Smackdown
Date: August 20, 2021
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for Summerslam and for once, the show is actually tomorrow night. I wouldn’t expect much in the way of wrestling tonight, but the talking should be more than enough to make something interesting. John Cena and Roman Reigns are here and that should be about all you need. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Edge to get things going. After a video on Edge vs. Seth Rollins, Edge is sitting in a chair to talk about how Rolling teased stomping him back in 2014. Edge knows that the stomp could end his career and his way of life. It’s true that Rollins is an all time talent, but Rollins has driven him to a place where his blood runs black. Edge can see clearly on this day, and he knows that he has to break and humble Rollins. At Summerslam, Edge is going to burn him down. This is where Edge shines and I bought what he was saying.

Dominik Mysterio is all fired up but Rey Mysterio wants him to calm down and stay focused. That’s cool with Dominik.

Jey Uso vs. Rey Mysterio

Jimmy Uso and Dominik Mysterio are at ringside. Feeling out process to start until Rey gets him into the corner for some right hands to the face. Jey comes back with an uppercut to drop Rey and the chinlock goes on. Rey fights up and hammers away with a long string of right hands to put Jey on the floor. The dive takes both Usos out and we take a break.

Back with Jey hitting a Samoan drop for two as the pace slows down. Rey manages a quick hurricanrana for two and the springboard crossbody connects for the same. Jey drives him hard into the corner though and a pop up neckbreaker gets two more. Back up and Jey tries a powerslam but gets reversed into a tornado DDT. Rey tries a sunset flip but Jey grabs the rope, meaning Dominik tries to cheat like last week. This time he’s caught for an ejection so Jey gets in a cheap shot. The Superfly Splash finishes Rey at 11:27.

Rating: C. The “a member of one team fights a member of the other team, swap and repeat next week” is one of my least favorite booking tropes as it has been done to death. The fact that there are no other teams for these four to face to set up Summerslam is rather telling, but it would be nice to have anything else. It was a good enough match, but come up with something fresh.

We look back at Baron Corbin stealing Big E.’s Money in the Bank briefcase last week.

Kevin Owens vs. Baron Corbin

Corbin still has the briefcase. It’s a brawl to start with Owens punching him down and hitting the quick backsplash. That’s too much being down for Corbin, who pops up with a right hand and the slide under the ropes clothesline. Owens is right back by superkicking him to the floor for the Swanton off the apron but Corbin snaps his throat across the top. The chokeslam and Stunner are both countered and here is Big E. go to after the contract. First he goes after Corbin though and that’s a DQ at 4:09.

Rating: C. The Big E. interference makes sense here as it would be the logical thing for him to do. Corbin is still doing everything well and I’m curious to see where he goes from here. Owens is kind of floating around though, which has been the case for him since the feud with Sami Zayn ended. This was little more than a way to advance Corbin stealing the case though and it worked as such.

Post match, Corbin gets away with the briefcase again.

Bianca Belair looks at a clip of last week’s beatdown and is ready to beat up Carmella and Zelina Vega tonight. Sasha Banks is next.

Nox/Shotzi vs. Natalya/Tamina

It’s another Champion’s Contenders match because beating the champs twice in a row doesn’t mean a thing without it being a designated match. Tamina knocks Shotzi into the corner to start and it’s off to Natalya to hammer away. A hair takedown into a suplex gives Natalya two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and everything breaks down with Nox diving onto Tamina. Natalya tries the Sharpshooter but Shotzi reverses into a small package for the pin at 2:59. To recap: we are probably looking at a fourth match between these teams. How much more proof do you need that this company is creatively bankrupt?

Here is Seth Rollins, in a white suit and tie, to respond to Edge. Rollins mocks what Edge said earlier and wants Edge to listen to him: there is no shame in being a family man and there is no shame in not being able to find the darkness that once guided you. Without that darkness, Edge cannot get on Rollins’ level. The lights go out…..and the BROOD theme song starts playing (though it never goes beyond the intro and into the good stuff). Edge pops up on screen to say Rollins will never see it coming, followed by black goo falling from the ceiling to cover Rollins’ suit. The lack of most of the Brood music holds it back.

Summerslam rundown.

Otis vs. Montez Ford

Remember when we did this two matches again??? Ford is in new gear here and looks more like a boxer. A shot to the face gets on Otis’ nerves so he knocks Ford HARD to the floor to take over. Back in and Ford gets in another quick right hand and a high crossbody gets two. Otis blasts him with another clothesline and the Vader Bomb finishes Ford at 2:47.

Apollo Crews/Commander Azeez vs. Rick Boogs/King Nakamura

This is Boogs’ in-ring debut. Boogs takes Crews down to start and uses his leg as a guitar. Back up and Boogs gets sent shoulder first into the post to give Crews two. It’s off to Azeez (who jumps over the top) and Nakamura, who kicks him in the face. A side slam drops Nakamura though and it’s back to Crews. That’s a kick to Crews’ head and it’s Boogs coming back in for pumphandle slam and the pin at 3:42.

Rating: C-. This was certainly a thing that happened and Azeez would make for an interesting first challenger for Nakamura. I’d say it’s pretty clear that the Crews deal is done for the moment as he’s losing to Nakamura’s guitar guy, so at least we’re on to something fresh. The monster getting the upper hand is nothing new so let’s see what he can do here.

Bianca Belair vs. Zelina Vega

Non-title and Carmella is at ringside. Belair runs through her to start but a quick backslide gives Vega two. You don’t do that as Belair muscles her up and then drops her, setting up the KOD for the pin at 1:26.

Post match Carmella superkicks Belair, setting up their scheduled match.

Bianca Belair vs. Carmella

Non-title. Carmella goes after the downed Belair and talks a lot of trash. The abdominal stretch goes on….until Belair powers her way out and muscles her up into the delayed vertical suplex (geez) for two. The standing moonsault gets two more and it’s a spinebuster into the KOD to finish Carmella at 3:55.

Rating: D+. This was Belair being in a bit of trouble, shrugging it off and running through Carmella like she wasn’t even there. That’s why you have lackeys and the match went fine with both of them offering Belair next to no challenge. I’m not sure where Banks was, but hopefully she is cleared after missing last weekend’s shows.

Here are John Cena and Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman, for the big ending. The place goes coconuts for Cena and Reigns says he knows the fans care. Reigns: “Go ahead, pop.” Reigns can’t believe that Cena believes he can beat him 1-2-3. Heyman says that no one has ever beaten this version of Reigns and Reigns says Cena isn’t doing it either. Cena isn’t letting it go this way and grabs the mic, saying that a month ago, everyone said Cena is going to make a movie after Reigns beats him.

The movie is real but Cena losing isn’t. It’s the Summer of Cena and he is here to demote Reigns. Everyone wants Cena to acknowledge him but it’s been the same for twenty years: Never Give Up. All it takes is Reigns to make a mistake and it’s 1-2-3. If Reigns isn’t perfect it’s 1-2-3 and that means #17 for Cena. Tomorrow the impossible becomes possible thanks to Roman Reigns and all it takes is 1-2-3.

Reigns thinks Cena doesn’t get it because he should have smartened himself up. When people get in the ring with Reigns, he smashes them so hard that they can’t do it again. Reigns can go to Hollywood and do the whole nine out there. It’s getting a bit too emotional for Reigns though and says we should raise the stakes: either Reigns leaves the stadium as Universal Champion or he’s leaving WWE. The handshake….allows Reigns to lift him up for an AA but Cena reverses into a rollup for the 1-2-3 to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a letdown, but it was an understandable letdown. You’re only going to be able to do so much with the bigger names with 24 hours to go before one of the biggest shows of the year. That left us with a bunch of quick matches to serve as commercials for tomorrow, plus low level tag stuff. Not terrible, but it was a pretty skippable two hours.

Results
Jey Uso b. Rey Mysterio – Superfly Splash
Baron Corbin b. Kevin Owens via DQ when Big E. interfered
Nox/Shotzi b. Natalya/Tamina – Small package to Natalya
Otis b. Montez Ford – Vader Bomb
Rick Boogs/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Apollo Crews/Commander Azeez – Pumphandle slam to Crews
Bianca Belair b. Zelina Vega – KOD
Bianca Belair b. Carmella – KOD

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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Smackdown
Date: June 11, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We are on the way to Hell in a Cell and odds are we have the main event set on the blue side. It looks like we are going to be seeing Rey Mysterio get the Universal Title shot against Roman Reigns, assuming they don’t go nuts and give it to Dominik. Normally I would say there is no way, but have you been watching WWE lately? Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Usos failing to win the Tag Team Titles and Roman Reigns destroying the Mysterios to let off some steam.

Reigns is in the back with Jey Uso, saying the Usos owe him an apology. Reigns knows Jey is with him, but we have to see about Jimmy.

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

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

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

Kevin Owens/Big E. vs. Apollo Crews/Sami Zayn

Commander Azeez is here with the villains. Owens and Crews start but Owens would rather throw Zayn into the barricade. A backsplash crushes Crews but he knocks Owens down into the corner. The beating doesn’t last long and it’s off to Big E. to clean house. The Warrior Splash hits knees but Crews charges into the Rock Bottom out of the corner for two. Everything breaks down and Big E. is dropped on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Crews cutting off the tag attempt and bringing Sami back in but a high crossbody misses. That’s enough for the hot tag to Owens so house really can be cleaned. A Cannonball sets up the Swanton for two but Sami jumps over Owens to get over for the hot tag. Crews comes in but walks into the Pop Up Powerbomb from Owens.

Sami dives in with a kick to the face for the save before getting brought back in. Everything breaks down and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Owens. Big E. Cactus Clotheslines Crews to the floor (and lands on him for a scary shot), leaving Owens to Stun Zayn for the pin at 12:50.

Rating: C. Totally fine way to combine a few stories at once while keeping Crews safe. They could go in a few directions for the next title match as Crews is becoming an interesting champion. I’m curious to see where this goes and that is not something I’ve been able to say about the title for a good while now.

Post match Crews says hang on a second and blames Zayn for the loss. How about we do this again next week but with Commander Azeez instead of Zayn? That sounds cool with Owens and Big E., but Zayn gets up to complain. The conspiracy is strong, so Zayn get Nigerian Nailed down.

Chad Gable comes up to the Street Profits in the back and blames himself for Otis taking them out last week. Instead, Gable can face one of them at once, with Angelo Dawkins saying he has this. Actually hang on as Montez Ford says he’s got this instead, with Gable being cool with the move. Otis and Dawkins will both stay out of ringside.

Jey Uso comes in to see Roman Reigns, who isn’t happy with Jimmy Uso not being here. Jimmy has said if Reigns wants to see him, come to the Usos’ locker room. Reigns starts chuckling and asks if he means Reigns’ cousins’ locker room. He’ll go see Jimmy…and things get a bit more serious. Reigns walks off saying “my locker room” and chuckling some more. See? He’s happy!

Carmella vs. Liv Morgan

Rematch from last week where Liv lost after getting a pre-match promo and new catchphrase. Liv, in caution tape gear, jumps Carmella to start and stomps her down in the corner. A missed charge only hits the ropes though and Carmella takes her outside to send her into the barricade.

Hold on though as Carmella yells at the commentators to talk about how beautiful she is. After the cameraman falls down while filming the exchange, Carmella takes her back inside for an elbow to the face. That means some more posing until Liv gets in a few shots. A missed charge lets Carmella slap her in the face a few times, but a superkick is blocked. Liv is back with Oblivion for the pin at 2:59.

Post match Carmella insists on being announced as still the most beautiful woman in WWE.

It’s time for Ding Dong Hello, with Bayley welcoming her fellow Grand Slam winner, Seth Rollins. After coming through the door, Rollins has a seat and talks about how much he likes the new set (which isn’t very new). He is rather proud of how much Bayley has been doing as of late, especially when you have Bianca Belair treating her with such a lack of respect.

We see Bayley’s face taking over all of the screens last week as she laughed a lot and Seth finds it great. Bayley has a clip of her own, and we see Rollins attacking Cesaro three weeks ago. More cackling ensues but the doorbell rings. Rollins answers and it’s Cesar, who punches Rollins in the face. The brawl is on and Rollins’ suit is ripped apart. Cesaro throws him into the door to knock it over and Rollins is sent running. The guys leave so here is Bianca Belair to laugh at Bayley’s destroyed set.

We look at Roman Reigns attacking the Mysterios last week.

Rey Mysterio isn’t happy with the way Roman Reigns attacked Dominik last week. He doesn’t care show big Reigns is, because he is coming to fight for his son.

Chad Gable vs. Montez Ford

Gable wrestles him to the mat to start and works on an armbar. Back up and Ford grabs an armdrag into an armbar, followed by an armdrag into an armbar. That’s broken up and Ford’s leapfrog is countered into an ankle lock, only to have Ford lean back onto him for two. They go to the apron and crash down to the floor, sending us to a break.

Back with Gable hitting a belly to back suplex but they both try crossbodies for a double knockdown. We cut to the back where Otis jumps Angelo Dawkins and come back to the ring for Ford hitting a spinebuster. From The Heavens gets two but Otis runs in for the DQ at 9:25 (I wonder if Otis was supposed to break up the cover and was a bit late).

Rating: C. Not a bad match and it’s nice to see that Ford can hang in the ring on his own. The ending wasn’t the best but at least they seem to be setting up a pretty nice tag match. The good thing to see here is the fact that this is a simple yet perfectly effective tag team feud. They aren’t breaking any new ground, but I’ll take something done well over something new being a mess any day.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Angelo Dawkins’ attempted save failing badly.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. King Corbin

We don’t even get the Rick Boogs entrance! The bell rings and Boogs starts playing to distract Corbin, allowing Nakamura to strike away. The middle rope knee connects for two but Kinshasa is countered into Deep Six for two. Corbin strikes away and pulls Nakamura down by the head. A quick victory roll gives Nakamura the pin at 1:52 (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Post match Boogs runs after the crown but gets decked. Nakamura takes it from Corbin though and throws Corbin over the announcers’ table. McAfee inches over to Boogs, who goes inside (McAfee, seemingly thinking his mic is off: “Oh, I thought we were going to do something there.”).

Roman Reigns says he and Jey Uso can go to “their” locker room.

King Corbin storms into Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville’s office and demands his crown match. Pearce says no but Sonya says they can have a rubber match next week in a Battle For The Crown. For those keeping track, that will be the fifth match in six weeks. So far, they haven’t combined to go fifteen minutes yet.

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

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

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

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

Overall Rating: C. As usual, this was the Roman Reigns Show, as anything he did was great and everything else was pretty hit or miss. The problem here is the rematches, as we had two matches we saw last week which went about the same (save for the winners). It really does kind of feel like they’re out of ideas to promote the pay per view and are just filling time, which isn’t the best look. The show still has some matches to make for the pay per view so next week should be covered, but this wasn’t a thrilling show.

Results
Kevin Owens/Big E. b. Apollo Crews/Sami Zayn – Stunner to Zayn
Liv Morgan b. Carmella – Oblivion
Montez Ford b. Chad Gable via DQ when Otis interfered
Shinsuke Nakamura b. King Corbin – Victory roll

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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Smackdown
Date: March 5, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time for a big fight feel as Daniel Bryan vs. Jey Uso is taking place inside a cage. If Bryan wins, he gets the Universal Title shot against Roman Reigns at Fastlane, so I’m not sure how much more they can telegraph what is going on here. I’m curious to see what Bryan can get out of him though so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long video on Edge winning the Royal Rumble and picking Roman Reigns for Wrestlemania.

Michael Cole brings out Daniel Bryan for an in-ring chat. Cole recaps tonight’s main event and we see the graphic for the original Fastlane plans: Edge/Bryan vs. Reigns/Uso. Bryan knows that he is the one who will go along with everything and do whatever is asked of him, but that isn’t the case anymore. He wants to go to Wrestlemania, even though WWE wants to have Edge vs. Reigns in a battle of the eras.

Bryan throws us to a package on the Elimination Chamber and the ensuing title match against Reigns (plus Edge attacking Reigns later). Back in the arena, Bryan talks about how he has won three Elimination Chambers so you would think he would be cool with this. That’s not the case though because he felt like a failure because he did not make it to Wrestlemania.

From the floor, he looked up at the Wrestlemania sign and knew that he should be going there instead of Edge. He should be going because he loves this so much. Bryan has wrestled more matches in the last three weeks than Edge and Reigns have wrestled in the last year. Tonight he steps into a steel cage for the chance to go on to Wrestlemania because this could be his last chance. Cue Roman Reigns and company and we take a break.

Back with Reigns talking about how Bryan said he loved wrestling so much. Bryan doesn’t love this though because in reality he needs it. Love is about what you will do for others, not what you need to survive. Reigns does this because everyone needs him and that shows he loves it. The cameraman, Jey, Paul, the fans, they all need him. Tonight, after Jey beats Bryan, he’ll know it too.

Jey takes the mic from Bryan and says tonight, Reigns isn’t locked out because Jey is locked in. Jey goes for a cheap shot but gets knocked down so Bryan can stare at Reigns. Bryan was very emotional here and even stumbled over some words. Normally that sounds bad but here it made things feel more real because he was so fired up about everything.

We look back at Sami Zayn and King Corbin arguing to cost themselves a match against the Street Profits.

Street Profits vs. Sami Zayn/King Corbin

Before the match, Sami talks about how the Profits won a fluke match last week but here’s Corbin to say this isn’t a team. If one of the Profits want a singles match, come get one. The Profits like that but Sami says not so fast because he didn’t agree to a single match. Too bad apparently.

King Corbin vs. Montez Ford

Corbin powers him into the corner to start and whips Ford into another corner for the chest first crash. Ford manages to avoid a shot from Corbin and grabs a spinning DDT. A standing moonsault gets two but Sami offers a distraction, allowing Corbin to hit the End of Days for the pin at 2:40.

Post match Sami says he helped Corbin so Corbin can help him, only to have Dawkins knock him off the apron and into Corbin. That’s too much though and Sami is on his own.

Angelo Dawkins vs. Sami Zayn

Joined in progress with Dawkins sending him into the corner and nailing a dropkick for two. Sami gets in a shot of his own to take over though and a series of near falls has him frustrated. Dawkins is right back with a bulldog for two of his own but an exploder suplex is blocked. A neckbreaker gets two on Sami instead but he runs Dawkins over. Hold on though as Montez Ford spills his drink on the cameras to mess with Sami again. That’s enough to let Dawkins roll him up for the pin at 4:23.

Rating: D+. Just a quick match here which was designed to keep the angle going and there is nothing wrong with that. Sami and Corbin as a weird team is good enough and it keeps Corbin from being near the main event scene so I’m rather pleased. That and at least this was something fresh too, which is always welcome.

Reginald runs into Carmella, who accuses him of being a snake. She knocks the bottle out of his hand and he is officially fired. Good. Now get rid of him.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Chad Gable

Dominik starts fast with an armdrag but Gable spins out of a wristlock. A spin into a drop toehold has Dominik in more trouble and it’s time to crank on the leg. Dominik fights up but walks into a tiger suplex for two. Gable misses the moonsault though, allowing Dominik to counter a rollup into la majistral for the pin at 2:59.

Post match Rey dives onto a charging Otis and the Mysterios bail.

Seth Rollins talks about how Cesaro tried to humiliate him last week, which he won’t forget. Murphy comes up and offers his assistance with Cesaro, but Rollins says get out of his sight.

Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair

Nia Jax and Sasha Banks are here too because we’re doing the tag match again at Fastlane. Reginald follows, because that just needs to be a thing still. Belair tries a dropkick but the leg gets caught, allowing Baszler to take over on the arm. Baszler throws her down by the arm and keeps up the cranking so Belair uses the good arm to slam her way to freedom.

A suplex lets Belair nip up but Baszler counters a double chickenwing into a roll to the floor. Reginald offers a distraction though and Baszler kicks Belair in the face….before going down for some reason. Jax shoves Reginald down and clotheslines Banks as well, allowing Baszler to grab the Kirifuda Clutch. That’s reversed into the KOD though and Belair gets the pin at 4:32.

Rating: C-. Reginald needs to fall in a hole and not be found as soon as possible as this story absolutely does not need a one note character who happens to be an acrobat. It seems that Reginald and Carmella are done, so why is he involved in this whole thing? Just drop him already or let him find a story that might actually need him. Just having Belair beat Baszler to build her for the title match is fine enough. Why mess with that?

Reigns tells Jey Uso not to embarrass himself or the family. Jey says he has this.

Murphy vs. Cesaro

Cesaro throws him around to start as Seth Rollins joins commentary. Murphy gets over to the ropes and manages to pull Cesaro to the floor, setting up the big flip dive. Back in and Murphy gets two off a top rope Meteora, only to dive into an uppercut for his efforts. The running uppercuts and a running big boot rock Murphy again, setting up the Swing. Rollins says this is about him and the Sharpshooter makes Murphy tap at 3:10.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one but it worked out well enough for what they were trying to do. Cesaro is on a roll and will likely be facing Rollins at Fastlane, though I’m not sure what that is going to leave for him to do at Wrestlemania. This doesn’t exactly bode well for Murphy, but that has kind of been the case for a long time now so it isn’t that much of a surprise.

Reginald (Roman Reigns isn’t getting this much screen time) is leaving but knocks on Banks’ door. Banks: “NO!” Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax say he reeks of failure, but Jax thinks he’s kind of cute.

Big E. is back next week.

Here is Apollo Crews, carrying a spear and flanked by two guards in camouflage. He now has a rather thick accent (think Black Panther) and says this is how he talks because he is a real African American. These men are the Nigerian Elite Guard who have protected his family’s wealth for a generation.

For years he was made fun of because people thought he was from the jungle. Now Big E. is trying to do it again so he is going to listen to his ancestors telling him to take what is his. Crews wants a rematch for the Intercontinental Title and promises to conquer Big E. This was a step away from Apollo Crews and a step closer to Saba Simba.

Natalya and Tamina want to know why they aren’t in the Women’s Tag Team Title match but are told to get over it.

Daniel Bryan jumps Jey Uso in the back.

It’s time for Ding Dong Hello with Bayley reading some tweets. These are Sweet Tweets though because no one could hate her. She reads the first two about how great she is but the third gets on her nerves and makes her storm off.

Corey Graves is inside the cage to explain the rules, which isn’t something you see very often these….well probably decades actually.

Jey Uso vs. Daniel Bryan

If Bryan wins he gets to challenge Reigns (here with Paul Heyman) for the Universal Title at Fastlane. They slug it out to start until Jey sends him into the cage early on. It’s way too early to get through the door though as Bryan grabs the leg, only to get pummeled in the head for his efforts. It’s time to go up the cage but Jey crotches him down in a hurry. Bryan catches his climb as well and nails a missile dropkick, setting up a running kick to the arm. Jey’s arm is sent hard into the cage and then does it again for a bonus.

Bryan goes up but Jey knocks him into the Tree of Woe and kicks away at the leg. It’s too early for Jey to get out though as Bryan catches him as well, only to have Jey hit a super Samoan drop for the double knockdown as we take a break. Back with the two of them sitting on top of the cage until they get back in and onto the top rope.

Bryan gets knocked down and Jey hits the Superfly Splash for two but it’s too early to escape. An enziguri sends Bryan down and there’s a superkick for two more. Bryan elbows away but Jey knocks him down again, setting up a catapult into the cage. They both climb up again with Bryan getting in a shot to the arm, setting up a butterfly superplex to the mat. The YES Lock goes on and, since the rope break doesn’t count, Jey has to tap at 12:04.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up for a good while here and the arm stuff was set up at the beginning and paid off in the end. That’s how you do a match like this and it makes perfect sense for Bryan to go that way. It wasn’t exactly a surprise as Bryan winning was all but a guarantee, but they had a good match to get there so it worked out rather well.

Bryan poses on the cage as Reigns glares to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was all about setting up Fastlane and I think you know where the card is going from here. I’m still not entirely sure that the event is going to mean much in the long run but it’s nice to see WWE focusing on it for a change instead of Wrestlemania every single second. There wasn’t much in the way of top level wrestling here but it did its job, which is the more important thing from a show like this.

Results

King Corbin b. Montez Ford – End of Days

Angelo Dawkins b. Sami Zayn – Rollup

Dominik Mysterio b. Chad Gable – La majistral

Bianca Belair b. Shayna Baszler – KOD

Cesaro b. Murphy – Sharpshooter

Daniel Bryan b. Jey Uso – YES Lock

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Smackdown
Date: December 11, 2020
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time to head to the new Thunder Dome as basketball season has taken the Amway Center off the board. Instead it’s off to a baseball stadium, meaning we could be in for an interesting setup this time around. We’re also just over a week away from TLC, meaning we are going to need some additions to the card. Let’s get to it.

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

The new setup looks mostly like the Amway Center, but there are some shots where you can see how much bigger the whole thing is.

Here’s Sasha Banks for the contract signing for TLC. There’s no contract though and no Carmella, with Banks thinking this is a setup. Carmella pops up on screen to send her assistant (an unnamed man) down to the ring with the signed contract. She talks about how she isn’t getting in the ring with Banks tonight. This is the Queen’s Gambit instead of Tiger King and she’s four moves ahead of Banks. The contract arrives in the ring and the deal is signed, but Banks wants to do this tonight instead. Adam Pearce makes the match for tonight and the title is on the line. Banks beats up the assistant and turns the table onto him.

The Street Profits mock Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler, because it’s time for singles matches against the champions!

Montez Ford vs. Dolph Ziggler

Before the match, Ziggler says he’s accused of being a poor man’s Shawn Michaels, but he’s a rather rich man. The only thing less funny than his stand up comedy is the Street Profits as the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. Robert Roode promises that when the two aces get their shot, the title reign is going up in smoke. Ziggler takes him into the corner and gets an early two, followed by something like a Crossface.

Back up and Ziggler kicks the leg out to set up a neckbreaker for two more. Ziggler spends a bit too much time gyrating though and gets catapulted into the corner, setting up a dropkick. A running Blockbuster sends Ziggler outside, so the partners come in for a standoff. That lets the Profits stop for a dance…..and the cannon shoots solo cups into the ring as we take a break.

Back with Ziggler dropping the rapid fire elbows and hitting a neckbreaker for two more. We hit the sleeper with a bodyscissors for a bit but Ford fights up with some clotheslines. The jumping enziguri misses but Ford slams him down and hits a standing moonsault. Ziggler goes to the knee to try the Fameasser but has to settle for two off a sunset flip instead. The Zig Zag is blocked and now the jumping enziguri connects. Roode goes after Ford for a distraction though, and Ziggler hits a superkick for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. Ford is always fun to watch and it’s not like losing to a former World Champion is going to destroy everything he is doing. The Street Profits have held the titles for the better part of ever (being realistic that is) and if they make it past Ziggler and Roode, they’re losing them to the Usos ASAP, so this is filling time at best or the end of the line at worst. Losing a singles match doesn’t matter, as the Profits are already a made team.

Sami Zayn yells about not having a shirt when Big E., with his new shirt, comes in with his new Think Big shirt. Worry not though as Apollo Crews has a hand drawn I AM SAMI ZAYN shirt, which Sami can’t rip up. He’ll show us later! Big E.: “I’m gonna show you all the things!”

We take a break and come back with Sami in the ring ranting about not having his own shirt. He brings up Pat Patterson getting so much attention last week….and here’s Big E., with new music, to cut him off.

Sami Zayn vs. Big E.

Non-title. Sami stalls on the floor to start and is almost immediately caught in a headlock back inside. The spanking abdominal stretch is escaped and Big E. elbows him down. The apron splash connects and we take a break. Back with Sami getting one off a knee to the face and the chinlock goes on. That doesn’t last long so Sami hits a middle rope clothesline into his own gyrating, which brings Big E. back up for a belly to belly. Another one sets up a third one and now it’s the real gyrating.

The Warrior Splash sends Sami outside, followed by a hard clothesline as he comes back in. Sami kicks him away but Big E. rolls through a high crossbody. The Big Ending is broken up with a rake of the eyes but the Rock Bottom out of the corner breaks up the Helluva Kick. Sami has banged up his previously injured hand….and he uses it to slap Big E. in the face. The chase is on around the ring with Sami diving underneath the ring. Big E. gives chase but Sami comes out the other side and beats the count at 10:51.

Rating: D+. Remember when Big E. was supposed to get some big singles push? I’m sure one is coming, but man alive they aren’t getting it off to a good start. If nothing else, it doesn’t help your solo efforts when you have NEW DAY ROCKS on the back of your gear. Then again, this is far from some end to him and it certainly seemed to be setting up a rematch.

Bayley wishes Carmella good luck and rants about Sasha Banks being overpaid and overrated. The only person worse than her is Bianca Belair, who pops up behind her. Belair thinks Bayley should be worried about herself because her hair is awful and she looks dusty. Belair whips out some receipts, saying she beat Natalya and Bayley was the first one eliminated at Survivor Series. Bayley storms off, with Belair saying she can text these to her.

Carmella promises to win the title tonight and look sexy while doing so. She tells her assistant to get the champagne ready to toast her title win.

We look back at last week with Kevin Owens confronting Roman Reigns and getting in a match with Jey Uso. After the match, Roman wrecked both of them with a chair to end the show.

Jey comes up to Reigns, who asks if Jey and his family are both good. Kevin Owens comes to the ring and Jey says let me go get him. Reigns gives him permission as Owens is loading up weapons. With Jey on the way to the ring and Reigns watching, Owens sets up the table, ladder and chairs before talking about how Reigns is using his family to fight. Owens doesn’t have a family, but he has some friends to help him out.

First up you have the cold, unforgiving chairs, which will help him bruise Reigns. Maybe he can even break a few bones to make it hard for Reigns to sit at the head of the table. That brings him to his second friend, the table. See, table is hard at first but then it’s looking forward to receiving Reigns at TLC. Then there is ladder, which is unforgiving, rough around the edges and unpredictable. It’s his favorite though, because it is going to help him hurt Reigns and get back to where he belongs.

Owens climbs the ladder and says Reigns can be head of the table because Owens is going to give everything he has to become Universal Champion again. Cue Jey Uso with the chair to take Owens down and hammer away, including a shot to the knee. Owens gets back up for a Pop Up Powerbomb through a table, so here are Reigns and Heyman. Reigns is ready to go but Heyman talks him out of it, saying Reigns is the OG and the head of the table. Heyman: “Who’s zooming who here?” Reigns leaves and Owens grabs a chair and limps off after him.

Post break, Owens yells at Reigns talking about his family….and gets jumped by Reigns from behind. The beatdown is on, with Reigns shouting about who supports Owens’ family. Reigns looks at the camera and lists off his accolades, saying he is the one who puts a roof over your head and the food on the table. Owens’ kids need to talk some sense into their daddy, before he takes the food off of the table. One more kick to the head leaves Owens laying with a glossed over look on his face. This was rather good, as Owens may be ticked off, but Reigns is a complete monster.

Riott Squad vs. Billie Kay/Natalya

Natalya is a mystery partner because WWE doesn’t know how to do mystery partners now either. Riott hits Kay in the leg to start and Morgan comes in for a running elbow in the corner. As we get an announcement that next week’s show will be on Fox Sports 1, Kay uses a Natalya distraction to hit Shades Of Kay, setting up the tag. Natalya takes her into the corner for the tag back to Kay, who tags Natalya right back in. Hold on though as Kay and Natalya argue with each other, allowing Morgan to kick Kay into Natalya. That’s enough for the Codebreaker into the Riott Kick to finish Kay at 2:45.

Post match Natalya leaves Kay on the floor.

Earlier this week, Chad Gable taught Otis to work on his blind side. This involves putting a blindfold on Otis and throwing things at him/hitting him in the back with things. Several hours later, Otis catches the ball without seeing it. He misses the high five, but it’s better than nothing. Gable: “Oh yeah. He’s an alpha.”

Gable talks about molding this lump of clay into Michelangelo’s David. Otis: “Mr. Angelo. He’s a good guy.” Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, their opponents for tonight, come up to mock the idea of Otis and Gable beating them.

Chad Gable/Otis vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro

Otis and Cesaro start things off with Otis hitting an early slam, much to Cesaro’s shock. It’s off to Gable, who waistlocks Cesaro down for two as the surprise dominance continues. Cesaro manages an uppercut to Gable though and it’s Nakamura coming in with the kicks. A Liger Kick gets Gable out of trouble and the double tag brings in Otis and Cesaro. House is cleaned again, with Otis nailing a discus clothesline. Gable wants the tag instead of letting Otis hit the Caterpillar, allowing Cesaro to Swing Gable down. Kinshasa is good for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C-. I’m curious to see where this goes, as it would be a little much to believe that Otis and Gable are going to beat former champions on their first shot. The match itself wasn’t great, but I can’t get over how much better it is to have Gable doing ANYTHING other than being a short joke. Now just get everything else working a little better.

Post break, Gable says Otis failed because he is using the alpha mentality. In other words, he is showing Otis what to do by showing him what NOT to do. Otis looks confused.

King Corbin congratulates Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler for their good work last week. The interviewer comes up and, after being scanned with a metal detector, asks about Corbin’s new help. Corbin dubs them the Knights Of The Lone Wolf and says they’re here to help him as needed. Makes as much sense as anything else and I’m glad to see them getting another chance.

Next week: Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode get their Tag Team Title shot, plus Bayley vs. Bianca Belair.

Women’s Title: Carmella vs. Sasha Banks

Carmella is challenging and the assistant, with champagne, is here at ringside. Sasha drives her into the corner to start but Carmella shouts a lot and ties her into the ropes. A slap to the face annoys Sasha but a flying headscissors sends her into the ropes. Carmella can’t get the Code of Silence but Banks can’t get the Bank Statement either. Sasha sends her to the apron for a knee to the face, followed by the slingshot Meteora to send her into the post.

That earns Sasha an X Factor onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Carmella sending her face first into the post and hammering away on the mat. Carmella slaps on the chinlock but Banks is out in a hurry. That means another Meteora, followed by another slingshot Meteora for two more.

Carmella grabs a figure four necklock over the ropes but can’t get the X Factor. Instead the Code of Silence goes on, only to have Banks reverse into the Bank Statement. The assistant throws in a champagne bottle though, which is enough of a distraction to allow him to break the hold. Banks explodes on Carmella in the corner and it’s a DQ at 9:56.

Rating: C. I wasn’t wild on the ending, but it was designed to set up a rematch at TLC so fair enough. Carmella was looking better than usual here, though she still has a lot of work to do to get to a higher level. Banks fighting against the odds and then slipping up at the end was fine, though Carmella really doesn’t feel like much of a threat.

Post match Carmella beats up Sasha on the floor, including breaking a champagne bottle over her back. Cole: “ARE YOU CRAZY???” Carmella sprays the champagne around to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show was all about setting things up for the future, but the biggest problem was that it isn’t exactly thrilling stuff to be setting up. You can see a handful of matches being built up for TLC and that should work out fine, but at the end of the day, the star power around here isn’t the strongest outside of the main event. Not the worst show and the two hours go by fast, but nothing worth watching this week.

The new venue worked out well, as you can’t tell they left the Amway Center most of the time. The only notable issue was a buzzing on the audio, throughout the show, but only for a few seconds at a time. If they can get that worked out, it’s going to be just like being in Orlando, which worked fine.

Results

Dolph Ziggler b. Montez Ford – Superkick

Sami Zayn b. Big E. via countout

Riott Squad b. Billie Kay/Natalya – Riott Kick to Kay

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Otis/Chad Gable – Kinshasa to Otis

Carmella b. Sasha Banks via DQ when Banks attacked in the corner

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 24, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

It’s a triple threat tonight, but mainly because of WWE’s weird scheduling. Tonight is the Raw debut of the Thunderdome, the fallout show from Summerslam and the go home show for Payback. Since we have less than six days to get ready for the pay per view, expect a lot of matches to be announced in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here’s what’s coming on the show.

Commentary talks about Roman Reigns’ return. At Payback, it’s Reigns vs. Strowman vs. the Fiend in a No Holds Barred triple threat match for the title.

Here’s WWE Champion Drew McIntyre for a chat (including a bunch of pyro in the stands, seemingly lighting a lot of people on fire). After a long video on his successful title defense over Randy Orton last night, Drew asks for a thumbs up from all of the fans in the Thunderdome. McIntyre thinks that’s cool and says retaining the title was cool too. He knows what it’s like to have to climb up to the top of the mountain and become WWE Champion.

Orton has been one of the best for a long time now but last night, Drew was that much better. Drew remembers Orton winning a match called the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever but then Drew beat him, so what does that mean? Anyway, Drew can’t wait for his next challenger and if that’s Orton, so be it, because he’d love to take Orton to Claymore Country. Drew goes to leave but Orton jumps him from behind and they fight into the gorilla position. Orton rakes the eyes and send him into a wall, followed by the Punt. Referees and agents come in but Orton manages another Punt to leave McIntyre cold.

Post break McIntyre is being helped up but shoves everyone away, insisting that he is fine.

Video on Keith Lee.

Nia Jax doesn’t like a question about how she’s still here but it was easy to get around her suspension. All she had to do was get Pat Buck alone and….apologize of course. Get your mind out of the gutter. Shayna Baszler pops up to say it’s a matter of time before Nia gets suspended again. She makes a Haystacks Calhoun reference (Shayna: “Oh sorry. At least he was good looking.”) so Nia says Shayna looks like something out of the Addams Family. So we have a guy who passed away 31 years ago and a television series that has been off the air for about 55 years. And they wonder why they can’t get younger fans to watch.

Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler

Sasha Banks is with Bayley and here’s Nia Jax to watch, with a break coming before the bell. Shayna knocks her into the corner to start and Bayley is taken to the mat for some arm cranking. Bayley fights up and is quickly forearmed down, setting up a running knee in the corner. A triangle choke goes on so Sasha teases coming in to get Bayley out of trouble. Bayley finally sends Baszler outside and Nia jumps Baszler for the DQ at 5:31.

Rating: C-. This didn’t get to go anywhere but hey, at least we’re getting more from Nia Jax, because it has been a good while since she got to do her….whatever it is that she does. Something about being the Rock’s cousin or something I’m sure, because that’s enough of an excuse to have her come out there and do the same thing over and over and over and over.

Post match the beating is on with Banks and Bayley’s encouragement….until Baszler and Jax stop to glare at them. So there’s Payback, because we’re so lucky that way.

Kevin Owens goes to see Aleister Black before the Kevin Owens Show later. Owens opens the dressing room door and talks to Black, who doesn’t actually say anything or appear, though his hand does pull the door closed after Owens leaves.

Here’s Owens for the Kevin Owens Show and he finds the fans wonderful. He wastes no time in bringing out Aleister Black, who has a wrap around his right eye thanks to Buddy Murphy attacking him last month. Black looks at the steps but hesitates and comes in underneath the middle of the ropes instead. Owens isn’t sure what to talk about so Black says let’s just show the clip of him getting his eye taken out.

Back with Owens talking about how Seth can get under your skin….and Black starts grabbing his eye and falling to a knee. Owens wants medics out here but Black pops up with Black Mass to take him down and leave. The heel turn is a fine idea as brooding Black with the deadly finisher could go a long way.

Bayley and Banks are ready to retain Banks’ title and then deal with Jax and Baszler.

24/7 Title: R-Truth vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Shelton Benjamin

Shelton is defending and Truth is the only one to get an entrance. Everyone goes for rollups to start until Alexander unloads on Benjamin. The anklescissors sends Benjamin into the corner but Alexander’s springboard is broken up with a knee to the face. Truth’s ax kick misses Shelton but he has to powerbomb Tozawa onto the Ninjas. Tozawa throws Truth outside as well though and rolls Truth up for the pin and the title at 1:37.

Post match Benjamin beats up the Ninjas while Tozawa runs away.

Randy Orton cares about what McIntyre said about him.

We look back at Orton attacking McIntyre.

Here’s Orton for a chat. Orton talks about doing whatever he wants to whomever he wants but that wasn’t the case last night. He promised everyone that he was going to RKO McIntyre and then kick him in the skull to take the title…but he didn’t. Orton is a lot of things and he has proven that he will always be the Legend Killer. He has killed a lot of legends recently and that’s what he was doing earlier when he kicked McIntyre twice in a row. Earlier tonight, Drew came out here and offered him a rematch out of pity. Does McIntyre know who he is?

He is Randy Orton….and here’s Keith Lee. Orton isn’t sure what to think of this so Lee says Orton looks perplexed. Lee: “Greetings and salutations Mr. Orton.” Lee thought Orton might want to take this chance to bask in his glory. Orton has been called a lot of things over the years, as has Lee, but the only thing that is true is that Lee is limitless. The challenge is issued for right now and Orton says….maybe later. I can go for more of Lee and I’ll take this over squashing some jobber.

Charly Caruso talks about what we just saw and Drew McIntyre but overhears Zelina Vega, Angel Garza and Demi (Did WWE ever bother to say why she’s here every week? I get that she’s part of the story now but why was she even here in the first place?). Charly asks if Vega is ready to admit that she poisoned Montez Ford but Vega yells about how the footage proves nothing. She leaves and Angel invites Demi to the ring with her for his match. Charly is invited too but seems disgusted.

Montez Ford vs. Angel Garza

Andrade, Demi and Dawkins are all here. Before the match, the Street Profits say they want the smoke. Dawkins tries to take his pants off ala Garza but Ford puts a stop to that. Red cups drop from the ceiling during the Profits’ entrance for a nice touch. Ford takes him into the corner to start and does the Ultimate Warrior rope shake.

Something off the top is dropkicked out of the air and Angel TAKES OFF HIS PANTS. Ford can’t hit a neckbreaker or an enziguri but here’s Ivar to offer Demi….a turkey leg. They leave together and Angel is so furious that Ford kicks him in the head. Angel catches him on top but gets knocked down, setting up the twisting frog splash for the pin at 4:09.

Rating: D+. This was more about Ivar, a woman from the Bachelor and a turkey leg, because that’s what the Tag Team Titles are now about. We’ve seen the same stuff for weeks now, but at the same time, I’m not sure what else they can actually do with the titles at the moment. Are there even four teams on the show?

It’s time for Nia Jax segment 3 as she comes up to Shayna and says they can win the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Shayna says if she helps with that, Nia gets off her back. Nia says Shayna can follow her lead and gives her a mock punch to the jaw. Shayna slaps her and walks away.

As they leave, Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan come in with Bianca Belair come in to mock the IIconics.

Bianca Belair/Riott Squad vs. IIconics/Zelina Vega

Kay sends Liv into the corner to start but Liv escapes for the tag off to Ruby. Peyton grabs a waistlock on Ruby and feeds her into Shades of Kay for two. Vega comes in for a kick to the head in the corner and a dragon sleeper (with the behind her back grip ala Aleister Black) goes on. That’s released so Vega can laugh at Belair, allowing Riott to get over for the tag to Belair. That means the beatdown is on in a hurry with Belair hitting a release Glam Slam to Vega with the IIconics making the save. The Squad takes care of the IIconics and the KOD finishes Vega at 3:27.

Rating: D+. Just a quick six man here as we continue to wait on Belair to destroy Vega (again). In theory the feud should be over but a rematch for the Tag Team Titles at Payback wouldn’t surprise me. I do like the Riott Squad winning again, but it would be nice if these people had something to go after instead of being stuck in the second tier of the division.

Cedric Alexander beats Ricochet at arm wrestling with Mark Henry (here to officiate another arm wrestling contest) coming in to offer a shot at the winner. That’s not going to happen so Henry has the table moved to the ring. MVP comes in and asks why Cedric is wasting his time with someone like Ricochet. Cedric doesn’t seem impressed but MVP says he’s off to deal with some US Title work for the Hurt Business. He’ll see Cedric later.

Here’s Mark Henry to say we’re coming up on Payback, where these two will be facing off for the US Title. This brings out Bobby Lashley (on his own) and Apollo Crews for some arm wrestling. Lashley wants to get this over with so he can beat Apollo up tonight and then do it again on Sunday for the US Title. Crews doesn’t think so and is ready to go. Lashley takes his time starting…and loses in a very quick match as Crews steps on his foot. Post match Crews loads up the Toss Powerbomb but settles for a pump kick to put Lashley on the floor. The rest of the Hurt Business comes out so Crews dives on them and runs away.

We look at Seth Rollins beating Dominik Mysterio last night and still trying for the big emotional moment.

The Mysterios are ready for their tag match tonight and Rey is proud of Dominik no matter what. Dominik says his family gives him the strength, and Rey is looking forward to Rollins having his own family to see what he has done to them. Rey keeps talking about how proud he is to share the ring with his son and they’re ready for Rollins. If they’re going this way, they’re doing a great job of setting up a possible Dominik heel turn.

Here are Natalya and Liv Morgan to induct a special woman into the Hall of Fame. Natalya knows she is going to get her own induction one day because she is the hashtag boat tonight tonight they are here to honor Mickie James. We get a video package on James, as made by Natalya, showing…..nothing because she has no career highlights. Cue Mickie to shove Natalya down and kick Lana in the head.

Lashley, with the Hurt Business, wants to fight in Raw Underground tonight so Shane McMahon tells him to come right on in.

Off to Raw Underground where Lashley chokes someone out and throws him off the platform. Dolph Ziggler gets up to try his hand with Lashley and takes him down but Lashley kicks him in the back. Ziggler manages a kick to the head and the sleeper, with Lashley not being able to roll out. He can however flip Ziggler over and Pounce him off the stage and into a post. MVP and Shelton Benjamin throw in another nameless guy who is knocked out with a single kick to the arm.

Two things. First of all, they’ve done a good job of keeping these things quick. They aren’t taking five to ten minutes straight every week and that has helped a lot. I know they’re not for everyone, but they’re in and out in a hurry, which is the best move. Second: did the Hurt Business drive over to the Performance Center or has the whole thing moved to the Amway Center and just happens to look completely identical when there isn’t much of a set?

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee

Lee shoves him away to start and gets in a leapfrog, followed by a big shove out to the floor. Back in and Orton’s right hand is caught, allowing Lee to hit a standing overhead belly to belly. Orton bails to the floor again and this time Lee follows for a…failed posting attempt as Orton sends him shoulder first in instead. Orton stomps away back inside and covers, with Lee firing him off with the kickout.

The chinlock into a sleeper goes on but Lee drives him into the corner for the quick break. Lee hits the running corner splash and a crossbody takes Orton down again. Orton gets knocked outside again but Lee throws him back inside this time, only to get kicked in the face to set up the hanging DDT. Orton loads up the RKO but here’s McIntyre for the DQ at 4:47.

Rating: C. I’m not sure on this one as Lee got in a good about of impressive stuff and wasn’t beaten when McIntyre interfered, but the match ended with Lee down and Orton loading up his finisher. Lee didn’t need to pin Orton here, but it could have had a little better ending. Like Orton walking out for a countout or something, as the McIntyre match is all but already set.

We look at the Fiend winning the Universal Title and Roman Reigns returning.

Drew McIntyre is mad at Randy Orton and promises vengeance. Cue Orton to jump him from behind and hit a THIRD Punt.

Post break, Drew might have a skull fracture. Just wrap a bandage around his head and he’ll be fine.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Asuka is defending in a lumberjack match. Banks is sent outside in a hurry and a hip attack knocks her off the apron again. Baszler stares Bayley down for daring to help Banks up and we take a break. Back with Banks kicking Asuka down but getting reversed into the ankle lock. Asuka is kicked out to the floor though and Banks dives at her, only to hit the Riott Squad by mistake.

That lets Asuka get up and hit a sliding shot off the apron to take Banks down again. Asuka goes after Bayley, who throws lumberjacks at her to avoid a bad case of death. Banks gets in a cheap shot from behind and nails the frog splash for two back inside. Bayley tries to throw in a chair but Baszler makes the save, leaving Banks to get Asuka Locked for the tap at 7:41.

Rating: C+. There was too much going on here and it was a far cry from what they did last night. The bigger problem though is having the same people face each other so often. They have a lot of talented people in the division but it is rare to see someone new getting into the title picture. Banks, Bayley and Asuka (and Becky Lynch and Charlotte) have been the divisions for a long time now and they need to do something different. Look around the ring and pick someone. Who isn’t Nia Jax.

McIntyre is taken away in the ambulance and Keith Lee pops up. While he would like to tell Drew to stay out of his match, he knows that McIntyre is tough enough to be fine. Lee can’t say the same thing about Randy Orton.

Back to Raw Underground where Lashley beats up Cedric Alexander. Has he just been destroying people for the last half hour or so? Kind of a cool thought actually. Ivar jumps Lashley, drawing in the rest of the Hurt Business and Erik for the big brawl. The Viking Raiders are destroyed and that seemed to be a regular match. Shane McMahon says we’ll see you next week.

Also for Payback: Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton.

Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Buddy Murphy

The Mysterios jump them on the floor before the bell and the fight is on in a hurry. Dominik and Murphy start things off with Dominik dropkicking him to the floor and knocking Rollins into the announcers’ table. A backdrop puts Murphy on the floor again and Rey hits a….something that the camera misses to send Rollins into the barricade. Rollins is left alone in the ring and it’s a dropkick into a failed 619 attempt from Rey. Dominik dives onto both of them and we take a break.

Back with Rollins mocking Rey for not being able to make the tag but Rey scores with the sitout bulldog. Murphy cuts off the tag to Dominik but Rey scores with an enziguri, allowing the hot tag. A springboard crossbody gets two on Murphy and Dominik sends him into the corner. The tornado DDT gives Dominik two but he has to slip out of the buckle bomb. Rey comes in off the hot tag and it’s a double 619 to Murphy. Dominik goes up….and it’s Retribution to destroy the Mysterios for the DQ at 10:00.

Rating: C. While I didn’t need to see any combination of these four again, above all else they kept it WAY shorter than last night and that’s a big improvement. Dominik has the skills to hang in there in short bursts but there is only so much that you can do in a match that goes on that long. Retribution showing up suggests that things may be finally moving on, but dang it took some time to get us here.

Post match the beatdown is on with Rollins and Murphy watching from the stage as Retribution (six of them this time) leave the Mysterios laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I liked this one more than I expected to as they weren’t wasting time (mostly) this week. They were zipping through the show and set up as much of Payback as they could in one night. Lee vs. Orton is interesting, but I’m not sure I like the potential result. The match was set up well though and hopefully it works in execution. What mattered here was Payback though and they got things ready fast, as they should have.

Results

Shayna Baszler b. Bayley via DQ when Nia Jax interfered

Akira Tozawa b. Shelton Benjamin, R-Truth and Cedric Alexander – Rollup to R-Truth

Montez Ford b. Angel Garza – Frog splash

Bianca Belair/Riott Squad b. Zelina Vega/IIconics – KOD to Vega

Randy Orton b. Keith Lee via DQ when Drew McIntyre interfered

Asuka b. Sasha Banks – Asuka Lock

Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio b. Seth Rollins/Buddy Murphy via DQ when Retribution interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 17, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

It’s the last night in the Performance Center and that means we are also less than a week away from Summerslam. This week’s show gets to deal with the big fallout from the Punt last week as Randy Orton kicked Ric Flair in the head. Since it’s a Flair story, we need the combined forces of Shawn Michaels and likely HHH down the line to tell us how great Flair is all over again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for an opening chat. After a long video on what happened to Flair last week, McIntyre talks about how Flair is a 71 year old legend with a tear in his eye and Orton kicked him in the head. McIntyre is ready to do whatever he has to do at Summerslam..and the video goes nuts as Retribution has struck again. We cut to the truck where they are wrecking everything in sight and we jump to a commercial with McIntyre still talking.

Post break, the locker room wants to know what’s going on. Drew McIntyre comes in and says he doesn’t like being disrespected like this and wants them to ban together to stomp them out. Seth Rollins and Murphy come in to talk about being the Messiah, meaning that the roster already has a leader. Rollins should be getting a title shot but Ricochet brings up Rey Mysterio returning tonight. No Rollins isn’t scared and asks for a match with McIntyre instead. They have to be separated and a match seems likely.

Here’s the Hurt Business, with the cameras staying on a wide shot for a good while and the graphics taking their time to start up. Still on the wide shot, MVP rants about Retribution and calls them out. He has been following the money, which takes you to catering, where you find Apollo Crews and his merry band of pranksters. Retribution showed up around the time that MVP faced Crews for the US Title.

Cue Apollo to laugh off the allegations and accuse MVP of trying to throw out some distractions before Crews beats him at Summerslam. MVP says Crews has had more starts and stops to his career than a bad car, and it’s back to catering as soon as he loses the title. Crews says he knows that’s why MVP wanted him in the Hurt Business, so maybe they can do some business right now. He can face Shelton Benjamin right now and if he wins, Lashley and Benjamin aren’t at ringside at Summerslam. Let’s go.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Apollo Crews

Non-title. Joined in progress with Shelton stomping away and unloading on Crews in the corner. Crews gets beaten down even more and here’s R-Truth, as chased by Ninjas. The distraction lets Crews get in a rollup for the pin at 2:03. They really needed to pin Shelton for that?

Post match the Hurt Business keeps up the beating but Cedric Alexander, Ricochet and Mustafa Ali make the save. Lashley gets the Full Lashley on Cedric but the numbers game gets the better of Lashley and sends him outside. R-Truth comes running back and gets kicked in the face by Shelton, who wins the 24/7 Title. MVP says this isn’t happening so let’s do a six man elimination later. Just give the title back to Truth already.

Angel Garza hits on Demi from the Bachelor again when Ivar comes in to hit on her instead. Demi is invited to join the hunt tonight and Ivar accuses Garza of poisoning Montez Ford. That’s not true, so Ivar eats a drumstick and is ready for their match tonight.

Ivar vs. Angel Garza

Ivar’s early spinning kick to the face is cut off and Garza sends him face first into the mat by the beard. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS as Angelo Dawkins is hitting on Demi in the back. Ivar hits a running crossbody to crush Garza, followed by some running clotheslines in the corner. A backsplash gives Ivar two and Garza heads outside, only to have Zelina Vega block the dive. Back in and Garza gets in a neck snap and the low dropkick finishes Ivar at 3:54.

Rating: C-. Just a match here which wasn’t all that bad but it did well enough. I’m not sure why we can’t have the #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles in a singles match before their Summerslam title shot but I’m guessing Erik’s Raw Underground match is a little more important. Not a bad match, but they haven’t done the best job of hyping this up.

Post match Dawkins pops up and suggests they ask Charly Caruso a little more about Garza. That’s shouted down so Dawkins says he has a tape. Garza goes running off, with Vega asking Samoa Joe what is going on. Naturally Joe knows, and talks about all of the extra security around here to deal with Retribution. The tape is going to show how far someone is willing to go around here. Vega leaves and isn’t happy.

We look at what Seth Rollins and Murphy did to Dominik Mysterio last week.

Vega and company try to get the tape away from Dawkins so Charly Caruso comes up to ask what’s going on. Dawkins plays the video (which is loaded into the tape machines despite him taunting Vega and company with his phone), which shows Vega poisoning Montez Ford’s red cup. Vega says it’s doctored and accuses Charly of being behind this because Garza upgraded to Demi (Garza gives a “well yeah” look). Dawkins is ready to fight on Sunday and is holding himself back but Ford runs in for the brawl. That was a rather badly put together…well everything actually.

Natalya vs. Mickie James

Lana is here with Natalya. This is Mickie’s first match in over a year and it was hyped up on WWE’s preview, so naturally she doesn’t get an entrance. Natalya takes her into the corner so Lana can film things before Mickie fights back and grabs a headlock. Mickie goes over to shout at Lana but the MickDT is countered.

A double clothesline gives is a double knockdown and here are Rollins and Murphy to yell at Joe. Rollins wants to know why Joe thinks Mysterio is going to be here as Mickie snaps off a hurricanrana out of the corner. A neckbreaker puts Natalya down again but Natalya knocks her off the top. The camera mainly stays on the argument as Mickie is counted out at 3:13.

Rating: D. This had me thinking of the opening scene to Guardians of the Galaxy 2 where the focus is on Groot while the battle is going on in the back. Picture that, but not entertaining or funny in any way. That being said, there is something funny about Natalya and Lana literally being downgraded to background noise during something else.

Post match Rollins threatens Joe and says he’ll take care of the Mysterios.

Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Asuka/Shayna Baszler

Non-title. Before the match, Sasha and Bayley friendly bicker about who faces Asuka first at Summerslam. Either way, they’ll laugh all the way to Payback and their Tag Team Title defense. Cue Shayna to say she has the next shot at the Raw Women’s Title but here’s Asuka to say they have to fight together before Shayna can fight her. Asuka and Shayna charge the ring to start things off and it’s a Codebreaker to put Sasha down.

As Asuka goes after Sasha, it’s Nia Jax knocking the Plexiglas down to take Shayna out. Pat Buck and some referees come out to take care of her but Shayna starts the brawl into the stands. Asuka hits the hip attack on Sasha and we take a break. Back with Bayley working on Asuka’s back and handing it off to Sasha for two off the Meteora. Bayley comes back in to clothesline Asuka down for two more but the big elbow hits raised boots. Asuka fights back but gets caught in the Bank Statement.

Cue Shayna for the save and Asuka brings her in off the hot tag. Shayna’s stomp to the arm is countered with a rollup for two but Bayley has to break up the Kirifuda Clutch. Banks has to save Bayley from the same and the Bayley to Belly gets two more. Asuka pulls Banks to the floor for the Asuka Lock and Baszler Clutches Bayley for the tap (two in two weeks for Bayley) at 11:58.

Rating: C-. Let’s see: champ loses via tap out for the second week in a row, they set up the Payback Tag Team Title match, Nia is back (making me sigh heavily), Shayna now looks like she should be challenging Bayley on the other show and Asuka only looks like a threat to one champion. Did I miss anything here or did they pack in another five stories into one match while I turned my head for a second? And can we get a match without some kind of shenanigans?

Video on Dominik being attacked last week.

Apollo Crews and company are ready and walk off. Randy Orton comes in and seems to be pondering things.

Shawn Michaels comes up to see Drew McIntyre and they talk about all of the bad things Randy Orton has done. Shawn talks about how Drew drove five hours to watch film with him every day while he was healing up and knows he can deal with Orton. As for tonight though, Shawn needs to handle Orton so give him his space.

The IIconics and the Riott Squad argue about who is winning their singles matches tonight. The camera pans over to show Shayna Baszler talking to Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke in their Raw debuts.

Long video on Retribution.

Ruby Riott vs. Peyton Royce

They fight to the floor early on before Peyton blocks an O’Connor Roll back inside. A knee to the head gets two on Riott but she fights back with a running elbow in the corner. Peyton is sent outside for an apron crossbody but Billie Kay and Liv Morgan get in an argument. That lets Peyton shove them into each other and throw Ruby back in for the Deja Vu and the pin at 2:54. This was nothing.

Shane McMahon is ready for Raw Underground.

We join Raw Underground in progress with Erik mauling an unknown. Dolph Ziggler gives it a 4/10 so Erik calls him out for a fight. Ziggler gets on the stage and we have our first name vs. name match. Ziggler goes for a leg but Erik blasts him in the face with a left hand. A suplex drops Ziggler again but he keeps a grip on Erik. They trade hard shots with Erik getting the better of it and picking him up by the leg. Ziggler grabs a sleeper though and adds a thumb to the eye as Erik is out. After the bell, Ivar knocks Ziggler onto a bunch of people.

Here are the Mysterios with Rey talking about how hard this has been on the two of them. It was torture seeing Dominik beaten down last week but no doctor is keeping him away from Summerslam. Rey is going to be in Dominik’s corner at Summerslam, but Dominik says he knew what he was getting into. Rollins and Murphy pop up on screen and promise to destroy both Mysterios at Summerslam. The Mysterio name will be destroyed, so Rey says get out here. Cue the two of them and the Mysterios bail…and come back in with kendo sticks to clean house.

MVP sits down next to Cedric Alexander and asks why he isn’t in the six man tonight. He brings up Cedric being caught in the full nelson (because he’s already forgotten that he named it the Full Lashley an hour and a half ago) and offers Cedric a spot on the team again. MVP leaves and Cedric is frustrated.

Back on Raw Underground, Riddick Moss and Arturo Ruas beat the heck out of each other and fall off the stage. They fight with security and the match is deemed a draw.

Hurt Business vs. Ricochet/Apollo Crews/Mustafa Ali

Elimination rules. Ricochet kicks Benjamin down for two to start but it’s off to Lashley, who runs over the legal Ali. The spinning Dominator gets rid of Ali at 1:35 and it’s 3-2. A big spinebuster plants Ricochet and Paydirt gets rid of him at 2:15, leaving Crews all alone. Crews comes in and hits the Toss Powerbomb to get rid of Shelton at 2:55 to even things up a bit. Cue Cedric Alexander to roll Shelton up for the pin and the 24/7 Title as we take a break.

Back with MVP stomping away in the corner and throwing Crews outside. MVP misses a charge in the corner though and Crews hits the Toss Powerbomb to finish him off at 9:29. Lashley comes straight in to knee Crews down but Crews hits some kicks to the head. The standing moonsault gets two but Lashley spears him down for the pin at 10:50.

Rating: C-. I’m still not sure why it isn’t Crews vs. Lashley for the title at Summerslam but maybe that’s what we have for Payback. There isn’t much shame in having Crews lose a glorified gauntlet match and this goes a long way to give MVP a chance on Sunday. Not a good match or anything, but it did its job well enough.

Summerslam rundown.

24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa vs. Cedric Alexander

Cedric is defending and knocks Tozawa to the floor early on, sending him crashing into the Ninjas. Tozawa comes back in with a spinning kick to the head but has to bail out of the top rope backsplash. The Neuralizer into the Lumbar Check retains the title at 1:22.

Shelton Benjamin runs in with Paydirt to win the title back.

Back at Raw Underground, Marina Shafir destroys a woman for the win. Nia Jax runs in and takes out Shafir and Duke. Shayna pops up for the fight and Jax bails. ENOUGH WITH NIA JAX ALREADY!!!!

Montez Ford vs. Andrade

Ford starts fast and sends Andrade outside for the big flip dive. Back in and Ford gets crotched on top, allowing Andrade to hit a superplex for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit until Ford fights back and hits a standing moonsault for his own near fall. Andrade goes up and gets hurricanranaed right back down. Zelina Vega offers a distraction so Andrade can break up the frog splash. Vega dives at an invading Bianca Belair but gets slammed down, allowing Ford to grab a rollup for the pin at 3:08.

Rating: D+. Another match that was energetic while it lasted, though I’m a bit surprised that they had Ford get back in the ring before Summerslam. They did an angle with him getting poisoned and he’s just back two weeks later? I guess it wasn’t all that important, but it would have been nice to see them hold out until the pay per view to add a little something to the match.

Here’s Shawn Michaels to show us what happened to Ric Flair again. Shawn talks about how the 31 days Flair spent on his death bed were some of the hardest days of all of our lives (uh….). Without Flair, there would be no Shawn, HHH, Edge, Christian, Big Show or Drew McIntyre (UH…….). Randy Orton is on that list as well and then he had the nerve to take out Flair last week. Shawn doesn’t know how it is going to happen but it is going to happen at Summerslam. Maybe it’s from Sweet Chin Music or the Claymore, but someone is going to give Randy what he deserves. Whatever it is, Orton is going to see it coming.

Shawn goes to leave and there’s the RKO into the Punt. McIntyre runs in to run Orton off and a referee comes out to check on Shawn. Orton comes back and McIntyre beats the heck out of him, including throwing him over the announcers’ table. McIntyre checks on Shawn but Orton comes back in again for the RKO as Shawn can’t get up to end the show. This was as expected, including the over the top praise of Ric Flair, because Shawn and HHH still haven’t officially opened their eternal shrine to him.

Overall Rating: D+. There’s quite a bit to unpack here. First of all, you can’t really say the show was boring, because it didn’t stop moving all night long. Now that being said, there were a lot of highlight packages (often different versions of the same one) and a lot of them made you feel like they were just filling in time. There wasn’t much on here that you needed to see and last week’s show felt a lot more like the go home show for Summerslam. It also doesn’t help that Thunderdome is coming and that means this show was little more than a placeholder.

What we got here wasn’t exactly great though, as there was a lot of stuff that got multiple segments despite not really warranting them. That’s the kind of thing that can get annoying in a hurry as you would like to see them space this stuff out a bit more so they don’t run through all of the creative so fast. But that might mean having a plan for more than a week at a time and Vince doesn’t seem to like that these…well years really. Not the worst show, but it doesn’t matter with the next few shows coming. Oh and get rid of Nia Jax. Have badgers bury her in the desert or something. It would be more useful.

Results

Apollo Crews b. Shelton Benjamin – Rollup

Angel Garza b. Ivar – Low dropkick

Natalya b. Mickie James via countout

Asuka/Shayna Baszler b. Sasha Banks/Bayley – Kirifuda Clutch to Bayley

Peyton Royce b. Ruby Riott – Deja Vu

Hurt Business b. Mustafa Ali/Apollo Crews/Ricochet – Spear to Crews

Cedric Alexander b. Akira Tozawa – Lumbar Check

Montez Ford b. Andrade – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 3, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

Things might be on the verge of a big shakeup around here as we have two big deals going on in a single show. First up we have Shane McMahon making his return after about nine months away with some kind of a big announcement. Other than that, there is a new faction debuting, which isn’t usually the kind of thing you have announced in advance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers welcome us to the show and the lights flicker a bit.

US Title: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Crews is defending and the lights go out again during his entrance. The Hurt Business is here with MVP, who has the new title. Before the match, MVP says this should have happened at Extreme Rules but Lashley went full Lashley. After tonight, this is all done and Crews can go hang out with Ricochet and Cedric Alexander in catering. Crews grabs a headlock to no avail to start so MVP stomps him on the foot as the flickering continues.

Crews is right back with a shoulder and a snap suplex for two. We hit the armbar on MVP for a bit before Crews hammers away on the ropes. MVP is sent outside for more flickering so Crews hits a big flip dive onto the whole team. Back from a break with MVP working on a cravate before putting on something like a camel clutch in the ropes. MVP elbows away in the corner but misses a running big boot. A crossbody into a spinebuster gives Crews two, followed by the Toss Powerbomb to retain the title at 10:35.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and not exactly thrilling stuff. That being said, this has felt like a path to get to Lashley vs. Crews at Summerslam and having a part time wrestler lose isn’t going to hurt anything. Crews getting some more wins where he has to fight from behind is a good thing and hopefully we get somewhere else with him going forward.

Post match Crews has to run from the threat of a full nelson.

In the back, Crews talks about how strong Lashley is. That power kept him sitting at home and not being able to turn his head. His kids thought he was the real champion and now he can give them the old belt to hang in their room to see the first title their daddy ever won. Thanks for paying for the new belt MVP. Good emotion from Crews here.

Back in the arena, MVP rants about the lights flickering causing an unsafe working environment (the line we have to get in at least twice a year). Crews missed Extreme Rules and now he steals his title. MVP wants his rematch at Summerslam.

Sasha Banks and Bayley are very happy with having all of the gold. They don’t like being asked a bunch of questions, like if they will be defending their titles at Summerslam. They’re going to spice things up, so here’s a video tribute….to themselves, mainly focusing on Sasha beating Asuka last week. Asuka interrupts and says revenge will be very, very sweet. Bayley and Banks are not happy but here’s Shayna Baszler to interrupt. She has a bit of a problem with this and slaps Banks down.

The IIconics offer to be on the Kevin Owens Show but he already has guests. They can have a water instead.

It’s time for the Kevin Owens Show but his microphone keeps cutting out. He knows Shane McMahon is back tonight but he would rather talk to his guest: Ruby Riott. Ruby comes out and says she has dealt with “toxic sad broads” like the IIconics her whole life. Then last week she put an end to the IIconic bull****. Riott wished Liv Morgan could have been there to share it with her, so here’s Liv to join them. Liv doesn’t seem happy and asks for Ruby to say what she wants to say.

Owens remembers the two of them when they started and, after his mic cuts out again, says he remembers the two of them and Sarah starting something special. Owens traveled the world with them and doesn’t want this to be messed up. Ruby gets very emotional and talks about coming back here and thinking everything would be the same. Now Sarah is gone though and Ruby blamed Liv for everything.

That wasn’t fair and she looks at the tattoo with their debut date and all she wants is another chance. All she wants is one more chance for the Riott Squad to be stronger than ever, but here are the IIconics to interrupt. Owens: “I had nothing to do with that.” Kay isn’t sure why Ruby was so happy with one win after 400 losses in a row. Peyton, with her mic cutting in and out again, talks about how they are best friends.

Liv says that she and Ruby aren’t IIconic but they can start a riot like no one else. Owens thinks the IIconics should leave but a challenge is issued instead. The IIconics can’t decide who should do their catchphrase, so Owens asks if we can get some more technical difficulties for just the two of them. Peyton slaps him so the Squad jumps them to start the fight.

Back from a break and a delivery man tries to bring some drinks to a locker room. A rather large security guard glares him off. This seems to be associated with Shane McMahon.

Riott Squad vs. IIconics

Owens is on commentary and Kay Regal Cutters Riott for an early two. Peyton comes in for the chinlock before it’s back to Billie, who gets superkicked down. Liv comes in and hits some clotheslines into a spinning faceplant to Peyton. Kay kicks her down though and drags Peyton over for the tag. Not that it matters as Ruby grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:34.

Post match the IIconics jump Liv again but Ruby makes the save. A double STO plants Kay.

Earlier today, a loud noise was heard and some crates were knocked over backstage with some technical equipment falling out. Some people say it was deliberate but MVP comes in to complain about losing earlier. There is some good news for him though: he gets his rematch for the title at Summerslam. Shelton Benjamin comes up to say someone stole his title.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for a chat. He talks about Randy Orton has spent twenty years preying on vulnerability and then coming after McIntyre last week after an Extreme Rules match. McIntyre should have seen it coming and that’s on him. He has gotten in trouble for being lazy before and that was why Vince McMahon fired him. Orton has had everything handed to him over the years though and has gotten in so much trouble over the years that he should have been fired a long time ago.

Cue Orton with Ric Flair to say he wants to be here because he enjoys being here. He enjoys hitting RKOs and punting heads. Orton likes Drew’s spirit, which is going to make beating him at Summerslam all the sweeter. McIntyre says Orton should have been fired years ago and he’s right. Orton should have been fired multiple times but Drew was the one who was fired. That’s because Orton was more valuable to this company than Drew ever could be. He has gotten chance after chance because he is the chosen one, then now and forever.

Drew has been quoting legends, but what has he done that makes him that great. McIntyre talks about Undertaker saying he pulled Orton up to his level in the Last Ride, but when has Orton ever done that? How about ten years ago? When Drew’s career was falling down around him and he was self destructing, a kind word from someone like Orton could have changed everything.

Drew looks at Orton and sees a selfish jerk, so at Summerslam it’s time to cash in some receipts both for himself and all the legends that Orton has kicked in the head. This time though, Orton will see it coming. This was good stuff and the kind of thing that can build up a match that makes all the sense in the world on paper.

Ric Flair comes up to Kevin Owens in the back and asks the Riott Squad to leave them alone. Flair talks about the history the two of them have and how much he respects Owens. However, Flair thinks Owens might be too worried about everyone else. Owens isn’t trying to be a guidance counselor but now he is trying to be a better person. Like what Randy Orton could be if he wanted to be.

Flair thinks that’s pretty strong and says he’s giving Owens advice he needs to listen to. Mind your own business and take care of yourself and maybe you can get your own Summerslam title match. Owens says if Flair cares so much, Owens can show him how much fight he has against Orton next week. Flair seems to like the idea.

Here are Nia Jax and agent Pat Buck, who Jax attacked last week. Nia seems emotional about it but doesn’t like a scrawny runt from management who couldn’t make it in his own career stepping to her, it is her responsibility to step back. She didn’t see Buck there but offers him a match right here and right now.

Buck says no and he’s only here for an apology. Jax says he can have one after their match and this is his big chance. That’s still a no, but she was expecting more fire from a ginger like him. Jax tells him to say what he has to say so Buck suspends her without pay. That earns him a quick knockdown and a kick to the floor as Jax screams a lot.

Jax goes to leave but here’s R-Truth with the 24/7 Title as he runs away from Akira Tozawa and the Ninjas. Shelton Benjamin comes out as well and it’s time for a scheduled title match.

24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. R-Truth

Shelton, with the Hurt Business, is defending and beats up Truth to start. Tozawa’s rollup gets one and it’s time to panic. Tozawa misses his spinning kick to the head and the punches to the ribs have no effect. Shelton hits a heck of a powerbomb on Tozawa (that looked great) but Truth is back to kick away. Paydirt plants Truth but one of the ninjas comes in to flip around a lot. Shelton kicks him in the head and throws him into the ropes (that wasn’t good) and the rest of the Hurt Business goes after the other Ninjas. Back in and Tozawa hits the top rope backsplash to pin Truth for the title at 2:07.

We see a bunch of people standing around a ring with no ropes and two guys grappling. Shane McMahon pops up and says tonight at 10pm, it’s Raw Underground.

We look back at Murphy taking out Aleister Black’s eye last week, plus Dominic Mysterio attacking Murphy and Seth Rollins.

Dominic is asked a rather important question: why is he still here? Dominic says he’s here because his dad was blinded, so of course his mind hasn’t been in the right place as of late. If people think he’s crazy now, how crazy will they think he is when he challenges Seth Rollins to a match at Summerslam?

Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks

Non-title and Sasha has Bayley in her corner. Sasha slaps her in the face to start and is quickly taken down, allowing Baszler to tease a kick to the face. Instead she shoves Sasha a bit and Banks isn’t pleased. A kick to the leg cuts Banks down again and stomps down on the hand for a bonus. Baszler grabs a double underhook into a cross armbreaker but Banks rolls over to the ropes for a break on the floor.

A Bayley distraction lets Banks send Shayna into the corner for two. Baszler rolls through a high crossbody though and hits a nasty/somewhat messed up backbreaker for two of her own. The Kirifuda Clutch is blocked though and Banks pulls her into the Bank Statement. That’s broken up as well so Banks hits a knee to the face. That earns her a knee to the face though and they’re both down. Cue Asuka to go after Bayley though….and that’s a DQ at 4:50?

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but this show needs to work on its DQ rules. I went back to make sure I didn’t miss anything on the DQ but how else are they going to get to the tag match? Asuka and Baszler are a weird team, but who else is supposed to challenge for the titles at Summerslam? The Riott Squad?

Post match Asuka chases Banks to the floor and I think you know where this is going.

Indeed it’s a promo from Asuka, who is asked about last week when she went to save Kairi Sane, costing herself the Raw Women’s Title in the process. After seeing the ending of the match, Asuka says Kairi will be ok but for now, she is here and so are Bayley and Banks. She wants her rematch for the title at Summerslam but Shayna pops up next to her. Baszler is cheering for Asuka because she wants Asuka to get the title back so she can take it next. Cue Banks and Bayley to say Asuka can face Bayley next week. If she wins, then she gets the title shot. Bayley doesn’t seem pleased.

Angel Garza hits on a woman named Demi, who is from the Bachelor. Andrade doesn’t seem pleased and neither does Zelina Vega, who says Demi doesn’t belong here.

Back at Raw Underground, Shane declares one of them men the winner as some women dance in the background. This has the potential to be a disaster in the making.

After a break, Shane introduces Raw Underground, where there are very few rules and a lot of carnage. We’ve got a fight to start between Daba Kato, who is over 7’ tall, and a much smaller guy. The smaller guy charges at him to no avail. Kato beats the tar out of him for the win in 19 seconds. Another guy comes up and gets taken down with a spinning Rock Bottom. Elbows to the face finish him in about 15 seconds. Kato throws the guy to the floor and asks who is next. More on this later.

Here are the Street Profits for a pair of singles matches, but first Dawkins wants to hit on Demi. Ford wants him to be more serious, because it’s time to get ready for Summerslam. They have a bond like James, unlike the Angel Garza and Andrade, who Zelina Vega threw together. They want the smoke.

Angel Garza vs. Angelo Dawkins

Dawkins starts fast by sending Garza outside. That means a ram into the Plexiglas and we take a fast break. Back with Dawkins working on the arm before hitting a dropkick for two as Demi is watching backstage, with the rose Garza gave her. Garza fights back up and TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, setting up his own middle rope dropkick. The Wing Clipper is blocked and Dawkins hits his spinning splash in the corner. There’s a bulldog but Ford falls down without being touched. Garza hits a superkick and a dropkick to the side of the face for the pin at 5:52. Not enough shown to rate but the Ford deal seems more important.

Montez Ford vs. Andrade

Joined in progress with Ford slipping out of an armbar and grabbing a waistlock as commentary wonders what was wrong with him. Ford is fine enough to flip out of a wristlock and slap on a headlock. That’s reversed with a belly to back suplex and Andrade kicks him to the floor where Ford is holding his ribs. Ford reverses a whip into the barricade and they head back inside, where Andrade gets in a hard shot to the face. A snap suplex gives Andrade two and we hit the chinlock.

That brings Ford back to life for some elbows and a flip over Andrade. A jumping clothesline has Ford’s eyes bugging out again but he charges into a shot to the chest. Ford is back up with a dropkick to knock Andrade off the top and there’s the big running flip dive to take him down again. Back in and Ford shakes the ropes…but collapses again and the referee stops it at 4:58.

Rating: C. The storylines are strong with this show and I’ll give them points for seeing where they are going with this one. It’s certainly different and something that we haven’t seen in a long time so maybe they have something different. That being said, I’ll need to see where it is going before deciding how good it is.

Murphy watches a clip of him attacking Aleister Black’s eye last week and doesn’t seem pleased with himself. Seth Rollins is proud of him though and says focus on the future. As for the Summerslam challenge from Dominic, Murphy thinks it’s ridiculous but Seth smiles and walks off.

We go back to Raw Underground with Erik of the Viking Raiders fighting another unnamed fighter. Erik takes him down and hammers away, followed by a hard German suplex. The other guy is kicked out of the ring but gets thrown back in for some knees to the chest. Erik finally wins via stoppage. Adding in a wrestler we know is a better idea.

There is no update on Montez Ford but Angel Garza comes up to offer Charly Caruso a rose. Zelina and Andrade come up to say they’re worried about Ford as well, but what does this mean for the Summerslam Tag Team Title match? Angelo Dawkins walks out of the trainer’s room and says someone might have poisoned Ford. Bianca Belair comes out of the room as well to say Zelina has one chance to say what happened. Zelina asks how stupid Belair thinks she is so the earrings come off and they both have to be held back.

We see some security camera footage from earlier where five people in masks threw a fireball at a power generator and blew it up, likely causing the technical issues all night long.

The Hurt Business doesn’t like being asked about their bad night when everything is going insane around here. They find it interesting that this is happening when the Raw Underground stuff starts up and go to look into it.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We look back at Seth Rollins destroying Rey Mysterio and tormenting his family.

Here are Seth Rollins and Murphy so Seth can make a statement, but first he wants to ask Tom Phillips if he is an unbiased journalist. What was he doing last week when Dominic was attacking Seth with a kendo stick? Rollins starts shouting about Phillips cheering him on and inciting his rage. It’s the bias (oh it’s time to get topical) that causes these problems, so Murphy is going to take care of Phillips. Samoa Joe stands up and says that isn’t happening because he was laughing harder than anyone last week.

Rollins says Joe doesn’t want to do this but Joe says he does. Rollins and Murphy roll inside and tell Joe to come join them. Joe takes off the coat and we go to a break. Back with Joe still not in the ring but here’s Dominic with a kendo stick to lay out Murphy and Rollins. Dominic hits a big dive off the top to take both of them down and the two run off. Rollins grabs the mic and says the match is on for Summerslam.

Back at Raw Underground, Dolph Ziggler beats someone up and chokes him out in a hurry. The Hurt Business shows up and says they’re taking over, with Lashley ruling the ring. A guy comes after him and is immediately taken down with no trouble. MVP gets in the ring as well and Shelton Benjamin throws someone else inside to get beaten up as well. That’s enough for MVP to be called off by a referee so Lashley throws the guy to the floor.

MVP asks who is next but someone has said something about Shelton’s mama (ANYONE but Mama Benjamin). Shelton dispatches him with ease and the Hurt Business drops tot he floor and beats up a bunch of people without much effort. Shane seems pleased and says anything goes around here. They can come back anytime they want and MVP says business is booming to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Well it was certainly different, and that’s a good thing given how the show has been going as of late. That being said, I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea of an underground fight club breaking out at the arena. It’s certainly a far cry from the Brawl For All of course, but we could be in for some interesting ideas in the coming weeks.

This was definitely the “throw stuff at the wall and see what doesn’t bomb” show, and after everything else going as it did recently, that might not be the worst idea. I’m disappointed in a faction being “introduced” as I wouldn’t call seeing them blow stuff up to be an introduction, but it was better than nothing. I’ll have to see where a lot of this goes, but it has me somewhat interested and that’s a good thing.

Results

Apollo Crews b. MVP – Toss powerbomb

Riott Squad b. IIconics – Rollup to Kay

Akira Tozawa b. R-Truth and Shelton Benjamin – Top rope backsplash to R-Truth

Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler went to a no contest when Asuka interfered

Angel Garza b. Angelo Dawkins – Dropkick to the side of the head

Andrade b. Montez Ford via referee stoppage

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: World Wrestling Network

Evolve 125
Date: April 4, 2019
Location: La Boom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Lenny Leonard, Rob Niemi

This is another one of the shows that I was hoping to see last year but for one reason or another it never happened. That’s where a free month of Club WWN (plus the company putting the show up for free on YouTube) can be handy and that’s why I’m here today. This show seemed to be pretty well received so hopefully it holds up. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I have no idea what is coming or what is going on here so bare with me if I miss a plot point.

The commentators/hosts are in the ring to welcome us to the show. They run down the card, just in case someone wandered in here off the street thinking it was a store that sold farmer’s almanacs. Cue Adrian Jaoude (also of NXT) to interrupt, saying he’s here to fight.

Harlem Bravado vs. Adrian Jaoude

Jaoude takes him down with ease to start and Bravado bails to the rope in a hurry. Bravado stomps away instead and hits a leg trap suplex for two. The chinlock keeps Jaoude down and it’s a Death Valley Driver to give Bravado two more. Bravado starts talking trash though and gets his fingers snapped back. The hand gets slammed down onto the mat and a hard German suplex drops Bravado. A spinning kick to the face makes it even worse, followed by a quick kneebar to make Bravado tap at 5:00.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match to get things going and Jaoude looked good as the monster who can take you apart with the martial arts skills. I’ve liked his stuff in NXT and while Bravado looked fine, they made a big deal out of his start and stop success. That seems to be part of a long running story for him and if so, this would seem to play into it well enough.

Kazusada Higuchi vs. Curt Stallion

Higuchi seems to be a big time guest star. They take turns stretching to start and the much smaller Stallion makes himself scream a bit. Higuchi powers him into the corner for a friendly pat to the chest and it’s time to work on Stallion’s arm. The wristlock into the hammerlock has Stallion screaming even more, so he fails at a shoulder block instead. Higuchi’s shoulder sends Stallion bailing to the floor for a breather.

That means Higuchi gets to follow and chop away, followed by a shot to block Stallion’s suicide dive. It’s been one sided so far as Stallion can’t get around the size and power. Back in and more chops keep Stallion down but he pops back up with an abdominal stretch to to slow Highcuhi for the first time. Actually make it an Octopus Hold but Higuchi is in the ropes in a hurry.

A German suplex takes care of Stallion again (Fan: “STAY DOWN!”) but he’s right back up with his own bridging German suplex for two. Stallion hits a running dropkick in the corner and a DDT gets two more. For some reason Stallion is willing to chop it out again, which goes as well as you might have expected. He even asks Higuchi to chop him and that’s actually makes things worse.

This time though Stallion comes back with a knee to the chest, only to get chopped down again. A running powerslam gives Higuchi two more but Stallion grabs White Noise onto the knee for his own near fall. Stallion’s headbutt connects for another two but he misses a top rope splash. Higuchi grabs a Doctor Bomb for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: C. The fact that Higuchi had a WWN Title match the next day should have told you everything you needed to know about this one. It’s not a great match or anything but it was kind of entertaining to see Higuchi destroy the much smaller Stallion. Higuchi wasn’t flashy but he was intimidating and looked powerful so there was something to him. He would have a better match the next day too.

Post match Stallion gets an ovation. It wasn’t that good of a match.

We look at Josh Briggs beating AR Fox but hurting himself in the process. He was taken out on a stretcher and wound up with a dislocated hip.

Here’s Briggs, on crutches, for a chat. A few weeks ago, he wasn’t sure if he was going to walk again, let alone wrestle, but the fans made him believe that the doctor’s words didn’t matter. They weren’t sure how they were going to get out of the building but then the fans parted like the Red Sea and let him get out for medical treatment. Briggs appreciates the fans more than they will ever know but he promises to win the Evolve Title when (yes when) he comes back.

Cue Evolve Champion Austin Theory to mock Briggs for coming back, just so he can hear the fans chant his name. Theory kicks the crutch out and mocks Briggs’ limping…but Briggs stands up. Theory turns around and walks right into a chokeslam to end a good segment. Well lucky for Briggs as he didn’t know Theory would come out but still good enough.

John Silver/Alex Reynolds vs. AR Fox/Leon Ruff

Silver and Reynolds are now in the Dark Order in AEW so this company probably had a lot to do with getting them jobs there. Hold on though as Fox and Ruff have to dance with the entourage before we’re ready to go. Reynolds works on Fox’s arm to start but Fox flips over and dances some more. Back up and they both miss a bunch of clotheslines but Fox gets one off a backslide.

Fox blocks an RKO attempt and grabs a Codebreaker, allowing Ruff to slingshot in for an elbow to the back. Silver comes in and flips into a choke on Ruff, who slips out for a screaming headlock. A one armed gorilla press has Ruff in trouble but he armdrags his way out without much trouble. Ruff’s multiple springboards armdrag sends Silver outside for a top rope flip dive, with Ruff sticking the landing of course.

Reynolds breaks up a suicide dive though and it’s Ruff in trouble for a change, including a snap suplex to give Reynolds two. A double flipping faceplant gets two on Ruff and it’s back to Silver for some crossface shots to the face into the reverse chinlock. Ruff fights up and manages a hurricanrana to send Silver into Reynolds, meaning it’s off to Fox to clean house.

A Thesz press lets Fox hammer away on Silver and there’s a rolling cutter to drop him again. Fox hits a big no hands dive onto Reynolds and Coast to Coast….well it grazes Silver for two at least. Reynolds gets a blind tag though and superkicks Fox for two. Silver and Reynolds hit a powerbomb/Rough Ryder combination for two with Ruff having to make the save.

Fox grabs a double cutter on Silver and Reynolds but they’re right back with a series of kicks to the head. Everyone winds up in the same corner and it’s Fox superplexing Silver, followed by Lo Mein Pain (springboard Spanish Fly). Ruff’s Swanton sets up For’s 450 to finish Reynolds at 15:48.

Rating: B-. Solid back and forth match here with everyone getting a chance to show off a bit. Fox looks like the established star and comes off like one of the legends around here (appropriate, as that is the case) and Ruff isn’t bad either. Silver and Reynolds got to showcase themselves as well and I can understand how AEW saw something in them, even in limited rolls.

Post match, Fox, Ruff and company dance some more.

Darby Allin vs. Anthony Henry

Priscilla Kelly is with Allin and there must be a winner. Henry’s face is half painted ala Darby’s (albeit the other side for a change of pace), making me think they had mixed up the graphics for a bit. The fans are WAY behind Allin here and Henry bails straight to the floor to start. You don’t do that to Allin, who hits a suicide dive into the barricade. Back in and the Coffin Drop is blocked but Allin flips out of a German suplex and armdrags Henry to the floor. Now the suicide dive can connect so it’s time to fight into the crowd.

Henry drops him ribs first onto the barricade and adds a running double stomp to the back. They get back in with Allin grabbing a brainbuster for a quick double down. Back up and they slug it out with Henry hitting a TKO across the top rope. Allin is back in for a pinfall reversal sequence but he can’t get the Last Supper. A TKO Stunner plants Allin so a Jackknife cover can get two. Henry talks a lot of trash though and gets caught with the flipping Stunner. That’s fine with Henry, who kicks him in the head and stomps away at the head for the referee stoppage at 7:22.

Rating: B-. You really can see the star power in Allin, though the fans kind of died on the finish there. Allin comes off as a star and I’m not sure why you would have him lose here. This felt like the ending to a big feud and with Allin being advertised for a match tomorrow, it’s a rather confusing ending. At least they beat each other up rather well and it felt like a violent match, which is what it should have been given the story they built up.

Post match Henry leaves but here’s Brandi Lauren to jump Kelly to set up their mixed tag match tomorrow.

Referees help Allin stagger to the back.

Angelo Dawkins vs. Colby Corino

Corino is part of the Unwanted and the Street Profits get a huge reaction (NXT and Evolve have a working relationship in case you’re REALLY confused right now). Montez Ford cracks up at the idea that he’s fighting someone as small as Corino and promises to take care of the rest of the Unwanted if they show up.

Corino’s slap is swatted away so Dawkins hits a release gutwrench suplex. Dawkins isn’t done and picks him up for a big swing before the second toss. A kick to the head out of the corner staggers Dawkins and a Meteora puts him down. Some running forearms in the corner don’t do Corino much good though as he gets suplexed again for his efforts. A toss spinebuster finishes Corino at 2:26, as it should have.

Post match Dawkins asks if that’s all there is. If anyone from the Unwanted wants a shot, come get him. Cue WWN Champion JD Drake (not part of the Unwanted) to say the Unwanted isn’t coming out when someone is waiting on them. Drake is here to fight though so let’s have a title match right now.

WWN Title: Angelo Dawkins vs. JD Drake

Drake is defending. They shake hands to start but Drake hits a chop, with Dawkins being glad to reciprocate. Dawkins hits a dropkick and some running elbows in the corner put Drake on the floor early on. Another chop off goes to Drake and he runs Dawkins over to impress the fans. More chops have Dawkins in more trouble, including even more to knock him down. A headbutt gives Drake two and a sliding lariat is good for the same as the pace has slowed a bit.

Dawkins fights back up with some hard shoulders, setting up the spinning splash in the corner. A bulldog gets two and a spear is good for the same but Dawkins can’t follow up. Back up and Drake manages a German suplex but Dawkins pops up and shouts. That earns him a Drill Bit for two, so Drake asks why Dawkins won’t die. Drake puts him on top but gets pulled down with a super spinebuster for two more. Dawkins’ chops just annoy Drake and he cuts Dawkins off with a knee. A Stunner sets up a Cannonball and Drake’s moonsault retains the title at 10:30.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here for an impromptu face vs. face match. They beat each other up well enough here and it’s not like a tag wrestler losing in a singles match is going to do any real damage to him. Drake gets an impressive looking win and you can tell that he means a lot to the fans here. The Street Profits had a nice run in Evolve and it helped turn them into a better team. Now imagine that: getting out and learning from someone else can help young talent get better.

Respect is shown post match.

Video on the Ten Year Anniversary show, which was pretty good.

Cue Stokely Hathaway (legendary manager, now known as Malcolm Bivens in NXT) to say he hasn’t been released. No he isn’t back tonight because the only way he could have come back was to be put into the main event tonight. That was shot down so instead he’s here to say goodbye. Last year he went to Axxess and now he has been signed by NXT and it would not have happened if not for Evolve. Since he’ll be gone soon, he wanted to say goodbye and thank you. Nice moment here and you can tell Hathaway has a deep history around here.

Montez Ford vs. Shane Strickland

Strickland is also Unwanted and is now known as Isaiah Scott. Ford is more serious here and charges at Strickland in the corner to knock him outside. That means choking and forearms against the barricade but Strickland gets in a few chops. That’s not cool with Ford who blocks a big chop and pounds Strickland down again. A sip of the red cup fires Ford up enough to hit the big flip dive and the fans are pleased.

Cue Colby Corino for a distraction though and Strickland pulls him into a modified Rings of Saturn. He even ties Ford’s arms back with his legs and the fans chant GOLDBERG. Even commentary has to explain that by mentioning some pyro going off by mistake. Lenny: “If we’re being honest, it probably would have been Gillberg.” Back up and Strickland hits a running dropkick to the knee in the corner and it’s off to more double arm cranking.

That’s broken up as well so Strickland chops away but Ford gets in a few kicks and a standing moonsault is good for two. Strickland is fine enough to hit a 619 around the post and a hard powerbomb drops Ford again. Ford pops back up and blasts Strickland with a clothesline but snaps off a dropkick before the double knockdown. It’s Strickland up first and slugging away, including taping up his fist.

Ford falls down though and the referee makes Strickland remove the tape. Strickland’s hands are fine enough for a hard German suplex and the Swerve Stomp gets two. The comeback is on but Ford gets knocked hard off the top and down onto the apron. Back up and Ford hits a top rope Fameasser with Strickland in the ropes. That and the huge frog splash is enough to give Ford the pin at 12:44.

Rating: C+. I like both of these guys (Strickland a lot) and again, it shows how much value there is to have these guys in a different promotion to learn something different. That isn’t something that happens very often and I’m really not sure why. How many wrestling promotions would love to feature some NXT talent? Anyway, this was a hard hitting match but it never hit that next gear, leaving it as just pretty good instead of very good.

Tag Team Titles: Unwanted vs. Konosuke Takeshita/Mao Inoue

The Unwanted (Eddie Kingston/Joe Gacy) is defending and the challengers are from DDT. Takeshita (the DDT Champion) starts with Kingston and they go to the mat early on. That means an early standoff so Takeshita hits a forearm to send Kingston outside. Back in and a leg lariat sends Kingston into the corner so it’s off to Mao vs. Gacy. An exchange of shoulders goes to the much bigger Gacy, who blocks a drop toehold without much effort.

Mao sends him outside and it’s back in for both challengers to hammer away. That brings Kingston back in though and Mao gets double teamed for a change, including a big clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit and it’s time to stomp away but Mao is back up with a running dropkick. A running leg lariat gets Mao out of trouble and it’s the hot(tish) tag off to Takeshita. Kingston comes in as well and is quickly DDTed to the floor, where he pulls Takeshita with him.

Mao dives onto all three and frog splashes Kingston for two back inside. A split legged moonsault gets two more and there’s a German suplex for the same with Gacy throwing Takeshita into the cover for the save. Kingston suplexes Takeshita but it’s a pair of boots in the corner to take Kingston down. Mao adds the 450 for two but walks into a heck of a spinning kick from Gacy.

That just earns him a Blue Thunder Bomb to give Mao two but Gacy blasts Mao with a clothesline for the same. Mao Stuns Gacy, who is right back up with a discus forearm for two more. A nasty looking powerbomb/neckbreaker combination gets two as everything stays broken down. Mao slugs away at both champions at once but it’s a backdrop driver to give Gacy the retaining pin at 13:57.

Rating: B. I liked this one way more than I expected to as the DDT guys looked awesome at times. They played well against the hard hitting champions and I liked the whole thing rather well. The Unwanted has impressed me in the limited amount of time I’ve seen them and this was no exception. Good stuff here and probably the best match of the night so far.

Evolve Title: Austin Theory vs. Kyle O’Reilly

O’Reilly is challenging and yes he does play the air guitar on a belt without actually having a belt. Hold on though as both guys make sure to tell the ring announcer their various nicknames for the Big Match Intros. This includes Kyle dubbing himself the Sleazy Air Guitar Superstar, which of course gets a chant. Feeling out process to start with O’Reilly taking him down but Theory runs away from the threat of a big kick to the head.

Back up and O’Reilly grabs the leg again but can’t get very far with it. A headlock takeover works better for O’Reilly and he does it again because he’s from NXT and likes Takeovers. Theory can’t suplex his way out of the headlock so he powers up, only to get taken down all over again. O’Reilly’s mind games of just outmaneuvering Theory at every step is good stuff. The cross armbreaker sends Theory outside and that’s good for a SLEAZY KYLE chant.

Back in and O’Reilly strikes him down without much trouble as Theory just can’t get anything going so far. A kneebar sends Theory to the rope but he finally scores with a clothesline to get a breather. Theory’s standing moonsault gets two and it’s off to an arm trap chinlock. That doesn’t last long though and Theory chops the heck out of him in the corner. A suplex gets two on O’Reilly and it’s off to a different armbar.

O’Reilly fights up and rolls some butterfly DDTs to put them both down for a bit. The ankle lock doesn’t last long so O’Reilly suplexes him for two more. Theory is back with a buckle bomb but they trade kicks to the face. A kneebar slows Theory down and O’Reilly kicks him in the chest so hard that he sends himself outside. They slug it out again and, after staggering a bit, Theory rocks him enough for Three Seconds Around The World (spinning torture rack bomb).

2K1 (leg trap brainbuster) gets two more on O’Reilly but he takes the knee again. Theory dives for the rope and needs a little walk around the ring. This includes picking up the title and walking away but O’Reilly pulls him back inside. The brainbuster gives O’Reilly two and we hit the ankle lock. Theory gets out again and hits a DDT onto the belt for two, followed Attaksia for the pin to retain at 20:15.

Rating: B. I had a good time with this one and there were times where you believed that the title could change hands. That’s not something you get in showdown matches like this so well done with both guys. What matters here though is giving Theory another line on his resume. It means something to have beaten a big name from NXT so it’s a positive deal for everyone here, as O’Reilly gets a good match and can go right back to NXT’s tag division while pointing to the DDT on the belt. Good main event here and it felt like a bit deal.

Post match Theory jumps O’Reilly but Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong run in for the save. Fish talks about how he and O’Reilly started Evolve (in the first main event) and they will step in when needed. O’Reilly liked that Theory (which he pronounces as Tuh-hear-e) used the title and promises that the Undisputed Era will be back.

Overall Rating: B. This was a fun and entertaining show which never dragged in the slightest. The more I watch of Evolve the more I think I could get into it. You can tell that there are intricate stories throughout the company and a lot of history between the people. It wasn’t exactly on display here, but they did enough to make me interested in seeing more. Well done here and a show worth checking out if you get the time (it’s available for free on their YouTube page).

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 24, 2020
Location: Bell MTS Place, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home show for Super ShowDown but since WWE doesn’t get the idea of slowing down on anything, we are also building towards Elimination Chamber and Wrestlemania at the same time. Brock Lesnar is in the house tonight and that could mean some interesting things for Drew McIntyre and Ricochet. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at Randy Orton destroying Matt Hardy last week.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Orton for a chat. He needs to apologize for going a little too far, but he also mentions that it has been fifteen years since Raw has been in Winnipeg. Fifteen years ago, he was 24 years old and the Intercontinental Champion, but on that night he was punched in the face by someone named Adam, who you may know as Edge. The fans want Edge but Orton makes it clear that he isn’t here tonight. These people will never understand why he did what he did, but he is sorry for it.

Cue Kevin Owens, who first has to pause while the fans chant for him. Owens has been dealing with some delusional people as of late and now Orton is here as well. See, he doesn’t believe that Orton is telling the truth and now Owens wants to know why Orton attacked Edge.

Owens remembers when Edge retired because he was already wrestling for a living. Then in the Royal Rumble, he heard Edge’s music and wanted to be out there with him because he saw the look in Edge’s eyes. So why did Orton do what he did. Orton: “You think you know me?” Owens knows the people want to see them fight so Orton agrees, but a little later.

Angel Garza and Zelina Vega are ready to take out the trash that is Humberto Carrillo. Vega can’t get away from Charly Caruso fast enough but Angel kisses her hand and says with Charly, business is always pleasure. She seems to approve.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Angel Garza

They start wacky by tying their legs together, standing on their heads, and slapping each other in the face. Garza gets sent outside but comes back in with a headscissors, only to have Carrillo land on his feet. Carrillo sends him outside again for a heck of a suicide dive and we take a break. Back with Garza tying him in the Tree of Woe, allowing Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS! I MEAN HIS OWN IF THAT ISN’T CLEAR!

Carrillo fights back and sends him to the floor, only to do a handstand on the apron for some reason, allowing Garza to hit a superkick. An exchange of kicks on the apron puts Garza down and Carrillo stomps away for a bonus. A catapult sends Garza onto the middle rope for the moonsault to the floor and we take a second break.

Back again with Carrillo grabbing a standing Spanish Fly for two but Vega offers a distraction. Garza catches him on top and that means a super Spanish Fly for two. A pinfall reversal sequence gets several near falls apiece until Garza sits down on a rollup attempt for the pin at 14:41 (he might have had the tights but it’s not clear).

Rating: B-. They did some cool spots and it was clear that they know each other very well. It’s nice to have some lucha out there as they feel like something different, which is more than you get a lot of the time on Raw. If they could combine these two into one wrestler, they would have gold but for now they have a guy with more charisma than he knows what to do with and a guy who Vince wants to push really hard. Maybe they can make it work, but for now it’s just pretty good.

We recap Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler, even though we’re still supposed to believe that there’s a point to the Elimination Chamber.

Ricochet vs. Luke Gallows

Ricochet starts moving fast to start and sends Gallows to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and Ricochet springboards into a big boot as we see Paul Heyman watching. An uppercut gives Gallows two and we hit the chinlock. Ricochet fights out in a hurry and hits an enziguri for the double knockdown. The springboard crossbody into the standing shooting star gets two but Gallows is back with a superkick. Ricochet hits his own though and the Recoil connects, setting up a shooting star press (to the middle of the ring) for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: B. That might be a bit high but I really liked the story they told here. Ricochet has no change of winning on Thursday but they are having him win match after match against big names and I’m digging everything that they’re doing. This was a very well done match with the big man vs. little man and then the shooting star was amazing. The rating is much more for the setup and storytelling than for the wrestling, but I really liked this.

Post break, AJ Styles talks about how the OC needs to act like the best team in the world. Ricochet could become WWE Champion but if that miracle happens, AJ will be right there to get his title back. They need to plant their flag at the top of the food chain but here’s Aleister Black on the way to the ring. AJ says Black needs to learn what matters around here and they beat Black down. The team leaves and Black pulls himself to his feet. I’m up for Styles vs. Black.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a chat. The Canadian fans are happy to see their honorary Lesnar but Heyman cuts them off with his usual introduction. Heyman talks about how wrestlers are always trying to make catchphrases for themselves but Lesnar has never needed one. All Lesnar has to do is decide to be champion and no one can stop him. Lesnar getting in the ring is special and that’s what you’ll be seeing on Thursday at Super ShowDown. He owes Ricochet an uppercut and since Lesnar is wrestling, it is special by definition.

The stakes on Thursday have never been higher though, but why is that the case? If Ricochet can pull off the miracle, he is going on to face Drew McIntyre at Wrestlemania and the consequences are huge, if that happens. Heyman: “If my aunt had balls, she would be my uncle, but she is not!” (that one cracked Lawler up). Lesnar is going to wreck McIntyre at Wrestlemania and be champion forever. And that is a spoiler.

We look at Becky Lynch calling out Shayna Baszler.

Aleister Black vs. Erick Rowan

Yeah you knew the rematches were coming. Despite getting beaten up, Black can still do his full entrance. Black is still staggered so Rowan runs him over and drives some knees into the back. A suplex doesn’t work for Rowan as he gets low bridged to the floor, followed by a big boot to knock him off the apron. Black gets knocked onto the apron and then sent into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break.

Back with Black getting Side Effected for two but he strikes away and sweeps the leg. There’s the springboard moonsault press and a running knee to the face gives Black two. Black might be limping a bit after the moonsault and Black Mass is countered into a Jackhammer for two more. Rowan sends him outside to whip Black into the barricade but a charge into the steps knocks the cage over. That’s fine with Rowan, who powerbombs Black into the post but then goes to check on the cage, allowing Black to hit Black Mass. Another one finishes Rowan at 10:24.

Rating: C+. These two beat each other up rather well and while the cage thing is getting annoying, it’s what Rowan would be doing in a situation like this. Black had to work for this one and while the match with Rowan didn’t need a sequel, they did a good job with this one. Black seems to be moving on to AJ anyway, so going through two Rowan matches isn’t a horrible situation.

Post match, Black challenges Styles for next week.

We get a sitdown interview with Drew McIntyre, who isn’t scared about Brock Lesnar because he’s main eventing Wrestlemania. Drew talks about debuting in 2009 (which he says was thirteen years ago) and how he hasn’t won a single World Title since that time. He lost his passion, which included his time in 3MB. Then he got fired and it put a chip on his shoulder, but he knew he could only blame himself. He wasn’t about to let people remember him as the idiot playing air guitar.

When McIntyre came back, he came back to NXT, which was where he could be a leader. Then he debuted on Raw in 2018, four years to the day since he was released. He’s been called the future but then he was a past superstar without ever being the present. That’s why he knew he had to eliminate Lesnar and now he’s going to Wrestlemania to fulfill his destiny. They’re doing everything they can to make McIntyre into a star and it’s slowly working.

Here’s R-Truth with the winter premiere of Truth TV, featuring Bobby Lashley and Lana as his special guests. They’re not here for the talk show though, because Lashley is scheduled to beat Truth up. Truth would rather ask him questions though, because Lashley is too big. Truth: “Have you seen Sonic the Hedgehog?” Lana: “RING THE BELL!”

R-Truth vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley stomps away and sends him outside as the fans chant for Rusev. Back in and Truth uses John Cena’s finishing sequence but gets speared down for the pin at 1:53.

We recap Baszler vs. Lynch’s face to screen argument last week.

Styles vs. Black is confirmed for next week.

All six women’s Elimination Chamber participants, save for Baszler, are in the ring for a contract signing. Asuka counts the participants but realizes there’s one missing. Lawler continues anyway, with Sarah Logan, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott (who nearly comes to blows with Morgan) and Asuka all sign, which draws out Baszler through the crowd. Lawler wisely leaves as Shayna and Natalya are about to fight, but Asuka breaks it up.

Asuka tells Shayna to bite her but Natalya takes Asuka down and the fight is on, with Liv diving over the table to get at Riott. Shayna is eventually left alone so here’s Becky to take her down. Officials break it up in a hurry. I don’t remember the last time there was a big match with such an obvious winner but it’s getting annoying in a hurry.

The Bella Twins are official for the Hall of Fame.

Here are the Street Profits for a chat before we get to their singles match. They are ready for their Tag Team Title match on Thursday against the Monday Night Messiah and Murph the Smurf. The titles are all that matters though because every day of their lives, they want the smoke.

Murphy vs. Angelo Dawkins

Murphy throws his shirt at him to start but Dawkins is back with the shots to the face and a running elbow, followed by the spinning splash in the corner. There’s a Sky High and Seth Rollins comes in for the DQ at 1:08.

Post match Ford clears the ring and says Dawkins hit Murphy so hard last week that it erased his last name. Ford can do it to Rollins right now too.

Montez Ford vs. Seth Rollins

Ford starts fast and knocks Rollins to the floor for the big flip dive and we take a break. Back with Dawkins and Murphy being ejected, allowing Ford to hit a heck of a springboard crossbody for two. A dropkick knocks Rollins down again but he grabs a suplex back inside for his own near fall. Ford rolls him up a few times but gets buckle bombed for his efforts. A running powerbomb into the barricade sends us to a break.

Back with Ford hitting an enziguri and a standing moonsault gets two. Another enziguri staggers Rollins and there’s a DDT for two more. Ford goes up but gets caught, only to sunset bomb Rollins down for the crash. The frog splash misses though and Rollins Stomps him for the pin at 15:21.

Rating: B-. These guys looked good together but Ford is the one who matters most. Even WWE can see what they have with him and maybe this is a sign that they have some plans for him on his own. You have to use talent like that in a big way and WWE would be nuts to not at leas try. If nothing else, having him do frog splashes and dives like that will keep him around for a long time.

Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton

Owens pounds away to start but the threat of hit the Cannonball sends Orton outside. Cue Rollins and company for the distraction though and Owens is sent into the barricade as we take a break. Back with both of them down and the Profits and Viking Raiders running in for the big brawl. They fight to the crowd with everyone else, leaving Owens to get crotched on top.

Owens knocks him off anyway and hits the Swanton. Rollins is back though and Owens has to knock him off the apron, allowing Orton to come back with a clothesline. Another Rollins distraction lets Orton hit the hanging DDT….for a very fast counted pin at 8:10. Even Orton looks confused by what happened but he’ll take it.

Rating: C. The match had a lot of stuff going on at once but I can go for a few different stories being mixed together, even if it is just for a week. There is no need to always keep things separate so doing something like this is a good idea on occasion. The story is fine as well, with what seems to be a referee going along with what Rollins has been preaching, though I’ve never liked the trope for some reason. It’s a new wrinkle though and that’s fine.

Post match Rollins throws Orton some chairs but Owens pucks one up. The referee pulls it away so Owens grabs him and opens the referee’s shirt to reveal a Seth Rollins shirt. That means a Stunner to the referee and a powerbomb through a table ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. The word I would use here is balanced, as we got a little bit of everything, including action, storytelling and talking, to come together for a rather solid show. There was nothing bad on here, save for maybe trying to make us believe that Baszler isn’t the biggest lock in recent memory. This was the best show they’ve had in a long time and I had a rather god time watching the entire thing. I don’t remember the last time that was the case and that’s a rather nice feeling to have back.

Results

Angel Garza b. Humberto Carrillo – Rollup

Ricochet b. Luke Gallows – Shooting star press

Aleister Black b. Erick Rowan – Black Mass

Bobby Lashley b. R-Truth – Spear

Angelo Dawkins b. Murphy – Sky High

Seth Rollins b. Montez Ford – Stomp

Randy Orton b. Kevin Owens – Elevated DDT with a fast count

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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