Monday Night Raw
Date: November 6, 2000
Location: Compaq Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

This was a requested show and I can always go from some time in a different era. We are between No Mercy and Survivor Series, meaning that Kurt Angle is the new WWF Champion. In a bigger story though, Steve Austin is back and looking for revenge on Rikishi. Other that, Austin and the Rock already aren’t getting along so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Rikishi accusing the Rock of being behind Rikishi attacking Steve Austin, which has Austin even more paranoid than usual. This resulted in Austin costing Rock a WWF Title shot and it’s time for some revenge.

Opening sequence.

Here is a returning Vince McMahon for a chat. Vince talks about how tomorrow is Election Day and you have to wonder who everyone is going to vote for. Who will Steve Austin vote for? Or the Rock? Even Al Snow’s vote matters! Vince wants all of the people here to vote because wrestling fans are always on the outside looking in to the political arena. Pundits don’t care about wrestling fans because they don’t vote.

The two major parties already have all of their voting blocks locked up but those people cancel each other out. How interesting is it that those groups will not elect the next President? The average American, a WWF fan, will make the pick. Vince encourages us to vote for the candidate who lies the least and wants us to vote no matter what.

Cue Steve Austin and dang I miss the look on McMahon’s face when that glass shatters. Vince welcomes him back and extends a hand but Austin just takes the mic instead. Austin says it’s fine and dandy to talk politics, but he’s here to fight. Tonight, he is teaming with the Rock, who gave him a Rock Bottom on Smackdown. If Rock wants to double cross him tonight, Austin will be dishing out knuckle sandwiches.

Other than that, Austin has been thinking about Rikishi being the driver of the car that tried to take Austin out, but Rikishi isn’t that smart. There has to be a mastermind who is trying to make people do what they want. Lawler: “Linda McMahon?” As Vince panics, Austin says he knows it wasn’t him…and here are Kurt Angle and Stephanie McMahon to interrupt. Angle: “Hold it right there bucko!” He doesn’t like Austin talking to Vince like that and thinks Austin should question George W. Bush!

Maybe Bush got drunk and tried to run Austin over. As an American hero, Angle is officially renouncing Texas because of all these drunk people. Stephanie gets in the ring to yell at Austin, saying he will NOT touch Vince or Angle. Austin respects Stephanie being a woman, but she might want to step back. Angle tries a cheap shot and gets Stunnered for his efforts. Long segment here, but Austin and Vince are always worth a look.

Post break Vince tells Angle and Stephanie that he has a special feeling about tonight. Vince has Stephanie get in the limo and they leave, with Angle promising something for HHH.

Undertaker vs. Val Venis

This is Right To Censor Venis but the rest of the team is barred from ringside. Undertaker slugs him into the corner to start and hits the one armed side slam. Venis is back with some kicks to the ribs and a neckbreaker but Undertaker easily wins a slugout. Back up and Venis manages a knockdown and hammers away but takes too long going up. That means a toss off of said top, followed by the big right hand. The chokeslam is escaped so Undertaker boots him in the face for two and they head outside. Venis is sent face first into the steps, followed by the Last Ride for the pin back inside.

Rating: C. It’s strange to see Undertaker in what is basically a glorified squash, as there was no reason to believe Venis had a chance here. This was a weird time for Undertaker though, as he was back as the biker, which opened up a bunch of doors for him. It humanized him a bit, and that was not something we had ever seen before.

HHH comes up to see Commissioner Mick Foley. He wants the Radicalz tonight but Foley says find some partners. Steve Austin comes in and wants Kurt Angle, with HHH telling Austin to not trust anyone.

We look at Kane attacking Chris Jericho, who spilled coffee on him.

Kane talks about how people don’t want to see a freak like him because they want someone like Chris Jericho. The more they cheer for Jericho, the more Kane wants to hurt him. Kane is going to win the Hardcore Title tonight and then challenge Jericho to a title match. That way he can do horrible things to Jericho and it’s all legal.

Road Dogg is on HHH’s team tonight but isn’t sure about….him.

Post break HHH and Dogg come in to see Billy Gunn and Chyna, the former of which is not happy to see them. HHH says he might have made a mistake, but for one night only, they can get together and take out the Radicalz. Works for everyone.

T&A vs. Too Cool

Trish Stratus is here with T&A, who jump them to start fast. Albert misses a charge at Grandmaster in the corner, meaning it’s a tornado DDT to slow Albert down. Back up and Albert hits a hard spinning powerslam to plant Scotty and there’s a catapult to send Scotty throat first into the middle rope. Test comes in for a nasty big boot but goes up for the dive that is only designed to land on a raised boot.

After one heck of a bump off such a simple crash from Test, Scotty gets over to Grandmaster to pick up the pace. A middle rope dropkick (with dancing) hits Test but Trish gets on the apron for a distraction. That’s enough for Test to hit Grandmaster in the back with a boot…for two. Scotty hits the Worm (still crazy over) and Grandmaster adds the Hip Hop Drop, only for Albert to come in with his namesake bomb to give Test the pin.

Rating: B-. Who in the world would have thought THIS would have been a pretty good match? That’s one of the things I love about watching these old shows, as you will see a match that seems to be nothing and it winds up being a fun surprise. At the same time, it’s kind of hilarious to look back and see T&A as anything but a vehicle for Trish, who has a star power to her that you just can’t fake. Yes a lot of the attention was because of her looks, but she had a presence to her and it took her the extra way.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Hollys, including the unnamed woman, make the save. A not exactly smooth springboard crossbody drops Trish and the heroes stand…well not very tall but close enough.

Triple H/Chyna/New Age Outlaws vs. Radicalz

Billy and Eddie start things off with the former hitting his always awesome tilt-a-whirl slam. It’s off to Chyna, who is happy to hit a swinging neckbreaker, sending Eddie straight over to Malenko. Dogg comes in for the dancing punches but Malenko knocks him into the ropes. That’s enough for Benoit to come in for some stomps, both before and after Dogg hits a crossbody.

A front facelock is escaped but the referee doesn’t see the tag, further proving how horrible they are at their jobs. Dogg and Saturn crossbody each other and it’s off to Gunn vs. Malenko, which is quite the remarkable size differential. A Jackhammer plants Malenko and the Fameasser gets two with Benoit making the save. Everything breaks down and HHH Pedigrees Malenko for the win.

Rating: C+. What we got went well enough but you would kind of expect DX vs. the Radicalz to feel a bit bigger. That’s a match that could have been a big deal on a pay per view but here it is as little more than a middle of the show match on Raw. DX had long since moved on, though it still feels like a case of what could have been under much better circumstances.

Post match Kurt Angle runs in to jump HHH as the Radicalz cut everyone else off.

The Rock arrives, as usual over halfway through the show.

Tag Team Titles: Right To Censor vs. Hardy Boyz

The Hardys are defending while Ivory and Lita are here too. It’s a fast start with the women getting in a fight of their own on the floor. They go off to the back, leaving Steven Richards with the villains as the Hardys suplex Buchanan down. Back up and Matt gets slammed down hard onto the mat as commentary talks about the election, with Lawler flat out saying he is voting for George W. Bush.

Goodfather boots Matt down but he knocks Goodfather off the top, setting up the big legdrop. Jeff comes in to clean house as everything breaks down and the referee gets sent outside. Goodfather is sent outside in a nasty landing and Matt dives onto him, leaving Jeff to hit the Swanton on Buchanan. There’s no referee though so cue Edge and Christian to go after the Hardys, allowing Richards to get in a belt shot to Jeff. Naturally the referee comes back in to give the Goodfather the pin and the titles.

Rating: C+. This is a rare instance of someone other than the Hardys, the Dudleyz or Edge and Christian getting the titles, which needs to happen every so often. There is only so much you can get out of having the same three teams trading the titles for months on end so switch it up every so often. Good enough match too, even with the screwy finish.

Kurt Angle jumps the Rock in his locker room and gets pulled out.

Edge and Christian celebrate screwing over the Hardys with a kazoo version of Chris Benoit’s theme. Commissioner Mick Foley comes in to say he senses something not going so well, so Edge and Christian can have a tables match with the Dudley Boyz!

Hardcore Title: Kane vs. Steve Blackman

Kane is challenging and they start brawling on the ramp. Blackman knocks him back and hits a diving kick off the barricade (that looked cool) before going for the weapons. Some trashcan lid shots have Kane in trouble but he suplexes Blackman down in a crash. One heck of a trashcan lid shot rocks Blackman and the side slam puts him down again.

Kane goes up but gets crotched on top, allowing Blackman to grab his wooden sticks. The rapid fire shots put Kane down and a low blow makes it worse. The trashcan shot takes too long as Kane catches him with a running powerslam and it’s time to bring in the steps. Cue Chris Jericho with a chair though, knocking the steps onto Kane so Blackman can steal the pin to retain.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing I can go with, as there was a unique story to it but it also wasn’t a squash. Kane is a monster and had Blackman in trouble but Blackman is enough of a hardcore master to hold his own for a good while. Good little surprise here, with Kane’s motivation being a smart way to go.

The Rock is hunting for Kurt Angle but goes to see Steve Austin instead. Rock says he doesn’t have to hide in the shadows as Rikishi’s boss because he would come after Austin face to face. Austin gave Rock the Stunner because he doesn’t trust anyone and he is looking for Rikishi’s accomplice. Rock says Austin can whip anyone he wants, but it won’t happen to him because Rock had nothing to do with it. Austin doesn’t seem entirely convinced. Sweet goodness the chemistry with these two jumps off the screen like almost no one else ever.

Jerry Lawler vs. Raven

Tazz joins commentary, much to Ross’ annoyance. Lawler slugs away to start (shocking I know) and the middle rope fist drop gets two. Raven is back up with his corner clothesline and bulldog for two but Lawler fights back. A dropkick hits Raven…and Tazz runs in for the fast DQ.

Post match the beatdown is on until Al Snow (including a bonus head with a crown) makes the save.

The Right To Censor is in a huddle (with the camera looking up from the floor) and talks about being this much closer to their ultimate goal.

Edge and Christian vs. Dudley Boyz

Tables match. Bubba and Edge fight on the floor to start and Christian sends D-Von outside to join them. Edge gets inside and avoids Bubba’s splash in the corner, setting up some Poetry In Motion. The posing table request takes too long and Bubba breaks it up, meaning Edge can get caught with What’s Up.

The Dudleys take too long to get a table as well, allowing the villains to dropkick it into their heads. Back in and a superplex is loaded up but cue the Hardy Boyz to break it up, allowing Lita to snap off a super hurricanrana. The 3D puts Christian through the table for the win. Lawler: “Can’t anyone have a match without someone else interfering?” Geez you would think he would get the idea by now.

Rating: C+. What you have here is a match that didn’t waste time and did exactly what it needed to. Edge and Christian were in trouble after interfering earlier and the Hardys came out to get their revenge. That’s all this needed to be and the match wasn’t even four minutes. Sometimes you do not need much time to make a story work and that is what this era of Raw understood.

Rikishi, with a nose shield, says tonight is going to be a handicap match because the Rock was the one behind everything. Tonight, the truth comes out.

Debra is at WWF New York and criticizes the food.

Kurt Angle brags about his successful rookie season and HHH us saw it. Soon, Steve Austin will get his. Angle: “Children love me d*** it.”

Someone attacks the Rock with an anvil case but since the camera operators are terrible, we don’t see who did it.

Post break Mick Foley says Rock can’t wrestle. The fact that he can barely stand would suggest this is a good idea.

Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle/Rikishi

Austin jumps Angle on the floor to start but has to stop to slug away on Rikishi. They all get in and Austin keeps bouncing between them, including the Thesz press to Angle. Some low blows have the villains down but Angle shoves off a Stunner attempt into a superkick from Rikishi. The double teaming is on but Rikishi misses a charge in the corner. Angle is back up with a sledgehammer though, meaning cue HHH to pound him down. Austin is up again to stomp on Rikishi….and HHH hits Austin with the sledgehammer for the not so shocking reveal. We’ll say the match is thrown out around here.

Rating: C. As you can guess, this was an angle disguised as a match and, again, they didn’t waste a bunch of time on it. This didn’t need to go on for a long time and it’s such a relief that it didn’t. Austin got in, looked like himself, and then got beaten down to do the big angle. What else did you need?

Post match HHH unloads on Austin to bust him open. Rikishi adds the Banzai Drop and HHH reveals that he is Rikishi’s accomplice to end the show. This is treated as a big shock and I was surprised when it happened live, but looking back, it’s just not that much of an impact. At the end of the day, Rikishi was not fitting as the new big bad, if nothing else because Austin couldn’t do much with him in the ring. That meant that a big villain was needed and, well, who better than the guy who had been the top heel for the better part of a year? It was absolutely the right move, but it might not have been that shocking.

Overall Rating: B-. I had a good time with this show and a lot of that is due to the act that they didn’t waste time. Everything on here was moving and there was nothing where I was wondering how much more time they were going to spend on it. The matches were mostly short, but they did what they needed to do. It made for a very fun two hours and I could go for a lot more of this. Good show here, with a bunch of logical stuff happening in a creative way.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 19, 2024
Location: FLA Live Arena, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re on the way to Bash In Berlin and that should make for a big show this week. There is a good chance that we will be getting more from Gunther vs. Randy Orton, which is set for the pay per view World Title match. Other than that, Bron Breakker is going to need a new challenger for the Intercontinental Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Randy Orton to get things going. He hasn’t opened the show in awhile but the next time he does, he will be a fifteen time World Champion. That’s after he drops Gunther with an RKO in Berlin, so here is Gunther to interrupt, telling these Florida rednecks to shut up. He isn’t sure what Orton is celebrating but gets annoyed at the USA chants.

Orton is never going to RKO him again, so Gunther will just have to leave Orton a bloody mess. Gunther will reveal him as a one trick pony, which has Orton saying it’s going to be a long flight after losing the title. Cue Ludwig Kaiser to jump Orton (who comes up holding his arm despite being chop blocked) and the beatdown is on.

We look at Pete Dunne attacking Sheamus last week.

Sheamus is ready to beat Dunne up, despite having a bad hand thanks to Dunne.

Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

Sheamus has a bad hand/wrist coming in. The Brogue Kick misses early and Sheamus hits a clothesline, only to get hit in the face a few times. An Alabama Slam puts Dunne back down but he comes right back with a DDT. Sheamus is fine enough to knock him off the apron and into the announcers’ table but stops to say something to McAfee, allowing McAfee to stomp the bad hand on the steps.

We take a break and come back with Dunne slapping Sheamus in the face, which has Sheamus calling him a b****. Dunne hammers away, only to get clotheslined in the corner. A powerslam plants Dunne but he’s right back with his own ten forearms. You do not do that to Sheamus, who is right back with the real forearms.

The Brogue Kick is cut off by an enziguri but Sheamus knees a moonsault out of the air (possibly low) for two. A super White Noise is loaded up, only for Dunne to reverse into a sitout powerbomb to leave both of them down. Dunne gets creative and ties the hand in the turnbuckle for a running kick, only to have Sheamus rip the turnbuckle off. The Brogue Kick finishes Dunne at 11:23.

Rating: B-. As usual, you can tell how much Sheamus is doing in a match based on how sweaty his hair gets and he was hitting the higher levels this week. The ending was a bit different but I can go with cool power displays before kicking someone in the face. Maybe not someone in a #1 contenders match for the NXT Title tomorrow night, but that’s a bit beside the point.

Kofi Kingston asks Xavier Woods if everything has been ok for the last few weeks. Woods says he’s ok about the Karrion Kross stuff but does wish that Kingston talked to him more about bringing Odyssey Jones in. Woods says it feels like Kofi is trying to replace Big E. but Kingston apologizes and says he was hoping to bring Jones in just like was done to them back in the day. Woods can go with that and seems a bit better with the whole thing.

Video on Bron Breakker.

We look back at Ivy Nile turning on Maxxine Dupri last week.

Chad Gable welcomes Nile to the team and says they’re still coming for the Wyatt Sicks.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile

Chad Gable, American Made and the Alpha Academy are here too. Dupri jumps her from behind to start and they head outside, where Nile throws Dupri over the announcers’ table. Back in and…we’ve got Wyatts, with Nile looking scared by the smoke. Gable and American Made get in the ring for the brawl as we’ll say the match is thrown out at about 1:30. American Made is laid out and Gable gets hit with Sister Abigail.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley still want to destroy the Judgment Day.

Here is CM Punk, with a leather strap around his neck, for a chat. After praising the Florida Panthers for winning the Stanley Cup, Punk talks about being asked about the hot streak WWE has been on for months. Punk credits the fans, a lot of whom he met at Fanatics Fest over the weekend. The first fan he met was a girl who beat cancer and said Punk was an inspiration while she was fighting. Then a fan from Taiwan said she had flown fifteen hours to meet him. He hasn’t stood in this ring in Florida in a very long time and fans like these drive him.

We pause for the CM PUNK chants before he pulls out a handful of bracelets that fans have made for him. Punk says they might be a Taylor Swift thing, but he’s Taylor Swift for men. We’ve covered the love, so now let’s move on to the hatred, like the kind he has with Drew McIntyre. Punk has a bracelet for McIntyre in the form of this strap, and if McIntyre agrees, they’re in for a strap match at Bash In Berlin.

That’s what Punk wants so he can hurt McIntyre, who comes out to respond. McIntyre asks if Punk has started drinking, because Punk should know what McIntyre is like in this kind of a match. The match is on but McIntyre wants to fight right now, if Punk drops the strap. Punk will do it in exchange for the bracelet (which I believe he said he didn’t care about last week). McIntyre says no, but Punk says McIntyre will be attached to him in Berlin. This was missing a certain spark and while the strap match is fine, they lost me around the bracelet for the strap line. Not the best work from either of them here but the match is made.

Dominik Mysterio wants Damian Priest tonight, one on one. He’ll even leave Liv Morgan in the back.

Final Testament vs. New Day/Odyssey Jones

Scarlett and Paul Ellering are here too. Kingston sends Kross into the corner for some running clotheslines to start but Scarlett offers a distraction. Akam comes in for a Death Valley Driver into the corner and we take a break. Back with Kingston still in trouble, only to fight out of the corner. The hot tag brings in Jones and Woods is almost incensed. Jones cleans house but gets taken down by Kross. Kingston hits Trouble In Paradise and Kingston adds the Limit Breaker, leaving Jones to hit the Boss Man Slam to finish Rezar at 7:55.

Rating: C+. The action got better at the end, but this is all about that look of shock from Woods. I won’t believe it until I see it, but they might actually be splitting New Day up. That’s hard to fathom, as they’ve been together or so long that you can’t imagine them arguing. Woods is being a bit unreasonable, but that’s kind of the point of any heel turn. Assuming they actually pull the trigger, which I almost can’t believe is possible.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are ready for more violence.

Afa tribute video.

Miz is ready to fight Bronson Reed to stand up for one of his few friends in R-Truth. He isn’t sure if he wants to do this, but he has to. That’s one of the best Miz promos ever, mainly because he sounded like a normal person for once.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed

No DQ. Miz hammers away to start and manages to drop the monster, meaning it’s time for the weapons. That’s broken up with Reed snapping the kendo stick and stepping on Miz’s head as we take a break. Back with Miz hitting a tornado DDT onto a chair but Reed is right back up. Reed’s Death Valley Driver is escaped but he’s right back with a clothesline to cut Miz off. The Death Valley Driver sends Miz through the able and the Tsunami finishes at 8:11.

Rating: C. It’s weird that a match that didn’t even break ten minutes probably went about as long as it should have. Miz was fighting for a purpose and is a crafty wrestler, but at the end of the day, he’s up against a monster here and there wasn’t much he could do about it. That’s how to make Reed a force and it worked well here.

Post match Reed loads up another Tsunami but Braun Strowman returns for the staredown. See, that’s a logical way to go as Strowman is a perfect choice to be fed to Reed here.

Ludwig Kaiser mocks Sheamus, who is ready to see Kaiser take an RKO.

Bron Breakker, who went to a highly educated university, is ready for a tournament next week to crown a new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title. It’s not his fault that he’s a genetic freak but he’s going to spear the winner through the floor.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Hold on though as here is Judgment Day to go after Priest before the bell. Priest clears the ring and it’s Rhea Ripley in behind Dominik. Priest is in as well and it’s a headbutt from Ripley into the right hand from Priest. The announcers’ table is loaded up but Liv Morgan runs in with a chair to break up Riptide. The rest of Judgment Day is up to beat on Priest and Ripley gets posted over and over. The Coup de grace and Oblivion set up Dominik’s frog splash as the villains get to stand tall. No match.

Post break, Judgment Day says that’s just a preview of what happens at Bash In Berlin. Liv Morgan promises to make Rhea Ripley her b****.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Pure Fusion Collective vs. Damage CTRL

Dawn and Fyre are defending. The brawl is on before the bell, with the referee just kind of standing around waiting for the wrestlers to calm down. Damage CTRL clears the ring to start and hit a pair of dives (with Sky being bounced onto the top into a flip, which might not have been a botch but she made it work) as we take an early break.

Back with Sane hitting a DDT, allowing her to awkwardly pause in front of Sky until Baszler can be kicked away, allowing the real tag. Sky gets to clean house, including the running knees in the corner, with Sane tagging herself back in for a double superplex to Fyre. Baszler is back in and strikes away on Sane, who drops Baszler anyway. Dawn tags herself back in though as Sane hits the Insane Elbow. That means a Backstabber into a Swanton from Dawn can retain the titles at 9:23.

Rating: C. They’re trying with Dawn and Fyre but it still feels like they’re afterthoughts despite being champions for a few months now. The titles just do not seem that important and almost nothing that has been done in their history has changed that. I like that there are a few teams going for the belts, but dang nothing is really making them feel big and that’s a long term problem.

Jey Uso says Sami Zayn is taking some time off to clear his head. If Zayn can’t be champion, Jey can be, so he’s in the tournament for the Intercontinental Title shot. Good choice.

Michael Cole announces that Pat McAfee is leaving for college football season and we look at some McAfee highlights from the year. He’ll be back in January.

Randy Orton vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Orton shoulders him down to start and hammers away, setting up a heck of a fall away slam. They head outside to load up the announcers’ table but cue Gunther for a distraction. Kaiser goes after the knee (which he attacked earlier in the night) and drops Orton onto the table as we take a break.

Back with Kaiser staying on the knee until Orton kicks him out to the floor. Now the suplex drop can send Kaiser onto the table…and then does it four more times. Back in and Kaiser blocks the hanging DDT but gets superplexed down. Now the hanging DDT can connect and, after Kaiser gets a rollup for two, the RKO finishes at 14:27.

Rating: C+. This is booking 101, as Orton shrugs off trouble and beats the lackey clean to set him up for next weekend’s title match. That’s all it needed to be and they made it work here. Orton isn’t someone who needs to be reheated for very long as the RKO is one of the most over finishers ever. Throw in Kaiser getting a bit of a boost in status in recent weeks and this helped even more.

Gunther and Orton brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was missing a little something and there is a good chance that it was due to the Democratic National Convention. It felt like they were doing a show where they knew it wouldn’t draw a lot of attention, which isn’t the worst idea. The strap match being announced was the biggest thing and that was all but guaranteed last week. Bash In Berlin is mostly set anyway and this show, while not exactly must see, was far from bad. Not a show you needed to see, but there were worse ways to spend an evening.

Results
Sheamus b. Pete Dunne – Brogue Kick
Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile went to a no contest when the Wyatt Sicks interfered
New Day/Odyssey Jones b. Final Testament – Boss Man Slam to Rezar
Bronson Reed b. Miz – Tsunami
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Pure Fusion Collective and Damage CTRL – Swanton to Baszler
Randy Orton b. Ludwig Kaiser – RKO

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: August 12, 2024
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than three weeks away from Bash In Berlin and the main event seems to have been set as Gunther will be defending the Raw World Title against Randy Orton. Other than that, there is a good chance we are on the way to a mixed tag between Damian Priest/Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan. Odds are we see more of both of those feuds this -week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Judgment Day splitting, with Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest seemingly being ready to destroy the new version of the team.

Here is Ripley to get things going. She has gone through every feeling imaginable since Summerslam but now she is just mad. Dominik stabbed her in the back, but in something he’s probably heard before, it just wasn’t deep enough (McAfee: “GEEZ!”). As for Liv, she’s run away with the title but you can’t run far enough. Dominik and Liv pop up in the crowd, with Liv saying Dominik has something to get off his chest.

Dominik talks about how he is a man and deserves to be treated like one. Now he has a woman who calls him daddy and lets him eat tendies and play video games whenever he wants, but she also finally helped him beat his dad. Ripley says she’s proud of Dominik because seeing him grow up is one of her greatest accomplishments. She wanted to see Dominik beat Rey Mysterio on his own but now he’s made the wrong decision. It’s just the last decision he’s ever going to make. Liv says Dominik is all his and she took Rhea’s family away, along with her title. Ripley: “Are you done?”

Ripley says Liv made the mistake of leaving her standing and it’s a good thing Liv loves to talk so much, because now we know where she is. Damian Priest pops up behind them and brawls with Dominik into the concourse. Ripley charges after them and goes after Liv, with the guys going down to ringside. Cue Carlito (with one shoe on) for the save, allowing Dominik to escape. This was laying everything out and odds are the mixed tag is coming.

Damian Priest vs. Carlito

Carlito is still in one shoe and this was scheduled for later tonight. Priest faceplants him to start but it’s too early for the Razor’s Edge. A DDT gives Carlito two and a suplex puts Priest down again as we take a break. Back with Carlito hitting a swinging neckbreaker for two but Priest snaps off a spinwheel kick. The Broken Arrow sends Carlito flying and South Of Heaven finishes him off at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Carlito got in some shots here but Priest gets the win that he should be getting on the way to whatever is waiting on him in Berlin. Priest has become one of the biggest stars on the show and having him march through Judgment Day to get to Finn Balor is a fine way to go. Carlito might not be a huge star but he’s good enough to make Priest look like ore of a star on the way there.

Post match Judgment Day runs in for the beatdown but Rhea Ripley makes the save and takes out JD McDonagh. For some reason Dominik Mysterio comes after Ripley but Liv Morgan has to save him from Riptide.

Ivy Nile tells Maxxine Dupri to be careful tonight and maybe not be at ringside. Dupri is going to be there with her friends.

Bo Dallas talks about how everything came full circle last week when the Wyatt Sicks had their in-ring debut where the Wyatt Family made their debut eleven years ago. Bray Wyatt was there and now something big is going to happen. Dallas keeps saying “my life for you”.

Kofi Kingston is fired up for Odyssey Jones’ debut but Xavier Woods isn’t quite as enthusiastic.

Odyssey Jones vs. Vincent Winey

Jones throws him around to start, shrugs off some forearms, and grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 1:35.

Post match the Final Testament comes out and Karrion Kross says that while the obvious suggestion would be Odyssey Jones is replacing Big E., but the reality is Kofi Kingston is using Jones to replace Xavier Woods. That has Woods issuing the challenge for a tag match but Kofi says we should make it a six man (Woods again doesn’t look sure) and it seems to be on.

Drew McIntyre comes in to see Adam Pearce and asks why Randy Orton is getting the World Title shot. Don’t worry though because McIntyre will take care of things and stay on his best behavior.

Chad Gable is still in Paris and says he’s not done with the Wyatt Sicks.

Alpha Academy vs. Creed Brothers

Texas Tornado rules with Maxxine Dupri here with the Academy. The Creeds start fast and take Tozawa to the floor, leaving Otis to be whipped hard into the corner. Otis shoves his way out of said corner and Tozawa hits a big dive off the top. Tozawa gets launched over the top onto the Creeds and we take a break. Back with Tozawa being powerbombed into the barricade for two as Otis is still down on the floor. Tozawa’s double DDT puts the Creeds down as Otis is back up.

The Caterpillar hits Brutus for two as Cole calls Otis a “heavy machinery” type competitor. Julius knees Otis down and Brutus hits a standing moonsault into Julius’ shooting star for two. A superbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Tozawa’s suicide dive….gets caught in the ropes and barely makes any contact whatsoever. Julius electric chairs Otis, who superplexes Brutus, allowing Tozawa to hit a top rope backsplash for the big knockdown. Cue Ivy Nile to jump Dupri, with the distraction letting the Creeds roll Tozawa up for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B. This was a lot better than I was expecting and allowed Tozawa to showcase himself in the ring a lot more than usual. That’s a good thing to see as the team has long since been the Otis/Chad Gable show and Tozawa adds a different side to the whole thing. The ending is good as well, as there was little reason to keep Dupri and Nile on the same page given everything else that was going on.

Earlier today, Pete Dunne was in the mostly empty arena and says Sheamus was under his wing, not the other way around. Sheamus went on a great run with Dunne in his corner, while Dunne just had a stupid name. So what happened to the Brawling Brutes while Sheamus became a bigger star? Dunne never wants to hear the name “Butch” again because he is an eighteen year veteran and the Bruiserweight.

We look at Bronson Reed wrecking Seth Rollins last week, complete with breakdowns of the physics involved.

Reed tells Adam Pearce to give him an opponent tonight or he’ll find a new victim.

Damage CTRL is ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Sonya Deville and company seems to imply that their collection name is the “Pure Fusion Collective” and they want the titles as well. If that’s their name….my goodness just release them already.

Candice Michelle is here.

Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective

For a future shot at Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn (at ringside). Sky strikes away at Baszler to start and a double dropkick puts her down again. Sane adds her sliding clothesline in the corner but Baszler is back with a backbreaker for a breather. Stark comes in and the champs aren’t impressed as we take a break. Back with Sky coming in to clean house, including the running knees to Stark in the corner. A butterfly backbreaker looks to set up Over The Moonsault but Sonya Deville offers a distraction. Sky accidentally superkicks Dawn, which is enough to draw Dawn in for the DQ (by hitting Sky) at 9:22.

Rating: C+. The action was good, but there were two things here. First and foremost is the name, which even commentary was mocking because not only is it a really dumb name that no one would give themselves, but it’s hard to remember because NO ONE TALKS LIKE THIS. Second is the ending, which is going to be a no contest to set up a triple threat, even though that’s just not what happened but they’ll do it anyway because having Dawn and Fyre jump one member of each team at the same time was too much to ask.

Post match the champs lay out both teams. Cole makes it clear that we have no #1 contenders, which is nonsense as Dawn only hit Sky, meaning it should be a DQ with Damage CTRL winning, but for some reason that’s not what we’re getting.

Miz is upset when R-Truth comes in. R-Truth asks about various bad things that have been happening to Miz as of late, but he’s gotten Miz an Intercontinental Title match with Bron tonight. Miz: “Doesn’t he have a match with Sami Zayn?” Truth points him to the graphic….and it’s Miz against Bronson Reed. Truth: “Isn’t that the guy who killed Seth Rollins last week?” Randy Orton comes in and asks if Reed is the guy who killed Seth Rollins last week. Orton fires Miz up….but realizes he has no chance.

Randy Orton threw out the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals game.

Here is Orton for a chat. He talks about winning the World Title for the first time twenty two years ago and promises to win it for the fifteenth time at Bash In Berlin…and cue Gunther to interrupt. Orton says he’s coming to win the title but Gunther says Orton wastes his potential. There isn’t room for that kind of person in Gunther’s era, but Orton says he has owned up to his mistakes over the years.

Orton is a legend with five kids and a hot wife at home before he becomes a fifteen time World Champion, so he has done pretty good for himself. Gunther calls Orton predictable and says all three generations of his family have been screwups. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt….and the distraction lets Orton hit the RKO. Cue CM Punk to jump McIntyre, even beating him with his own belt, sending McIntyre running. A strap match between those two has potential.

Sheamus is interested in mysteries but the biggest of them all is how Pete Dunne’s failures are his fault. Ludwig Kaiser comes in to say it’s not over between them…and here is Dunne to jump Sheamus with a shillelagh, including a shot to his exposed hand.

CM Punk, who was said to not have been here due to travel issues, says he was lying to lure Drew McIntyre in. Punk can keep the bracelet but keep his wife and dog’s name out of McIntyre’s mouth. Punk mentions being attached to McIntyre and says the belt he’s holding gives him an idea.

Mark Henry and his son are here.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed

R-Truth is here with Miz. Reed charges into a boot to start but runs him over without much trouble. Miz is sent outside and dropped with a running shoulder off the apron as we take a break. Back with Miz fighting back and managing a tornado DDT for one. Reed isn’t having that and hits a Death Valley Driver, setting up the Tsunami for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here due to the break that Reed shouldn’t be in long matches right now anyway. The point is to get Reed over as a monster and having him make short work of an established name is going to do just that. At the same time, Miz and R-Truth’s issues intensify as R-Truth got him into this mess in the first place. Not a particularly good match, but rather nice storytelling.

Post match Reed tries another Tsunami but R-Truth gets in his way, earning himself a high crossbody. Reed hits a pair of Tsunamis on R-Truth (Cole: “TRUTH IS A D*** NATIONAL TREASURE!”) and then adds two more until Adam Pearce and security cut Reed off. That just causes Reed to go to another corner to hit a fifth Tsunami, even with Pearce yelling at him. Then Reed goes back to hit a sixth Tsunami.

Jey Uso fires Sami Zayn up before his Intercontinental Title match. Then they’re getting the Tag Team Titles.

Rhea Ripley/Damian Priest vs. Liv Morgan/Dominik Mysterio is set for Bash In Berlin. Makes sense.

Video on the new Judgment Day.

Bron Breakker says he’s going to do bada** things.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn

Breakker is defending and this is 2/3 falls. Zayn starts fast and knocks him outside, setting up the big running flip dive as we take an early break. Back with Breakker hitting his Rick Steiner style powerslam for two but Zayn walks the corner for a tornado DDT. Breakker hits some running corner clotheslines but Zayn is right back with the Helluva Kick for the first fall at 6:55.

They had outside with Breakker catching a moonsaulting Zayn and powerslamming him over the barricade. We take a break and come back with Breakker running the corner for a super Frankensteiner, setting up the gorilla press powerslam. A pair of spears gives Breakker the second fall at 12:34 total.

Breakker goes with a rather lackadaisical cover and gets rolled up for two, meaning it’s time to send Zayn outside again. Zayn gets sat on the announcers’ table for a huge clothesline from the apron for a nine count. Back in and Zayn manages a sunset bomb for two but has to avoid a spear. Breakker hits a jumping knee but Zayn hits a running boot for two. Zayn goes up again, only to dive into a spear to give Breakker the win at 17:33 overall.

Rating: B+. This was a hard hitting match but it was also a heck of a story with Zayn trying to outsmart Breakker and having to take chances. The big chance at the end is what cost him the match as Breakker was too strong and powerful for the underdog style to overcome. That’s what they’ve been doing for their matches so far and the idea of Breakker getting smarter is a scary proposition. Awesome match here.

Overall Rating: B. The more I watch Raw, and almost any other WWE programming at the moment, the more of a flow they seem to be in. This show had the same vibe as a classic NXT, where not only did they have stuff they needed to do but they made it feel important. It would have been the Creeds vs. the Alpha Academy or the #1 contenders match for the Women’s Tag Team Titles or the main event, but the show made it feel like it mattered. That is such a huge boost for any show and it was on full display here. Rather good show and the three hours flew by.

Sidenote: the graphics that WWE has been putting up during its shows are outstanding features. Stuff like “here’s a recap of what you’ve missed tonight” and “these are your announcers” and “these are the people involved with their names and faces in case you’re not familiar.” It’s so simple and helps catch new fans up really fast while not being a distraction. I love that kind of stuff and it makes the show feel so much more polished and fan friendly.

Results
Damian Priest b. Carlito – South Of Heaven
Odyssey Jones b. Vincent Winey – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Creed Brothers b. Alpha Academy – Rollup to Tozawa
Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective went to a no contest when Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn interfered
Bronson Reed b. Miz – Tsunami
Bron Breakker b. Sami Zayn 2-1

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: August 5, 2024
Location: CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Summerslam and quite a few things have happened. First and foremost, Gunther is the new World Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Damian Priest to win the title. The match saw Finn Balor turn on Priest, continuing a rather bad night for Judgment Day. Earlier in the night, Dominik Mysterio left Rhea Ripley for Liv Morgan, which means punishment is likely. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a Summerslam recap.

Here is Ludwig Kaiser to introduce Gunther as the new World Heavyweight Champion (and rocking a suit). Gunther lists off his resume and says this title and company have deserved more for a long time. He is above everyone in this ring and nothing can catch him off guard because he is greatness personified. From this day forward, Raw and the greatness of this legacy belong to him….and here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Gunther: “That caught me off guard.”

Orton thinks the title looks good on Gunther’s shoulder but Orton is the reason he has that title. Did Gunther really beat him at King Of The Ring? The referee’s decision is final but there needs to be a part two. Orton is here to call that match in. Gunther considers himself a living legend but Orton has made a career out of killing legends. Gunther talks about how the voices in Orton’s head are wrong, but he accepts. The mic is dropped and Gunther says nothing, including the RKO, catches him off guard. Orton says he wants Gunther to see it coming. That’s a fine way to go for a first title defense for Gunther.

Sheamus is ready to face Ludwig Kaiser, who is the latest young guy coming after him. Bring them all on, including Pete Dunne.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They go straight to the brawl on the floor before the bell before Kaiser slaps him in the face in the corner. The exchange of chops goes to Sheamus but Kaiser goes to the knee to take him down. The Regal Roll, to Kaiser’s bad ribs, sends Kaiser outside and we pause for a breather, which is a ruse to send Sheamus ribs first into the steps. A running dropkick sends Sheamus into the steps again but he manages to beat the count back in.

Sheamus’ knee is tied up in the ropes so Kaiser can crank away before stopping to pose. For some reason Kaiser thinks it’s a good idea to do the ten forearms, which just makes Sheamus knock him backwards. More chops just wake Sheamus up and they slug it out until Sheamus hits some running ax handles.

The Irish Curse sets up White Noise for two and we hit the cloverleaf, sending Kaiser over to the ropes. The ten forearms are broken up with a clothesline and they’re both down. Sheamus wins a slugout though and NOW the ten forearms can knock Kaiser silly. Cue Pete Dunne for a distraction but Sheamus knees him out of the way. The distraction lets Kaiser hit a jumping enziguri for two, only for Sheamus to come back with a Brogue Kick for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B-. You can tell how good a Sheamus match is going to be based on how low down his hair is pushed by all of the sweat. They were having a good one here with Kaiser being able to hang in there against a bigger name in Sheamus. I liked them avoiding the cliched distraction into the ending, with Sheamus getting a win to boost him back up a bit.

We look at the original Wyatt Family debuting in this building eleven years ago. The path of distraction ensued and now, in the same building, the Wyatt Sicks are having their in-ring debut.

Another look at Summerslam.

Here is Damian Priest, who wastes no time in calling out Finn Balor for a beating. He has been on his own for most of his life and the Judgment Day was his family. Now these people are his family and losing made him feel like he disappointed them. Balor pops up on screen, saying that Priest betrayed the team. There wasn’t supposed to be a leader but then Priest won the title.

A year ago, Balor lost at Summerslam and Priest told him to man up. Balor did that at Summerslam and now he isn’t going to fight a loser from the streets. He’ll wait until Priest has almost forgotten about him and then Balor will pop up and stab him in the back again and again. The camera pulls back to reveal JD McDonagh, Carlito and Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan. Priest storms up the aisle to go stable hunting.

We look at Pat McAfee and Michael Cole failing at the HHH water spit at the Judgment Day press event.

Bronson Reed comes in to see Adam Pearce, saying he should have a match tonight because he beat Sheamus last week. He’ll figure it out himself.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Shayna Baszler

Sonya Deville and Zoey Stark are here with Baszler. Valkyria gets her arm cranked to start as Cole talks about Baszler’s love of…cooking soup? Baszler lifts her up by the arm but Valkyria fights back with a gutwrench powerbomb. Deville gets knocked off the apron and the Nightwing connects, only for Stark to come in for the DQ at 2:38.

Post match the beatdown is on but Damage CTRL runs in to clear the villains out.

The Final Testament is ready to end the New Day tonight and it’s all Xavier Woods’ fault for not taking the team up on their offers.

Ivy Nile talks to the Creed Brothers but Maxxine Dupri interrupts them, saying the Creeds attacked Otis and Akira Tozawa. Nile tries to calm things down, but Chad Gable comes in to make Nile leave.

Here is an upset looking CM Punk for a chat. Punk congratulates his friend on winning the UFC Welterweight Title and yes he lost on Saturday, but he is still happy. He hasn’t been here in ten years but ten thousand people are still cheering for him. Summerslam was not a guarantee and neither was tonight but people don’t like him because he won’t stay down. He was told he would be out of action for nine months and he’s back in five.

His road to Wrestlemania started on Summerslam and it’s still summer, so these people deserve to see him fighting. Punk calls out Drew McIntyre but gets Seth Rollins instead. Rollins says they’re both in a good mood because it is finally time for him to put Punk in the dirt. The fight is almost on but cue McIntyre in the crowd. What is with all of the negativity around here? McIntyre is going to talk about Punk’s favorite topic: CM Punk! McIntyre is the new best in the world and he still has the bracelet, which sends Punk chasing McIntyre through the crowd.

Cue Bronson Reed to jump Rollins and take him out in a twist I didn’t see coming. The Tsunami crushes Rollins and Reed does it again for a bonus. Referees come out to break it up but Reed hits a third, fourth, fifth and even sixth Tsunami as Cole is going ballistic on commentary. Rollins is spitting up blood as Reed goes up AGAIN, only for the personnel to get Rollins out. Reed went so far with that that it got awesome as I wanted to see just how far it would go. Why not see what Reed can do in a spot like this?

Post break Punk asks Adam Pearce about McIntyre but Pearce says he saw McIntyre leave the building.

Authors Of Pain vs. New Day

New Day is dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles due to a newly released line of action figures. Kingston can’t do much with Akam to start so he superkicks Rezar, only to walk into a spinebuster. We take a break and come back with Woods getting the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and Karrion Kross interferes, but Odyssey Jones of all people comes out to wreck Kross and send him over the barricade. Woods small packages Rezar for the pin at 6:56.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t exactly the point here as they only had a few minutes around the break (which was completely needed in a match that didn’t break seven minutes) but Jones of all people being back for the save is interesting. He hasn’t wrestled on TV in well over a year due to injuries/creative having nothing for him so I was rather shocked to see him. Nice job, and having a powerhouse around is always a good thing.

Post match the Authors beat on Woods but Jones side slams BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME before dropping Kross again. Kingston is pleased, though Woods isn’t as sure (he does shake Jones’ hand though).

JD McDonagh swears revenge on Damian Priest.

Kofi Kingston thanks Odyssey Jones again and Jones is grateful to be on the team. Xavier Woods still isn’t sure what is going on but apparently Kingston and Jones became friends at the Performance Center and Kingston said New Day needed some help. Woods doesn’t seem completely pleased (to be fair, Kingston just bringing someone in is VERY un-New Day) but the Alpha Academy comes in for dancing anyway, with Woods participating.

A-Town Down Under vs. Awesome Truth

R-Truth takes both of them down to start and it’s a double dropkick (both moves are Rock N Roll Express moves in a call back to Summerslam) to send the villains outside as we take a break. Back with Waller and Theory missing their own double dropkick, allowing the tag back to Miz. House is cleaned, including the alternating YES Kicks. Miz dives onto Theory and hits the basement DDT for two. Truth tags himself in and tries the AA, only swing Waller into Miz by mistake. A Town Down finishes Truth at 7:28.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see as you could tell but the ending does at least set the stage for Awesome Truth’s split. The team doesn’t have much going for it right now anyway so splitting them up and letting them do their own things again isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, A-Town Down Under needed a win if they’ll be staying together much longer.

Damian Priest says he never wanted JD McDonagh in Judgment Day, because no one but Finn Balor did. Tonight, pain is coming.

Bron Breakker says his name is on the Intercontinental Title and no one can take it from him.

Damian Priest vs. JD McDonagh

Carlito is here with McDonagh, who strikes away to start but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A faceplant drops McDonagh again but a distraction lets him stomp Priest down in the corner. Priest kicks McDonagh outside and but gets distracted again, allowing McDonagh to get in a posting. McDonagh’s suicide dive connects and we take a break. We come back with McDonagh headbutting him down, setting up a moonsault for two. Priest fights up and strikes away including dropping Carlito…but Finn Balor runs in for the DQ at 9:19.

Rating: C+. This one could have gone either way, as I could have gone for Priest smashing McDonagh here, but having Balor come in for another cheap shot is a good way to go. It feels like we’re in a long form story here before Priest finally gets his hands on Balor and that could be interesting if done right. Priest needs to be a smashing machine in there, but it’s ok to wait a bit before it happens.

Post match the beatdown is on but Priest fights up and is left alone with Balor. Cue Rhea Ripley to chase Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan, with the latter getting caught and posted hard. Dominik saves Morgan from a Razor’s Edge through the table, leaving Ripley to headbutt McDonagh into South Of Heaven. Hot segment here, with Ripley and Priest looking like the coolest pair in a good while.

We look back at Roman Reigns returning at Summerslam.

Sonya Deville and company jump Damage CTRL and take out Dakota Kai’s knee. Please tell me she’s not hurt again.

Post break Deville and company are here to mock Dakota Kai for not being able to wrestle but we have a replacement.

Iyo Sky vs. Sonya Deville

Both of their associates are on the floor. Deville starts fast and misses a basement clothesline as McAfee confuses Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. The fight heads to the floor, where Sky is sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Sky fighting out of trouble and getting two off a rollup. A dragon screw legwhip takes Deville down and a missile dropkick gets two. Deville runs her over for two more but Sane is back up as well. Damage CTRL hit big dives off the same corner, setting up Over The Moonsault to finish Deville at 7:12.

Rating: B-. Sky got to showcase herself here, which isn’t surprising as she is still one of the most talented stars in WWE. It was good for her to get a win to slow down Deville and company’s momentum, but the lack of Kai worries me. She hasn’t been back long after her knee injury and that felt like a way to write her off.

Ilja Dragunov congratulates Sami Zayn on being a great champion. Zayn says Dragunov will be a great champion one day but here is Jey Uso to give Zayn a pep talk. The rematch for the title is next week and then they can win the Tag Team Titles.

We get another Wyatt Sicks video, this time on Joe Gacy, who thinks he is Huskus The Pig Boy. He’s a bit out there.

Chad Gable/Creed Brothers vs. Wyatt Sicks

The lights go out and the rocking chair, with the lantern, is in the ring. The Wyatts come out for the brawl and the fans approve, even as Lumis takes over on Julius to start. It’s oft to Gacy to clean house, including a belly to back neckbreaker on Julius. A pull of the Gacy’s hair brings Rowan in to clean house and we take a break.

Back with Gable hitting a top rope moonsault for two. Julius fights up and hands it off to Rowan to clean house. Rowan’s swinging slam puts Gable down for two as the Creeds make the save. Lumis dives off the post onto them and, the Creeds get sent over the announcers’ table. A claw slam plants Gable and it’s a frog splash to give Lumis the pin at 12:19.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match and the fans were into the Wyatts, but I’m not sure I can see what they’re going to be doing. They’re the kind of team who needs time to set up a match or a feud and that is going to require some explaining most of the time. I like the idea of the team, but I’m not sure how well it is going to work long term.

All of the Wyatts pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that was more about the drama and setting things up for later rather than what was happening here. As a result, we got another good show that has me wanting to see where they’re going for the pay per view a the end of the month. The Judgment Day stuff is hot right now and the women’s team feud has be intrigued. It was a hot show coming out of Summerslam and that’s a really good sign.

Results
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Shayna Baszler via DQ when Zoey Stark interfered
A-Town Down Under b. Awesome Truth – A Town Down to R-Truth
Damian Priest b. JD McDonagh via DQ when Finn Balor interfered
Iyo Sky b. Sonya Deville – Over The Moonsault
Wyatt Sicks b. Chad Gable/Creed Brothers – Frog splash to Gable

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: July 29, 2024
Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before Summerslam and that means it is probably time to firm everything up before the show. While there is a chance that we could see another match or two added, this week is probably going to be focused on things already set up. In particular, Seth Rollins will give the official referee instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins in his referee gear (even his boots have stripes) for the official instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre (“these two morons”). Punk and McIntyre come out and, according to Adam Pearce, any physical contact means the match is off. That makes Punk head to the floor, because he doesn’t trust himself. Rollins tells him to get back in the ring so Punk says enjoy being able to lord his authority over him while he can. McIntyre likes this but Rollins says he hates both of them.

The only rule is that he runs everything. Countouts will go as long as he wants and DQ’s are at his discretion. Punk hopes Rollins referees better than he dressed, but he doesn’t want Rollins’ help at all. McIntyre says he hates everything about Punk and Rollins is going to have to stop it because McIntyre will never want to stop hurting Punk. And it’s in a stadium so he’ll get paid a fortune to do something he would do for free!

Punk talks about how the fans chanted his name while he was gone for ten years. The best thing McIntyre did was hurt Punk but the worst thing he ever did was hurt Punk because he keeps dumbing himself out of position. Punk isn’t as big or strong as McIntyre but he has heart, which will be on display at Summerslam. They to face to face and McIntyre even has the bracelet to keep it personal. This was the big final push to the match, but I do like the explanation for why it is going to be more physical without officially making it a street fight or something.

Liv Morgan has wrecked the Judgment Day clubhouse. Rhea Ripley wants them to focus…but why is Carlito still here? Post break, the team regroups and Carlito is going to take care of Sami Zayn.

Creed Brothers vs. Akira Tozawa/Otis

Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri are here too and we actually hear about the Creeds appearing in Bloodsport over the weekend. Otis fights out of the corner to start and it’s off to Tozawa for a kick to Brutus’ head. A suicide dive drops Brutus but he gets in his own clothesline as we take a break. Back with Otis sending Julius into the corner and hitting a World’s Strongest Slam. The Caterpillar connects but Gable’s distraction lets the Creeds hit a double belly to back suplex for the win at 7:45.

Rating: C. So Otis is getting more and more popular after splitting from Gable and he is getting a strong reaction here but takes the fall anyway. I’m not sure why you would do that when you have Tozawa right there, but he was basically gone for the second half of the match anyway. Granted it doesn’t really matter when the Wyatts are going to be the bigger story, but Otis didn’t need to take the loss.

Post match the beatdown is on but Maxxine Dupri slaps Gable. Dupri hides in the corner but we’ve got Wyatts. The team shows up and, after taking off the masks, clear out the Creeds. Gable runs as well but has to avoid Uncle Howdy in the entrance.

Carlito has dealt with Sami Zayn…by getting him a match with Dominik Mysterio. Rhea Ripley says that means Carlito can deal with Jey Uso, on his own.

Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed

They slug it out to start with Sheamus knocking him to the floor and hitting a top rope clothesline. Reed knocks him over the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting a bunch of standing clotheslines until a running knee gets two. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets the same so he goes up, only to get pulled down with a super White Noise. Sheamus hits the 16 forearms to the chest but cue Pete Dunne with a shillelagh to knock Sheamus silly. The Tsunami gives Reed the pin at 9:57.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to go with Reed finally getting a nice win. That has been missing from his resume for the last few weeks and even though it came with an assist, it’s better than taking another loss. As for the match itself, they had the kind of hoss fight that you would expect them to have and that always works. Good match here.

Damian Priest talks about having to earn everything he has while Gunther was given everything he wanted. Priest fought for everything he got and now he’s willing to fight for everything he has. This was a much more traditional “talk to the camera” promo and it worked well for Priest as they’ve turned this into a match I want to see.

Bron Breakker respects Sami Zayn but now he’s seeing Zayn as a stand up comic. Zayn is already preparing for a life after WWE and after losing to Breakker. That’s why the joke is on Zayn and the Intercontinental Title is on Breakker.

Jey Uso vs. Carlito

Uso wastes no time in knocking him down for an early two and Carlito is sent outside for an early dive. A missed charge goes into the post though and Carlito grabs a neckbreaker as we take a break. Back with Carlito missing a charge into the corner, allowing Uso to hit the jumping enziguri. Uso knocks him down again and hits the spear for the pin at 7:47.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as Carlito is only going to be so much of a threat to any bigger names. It gave Uso a win to keep up his battle against Judgment Day, though I’m not sure how that is supposed to go anywhere. It’s also almost nice to see the match end without any shenanigans, as sometimes you just need a clean win.

Zelina Vega is glad Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville attacked her as it served as a wakeup call. Then the three of them jump her again.

Miz announces that he will be the host of Summerslam, which is in his hometown of Cleveland. R-Truth comes in to think that Miz is hosting the show at his own house. An hors d’oeuvre discussion ensues.

We look at the recent Japan tour.

Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

Woods is on his own while Kross has the rest of the Final Testament. Hold on though as Kross says that it’s interesting that Kofi Kingston “re-injured his shoulder” during the Japan tour when the spotlight is on Woods for the first time. He wants Woods to join the team right now and admit that the Power Of Positivity was a lie. Woods hits him in the face to start fast instead and we take an early break.

Back with Woods fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked back down for two. Woods fights up but gets punched in the face by Rezar. The Final Prayer is broken up and Woods hits a superkick, only to go after the AOP. The Limit Breaker misses as a result and Kross hits the Final Prayer for the win at 6:23. Not enough shown to rate but they got a good deal in.

Jesse Ventura was backstage earlier today and met with HHH. That’s just great to see.

Sami Zayn did a comedy show the night before Money In The Bank and he beat Bron Breakker anyway. He’ll just do it again at Summerslam, but this time it’s about taking Breakker out rather than teaching a lesson.

Liv Morgan burns a bunch of Dominik Mysterio stuff and promises to complete the revenge tour at Summerslam.

Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title. Dominik hammers away to start but Zayn punches his way out of the corner. They head outside where Zayn hits the Arabian moonsault as we take an early break. Back with Zayn fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a clothesline. Dominik’s Three Amigos connect but the frog splash misses. Zayn exploders him into the corner but cue JD McDonagh and Carlito for a distraction and then the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: C+. The DQ was the right way to go here as you can’t have the champion take a fall before he’s coming up on an unrelated title match. At the same time, you don’t want to have Dominik look weak before he’s going to be a centerpiece of a title match of his own on Saturday. The match was just a bit better than ok, but they didn’t have the time to really go anywhere.

Post match the beatdown is on when Jey Uso makes the save. Cue Bron Breakker to go after Zayn, who suplexes him into the corner. Breakker bails before the Helluva Kick can connect.

We get another Wyatt Sicks interview, this time focusing on Dexter Lumis, who says people should run when the buzzards stop circling.

Chad Gable and the Creeds get a match against the Wyatt Sicks next week.

Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville

Valkyria and Deville start things off with Valkyria slipping between the legs and hammering away. Stark comes in and gets taken down into a wristlock. The villains are sent outside and we take a break. Back with Valkyria getting stomped down in the corner but managing to get over for the tag off to Carter. Everything breaks down and Valkyria hits a gutwrench powerbomb, only to have the After Party broken up. Stark gives Carter the Z360 for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C. This went as it should have, with Valkyria not taking the fall as the villains get a nice boost. The team is starting to get a little somewhere and hopefully they get the chance to change the division up a bit. I’m not sure where that’s going since none of them are going to go after Liv Morgan or Rhea Ripley, but at least Valkyria didn’t take the fall.

Post match Damage CTRL comes in to beat up the villains. Oh yeah. That’s who they could fight.

Gunther talks about how Damian Priest is a weird man who is using his childhood trauma as an excuse. Tonight, Gunther is facing Finn Balor and wants to see if there is any of the great wrestler left in there.

Damage CTRL says they’re back, with Dakota Kai wanting Shayna Baszler next week.

Judgment Day gives Finn Balor a pep talk.

Gunther vs. Finn Balor

Somehow this is their first singles match. Balor tries to chop away but Gunther shows him how it’s done. The powerbomb is blocked so Balor stomps away, only to get booted in the face. We take a break and come back with Gunther’s belly to back suplex getting two. The Boston crab goes on, with Balor reaching over to make the rope.

Gunther chops him again and tries a belly to back superplex, only to be reversed into a crossbody. Balor’s Sling Blade is countered into a choke but he reverses the powerbomb into a DDT. They chop it out and now the Sling Blade can connect for Balor. The Coup de Grace misses though and Gunther is back with the sleeper. Now the powerbomb can connect for two and the sleeper goes on again…and Balor is out at 12:06.

Rating: B-. This felt like a big time match but the ending was a bit of a surprise. You don’t often see someone win a match with a sleeper, but it does continue Gunther’s trend of finishing with whatever is appropriate at the time. Balor put up a fight before falling here, which makes Gunther look strong on the way to Cleveland.

Post match Gunther goes after Balor again but Damian Priest runs in for the brawl. Gunther gets knocked to the floor and over the barricade to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a tricky show as they didn’t add much of anything new to Summerslam and the wrestling here was only so good. The Priest/Gunther stuff was good and the midcard feuds got some attention, but this was another show that you could have skipped without missing much. Summerslam is what matters, but there was only so much of interest here.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Akira Tozawa/Otis – Double belly to back suplex
Bronson Reed b. Sheamus – Tsunami
Jey Uso b. Carlito – Spear
Karrion Kross b. Xavier Woods – Final Testament
Sami Zayn b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Carlito and JD McDonagh interfered
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville b. Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Z360 to Chance
Gunther b. Finn Balor – Sleeper

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: August 11, 2008
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

It’s the last Raw before Summerslam and we have new Raw Tag Team Champion as Batista and John Cena won the belts last week. Odds are their reign won’t last long but they already have a match set for Summerslam anyway. Other than that, JBL is the new #1 contender to CM Punk’s World Title so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of John Cena and Batista winning the Tag Team Titles last week, despite not being able to stand each other.

Here is Cena to get things going. Cena talks about how Mike Adamle made a match between himself and Batista at Summerslam for the first time ever. The two of them have never had an issue before, but now they are the Tag Team Champions. Earlier today, Adamle was looking for ideas for Cena and Batista, ranging from a broken glass arm wrestling match to a chili cook off but all you need is the two of them in the ring together.

Cue Batista, with Cena saying they won the titles last week, but tonight they have a rematch against Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. They have to work together or they’ll both lose, but that isn’t happening at Summerslam. Cena has never admitted this to anyone, but he has spent six years watching Batista be groomed to be the to star and Cena never had that.

Instead, he has spent years going to war to turn critics into believers. They both have impressive resumes, but they have never answered the question of who is better. We’ll answer that question at Summerslam and it’s going to be Cena. Batista says he’s been watching Cena as well and compares their resume. He has watched Cena get booed out of the building but Cena never changed a thing.

Batista would never do some of those things, but there are a bunch of people over the age of 15 who want to see him beat Cena senseless. On Sunday, he’s going to prove he’s the better man. A rather intense handshake wraps it up. This is a match that writes itself but they’ve done a great job of making it more interesting.

Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix

Santino Marella is on commentary. Beth powers her into the corner to start but gets slapped in the face. That doesn’t go well for Kelly, who gets taken down and then faceplanted for her efforts. As Santino drops the name “Glamarella” for his relationship with Beth, Kelly slips out of a gorilla press and gets two off a rollup. Not that it matters as the Glam Slam finishes for Beth in a hurry.

Post match Santino comes in to say he wants to send a message to Mickie James and Kofi Kingston by having Beth beat Kelly up again. Kingston and James run in for the save to clear the villains out…but Santino wants to face James right now. See, he needs practice on figuring out where he can put his hands while facing a woman. Kingston says he’ll do it, but Santino says “don’t be a girl”. It turns out those are fighting words so James is in. Santino promises to put her back in the kitchen where she belongs.

Santino Marella vs. Mickie James

We’re joined in progress after a break, apparently with Santino having insulted James’ parents during the break. James’ headlock doesn’t work very well but she’s able to headscissor her way out of Santino’s version. James trips him down and rides him a bit (spanking included of course) but Santino gets in a slam. The knee drop misses but Santino distracts the referee, allowing Beth Phoenix to get in a cheap shot. Kofi Kingston protests, only for Santino to grab a rollup with tights for the pin.

Mike Adamle is talking to Todd Phillips when Kane comes in. Adamle has an idea for him tonight: a match with Chris Jericho. Works for Kane, but Adamle also wants the bag that Kane has been holding. Kane says Adamle doesn’t want to do that, but Adamle says we don’t want kids going back to school and carrying a bag like his. Kane calls this a huge mistake before leaving. Fair enough, but the mistake was made by having Adamle talk this much in the first place.

We look at a classic clip of the Valiant Brothers losing the World Tag Team Titles to Ivan Putski and Tito Santana.

Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase talk about Batista and John Cena not being a team, meaning they’ll lose the titles back tonight. They’re young, but they’re further along than any Hall Of Famer was at this point. Maybe next year they’ll be facing off in the main event of Summerslam, but the difference is they really respect each other.

Cryme Tyme vs. Highlanders

Cole calls this a very important match, showing that Cole is either a liar or a moron. Gaspard powers Rory around to start but a cheap shot lets the Highlanders take over on JTG. Rory starts in on JTG’s arm but a hammerlock is broken up. It’s back to Shad to clothesline Robbie and a delayed suplex sets up an STO for the fast pin. Cryme Tyme moving into the title picture wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Randy Orton has been involved in a motorcycle accident and is hurt all over again. And the delays continue. Maybe we can get some RNN Breaking News about him going forward though.

Here is JBL with a special challenge for CM Punk, who comes out before anything can be said. JBL goes into his usual insults about Punk, who finally cuts him off to say he’s tired of hearing the same things since he’s won this title. No he isn’t your traditional champion but he’s watched every Summerslam since he was a kid and it’s going to be a dream come true to beat JBL at that show.

Punk says that with all due respect to Batista and John Cena, this is the real main event. JBL is incensed that Punk would compare himself to stars like Cena and Batista. He asks how Punk has earned his place and calls him Cinderella. Midnight strikes on Sunday though because fairy tales aren’t real. Punk has talent, but he also has six days left as champion. JBL rolls up his sleeves (JBL: “Settle down Cinderella.”) and pulls back a sheet revealing a bottle of whiskey. He wants a drinking contest with Mr. Straightedge, which JBL finds boring.

JBL pours Punk a drink, saying he’ll have a chance to win if he takes that one drink. If Punk won’t do it, he won’t be able to win against JBL on Sunday. Punk says JBL doesn’t get it because they’re not the same person. Doing things his way has gotten Punk this far so he’ll pass on the drink. JBL says he didn’t realize Punk brought his soapbox so he’ll toast to Punk instead.

Hold on though as Punk says JBL changed his mind so he’ll do the toast. And the drink is thrown into JBL’s face, setting up the running knee in the corner. I’m not sure what the point of the drinking thing was supposed to be here, but they did a nice job of presenting the differences between them. JBL’s old school stuff is fine, but geez he makes everything he says sound so dull and it’s not helping.

We look at Shawn Michaels’ eye injury, with a decision about his career set for Summerslam.

Kane vs. Chris Jericho

Lance Cade is here with Jericho, who is ran over and dropkicked to start. Kane powers him out of the corner but misses an elbow. Not that it matters as Kane takes it outside and knocks Jericho around again before heading back inside. Cade’s distraction lets Jericho hit the triangle dropkick and he gets to hammer away a bit.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Kane is back up again with a spinning toss (looked like the side slam to start but he just tossed Jericho instead). Kane misses a charge into the corner but it’s too early for the Walls. Now the side slam can connect, followed by the top rope clothesline…and here is Mike Adamle with a bunch of security. Kane goes over to get the bag though, allowing Jericho to hit the Codebreaker for the pin.

Rating: C+. These two often worked pretty well against each other but it was weird to see a heel vs. heel match between them. Kane losing here is a bit strange as he’s the current monster, but at least he was distracted. That being said, putting Kane in a story with Adamle doesn’t seem like the best idea. Then again, Kane has a history of being in bad stories and he tends to….well sometimes he makes them better.

Post match Adamle says he knows what Kane is talking about, because the “he” Kane has been asking about is Kane himself. Adamle knows Kane has been struggling to find those answers but Kane can lead a normal life by giving Adamle that bag. The fans need to know what is in the bag and, after comparing himself to Ronald Reagan’s “tear down this wall”, Adamle says “give me that bag”.

Kane says there is a mask in the bag and the man who wore it has been scarred and tortured beyond all human recognition. The problem is that it’s not Kane’s mask. Kane opens the bag and pulls out….Rey Mysterio’s mask. Adamle is confused, but that might just be how he normally looks.

William Regal vs. Jamie Noble

Regal pounds away to start and they’re quickly on the floor for a ram into the apron. Back in and Noble knocks him into the corner for a Cannonball. A high crossbody gives Noble two but Regal snaps off a suplex. The running knee finishes Noble quick.

Smackdown Rebound.

Summerslam rundown.

We get the results of the poll from earlier, with John Cena being named the bigger star over Batista 73%-27%. Dang that’s a squash.

Raw Tag Team Titles: John Cena/Batista vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase Jr.

Rhodes and DiBiase are challenging and don’t even get an entrance. Batista insists he start but Cena slaps him from the apron to come in instead. Rhodes and DiBiase jump Cena to take over, which lasts all of a few seconds before Cena shoulders his way to freedom. Cena tells Batista that he can’t see him and we take a break. Back with DiBiase holding Cena in a chinlock, which doesn’t last long either as Cena powers up.

DiBiase misses a charge into the corner and it’s off to Batista to clean house. The spinebuster hits DiBiase but Batista stops to taunt Cena, who breaks up the Batista Bomb. A cheap shot to the knee cuts Batista off and Rhodes cranks away on the leg. Batista powers up and slaps Cena in the face for a tag, which has Cena glaring at him. The glaring Cena gets rolled up to give DiBiase the pin and the titles back.

Rating: C. The match was pretty slow paced and much like last week was much more about the story than the wrestling. That’s how something like this should have gone as there was no reason for Batista and Cena to keep the titles long term. Cena and Batista want to fight and they have nothing else to worry about, which is the way this should go.

Post match Cena and Batista are ready to fight but have to dispatch Rhodes and DiBiase again. With the villains gone, Cena teases walking out without a fight but that’s just not his nature. Security comes in, gets knocked down, and then cuts off the fight to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. In case it isn’t clear, John Cena vs. Batista is by far the best thing going on with this show. It feels big and it comes off as the most important thing you’re going to be able to see right now. The Kane stuff is more weird than anything else (but it took a good turn here), the mixed tag stuff could be worse, and the Punk vs. JBL stuff is just dull. That leaves Cena and Batista miles ahead of everything else an I want to see those two fight on Sunday. I don’t quite want to see the rest of the show, which is about as hit or miss as you can get.

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: July 22, 2024
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than two weeks away from Summerslam and if the card isn’t set, you can see a lot of the matches coming together. We might get something big this week as CM Punk is back and might get to make an announcement involving his future. Other than that, Rhea Ripley is wanting to get her hands on Liv Morgan so let’s get to it.

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

Commentary runs down what we’ll be seeing.

Here is Gunther to get things going and the fans are NOT happy to see him. He took some time to think about what he said to Damian Priest last week and….he meant that every single person here is a bum! Why is he out here first rather than Priest? It’s because Priest isn’t up to this level. There is a saying in German: show me your friends and I’ll show you who you are.

Gunther judges Judgment Day as street trash so Priest has one more chance to come out here and give Gunther the title. Cue Priest who hits Gunther in the face to start the brawl. Security comes in and as usual, are completely ineffective at their jobs. They’re turning this into a grudge match and that is a smart way to go as I want to see these two fight.

Post break and Priest jumps Gunther again backstage with Priest getting the better of things before it is broken up.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Bron Breakker

For the Intercontinental Title shot at Summerslam. Breakker starts fast and knocks him outside but Dragunov scores with a running knee back inside. They head to the apron to slug it out and fight over a suplex until Dragunov is dropped ribs first onto the top of the post for a nasty crash.

We take a break and come back with Breakker holding a bearhug to stay on the ribs. A gutbuster gives Breakker two but Dragunov reverses a powerbomb into a DDT for a breather. Dragunov hits a running knee to the ribs in the corner and manages a powerbomb. With Dragunov up top, Breakker jumps up and snaps off the super Frankensteiner….a name which Cole thinks McAfee invented on the spot.

Breakker goes up but gets superplexed down, setting up the H Bomb to leave him down. They go to the apron where Breakker hits a Death Valley Driver to really rock Breakker. Not that it matters as Breakker spears him out of the air, sending Dragunov head first into the apron. That’s enough for the referee to call it for Breakker at 13:07.

Rating: B. I liked the ending a lot here as it made Breakker look like a killer without having Dragunov take another pin. It’s hard to imagine that Breakker doesn’t get the title at Summerslam, as there is little to no reason to not change it over at this point. Dragunov very well may be waiting in the rings for Breakker, but for now we have the Summerslam title match set, as we should.

Rhea Ripley gives Judgment Day a pep talk but Dominik Mysterio isn’t sure why she said yeet to Jey Uso. She’s just playing around, but Finn Balor wants Dominik to take care of Uso.

Adam Pearce and Drew McIntyre shake hands.

Damian Priest and Gunther have been ejected.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Sonya Deville

Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark are here too. Deville takes her down to start but Valkyria is back up with some shoulders in the corner. Valkyria is sent outside but seems to have hurt her ribs as we take a break. Back with Valkyria striking away and getting two off a bridging suplex. A gutwrench powerbomb gets two and it’s time for everyone to brawl on the floor. The distraction lets Deville hit the Deville’s Advocate for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. I’m starting to get worried about Valkyria as she came in feeling special but is turning into just another member of the pack. She’s far from a lost cause, but putting her with a team who doesn’t have the best success rate isn’t helping. Hopefully she can turn it around because she feels like a rather strong prospect.

This week’s Wyatt Sicks video is about Nikki Cross, with Uncle Howdy telling her to look at herself, earning a loud scream.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. Punk says we’re in Green Bay and his shoes are pink so let’s turn both of them red with the blood of a Scotsman. The reality is he is medically cleared so let’s do this right now. Punk tapes up his fists and here is McIntyre who says he doesn’t want to. Punk: “Well I do.”

Security cuts it off so McIntyre holds up Punk’s bracelet. Cue Adam Pearce to say the match is on for Summerslam but they can’t fight until then, and if they do, the match is off. Pearce says he has a referee problem….so here is Seth Rollins, who shakes Pearce’s hand. Rollins says he’s here to solve the problem because he is going to be the guest referee between these two at Summerslam. That is a great way to go, as Punk vs. McIntyre has been the hottest feud for a good while. I don’t know if they need Rollins there at first, but I’ll absolutely take this over another triple threat.

Judgment Day is off to find Jey Uso when Liv Morgan flags Dominik Mysterio down. She says don’t worry about Rhea Ripley and here is Finn Balor to say he can’t leave Dominik alone for ten seconds.

Sami Zayn is taking Bron Breakker seriously but tells him to not make the same mistake at Money In The Bank. As he’s talking, he sees Judgment Day jumping Jey Uso and runs over for the save.

Otis/Xavier Woods/Akira Tozawa vs. Final Testament

Maxxine Dupri and the rest of the team are here too. Woods chops away at Rezar in the corner to start but gets dropped with the straight power. Akam comes in and gets kicked to the floor by Tozawa, who hits a suicide dive as we take a break. Back with Akam elbowing Tozawa in the face for two and it’s off to Kross, who launches him with a release F5. Tozawa manages to roll away though and it’s off to Otis to clean house, including the Caterpillar to Akam. Everything breaks down and Woods comes in with a missile dropkick, only to get caught in Kross’ Final Prayer for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. The fans went coconuts for Otis but this whole Final Testament vs. Woods thing wasn’t interesting when Kofi Kingston was around and this isn’t making it much better. The Testament just isn’t interesting and giving them wins like this isn’t doing much good. I’m not sure what else there is for them to do, and that’s not a good sign for anyone.

Post match here are Chad Gable and the Creed Brothers for a chat. Post break the three of them are in the ring with the former Alpha Academy, who have already lost their first match back together without Gable. He gives them a chance to join the team for one night only, which could also keep them safe from the Wyatt Sicks. Otis turns them down again so the Creeds lay out Otis and Tozawa. The Creeds post Otis and send him into the apron….and we’ve got Wyatts. They pop up on the stage, save for Uncle Howdy, who hits Sister Abigail on Gable in the ring.

Pete Dunne vs. Bronson Reed

And never mind as Sheamus runs in and beats them both up. No match.

Rhea Ripley yells at Judgment Day for not taking care of Jey Uso. A tag match is on for tonight and next week it’s Gunther vs. Finn Balor. Ripley doesn’t like hearing that Liv Morgan was around Dominik Mysterio though so they’re going to the ring.

Sheamus is happy to have a pint with Pete Dunne and talk out whatever is going on, or they can deal with it in the ring if he’d prefer a banger.

Rhea Ripley drags Dominik Mysterio to the ring and says if Liv Morgan wants him, come get him. Morgan pops up in the crowd to say she can wait for Summerslam. Morgan says she and Dominik have feelings for each other but the reality is men like Dominik don’t wind up with women who look like Ripley. Dominik holds Ripley back and yells at Morgan that he can’t stand her because she ruined his life. Ripley licks his face in approval.

We look at the Damian Priest vs. Gunther brawl again.

Here is Zelina Vega, with her arm taped up, for a chat before her match. She is tired of being underestimated so it’s time to shut people up.

Happy Birthday Shawn Michaels.

Zelina Vega vs. Zoey Stark

Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler are here too. Vega slugs away to start but Stark goes after the bad arm to cut that off in a hurry. A spinning elbow gets Vega out of trouble for a second but Stark snaps the bad arm over the rope. We take a break and come back with Stark hitting a springboard missile dropkick for two. The armbar is broken up in a hurry though and Vega enziguris her into a DDT. A moonsault gives Vega two but Baszler trips her up. Cue Lyra Valkyria/Katana Chance/Kayden Carter to brawl with the villains, allowing Vega to get in a cast shot. Code Red finishes Stark at 8:48.

Rating: C. Nothing much to this one as the new evil gets knocked back a bit. I can go for more of Vega, as she has an energy to her matches that make you want to see her out there more. That isn’t something you get very often and it worked well enough here, evil with her being banged up.

Xavier Woods demands and receives a match against Karrion Kross next week. Drew McIntyre comes in to complain about CM Punk but Adam Pearce doesn’t have time for it.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are going to be on Smackdown to address their next challengers. Sonya Deville and company come in to say they’ll be the next challengers, but the champs aren’t convinced.

Video on Gunther.

Judgment Day vs. Jey Uso/Sami Zayn

Non-title, Dominik Mysterio and Carlito are here too and Uso/Zayn come in though the crowd. Uso knocks Balor into the corner to start and snaps off a jumping enziguri. Zayn comes in and gets taken into the corner, where McDonagh sends him face first into the buckle. Back up and Zayn sends both of them outside for the Arabian Moonsault but Carlito gets in a posting as we take a break.

We come back with Balor stomping on Zayn in the corner so McDonagh can get two. Balor’s elbow to the head gets two but Zayn manages a Blue Thunder Bomb. Uso comes in and gets to clean house, only to get dropped with a Sling Blade. McDonagh drops a springboard moonsault for two but Balor gets superkicked out of the apron for a needed breather.

The double tag brings in Zayn to suplex McDonagh into the corner. Mysterio’s distraction lets McDonagh grab a Spanish Fly for two as the fans find this awesome. Everything breaks down and Balor is sent outside for a dive. The Helluva Kick into the Superfly Splash finishes McDonagh at 16:20.

Rating: B. They weren’t wrong about the awesome part as this turned into a pretty awesome match. In theory this should set up a rematch for the titles, though if Balor is facing Gunther next week, it might take some time to get there. I’m not sure I get why the champions had to lose at this point, but maybe they can get a title match in somehow before Summerslam so that won’t be a distraction.

Bron Breakker runs in to spear Zayn in half to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This show had good action and did some solid work on the way to Summerslam. You had two matches officially set up and some important development for things already in place. The Gunther/Priest brawl was a hot opener and Ripley/Morgan/Dominik is still a blast. I had a really good time with this show, which took them a lot closer to a great Summerslam.

Results
Bron Breakker b. Ilja Dragunov via referee stoppage
Sonya Deville b. Lyra Valkyria – Deville’s Advocate
Final Testament b. Xavier Woods/Otis/Akira Tozawa – Final Prayer to Woods
Zelina Vega b. Zoey Stark – Code Red
Jey Uso/Sami Zayn b. Judgment Day – Superfly Splash to McDonagh

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: July 25, 2024
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

The big story coming out of last wee was the return of Rhea Ripley, who chased off Liv Morgan and glared at Dominik Mysterio. Ripley is opening the show this week and Dominik is going to have some splainin to do. That could make for some interesting situations, along with the possibility of more matches being added to the Summerslam card.  Let’s get to it.

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

Long recap of the Dominik Mysterio/Rhea Ripley/Liv Morgan situation.

We open with the long tracking shot of Ripley walking from the back and into the arena to quite the hero’s welcome. She’s glad to be back and will deal with Dominik Mysterio later, but for now, she wants to take care of Liv Morgan. Cue Dominik, with a black rose, but before he can say anything that matters, Morgan pops up on screen. After apologizing for screaming a lot in Mexico over the weekend, Liv talks about how she’s gotten to know Dominik while Ripley has been gone and finally got to be on top.

Ripley is ticked but says she knew Morgan wasn’t going to come face her. She’s waited three months for this and her patience can handle a bit longer. Like say until Summerslam. For the title. Morgan knew it would come to this and accepts, but hopes Daddy Dom will be there too. She blows him a kiss to wrap it up. Ripley looks into the camera and says she’s ending the revenge tour at Summerslam, along with Morgan’s title reign and career. Dominik tries to sweet talk her but the rose is thrown away. As usual, Ripley felt like the biggest star in the world here.

Post break Dominik continues to try to calm Ripley down but she throws a bunch of flowers at him. Damian Priest comes in to ask if everything is ok with Dominik, who isn’t sure.

Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed

They start with the brawling and Reed knocks him up against the ropes. Sheamus fights back but gets knocked to the floor and over the announcers’ table. The ten forearms to the chest have Reed in trouble and Sheamus hugs McAfee. Back with Sheamus hitting White Noise but he charges into a powerbomb. Reed misses the moonsault though, setting up a running knee to give Sheamus the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is little that you can do with an eight minute match that has a commercial in the middle. The good thing here though was the match was about two big monsters beating on each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. Sheamus gets a win, but he’s going to need something fresh to do sooner than later.

Post match Reed goes after Sheamus again but Pete Dunne runs in for the save. Sheamus wonders what’s up with that and Dunne decks him, allowing Reed to hit the Tsunami.

Damian Priest welcomes Rhea Ripley back to the team and is glad that everything seems to be ok. Ripley wants to know why Carlito is here but Dominik Mysterio cuts them off. Dominik apologizes but Ripley wants to know where this was last week, or for the three months she’s been gone. Dominik being in so far over his head and not realizing it is great stuff, as is Priest needling him about it because he knows Dominik is dead.

Ilja Dragunov comes up to Sami Zayn in the back and says he doesn’t want a title shot in exchange for helping him last week. Zayn says he’s giving Dragunov the title shot because he earned it. Dragunov reminds Zayn of himself, but he better bring it tonight.

Video on Gunther.

Zelina Vega says that when the love triangle is over, she wants the Women’s Title shot. Sonya Deville, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark interrupt, with Deville saying the line starts behind them. Vega: “Sorry, I couldn’t hear anything past your forehead.” A match seems to be made for later.

Zelina Vega vs. Sonya Deville

Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler are here too. Vega starts fast and sends her into the ropes for an early 619. Baszler gets in a cheap shot on Vega’s arm though and a reverse DDT (Deville’s Advocate, erg) finishes Vega at 1:02.

Post match the beatdown is on but Katana Chance, Kayden Carter and Lyra Valkyria run in for the save. Don’t lump Valkyria in with those two.

Dominik Mysterio asks Damian Priest why he didn’t warn him about Rhea Ripley week. Jey Uso runs in to ask if Ripley is single but Dominik tells him to leave. Priest reminds Dominik that he’s been in prison and tells him to deal with this.

Chad Gable interrupts Adam Pearce about the Wyatt Sicks situation, announcing that BO DALLAS IS UNCLE HOWDY. Pearce says Dallas is here tonight so Gable can call him out if he wants to. Gable says he’ll do everything by himself, again.

Here is Damian Priest for a face to face chat with Gunther, who talks about how Priest is still carrying this show on his back. Priest is still carrying out his childhood dream of being the World Heavyweight Champion. Gunther’s official assessment is very simple though: Priest is not living up to the hype and his reign is nothing. He’s willing to save Priest the embarrassment so just hand him the title now.

Priest wishes it was Summerslam so he could hit him in the face right now. Priest was living on the streets when Gunther was having everything hand to him in Europe. If Gunther is here for a paycheck, WWE doesn’t need him. Gunther: “Yeah you do.” Gunther says he appreciates the hardship but living on the street is a choice.

It shows how Priest was raised, while Gunther had everything he ever needed. Gunther was signed to WWE to avoid street trash like Priest winning the title. Priest talks about how Gunther has no heart because he never had to fight for everything he had. Priest is ready to fight right now, but here is Braun Strowman to interrupt. More on that later, but this was the first time that I had wanted to see Gunther vs. Priest as they have a personal reason to fight. Priest continues his excellent mic work as of late and I want to see how they play this out in Cleveland.

Adam Pearce tells Jey Uso that something is on but Bron Breakker interrupts to ask why he isn’t getting an Intercontinental Title shot. Pearce has no idea why this has anything to do with him and basically tells him to get lost.

Damian Priest vs. Braun Strowman

Non-title. Strowman goes straight to the power to start and sends him flying. They go outside where Strowman’s charge goes into the barricade, banging up his knee, as we take a break. Back with Priest hammering away but Strowman is back up with a choke. Strowman shrugs off a kick to the face but the knee gives out on a powerslam attempt. South Of Heaven finishes Strowman at 8:12.

Rating: C. This was a nice win for Priest but Strowman did not look good here. He looked slow and hobbled, even before the knee situation. The match let Priest look good against a monster and should get a boost on the way to the Gunther math, but Strowman might need a bit of time away. He did not look like a dominant force here but rather someone who couldn’t do much.

Post match Gunther comes out and slaps Priest in the face but Priest slugs him down. Gunther bails.

Chad Gable comes up to the Alpha Academy and says Uncle Howdy is Bo Dallas! They all know that, but Gable wants them to have his back against Dallas tonight. They’ll pass, because they would rather team up with Xavier Woods against Final Testament. Deal.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Lyra Valkyria and Sonya Deville are here too. Carter gets taken down by Baszler to start but can’t get in the arm stomp. Chance comes in and gets choked down by Stark as we get a preview for Twisters. Chance fights up and the villains are sent outside for the Keg Stand from the top and we take a break. Back with Chance fighting back and hitting moonsault knees to Baszler. Carter drops Chance onto Baszler for two more but Deville comes up onto the apron. Valkyria cuts her off but the distraction lets chance get launched into Baszler’s knee to the face for the pin at 9:52.

Rating: C+. The ending was good but this was a match that could have been a lot shorter without losing much. That’s a solid finisher from the villains, but Chance and Carter haven’t been all that interesting in a long time. They’re just kind of there, which isn’t a great sign when the entire division is about five teams.

The Miz was at a celebrity golf tournament this week.

Dominik Mysterio comes up to Rhea Ripley again and says he has gotten a match with Jey Uso over what he said about her. Ripley: “Are you stupid?” Dominik says that he’s just trying to prove that she belongs to him and everyone knows he just screwed up. Ripley says “Excuse me?” and walks off. Carlito: “Not cool.”

Here is a rather happy Drew McIntyre to meet with Adam Pearce. They both want the match with CM Punk to happen and while Punk is off working to get cleared, McIntyre needs to do his part. Pearce brings some referees into the ring and says McIntyre needs to apologize. McIntyre says no, but Pearce basically threatens him with no match. McIntyre: “No.”

Why would he apologize after everything the referees have done to him? He wants Punk’s head on a spike, so Pearce says McIntyre is still suspended. The referees get shoved down but here is Seth Rollins before McIntyre can go after Pearce. The fight is on, with McIntyre getting away before the Stomp can connect. Rollins does the wave and McAfee gets into it too. They’re taking their time setting up Punk vs. McIntyre, but this much time being devoted to it tells me that it’s coming a lot sooner than later.

The Wyatt Sicks invaded the Pat McAfee Show by hacking the feed and delivered another box, with another PLAY ME tape.

We see said tape, with Erick Rowan sitting down and being asked how he’s been. Rowan says the last few years have been very hard because he used to have a family. They were unstoppable and always had each others’ backs….but then the whole world changed. He lost a brother, the one person who believed in him more than anyone else.

Then he started to get it together and his other brother was gone too. Now he doesn’t have a Family and he’s just Rowan. The unseen interviewer asks how that makes him feel and hands him a Wyatt sheep mask. Rowan says it gives him hope because they have a chance. This was great, probably the best thing Rowan has ever done, and you can tell how much it meant to him.

Even commentary basically admits that was sad.

Jey Uso vs. Dominik Mysterio

Commentary is now full in on the YEET entrance. Dominik jumps him before the bell and hits a dropkick before shouting about how that is HIS Mami. The beating continues, including Three Amigos, followed by a posting to keep Jey down as we take a break. Back with Uso fighting back and knocking Dominik down, only for Liv Morgan to run out and pull him away from the Superfly Splash.

Uso kicks Dominik onto Morgan, who flips him over onto his back on the floor. Cue Rhea Ripley (Morgan, with her head snapping up: “S***.”) to chase Morgan into the crowd, with the distraction letting Uso hit the spear. The Superfly Splash finishes Dominik at 9:09, leaving Ripley to roll her eyes.

Rating: C+. The match was a glorified backdrop for the angle, which was that much better. This story is carrying Raw right now and Morgan is pulling off an amazing feat by making the biggest star in the division look even better. Jey gets a win to boost him up again, but this was about everyone else.

A frustrated Ripley leaves, with Jey giving her a quick “call me” sign.

Video on Ilja Dragunov.

Damian Priest tells Dominik Mysterio to take it easy, because Rhea Ripley is behind them. She makes it clear: she belongs to no one, but he is hers. The black rose is returned and Ripley seems ok.

Here is Chad Gable to reveal that Uncle Howdy is in fact Bo Dallas! Only he could figure this out, but here is Dallas to interrupt. The Creed Brothers jump Dallas in the aisle and all three beat him up inside, but Dallas laughs. One heck of a German suplex connects and Dallas laughs in the corner, which doesn’t sit well with Gable. The lights go out (the people approve) and the Wyatts are here to surround the lantern. Laughing ensues.

Intercontinental Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn is defending. They grapple a bit to start until Dragunov is sent outside for the Arabian Moonsault as we take a break. Back with the Constantine Special connecting to leave both of them down. Dragunov tries it again but gets reversed into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Dragunov’s charge into the corner is countered into an exploder but the Helluva Kick is cut off by a boot to the face.

The H Bomb is cut off as well though and Dragunov knocks him to the floor for an H Bomb from the apron. Back in and a top rope missile dropkick (which Cole calls a Coast To Coast, ignoring the lack of a second coast) hits Zayn but a top rope backsplash misses. Zayn hits a running boot to send him outside…and cue Bron Breakker to spear Dragunov for the DQ at 11:28.

Rating: B. This picked up near the end but the Breakker interference was the right call. There is a good chance that we are getting a triple threat at Summerslam, which makes me wonder why Breakker got pinned at Money In The Bank. Either way, good action and the correct result, which is a great combination.

Breakker spears Zayn as well to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show where the non-wrestling parts were outstanding and the in-ring work was just good enough. The Dominik/Liv/Rhea stuff is great, with Dominik having no idea what to do, Morgan not realizing that Ripley does in fact want to kill her, and Ripley being in full control the entire time.

Throw in Priest almost as the Statler and Waldorf of the whole thing and it’s even better. Priest’s time with Gunther worked very well too and I’m hyped for Summerslam. Oh and Rowan’s promo was incredible as well. This was a great show and if the wrestling had been better, it would have been the best they had done in a long time.

Results
Sheamus b. Bronson Reed – Running knee
Sonya Deville b. Zelina Vega – Deville’s Advocate
Damian Priest b. Braun Strowman – South Of Heaven
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark – Knee to Chance’s face
Jey Uso b. Dominik Mysterio – Superfly Splash
Ilja Dragunov b. Sami Zayn via DQ when Bron Breakker interfered

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 4, 2008
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

For reasons I still do not want to understand, we’re in the Mike Adamle Era as he is the new GM of the show. Other than that nightmare, we have less than two weeks to go before Summerslam and the real main event from Raw is set as John Cena will face Batista. Other than that, CM Punk still needs an official challenger and we might get that tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Quick note: I did the Saturday Night’s Main Event but it didn’t save properly and was lost. Normally I would redo it but a grand total of nothing happened on the show and I’m not going to waste even more time on such a pathetic excuse for a “special”.

Here is Mike Adamle to get things going. The fans are all over him before he tells a story about a man who worked in a circus like atmosphere and wasn’t very good at his job. He’s talking about Ronald Reagan, who went from being a B list movie star to the Presidency. Reagan acted with a monkey, while Adamle said Jeff Harvey.

There have been people criticizing his work as an ECW commentator and wanting his resignation. That is your right as an American but it isn’t an American that he wants to be in. He wants to be in an America where a 5’9 man can play seven years in the NFL and be a star. As for tonight, how many people would like to see a championship match tonight? Instead, we’ll do three of them, with Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase defending the Tag Team Titles against John Cena/Batista….and here is JBL to interrupt.

JBL knows what it means to make a bad first impression, but now people see him for the success that he is. After bragging about being featured in Fortune Magazine and being a former professional football player, he brings up the World Title match at Summerslam. Cue Chris Jericho to interrupt, saying he should get the title shot instead.

Bickering ensues, but Adamle cuts them off and makes JBL/Jericho vs. CM Punk, where either of them get the title shot at Summerslam if they beat him. If Punk wins, neither gets a title shot. That’s kind of an unfair stipulation, but I had to listen to Adamle talk so there is nothing fair. He’s just not the right pick for this spot and that was even more apparent here.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Paul Burchill

Burchill, with Katie Lea, is challenging and works on a wristlock to start. Kingston flips him over for two as we hear about Burchill’s rugby career. Some right hands in the corner keep Burchill in trouble but Katie offers a distraction, allowing Burchill to get in a clothesline. We hit something like a seated crossface chickenwing until Kingston fights up and strikes away. A crossbody gives Kingston two and Trouble In Paradise retains the title.

Rating: C+. Hopefully this finishes Burchill as a challenger as it feels like it has been going on for months now. Burchill hasn’t felt like a big time challenger but he keeps going after Kingston. The clean finish gives me some hope though as there is pretty much no reason to keep this going.

Post match the Burchills go after Kingston again, only to be cleared out. Cue Mickie James for her scheduled match with Katie.

Women’s Title: Katie Lea vs. Mickie James

Joined in progress with Mickie striking away, including a dropkick to the floor. Mickie hits a Thesz press off the apron and strikes away before doing the same in the corner. A neckbreaker over the ropes has Mickie in more trouble and we hit the surfboard. With that broken up, Mickie hits her own neckbreaker for two but Lea’s suplex gets the same. Not that it matters as the MickieDT retains the title.

Rating: C. This feud has been going even longer than Kingston vs. Burchill and it’s nice to seemingly have it wrap up. Mickie is in need of a fresh challenger for the title and there aren’t many options around here. Lea is fine enough in the ring but there are only so many people she can face at the moment. For now though, it doesn’t seem to be Mickie and that’s fine.

Post match Beth Phoenix runs in to take Mickie out. Santino Marella approves and mild spanking ensues.

Mike Adamle calls Stephanie McMahon to thank her for the opportunity. Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella come in to interrupt because they both want title shots at Summerslam. Adamle says there is only room for one more match so they bicker a bit. Adamle finally cuts them off and makes a tag match between the two of them and Kofi Kingston/Mickie James, winner take all.

Video on John Cena.

Batista is happy to get a shot at the Tag Team Titles but could go for a different partner. He could also go for the World Title shot at Summerslam but if beating John Cena gets him there, so be it.

Layla dances in the ring and we see a clip of her ending things with Jamie Noble (who had made reservations at Waffle House). Cue William Regal to remind us that he is the King Of The Ring but here is Noble to interrupt. The brawl is on but referees break it up.

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho/John Bradshaw Layfield

Non-title. Hold on though as Mike Adamle pops up on screen to say that this match has a ten minute time limit. If the match goes to the time limit, it’s a triple threat match at Summerslam for the title. JBL and Jericho argue to start so Punk jumps them, not wanting a triple threat either. A double shoulder drops Punk and Jericho gets sent outside. The fall away slam gives JBL two on Punk an JBL slowly hammers away in the corner.

Jericho manages to send JBL into the steps though and the chinlock has Punk in trouble. Back up and Punk catches him on top, only to get pulled into an abdominal stretch with five minutes left. JBL comes back in and tries to steal the pin on Punk, meaning it’s time for the villains to slug it out. JBL gets sent outside so the Lionsault can give Jericho two. Punk is back up with a springboard clothesline to JBL before sending Jericho into the corner with three minutes left.

Punk’s running knee in the corner sets up the bulldog to drop JBL and the GTS gets two with Jericho making the save. Jericho gets catapulted into JBL for two as we have a minute and a half left. Another GTS attempt is countered into the Walls on Punk with JBL making his own save…and then falling on Punk to steal the pin with one second left.

Rating: C+. This had quite a few different rules and while they might have been more complicated than necessary, at least it clears up the question of who will be getting the title shot. On the other hand, it’s JBL, who is just so boring with everything he does that he drains the life out of everything. Punk should be able to get a nice title defense, but dang it is not going to be interesting on the way there.

We get a long recap of Chris Jericho injuring Shawn Michaels’ eye and possibly ending his career.

Michaels joins us from San Antonio and says his eye is really banged up. The injury has allowed him to take a break and heal up a bit but he has all kinds of health issues. He has another evaluation two days before Summerslam and he wants to come to the show and announce his decision. If he is allowed to compete, even on a part time basis, he’ll do it, but he’s going to listen to his doctors. Chris Jericho said maybe Shawn should just go home and be with his family….and maybe he should.

Here is Matt Striker to remind us who he is and request the best competition.

Matt Striker vs. Kane

Kane powers him away to start and shrugs off a forearm to the back. Kane plants him with a slam, hits the top rope clothesline and finishes with the chokeslam.

Post match Kane grabs the bag he has been carrying around and says he has been in a bad place lately. He looks at the bag and says “he’s not alive, he’s dead.”

Smackdown Rebound.

Summerslam rundown.

Video on Batista.

John Cena talks about how that video gives him a perspective on Batista, because it makes him know what Batista can do in the ring. As for Mike Adamle, we’ll have to see what happens with his time as the boss, but anyone can see what happens when Cena and Batista face off.

Cena has been overshadowed by Batista more than once and knew that they were going to go head to head at some point. They they both wound up on Raw and he knew it would happen one day. Then a few weeks ago, he punched Batista in the face and knew that one day was going to be at Summerslam. First though, they can become Tag Team Champions. Cena hopes they win. This was the kind of promo that made the match feel so much bigger, which is where Cena tends to shine.

Kelly Kelly comes in to see Mike Adamle to compliment him on everything he has done. She brings up Kane, but Adamle has an idea for him for next week. For now though, she’s going to watch the main event with him.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase vs. Batista/John Cena

Cena and Batista are challenging. DiBiase starts with Cena and is quickly knocked down for an early two. Batista comes in to shove Rhodes down and fires off the shoulders in the corner. A missed charge goes into the post though and we take a break. Back with Rhodes working on the arm but Batista powers out again and hands it off to Cena. DiBiase breaks up the FU though and hits a belly to back. The fist drop (ala his dad) has commentary thinking DiBiase is mocking the Five Knuckle Shuffle because these two aren’t very good at times.

Batista does not look impressed as Cena gets double elbowed down for two more. Rhodes grabs a sleeper (from the left for a weird look) and then DiBiase does the same (from the right side, in case you were wondering), only to have Cena reverse into one of his own. That’s broken up as well but Cena walks over and slaps Batista in the face for the tag. A backdrop and spear take DiBiase down and Cena cuts Rhodes off, leaving the Batista Bomb to connect for the pin and the titles.

Rating: B-. The match itself was fairly dull, but the storytelling with Batista not wanting to do this because he can’t stand Cena, while Cena is always going to want to compete and win because that’s who he is. It made for an interesting dynamic and gives another layer to a match that is pretty much already set up. Other than that, it was a fairly long match with Cena and Batista running through the champions at the end, which is a bit more acceptable when you have a modern day Mega Powers in Cena and Batista.

Batista rather forcefully hands Cena his belt and they slowly hold up the titles. It turns into a pose off and then a staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show is pretty much Cena/Batista and then everything else, as there is very little that I would want to see otherwise. Adamle is just not interesting, which might be what they’re going for but it’s not making for the most thrilling material. Other than that, you have the World Title stuff which is hardly making me want to see what happens next. Batista and Cena are good stuff, but I’m going to need a lot more than that to sell this side of the Summerslam card.

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: July 28, 2008
Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Attendance: 14,722
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re on the way to Summerslam and the end of last week’s show seemed to set up what could be a heck of a big Raw main event. It seems that we are on the way to a showdown between John Cena and Batista, which is the kind of a match that could headline Wrestlemania if given the chance. That should do for Summerslam, but we could be in for a bit of an uneven reaction in Batista’s hometown. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Batista/John Cena/CM Punk/Kane/JBL situation from last week, leaving us with Batista and Cena squaring off to end the show.

Opening sequence.

Here is John Cena to get things going and he has to acknowledge the mixed reaction. He is now perfect and he has made a mistake, meaning there are consequences to face. Last week, he hit Batista in the mouth and that means there are going to be consequences (I think he said that already.). If Batista would like to come out here, they can settle those consequences right now.

Cue Batista, who says that he saw what happened and they’re cool. They’re cool enough that once Batista defeats CM Punk to win the World Title, Cena is getting the first shot. Cena finds that nice….but Batista has already had his two shots. There are a lot of guys who deserve a shot and Cena isn’t sure Batista is at the top of that list. Batista laughs and says he knows CM Punk can’t beat him and neither can Cena.

That has Cena laughing as well, saying that Batista must be glad to be back home. A match between them should headline Wrestlemania, but what if we did Wrestlemania tonight? Batista likes the sound of that….but here is the returning Shane McMahon to interrupt. He and Stephanie McMahon have selected the new General Manager for tonight’s show, who we will meet later.

The new GM has made a bunch of matches tonight, including CM Punk against a free agent. As for Batista vs. Cena, it won’t be happening tonight, because Cena will be facing JBL and Kane. Oh and he can have Batista as a partner. Shane seemed a bit off here, speaking much more quietly and calmly than usual.

Santino Marella/Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly/D’Lo Brown

Before the match, Santino and Beth argued over who kissed whom last week but agreed to keep this strictly professional. The men start things off, with Santino saying he has this but getting his kick to the ribs blocked. Brown hits him with a rather hard clothesline and then knocks him into the corner off a right hand.

A missed charge lets Santino grab a neckbreaker though but he can’t manage a fireman’s carry. Instead Beth tags herself in and easily lifts Brown for a funny spot. Kelly comes in for some running forearms but Beth knees her down without much trouble. Santino wants in but misses an elbow, which does not sit well with Beth. Instead Santino grabs a rollup for the fast pin and the big celebration.

Post match we get a celebratory…handshake, but neither seem happy with that. Santino puckers up but gets glared at, only to have Beth grab him by the hair for a rather firm kiss of her own.

Shane McMahon looks at a picture of Vince McMahon when JBL interrupts to ask how Vince is doing. Shane ignores the question so JBL moves on to asking about the World Title. That’s something JBL needs to take up with the GM, but his question about Kane is cut off by a phone call from the new GM (and yes the ringtone is Shane’s theme song).

Raw Tag Team Titles: Jim Duggan/Jerry Lawler vs. Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Rhodes

DiBiase and Rhodes are defending and Lawler comes out from the entrance rather than just getting up from commentary. Actually hold on though as the new General Manager has sent in a notice saying that Lawler will not be teaming up with Duggan, but there is a replacement.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler vs. Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Rhodes

DiBiase and Rhodes are still defending and Cole is less than happy. After a break, Cole is on the apron (meaning no commentary, which is always weird) and Lawler naturally tells him that he’s going to do this on his own. DiBiase starts for the team and backs Lawler into the corner for a surprisingly clean break. It works so well that DiBiase does it again, but this time Lawler slaps him in the face to pick things up a bit.

DiBiase runs him over and hammers away before handing it off to Rhodes, who gets slapped as well. Lawler hammers Rhodes down in the corner but a middle rope dropkick gets Rhodes out of trouble. We hit the armbar but Lawler fights up and slugs away, as he is known to do. It’s way too early for the piledriver though and Lawler is sent into the corner…where Cole makes contact and that’s a tag. Rhodes sends Lawler outside so Cole actually hits him in the face, much to the fans’ delight. A hard clothesline retains the title.

Rating: C. This was much more of an angle than a match and that’s ok for something like this one. The new GM is apparently quite the villain, which should make for a bigger deal later tonight. If nothing else, DiBiase and Rhodes looked like the biggest villains in the world here, which is a good sign and better than they would have gotten out of Lawler and Duggan.

Post break Mike Adamle has taken over for Cole. Adamle says he was told to be here this week, suggesting that the GM had this planned in advance.

Here is Jamie Noble, with Layla, to say the new GM needs to pay attention to him. He wants to show off for Layla and prove that he’s the next Intercontinental Champion, so “Coffee” Kingston needs to get out here right now.

Kofi Kingston vs. Jamie Noble

Non-title. Noble hammers away to start and slams him down for two. Kofi is back up with the assortment of kicks into the Boom Drop, setting up a middle rope crossbody. Noble tries a fireman’s carry but gets caught with the spinning kick to the head to give Kingston the fast pin.

CM Punk vs. ???

Non-title, JBL is on commentary, and it’s……the returning William Regal, who is back from a Wellness suspension. Regal (in a sleeveless vest for a weird visual) grabs a headlock to start and takes Punk down. They go to the mat and Punk is rather overmatched. A jawbreaker gets Punk out of trouble and a leg lariat puts Regal down. Some knees in the corner just annoy Regal though and he hammers away, setting up a kick to the head against the post.

Back in and Punk (bleeding from the nose) gets taken down with Regal grinding a forearm into the jaw. Regal slowly forearms away and grabs a half nelson, which isn’t something you often see. Punk fights up and kicks away, including a hard one upside the head for two. A hard half nelson suplex drops Punk again, only to have him come back with the GTS for the fast pin.

Rating: B-. They were beating each other up out there and it was a fun match to see, even if it didn’t last long. You can imagine Punk being rather happy with getting to work with a veteran like Regal, who was probably happy to be back period. It was a nice return for Regal, who is always nice to have around.

Post match JBL gets in the ring so Punk is waiting on him, only for Kane to come out and drop JBL. Punk goes after Kane and gets taken down by JBL, who seems to come to an understanding with Kane.

Here are Chris Jericho and Lance Cade, for what is described as the final Highlight Reel. Jericho, in a suit, talks about how he has done something none of the fans here have done as he grew up. For years, he was seen as an entertainer and a party host for the new millennium. That is what he thought the fans wanted so he went along with it and even hosted his own talk show.

It was a pathetic mistake to pander to the fans and he was wrong to go that way. He will never settle for what the fans want again so tonight, the Highlight Reel is over. Before we go though, Jericho has a special tribute to a man whose career he personally ended. It’s not Shawn Michaels though, but rather Y2J. We see some clips of Jericho’s less than serious moments (a lot of which involves being mean to Stephanie McMahon) before Jericho asks if the fans miss that guy.

That footage embarrasses Jericho because he could have done that forever but no one would have ever respected him like Shawn Michaels. That made him realize he had to do something about it so he has given Michaels such a beating that he is gone forever. When he hurt Michaels, he hurt every one of the fans. Cade says he appreciates Jericho for taking him under his wing and saving him.

Jericho appreciates him as well, just like he appreciates how hard it is for Michaels to try to watch this show. He wants Michaels to listen to him for the first time ever: stay home and move on with your life. Enjoy life away from wrestling and move on, just like Jericho has. Speaking of which, he wants the Summerslam title match too. This was the really good evil Jericho and he has me wanting to see Michaels come back and get his revenge. Great stuff here.

Jim Ross joins commentary and has to correct Adamle from saying Survivor Series tickets will be on sale, because they will be “available”. That is a Vince line if I’ve ever heard one.

Mickie James vs. Jillian Hall

Non-title and Mickie’s dad is in the front row. Mickie starts fast and tries the hurricanrana but gets faceplanted for her efforts. Hall’s running flipping faceplant sets up something like a dragon sleeper, followed by some screeching. JR critiques Adamle’s move calling as Mickie fights back with a Thesz press and slugs away. The MickieDT finishes Hall rather quickly.

Post match Mickie goes to hug her dad but gets jumped by Katie Lea Burchill. Paul Burchill comes out as Katie says they’ll both be champions soon.

Todd Grisham can’t get Shane McMahon to reveal the GM, but whoever it is, they’re already here.

Summerslam rundown.

Jenny McCarthy still doesn’t like autism. Various celebrities agree.

Cryme Tyme have John Cena’s back for the main event but Batista comes in. Cena says he has this so Cryme Tyme leaves, with Batista telling Cena to stay out of his way. Then they aren’t sure who should go to the ring first.

Batista/John Cena vs. Kane/John Bradshaw Layfield

Cena and JBL start things off with JBL hammering him down to limited avail. Cena is right back with the Throwback for one and Batista tags himself in as JR is trying to figure out why he’s on the show this week. JBL’s forearm to the back doesn’t get him very far as Batista plants him with a powerslam. Kane makes the save so the villains are cleared out, leaving Batista and Cena to glare at each other as we take a break.

Back with JBL grabbing a swinging neckbreaker to put Cena down and handing it off to Kane. A basement dropkick and slam give Kane two each and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so it’s back to JBL, who knocks Cena into the corner again. Cena fights up again (he does that a lot) and double clotheslines Kane down. The big tag brings in Batista to clean house including the spinebuster to JBL (Batista was polite enough to say “SPINEBUSTER” before he did it).

A low bridge takes Batista down though and Kane gets to come back in for a kick to the ribs. Kane stays on said ribs with a bodyscissors before it’s back to JBL to hammer away in the corner. Batista gets up again and spears JBL, who is right back with a big boot. Unfortunately JBL is also back with a right hand that hits Kane by mistake, meaning it’s time for some stalking. Cena uses the distraction to tag himself in and hit the AA to finish Kane.

Rating: C+. This got some time and felt like a big main event, though there is only so much interest in Batista and Cena as partners when they are likely to be fighting each other in a few weeks. Other than that you have Kane and JBL who are….well they’re not that interesting. There isn’t a big time heel at the moment and odds are that is going to be the GM, which doesn’t have the best track record.

Post match Shane McMahon comes out to announce that the new General Manager is….Mike Adamle. The fans are stunned into silence and it’s made even worse as he announces Cena vs. Batista for Summerslam. The staredown gets almost no reaction as the fans are stunned by the announcement to end the show. If that’s the best they’ve got, this show is in BIG trouble because the silence was almost scary after that announcement.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t a very good show in the first place and then it was made even worse by that terrible reveal at the end. I’m not sure how the best choice is the third show’s dorky/dumb announcer, but I don’t see this ending well. Maybe they have something better planned, but possibly the biggest match at Summerslam getting that kind of a reaction is a very telling sign. The rest of the show was hardly much better, with a bunch of lame stuff and nothing worth seeing. Pretty weak show here, and it isn’t giving me much hope going forward either.

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