We’re finally here and odds are the lineups for the matches have changed another 194 times since Tuesday. It’s another year focused on Brand Supremacy and things are changing every day for the sake of…I have no idea really. This time there are seven brand vs. brand matches and a lonesome Cruiserweight Title match (the only title match on the whole show), the latter of which you would expect to be on the Kickoff Show so the whole show could be built around one concept. You know, because that’s how you do a show like this. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Monday Raw Tag Teams vs. SmackDown Live Tag Teams

Raw: Bobby Roode/Chad Gable (captains), Revival, Lucha House Party, B-Team, Ascension

SmackDown: Usos (captains), New Day, Sanity, Good Brothers, Colons

For some reason this is on the Kickoff Show, with the likely reason of allowing the entrances to not eat up such a ridiculous amount of time. At the moment this is the only Kickoff Show match and I can’t imagine that winding up being the case. These teams were literally thrown together over the course of the week and show how low the division is at the moment. How many of these teams really stand out at all?

I’ll take the SmackDown Live teams, just due to the amount of talent they have. The Usos and New Day alone could probably take out the five red teams (you know the show shirts will be out in full force) in short order so I’m hoping that everyone at least gets a chance to have some ring time somewhere in there. This isn’t exactly a match that interests me for the most part and that seems to be the case for the company as well.

Shinsuke Nakamura (SmackDown Live) vs. Seth Rollins (Monday Night Raw)

Yes indeed Nakamura still is the United States Champion and on Monday will have the longest title reign in over three years. I mean, he almost never defends the thing and is lucky to show up on TV more often than not, but he’s still the champion. Rollins on the other hand is one of the top names on his show and someone who is likely going to be pushed as one of the biggest stars in the company now that Roman Reigns is gone.

This is probably the easiest pick of the night as Dean Ambrose is all but guaranteed to interfere here and cost Rollins the match, which is exactly what he should be doing. Nakamura has nothing going on at the moment and it would make sense for him to win here, if nothing else just to give him anything to do. Rollins is destined for the big fight with Ambrose and unfortunately what should be a WrestleMania match is going to be a case of sitting around waiting on interference.

AOP (Monday Night Raw) vs. The Bar (SmackDown Live)

Speaking of champions who you forget have the titles, we have the Bar. I know they’re on TV almost every week, but it’s not like this reign is any different than any of their others, which is the case with almost all of the SmackDown Tag Team Champions in recent years. Wins and losses, even for the titles, mean very little for them and I think you know where this is going.

AOP wins here as the fresh champions who shouldn’t be losing for a long time to come. They’re better, more entertaining and just flat out dominant. There’s no reason to have them lose to the Bar, who are lucky enough to win half of their matches. You need to give Monday Night Raw a win or two here and there and this is one of their best chances to get on the scoreboard.

Brock Lesnar (Monday Night Raw) vs. Daniel Bryan (SmackDown Live)

Here’s a great example of the card changing at the last minute. Allegedly Bryan won the SmackDown World Title on Tuesday so AJ Styles wouldn’t have to lose to Lesnar two years in a row. You know, because taking the title off of him makes infinitely more sense than having him lose a non-title match via countout or something like that. This is the dream match that people have been wanting to see, though I can’t imagine it actually working out the way people were expecting. Especially not after Bryan’s heel turn.

Of course Lesnar wins here, because Lesnar is allowed to destroy everyone on the show not named Reigns. Why this is the case is beyond me, but it does look like we’re coming up on Bryan losing to Lesnar a mere five days after becoming World Champion. It happened last year to Styles and it’s happening to Bryan this year. And the title will continue to mean even less for some reason and WWE will seemingly not understand why.

Cruiserweight Title: Buddy Murphy(c) vs. Mustafa Ali

We’ll take a break just after the halfway point with a match that should be getting more attention than it’s currently receiving. Murphy won the title from Cedric Alexander in his home country of Australia back at Super Show-Down and now it’s Ali getting another chance to FINALLY win the title. Ali has been chasing the thing since WrestleMania earlier this year and has become the heart and soul of 205 Live.

I’m going with the title change here, as Murphy is fine for a champion but doesn’t need to hold it. He’s the biggest and strongest guy on the 205 Live roster and Ali has been chasing the title for far too long now. Ali deserves to win it on the big stage and Survivor Series in Los Angeles would certainly qualify as a big stage. It’s long overdue and winning it here would feel like an important moment, especially if it’s on the main card instead of the Kickoff Show for a change.

Monday Night Raw Women vs. SmackDown Live Women

Monday Night Raw: Nia Jax, Tamina, Mickie James, Natalya, Ruby Riott

SmackDown Live: Carmella, Naomi, Sonya Deville, Asuka, ???

Now we’ll get to the deeper part of this with the score at 2-2. I’m not sure what to expect here but the interesting point is the mystery partner. While I’d like for the partner to be a debuting Shayna Baszler (Paige would still have some connections down in NXT for it to make some sense), odds are it’s going to be Mandy Rose. After what Rose said last week on SmackDown Live, there’s a good chance her team will turn on her for the elimination and put them at a disadvantage.

That disadvantage should be enough for the Raw women to win here. If nothing else, who are we to question the powers of Tamina? Asuka can take a countout or DQ elimination and the rest are pretty much interchangeable. I’ll go with Jax and Tamina as the sole survivors as they need to keep Jax strong for her upcoming title match against Ronda Rousey, which is pretty much the only story in the division at the moment. Raw wins here and takes the lead for the first time all night.

Ronda Rousey (Monday Night Raw) vs. Charlotte (SmackDown Live)

And you thought WrestleMania was in April. This is another match that could be taking place on a huge stage but instead we’re getting it here because Jax doesn’t know how to throw a proper punch and knocked Lynch onto the injured list. Rousey is undefeated but Charlotte has a history of ending undefeated streaks after she beat Asuka earlier this year. Again though, there’s a reason this one should go one specific way.

That way is Lynch, who is either going to hit Rousey with a chair to cost her the match or come out onto the stage for a distraction so Charlotte can beat her. Either way, it makes sense for Rousey to lose here, both to set up an eventual Rousey vs. Lynch match (likely at WrestleMania and possibly even in the main event) and to keep the score even because….I’m not even going to bother doing it again. But yeah, Charlotte wins due to Lynch’s interference.

Monday Night Raw Men vs. SmackDown Live Men

Monday Night Raw: Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley

SmackDown Live: The Miz (captain), Shane McMahon, Rey Mysterio, Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy

While I don’t think this main events the show, you can forget about what makes sense for the sake of keeping the score even. I’m not sure where to go with this one either as you have Monday Night Raw on a two year winning streak, which should mean SmackDown Live picks up a win for the sake of a surprise. However, that might mean suggesting that Monday Night Raw isn’t the most awesome thing ever and I don’t know if WWE can live with that.

As little as it makes sense given the lineups, I’ll go with the blue guys picking up the win. Baron Corbin will find a way to accidentally get rid of Strowman and you can pencil in McMahon to get at least one fluke win in there somewhere. It doesn’t make sense given who is on the shows, but SmackDown Live winning makes a lot more sense than a third straight Monday Night Raw win.

Overall Thoughts

I’ve spent more than enough time complaining about the battle for Brand Supremacy but my goodness it’s completely taken over the show this year with six of the seven main card shows focusing on it. The show could be fun with some elimination matches and as long as they keep the battling McMahons to a minimum, things should be ok. What worries me the most is some stupid booking decisions in the name of keeping the score even, but I’ve long since given up on Survivor Series being a show that is meant to help long term storytelling.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

How has Takeover never been to California before? Somehow this is the twenty second edition of Takeover ever and they’ve never been to California. Anyway this should be one of the better ones with some very storyline driven matches with some great action involved. Normally I would say you can’t tell what’s coming on a show…but I think you know what you’re going to get with a Takeover. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Kairi Sane

We’ll start with a title match because on a four match card, you have two title matches, a grudge match and the show’s namesake match. This is one of the longest running feuds in NXT history and, which I would have said their match at Evolution was the blowoff, we’re here with a 2/3 falls match as Sane cashes in her rematch clause. My guess is this is the final, final, FINAL match in the feud, though if it’s not, it’s not the worst thing in the world as the matches have been pretty good.

I’m going with Sane getting the title back for a few reasons, starting with the idea that Sane has far more heel challengers to come after the title than Baszler. You have Bianca Belair and Lacey Evans, among a few others for some fresh matches. Baszler on the other hand really doesn’t have much else to do in NXT and would make a good choice for a promotion. Like, say, as the final member of the Smackdown women’s team at Survivor Series.

NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa(c) vs. Velveteen Dream

What does it say that this is arguably the third biggest match on the show? It’s also the second match to come from the Aleister Black attack, which we’ll get to soon enough. Dream accused Ciampa of attacking Black and somehow got a title match out of it. The key to this whole thing has been turning Dream into a star, which has been taking place over the last several months. He’s become one of the hottest stars in NXT because the fans want to see him win. Throw in some off the charts charisma and it’s no surprise that Dream is as awesome as he’s become.

I’ll go with Ciampa retaining though, as there’s very little reason to believe that Johnny Gargano isn’t going to be involved in Ciampa losing the title. Dream is going to come close and probably even hit the Purple Rainmaker, but he’s not taking the title. At the end of the day, they’ve set up the Gargano vs. Ciampa feud for way too long to have Dream get in the middle of it now. Ciampa retains after a heck of a fight.

Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano

On any other show, this would be the headliner. Gargano’s heel turn has been a work of art as he was revealed as Black’s attacker, all in the name of destroying Ciampa once and for all. That promo with him walking along the path where Black was attacked was excellent and came off like one of the best things NXT has done in a long time (and that’s covering a lot of ground. Black has reason to want to take Gargano apart and h can start by kicking his head off.

That being said, Gargano should win here with some kind of nefarious means. They can set up a rematch down the line in what should be one of Black’s last matches in NXT. He’s ready for the main roster and after wrapping things up with Gargano, he should head there. Gargano’s heel turn is way too hot to have him lose his first big match so it makes a lot more sense to have him win here, likely after some form of cheating. As long as we get more Gargano promo greatness, everything will be fine.

WarGames: Undisputed Era vs. Ricochet/Pete Dunne/War Raiders

And we wrap it up with this. Last year’s match was kind of an awesome mess with the trios version, but now it seems that we’re back to the regular formula. These four have been feuding for months and while the faces have been having issues for a long time, this is the kind of match where you can put those differences aside and have a great come together moment. Or you can fight each other and let the other four man team take you apart in even shorter order.

I’m really not sure on this one as you could go either way but I’ll take Ricochet and company. A win over one of them could set up the War Raiders for a Tag Team Title shot down the line or set up a Ricochet vs. Dunne showdown over who got the win. The Undisputed Era won last year and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them win again, but I’ll take the makeshift team to send the fans home happy (though they would likely be happy either way).

Overall Thoughts

I’ve said this a few times but it’s still true: the amount of mileage NXT has gotten out of Black’s real life injury is astounding. Half of this card, including the NXT Title match, which doesn’t even have Black involved, has spun off of the Black story. The whole thing fell into their lap but they’ve managed to turn it into something interesting. This card looks great and is going to fly by while also being a lot of fun. WarGames itself will be enough to carry the show but if we get three great matches to go along with the main event, I guess I can just force myself.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

I don’t remember the last time a show has had fans this apathetic in a long time. Maybe it’s the ridiculous schedule that the company has gone with lately or the controversy surrounding the event or the card itself or some big combination of everything else, but Crown Jewel comes off like the kind of show that WWE is desperate to finish so they can never talk about it again. Hopefully it comes off a little better than the build has been. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: United States Title: Shinsuke Nakamura(c) vs. Rusev

This was added on Thursday because we just needed one more match before the show in case you thought you could have any extra time on your hands. Nakamura has only defended the title three times on TV because WWE seems to forget that he’s even champion, which likely has something to do with him having the longest reign in two years (in three more weeks it’ll be the longest since John Cena’s Open Challenge reign).

That being said, I can’t imagine the title changes here. While Nakamura has nothing going on at the moment, Rusev isn’t exactly doing anything at the moment either and I can’t picture a new champion when neither has anything going on. It doesn’t matter who has the title as long as the champion isn’t going to be on TV and for some reason, WWE doesn’t like the idea of the US Champion showing up very often.

For the sake of sanity, I’m only going to talk about the first round of the tournament in detail as there’s not much of a point in talking about matches that might not even happen. I’ll give my predictions for the rest of the tournament though.

World Cup Of Wrestling First Round: Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley

We’re starting with a hard one here. I’m not sure where to go on this one with Lashley being the replacement for John Cena, and you could make a case for Cena being the favorite in the whole thing. That being said, do you really want to bring in the Intercontinental Champion for the sake of having him lose a match in the first round?

I’ll take Rollins to advance, though Lashley winning wouldn’t exactly surprise me. The only problem with Lashley advancing is having the Saudi government rip up the agreement because they had to listen to LASH-LEY LASH-LEY LASH-LEY for more than one match. Rollins can win here by a rollup or some other fluke and not really suffer much of a downgrade, as Rollins is just a bigger star right now.

World Cup Of Wrestling First Round: Dolph Ziggler vs. Kurt Angle

I’ll give them some points for matches that are making me think. Angle has been the Monday Night Raw guy getting most of the attention so far and it would make sense to have him move forward, especially over someone as annoying as Ziggler. That being said, is WWE really willing to put Angle out there with the risk of him ripping every ligament in his body and reinjuring his neck during the opening handshake?

I think they might be, at least for one match. Ziggler is going to get pushed no matter what because….well I have no idea actually but that’s been the case for years now. He’s going to be fine with or without the win, and it’s not like losing to Angle is something that is going to hurt him for the most part. Angle can get the win and do the very miniature Cinderella story, even if it’s not the most thrilling thing in the world.

World Cup Of Wrestling First Round: Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz

Things seem a little bit easier on the SmackDown Live side as you can probably pencil in the winner of this set of brackets from here. Hardy has been back (Did he ever really leave?) from his injuries and still hasn’t done much while Miz has already started talking about getting back in the World Title scene. I know Hardy is the more popular pick but this doesn’t seem to be that much of a contest.

I’m going with Miz of course, because just getting to listen to him brag in between the matches is going to be entertaining. Hardy is another bulletproof guy who can take loss after loss and not be in any serious trouble, if nothing else due to his charisma alone. Miz winning here makes sense and does more for him than it does for Hardy, which should make things a little more predictable as we move forward.

World Cup of Wrestling First Round: Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio

We’ll wrap up the first round on a pretty easy note. Orton is the kind of guy who has floated around the roster for years now with almost nothing changing no matter what he does. Mysterio is back after a long absence from the company and is someone who could get a heck of a push over the next few months, just for the sake of getting what you can out of his star power while it’s still there.

Of course I’ll be taking Mysterio to win here, if nothing else because there’s no need to have Orton advance in something like this. Some fans might not remember how good Mysterio is so having him pin Orton after defeating Nakamura to qualify for the tournament in the first place. Mysterio wins, as he should for the sake of building him up again.

That’s it for the first round, so we’ll shorten up the rest.

Seth Rollins b. Kurt Angle

The Miz b. Rey Mysterio

The Miz b. Seth Rollins

Miz is going back into the World Title scene and can use the bragging rights from the tournament to get himself a title shot. Rollins can have the match won and Dean Ambrose’s music hits to distract him, allowing Miz to score the win. It also gets you out of the storyline of having Shane McMahon threaten to fire a SmackDown Live wrestler for losing in the finals.

SmackDown Tag Team Titles: The Bar(c) vs. New Day

The eternal feud between these teams continues as the SmackDown Live tag team division (the Usos, Sanity, the Good Brothers, the Colons, whoever else they throw together at any given time) is apparently non-existent other than those two teams. The Bar took the titles from New Day last month with the help of Big Show, who may or may not be there this time around.

I’ll actually go with New Day winning here, just for the sake of the title change to make the show a little more fun. It’s not like it matters all that much as you’re likely to see these two trade the titles over and over again between these teams for months. At least we can get what should be a good match, which should help this show overcome some of its multitude of problems.

SmackDown World Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. Samoa Joe

This was added to the show on Tuesday as Daniel Bryan’s title shot was used on TV instead of waiting for this one because of Bryan not wanting to work in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, they’re brushing off this story again, which is about as good of an idea as they have. They really didn’t have another option aside from Nakamura for a champion vs. champion match and they’re going with the idea that makes more sense.

I’ll take Styles to retain here because there’s no reason to put the title on Joe at this point. They had their full feud and story with Styles winning the whole thing, making this more of a glorified house show match that takes place a few weeks after the pay per view feud has wrapped up. That’s the case a lot of the time and there’s nothing wrong with it. The match should be a lot of fun and Styles can retain, as we continue on towards Styles breaking CM Punk’s record for longest modern title reign (whatever that means).

Universal Title: Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar

People, I’m scared here. Right now there’s no Roman Reigns to be the top guy in the company anymore and there’s a chance that WWE might want to put the title back on Lesnar for the sake of building up someone else to take the title from him in another big moment. Does that really sound all that ridiculous? WWE loves to have Lesnar as champion in absentia most of the time anyway, and it wouldn’t shock me to see it go there.

In something that I really hope to not regret, I’ll go with Strowman to win the title as anyone with a brain (who happens to be a wrestling fan who thinks about these things) likely sees as the logical choice. Strowman is still a popular guy and has a built in title challenger in the form of Drew McIntyre (PLEASE don’t have him interfere to cost Strowman the title.). This should be the easiest match on the card to guess, but that’s never stopped WWE before.

D-Generation X vs. Brothers of Destruction

And then there’s this, which has turned into one of the least interesting matches that should be the second featured match on any given WrestleMania card. The whole SHAWN MICHAELS IS COMING OUT OF RETIREMENT part has barely been mentioned and instead we’re being told about how old everyone in the match is, which makes them better or something like that. This match is going to be a rough one given the age/ring rust of everyone involved, but it’s likely going to headline with a ton of time.

Of course D-Generation X gets the win here, possibly with Michaels pinning Undertaker for the first time in….geez about twenty years? Unfortunately there’s a good chance that it’s going to be used to set up a WrestleMania 35 match between the two of them, because somehow that’s the sequel instead of the match that has been built up for all these years. I’ll go with D-Generation X winning but PLEASE don’t do the big hug after it’s all over. I don’t think I can take it.

Overall Thoughts

If they could have managed to do something worse to set this show up, I can’t imagine what it is. They’re holding a show that doesn’t feel important in a country they won’t specifically say with a host making his return to the company after being taken off for racial statements in a week that has had at least two hours of WWE TV in four of the five days this week (all but one has had three hours plus). I’m not sure what to expect here, but if Greatest Royal Rumble is an example, the show is looking like one of the most bloated messes of the year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

It’s almost hard to believe that we’re here. Over the years, women’s wrestling has been up and down (ok mostly down) in WWE with a long history of treating the women as sideshow attractions who were lucky to get three minutes a week. Things have gotten a little better over the last few years though, and now we’re coming up on a full women’s pay per view. There’s a lot of good stuff on the show, and that makes for an interesting card. Let’s get to it.

Bayley/Sasha Banks/Natalya vs. Riott Squad

I’m not sure what it says that Banks and Bayley could only make it onto this show by continuing their eternal feud with the Riott Squad. It isn’t so much that the feud has been bad but it’s gone on for so many months with nothing changing that you wonder what the point is in having it continue. Oh and now Natalya is there, because that’s the spark of life that an already dead feud needs.

I’ll take the Squad here, as the division is going to need some strong names built up to challenge the champ going forward. Ruby Riott may not be the biggest star in the world but she’s someone who could be built up for a Royal Rumble title shot and that’s more than you could say for most of the women here. Maybe Banks, but really this should be about getting the Squad some momentum back so the leader can look stronger in the future.

Mae Young Classic Finals: Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai

This is one that I keep going back and forth on as you really could pick either side and have a strong case. Shirai was the big signing of this year’s tournament and the kind of star that doesn’t come around all that often. At the same time though, Storm is the kind of person that doesn’t come around very often and could be the focal point of the division for a very, very long time. There’s no bad way to go there.

I’ll go with Storm though, as Shirai doesn’t need any kind of a win to come off like the huge star. Storm came close to winning the tournament last year and another loss in the clutch would hurt her. She’s also likely to be a big part of the NXT UK division and having her start off with a big win to help establish the women’s division over there would be a good idea. You could go either way here, but I’ll take Storm as she needs the win a little more.

NXT Women’s Title: Kairi Sane(c) vs. Shayna Baszler

If I was confused by the previous one, I’m downright not sure here. These two have been feuding since last year’s Mae Young Classic and that’s the kind of feud that could be blown off here. Sane is definitely growing into a top star and someone that could be a featured piece of the division for a long time but Baszler is awesome in her own right and it wouldn’t shock me to see her get the title back.

That being said, I think Sane retains here because Baszler is ready to move up to the main roster. As mentioned earlier, they’re going to need some challengers for the Raw Women’s Title and who better to challenge Ronda Rousey than a fellow former UFC fighter? Sane can move on and face one of the half dozen challengers that exist down in NXT, with Bianca Belair near the top of the list. Sane retains here, mainly because there’s nothing left for Baszler down in NXT.

Battle Royal

This is a case where it’s hard to say for sure who is going to win because there’s a good chance of a bunch of surprise entrants. The lineup is pretty awful for the most part as several of the legends are likely to have quick cameos before leaving, such as Torrie Wilson who has no business in a match like this (or a match at all) in the first place. Then you have the names who are actual realistic winners….all four of them or so.

I’ll go with Asuka winning here, which is probably more false hope than anything else. You really just have her, Nia Jax, Ember Moon and Naomi as realistic winners. We’ve been there with Jax for a good chunk of the year, Moon has no momentum, and Naomi has been floating around for months. That being said, the same was true of Naomi going into the WrestleMania battle royal. I’ll take Asuka and kind of hope for the best, as there’s always the chance that someone gets this to set up a one off title match which isn’t exactly interesting.

Trish Stratus/Lita vs. Alicia Fox/Mickie James

Alas, this one took a big hit when Alexa Bliss was held out due to what seems to be a concussion. The whole story was build on Bliss being a jerk to the legends and now there’s nothing for her to do other than stand around at ringside. Fox is the logical replacement but egads what a downgrade that sucks the life out of the match. James vs. Stratus would have been better in this spot, but I get why they went with the tag route instead.

Of course I’m going with the legends as there’s no reason to go with Fox and James. The whole point of this is to showcase Stratus and Lita and there’s nothing wrong with that. Fox can take the pin and we can set up Bliss vs. Stratus down the line. The wrestling isn’t the main focus here and that’s fine. Odds are the legends are going to be a little rusty, but the fans aren’t likely to care in the first place. Just let them have fun and do their thing, which should be fine.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Charlotte

Last Woman Standing. I’m not sure what to make of this one as the feud has been going on for several months now and this feels like it should be the blowoff, but but I’m not sure it WWE is ready to wrap it up just yet. Lynch has been on a roll and there’s a real argument that this should headline the show, but neither of them are on a reality show and therefore it wouldn’t make sense to feature them on a show that has been purchased no matter what is closing it out.

I’ll go with Lynch retaining here, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see this go to a draw so they can have ONE MORE MATCH, probably at Tables, Ladders And Chairs. In theory Lynch should win here and hold the title for a long time, but WWE loves putting the title on Charlotte. In theory they need to build her back up for a showdown with Rousey at WrestleMania, but that’s what the women’s Royal Rumble is fr. Lynch should win here, but watch out for that draw.

Raw Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Nikki Bella

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I don’t want to see this match. I can’t stand the Bella Twins for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that I get sick of hearing about how they’re legends and made the term Diva mean something, when they’re only legends in WWE’s minds and a few generations before them did more for the term than they could ever hope to. I could go on for another few hours about the two of them but I think you get the idea.

Normally I’d say OF COURSE Rousey retains here, but I’ll settle for she retains in theory, as you never can tell when WWE might decide to push the heck out of the Bellas all over again. There’s no reason this match should go longer than about four minutes but I’m sure the power of the Bellas will be more than enough to balance out the real life female fighter, because the Bellas are known for their martial arts abilities. I mean, Nikki is undefeated against shirts that she tears during her stripper entrance on the way to the ring that has apparently inspired millions of girls (inspired them to do what to be determined).

Overall Thoughts

I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of this show when it was announced and the build up to it hasn’t done me any favors. The matches are mostly just there and the main event makes my head hurt for a variety of reasons. You can also pen in Stephanie McMahon coming out to bless the show or talk about how they all did it together, which is of course code for “I did this and make sure to get my good side for the news piece about it.” The show sounds like a cool idea on paper, but as usual, WWE has taken away a lot of the fun involved and turned it into just another show that may or may not exceed some limited expectations.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

I had almost forgotten what these things look like. Impact Wrestling doesn’t put on a lot of pay per view events, but in a way that’s a good thing. They’ve turned the events that they have into something special and nothing they do is bigger than Bound For Glory. It really has turned into their WrestleMania and if they do it right, we could be in for a heck of a show. Let’s get to it.

Allie vs. Su Yung

We’ll start things off with an interesting one here as Allie has made a deal with the devil (James Mitchell, close enough) to go into the world of the dead and rescue Kiera Hogan from Yung’s casket. I have no idea what that is going to mean but it could be anywhere between stupid and a lot of fun. Allie has been a very entertaining character over the last few months while Yung….did I mention Allie was cool?

I’ll take Allie here, as there’s little reason to put much into Yung at the moment. She’s not clicking and they’ve had her lose so many times now that it doesn’t mean anything anymore. Just let Allie win and save her friend so she can go on after the Knockouts Title, which she shouldn’t have dropped to Yung in the first place.

Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

This has been an underrated feud as Edwards has toned down the insanity stuff and turned into someone more aggressive, which is what made the character interesting in the first place. Moose is someone who always seems ready to break through to the next level but I’m not sure they’re willing to pull the trigger. Edwards has had the trigger pulled before and is in good standing, but where do they go this time?

I think they go with Edwards winning, perhaps with Alisha helping him as the Johnny Gargano road to redemption story continues. There’s a reason to go with Moose as well and it wouldn’t shock me if they did, but there comes a point where the company needs a big name on top. I don’t know if Edwards is that person (he’s not the most attention grabbing guy in the world) but he’s someone with the experience and credibility to move up so I’ll say him here.

Matt Sydal/Ethan Page vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann

Egads I don’t care about Sydal. This isn’t a match that has interested me in the slightest but thank goodness they went with the tag match here as I’d much rather watch the other three than Sydal. Mack and Page are making their debuts (Page is for all intent and purpose) so this is as good as you’re going to get for this match. That’s not exactly high praise but I’ll take what I can get.

I’ll go with Mack and Swann for the win here as you can cancel out the two wrestlers who are debuting here, leaving you with Swann and Sydal. For some reason Impact is loving Sydal, no matter how lame the third eye thing really is. Swann is someone with more than enough charisma to carry himself a long way and a win on a show like this is a good idea.

Eli Drake vs. ???

This is the latest Drake Open Challenge and that might not be Drake’s best idea as the previous versions haven’t gone as well as some others. It’s an idea that you can go with for a little while but you need someone special to pay it off on a big stage like this. So what do you do in a situation like Bound For Glory? Well the catch this time around is that the challenger has to be from New York. And who is from New York you may ask?

Well that would be Chris Jericho and I’ll take the chance and say that he answers the challenge. If that’s the case, it would be a heck of a moment, even if it’s just a one off. The idea of Jericho showing up in Impact Wrestling could be fascinating as it would lend them some credibility, even if Jericho is popping up in so many places anymore. With the Jericho Cruise featuring Impact talents though, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be some kind of appearance just to promote the thing.

LAX vs. OGz

You could make a real case that this is the main event of the show as it’s been one of the better feuds for a long time now. That being said, the idea of a Concrete Jungle match suggests that it might be one of those overly gimmicky matches that could mess with the flow they have going. Putting Konnan and King in there adds a change of pace though and that’s where things should get better.

I’ll take the OGz here as LAX has won coming up to this point and King’s promos have been more than good enough to warrant the big win here. If the OGz are willing to stick around for a little while, they should get the titles pretty soon (like here, which would have made more sense) and there’s not much of a reason to have LAX win every match in the whole feud. I’ll probably be wrong with this, but the OGz deserve this more, assuming they’re sticking around of course.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard(c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

This is a situation of Blanchard having no one left to beat other than Allie and some others who aren’t ready to challenge at that level yet. Valkyrie has been a big name in the division for a good while now and she has the abilities to make something out of the whole story. It also makes sense to have her be the next person to face Blanchard after the matches in Mexico.

That being said, there’s no reason to take the title off of Blanchard, who is getting better and better every single day. She’s young, she’s good, and she knows she is, which is a heck of a combination. Hopefully the match is entertaining, because there’s little reason for drama in what we’ll be seeing here. They can hit each other rather hard, but Blanchard should retain and go on to fight a challenger who is around more often.

OVE vs. Lucha Bros/Brian Cage

I’m not sure this match needs to happen in this format as we already have a violent six man tag on the card. That being said, I’d rather Cage be involved in something interesting than a nothing X-Division Title match with five other people and one spot after another. The OVE vs. Lucha Bros feud really needs to end though as it’s been going on for months and has already seem matches that could and should have been the blowoffs.

I’ll take the Lucha Bros and Cage to win, as Callihan can cancel one of them out but the Crist Brothers haven’t been viewed as threats in a long time, especially against people on the level of Cage and Pentagon. The match should be really entertaining as the Crists have figured out the balance between the boring characters and the fast paced matches, making them far more fun to watch than they were before. But yeah, too much star power on the other side.

Impact World Title: Austin Aries(c) vs. Johnny Impact

And then there’s this, which is another match that doesn’t feel like the biggest match of the year. That’s been an issue for the company for a very long time now and while the new regime has fixed a lot, it hasn’t fixed this. Impact just coming out and saying the match was on didn’t help things and while Aries’ awesome promo from last week helped, there’s very little fire to this match.

I’ll take Impact to win the title as there’s no reason to keep it on Aries at the moment. Impact has been the guy who gets close for way too long now and I think they’ll go with the big crowning moment to end the show. With Aries’ goons not being around, there’s the chance that a new goon debuts or some other form of cheating occurs, but the title change is the right move.

Overall Thoughts

This show has had some time to build but it still feels like they’re throwing some of it together at the last minute. Hopefully we get a good night out of them as the potential is certainly there. If everyone is on their game, we could be in for a heck of a show, though there’s always the chance that it could underwhelm. The path is there, as long as they can actually walk it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s that time again. Earlier this year, WWE went over to Saudi Arabia for a major international event. Now, we have another edition down in Australia, headlined by two guys who have a combined age of over 100 years. That doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence, but this does feel like a more energized show than Greatest Royal Rumble. Hopefully it’s even better when it actually takes place. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. The Bar

The tag team division on Tuesdays is one of the weakest things around as it’s all of….geez are there even four teams there at the moment? New Day is fine for placeholder champions until we see some new teams come up, but that might let them break their record for longest title reign. The Bar is good as well, but it’s not like one of them is that much better than the other.

I’ll take New Day to retain, as they’re that much better than anyone else at the moment. The Bar feels like the challengers of the month and that likely means two or three more title matches down the line. For now though I think the New Day retains, just for the sake of not killing the crowd. They’re still popular enough and that’s good enough to keep them in a prominent role.

Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander(c) vs. Buddy Murphy

I’m not sure on this one, even though it sounds like the biggest layup on the card. Murphy is in his hometown and Alexander has held the title for six months now without losing a singles match (on TV) in over a year. That sounds like the easily formula in the world, but you never know around this place.

Actually, I think I’m going with Alexander retaining the title, even if he might not win the match. For some reason, WWE absolutely loves the idea of Alexander as the centerpiece of the division, no matter how long he’s been in the role so far. Alexander is a talented guy in great shape, but he doesn’t quite pop as a star. I don’t know if Murphy is the solution, but I actually don’t see him getting the title here.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Charlotte

The more I think about this one, the more I’m trying to convince myself that WWE isn’t crazy enough to put the title back on Charlotte yet. Above all else, Lynch is someone who needs to keep the momentum that she’s built up. You can’t have someone be an effective rebel if they lose in their first title defense, especially when her whole thing is that she’s finally turned the corner.

I’m going to give WWE the benefit of the doubt here and take Lynch to retain, although not likely clean. You know this feud is going to go on for a few more months and Lynch needs to hold onto the title for a good while longer. There’s no benefit to putting the title back on Charlotte just yet as she’s already the most decorated champion of modern times. Let Lynch catch up a bit and get what she can out of this reign.

John Cena/Bobby Lashley vs. Elias/Kevin Owens

I had the Coliseum Video theme in my head as I wrote that one out. This match is happening for no apparent reason other than to get Cena on the card, even though I can’t remember the last time he was on Monday Night Raw. You can imagine this match being on any given house show and that’s not the worst thing in the world. Hopefully they keep this one short, as there’s not much you can get out of something like this.

Of course I’m going with the faces here, even though WWE would be a bit crazy to pass up on a potential Cena vs. Lashley match down the line. Just let us them have about ten to fifteen minutes to build to a hot tag and Cena can go back to China or wherever he’s filming next. As long as we get more of Owens and Elias together, because they’ve got a nice little chemistry going.

Bella Twins/Ronda Rousey vs. Riott Squad

This is another case of a match being a means to an end and while that’s annoying, there isn’t much of a way around it. The Squad has been a nice surprise in recent weeks with Riott herself showing some real talent (including but not limited to avoiding a weekly botch). That being said, I had forgotten who the Bellas and Rousey were fighting, because it’s all about those three. Well two of them at least.

I’ll take the Squad to win, hopefully with Brie taking the fall. At the end of the day, we’re destined for Nikki vs. Rousey for the title at Evolution, because that’s the match WWE has decided the fans are dying to see. We’re really supposed to buy that the stripper is a threat to the baddest woman on the planet, though thankfully we’re only looking at a three week build between the “former best friends” or whatever they’re going to say Rousey and Nikki used to be.

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan

This is for a future WWE Championship shot, because WWE doesn’t believe in the term #1 contender anymore. These two have fought what seems to be a few dozen times now, with WWE releasing most of if not all of their previous encounters on YouTube, just to hammer the point home. While there is no word on when the title match would take place, I have a feeling I know what they’re doing.

I’m going with a non-finish here, setting up a four way for the title at Crown Jewel. That’s not the worst idea in the world, as it’s pretty clear that we’ll be seeing Miz vs. Bryan for a long time. Ignoring how little sense that makes and how it’s taking away the impact from Bryan FINALLY winning the title back (if he ever does), I can’t imagine they’ll have either get a clean fall here. We’ll go with a double countout here to make sure the feud keeps going.

Asuka/Naomi vs. Iiconics

I’m not sure I get the idea here. So Asuka has beaten up both Iiconics on her own for years now, but apparently she likes the Glow. Now though, after watching the Iiconics lose over and over, we’re supposed to be interested because they’re in their home country? I’m not sure how that’s going to be interesting to anyone aside from the Australian fans, which makes me wonder why they’re not throwing out some people who the Iiconics could beat in a hurry.

I’ll go with the Iiconics winning by pinning Naomi to give the fans something to cheer, though given how WWE has botched Asuka over the last few months, her losing to one of them for the first time wouldn’t shock me. This should be the popcorn break match and there’s nothing wrong with that, as the Iiconics are rather nice to look at if nothing else.

Shield vs. Braun Strowman/Drew McIntyre/Dolph Ziggler

Yes this is still going and at the moment, I can’t imagine that changing until Tables Ladders And Chairs in December. Until Strowman gets out of the way and falls down the ladder, we’re stuck with these trios until we get to a fresh challenger. That’s not the most thrilling thing in the world but it’s what we’re stuck with at the moment. There’s the drama over whether or not someone might be turning, though I can’t imagine they’ll do that here.

While I’m not entirely confident with the pick, I’ll take the Shield to win here as that tends to be the case in most of their big matches. Let them tease the split some more, because just a few weeks is nowhere near long enough for what should be a big deal. Strowman and company aren’t the best villains in the world but if it gets us closer to McIntyre as a breakout star, everything will be worth it. I think.

SmackDown World Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. Samoa Joe

From where we stand right now, we’re looking at Samoa Joe becoming the latest version of Shinsuke Nakamura (who still exists, I promise). Styles has beaten him time after time and just having that one tap that didn’t count isn’t enough to prevent Samoa Joe from looking like a loser. At some point you have to have him win, and there’s really not much of a reason to not do that here.

Hence why I think Styles is going to retain. I know it makes sense to have Samoa Joe take the title here, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to say it’s going to happen. At some point Samoa Joe’s promo work isn’t going to be enough to carry him over the losses, but I don’t think we’re there yet. Styles retains, as little sense as it might make.

Undertaker vs. Triple H

And finally there’s this, which has dominated Monday Night Raw for the last month and might be just a way to get to D-Generation X vs. the Brothers of Destruction in Saudi Arabia. The big story here is….well it’s the fact that this has happened several times before and it’s happening one more time here. For some reason that’s supposed to be enough to draw an audience and while the build has been good, there’s not much of a way around the fact that they’re both old and Undertaker hasn’t had a good match in a long time.

That being said, I’ll take Undertaker to win, because Triple H doesn’t get to beat him for some reason. I’m sure the interference and outside shenanigans will be enough to get us to the tag match and that’s going to be the focus of the match anyway. The interesting thing here is going to be seeing how well they can actually have a match, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the match being the kind of main event slugfest that they’re capable of having.

Overall Thoughts

I’m looking at this card and really, nothing is jumping off the page at me. The biggest worry that I have is the same problem from Greatest Royal Rumble: a card that is advertised as being big and is held in front of a bunch of people, but has very little that actually matters. Hopefully we get a few title changes to make the show feel important, though it wouldn’t shock me to have it come and go with almost nothing important happening.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Contrary to what you may have seen on Monday Night Raw this week, the next major show won’t be taking place in Australia and men will indeed be wrestling on the card. This Sunday will see Hell In A Cell, featuring two matches inside the Cell and a bunch of other stuff that won’t be heavily featured as there’s only so much that can take place when we have the other two shows to build towards. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day (c) vs. Rusev Day

Rusev Day won a (yet another) tournament to earn the title shot in a bit of a surprise. The team was a hot act in the spring but since WWE has to WWE, we’re finally getting somewhere between the two of them in the middle of September. New Day has held the titles for about a month now and since the division basically consists of four teams, it’s not like they have a bunch of competition.

I’ll go with New Day to retain, likely as Rusev Day implodes for good because WWE doesn’t want them together for whatever reason. Other than that the match should be entertaining and will likely see a rematch this week on SmackDown Live. Rusev is in need of some kind of a success but given his track record in WWE, odds are we’re going to be waiting a very long time to actually see it happen.

Raw Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Alexa Bliss

This one has me more confused with each step of the build. First of all, Rousey smashed her way through Bliss on the way to the title at Summerslam. You know, how she should have done because it’s RONDA ROUSEY vs. Alexa Bliss. The match was about five minutes long and Rousey was never in anything resembling trouble. Again, how it should have been. So how are we going to make a rematch work?

I’m really not sure, though Rousey of course retains, likely with more involvement from the Bella Twins because we need Nikki Bella vs. Rousey in our lives. Before I go on that rant, I’ll go with Rousey retaining in a match that isn’t as dominant as it should be. Rousey will likely sell the rib injuries from Monday, though that really shouldn’t be enough to keep her in trouble for very long.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Charlotte(c) vs. Becky Lynch

This is the first case of “well, we’re not having this Cell ready match in the Cell because….reasons”. Last month Charlotte won the title and Lynch snapped and turned on her, with the fans wanting to cheer Lynch but WWE dragged their feet and is going with more of a shades of gray feud because they don’t know how to listen to what the audience clearly wants.

As for the match itself, I’ll go with Lynch winning the title. I know WWE doesn’t exactly get the idea here a lot of the time, but this is as much of a layup as you can have. On top of that, is there anyone else who can possibly take the title off of Charlotte? The only way I could imagine it not happening is if Charlotte does a hard heel turn to make Lynch the super face that she needs to be. I could live with that, but that’s about the only way they could go other than Lynch flat out beating her.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre(c) vs. Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins

Let’s not even pretend that this is going to be the big, final match between these teams. These four plus Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman are going to fight for the next few months and there’s no way around that. The titles might change hands here but it’s far from likely to be the final title change between them. The wrestling should be good, but the storyline stuff isn’t exactly going to matter.

I’ll say the champions cheat to keep their titles, which will set up a rematch where the Shield boys want to use a variety of weapons. Say like tables, ladders and chairs. Along with Reigns. And Strowman. With all three belts above the ring at once. There’s not much else to say here and that’s a really bad sign given how many eggs WWE has put in the Shield’s basket.

Daniel Bryan/Brie Bella vs. The Miz/Maryse

When this match was first announced, I was a fan of the idea. It advances the story while preventing the overload of Miz vs. Bryan, which is almost guaranteed to keep going all the way into 2019. Then it became clear that this was going to be the Maryse/Bella show and that’s one of the scariest things you can have. We’ll have to hear about what a legend Bella is and how awesome she looks after having a baby a year ago, all while she botches everything she does and shouts BRIE MODE before doing some of Bryan’s stuff. Yay for us.

It doesn’t make sense to have Miz and Maryse win here so I’ll take Bella beating Maryse here in some form. Bella can’t do much properly in the ring but the YES Lock looks passable enough. Maryse doesn’t need to ever win anything again as she just has to put on one of her outfits, strike her model pose and insult the crowd in French to be right back where she was before. Bella and Bryan win in hopefully the last match from the women for a long time.

Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy

Here’s your Smackdown Cell match (even though the Cell is now red) because….why is this the Cell match actually? I know the logical answer would be so Hardy can dive off of the Cell like an idiot, but my guess is more that they didn’t want to do a Cell match on Smackdown but since WE MUST HAVE A CELL PAY PER VIEW, this is the default match instead. Just in case you need more proof that having a Cell pay per view is a really bad idea.

I’ll go with Orton winning as Hardy tries to do something stupid and winds up taking the RKO for his efforts. Orton has an interesting character if he goes from one short range feud to another where he destroys a variety of popular faces. Knowing WWE though, they’re going to do something stupid with it and waste a lot of potential because that’s all WWE is capable of doing at the moment.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. Samoa Joe

On paper, this should be where Joe gets the title. He took Styles to the limit in their first match and has been even more physical since then. Logic on the street would suggest that he wins the title here by overwhelming the emotional Styles and choking him out so he can hold up the title and say OH WENDY, DADDY’S COMING HOME! That makes sense in theory, until you remember that WWE has already announced a third match between these guys in Australia at Super Show-Down.

That’s where I think the title change actually takes hand. I mean, it doesn’t really matter when Joe wins the title as long as he does, though Styles is rapidly approaching CM Punk’s 434 day reign with that very title. On top of that, he actually defends the thing and has great matches while making others look good. Hence why he’s likely about to drop the title. Styles isn’t a guy who does the same three moves over and over again when he wrestles four times a year. What value is there for that?

Raw World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Braun Strowman

And then there’s this, which is one of the most oddly booked matches in a long time. They do have a long history between each other, but their last singles match was eleven months ago in October. That’s all well and good as the blowoff to a long running feud (Undertaker and Mankind hadn’t had a singles match in over a year when they had the Cell match), but does anyone believe that this is the last match between these two?

I’ll go with Reigns retaining as Strowman is sacrificed again in the name of getting him over. I still have no idea what the end game is supposed to be for Reigns, who is beating (arguably) his chief rival in his first feud as champion (the fourth time he’s been champion that is). Why is him beating Strowman in the Cell supposed to make me care? Is it just because he’s that awesome or something? I’m sure WWE could explain it to me, though I doubt it would still make sense.

Overall Thoughts

I know I talk about this a lot but it’s pretty amazing to see how much difference it makes to have one show focused on Sunday and another focused on everything else involved. There’s a lot of stuff that can be done to set up Sunday’s show and Smackdown has done that far better than it’s Monday counterpart. The pay per view will have its moments, but it really does feel like they’d like to get this show out of the way so they can focus on the other stuff instead.

Just look at the card. There’s a lot of big stuff on here and there is a grand total of one match (Styles vs. Joe) that I’m interested in seeing. That’s not acceptable on a card that features two Cell matches and a bunch of big title matches. How can you possibly have this kind of a card and have so little interest in the whole thing? WWE is ice cold right now and I don’t see that changing for a long time to come, which makes for a very rough end of the year.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Isn’t this supposed to be a party? Summerslam has really taken a fall in the last few years and a lot of that can be attributed to how much is on the show. Last year’s event had the big problem of being too packed of a show and this year’s show has the same amount of matches. I’m not sure why WWE thinks that’s the way to make the matches feel big and important but it doesn’t seem to be stopping them anytime soon. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Rusev/Lana vs. Andrade Cien Almas/Zelina Vega

In a way I’m glad this is on the Kickoff Show because it’s going to get some more time. I’ve liked this story way more than I ever would have expected and that’s a great sign for everyone involved. Rusev has turned into a full on face while Lana continues to be some Russian/American hybrid. On the other hand though you have the outstanding package of Vega and Almas, who could go straight up to the top of the card in a hurry.

Therefore, I’m taking Almas and Vega here with Almas pinning Rusev. I know there’s more value in Rusev than in Lana, but this is a place where Lana and/or Aiden English could cost Rusev the match to protect him. Almas seems ready to move up towards the main event picture and if that’s the case, pinning Rusev is a good start. They’ve got something with that pairing and there’s not much of a reason to wait on it.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander(c) vs. Drew Gulak

This one has been building for a long time now and there should be one ending to the whole thing. Alexander won the title on the Wrestlemania XXXIV Kickoff Show and has beaten everyone who has come against him since. He hasn’t actually lost a match this year and that makes him a very interesting target for someone as dangerous as Gulak.

That’s why I’m taking Gulak to win here. At the end of the day, Alexander is someone who just isn’t interesting enough to carry the division. His matches are good and he’s someone who has been good for the title, but he can’t carry it much further. Gulak has been awesome in the role as the submission master and he even has goons with Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher. There’s no reason to not change the title here and I think WWE understands that.

Kickoff Show: Raw Tag Team Titles: B Team(c) vs. Revival

Now we have our first questionable one as the B Team isn’t someone you can have lose anytime soon as their first loss takes away the magic. Their whole run is built around the improbably winning streak and to take that away is basically a death knell for the team. When your entire tag division might be four teams deep, that’s really not a good idea at all. So what do you do?

I think you keep the B Team rolling for now. What’s the point in taking away the steam that is still there before you have to? The B Team is popular at the moment and there’s no reason to take away what they have going for them at the moment. As much as I hate to say it, the Revival will just have to wait. At the end of the day, the depth problems are still around and the B Team is the best thing in the division at the moment, meaning there’s no reason to cut them down.

Money In The Bank Briefcase: Braun Strowman(c) vs. Kevin Owens

It’s very rare to see this thing defended and I couldn’t be happier about the idea. I’m not sure how long it’s going to be before someone cashes the briefcase in (PLEASE be sooner rather than later) but if it takes a long time, it’s a good idea to have them defend it here and there, just for the sake of keeping them a little warm rather than losing over and over again and then “oh I’m champion now”.

As for the first defense of the briefcase in a long time, I think I’ll go with Strowman holding onto it. They’ve done a good job of setting the match up with the idea of Strowman being able to lose the briefcase via countout or DQ, but it seems like a problem being set up so Strowman can overcome it. There’s nothing wrong with that but above all else, Strowman losing here would be cutting his legs out. Just let Strowman win and keep going, if nothing else for the sake of his future.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

Let’s get this one out of the way. This has been one of the least interesting/entertaining feuds I can remember in a good while on WWE TV and I’m really hoping that it’s done after Sunday. Corbin being a bully who keeps saying he’s bigger and better than Balor was stupid at first and now it just keeps going, which is a lot worse than what it even was to start with. They’ve traded wins, including Corbin winning a pretty meaningless 18+ minute match on Monday Night Raw. This is the rubber match, though I’m hoping more for the rubber hardening and neither of them being able to move.

I’ll take Balor to win because WWE is going to need something to get the fans to cheer. I know they like the idea of pushing Corbin, but there aren’t a lot of people he can want to fight. Corbin will still have his job as Constable so there isn’t much of a need to give him a win here, especially not when Balor needs it a lot more. That’s pretty sad given where Balor should be at the moment, but it’s true.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Bludgeon Brothers(c) vs. New Day

This is a situation where I’m not sure what else is supposed to happen. You can have the Brothers hold the titles for a long time, but at some point someone has to beat them. The problem though is who else is supposed to? The SmackDown tag division is pretty much these two, the Bar and the Usos, unless you count Sanity, who aren’t a traditional tag team. Therefore, who else is supposed to take the titles from the Brothers?

I’ll go with the Brothers retaining here, though outside of a team being thrown together in the next few months, I’m really not sure who else is going to take the titles. New day are in the running, but it’s not like they need them to be a popular team. The Brothers can keep them here and lose them later on, though it’s not like they’re flush with competition at the moment.

Raw Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss(c) vs. Ronda Rousey

Here we have a match that should be a layup on paper but that’s never stopped WWE before. This time around Rousey is getting another title shot after Bliss interrupted her title shot against Nia Jax and took the title for herself. Bliss has been champion for most of the last year plus and there isn’t much left for her to do with the title. I think you know what this means.

Of course Rousey should get the title here and in reality, the match should be about ten seconds. I can live with Alicia Fox offering a distraction, but Bliss should get taken out in a hurry here. That’s what Rousey has been missing and it fits her matches perfectly, at least in some situations. Bliss is a rather small woman and there’s little reason to believe that Rousey will have trouble with her. Then again, see the Jax vs. Bliss matches. Either way, Rousey wins and wins handily.

US Title: Shinsuke Nakamura(c) vs. Jeff Hardy

I could go either way on this one. First of all, it’s pretty clear that Hardy is moving on from this to continue his feud with Randy Orton. The question though is whether or not that feud is over the US Title, which Hardy would have to win here. Really, I’m not sure why that needs to be the case, as Nakamura failed so badly during his Smackdown World Title chase that he needs the US Title to rehabilitate him.

I’ll go with Orton costing Hardy the title and Nakamura moving on to face someone else (a face Rusev could be interesting). It opens up two doors instead of one and keeps Nakamura strong, which is what you want to do. Nakamura pinning Hardy, even with some assistance from Orton, would give him a nice boost and hopefully WWE realizes this instead of having Hardy win another title he doesn’t need.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Carmella(c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

I was getting into the idea of Lynch vs. Carmella one on one for the title but since WWE is WWE, they went with the tried and true “champion loses to multiple challengers to set up a three way” instead of having an actual fresh story. Why I would want to see that isn’t clear, but then again a lot of things about WWE’s creative decisions elude me these days. So we have Charlotte and Lynch kind of sort of arguing over who should be champion while Carmella is all loud voices and trash talking.

Since it’s WWE, I’ll go with Carmella retaining. That would be the worst option they could pick as well as the easiest, making it the most likely. I can’t imagine them actually picking Lynch or Charlotte over the other, so we’ll go with something that gives Carmella another talking point. That’s what WWE creative tends to do best these days: come up with things to talk about rather than actual things. Then in two weeks Carmella can brag about having the longest reign of a title that has been around about two years. Lucky us.

Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler(c) vs. Seth Rollins

I’m not sure what to think on this one as you’ll likely see a good performance from both guys, but man alive I’m sick of seeing these two fight. This will be their fourth singles match in about two months, not counting the tag/handicap matches. At least Dean Ambrose is there to mix things up a little bit this time around, which should at least keep the crowd more under control.

I’ll take Rollins to get the title back, likely setting up a tag match next month where Ambrose turns on him to get the title for himself down the line. Either way the match should be good, but I’m still wanting to see more of Drew McIntyre than anyone else. It’s so great that they’ve managed to turn him into a better than average lackey instead of the star he should be, but that Ziggler man, he’s got to be going places this time around.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. Samoa Joe

Styles is now the longest reigning Smackdown World Champion of all time, which you might expect to hear…oh half a dozen times tomorrow or so. I’m actually interested in this one, which I’d assume has something to do with it having a personal touch instead of being about the title like it almost always is otherwise. I love seeing how far a title reign can go and Styles has an outside chance at making it into the rare air of a year long reign, this this is big hurdle to get over.

And I don’t think he does. Samoa Joe is someone who should have been World Champion already (that tends to happen to him a lot in bigger promotions) and with Styles having held the title for such a long time already, it’s probably time to get someone fresh in there. The good thing is this should be a heck of a fight, which hopefully ends in a pin/submission one way or another. That being said, Styles snapping and losing his cool for a DQ wouldn’t shock me, especially with Hell in a Cell next month.

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan

If it was up to me, this would be the show’s main event. It’s been built up for over eight years and it’s received the best promo time of the show’s build. I understand why it won’t, but it’s the show’s big match. The question though is whether or not it’s the final match in the feud. I can’t imagine that’s the case, but if Bryan is leaving the promotion next month (unlikely but possible), things are up in the air.

I’ve said it since it was clear that this feud was announced: Miz should win. What better way to show that Bryan has lost a step or needs to get back up the card than to have Miz beat him with a fast cradle for a clean pin? While you risk the fans rioting over the result (though to be fair, having Roman Reigns in the main event is risking it enough), it’s the right way to go and what I actually see going down.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar(c) vs. Roman Reigns

We’ll wrap it up here, in a place we’ve been in all too often. For the life of me, I can’t imagine WWE having Reigns lose to the same person three times in a year. This has dragged on for the better part of ever and the fans are so sick of hearing about it that something has to give. Above all else, it’s a case of “if not now, then when”, and that’s not something you want taking place.

Reigns wins here, and…..you know what? Let’s go full speed: Strowman cashes in and Reigns pins him too. I expect Lesnar to be back in WWE some day down the line as he’s not exactly getting old. Just have Reigns win the freaking title already though, just for the sake of giving us something fresh. WWE might go with the dumb route of having Lesnar go over again and leave Reigns in an even worse place all over again, but let’s go with Reigns winning, for a change that is.

Overall Thoughts

What does it say when WWE has turned one of the biggest, most important shows of the year into something that feels like a chore? As is usually the case, there is too much going on here and the card is feeling overloaded. There are some matches that stick out to me and the card doesn’t look terrible, but I’m fully expecting it to be so bogged down that nothing can really get the time it needs, aside from Reigns vs. Lesnar of course.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

You can tell it’s serious when you get to part four. This show has become NXT’s flagship event of the year, even beating the annual Wrestlemania weekend show. They’ve had to change the main event around due to an injury, but since NXT is the charmed/prepared promotion, they’ve managed to switch the match up into something that may work even better. Imagine that: a promotion actually having a backup plan and making it a good one. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Kairi Sane

The more I think about this one, the less sure I am about anything. In theory, Baszler is holding onto the title for the sake of eventually dropping it to a fired up Dakota Kai. However, Kai hasn’t exactly done much as of late and that part of the story seems to be over. Maybe they’re going with the long game, but every week that goes by makes it seem less likely. So where do we go from here instead?

Well I think it’s going on to find someone else to take the title from Baszler, because I don’t see Sane doing it. Sane has defeated her before in a good match last year, but I don’t think she wins the rubber match. Baszler is awesome at the moment and whoever takes the title from her is going to get a heck of a rub. The thing is Sane is already over and doesn’t need the title, though she does need something. I just don’t think it happens here as Baszler retains the title.

Velveteen Dream vs. EC3

I know I’ve said this a lot, but Dream needs to win this match. The problem is, you can only say that so many times before it stops mattering. At least that’s the case most of the time, but Dream has a special kind of charisma where his wins and losses almost don’t matter. He’s at the point where he’s the gatekeeper to the higher levels of NXT and while that’s a good spot to be in for the sake of security, you can only be there for so long without winning something of note.

That being said, I’ll take him to win here in the upset. EC3 is still pretty new around NXT and that would make him the likely candidate to pick up the win, but I think Dream finally gets the big win (beating Kassius Ohno seven months ago doesn’t count). You can easily make this a cheating win for Dream, who needs to do something to cut off all of the face reactions he’s receiving. EC3 can bounce back and even win the rematch, but Dream has to get something and soon.

North American Title: Adam Cole(c) vs. Ricochet

It’s kind of amazing how similar Ricochet and Dream are, especially when they’re so different on the surface. It turns out that they’re in a similar situation though as Ricochet needs a win as well, but it’s not as bad as Dream’s situation. Ricochet is clearly destined to be a big star on the roster (both developmental and main) but in a way it’s the Andre the Giant syndrome: if you put the title on him, you have to take it off of him. Having him lose clean would be a bad idea but here, you have the option of the Undisputed Era helping Cole retain.

That’s what I think happens here. Ricochet can have his day later on (and you know that’s coming, perhaps against Tommaso Ciampa should he retain) but for now, Cole retains and loses to someone else in a few months. Just have the Undisputed Era help him (Bobby Fish doesn’t have a match later in the night) and everything falls into place. This is the one that I’m the least sure about, but it’s going to be a fun match regardless of the finish.

Tag Team Titles: Undisputed Era(c) vs. Moustache Mountain

Speaking of the Undisputed Era, they’re defending in the match that is likely to blow the roof off of the Barclays Center. These two have had two rocking matches already and there’s a great chance that they’re going to do it again on the biggest stage they’ve had yet. They’ve already traded the titles so a title change is certainly a possibility.

That being said, I don’t think it’s going to be a reality. Moustache Mountain is a great team but they’re going to be over no matter what they do. Undisputed Era is a team that is defined by the amount of gold that they have and keeping the North American and Tag Team Titles would be a great way to show that off. Throw in some cheating and everything will be fine, including a prodigy like Tyler Bate. The question here is how great can this match be and the answer, much to my delight, is likely quite.

NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa(c) vs. Johnny Gargano

Last Man Standing and EGADS there are some possibilities here. This was originally going to be a triple threat match also including Aleister Black, but that left you with the pretty obvious ending of Ciampa retaining by pinning Black. Now though, you have SO MANY CHOICES. Do you have Gargano lose and join up with Ciampa? Do you have Gargano finally win the title to end the feud? Do you go to a double knockout and allow them to do the triple threat later? Does Candice LeRae turn on Gargano and join Ciampa? Any of these is a very possible and rather interesting option.

I’m going with….Ciampa retaining but you again I’m not even remotely sure. There are too many ways to go to know something like this for sure and that’s what makes this so much fun. The one thing I know for sure is that these guys are going to beat the living heck out of each other than that’s what they specialize in doing. Throw in the possibility of it tying into whoever attacked Black and this is the most interesting thing on the show by a wide margin.

Overall Thoughts

This is another show where the card looks great and there isn’t a single thing on there that makes me think it’s going to be bad. NXT knows how to tear the freaking house down and I have no doubt that they’re going to do it all over again here. This show should be a complete blast and if the previous Brooklyn events are any indications, we’re in for a fun night all around.

Oh and no Matt Riddle. Just a hunch that is likely to be wrong.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Now I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up about this show but really, it’s kind of hard not to in this case. Believe it or not, Impact Wrestling has actually put together a heck of a card and built it up quite well over the last few weeks. I want to see what they have for Slammiversary and there’s a good chance it’s going to be an awesome show. If nothing else, it’s not like they have a high benchmark to beat in order to have their best pay per view in years. Let’s get to it.

Allie vs. Tessa Blanchard

The more I see of Blanchard, the more impressed I am. She’s been in the promotion for all of a few months and they’re already pushing her to the moon. If Su Yung wasn’t Knockouts Champion, Blanchard probably would have won the thing weeks ago. Allie is a good test for her as she’s one of the most popular members of the roster and can go in the ring. This should be fun, especially with Allie being more serious as of late.

I’m going with Blanchard here, as while there’s nothing for her to do in the title hunt right now, a win is a lot more valuable to her than Allie. That being said, Allie needs a win to get her back on track. She took a bad hit when she lost the title to Yung and a win over Blanchard would help. Blanchard has lost enough already though so I’ll go with her to win here, as she should.

Pentagon Jr. vs. Sami Callihan

This is mask vs. hair and they’ve started to book Calliah the way he needs to be booked. He’s not the best in-ring worker and the shouting about how great Ohio is still doesn’t do much for me, but at least they’re booking him as a crazy brawler/lover of anarchy instead of going against his better characteristics.

However, Pentagon almost has to win here as he’s WAY too big of a star pretty much everywhere at the moment to lose one of his trademark things. Callihan’s hair isn’t exactly famous or anything and can be grown back in pretty short order. The match should be a good, violent brawl and with the roll that Pentagon has been on in recent months, there’s a good chance it’s going to be better than I’m expecting.

Eddie Edwards vs. Tommy Dreamer

I’m torn on this one. Edwards’ heel turn and descent into madness has been outstanding….but it’s Dreamer. The guy who has spent probably twice as long talking about ECW than he was actually in ECW. I respect what he did and how he came from nothing to become a nice something in wrestling, but he just doesn’t do anything for me. The whole “I’ve given everything to this business and don’t want you to end up like me” has been done and Dreamer playing the sad old man who can still be violent has lost its charm.

Of course Edwards wins here but the more interesting question is where does he go from here. There’s a ton of potential in that character and if Impact uses him properly, he could be a heck of a star. Just having him target someone new (say Pentagon for getting to hurt Callihan instead) and going all psycho on them could be great, as Edwards has knocked this thing further out of the park than I ever would have guessed.

Knockouts Title: Su Yung(c) vs. Madison Rayne

You can call this one another surprise as Rayne has done far better with the one more run story than I ever would have expected. The problem though is they’ve built her up to the point where she almost has to win the title to validate going over so many others but I don’t think they want to (or should) take the title off of Yung, even if it’s just for a short reign for…well for Rayne.

I’m going to go with Yung retaining through some shenanigans, which is the best way possible to keep things from getting in trouble. Yung can feud with Allie or someone else for the title going forward, though giving it to Rayne and having her drop it to Blanchard isn’t the worst idea in the world either. I’ll stick with Yung retaining though, as it makes more sense at the moment.

Fenix vs. Johnny Impact vs. Rich Swann vs. Taiji Ishimori

It should be noted that Swann suffered a concussion on Thursday and may not be able to work the show. That being said, this has the potential to be a heck of a match. Just throwing a bunch of people who can fly around out there is an idea that usually works and that’s what we’re getting here. Having Impact back is a big positive as well as he has the star power to lend some more credibility to a match like this.

In what isn’t likely to happen, I’ll take Fenix to win. He and his brother are two of the biggest stars Impact has at the moment and having him pin Ishimori, who is cool but not exactly around very often, would be a good way to give him a boost. If you have someone as popular as Fenix at the moment it would make sense to push the heck out of him and a win here would help do that.

X-Division Title: Matt Sydal(c) vs. Brian Cage

It’s another title match where they seem to have booked themselves into a bit of a corner. Cage is on fire at the moment and seems ready to be pushed to the moon. The problem is the X-Division Title isn’t on the way to the moon, nor is having him drop it eventually or having Sydal escape with the title through more shenanigans. That’s a problem here and I’m not sure how they’re going to get out of it.

My guess is they’ll solve it by giving Cage the title and then moving on from there. It’s no secret that Cage is seemingly being fast tracked for the main event scene and this would be a good way to start that process. I mean, a better way would have been to sidestep the X-Division in general and move on to the main event scene but it’s a bit late for that. Having a monster like Cage as champion could be interesting for a change so this seems like the right way, or at least the least painful way, to go.

LAX vs. OGz

Now this is the one that I’ve been wanting to see as Impact FINALLY has a hot story to run on. It’s a retelling of the Midnight Express vs. Midnight Express feud from 1988 and that’s not the worst place in the world to be. If they can do something with the kind of energy they potentially have here, this could be a heck of a match that easily steals the show. At worst, it should at least be pretty good.

As for winners, you almost have to go with LAX, but it entirely depends on how long Homicide and Hernandez are sticking around. If they’re staying then they should win, but if this is a one off appearance then LAX wins easily. Either way, it should be a heck of a brawl and King vs. Konnan on the floor should be interesting as well. The street fight idea is the right call here and they could easily steal the show.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries(c) vs. Moose

This has been a very odd build as Moose and Aries have only been in the ring together once in recent weeks. The idea has been to have Moose off training for the biggest match of his life, which is a fine way to write off what was likely a case of Moose not being available for most of the tapings. The match is as interesting as it can be, but Impact has a long history of not having the best main event builds in the world.

I’ll go with Aries retaining here, as the idea has been that Moose has to win the title at some point in the year. There’s a lot of time left in the year for him to pull that off and Aries fighting off some of the other big stars of the promotion is an interesting concept. Also I’m not sure if they would want to switch the title again so soon after having done the Pentagon reign at the last pay per view.

Overall Thoughts

I’m excited. This show looks very good on paper with nothing that feels like filler or a bad match. Don Callis has turned this promotion around (though that’s been said before to less than stellar long term results) and for now, they have a pay per view that I want to see. This is a near miracle for them and if they can pull off a great show, I’m certainly not going to be complaining for once.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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