella and Rhea Ripley are here too. Vega knocks her down to start and rams Nikki’s face into the apron a few times. Nikki knocks her down but misses a high crossbody, allowing Vega to hit the Code Red for the pin at 2:06.

RKBro is ready for the RKBronament, which is either a tag team tournament or a tournament of their favorite Christmas movies. Riddle doesn’t want to talk about how Home Alone changed his life but he has a matching blazer for Orton to wear.

Nikki Ash is all upset, despite what Rhea Ripley says. A fan comes up to ask for an autograph, but means Jerry Lawler, who is behind them. Lawler says that was a tough loss and offers Nikki an autograph to cheer her up. Nikki leaves, with Lawler asking if it was something he said.

RKBronemant First Round: AJ Styles/Omos vs. Street Profits

RKBro is at ringside, in matching blazers of course, with Riddle on commentary. During the entrance, we get an inset promo from the Profits, promising to win. Ford dropkicks Styles down to start and Dawkins hits one of his own, setting up a splash for two. AJ knocks Ford outside though and there’s a slingshot Phenomenal Forearm to drop Dawkins on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Omos working over Dawkins and handing it back to Styles to do the same. Dawkins gets in a shot of his own though and it’s back to Ford to start cleaning house. An enziguri staggers Styles but he gets a boot up in the corner. Ford knocks him down again though and goes over to slap Omos, with Dawkins adding one of his own.

A double dropkick sends Omos outside but Styles his a pair of enziguris. Styles brainbusters Ford but doesn’t cover, instead loading up the Phenomenal Forearm. Omos tags himself in mid-springboard though and goes after Dawkins on the floor. Ford dives onto Omos, who drops him onto the apron. Dawkins has to be beaten up as well though and that’s enough for the countout to give the Profits the win at 9:43.

Rating: C+. They had a faster paced match here though it seems we might be done with Omos/Styles as a team. That might not be the worst thing in the world as there is nothing left for the team to do, but Omos on his own could be quite the risk at the moment. It could be interesting though, and I can get why you would want to take such a risk.

Post match AJ yells at Omos, who walks off on his own. Riddle gets in the ring to ask for a word on these breaking events, which has AJ almost confused. Riddle asks again and AJ asks if this is Dateline. AJ says he and Omos are a great team, but Riddle wouldn’t know anything about that before leaving in a huff. When asked for a comment, Orton says nope.

Becky Lynch says this is a big night for Liv Morgan, who is coming in with a bunch of momentum. Morgan already punched her in the face and now there is a new bandwagon to jump on. For Becky though, it’s just another night on Raw.

Riddle talks about what an emotional roller coaster tonight should be for the people, but Orton says his broadcasting days are over. It’s all on Riddle, who gets a second blazer.

US Title: Damian Priest vs. Robert Roode

Roode, with Dolph Ziggler in his corner, is defending. Priest powers him into the corner to start and hits some knees to the ribs. A kick to the back sets up a right hand to the jaw as Roode is in trouble to start. They head outside though and Roode sends him into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Priest slugging away and hitting the Broken Arrow for two. Roode hits a Backstabber for two, followed by the spinning spinebuster for the same. Priest isn’t having any of this and comes right back with some shots to the face. The Reckoning is countered into a rollup but the second attempt is enough to retain Priest’s title at 9:37.

Rating: C. Priest stacking up another win is always a good thing to see and that’s what he got here. Roode is someone who still has some value so it makes a different for Priest to beat him. If nothing else, it is good to have Priest on the show and getting to do something instead of just sitting around and padding his reign as champion without ever defending the belt.

Post match Ziggler superkicks Priest, because you can’t have Priest face one of them without facing the other.

We look back at Doudrop laying out Bianca Belair, only to be laid out herself.

Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop

Doudrop runs her over from behind before the bell and we start after a break. After a video on Lita vs. Trish Stratus headlining Raw 17 years ago to the day, Belair goes right at her to start and Doudrop is staggered early. A backsplash gets Belair out of trouble though and it’s a cobra clutch to keep her down. Doudrop clotheslines her out of the corner for two but Belair powers her into the corner. They fight to the apron with Belair slipping back in and forearming away to little avail.

Instead a running handspring….to the ropes, as I don’t think it actually hit Doudrop, sends her outside. Belair follows her outside though and gets crushed as we take a break. Back with Belair not being able to hit a suplex but being able to hit a spinebuster to plant Doudrop. A middle rope crossbody gives Belair two but a sunset flip earns her a sitdown splash. Doudrop’s Vader Bomb gets two so she gets serious by going after Belair’s hair. The Cannonball misses though and Belair tries the KOD, which sends Doudrop bailing to the floor for the countout out 12:59.

Rating: C. Belair’s power is scary as always but this feud hasn’t done much for me so far. It’s your run of the mill bullying deal and that is only going to get them so far when Belair hasn’t backed down at all and can hang in the ring with Doudrop’s power. In theory this should be blown off with Belair getting the definitive win at Day 1, and that’s probably best for everyone.

We look back at Vince McMahon slapping Austin Theory last week.

Theory comes in to see Vince again, with Vince explaining that no one cares when they ask how he is doing. Vince is putting him in a match tonight, which works for Theory. Vince asks if Theory expected it, which Theory didn’t. That’s not cool with Vince and sneering ensues. Always nice to see Austin and Vince together.

Smackdown Rebound.

It’s time for MizTV, sans Maryse, who doesn’t come to towns like Memphis. Miz has been watching last week’s showdown with Edge and thinks Edge is his old self. Or is he? Miz brings out Edge as his guest, with Edge calling him Mike. Miz thinks Edge was weak for not spearing him out of his $9000 shoes last week, but Edge can’t believe those shoes cost that much.

Edge tells him to not mistake the kindness for weakness, which sends Miz into a rant about how he needed some kindness when he debuted in 2006. Don’t pretend that he was treated badly for eating chicken in the locker room, because it was over everyone being scared of his it factor. He was a celebrity and more famous than most of the roster but Edge wasn’t there for him. That makes Edge bring up pulling Miz aside in this very building and telling him to get through it because he had something.

Miz blew him off then, even though Edge went through the same thing seven years earlier. Edge doesn’t see these things as problems like Mike does, because he needs to look in the mirror. That mirror will tell Miz that he is an a**, which has Miz saying Edge is scared of him. Miz says 2022 will be his year, so the challenge is on for January 1. Edge is in, but Miz bails from a challenge for tonight. The threat of a single right hand has Miz dropping to his back though, and Edge knows he’s afraid.

Liv Morgan is ready to win the Women’s Title.

RKBronament First Round: Alpha Academy vs. Mysterios

Riddle is on commentary again. Gable takes Dominik to the mat to start but Dominik is back up with a shot to the face. You don’t do that to Gable, who wrestles him down and puts on a half crab. Back up and Gable stays on the leg with a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner. Gable misses a moonsault though and Dominik grabs a rollup for the pin at 3:14. Otis was never in the match.

Rating: C-. This was basically a singles match with managers on the apron, though having Otis stay out of the match makes sense for the Mysterios. It makes him look like that much bigger of a force, though it does mean having to watch the Mysterios team again. They just aren’t interesting as a team and the level of care I can muster for them falls every single week.

Post match Riddle goes to interview the Alpha Academy, with Otis running him over.

Austin Theory is warming up in Vince McMahon’s office but Vince says he won’t be having a match tonight. Instead, Vince wants Theory to come up with another way to impress him. Theory unzips his vest and does more jumping jacks. Vince: “STOP!” Vince tells him to come up with something using his brains and Theory leaves.

Finn Balor vs. T-Bar

Balor goes straight at him to start but gets thrown down with raw power. Some knees to the ribs set up a chinlock with a knee in Balor’s back. The chokeslam is countered into a rollup for two, followed by Balor’s jumping double stomp to the ribs. The Sling Blade drops Priest again and Balor goes up, only to have to shove T-Bar off the top. That’s enough to set up the Coup de Grace for the pin at 3:33.

Rating: C. It’s good to see Balor getting a win and it’s good to see T-Bar getting a match against a high level opponent, but dang it’s amazing to see how far T-Bar has fallen since NXT. Balor vs. Dominik Dijakovic sounds like an awesome Takeover level match but instead we get this, which was just ok. WWE has just let T-Bar down and I don’t see him bouncing back anytime soon.

Post match Austin Theory jumps Balor and gets the required picture.

The 24/7 goons aren’t sure if they can try to pin Dana Brooke, because it might not be PG. Tamina chases Brooke off.

We look back at Bobby Lashley jumping Big E. to leave the Day 1 triple threat laying.

MVP says Bobby Lashley was disrespected and Lashley doesn’t like it.

Video on Liv Morgan.

Raw Women’s Title: Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch

Liv is challenging and this does feel big. Lynch runs her over to start but has to bail to the floor from the threat of Oblivion. Back in and Liv grabs a headlock but has to spin out to grab a backslide for two. Some running knees to the face put Lynch on the floor and a nervous Liv hits a suicide dive. Liv heads up top but gets caught on top, meaning it’s a superplex to bring her back down.

We take a break and come back with Becky grabbing a reverse chinlock. That’s broken up so Becky hits a reverse DDT for two and a hard whip into the corner rocks Liv again. She comes back with an enziguri but misses Oblivion. Instead a springboard spinning Codebreaker (cool) gets two on Becky and Liv follows up with a missile dropkick for the same. The Rings of Saturn has Becky in more trouble but she reverses into the Disarm-Her. That’s reversed into an exchange of rollups but Becky grabs the rope to retain at 14:56.

Rating: B-. This was getting good by the end and the ending, while a bit deflating, does leave the door open for a rematch, perhaps at the pay per view. WWE has something with Morgan and it would not surprise me to see her win the title one day (or maybe Day 1) fairly soon. Becky seems to be surviving more and more as champion and that is going to catch up to her.

Overall Rating: C+. Raw can do a lot of things, and this is the kind of show that can be so frustrating. It felt like they were trying for a lot of the show and that makes all the difference in the world. There were nowhere near as many stupid hijinks tonight and you had two big matches to bookend the show. They had some solid matches and set up some things for the pay per view without making me mad. It is far from a great or even exciting show, but this was miles ahead of what Raw has been, because they still do know what they’re doing and can cut out the nonsense when they want to.

Results
Big E. b. Kevin Owens – Big E. escaped the cage
Queen Zelina b. Nikki Ash – Code Red
Street Profits b. AJ Styles/Omos via countout
Damian Priest b. Robert Roode – Reckoning
Bianca Belair b. Doudrop via countout
Mysterios b. Alpha Academy – Rollup to Gable
Finn Balor b. T-Bar – Coup de Grace
Becky Lynch b. Liv Morgan – Rollup while grabbing the rope

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 11, 2007
Location: Wachovia Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, John Bradshaw Layfield, Joey Styles

It’s time for a special three hour edition (like that has a future) as we have the annual Draft. This show will include all three brands, including ECW for a change. They have really hyped up the idea that ANYONE can be drafted to any show and that seems like they are primed for something interesting. These things can have quite the batch of surprises so maybe we can get that again this time. It’s also Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night, which I’m sure won’t go anywhere. Let’s get to it.

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

Vince McMahon reads us a prepared statement, saying that he is in full control of his mental faculties and tonight, you will hear uncensored comments on him from various people. Tonight will be the defining moment of his life.

Opening sequence.

All of the commentators welcome us to the show, saying that there will be interpromotional matches tonight, with the winning brand getting a Draft pick. I’ve heard worse ideas.

John Cena (Raw) vs. Edge (Smackdown)

Non-title. They lock up to start with Cena whipping him hard into the corner and getting one off a suplex. Edge is right back with a running forearm to the back of the head, followed by some shots to the jaw. A kick to the chest puts Cena on the apron and there’s a baseball slide to put him outside. Back in and Edge scores with a clothesline (JR: “Slobberknocker style.”) and a spinwheel kick gets two more.

Cena tries a quick FU but gets kicked in the face instead, setting up a chinlock as they’re certainly at a pretty fast pace early on. After powering up, Cena tries the STFU but Edge is straight into the ropes for another break. The Throwback has some more effect for Cena and now the real comeback is on. Edge misses what looked to be a spear and crashes out to the floor, where Cena loads up the super FU. Since that would cause quite the amount of damage, Edge rakes his eyes and dives in to beat the count for the win.

Rating: C. This was a televised version of a post show dark match they probably did about a hundred times, albeit with a countout instead of a DQ. They didn’t have much time to do anything here but there is nothing wrong with flying through a match when you have this kind of experience and chemistry with someone. It might not have been a classic, but it did what it needed to.

The Draft pick sends….Great Khali to Smackdown, meaning he has now been on all three brands since the beginning of the year. Cena smiles and Edge realizes he’s in trouble. Khali (with interpreter) comes to the stage and Edge panics.

We get a video on Vince McMahon’s introduction into wrestling (from the McMahon DVD, as will be the case with all of his clips tonight) and how he didn’t want people to know he owned the company for a long time. Other than a few quick notes, it wasn’t acknowledged very often on WWF TV until the late 90s.

Jesse Ventura says Vince hasn’t earned the title of Mr. just yet. This company is a dictatorship and Vince isn’t a benevolent dictator. Like the rest of them, Vince will fall one day.

Coach informs us that Vengeance will now be a Night Of Champions (we knew that already) and any former World Champion on the Raw roster at the end of the night can challenge for the WWE Title in the main event. Even if the WWE Title isn’t on Raw? Isn’t that kind of missing the point of the show?

CM Punk (ECW) vs. Carlito (Raw)

Punk knocks him down to start but Carlito manages to dropkick Punk out of the air to take over. A suplex and elbow stay on Punk’s bad ribs and it’s time to grab a bodyscissors. That’s broken up in a hurry and Punk grabs a bodyscissors to put him in trouble instead. The corner bulldog is broken up though and Carlito scores with the Backstabber to send Punk outside. Back in and Punk hits the GTS for the pin out of nowhere (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: C-. This came and went without much trouble as you can only get so far with a five minute match without that much drama. Punk isn’t going to lose to Carlito, as Carlito has fallen down pretty far in recent months. At the same time, Punk is rising up through the ranks and there was no reason to suggest he was in trouble here.

The Draft pick sends….the Boogeyman to ECW. That makes all the sense in the world actually. Joey: “Just what ECW needed: more freaks.”

Snoop Dogg likes Vince McMahon bringing in great wrestlers…who can beat Vince up.

Another McMahon clip looks at Vince tormenting various people over the years because he is a rather evil man.

Here is Mick Foley for a surprise chat. Normally he doesn’t like listening to Jonathan Coachman, but he heard something mentioned about former WWE Champions being allowed to take part in an open challenge match. Since he was rehired last year, he’s technically part of the Raw roster so he’ll be at Vengeance, assuming he isn’t drafted. As for Vince, he’s an arrogant, misogynistic and horrible person.

Sure Vince has money, but does he have any friends? Of course not! Foley reads off a list of people who won’t be participating tonight despite being asked: Hulk Hogan, HHH, Eric Bischoff, The Rock, Dick Ebersole, Shawn Michaels, Trish Stratus (Foley: “My unofficial fifth child.”) and Ted Turner, all because Vince isn’t worth their time. They don’t appreciate Vince, so should anyone else? The fans say no and Foley agrees, so have a nice day! My biggest take out of that: it’s weird to hear Foley talking about Hulk Hogan.

Umaga (Raw) vs. Balls Mahoney (ECW)

Samoan Spike in less than forty seconds.

The Draft pick sends…..King Booker to Raw. I had forgotten he was a thing. Booker, with Queen Sharmell, comes back to pose for a bit.

Steve-O from Jackass rhymes about Vince McMahon and seems to be a fan.

Bobby Lashley (Raw) vs. Chris Benoit (Smackdown)

Non-title. Lashley tries a spinebuster to start but Benoit grabs the arm and ties it up on the mat. The power can’t quite get Lashley out of trouble so Benoit gets up and chops away. That’s reversed so Lashley can kick away, which the fans don’t quite appreciate. A front facelock slows Benoit down but he is right back to strike away in the corner.

The snap suplex gets two on Lashley and an attempt at a Crossface gets quite the positive reaction. Lashley powers out of that and tries a gorilla press, which is countered into a Crossface (that’s good for a reaction). The rope is grabbed so Benoit takes him down again and grabs the Sharpshooter, which is broken up with straight power. Back up and Lashley tilt-a-whirls Benoit up into a running powerslam for the fast pin.

Rating: C. This is a match that could have been much better with more time and a better story, though what we got was a nice tease. Power vs. technical is a style that has worked for years and it worked well enough here. Not enough time to make it work here, but what we got worked out well enough.

The Draft pick sends….Chris Benoit to ECW. They could use someone like him.

Lashley and Benoit shake hands.

We recap the Draft picks so far.

Donald Trump doesn’t think much of Vince McMahon and talks about how awesome Wrestlemania was. Maybe he should have his own appreciation night.

Ashley Massaro joins us via satellite and thanks Vince for inventing the Diva Search. She does however bring up making Trish Stratus bark like a dog….so here are Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young to disrobe, get on all fours, and bark like dogs (complete with a dog house and food bowl). That’s one of those things that has been forgotten for all the right reasons.

Jimmy Snuka and Iron Sheik join us to thank Vince McMahon for everything he did, though Sheik goes into a rant about Donald Trump and racket ball.

MVP vs. Santino Marella

Non-title. MVP gutwrench suplexes him to start and a clothesline gets two. We hit the cravate to hold Santino in place for a bit, followed by an exchange of kicks to the ribs. Santino gets the worse of things and gets caught in the chinlock, only to fight up with the variety of offense you would expect from someone who has had about five minutes. A fireman’s carry face first drop gives MVP two and a running boot in the corner connects. The Playmaker finishes Santino in a hurry.

Rating: D+. This was little more than a squash, which might not be the best way to present the Intercontinental Title. Then again it does kind of make sense for Marella, who isn’t supposed to be the most polished star in the world. MVP is starting to come into his own and a win like this helps push him a bit further, though I’m not sure how much value Santino had in the first place.

The Draft pick sends….Torrie Wilson to Smackdown.

Bret Hart wants to punch Vince McMahon in the jaw. There’s a name you wouldn’t expect to see on the show and I can go with the surprise.

Miz (Smackdown) vs. Snitsky (ECW)

Snitsky throws him into the corner for the Tree of Woe to start as commentary wonders if Snitsky gets the concept of the Draft. A big boot finishes Miz in a hurry.

The Draft pick….actually goes to Smackdown, as Snitsky keeps stomping away and the decision is reversed.

The Draft pick sends…..Chris Masters to Smackdown. Dang that show is getting wrecked in this thing.

Bobby Heenan talks about everyone Vince has fired and tries to figure out what is up with that walk.

Here is Roddy Piper to introduce a bunch of embarrassing Vince McMahon clips. That’s what you bring in Roddy Piper to do?

Mark Cuban calls Vince McMahon a winner who is living the American dream.

Candice Michelle vs. Kristal

Kristal takes her down and kicks away at the legs but Candice snaps off a backbreaker. The Go Daddy dance gets two and there’s a triangle choke over the ropes to make things worse for Kristal. The spinwheel kick finishes Kristal in a hurry.

The Draft pick sends….Bobby Lashley to Raw. That’s a big one and you had to know Lashley was getting off of ECW one way or another.

Lashley comes out to pose but here is Coach to cut him off. Since Lashley is no longer on ECW, he can’t be the ECW World Champion. Lashley isn’t happy, but promises to be a champion again.

Bob Costas says he wanted to be a WWE broadcaster but Vince McMahon said no. We hear about their infamous interview together and Costas was glad to have a calmer person like Bobby Knight on next.

Jeff Hardy (Raw) vs. Elijah Burke (ECW) vs. Batista (Smackdown)

Burke bails straight to the floor to start but Hardy jumps him from behind. Back in and Batista fires off the shoulders to Hardy’s ribs in the corner, only to have Hardy slip out of the Batista Bomb. Hardy takes him down and hits the Swanton for a very early two with Burke making the save. Batista gets sent outside, leaving Hardy to hit Burke with the slingshot dropkick. Back in and Batista runs Hardy over, setting up the Batista Bomb to finish Burke.

Rating: C. This was more interesting than I would have expected and it was cool to see some people going at it that you wouldn’t usually see get together. If nothing else, it made me want to see Hardy vs. Batista, which somehow never happened in a singles match. You would think their paths would have crossed at some point somewhere over the years.

The Draft pick sends….Ric Flair to Smackdown. Flair could use the change of scenery.

John Cena was at a car race.

Captain Lou Albano talks about how great he is. Vince McMahon is ok too.

Here’s a recap of the Draft picks. There will also be a supplemental Draft on Wednesday.

Here is Dusty Rhodes to talk about Vince McMahon loving to say “perception is reality”. Dusty says that you might not like Vince, but look at the reality of what he has done. You have to respect him.

Gene Okerlund talks about Vince McMahon letting him become the new host of Tuesday Night Titans….while knowing it would be canceled. We also hear about a bunch of horrible things Vince has done, as Gene doesn’t seem to be a fan.

Battle Royal

Smackdown: Matt Hardy, William Regal, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry, Chris Masters,

ECW: Kevin Thorn, Matt Striker, Marcus Cor Von, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer

Raw: Johnny Nitro, Eugene, Kenny Dykstra, Randy Orton, Johnny Nitro

The winning brand gets two picks. It’s a brawl to start (as battle royals tend to do) and Striker is gone in a hurry. Sandman, Regal and Chavo are out as well, with Dreamer following them as the ring is clearing in a hurry. Thorn gets knocked out too and it’s time for Viscera and Henry to have the big showdown.

Henry can’t get him out but he can clothesline Viscera down, followed by the big elimination. We take a break and come back with Eugene and Dykstra gone to leave us with Henry, Cor Von, Orton, Nitro, Masters and Hardy. The Pounce is loaded up but Hardy low bridges Cor Von out to get rid of ECW.

Masters throws Nitro out but Hardy gets rid of him as well, leaving us with Henry, Hardy and Orton. Matt can’t get rid of Henry but it’s enough for Orton to come over and toss Henry out, leaving us with two. A Side Effect drops Orton but the backbreaker cuts Hardy down as well. Hardy is back with the middle rope elbow to the head but Orton tosses him out to give Raw the win anyway.

Rating: C-. You can only get so far with a battle royal where there are brands instead of individual winners, though they did a good job of having Orton get the win. It’s pretty clear that he is on his way to a huge showdown with John Cena so having him get a win here was a nice little boost. The rest of the match was your usual battle royal stuff, so it wasn’t quite the most thrilling part of the show.

The Draft picks send….Snitsky and Mr. Kennedy to Raw. One of those things is a little better than the others. I mean Snitsky for having no hair of course.

Here are the final Draft picks:

To Raw
King Booker w/Queen Sharmell
Bobby Lashley
Snitsky
Mr. Kennedy

To Smackdown
Great Khali
Torrie Wilson
Chris Masters
Ric Flair

To ECW
Boogeyman
Chris Benoit

Vince McMahon is in his office and seems a bit nuts.

Steve Austin laughs off the idea of Vince McMahon Appreciation Night and goes over some great moments of their rivalry. He doesn’t appreciate anything about Vince at all. Swearing ensues.

Since the rosters are now set (as we are already ignoring the supplemental draft), the main event of Vengeance will see Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley (still with the ECW World Title in the graphic), Randy Orton and King Booker challenging John Cena. That is some serious star power.

Here is Vince McMahon for the big closing. Vince, with his hand shaking, picks up the microphone and then drops it back down. Without saying anything, Vince slowly walks to the back, passing by the wrestlers (who are all standing in line for no logical reason). Coach pops in to say the limo is the other way so Vince turns around, passes more wrestlers, plus Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco, before heading outside.

Vince hesitates to get into the limo, gets inside….and it blows up as the door closes. The limo burns to end the show. And now we have a rather big/hot top story. I remember watching this live and thinking it would blow up as he looked at it like that. No idea why, but it’s the kind of thing that WWE would do.

Overall Rating: C+. It certainly wasn’t a boring show and a lot of things did happen, but it also wasn’t exactly great. This wasn’t the kind of show where you should have expected anything great in the way of wrestling, but what we got was good enough to carry the night. The shakeups needed to happen, though Smackdown is looking more and more like the dumping ground for wrestlers with nothing else to do on Raw.

Then there is the Vince stuff, and again the story feels rushed. The testimonials from the people might not have been great, but some people did say nice things about Vince. That being said, it does make sense that he would be crushed when he wasn’t in his right mind to begin with. The whodunit story is on though, and I’m sure it will reach a satisfying conclusion.

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: June 1, 2007
Location: John Labatt Centre, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the last Smackdown before One Night Stand but we also have to finish the build to Saturday Night’s Main Event, because the one thing that WWE needed at this point is more content. Last week saw Batista become the #1 contender again, meaning he gets a shot at Edge and the World Title in a cage on Sunday. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Chris Benoit/Matt Hardy vs. MVP/The Miz

The graphic says Mike Mizanin but commentary calls him the Miz. Benoit and MVP lock up to start with MVP getting pummeled into the corner. It’s off to Hardy for a back elbow and elbow drop for two so Miz comes in to get beaten up as well. A backbreaker gives Benoit two, followed by a snap suplex for the same. Miz sends Benoit into the corner though and rams him head first into the mat for two.

The Mizard of Oz gets two on Benoit, who suplexes his way out of trouble again. That’s enough for the tag to Hardy, who pulls Miz out of the corner into a sitout powerbomb for two of his own. Everything breaks down and the villains are cleared out as we take a break. Back with Miz hammering away and cutting off Matt’s comeback with a clothesline. MVP’s cheap shot from the apron keeps Matt in trouble and it’s time for a nerve hold to keep things slow.

The running boot to the face in the corner gets two more on Matt as the beating is on in full. Miz snaps Matt’s throat across the middle rope for two and the chinlock goes on. MVP comes back in but Matt finally gets up an elbow in the corner, setting up the running bulldog. The hot tag brings in Benoit to clean house but Miz kicks off the Sharpshooter attempt. That’s fine with Benoit, who settles for the Crossface and the tap as Matt dives onto MVP.

Rating: C+. This got some time and it makes a lot of sense to put Miz in there with some talented people. Miz needs ring time and a way to get built up, with a match like this working rather well. It’s a good sign that he was able to hold up his part of the match, as the new, serious version is working much faster than I would have expected.

Finlay gives Hornswoggle a pep talk for his match with Little Boogeyman, because that’s a thing.

Jillian Hall vs. Michelle McCool

Feeling out process to start with Michelle flipping out of an early headscissors. Michelle grabs a cradle, which is in no way a reason for her to twist and contort. Jillian sends her outside and chokes away inside as the fans are not exactly interested. We hit the backbreaker for a bit before Michelle comes back with a belly to belly for two. Jillian takes her down and hits the front flip legdrop for three near falls but here is Ashley Massaro for a distraction. That’s enough for Michelle to grab a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for the pin.

Rating: D+. This is a case where you have to consider the particulars. It wasn’t a very good match, but it felt like a match. They were doing actual moves and looking fairly competent at them, which is a lot better than a series of hair pulls and brawling. You can see the women coming a long way and that’s rather impressive.

Boogeyman fires up Little Boogeyman.

Little Boogeyman vs. Hornswoggle

Boogeyman is here too. JBL: “Koko B. Ware would look like Andre the Giant in this match.” Little Boogeyman spits worms into Hornswoggle’s hat to start and then knocks Hornswoggle down. The gyrating elbow gets two and it’s time to throw worms at Hornswoggle. That’s fine with Hornswoggle, who spits mist back at Little Boogeyman.

Cue Finlay from underneath the ring to throw Little Boogeyman back inside, setting up a brawl with Boogeyman. Hornswoggle dives off the apron to hammer on Boogeyman for a weird visual, leaving Finlay to Shillelagh Little Boogeyman. Hornswoggle debuts the Tadpole Splash for the pin to end a surprisingly wild match.

Mark Henry is going to hurt Kane tonight.

Raw Rebound.

Kane vs. Mark Henry

Kane kicks him to the floor so Henry comes back in for the drive into the corner. The clubbing forearms into the running powerslam plants Kane and there’s the running splash in the corner. Henry misses a splash though and Kane drops an elbow into a legdrop for two. Kane scores with the top rope clothesline but Henry bails to the floor at the threat of a chokeslam. That’s fine with Kane, who dropkicks him through the ropes, only to get caught in a bearhug. Henry drives him hard into the post and that’s enough for the countout.

Rating: C-. This was a way to keep Henry strong while also protecting Kane for a future rematch so they covered two ideas at once. Henry is being built up as a major force on Smackdown and a big win over Kane would go a long way to get him there. This was the first step on that path so not a bad start, even if the match wasn’t great.

Post match Kane sits up and chases Henry off.

Edge isn’t scared of Batista and is ready for him on the Cutting Edge later tonight.

Deuce N Domino aren’t worried about the Draft because they aren’t going into the army and getting buzzcuts. The interviewer explains it and the champs aren’t happy.

Tag Team Titles: Brian Kendrick/Paul London vs. William Regal/Dave Taylor vs. Deuce N Domino

Deuce N Domino are defending. Regal elbows Domino in the face to start and hands it off to Taylor to uppercut Domino down. London comes into headlock Taylor before shifting to the arm, with Kendrick coming in off the top to stay on it. Taylor uppercuts his way to freedom though and it’s off to Deuce via a blind tag. That’s fine with London, who armdrags Deuce down and hands it off to Kendrick in a hurry. Taylor punches him in the face to escape (as you do) but Kendrick crossbodies him over the top for the crash to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Kendrick and Deuce slowing things back down until Kendrick has to try to skin the cat. Domino breaks that up with a kick to the ribs though and the champs take over on Kendrick. Back in and Domino grabs a cobra clutch until Taylor tags himself back in. Kendrick is tossed outside in a crash but Regal is smart enough to throw him back inside to break up the countout.

We hit the chinlock back inside with Kendrick having to put a boot on the ropes for a break. An enziguri finally gives Kendrick a breather but Regal comes back in to wreck him with a half nelson suplex (that landing was nasty). The villains get in a fight of their own though and Kendrick gets over for the tag to London. House is cleaned in a hurry but Cherry hits London with her rollerskate so Domino can steal the pin to retain the title.

Rating: B-. This got time and was enough of a different kind of match to keep things feeling fresh. You don’t see triple threat tag matches very often around here so it was nice to have something different for a change. Deuce N Domino have established themselves as champions, though I’m not sure who they are supposed to face next, as depth isn’t really a priority for the tag division.

One Night Stand rundown, including Mark Henry vs. Kane in a lumberjack match.

Teddy Long congratulates Vickie Guerrero on coming up with the lumberjack match. Kristal is worried about being Drafted to another show, but Long would give up being GM to be with her. Vickie says she would run the show in his honor if he had to leave. She even lets the two of them leave early tonight and volunteers to run the show (all ten minutes left of it) for Teddy. Sure why not.

It’s time for the Cutting Edge and Edge wastes no time in bringing out Batista as his guest. Edge makes it clear that this is not going to get physical but he isn’t scared of Batista. Maybe Batista is the one intimidated….so he takes off his jacket. He’s just a bit hot, but Edge is looking a bit scared.

Batista talks about how Edge stole the title from Undertaker but Edge says he’s the champ. Batista: “Until One Night Stand.” Edge wishes him luck, so Batista does the same and slaps him in the face. Edge says he doesn’t need it so Batista says he does and slaps Edge again. We go back and forth with YES YOU DO/NO I DON’T plus some shoving. Edge says he isn’t scared, but Batista says he should be and punched Edge down to end the show. They’re doing what they can with almost no story here and it’s going as well as can be expected.

Overall Rating: C. This show took a different path from last week in that they were trying to build things up as well as they could while also giving us a good amount of in-ring action. What we got here was entertaining enough, though I’m really looking forward to getting past Sunday and on to something fresh. For now though, it a nice go home show for a not so great looking pay per view.

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Smackdown
Date: May 25, 2007
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole

We’re done with Judgment Day and now we have less than two weeks to go before One Night Stand. Edge cheated to defeat Batista and retain the Smackdown World Title so we might be in for a rematch at the next pay per view. I’m not sure what else we’ll be getting but building to a low level pay per view can be rough. Let’s get to it.

Here is Judgment Day if you need a recap.

The opening video, set to Ozzy Osborne’s I Don’t Wanna Stop, looks at Edge becoming World Heavyweight Champion, and retaining against Batista on Sunday.

Here is Edge to get things going. Edge talks about the praise Batista vs. Undertaker has been receiving but where did it get them? Nowhere, other than leaving them vulnerable for the Ultimate Opportunist. Edge beat Undertaker and Batista 1-2-3 and here he is as the World Heavyweight Champion. This is the Rated R Era and it DOES NOT SUCK, despite what the fans say. Cue Teddy Long to announce a #1 contenders match for tonight, with Kane vs. Finlay vs. Mark Henry vs. Batista. Edge can go with that, but Teddy ups the ante by putting the title match inside a steel cage.

Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. William Regal/Dave Taylor

Hold on though as here are Deuce N Domino and Cherry to watch from their car. Taylor headlocks Kendrick down to start but gets monkey flipped for his effort. A dropkick puts Taylor on the floor but he counters a headscissors into a toss out to the floor. Regal comes in to fire off some knees to the face (simple yet effective), setting up the wishbone split. Kendrick manages to dodge a shot though and the hot tag brings in London to clean house. A spinwheel kick drops Regal but Domino shoves London off the top for the DQ.

Rating: C. London and Kendrick vs. Deuce N Domino needs to go far away but I’ll take this over half of a team vs. half of a team. Regal and Taylor are the kind of team who can always have a place on the roster as you can always use some brawlers. This was a perfectly fine match and that’s all they could hope for with so little time.

Post match the big brawl is on.

We look back at Randy Orton injuring Shawn Michaels at Judgment Day.

Hornswoggle has stolen the World Heavyweight Title and Edge is giving chase. They run into Finlay, who makes Hornswoggle give it back to Edge, for now.

Jillian Hall is singing in the ring when Boogeyman, with full entrance, comes out but she somehow doesn’t notice him until he’s in the ring. Jillian bails but Michelle McCool throws her back in for the worming.

Teddy Long officially makes Vickie Guerrero his assistant and she’s rather happy. Vickie leaves and Krystal offers to thank Teddy for his decision.

Matt Hardy vs. Miz

Feeling out process to start with JBL ranting about how evil the Guerreros are. Miz elbows his way out of a hammerlock and bends Matt’s neck around the rope. The cravate goes on and Hardy can’t even roll his way to freedom. An elbow drop misses but Miz is fine enough to pull him down by the hair for two more.

Matt fights up with forearms to the face but gets caught with the running corner clothesline for another near fall. The chinlock goes on so Matt fights up with right hands and the clothesline. Matt’s middle rope elbow gets two and the Side Effect is good for the same. A right hand sets up the Twist of Fate (which Miz takes like a swinging neckbreaker) for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly basic but nicely done match and I’ll absolutely take that. Above all else, Miz looked WAY more comfortable in there, even if Matt was probably walking him through every step. That’s why you put him in there with a veteran like Hardy. Well done here, and one of Miz’s most impressive performances, just because of how big a step forward it seemed to be.

Mark Henry is ready to hurt people and wants the World Title match at One Night Stand.

Here is MVP for his United States Championship celebration. In quite a few words, MVP says he told us so and now he’s right here as US Champion. Then he just flat out says “I told you so”. There is one thing missing from this celebration, so here is Chris Benoit to look really serious. MVP sticks out his hand and Benoit gives him a very firm shake but MVP goes into a bragging speech about beating Benoit two straight falls. Now he wants Benoit to raise his hand because he is better than Benoit on any given day. Instead it’s some rolling German suplexes to send MVP bailing.

We look at John Cena surviving against Great Khali at Judgment Day.

Maryse throws us to the Throw It On Me video.

Kane promises to win tonight.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title. Yang takes him into the corner to start but Chavo slips away for a standoff. They fight over arm control until Chavo takes him down, only to get reversed into a headlock. Back up and Chavo dropkicks the knee out and starts cranking away on the leg. Yang fights up but gets pulled down into a stretch muffler. Make that a half crab as Chavo is at least mixing things up a bit. Back up and Yang hits an enziguri to start the comeback in a hurry. Chavo manages to grab the Three Amigos but the frog splash is broken up. Yang gets knocked away so Chavo tries a sunset bomb, which is reversed into a hurricanrana for the pin.

Rating: C-. I don’t care. This is the same thing that WWE has done for the better part of ever with this title and it isn’t going to change a freaking thing. The champ loses to set up a title match where the title is retained and it is forgotten days later as we start the whole thing over again. Both guys are completely acceptable in the ring but this is the most tired and played out idea WWE has had in years.

Batista promises to win.

Batista vs. Mark Henry vs. Finlay vs. Kane

The winner gets a title shot against Edge, on commentary, at One Night Stand in a cage. It’s a brawl to start with Batista and Henry fighting on the floor as the other two stay inside. We take a break and come back with everyone in the ring again until Kane and Finlay head outside. That leaves Henry to hit a quick World’s Strongest Slam on Batista with Finlay making the same.

Kane goes up top for a clothesline to put Henry down and Batista’s top rope shoulder hits Henry as well. That’s still not enough to keep Henry down as he fights up and hammers on Kane. Batista drops Henry and spinebusters Kane but Henry is back up again. Finlay is back in and cleans house with the Shillelagh but Batista is fine enough to hit the Batista Bomb for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C+. Take four monsters (or at least a good brawler in Finlay’s case) and have them hit each other over and over again. That’s what we got here and it was a solid way to set up the rematch. Batista had to get around Henry and the Shillelagh, plus the always dangerous Kane to get back at Edge. It feels like he had to do something here and the match worked.

Batista stares down at Edge to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Much like Raw, this felt like a bridge between pay per views, neither of which was all that important in the first place. The wrestling was mostly ok at best and they set things up, but it isn’t like any of this felt important. They need to get done with One Night Stand so we can move on to something fresh, because this crop of stories is pretty much out of gas.

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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