Smackdown
Date: February 15, 2008
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 14,307
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

It’s the go home show for No Way Out and that probably means we are going to be seeing more between the people involved in the Elimination Chamber. Other than that, Edge vs. Rey Mysterio II needs more of a build, though I’m not sure how much more there is to do with the feud. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Batista vs. MVP

Non-title. MVP gets backed into the corner to start before Batista drops him with a shoulder. That’s enough for a breather on the floor as MVP needs a break. Back in and some slams send MVP right back to the floor, followed by a running boot to the head back inside. Batista switches things up a bit by going after the leg, with commentary debating if that is a callback to MVP going after Ric Flair’s leg or just, you know, trying to hurt MVP before the Chamber. The Figure Four would suggest it’s a bit of both but MVP makes it to the rope as we take a break.

Back with Batista driving the shoulders to the ribs in the corner but MVP sends him shoulder first into the post. MVP stomps him down in the corner before getting smart by staying on the arm. The kick to the head gives MVP two and we hit the armbar. They head outside with Batista being sent into the steps but Batista is back with a ram into the apron. Back in and MVP gets smart by sending him shoulder first into the post again. That’s fine with Batista, who uses the good shoulder for a spear. The Batista Bomb puts MVP away.

Rating: C+. I liked the match layout as they had MVP try to wear Batista down for Sunday, which makes sense, but my goodness can we stop having the US Champion get pinned? It’s one of the most annoying things in all of wrestling and it feels like it has been happening on a pretty regular basis as of late. You couldn’t have had him walk out of get disqualified here? That shouldn’t be too much to ask.

Edge gives the Edgeheads a quick and mostly useless pep talk.

Deuce N Domino/Edgeheads vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore/Jesse and Festus

The bell rings and Festus cleans house, as he is known to do. Jesse knocks Ryder down for two and it’s off to Moore, who gets taken into the wrong corner. The beatdown is on and the villains start taking turns beating Moore up. Moore kicks Domino away though and the hot tag brings in Yang to clean house. Everything breaks down and Yang’s moonsault press finishes Domino fast.

Post match the bell rings and the villains beat everyone down….until Jesse rings the bell and Festus gets to wreck everyone again. Another bell rings calms things right back down.

Vickie Guerrero gets her makeup done in the hopes that Edge pops the question later.

Michelle McCool vs. Victoria

Hold on though as here is Chuck Palumbo to watch and Michelle is shaken. Palumbo revs his motorcycle a lot and Victoria chokes in the corner. Michelle’s superplex attempt is broken up as she is distracted again, allowing Victoria to punch her in the face a few times. They crash out to the floor as the revving continues/grows even louder. Back in and Michelle hits a clothesline but more revving lets Victoria hit the Widow’s Peak for the pin.

Post match Palumbo threatens McCool and Jamie Noble some more.

We recap Undertaker choking people, namely Big Daddy V, out in recent weeks.

Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V

Matt Striker is here with V, who shoves Undertaker into the corner to start. It works so well that V does it again but Undertaker starts striking away. Undertaker goes to the arm until a Striker distraction lets V get in the rather large clothesline. With Undertaker down on the floor, Striker gets in a kick to the back and V sends Undertaker face first into the steps. After the weird mounting thing, V misses a charge in the corner and gets clotheslined down. Old School connects and a running DDT gives Undertaker the pin.

Rating: D. How many times can Undertaker beat this guy? I think we’ve gotten the point by now, as the video package before the match showed you just how dominant Undertaker has been in this mini feud. I’m not sure why they needed to have V lose clean again here, but it’s not like anyone was buying him as a threat in the Chamber anyway.

Post match Striker yells a lot so Undertaker chokes him out.

Edge is rather nervous.

Video on the Elimination Chamber.

No Way Out rundown.

Kane/CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero/Shelton Benjamin

Kane and Chavo start things off and it’s a gorilla press to get things going. I’ll let you figure out who pressed who as Punk comes in to stomp Chavo down in the corner. It’s off to Benjamin, who gets dropkicked down but manages to come right back with a t-bone suplex. Chavo gets launched into a splash on Punk for two and the villains take over. That doesn’t last long either though as it’s back to Kane for the house cleaning. Benjamin saves Chavo from a near fall and gets choked for his efforts, with Chavo having to make his own save. Everything breaks down and the GTS finishes Chavo.

Rating: C. Just a way to get Chavo and Punk in the ring again as that feud continues to exist for reasons of….I guess necessity? There isn’t anyone else for Chavo to defend against at the moment so this is about as good as WWE can do for him. That works for a bit, but the impact falls off when they have fought roughly 184 times so far.

Raw Rebound.

Video on Finlay/Hornswoggle vs. Vince McMahon.

Great Khali vs. Finlay

Khali wastes no time in taking him down into the corner for some choking but a neck snap across the rope gives Finlay a breather. Not that it matters as Khali takes him outside and keeps up the beating. Back in and Khali grabs a slam and then a nerve hold, which lasts slightly less long than average. Back up and Finlay avoids a charge in the corner but Khali drops him again. Hornswoggle offers a distraction though and Finlay gets in some shillelagh shots for the pin.

Rating: D+. You can only get so much out of a short match like this one and they didn’t exactly do anything good with it. Finlay beating up Khali with the shillelagh is something that has been done more than once and much like V, there was no reason to believe that Khali was going to win in the Chamber. Finlay isn’t likely going to get much higher than this, but I can go for him being a solid midcard hand who gets a win like this every now and then.

The ring is geared up for the potential proposal. There are balloons, flowers, a string quartet and….well nothing more but do you need anything else? Here is Edge, to some nice string music, and he is looking nervous. Edge talks about how he has never been nervous before but he is really in love. He invites Vickie out here, with Teddy Long getting to push the wheelchair again.

With Teddy gone, Edge says the World Title meant a lot to him, but there is something more important. Edge proposes and gives her the ring, which gets him a yes. Cue Rey Mysterio to interrupt and say he hopes that Vickie drops the Guerrero name. Edge threatens to put Rey in the wheelchair if he doesn’t apologize right now so Rey gets in the ring and apologizes in Spanish. Oh and he’ll win the title on Sunday. The fight is on and the springboard seated sent hits Vickie by mistake. Rey is….sorry? Maybe? Eh Vickie getting humiliated is always worth a look.

Overall Rating: C. Oh yeah they need to get past No Way Out fast because this isn’t exactly working. There is only so much that you can do with the same people doing the same stuff over and over, even if it does at least build things up for the Elimination Chamber. Rey vs. Edge is rapidly turning into Rey vs. Vickie and that is only going to get them so far. It wasn’t a bad show, but it’s a show that is going to need a pit stop really soon.

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 31, 2022
Location: America Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re on the way to Crown Jewel but first we need a big stop for Halloween. This is going to include the traditional Trick Or Street Fight, this time between Matt Riddle and Otis, but also an appearance from Roman Reigns. Hopefully it involves the Bloodline and not Logan Paul, but we might not be that lucky. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Nikki Cross

Non-title. Belair drives her into the corner to start so Cross sticks her head out and shouts at Belair to hit her. That’s fine with Belair, who hammers away but gets taken outside for a tie up in the ring skirt as we take a break. Back with Belair managing a suplex but favoring her leg.

Said leg is fine enough to hit the handspring moonsault but Cross grabs a choke. They crash out to the floor to break it up but here are Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai to distract the referee, allowing Bayley to sneak in and post Belair. Cross beats up Damage Ctrl but walks into the KOD to give Belair the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match here as Cross is back but has already lost her first match. The good thing about Cross is she is the kind of agent of chaos who can lose matches and still be enough of a force that it doesn’t really matter. You don’t need her to beat Belair of course, but the result was a bit disheartening.

Post match Damage Ctrl comes in for the beatdown but Asuka and Alexa Bliss return for the save.

We look back at Brock Lesnar returning and going after Bobby Lashley.

Asuka and Alexa Bliss have Bianca Belair’s back but also want a Tag Team Title match tonight.

We get a split screen sitdown interview with Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley…..minus Lesnar. Lashley talks about being ready to prove he is more than just a Lesnar knockoff but here is the real Lesnar in the arena. Lesnar gets to the point: he isn’t here for an interview but rather for a fight, so here comes Lashley. The fight is on in the aisle with wrestlers and referees trying to split them up. Even HHH comes out but Lesnar can’t be held back. They’re finally separated after a big man brawl.

Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

Non-title and the result of Rollins not having the best things to say about Theory on commentary last week. Rollins sweeps the leg down to start and grabs a headlock. It’s too early for a Pedigree though and Theory bails out to the floor. Rollins heads outside and gets rammed into things to put Theory in control as we take a break.

Back with Rollins hitting a suicide dive, followed by the basement superkick for two. Rollins loads up the Pedigree but gets reversed into a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. A standing Blockbuster gives Theory two and the fans think this is awesome. A Town Down is broken up but Theory blasts him with a superkick and a forearm for the double knockdown. With nothing else working, Theory tries his own Pedigree but gets reversed into the Stomp to give Rollins the pin at 14:50.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and the kind of match that Theory has been needing. No he didn’t win, but he was able to feel like he fit in with one of the biggest stars in WWE today. They were trading one big move after another and it made for a rather good match. I could still go for Theory winning one of these big matches, but I’ll take this over him losing every time.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat. The fans chant UCEY but Reigns assures them that Jey Uso will be a much more ucey man soon. That brings Reigns to Crown Jewel, where he is facing someone with two matches under his belt. Reigns laughs off the Logan Paul threat but Heyman sounds a bit more worried. Cue the Miz, who says he knows Logan Paul better than anyone and offers an alliance with Reigns. All Reigns has to do is help Miz against Mustafa Ali and he’ll teach Reigns everything there is to know about Logan Paul. One Superman Punch later and Reigns says he isn’t interested.

Post break, Miz is in the trainer’s room and doesn’t want Johnny Gargano’s video on Miz and Dexter Lumis airing. Mustafa Ali comes in to comment on the rather small size of Miz’s testicles.

Karl Anderson vs. Damian Priest

The rest of the OC and the Judgment Day are here too. It’s a brawl to start and they head outside, where a Judgment Day distraction lets Priest get in a cheap shot. We come back with Anderson fighting up but a Rhea Ripley distraction lets Priest take him down again. The Reckoning is loaded up but Anderson reverses into a cradle for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C. A lot of this match was during the break but it was nice to have the OC get a win before what is likely going to be a bad loss at Crown Jewel. A member of Judgment Day losing to a fluke rollup isn’t going to hurt him that much, even if it is to someone other than AJ Styles. Still though, not much of a match here but the result was the right call.

Post match the brawl is on with Ripley being left alone for the Judgment Day but AJ Styles and Anderson can’t do anything. The rest of Judgment Day gets back up and the big beatdown is on.

MVP laughs off the idea of Braun Strowman beating Omos at Crown Jewel. MVP will be at Smackdown with a surprise for Strowman.

Here is JBL to suck up to the Texas fans by listing off various Texas sports teams and legends. Then he insults kids who go door to door begging for food on Halloween, which is what this safe space generation doesn’t need. No one here in this arena deserves to be called a Texan. As for everyone here, get on your feet for Baron Corbin!

Cue Corbin, to thank everyone for spending their last dollar to come spend every last dollar they have and the truth is…..and cue R-Truth. This would be cowboy R-Truth, complete with a horse between his legs. JBL calls Truth a buffoon but Truth wants to know what is up with the costumes. The fight is on and JBL throws his hat at Truth, allowing Corbin to hit the End of Days. At least it wasn’t a match.

Nikki Cross is with Damage Ctrl.

Matt Riddle vs. Otis

This is a Trick Or Street Fight (meaning a bunch of pumpkins and various Halloween things are around the ring) and Riddle, with Elias, is dressed as Ezekiel. Chad Gable is here with Otis and….they’re Chippendale Dancers, ala Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley from Saturday Night Live.

They fight to the floor early and take a rather quick break. Back with Otis working on a neck crank but Riddle is back with a knee. Otis runs him over and hits a Worm but Riddle is back up with a candy corn kendo stick. A World’s Strongest Slam plants Riddle but Elias sends Gable through a table. The distraction lets Elias put a pumpkin on Otis’ head, setting up the RKO to give Riddle the pin at 7:38.

Rating: C. This was another quick match that didn’t do much but the weird thing was the Halloween theme after an otherwise mostly serious show. I get the idea of having the Halloween match and that’s cool, but it’s still something that feels like it belongs on another show. For now though, Riddle getting a nice win is good for him and it isn’t like Otis has anything to lose. Even with a pumpkin on his head.

Bayley gives the rest of Damage Ctrl a pep talk.

Miz vs. Mustafa Ali

Miz is a big banged up after Reigns hit him in the face earlier but he’s fine enough to sucker Ali in to stomp away. Ali threatens a shot to the face and rolls Miz up for two. The rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two but he has to bail out of the 450. Miz rakes the eyes and sends him face first into the buckle as we take a break.

Back with Ali shrugging off the YES Kicks so Miz plants him with a DDT for two. Ali sends him outside and hits a dive before they fight over the announcers’ table. Cue Dexter Lumis to go after Miz before security chases him off. That lets Ali knock Miz down and hit the 450 for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C. So Ali wins but it doesn’t really feel like it means anything for him. Instead, it comes off as the next chapter in the Miz vs. Dexter Lumis deal, which isn’t the best way to go. I’ll take it over Ali coming up this short again though, which has happened far too often over the last few months. Make these wins feel like they matter and we could actually get somewhere with him.

And now, WWE Investigates, looking at Dexter Lumis and the Miz. Byron Saxton talks to Johnny Gargano, who claims to have bombshell news. Gargano talks about knowing Lumis for years, including various clips of The Way’s wacky antics. Then Lumis lost his job and fell on hard times. We get a re-enactment of Lumis as an artist on the street, with Miz offering him $10,000 to fake the whole stalking ordeal for….some purpose.

Gargano even produces a recording of Miz talking to Lumis (who doesn’t talk) about the whole plan. Gargano shows clips, suggesting that Miz is just doing this for attention. Then somewhere, at least Gargano thinks, Miz stopped paying Lumis and the whole thing fell apart, with Lumis wanting his money. This was certainly a way to go and it’s actually a way out of explaining the whole nutty deal so I’ll take it. I’m not sure if it’s the most logical or even a good way to go, but this should be better than some of their other ideas. I think.

Crown Jewel rundown, with Bray Wyatt announced for an appearance.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Damage Ctrl vs. Alexa Bliss/Asuka

Bliss/Asuka, with Bianca Belair, are challenging and Bayley is here with the champs. Bliss stomps Sky into the corner to start and the fight is on fast but Sky is back up with a dropkick to the ribs. Kai comes in to stay on the ribs but Bliss fights up and brings Asuka in to clean house. A quick suplex drops Kai and a clothesline cuts her off again.

The champs are knocked outside but Kai is able to dropkick Bliss down as well. Asuka kicks away at Sky but gets taken down with a dragon screw legwhip as we take a break. Back with Asuka rolling Sky up for two and the hot tag brings in Bliss to clean house. Bliss Code Reds Kai out of the corner for two and it’s back to Asuka. Sky crushes her in the corner, setting up the springboard missile dropkick for two.

Asuka Codebreakers her out of the air and grabs the Asuka Lock, but the distracted referee doesn’t notice the tap. Bayley and Belair fight onto a box near the timekeeper’s area, where a Bayley to Belly sends Belair through a table. Back in the ring and Kai kicks Asuka in the face, only to get sent into the steps by Bliss. Asuka kicks Sky in the head and Bliss goes up top for Twisted Bliss and the titles at 16:21.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly nice match which got some time and ended with a surprise title change. At the end of the day, it isn’t like Damage Ctrl needed to have the titles and the change is a good thing. Bliss and Asuka get to come back and get their revenge plus the titles, making this a rather logical way to go.

Pyro goes off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a great Raw and other than one or two spots, the Halloween aspect was barely a factor. That being said, I’ll take what we got over a bunch of lame Halloween jokes (ala a Halloween party). They do really need to get past the Logan Paul stuff though, as it comes off as such a lame detour from what could be a lot of good options otherwise. Outside from that, Crown Jewel is set and we should be in for a nice show. That was mostly the case here, but other than the Rollins vs. Theory match, you’re probably better off just looking at a recap.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Nikki Cross – KOD
Seth Rollins b. Austin Theory – Stomp
Karl Anderson b. Damian Priest – Rollup
Matt Riddle b. Otis – RKO
Mustafa Ali b. The Miz – 450
Asuka/Alexa Bliss b. Damage Ctrl – Twisted Bliss to Sky

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 24, 2022
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

We are less than two weeks away from Crown Jewel and that means the card is going to need a little more build up. Two more matches were added last week and now we are probably going to get either some build towards those matches and/or even more matches added. That is what the show needs so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Judgment Day to get things going. Rhea Ripley says that last week, AJ Styles found out that Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw and that Dominik Mysterio is all man. Damian Priest wants the people to rise for the greatest luchador of all time. Dominik says these are the only people who ever believed in him and says last week was proof that Eddie Guerrero was his generation’s Dominik Mysterio. Cue the OC to say Dominik is stupid because he’s more like the James Ellsworth of this generation. Karl Anderson is ready to face Finn Balor right now so let’s do this.

Karl Anderson vs. Finn Balor

Everyone else is at ringside and Anderson knocks him outside as we take an early break. Back with Anderson fighting out of the corner and dropkicking Balor in the knee. A kick to the leg sends Balor to the apron and Anderson twists the leg around the middle rope. Balor knocks him down and hits some forearms to the back of the neck to set up the chinlock.

Back up and Anderson hits an uppercut to the face and adds the spinebuster for two. We take another break and come back with Anderson powerbombing him out of the corner but Balor reverses a fireman’s carry into a Nightmare on Helm Street. Balor’s kick in the corner is countered and Anderson’s middle rope neckbreaker gets two.

Balor is back up with a Sling Blade into the dropkick in the corner but Anderson catches him on top. A superplex drops Balor so Judgment Day offers a distraction, meaning the fight is on outside. Ripley posts Gallows and slams him on the floor (dang) as Dominik distracts the referee. Anderson fireman’s carries Balor but gets low blowed by Ripley to give Balor the pin at 17:09.

Rating: B. This was a long, back and forth match with the ending being what it should have been. Anderson is better on his own than he is as part of a team and he got to showcase himself well here. The good thing is that Anderson was protected in a loss and both teams are ready to go on the way to Crown Jewel. Heck of a match here and it didn’t feel nearly as long as it was.

We recap Miz attacking Dexter Lumis last week and Johnny Gargano saying he knows what’s going on.

Johnny Gargano mocks Miz, saying he knows what’s going on between Miz and Dexter Lumis. Miz says there’s nothing going on and he’s going to go tell the truth.

Here is Miz for a chat/explanation. Miz admits that Johnny Gargano is right and he has been keeping a secret, but first let’s recap. We hear about some of the things that Dexter Lumis has been doing to him before Miz says that this is all because of Tommaso Ciampa. Miz chose to mentor Ciampa instead of Lumis and now Lumis is out for revenge. Also, if anyone has seen Ciampa, send him back!

Cue Johnny Gargano to say Ciampa isn’t missing but rather injured, so Miz is just a huge liar. If Miz wants Lumis and Gargano out of his life, all he has to do is tell the truth. Gargano loads up the whistle….and it’s R-Truth interrupting (Gargano is very confused). Truth wants to talk about the truth but Miz isn’t going to talk down about Truth’s hometown comfort food. Truth: “You aren’t talking down about my North Carolina mac and cheese!” The challenge is on and Truth/Gargano say Miz can’t handle the truth.

R-Truth vs. The Miz

Miz jumps him to start but Truth takes him down ala John Cena. You Can’t See Me takes too long though and Miz is back up with a running knee. Then Dexter Lumis, or someone who looks like him, pops up near ringside to distract Miz so Truth grabs a rollup pin at 2:54. Nice to see a hometown win.

It’s Johnny Gargano instead of Lumis.

We get a sitdown interview with Candice LeRae who is thrilled to be back in WWE. She can’t believe she made it to Raw but here is Damage Ctrl to interrupt. Bayley talks about the people they’ve put on the shelf but Candice thinks all Bayley is missing is the Raw Women’s Title. The beatdown is quickly on.

Elias runs into Matt Riddle and his bongos, who still wants the two of them to jam together. Elias is willing to let last week slide but Riddle says he has been hitting the bongs all week. Cue the Alpha Academy to tell them to SHUSH so the argument sets up the challenge for later.

Austin Theory vs. Mustafa Ali

Hold on though as Seth Rollins comes out to join commentary. Theory knocks him into the corner to start but Ali is back up with a spinning headscissors into another corner. An elbow to the face sets up an elbow on the apron though and Ali is in trouble as we take a break. Back with Ali being sent outside, leaving Theory to pick up his phone.

Some picture taking allows Ali to hit a dropkick to the floor, setting up the top rope flip dive. Ali strikes away back inside and hits the rolling neckbreaker for two. A tornado DDT gets two but Theory pulls him into a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. Ali takes him down and goes up but Rollins’ distraction sets up A Town Down to give Theory the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Theory get a win for a change, even if it’s over Ali, who probably needs the win even more. Again though it wasn’t a clean fall so it could have been worse, and you can probably pencil in Ali for the title shot at Crown Jewel, or at least on a big Raw. Now just let Ali beat someone on the way to the title shot.

Post match Rollins beats up Ali a bit before walking away….where Ali manages to jump him near the stage. The brawl is on with Rollins being sent into the video screen.

Miz comes up to Johnny Gargano in the back and wants to know what’s up with that. Miz leaves and it’s JBL and Baron Corbin taking his place. JBL wants Gargano to stop messing with Miz and show him some respect. Gargano shakes JBL’s hand and calls him MC Hammer Pants. He isn’t sure what Corbin is calling himself now either and that seems to set up a match later.

Video on Bianca Belair vs. Bayley before their match later tonight.

Omos vs. ???/???/???/???

MVP is here with Omos and talks about Omos’ recent showdown with Braun Strowman. The four victims are called over, with MVP telling them to look at Omos’ hands. Threats are made but let’s ring the bell. The beating is on and all four going after Omos at once completely fails. Big boots and elbows have the four down and a chokebomb gives Omos the double pin at 1:42. That’s how you make a monster look dominant.

Elias vs. Chad Gable

Otis is here with Gable, who wrestles Elias down without much trouble to start. Elias can’t get a backslide but can hit a suplex for two. Back up and Otis low bridges Elias to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Gable hitting a Swan Dive but Elias fights up with elbows to the face. A splash in the corner but Gable pulls him into an ankle lock. With that broken up, Gable pulls him into a Razor’s Edge, which is flipped forward into a DDT for two. Gable goes up top but gets kneed out of the air for a rather near fall. Elias’ swinging suplex finishes at 8:32.

Rating: C+. That knee probably should have finished it but Elias getting the win is the right choice. Elias is freshly back after being gone for a long time so he needs the win, even if it is over someone who loses a lot more often than he wins. I’m not sure how far Elias is going to go in his latest run, but at least it is off to a decent starts.

Post match the beatdown is on but Riddle runs in to save Elias.

We look back at the OC/Judgment Day sequence.

The OC is in the trainer’s room and AJ Styles says they have a Rhea problem. Worry not though as Luke Gallows says he has a way with women and can solve this. Styles: “He’s terrible with women!”

Post break, Gallows is back, apparently having suffered a low blow from….I’m guessing Rhea Ripley. More planning is needed.

Johnny Gargano vs. Baron Corbin

Before the match, JBL mocks millennials who want safe spaces and makes fun of Charlotte’s professional sports teams. JBL sits in on commentary as Gargano is sent into the corner but comes out with a rollup for two. A running hurricanrana sets up a dropkick to send Corbin outside for the suicide dive. One Final beat is blocked with a right hand to the floor though and Corbin takes over while slowing things down.

Gargano manages a discus forearm and a dropkick sends Corbin back to the floor. The apron superkick sets up a dive, which is pulled out of the air and Gargano is planted on the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Corbin hitting his torture rack neckbreaker for two. Corbin misses a charge in the corner and Gargano hits a bulldog for a breather.

The slingshot spear gives Gargano two but Corbin is right back with Deep Six for two of his own. The slid under the ropes clothesline is countered with a superkick to give Gargano two more. They head outside with Gargano sending him into the steps, then stealing JBL’s hat for some dancing. A tornado DDT off the announcers’ table drops Corbin again but JBL breaks up One Final Beat. End of Days finishes Gargano at 14:09.

Rating: C+. For those of you keeping track, we have now had six matches tonight and four of them have ended in some kind of distraction/interference finish to set up the pin. Corbin seems to be the bigger priority right now and the question was more about would it be JBL or Miz costing Gargano. I don’t like Gargano losing, but at least he’s on Raw.

Post break, Miz comes up to Johnny Gargano with a get well card for Candice LeRae. Miz is willing to tell the truth next week, but Gargano will do it if Miz doesn’t. And Miz didn’t even sign the card!

We get a long video on Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, looking at how similar they are and how dominant both of them have been, setting up their match at Crown Jewel.

Bayley vs. Bianca Belair

Non-title and Bayley has Damage Ctrl with her. Feeling out process to start until Belair powers her to the mat. A slam drops Bayley and we slow down a bit until Belair runs her over again. Belair can’t roll some suplexes though as Bayley pulls her into a crossface. That’s countered into a backbreaker for a breather and Bayley gets dropped on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Belair fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken down by a clothesline to the back of the head. A suplex from the apron to the floor puts Belair down again and Bayley starts in on the arm. Belair’s arm is wrapped around the rope and then twisted a bit, followed by more around the rope cranking. A suplex drops Bayley to give Belair a breather and the right hands in the corner put her in more trouble.

Bayley gets smart by pulling the braid but the Bayley to Belly is blocked. Belair’s handspring moonsault only hits knees but so does Bayley’s middle rope elbow. Now the handspring moonsault can connect for two and they head back outside, where Bayley cranks her down by the arm again.

We take another break and come back again with Bayley snapping the arm over the top but not being able to hit her own KOD. Instead Belair hits her own Bayley to Belly for two. A spinebuster gives Belair two more but a Sky distraction lets Bayley hit a super Bayley to Belly for a rather close two. Damage Ctrl loads up the announcers’ table but Belair powerbombs Bayley onto (not through) the table.

Another powerbomb against the post sets up a face first drop onto the apron. Sky gets in a distraction though and Kai kicks Belair in the face. Back in and…the referee ejects both of them as Nikki Ash dives off the top onto Damage Ctrl and the referee. Back in and the Rose Plant is countered into the KOD for no count as the referee is still down. Nikki (Cross, not Ash, and with no mask) comes back in and DDTs Belair so Bayley can steal the pin at 23:10.

Rating: B. This had the time and the ending, while the fifth instance of interference/some kind of a distraction tonight, has me interested in where things are going. Bayley had to win here as she had come back as a big deal but it doesn’t matter much if she keeps losing to Belair. At the same time, Belair was being booked a bit too strong when she survived against all three members of Damage Ctrl at Extreme Rules. This is the right way to go and there is a good chance that you can see the women’s WarGames match from here.

Post match Nikki comes back in and beats on Bayley as well with those nutty eyes being back for a change.

Overall Rating: B-. While the finish choices could certainly use some work, this was a rather good show with a pair of solid matches. They also gave us something important with the main event return and advanced a few stories along the way. It might not have been a classic show, but it was an efficient use of three hours and that is not a bad way to spend a Monday night.

Results
Finn Balor b. Karl Anderson – Low blow from Rhea Ripley
R-Truth b. Miz – Rollup
Austin Theory b. Mustafa Ali – A Town Down
Omos b. ???/???/???/??? – Double pin
Elias b. Chad Gable – Swinging suplex
Baron Corbin b. Johnny Gargano – End of Days
Bayley b. Bianca Belair – DDT from Nikki Cross

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 17, 2022
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

We’re rapidly approaching Crown Jewel and WWE has the main event covered with Logan Paul challenging Roman Reigns. That leaves some spots open for the rest of the card, some of which needs to be filled in soon. Odds are we’ll get some of that soon and you can probably guess some of the matches from here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Bobby Lashley in the ring mid-promo, where he calls out Brock Lesnar. Cue Lesnar as I’m impressed that they found a much more logical way to start the show for once. They get in a fight before Lesnar can even make it to the ring, with Lashley getting posted on the floor. Lashley slips out of another posting and sends Lesnar into it instead. A spear through the barricade draws out wrestlers and officials to break it up but Lashley gets away. This time it’s Lesnar going through the announcers’ table (on the second attempt) to leave him laying.

OC vs. Alpha Academy

AJ Styles is here with the OC. Anderson takes Gable into the corner to start and it’s off to Gallows vs. Otis. The shots in the corner stagger Otis so Anderson comes back in. A cheap shot from the apron lets Otis knock him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Gallows cleaning house until Anderson gets caught with a northern lights suplex for two. That doesn’t work so well as it’s the Magic Killer for the pin on Gable at 8:14.

Rating: C. This was your standard “welcome back” match as the OC shows that they can beat one of the established teams around here. That was never really in doubt as the Academy has fallen through the floor in recent months, but they do still serve a purpose. The Magic Killer can still look good and this was about as solid of a use as the Academy has at the moment.

Post match the Judgment Day comes out with Finn Balor saying he started this Club. The challenge is thrown out for Crown Jewel and the match is made rather quickly. Styles wants to fight right now though, but it’s Dominik Mysterio to say AJ would run away like Rey Mysterio did to Smackdown. AJ challenges Dominik for tonight and Rhea Ripley accepts for him. Dominik isn’t ready right now though so we’ll do it in like an hour or so. Styles tells him to drink some water though so he can beat the p*** out of him.

We look back at Seth Rollins winning the United States Title last week.

Here is a rather jazzed up Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins brags about being the new champion and is ready to wipe the floor with Matt Riddle tonight. Cue Mustafa Ali of all people to interrupt, allowing him to congratulate Rollins as well. Ali is wondering when Rollins is going to congratulate Brock Lesnar for the help but we can move on from that.

See, Bobby Lashley promised Ali the next shot and Ali wants the shot, no matter who the champion is. Rollins laughs him off because Ali doesn’t belong in this ring. Ali TAKES ROLLINS’ GLASSES and says he is Rollins’ next freakin problem. Rollins calls him a good man and father and then punches him in the face. The champ goes to leave but Ali jumps him from behind. The fight is on and Ali takes a heck of a posting.

JBL’s limo arrives.

Damage Ctrl vs. Candice LeRae/Bianca Belair

Non-title and Bayley is on commentary. Candice takes Sky down to start and hands it off to Belair. Kai comes in and gets shouldered hard but everything breaks down. The villains are knocked to the floor, where Candice hits a springboard dive to send us to a break. Back with Sky rolling Belair up for two and Kai coming in to pull Belair by the braid. That doesn’t last long either as Belair gets over for the tag off to LeRae. A step up backsplash onto Kai’s back lets Candice go up top, only to get pulled back down.

Candice gets knocked down into the corner so Kai can hold her down with a boot to the face. That’s broken up as well and it’s back to Belair to clean house. LeRae comes back in off a blind tag and it’s Belair with a suplex into LeRae’s missile dropkick for two with Kai having to make a save. Belair gets sent outside so Bayley grabs a kendo stick, earning herself a tackle over the announcers’ table. That leaves Sky and Kai to hit a kind of double electric chair for the pin on LeRae at 12:11.

Rating: C+. These four worked well together and you can all but guarantee that we’re getting another Bayley vs. Belair match sooner than later. I’m not big on seeing LeRae take another fall but getting beaten by the champs 2-1 isn’t the worst situation. Energetic match here though, with Sky and Kai working well together.

Matt Riddle is ready to win the US Title. He sees Mustafa Ali and says when he wins, Ali can have a shot. Ali appreciates that but they hear Miz shouting about slipping and hurting his knee. Riddle talks about knowing a sanitation engineer, but Miz is sure he’s torn his ACL so GET HIM SOME HELP.

Judgment Day is getting Dominik Mysterio ready but NXT’s Cora Jade comes up to Rhea Ripley. Jade wants Rhea to come to NXT and hurt Roxanne Perez in their Pick Your Poison match tomorrow.  Ripley is in.

Here is JBL of all people for a special appearance. After insulting the Oklahoma Sooners football team for losing to a real team like the Texas Longhorns, JBL talks about Rey Mysterio leaving Monday Night Raw for Smackdown. It turns out that, thanks to a trade there is a new star here in the form of…..Baron Corbin! After Corbin gets his big entrance, JBL mocks modern stars such as Dolph Ziggler who are taking money and TV time that could go to people like Corbin. Cue Ziggler and it’s time for a match (which happens to be a rematch of Corbin’s first match on Raw back in 2016).

Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler

JBL is on commentary. Corbin kicks Ziggler in the face to start and chokes him on the apron. Ziggler fights up and knocks Corbin into the corner for an Arn Anderson eye rake across the rope. A reverse suplex gives Corbin two and a hard clothesline puts Ziggler on the floor. There’s a whip into the steps to keep Ziggler down and we take a break.

Back with Ziggler hammering away but getting caught with a fall away slam to cut that off in a hurry. The jumping DDT gives Ziggler two but Deep Six gives Corbin the same. Ziggler is back up with the Zig Zag for two more, only to have Corbin come back with End Of Days and the pin at 13:36.

Rating: C-. So Corbin is back and….yeah he’s still Baron Corbin. His in-ring work was its usual decent power work which didn’t exactly have me begging to see more. Then you have Ziggler, who is good at what he does but we’ve seen it so many times that it loses some luster. That is the case with both of them here and it was showing badly: it wasn’t bad, but how many times can you get excited about seeing these two?

Miz doesn’t want anyone to come near his knee but Byron Saxton comes in to suggest that Miz staged the whole thing. That’s too far for Miz, but his knee hurts so he can’t yell. A voice shouts IT’S DEXTER LUMIS so Miz pops up and is just fine. That would be Johnny Gargano, who was mistaken about Lumis but is impressed by Miz’s recovery. The match still seems to be on.

MVP and Omos don’t think much of Braun Strowman. Giants aren’t real, but monsters are.

Here is the still weird Bray Wyatt segment from Smackdown, albeit a bit condensed.

Cameron Grimes is here and asks if the OC want to be his partners tomorrow night against the Schism. They’re in, which Grimes declares to be TOO SWEET.

Crown Jewel rundown, with Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley added to the card.

AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio

OC and Judgment Day are here too. Styles doesn’t waste time by kicking him outside but Dominik is back up with a cheap shot. Choking on the ropes ensues and Rhea Ripley is rather pleased with everything that is going on. A neck snap across the top sets up the Eddie Dance into the slingshot hilo for two on Styles. That earns Dominik a shot to the face and a toss to the floor as we take an early break.

Back with Dominik backing off but getting dropped again, only to have Rhea crotch Styles on top. Three Amigos drop Styles but he’s back up with a gutbuster. The threat of a 619 doesn’t work for Dominik as Styles pulls him into a Calf Crusher. With that broken up, Rhea offers a distraction so Dominik can grab a rollup to give Dominik the upset pin at 14:27.

Rating: C. I’ll give them this: WWE has done a masterful job of making the crowd boo Dominik out of the building every time he does anything. The ending was a good way to make Dominik look a little more dangerous and it’s not like he pinned Styles clean. Dominik is working in this role and if we can keep him away from Rey Mysterio, he could actually turn into a little something.

Miz is getting ready when Johnny Gargano comes up. Miz isn’t cool with what Gargano did and he’s coming for him next. Works for Gargano.

We look at Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar’s show opening fight again.

Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz

If Lumis wins he gets a contract, but if Miz wins, Lumis is gone from WWE. Hold on though as Miz jumps him from behind and hits a Skull Crushing Finale onto a chair. No match.

Damage Ctrl isn’t worried about anyone they’re facing because they have taken out Alexa Bliss and Asuka. Next week, Bayley wants Bianca Belair.

Miz runs into Johnny Gargano, who says that attacking Dexter Lumis was a bad move. Lumis isn’t going to stop until Miz gives him when he wants. Miz gets annoyed, so Gargano threatens him with….a whistle?

Here’s the returning Elias, who explains that his brother’s career was cut short. The show must still go on though and he has a special song ready. Cue Matt Riddle with his bongos to talk about how Zeked out he got over Ezekiel. Riddle: “You want to hit my bong?” Elias turns him down but promises they can play together one day. Riddle has a seat as Elias starts to play but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt.

US Title: Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is defending and Elias is at ringside. Riddle goes right for the triangle choke (how he won at Extreme Rules) and Rollins bails to the floor. Back in and a gutwrench suplex sends Rollins down again, only to have him come back with a shot to the throat. Riddle knocks him to the floor though and Elias gets taunted into hitting the jumping knee.

We take a break and come back with Riddle striking away, including a running forearm in the corner. The Floating Bro gets two and Riddle wins another slugout. Another Floating Bro is broken up, allowing Rollins to hit the reverse superplex, which he rolls into the reverse Falcon arrow for two. Rollins goes up for the frog splash but dives into the triangle choke, which isn’t broken up with a powerbomb.

A buckle bomb doesn’t break it either so Rollins gets a boot on the rope for the break. Rollins bails to the floor, where he can’t get Elias to interfere. Instead, Rollins drops Elias, only to get kicked down by Riddle. The snap powerslam and the hanging DDT look to set up the RKO but Elias comes in. Rollins shoves Riddle into him and the Stomp is enough to retain the title at 14:21.

Rating: B-. The question here wasn’t whether or not Elias would factor into the ending but rather how would he cost Riddle the match. In this case they went with the accidental version, meaning there isn’t much of a reason for Elias and Riddle to fight. Rollins escaping with the title is the way to go with him, as he fits the weaselly champion idea to perfection. If you ignore the fact that this renders the main event of Extreme Rules pretty worthless, there wasn’t much to complain about here.

Post match Rollins hits Elias with a Stomp of his own. Another Stomp to Riddle is loaded up but Mustafa Ali comes in to knock Rollins outside. The suicide dive connects and Ali sends Rollins running through the crowd to end the show. That’s how you make a title feel valuable: have people treat it like it’s important.

Overall Rating: C-. This show felt flat almost all night, as it started with a bang and then didn’t do much else to keep the interest. Lesnar vs. Lashley is going to be a hoss fight, but a six man tag between Judgment Day and OC and whatever they have for the US Title doesn’t quite interest me for Crown Jewel. Maybe they have something else up their sleeves, but for now, there isn’t much to get excited about from Raw, save for the monster fight.

Results
OC b. Alpha Academy – Magic Killer to Gable
Damage Ctrl b. Candice LeRae/Bianca Belair – Double electric chair to LeRae
Baron Corbin b. Dolph Ziggler – End Of Days
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Rollup
Seth Rollins b. Matt Riddle – Stomp

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: February 8, 2008
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole

We are getting close to No Way Out and the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match. That should be enough to carry the show, though there is also a Royal Rumble rematch between Edge and Rey Mysterio for the Smackdown World Title. Tonight is likely going to be about building towards those matches so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Michael Cole brings out Batista for a chat to start. Batista says his experience in the Chamber is his strength because he knows what it is like. There is going to be a ton of monsters in that Chamber but here is MVP to interrupt. MVP says Batista has never been in the Chamber with him but Batista promises violence, especially for what MVP did to Ric Flair. Now it’s Big Daddy V, with Matt Striker, to interrupt.

V feels differently about who is going to win the Chamber with Striker promising violence. Yeah yeah V is big and heavy in case you didn’t get the idea. Then Great Khali, with Runjin Singh, comes out with the latter saying Khali will win. Then Finlay, with Hornswoggle, comes in to say he’s here to fight. Then Undertaker pops up and the good guys clear the ring, likely setting up a six man tag. As soon as MVP came out, you knew what the next eight or so minutes was going to be, especially if you watched Raw where they did the same thing.

Wrestlemania is coming.

Kane vs. Shelton Benjamin

Rematch from ECW where Kane won by countout. Before the match, Shelton says there ain’t no stopping him now. Kane hammers him down in the corner and hits a basement dropkick to keep Benjamin in trouble. A missed charge sends Kane into the corner though and Benjamin hits a Blockbuster for a delayed one.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Kane is back up with some shots to the face to start the comeback. The top rope clothesline sends Benjamin outside where Kane gets posted. They head up to the apron with Shelton going up top. Kane uppercuts him back to the mat….and doesn’t beat the count to give Shelton the win.

Rating: C. That’s definitely a creative ending but it came after a pretty standard match. Kane vs. Benjamin sounded like a match that should have been rather good but for some reason neither of their tries have gone very far. It also doesn’t help that they don’t have much going on at the moment so they’re just matches for the sake of filling in time on various shows.

Chuck Palumbo vs. Jamie Noble

Yes, again, but this time Michelle McCool is here with Jamie. Palumbo kicks him in the face to start and hammers away, only to miss a top rope elbow. Noble knocks him outside but Michelle isn’t sure about having Noble stomp away. A dropkick knocks Palumbo off the apron again but sends a diving Noble into the motorcycle (OUCH). Back in and Full Throttle finishes Noble.

Rating: C-. That crash onto the motorcycle looked good but my goodness it is hard to care about this story in any other way. Palumbo just isn’t that interested but Noble continues to do everything he can to make this work. They need to move on though, as this match has been done to death already.

Post match Palumbo destroys Noble even more, with commentary getting into their serious voices over the brutality. Palumbo even teases running a downed over with his motorcycle as this segment goes on FAR longer than a Chuck Palumbo and Jamie Noble segment needed to last.

WWE has an office in Shanghai!

Jesse and Festus vs. Deuce N Domino

Cherry is here too. This is the new improved Festus, who comes to the ring with a bag over his head. The bag comes off and Festus looks the same, only to go nuts as usual when the bell rings. Deuce N Domino are cleared out but Deuce comes back in to get armdragged by Jesse. Festus keeps rocking back and forth on the apron as Jesse misses a charge in the corner to put him in trouble for a change. A distraction brings Festus in so the chinlock can go on, only to be broken up just as quickly. The hot tag brings in Festus to clean house and a pump kick into a splash knocks Domino silly. The fireman’s carry flapjack gives Festus the pin.

Rating: C. So yeah it’s the same Jesse and Festus, meaning they’re fun for a bit before before you realize how little Jesse brings to the team. Festus did his thing well enough and is great as a wrecking ball, but the charm wears off soon. Kind of like anything involving Deuce N Domino mattering, as they have completely collapsed after a great start.

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge. He doesn’t want to do it, but he shows us a clip from the Royal Rumble where Vickie Guerrero was taken out by an errant 619. That brings out Vickie, with Teddy Long at her side, as this week’s guest. After the EDDIE chants die down, Edge sends Teddy to the back so he can be alone with his “Vickiekins.”

Edge knows that next week is Valentine’s Day and Edge has a special question to ask her. That’s next week though, but for now, Rey Mysterio needs to come out here and apologize right now. Cue Rey, who tries to explain but gets slapped by Vickie. Berating ensues, followed by Edge beating Rey down. Rey is ready for the Conchairto though and hits a quick 619 to send Edge bailing. With Rey and Vickie alone, Rey apologizes to her. Fine enough segment with the challenger standing…well not quite tall but close enough.

No Way Out rundown.

Raw Rebound.

Edge won’t say what he is asking Vickie next week.

Edgeheads vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore

Yang dropkicks Ryder down to start but it’s quickly off to Hawkins for a forearm to the chest. The villains start taking turns working on Yang’s arm but he gets a boot up in the corner to cut off a charging Hawkins. Moore comes in for a quick legdrop on Ryder, who is right back up with a reverse inverted DDT for the pin.

Rating: D+. This is a match that never had a chance to go anywhere and it seems that Yang and Moore’s completely out of nowhere run is finished. They were a fun enough team, who had no chance to actually do anything because the tag division is that weak. Hawkins and Ryder work well together though and it makes sense to give them a win like this to establish them as something more serious than just Edge’s goons.

Great Khali/MVP/Big Daddy V vs. Batista/Finlay/Undertaker

Matt Striker, Runjin Singh and Hornswoggle are here too. We’re joined in progress with Khali hammering on Finlay before MVP comes in to do the same. Finlay fights out of trouble and hands it off to Batista to start on the arm. V comes in and misses the huge charge into the corner, allowing Batista to hit the shoulders in the corner. Undertaker gets to come in and unload with right hands and headbutts before cranking the arm around the top.

Old School is broken up but the second attempt works just fine. An MVP distraction lets V drop Undertaker with a clothesline though and we take a break. Back with MVP hammering on Undertaker but Batista comes in for a suplex. Finlay gets a chance to stomp on MVP, who manages to send him over the top and outside. Everything breaks down and Undertaker grabs a chair, which can’t possibly end well.

We settle down to Khali coming in and stomping on Finlay before stopping to pose. For once that isn’t a bad idea as it’s off to V for a rather easy slam. MVP’s chinlock doesn’t last long and he misses the running boot in the corner, allowing the tag off to Undertaker. Snake Eyes into the big boot (that’s always smooth) gets two and everything breaks down. The parade of secondary finishes sets up Undertaker’s chokeslam to MVP as the match is thrown out.

Rating: C+. Well good for them for not having Undertaker pin MVP, the US Champion. The result was pretty definitive but they didn’t have someone take an unnecessary fall. It’s almost like WWE was thinking about this for a change. Anyway, you know that the Chamber has two possible winners so the match is going to be a lot of filler before the finish, but at least they did something smart here.

Post match Undertaker, Finlay and Batista stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. We are firmly at the point where No Way Out is set and there isn’t much left to do. WWE has done a decent enough job with half of pay per view that isn’t so interesting so this was about as good as they can do. Hopefully they can come up with something good for next week, because that could be quite the lame show. For now though, this was just barely ok enough, but there is nothing you need to see.

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 10, 2022
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

It’s the season premiere and that means we should have a stacked show. WWE has a tendency to make these shows huge and that is the case again this week. We have a D-Generation X reunion, plus Bobby Lashley defending the United States Title against Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

Here is Extreme Rules if you need a recap.

Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg and X-Pac are in the back and talk to HHH, wearing a headset at the Gorilla position. HHH tells them to be nice so a bunch of swearing and penis jokes, complete with rubber chickens, ensues. This was perfectly amusing given the situation.

Opening sequence.

Kevin Patrick is introduced as the new lead play by play commentator.

Here’s the Bloodline to get things going. After we look at the Logan Paul/Bloodline Smackdown segment, Reigns talks about how he likes to move forward. This time though, he can’t move past last Friday, which has him thinking about something his dad once told him. His dad said the loudest in the room is also the weakest in the room, so he thinks that if you’re loud and in the Bloodline, you’re a fool. Reigns: “Jey! Are you a fool?”

Sami cuts him off (Heyman goes BALLISTIC for Sami daring to interrupt) and says that Reigns made Jey Sami’s responsibility so he has this. With the fans VERY behind him, Sami talks about how close he and Roman have gotten before talking about how great Solo Sikoa is. Jey asks if Reigns really believes this….and here is Matt Riddle to interrupt. Riddle wants one more shot at Reigns, who polls the audience. Reigns: “…..nah.”

Riddle asks if someone wants to step up to the plate and Jey volunteers Sami. Riddle says “yeet” (I think?), which Sami says is a Bloodline thing. Riddle: “Yeet.” Jey tells Sami to handle his business so the match is set for tonight. Sami’s pops continue to be insane and the eventual face turn, however it goes, is going to be incredible.

Long recap of Extreme Rules.

Austin Theory vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano rather approves of the JOHNNY WRESTLING chants as he takes over to start, including the rolling kick to the head. The slingshot DDT to the apron is blocked though and Theory hits a suplex on said apron as we take a break. Back with Gargano hitting a slingshot spear for two but Theory drops him for the same.

A-Town Down is broken up so Theory puts him into the Gargano Escape. That’s broken up and Gargano’s Gargano Escape goes on instead. With that broken up as well, Theory hits a superkick for two and says it’s his time. The rolling something is cut off by Gargano’s suplex and a running diving DDT to the floor knocks Theory silly. One Final Beat gives Gargano the pin at 8:44.

Rating: C+. Theory’s downward spiral continues and that is still more than a little confusing. Theory has a long time to do something with the briefcase but it is hard to imagine that any kind of a successful cash-in means much for him at this point. I’m not sure why Theory is losing so often but that is what WWE continues to do for some reason. Gargano getting a win is nice, though I’m not sure about the cost.

Rey Mysterio vs. Chad Gable

Otis is in Gable’s corner. Gable goes after the arm to start but is easily taken to the mat and into an armbar. A headscissors puts Gable on the floor and a sliding sunset bomb sends him into the barricade….and here are Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. We take a break and come back with Gable hitting a German suplex for two before grabbing the ankle lock. With that broken up, Rey hits a 619 and a slingshot splash for the fast pin at 7:45.

Rating: C. Well at least it wasn’t a distraction into the finish, which could have been a really annoying way to go. Rey getting the pin makes sense as he needs to rebuild himself and it isn’t like Gable can fall much further than he has already gone. In theory this is setting up Rey vs. Dominik in the near future, though I’m not sure how well such a match would actually go.

Post match Rey gets surrounded by Dominik and Rhea. Dominik demands Rey hit him until Dominik gets in a slap of his own. The rest of Judgment Day comes in so Rey fights them off, until Dominik saves Finn Balor from the 619. Dominik still demands Rey hit him but Rey goes to walk away. As a result, Rhea holds Rey’s hands and Dominik hits his own 619. They’re trying everything they can to make Rey vs. Dominik work and while it is doing better than it was before, it’s still hard to get into Dominik doing anything.

Post break, Judgment Day is still in the ring to brag about how great they are right now, with Finn Balor bragging quite a bit about making Edge say he quits. Balor on the other hand is “too legit to quit.” We see a recap of the I Quit match and Rhea Ripley is rather pleased with the Conchairto to Beth Phoenix. Dominik says the Conchairto did it for him, which brings Balor to AJ Styles. Tonight, it is an ultimatum, but here is Styles to cut him off.

Styles says he needs some friends to help him here, if not even family. He drops to a knee in front of Balor and shakes his hand….but that isn’t the family Styles meant. Cue the returning OC (Good Brothers, Karl Anderson/Luke Gallows, the former of which is the reigning New Japan Never Openweight Champion) for the brawl, with Judgment Day being cleared out.

Damage Ctrl is upset about Bianca Belair beating Bayley at Extreme Rules and promise that punishment is coming for Belair. Tonight, Bayley is going to beat up Candice LeRae.

Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa are ready to hit the town in New York City (Heyman has set it up) but Jey Uso needs to talk. Reigns tells him to stay and make sure Sami Zayn wins, which gives Jey the reaction you might expect.

Bayley vs. Candice LeRae

Candice wisely goes after Bayley’s banged up ribs to start and a missile dropkick puts Bayley on the floor as we take a break. Back with Candice favoring her knee and Bayley staying right on it. The DDT to the knee keeps Candice down but the Rose Plant is countered into a cradle to give Candice the pin at 6:02. Not enough shown to rate but Bayley’s spiral continues while Candice gets a bit win.

Post match the rest of Damage Ctrl runs out to beat on LeRae so here is Bianca Belair for the save. That doesn’t quite work though and Damage Ctrl gets to stand tall.

Miz runs into Maryse in the back but he is worried about Dexter Lumis ruining it. She has a gift for him which is….a baseball bat.

It’s time for Miz’s birthday celebration, complete with balloons, gifts and an ice sculpture. Maryse introduces Miz and starts with the presents, including the bat signed by the best long ball hitter today: the Cleveland Guardians’ (who play the New York Yankees in the playoffs starting this week) Jose Ramirez (as a lifelong Cleveland fan, I have never been a bigger Miz fan)!

Maryse also gives him some massive red balls to go with the bat before having him open one more present. This one is still on the table and is rather heavy, so Miz pulls the box away to reveal…..Dexter Lumis’ head. Miz puts the box back on and beats it with the bat but Lumis pops out and chokes Miz. That’s enough for Miz to leave so Lumis is left alone with Maryse, who runs too. Then Lumis pulls out a knife, pops the balls, and eats cake.

DX gives two guys a pep talk as they are about to face Omos. Miz and Maryse come in and demand something be done about Dexter Lumis. Shawn Michaels thinks Miz did something to Lumis but Miz says he’ll do anything to get rid of Lumis. Therefore, Road Dogg suggests a match between them next week. If Miz wins, Lumis is gone, but if Lumis wins, he gets Miz’s stabbed balls and a WWE contract.

Omos vs. Robert Adams/Joseph Torres

Beating, throws, double chokeslam, Omos wins at 1:17.

We look at the full Bray Wyatt return from Extreme Rules.

Here is Bobby Lashley for a chat before his US Title defense against Seth Rollins. Lashley lists off some of the people he has defeated, including Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar….and here is Lesnar to interrupt. Lesnar walks around the ring, gets inside, says hi to Lashley, and gives him the F5. A German suplex, another F5 and the Kimura leave Lashley laying, with Lesnar putting his cowboy hat (with feather) back on.

Post break, Lashley is being checked on by referees and medics but here is Seth Rollins, with taped ribs, to say he wants his title match right now. Lashley doesn’t seem sure but Rollins says Lashley calls himself a soldier while he’s really a disgrace to his country. Those are fighting words.

US Title: Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is defending and they’re both very banged up. An early spear attempt is countered into the Pedigree to give Rollins two and a frog splash gets the same. Lashley is back with a spear but Rollins hits a superkick. A kick to the bad arm sets up the stomp, with a second one giving Rollins the pin and the title at 2:38. They had to get the title off of Lashley somehow.

Post break, Lashley swears vengeance and wants Brock Lesnar here next week.

Bray Wyatt’s mask hacks the feed and tells us to revel in what we are.

Elias is back next week.

Matt Riddle vs. Sami Zayn

The Usos are here with Sami. Riddle kicks him in the chest to start and hits a running forearm for two. Sami is right back with a right hand and some rope choking where Jey is able to get in a boot to the face. That doesn’t work for Sami, who says he has this. That lets Riddle send Sami to the floor, where Sami switches places and hits an Arabian moonsault as we take a break.

Back with Riddle kicking him down and hitting the Broton for two. Zayn’s Michinoku Driver gets the same but Riddle is fine enough to knee him out of the air. Riddle knocks Zayn outside and hits the springboard Floating Bro as we take another break. Back again with Riddle hitting a jumping knee, followed by the rapid fire kicks to the chest. The RKO finishes Zayn at 15:55.

Rating: B-. The breaks hurt this one a bit but the match is going to be more about Jey not being able to do what Reigns ordered him to do. It continues to be the best story in wrestling too so this should be some fun fall out on Smackdown. Riddle continues his roll and now the question becomes where he can go from here. Good main event here, though I could have gone with seeing the rest of it minus the breaks.

As Riddle leaves, here is D-Generation X (on the tank/Jeep) for their big reunion appearance. X-Pac is glad to be here and gets in a quick shout out to Chyna (amen). Road Dogg does the New Age Outlaws intro and lets the fans do the Billy Gunn part (in a related story, commentary made a scissors joke).

HHH says it was 25 years ago when DX debuted and asks how many people were watching back then. HHH: “You all aren’t that old!” Shawn: “I feel better now!” We get the catchphrase before Shawn asks if the fans will put them out of their misery if they’re out here again in another 25 years….and that’s that. So yeah this was just “hey we’re still alive” and that’s it.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling wasn’t the greatest here but the best thing was that it felt like stuff happened. There were moments that made me interested in the future and that is one of the major differences between HHH and Vince McMahon. HHH feels more like he has planned these things out a bit further in advance and now that makes Raw feel a lot more important. Good show here, and for a special night, they did well enough.

Results
Johnny Gargano b. Austin Theory – One Final Beat
Rey Mysterio b. Chad Gable – Slingshot splash
Candice LeRae b. Bayley – Rollup
Omos b. Robert Adams/Joseph Torres – Chokeslam to Adams
Seth Rollins b. Bobby Lashley – Stomp
Matt Riddle b. Sami Zayn – RKO

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: February 1, 2008
Location: Sovereign Center, Reading, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and Edge is still the World Champion. Other than that, John Cena from Raw won the Royal Rumble so that means Edge is going to need another challenger for the title at Wrestlemania. That is what No Way Out, in just over two weeks, is for so let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

Teddy Long is in the ring to start and since Vickie Guerrero was injured at the Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon has put him in charge tonight! Teddy throws us to a video on the Edge vs. Rey Mysterio title match on Sunday, with Rey hitting the 619 to Vickie, who jumped out of the wheelchair to save Edge.

That was enough to help Vickie retain the title so Teddy announces a #1 contenders match at No Way Out: the ELIMINATION CHAMBER (the second at No Way Out) so we see a video on the match’s history. The participants are Batista, Great Khali, Finlay, MVP, Big Daddy V and Undertaker. That’s not it though, as Teddy makes Edge vs. Rey Mysterio II for No Way Out. Cue Edge to protest, saying that he’ll fight ANYONE but Mysterio. Teddy doesn’t really care what happened to Vickie, so the match is still on.

MVP vs. Ric Flair

Again non-title and again Flair’s career is on the line. MVP charges into a hiptoss to start and the quick form strut is on. That’s enough to start some frustration, setting off the exchange of strikes in the corner. A running kick to the head drops Flair for two and it’s time to start in on the arm.

Flair gets caught in a backslide for two so the annoyed MVP suplexes him over for the same. Back up and Flair starts in on the leg as he is known to do but it’s too early for the Figure Four. Another attempt works but MVP turns it over IMMEDIATELY, sending them into the ropes. MVP refuses to break the hold though and that’s a DQ.

Rating: C. I was only so into the first match at the Royal Rumble and then this one was only so much better. That being said, it’s better to do this than to give Flair the title as there is no reason to keep having MVP get beaten over and over. Then again the ending would suggest the feud is continuing, even though MVP is off to the Chamber and Flair is ready for Mr. Kennedy. Either way, nothing but a basic match here.

Post match MVP stays on the leg and crushes it with the steps.

Post break, Flair’s leg is in trouble.

Here is Chuck Palumbo for a chat. Palumbo blames what happened to Michelle McCool last week on Jamie Noble, who got in the way and deserved that beating. We look at the clip of Michelle getting taken out, which Palumbo again calls an accident. Palumbo has been fined $10,000 but it was worth it to see Noble get taken out. As for Michelle, Palumbo wants to apologize to her in person. Cue Michelle, who doesn’t buy what Palumbo is saying and isn’t accepting the apology. She slaps him in the face so Palumbo blames her for all of his recent losses. Now he is going to beat up Noble and Michelle has to watch.

Rey Mysterio/CM Punk vs. Edge/Chavo Guerrero

Chavo takes Rey down to start but Rey is right back up with some flips into an armbar. It’s off to Edge, who misses a shot to Punk in the corner and gets headlock takeovered. That’s broken up so it’s back to Chavo, who avoids a running knee to send Punk outside. We take a break and come back with Edge faceplanting Punk and handing it back to Chavo for the abdominal stretch.

Punk fights out and enziguris his way to freedom, allowing the hot tag back to Rey. That means a high crossbody to drop Edge for two but a Chavo distraction lets Edge get in a cheap shot. A big boot gives Edge two but Rey hurricanranas Chavo down. The second hot tag brings in Rey and everything breaks down. The 619 hits Chavo and Rey dives onto Edge outside. That leaves Punk to GTS Chavo for the pin for quite the nice reaction from the crowd.

Rating: B-. They had the time here and the talent was certainly there so this was quite the fun match. Smackdown has a history of putting people out there and letting them have matches like this and that is quite the feature of any wrestling show. Rey was flying well and the fans wanted to see Punk get a big win. Good stuff.

Vince McMahon yells at Finlay for helping Hornswoggle and costing himself a chance at the Royal Rumble. Finlay calls it loyalty, which Vince says doesn’t exist so what Finlay did was stupid.

Finlay/Hornswoggle vs. Deuce N Domino

Cherry is here with Deuce N Domino. Finlay and Domino start things off but we pause for Hornswoggle to go after Cherry. That earns Cherry a trip to the floor and Finlay beats up Domino. The Celtic Cross sets up the Tadpole splash for the fast pin. Little more than a squash with the Cherry stuff thrown in.

Dancing ensues post match.

Raw Rebound.

New interviewer Eve Torres brings out Batista for a chat. After calling Smackdown the biggest sports entertainment show in the world (Batista: “Yeah I said it.”), Batista says he came up short in the Royal Rumble. Now it is off to the Elimination Chamber though and he is the only entrant who has been in it before. Five men are eliminated and he won’t be one of them because he is going to Wrestlemania. End of another short Batista interview, which I’m kind of digging.

Jesse talks about how Festus has gotten some medical help and they’ll be back next week! Uh, great.

Edgeheads vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore

Hawkins and Yang lock up to start with Hawkins being very pleased by an armdrag. Yang gets taken into the corner for some chopping and it’s Ryder coming in for a neck crank. The front facelock keeps Yang in trouble, at least until he backdrops his way to freedom. Ryder takes Moore out though, meaning Hawkins can come back in with a cravate to keep Yang down. Yang finally fights out of trouble and gets over to Moore for the hot tag as everything breaks down. Yang dives onto Ryder on the floor but Moore misses a Whisper In The Wind. That’s enough for Hawkins to hit a reverse implant DDT for the pin.

Rating: C. This felt a bit longer than it was and unfortunately it seems to be the end of the line for Moore and Yang as a team that mattered. Then again, I’m not sure how much value they really had when they already lost their Tag Team Title shot, but it was nice to see a team thrown together to give them something to do. Try that more often and see what you might find.

Brothers of Destruction vs. Mark Henry/Big Daddy V

Matt Striker is here with the villains. We’re joined in progress with Kane working over Henry’s leg in the corner before Kane goes up. The top rope clothesline is….almost caught but Kane turns it into a high crossbody, allowing the tag off to Undertaker. The driving shoulders have Henry rocked so it’s back to Kane. A Striker distraction lets Henry hit a running splash in the corner though and V comes in for the chops.

Kane gets over for the tag to Undertaker, who gets clotheslined down in a hurry. The slow power offense continues, including V hitting a running splash in the corner. Henry grabs a bearhug but Kane fights out of it and brings Undertaker back in to clean house. The running DDT hits Henry and it’s a double chokeslam to V. Undertaker chokeslams Henry and puts on the still to be named choke for the win.

Rating: D. A few weeks ago, we saw Undertaker beat Henry and V in a handicap match in about five minutes. Why in the world did the Brothers need almost fifteen minutes to beat them here? It didn’t help that there is only so much that you can get from Henry and V’s slow, plodding offense and it got old fast. Seeing Undertaker and Kane together is cool, but my goodness this was a dull match that lost me fast.

Overall Rating: C-. They flew threw the build to the Chamber here, which is one of the perks of having such a match. All you have to do is announce the participants and what they’re fighting for and everything is set. Throw in Edge vs. Rey II and the important parts of the Smackdown side of the card is ready. Kind of a weak show with a dreadful main event, but it got some stuff done for the pay per view.

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: January 25, 2008
Location: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Virginia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means we are probably going to get one last big push towards the show. Edge defending the World Title against Rey Mysterio is already set so there is just the Rumble itself to get the build. I’m not sure how much there is to be done, but the road to this show ran out of steam a good while ago. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Rey Mysterio vs. Edgeheads

Hawkins starts for the team so Rey goes with the dodging. Rey tries to grab him but gets driven into the corner for the tag to Ryder and a standoff. The attempted wheelbarrow bulldog is countered into a faceplant and Hawkins cranks on both arms. Mysterio enziguris his way out of trouble and snaps off a headscissors as Edge is watching in the back. Ryder tries a sunset flip and gets kicked in the head for his troubles. A splash gives Rey two as everything breaks down, including the slingshot dive to Ryder on the floor. Ryder has enough and brings in a chair for the DQ.

Rating: C-. This could have been a bit better but the ending did protect both of them. That being said, they really couldn’t have Rey get a quick rollup to pin one of Edge’s goons? It gave Rey a bit of momentum on his way to a title match he isn’t going to win, even if the match wasn’t exactly good.

Post match Rey clears the ring without much trouble.

Jesse is here with some pictures of Festus, which explains Festus’ two sides. It is clear that Festus needs help so he is currently getting the medical help that he needs.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Domino

Shannon Moore, Deuce and Cherry are here too. Feeling out process to start with Domino forearming him down but getting caught with a quick hurricanrana. Domino is back with a front facelock before dropping him ribs first across the top. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Domino switches to a sleeper for a change of pace. Yang slips out of that as well and hits a running spinwheel kick in the corner. The high crossbody gets two so Deuce goes after Yang, earning himself a beating from Moore. Yang is back up with the top rope moonsault press for the pin.

Rating: C. Yang continues his rather nice run, even if it is going to go absolutely nowhere. The match was about as basic as you could have gotten but it might have set up a rematch so Yang and Moore can beat Deuce N Domino further into the ground. It’s still not a division, but it is better than what we have had for a long time now.

Dancing ensues post match.

Jamie Noble and Chuck Palumbo argue in the back again but agree to be calm for Michelle McCool’s sake.

Video on Jeff Hardy.

Chuck Palumbo/Jamie Noble/Michelle McCool vs. Layla/Miz/John Morrison

For some reason the villains are introduced as John Morrison and the team of Miz and Layla. Miz and Layla are still a thing on ECW? Anyway Morrison front facelocks Noble to start before Miz comes in and gets forearmed in the face. Palumbo tags himself in so the argument is on, leaving Michelle to slap Layla. Michelle gets knocked off the apron though and we stop the match to check on her. Palumbo beats up Noble and I guess this is a no contest.

Post match Michelle grabs Palumbo to stop him from being on Noble and gets accidentally thrown off. That’s enough for a stretcher job as the show stops fast. How in the world is this story STILL GOING???

Here is MVP for a chat. He is sick of hearing about Ric Flair because he is the future of this business, so Flair is done on Sunday. After the Royal Rumble, the headlines will read MVP retires Flair, while Flair is playing golf and shuffleboard. And yes, we have funny photos. Cue Flair to say this golf ball hitting, shuffleboard playing man isn’t ready to retire. Flair promises to win on Sunday and that’s it. Not much from Flair here.

Great Khali vs. Finlay

Belfast Brawl, meaning street fight and Runjin Singh/Hornswoggle are both here too. Khali knocks the shillelagh out of Finlay’s hand to start and hammers away in the corner, while looking down at Hornswoggle. The chokebomb drops Finlay again and Khali throws him outside to load up the announcers’ table. Khali goes for Hornswoggle though and Finlay ERUPTS on him with shillelagh shots to leave Khali laying. Some chair shots make it even worse for the busted open Khali. That’s enough for Finlay, who walks out with Hornswoggle.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much of a match but DANG it did a great job of making Finlay look like a killer in the end. He left Khali laying on the floor and busted open, which isn’t something you see outside of maybe Undertaker. It was more of an angle than a match but dang it was fun to see Finlay rise up like that.

Vince McMahon checks on Hornswoggle and threatens him with pain at the Royal Rumble. He can’t even trust Finlay in the match!

Here is Batista for a chat. He wishes Rey Mysterio luck and puts everyone else in the Rumble on notice. 2005 is going to repeat himself though and he’s going to win again. Another short and simple promo here.

We look back at Michelle McCool being taken out again.

Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V

Matt Striker is here with V. Undertaker punches away to start but gets clotheslined down without much effort. Back up and a headbutt drops Undertaker again, setting up the beating in the corner. There’s the required splash but Undertaker is right back with the running DDT for two. The driving shoulders look to set up Old School but V pulls him down and out to the floor.

Striker gets in a cheap shot of his own and V follows them outside, with Undertaker sending him into the steps. Back in and a big boot into the legdrop gets two and the chokeslam connects for the same. A swinging Boss Man Slam drops Undertaker and V mounts him, thankfully without any thrusting. Not that it matters as Undertaker pulls him into the debuting…..whatever you call a hold where Undertaker pulls V’s throat across a shin for the tap.

Rating: D+. It’s kind of weird to see Undertaker debut a new submission hold right before a match that has nothing to do with submissions but it does look better than the triangle choke. Other than that, this was every Undertaker vs. V match you’ve seen, as there just isn’t much else for V to do once he has been beaten. After that, he is little more than a hill for Undertaker to climb and there is no doubt that he can do just that without much trouble.

Post match Mark Henry has to come help V out of the ring as V coughs up blood.

Rumble By The Numbers time!

569 wrestlers eliminated
36 wrestlers eliminated by Steve Austin
11 appearances by Shawn Michaels
11 wrestlers eliminated by Kane in 2001
3 Mick Foley personae to appear in the same Royal Rumble
2 feet that have to touch the ground
1 woman to enter the match, with Chyna
62:12 that Rey Mysterio lasted in 2006
2 seconds that Warlord lasted in 1990
3 Steve Austin wins
2 wins for the #1 spot, compared to 1 win for #30
#27 produces the most winners
73% of winners have gone on to win the title at Wrestlemania since 1993

Royal Rumble rundown.

Edge vs. CM Punk

Non-title, Rey Mysterio is on commentary, the Edgeheads are here too and this is fallout from Edge costing CM Punk the ECW World Title earlier this week. Punk starts fast by sending Edge shoulder first into the buckle, setting up a basement dropkick to the back. The armbar goes on and Rey is interested in Edge having a weakened shoulder. Edge comes back with a big boot and chokes on the ropes before sending Punk outside for a crash.

We take a break and come back with Punk spinwheel kicking him out of the air. The springboard clothesline is powerslammed out of the air but Punk counters the implant DDT. The GTS is countered into the Edge O Matic for two but the spear is blocked with a kick to the head. For some reason Punk tries a super GTS, which is escaped without much trouble, setting up the spear to give Edge the pin.

Rating: C+. It’s weird seeing Punk get pinned clean but he lost to the World Champion so it isn’t like this is some devastating defeat. The good thing is that Edge gets some momentum heading into the pay per view, but you can almost guarantee that Punk is going to be coming up to the big shows sooner rather than later. The match was the best of the night, even if Punk isn’t at this level yet.

Mysterio chases Edge off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As has been the case for the last few weeks, there isn’t much left to set up for the Rumble. That was on display this week, as the stuff that has already been set up was done weeks ago, leaving a good bit of finishing touches to be added over the last few shows. The Rumble should be good and that’s all you can ask for, but it’s going to be nice to freshen things up a bit and move on to something else.

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

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

AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finn Balor vs. Riddle

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

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

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

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

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

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

Video on Johnny Gargano.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Johnny Gargano vs. Chad Gable

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Omos vs. Cash Morazi/Ryan Tombs

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

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

We look back at Seth Rollins and Riddle earlier tonight.

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

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

Dominik Mysterio vs. Edge

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: January 18, 2008
Location: Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman

We are less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and odds are we are going to get some focus on that show this week. With Edge vs. Rey Mysterio for the Smackdown World Title all set up, it is time to build on the rest of the card, which is mainly going to focus on the Royal Rumble itself. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last year’s Royal Rumble, with Undertaker beating Shawn Michaels in a classic final five minutes.

Here is Undertaker to get thing going. Undertaker says it is not often that he has a microphone in his hand because he doesn’t have much to say. He doesn’t talk about taking souls because he just does it. In nine days, he is entering the Royal Rumble, which he won last year. This is a warning to the other 29 men: if you stand before him, you will fall before him and Rest In Peace. Cue Matt Striker and Big Daddy V, because this is still a feud they’re trying to push. Undertaker stares V down and the fight is on, with V being sent into the steps. That’s enough for Striker to get him out of here after another nothing brawl between them.

We recap the issues between Rey Mysterio, Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero and Edge. As tends to be the case, this resulted in Rey being beaten down to end the show.

Finlay vs. Great Khali

Hornswoggle and Runjin Singh are here and get in a chase on the floor at the bell. We take a break less than thirty seconds in and come back with Khali stomping Finlay down in the corner. A right hand drops Finlay again and they head outside until Khali misses a chop. Finlay kicks away but Finlay gets chopped right back.

We hit the nerve hold (of course) before Khali hits a slam to keep Finlay in trouble. Hornswoggle offers a distraction though and Finlay gets in a low blow but it’s time to beat up Singh. That’s enough of a distraction for Khali to hit the chokebomb and the Vice Grip finishes Finlay off.

Rating: D+. You know what you’re going to get from Khali and you know what you’re going to get from this match as it has already happened more than once. The good thing is that they gave Khali a win to get some of his momentum back. You can only have him taken out by the shillelagh so many times before it stops mattering so this was the right way to go. It wasn’t a good match of course, but it did its job.

Edge tells Vickie Guerrero that he will always be here for her. They mean everything they have said to each other, with Vickie suggesting they have a kid. The camera pans over to Teddy Long, who reminds them that he’s still here. Vickie sends him on a food run but Chavo Guerrero interrupts to say he was wrong about the two of them. Chavo says Edge is a good guy and Vickie takes both of their hands.

Raw Rebound.

Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore vs. Deuce N Domino

Cherry is here with the entrance-less Deuce N Domino. Jimmy and Deuce start things off with Jimmy taking him to the mat without much effort. Cherry offers a distraction so Jimmy can be sent outside and it’s Moore coming in, only to be taken down in a hurry. Domino grabs the chinlock, which goes as well as the average chinlock, meaning Moore fights up and brings Yang back in. Everything breaks down and a missile dropkick gets two on Domino. The moonsault press finishes for Jimmy.

Rating: C. Again: take two guys who have nothing else going on and put them into a team. It isn’t the best way to go and it isn’t going to light the company on fire, but Yang and Moore are having fun matches and adding the slightest bit of depth to the division. If WWE can do it with them, why can’t they do it with even more people?

Vince McMahon comes into the dressing room to yell at Finlay for letting Great Khali hurt Hornswoggle. Next week it’s Finlay vs. Great Khali in a Belfast Brawl.

Batista vs. Mark Henry

After a clip of Batista winning the 2005 Royal Rumble, they fight over a lockup with neither being able to get very far. A running shoulder doesn’t get Batista anywhere so it’s time to yell at each other instead. Henry is knocked outside so Batista follows and sends him into the barricade. That earns him a knockdown and a whip into the steps before the beating heads back inside. Henry’s Vader Bomb hits raised knees and a spear gives Batista two. The Batista Bomb is broken up so Batista goes with the spinebuster for the pin.

Rating: C-. Yeah you know what you’re getting here, as once Batista has beaten him one time, there is no real reason to be interested in seeing it happen again. We know he can’t hit the Batista Bomb so it was either going to be the spear or the spinebuster. Batista still feels like he gets a bit of a rub, but that isn’t exactly a big deal from Henry.

We look at Edge helping Chavo Guerrero become #1 contender to the ECW World Title.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with Ric Flair as this week’s guest. Flair talks about wanting to dance all night long in a lounge like this and says he closed VIP lounges before MVP was born. MVP talks about how he beat Flair last year and promises to do it again. Flair lists off some legends he has beaten and says he likes MVP a lot. He reminds Flair of himself but knows that MVP is nothing like him. MVP says he’s better and Flair is ready to fight but we’ll save that for the Royal Rumble. After hitting the catchphrases, MVP gets punched out to the floor.

Michelle McCool vs. Layla

McCool grabs some headlock takeovers to start and shoulders her down for a basement dropkick. Back up and Layla goes after the knee to take over. That doesn’t last long as Michelle is up with some kicks, setting up a double underhook facebuster (Christopher Daniels’ Angel’s Wings) for the pin.

Rating: C-. They’re both trying and this was far from an embarrassing match, but you can only get so far with these women fighting over whatever catty issue they have. There isn’t room for a Women’s Title around here, but they have come a long way since the dark days. Michelle is getting more and more polished in the ring and that is nice to see as the effort is working out.

Video on Eve Torres.

Jamie Noble checks on Michelle McCool when a delivery man has flowers for her. They’re not from Jamie, but rather Chuck Palumbo, who apologizes profusely. Michelle accepts his apology but Noble doesn’t buy any of this. She tells them to get along for her sake. Sure.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Vickie Guerrero wishes Rey Mysterio good luck in the main event but he doesn’t buy it.

Edge/Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio/CM Punk

Punk works on Chavo’s arm to start and then shoulders him down. Rey comes in with a springboard seated senton for something like a Hart Attack to Chavo, meaning it’s off to Edge. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside for stereo dives as we take a break.

Back with Punk whipping Edge into the corner and raining down some right hands. A Chavo distraction lets Edge take over though and it’s the villains taking turns on Punk. Edge slides Punk shoulder first into the post and Chavo grabs an armbar. A backbreaker gives Chavo two but Punk kicks him down for a much needed breather. It’s still too early for the hot tag as Edge comes back in, only to miss a charge into the buckle. Rey comes back in to clean house but Edge chairs Rey down to break up the 619 and draw the DQ.

Rating: C+. Lame ending aside, this is a case where the talent alone is going to carry things. There were four good wrestlers in there and they got to do a completely passable story during their match. Good enough for a main event here as we barrel towards a pair of title matches next week.

Post match the brawl stays on the Edgeheads come in and help with the beatdown on Punk and Rey to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As has been the case for a few weeks now, there is only so much that can be done for the Royal Rumble build. The World Title match is set, meaning this was more about setting up the ECW World Title match on next week’s TV rather than anything for the pay per view. Not a bad show, but the Rumble needs to get here already.

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

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

AND

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