Monday Night Raw
Date: November 18, 2024
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re taped from the same venue as last week and the big story continues to be the build towards Survivor Series. The Raw side seems to be heading towards a women’s WarGames match and the lineup should be firmed up a bit more this week. Other than that, the men’s side is likely approaching its final form as well, with only one star left to be added. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez to get things going. Morgan knows Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are gunning for her, so she has backup in the form of Nia Jax, Candice LeRae and Tiffany Stratton. Jax gets right to the point: she doesn’t think anything of Morgan and Rodriguez, but she thinks about Belair, Cargill and Naomi a lot.

Cue the trio, with Iyo Sky joining them. They need a fifth member…and here is the returning Rhea Ripley (in a protective mask), to shout WARGAMES and deck Morgan. Sky’s moonsault clears out some villains and the villains are dispatched. That got to the point and if Ripley is available, she was the only possible choice for the fifth spot.

We look back at the big Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns and company brawl on Smackdown, with Bronson Reed seemingly joining the Bloodline’s WarGames team.

LWO vs. American Made

That would be Zelina Vega/Rey Mysterio vs. Ivy Nile/Chad Gable with the women brawling out to the floor to start. That leaves Gable to whip Mysterio chest first into the buckle for two but Mysterio headscissors him out to the floor. Vega comes back in to kick Nile down into the corner but Three Amigos are broken up and we take a break.

Back with Vega still in trouble but fighting out of a chinlock. The comeback allows the tag off to Mysterio to pick up the pace on Gable. That’s broken up as well though and Gable plants Mysterio with a DDT. Vega comes in for a pop up hurricanrana to Gable though, leaving Mysterio to hit the 619. The springboard splash finishes for Mysterio at 9:59.

Rating: C+. The LWO actually gets a win for a change and American Made takes a loss, as some things never change. It seems that Gable and company are not exactly doing well at the moment and I’m not sure how much longer they’ll be around. At the same time, it might be a good idea for Gable to get away from teams for a bit, as he’s kind of done the same thing for a long time now.

Post match Gable yells at American Made, who pose with him.

Finn Balor calms Liv Morgan down and sends Carlito and Dominik Mysterio after the War Raiders. JD McDonagh needs to talk to Balor.

Miz brags about fooling the Wyatt Sicks last week, leading to the Final Testament’s beatdown. It could relaunch the Marine franchise!

We recap Damian Priest getting in Gunther’s head and taking out Ludwig Kaiser.

Gunther tells Kaiser to go make a name for himself. Then Gunther goes after Priest with a pipe but Priest lays him out, saying Gunther may be the Ring General, but Priest is king in the streets.

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is defending. They stare each other down to start and slug it out to the floor, with Breakker taking over. Back in and a quick Irish Curse gets Sheamus out of trouble but Breakker knocks him outside again. The jumping clothesline from the apron onto the announcers’ table connects and we take a break.

Back with Breakker knocking him to the floor and hitting a top rope shoulder to drop him again. Breakker tells him to quit while he has a chance but Sheamus tells him to bring it on and gets in a knockdown of his own. A backdrop sends Sheamus to the apron, where he gets in the ten forearms to the chest.

Breakker knocks him down again and goes up, only to get pulled down with a super White Noise or two more. This time it’s Sheamus going up, with Breakker Frankensteinering him back down. Sheamus’ knee cuts the spear off for two but another spear attempt connects, with Sheamus rolling outside. Breakker tries another one…but here is Ludwig Kaiser to deck him for the DQ at 13:33.

Rating: B. This was right in Sheamus’ wheelhouse as he is at his best when it’s about beating the fire out of each other. Breakker is more than capable of holding his own in that kind of a power match and it worked well here. The Kaiser interference does tie into Sheamus telling him to do his own thing and three way match could be interesting.

Post match Kaiser lays both of them out again.

Sami Zayn and the Usos again try to get Seth Rollins to join WarGames, but it’s a no from Rollins due to the Roman Reigns problem. Tonight, he’s going to take out Bronson Reed.

Video on Dakota Kai, who returned from her latest injury last week.

The women’s WarGames match is official.

Judgment Day vs. War Raiders

Ivar slams Carlito to start and Erik slams Ivar onto him for two. Ivar has to fight out of the wrong corner and hands it back to Erik, who is knocked outside. Mysterio hits a dive to drop Erik and we take an early break. Back with Mysterio hitting the slingshot hilo but Erik fights up and hands it back to Ivar. House is quickly cleaned, including the Bronco Buster to crush Mysterio. Ivar tosses Mysterio at Carlito (that’s effective) and the War Machine finishes Carlito at 9:38.

Rating: C+. That’s a classic way to set up the already established title match and it worked well here. The Raiders get to run through the lower level Judgment Day team and look like a threat to the champs. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Raiders get the belts back when they get the chance and this was a good way to help set it up.

Post match Finn Balor and JD McDonagh jump the Raiders and leave them laying.

The Wyatt Sicks hack the feed and promise revenge on Miz for not accepting their offer of help out of the pit.

Video on Lyra Valkyria.

Kofi Kingston isn’t sure what is going on with Xavier Woods, who comes up and talks about what Karrion Kross said (that the team is dead and New Day is the only ones who don’t know it). Otis (who had been talking to Kingston) tries to calm him down but Woods snaps at him and a tag match is set for next week.

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

The bell rings so here is the Bloodline, with Sami Zayn and the Usos popping up to brawl them into the crowd. Reed is knocked to the floor and Rollins hits a dive as we take an early break. Back with Reed knocking him around ringside and getting in a whip over the barricade. They get back inside where Reed knocks him right back to the floor, setting up the flip dive off the apron.

This time Rollins is able to ram him head first into the steps a few times, setting up a springboard knee to the head. Reed grabs a quick powerbomb for two and we take another break. Back again with Rollins powerbombing him out of the corner to leave them both down.

A Lionsault and springboard Swanton get one on Reed so Rollins gets in a low superkick. The frog splash gets two but Reed is back with a brainbuster for two of his own. Rollins is ok enough to roll away from a Tsunami attempt and now a superkick into the Pedigree gets two. The Stomp connects and Rollins goes up but cue Solo Sikoa for a distraction. Reed hits a Death Valley Driver and the Tsunami for the pin at 17:38.

Rating: B. Reed needed this win and continues his rather strong push, even after losing to Rollins at Crown Jewel. Rollins threw a lot at Reed here but couldn’t put him away, which is a simple way to make a monster look strong. At the same time, this could set up Rollins as the last member of WarGames, even if he isn’t thrilled with being on the team. I’m no sure who else it could be, so for now at least it’s going well.

Overall Rating: B. This was the show that got a focus on what is either already locked in for Survivor Series or is all but set. The WarGames matches are all but set and Priest vs. Gunther should be good for a featured match. They’re doing a nice job of making me want to see what they have at Survivor Series and this made for solid stepping stone there. The show could use another match or two and that can be set up in the next few days, but the big stuff is ready.

Results
LWO b. American Made – Springboard splash to Gable
Bron Breakker b. Sheamus via DQ when Ludwig Kaiser interfered
War Raiders b. Judgment Day – War Machine to Carlito
Bronson Reed b. Seth Rollins – Tsunami

 

 

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NXT
Date: August 13, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with the Great American Bash and on the way to No Mercy, which is going to need a card. That is going to take some time to set up and there are only three shows left before it’s off to Denver, meaning the build will likely start today. If nothing else, Ethan Page is going to need a new challenger for the NXT Title so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s second half of the Great American Bash.

Wes Lee ignores a question about why he turned on the Rascalz. With Lee gone, Ethan Page pops in to say he’s here to address the NXT Universe.

Here is Page in the ring for a chat. He brags about his win last week and promises that no one is taking this title from him. Not Trick Williams, not Pete Dunne and not Wes Lee. Cue Joe Hendry to interrupt, saying he is here without anyone even saying his name. It is clear that Page is the talk of NXT….or at least he was for ninety seconds, until Hendry’s name showed up and stole the show.

Page doesn’t know why Hendry is here, but Hendry says he’s here to win the NXT Title. Page knows that everyone believes in Hendry, from NXT to TNA, but Page himself doesn’t believe in him. Hendry is on the 14th minute of his fifteen minutes of fame and Page is ready to prove that Hendry is a flash in the pan. Hendry talks about the legends who believe in him, from Kurt Angle to Booker T. to Shawn Michaels before going into his theme song. Page leaves and Lee jumps Hendry from behind.

Wren Sinclair annoys Charlie Dempsey before Dempsey’s Heritage Cup shot, saying she’s not staying out of anything now that she is officially on the team.

Ava, with her assistants, announces a gauntlet eliminator next week, with only women who have never challenged Roxanne Perez eligible. We get three of the six names being drawn for the match: Wren Sinclair, Adrianna Rizzo and Sol Ruca, with three more being named later.

Heritage Cup: Tony D’Angelo vs. Charlie Dempsey

D’Angelo is defending and they both have multiple associates here too. Round one begins with D’Angelo taking him down and hammering away before hitting a running shoulder. Dempsey goes after the arm but has to counter the spinebuster. D’Angelo drives him into the corner but gets pulled into something like a triangle choke. Dempsey switches into a kneebar as the round ends. Round two begins with some grappling on the mat and neither being able to get anywhere. Back up and D’Angelo hits Forget About It for the first fall at 56 seconds of the round and 4:22 overall.

We take a break and come back with round three ending but Dempsey gets in what might have been an after the bell knee. Sinclair yells at him and gets in a few slaps between rounds, which isn’t a great way to ingratiate yourself with your new team members. Round four begins with Dempsey hammering him down in the corner until D’Angelo clotheslines his way out of trouble. Forget About It is blocked and D’Angelo is sent into the corner, allowing Dempsey to grab a rollup for the pin at 1:53 of the round and 11:02 overall to tie it up.

Round five begins with D’Angelo hitting the spinebuster for two but Dempsey pulls him into a triangle choke. That’s broken up and D’Angelo puts him on top, where the seconds get into a brawl. Sinclair trips D’Angelo down and Dempsey grabs a bridging butterfly suplex for the pin and the Cup at 2:02 of the round and 13:30 overall.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to go as Sinclair pays instant dividends for the team and Dempsey gets the Cup back, which makes a good bit more sense. There is a good chance that this feud continues and that isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, points for bringing Sinclair into something more important after she has just been kind of there for such a long time.

Lola Vice and Kelani Jordan think they should help Tatum Paxley, who is going a bit nuts with her dolls. Paxley yells about Vice having everything handed to her, which isn’t well received.

Video on Eddy Thorpe vs. Lexis King in their battle over music.

Eddy Thorpe vs. Lexis King

King jumps him in the aisle to start and the fight is on fast. Thorpe fights back but gets sent shoulder first into the post to put him in early trouble. King starts in on Thorpe’s bad hand but Thorpe backdrops his way out of trouble. The implant DDT is broken up and King goes after the arm again, setting up the Coronation for the pin at 3:08.

Rating: C. This was certainly a match that happened and it was only so good. You can only get so far out of a match with so little time and while they’re going for the culture clash between the two, it has only been so interesting. I do like King getting a win, though it wouldn’t surprise me if this feud keeps going as well.

Trick Williams wants Pete Dunne.

Dunne talks about how he’s moving forward to the NXT Title.

Meta Four argue with Jacy Jayne and Fallon Henley.

Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice

Kelani Jordan is on commentary. Vice takes her down to start and dance a bit but Paxley is back up with an enziguri. Cue Wendy Choo to choke Jordan, with Paxley using the distraction to jump Vice. A Swanton misses though and Vice hits a spinning backfist for the pin at 2:18. Short and to the point, which was Choo attacking Jordan.

The other three women in the gauntlet match are Jaida Parker, Kendal Grey and Karmen Petrovic. Brinley Reece wishes Petrovic good luck but Izzi Dame comes in to say she should have gotten the shot. Dame can’t stand Reece either.

Here is Wes Lee for a chat. Lee says last week’s turn started when Zachary Wentz let him down and broke up their team for the first time. People were asking about what was next for Lee, because he was just a tag guy. Then he worked hard and became the greatest North American Champion of all time.

The rest of the Rascalz became a team in TNA and turned into a success, all while Lee broke his back becoming a singles star. Lee is done caring about what Wentz is going to say or do because he is tired of being the adult for Wentz. The only reason his friends came back was for WWE and he knows he’ll have to face Wentz one day. Like maybe at No Mercy. Then Wentz can go back to TNA and Lee will wish him the best in his future endeavors. Cue Pete Dunne to interrupt, saying he wants the NXT Title…and here is Joe Hendry to interrupt. Hendry goes after Lee but it’s quickly broken up.

Axiom and Nathan Frazier are ready to focus on the Tag Team Titles again tonight.

Tony D’Angelo is upset about his loss…but Oba Femi walks in, saying he’s ready for battle.

Chase U is fired up for their Tag Team Title match and Duke Hudson says it doesn’t matter which part of the team wins the gold. Ridge Holland is ready to prove himself to the team.

North American Title: Oba Femi vs. Otis

Otis, with the rest of the Alpha Academy, is challenging. They fight over a lockup to start with Femi grabbing a headlock but not being able to take him over. A running shoulder puts Femi on the floor and we take a break. Back with Otis fighting out of a chinlock and grabbing a side slam for two.

Femi knocks him outside though and an uppercut sends him into the steps. Some elbows give Femi two more and he knocks Otis outside to cut off a comeback bid. Otis is back up with a running shoulder though and some elbows to the face rock Femi back inside. The Caterpillar gets two and a Vader Bomb gives Otis the same but Femi powerbombs him out of the corner to retain the title at 10:40.

Rating: C+. This got going near the end, even if there wasn’t much in the way of doubt over who was leaving with the title. The match was about giving Femi another win over an established name and the fans are always going to be behind Otis. The match itself was an ok enough power match, but the Caterpillar doesn’t exactly fit with the idea of two monsters slugging it out.

Brooks Jensen talks about the mistakes he has made but says there was one person always looking out for him….and it’s Shawn Spears.

Malik Blade and Edris Enofe aren’t sure about this and neither are Hank Walker and Tank Ledger. Walker and Leger are facing the OC next week.

We look at the NXT tryout over Summerslam weekend.

Izzi Dame vs. Brinley Reece

These two were both part of the 2022 Summerslam weekend tryout. Reece takes over on the arm to start and drops Dame with a hard shot for two. Dame is back with a backbreaker and drives her into the corner with a running shoulder to the ribs. A Sky High gives Dame two but Reece slips out of an over the shoulder backbreaker. Reece’s suplex gets two, only for Dame to kick her in the face. Something close to a swinging Side Effect finishes for Dame at 4:08.

Rating: C+. Again they didn’t have much time here but what mattered is getting some of the long list of women around here something to do. There are a ton of talented women in NXT but so many of them have just been kind of spinning their wheels. While I’m not sure this is going to be some breakout win for Dame, it’s better than being stuck on LVL Up or trading insults backstage.

Ava announces a triple threat between Wes Lee, Pete Dunne and Joe Hendry, with the winner getting an NXT Title shot at No Mercy. Roxanne Perez comes in to say she likes the idea of the gauntlet eliminator but no one is going to take the title from her.

Shawn Michaels announces (well, re-announces) that NXT will be on the road for October 1 and 8.

Ashante Thee Adonis continues his flirtations. With the women gone, he talks to Dion Lennox, who is more interested in reading.

Tag Team Titles: Chase U vs. Axiom/Nathan Frazier

Chase U (Andre Chase/Ridge Holland) is challenging. Chase knees Axiom down for an early two and it’s quickly off to Frazier, who runs the ropes and rolls Chase up for two of his own. Holland comes in and the champions clear the ring, setting up the dives as we take a break. Back with Chase and Frazier hitting a double clothesline for a double knockdown. The double tag brings in Holland to flip Axiom over into a DDT for two. Holland plants Axiom so Chase can get two with Frazier making the save.

Chase is put up top but Holland makes the save, only to be sent outside. Chasing The Dragon gets two on Chase but he’s back up with a big boot to Axiom. Holland powerbombs Frazier into Chase’s Backstabber for two as the fans are going nuts on these kickouts. Axiom comes back in and hits the super Spanish Fly on Holland but Chase shoves Frazier off the top and into the announcers’ table. Holland hits his lifting DDT on Axiom for the pin and the titles at 10:07.

Rating: B. You know what I loved about this match? It could have gone in a bunch of different ways. This could have been Axiom and Frazier splitting after weeks of teasing a breakup or it could have been Hudson turning on Chase U or it could have been the clean finish that we got, which could have gone either way. That is a very nice feeling to have and that’s on top of the match being a heck of a back and forth fight, with the fans being way into the near falls. Pretty awesome main event here and I was pulled into everything they were doing.

The celebration is on with the student section joining in as the confetti falls.

Overall Rating: B+. What more could you want from this show? They set up things for the next show which will set up a lot of No Mercy, advanced stories this week and gave us two title changes, with a special moment in the main event. The show might not be perfect, but it feels like they know what they want to do and then go out and do it. Nothing on here is revolutionary or anything close to it, but it’s consistently well booked with the action to back it up. I had a great time with this show and NXT’s roll continues as they are getting closer to the CW move.

Results
Charlie Dempsey b. Tony D’Angelo 2-1
Lexis King b. Eddy Thorpe – Coronation
Lola Vice b. Tatum Paxley – Spinning backfist
Oba Femi b. Otis – Sitout powerbomb
Izzi Dame b. Brinley Reece – Swinging Side Effect
Chase U b. Axiom/Nathan Frazier – Lifting DDT to Axiom

 

 

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

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AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Creed Brothers vs. Akira Tozawa/Otis

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

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

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

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

Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed

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

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

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

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

Jey Uso vs. Carlito

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

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

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

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

We look at the recent Japan tour.

Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

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

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

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

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

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

Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Judgment Day gives Finn Balor a pep talk.

Gunther vs. Finn Balor

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

Commentary runs down what we’ll be seeing.

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

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

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

Ilja Dragunov vs. Bron Breakker

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

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

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

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

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

Adam Pearce and Drew McIntyre shake hands.

Damian Priest and Gunther have been ejected.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Sonya Deville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Otis/Xavier Woods/Akira Tozawa vs. Final Testament

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

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

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

Pete Dunne vs. Bronson Reed

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Birthday Shawn Michaels.

Zelina Vega vs. Zoey Stark

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

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

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

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

Video on Gunther.

Judgment Day vs. Jey Uso/Sami Zayn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 1, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We are less than a week away from Money In The Bank and that means we have a few qualifying matches to go for the ladder matches. That could make for some big stuff, but we also have the Wyatt Sicks and their love of old school technology to deal with first. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Jey Uso for a chat to get things going. Uso promises to win the Money In The Bank briefcase no Saturday but here is Chad Gable to interrupt. Gable gets straight to the point: YEET IS NOT A WORD! He is a walking miracle, after surviving both the Wyatts and his family leaving him before qualifying for the ladder match last week. Uso thinks Gable is scared of the Wyatts but Gable says Uso is the one who took the Fireflies.

The fight is on until Uso gets the better of it and goes up, only to have Gable roll away before the Superfly Splash. Gable: “You think I’m just going to lay there while you splash me?” Cue the Wyatts, with Gable running off but only finding more of their silhouettes. Nikki Cross shows up at commentary to give Cole something else.

Post break, it’s another VHS, saying “PLAY ME”.

Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

Kofi Kingston and the Final Testament are here too. Woods chops away to start but gets thrown down with a t-bone suplex. Kross gets sent to the floor for a suicide dive, only to powerbomb Woods against the post as we take a break. Back with Woods making the comeback, including some right hands in the corner. A kick to the head rocks Kross but he forearms a diving Woods out of the air. Then Woods grabs a small package for the pin at 7:26. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: C+. Woods getting a big win of his own is always nice to see as he’s a talented star who doesn’t get to showcase his skills all that often. At the same time, it’s almost hard to fathom that Kross is losing again, as it’s yet another case of him getting some momentum and then having the rug pulled out from underneath him. It explains why he’s never gotten anywhere on the main roster, and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

Post match the Final Testament wrecks New Day, including a nasty armbar on Kingston.

Damian Priest tells Dominik Mysterio to deal with this Liv Morgan stuff. He just talked to Rhea Ripley and she isn’t happy. It’s time to deal with Morgan….who is in the Clubhouse for some reason. Morgan quickly leaves because her match is next, leaving Finn Balor to yell at Priest for not trusting anyone. Priest is ready to beat Seth Rollins on Saturday.

Video on Sika.

Zelina Vega says she is after the title and not Dirty D.

Raw Women’s Title: Zelina Vega vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan is defending. Vega charges at her to start and snaps off a springboard armdrag. Morgan chokes away in the ropes but gets dropkicked to the floor as Dominik Mysterio comes out to watch. The distraction lets Vega hit a Meteora as Rey Mysterio is out here to even things out a bit as we take a break.

Back with Morgan hitting Three Amigos before pointing at Dominik and putting on Rhea Ripley’s Prism Trap. That’s broken up and Vega snaps off a quick moonsault for two. Morgan hurricanranas her way out of trouble and blows a kiss to Dominik, who might smile. Vega is back with a super Code Red but Morgan rolls outside. Hold on though as Rey goes after Dominik, earning himself a baseball slide from Morgan. Vega hits a 619 into a tornado DDT for two so Dominik throws in a chair. That doesn’t work either, as the distraction lets Morgan hit Oblivion for the pin to retain at 11:33.

Rating: B-. This was more about Morgan and Dominik than anything else but they did a good job with some nice near falls from Vega. The title match kind of came out of nowhere but it was nice to see Vega getting a chance. Nice match here as Morgan and Dominik are still the best thing on the show, with the big moment still to come.

Post match Morgan dedicates her win to Dominik.

Drew McIntyre promises to win tonight and go on to win Money In The Bank.

We look at the first few minutes of the Wrestlemania documentary.

Here is Seth Rollins to say he thinks he’ll be back in this ring next week as World Heavyweight Champion. Rollins talks about how this is a championship city and they know why he has to win on Saturday. If he can’t win at Money In The Bank, he has to take another look at himself, but he is at his best when the pressure is on.

Cue Finn Balor to interrupt to say he’s in a bad mood because everything is changing. Rollins thinks Balor is changing, like Priest being the World Heavyweight Champion. Cue Priest to interrupt, with Rollins thinking it’s a trap, but Priest accuses Balor of getting in his business. Rollins is ready to fight and superkicks them together, setting up the Stomp to Balor. Priest gets in the South Of Heaven to leave Rollins laying.

Ludwig Kaiser has broken ribs and swears vengeance on Sheamus.

Post break Damian Priest tells Finn Balor that he appreciates the help but he has this on Saturday. Balor seems to accept that.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Dakota Kai vs. Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile

Kai kicks Nile to the floor to start but gets baseball slidden by Stark. Back in and Starks stays on Nile in the corner as we take an early break. We come back with Stark hitting a double super bulldog to put the other two down, followed by a double German suplex for two. Kai is back up with a Scorpion Kick, allowing Nile to German suplex Sky for two. The Kairopractor gets two on Nile with Stark making the save. Cue Damage CTRL so Isla Dawn and Ivy Nile run in to jump them. The distraction lets Stark hit the Z360 to pin Kai at 9:45.

Rating: C+. As usual, you can only get so much out of a match that runs about ten minutes and has a long stretch spent in a commercial. Stark going forward is a good way to go and Kai taking the fall is going to make things even worse for her status in Damage CTRL. Nice enough match, but there was so much taken up by the commercial.

We get the Wyatts video from earlier, with another interview between Uncle Howdy and Bo Dallas. Howdy asks what Dallas was thinking and Dallas says they are the ones who were forgotten. They were clay in the hands of the potter and now they are a family. The false prophets must pay for their sins. They talk about being the reckoning and their voices start to merge together.

Then Howdy disappears, leaving Dallas to say he sets them free. Then Dallas disappears, with Howdy popping back in to say there you are. Of note, which I’m assuming was true last week too: they are sitting in the Firefly Funhouse. Good stuff here again, as the motivations are continuing to be revealed. That’s better than having them attack people every single week and makes their actual attacks more important.

Chad Gable tries to talk Otis into coming back into the fold but Otis isn’t convinced. The rest of the former Alpha Academy pops in to stand by Otis.

Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio

Dominik starts fast and runs him over, only to get dropkicked to the floor. Rey grabs a hurricanrana from the apron and we take a break. Back with Rey in trouble and getting elbowed in the face for two. Rey sends him into the corner though and hits a top rope seated senton, followed by a kick to the head for two more.

Cue Liv Morgan for a distraction, allowing Dominik to grab a half crab of all things. Dominik hits Three Amigos but Rey knocks him onto Liv, who seems to like being underneath him. Cue Vega to go after Morgan, with Dominik hitting a 619. Dominik goes up but Vega sends Morgan into the apron, crotching Dominik in the process. The 619 into Dropping The Dive gives Rey the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B-. These two work well together but, again, this was much more about Morgan and Dominik than the match itself. That’s not a bad thing either, as the story could take a bit of a turn with Morgan costing Dominik a big match. For now though, we’re getting closer and closer to the big stuff, which can happen whenever Rhea Ripley can show up again.

Sheamus is ready to hit hard and get his chance to become a two time Mr. Money In The Bank.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. He knows people are thinking Bron Breakker is going to destroy him, so here is Breakker to interrupt. Breakker knows Zayn has guts after he accepted the challenge, but it also shows that Zayn is nuts. Breakker promises to win the title, but Zayn has heard that far too many times.

Zayn thinks Breakker might not be as smart as he says he is….and then Breakker spears him in half. Breaker goes to leave and tries the big run around the ring, only to spear the steps instead. Zayn suplexes him into the corner and loads up the Helluva Kick but Breakker spears him in half again. Good stuff here, with that last spear looking awesome.

Damage CTRL isn’t happy and here is Lyra Valkyria to make it worse. The fight is quickly on and broken up shortly thereafter.

We look at the Bloodline turning on and destroying Paul Heyman.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Ilja Dragunov is ready to qualify for Money In The Bank.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Ilja Dragunov vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

Sheamus and McIntyre stare at each other with the later shoving Dragunov away. That doesn’t work for him as breaks things up with a headbutt, leaving Dragunov vs. Sheamus. The brawl is on with Sheamus hitting an Irish Curse before knocking Dragunov outside and into the barricade. McIntyre is back up to send Sheamus over the barricade but gets posted by Dragunov. Sheamus is back up with the ten forearms from over the barricade and we take a break.

Back with McIntyre sending Dragunov flying off an overhead belly to belly suplex but Sheamus hits a top rope clothesline. Dragunov drops Sheamus and hits an H Bomb each for two on McIntyre. We take another break and come back with Dragunov pulling the other two down out of the Tower Of Doom. The fans declare this awesome as Dragunov hits a Constantine Special on Sheamus.

Back up and the Torpedo Moscow cuts off the Claymore so Dragunov goes up. Coast To Coast is kneed out of the air to give Sheamus two and frustration is setting in. The Brogue Kick hits Dragunov but McIntyre pulls him outside. Back up and the Brogue Kick is countered into a rollup for two but Sheamus hits him with a jumping knee. Not that it matters as the Claymore hits Sheamus to send McIntyre to Money In The Bank at 17:43.

Rating: B+. What is there to say here? You had three physical guys beating the fire out of each other until McIntyre got the win. McIntyre is the right choice to go forward as he has the biggest story going of the three and needs to be in the ladder match. They had an awesome match on the way there too and it was more than worthy of the main event spot.

Post match McIntyre promises to win the briefcase and shows off the stolen CM Punk bracelet to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is by far the best thing about this show but they also kept a few other stories moving with some good action as well. The Morgan/Dominik story is the best story going on and it should be setting up for a big moment at Summerslam. I’m interested in where things are going around here and that is a great sign as they are coming up on some of the biggest shows of the year.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Karrion Kross – Small package
Liv Morgan b. Zelina Vega – Oblivion
Zoey Stark b. Dakota Kai and Ivy Nile – Z360 to Kai
Rey Mysterio b. Dominik Mysterio – Dropping The Dime
Drew McIntyre b. Sheamus and Ilja Dragunov – Brogue Kick to Sheamus

 

 

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 27, 2024
Location: EnMarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with King And Queen Of The Ring and we have a new Raw King in Gunther. That means he is going to get a World Title shot at Summerslam, but first Damian Priest has to defend against Drew McIntyre next month at Clash In The Castle. Other than that, Liv Morgan is the new Raw Women’s Champion and has to defend the title against former champion Becky Lynch tonight in a cage. Let’s get to it.

Here is King And Queen Of The Ring if you need a recap.

Long King And Queen Of The Ring recap.

Here is Ludwig Kaiser to introduce King Gunther, who carries the crown to the ring. We pause for a WE WANT RANDY chant before Gunther brags about beating Randy Orton to earn his crown. With that out of the way, he is ready to challenge for the World Heavyweight Title at Summerslam. He elevated the Intercontinental Title and now he has done it again with the King Of The Ring.

Cue Judgment Day to interrupt, with Damian Priest saying Gunther didn’t win anything because Orton’s shoulder was up. Yes Priest cashed in after winning a ladder match because that’s how it works. Priest offers to teach him a lesson, so Gunther says Priest can teach him before Summerslam and call him King, or teach him after and call him World Heavyweight Champion.

Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt and introduce himself to Gunther, who steps aside so McIntyre can face Priest. McIntyre says Judgment Day has been screwing up left and right since Rhea Ripley has been hurt. We hear about some British wrestling legends, but McIntyre is the only one to win the World Title.

McIntyre gives us a quick geography lesson because they don’t teach it in America, as he draws out where Scotland is located. WWE has called him a psycho and the terminator, but in Scotland they call him Drew, because everyone is like that. Priest brings up McIntyre’s wife for the sake of seeing if he can get under McIntyre’s skin but here is Braun Strowman for his scheduled match with JD McDonagh. This is an interesting way to go as you have two possible champions but the monster is waiting for either of them.

Braun Strowman vs. JD McDonagh

Joined in progress with Strowman powering him up and sending him into the corner. One heck of a toss sends McDonagh flying, setting up a running charge into the corner. Another charge is cut off though and Strowman goes shoulder first into the post. McDonagh gets in a shot to the knee on the floor and we take a break. Back with Strowman sending him outside and hitting the freight train. Finn Balor offers a distraction so here is Carlito for a cheap shot. That gets him nowhere, as Strowman grabs the powerslam for the pin at 9:32.

Rating: C. This didn’t need to be so long with Strowman flattening McDonagh without much trouble. Carlito not being able to help out in the end likely doesn’t bode well for him, which is part of his ongoing story. What matters here is Strowman getting a nice win in return and it went well enough.

Post match Strowman clears out the Judgment Day and Carlito without much trouble. McDonagh chairs him in the back and runs off.

Liv Morgan didn’t know Dominik Mysterio was going to interfere on Saturday but she’s ready to beat Becky Lynch in a cage. Watch her.

Damian Priest isn’t happy with Finn Balor and Carlito. Just find McDonagh before Strowman does.

We look at Bron Breakker being all violent last week.

Ricochet is banged up from last week and wants Breakker, but that can’t happen. Ilja Dragunov comes in and says thank you for the save last week and they can fight when Ricochet is better. Ricochet is cleared so he wants it tonight, with Adam Pearce making the match.

Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov

We get another QR code before the match and Dragunov chops away to start. Ricochet, with his bad ribs, is wrestled to the mat and a German suplex gives Dragunov two. Dragunov hits a running knee and bites the rope as we take a break. Back with Dragunov striking away but the Constantine Special is broken up.

Ricochet moonsaults him on the floor but a 450 misses back inside. Now the Constantine Special can connect to give Dragunov two and he plants Ricochet with a powerbomb. The top rope H Bomb is blocked and Ricochet hits the Recoil. A shooting star connects on Dragunov but Bron Breakker comes in to spear Ricochet for the DQ at 10:26.

Rating: B-. This was starting to heat up near the end but I like the DQ as you don’t want either of these two taking a fall. Dragunov already lost a big match in the tournament and Ricochet loses pretty often as well. Breakker getting involved makes him look like even more of a monster and that has potential as we move forward.

Post match Dragunov gets speared as well. Adam Pearce comes out to yell at him but Breakker isn’t having it.

Post break Pearce is still yelling at Breakker but walks off with Kiana James instead.

Earlier today, Awesome Truth was running an ice cream truck (because they’re like vanilla and….strawberry) when New Day came up to ask about some contest for a Tag Team Title shot. Karrion Kross comes up and Kofi mocks him for being all cryptic. Kross warms them about the AOP, so Woods tells him to bring Tokka and Razar.

Authors Of Pain vs. Creed Brothers

The Final Testament and Ivy Nile are here too. The Creeds go right after them to start, with Julius being knocked outside. Brutus slugs away but gets elbowed in the face for two. Rezar grabs a neck crank but misses a charge in the corner. Julius comes in for the suplexes into the nipups, but Scarlett sends Nile into the steps. The distraction breaks up the Brutus Ball and the suplex/sitout powerbomb combination (dubbed What A Rush) finishes Julius at 2:57.

We look at Carlito injuring Cruz del Toro last week.

Rey Mysterio talks about Carlito taking the wrong path out of jealousy over Dragon Lee. Tonight, Carlito isn’t going to face an old friend because he’s going to find out what happens when he faces the LWO.

Braun Strowman is limping around looking for JD McDonagh.

Memorial Day video.

Here is Sheamus for a chat. Sheamus hypes up King Of The Ring, which was banger after banger after banger, but sadly he was out in the first round. He blames Ludwig Kaiser but isn’t bitter. The only thing he isn’t happy about is Gunther’s coat rack bragging about what he did. Kaiser pops up on screen and says Sheamus is always talking, so Sheamus goes to get him. We follow Sheamus to the back where Kaiser jumps him, with the fight heading into the arena. Adam Pearce and the referees break it up.

Becky Lynch gives Lyra Valkyria a pep talk.

Kairi Sane vs. Lyra Valkyria

Dakota Kai is here with Sane and Valkyria has banged up ribs. Valkyria takes her down to start but the ribs flare up. A northern lights suplex hurts the ribs again and Sane catches her on top. Sane hits a hard sliding forearm to the ribs and a stomp to the ribs makes it even worse. The Insane Elbow is blocked with raised boots though and Valkyria gets a rollup for the pin at 3:42.

Rating: C. This was a nice win to get Valkyria back on track after her loss to Nia Jax. That’s exactly what she needed as she fought through the injury and won in the end by stealing a pin. Valkyria continues to feel like someone WWE wants to make into a big deal and it’s smart to give her a boost right back up the ladder.

Damian Priest isn’t pleased with Carlito for still being here, but Carlito steps out and Finds JD McDonagh. Priest isn’t happy with McDonagh for talking to Liv Morgan earlier but here is Dominik Mysterio. Priest isn’t happy with him either, though Mysterio says he’ll make it right tonight, including with Rhea Ripley.

Iyo Sky is not pleased with Kairi Sane’s loss and breaks a bunch of stuff before storming off screaming.

Rey Mysterio vs. Carlito

The LWO (minus Cruz del Toro, who is announced as well by mistake) is here with Rey. This is their first singles match in 20 years, with McAfee saying he was a junior in high school at the time. Cole: “I called that match.” McAfee: “…..D***.” Carlito starts fast with a whip into the corner and ties him in the Tree of Woe. A charge misses though and Carlito crotches himself against the post and we take a break.

Back with Carlito blasting him with a forearm for two, followed by a nasty faceplant. Carlito goes strong with an apron superplex for two more, meaning it’s time for frustration to set in. Mysterio fights up and hits a quick moonsault but gets planted for another near fall. A quick 619 attempt is blocked and Carlito dropkicks him out of the air. Carlito gets posted but here is Finn Balor, with Mysterio having to take him out as well. The Backstabber is blocked and the 619 sets up Dropping The Dime to give Mysterio the pin at 10:27.

Rating: C+. The match was perfectly fine with two guys who might not have been in the ring against each other in a good while but they can still work well together. This isn’t much in the way of revenge though, as Mysterio just beat him. If that’s all that is going to happen to him, why does he need the Judgment Day to protect him?

Post match Damian Priest comes in for the beatdown and Judgment Day stands tall.

Chad Gable asks Akira Tozawa why he wasn’t in Saudi Arabia, but he’s just disappointed. Braun Strowman pops in to look for JD McDonagh but has no luck. Otis shows up and Gable tells him to make up for his mistakes by beating Bronson Reed.

Otis vs. Bronson Reed

Chad Gable is here with Otis and accidentally distracts him to start, allowing Reed to hit a running splash in the corner. Reed hits a running elbow and Otis is knocked to the floor for some yelling from Gable. Back in and Reed hits a running dropkick but Otis slugs away and hits a running crossbody. Otis splashes him in the corner but Gable breaks up the Caterpillar attempt. Otis loads it up again so gable yells at him, allowing Reed to hit a superkick. The Tsunami hits Otis for the pin at 3:40.

Rating: C. This was a story advancing match as Gable is still causing Otis trouble and that is likely going to lead to a big blowup at some point in the future. I’m not sure when it is going to happen, but the fans are going to go nuts when the split happens. At the same time, Reed gets his own rebound win and it would be nice to see him keep moving forward.

Post match Gable calls the Alpha Academy into the ring and after a break it’s time for a meeting. Gable takes off his belt and tells Otis to grab the rope, but Maxxine Dupri cuts Gable off. Gable throws her out of the ring but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt. Zayn calls Gable a weak little man who can’t get the job done. That doesn’t work for Gable, who loads up the belt to Otis again, only to have Zayn take it away. Zayn tries to talk some sense into Otis but Gable takes Zayn out. The fans chant for Otis, who stays behind as the rest of the team leaves. Then Otis leaves on his own as the simmering continues.

Video on the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.

Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark want Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair to come to Raw and face them. Sonya Deville comes in and says they’re talking like they’re already champions but Baszler shouts her down. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn come in and a match seems to be made. Oh yeah. They work here too.

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

Morgan is defending inside a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win. We’re joined in progress after a break with Morgan driving her into the cage. Morgan sends her face first into the cage a few times, followed by some hard shoulders to send her into it again. Lynch fights back and sends her head first into the cage, followed by a missile dropkick for two. A missed charge sends Lynch to the cage though and we take a break.

Back with Lynch getting two off a superplex but the Disarm-Her is broken up. Morgan’s Codebreaker gets two and they both go up top. Morgan gets knocked down but pulls her off cage, with a powerbomb getting two. Oblivion misses so Lynch grabs the Disarm-Her in the ropes. They go into the corner and crash back down…as Dominik Mysterio comes out.

He opens the door and begs Lynch to crawl out but here are Finn Balor and JD McDonagh to yell at him. Morgan hits an enziguri….but Braun Strowman comes out to go after Judgment Day. Dominik is sent flying into the door, which hits Lynch in the face, allowing Morgan to escape and retain at 13:22.

Rating: B-. This was pretty impressive from a storyline perspective as you had a few different things moving around at the same time. They managed to give Morgan another win over Lynch while also having the whole Judgment Day story advancing at the same time. The match itself was good enough, but this was a case where almost everything else is what mattered. Points for using the unrelated Strowman deal as a bonus too.

Morgan goes to leave but stops to look at Dominik in the aisle to end the show.  And then Morgan kisses him, with Mysterio not being sure how to react.  This did not air on all versions of the broadcast but is on WWE’s Youtube channel.

Overall Rating: B-. After weeks of focusing on the tournaments, everything changed this week as it was much more about advancing storylines on the way to Clash At The Castle. There are a lot of things coming in the next few weeks and this show did a good job of setting those up. The wrestling was ok enough but it wasn’t the focus here, and that’s ok after weeks of far above average in-ring content.

Results
Braun Strowman b. JD McDonagh – Powerslam
Ricochet b. Ilja Dragunov via DQ when Bron Breakker interfered
Authors Of Pain b. Creed Brothers – What A Rush to Julius
Lyra Valkyria b. Kairi Sane – Rollup
Rey Mysterio b. Carlito – Dropping The Dime
Bronson Reed b. Otis – Tsunami
Liv Morgan b. Becky Lynch – Morgan escaped the cage

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 20, 2024
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before King And Queen Of The Ring, which means we need to set some things up for that show. This includes setting up the Raw finalists in both tournaments, plus maybe even setting up a World Title challenger for Damian Priest. Other than that, Sami Zayn gets Chad Gable again. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, wrestlers arrived at a wrestling show.

Here is Sami Zayn to get things going. He has five days before he is ready to defend the Intercontinental Title in a triple threat match and people aren’t sure why he would want to do that. Chad Gable has made it personal with him, while Bronson Reed wants the title. It’s a match between the mind (Gable), body (Reed) and soul (Zayn), with Zayn betting on the soul every time.

Cue the Alpha Academy, with gable taking credit for coaching Zayn to the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania. Compare that to the three failures he has in the team, with Otis being the biggest disappointment on the planet. Zayn wants to know how long the team is going to put up with Gable, but Gable cuts him off. Gable promises to win the title on Saturday but Zayn says they’re both ready, so let’s have their match right now.

Chad Gable vs. Sami Zayn

Non-title and they go with the grappling to start. Gable bails out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Gable hitting a suplex but missing a Swan Dive. The Blue Thunder Bomb doesn’t work for Zayn as Gable suplexes him down again. Dupri is given a chance to get in a cheap shot but can’t bring herself to do it.

Instead Gable hits a shoulder and uses a Dupri distraction to stomp away. Tozawa can’t bring himself to interfere either so Gable labels them as failures and ejects them. The distraction lets Zayn hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and we take a break (with another QR code on the way to the commercial).

Back with Gable rolling some German suplexes until Zayn reverses into a Michinoku Driver for two. The Helluva Kick is reversed into the ankle lock with Zayn making the rope and being sent outside for his efforts. Otis won’t interfere either so Gable slaps him in the face and grabs the title. That’s enough for Zayn to exploder Gable into the corner but NOW Otis will interfere. The cheap shot lets Gable grab rolling Chaos Theory for the pin at 16:05.

Rating: B. They had good action and the story at the end tied things together as one of the better feuds in WWE today gets to continue. We’ve been getting solid stuff from these two (and Reed) for weeks now and I’m wanting to see how the title match goes. Otis being all conflicted should extend things out until he and Gable finally have their big blowup. Nice work here all around.

Commentary talks about the QR codes.

Video on Iyo Sky, who is underwater for some reason. She promises to be Queen Of The Ring.

We run down the rest of the card.

The Alpha Academy’s interview is cut off as someone has attacked Cruz del Toro.

Bron Breakker vs. Kale Dixon

Breakker compares about not being in the tournament before hitting the spear and throwing Dixon outside. Another spear hits on the floor and the referee calls it at 1:57.

Post match Breakker hits another spear and then puts the steps on Dixon’s head. A chair to the steps crushes Dixon. There’s a joke in there about crushing kale for a salad that I’ll leave you to make for yourselves.

Post break Dixon is put in an ambulance. Adam Pearce yells at Breakker for what happened but Breakker blames him for not putting him in the King Of The Ring.

We look at last week’s Queen Of The Ring matches.

Becky Lynch gives Lyra Valkyria a pep talk.

Queen Of The Ring Semifinals: Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria takes her down by the arm to start and gets a quick two off la majistral. A quick crossbody gives Valkyria two more and we take a break. Back with Sky ducking an elbow and grabbing a double underhook backbreaker for two of her own. The cross arm choke doesn’t last long for Sky as she grabs some one counts instead.

Valkyria snaps off a release German suplex and kicks her in the head, setting up a rocking horse. That’s reversed into a crossface but Valkyria is out just as fast. Valkyria’s tornado DDT is blocked and Sky sends her outside, setting up an Asai moonsault to drop Valkyria as we take another break.

Back again with Valkyria hitting the tornado DDT, followed by a quick suplex for two. Sky puts her back down but Over The Moonsault is broken up. The break up is broken up as well though and Valkyria gets powerbombed. Over The Moonsault misses but Sky counters the Nightwing into a rollup….which is reversed into another rollup to give Valkyria the pin at 19:17.

Rating: B+. This was rather awesome as Valkyria gets another win to further establish herself on the main roster. That’s how you get someone over, and it wouldn’t stun me to see her win the whole tournament. Then again there is always the chance that she gets crushed by Nia Jax, along with various hopes and dreams.

Post match Valkyria is happy with her win.

R-Truth is teaching the New Catch Republic how to do the Hokey Pokey, but Miz is worried about facing Judgment Day tonight. It’s cool though, because Andre The Giant told R-Truth that they’ll be fine. Miz asks Andre to be there in spirit. R-Truth: “And they say I’m the crazy one.” He means Braun Strowman right?

Ilja Dragunov is frustrated after last week’s loss. Ricochet comes in and seems to want a rematch but Bron Breakker comes in to spear Ricochet in half.

Post break Ricochet is checked out by medics.

We look at Gunther and Jey Uso advancing to the King Of The Ring semifinals.

Earlier today, Gunther was in an empty arena and talked about how Jey Uso has gone from someone Gunther mocked to the hottest thing on Raw. Tonight, the seats will be filled with fans cheering for Uso and pouring out hope and illusion. The bad news is Gunther is in the business of taking hope away and bringing them back to reality. Then he’ll win the King Of The Ring.

Damian Priest gives Finn Balor and JD McDonagh a pep talk before turning to Carlito. Word is that Cruz del Toro will be out for a while after that attack, which is why Carlito is laying low here. Priest missed the sign that says this is the APA, so Carlito can’t hang here forever. The rest of the team leaves and Carlito asks if Priest saw the New York Knicks lose. Priest: “What’s wrong with you?”

Baron Corbin presented a title to a professional bowler for winning a tournament.

Zoey Stark and Shayna Baszler are getting ready when Sonya Deville returns and has something to talk to them about.

Tag Team Titles: Awesome Truth vs. Judgment Day

Awesome Truth is defending and Dominik Mysterio is here with the challengers. Balor and Miz fight over a wristlock to start and it’s off to Truth for the dancing legdrop. McDonagh comes in and takes over on Miz, meaning Judgment Day gets to pose and we take a break. Back with Miz kicking McDonagh in the head, with McAfee worrying about Miz’s foot. The tag brings in Truth to take over on Balor, including the John Cena finishing sequence.

The STF goes on but McDonagh makes the save. Everything breaks down and the champs hit stereo Five Knuckle Shuffles. Cue Carlito for a distraction but R-Truth hits Little Jimmy on McDonagh. Carlito puts the foot on the rope so here is Braun Strowman to wreck various people. R-Truth grabs an AA for the pin on McDonagh at 9:25.

Rating: C+. While I don’t think Awesome Truth last long as champions, they’re working well enough at the moment. One day they’ll run into a big team who will take the titles but I’ll take them doing this kind of thing for the time being. If nothing else, Strowman as the American Andre fits him well enough, as he’s that kind of a monster when he needs to be.

Becky Lynch congratulates Lyra Valkyria on her win. Liv Morgan comes in to do the same, but doesn’t seem as sincere. Morgan throws in a slap for a bonus.

Bronson Reed tells Sami Zayn he’s going to use his body to win the Intercontinental title. Reed leaves and Otis comes in, with Zayn yelling at him for costing him the match. Otis apologizes, with Zayn saying he knows Otis is a good guy. Zayn has been where Otis is before, and as soon as Otis starts listening to the fans, things will get a lot better. The fans chant for Otis.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. Lynch talks about her history with Liv Morgan, who has never beaten her. Morgan is a different person now though and she thinks this is what will help her become champion. Cue Morgan to interrupt and ask how she could be the bad guy in all of this. She doesn’t care about anyone or anything but completing the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.

Lynch laughs about Morgan finally finding a purpose, but Lynch says she has known her own purpose since she was 15 years old. She has accomplished all kinds of things, though her purpose is still the same: to leave this place better than she found it. What is next for Morgan after she gets her revenge? Morgan laughs that off and says Lynch has only ever cared about herself. After mocking the WHAT chants, Morgan mocks the fans, with Lynch talking about how she’ll do anything for all of them.

The challenge is on for right now and Morgan teases going to the ring but stops to mock Lynch for looking stupid. She’ll wait for the title match and tells Lynch to cry about it. Morgan is a lot of things, and one of those is really bad on the microphone. There isn’t much of a way around it: she’s just not good at talking.

Damian Priest isn’t pleased with the Judgment Day’s loss and walks off. Finn Balor agrees with him.

Xavier Woods is cleared to return to action. Kofi Kingston leaves to talk to Adam Pearce when Karrion Kross and Scarlett come in. Kross suggests Woods can still turn things around.

Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile vs. Damage CTRL

For a future Women’s Title shot. Nile and Sane start things off and everything breaks down seconds later. Carter and Chance clear the ring and hit a Keg Stand to the pile on the floor. We take a break and come back with Dupri getting to clean house until Carter gives her a Downward Spiral.

The After Party connects Carter isn’t legal so the delayed cover is broken up. A Tower Of Doom puts Baszler down and Chance gives Stark a super hurricanrana onto her. Dupri does her reverse Worm but gets taken down by Sane. The Insane Elbow connects on Dupri but Baszler and Stark cut Sane off. Stark tosses Dupri into Stark’s knee for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C. There was so much going on here and while Sonya Deville possibly being the brains behind the new team, it’s hard to get behind the idea of Baszler as part of another tag team. She felt like she was going to be the next big villain and then just got stuck in this never ending string of teams. As for the rest of them, Damage CTRL was their usual acceptable selves and the other two teams are athletic but little more.

Ludwig Kaiser isn’t worried about Gunther looking ahead to the finals and mocks Sheamus again. Sheamus can come back so Kaiser can put him down. Kaiser leaves and Drew McIntyre comes in to say he’s here because the people want him. He’s coming for Damian Priest and the title.

Chad Gable is talking to the Creed Brothers when Otis comes in. Gable tells them to remember what they talked* about before Otis tells him he apologized to Sami Zayn. That works for Gable, who thinks Otis is softening him up for Saturday. Gable has all of Otis’ documents ready for the trip and he’ll see him on the plane. Otis doesn’t seem convinced.

King And Queen Of The Ring rundown.

Jey Uso is ready to go because there is no tomorrow (unless he wins that is). We get the tracking shot of him walking from the back to the arena as he starts the YEETing early.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Gunther vs. Jey Uso

They fight over a lockup to start until Uso starts slugging away. Gunther gets knocked outside and taken down again but manages to send a charging Uso into the post back inside. They head back outside with Uso being sent into the timekeeper’s area as we take an early break.

Back with Gunther working on the (right) arm and shrugging off Uso’s comeback attempt. The arm is bent backwards but Uso catches him on top. Another armbar is countered into a super Samoan drop for the double knockdown. Uso hits a step up enziguri and a superkick gets two. Gunther goes back to the arm by grabbing a Fujiwara armbar but Uso slips out again.

Some suplexes have Uso down again and the top rope splash into the clothesline gets two. Gunther chops him down so Jey gets in a slap, which just annoys Gunther into more chopping. The referee gets knocked down by mistake so the spear into the Superfly Splash gets a delayed two. Gunther has had it and pulls Uso into a choke with the arm trapped and Uso is out at 17:37.

Rating: B+. This was just a step away from being a 17 minute squash as Uso was getting wrecked throughout. That’s exactly how this match should have been, as Gunther is a monster who can pick you apart, especially with an injury like Uso had here. Other than that, Uso got in a few hope spots but this was about Gunther, which worked as well as usual.

The show is off the air about five seconds after the match is over so they barely got it done.

Overall Rating: B. They were all over the place this week, with some rather good matches to go with some that were as mediocre as you could get. The talking in between the matches was about the same, with Gunther and Zayn’s promos being rather strong and the Lynch/Morgan stuff being dreadful. There was more good than bad, but the bad was definitely there and it showed…uh, badly.

Results
Chad Gable b. Sami Zayn – Rolling Chaos Theory
Bron Breakker b. Kale Dixon via referee stoppage
Lyra Valkyria b. Iyo Sky – Rollup
Awesome Truth b. Judgment Day – Attitude Adjustment to McDonagh
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter, Damage CTRL and Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile – Knee to Dupri’s face
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Arm trap choke

 

 

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

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 13, 2024
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Center, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

The tournaments continue as we are less than two weeks away from King And Queen Of The Ring in Saudi Arabia. That should make for a big night as the matches are starting to get interesting. Other than that, we could use some more matches on the card, which is only starting to come together. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Drew McIntyre to get things going. The fans chant for CM Punk but McIntyre talks about how Punk only makes the big town. The greatest trick that Punk ever pulled was looking like a drug addict despite never taking any drugs. Punk keeps messing with the fans but they keep taking him back. McIntyre is going to get his hands on him one day and he’ll beat Punk so bad that Punk will wish he had a torn tricep.

In other news Jey Uso lost another match so McIntyre will deal with him later. For now, McIntyre wants the World Heavyweight Championship and here is Damian Priest to interrupt. Priest says if McIntyre has something to say, say it to his face. McIntyre praises Priest for his success, but he doesn’t deserve to be champion. The title has made the man but now the title needs McIntyre to make it. Priest calls McIntyre delusional and accuses him of blaming everyone for his troubles.

The reality is Priest wanted to cash in on Seth Rollins and then they could have gone at it at Wrestlemania. But who stopped Priest from cashing in so many times? McIntyre! All he had to do was have his moment at Wrestlemania, take his wife by the hand, and then go about his business. Instead, he got beaten up by a guy with one arm. If McIntyre wants a title shot he can have one, but he better be ready to eat his words. That’s a match that needs to happen and this exchange was a good way to get us there. If nothing else, it’s weird seeing someone stand eye to eye with McIntyre.

We look back at last week’s first round of the Queen Of The Ring.

Earlier today, Shayna Baszler and Iyo Sky yelled at each other in the parking lot.

Queen Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Iyo Sky vs. Shayna Baszler

Damage CTRL and Zoey Stark are here too and Baszler gets in a cheap shot before the bell. We take a break and come back joined in progress with Sky missing a charge out to the floor. Commentary talks about these two fighting in Stardom and NXT but stop to notice the weird graphic popping up on screen again. Baszler sends her into the apron and wraps the arm around the structure underneath the ring skirt. Back in and Sky grabs a running hurricanrana before they go up top. Baszler’s leg gets tied in the corner so Sky sends her to the floor for the big springboard moonsault.

We take a break and come back with Sky snapping the leg over the middle rope, setting up some running knees to the back for two. A kick to the head sets up a very bridging rollup for two but Baszler pulls her into the Kirifuda Clutch. That’s reversed as well so Baszler hits a running knee to the head for two. Another knee is countered with a dragon screw legwhip and Over The Moonsault finishes for Sky at 10:38.

Rating: B-. I would have loved to see more of this one as they were starting to cook near the end. It’s no surprise that they have good chemistry together given their history as they’re both talented and know each other well. At the same time, it would be nice to see Baszler actually win something important on her own, though I’m not sure I can imagine it actually happening.

Post match Sky says something in Japanese.

Damian Priest comes into the Judgment Day’s clubhouse, with Carlito around again. Carlito thinks the team could use some help with all of their injuries. Priest is fine with him helping the boys, but not him. Carlito: “You don’t trust me?” Priest: “Nope.”

Chad Gable doesn’t like what the Alpha Academy has been doing lately but Otis has a chance to redeem himself against Sami Zayn. Akira Tozawa is facing Bronson Reed, but Gable DOES NOT want to see that dance. The men leave and Ivy Nile comes in to ask why Maxxine Dupri didn’t ask for help in training for the Queen Of The Ring (Perhaps that Dupri had only a few hours’ notice that she was competing?). Apparently Gable says no training outside of the Academy but Gable comes in to break it up. Gable advises Nile to stop talking to “Taylor Not So Swift, referring to Dupri.

We recap last week’s first round King Of The Ring matches.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are fired up for Kingston’s match against Gunther, because Kingston can teach him a lesson.

Awesome Truth are in the back with Adam Pearce, who tells them that they won’t be defending the titles tonight. Kiana James comes in and says she’s here to adjudicate. R-Truth doesn’t know what that means but doesn’t think it’s PG.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Kofi Kingston vs. Gunther

Lilian Garcia pops up in a cameo to introduce the match. Kingston jumps him before the bell and hammers away on the floor before going after Gunther’s knee in a smart move. The knee is rammed into various things and we get the bell with Gunther still down. Kingston comes off the top to send Gunther outside but a dive is cut off. Gunther drives him into various things, including the announcers’ table for a crash. The Boston crab on the table has Kingston in trouble as we take a break.

Back with Gunther stomping away as Cole says this is somehow only Kingston’s third King Of The Ring tournament. Kingston reverses a backbreaker into a rollup for two and Gunther is all the angrier as a result. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker hits Kingston but Gunther’s knee is banged up as well. The SOS is blocked so Kingston hits a high crossbody instead. That doesn’t work for Gunther either, as he grabs another Boston crab (minus the table).

Kingston slips out and knocks Gunther down so we can get a double breather. Gunther dropkicks him into the corner and hits a clothesline for two as some frustration is setting in. Kingston’s back is bent around the post but he slips out and hurricanranas Gunther into the post. Trouble In Paradise connects on the floor but they both beat the count back in. Another Trouble In Paradise misses back inside and Gunther powerbombs him into the Boston crab for the tap at 13:51.

Rating: B. These two have worked well together before and it’s nice to see Gunther adding something different with the submission wins. It makes him feel all the more dangerous and I’m curious to see who, if anyone, is going to be able to knock him off in the thing. At the same time, Kingston can still go in the ring and it’s kind of a shame that he doesn’t get some bigger singles matches, as he can more than hang in there. Rather nice match here, with Kingston holding his own against the monster.

We look at Liv Morgan challenging Becky Lynch for a Raw Women’s Title match last week. Lynch accepted, but then Lyra Valkyria had to save Lynch from Damage CTRL.

Valkyria says she has Lynch’s back anytime, with Lynch popping in to thank her. With Lynch gone, Morgan comes in to ask if Lynch has always been such a b****. Valkyria says ask her yourself, with Lynch returning to shove Morgan down. Lynch says she isn’t the one scared of a face to face fight.

Kofi Kingston is walking through the back when Karrion Kross pops in to say there’s always more time. Kross leaves and Xavier Woods shows up with some ice for Kingston, who isn’t sure what Kross wanted.

Bronson Reed vs. Akira Tozawa

Chad Gable is here with Tozawa, who slugs away to start to little avail. A spinning kick to the head works a bit better and a missile dropkick actually puts Reed down. Gable is VERY happy as Tozawa goes up again, only to flip into the Death Valley Driver. The Tsunami finishes for Reed at 1:14.

Ludwig Kaiser is NOT happy with Gunther being interrupted with annoying questions. Gunther leaves and Kaiser is asked about Gunther’s loss to Ilja Dragunov and the interference that cost Jey Uso his match against Gunther. Kaiser lists off Gunther’s accomplishments and says he has nothing to prove.

As for Sheamus, he was delusional for thinking he can beat Gunther. Sheamus has never beaten Gunther despite a legendary career and it is never going to happen. In reality, Sheamus should be right here thanking Kaiser for last week. That’s the most fired up I’ve ever heard Kaiser before as he was sounding like a preacher for a bit.

Adam Pearce has an announcement about the Raw Tag Team Titles when the New Catch Republic comes in to interrupt. Pearce gives them a welcome to the show but Pete Dunne grabs Tyler Bate’s arm and leaves. Pearce’s announcement is a four way for the #1 contendership to the Tag Team Titles. With that out of the way, Pearce is asked why Bron Breakker wasn’t in the King Of The Ring. Breakker doesn’t have that kind of experience yet but here is Breakker to say his opponents would have been the ones in the deep end. He would have smiled while he watched them drown. That’s a bit much.

McAfee barks a lot.

We look at more of the Queen Of The Ring.

Queen Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Zoey Stark vs. Lyra Valkyria

Valkyria grabs some armdrags into an armbar to start as commentary talks about the inspiration behind Valkyria’s name. A hurricanrana takes Stark to the floor, where she drops Valkyria with a clothesline as we take a break. Back with Stark hitting a springboard missile dropkick for two and grabbing the cravate. That’s broken up and Valkyria manages a quick jumping enziguri for the needed breather.

Stark hits her in the face and adds a spinning kick to the ribs for two of her own. Something misses off the top though and Valkyria is back with a running spinwheel kick. Stark suplexes her into the corner for two and frustration is starting to set in. The Z360 is loaded up but Valkyria blocks the knee, setting up Nightwing for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: C+. They were starting to hit a wall near the end there and thankfully they went home when they did. Valkyria is getting a heck of a run in this thing and while it might end against Iyo Sky next week, it’s nice to see her getting a chance. They’re doing a good job with making the tournaments interesting and Valkyria is a part of that.

Post match Valkyria says something in Gaelic, promising that we’ll learn what that means. She only travels as the crow flies, which is straight to the top.

More from last week’s King Of The Ring first round.

Jey Uso is ready to give Ilja Dragunov a Yeetdown, just like Gunther is getting one next week.

Sami Zayn vs. Otis

Non-title and Chad Gable is here with Otis. The beating is on fast and Zayn is dropped through straight power, only to have Gable cut off the Worm attempt. Otis rips the shirt off anyway and drops the elbow, drawing Gable to the apron. The Vader Bomb misses for Otis and the Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin at 2:03.

Post match Zayn leaves so Gable berates Otis, earning him a suplex from the returning Zayn. Otis helps Gable up but Gable blames him for everything. Gable slaps Otis and leaves on his own before stopping to say let’s go, with Otis following.

Braun Strowman (in a snazzy hat) gives the Creed Brothers a pep talk before their four way match tonight. JD McDonagh comes in to give him an official Judgment Day warning, which is quickly shrugged off.

Becky Lynch vs. Dakota Kai

Non-title and the rest of Damage CTRL is here with Kai. Lynch starts fast and stomps away in the corner with Kai falling out to the floor. There’s the baseball slide to drop Kai again, with Lynch adding a clothesline from the apron. Kairi Sane offers a distraction though and Kai manages quick kick to the head. Kai’s running kick in the corner….is mistimed as Lynch comes out of the corner and gets dropped by a regular kick to the ribs instead.

The chinlock goes on but Lynch fights up and we get a double knockdown as we take a break. Back with Kai striking away until Lynch catches her over the middle rope. Kai’s running kick in the corner connects for two but Lynch is back up with some rollups. Lynch finally pulls her into the Disarm-Her but Damage CTRL runs in for the DQ at 10:00.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as they didn’t feel like they were on the same page more than once. At the same time, it was a bizarre choice for an ending, as you would think Lynch should be able to beat Damage CTRL’s designated jobber in Kai. Not their greatest match, and I’m not sure why they did what they were doing.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lyra Valkyria runs in for the save. Liv Morgan sneaks in to send Lynch shoulder first into the post.

Ilja Dragunov is ready to beat Jey Uso to move closer to being the Czar of the Ring. He’s different because he beat Gunther….who comes in for the staredown.

Creed Brothers vs. Judgment Day vs. New Catch Republic vs. Authors Of Pain

For a future Tag Team Title shot against Awesome Truth, who are at ringside. Bate grabs a headscissors on McDonagh to start and drags him into the corner, where it’s off to Dunne for the finger snapping. The Creeds tag themselves in to start on McDonagh but the Authors come in to wreck everyone. McDonagh gets thrown over the top and onto the pile and we take a break.

Back with Balor stomping on Brutus in the corner before Judgment Day knocks the Republic off the apron. Brutus manages to get over for the tag to Julius, who double suplexes Judgment Day down. Balor is back up with the Sling Blade, setting up the dropkick to send Julius into the corner. The Republic breaks up the Coup de Grace, allowing Julius to grab a top rope superplex for two on Balor.

The Authors come back in with the Super Collider to Judgment Day. Now it’s the Republic cleaning house again but Brutus hits the Brutus Ball onto the pile at ringside. Bate airplane spins Akam and the Birminghammer hits Balor, with McDonagh making the save. Cue Carlito with a Backstabber to Dunne though, allowing Balor to hit the Coup de Grace for the pin and the title shot at 10:42.

Rating: B-. Total insanity here for the most part and that made for an entertaining match, even if there were so many people out there that it was hard to keep track of everything. The Judgment Day getting the shot makes things interesting as they have issues with Awesome Truth. The Authors can continue to be monsters, the Creeds can continue searching for charisma and the Republic can hope everyone forgets their rather awful name.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Ricochet wishes Ilja Dragunov luck.

Damian Priest asks Dominik Mysterio if he and Rhea Ripley are good but the rest of the team and Carlito come in. Priest tells Carlito that was cool, but makes sure that Carlito can handle his business with Rey Mysterio. The crew doesn’t roll with cowards.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinals: Jey Uso vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov backs him into the corner to start and then fires off the chops. A discus chop puts Uso down, leaving Dragunov to try and get CZAR OF THE RING over. Uso catches him going up with a heck of a right hand though and there’s the suicide dive to send Dragunov into the announcers’ table. Dragunov fights back and puts him onto the announcers’ table, only to miss an H Bomb from the barricade. A spear sends Dragunov over the table and we take a break.

Back with Uso hiptossing his way out of the abdominal stretch to leave them both down. Uso wins a slugout and drops Dragunov with a jumping enziguri, only to get kicked in the face for his troubles. Dragunov’s Constantine Special gets two and they both need a breather. Uso hits a heck of a jumping superkick but the spear is cut off with a running knee. A toss powerbomb into the H Bomb gives Dragunov two but the Torpedo Moscow is countered with the spear. The Superfly Splash gives Uso the pin at 12:50.

Rating: B-. The ending kind of came out of nowhere but it was a hard hitting, back and forth match until the end. As disappointing as it is to not get Dragunov vs. Gunther, they might be saving that kind of a showdown for a bigger stage. Uso was putting in the work here and look good in the win, though beating Dragunov clean so soon is quite the choice.

Gunther comes in for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was another wrestling focused show and that worked again, with the matches being rather high quality (save for that weird Kai vs. Lynch match). They’ve also set up two big showdowns for next week and now we should be in for a hot show heading into the pay per view. They aren’t reinventing the wheel around here but what they’re doing is going rather well as the streak of good shows continues.

Results
Iyo Sky b. Shayna Baszler – Over The Moonsault
Gunther b. Kofi Kingston – Boston crab
Bronson Reed b. Akira Tozawa – Tsunami
Lyra Valkyria b. Zoey Stark – Nightwing
Sami Zayn b. Otis – Helluva Kick
Becky Lynch b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Damage CTRL interfered
Judgment Day b. New Catch Republic, Authors Of Pain and Creed Brothers – Coup de Grace to Dunne
Jey Uso b. Ilja Dragunov – Superfly Splash

 

 

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Smackdown
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

It’s the last show before Wrestlemania and that means the usual: the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, one other match that matters and a bunch of hype videos for Wrestlemania. Other than that it’s a big warmup for the night’s real main event in the Hall Of Fame so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at the bigger Wrestlemania matches, which feels like a pay per view opening rather than a television show.

The entrance set is stripped down again and that’s a nice visual.

It’s time for the KO Show with Kevin Owens (featuring his traditional KO Mania shirt, now up to VII), who gets things started with some good old fashioned sign staring. With that out of the way, Owens brings out Randy Orton as his guest. Owens displays the chairs’ ability to spin before talking about their (Owens and Orton’s, not the chairs’) upcoming triple threat match at Wrestlemania as both of them want Logan Paul’s US Title.

Before Orton can get very far about how annoying he finds Paul, here is Paul live from the Wrestlemania stage at the stadium. Owens finds it interesting that they’re right across the street from the stadium so it’s time to head outside. With the two of them gone, Austin Theory and Grayson Waller pop out from underneath the ring, apparently having missed their cue to jump Owens and Orton. Ok that’s clever.

Back from a break and Owens has stolen a golf cart to head over to the stadium, with Waller and Theory following.

Video on Andre the Giant to set up his namesake battle royal.

Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Angel, Berto, JD McDonagh, Elton Prince, Kit Wilson, Ricochet, Cruz del Toro, Joaquin Wilde, Jinder Mahal, Veer, Sanga, Cedric Alexander, Omos, Ashante Thee Adonis, Akira Tozawa, Otis, Ivar, Julius Creed, Brutus Creed, Apollo Crews, Cameron Grimes

Everyone surrounds Omos to start but only Pretty Deadly go after him. Omos tosses Wilson in a hurry and Prince jumps out to eliminating himself, thereby avoiding pain. Everyone else goes at it with Angel and Berto being thrown out. They pull out Wilde and del Toro (under the rope) as Grimes is tossed. Mahal is eliminated as well but Veer and Sanga throw out Crews. The Creeds get rid of Veer and Sanga, followed by Omos chokebombing McDonagh.

We take a break and come back with Omos wrecking the Creeds on the floor with all three of them gone. After we see Omos clotheslining both of them out but eliminating himself in the process, Alexander is thrown out as well with Adonis following quickly. That leaves us with Ricochet, Ivar, Reed, Otis and Tozawa as Reed and Ivar hit stereo crossbodies.

Reed sends Ricochet to the apron but here is McDonagh to pull Ricochet out. Tozawa eliminates McDonagh (who was still in), leaving Otis to clean house. The Caterpillar connects but Reed throws him out. Reed also throws Tozawa out (onto Otis), leaving him alone with Reed as the final two. They ram into each other a few times until Ivar hits a spinning kick to the face, only to miss the Doomsault. A running clothesline gives Reed the win at 10:08.

Rating: C+. This match hasn’t been the most special in a good while now but it is still something that means a bit for the wrestlers who win. That is what we saw here, as Reed gets a boost after weeks of not having the most success. Odds are it isn’t some big game changer, but it’s better than not winning the thing. It also helped set up McDonagh vs. Ricochet in the future, which should be good.

We look at the Bloodline attacking Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes.

Logan Paul is back in the arena.

The Final Testament is really interested in taking out Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits.

Here is Logan Paul to talk about how stupid everyone is around here, including Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Paul has a camera at the stadium to show Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, who are there to take out Owens and Orton. That doesn’t work as they have escaped, meaning here are Owens and Orton to lay Paul out.

Dragon Lee has been attacked.

Zelina Vega vs. Elektra Lopez

Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar are here too. Cue Dominik Mysterio and Andrade to uneven things even more and Vega knows this isn’t good. We’re joined in progress after a break with Vega slugging away and hitting some running clotheslines. Running knees in the corner hit Lopez for two before she’s right back with a swinging Rock Bottom for two of her own. Vega is back up with a 619 in the corner and a hammerlock DDT but Dominik offers a distraction. That lets Lopez hit Elektrashock for the pin at 2:52.

Post match the beatdown is on but Andrade turns on Legado and helps Rey and Vega to their feet. So there’s Lee’s likely replacement.

Here are Naomi and Bianca Belair for a chat. Neither of them like Damage CTRL and it was Naomi who got Belair’s attention about them. They needed each other to fight Damaged CTRL and things have been going well, but then they met newest partner: Jade Cargill! She’s ready for Damage CTRL and sign pointing ensues.

Dragon Lee is officially out of Wrestlemania but Andrade takes his place. Carlito doesn’t seem pleased

New Catch Republic vs. Grayson Waller/Austin Theory

It’s a big brawl to start with the Republic sending them outside. That’s fine with the villains as they send Bate into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Bate suplexing his way to freedom, allowing him to hit a bunch of suplexes. Dunne comes back in to clean house, including a bunch of shots to Theory’s jaw. The Birminghammer finishes for Dunne at 7:23.

Rating: C. This was another one of those matches where you can’t get much out of the thing due to the limited amount of television time. It wasn’t much of a match as a result, with the break eating up so much of their time. The titles could go in any way or multiple ways) at Wrestlemania and the ladder match makes it even more complicated.

Post match Judgment Day IMMEDIATELY runs in for the big beatdown.

Long video on Bayley vs. Iyo Sky for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Bayley talks about the history she has made and it’s time to do it again.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. Knight is ready for Wrestlemania and says AJ Styles will be phenomenal at getting taken out on Sunday. Instead of crying like Styles has been doing he owes a thank you for Knight making people talk about him. Knight talks about how ready he is for Sunday to wrap it up.

B-Fab talks about how ready Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits are.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Solo Sikoa vs. Jey Uso

Jey slugs away to start and low bridges Sikoa to the floor. We take an early break and come back with Sikoa knocking him into the corner. The running Umaga Attack misses so Jey hits one of his own. Jey’s spear is cut off but the second connects, setting up the Superfly Splash. That’s enough for Jimmy Uso to come in for the DQ at 6:32. Not enough shown to rate but it was fine enough for a match that wasn’t going to have a finish.

Post match the beatdown is on but Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins run in for the save. Jimmy is left alone and takes the whipping ala Rock to Rhodes. That lets Rhodes talk about what it means to be a champion, which he will get to do on Sunday. When his story ends, a better one begins. That good line wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C. For a show that more or less makes it clear that it’s just there as a big commercial for Wrestlemania with a few matches thrown in, it worked well enough. The action was mostly skippable but it should help push fans all the way up to the brink of Wrestlemania. WWE knows what it has with this show and it doesn’t try to be anything else, which is what should be happening.

Results
Bronson Reed won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal last eliminating Ivar
Elektra Lopez b. Zelina Vega – Elektrashock
New Catch Republic b. Austin Theory/Grayson Waller – Birminghammer to Theory
Jey Uso b. Solo Sikoa when Jimmy Uso interfered

 

 

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Wrestlemania XXXVI Night Two
Date: April 5, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the second half of one of the weirdest shows ever and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. Even a year later, this show is mostly forgotten outside of the main event and I’m curious to see how the rest of it holds up. I was actually surprised by some of what’s on the card as it has completely escaped me over the last year. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Natalya vs. Liv Morgan

You know, you don’t have to have a Kickoff Show match if this is as good as you can get. Natalya headlocks her down to start but lets it go for an early standoff. A rollup gives Morgan two and she gets some sarcastic applause for a bonus. Morgan ducks a clothesline with the Matrix and rolls her up for two more, allowing her to get in her own sarcastic applause.

Natalya is right back with her belly to back drop into the step over basement dropkick for two more. The surfboard goes on and Morgan screams a lot but she avoids a charge in the corner to grab another rollup. A Codebreaker gives Morgan two and Natalya’s sitout wheelbarrow faceplant gets the same. The Sharpshooter attempt is countered into a step up enziguri and Morgan grabs another rollup for the pin at 6:22.

Rating: C-. This was as interesting as it was going to get with Morgan trying one rollup after another to little avail until the ending. Morgan always seems like someone they want to push to the moon but can’t figure out how to get there. This win isn’t going to be some game changer, but at least they gave her something, even if this was nearly depressing as a way to start the night.

Stephanie McMahon gives us a quick welcome.

We get the same still pretty great pirate parody opening video.

Rob Gronkowski talks about knowing a thing or two about dropping the hammer on a championship Sunday.

NXT Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending and it’s a shame that she didn’t get the big moment after the pretty cool video of her walking into the empty Raymond James Stadium. We get the recap video after Charlotte’s entrance, as Charlotte won the Royal Rumble and Ripley threw her hat in the ring, meaning it was time for Charlotte to go after the NXT Women’s Title again. Ripley looks a bit weird in blue tights but Wrestlemania has had some strange choices over the year.

Charlotte takes her down to start and we hit the trash talk in a hurry. Ripley seems to be favoring her knee as they lock up and Charlotte drives her into the corner. The chops, with more trash talk, have Ripley in more trouble but she comes out with the Riptide for a quick two. That’s enough to send Charlotte outside for a breather so Ripley follows her out with an elbow to the face.

A flip dive off the steps takes Charlotte down again and Ripley sends her face first into the mat back inside. Ripley gets two more off a snap suplex and it’s time to kick Charlotte in the back. The bodyscissors stays on the ribs but Charlotte gets in a shot to the leg for a breather. Another kick to the knee has Ripley in trouble and Charlotte twists it around to make things even worse.

The leg is wrapped around the post but Ripley comes back with a belly to back faceplant. Ripley is back up with some good knees to the face, setting up a dropkick to a kneeling Charlotte. A lot of shouting at the knee drives Ripley on but Charlotte sends her to the apron for another kick to the knee. Ripley catches her on top for an electric chair faceplant but Charlotte hits her in the face. The knee to the knee in the corner misses though and Ripley scores with a missile dropkick, which bangs up the knee even more.

Charlotte is back up with a chop block but Ripley grabs the legs for the Prism Trap (such a cool name). That’s reversed into a Boston crab but Ripley powers out into a pinfall reversal sequence. Back up and Ripley scores with a big boot for two and frustration is setting in. Ripley takes her up top but gets shoved down, only to get the boots up to block the moonsault. Charlotte hits a spear for two so it’s time for the Figure Eight for the tap and the title at 20:27.

Rating: B+. This felt like a battle and a struggle, which is exactly how it should have felt. They made it feel important, but I really can’t get behind the idea of Charlotte winning here. It’s like she came in and showed NXT how little they mean compared to the main roster. Charlotte has won everything there is to win in WWE, so why did she need to win this too? Ripley needed this win a lot more than Charlotte, but that has never stopped WWE before.

Long video on night one.

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley

Lana is here with Lashley and this might be the greatest example of “what a difference a year makes” in recent memory. Black has horns on his shoulders because of course he does. Lashley powers him around to start and then does it again to make his point clear. A leg dive doesn’t work for Black as Lashley supelxes him down and hammers away.

Lashley misses a charge and falls out to the floor but Black misses the middle rope moonsault, earning himself a suplex. There’s a running shoulder to the ribs in the corner, setting up a neckbreaker to drop Black again. Black knees his way out of the delayed vertical suplex but Lashley snaps off a powerslam for two more.

Now the suplex can connect for two but Black is back with kicks to the legs. Another kick puts Lashley on the floor and now the middle rope moonsault connects. Back in and Lashley hits a crossbody of all things for two but Lana gets on the steps for no logical reason. The Dominator is loaded up but Lana demands a spear….which charges into Black Mass to give Black the pin at 7:16.

Rating: C. Not a bad back and forth match here but the ending didn’t do it many favors. Lana and Lashley was an idea that went on too long and pretty much never worked but WWE didn’t seem to get the idea for a good while. Then there’s Black and egads what happened with him? He had a nice push in the spring and summer but then it just all fell apart later on, because WWE. I don’t get it either, because he just pinned a big star clean here and then WWE just gave up.

Bayley and Sasha Banks aren’t worried about the five way tonight. They are united to keep Bayley’s Smackdown Women’s Title because they are best friends. Bayley leaves but when asked if she wants to win the title, Banks says we’ll see.

We look at Mojo Rawley winning the 24/7 Title last night.

Rob Gronkowski wants the 24/7 Title.

We recap Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler. Otis and Mandy Rose seem to have a thing for each other but Ziggler doesn’t get it. Then he and Sonya Deville got together to split them up before they could get together, with Mandy getting together with Ziggler instead. The Smackdown hacker intervened and shows the plot, meaning Mandy and Otis can be on the same page once Otis deals with Ziggler. Yeah this was kind of nuts but it was funny and oddly charming.

Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler

Sonya Deville is here with Ziggler, who is chased outside before the bell. Otis splashes him in the corner to start but Ziggler is right back with a superkick to the floor. A posting gives Ziggler two back inside and we hit the choke. There’s a dropkick for two more and the choking moves to the ropes this time. The jumping elbow sets up something like a rear naked choke, which Otis breaks up in a hurry. Otis starts the jiggling and hammers away, including the running clotheslines.

A slam lets Otis step on Ziggler’s back and a whip into the corner puts Ziggler down again. Otis sends him outside for a whip into the barricade, followed by a posting for a bonus. Back in and a pop up World’s Strongest Slam has Ziggler in trouble and Sonya demanding that he get up. A Sonya distraction lets Ziggler get in a low blow and they’re both down for a bit. Cue Mandy Rose (you knew this was coming) to slap Sonya and hit Ziggler low, setting up the Caterpillar to give Otis the pin at 8:09.

Rating: C-. The match was nothing beyond a Smackdown level match but I was stunned by the result. I really would never have bet that Otis would have beaten Ziggler so well done on the surprise ending and going the right way. There was no logical reason for Ziggler to win here, which was exactly why I would have expected it. Otis and Mandy were never going to be a long term angle, but for a one off moment, this was very well done.

Post match Otis picks Mandy up and they have their first kiss, which would have been a great moment with a crowd.

We recap Edge vs. Randy Orton. Edge returned in the Royal Rumble for the huge surprise, where he eliminated Orton. This made Orton ask if Edge wanted to reunited Rated RKO one more time, only to surprise Edge with a big beatdown. With Edge gone, Orton gave his wife Beth Phoenix an RKO, which was treated like the worst thing ever, because Beth went from a Hall of Famer to a damsel in distress. Orton explained that he was doing this to save Edge from turning into what Orton had become, even if it meant ending his career all over again. Makes wrestling sense and it set up a Last Man Standing match, so who am I to complain?

Edge vs. Randy Orton

Last Man Standing and dang it must be awful for Edge to put in all that work and his Wrestlemania entrance is in front of an empty building. Orton runs in from behind (thanks to the classic cameraman disguise) with the RKO and the referee has to ask Edge if he wants to do this. That’s an of course so Orton hits another RKO for an early nine. They head outside with Orton hitting him in the face with the camera for seven so let’s go backstage.

It’s off to the gym first with Orton using a strap from a gym machine (in a moment whose accidental significance went completely over my head live) to choke him but Edge gets back up and hits him with a chain. Edge hammers him onto a table and then into a chair to pound away even more. We go aerial as Edge grabs a machine and uses it to pull himself up and land on Orton in the chair. Edge shouts about nine years but gets whipped into a wall to put him down.

Orton can’t quite crush him with a sled so Edge sends him into some equipment. They fight into a rather narrow hallway where Orton goes face first into a garage door. That’s only good for six though as Edge wants to beat him up some more. It’s back into the arena now with Orton throwing Edge into the barricade. Edge uses said barricade to pull himself up at nine so it’s time to go backstage again, this time to the office area. They take turns ramming each other into a board room table until Edge sends him face first into a wall.

Orton is thrown onto the table and Edge pulls himself up on the….whatever the chain link stuff is above the table to drop an elbow. We lose a cameraman so another has to run in to catch them in a storage room. Orton staggers away with his left arm pretty banged up, but he is able to knock Edge onto an anvil case. They go through more stuff with Edge finding some chairs, which Orton throws away in a hurry. A whip into a bunch of stuff gives Orton nine and they wind up in what loos like an interview area.

Edge gets in a few more shots of his own, including a kick to the ribs, and they’re both down for a breather. With Orton knocked onto a table, Edge climbs a ladder onto a scaffold and drops a huge elbow through Orton through said table for a double eight. It’s time to stagger around some more, this time with Orton’s shoulder bleeding. Orton sends him into more equipment for another eight and then takes him onto the back of a covered pick up truck.

The hanging DDT onto said cover gives us another double eight and they climb onto the top of a big production truck. Edge cuts off a Punt with the spear for nine but another spear charges into an RKO. With Edge getting up again, Orton drops down and grabs some chairs to take back to the top of the truck. Orton sounds like he mentions Edge’s daughters but the Conchairto is countered into a standing choke. That’s enough to knock Orton out but Edge says stop counting. The Conchairto crushes him for good and Edge wins at 36:40.

Rating: B-. I liked this one way more the first time around as this really did feel long here. They had some good violence and beat each other up but you easily could have cut out ten plus minutes and done the same thing. You also get into the same problem that so many Last Man Standing matches have, in that you spend so much time waiting on the counts that the match loses a lot of steam. I still like it, but cut this stuff down.

Back in the arena, Mojo Rawley runs from the menagerie of numskulls but Rob Gronkowski dives off a balcony onto the pile to win the title. Apparently this took HOURS to film as Gronkowski wouldn’t do it, even after Vince McMahon himself demonstrated the dive (the video released of Vince doing it is kind of awesome).

Raw Tag Team Titles: Austin Theory/Angel Garza vs. Street Profits

The Profits are defending and Theory is a last minute replacement for an injured Andrade, just to hammer home how messy this show is. Zelina Vega is here with the challengers too. Dawkins headlocks Theory to start and then runs him over with a shoulder. The champs start taking turns on the shoulder but Theory sends Dawkins outside. That means Garza can hit a superkick, allowing him to come inside and TAKE OFF HIS PANTS.

Some kicks to Dawkins’ ribs set up a seated abdominal stretch but Dawkins flips out without much trouble. Ford comes in to clean house and there’s the big flip dive onto Theory (and Dawkins by mistake). Back in and Garza kicks Ford down, setting up a Lionsault for two. The Wing Clipper is countered with an enziguri though and the hot tag brings in Dawkins. Theory catches him with a quick TKO but Ford comes in with the frog splash to give Dawkins the retaining pin at 6:23.

Rating: D+. There was a very firm limit to what they could do here with no real feud between one of the teams hadn’t even been together for a week and they didn’t even have seven minutes to do their thing. It felt like a Raw match and in this case, that is about as good as you could have expected. The Profits were brand new champions here and as usual, there weren’t exactly a ton of teams for them to challenge them. Take away one of the only ones around and how good could this have been?

Post match the beatdown is on but Bianca Belair runs in for her debut and takes out Vega.

Titus O’Neil has taken over hosting duties, meaning he says he’s hosting.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi

Bayley is defending under elimination rules and Naomi’s entrance is still cool even in an empty arena. Everyone goes after Tamina to start because it is Wrestlemania season and therefore she matters again. With Tamina knocked to the floor, the other four pair off until Bayley and Banks double team Evans for two. The mini tag match breaks out with Lacey and Naomi hitting stereo dropkicks for stereo near falls.

Tamina (sorry, the POWERFUL Tamina) gets back in to wreck everyone and gets a few near falls. Bayley and Lacey are kicked to the floor, leaving us with a Team BAD reunion, assuming more than about 4% of the audience actually remembers that weird trios period at the start of the Women’s Revolution. Tamina gets double teamed down and it’s a parade of finishers to get rid of her at 6:26 (because Tamina is Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania).

With the unstoppable monster stopped, Bayley starts beating on everyone else with the trash talk thrown in for a bonus. Naomi comes back in to beat up Bayley and Banks at the same time, including a Rear View to Banks and a middle rope kick to both. That’s about it for the Offense though as the Bank Statement makes Naomi tap at 10:15. Bayley: “DANCE TO THE BACK!”

Bayley and Banks double team Lacey, including something like a double powerbomb for two. A running knee (Bayley: “THIS IS FOR SUMMER”!, meaning Lacey’s daughter) hits Banks by mistake and the cracks seem ready to form. The distraction lets Lacey hit the Woman’s Right to finish Banks at 13:26 (with Cole’s call being heard on the replay, because the building is that quiet).

So it’s one on one with Evans hammering away and grabbing a neckbreaker for two. Bayley sends her shoulder first into the post though and the stomping ensues. More shouting and right hands in the corner have Lacey in trouble but she gets up a boot to cut Bayley off. The slingshot Bronco Buster connects and the double springboard moonsault gets two. Cue Sasha with a Backstabber to Lacey though, allowing Bayley to hit the bulldog driver to retain at 19:18.

Rating: C. It worked well, even after the awesome force that is Tamina was gone. At least these four have some backstories and characters so it is a little bit better than having five random people in there doing all of their spots as fast as they can. Bayley retaining is fine enough, as she has a tendency to do well at Wrestlemania, though Lacey winning the title would have been a nice feel good moment.

Wrestlemania 37 is in Los Angeles. I’m sure.

We recap John Cena vs. the Fiend in the Firefly Funhouse Match. Cena returned a few weeks ago and didn’t a Wrestlemania match but the Fiend showed up to point at the sign (because THE FIEND has to point at the sign) and the challenge was on. Bray Wyatt then explained that this is fallout from Cena beating him at Wrestlemania XXX, which is what send Wyatt completely over the edge and led to the creation of the Fiend. It makes enough sense and that’s all it needs to do for the most part.

John Cena vs. The Fiend

Cena does his full entrance and we cut to the Funhouse, where Wyatt says Cena will be fighting himself. Cena follows him through the door and I guess we’ll say the match starts there. With Cena standing in the dark, Puppet Vince pops up to ask if Cena has the ruthless aggression to be a star. If not, he’s fired. Bray appears in the ring and calls out someone for a fight and here’s Cena in his 2002 gear to say RUTHLESS AGGRESSION (ala his debut against Kurt Angle) but he can’t hit the slap on Bray. Wyatt: “You can look but you can’t touch!”

Bray disappears and we hit the Saturday Night’s Main Event intro (yeah don’t bother to try and make sense out of some of the pieces of this). Bray does a Hulk Hogan impression (behind a piece of the big blue cage of course) and talks about how his partner Johnny Largemeat is all about the muscles. Cena, lifting weights, comes in and does a Hogan/Randy Savage hybrid impression. He lifts so much his arms won’t come up anymore and now it’s off to the Dr. of Thuganomics Cena.

Wyatt and Cena are in the ring again with Cena realizing that he can only speak in rhyme. We get a Husky Harris joke and Cena talks about taking chances. That’s too much for Wyatt, who calls Cena a bully to takes others’ weaknesses and turns them into jokes. Cena throws the nuts at Wyatt, who knocks him out with a chain. Now it’s cult leader Wyatt and we go to the Wrestlemania XXX match, which Wyatt calls his grandest failure. Back in the ring now, with Wyatt saying it is time to rewrite his own story.

Bray hands Cena a chair (again ala Wrestlemania) and tells Cena to fix his mistake. This time Cena swings….and now we’re on Nitro, with Bray as Eric Bischoff to introduce the Hollywood Hogan version of Cena. Puppet Vince: “IT’S SUCH GOOD S***!” Cena freaks out and realizes he is beating up Huskus the Pig. The Fiend pops up behind him for the Mandible Claw and, after hearing Cena calls Bray overhyped and privileged, Sister Abigail finishes at about 13:30.

Rating: A+. This is one of those things that was amazing live and then it gets even better when you have a chance to think about the thing. This was a huge deconstruction of the entire John Cena legacy, down to what would have happened if he had finally turned heel like so many people wanted him to.

It turns into a What If/Road Not Taken idea and that is amazing to see, as Cena really does have a detailed and incredible rise to the top. Wyatt sees him as a fraud who has done everything he can to hold others, including Wyatt himself, down and he needed to avenge his Wrestlemania XXX loss. This was outstanding and one of the most well thought out and incredible ideas that I’ve seen WWE ever present, and I’m probably missing big parts of the whole thing.

Titus O’Neil isn’t sure what he just saw.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar. McIntyre was the Chosen One but screwed up and got fired, so he reinvented himself and came back to WWE as a man. Then McIntyre won the Royal Rumble, eliminating Brock Lesnar in the process. Cue the title match, as McIntyre is finally ready to achieve his destiny.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar is defending and for once, Paul Heyman doesn’t’ handle his introduction. Drew hits the first Claymore for the first two count at 17 seconds. Another Claymore is countered into the German suplex, followed by a second for a bonus. There’s the third and McIntyre is in trouble. The F5 gets one (that’s Drew’s thing) and another gets two. There’s a third F5 for another near fall (Heyman: “He’s really good. Hit him again! He can’t keep kicking out all night!”) but McIntyre escapes the fourth. Three straight Claymores make Drew champion at 4:32.

Rating: C+. It was fun and energetic but I’m completely over watching this style. It has been done to death and I could go for something fresh. Is it asking too much for a ten minute match instead of ten finishers in four minutes? McIntyre winning was the only way you could go here as Lesnar has been champion for so long recently that it no longer has any impact. This went as it should have, but egads find a better way to do them.

McIntyre celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked this one better than the first night by a good stretch as the matches certainly felt bigger. The main event and some other things came off like they belonged on Wrestlemania, but there are still things that make this show feel like absolutely nothing. Again though, you can only put so much of that on WWE as they were up against the wall and had to do a lot of things at the last minute. It was good if you give them a lot of breaks and really, how can you not with a show like this?

Overall Overall Rating: C+. Of course this didn’t feel like Wrestlemania and that is because it barely was Wrestlemania. The problem is that with so much build and setup for the whole thing, WWE absolutely had to do something, especially if television was going to continue as usual. No it isn’t good by comparison to other Wrestlemanias but nothing was the same around this time. Things would get better going forward but this was still the dark ages of the pandemic. They did what they could here and in that regard, this show worked out as well as it could have.

Ratings Comparison

Liv Morgan vs. Natalya

Original: D+

2021 Redo: C-

Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley

Original: C+

2021 Redo: B+

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley

Original: D+

2021 Redo: C

Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Original: D+

2021 Redo: C-

Randy Orton vs. Edge

Original: B

2021 Redo: B-

Street Profits vs. Angel Garza/Austin Theory

Original: D+

2021 Redo: D+

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Naomi vs. Tamina vs. Lacey Evans

Original: D

2021 Redo: C

John Cena vs. The Fiend

Original: N/A

2021 Redo: A+

Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: D

2021 Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: C-

2021 Redo: B-

Overall Overall Rating

Original: C

2021 Redo: C+

That’s one of the biggest changes I can remember having as the matches almost all went up and then the overall rating barely goes up. This was hardly a normal show though so the drastic swing a year later isn’t surprising.

Here is the original review if you are interested:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2020/04/05/wrestlemania-xxxvi-night-two-the-wwe-psyche/

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

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