Smackdown
Date: August 1, 2008
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Mick Foley, Jim Ross

Things have gotten more interesting around here as Vickie Guerrero seems to be rather vengeful after Edge cheated on her. As a result, Edge is now set for a Hell In A Cell match against the Undertaker at Summerslam, which cannot end well for him. Other than that, HHH is set to defend the World Title against the Great Khali. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Edge apologizing to Vickie Guerrero but getting sent to the Cell anyway.

Opening sequence.

Here is Jeff Hardy to watch the first match as we’re told that he is facing Edge at Saturday Night’s Main Event. This is noteworthy as other than the Jenny McCarthy stuff, the show has not been mentioned in the slightest.

MVP vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

MVP comes out first and is announced as “coming to the ring to face Jimmy Wang Yang”, which isn’t something you often hear. Before the match, MVP mocks Hardy for never being WWE Champion because of his risky behavior. MVP wastes no time in knocking Yang down and then faceplants him without much trouble. The double underhook crank goes on, allowing MVP to yell at Hardy a bit more. Yang fights up and strikes away, including a running spinwheel kick in the corner. MVP is right back with a gutbuster though and the Drive By finishes.

Post match Hardy gets in the ring and tells MVP to never mention his family or dog again. The ensuing brawl goes to Hardy.

Chavo Guerrero isn’t sure who the surprise guest on the Cutting Edge is tonight but he and Vickie Guerrero run into Alicia Fox. JR: “What is the wedding planner still doing here?”

Mr. Kennedy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. The bell rings and Kennedy gets in another name shout, as is his custom. Benjamin takes him down but gets chased to the floor for a bit of a surprised reaction. Back in and Kennedy starts in on the arm but Benjamin drives him into the corner to break that up. Kennedy gets in a knee to put Benjamin down and goes back to the arm. The armbar keeps Benjamin down before Kennedy kicks him in the face. Back up and Kennedy misses a charge into the post though and we take a break.

We come back with Benjamin working on the arm for a change as they’re not exactly going at a high gear so far. A shoulderbreaker gives Benjamin two and the ensuing arm stomping has the fans a bit restless. Benjamin wraps his legs around the arm (at least he’s mixing it up) before switching to a cross armbreaker.

The cranking continues until Kennedy finally reverses into something close to a Sharpshooter, sending Benjamin over to the rope. Kennedy fights back but Benjamin jumps to the top for a spinning crossbody for two in one of those insane athletic displays of his. Kennedy can’t quite get a backslide but he can kick Benjamin in the face and hit the Mic Check for the pin.

Rating: C-. I don’t know what’s going on with WWE’s matches this week but they have felt incredibly lazy and slow paced. It’s been a lot of laying around in holds without much action in between. That doesn’t feel like what WWE usually does but it’s really not working. The talent is there, but it doesn’t matter if they aren’t going to use it.

Post match Benjamin says he won’t make excuses….but he has bronchitis.

Chavo Guerrero comes in to see Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, who haven’t seen Edge. Their discussion of wrestling figures continues.

The Brian Kendrick vs. Stevie Richards

Ezekiel is here with Kendrick. Before the match, Kendrick talks about how smart he is and goes over his history in WWE, which was all a ruse to get here. If you have any problem with that, take it up with Ezekiel. Kendrick takes him down to start and cranks on the neck with something like a camel clutch dragon sleeper. Since that can’t last long, Kendrick hits a middle rope dropkick to the back for two, setting up a Boston crab.

With that broken up, Kendrick settles for kicking Richards back down and then standing on his head. Er, Richards’ head if that isn’t clear. Richards gets fired up and fights back, hitting his own kick for two. A nice Sky High gets two on Kendrick and Richards sends him outside, where Ezekiel cuts off the crash. Back in and a quick shot lets Kendrick hit the Kendrick for the win.

Rating: C. Richards’ comeback was nice here but it’s nice to see Kendrick getting to keep building himself up. He’s different enough kind of star and I’ve been digging the start of his run around here. Richards is a good choice to put someone over and make them look good, thankfully which didn’t take long to make happen.

Post match Ezekiel puts Richards in a torture rack for good measure.

Great Khali vs. Jeff Hardy

Hardy realizes this isn’t going to be easy but shoves Khali anyway. Some right hands and a clothesline stagger Khali a bit but he takes Hardy down with a clothesline of his own. Hardy get knocked into the corner and slowly beaten down, as you might have seen coming. A hard slam puts Hardy down again so Khali does it a second time.

The big elbows in the corner rock Hardy again and Khali knocks him outside to cut off a comeback attempt. We take a break and come back with Khali putting on a nerve hold to keep Hardy in trouble. Hardy fights up again and manages a Whisper in the Wind for the big knockdown. The Swanton connects but Hardy has to take out an invading MVP, allowing Khali to grab the vice for the win.

Rating: C. This was about all you could expect from such a match, as Khali going ten minutes is only going to go so well. Khali’s reputation for being terrible isn’t exactly fair, as he is more than capable of having a passable match. That’s what we got here, as Hardy was fighting from underneath the whole way with a few nice hope spots. It wasn’t terrible by any means, which is getting close to Khali’s peak.

We get another R-Truth video, this time talking about how poor decisions landed him in prison. Someone told him everything to do and when to do it but then he became a free man. Now he’s determined to never let that happen again because he is in control. These have been very good so far and make R-Truth seem rather interesting.

Maria vs. Victoria

Victoria easily takes her down to start and grabs a front facelock. Back up and Victoria mocks the Kiss Cam, setting up the spinning fireman’s carry side slam for two. A headscissors gets Maria out of trouble but Victoria plants her right back down for two. We hit the seated full nelson for a bit before Maria is back up with a sunset flip for two of her own. Maria kicks her way out of the corner and hits a middle rope clothesline for the pin.

Rating: C-. Maria feels like the Smackdown version of Kelly Kelly, as WWE seems like they want to push her based on her looks and charisma. That makes sense, but the in-ring stuff just isn’t quite there. Maybe it could change for her as she is still mostly new in the ring, but it’s easy to see why she’ll get chance after chance. The fact that the fans like her a lot is only going to make it easier too.

Edge is in a confined space with Alicia Fox, apparently having invited her. He got her the ticket to the show because she’ll want to see his special guest.

Video on HHH.

Summerslam rundown.

Big Show vs. Domino

Domino tries a waistlock to start and is quickly knocked outside. Back in and some chops set up the chokeslam to finish Domino quick.

Post match Umaga comes out for the staredown with Show.

Chavo Guerrero and Vickie Guerrero don’t know who the special guest on the Cutting Edge is going to be. Didn’t we already establish that?

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge, complete with a table, a ladder and a chair. He’s rather worried as he sits down to talk about his recent search for inner peace. His marriage is going through a rough patch, but in just over two weeks, he’ll be locked in a Cell with the Undertaker.

We pause for the UNDERTAKER chant before Edge talks about all the footage he’s seen of the destruction Undertaker can cause. That is why he has surrounded himself with tables, ladders and chairs, because he knows them so well and they helped him vanquish Undertaker in the first place. He has found the one person who can help him against the Undertaker the most: MICK FOLEY!

This seems to take Foley by surprise but he eventually gets in the ring. Edge understands that they have history but he is a changed man. What he wants is Foley to remember what he used to be, so we get a video on 1998, including a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do with Foley.

Eventually we get to the Cell match with Foley and Undertaker, which has Foley smiling a bit. Edge knows Foley is still feeling that match but he walked away on his own. Since then, Edge has seen Foley try and fail to walk properly. Now Foley has the chance to help Edge get back at the Undertaker. Foley talks about how much he would love to help Edge, but the one thing he has going for him is his word.

For years, Foley has praised Edge both on the microphone and on the written page. Unless fans have a really long memory, they think Edge sucks. They have been looking at an Edge who takes shortcuts and plays the numbers game while relying on his wife. Foley cannot help Edge, because only Edge can help himself. He needs to find the Edge who made Foley believe in him.

Where is the Edge who made the letters TLC mean something? Just two years ago, they had the greatest hardcore match in Wrestlemania history. If Edge can find that Edge, Foley and JR can call the greatest match WWE has ever seen. But if it’s the Edge we’ve been seeing, the one who wears a white tuxedo and uses a loofah, Undertaker will massacre him. Edge understands and then decks Foley with the microphone but Foley fights back.

They go outside with Foley finding a chair but Edge kicks it back into his face. The spear sends Foley head first into the steps, allowing Edge to load up the table back inside. A quick Mandible Claw is broken up by a low blow and Edge puts him on the table. The big chair shots off the ladder through the table leaves Foley broken to end the show.

They took their sweet time to get there, but as usual, Foley can bring the goods when you ask him to get serious and emotional. They had to do this kind of a change for Edge, because Foley was right when he said we hadn’t seen the really good one for a long time. It’s the kind of beatdown you need, though I do continue to wonder why anyone would want Foley’s advice on a Cell match when he never actually won any of them.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was almost all about Edge, with only MVP/Jeff Hardy being something noteworthy otherwise. They’re betting heavily on that one match and I’m not sure it’s enough for two hours, especially with Undertaker not being around. Throw in HHH not being here other than for a staredown last week and Edge is carrying this show on his back. He can make that work if everything goes right, but there isn’t enough going on to make this show good. The Edge stuff was good, but they need something else and HHH is going to have to be back to make that work.

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: June 24, 2024
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: The Miz, Michael Cole

We have less than two weeks to go before Money In The Bank but the big story here is that the Wyatt Sicks debuted last week and it’s not clear where that is going to go. Odds are we are going to hear something about it this week, along with Drew McIntyre attacking CM Punk on Smackdown. Let’s get to it.

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

Pat McAfee is not here this week, with Miz taking his place. Michael Cole says we aren’t going to read anything into that and we go into the Wyatt Sicks (with the name being official). Drew McIntyre walks by though and comes into the ring for a chat.

McIntyre talks about attacking Punk on Smackdown and we see exactly what happened. After everything Punk did, the people still chant his name. Punk attacked everything McIntyre has and cost him the World Title. McIntyre had promised his wife the title but Punk took it from him, so if you still chant his name, you are dead to him.

He hopes that Punk is at home in pain and eating through a straw because McIntyre put him there. McIntyre also has the bracelet he took from Punk, which was made by a fan and says AJ and Larry, the names of Punk’s wife and dog. Punk wears that with him on the road to take his family with him, but now McIntyre has them instead. McIntyre will be taking that bracelet to Toronto when he wins Money In The Bank. Now there’s a personal touch that makes sense and gives Punk another reason to want to fight McIntyre.

We look back at the Wyatt Sicks’ attack last week, including an attack on Chad Gable.

Gable arrives with security and doesn’t want cameras looking at him.

Post break, Gable’s locker room is guarded by security and various wrestlers are apparently surprised that he is even here.

Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser

In the back, Kaiser promises to show Breakker that he is no Kaiser. They slug it out to start until Breakker runs the ropes and plows through Kaiser as only he can. Kaiser gets powered into the corner and Breakker fires off some shoulders to the ribs, only to have Kaiser go to the eyes. Breakker is sent shoulder first into the post but he’s able to drive him into the apron. With Kaiser sat on the announcers’ table, Breakker dives off the apron for a clothesline in a ridiculous athletic display as we take a break.

Back with Breakker getting fired up and hammering away (the fans approve), setting up a jumping elbow. A super Frankensteiner has Miz losing his mind but Kaiser slips out of the gorilla press and knocks Breakker outside. The spear hits the steps though and Kaiser has an opening….which is closed as Sheamus comes in with a Brogue Kick to Kaiser for the DQ at 10:06.

Rating: B. That’s a case where the ending makes sense as Sheamus has issues with both of them, though he owed Kaiser one after previous weeks. This could lead to some interesting outcomes, with the Intercontinental Title hanging over the whole thing. Good match here too, with Kaiser continuing by far the best streak of his time in WWE.

Post match Sheamus loads up the announcers’ table but gets speared in half by Breakker.

Judgment Day is having some food and playing video games when Damian Priest comes in. Apparently this is all from Liv Morgan, which doesn’t work for Priest. Mysterio holds up something Morgan sent him on his phone (Carlito: “THAT’S COOL!”) but Priest says Mysterio needs to figure out how to explain to Rhea Ripley why Morgan has his number. Oh and they ALL need to worry about Braun Strowman.

Bron Breakker goes to Adam Pearce’s office and rants about being sick of everyone interrupting him. Sami Zayn pops in to say Breakker can challenge him for the title anytime, anyplace. Breakker issues the challenge for Money In The Bank and the match is on.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Lyra Valkyria vs. Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler gets knocked into the corner to start as Miz talks about what the briefcase can mean for your career. Sane grabs a headscissors to take both of them down and hits a big dive to the floor as we take a break. Back with Sane dropping Baszler but getting kicked down by Valkyria. A fisherman’s buster gives Valkyria two on Sane but Baszler is back in with her own suplex.

Sane adds a running Blockbuster, only to miss the Insane Elbow. They trade running shots to the head to everyone is down, with the fans deeming this awesome. The Kirifuda Clutch has Valkyria in trouble but Sane breaks it up with the Insane Elbow. Valkyria is right back up with the Nightwing to finish Sane at 8:26.

Rating: B-. This was almost all action and the only thing keeping it from being that much better was the break in the middle. Valkyria gets a win to make up for some of the loss at King And Queen Of The Ring, though I’m not sure I can imagine her winning the briefcase. The field is still fairly wide open and that should make for an interesting ladder match, which comes after a solid match here.

Drew McIntyre wants in Money In The Bank but Adam Pearce isn’t sure. McIntyre threatens various chaos if he isn’t in.

Next year’s Royal Rumble and a future Summerslam/Wrestlemania are coming to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Here is Liv Morgan (after a long tracking shot from the back) for a chat. She’s here to get Dominik Mysterio’s attention and hopes he likes those gifts she sent him, especially the text. Morgan invites Mysterio out here right now for one more gift but gets Zelina Vega instead. Vega doesn’t get Morgan’s obsessions but she’s here about the title. Vega has fought to get here and that’s because her why will always be bigger than Morgan’s libido. The title challenge is sent out and Morgan says they can do it next week.

Cue Mysterio, who says he doesn’t like the gifts, but Morgan knows he likes the texts. The fans chant SLOPPY SECONDS and Mysterio is booed out of the building, with the two women trying to calm them down so he can say anything. Mysterio wants anyone but Morgan to have the title so Morgan decks Vega. Rey Mysterio runs in to break it up but Dominik decks him, with Morgan looking so happy. Morgan follows Dominik out. This continues to be one of if not the best things on Raw at the moment.

Adam Pearce leaves Chad Gable’s locker room and says Gable is shaken up after last week but he’s medically cleared.

We look back at Seth Rollins’ return last week, with Damian Priest giving him a World Title shot at Money In The Bank. It also includes a look at Rollins’ rise through WWE and how hard he has fought to get here.

Liv Morgan hugs a not so thrilled Dominik Mysterio. With Dominik gone, R-Truth comes in and says he loves reluctant heroes. Morgan says she can get Dominik a match with Rey this week, but for this week, the Judgment Day can get a Tag Team Title shot. R-Truth agrees because he’s always loved Carmella.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed vs. Chad Gable

During his entrance, Gable (with a bandage on his head) asks if we believe in miracles. The rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated because CHAD GABLE LIVES! He promises to win Money In The Bank and we’re ready to go. Gable chops at Reed to start and it goes as well as you would expect. That leaves Gable on the floor so the monsters can chop away at each other. Strowman is sent outside with Gable being tossed onto him, leaving Reed to hit a big dive onto both of them.

We take a break and come back with Gable avoiding Reed’s backsplash. Reed doesn’t seem to mind and sends Gable into Strowman’s raised boot in the corner. Strowman clears Reed out and hits the running shoulders at ringside, only for Gable to German suplex Reed for two back inside. Strowman breaks up the moonsault and slams Reed on the floor. Cue the Judgment Day to jump Strowman, leaving Gable to moonsault Reed for the win at 8:23.

Rating: B-. Gable winning after the loss last week is interesting, but they are still playing into the idea that he is more than a little shaken up. That should open up a lot of options and I’m curious to see where it goes. Gable escaping the two monsters is a fine enough idea, especially with Strowman being taken out by the Judgment Day.

Post match Gable is in the ring and we’ve got Wyatts. Nikki Cross crawls through the smoky ring and chases him off before presenting Michael Cole with a box and walking out. She was the only who appeared.

Post break the box is addressed to Pat McAfee and it’s a VHS (yes Cole explains what it is) which says PLAY ME. Cole sends it off to be played.

Chad Gable runs into the Alpha Academy and apologizes to them, but Otis says Gable hurt them, so they’re still done. Maxxine Dupri seems more sympathetic but a reunion isn’t likely. They leave, only for Gable to run into the Creed Brothers and Ivy Nile, who ask if he needs help.

Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre

Non-title. The champs are knocked to the floor to start and Carter throws Chance onto them as we take an early break. Back with Fyre having to make a rope for a break as Cole recaps his commentary partner issues. The Keg Stand gets two with Fyre having to make the save. The After Party is broken up and the Downward Spiral/Gory Bomb combination finishes Carter at 5:53. Not enough shown to rate but this was rather short.

Post match Damage CTRL comes in to take out the champs.

Finn Balor tells Damian Priest about the matches Liv Morgan has gotten them set up but Priest thinks it’s too good to be true.

Miz catches up to R-Truth and asks him about the Tag Team Title match (apparently it took him 20 minutes to get back find R-Truth). This is all about love, but Miz isn’t sure about this. R-Truth loves him…but only as a friend.

Here is Damian Priest for a chat. He saw that video on Seth Rollins earlier and thinks they have a lot in common. They are both the kind of wrestlers who could be in a group and stand out as a leader. For now though, as long as Priest is World Heavyweight Champion, Rollins will never see the mountaintop again.

Cue Rollins to interrupt and, after hyping up Indianapolis for the Royal Rumble, asks what Priest meant by that. Rollins talks about how Priest is part of a team, but Priest says he didn’t ask for any help to win the title. After waiting for the fans to stop yelling about him, Priest says he has the title and Rollins has nothing. Rollins: “For now.” Priest one upped him last week, but Rollins wants to one up him here.

Let’s add a little side bet: if Rollins can’t win the title, he can never get another shot at Priest. But if Rollins does win the title, Priest has to stand on his own two feet and leave Judgment Day. Priest says the Judgment Day needs him ore than he needs them (the fans know that was dumb) and he’s in. Cue Gunther to say he understands that there is a lot on the line here and wishes them both good luck. He’s excited for the match and may the best man win…but that man will be the lesser man at Summerslam.

We see the tape the Wyatts had for Pat McAfee. It features Uncle Howdy asking how we eel since the loss. Do you feel forgotten? Do you remember who you are? We cut to Bo Dallas, sans mask, saying he is no one. Howdy asks Dallas how it felt when his brother died, with Dallas saying it felt like the most important thing in his life was taken from him.

Howdy asks if this is exploiting Bray Wyatt’s legacy, with Dallas saying he wanted to be like his brother. Dallas worked his entire life to be next to him and they were going to rule together. They had finally made it and then everything was taken away from him. No one knows what it feels like and he will not let Wyatt be forgotten.

They wanted to forget about everyone but Dallas said they made everyone remember. Howdy: “Yes we did.” They stare at each other and the tape ends. That’s definitely a way to go and they are probably smart for leaning into the Wyatt stuff. Making it clear that Wyatt’s brother is behind everything should help, along with making it clear that they don’t have powers and such.

Karrion Kross vs. Kofi Kingston

None of the seconds stick around. Kingston starts fast and knocks him to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and a suplex puts Kingston down for two as we take an early break. We come back with Kingston hitting a dropkick and getting two off a crossbody. Hold on though as the Final Testament pops up on the Titantron, showing the AOP beating up Xavier Woods. The distraction lets Kross hit the Final Prayer for the pin at 5:49. Not enough shown to rate but this feels like it has a long way to go.

We look at the debut of Jacob Fatu on Smackdown. Set for Money In The Bank: Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton vs. the Bloodline.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Awesome Truth vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is challenging. Truth starts fast by kicking McDonagh down and Balor gets double hiptossed as well. Cue Liv Morgan to watch as we take an early break. Back with R-Truth having to fight out of trouble, allowing a tag off to Miz to stomp away on McDonagh in the corner. Miz sends Balor face first into the apron as Dominik Mysterio and Carlito come out as well. A double DDT connects on the challengers and the Skull Crushing Finale hits McDonagh, with Carlito putting the boot on the ropes.

Cue Braun Strowman to chase off Mysterio and Carlito, leaving R-Truth to go into the John Cena finishing sequence. The STF is broken up so R-Truth is back with a Ten Knuckle Shuffle. Morgan gets on the apron to shout about how this is about love before snapping R-Truth’s throat across the top. The distraction lets Balor get in a cheap shot. The Coup de Grace gives Judgment Day the titles back at 11:32.

Rating: B-. This was the fun match with all of the moving parts and everything going nuts until we had a big moment with the title change. Awesome Truth got their big moment at Wrestlemania but I don’t think there was any reason to believe they would be long term champions. This was good enough for what it needed to be, as it tied a bunch of stories together and got the titles onto bigger names.

Morgan poss with the new champs, who aren’t sure what to think of her but will take their titles.

Overall Rating: B. This show started hot and kept going, with a bunch of stuff either taking place or being set up to take place later on. There are a lot of things going on where I either don’t know where they’re going or want to see where they’re going and that is a great feeling. WWE is clicking right now and they’re doing it on both Raw and Smackdown. Rather solid show this week, and hopefully fans saw it with Game 7 of the Stanley Cup on.

Results
Ludwig Kaiser b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Sheamus interfered
Lyra Valkyria b. Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler – Nightwing to Sane
Chad Gable b. Bronson Reed and Braun Strowman – Moonsault to Reed
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Gory Bomb/Downward Spiral combination to Carter
Karrion Kross b. Kofi Kingston – Final Prayer
Judgment Day b. Awesome Truth – Coup de Grace to R-Truth

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 10, 2024
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before Clash At The Castle and that means it is time to start finalizing the card. That should make for a packed show, with one of the most interesting matches being Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov. Throw in Drew McIntyre coming for the World Title and we should be in for a fun one. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Drew McIntyre to get things going. McIntyre says he is five days away from winning the World Title and has no time for the CM Punk chants. At the same time, he knows that wherever he goes, the Judgment Day follows, so here is Judgment Day to interrupt. Damian Priest says McIntyre just made this personal because he doesn’t need Judgment Day to be champion.

Priest talks about how he’s coming to McIntyre’s turf on his own, but McIntyre doesn’t buy any of this. Therefore, Priest has an idea: McIntyre can face Finn Balor tonight and if McIntyre wins, the Judgment Day is barred from ringside on Saturday. McIntyre is in. Rather simple concept, but McIntyre getting his big title shot one on one is a good thing.

We recap Dominik Mysterio’s issues with Liv Morgan.

Dominik finds Morgan in the Judgment Day clubhouse. He’s not happy with this but she offers him her hotel room, saying a gorgeous man like him shouldn’t be calling his woman Mami. Instead, he deserves someone who calls him daddy. She’ll be waiting in her room.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Iyo Sky

The rest of Damage CTRL is here too. Valkyria charges at her in the corner but gets knocked down rather quickly. Back up and Valkyria strikes away, setting up the old rocking horse hold. Sky escapes and sends her to the floor for an Asai moonsault and we take an early break.

Back with Valkyria hitting a missile dropkick into a fisherman’s suplex for two. Valkyria gets two more off the same rollup she used to beat Sky last month but Sky sends her throat first into the ropes. A quick Nightwing connects but Kai breaks it up. Sky hits the running knees in the corner, only to have Valkyria block Over The Moonsault. Another Nightwing is loaded up but Sky grabs the hair and rolls her up for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. Valkyria is rapidly becoming an established name on the show and she held her own against a bigger star here. The interference keeps Valkyria looking strong and Sky gets to return to prominence after losing a few weeks ago. Nice match here, with both of them making the future look pretty bright.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kayden Carter and Katana Chance run in for the save.

Dominik Mysterio isn’t sure what to do about Liv Morgan and explains it to Carlito and the Judgment Day. Carlito deems the room key as cool.

Sami Zayn runs into Miz, who is worried because he can’t find R-Truth. With Miz gone, Sami goes to talk to Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa, reminding them that they don’t have to take this. Otis comes in and Sami says he’ll see him in the ring. Otis says he had it all at one point but then lost it all (even mentioning Mandy Rose and Tucker). Without Chad Gable, he’s nothing. Sami isn’t going with that because Otis has the talent, if only he could see it. The pop when Otis turns is going to be massive.

Damian Priest wants to know what is going on with Dominik Mysterio and the hotel room key, but someone has stolen it.

Ludwig Kaiser brags about his success, including beating Sheamus last week. Now he wants to be Mr. Money In The Bank.

LWO/Braun Strowman vs. Judgment Day/Carlito

Carlito is left alone as his partners bail to the floor, leaving Strowman to power him into the corner. Rey comes in to take over on McDonagh’s arm, with Lee adding a slingshot dropkick in the corner. The villains get back up and knock the LWO out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Rey still in trouble and Carlito hitting a less than aggressive clothesline to keep him down. A cheap shot brings Strowman in as everything breaks down for a bit.

Rey manages a twisting faceplant on McDonagh though and the big tag brings in Lee to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Dominik gets in a cheap shot but here is Liv Morgan (so much for the hotel) for a distraction. Dominik is knocked to the floor with Liv landing on him, only to have Zelina Vega go after Liv. Strowman isn’t having this and wrecks people on the floor, setting up the running powerslam to Carlito. Lee gets on Strowman’s shoulders for a splash and the pin at 13:55.

Rating: C+. There is something fun about Strowman wrecking people as he’s kind of perfect as the monster that you have to run from until he finally gets his hands on you. The LWO, and Lee in particular, getting a win is a good thing as the team feels like it could be around for a good while. Carlito taking another fall is a fine way to go, as Damian Priest yelling at him has been rather entertaining.

Video on Ilja Dragunov, who is ready for the new monsters on Raw, including Bron Breakker.

Ricochet comes in to give Dragunov a pep talk, but he’s ready to slay the dragon. Then he and Ricochet can run it back.

Iyo Sky is rather upset and shouts a lot about how things need to be better. Cole: “Well that happened.”

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat before his match. Zayn talks about how we are five days away from Clash At The Castle and he isn’t sure what is going on with Chad Gable. What matters is he will end all of this on Saturday because it’s time to go back to work. Cue Gable, with the Alpha Academy, to interrupt. Gable says the Academy is fine despite Zayn’s interference, and they’ll be even happier after he wins the title on Saturday. Zayn: “Are you out of your d*** mind?” The team isn’t looking happy but Gable says they’re a family no matter what. Gable is unleashing the good version of Otis on Zayn right now.

Sami Zayn vs. Otis

Non-title. Otis wastes no time in running Zayn over and hits a big splash. Chad Gable yells at Otis though, allowing Zayn to hit the Helluva Kick for the pin at 1:36.

Post match Gable has Otis wreck Zayn. Otis teases fighting back against Gable but can’t do it. The teases continue.

Miz finds R-Truth, who says they have a Tag Team Title match tonight…..against the APA! A fortune teller told him! Miz isn’t buying this, but Scarlett comes out of the office to say the AOP is looking forward to seeing them tonight. Uh-ohing ensues.

Video on Jey Uso.

Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre

Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are here to watch. Before the match, Dawn and Fyre promise to win the titles and show that they should have been in this spot a long time ago. Dawn starts fast by dropkicking Baszler’s bad knee to put her on the floor. A Backstabber/Swanton combination gets two on Stark with Baszler making the save. Baszler comes in to stomp on Fyre’s arm before grabbing the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap at 2:39. Well so much for Dawn and Fyre looking like threats.

Video on Bron Breakker.

Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov

Breakker punches him down to start but Dragunov scores with an enziguri. That just earns him a beating on the mat with some very Scott Steiner sounding trash talk. Dragunov knocks him into the corner for a boot to the face but Breakker hits a rather hard running shot as we take a break.

Back with Breakker holding him on the mat for some forearms to the head. Breakker hits a running knee but Dragunov is back with the Constantine Special. Dragunov rolls some German suplexes, which has McAfee impressed. The Death Valley Driver into thee corner rocks Breakker again and Coast To Coast gives Dragunov…nothing actually. Instead he goes up top for a backsplash and a near fall but Breakker runs him over again.

The spear is cut off with a jumping knee though and an H Bomb rocks Breakker again. They head outside with Breakker reversing a suplex to drop him ribs first onto the edge of the announcers’ table. Breakker posts him hard and they head back inside, where another spear sends Dragunov back to the floor. Another spear on the floor gets nine so Breakker hits a third spear for the pin at 16:00.

Rating: B. There are matches where you know you’re going to get a heck of a fight because of the people involved and that was the case here. These guys beat the fire out of each other until Breakker was just too much. It was a hard hitting, violent match and exactly what I wanted to see from them as Breakker continues to look like a major force.

Post match Breakker loads up another spear but Ricochet runs in for the save.

Judgment Day regroups before the main event.

Sheamus comes in to give Drew McIntyre a pep talk. Drew wants Sheamus there to celebrate after he wins the title. Money In The Bank is discussed too, though they seem to be on the same page.

Tag Team Titles: Awesome Truth vs. AOP

Awesome Truth is defending. Before the match, the Final Testament says it’s time to win the titles and promise that they will never turn their backs on Xavier Woods like Kofi Kingston did last week. Miz gets kicked down by Rezar to start and we take a break about thirty seconds in. Back with R-Truth coming in to fight back as New Day comes out to brawl with the Final Testament. R-Truth tries a belt shot to no effect, only to have Miz grab a rollup to retain at 5:35. Not enough shown to rate but it was about advancing New Day vs. Final Testament rather than the match.

Bron Breakker attacks Ilja Dragunov in the back but Ricochet makes the save. Breakker beats up Ricochet and throws him against a car. They go up the steps to the production truck and Breakker powerslams him through a windshield for a very nasty landing. That might be how they write Ricochet off because it was a heck of a crash.

Post break, Ricochet is taken away in an ambulance, with Samantha Irvin joining him.

Clash At The Castle rundown.

Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre

Pat McAfee fills in as ring announcer and if McIntyre wins, Judgment Day is barred from ringside on Saturday. McIntyre wastes no time in knocking him to the floor and chopping away against the barricade. Balor goes after McIntyre’s banged up arm and then stomps on the apron but McIntyre snaps off a belly to belly over the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Balor tying up the arm while cranking on the neck. McIntyre fights up but gets armbarred again to cut that off. McIntyre powerbombs his way to freedom but the Claymore is cut off with a Sling Blade. The Coup de Grace is broken up and McIntyre hits a superplex. Cue Damian Priest for a distraction so Judgment Day can come in. That’s broken up but Balor hits a Sling Blade. Another Coup de Grace misses though and McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 13:58.

Rating: B-. This was another match where there was pretty much knew it was going to be at last decent and that’s what we got here. The ending is the right call as they are setting up McIntyre to get his big win and I can go for that not involving Judgment Day shenanigans for once. At the same time, it furthers what feels like an eventual Priest split from the team, as he is coming off more and more like he doesn’t need them, which is a good thing.

McIntyre and Priest stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show had a nice mixture of action and story advancement, with a hard push towards Saturday. I’m much more into Priest vs. McIntyre than I was before, with the Intercontinental Title match feeling like a toss up. Other than the Women’s Tag Team Title match taking a hit with that rather short match, I was digging most of the things here. That includes Breakker being a monster, which feels like the role he was born to play. Good show here, and now they can hopefully top it in Scotland.

Results
Iyo Sky b. Lyra Valkyria – Crucifix
LWO/Braun Strowman b. Judgment Day/Carlito – Splash to Carlito
Sami Zayn b. Otis – Helluva Kick
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre – Kirifuda Clutch to Fyre
Bron Breakker b. Ilja Dragunov – Spear
Awesome Truth b. AOP – Rollup to Akam
Drew McIntyre b. Finn Balor – Claymore

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 3, 2024
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than two weeks away from Clash At The Castle and Drew McIntyre is officially the #1 contender. Before McIntyre gets to face Damian Priest though, Priest has to face Rey Mysterio this week. In other Judgment Day news, Liv Morgan kissed Dominik Mysterio at the end of/after (depending on your platform) last week’s show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Dominik Mysterio helping Liv Morgan win/retain the Raw Women’s Title, despite his efforts to do the opposite. Then Morgan kissed him, with Dominik not exactly shoving her away.

Here is Morgan to get things going. She welcomes us to the revenge tour and brags about injuring Rhea Ripley and sending Becky Lynch into early retirement, but kissing Dominik was the icing on the cake. Cue Dominik, with the fans not letting him get a word in. Dominik finally gets to the point: Rhea Ripley is going to kill her. Morgan: “She’s going to kill you too.”

Morgan offers to make it worth his while, because Dominik knows he’s been out here to get closer to her. She rubs up against him but here is Finn Balor to say this is enough and throw her out. Morgan asks what if Dominik doesn’t want her to leave but then goes, albeit with a rub of Dominik’s head first. Again: Dominik doesn’t really say no. The pop when Ripley returns to wreck things is going to be off the charts.

We recap Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser brawling last week.

Sheamus says Kaiser isn’t much more than a Ken doll who carries Gunther’s coat. If you want his respect, put on banger after banger.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Kaiser jumps him from behind on the way to the ring and takes out the injured knee again. Back from a break and we ring the bell anyway, with Kaiser absorbing some shots to the head before taking out the knee again. Sheamus fights up and slugs away, at least until another shot to the knee takes him back down.

With the direct approach not working, Sheamus goes after Kaiser’s knee for a change and they fight to the floor. The ten forearms are loaded up but Kaiser sends the knee into the steps as we take a break. Back with Sheamus breaking up Kaiser’s forearms to the chest and then knocking Kaiser down for a needed breather.

The Celtic Cross is loaded up but Kaiser slips out, leaving the Brogue Kick to hit the buckle. Sheamus won’t let the referee stop it and begs Kaiser to hit him, with Sheamus firing off his own chops. Now the big knee connects but the knee gives out on the Brogue Kick attempt. Instead Sheamus settles for the fourteen forearms to the chest but the super White Noise is broken up. Kaiser kicks the knee out again and gets the pin at 13:44.

Rating: B. Tell a nice story, hit each other really hard, have the injury play into the finish. This was a checklist of good stuff with Kaiser getting the biggest win of his career. I’m wondering I this leads to Sheamus joining Imperium because he can’t beat them, which would be a fresh direction for him. For now though, he’s still doing well out there.

Judgment Day asks what Dominik Mysterio is doing out there but he has it under control. Damian Priest doesn’t seem convinced but he’s ready to focus on tonight’s issues instead.

Ilja Dragunov comes up to see Ricochet and tells him to be careful against Bron Breakker tonight. Ricochet is ready for Breakker and is willing to finish things with Dragunov later. Dragunov wishes him luck.

Video on Dragon Lee.

Dragon Lee vs. Finn Balor

McAfee says he can’t wait to watch Lee “for a shoot brother”. Balor works on the arm to start but Lee runs the ropes for a springboard wristdrag. Balor chops him into the corner but gets sent to the floor for the required dive as we take an early break. Back with Lee fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a corner dropkick.

McDonagh offers a quick distraction so Balor can grab a rollup for two, only for Lee to grab a sitout powerbomb for two of his own. Lee has to knock McDonagh off the apron before going up, only for Carlito to run in and crotch Lee down. Back up and Lee dives onto Carlito before kicking McDonagh down. The distraction lets Balor hit the shotgun dropkick into the Coup de Grace for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C+. Lee continues to be a smooth high flier in the ring and he was more than protected by being down three to one here. It seems clear that WWE has something planned for him and putting him in the ring on Raw could help him move in that direction. At the same time, Judgment Day needed a win so it was smart to give them a bit of a boost.

Post match the beatdown is on again but Rey Mysterio and Braun Strowman come in to scare them off.

Post break Damian Priest isn’t happy with the Braun Strowman problem not being solved. Carlito can go get a match made and deal with that tonight. The team leaves and R-Truth comes in to say he knows how it is with the Judgment Day. Being in the group is hard, but it was the best time of his life. Miz comes in to say they’re the reigning Tag Team Champions but that was the best time of Truth’s life? Truth says Miz is obsessed with the Judgment Day and it’s starting to get weird. Miz’s stunned face is funny.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. The last time he was in Pennsylvania, he won the Intercontinental Title but he hasn’t been able to enjoy it because of Chad Gable. Zayn wants Gable out here, one on one, to settle this. Cue the rest of the Alpha Academy, with Maxxine Dupri reading a message from Gable. The message insults the Academy and issues a challenge to Zayn, who accepts for the title match at Clash At The Castle.

With that taken care of, Zayn brings up everything Gable has been putting them through in recent weeks. The team is better than that but he’s been there and knows they need to st themselves free. Cue Gable to jumps Zayn from behind and the beating is on, with Otis not looking happy. Gable holds Zayn up and tells Otis to hit him, but Otis won’t do it. Instead Gable hits him in the face and yells a lot until Akira Tozawa breaks it up.

Dupri breaks that up and Gable tells her to get on her knees and beg. Gable tells Tozawa and Dupri to leave but Otis gets in between Gable and the two of them, with the fans being VERY pleased. Zayn is back up to go after Gable but knocks him into Dupri and Tozawa for a crash out to the floor. Otis lays Zayn out and carries the other two to the back. They have something with the eventual Otis turn and the place is going to go nuts when it happens. Also, this would seem to address Gable’s contract status, at least in the short term.

Bron Breakker and Adam Pearce are watching in the back, with Breakker saying he would break Zayn in half. Breakker is happy to have worthy competition tonight, but Pearce says Ricochet requested the match. That’s fine with Breakker, who gets to be unleashed.

Chad Gable praises the Alpha Academy, but Tozawa and Dupri say they’re really hurt. Otis is still the #1 guy but doesn’t seem too happy about it.

Ricochet vs. Bron Breakker

Ricochet has bad ribs coming in and strikes away to start but has to slip out of a gorilla press. Breakker manages to hit a running elbow to cut Ricochet off and they head outside. Ricochet’s ribs are dropped onto the barricade and we take a break. Back with Ricochet DDTing his way out of a slam as we see Samantha Irvin (acknowledged as Ricochet’s fiance) looking worried.

A top rope clothesline and Lionsault give Ricochet two and he superkicks Breakker down for two more. Ricochet gets caught on top though and Breakker runs the corner for the Frankensteiner (it’s weird hearing that name on WWE TV). The spear finishes Ricochet off at 8:00.

Rating: B-. This was a by the book power vs. speed match with Breakker having to break his first sweat as part of the Raw roster. He took Ricochet’s big shots and then went nuts with the athleticism to win. That’s a great way to get Breakker over as a monster and there is a good chance that Breakker is going to get to hurt some bigger names rather soon.

Post match Breakker knocks him outside and picks up the steps but Ilja Dragunov runs in for the save.

Rey Mysterio tells Dragon Lee that they’ll take Carlito out soon enough. First though, they need to take out the Judgment Day, starting with Damian Priest.

We recap the Liv Morgan/Dominik Mysterio segment, with Pat McAfee analysis.

Natalya vs. Kiana James

Before the match, James talks about how prepared she is and how much a win over Natalya would mean. Natalya takes her down by the wrist to start but James sends things into the corner. That’s broken up and Natalya takes her down by the ring, setting up a basement dropkick for two. Back up and James hits a quick shot, setting up 401K (running swinging faceplant) for the big upset at 2:53.

New Day isn’t worried about Karrion Kross trying to split them up. Kross comes in to say the power of positivity is dead but Kofi Kingston promises to hit hard. With Kofi gone, Kross says Woods won’t have to follow Kofi after tonight.

Natalya is annoyed and runs into Sonya Deville, who asks if she wants to talk. She does indeed, as Natalya says it’s time for a change. Hold on though as Deville goes to talk to Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, who still want nothing to do with her. Of note: Natalya and Deville could be seen talking in the background earlier tonight so this isn’t out of nowhere.

Carlito vs. Braun Strowman

Carlito starts fast with the running knee lift but Strowman isn’t having any of that. Cue Judgment Day to distract Strowman, who shrugs off the Backstabber attempt. A reverse chokeslam finishes Carlito at 1:24.

Post match Judgment Day swarms Strowman, who swats a chair out of Dominik’s hands. Cue Liv Morgan to stand between Strowman and Dominik, with Strowman backing off. A bunch of chair shots are enough to FINALLY put Strowman down and the team wrecks his knee. Morgan walks up to Dominik but Finn Balor gets between them.

Here are Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair for a chat. They’re glad to be back because they were invited here, and now they’re ready to show Raw just how great they are. Cue Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark to interrupt, saying they want the title match right now. Cue Adam Pearce to make the title match official.

Women’s Title Team Titles: Zoey Stark/Shayna Baszler b. Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

Cargill and Belair are defending with Belair slamming Baszler down to start. Belair drives Baszler into the corner and it’s off to Cargill, much to the fans’ delight. A slam plants Baszler so it’s back to Belair, with Stark coming in off a blind tag. Starks’ missile dropkick puts Belair down but it’s already back to Cargill. The splash misses in the corner but the champs are fine enough to hit stereo delayed suplexes, setting up stereo nip ups.

We take a break and come back with Cargill in trouble but managing a knockdown. The double tag brings in Belair to beat up Stark, including a handspring moonsault for two. Everything breaks down and Cargill powers Baszler into the steps. That leaves Belair to hit the KOD on Stark….but Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn run in to jump Cargill for the DQ at 9:42.

Rating: C+. The ending is a bit of a surprise but maybe they aren’t already moving on to Cargill/Belair vs. Fyre/Dawn. There is still room for Baszler and Stark to stick around as they didn’t get pinned here, which should keep things a bit more interesting. Cargill and Belair continue to feel like superheroes though and that is going to carry them a long way.

Post match the four villains beat the champions down.

Damian Priest is ready for Rey Mysterio tonight but Drew McIntyre interrupts. McIntyre says he’ll day will be better in two weeks and ignores the CM PUNK chants in the process. As for Priest though, things are personal. McIntyre leaves and Priest says McIntyre has issues.

Here is Jey Uso who comes through the crowd…and then stops to talk there. Last year was the Bloodline civil war and that took a lot out of him. That taught him he could fight on his own and now he’s Main Event Jey Uso. For now though, he wants to thank everyone who YEETED with him on this journey. Jey gives a young fan his sunglasses but says it’s time for him to deliver something to the fans. Like say, winning Money In The Bank. This felt rather different and showed Jey’s future plans.

Lyra Valkyria says Becky Lynch is disappointed after last week but she’ll be back around. That’s how real winning is done, which Liv Morgan doesn’t understand. Valkyria has shown she can stand on her own two feet and likes Jey Uso’s idea of Money In The Bank. Cue Iyo Sky to jump her though and the big beatdown is on.

New Day vs. Authors Of Pain

The rest of the Final Testament is here with the Authors. Woods dropkicks Rezar into the corner to start but gets knocked down by the power. Akam comes in to drop Woods again and it’s back to Rezar for a neck crank. Woods’ jumping enziguri and a superkick should be enough for the tag but Karrion Kross distracts Kofi. What A Rush finishes Woods at 2:28, as Kofi never got into the match.

Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn want in on the Women’s Tag Team Title picture. Say at Clash At The Castle.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Damian Priest vs. Rey Mysterio

Non-title. Priest kicks him in the face to start but Mysterio manages to send him outside for a breather. Back in and Priest pulls him out of the air for a swinging Downward Spiral as things slow right back down. We take a break and come back with Priest slowly continuing the beatdown and promising to put Mysterio down for good. A hard forearm sends Rey outside (Priest: “Stay out there. Stay down.”) but he’s back in to send Priest face first into the buckle.

Mysterio sends him face first in again but Priest nails a superkick to put Mysterio down. Back up and a springboard seated senton hits Priest, allowing Mysterio to hammer away in the corner. That’s broken up with a rather hard drive across to the other corner, setting up one heck of a clothesline to give Priest two.

They go up top with Mysterio having to escape a super Razor’s Edge. A super hurricanrana sets up the 619 and Dropping The Dime gets two. Cue the Judgment Day to go after Mysterio, with Dragon lee coming out to even things up. Mysterio dives on them all but walks into South Of Heaven for the pin at 16:26.

Rating: C+. This picked up near the end but it felt like they were in slow motion for some reason. Priest would do something and then stand around a lot, almost like he didn’t want to do anything to Mysterio. What matters is Priest gets a nice win over a star like Mysterio, as he could use the extra lifts to make him feel more like one of the top stars around here.

Post match Drew McIntyre runs in to lay out Priest but Finn Balor cuts off the Claymore. McIntyre takes out the team and loads up the announcers’ table but walks into South Of Heaven through the table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did a nice job of setting things up for the pay per view, as we got at least two matches all but set for the show, while also mixing in some good enough wrestling. This week was about getting the Judgment Day back on track and they had a fairly strong night all things considered. On the whole, WWE is getting their TV down to a formula and the good thing is it’s a formula that makes for some solid week to week shows. I don’t feel bored watching Raw most weeks and I didn’t again here, with the stories being interesting enough to keep me engaged for three hours.

Results
Ludwig Kaiser b. Sheamus – Kick to the knee
Finn Balor b. Dragon Lee – Coup de Grace
Bron Breakker b. Ricochet – Spear
Kiana James b. Natalya – 401K
Braun Strowman b. Carlito – Reverse chokeslam
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark via DQ when Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn interfered
Authors Of Pain b. New Day – What A Rush to Woods

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 11, 2024
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We are less than a month away from Wrestlemania and after last week, we officially have a main event for night one. Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will face the Rock and Roman Reigns with a bunch of stipulations but we need to figure out some more things. That includes finding Gunther’s Wrestlemania challenger and that means it’s time for a gauntlet match. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick recap of the Wrestlemania tag match being made.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. McIntyre talks about how Seth Rollins is a junkie who had to decide to wrestle twice at Wrestlemania because that is what he does. After a shot at CM Punk (and a CM PUNK chant), McIntyre talks about the bigger picture, which is the Rock. Wrestling has evolve over the years and here we are with a chance to work with the biggest star in the world.

Cue Rollins to interrupt, saying we can get to Wrestlemania with one more Claymore, so he even takes off his glasses so McIntyre can have a clean shot. -McIntyre laughs at Rollins telling him to get over the Bloodline and tells Rollins to use his own advice. Rollins talks about how McIntyre complains about everything, which is making him sound like that guy from Chicago with all of the tattoos.

Rollins is ready to go right now but McIntyre bails instead. That’s not good enough for Rollins, who says of everything he has going on at Wrestlemania, including his injuries, McIntyre is the lowest on his list. That’s almost enough for McIntyre to get in but he leaves, looking rather frustrated, instead. This feud needs some more attention with Rollins mainly being focused on the tag match.

Chad Gable is ready for the gauntlet match because he needs his chance to get at Gunther again.

Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan

This is fallout over Morgan interrupting Lynch vs. Nia Jax last week. Liv grabs a headlock to start but gets sent out to the apron. They switch places in a hurry though and Liv hits a suicide dive to send us to a break. Back with Liv running Lynch over with a shoulder and nipping up to show off a bit.

Lynch fights back and goes up, only to dive into a Codebreaker. They’re both down for a bit before Lynch is back up, where Liv catches her with a springboard Codebreaker. The fight heads to the apron where Liv busts out a sunset powerbomb to the floor for two, giving us the frustrated kickout face. Back up and Lynch hits a quick Manhandle Slam as we take another break.

We come back again with Liv getting in a Rings of Saturn, which is reversed to set up a cross armbreaker from Lynch. They trade rollups for two until Liv hits a quick Oblivion, sending Lynch outside. Liv sends her back inside and hits a knee in the corner, only to dive into the Manhandle Slam to give Lynch the pin at 15:29.

Rating: B. Good stuff here with Lynch getting to have a long match over a big enough name opponent in Liv. The Wrestlemania match with Rhea Ripley is going to be a showdown and it makes sense to give Lynch some warmups on the way there. This was one of the better Liv matches to date and it’s nice to see her coming along in the ring, which was on display here.

Post match Lynch shows respect, but here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt. After some yelling from Liv, Ripley asks if this was worth it for Lynch. She’s willing to fight anywhere, anytime, but it’s just so Lynch can prove she’s still the best. Deep down though, Lynch knows that Ripley is better.

Lynch better come in to Wrestlemania at 100% or she’s walking out a disappointment. Lynch talks about putting a bit of doubt into things, but what matters is when people believe in her. When the people are with her she’s good, but when they’re against her, she’s great. See you at Wrestlemania. Good stuff from both here as this just feels huge.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce announce a six pack ladder match for the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania. Teams to be announced. Yay ladders.

Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae vs. Ivy Nile/Maxxine Dupri

Maxxine kicks Hartwell in the head as commentary makes references to fans criticizing Maxxine lately. With Hartwell down, the Worm is loaded up but LeRae gets in Maxxine’s face and shouts about how this is why people are booing her and no one cares. She even wishes Maxxine’s dead brother was here to see this (geez). The distraction is enough for Hartwell to hit a big boot for the pin. That’s an interesting way to go with the Maxxine stuff and I think I like it.

Judgment Day complains to the General Managers about the ladder match and it seems that R-Truth and Miz are behind it. It turns out that they’re off on media, but R-Truth comes in, not realizing it was Monday. He gets Damian Priest tonight.

We look back at Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins accepting the Bloodline’s challenge for Wrestlemania.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat with Michael Cole. Rhodes brings up getting to slap the Rock on Smackdown and says it feels good to slap your boss. The Rock used to be a wrestler so he shouldn’t be upset about the whole thing. Cole brings up the stipulations for the Wrestlemania tag match and wonders why Rollins is so gung ho to do this. How can Rhodes trust him?

Rhodes talks about how people can change, because it wasn’t that long ago when Cole was in a Plexiglas case in a Syracuse singlet (it was 13 years ago). We look back to October, when Cole asked if Rhodes winning would be his story. Back to now, Rhodes says the story isn’t about the title anymore, but rather about himself and the fans.

Rhodes talks about various fans and relatives who are here for him, including his mother, who is the only parent he has left. He can’t hand the title to Dusty Rhodes but he can hand it to her. Rhodes says the story isn’t about him and brings up Roman Reigns calling it the third inning last year. Now we’re coming to the end, because at Wrestlemania, he’s finishing the story. More good stuff here, as Rhodes knows how to bring people along with him in these emotional speeches.

Ricochet is ready to get the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania after winning the gauntlet match tonight.

JD McDonagh is ready to win the gauntlet match because he’s one win away.

Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan shake hands in the back when Nia Jax comes in to wreck both of them. Can we please just have Lynch beat her already and get her out of this story?

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

The Warriors, with the rest of Damage CTRL, are defending. Stark flips away from Asuka to start and gets dropkicked into the corner for her efforts. Baszler comes in and gets tripped down, only to come back with a quickly broken armbar. The champs are taken to the floor and Stark hits a big dive as we take a break.

Back with Stark coming back in to clean house, including a running splash to Sane in the corner. Sane ties her in the Tree of Woe though and it’s a top rope double stomp for two. Asuka comes back in to knock Baszler down, setting up a running Blockbuster. A pair of running strikes hit Baszler for two but Stark makes the same. Baszler knees Sane for two with Asuka making the save this time. The Kirifuda Clutch has Sane in trouble but Dakota Kai offers a distraction, meaning it’s the assisted Insane Elbow to pin Baszler at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here again, with Baszler and Stark being game. At the same time here though, the division doesn’t have much in the way of challengers these days and that has been a problem for the titles for a long time now. Maybe they’ll have someone new by Wrestlemania, but it wouldn’t stun me to see the titles left with just sitting at ringside during Bayley vs. Iyo Sky.

Andrade comes in to see the Judgment Day, with Rhea Ripley saying she’d like to talk some business with him when Dominik Mysterio gets back. Works for Andrade, but Damian Priest wants to worry about the ladder match.

Shinsuke Nakamura is ready for the gauntlet match.

Bronson Reed is ready for the gauntlet match.

Damian Priest vs. R-Truth

Priest decks R-Truth to start and hammers him up against the ropes while yelling about how this is all R-Truth’s fault. Cue DIY for a distraction though, allowing Priest to send things outside. Priest misses a charge into the post and R-Truth nails a clothesline off the apron as we take a break.

Back with Priest hitting a lifting Downward Spiral for two but R-Truth crotches him on top. It’s time to initiate the John Cena finishing sequence, including the shuffle. The AA gets two and the STF goes on but cue Judgment Day to brawl with DIY. R-Truth hits a dive (well most of one at least) but walks into a clothesline, setting up the South of Heaven to give Priest the pin at 8:03.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why we’re doing the ladder match instead of R-Truth/Miz getting the shot, which seemed to be the way they were going. R-Truth did well on his own here, but there was little reason to believe that he could beat Priest on his own. We got a nice enough match out of it, with Priest hopefully getting a little something out of the win.

Post match Judgment Day gets in another beatdown.

Becky Lynch challenges Nia Jax to a Last Woman Standing match next week.

Here is Jey Uso for a chat about Jimmy Uso. Jey came here for a fresh start but Jimmy and the Bloodline won’t let him go. The challenge is thrown out for Wrestlemania and he wants Jimmy to accept so the beating can be on.

Video on Gunther’s Intercontinental Title reign.

Gunther talks about how much he has elevated the Intercontinental Title. Now he wants to face the best at Wrestlemania but it takes a lot to be in his position. Some laughing wishes of good luck to the winner ensue.

Muhammad Ali is going to the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Gauntlet Match

Ricochet is in at #1 (of six) and JD McDonagh is in at #2. They go to the mat to start before Ricochet backdrops him out to the floor. Back in and McDonagh knocks him out of the air and they go outside again where the beating continues. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives McDonagh two back inside and he gets in some boot choking on the ropes. The standing moonsault connects for two but Ricochet fights back.

Ricochet’s Lionsault hits knees though and a brainbuster gives McDonagh two. Ricochet is back with a poisonrana but charges into a Spanish Fly to leave them both down. We take a break and come back with the two of them slugging it out on the apron until Ricochet hits a Death Valley Driver onto said apron. They get back in with Ricochet shoving McDonagh off the top and hitting a good looking shooting star press for the pin at 11:53.

Bronson Reed is in at #3 and Ricochet immediately hits him with a suicide dive. A dropkick puts Reed down and there’s another flip dive to drop Reed again. Reed is right back with an Oklahoma Stampede for two of his own before a wheelbarrow slam plants Ricochet. A backsplash sets up the Tsunami to get rid of Ricochet at 14:14 overall.

Sami Zayn is in at #4 and they go straight to the floor, where Zayn quickly plants him. We take a break and come back with Reed hitting a swinging suplex for two but missing a backsplash. Reed pulls him out of the air though and hits a release Rock Bottom for two. They go up top with Reed loading up a super Samoan drop, only to have Zayn reverse into a sunset bomb for the pin at 20:58.

Shinsuke Nakamura is in at #5 but hang on though as Reed hits a Tsunami on Zayn before getting in. Zayn manages to grab a rollup for a quick two but Nakamura knocks him outside and onto the announcers’ table as we take another break. Back again with McAfee telestrating the Tsunami to Zayn before we back back live to Zayn hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Nakamura kicks him in the head and then again in the back of the head but misses a middle rope knee. That’s enough for Zayn to hit a quick Helluva Kick for the pin at 28:35.

Chad Gable is in at #6, giving us our final two. They point/look at the sign before Gable grabs a German suplex. Gable starts going after the ankle to take over but they fall out to the floor. An attempted ankle lock is kicked away though and Gable crashes into the steps as we take another break.

Back again with Gable hitting a release t-bone superplex for two, meaning exasperation is setting in. The fans are doing the Bray Wyatt Fireflies as Gable goes up and hits the moonsault, only for Zayn to reverse into a small package for two. They slug it out until Gable slips out of a Blue Thunder Bomb and grabs the ankle lock. Gable shouts that he needs this more than Zayn, who makes it over to the ropes for the break.

Zayn suplexes him into the corner but the ankle gives out on the Helluva Kick attempt. Gable goes right back to the ankle lock but can’t get the tap, instead switching to a German suplex. Another moonsault misses though and now the Helluva Kick connects for a rather delayed near fall, with Gable reversing into a rollup for two of his own. Gable slugs away and muscles him up for a bridging German suplex into another near fall. The ankle lock goes on again, only to have Zayn reverse into a cradle for the pin at 41:25.

Rating: B-. They were in a tricky spot here as there were only two viable options to win the whole thing. Nakamura, Reed, McDonagh and Ricochet were mainly just there as fillers but thankfully they were all gone by the end. Gable put on a heck of a showcase for himself here and I was kind of wanting to see him win. Zayn is the right choice though and it wouldn’t stun me to see him beat Gunther. It also wouldn’t stun me to see Gunther retain, which makes for a rather interesting title match.

Post match Gable is livid but respect is shown. Gunther comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was focused in on Wrestlemania, with a title match being confirmed, another title match being announced and a challenge being issued for a third. That’s on top of the already established matches, which got some nice focus this week. Good show here, with the focus being on the build towards Wrestlemania, which is what needs to be the case with less than a month to go.

Results
Becky Lynch b. Liv Morgan – Manhandle Slam
Candice LeRae/Indi Hartwell b. Maxxine Dupri/Ivy Nile – Big boot to Dupri
Kabuki Warriors b. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark – Assisted Insane Elbow to Baszler
Damian Priest b. R-Truth – South Of Heaven
Sami Zayn won a gauntlet match last eliminating Chad Gable

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Monday Night Raw
Date: March 4, 2024
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are just over a month away from Wrestlemania and the big story coming out of Smackdown saw the Bloodline challenging Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes for night one of Wrestlemania. For reasons unclear, the decision is to be made on Smackdown rather than here, but I’m sure we’ll have some fireworks anyway. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Cody Rhodes challenging the Rock to face him, with Rock coming back by challenging him to the Wrestlemania tag match. Also of note: Roman Reigns requested Rock acknowledge him, which he did, seemingly to a bit of Reigns’ relief.

Here is Rhodes to talk about facing Roman Reigns, but first there is the distraction in the form of the Rock. Cody recaps Rock talking about him over and over last week, including mocking Cody’s dog (this did not please him). Rock had talked to Cody before and tried to convince him that the fans wanted to see Rock vs. Reigns, but the fans said they wanted something else.

Those were the people the Rock referred to as crybabies but then Rock moved on to a certain challenge. That challenged involved Seth Rollins, so here he is. Cody talks about how Rollins has been challenged for Wrestlemania as well but he already has to deal with Drew McIntyre, so Cody gets if he’s busy. Rollins talks about how he and Roman Reigns came in here over eleven years ago and they wanted absolute power. Now we are one win away from Reigns having exactly what he wants.

Rollins isn’t interested in any of that and doesn’t like what the Rock has been saying. Rock threatened to get rid of the World Heavyweight Championship and claims to have made wrestling cool again. The reality is that Rock hasn’t been cool in twenty years, but you know what is cool?

This morning Rollins was 100% medically cleared, so he’ll be at Smackdown to face the Bloodline. He has Cody’s back, so does Cody have his? Cody does, and says he won’t whine for twenty one minutes in a promo (as he’s been in the ring for 15+). They’ll be at Smackdown with an answer. Is there a reason to not give them the answer now?

Dominik Mysterio vs. Gunther

Non-title and JD McDonagh is here with Dominik. We start with Michael Cole bringing up Sting’s retirement and wishing him well (McAfee sounded like he was praising Sting’s match at AEW Revolution but Cole cut that off IMMEDIATELY) as Dominik tries to chop with Gunther for some reason. Gunther easily takes over but one of his chops hits the post. Dominik goes after the hand but Gunther chops away part of his soul as we take a break.

Back with Dominik getting chopped again, with Gunther opening up the shirt to make even more contact. Dominik manages to knock Gunther outside though and hits a dive, meaning it’s time to load up the 619. That just lets Gunther BLAST him with a clothesline, but he pulls Dominik up at two. The powerbomb is countered into a sunset flip for two and the 619 connects. Gunther avoids the frog splash though and hits a heck of a dropkick into the corner. The powerbomb into the Boston crab finishes Dominik at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t so much good as much as it was entertaining to see Dominik getting wrecked over and over. Gunther can throw some crazy hard chops and he was having fun beating on Dominik here. It wasn’t exactly meant to be a competitive match and that wasn’t quite what it was, but dang it was fun.

Damage CTRL arrives but Adam Pearce cuts them off. They’re here to scout, but Shinsuke Nakamura interrupts. With Damage CTRL gone, Nakamura wants to talk about the Intercontinental Title. They can do that in Pearce’s office, as he’ll have an announcement about the title later tonight.

Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

Earlier today, Carter and Chance said they wanted to get back into the title hunt because it’s Wrestlemania season. Damage CTRL is at ringside, as in sitting on the announcers’ table, as Baszler blocks Carter’s armdrag to start and stomps on the arm. Stark drapes Carter over the top rope for a running knee from Baszler as we take a break. Back with Carter and Chance hitting a double super Spanish Fly on Stark. Carter superkicks Stark to set up the After Party (and a nasty one at that) for two with Baszler making the save. Stark rolls Carter up for the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C. I still can’t get into this division as it isn’t interesting and these challengers just keep going with nothing really working. Stark and Baszler are no better than anyone else but now they are likely next in line for a shot. The Kabuki Warriors are pretty much the only worthwhile thing in the division but I guess we have to act like this works for another Wrestlemania season.

Post match Dakota Kai gets in the ring to say Baszler and Stark can have a title shot next week (assuming the Warriors retain at NXT Roadblock tomorrow night). Baszler is pleased.

The rest of Judgment Day check on Dominik Mysterio, with Gunther being told he’s going to make things right with Gunther. Andrade pops in to check on Dominik.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax.

Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax

Becky strikes away to start but gets driven into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. The springboard kick to the face doesn’t do much to Nia, who is right back with a release slam. Jax’s big elbow gets two but Becky fights up, with the missile dropkick sending Jax outside. The forearm off the apron is countered into a Samoan drop on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Lynch’s superplex being broken up and Jax dropping a middle rope legdrop for two. Jax loads up the right hand that broken Lynch’s nose years ago but Lynch snaps off a headscissors. Jax plants her down again and loads up the Annihilator but only hits mat. Lynch gets the Disarm-Her so Jax rolls out to the floor…where Liv Morgan jumps her for the DQ at 10:16.

Rating: C+. This was getting better near the end but hopefully this is all that happens with Jax vs. Lynch. With Lynch being ready to go on to Wrestlemania in just over a month, she needs to move away from Jax so she can get on to Rhea Ripley. Morgan vs. Jax is at least something different, though hopefully it gets them away from the Lynch and the title picture.

Post break Jax is sent running to the back.

Ricochet wants in on the Intercontinental Title situation but Adam Pearce says trust him. Ricochet heads out but here is Judgment Day to say JD McDonagh wants in on the title scene. McDonagh is ready and we go to break while he’s still talking.

Post break Becky Lynch yells at Liv Morgan and a match is made for next week. Rhea Ripley comes in to laugh at Lynch.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso.

Adam Pearce announces a gauntlet match for the Wrestlemania title shot against Gunther. Next week it’s Sami Zayn vs. Ricochet vs. Chad Gable vs. Bronson Reed vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. JD McDonagh.

Andrade vs. Apollo Crews

This is Crews’ first match on Raw in a bit. Feeling out process to start until Crews hits a dropkick. Crews puts him on top and hits a top rope superplex, only for Andrade to reverse into Three Amigos. The spinning back elbow sets up the running knees in the corner. La Sombra (the hammerlock DDT) finishes Crews at 3:20.

Rating: C. This was quick and to the point with Andrade picking up the win in his return to Raw. That’s a good way to go as Andrade seems to be someone who could be a big deal if he is given the chance (and stays happy). This was at least a good first step and what matters now is keeping the momentum going.

Sami Zayn knew he would get a path towards Wrestlemania and now this is the only path there. Ivar and Valhalla interrupt and a match is made for later.

In Memory of Butcher Vachon.

Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae want a Tag Team Title shot. Natalya and Tegan Nox think it’s time that they get more serious. Candice likes the idea for herself and Hartwell, but Ivy Nile and Maxxine Dupri come in to say it’ll be ok. LeRae isn’t impressed but Hartwell says she’ll deal with this. This division could not feel less important is they tried.

Judgment Day vs. Imperium

Non-title and Balor hammers Kaiser into the corner to start. Priest comes in to hammer on Vinci, who escapes a suplex. It’s back to Kaiser, who gets kicked in the face and punched in the corner, with Priest hurting his own hand. Kaiser decks Balor, which is enough to bring him in for an abdominal stretch. Balor gets sent into the post though and we take a break.

Back with Balor hitting a Nightmare On Helm Street but a High Low cuts him off for two. Vinci’s clothesline takes Balor down again and Kaiser seems happy to kick the crowd favorite in the face. Balor manages a Pele kick and it’s Priest coming in to clean house. The Broken Arrow gets two on Kaiser but he escapes the Razor’s Edge. Balor comes back in for the Sling Blade but Kaiser grabs a Death Valley Driver. Another Sling Blade drops Vinci and the Coup de Grace gets two with Kaiser making the save. Priest comes back in for a hard clothesline and the South Of Heaven for the pin at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This was more of a showcase for Priest than anything else and he did rather well with it. Priest still feels like someone who could turn into a big star despite his age and wins like this help boost him up every little bit. It might not be a classic, but seeing the Judgment Day as the good guys is oddly fun.

Paul Heyman is going into the Hall Of Fame.

Drew McIntyre calls Seth Rollins a spotlight junkie and points out how Rollins is always involved with the big comebacks. The World Heavyweight Title deserves better than Rollins and Jey Uso.

Rhea Ripley comes up to Damage CTRL and says stay out of her territory.

Sami Zayn vs. Ivar

Valhalla is here too and Cole loses his mind over the stupid antlers. She even gives him the antlers and McAfee can’t contain himself. Ivar shoves him down a few times to start but Zayn is back up with a toss to the floor. The tornado DDT is blocked back inside though and Zayn is sent outside.

We take a break and come back with Zayn reversing a belly to back superplex into a crossbody for two. Now the tornado DDT connects but Ivar kicks him in the face for two of his own. Ivar puts him up top but it’s a sunset bomb to bring him back down for two. The exploder connects but Ivar hits a seated senton to cut off the Helluva Kick. Ivar’s Doomsault misses though and now the Helluva Kick can finish for Zayn at 10:14.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine match here as Zayn fights back against a monster and wins in the end with his finishing move. That’s as basic yet effective of a way to use Ivar as there is and it worked well here. Not a classic or anything, but it keeps Zayn’s momentum going towards a possible Wrestlemania title match.

Post match Bronson Reed runs in to take out Zayn and crushes him with the Tsunami.

Gunther is ready for any of the stacked field, because they all want the prestigious title. Chad Gable comes in to say this one just means more.

Jey Uso knows Drew McIntyre wants an apology, so here’s an apology for the beating he’s about to get.

R-Truth, DIY and Xavier Woods are playing WWE2K24 when Miz comes in. Miz has an idea of dealing with the Judgment Day: take their Tag Team Titles.

McAfee telestrates Cole’s antlers.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre

Jey starts fast with an enziguri to send him outside but McIntyre gets in a toss over the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with McIntyre kicking him out of the corner for two before hammering away with right hands. McIntyre hammers away in the corner but gets caught with a sitout powerbomb for two. That doesn’t work for McIntyre, who knocks him to the floor and suplexes Uso on the floor as we take another break.

Back again with Uso sending McIntyre into the corner and hitting a boot to the face. Uso strikes away and gets two off a Samoan drop. There’s the running Umaga Attack to send McIntyre outside and Uso follows with the big dive. Cue Solo Sikoa for a distraction though and McIntyre hits the Futureshock for two. Cue Cody Rhodes to take out Sikoa and Uso hits a spar. Now it’s Jimmy Uso for a distraction and McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 16:47.

Rating: B-. Another solid match here as McIntyre continues to build towards the title match at Wrestlemania and Jey continues to seemingly get ready for the match with Jimmy. The idea of Jey finally snapping and wanting to fight Jimmy is going to be a tough way to go but at last they’re starting something here.

Post match Seth Rollins comes out to chase off Jimmy Uso but gets Claymored. McIntyre yells at him to stop being selfish to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show did its job in trying to set things up for later as the build towards Wrestlemania continues. The big thing here is that you can see most of the card from a month out and there isn’t really anything major that needs to be started. I’m sure we’ll get some more matches announced soon and some smaller things will have to be covered, but for now WWE is moving steadily along towards Wrestlemania. That’s a lot better than their patented rushing so things are improving.

Results
Gunther b. Dominik Mysterio – Boston crab
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Rollup to Carter
Nia Jax b. Becky Lynch via DQ when Liv Morgan interfered
Andrade b. Apollo Crews – La Sombra
Judgment Day b. Imperium – South Of Heaven to Kaiser
Sami Zayn b. Ivar – Helluva Kick
Drew McIntyre b. Jey Uso – Claymore

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: February 19, 2024
Location: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are about a month and a half away from Wrestlemania and the big story coming out of Smackdown is the Rock officially joining the Bloodline. That is the kind of change that could shake things up in a major way, but first we’re likely to get a rebuttal from Cody Rhodes and/or Seth Rollins. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, various people arrived.

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

We actually get a quick hype video for this, which is a nice touch for a match this big. Cody’s headlock doesn’t work so McIntyre knocks him down, setting up an exchange of chops. McIntyre gets the better of things, only to get pulled into a quick Figure Four. That’s turned over in a hurry so Cody makes the rope and we take a break.

Back with McIntyre crushing Cody’s head against the post and chopping away until Cody grabs a bulldog. A powerslam into the Disaster Kick slow McIntyre down and the Cody Cutter gets two. Rhodes’ Cactus Clothesline leaves them both on the floor and we take another break.

Back again with McIntyre grabbing a spinebuster and sitout powerbomb for two each. Cody’s Pedigree doesn’t quite slow McIntyre down as he’s right back with the Futureshock for another near fall. For some reason McIntyre goes up, allowing Cody to hit a superplex. The top rope Cody Cutter gets two more but cue the Bloodline for a distraction/Samoan Spike. That’s enough for the Claymore to finish for McIntyre at 19:42.

Rating: B. This felt like a big time match and that’s exactly what it was supposed to be. Cody losing always feels like a major moment and it’s not like it hurts him to have a loss with the Bloodline interfering. Good opener here, with McIntyre building even more momentum on the way to Elimination Chamber, which he very well may win.

Video on Gunther vs. Jey Uso before tonight’s Intercontinental Title match.

Andrade talks about being from a wrestling family and being used to the pressure. His day is now beginning.

We look at the ending of Cody vs. Drew, complete with telestrator graphics.

Cody tells Adam Pearce he’s fine when Seth Rollins comes in for a knowing look.

Video on the Women’s Elimination Chamber match and the five qualifiers.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

Xia Li, Valhalla, Tegan Nox, Natalya, Indi Hartwell, Candice LeRae, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Elektra Lopez, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Michin, Zoey Stark, Zelina Vega, Shayna Baszler, Chelsea Green, Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn, Raquel Rodriguez, B-Fab

Rodriguez is making her return after an illness absence. It’s a brawl to start with Valhalla knocking out Maxxine but getting eliminated as well. Rodriguez knocks out Li and does the same thing to Dawn as we take a break. Back with Natalya turning on Nox to toss her out (in the opposite of the Royal Rumble) and B-Fan being eliminated as well. Lopez kicks Vega out but gets tossed by Michin.

Lopez and Michin brawl on the floor until Green gets rid of Candice and Baszler does the same to Hartwell. Baszler knees Chance out and Rodriguez eliminated Fyre, followed by Nile knocking Natalya out. Baszler and Stark get rid of Nile, leaving us with the two of them, Michin and Rodriguez. The villains toss Michin but Rodriguez gets rid of Baszler. Stark is kicked out and Rodriguez….eliminated Green, who was still in, to win at 12:01.

Rating: C+. They kept this mostly quick and Rodriguez is a good choice to send on to the Chamber. She isn’t likely going to win but she can be the power monster who can shake things up when she comes in. It was a nice return for Rodriguez and she went on to win, but more importantly the match didn’t get dull. That’s hard to do in a match like this, but there were actually multiple options to win to make it better.

Jey Uso is ready to win the Intercontinental Title.

We get a split screen interview between Nia Jax and Rhea Ripley. Rhea talks about wanting to go back home to prove that she is different but Nia doesn’t care and promises pain. Ripley promises to show that Jax isn’t good enough and walks off. As usual, Jax’s promo involves her saying “I’m big and I’ll beat you” and nothing more.

We get a special look at R-Truth’s history with the Judgment Day. He insists it was a special moment when they first met, like the first time John Cena tried on a pair of jean shorts. But then it went bad with Damian Priest attacking him, making R-Truth feel as sad as the finale of This Is Us. Now he has DX in his corner though, and then he just walks off. This was the usual wacky R-Truth and again as usual, it worked.

We talk about the UFC/WWE partnership involving this arena.

UFC fighter Michael Chandler calls out Conor McGregor. Nothing wrong with a mini cross promotion like that.

Chad Gable is ready for Ivar.

Ivar is ready for Chad Gable.

R-Truth/Miz/DIY vs. Judgment Day

It’s a huge brawl to start and Judgment Day is sent outside, leaving the other four to do the DX chop as we take a break. Back with Gargano caught in the wrong corner, with a slingshot stomp to the chest getting two. Gargano suplexes his way to freedom though and it’s off to R-Truth, who initiates the John Cena finishing sequence. That’s broken up by Priest, who sends R-Truth into the post as we take another break.

Back again with Ciampa coming back in to pick up the pace with the running corner clotheslines. Willow’s Bell plants McDonagh and Ciampa follows with a dive to the floor. Back in and a reverse DDT gets two on Dominik with McDonagh making the save. Balor and Ciampa collide though and they’re both down for a breather. R-Truth hits the ax kick on Priest and the Lie Detector gets two. Everything breaks down again and Priest escapes an AA, setting up South Of Heaven to pin R-Truth at 15:40.

Rating: B-. The fans were WAY into this one but you can’t have R-Truth pin someone who very well may be a World Champion by the middle of the summer. There is a good chance that this story is going to wrap up soon, assuming R-Truth doesn’t cost Judgment Day the Tag Team Titles at Elimination Chamber. For now though, Judgment Day gets a win to build their momentum back up, which they need at the moment.

We look back at the Rock officially joining the Bloodline.

Sami Zayn says he is hitting the pause button on Drew McIntyre because there is a path for him to Wrestlemania and he will be a champion.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. After asking if the fans like her hat (they do so it stays), she talks about how she is going to win the Elimination Chamber to earn the right to face Rhea Ripley (McAfee: “Or Nia Jax.”) at Wrestlemania. Ripley has been on the roll of a lifetime but now there is Lynch, who is the biggest threat to her title. Lynch says she is the best she has ever been but first there is Elimination Chamber. She talks about beating almost everyone in the Chamber but here is Liv Morgan to interrupt, saying she doesn’t like Lynch acting like no one is a threat in the Chamber.

Morgan talks about her history with Ripley, who put her on the shelf for a few months with a bad shoulder. Cue Raquel Rodriguez, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton and Bianca Belair to say they’ll win. Belair says she’ll keep up her undefeated streak in the Chamber but Tiffany doesn’t want to hear it. Cue Nia Jax to wreck everyone because that’s what she does.

Shinsuke Nakamura is ready to make Sami Zayn famous.

Chad Gable vs. Ivar

They start fast with Gable kicking him to the floor, only to get dropped onto the barricade as we take an early break. Back with Gable reversing a super World’s Strongest Slam into a middle rope small package for two. Gable goes after the leg but the ankle lock is broken up with a whip to the floor. Ivar sends him into the apron and takes it back inside for a top rope seated senton and a near fall. Gable gets in a suplex into the moonsault for two, followed by the ankle lock for the win at 8:25.

Rating: B-. This was more of the Gable that has seemed ready to break out for a long time now. He’s basically a slightly smaller Kurt Angle (in the ring at least) and having him go nuts to beat someone is a good way to go. It wasn’t quite a great match, but it made Gable look more like a star than he has in a long time.

Elimination Chamber rundown.

Drew McIntyre is ready to win the Elimination Chamber because he can beat everyone in it.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Jey Uso

Gunther is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. They start fast with Gunther chopping away and taking it to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Gunther twisting Jey’s neck and hitting a backbreaker before taking it outside. Jey ducks a clothesline and Samoan drops him onto the announcers’ table for a breather. Back in and Gunther drops him again but the powerbomb attempt is countered into a backdrop to the floor. The dive drops Gunther again and we take another break.

We come back with an exchange of chops until Jey has to escape another powerbomb attempt. The spear gives Jey two but Gunther knocks him down again, setting up the top rope splash for two. Jey hits another spear and Gunther is knocked outside, setting up another spear. The Superfly Splash connects….but Jimmy Uso rings the bell. Jey dives onto Jimmy and superkicks Gunther but the Superfly Splash hits raised knees, allowing Gunther to small package him and retain at 16:52.

Rating: B. They may have telegraphed the ending by having Jimmy show up earlier in the night but it was still a good moment with Jey seemingly having the title win. Gunther is so good at making you believe that he could lose the title every time he defends it, which makes his title defenses so much more interesting. Good main event here, and they nailed the big fight feeling of the whole thing.

Post match Jimmy comes in and drops Jey, setting up a pair of Superfly Splashes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Multiple good matches, almost everything at Elimination Chamber getting a boost and some solid talking. Those things should add up to a strong show, but the energy and presentation (different camera angles, fresh ways of talking about things etc) made this feel so much better. It felt more modernized and like a sport than a wrestling show while still having what makes a wrestling show work. I had a really good time with this and it’s one of the better Raw’s I’ve seen in a long time. Nice job, but Saturday needs to be just as good.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Cody Rhodes – Claymore
Raquel Rodriguez won a battle royal last eliminating Chelsea Green
Judgment Day b. R-Truth/Miz/DIY – South Of Heaven to R-Truth
Chad Gable b. Ivar – Ankle lock
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Small package

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 12, 2024
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Pa McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re less than two months away from Wrestlemania and now we seem to have a main event. Cody Rhodes is going to be challenging Roman Reigns, presumably on night two, but that leaves a lot to cover on the first night. Other than that, this week is going to be about Elimination Chamber qualifying matches so let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the Titantron to my upper left.

Jey Uso/New Day vs. Imperium

Jey gets a crazy strong reaction to his entrance, with the fans going coconuts over the hand wave dance. Kofi and Kaiser start things off with Kofi slugging away, including a dropkick and clothesline. Woods comes in to stomp away in the corner, followed by Kofi and Jey getting to do the same. It’s off to Gunther to face Uso, but instead he walks around for a bit before handing it back to Vinci.

A cheap shot takes Uso down and now Gunther is willing to come in and chop away. Uso gets knocked to the floor and we take a break. Back with Jey fighting out of a chinlock and handing it back to Kofi to clean house. A top rope splash to the back of a standing Kaiser puts him down and Kofi hits the New Day Drop on Vinci. Kaiser is back up to ram Kofi into the steps though and Kaiser adds a boot to the face for two.

Gunther comes back in for a Boston crab so Jey comes in and slaps him square in the face. You do NOT do that to Gunther, who is rather annoyed as we take another break. Back again with Kofi backdropping his way to freedom and handing it back to Jey to clean house. Jey superkicks a springboarding Vinci out of the air and now we get the showdown with Gunther.

An enziguri staggers Gunther and a high crossbody gets two. The spear is cut off though and Gunther cleans house, setting up a hard clothesline for two more. Back up and Jey spears Gunther for two but Kaiser makes the save. Vinci walks into a three man 1D, leaving Kofi to dive onto Kaiser. The Superfly Splash finishes Vinci at 19:50.

Rating: B. This match managed to serve two purposes at once, as Uso looked like an absolute star who could be the one to take out Gunther. The fans lit up when he came to the ring and then the slap made things even better. In addition, you had a heck of a tag match with everyone working hard and nearly twenty minutes flying by. Heck of an opener.

Long recap of the Wrestlemania press event with Rock turning heel and joining Roman Reigns, at least for the time being.

Andrade talks about how much he loves wrestling and goes through his title history. He left in 2021 to remember who he was, but now he’s back.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Bronson Reed

Reed powers him into the corner but has to cut off a Hurt Lock attempt. An early spear attempt sends Lashley shoulder first into the post though and Reed knocks him into the timekeeper’s area. We take a break and come back with Reed hitting some hard clotheslines. A Downward Spiral gives Lashley two and a suplex is good for the same. Reed hits a superkick into a Death Valley Driver for two but Lashley is back up with a spinebuster. Reed comes back with a release Rock Bottom and a backsplash before going up. That takes way too long though and Lashley slams him down, setting up the spear for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C+. This was a fun hoss fight with Lashley being able to throw around a monster like Reed. That suplex and the slam off the top both looked good and the match worked well. I’m also a bit surprised there was no screwiness from someone like Karrion Kross to cost Lashley the match and send Reed to the Chamber in his home country but they went with the logical move instead.

We look at the end of last week’s show, with Sami Zayn saving Cody Rhodes from an attack at the hands of Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew McIntyre.

Earlier today, Zayn sat in an empty arena, who said that he has been through a lot of problems and setbacks, but he will be a champion. Nakamura popped up on screen to say that Zayn sounded like Rhodes so Nakamura needs to stop him. A match was set up for later tonight.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and he gets right to the point: he’s challenging Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He can do that because of the fans, who made their voices heard online after….well he doesn’t say what caused it (him giving away his shot against Reigns in the first place). Rhodes doesn’t want to get too emotional though, because it might make him a crybaby.

We see the Rock on the Pat McAfee Show, dubbing the term Cody Crybabies. Rock also lists some things that those crybabies can do with chicken nuggets, which has Rhodes so confused that he asks McAfee what Rock said. Rhodes didn’t like Rock putting his hands on him and slapping him across the face so Rhodes is going to hit back. Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt so the fans get to sing a bit.

Rhodes thanks him for the help against the Rock, with Rollins wondering what else can he say except you’re welcome. Rollins says Rhodes needs to finish his story at Wrestlemania because if he doesn’t, everything changes after the match. Reigns shows up and defends the title even less so this is their last chance to take the title and give it to the people. While Rhodes might be the man, he needs a plan.

Last year he got cheated out of the title and now the pressure is even high but it’s even more complicated because of the Rock. Rollins says Rhodes can’t do that on his own because he is tired for Reigns and Rock getting away with this stuff. We hear about Rollins helping Reigns become who he is today but there is one man suited to be Rhodes’ Shield. That man is an architect and a visionary, which seems to leave Rhodes a lot to think about. Rollins was bringing the emotion here but it feels like he’s being set up to cost Rhodes the title at Wrestlemania.

New Day and Jey Uso are happy with their win, but to make it even better, Jey is getting an Intercontinental Title shot next week.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Liv Morgan vs. Zoey Stark

Before the match, we get quick vignettes from both women about how much it would mean to go on to Wrestlemania. Stark misses a shot in the corner, allowing Morgan to stomp away. Back up and Stark hits a running clothesline, only for Morgan to snap off a hurricanrana. A springboard kick to the face puts Stark down and they fight to the apron. Stark Death Valley Drives her onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Morgan hitting a middle rope Codebreaker for two but Starks’ powerbomb out of the corner gets the same. Another Codebreaker is countered into a catapult into the corner and a superkick drops Morgan for two. Stark takes a good bit too long going up top though and misses a flip dive, allowing Morgan to hit a quick Codebreaker. Oblivion finishes Stark at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were trading some nice stuff here and while the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt, it was nice to see Morgan putting in the extra effort to win here. She’s being treated as a fairly big deal and that could make a difference for her in the Chamber. Stark is someone with a good bit of skill in her own right, but at some point she needs to win something on her own and that hasn’t happened yet.

R-Truth talks about how JD McDonagh needs to come to reality, but Damian Priest cuts him off. He’s tired of all this because it was never an initiation or anything like that. Tonight, when McDonagh faces R-Truth, it’s an execution.

Post break, R-Truth is trying to find out if Miz can get here from Los Angeles in time for his match.

R-Truth vs. JD McDonagh

So there is no Miz, but there is the rest of Judgment Day minus Rhea Ripley (and McDonagh as he’s kind of busy). R-Truth sends him into the corner to start and hits a splash in the corner. An AA sends McDonagh outside and we take a break. Back with R-Truth hitting John Cena’s finishing sequence but the ax kick misses, allowing McDonagh to hit the Devil Inside (a Saito suplex) for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C. They barely had any time (at least that we saw) and in the end, having McDonagh beat R-Truth clean is a weird way to go. While R-Truth is pretty much bullet proof and isn’t likely to lose anything serious by being pinned here, I’m not sure why we didn’t get some kind of interference. The match itself was barely anything, but it also didn’t show that R-Truth needs help, because he lost a match straight up without any interference.

Post match the beatdown is on but DIY runs in with chairs for the save.

Cody Rhodes thanks Sami Zayn for his help last week.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. After accepting a prom invitation for 2034, Lynch talks about how crazy the Road to Wrestlemania has already been. She loves this, starting with the time she first set foot in the ring when she was 15. Wrestling is what let her meet her husband, have her daughter and cause her to miss her father’s funeral. It’s also left her having some weird conversations with her daughter like why her mom’s face is busted open, why her shoulder is banged up and she can’t pick her up….and why Daddy wants to fight Maui (Rock’s character in Moana).

Lynch knows a lot of people love Rhea Ripley and people believe no one can beat her, but Lynch isn’t anyone. She gets a drink from ringside and drinks a toast to Ripley’s last few days as champion. Cue Nia Jax, who talks about how she wishes her mother was half the woman Lynch is. She sounds rather emotional as she talks about how Lynch is going to win at Elimination Chamber. Just like she’s going to beat Ripley….who interrupts for the fight. Lynch gets crushed in the corner though and dropkicks Jax out to the floor. They almost have to go with Lynch vs. Ripley at Wrestlemania and that’s not a bad way to go.

Drew McIntyre talks about how he’s the only unselfish person around here. Cody Rhodes needs to take himself out of their match next week because the only things you don’t want to be are in his prayers or in a fight with him. Now Cody won’t be going to Wrestlemania, just like CM Punk.

R-Truth thanks DIY for their help….but thinks they’re DX. R-Truth: “How is Road Dogg?”

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: LA Knight vs. Ivar

Valhalla is here too and yes Cole does the antlers joke again. Knight starts fast and knocks Ivar outside for a bunch of rams into the announcers’ table. Ivar sends him into the barricade for a crossbody against said barricade and we take a break. Back with Knight running the corner to superplex him down, only to fail in a powerslam attempt. Ivar’s Tour of the Islands connects and a tiger bomb gets two. Ivar misses a knee though and now the powerslam can connect for two of his own. The BFT is blocked though and Ivar kicks him down, only to miss the Doomsault. Now the BFT can send Knight to Elimination Chamber at 8:26.

Rating: C. This was a different way to go than the Lashley vs. Ivar match and it went well enough. Knight wasn’t about to lose to Ivar, though the good thing is Ivar was built enough for the last few weeks that he was someone who could be a problem for Knight without being a threat. That makes for a slightly more interesting match, though the match not running incredibly long helped.

Sami Zayn runs into Drew McIntyre, who wants Zayn to keep his name out of his mouth. Zayn says McIntyre is in his way, so McIntyre steps aside.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, including a Last Chance battle royal for the last spot in the women’s Elimination Chamber.

Chelsea Green is NOT happy with being in the battle royal with people like Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae, who are there. She also yells about Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, who pop in behind her. Green yells at Adam Pearce for seeing Baszler and Stark coming but not saying anything. Management WILL be notified.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn

Nakamura kicks him in the ribs to start but Zayn sends him to the floor and bounces back to the middle. We take an early break and come back with Zayn hitting a middle rope elbow to the head but Nakamura chokes him in the corner. Nakamura kicks him in the head though and we hit the chinlock.

Zayn fights up and hits a quick Michinoku Driver for two so they can both have a breather. A clothesline puts Nakamura on the floor and there’s a big flip dive, with Nakamura not exactly catching him so Zayn hits the floor HARD. We take another break and come back with an exchange of forearms until Nakamura kicks him in the head. Zayn is right back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and Nakamura rolls outside.

We go old school with Zayn trying a diving DDT over the bottom rope, only to get hit in the face. Back in and Nakamura hits a middle rope knee to the back of the head, followed by another one for another two. Zayn is back up with a heck of a clothesline and then the exploder into the corner. The Helluva Kick is loaded up but cue Drew McIntyre for a distraction. Nakamura kicks Zayn’s knee out and hits a running knee to the back of the head for the pin at 17:07.

Rating: B-. While it wasn’t quite their masterpiece in Dallas eight years ago, it was still good stuff with both of them hitting each other rather hard. The ending was part of Zayn’s issues as he continues his downward spiral. I’m not sure where that’s going to go, but hopefully it isn’t a heel turn as Zayn getting into the title hunt as the big underdog could be incredible.

Post match the double beatdown is on, with Cody Rhodes running in for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was rather good but the rest of the matches were little more than ok, which can often be the case with WWE qualifying matches. They didn’t really do anything big here, but next week’s show with Uso getting his Intercontinental Title shot and Rhodes vs. Nakamura should be more than enough. This wasn’t a show with the big stuff going on and it’s ok to lighten things a bit every so often. That was the case here and while it wasn’t a great show, it covered some things before we can get to the bigger stuff in the future.

Results
New Day/Jey Uso b. Imperium – Superfly Splash to Vinci
Bobby Lashley b. Bronson Reed – Spear
Liv Morgan b. Zoey Stark – Oblivion
JD McDonagh b. R-Truth – Devil Inside
LA Knight b. Ivar – BFT
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Sami Zayn – Running knee to the back of the head

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 5, 2024
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

Say it with me: and then everything changed, as Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes said that he would not be challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania. Instead, it appears the The Rock of all people will be getting the shot. While that’s a huge deal, the fans are not exactly thrilled with the change and it has to be addressed this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Rhodes/Rock/Reigns segment from Smackdown.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. He does his catchphrases and makes a Rock reference, which gets the fans booing again. Seth: “I sense that you guys want Cody.” Well Rollins does too, so he invites Cody out to the ring. Cody asks what the fans want to talk about and we get a ROCKY SUCKS chant. Cole: “Is it 1996 all over again?” Seth: “I didn’t expect to hear that tonight.”

Rollins talks about how he needs this match with Rhodes as well because he needs to know if he’s better than he was when they did this the first time. He gets right to the point: are they going to fight at Wrestlemania? Before Cody can answer, cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre: “I think I speak for everybody when I say what the h***?” He and Rollins both hate Punk and it was time for the two of them to be talking about going to Wrestlemania.

The fans seem to like that and McIntyre even has a shirt commissioned…..which he reveals as himself laughing at a tombstone for Punk’s Wrestlemania main event (that’s freaking brilliant). McIntyre tells Cody to finish the story and even says don’t let your dad down. Rollins says McIntyre doesn’t have to go that far, but why does McIntyre think he’s getting the title shot if Cody isn’t the challenger?

They’ve done that twice and McIntyre lost. Rollins: “Didn’t you lose to him three times?” McIntyre talks about how it should be the best man winning but does stop to cut off Rhodes. McIntyre headbutts Rollins down and Cody decks McIntyre without much trouble. So they didn’t officially announce anything for Cody, which feels like a way to stretch this out what very well may be false hope to avoid some of the booing (which is already here).

Imperium vs. Creed Brothers vs. DIY vs. New Day

The winners move on to face Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne on Smackdown for the title shot at Elimination Chamber. Ciampa takes over on Woods to start but it’s Kingston coming in with a springboard high crossbody. Woods’ fist drop gets two and it’s back to Kingston to work on Ciampa’s arm. Kaiser comes in for the double dropkick to Kingston and we take a break. Back with Kingston dropping Kaiser and the tag brings in Woods as the pace picks up.

The Honor Roll connects and Woods superkicks Vinci. Gargano tags himself in for the slingshot spar and an assisted Sliced Bread takes down Brutus. DIY hit slingshot dives onto the Creeds and we get the applaud. Kingston dropkicks both of them to the floor but gets beaten down by Imperium, with Gargano making the save. Julius flip dives onto all of them Ciampa White Noises Woods onto the pile to leave everyone down as we take another break.

Back with Ciampa getting the worst of a Tower of Doom, followed by Brutus moonsaulting Kaiser for two. We hit the parade of strikes until Brutus ankle locks Vinci. Julius cuts off some people with belly to belly suplexes, including one to Woods and Ciampa at the same time. A bunch of people make the save and everyone is down again. The Brutus Ball takes out a bunch of people on the floor but Ciampa tags himself back in. Meet In The Middle hits Vinci for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. Sometimes the best thing to do is let a bunch of people go out there and do a bunch of wild stuff until someone gets the pin. DIY vs. Bate/Dunne should make for a good match and it could go either way for the title match. Heck of a way to fill in part of the show here though, even if asking us to believe that the referee remembered who was legal for the tag after the melee is a bit much.

Shayna Baszler is ready for Becky Lynch.

Becky Lynch is ready for Shayna Baszler.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler

They fight over arm control to start until Lynch has to escape the Kirifuda Clutch. They go outside where Baszler kicks her in the head and kicks the hand against the steps. We take a break and come back with Lynch striking away despite having a banged up arm. A running knee gives Baszler two but Lynch is back with a missile dropkick.

Baszler goes after the arm again, this time tying it in the ropes and then into Lynch’s gear. That astonishingly doesn’t work and Lynch pulls her off the top so they can strike it out again. Lynch can’t get the Disarm-Her but she can get the Manhandle Slam to put Baszler away at 12:38.

Rating: C. This really needed to be five minutes shorter and the extra length hurt it a good bit. The biggest problem here was there was no reason to believe that Baszler had a real chance straight up against Lynch, which makes the match feel that much longer. The match wasn’t particularly good, but at least it got Lynch into the Chamber for the first time ever (it helps when you’ve been champion so many times).

Liv Morgan says no one is about her business but next week, her qualifying match is about revenge.

Shinsuke Nakamura attacked Cody Rhodes at a live event. Tonight, it’s a bullrope match.

Drew McIntyre has been fined for attacking Seth Rollins and Adam Pearce will double it if he keeps wearing that Punk shirt.

Rhea Ripley calls out Nia Jax but Adam Pearce comes to the ring to say the match has been made for Elimination Chamber. Cue Jax to beat Ripley down.

We look at Bayley challenging Iyo Sky for the Smackdown Women’s Title at Wrestlemania.

Akira Tozawa/Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivar/Valhalla

Valhalla sends Maxxine into the corner to start and Maxxine can’t quite get a sunset flip. She also can’t quite time a handspring elbow either but a double high crossbody puts Iva down. Maxxine flirts with Ivar to no effect so commentary talks about Medieval Times. A super World’s Strongest Slam finishes Tozawa at 2:00. This was really bad.

We look back at R-Truth being kicked out of Judgment Day.

Judgment Day is talking about Rhea Ripley when R-Truth comes in. JD McDonagh wants to jump him but has a match and leaves with Dominik Mysterio. R-Truth thinks last week was a pre-initiation and Finn Balor walks away. Priest does as well, but R-Truth finds a box of shirts that gives him an idea.

JD McDonagh vs. The Miz

Before the match, Miz talks about R-Truth being on the line between genius and crazy. Judgment Day attacking R-Truth was a declaration of war though and it’s time to fight. McDonagh (with Dominik Mysterio in his corner) stomps away in the corner to start and hits a knee to the face.

Back up and Miz knocks him to the floor, setting up a suplex from the timekeeper’s area to the floor. We take a break and come back with McDonagh hitting a standing moonsault for two….and here is R-Truth to throw the shirts to the crowd. The distraction lets Miz get his boots up to block a top rope moonsault and Miz kicks away in the corner. A crossbody gives Miz two and he takes out Mysterio for a bonus.

R-Truth puts a shirt around Mysterio’s arms to tie him up, allowing Miz to get in a big boot. The distraction lets McDonagh hit a headbutt into a moonsault for two so R-Truth whips out McDonagh’s cut of the merch money. Works for McDonagh, who gets hit with the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C. There was a lot to this but it wasn’t exactly great action. What matters here is the fact that R-Truth continues to be one of the most over people in all of WWE today. He gets a reaction no matter what he is doing and it’s great to see him getting this kind of a reaction. I could go for seeing more of Miz/R-Truth vs. Judgment Day, perhaps for the titles in a Wrestlemania match.

Imperium makes sure that everything is prepared for Gunther’s celebration for being Intercontinental Champion for 600 days. Adam Pearce says it’s cool, and here is Bron Breakker for a meeting. Imperium does not look pleased.

We look back at CM Punk having tricep surgery last week.

Here is Imperium for Gunther’s celebration. Gunther says no one should be surprised that we are here for this celebration. He doesn’t know why he’s here though, because every milestone is a formality anyway. The fact of the matter is he is running out of competition so who is left to challenge for this title?

Cue Jey Uso with the full dancing entrance, which Gunther calls a simple gesture for a simple audience. He doesn’t like this disrespect though, even if Jey is one half of the best teams ever. It makes sense too as you get all the glory for only 50% of the work. Uso lists off his resume (incorrectly saying he was in the first tag team to main event Wrestlemania) and says he wants the title shot.

Gunther likes his moxie and threatens to beat Jey back to the days when people couldn’t tell the Usos apart. Gunther: “UCE!” The fight is on with New Day making the save to chase Imperium off. This is a perfectly logical next challenger for Gunther and Jey winning the title does not feel out of the question. That being said, Gunther is adding some great quips on the mic, just in case he didn’t have enough tools so far.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants to hurt Cody Rhodes.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

The Warriors are defending and Chance goes after Asuka’s bad ribs to start. The champs are knocked to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Carter fighting her way out of trouble and handing it back to Chance. Asuka gets draped over the middle rope in the corner for some knees to the ribs, setting up the After Party for two. Sane breaks up the Keg Stand though and an Insane Elbow/reverse DDT combination finishes Chance at 9:48.

Rating: C. The problem here was outside of Bayley interfering to cost the Warriors the titles, there was little reason to believe they were losing the titles. Chance and Carter don’t feel like they’re on the same level and it was showing here. They can do some high flying stuff, but the Warriors feel like far more well rounded stars, both on their own and as a team.

We get a sitdown interview with Sami Zayn in an empty arena. Zayn talks about getting close but not quite making it. HHH pulled him aside and said he was like Rocky Balboa, which makes him believe that he’ll be a champion one day. It’s about proving to himself and the people that they should have believed in him.

Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Bullrope match and you win by pinfall or submission. The rope is apparently the same one Dusty and Dustin used in their bullrope matches over the years. Nakamura jumps him to start but Cody takes over on the floor as we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Rhodes pulling him into the post but Nakamura uses the rope to break up a springboard.

Nakamura chokes with his boot and hits a running knee to the ribs for two. Cody is back with a dropkick to the knee and the Figure Four goes on, only to have Nakamura use the bell for the escape. We take another break and come back again with Rhodes hitting the snap powerslam.

The Cody Cutter gets two and they slug it out until Nakamura kicks him in the head. There’s the reverse exploder suplex but the Kinshasa is countered into a Pedigree for two. Back up and Nakamura uses the mist but the blind Cody hits Cross Rhodes for two more. Kinshasa is blocked and Rhodes hits him low with the rope, setting up Cross Rhodes for the pin at 16:43.

Rating: B-. This felt like a house show main event and that is likely because they’ve headlined house shows with it for the last few weeks. The good idea here was to have Rhodes get a nice win to give the fans something to cheer about. The fans want to cheer Rhodes right now and it would go a long way to calm them down if he gets to beat up a rival like he did here.

Drew McIntyre runs in to jump Rhodes to end the show. Those two could have a heck of a fight at Elimination Chamber.

Overall Rating: C+. There was a good show in here somewhere but it got bogged down by a lot of the stuff in the middle. That mixed tag was awful and some of the segments really didn’t work. The main event was good though and the Gunther/Uso segment did well too. With that being said, the opening segment and the anti-Rock reaction are what matter the most here, as that press conference could be quite the mess if they go in the expected directions. I’m curious to see what they do though, because plowing straight ahead seems more than a bit risky. For now though, pretty good show that had some rough stretches.

Results
DIY b. Imperium, Creed Brothers and New Day – Meet In The Middle to Vinci
Becky Lynch b. Shayna Baszler – Manhandle Slam
Valhalla/Ivar b. Maxxine Dupri/Akira Tozawa – Super World’s Strongest Slam to Tozawa
Miz b. JD McDonagh – Skull Crushing Finale
Kabuki Warriors b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Reverse DDT/Insane Elbow combination to Chance
Cody Rhodes b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Cross Rhodes

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 29, 2024
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and officially on the Road To Wrestlemania. That means it is time to start getting ready for the big time of the year. Almost everything is going to matter now, but that is going to be more complicated because CM Punk has reportedly torn his tricep. Odds are we’ll hear something about that tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

We open with wrestlers coming to work.

Pat McAfee is here, and apparently will be every Monday night going forward. No word on what that means for Wade Barrett.

We get a long recap of the Royal Rumble.

Here is CM Punk, with his arm in a sling, for a chat. He talks about how close he got to winning the Royal Rumble and had it in the palm of his hand. Punk doesn’t feel mad at Cody Rhodes, who earned the win. On Saturday, he tore his tricep and is going to be out for a long time. That means that main eventing Wrestlemania just isn’t happening this year, and the fans are not pleased.

Punk talks about a friend of his who is battling cancer and he never says a bad word and he’s the kind of person that Punk wants to be. We hear about other people Punk know who work day to day jobs and they keep going, which is what he wants to do. He’s a Chicago Cubs fan and guarantees us that there is always a next year…but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt (Punk: “Not what I was expecting.”).

McIntyre seems to feel sorry for Punk and talks about how he’s going to headline Wrestlemania. He got his hands on Punk and still doesn’t like him, which has Punk promising to be back next year and then getting his hands on McIntyre. The fight is on with Punk using the bad arm, which is quickly taken down. Sami Zayn makes the save. Punk was emotional here but there is nothing he can do with that kind of an injury. Hopefully he’s back later this year, which should be a heck of a moment, but how many times can he keep making these comebacks?

Judgment Day is happy with how things are going and ready to take out DIY.

DIY is ready for Judgment Day and have been waiting for years for this chance.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. Judgment Day

Judgment Day is defending. Priest takes Ciampa into the corner and hits him in the face to take over. Everything breaks down in a hurry with DIY hitting stereo dives to the floor, meaning stereo pats on the back. We settle back down to Priest dropping Ciampa face first onto the apron.

Back in and Balor’s ax kick gets two so Ciampa goes over for the tag…which the referee doesn’t see. Ciampa finally gets in a reverse DDT for the breather and the tag brings in Gargano to clean house. The slingshot spear gives Gargano two and everything breaks down. Ciampa assists Gargano for an assisted Sliced Bread to Priest for two but can’t hit the Fairy Tale Ending.

A heck of a clothesline gives Priest two and he throws Gargano outside for making a save. South Of Heaven is broken up though and Ciampa hits a super White Noise for two. Meet In The Middle connects but Priest makes the save. That makes Ciampa send Priest over the announcers’ table as Balor knocks Gargano into the corner but misses the Coup de Grace.

The Gargano Escape and Sicilian Stretch go on at the same time until Priest drops Ciampa onto the other two for the save. We settle back down to Gargano escaping the Razor’s Edge and handing it back to Gargano. A superkick drops Balor so Priest loads up the Razor’s Edge to Ciampa, only to be cut off by Gargano. Back in and Ciampa rolls Priest up for two but it’s a Razor’s Edge into the Coup de Grace to retain the titles at 12:49.

Rating: B+. Man this was rolling by the middle and if they had gone at somewhere in there, the roof might have come off. Instead though, it was an awesome match in front of a hot crowd and I was buying that DIY had a chance of pulling this off. Really hot match here and hopefully DIY gets another shot at some point.

Post match Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh come in to celebrate, with Damian Priest saying we have seen a different side to the team in recent weeks and it’s time to thank someone for making it happen. That would be R-Truth, so here he is for a chat, albeit after Priest assures him that he’ll be safe. Truth comes in and talks about doing Priest’s taxes, with Priest saying Truth doesn’t know what any of that means.

They’re a family, with Balor as the weird uncle. Then you have Tom and Nick, but there is nothing else to say about them. McDonagh is like that step brother you don’t want to admit is in the family. Priest says they’re family, but Truth isn’t part of the team. He likes Truth though, which is why Dominik and McDonagh are doing this. The beatdown is on but Miz runs in for the save, only to get beaten down as well. Truth and Miz getting the Tag Team Titles could be a nice moment.

Chelsea Green/Piper Niven vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark

Niven runs Stark over to start but it’s quickly off to Baszler to work on the arm. Green comes in to takeover on Stark, who hits a Z360 for a VERY quick win at 2:01. Baszler looked a bit confused there, even though her team won so I’m wondering if that wasn’t as planned.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and yeah the fans really like him. The fans say he deserves it, so Cody asks Samantha Irvin to introduce him as the back to back Royal Rumble winner one more time. Cody talks about how this place is supposed to be an escape for people but the last few days have been challenging. He needed the fans since then but let’s make Wrestlemania official.

Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt, saying he agrees with the fans: Cody deserves it. They might not see eye to eye, but Rollins is getting serious now: if Cody chooses to face Roan Reigns at Wrestlemania, he’s making a mistake. Cody should face Rollins instead and wants the fans to hear him out. At the Royal Rumble press conference, Cody said he was the guy, but neither he nor Roman Reigns is the guy anymore. Rollins is the guy, because of the World Heavyweight Championship.

It made sense to go after Reigns when there was only one champion, but Rhodes and Rollins have been on this ride together. They have made town after town and Rollins was defending the title every night. Why did the World Heavyweight Championship come to be? It’s because people were tired of Reigns barely being around to defend the title, but that’s not what Rollins does.

We don’t need to pretend that Reigns is something special anymore because we don’t need him at all. Does Cody want the Hulk Hogan Title, or does he want the Dusty Rhodes workhorse title? It doesn’t matter what Dusty would do because this is about Cody and his decision. Rollins can wait on an answer, but what kind of a man does Cody want to be? An emotional Cody says he respects Rollins and did not expect to be talking about this tonight. He’ll think about it. While I still think Cody picks Reigns, they did a really good job here of sewing some doubt, which is a god thing if you want the announcement to be a big moment.

New Day is ready to win another title when Kofi Kingston beats Gunther for the Intercontinental Title.

Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed

Reed runs him over to start and hits a hard clothesline. Back up and Jey manages to knock him outside for the suicide dive. We take a break and come back with Uso punching away and getting two off a high crossbody. The enziguri is knocked away though and Reed’s backsplash gets two. Reed goes up but gets knocked down, only to avoid the Superfly Splash. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets two but he misses the Tsunami. Uso spears him down and hits the Superfly Splash for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of win that can do some good for Uso. He wasn’t in there against a top star but he had to come from behind and gets a nice clean win. Uso is likely going to be getting to do something soon (a run at the Intercontinental Title wouldn’t shock me) and this should move him forward in more than one way.

Andrade officially signs with Raw but Nick Aldis interrupts. Adam Pearce introduces the two of them and runs down Andrade’s resume, though Aldis said Smackdown had its own contract offer. Andrade says say hi to Zelina Vega for him and leaves. Aldis says Bayley has been loaded to Raw for tonight, but before they can talk about the Elimination Chamber, Aldis takes a phone call from Bron Breakker.

Gunther talks about being glad Kofi Kingston challenged him because Kingston will remember this night for the rest of his life. After tonight though, Gunther will forget about Kofi and remember Gunther’s record setting title reign.

Becky Lynch is disappointed in losing but she’s not done fighting until she takes the title back to the main event where it deserves.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Kofi Kingston

Kingston is challenging and charges right at him to start. Some early shots to the face stagger Gunther but a backbreaker puts Kingston down. Gunther grabs the Boston crab and we’re off to an early break. Back with Gunther pounding away and telling Kingston to bring it. Gunther shrugs off a comeback attempt and grabs another Boston crab as we take another break.

Back again with Kingston hitting a jumping knee but getting caught in the sleeper. The powerbomb is broken up and they head outside, with Kingston countering another powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana into the post. Back in and Kingston hits Trouble In Paradise but Gunther rolls outside before the cover.

Kingston drapes him over the steps for a jumping shot to the back, followed by the top rope Boom Drop for two back inside. Another Trouble In Paradise is countered in a failed Boston crab attempt so Gunther hits the big clothesline. Another clothesline is countered into the SOS for two and Gunther has had enough. The dropkick and powerbomb retain the title at 16:18.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but once they got rolling, this got a lot better in a hurry. Kingston is in that sweet spot where he’s just good enough to feel like a threat while making Gunther look good. We’re coming up on Wrestlemania season and the shot against Gunther is going to be a big spot for someone. Jey Uso still feels like a real option, but it’s going to be someone big.

Post match Xavier Woods comes in to check on Kingston but Imperium comes in for the beatdown.

We look back at Drew McIntyre injuring Sami Zayn last month.

Sami talks about how he keeps getting things taken away by McIntyre, who is now targeting other people. Tonight, Sami is giving him a reality check.

Kabuki Warriors vs. Natalya/Tegan Nox

Non-title. Natalya runs Sane over to start so it’s off Now for some running shots to Asuka in the corner. A Cannonball keeps Asuka in trouble and it’s Natalya coming back in for the double running kicks to the face. We take a break and come back with Natalya fighting back on Asuka. A German suplex and discus clothesline look to set up the Sharpshooter so Asuka screams for Sane to save her. Natalya reaches for the tag to Nox but instead she goes to the floor to brawl with Sane. That goes badly, leaving Natalya to roll Asuka up for two. Asuka kicks Natalya down and the Insane Elbow finishes for Sane at 9:50.

Rating: C. Good grief. Natalya and Nox have teamed together SIX TIMES. Can we please stop acting like them having an issue and probably splitting up is in any way a big deal? Natalya isn’t interesting in the first place and pretending that this is some kind of a big deal isn’t making things better. This was a fine enough match but I rolled my eyes hard at the idea of some kind of a breakup angle between a team that was barely around in the first place.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are ready for their rematch for the Women’s Tag Team Titles next week.

Here is Bayley, with the rest of Damage CTRL, for a chat. Bayley talks about how everyone was saying she wasn’t as good once she came back from her injury but now she is back as the Royal Rumble winner. She beat the best women’s division ever and even broke Rhea Ripley’s Iron Woman record.

Cue Ripley to interrupt but Nia Jax jumps her from behind. The fight is on and they get in the ring, with Jax running her over and dropping the big leg. Jax drops two more plus the Annihilator before staring Bayley down in the corner. Ripley isn’t making it to Wrestlemania, but Bayley says she’s making her announcement on Smackdown. This was more about setting up Ripley for her Hogan vs. Andre style match in Australia.

Drew McIntyre says Sami Zayn has never beaten him and that isn’t changing tonight.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre jumps him to start and they go to the floor for an early break. Back with Sami hitting a sunset bomb for a much needed breather. Zayn fights back again but gets run over with a hard shot. McIntyre goes up top, only to get superplexed back down in quite the big crash.

The Helluva Kick is cut off with an elbow to the face, followed by the overhead belly to belly. White Noise plants Sami for two but he knocks McIntyre into the corner again. Another Helluva Kick is blocked with what appears to be a low blow. The Claymore finishes for McIntyre at 12:56.

Rating: C+. This got better near the end but it was kind of a flat main event. I’m not sure what WWE has in mind for McIntyre at Wrestlemania (though a match with Seth Rollins isn’t out of the cards) but this was just him beating Sami again. It was a good enough match, though nothing you need to really see.

Overall Rating: B-. The show started off on a down note but was picked up by some rather good action. They could only set up so much for Wrestlemania this week due to the Punk injury and probably a bunch of fallout from the lawsuit changing everything, but it could have been worse. They have more than enough time to get ready, but the build to Elimination Chamber can start next week.

Results
Judgment Day b. DIY – Coup de Grace to Ciampa
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark b. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven – Z360 to Green
Jey Uso b. Bronson Reed – Superfly Splash
Gunther b. Kofi Kingston – Powerbomb
Kabuki Warriors b. Tegan Nox/Natalya – Insane Elbow to Natalya
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore

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