Smackdown
Date: April 7, 2023
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Wrestlemania and based on Raw, may be done with a way of life in WWE. The question now becomes if Raw was a one off or if it is the new normal. Triple H is apparently here for some kind of announcement and that could go in a variety of directions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania (Night One and Night Two) if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Wrestlemania.

Imperium vs. Brawling Brutes

Butch starts fast and chases people off before handing it off to Holland to bring in the power on Kaiser. It’s right back to Butch, who works on Vinci’s finger and stomps on the arm. Kaiser shoves Butch off the middle rope into a suplex from Vinci (who catches him in the air in a scary power display) as we take a break.

Back with Butch fighting out of a chinlock and bringing Holland in to clean house. Imperium isn’t having that and catches him with a triple boot in the corner. Gunther comes in to chop Holland down, setting up the running dropkick into the corner. A powerbomb gets two with Butch having to make the save. The Boston crab goes on but the crawl lets Holland get the tag to Sheamus. The ten forearms have Gunther in trouble and White Noise gets two. Vinci and Kaiser are back in with a high/low to Butch but Sheamus knees Vinci out of the air. The Brogue Kick finishes Vinci at 11:41.

Rating: B-. These guys work well together and there is nothing wrong with letting them beat on each other for awhile. It’s nice to see Sheamus getting some momentum back after the loss at Wrestlemania and I can go for having all of the Brutes together again for a change. Good opener here and it’s nice to see that on WWE TV again.

Long recap of the Cody Rhodes/Brock Lesnar saga from Raw.

Paul Heyman, with Solo Sikoa, says he will pass over a question about Lesnar and thank Roman Reigns for the amazing Wrestlemania. Jey Uso comes in to say he hasn’t seen Jimmy Uso all night. Heyman says Jimmy isn’t here, because Reigns wanted Jey to face Sami Zayn on his own tonight. Jey leaves, and Heyman tells Solo to solve the Sami Zayn problem tonight, or solve the Bloodline’s problems tonight. Well that’s ominous.

Ricochet vs. Ivar

Both partners have been banned from ringside but Valhalla is here with Ivar. Ricochet starts fast by sending Ivar outside, where Ivar crushes him against the apron. Back in and Ricochet flips out of a suplex and hits a running knee. Ivar knocks him down again and for some reason Ricochet tries a fireman’s carry. That level of brilliance earns him a spinning kick to the face but Ricochet knocks him out of the corner. The shooting star press finishes Ivar off at 4:05.

Rating: C+. I can go with Ricochet fighting a monster and getting a nice boost out of it as a result. More Ricochet is a good thing and it would be great to see him being elevated again. I’m not sure what is next for any of the teams from the showcase match but at least Ricochet is getting a little momentum.

Kevin Owens is looking at the titles but insists that he is LEERING at them. Sami Zayn is happy to be here and Owens talks about how big Sami vs. Jey Uso is going to be tonight. They can put the Bloodline behind them but Sami thinks something about this feels off. He can’t shake the feeling that he has to talk to Jey about…something. Everything Owens has said is true but Sami feels obligated to talk to him. Owens wants to know what Sami thinks is going to happen but knows he can’t talk him out of this. Sami knows he’s right but is going to do it anyway. I don’t see this going well at all.

Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan vs. Natalya/Shotzi

Natalya and Shotzi send Rodriguez outside with Shotzi hitting a dive so hard that Rodriguez kind of belly to belly suplexes her. Back in and Shotzi hits a knee but a springboard hurricanrana is countered. It’s off to Morgan, who trades rollups with Natalya to limited avail. A release German suplex into a discus clothesline drops Morgan and Shotzi is back in for an assisted Sliced Bread. Rodriguez breaks up a Hart Attack and Oblivion finishes Shotzi at 2:50. This was very fast paced and gives Morgan and Rodriguez a bit of a boot on the way to their title match.

Madcap Moss and Xavier Woods are playing WWE2K23 when LA Knight comes in to complain about all the gaming. Why was Woods on Wrestlemania for video games and not him? Woods is tired of this and says he’ll beat Knight again if he has to.

Here is HHH for a chat. After saying there is nothing like that kind of a reaction, HHH brags about Wrestlemania and all of the successes it has had. Now though, Wrestlemania is behind us and we look to the future. Are you ready? In just a few weeks, it is time for the WWE Draft. This year’s will be bigger than ever with every single superstar eligible. When it is time, this year’s Draft will truly change the game. Speaking of that, here is someone who is doing just that: Rhea Ripley (with the rest of the Judgment Day.

Ripley says that everything changed at Wrestlemania when she did the impossible. She’s the star now and it is time to rise for Mami. Finn Balor talks about how Edge hut him but he is still standing (PLEASE tell me that story isn’t continuing). Dominik….has to pause for the fans booing him before talking about how he couldn’t bring himself to really hurt his father at Wrestlemania. He can’t stand Bad Bunny though and we see the big brawl with Bad Bunny on Monday. Damian Priest can forgive Bunny for what he did, but hopes Bunny can forgive Priest for what he had to do. Cue Rey Mysterio and the LWO as we’re ready to go.

Rey Mysterio/Santos Escobar vs. Judgment Day

It’s Dominik Mysterio/Damian Priest for the team here and Dominik tags out rather than face his dad to start. With Priest knocked down, Dominik comes in to hammer away and gets one off a suplex. Rey manages to flip out bring in Escobar to pick up the pace. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker drops Dominik and stereo dives take the villains down.

We take a break and come back with Dominik grabbing a front facelock on Escobar. A backdrop gets Escobar out of trouble and it’s Rey coming back in. Rey starts firing off some dropkicks but Rhea Ripley has to chase Zelina Vega. The 619 hits Dominik but Priest breaks up the Phantom Driver. South of Heaven finishes Escobar at 10:06.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match that you would expect from Escobar and company, but unfortunately there was no real way to end this other than Escobar getting pinned. Since you can more or less pencil in Rey/Bunny vs. Priest/Dominik at Backlash, how else could they have gone? For now, it’s nice to see Priest getting a win as it doesn’t happen very often.

Shinsuke Nakamura is back next week.

Sami Zayn comes up to Jey Uso and says it’s fine if Jey doesn’t want to talk. Zayn says it’s the same as it has been for the last few months: everything Zayn has said would happen has happened. Jimmy Uso isn’t here and Roman Reigns isn’t here, while Solo Sikoa is looking like he is ready to drop the hammer. Now Sami will beat as much sense into Jey as he has to, but he’d rather not. Jey doesn’t say anything but we hear some kind of a fracas. Kevin Owens has been attacked by Solo Sikoa, who has dropped an anvil case on Owens’ leg.

Jey Uso vs. Sami Zayn

Before the match, Sami says Kevin Owens was right but he’s about to show Uso that he isn’t the only one with a problem. Jey shoulders him down to start but gets sent to the floor. Cue Solo Sikoa for a distraction as we take a break. Back with Sami hitting a superplex and hammering away. Sami gets superkicked out of the air but exploder suplexes Jey into the corner. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two and they go up top, where Sami gets headbutted to the apron. Sikoa gets in a cheap shot and Jey superkicks him for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: B-. If the Bloodline is continuing for the time being (or beyond), Uso needed to win here as the non-Reigns members needed the boost. If nothing else, this keeps up the idea of Sami/Owens needing each other to deal with the Bloodline, though Owens is not going to be happy here. In other words, the saga continues, despite a huge step being taken at Wrestlemania.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jey breaks up the Samoan Spike. Then he superkicks Sami himself and has Sikoa get a chair. Cue Matt Riddle for the save (remember that Sikoa put him on the shelf in December) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it was just the comparison to Raw, but this was a rather good show and felt like everything before this Monday’s debacle. There were good matches and storylines advanced so it was a totally useful two hours of TV. That is better than I would have expected and we’ll it a huge relief. On top of that there is the Draft announcement so something big is on the horizon.

Results
Brawling Brutes b. Imperium – Brogue Kick to Vinci
Ricochet b. Ivar – Shooting star press
Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan b. Natalya/Shotzi – Oblivion to Shotzi
Judgment Day b. Rey Mysterio/Santos Escobar – South of Heaven to Escobar
Jey Uso b. Sami Zayn – Superkick

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

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AND

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

Wrestlemania XXXIX Night Two
Date: April 2, 2023
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
America The Beautiful: Jimmie Allen

It’s time to finish the story with the second half of Wrestlemania. That should mean a lot of good things but egads they have a lot to live up to after last night’s great show. The card is stacked again but the big deal is going to be the main event, with Roman Reigns defending the World Title against Cody Rhodes. When a match inside the Cell feels secondary, it’s quite the lineup. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

Jimmie Allen sings America the Beautiful.

Kevin Hart handles the intro again, talking about how in Hollywood, if the first one is a success, a bigger sequel is following. That’s what we’re getting tonight, and the card is stacked.

Miz and Snoop Dogg are in the ring to welcome us to the show, with Miz recapping Night One and giving us a nondescript preview of tonight.

Omos vs. Brock Lesnar

Omos throws him around to start and then does it again for a bonus. A bearhug goes on and Lesnar isn’t sure what to do here. Lesnar fights out and tries to get something going but gets bearhugged again. A chokeslam gives Omos two but he misses a charge in the corner. Lesnar manages the first German suplex (the crowd approves) and the second one looks better. The F5 is loaded up but Brock’s back gives out. The chokebomb is blocked as well though and the F5 finishes Omos at 4:51.

Rating: C+. They kept this short and that is what they should have done. Omos is not going to be able to be out there very long before things get bad so get your stuff in, pop the crowd, head out. That’s all it needed to be and they made it work here, with a match that might not have been good, but it was fun, which is the best they could hope to do.

Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan vs. Natalya/Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville vs. Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler

Morgan gets knocked around to start and Natalya adds a basement dropkick. A running hurricanrana gets Morgan out of trouble and it’s Rodriguez coming in for a splash in the corner. Green comes in with a missile dropkick but Shotzi comes in for a hip attack. Baszler breaks up the cover and throws her outside to Rousey but a triple powerbomb plants Baszler inside.

Everything breaks down and Green is left to pose…until Rodriguez is waiting on her. Instead of fighting, Green would rather dive onto the pile, followed by Rodriguez powerbombing Morgan onto everyone. Back in and Green and Deville take Rodriguez down but Natalya helps Shotzi with a double standing Sliced Bread. The Hart Attack hits Deville for two with Green making the save. Natalya’s double Sharpshooter is broken up and Liv hits Shotzi with the Oblivion but Baszler (who has taken a boot off and seems to be limping) breaks it up. Rousey gets the armbar to finish Shotzi at 8:18.

Rating: C. This was a thing that happened and there isn’t much else to say about it. Rousey and Baszler were barely factors (likely due to injuries), leaving the other six to run through their stuff. As usual, the teams have no history together so you more or less just have random things going on until the finish. It was energetic, but this didn’t look like a good idea when it was announced and it didn’t get much better.

Bobby Lashley, with the Andre the Giant battle royal trophy, is here.

UpUpDownDown previews the Intercontinental Title match.

We recap the Intercontinental Title match. Gunther is the unstoppable champion while Sheamus and McIntyre want to fight each other and to be the champion. Big fight is on.

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and Titus O’Neil is on commentary. Gunther tells the other two to fight before they all start hitting each other rather hard. McIntyre is knocked to the floor and Gunther gets to chop Sheamus hard against the ropes. The Boston crab goes on Sheamus but McIntyre comes in for the chop off. McIntyre actually knocks Gunther into the corner but Sheamus is back up to fight both of them.

With nothing else working, Gunther gets tied in the ropes for the forearms from McIntyre and the chops from Sheamus until they fall to the floor. Back in and Sheamus hits 29 forearms to McIntyre’s chest (McIntyre fell down on #30) as the fans are VERY pleased here. Gunther blasts Sheamus with a clothesline for two but McIntyre hits a top rope shot to Gunther’s head. Sheamus gets knocked to the floor and Gunther’s powerbomb gets two on McIntyre.

Gunther goes up but Sheamus catches him with the super White Noise and the Celtic Cross gets two. McIntyre is back in to break up the Texas Cloverleaf so Sheamus knees both of them down. The Brogue Kick hits Gunther for two with McIntyre breaking up the pin. McIntyre isn’t done and hits the big flip dive to drop Sheamus (Cole: “Titus, I guarantee you have never done that!” Titus: “AND I NEVER WILL!”).

Back in and the Claymore is countered with the Brogue Kick for two (as the fans keep losing their minds on everything). The second Claymore drops Sheamus for two more and everyone is down. With Gunther on the floor, Sheamus and McIntyre slug it out until Sheamus hits another Brogue but Gunther comes off the top with a splash to break it up. Gunther powerbombs Sheamus onto McIntyre and then powerbombs McIntyre to retain at 16:36.

Rating: A-. I love a match where they don’t even pretend it is going to be anything but what it is. This was advertised as three big, strong men beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That’s exactly what we got here and it was some awesome violence as Gunther racks up another huge title defense. Great stuff here and the next match is in trouble.

We recap Bianca Belair vs. Asuka for the Raw Women’s Title. Belair has held the title for a year and become a big star but now Asuka is a lot scarier and wants the title back.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Bianca Belair

Belair is defending. Asuka comes to the ring with a bunch of women in masks while Belair has a bunch of children from a charity who dance on stage before she comes out (cool). Belair strikes away to start and takes her into the corner, where Asuka shoves her away without much trouble. Some spinning strikes have Belair in trouble but she can get away before the Asuka Lock can go on.

They go out to the floor where Belair manages a sitout powerbomb (yeowch) but misses a charge into the post back inside. The ankle lock keeps Belair in trouble and a middle rope dropkick gives Asuka two. Belair gets in a shot on the apron and manages an apron superplex for two more. They trade rollups for two each until Asuka’s Codebreaker is blocked.

Belair hits a running Blockbuster into a handspring moonsault for two. Asuka knees her in the face but Belair is back with a running shoulder for another double knockdown. They go into the corner and a Codebreaker gives Asuka two. Belair manages a kind of Glam Slam onto the turnbuckle for two and ducks the mist. The KOD is countered into a cross armbreaker but Belair muscles her up into the KOD to retain at 15:55.

Rating: B. This was another good one, which is all the more impressive after such a lame buildup. The match itself being a success wasn’t really in question as they are too talented to have a bad one, but it went a bit better than I was expecting. Belair is running out of challengers though and outside of Charlotte, they’re going to have to try someone new sooner than later.

Miz and Snoop Dogg announce tonight’s attendance: 81,395 and a two night total of 161,892. With that out of the way, Miz is mad at Snoop Dogg for screwing up last night and getting him into a match. Snoop isn’t having this and brings out someone else. Cue SHANE MCMAHON (he looks blown up from the ramp) and let’s do this.

Shane McMahon vs. Miz

Shane punches away….and then gets hurt on a leapfrog. The referee checks on him and says this is a no go, so Snoop decks Miz and hits a People’s Elbow for the win at 2:12. If that was a work, it’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in years. If that was real, (minus Shane’s injury), it’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in years.

We recap Edge vs. Finn Balor inside the Cell. They’ve been feuding for months since Balor kicked Edge out of Judgment Day, so now it’s time for the final showdown. We get all of the evil/demonic stuff for the build and the Demon is all but guaranteed.

We get a quick trailer for the Devil’s Exorcist movie.

Russell Crowe, the star of said movie, talks about how demons can cause problems.

Edge vs. Finn Balor

In the Cell (No longer red!) and Edge comes out to the Brood entrance (featuring a Slayer song instead of the Brood theme) with a Titantron that says BROOD EDGE (that’s up there with “the JBL persona has never entered the Royal Rumble”). Balor is indeed the Demon again and the entrance loses a bit without the darkness everywhere. Edge punches him in the face to start for no effect so it’s time for the weapons to come in.

We get some colored chairs and kendo sticks, with the latter going over Balor’s back. Balor is tied up in the Cell with the sticks as Edge grabs a table. That takes too long as Balor gets out and sends him into the steps. Back in and Edge hits a quick Impaler but Balor takes him back outside. The beating stays on, including a shotgun dropkick to send Edge through the table against the Cell wall.

With nothing else working, Edge manages a Killswitch and then throws a ladder into Balor’s face. We now pause for the trainers to come in and check on a cut (with the camera staying away from Balor). Edge uses the time to grab all of the weapons he can find until Balor is ready to go again. Balor sends him into the ladder and hits a quick Coup de Grace for two so they climb a ladder in the corner.

A super Impaler brings Edge back down so let’s grab another table. Balor knocks him onto it though and unloads with the chair, only to climb the Cell onto a well placed platform. The Coup de Grace only hits table so Edge hits a spear for two. With that not working, Edge unloads with chair shots and hits the Conchairto for the pin at 18:08.

Rating: B. This was a weird one, with the match just kind of ending rather than building up to something. It felt like they were trying to have Edge be pushed so far and reach a level that Balor can’t touch but it just felt like the match stopped out of nowhere. It’s also weird to see Edge win if he’s probably leaving again, but that might mean giving Balor a big win and that doesn’t happen anymore. The match was violent (because it was a TLC match inside the Cell, as tends to be the case far too often anymore) but it hit a wall and didn’t get any further.

We recap the Hall of Fame ceremony.

The Hall of Fame Class is presented:

Stacy Keibler (yeah sure)
Andy Kaufman (about as perfect of a celebrity as you can get)
Great Muta (absolutely)
Tim White (great choice for the Warrior Award)
Rey Mysterio (perfect choice for a headliner and well deserved)

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns. Roman has been World Champion for over two and a half years and seems unstoppable. Rhodes is here to win the title for his father Dusty and complete his story. This is the most serious threat Reigns has faced in a long, long time and he could be in trouble.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns

Rhodes is challenging and hugs his family before handing his weightlifting belt to….AEW’s Negative One (unmasked) in the front row. Paul Heyman and Solo Sikoa are here with Reigns and we’re ready to go after some rather long entrances (including Reigns demanding acknowledgment). They fight over a lockup to start with Cody getting a headlock (so Heyman can roll his eyes at the CODY chants). A right hand sends Reigns outside for some advice from Heyman (“You’re the relevant one. Now SMASH HIM!”).

Back in and Reigns hits some corner clotheslines but walks into a dropkick so Cody can start working on the arm. The Disaster Kick is countered into the powerbomb for two and Reigns snaps off some suplexes. They head outside and Reigns knocks him up the ramp so the fight can keep going. Cody gets the better of things as they fight back to ringside but Sikoa gets in a chair to the ribs. The referee didn’t see it so Reigns hits the apron dropkick to take over again.

Cody fights up again but Sikoa grabs a boot, allowing Reigns to nail a clothesline. They go to the floor again and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table. Reigns’ powerbomb is countered into a backdrop and Reigns is in trouble again. Back in and Cody hammers away with the Cody Cutter getting two. Reigns heads outside again and there’s the suicide dive. On the way back in, Sikoa gets in a belt shot to the back, which the referee hears for an ejection.

Reigns grabs the belt but gets superkicked into Cross Rhodes for a close two. Back up and Reigns catches Cody from behind, setting up a release Rock Bottom for two more. The Superman Punch is countered into the Pedigree for two more and Cody is looking stunned. Reigns’ spear is countered into a sunset flip for two and the Figure Four goes on (complete with WOO).

Reigns makes the ropes so Cody goes to the apron (Cody: “Fight Cody.”) and they slug it out. Cody misses something off the top and gets speared down for two. Reigns is so frustrated that he unloads with forearms and grabs the guillotine. The arm comes up so Reigns grabs the bodyscissors to really cinch it in. Cody manages to slip his head out and hammers away but the referee gets bumped. Reigns hits a Superman Punch and Cody hits a clothesline to put them both down.

It’s Cody up first and the Cross Rhodes is loaded up but cue the Usos for the double superkick. The 1D drops Cody again but here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (through the crowd for some reason) for the save. The Stunner into the Helluva Kick drops Reigns and the teams fight off, leaving Cody to get a very delayed two. They slug it out until Reigns misses the Superman Punch and Cody hits the Flip Flop and Fly into the Bionic Elbow. Cross Rhodes and Cross Rhodes connect but Heyman offers a distraction so Sikoa can come back in with the Samoan Spike. Reigns hits the spear to retain at 34:37.

Rating: B+. It felt like a major showdown here and the reactions from the crowd were great. The back and forth action was outstanding and I wasn’t sure how it was going until the ending. At the same time though…..wow that is a heck of a way to go, as Reigns doesn’t really have anyone left to face. It felt like a Wrestlemania main event and a huge fight, but egads that is a bold choice for the future. Cody was protected, but it’s going to take some time to come back from this kind of a loss.

A lot of posing and pyro but no Dusty Finish wraps us up.

The highlight package takes us out.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s another great show and I think I liked the action a bit more overall here as even the weakest match on the show was completely fine. The ending was the big surprise and I have no idea where they go from here. There was a lot of fun to be found here and the Intercontinental Title match was great, followed by some other very good stuff. What matters is that it felt like a Wrestlemania and that is one of the hardest things to pull off in all of wrestling. Heck of a show again and absolutely worth seeing.

Overall Overall Rating: A. It’s an all timer over two nights and what makes it even more impressive is that they made the already huge card actually work. That extra pressure makes it even harder but they did it here, with some of the best stuff WWE has done in years. The worst thing over two nights is a watchable six woman tag and the best stuff is some all time quality.

The bigger thing here is the emotion though, as it felt like the biggest show they have presented in years. This show was built up for a long time and then they made the whole thing work. I was invested in so much of this and it gave off the feelings that you’re supposed to get with something this big. Check out all of this, as both nights flew by in a great way.

Results
Brock Lesnar b. Omos – F5
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler b. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville, Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez and Natalya/Shotzi – Armbar to Shotzi
Gunther b. Drew McIntyre and Sheamus – Powerbomb to McIntyre
Bianca Belair b. Asuka – KOD
Snoop Dogg b. Miz – People’s Elbow
Edge b. Finn Balor – Conchairto
Roman Reigns b. Cody Rhodes – Spear

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.

We’re still in Los Angeles for the second half of Wrestlemania after what was a (pick your own adjective based on however the show, which hasn’t happened yet, was once you’ve seen it after this is posted) night, it should be easy/difficult to top. This is the night where we finally get Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the World Title and that should be quite the showdown. The rest of the show looks good too so maybe we’re in for something. Let’s get to it.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka

We’ll get one of the weaker entries out of the way to start. This is a match that is likely going to be very good due to the talent involved but the build has been lacking to put it mildly. There isn’t much of a reason for these two to be fighting and Belair being scared of Asuka isn’t so interesting. Asuka can more than carry her end, but she needs a little more than this so far.

I’ll take….I guess Asuka here, as Belair has held the title for a year now and really needs to drop the thing so someone else can get a chance. Asuka’s new persona is only so different than her last but she is more than good enough to be the champion, even if it is just for a little while. There is a good chance that Belair keeps the title again, but she probably shouldn’t after a year of being champion.

Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan vs. Natalya/Shotzi vs. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville

This is the women’s showcase match, which is still one of the weirder ideas that WWE has had in a good while. The teams are mostly inexperienced or brand new, with Rousey and Baszler being the only regular team. Then again last year’s Women’s Tag Team Titles went about the same way, meaning I don’t have much reason for this to be very interesting here again.

I’ll take Rodriguez and Morgan to win as they would likely be the crowd favorites. The only other option (which might make the most sense) is Rousey/Baszler, who need to be going after the Women’s Tag Team Titles sooner than later. This comes off as a way to get a bunch of people on the card without having a battle royal and while it might accomplish the goal, it isn’t feeling interesting. But yeah, I’ll go with Rodriguez and Morgan to win.

Brock Lesnar vs. Omos

Somehow this is the best thing they could get together for Lesnar (including making him happy, which can’t be easy) and I’m not exactly feeling it. I’m almost scared to see what is going to happen when these two are given any kind of time together, as Omos hasn’t shown the ability to be a ring general. That leaves Lesnar, who might be more likely to turn Omos into a really big sandwich.

That being said, I’ll go with Lesnar winning here in a short match. You can’t ask them to go long (not without expecting quite a bit of disaster) so we’ll go with Lesnar winning with the big impressive F5. This is a match that isn’t going to much to do so keeping it quick and impactful is the right idea. Omos winning makes sense if Lesnar is leaving, but for now I’ll take Lesnar, who will almost absolutely be back someday.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther(c) vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

This is the kind of match that is going to be all about hitting each other really hard. That is how to get the fans up again because it is easy to get behind the idea of three people trying to survive and leave as champion. It’s a good formula and these three can make it work. If they make it work here, we could be in for a showdown, but the question is who leaves with the title.

I don’t think I can imagine Gunther losing the title yet, even if he doesn’t get pinned, so I’ll say he retains here. Sheamus and McIntyre are going to beat the fire out of each other and it’s going to be a blast, but what matters here is three big men doing their power stuff until one of them can’t get up. This should be a lot of fun and the story is there too, so just make it work.

Edge vs. Finn Balor

What are we now, nine months into this feud? I get why it takes time but it would be nice to have things pick up a bit. Either way, what matters here is that this is in the Cell (which is apparently no longer red) and Balor is going to be the Demon. The match has certainly been built up long enough and while it might not be the hottest feud anymore, we should be in for a good one.

In theory this should be Balor winning because he’ll likely be around more often, though Edge has a tendency to win his big matches more often than not. I’ll go with Balor as he really needs the win, but it’s a prediction likely to go wrong. There is likely going to be a ton of interference from Judgment Day and Beth Phoenix, but at least everything has been set up fairly well.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Cody Rhodes

There are times when the Wrestlemania main event feels like the biggest match they could come up with at the time, but there are also occasions when the Wrestlemania main event feels like the most important match anywhere. The latter is true this year, as WWE has turned taking down the Bloodline into the biggest story in wrestling. Rhodes wants the title for his family’s legacy, but also to take out the Bloodline’s heart. Now can he do it?

There is a real argument for Reigns retaining here, as he is the biggest star in wrestling by a mile and the longest reigning champion in about thirty five years. If you pull the trigger on Rhodes right now, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. At the same time, if Rhodes loses here, what exactly is he supposed to do next? I’ll go with Rhodes, just because I don’t know what they do if he loses.

Overall Thoughts

Much like last night, this feels like a Wrestlemania worthy card. I want to see what happens with this show and Reigns vs. Rhodes is the biggest match that I can imagine right now. WWE has done a great job of setting things up and now they have the potential to execute it just as well. I love having that feeling of grandeur back again and if they can make it all work, we’ll be in for a heck of a night.

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Smackdown
Date: March 31, 2023
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the go home show for Wrestlemania and that means we could be in for a night that is a little different than normal. The featured attractions are one more Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes showdown plus the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. This show has a tendency to be a little weaker but maybe they can change it this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are the Usos to get things going. They are ready for Wrestlemania but here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to cut them off. Zayn doesn’t want anything left unsaid before Wrestlemania so let’s get it all out there. Owens says no one welcomed him to WWE like the Usos did, even to the point of playing with his son. Then they started doing Roman Reigns’ bidding (Owens: “Look at me when I’m talking to you.”) and then they tried to take away his livelihood.

Zayn is the reason Owens is standing here today and they better look at him now, because he can’t wait to do what he has to do tomorrow night. It ain’t paranoia, because they’re taking the titles. The Usos say they have no love for either of them because this is the real family. Zayn says blood isn’t the only thing that makes you family, because family is loyal. Jey: “WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LOYALTY SAMI???”

Zayn talks about being loyal to Jey and the Bloodline from day one but the Usos chose Reigns over loyalty. Zayn can’t wait to get rid of the Bloodline so the two of them can get back to being the guys Owens remembers. The Usos don’t buy it and say Owens/Zayn are going to lose the big match, when Owens stabs Zayn in the back again. The Bloodline isn’t going to fall because this is BloodlineMania. They brought the emotion here and all four can sell that like few others. This almost has to headline Night One because it is blowing away everything but the main event.

The Usos go to leave and run into the Street Profits coming out for the first match.

Montez Ford vs. Ricochet vs. Chad Gable vs. Erik

All of the respective partners are here. They circle each other to start until Ford and Ricochet are left alone, with Ford flipping to his feet and dancing a bit. Gable comes in and dances a bit as well, earning himself a double dropkick right back to the floor. Now it’s Erik back inside but a double dropkick puts him outside too. Ricochet and Ford head outside and get caught with stereo suplexes to put Gable and Erik in control. Back in and Erik runs them over again, only to get clotheslined by Erik as we take a break.

We take a break and come back with Gable belly to belly superplexing Ricochet to leave all four down. It’s Ford up first to start the comeback and knock all three down in a row. Gable is back with a German suplex for two but Erik plants him hard onto Ford. Back up and Ford hits a huge flip dive to the floor, followed by a frog splash to Gable back inside. Ricochet isn’t about to be outdone and nails a shooting star press to put Gable away at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of all action car crash match that you want to see. The win actually does build a bit of momentum on the way to Wrestlemania, even if I can’t imagine Ricochet and Braun Strowman actually winning. For now though, good match and a fun match on the go home show.

Video on Rhea Ripley.

Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Baron Corbin, Top Dolla, Xavier Woods, Karrion Kross, Humberto, Butch, Ivar, Ashante Adonis, Angel, Angelo Dawkins, Ridge Holland, Otis, Cruz Del Toro, Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Dexter Lumis, Elias, Rick Boogs, Dolph Ziggler, Madcap Moss, Johnny Gargano, Shelton Benjamin, Mustafa Ali, Mace, Mansoor, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight, Braun Strowman, Bronson Reed, Cedric Alexander

Barrett: “Alright Cole, who’s going to win this?” Cole: “Top Dolla. He can’t go over the top rope.” That’s kind of vicious. Funny but vicious. Corbin is out seconds in as Lumis is standing still in the corner. Cole actually name drops Cesaro as a former winner as Lashley gets rid of Adonis and Dolla. There goes Wilde, followed by Dawkins and Erik thanks to the Maximum Male Models. They try to toss Otis but Mace is eliminated by Lumis instead.

Gargano superkicks Mace out as the ring is clearing a bit. Anderson and Gallows are both tossed and Boogs muscles Otis out (that was a big one. Los Lotharios get rid of Elias and Boogs tosses both of them to even things up. We take a break and come back with Woods and Lumis both being tossed out as the ring is much thinner now. Knight dumps Ali (I think) but gets caught in the Krossjacket. Lashley Hurt Locks Ziggler but lets go for a showdown with Kross.

Lashley dumps Kross and Moss is gone as well. We get a Reed vs. Strowman match but Lashley interrupts them to get rid of Ziggler. The big guys knock each other down and Gargano counters the Bitter End into a DDT on Butch. Knight goes after Gargano (the fans REALLY approve) but it’s time for almost everyone to hit something.

Lashley finally tosses Gargano and Strowman gets rid of Escobar. Reed eliminates Holland, who catches Butch to prevent an elimination. Reed gets rid of Brute, getting us down to Reed, Knight, Strowman and Lashley. Knight (getting crazy positive reactions) tries to eliminate Reed but can’t overcome the power of physics. Instead Reed dumps Knight, becoming the biggest villain in the company (even commentary has to acknowledge it).

Lashley fires off running clotheslines to Reed and Strowman but gets powerslammed for his efforts. Reed sends Strowman to the apron and shoulders him out (that’s an upset) to get us down to two. The Tsunami misses though and Lashley hits the spear but Reed sends him to the apron. Back in and Lashley tosses him out for the win at 14:31.

Rating: C+. While it would have been better for Lashley to do something at Wrestlemania, this is enough of a consolation prize. Lashley is also suddenly a good guy again, which might even suit him better. Other than that, Boogs and Reed looked good here, but the story is going to be Knight. Those reactions aren’t going away and there is no way to ignore them much longer. Commentary hearing them is an interesting sign and a face turn next week wouldn’t shock me.

Long video on Cody Rhodes, from the start of his career to the main event of Wrestlemania. There’s a long gap of about 6 years in the middle but close enough.

Natalya vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Sonya Deville

The respective partners are here too. Rodriguez and Natalya go after Baszler to start before throwing her and Deville outside. Natalya Sharpshooters Deville until Baszler makes the save. Rodriguez fireman’s carries Natalya and Baszler at the same time before kicking Natalya in the face. Deville posts Rodriguez, who is right back with a big boot to Baszler and a Tejana Bomb to Deville for the pin at 2:52. That was quick.

Legado del Fantasma comes to see Rey Mysterio, who is getting ready for his Hall of Fame speech. They want to see him give Dominik a lesson and will have his back to deal with Judgment Day. Rey likes the idea, but they’re going to do it in style. They all get shirts…..because the LWO (Latino World Order for you non WCW fans) is back! Cole actually remembers that Rey didn’t join the original version willingly in a nice bit of continuity.

Sheamus/Drew McIntyre vs. Imperium

Drew’s music cuts off Sheamus’ intro, which doesn’t it sit well. To make it worse, Drew says Sheamus can start and then starts instead by hammering on Vinci. A cheap shot from the apron slows McIntyre down but Sheamus tags himself in. A top rope show to the head drops Kaiser, setting up the forearms to the chest (Drew is not impressed). Sheamus and Drew glare at each other so Imperium jumps them, only to be sent to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Sheamus in trouble in the corner as Kaiser cranks on a chinlock. Sheamus Irish Curses his way to freedom though and it’s Drew coming back in to clean house. Sheamus tags himself back in though and wrecks both of them, setting up the Brogue Kick (as McIntyre hits the Claymore) for the pin on Vinci at 8:19.

Rating: C+. This was mainly a story building match as they already both can’t stand Gunther and now they can’t stand each other. There needs to be more of a story than they both want to go after Gunther so this is the personal touch that it might need. Not a bad match, but the action here absolutely was not the point.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Here is Cody Rhodes for the big final showdown with Roman Reigns. Before Reigns comes out though, Cody talks about how all of the roads have led here and the extra attention is on him. He is working harder than ever trying to deal with the media and getting his workouts and nutrition in, but he has never been more ready. Right now though, he feels wildly unprepared.

When he asked what the people want to talk about, we could talk about anything, because the fighting needs to start. He could do anything here, including reciting California Love by Tupac (which he does) but he’ll cut himself off before he gets too adult for FOX. Maybe we could talk about gratitude, because he is so thankful for getting here. The reality is that Roman Reigns is a ten year project that only started taking off in year eight. Cody: “Oh we’re shooting here cowboy.”

Reigns has talked about meeting the guy so allow Cody to introduce himself. He isn’t Dusty’s boy or dashing or Dust, but rather the next Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Before he can say he finishes the story, cue Reigns and Paul Heyman to interrupt. Reigns loads up the ACKNOWLEDGE ME but tells Cody to do it instead, because it’s his turn. They get face to face and Reigns holds up the title to end the show. This feels like a Wrestlemania main event so they have done very well with this whole thing. Now just do the match right.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the “just talk, don’t screw it up” show for the most part and that’s what it should be less than twenty four hours before Wrestlemania. WWE has done a great job with the buildup and this show has me actually wanting to see what happens. They didn’t do anything dumb in the last week and while this show was absolutely not wrestling heavy, it did what it needed to do on the last stop before Wrestlemania.

Results
Ricochet b. Montez Ford, Erik and Chad Gable – Shooting star press to Gable
Bobby Lashley won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal last eliminating Bronson Reed
Raquel Rodriguez b. Shanya Baszler, Sonya Deville and Natalya – Tejana Bomb to Deville
Sheamus/Drew McIntyre b. Imperium – Brogue Kick to Vince

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Smackdown
Date: March 24, 2023
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are eight days away from Wrestlemania and there isn’t much left to get ready for the show. The big things remaining is finding out who will be in the women’s showcase tag match, as there are three spots remaining. Other than that, expect a lot of hard pushes towards what is already announced. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens reunion which set up the Tag Team Title match at Wrestlemania.

Opening sequence.

Cody Rhodes vs. Ludvig Kaiser

Giovanni Vinci is here with Kaiser, who doesn’t get an entrance. Cody suplexes Kaiser to start as Paul Heyman comes out to watch. A running knee sends Kaiser outside and we take an early break. Back with Rhodes hammering away against the announcers’ table but the Cody Cutter is broken up back inside. Cody fights out of a chinlock but gets the rope kicked into his arm to put him back down.

A Disaster Kick gets Cody out of trouble as Solo Sikoa comes out as well. That’s enough for Kaiser to take out Cody’s knee and send him into the steps as we take a break. Back with Cody fighting up as Heyman and Sikoa aren’t pleased. Cody powerslams him for two but gets hit in the face. Kaiser gets pulled out of the air but Cross Rhodes is blocked. Instead the Cody Cutter connects and Cross Rhodes finishes at 16:28.

Rating: C+. The well done builds continue as Cody racks up another win despite the Bloodline’s presence. That’s exactly what it needed to be as Cody broke a sweat and beat someone associated with Gunther, who he will likely be seeing later. This might not have been some classic, but it did what it was supposed to do without any problem.

Post match Sikoa gets on the apron but Heyman holds him back. Heyman owes Cody an apology and handles the proper ring announcement for the win. Cody is STILL the challenger for the REIGNING, DEFENDING champion Roman Reigns but he has a big obstacle in his way on Raw when he faces Sikoa. After that, all roads lead to Roman Reigns, who will be live on Smackdown last week for the final face to face showdown with Cody.

That’s fine with Cody, who says he beat Seth Rollins with one arm and promises to show Sikoa that he isn’t ready. At Wrestlemania, Reigns is going to find out that he isn’t ready either. That has Heyman glaring as Cody throws the mic down. They’ve done almost everything right so far and now it’s all about sticking the landing at Wrestlemania. If they do that, it’s a home run.

The opening match of Wrestlemania Night One: John Cena vs. Austin Theory. That’s one way to start it.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. She is a 14 time champion and that isn’t because of insecurity or nepotism. Wrestling wasn’t built on fear but rather respect, which is what she has for Rhea Ripley. She respected Nikki and Brie, the Four Horsewomen and almost every other woman of the modern era. She gets annoyed at the WHATing so the fans switch to WOOing. Charlotte loves her dad and diamonds are forever, just like her. This has been Charlotte Is Awesome theater for the week.

Rey Mysterio vs. LA Knight

Rey’s family is at ringside and he hammers away in the corner to start. Knight takes him down and stomps away before hitting the jumping neckbreaker. A headscissors sends Knight outside though and Rey dropkicks him through the ropes. Back in and Rey goes up but cue Dominik Mysterio for a distraction, allowing Knight to crotch him down.

We come back with Knight kicking Rey in the face but missing the big elbow. Rey grabs a DDT but the 619 is pulled out of the air. Another headscissors takes Knight down again so Dominik offers a distraction to break up another 619 attempt, allowing Knight to get the rollup pin at 11:01.

Rating: C. The finish wasn’t a clean one (and it shouldn’t have been) but I’ll take Knight getting a win that might matter a bit for a change. The ending also probably sets up the post match shenanigans to get the Mysterios to Wrestlemania as they continue to take the right steps. Rey isn’t hurt by losing this way and Knight gets a bit of a boost so well done all around.

Post match Dominik gets in the ring to challenge Rey again but Rey rolls away. Dominik asks his mom what it’s like to have such a coward for a husband. He calls his mom a deadbeat too and says his sister is too stupid to understand. His mom (Angie) pulls the mic away but Dominik tells her to shut up. That’s too far for Rey, who FINALLY punches Dominik out. As Dominik looks terrified, Rey says you don’t disrespect your mother like that and the match is on for Wrestlemania.

Andy Kaufman is going into the Hall Of Fame.

Lacey Evans/Xia Li vs. Natalya/Shotzi

The winners go on to the Wrestlemania showcase match and Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez are at ringside. Lacey takes Shotzi down to start and Li does the same. It’s back to Lacey or a handstand Bronco Buster in the corner and a clothesline gets two on Shotzi. Everything breaks down and Lacey punches Shotzi out by mistake. Natalya kicks Lacey to the floor so Shotzi can hit a suicide dive, leaving Li to get hart Attacked. The Sharpshooter makes Li tap at 3:31.

Rating: C-. Yeah fine sure whatever. This match is already feeling like the least important thing on Wrestlemania in a very long time and having Evans/Li as a team trying to make Wrestlemania doesn’t make it better. Natalya being there is no surprise as she is always around, but my goodness it is almost impossible to care when they’re basically saying “there’s no story here and we’re just doing this to have people in the ring”.

Post match Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey are here to mock the two teams who have already qualified. They’re in the Wrestlemania match too, just because.

It’s time for the contract signing for the Wrestlemania Intercontinental Title match. Drew McIntyre is here when Adam Pearce starts the introductions. Cue Sheamus and the Brawling Brutes to interrupt with Sheamus talking about how much he has done for McIntyre over the years. Sheamus is ready to beat McIntyre up but McIntyre cuts him off for whining too much. They used to beat each other up and Sheamus can’t tell the difference between business and personal these days. McIntyre knows he can beat Sheamus and Gunther, the latter of which Sheamus can’t do.

Pearce tries to calm things down and gets them both to sign (with McIntyre throwing the pen to a fan because he knows how to be popular). Cue Imperium, with Gunther saying he wants to know why he is being treated to this. He signs, but says whatever he does at Wrestlemania will be justified. He’ll beat Sheamus and McIntyre and the rest of the Brutes if he has to, so Butch jumps him. Gunther DEMANDS a match with Butch right now (and absolutely launches the table over the top in a really impressive display) and here we go.

Gunther vs. Butch

Non-title. Joined in progress with Gunther kicking him in the face and hitting a hard slam. A butterfly suplex (and a good one) drops Butch again before Gunther starts with the chops. Butch tries a choke but gets chopped back down. Some enziguris work a bit better for Butch but Gunther suplexes him into the corner.

The boot choke in the corner makes it worse and we take a break. Back with Butch working on the arm, only to get pulled into the sleeper. With that broken up, Gunther takes it outside for a staredown with Sheamus and McIntyre. The brawl between everyone not in the match is on, with Gunther hitting the Last Symphony to finish Butch at 9:33.

Rating: B-. Ok so it wasn’t Butch vs. Walter but for an impromptu match that didn’t have a lot of time, this was probably the best action on the show. They beat each other up for a bit and Butch was acting rather Pete Dunne like (as he has been for his more recent appearances). Gunther gets to remind people that he’s a monster and that should make the Wrestlemania match all the better.

Post match the staredown is on with McIntyre Claymoring Gunther down.

The Street Profits are fired up but Ricochet and Braun Strowman come in to request the smoke.

It’s time for the KO Show with Kevin Owens bringing out Sami Zayn. They talk about whether they should have come out together or apart, with Owens thinking Sami just wanted his own pop. That’s ok though because Owens gets it. It’s time to talk about Wrestlemania, where they have the chance to make history. Owens has a present for Sami though, because a few months ago, he said Sami needed a new shirt. That means we see the new KO Mania shirt, which says WrestleZAYNia. Sami puts it on and goes for a hug, but Owens says one a year. They do hug but here are the Usos to jump them and run off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a good example of a show where they weren’t trying to do anything too drastic or make anything major (save for maybe finally making Rey vs. Dominik) and just hold things in place for Wrestlemania. There are two major shows left before then and there isn’t much of a reason to believe that anything huge is coming. Sometimes you just need to keep things where they are and WWE has reached that point with Wrestlemania. Don’t do anything stupid next Monday and Friday and they can roll into SoFi ready to nail it.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Ludvig Kaiser – Cross Rhodes
LA Knight b. Rey Mysterio – Rollup
Natalya/Shotzi b. Lacey Evans/Xia Li – Sharpshooter to Li
Gunther b. Butch – Last Symphony

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Smackdown
Date: April 11, 2008
Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jonathan Gresham

We are on the road to Backlash and believe it or not, Edge is already getting his rematch after losing the World Title at Wrestlemania. Undertaker isn’t overly pleased and that rarely works out well for anyone else. Other than that, Batista isn’t happy with Raw’s Shawn Michaels, which almost has to be better than the last time he fought someone from Raw. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Great Khali is in the ring with a bunch of dancers and two shirtless guys. Apparently this is a Punjabi Peace Offering to Big Show. One of the men explains the concept and is about to quote Gandhi when Big Show comes out. Show isn’t interested as the ring clears, save for one of the men and the giants.

The offering is some sort of spiritual water, followed by a bottle of the world’s finest scotch. Show drinks it but cringes before being given….a black chicken so he will never be hungry? Finally Show is presented with a goat, so he will never be thirsty. Show says words can’t describe how he feels and he shakes Khali’s hand. Then the big right hand knocks Khali silly. That looked good.

John Morrison/The Miz vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore

How many times are these teams going to fight? Non-title but we do see a clip of Miz and Morrison mocking Yang and Moore on the Dirt Sheet. Moore works on Morrison’s arm to start and Yang comes in with a dropkick for two. It’s off to Miz, who can’t get a belly to back suplex, as Yang kicks him in the face instead. Moore comes back in but gets sent throat first into the middle rope to cut him off. The slingshot elbow hits Moore and Morrison grabs the armbar.

Morrison stomps away as commentary questions Miz and Morrison’s ethical standards. We hit the chinlock with a knee in Moore’s back, which is enough to set up the comeback. Moore gets over for the tag to Yang so the pace can pick way up. The missile dropkick puts Morrison down for two but he’s back up with a kick to the face of his own for two of his own. A blind tag brings Miz back in though and a jumping neckbreaker finishes Yang.

Rating: C+. These teams work well together and it’s a shame that Moore and Yang didn’t get more of a chance. That’s one of the flaws with having a division that is about two teams at most and there just wasn’t room for a makeshift pairing. Miz and Morrison continue to roll though and I’m not sure who could take the titles anytime soon.

Teddy Long watches Edge and Vickie Guerrero get a couples massage. They’re both been so stressed out and Edge is so happy to be here instead of being at the arena.

Finlay vs. Matt Striker

Hornswoggle is here with Finlay and goes underneath the ring at the bell. They grapple against the ropes to start, where Hornswoggle sprays Striker with a water gun. The annoyed Striker kicks Finlay down and starts in on the arm. Finlay fight sup for the Regal Roll, setting up a catapult into the corner. Striker ties him up on the apron and hammers away, as he is known to do. Coach: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone use the apron like that.” Cole: “Then you haven’t been watching Smackdown because Finlay does it every match.” Point to Cole.

Now it’s Hornswoggle with a bucket of confetti (Striker: “Get out of here Sky Low Low!”) but it doesn’t work so well. Another bucket, this one of water, works better but Striker avoids a charge into the post. Hornswoggle’s shot with an inflatable hammer (called a shillelagh but it looked like a hammer) just annoys Striker, who is distracted enough for the real shillelagh shot to knock him cold for the pin.

Rating: C-. The match wasn’t exactly there for the back and forth action, with the commentary being the best part. This was much more about having Finlay get back on track after his Wrestlemania loss and he got as much as he could out of beating Striker. It was a nothing match as expected, but Cole burning Coach was funny.

Post match Hornswoggle hits the Tadpole Splash.

Victoria vs. Michelle McCool

Before the match, Victoria introduces us to her new best friend: Natalya Neidhart, so we get a look at Natalya’s father Jim. Natalya says it’s about her and “When you mess with the best, you go down with the rest. Yeah baby.” With that thankfully out of the way, Michelle takes Victoria down and starts hammering away. A basement dropkick sends Victoria outside but she’s right back in with a hard clothesline. Victoria grabs a superplex for two but McCool fights back up. Natalya gets in a jacket shot though and Victoria grabs a rollup, with tights, for the win. Bad ending aside, that was a better women’s match than usual for Smackdown.

Michael Cole is in the ring and talks about how personal the issue between Shawn Michaels and Batista has become. We get a recap of their troubles, which stems from Michaels retiring Flair. Since the wrestling world can’t exist without Flair, Batista is mad at Shawn for not letting Flair win. That’s not what Flair wanted but Batista just wants Flair around (they make it sound like he’s dead). Here are Batista and Shawn to go face to face, with Shawn saying everyone, including Flair, has moved on. Well, except Batista that is, which has Shawn thinking.

Batista’s problem isn’t with Flair, but with Shawn himself. That’s true, and what Shawn did at Wrestlemania opened Batista’s eyes. The blood on Shawn’s hands isn’t getting washed out and Batista doesn’t like how Shawn got to the top. Batista was up front, which Shawn says is a luxury he had at 6’5, 280lbs. Shawn couldn’t do that and yes he did take shortcuts when he had to. He’ll knock Batista’s teeth down his throat at Backlash but for now he has to escape the Batista Bomb. The match will be good but Batista acting like the world is ending because Flair is gone is still a lot to take.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Matt Logan

Kozlov tosses him around and finishes with the reverse DDT in less than a minute. Total destruction.

Back to the spa, where Edge and Vickie have face masks on, complete with cucumbers over their eyes. Teddy Long brings them their drinks and has to take the cucumbers away. They’re even getting matching pedicures! Teddy’s disgusted look is great.

Matt Hardy vs. Chuck Palumbo

MVP is on commentary. As MVP calls out Coach and Cole for being ranked the worst commentary team of all time (with Cole no selling it), Matt reverses a headlock into a hammerlock. With that broken up, Palumbo kicks him in the back and cranks on the neck. Matt fights up and enziguris his way to freedom and they both crash out to the floor. That of course means an MVP distraction so Palumbo can jump Matt from behind and take over.

We take a break and come back with Matt fighting out of another neck crank. Palumbo suplexes him down and grabs a third neck crank, followed by a fourth because Palumbo seems a bit limited in the ring. Another comeback lets Matt grab a Side Effect to take over and Palumbo’s missed charge goes into the post. There’s the middle rope elbow to the back of the head but Palumbo plants Hardy for two. Not that it matters as the Twist of Fate finishes Palumbo off.

Rating: C. Palumbo’s usefulness continues to be putting others over as angry biker only has so much of a shelf life. Hardy is on a bit of a roll and is getting somewhere on the way to his US Title shot against MVP. Taking the title is going to be a bit easier said than done, but at least we are FINALLY getting to that point.

Post match MVP poses at Hardy and walks off.

Jesse and Festus are nervous about the latter’s match against Undertaker tonight.

Backlash rundown.

Undertaker vs. Festus

Non-title and Jesse is here with Festus. Undertaker starts fast with a big boot before going after the arm, including Old School. Festus manages a powerslam for two and hammers away in the corner. Another boot to the face and a clothesline give Undertaker two and they fight to the floor. Festus rams him into the barricade a few times and they head inside, where Festus’ right hands send Undertaker outside again.

Undertaker isn’t having that and sends him into the steps, setting up another kick to the head. Back in and Undertaker hits the running DDT and starts hammering away in the corner. They slug it out until Undertaker has to escape a fireman’s carry and grabs the chokeslam for two. Festus fights up and slugs away but the referee gets bumped. With the referee down, Undertaker grabs the triangle choke and, after a good while, the referee comes back in to say Festus is out.

Rating: C+. Undertaker gave Festus a lot more than I would have expected here, as Festus got to beat Undertaker up for a few minutes. The ending was a good way to make Undertaker’s choke feel dangerous, which is quite the upgrade for someone who is already such a monster. Festus showed something here though, and that is how unnecessary Jesse is to his success.

Post match Jesse runs in and breaks it up to protect Festus. Undertaker looks down at them and doesn’t appear happy before posing to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. They kept this show moving despite very little actually happening. Undertaker being in the ring always feels like something special, even if he was facing someone like Festus. Other than that, Backlash is pretty much set and now we need to just get to the show in a few weeks. Some of the stories still need some more polish though and we could be getting some of that until we get to the pay per view. Not a great show here, but it held things in place well enough.

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

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Smackdown
Date: March 3, 2023
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are less than a month away from Wrestlemania and that means it is time to kick the build into high gear. This time around we are going to be seeing something special as Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes will be going face to face for the first time in a very long while. Other than that, I’m sure Sami Zayn will be up to something. Let’s get to it.

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

We’ll start big as here is the Bloodline (still minus Jey Uso) to get things going. After Reigns requests and receives his acknowledgment, here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Cody makes it clear that he isn’t here to fight because they can do that at Wrestlemania, one on one. Therefore, unless Reigns needs the rest of his team, they aren’t needed. Reigns sends the team away and asks if that makes Cody more comfortable. Reigns puts both titles down in front of Cody, who says Reigns has been champion for 915 days.

For some, Reigns has become this impossible mountain to climb, but that is kind of Cody’s thing. There is no way Cody could survive Stardust and there is no way 10,000 people will pay to see Cody headline an indy show. The goalposts are always being moved but he is always kicking it through the uprights. Reigns may be impossible for some, but that isn’t the case with Cody. Reigns: “That was good.” He accuses Cody of rehearsing that all week before asking if Cody has ever won the WWE Title. Or even competed for it. Or headlined Wrestlemania.

Reigns has been groomed for this since he was a little boy, both by his own father and by Cody’s father as well. Don’t worry though as he won’t degrade Dusty Rhodes, because Dusty was the one who put the confidence in him. We get the required Dusty impression and Reigns says Dusty knew everything Reigns would wind up doing. You know what Dusty would say about Cody though? Nothing. Maybe when Seth was in there talking to Dusty or something but most of the time, it was like Cody didn’t exist.

Reigns knows Dusty isn’t here anymore, but if there is anything he didn’t teach Cody, Reigns will at Wrestlemania. The handshake is offered though Cody says this isn’t even on the same playing field. Paul Heyman came to Smackdown to tell Cody the truth, and if that is the truth, then one of Dusty’s kids (as in students) was better than Dusty’s actual kids. If that is the truth, then Reigns is the son that Dusty always wanted. If that is the truth, then Cody has to win the title at Wrestlemania. So absolutely, may the better man win, and they shake hands.

This was Reigns showing he can hang with the big talking himself and it’s feeling more and more personal every week. Great stuff here, and Cody is building his own story with Reigns. That had to be done and for once they’re actually making it work. Keep this up and they are going to have something special in Los Angeles.

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Dominik Mysterio is here with Rhea. This is the result of Liv challenging Ripley to a match because it’s insane. Liv takes her down to start but a springboard armdrag is countered into a faceplant. A running knee drops Liv again but she fights back and hits a middle rope dropkick. With Rhea on the floor, Liv tries a dive, which is swatted away for a hard crash.

We take a break and come back with Liv kicking her away, setting up a Codebreaker. A springboard Codebreaker and middle rope Codebreaker Connect for two but the Oblivion is countered. Riptide is countered and an enziguri hits Ripley as well. That’s enough for Ripley, who knocks her down and hits a quick Riptide. The Prism Trap with a knee on Liv’s head gives Ripley the submission at 8:00.

Rating: B-. That might be high but this was a lot more entertaining than I was expecting. Morgan wasn’t about to beat the #1 contender but she got in a lot of offense and had Ripley selling a bit before the finish. What matters here is having Ripley look good and giving Morgan a bit more offense before the win was a good way to go.

The Bloodline is in the back and Roman Reigns wants to know when Jey Uso will be back. Jimmy Uso says Jey needs time, but Reigns is running out of patience. Jimmy will let Jey know, but Reigns implies he’s running out of patience with Jimmy as well.

We look back at Rey Mysterio not being able to hit his son Dominik last week.

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley run into Santos Escobar, who wants Dominik in the ring right now. He even blows Rhea a kiss for a bonus.

Santos Escobar vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rhea Ripley is here with Dominik. A quick dropkick staggers Escobar to start but he sends Dominik into the corner and tells him to acknowledge the legacy of Rey Mysterio’s mask. Dominik: “NO!” A surfboard has Dominik in more trouble but he breaks that up and sends Escobar outside.

We take a break and come back with Dominik teasing a 619 but opting to choke on the ropes instead. Escobar wakes up though and hammers away, only to have Dominik go to the eyes to escape the Phantom Driver. Escobar is right back with a flying forearm into a standing legdrop for two. They collide for a double knockdown though and Dominik whips out some brass knuckles. The distraction lets Ripley hit Riptide on the floor, with Dominik adding the frog splash for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. Escobar continues to look like someone who could become a bigger deal if he is given the chance. It’s nice to see him getting a chance here and you can almost guarantee that he is going to be in a spot going forward. At the same time, the star here was Ripley, who has so much charisma and feels like a star. Dominik is getting the hang of things, but he is going to be in Ripley’s spotlight for a long time.

Post match Dominik takes Rey’s mask and rips it up. Cue Rey to glare at his son, with Dominik offering to hand it over if Rey will hit him. Rey won’t so Dominik drops the mask and hits Rey from behind.

Sami Zayn was at the airport earlier today and said you could feel the heat. Roman Reigns is feeling the heat too and tonight, he is facing Solo Sikoa. This isn’t about wins and losses, but rather about sending a message. The Sami Zayn problem isn’t going away until the Bloodline goes down. A lot of fans around him know it and the SAMI chants are on. I love it when they go out of the arena like this and Sami felt like a star here.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat and he gets right to the point by calling out Gunther. Cue Sheamus, who says Drew is going behind his back to get to Wrestlemania. Drew knows what winning the Intercontinental Title means to Sheamus and Sheamus isn’t going to calm down. That doesn’t work for Drew, who says he isn’t going to ask Sheamus for permission to do everything.

Sheamus says he isn’t Drew’s parent, but he thought they were brothers. No, instead Drew is just a backstabbing b******. Drew says if we’re telling the truth, the reality is Sheamus lost to Gunther twice….and here is LA Knight to interrupt. If you’re talking about the Intercontinental Title, you have to be talking about him. These two in the ring (who are arguing without even looking at Knight) have gotten every chance….and here is New Day to interrupt.

They mock Knight for saying you can’t have an LA Wrestlemania without him before saying Knight can’t even win a match around here. Cue Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) to interrupt and now the fight is on before they can say anything. Sheamus and Drew clear the ring but Drew dives onto a bunch of people (mainly landing on Kofi Kingston) instead of fighting. Kross sends Sheamus into the post and stands tall.

Earlier today, Tegan Nox and Natalya attacked Ronda Rousey, resulting in her arm being hurt and Shana Baszler making the save.

Shayna Baszler vs. Tegan Nox

Ronda Rousey (in a sling) and Natalya are here too and their entrance songs are used. Baszler starts fast and goes after Nox’s arm but gets kicked in the head for her efforts. Another shot to the arm cuts Nox down and an armbar makes her tap at 2:02. More or less a squash.

Gunther calls the lack of a Wrestlemania challenger a disgrace. He wants a worthy opponent for this great prize in this sacred sport. That’s as much praise as the Intercontinental Title has gotten in years.

Here is Bobby Lashley for a chat. He saw the Bray Wyatt Muscleman Dance on Raw so Bray can come see him right now. Instead, here is Uncle Howdy from behind and the beating is on. Lashley shrugs it off and hits the spinebuster, but the lights go out before the spear. They come back up and Howdy is gone. Well that made Howdy look worthless.

Jimmy Uso comes to see Roman Reigns. He called Jey Uso, who said he needs more time, which apparently is shorthand for “leave him the h*** alone.” Reigns can’t believe this and blames Sami Zayn. He wants Jimmy out there with Solo Sikoa against Zayn tonight. If they get rid of Zayn, Jey will come home. Jimmy leaves and Paul Heyman calls that wonderful. Reigns waves that off and says Jey has one week, which Heyman understands. If Jey isn’t back in a week, Reigns is going to blame Jimmy Uso. That gets the fans’ attention.

Solo Sikoa vs. Sami Zayn

Jimmy Uso is here with Sikoa. They start before the bell with Sami taking Sikoa down and sending Jimmy over the top. Back in and the bell rings with Sami sending Solo outside for a change. A Jimmy distraction lets Solo get in a posting though and Sami is thrown into the timekeeper’s area as we take a break. Back with Zayn knocking Sikoa down but walking into a Samoan drop. A tornado DDT gives Zayn two and a high crossbody gets the same. Sikoa misses a charge in the corner and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Jimmy saves Sikoa from the Helluva Kick though and the Samoan Spike finishes Zayn at 7:47.

Rating: C. That ending was a bit disappointing as Zayn taking another fall so soon after Elimination Chamber feels unnecessary. They could have gotten a better result out of some kind of screwy finish, so this was a little hard to take. The good thing is Zayn didn’t lose clean, but it would be nice if he didn’t have to lose at all here. Now that being said, the numbers game playing against him means he is going to need a friend, and that can only lead in one direction.

Post match Solo and Jimmy grab a chair and beat Zayn down, including putting it around his chair in the corner. Sikoa loads up the running Umaga Attack but Jimmy wants to do it instead. That takes too long though and Zayn grabs the chair, which he launches at Sikoa’s head. The Helluva Kick hits Jimmy and Zayn grabs the chair, only to have Sikoa knock it away. Zayn runs into the crowd as an upset Roman Reigns is shown in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that had more of an energy and there was a reason to care about almost everything going on. You don’t get that very often and it made for a good show. What matters here is that it felt like they have turned on the Wrestlemania jets and we should be in for an exciting ride over the next month. The Cody vs. Reigns showdown was awesome and if they can keep up that energy, the main event will be white hot. Good show here as they check another step off the Road To Wrestlemania.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Liv Morgan – Prism Trap
Dominik Mysterio b. Santos Escobar – Frog splash
Shayna Baszler b. Tegan Nox – Armbar
Solo Sikoa b. Sami Zayn – Samoan Spike

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: February 24, 2023
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s a crossover night as we have some guest stars from Monday Night Raw. Not only is Rhea Ripley here to confront Charlotte, but Dominik Mysterio is here to meet his dad Rey. In addition, Rey is going to be facing Karrion Kross again, because just beating Kross isn’t enough. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns retaining the World Title over Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber. Kevin Owens came out for the save but he and Zayn are still not on the same page.

Jimmy Uso arrives but hasn’t been able to get in touch with Jey. He has left Jey multiple messages, saying they can meet in the middle of the ring so Jey can get everything off his chest.

Madcap Moss/Ricochet/Braun Strowman vs. Imperium

Vinci and Moss start things off by running the ropes until Moss shoulders him down. Ricochet comes in with a slingshot hilo but a hard clothesline drops him. Kaiser comes in to send Ricochet hard into the ropes before drawing Strowman in. Some double teaming behind the referee’s back has Ricochet in more trouble, including Gunther dropping him hard onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet fighting out of a chinlock but Gunther cuts off the comeback. Cue Drew McIntyre to watch from the aisle as Vinci gets to blast Ricochet with a clothesline. Ricochet ducks a clothesline though and it’s a hot tag to bring in Strowman for the house cleaning. Gunther chops and kicks Strowman down so it’s Moss coming in to try his luck. A Kaiser distraction cuts Moss off though and Gunther clothesline Moss down. The powerbomb gives Gunther the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C+. I can go for a good six man almost every time and they planted some seeds for a possible McIntyre vs. Gunther Wrestlemania match. Gunther needs a big time opponent for the show and none of the three guys in this match are going to be that. Fun match here, with Gunther getting to look like a monster again.

Post match McIntyre stares down Gunther and takes off his jacket but the Viking Raiders jump him from behind. Sheamus comes in for the save with Strowman and Ricochet helping, leaving the good guys to pose. Did Imperium evaporate somewhere in there?

Rey Mysterio is ready to face Karrion Kross tonight but Santos Escobar interrupts. Escobar talks about respect and wants to display it to Rey. Mysterio says that’s mutual but Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley interrupt. Escobar doesn’t like Dominik’s tone and a match seems to be set up for later tonight.

Jimmy Uso thinks Jey Uso is shaken up after Montreal so Paul Heyman suggests Jimmy deal with Jey tonight. Solo Sikoa can stay in the back. Jimmy appears to agree.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. Knight says it’s that time of year, as everyone is talking about wanting their Wrestlemania Moment. The twist though is Knight is going to give Wrestlemania an LA Knight moment. Cue New Day to interrupt, with Kofi Kingston saying that’s not how Wrestlemania works. Kofi Kingston mentions Knight being around for about two and a half months so he isn’t getting everything handed to him. Knight calls them nerds, which Woods says has made them a lot of money. Kofi says he was working for eleven years to earn the Wrestlemania moment, so get a referee out here.

Kofi Kingston vs. LA Knight

Joined in progress with Knight shouldering him down, only to charge into raised boots in the corner. Kofi hits the middle rope splash to the back and a high crossbody gets two. The armbar goes on but Knight powers up and hits him in the face. The powerslam gives Knight two and he sends Kofi hard into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Kofi hitting a middle rope dropkick but Knight knocks him outside. They head back inside with Knight hitting the slingshot shoulder for two but Kofi fights up again. A sunset flip gets two on Knight and the Boom Drop connects for the same. Something like a Rock Bottom gives Knight two of his own but he makes the mistake of going after Xavier Woods. Kofi hits a dive on the floor but gets caught on top. Woods trombones a distraction though, allowing Trouble In Paradise to finish Knight at 12:40.

Rating: C. That’s a bit of a confusing result as Kofi didn’t need the win but Knight need a bit of a rebuild after losing to Bray Wyatt. Knight has everything he needs to be a star and he didn’t get squashed here, but he needs to actually win something eventually. It was a nice TV match, though I could have gone for a different result.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. She doesn’t like Rhea Ripley and brings up the last time they were in the ring together. Cue Dominik Mysterio to interrupt and say that Charlotte is in over her head. No woman has ever entered the Royal Rumble at #1 and won, but Ripley pulled it off. Ripley is a strong woman and when she makes sweet…..and Charlotte cuts him off. Charlotte: “I have a real Latino man at home who calls me mami with a much thicker….accent.”

Dominik says he knows what it’s like being compared to their fathers and being better than them. The fans don’t like that but Dominik says Charlotte will find out she isn’t good enough at Wrestlemania. Charlotte loves her dad, who turns 74 tomorrow, and could beat up Dominik if he was here. Charlotte is here though and gets in Dominik’s face, which draws out Ripley. The staredown is on but Dominik gets Ripley out before it gets physical. They’re building up the drama, but I have no reason to cheer for Charlotte or want to see her keep the title.

Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler

Natalya was cleared earlier today and Tegan Nox offered to have her back to help with Ronda Rousey (here as well). Natalya sends her into the corner to start but Baszler takes her down by the arm to take over. Baszler kicks her in the arm but misses the running knee. A Russian legsweep and basement kick to the face put Baszler down and a German suplex does it again. The discus lariat gives Natalya two but a Rousey distraction lets Baszler hit the knee to the face. An armbar makes Natalya tap at 2:52.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Nox makes the save. Rousey promises pain next week.

We see the Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch Joker/Batman trailer.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House, with everything going red. We cut to Bray Wyatt in what looks like a home studio, watching himself challenge the winner of Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar. Lashley didn’t seem scared after winning at Elimination Chamber, so we go to Fun House News, with Bray Wyatt and Ramblin Rabbi. Wyatt says it’s time for the weather, with a makeshift Uncle Howdy saying he is all of us.

Now it’s time toy Can You Keep A Secret (complete with Bryan in a bad wig). Bray: “Well, can you?” We look out the door of the Fun House where various scary images flash on screen, capped off by Bray in his new mask. Bray asks if we can keep a secret and that’s it. This was Bray’s latest rambling without actually saying anything.

Jimmy Uso is worried about confronting Jey, but Paul Heyman says that Roman Reigns will be here next week. If Jimmy handles Jey tonight, Reigns will personally handle Jey next week.

Rey Mysterio vs. Karrion Kross

Scarlett is here with Kross. Rey low bridges him to the floor and hits a 619 to the back of the head in about fifteen seconds. The big dive drops Kross again and we take an early break. Back with Kross in control but getting sent face first into the buckle. Rey hits a top rope seated senton but gets sent hard to the floor in a crash. Back in and Kross takes him to the corner, only to get caught with a super hurricanrana for two. The 619 is loaded up but Rey has to deal with Scarlett, allowing Dominik Mysterio to pop in and break up the 619. The distraction lets Kross hit the Krosshammer and grab the Krossjacket for the win at 8:38.

Rating: C. That evens up the series but this is all about setting up Rey to face Dominik, likely at Wrestlemania. I’m not sure where that leaves Kross though, as he doesn’t seem to have much going on. At least he got a win here though and looked good in doing so, which is a lot better than his first run on the main roster.

Post match Kross and Scarlett leave so Dominik gets in Rey’s face. Dominik tells him to do it but Rey walks off instead.

Here is Jimmy Uso to all out his brother Jey. Jimmy knows that Jey is hurting and when Jey hurts, Jimmy does too. He’ll always be there for his brother and now he needs his brother here. There are some cracks in the Bloodline and Jimmy needs his brother. Cue Sami Zayn through the crowd to stand behind Jimmy.

Zayn keeps hearing Jimmy talking about his brother and that’s what Jimmy used to be to him. Jimmy was the only one who saw value in him and he was the one who made Zayn an Honorary Uce. Then at the Royal Rumble, Jimmy took Zayn down without a second thought and that hurt a lot. Jimmy blames Zayn for making the choice and pulling the trigger when he hit Roman Reigns with the chair. What was Jimmy supposed to do? Zayn says family doesn’t make you test your loyalty every week or manipulate you like Reigns has done to himself and Jey.

Cue Jey in the crowd as Zayn says there is a way out for Jimmy. He doesn’t have to go down with the ship….and Jimmy hits Zayn as he looks up at Jey. Jimmy gets distracted by Jey as well though and Zayn hits the Helluva Kick. Jey has made his way to the barricade and Zayn bails as Solo Sikoa comes out. Zayn looks at Jey and then runs into the crowd to end the show. Jey never said or did anything save for staring. This was a “well Reigns is back next week so we’ll see you then”.

Overall Rating: C+. This was more of a “hold the fort” show as there was no Reigns to move the big story forward very far. At the same time, they moved some other stuff forward, with Rey vs. Dominik looking more and more likely, Charlotte vs. Rhea getting the top of the second hour spot and Drew McIntyre (at least) setting his eyes on Gunther. You have to build some things up other than just the main event scene and that’s what this show tried to do. It worked, though I’m not sure if anything jumped off the page this week.

Results
Imperium b. Madcap Moss/Ricochet/Braun Strowman – Powerbomb to Moss
Kofi Kingston b. LA Knight – Trouble In Paradise
Shayna Baszler b. Natalya – Armbar
Karrion Kross b. Rey Mysterio – Krossjacket

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

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AND

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Elimination Chamber 2023
Date: February 18, 2023
Location: Bell Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last major stop on the Road To Wrestlemania and this is all going to be about Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns. In spite of the show’s title, the Elimination Chamber matches are far, far down the ladder in importance from the main event, which should have one of the most electric atmospheres WWE has seen in years. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the Chamber matches, before shifting to the Zayn vs. Reigns main event and treating it like the bigger deal that it is.

Women’s Elimination Chamber

The winner moves on to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Title at Wrestlemania and there is no word on the length of intervals. Natalya is in first and Liv Morgan is in second to get things going. A shoulder runs Morgan over to start and they trade rollups for a standoff. They go outside with Natalya being sent into the Chamber wall a few times and Morgan kissing her on the cheek.

Back up and Natalya sends her face first into the pod wall over and over with the fans approving of the violence. Morgan’s head goes through one of the squares in the wall so Natalya can crank on her arms. After three minutes, Raquel Rodriguez is in third and gets to slam people around. The all away slam sends Morgan flying and there’s a big boot to Natalya. With Rodriguez holding both of them up, Natalya eventually manages a sunset bomb into the wall.

Back in and all three get knocked down until Cross is in fourth. Cross sends everyone out and pushes Rodriguez’s face up against the wall this time. With Carmella mocking her, Rodriguez gets sent face first into the pod, leaving Cross to climb on top for the very high crossbody onto all of them. Carmella is in fifth and gets two on Rodriguez before going to yell at Asuka. That earns her a chase back into the pod but Rodriguez drives Cross through said pod, with Carmella just escaping. Carmella then runs into another pod, with Rodriguez wisely getting rid of Cross at 11:43 for the first elimination.

One heck of a sunset bomb off the pod plants Rodriguez for two and it’s Asuka in sixth to complete the field. Asuka goes right after Carmella to wreck her for a bit before squaring off with Rodriguez. An Octopus has Rodriguez in trouble but she powers Asuka up to her shoulders. Asuka slips out and superkicks her down, only to walk into Morgan’s missile dropkick for two. Natalya can’t powerbomb Morgan, who hits her with a Code Red. The Oblivion is broken up by Carmella and the Sharpshooter, plus an arm crank from Asuka, knock Morgan out for the elimination at 16:34.

The Sharpshooter has Asuka in trouble but Carmella breaks it up and pins Natalya at 17:33. A quick double teaming gets rid of Rodriguez at 18:18 and we’re down to Carmella vs. Asuka. Carmella hits a superkick for a fast two but Asuka strikes her down. The armbar makes Carmella give up to send Asuka to Wrestlemania at 19:43.

Rating: C. You had two favorites to win and one of them did, after running through most of the field like a buzzsaw. Asuka winning isn’t exactly bringing in someone new, but it’s nice to see her get reheated. She absolutely has the talent, but Belair vs. Asuka feels more like a solid Money in the Bank title match rather than Wrestlemania.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley in a rubber match. Lashley beat Lesnar (with interference from Roman Reigns) at last year’s Royal Rumble and Lesnar escaped with a win at last year’s Crown Jewel. Now the roles are a bit reversed as Lashley is a bit more evil this time around. Also, the winner has to deal with Bray Wyatt, who has said he is waiting on whoever comes out on top.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

Lesnar wastes no time in taking him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Lashley gets knocked outside but comes back in with a pair of spears. The Hurt Lock is countered into the F5 for two as we’re not even two minutes into this yet. Another F5 gets another two but Lashley is back up with the spear. The Hurt Lock goes on and Lesnar is in trouble….so he kicks Lashley low for the DQ at 4:33.

Rating: B-. It was fun while it lasted but these fast paced, finisher spamming matches are only so interesting. Lesnar came off like a total villain in the end but that isn’t how things are likely to be presented. You can pencil in the big, violent, no holds barred brawl of some sort for WrestleMania, though I wonder where that leaves Wyatt. Entertaining sprint, but it’s nothing new from Lesnar.

Post match Lesnar takes out the referee and F5’s Lashley through the announcers’ table, much to the fans’ delight. The referee gets F5’d onto the remains of the table.

The Wrestlemania movie parody trailers are back! We start with Seth Rollins as the Joker (makes sense), doing the dance down the stairs. Then Becky Lynch, as an unmasked Batman, grabs him to ask what that was. Rollins asks what’s up with her voice, then she puts on her glasses, declares herself the Man, and leaves. Rollins: “She is the Man.”

We recap Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Rhea Ripley/Finn Balor. Edge vs. Judgment Day has been going on since last summer and Phoenix is stepping in to help deal with Ripley so Edge can go for his revenge again.

Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Rhea Ripley/Finn Balor

Dominik Mysterio is here with Ripley and Balor. Edge runs Balor over to start and hits a big boot before handing it off to Beth (with her Bull Nakano inspired face paint. Ripley comes in as well for the yelling staredown They trade clotheslines until Beth hits a slightly weird looking running elbow to the face. We hit the test of strength as the fans are all over Dominik.

They fight outside with Ripley being sent into the steps but a Balor distraction lets Dominik crotch Beth on top. Dominik gets chased off but comes back, much to the fans’ annoyance. Beth knocks Balor down and DDTs Ripley but Balor slides under the ring and pulls Edge off the apron. Riptide and the Glam Slam are blocked, as is Rhea’s attempt at a super Glam Slam.

Instead Beth reverses into a top rope superplex for a heck of a double crash and they’re both down. Beth kicks Ripley into Balor and the hot tag brings in Edge to clean house. The Edgecator has Balor in trouble and Beth puts Rhea in the same. Dominik interferes and throws something in, with Beth letting go to chase him off. Ripley headbutts Beth down and hits Edge with what looks to be brass knuckles.

Beth makes the save and heads outside with Ripley. After Balor gets crotched on top, the women powerbomb the men down but Ripley misses a Conchairto on the steps. The Glam Slam plants Ripley on the floor and there’s an Edgecution to Balor. Edge dives onto Dominik but the spear is countered into the Coup de Grace. The shotgun dropkick is cut off with a spear though and a Shatter Machine finishes Balor at 13:48.

Rating: B. I’m a bit surprised by the result here but this did a good job of making Beth feel like a huge star. She was showing off with the power and all of her stuff looked good. At the same time, Edge pins Balor in what should be the big finale for the feud. Then again they seem destined for one more match at Wrestlemania so the result here is a little odd.

US Title: Men’s Elimination Chamber

Austin Theory is defending and Johnny Gargano is in first with Seth Rollins in second. They go with the grappling to start with neither being able to get very far. Gargano misses the rolling kick to the face and the slingshot spear is cut off. The Pedigree attempt is countered with a backdrop onto the outside and Gargano takes him down again for a double knockdown. Theory is in third (before we even reach three minutes this time) and goes right after Gargano.

It’s off to Theory vs. Rollins, with the former getting pingponged back and forth between the other two. Theory thinks that means it’s time to bring back The Way from NXT, but Gargano decks him instead. With that not working for the champ, he tries to hide in the pod but gets double teamed in there as well. Damian Priest is in fourth and gets to beat up both good guys.

A bulldog driver plants Rollins and a lifting Downward Spiral gets two on Gargano. Priest busts out a Killswitch of all things on Rollins before kicking Theory in the head. A running flip dive over the ropes crushes Theory again and Priest knocks down everyone else to stand tall. Priest goes up top but Rollins catches him with the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two.

Bronson Reed is in fifth and the fans seem to approve. Reed Rock Bottoms Gargano onto Rollins (who was standing as well) and hits a running splash in the corner for the bonus. The double Samoan drop hits Rollins and Gargano at the same time, leaving Montez Ford looking a bit worried in the pod. Reed sends Priest into the Chamber and then splashes him against the pod as the dominance continues.

The top rope shoulder drops Theory as well until Ford is in, giving us an ultra rare all six entrance in the match at once. Ford gets to beat up Theory and loads up a People’s Elbow of all things, only to have Reed make the save. Reed puts Gargano in an electric chair and a springboard clothesline turns it into a poisonrana, with Gargano coming DANGEROUSLY close to landing on his head.

Ford climbs up the wall….and then winds up hanging upside down from the roof. A flip dive onto everyone else leaves everybody down and the fans are VERY happy. Reed is back up so a bunch of people hit him with superkicks, followed by One Final Beat, a Stomp before a frog splash gives Ford the pin to eliminate Reed at 17:55.

Everyone starts climbing the wall, with Gargano and Rollins sitting on top of a pod. The other three get knocked down so Rollins chops the heck of Gargano, triggering a fight. Rollins loads up the super powerbomb but Gargano reverses it into a hurricanrana onto the pile for the HUGE crash, leaving Gargano holding his face. Gargano is fine enough to superkick Priest and Ford, setting up One Final Beat to Theory on the outside. Priest breaks up one back inside though and the Razor’s Edge gets rid of Gargano at 22:54.

Priest chases Ford to the top but Rollins pulls Priest into a powerbomb, with Ford adding a top rope Blockbuster for the pin at 24:44. So we’re down to Rollins vs. Theory vs. Ford and everyone needs a breather. Ford wins a slugout with Rollins and starts busting out the flip dives on the outside. A Rock Bottom hits Theory inside but the frog splash hits knees. Rollins adds a Stomp onto the steel and Ford is out at 27:39.

Rollins wastes no time in superkicking him into a sitout powerbomb for tow, as Ford is still down in the ring. The referee needs some help for Ford (his limbs are moving) and medics have to help get him to his feet. Ford is helped outside but actually falls on the steps (he is on another planet right now). Rollins hits a Pedigree on Theory….and here is Logan Paul to hit Rollins with a Buckshot Lariat. Paul Stomps Rollins as well and A Town Down retains Theory’s title at 31:24.

Rating: A-. Some of those spots were insane and they had the place rocking more than once. Paul coming in to cost Rollins is a great way to set up their Wrestlemania match and Theory winds up getting a big win to keep his title reign going. Also, quite the star making performances here for Reed, Priest and Ford, who was knocked completely loopy there near the end. In theory (no pun intended) that could have been a way for Paul to get inside, but I would hope they wouldn’t tease what looked like a rather horrible injury when Paul could have snuck in when anyone was leaving.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. Zayn tried to get into the Bloodline and eventually proved to be a valuable member of the team. Then Reigns slowly changed his mind on Zayn, accusing him of trying to steal the spotlight. Reigns gave him a chance to prove himself but Zayn cracked Reigns with a chair to one of the loudest reactions ever. Now Zayn wants to take the title from Reigns while Reigns just wants to destroy Zayn in Zayn’s hometown. This is one of the best built matches in years around here and the heat is going to be off the charts.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn

Reigns, with only Paul Heyman, is defending and WOW the reactions are off the chart, with Reigns being booed out of the building and Zayn getting an all time ovation (Worlds Apart always helps with that). The bell rings and we get a nearly four minute staredown with Reigns not leaving his corner. Reigns starts walking around the ring and the OLE chants seem to be getting on his nerves.

They finally lock up and Reigns runs him down with a shoulder. Sami’s headlock gets a huge reaction and they go back to circling as we’re nearly seven minutes into this. A low bridge sends Reigns outside and Sami nails the big flip dive. Back in and Zayn rains down some right hands in the corner as Reigns seems to be favoring his ear. A big right hand gets Reigns out of trouble and the apron dropkick has Zayn rocked.

Reigns laughs off some LET’S GO SAMI chants (Reigns: “That’s all you got? A couple of SAMI chants???”) before Reigns goes outside to yell at Zayn’s wife. Zayn gets put on the barricade in front of his wife as Reigns keeps yelling, followed by more shots to keep Zayn in trouble. Back in and a heck of a clothesline drops Reigns and the fans are back into it. A running clothesline sends Reigns outside and Zayn beats him up in front of his wife, who gets a quick kiss for a bonus.

A sunset bomb gives Zayn two but the Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a release Rock Bottom for two more. The Superman Punch is loaded up but Zayn counters into the exploder into the corner. The Helluva Kick is cut off by the Superman Punch for two and they’re both down again. Reigns’ spear only hits corner though and Zayn exploders him into the corner again.

Zayn hits his own Superman Punch into the Helluva Kick for a VERY close two and Montreal has a city wide heart attack. The threat of another Helluva Kick sends Reigns bailing to the floor, where Zayn’s diving DDT is cut off by an uppercut. Zayn manages to send him through the barricade though and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets another white hot near fall back inside.

Another Blue Thunder Bomb is blocked and the referee gets bumped in the corner. Zayn hits another Helluva Kick but there’s no referee for the visual seven or so count. Cue Jimmy Uso (the waiver must have gone through) for three superkicks to Zayn and a Superfly Splash to give Reigns two from a second referee. They slug it out from their knees with Zayn getting the better of things and stomping Reigns out to the floor (after seemingly missing a ref bump).

Zayn takes Jimmy off the apron and the spear hits….for two. Now THAT brings the fans back into it and Reigns yells about how he was trying to help Zayn. A loud slap hits Reigns and a Superman Punch hits the referee (that seems to be what they were trying to do a few moments ago) so Heyman throws in a chair.

Cue Jey Uso to stand between Reigns and Zayn so Reigns holds the chair out to Jey (like he did to Zayn at the Royal Rumble). There’s no swing though as Jey drops the chair, earning a yelling from Reigns. Zayn spears Jey by mistake, so Reigns unloads on Zayn with the chair. The spear connects for Reigns and a referee comes back to life to count the pin at 32:19.

Rating: A-. This is a match where the emotions are going to play such a big role because that’s what the match was based on. What we got was great and felt epic, but man alive that was a punch to the gut to see Zayn come so close and gets speared down at the end. No matter how you look at it, Zayn was never likely to win as the featured spot at Wrestlemania is going to Cody Rhodes. For now though, this is the next step in the Bloodline Saga, as Reigns gets to move past Zayn, but the Usos might not be so lucky. Heck of a main event with some hot near falls, but the energy and reactions are what mattered.

Post match Jimmy goes after Zayn again but Kevin Owens comes out for the save (….uh…..) and beats Jimmy and Reigns down. Jimmy gets put through the announcers’ table and Owens grabs a chair, so Heyman gets in and pounds on Owens’ back. Zayn gets back up and hits the Helluva Kick on Reigns. Zayn looks at Owens as he leaves and then soaks in one last round of cheers to wrap it up. Owens and Zayn never touched or did anything but look at each other.

Overall Rating: A-. This show looked great coming in and then it delivered even more than that, as they had a pretty outstanding night. The opener is the closest thing to not good and even that was perfectly acceptable. The men’s Chamber and main event carried the show though and it was a pretty incredible show overall. Zayn vs. Reigns was a very good match boosted up to great by the crowd reactions, which can be a very powerful thing. Awesome show and if they can make it feel like this for Wrestlemania, we’re in for something very, very special.

Results
Asuka won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match last eliminating Carmella
Bobby Lashley b. Brock Lesnar via DQ when Lesnar kicked Lashley low
Edge/Beth Phoenix b. Finn Balor/Rhea Ripley – Shatter Machine to Balor
Austin Theory won the Men’s Elimination Chamber last eliminating Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns b. Sami Zayn – Spear

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

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It’s the last big stop on the Road To Wrestlemania and for a five match card, four of them are big and the fifth includes some Hall of Famers. This show is pretty much stacked with either big matches or the awesome sounding main event. While the show is called Elimination Chamber, the whole thing is about Roman Reigns defending the World Title against hometown boy Sami Zayn. Let’s get to it.

Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Finn Balor/Rhea Ripley

Somehow this is the least important match on the show as Edge’s war against the Judgment Day continues. In this case, he is bringing in the wife to go after Ripley, who is on her way to WrestleMania. This should be a good, long tag match as all four can do well in a spot like this one. That being said, it doesn’t help that this feels like it is only there to set up something at Wrestlemania.

I’ll take Judgment Day here, as Ripley pinning Phoenix would make her look like a bigger deal on what could be her path to the main event of the first night of Wrestlemania. That leaves Edge and Balor to have one more showdown, likely in a big match in Los Angels. The match should be a good way to give us a breather between the bigger matches. The fact that this is probably the smallest on the car is quite a positive sign.

US Title: Men’s Elimination Chamber

So here we have the first Chamber match with Austin Theory defending the US Title. This match hasn’t exactly had the best build but there is quite the varied set of challengers to come after Theory. While I’m not sure if Theory is going to lose the title, they are doing enough to make me think that the title could change hands so something is going right so far.

As for the winner….I’ll go with Theory retaining, but there is more than one option. First off, Gargano and Ford just aren’t going to win. As fun as it would be for Reed to win, he isn’t going to either. That leaves Rollins (always an option), Priest (who needs a win) and Theory, who is likely going to be in a pretty upscale match at Wrestlemania. Theory wins here, and gets the solid boost that it was designed to give him.

Women’s Elimination Chamber

Now this one is a bit more interesting as we have two viable winners and the bigger of the two isn’t anything close to a lock. With six total contenders for the Wrestlemania title shot though, we’ll knock out Liv Morgan, Natalya and Carmella without much thought. Nikki Cross is a dark horse candidate as well but I just don’t think they are going to go in that direction.

That leaves us with Asuka and Raquel Rodriguez and I think I’ll go with the latter. Asuka has been hyped up as the next challenger and while that would be a good match, it doesn’t feel all that interesting. WWE has seemed like they want to get invested in Rodriguez and I think they’ll actually pull the trigger here and give her the chance. Asuka is a very strong possibility and I won’t be surprised if she wins, but I’ll go with Rodriguez.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

It’s the trilogy match and somehow the winner gets Bray Wyatt after a pretty surprising challenge on Smackdown. This is the first time that Lesnar is the clear face vs. heel Lashley and it offers a unique twist on the match this time around. Lashley is in his suits again and that works well for him, though happy go lucky Lesnar is one of the most weirdly intriguing things I’ve seen in years.

I’ll go with Lashley winning here, if nothing else as the idea of Lesnar vs. Wyatt is something I can’t get my mind around. We should be in for a good power brawl here though and that’s the way a fight like this should be. The two of them can do pretty much everything to each other and that should make for a fun one. I’m still not sure what happens with Lesnar at Wrestlemania, but I don’t think he’ll be dealing with Wyatt.

Undisputed WWE World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Sami Zayn

We had to get here and dang it I don’t want to. Not that the match won’t be great and the reaction to Zayn alone even better, but I don’t want Zayn’s incredible run with Reigns to come to an end. I don’t think there is much of a secret as to who walks out with the title, but the (somewhat) more interesting question is how WWE goes about having the match end.

Yeah of course Reigns retains here, though I could go with the idea of Zayn winning by DQ, just for the sake of him saving some face. Zayn getting speared down would be a hard thing to see but Reigns losing via DQ or countout wouldn’t do him any damage. Granted it would hurt Cody Rhodes though, and that’s not worth it. Word on the street is that the Usos might be able to be around and them costing Zayn the title could set up what seems to be a likely Wrestlemania Tag Team Title shot for Zayn and Kevin Owens. So Reigns retains and probably wins, but hopefully there are enough shenanigans for a screwy finish.

Overall Thoughts

This show has me rather interested as there isn’t a bad or uninteresting match on the entire card. WWE is cooking at the moment and if they can hold onto that for another six weeks, we could be in for a great Wrestlemania. For now, we could be in for a great Elimination Chamber on the Road To Wrestlemania though and I’ll certainly take that. Just make this stuff work and don’t do anything nutty and it should be an awesome night.

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

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