IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 8, 2019
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re in the second week of the Paul Heyman era around here and so far, things have been rather successful. What matters most coming out of last week was how different things felt in the area of the show just feeling more energized. It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules, and hopefully we get something that can overcome the Baron Corbin Effect. Let’s get to it.

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

Andrade/Zelina Vega vs. Becky Lynch/Seth Rollins

Elimination rules for the sake of the commercials. Becky takes Vega down without much trouble to start but gets caught in a DDT. Another toss sends Vega into the corner so it’s off to the men for a change. Andrade works on a wristlock but gets armdragged down as the announcers talk about the personal and professional damage that could take place should Becky and Seth lose on Sunday. Rollins sends him outside for the suicide dive, leaving Becky to Dis-Arm Vega for the tap at 4:57. Hang on though as Becky goes into the crowd to fight Lacey Evans and we take a break.

Back with Andrade stomping away as Becky isn’t allowed in the match anymore. So….the elimination rules are pretty much worthless no? Andrade goes up top and knocks away a superplex attempt, setting up the top rope double stomp for two. Seth is fine enough to hit the springboard knee to the head for two but Vega, still at ringside, gets in a headscissors.

Becky dives onto her until Andrade breaks it up. Seth freaks out but Andrade runs Becky over by mistake. The distraction lets Andrade hit the running knees in the corner for two but Becky goes after Vega again. That distraction is enough for the Stomp to finish Andrade at 14:13.

Rating: D+. I don’t remember the last story and feud that I can remember that was this much death for everyone involved. I don’t know who benefits from this or who thinks this is a great idea, but egads it isn’t working. Both Rollins and Lynch feel like they’ve lost a bunch of energy and Corbin brings down any segment where he appears. Find something fresh after Sunday, because my goodness this is a disaster.

Post match Baron Corbin jumps Rollins so Lynch goes after Corbin, allowing Evans to pop back in with the Woman’s Right. Paul Heyman comes out and we take a break.

Post break Corbin and Lacey say that was easy and wonder how Rollins and Lynch are going to be when they lose their titles. Their relationship is purely professional because caring about each other would be a liability.

Back in the ring, Heyman talks about how there is going to be an event on Sunday which is all about being extreme. And it’s in Philadelphia, where he knows what it means to be extreme. This Sunday, Brock Lesnar will cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and that is a spoiler. Now Heyman has never lied about a spoiler, which makes it all the easier for him to lie about it now. Only he and Lesnar know the truth. Good grief we’re going to have to put up with this until Wrestlemania aren’t we?

We look back at the exploding set from last week and Bobby Lashley’s promo about sending Braun Strowman to the morgue next time. They’re in a Last Man Standing match on Sunday.

Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre ask a trash man to be Roman Reigns’ partner tonight.

Usos/Miz vs. Revival/Elias

Say it with me: 2/3 falls. Dawson takes Jimmy into the corner to start and Elias plants him with a slam. Wilder comes in and everything breaks down with Miz sending Elias into the barricade. The chase leaves Jimmy to take the Shatter Machine for the first fall at 3:02. Back from a break with Jimmy ducking a charge from Dawson as Elias has left the Revival down 3-2.

Jimmy fights out of the villainous beatdown and brings Jey back in for an enziguri to Wilder. Dawson comes back in with a brainbuster but it’s back to Miz for the Skull Crushing Finale and the second fall at 10:58. A double superkick to both Revivals sets up the Superfly Splash for the pin at 11:38.

Rating: D. How in the world is this supposed to be better than missing four minutes in a commercial and coming back with a chinlock? This is far more annoying than the Wildcard Rule, but I still wonder what the fans who don’t know about the rule are thinking. Is there a reason Miz has had four 2/3 falls matches in about two weeks?

We recap Renee Michelle and Drake Maverick’s honeymoon, which took place in the same city they live in. Drake kept taking pictures of himself with the title, mostly holding it in front of her face.

In the arena, Drake promises to give her a great honeymoon after the title stuff is done. That’s fine with Michelle, who says once it’s over, they can consummate the marriage. Drake is very happy and then runs away from the mob.

Here’s Rey Mysterio for his return to the show after six weeks off for a shoulder injury. He’ll get straight to the point: it’s an open challenge to anyone in the back.

Rey Mysterio vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley goes with the power to start but Rey gets in a tornado DDT. A dropkick to the back sets up a 619 but Rey dives into a lifting Downward Spiral. The spear finishes Rey at 1:53. Ok then.

Post match Lashley drags Rey to the top of the stage and teases gorilla pressing him through the set. Instead he throws Rey onto some referees and promises to be the last man standing on Sunday.

AJ Styles says he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation for the Club getting back together last week. The Good Brothers follow suit.

Cesaro vs. No Way Jose

Cesaro takes him to the floor before the bell so Jose manages a whip into the barricade. We start the match proper with Jose hitting a backdrop but getting run over again. The Sharpshooter finishes Jose at 1:13.

The Street Profits are here again to say that you should never cross Cesaro. They plug Extreme Rules and promote a few individual matches before making their predictions on McMahon/McIntyre vs. Undertaker/Roman Reigns. Dawkins thinks Undertaker and Reigns but they’re not sure about what will happen to Reigns tonight. Ford: “We’re out of time. KERWIN! IN THE TRUCK! TRANSITION!”

We look back at Maria Kanellis revealing that she is pregnant last week.

Mike Kanellis brings Maria some flowers and they say they love each other. Maria says she loves ice cream and it takes Mike a few seconds to get the hint. He finally offers to go get her some (with pickles). Mike: “Non fat ice cream it is.” Maria: “SO NOW YOU’RE SAYING I’m FAT???” That man is in so over his head.

We get a split screen interview with Bayley and Nikki Cross. Nikki is so thankful to Alexa Bliss but Bayley calls Bliss out for lying. Cross doesn’t want to hear this but Cole interrupts and explains tonight’s Beat the Clock Challenge. Bayley is facing Sarah Logan and isn’t afraid of the chaos Logan brings. Nikki, facing Dana Brooke, knows that she is overpowered and outsized but she’ll beat Dana for Alexa.

R-Truth and Carmella are hunting for Drake Maverick. Truth is worried that Drake is going to show his baby some scary movies. This turns into a chorus of With My Baby Tonight as Drake and the mob run past them. The chase is on….with Truth and Carmella running the wrong way.

Viking Raiders vs. Colin Justin/Devin Justin

Powerbomb into a big splash gets two with Ivar pulling Devin up. It’s a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam combination into the Viking Experience for the pin at 1:21. Total and complete squash.

Post match it’s Drake and the Mob running into the ring with Heath Slater being destroyed. Truth thinks better of it and runs away with Carmella on his back again.

Roman Reigns isn’t worried about tonight’s tag match.

Ricochet vs. Luke Gallows

Non-title. Before the match, Ricochet talks about AJ Styles turning on him and the beatdown from last week. He knows that’s going to happen this week as well so all three of them can get out here. That’s exactly what happens too but AJ grabs a mic of his own. AJ tells Ricochet to appreciate the moment because Gallows is about to give him another beating. Speaking of appreciating the moment, here’s a clip from last week’s beatdown.

Back in the arena, Gallows wastes no time in hitting a big chokeslam. The chinlock goes on and Gallows turns him inside out on a clothesline. AJ is very, very pleased with this beating. Gallows loads up a fall away slam but Ricochet slips out and reverses into a sunset flip for the pin at 2:59.

Hang on though as AJ says Ricochet can leave or fight Karl Anderson RIGHT NOW.

Ricochet vs. Karl Anderson

Non-title again. Anderson runs Ricochet over this time and gets two off a clothesline. The chinlock goes on again as AJ is rather pleased again this time around. This time the comeback is cut off with the spinebuster and Gallows adds a right hand. Ricochet nails him with a flip dive, followed by the middle rope moonsault to Styles. Back in and Anderson hits the post, leaving Ricochet to hit the 630 for the pin at 4:30.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere and while I like the idea of Ricochet getting some momentum, I could have gone without having him beat both Good Brothers in a row. That being said, they didn’t have many other options and at least the first one looked more like a fluke. Anderson and Gallows will be fine as big lackeys anyway.

Post match AJ hits a brainbuster on Ricochet, followed by the Magic Killer. AJ says he’s a good guy and leaves, but Ricochet gets up so it’s a Phenomenal Forearm for his efforts.

Ad for Saturday’s Evolve ten year anniversary show.

Drake comes up to Michelle and says he survived the night. Truth and Carmella pop up out of a case and the chase is on again.

Shane and Drew offer a janitor $5000 to be Reigns’ partner. They’ll even give him a mask. That’s fine with him as long as he gets the $5000.

Bayley vs. Sarah Logan

Beat the Clock Challenge with whoever gets the fastest time getting to choose the stipulation for Bayley vs. Bliss. Bayley hits a quick high crossbody for two but Logan hits a pop up headbutt. A baseball slide puts Bayley on the floor and it’s back inside for Logan to crank on the leg. The CM PUNK chants begin as Bayley escapes but the comeback is cut off by a clothesline for one. Bayley fights up again and this a sunset bomb into the corner for the win at 4:32.

Rating: D. Can you blame the fans for being bored? This was the match that gets to be set against the other match with the winner of that getting to pick a stipulation for a title match with someone involved who isn’t in either of these matches. Just name a stipulation and stop coming up with excuses for short matches. It’s ok to have them, but one excuse after another comes off as dumb and the fans are going to get sick of it, especially under these circumstances.

Dana Brooke vs. Nikki Cross

The time is set at 4:32. Dana bails to the floor to start and hugs Bayley, who is fine with the collusion. Back in and a slingshot dropkick gives Nikki two but Brooke grabs a rollup for the same (and for some blatant spot calling). Dana slams her down but misses the Swanton, only to small package Cross for two. Not that it matters as the Purge finishes Brooks at 2:42.

Post match Cross wants Bayley in the ring to say something to her face. For weeks, Bayley has been trying to tell Nikki that Bliss is out to stab her in the back so Nikki is going to show her what friendship is. It’s going to be a 2-1 handicap match on Sunday with Nikki helping Bliss win the title back. Nikki suggests that Bayley find a friend to slap some sense into her, so Bayley slaps Nikki and hits the Bayley to Belly. Bayley even drops the top rope elbow. They’re teasing the heck out of Sasha Banks here and please….no.

Mike brings Maria the ice cream and pickles but she can’t eat that because it’ll make her fat. She wants to know if Mike would impregnate her right now if he could. Of course he would, but that’s never happening again. She’s not even sure if he did it this time. Mike: “……what are we doing?” Maria: “LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME!!!” Mike leaves out of fear.

We recap Corbin and Evans beating down Rollins and Becky earlier tonight.

Rollins and Lynch don’t like being asked about their personal lives about Sunday. They’re walking out as champions, just like they’re walking in. Rollins: “Uh, yeah. What she said.”

We look back at Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe’s brawl on Smackdown.

The Street Profits predict some more matches but Dawkins has to tell Ford not to imitate the Rock. Dawkins picks Corbin and Evans to win and Ford stares blankly at the camera. Dawkins: “GOT HIM!” He really picks Becky and it’s time to sing about wanting the smoke.

Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns/Gary Garbutt

Before the match, Shane promises to destroy Reigns on Sunday. Drew says Reigns has no respect for anyone but he’ll beat some into Roman on Sunday. Shane introduces Gary with a list of accomplishments and we’re ready to go. Gary, in a mask and full body suit, is limping to the ring and holding his stomach so things aren’t going to go well here. Drew starts fast with a headbutt to Reigns but gets knocked into Gary for the tag.

Gary manages an enziguri but botches a springboard clothesline. The Neutralizer has Cole wondering who he is as Gary, the guy of Cedric Alexander’s size does Cedric Alexander’s offense (Is this some kind of a rib on Rhyno appearing at Slammiversary last night?). A big running flip dive takes Drew down and Gary hits a springboard crossbody on Shane. Drew comes back in with a Claymore though and Shane gets the pin at 2:13.

Post match Reigns unmasks Gary and of course it’s Cedric. That’s quite the non surprise to end the show. Sidebar: is Reigns hurt or something? Since Stomping Grounds he’s barely been in the ring and his appearances feel like they’re being kept short every time.

Overall Rating: D+. This was some weird hybrid of Heyman and Vince’s Raws and the end result was not pretty. There were ten matches on this show (including a 2/3 falls match) and more than half of them were too short to rate. I prefer a bunch of short matches, but don’t make it so obvious that you’re trying to have short matches and need a bunch of ways to get there. The no wrestling during commercial thing continues to be more annoying than useful but you know how Vince can be when he gets stuck on an idea.

The bigger problem continues to be the lack of a good top story. They have got to get past this mixed tag/Seth vs. Corbin thing in a hurry because it’s killing what could be an otherwise entertaining show. Throw in Shane and Drew hunting for a bad partner (Again, an acceptable enough idea, but where it the benefit in having Cedric under the mask if he’s going to lose just as fast as anyone else would have?) and it was hard to get behind the big stuff tonight. There were a lot of nice little things going on, but it felt like throwing as much as possible against the wall and seeing what stuck.

I can’t blame Heyman for how things are going yet because he still has to deal with the two top stories that just don’t work. Corbin and Shane are still the same problems they’ve been for months and Eddie Graham in his prime would have trouble making people care about them. Until they’re gone, it doesn’t make much of a difference what Heyman does. This show was better than a few weeks ago, but the same problems have have been around for weeks were around here again and there aren’t many ways around that.

Results

Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch b. Zelina Vega/Andrade – Stomp to Andrade

Miz/Usos b. Revival/Elias – Superfly splash to Dawson

Bobby Lashley b. Rey Mysterio – Spear

Cesaro b. No Way Jose – Sharpshooter

Viking Raiders b. Colin Justin/Devin Justin – Viking Experience to Colin

Ricochet b. Luke Gallows – Sunset flip

Ricochet b. Karl Anderson – 630

Bayley b. Sarah Logan – Sunset bomb into the corner

Nikki Cross b. Dana Brooke – Purge

Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre b. Roman Reigns/Gary Garbutt – Claymore to Garbutt

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: June 18, 2019
Location: Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Stomping Grounds and that means we’re needing some final pushes towards the show. That means Dolph Ziggler, who faces New Day member Xavier Woods tonight. Other than that, it’s likely going to be some hard sells before Sunday, which could go multiple ways. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s New Day to get things going. Dolph Ziggler is getting his title shot against Kofi Kingston in a steel cage, but first he has to get through Xavier Woods. Big E. has an idea about redubbing the second hour of the show the Freaky Hour, which involves a slip n slide, Woods and….here’s Ziggler to interrupt. Ziggler calls this traditional New Day, because Kofi is hiding behind New Day again.

That won’t happen on Sunday when he has to face Ziggler one on one inside the cage. The next time he goes back to Ghana, he’ll have to tell everyone that he failed. Kofi talks about how this has been a long journey and promises to make it continue after Stomping Grounds. That’s Sunday though, because tonight, Woods is going to take care of Ziggler first. Ziggler laughs it off and promises to end the positivity at Stomping Grounds because it should have been him.

Good grief never let Ziggler show up on TV again. I was a fan for a little while years ago but sweet goodness I’m sick of hearing his stupid IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME promo. It should have been about a dozen other people other than Ziggler but he was over like six years ago so we need to see him again here.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Xavier Woods

Ziggler takes him to the mat for an early near fall to start but a drop toehold puts Ziggler in 619 position. The dropkick to the back makes it worse but Ziggler dropkicks the knee. Woods fights out of a chinlock and goes up top, only to have Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn run down and take out Big E. and Kofi. That’s a double ejection but Woods dives onto Owens and Zayn before they can go. Back in and Ziggler’s jumping DDT gets two as we take a break.

We come back with Woods making a comeback, including knocking Ziggler to the floor for a baseball slide. A gorilla press gutbuster gets two on Ziggler in a rare Woods power display. Ziggler is back up and sends Woods to the apron with a superkick knocking him to the floor. The Zig Zag connects back inside and Ziggler bends Woods’ arm around the rope instead of covering. A superkick against the ropes finishes Woods at 11:33.

Rating: C. Not a bad match, though Ziggler has now gone lower than a bad infection on my scale of usefulness. It’s the same promo, same match, same intensity that will go away as soon as the big match begins and the same reaction of I wouldn’t mind if I never saw him again. Woods has gotten better in the ring, though he’s still the weakest member of the team in that area.

We look back at Seth Rollins’ path of chair shots last night on Raw. You have two hours a week and you’re spending time recapping a Baron Corbin storyline. This is why no one likes you these days.

Baron Corbin is here to pick his referee and Shelton Benjamin and the B Team are waiting to audition. Matt Hardy leaves the office and tells Shelton that he’s next.

Here are Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for a Moment of Bliss. Hang on though as Bliss doesn’t have her coffee. Cue Bayley with the coffee, though she drinks it instead. Bliss starts talking about Bayley being horrible so Bayley wants to hear it from her face to face. Bliss gets up and the size difference is hilarious, even though Bayley isn’t that tall.

After Bliss calls Bayley out for being two faced, Bayley talks about Bliss always being the one who tries to start drama because she’s an entitled little princess. Bliss: “I’m not entitled. I’m just better than you.” Bayley says she has proven herself but Bliss says Bayley peaked in NXT. The fight is on but Nikki offers a distraction so Bliss can deck Bayley.

Apollo Crews comes up to Zelina Vega to ask about Andrade. Vega accused him of flirting with her and here’s Andrade to jump him from behind. Chad Gable continues to watch and take notes.

Heavy Machinery vs. B-Team

Heavy Machinery get their title shot against Daniel Bryan/Rowan, on commentary here, on Sunday. We get the ode to the Bushwhackers on the way to the ring, with Bryan ripping on them for being in the Hall of Fame. Bryan: “Koko B. Ware is in the Hall of Fame. Should we aspire to be Koko B. Ware?” The big guys waste no time in throwing the B-Team around, including a splash in the corner to Dallas. That sets up the Caterpillar and the Compactor to finish Dallas at 3:10.

Rating: D. The match was nothing of course but it was exactly what the match should have been. You have champions already set up and now the new team is beating a bunch of teams to get set up for their title shot. That’s close to how it worked back in the day and this is as close as you can get in today’s goofy booking.

Post match here’s Seth Rollins to chair the B-Team. It’s 8:50 and we’re at four Wild Card appearances, not counting Corbin.

Shane McMahon arrives and is greeted by Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. They complain about Kofi, so Shane makes the two of them against Seth and Kofi for later tonight.

Aleister Black was told he would never amount to anything and would always fall from grace. This isn’t a woe is me story because it’s a woe is his opponents story. Someone will come knocking at his door and it will be woe for them. How hard can it be to find someone for him to beat up every week?

Here are Shane McMahon, Elias and Drew McIntyre (five and we’re halfway through the show) for a chat. Shane doesn’t have Greg Hamilton do the introduction because everyone knows he’s the best in the world. On Sunday, Drew is going to wreck Roman Reigns….and here’s Miz to interrupt as we hit half a dozen.

Miz shows us a clip of Reigns destroying everyone last night and Shane asks if that’s supposed to be funny. No it isn’t, so we see a clip of Shane running from Reigns in slow motion. We get the Superman Punch and spear in slow motion as well, with Miz saying he didn’t know it was possible to sweat faster in slow motion. Shane bans anyone else from playing any more clips. Miz: “Oh calm down kid. You’re the boss’ son.”

Miz promises to take care of Drew after Sunday so Shane calls Miz’s dad out for looking like a baked potato. That sends Miz into a rant about Shane and his friends taking over everything and how sick it has everyone. It’s all Miz’s fault for letting Shane take over at World Cup (Why can no one remember the name of that show?) when he let Shane take his place.

Shane says Miz won because he was better so let’s have a tag match tonight. It’s Miz/a partner of his choosing against Elias/Drew McIntyre, though Miz has ten seconds to find a partner. As the countdown goes on, R-Truth jumps the barricade and Miz makes him the partner. Shane: “I didn’t see that one coming.”

The AOP are in the back (eight) and run into the IIconics for the best buddy comedy that I never need to see. With the AOP gone (SO glad they were brought in for this), the IIconics run into Paige and the Kabuki Warriors. Paige has gotten a match booked for next week in Tokyo and if the Warriors win, they get a title shot at some point.

R-Truth/The Miz vs. Elias/Drew McIntyre

Elimination Rules just because. Elias shoulders Miz to start but gets taken down by the arm. It’s off to Truth for the dancing legdrop and some hip thrusting, meaning McIntyre comes in. Truth gets pummeled down in the corner and Elias adds some choking. A very snappy suplex gives Drew two but Truth low bridges Elias to the floor. Shane offers a distraction so Elias can hit a running knee in the corner for the pin.

With Truth down, here’s the mob to grab the title. The referee says that doesn’t count so Truth grabs the title back and runs through the crowd. Back from a break with Miz kicking Elias out of the air and getting two off the DDT. The YES Kicks make it worse but McIntyre hits the Glasgow Kiss from the floor. The Claymore finishes Miz at 10:10.

Rating: D+. I’m still trying to get my head around the idea of having a title chase going on during a match.  You would think Elias would have shouted to the referee to count a second pin but why do that when he clearly doesn’t care about the title? Oh and we’re coming up on double digit appearances from Raw names tonight but there’s no Reigns. Someone want to explain that to me?

Post match Drew hits two more Claymores.

Stomping Grounds rundown.

Ember Moon is looking for Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Carmella runs by looking for Truth. They go in different directions and Ember finds who she’s looking for. Mandy and Sonya are eating donuts and Ember rants about how she’s dealt with people like them her entire life. The donuts are knocked away and the fight is on with referees breaking it up.

Kofi/Seth vs. Owens/Zayn is now 2/3 falls match as they continue to throw gimmicks out there for no apparent reason in a very Bro style of booking.

Here’s this week’s Firefly Fun House.

Truth and Carmella run but there’s a referee waiting by the car. Truth: “You’re an Uber driver and a referee?” Actually hang on as Carmella is really Drake Maverick in disguise. A rollup with his feet in the car gives Maverick the pin. Maverick steals the car because he’s getting married and he’s the champion. Truth wants to know why he wasn’t invited to Carmella’s wedding.

Seth Rollins/Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

2/3 falls with less than twelve minutes to go. Seth hits Trouble in Paradise to pin Sami for the first fall in nine seconds and we take a break about 45 seconds in. Back with the bell ringing to start the second fall and Seth hitting the Sling Blade on Owens. The champs start in on Owens’ arm but he gets a DDT on Rollins. We see Paul Heyman watching in the back and according to WWE.com, he’s officially on Raw so that’s nine.

Sami grabs a chinlock but can’t hit a superplex. Instead Rollins headbutts him down but has to slug it out with Owens while still sitting on the buckle. The Blockbuster takes Owens down again and that’s enough for the tag off to Kofi. The pace quickens and the Boom Drop hits Sami.

There’s the spinning high crossbody for two more but Sami’s Blue Thunder Bomb gives him two of his own. Rollins comes back in to run Owens over but Sami breaks up the Stomp. Owens gets two off a rollup, followed by a superkick. The Pop Up Powerbomb is countered and the low superkick sets up an enziguri. Now the Stomp can finish Owens at 11:19.

Rating: D+. The match itself was fine if it’s a one fall match but for a 2/3 falls match, this felt like the cop out that it was. Oh and well done on having Kevin and Sami lose AGAIN, which sets them up for their next loss on Sunday to New Day. The booking continues to make my head hurt but that’s just what you have to expect.

Overall Rating: D. What was that? I mean what in the world was that??? The Wild Card Rule stuff aside, you have the 24/7 Title still being all over the place, gimmicks being thrown together for the sake of throwing them together, the first thirty minutes being devoted to DOLPH ZIGGLER and more Shane goodness. The show was far from dull, but it felt like they were writing it on napkins during the two hours. You might have some fun watching it due to all the zaniness, but good luck trying to make sense of a lot of it.

Results

Dolph Ziggler b. Xavier Woods – Superkick

Heavy Machinery b. B-Team – Compactor to Dallas

Drew McIntyre/Elias b. R-Truth/The Miz – Claymore to Miz

Kofi Kingston/Seth Rollins b. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn – Stomp to Owens

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: June 4, 2019
Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Super ShowDown and that means it’s time to really crank up the build towards….wherever Jeddah happens to be. In this case that means Goldberg making his Smackdown debut, along with whatever the WWE Champion (and arguably the fifth, at most, biggest star in the company) is up to. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to open things up. Kofi talks about being here for so long and how many things he’s accomplished, including becoming champion, having friends and of course, pancakes. We see a video of Kofi going back to Ghana for the first time in 26 years as a national hero. He even got to meet with the President, which is a pretty cool accomplishment.

Back in the arena, Kofi talks about how amazing of a feeling it is to be able to tell the children that they can do whatever they want to do….and here’s Dolph Ziggler to interrupt. Ziggler, who sounds like he has a sore throat, talks about how inspirational Kofi is before showing us a video about….himself. The video asks about Ziggler’s story and how he has been silenced over the years.

After everything he’s done, he has gotten nothing in return. Ziggler says it should have been him because he should have been the hero of the story. Kofi talks about all the times Ziggler has beaten him and how he knows what it’s like to be overlooked. There was something Ziggler left out, so can we see that footage please (So Kofi was surprised that Ziggler interrupted him but already had a rebuttal video ready to the video Ziggler showed him???).

That would be Ziggler vacating the US Title in December 2017 and walking out (which was never addressed). At Super ShowDown, it won’t be Ziggler and as long as Kofi is champion, it will never be Ziggler. Hang on because Ziggler has ANOTHER video, showing him attacking Kofi two weeks ago. Ziggler says on Friday, it will be him. As Ziggler leaves, here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for their tag match.

This was pretty terrible and a great example of so many of WWE’s problems at the moment. Not only was it a lot of talking, but the story barely makes any sense. So Ziggler is jealous of Kofi’s popularity, even though he’s had the chance to be the star multiple times and has blown it every time? Why am I supposed to want to see Ziggler have another chance to blow it when he’s done so this many times? I know he’s the heel in the whole thing, but it’s still Ziggler. Did they have no one else to plug into a one off title match?

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods

Sami pounds away on Xavier to start so Woods goes with an armbar for some success of his own. It’s off to Kofi to take Kevin down for some right hands both on the mat and in the corner as the fans aren’t exactly thrilled. Sami comes back in and gets stomped down in the corner as we get a two man Unicorn Stampede. A slingshot dropkick has Sami in trouble so it’s time for a breather.

Of course Kofi hits a dive, with Owens barely catching him as it’s all New Day so far. Woods gets sent into the barricade though and there’s the backsplash to make it worse inside. A short clothesline sets up another backsplash and we take a break. Back with Woods shoving Owens off the top and diving over for the tag to Kofi so the pace can pick up again. Everything breaks down and Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise to finish Sami at 10:26.

Rating: C. I know they haven’t done this match very often but it feels like something I’ve seen a dozen times. It was the same formula, the same story, the same ending and the same everything. There just wasn’t much going on here and I still have no desire to see Kofi vs. Ziggler, but at least they got through a full fourth of the show without addressing anything else.

Post match Ziggler comes in and superkicks Kofi and Woods.

Shane McMahon shows us a clip of last night’s beatdown of Roman Reigns. Anything Reigns can do, Shane can do better because he’s the Best in the World. He’ll be calling Reigns out soon and wants to know which dog is showing up.

It’s time for a Moment of Bliss with Bayley as this week’s guest. Hang on though as Bliss needs to complain about her coffee and we have to wait for a replacement to get out here before Bayley is going to be asked a question. Bliss talks about how awesome she was as Women’s Champion and all of her accomplishments before asking if Bayley thinks the title means anything now.

Hang on though as Bliss needs to get her coffee. Bayley slaps it out of her hand and a brawl is teased but here’s Carmella to interrupt. You can’t just show up from Raw and challenge the champ because we need…..and here’s Charlotte because of course she’s here. She’s been talking to Shane and tonight it’s a triple threat between Carmella, Bliss and Charlotte with the winner getting to face Bayley at Stomping Grounds.

The announcers talk about Goldberg and Undertaker as Charlotte’s music keeps playing.

Carmella finds R-Truth and is trying to get in touch with Shane McMahon. Carmella’s phone rings and it’s Shane, because R-Truth has been using her phone. R-Truth takes the phone and asks who it is. The title is ruining his life and he apologizes for ruining Shane McMahon Appreciation Night. Tonight it’s going to be a title defense with standard rules….and that’s right now.

24/7 Title: R-Truth vs. Elias

R-Truth is defending and it’s a lumberjack match with the usual mob of challengers around the ring. Elias throws him outside for a quick beating and it’s a jumping knee to the face for the pin and the title at 26 seconds.

The mob gets up and Elias gets beaten down but manages to slip away from the rather dumb mob. R-Truth chases him under the ring and pins him under there to get the title back. Drake Maverick dives after R-Truth and completely misses as the champ gets over the barricade. Both title matches took less than two minutes combined.

Aleister Black says no one has taken him up on his offer for a fight, even though he’s not a hard man to find. He’ll be waiting until someone comes to knock on his door.

Here’s Shane McMahon to call out Roman Reigns, but he has the Revival with him (and that only counts as one Wild Card entry, as if WWE suddenly cares about that making sense, despite having several Raw names in the previous match alone). After the big introduction and the CM Punk chants, Shane talks about how awesome the Revival is.

We see another clip of Reigns’ beatdown from last night before Shane talks about training dogs. Most of them are fine, but then there’s one dog where you have to take it to another level. That’s Roman Reigns, who Shane will neuter on Friday. Cue Reigns, who beats down the Revival and goes for Shane but gets Claymored by Drew McIntyre. Shane gets in another spear.

Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte

The winner gets the title shot at Bayley at Stomping Grounds. It’s a brawl to start with Bliss sunset flipping Charlotte for two. Bliss is sent outside and it’s the Code of Silence to Charlotte, who powers out of it and drops Carmella. Now it’s Bliss coming back in but getting kicked in the face as Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose come down the ramp. The distraction lets Charlotte chop away at both Bliss and Carmella but she stops to point at Sonya and Mandy.

Back from a break with Carmella hurricanranaing Charlotte off the top for two with the fans being surprised by the kickout. Charlotte gets the Figure Eight on Carmella but Bliss dives in with Twisted Bliss for the save. Carmella gets knocked to the floor so Bliss grabs a rollup with trunks for two on Charlotte. That’s broken up so Carmella superkicks Charlotte but gets pulled down by Mandy and Sonya. The DDT gives Bliss the pin on Carmella at 8:48.

Rating: C-. Totally run of the mill triple threat match here though I’m very, very glad to see someone fresh getting in the title hunt (yeah Bliss has been champion several times before, but it’s been a long time). They need something to get away from Charlotte for the time being and Bliss has shown she can hang in the ring.

Here’s Lars Sullivan for his first interview. When asked why he does what he does, he asks why lions methodically stalk their prey before viciously ripping it apart. Lars has come to realize that he is no man. He has been described as one word, but he wants Kayla Braxton to say it. The word is freak, which doesn’t fit. A lion kills prey and is called a lion, but when he hurts people, he’s called a freak. With that out of the way, Lars recites his own version of Three Blind Mice, which involves destroying the mice like he’ll do to the Lucha House Party on Friday. Sullivan sounded nervous and he would have been better off not talking.

Andrade vs. Apollo Crews

And never mind as Andrade jumps Crews before the bell and hits the hammerlock DDT. No match.

Finn Balor runs in to brawl with Andrade, who gives him a hammerlock DDT as well.

We run down the Super ShowDown card.

We look at HHH and Randy Orton calmly ranting at each other last night.

Here’s Goldberg for the first time ever on Smackdown. He thanks the fans for their chants and says it’s time to get down to business. He’s been waiting over twenty years to face the Undertaker one on one. Last night he heard Undertaker say he didn’t want the family man Goldberg. That statement made a light go off in Goldberg’s head and he knows he wants the same Goldberg to face Undertaker as well.

At Super ShowDown, Undertaker will Rest in Peace…and there goes the gong. Undertaker is behind Goldberg, who seems rather pleased about this. They stare each other down and the lights go out again so Undertaker can disappear. Goldberg says he’ll see Undertaker on Friday and it’s going to be a ride.

The announcers talk about Super ShowDown for the last few minutes to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Are they giving the wrestlers the time off before this weekend’s big trip? I could go for more than three matches, with one of them being thirty seconds long, to fill in two hours, but at least the ending segment was very good. The talking being a little bit shorter (along with the rest of the show) helps here but it’s still not worth seeing most weeks. Super ShowDown just needs to be done already because the build has been terrible, but then we have less than two weeks to get to Stomping Grounds and three weeks later it’s Extreme Rules. Happy summer everyone!

Results

Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods b. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn – Trouble in Paradise to Zayn

Elias b. R-Truth – Jumping knee to the face

Alexa Bliss b. Charlotte and Carmella – DDT to Carmella

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: May 30, 2019
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Renee Young, Byron Saxton

It’s back to the recap show and as usual, that could mean a little bit of anything. Main Event has become one of the more interesting shows around, though not for the good reasons. What makes this show so interesting is seeing how much of a mess they can turn a simple recap show into, which doesn’t bode well for this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Cedric Alexander vs. EC3

THIRD TIME IN A ROW BABY! Renee: “The Age of Alexander has come to Main Event!” When did it ever leave? EC3 wastes no time in chopping away in the corner, as there isn’t much need to feel someone out when you’ve fought them for two weeks. Cedric kicks him in the face and heads to the apron but a springboard is broken up. A whip into the corner sets up a flipping neckbreaker for two on Cedric and we hit the chinlock.

Cedric fights up and gets two off a sunset flip before a double clothesline gives us a double knockdown. Some right hands and an elbow to the face have EC3 in more trouble but the springboard Downward Spiral is blocked. EC3’s forward DDT gets two and he crotches Cedric on top. The top rope superplex gets two….and Cedric flips out of a belly to back suplex, setting up the Lumbar Check for the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C. The worst part here is how nice of a match they can put together after so much time spent facing each other. I still have no idea why EC3 is stuck here, but I have less of an idea why Cedric is stuck here. There had to be some reason to call him up and I can’t imagine it was to be in the opening match of Main Event week after week. How can that be the best they can do with him?

From Raw.

Here are Lesnar and Heyman again because the announcement didn’t come earlier. There’s a referee out there this time too because Heyman says it’s time to make his announcement. Before that can go anywhere, here’s Rollins to cut him off. Rollins says the title is his life as Lesnar laughs about the briefcase. Lesnar makes a mockery out of the title because he’s a joke. Seth stomped Lesnar at Wrestlemania and he can do it again right now.

This is Lesnar’s chance so Seth implores him to cash it in. Heyman reads the contract to the referee but Lesnar covers the mic after hearing that he has a year. Brock: “I GOT A YEAR???” And he slaps Heyman with the contract. Heyman: “DIDN’T YOU KNOW?” Lesnar: “NO!” Lesnar actually takes the mic and says screw Rollins before walking away. Lesnar hitting him with the contract was funny, making it the only entertaining thing on the show so far.

From Raw.

The Miz vs. Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Baron Corbin

Elimination rules and the winner gets Rollins at Super ShowDown. It’s a brawl to start with Lashley and Strowman quickly clearing the ring to set up their big staredown. Lashley leapfrogs him but gets caught by the throat. That’s powered away but Strowman gets the grip back on his throat, only to have Corbin make the save. Miz comes back in and kicks Lashley and Corbin down, only to miss the big one of course.

Corbin belly to back suplexes Miz for two but a superplex attempt is broken up. Naturally that sets up the Tower of Doom with Strowman powerbombing everyone down and getting a bunch of two counts. Everyone heads outside with Lashley breaking up Strowman’s running shoulder around the ring. Strowman gets suplexed onto the ramp and we take a break. Back with all four still in and Miz getting double teamed this time around. Lashley chokes on the rope but Miz fights back, only to get caught in Deep Six for two.

Strowman is back in and hits the running splashes to Corbin and Lashley and it’s time to go outside. Lashley dives onto Strowman to take him out and they fight into the crowd. Corbin comes back in but gets sunset flipped to give Miz two. Miz fires off the kicks but charges into the End of Days for the pin at 16:14….which gives Corbin the win and the title shot because Strowman and Lashley were eliminated when they went into the crowd? Sure why not.

Rating: D+. They bring this stuff on themselves. WWE went out of their way to announce that this was a four way match and then mentioned there were no countouts or disqualifications. Apparently there is however an out of bounds rule, which has just never been mentioned until now. All you have to do to avoid this is not make it elimination rules, but apparently that’s too much to ask. I don’t understand this, but I’m sure the answer is “what difference does it make”.

We see Dolph Ziggler laying out Kofi Kingston on Smackdown and his post beatdown promo.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House with Bray holding up a paper plate mask. He finds it hard to be brave sometimes but when he hides behind the mask, everything is ok. Abby asks why Bray is a sicko but Bray insists that it’s not true. Is Bray a doctor now? A light bulb literally goes off about his head and Bray is now in a doctor’s outfit so he can diagnose Abby as a bully. Abby doesn’t want to be stuck in this limbo anymore….so Bray breaks out a limbo pole and spider walks underneath it while saying his catchphrase.

Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins vs. Luke Gallows/Karl Anderson

Non-title, because the Raw Tag Team Titles are worthless. Ryder and Anderson start things off with Karl being taken into the corner so Ryder can hit a running knee to the chest. Hawkins comes in for and gets caught in the corner as the champs (Ryder and Hawkins, because you might need a reminder) are in trouble. Gallows adds some headbutts and we take a break with Ryder making the comeback as we seemed to have missed a good bit of the match.

The middle rope dropkick allows the hot tag to Hawkins for some middle rope dropkicks. The Michinoku Driver gets two on Anderson, who comes right back with a side slam for two of his own. Ryder is back in though, allowing Hawkins to hit an enziguri on Anderson. A Samoan drop/middle rope flipping neckbreaker finishes Anderson at 6:51.

Rating: D+. The Raw tag team division might be the greatest example of everything wrong with WWE right now. They put the titles on Hawkins and Ryder so the Wrestlemania fans would react. Then they wait two months and seem to forget that Hawkins and Ryder are champions, meaning the entire division, including the Viking Raiders, is completely forgotten. They don’t bother trying to do anything with the division or the titles, leaving fans wondering what the point is in even keeping the titles around.

Video on Randy Orton vs. HHH.

Roman Reigns/R-Truth vs. Elias/Drew McIntyre

Truth is banged up and the 24/7 Rules are suspended. Hang on as Elias, McIntyre and Shane jump Truth during his entrance. Reigns helps beat up Elias and McIntyre as Shane gets stared up the ramp. The bell rings and Shane offers a distraction so Elias can hammer away on Reigns in the corner. The neck crank has Reigns in early trouble until a Samoan drop breaks things up. Truth actually comes in so it’s a Glasgow Kiss to cut him off in a hurry. Drew whips him into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Truth still in trouble as Elias and McIntyre take turns beating on him. Truth manages to send Drew outside though and the diving tag brings in Reigns for a nice reaction. The corner clotheslines and a big boot drop Elias as everything breaks down. The apron boot hits Elias but Reigns has to punch Shane in the face. Drew misses the Claymore on the distracted Reigns and it’s a spear to finish Elias at 10:44.

Rating: D+. Just a main event tag here and there wasn’t exactly a lot of doubt in how things were going to be finishing up. If nothing else though, it was nice to have Shane be the pesky manager he should be rather than getting in the ring to have these matches. He’s fine in that role, but for some reason WWE would rather have him be competitive in major matches. I’m sure there’s no connection to that and the lack of solid, top heels in the company.

Post match Reigns has an idea and spears Elias again so Truth can win the title back. I mean, it is beneath Reigns to win it after all.

Overall Rating: D. This show accomplished two things: show how worthless the Tag Team Titles are and reminding me just how bad Raw was this week. WWE is a mess at the moment and it feels like there is too much going on at once. However, WWE seems to think that the solution is a comedy title for lower level wrestlers and more Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Baron Corbin. It’s going to take some time to get out of this, and I’m not sure how much longer fans are going to wait for them.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 28, 2019
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re finishing the month tonight with another night of pumping up Super ShowDown, which may in fact be better than (or equal to) Wrestlemania. Whatever is presented tonight almost has to be better than last night’s show, but WWE has shown an incredible ability to lower the bar before. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Dolph Ziggler returning last week and destroying Kofi Kingston.

Here’s Kevin Owens for a match but you know we can’t start things off that easily. Before he gets to talk, we see a long video on Owens joining and then turning on New Day, plus attacking Big E.’s knee last week. Back in the arena, Owens talks about how he wanted to do a Kevin Owens Show here but Oklahoma doesn’t deserve him. He’s been accused of attacking Big E. but he had nothing to do with that. Owens likes the idea of Dolph Ziggler winning the WWE Championship because it will be due to what Owens has done. Cue Owens’ opponent to cut him off.

Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title. Hang on again though as Kofi grabs the mic and says he doesn’t believe Owens didn’t attack Big E. Owens lied about wanting to be part of the New Day because he is a liar. Kofi says tonight, Owens is going to pay for what he did to Big E.’s knee and attacking Woods week in and week out. Kofi dropkicks him at the bell but Owens drops him on the back of his head to take over as we hit an early break.

Back with Kofi in trouble but managing to fight out of a chinlock. Owens pulls him right back down and send Kofi head first into the mat. For some reason Owens goes for Kofi’s feet but gets kicked to the floor, setting up the big dive over the top to drop Owens again. We take another break and come back again with Kofi fighting out of another chinlock. Owens sends him outside again though and hits a frog splash off the apron to crush the ribs all over again.

That’s good for a nine count, followed by another frog splash for two back inside. Owens goes up top but this time Kofi is there to forearm away. A headbutt knocks Kofi down and the Swanton gets two as these kickouts are becoming way too much to take. The Pop Up powerbomb is countered and a quick Trouble in Paradise gives Kofi the pin at 16:48.

Rating: C+. Yeah that was too much for Kofi to survive and Owens was hurt pretty badly by not being able to beat him after two frog splashes and a Swanton. Kofi surviving three big spots like that took me out of things and I just didn’t buy it. The rest of the match was good, but it was hard to believe what I was seeing.

R-Truth and Carmella run from everyone with Truth saying how hard it is to defend the European Title. He has to run all the time, even at the dentist’s office. Do you know how hard it is to get a cavity filled when you have to kick out of pins? They run off and evade Drake Maverick, who has the wanted posters again.

Here are Daniel Bryan and Rowan for a chat. Bryan calls the Smackdown tag team division a joke, which is completely accurate. Rowan even makes a knock knock joke to make it clear how bad the division really is. They’re no joke though because they have big plans. While fat, ignorant humans ate the beautiful creatures over Memorial Day, such as an intelligent pig named Wiggles or a cow named Wilbur, they didn’t realize that those creatures had names.

Oklahoma is worse than anyone else, with their fracking and oil well drilling, which brings them earthquakes. The fans cheer for that but the intimidated Kayla Braxton says that there are some teams who want to challenge them. Cue Heavy Machinery with Otis hitting the gyrations. They want a title shot right now and here’s a referee. Bryan and Rowan accept the challenge, but not in a fracking state like this. Heavy Machinery make sense as challengers, though Bryan is right about the division being so bad.

Sonya Deville is proud of Mandy Rose being on the cover of Muscle and Fitness Hers Magazine and the two hand out copies to some people. They run into Ember Moon, who is sitting around reading Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of all things. Sonya gives her all the magazines because she needs them to be a star.

Carmella vs. Mandy Rose

Mandy gets half an entrance and armdrags Carmella down to start. She shows off the magazine, which Carmella kicks away. A Thesz press has Mandy in trouble but she sends Carmella face first into the middle buckle. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a jumping knee to the face. Carmella sends her into the corner for a quick Bronco Buster but has to superkick Sonya down. That’s enough for Mandy to get a rollup pin at 3:10.

Rating: D. This was an advertisement disguised as a match and there’s nothing wrong with that. Mandy being on the cover of the magazine is a nice accomplishment and they did a fine job of letting people know about it. Besides it’s not like a three minute match is going to hurt things, especially after last night’s minute and a half of action in the first seventy minutes.

Jinder Mahal jumps Truth but gets thrown outside for his efforts. Truth hides in a well placed photo booth, which allows the mob to run past him. Drake Maverick FINALLY runs into him and the chase is on again.

Aleister Black says he gets it. Everyone is waiting for Black to throw out a name and pick a fight with someone. There lies the conundrum though. He is sitting here waiting patiently for someone, anyone, to pick a fight with him. Well it’s better than the weird poetry.

Here are Shane McMahon, Elias and Drew McIntyre for Shane McMahon Appreciation Night. Shane says he doesn’t do what he does night in and night out for a trophy or adulation. He just enjoys his life and being out here in front of these people. Shane came back home to help run a family business and the greatest praise he can have is the company’s success.

We see a Shane highlight package, which continues to show that WWE doesn’t quite get how to present Shane. Back in the arena, Shane praises Kevin Dunn for the video (Shane: “Don’t boo Kevin Dunn.”) and says it was for Roman Reigns. A few weeks ago, Reigns punched Vince McMahon and that was biting the hand that feeds him. At Super ShowDown, Shane is going to beat some respect into him. Elias sings about how Shane is the best in the world and how Texas is better than Oklahoma….and here are R-Truth and Drake Maverick.

Truth hits a gordbuster and pins Maverick but Shane isn’t happy with the dancing. As I try to figure out why Truth bothered to pin him, the beatdown is on with Elias hitting Drift Away and McIntyre adding the Claymore….so Elias can win the title. Shane is out of breath from that thirty seconds of action but still manages to make Elias/McIntyre vs. Truth/Reigns. The 24/7 rules are suspended until the end of the match so Elias can focus.

Charlotte and Lacey Evans are having tea and rip on Becky Lynch and Bayley for being rude. Now that Becky has lost her title, it’s time to send Bayley back to the kiddie pool.

Lars Sullivan vs. Lucha House Party is set for Super ShowDown.

Bayley vs. Lacey Evans

Non-title with Charlotte on commentary. Bayley starts fast with a rollup but gets sent into the corner. Lacey walks into a knee to the face but she’s fine enough to send Bayley outside where Charlotte stands up as we take a break. Back with Bayley hitting a crossbody for two until Lacey sends her into the corner again. Lacey pulls out the wipe for some annoyance but Bayley grabs the Stunner over the ropes. It’s time to head outside with Charlotte getting involved again, earning herself a shove from Bayley. Charlotte charges in and the distraction lets Bayley get a rollup to put Evans away at 7:17.

Rating: D+. I’m glad that they’re giving Bayley an actual push for a change though Evans shouldn’t be taking pins when she’s coming up on another shot at Becky Lynch. Then again that would suggest not having this match in the first place and that seems to be a little too much to ask for from WWE.

Post match Bayley leaves and Lacey goes after Charlotte, earning herself a big foot to the face.

Video on HHH vs. Randy Orton.

We see a promo from last week where Finn Balor said he was banged up in Money in the Bank. That’s why he didn’t get to perform last week and he’s not happy about it.

Andrade says he powerbombed Balor on the ladder and it’s going to be worse at Super ShowDown.

Here’s this week’s Firefly Fun House.

Roman Reigns/R-Truth vs. Elias/Drew McIntyre

Truth is banged up and the 24/7 Rules are suspended. Hang on as Elias, McIntyre and Shane jump Truth during his entrance. Reigns helps beat up Elias and McIntyre as Shane gets stared up the ramp. The bell rings and Shane offers a distraction so Elias can hammer away on Reigns in the corner. The neck crank has Reigns in early trouble until a Samoan drop breaks things up. Truth actually comes in so it’s a Glasgow Kiss to cut him off in a hurry. Drew whips him into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Truth still in trouble as Elias and McIntyre take turns beating on him. Truth manages to send Drew outside though and the diving tag brings in Reigns for a nice reaction. The corner clotheslines and a big boot drop Elias as everything breaks down. The apron boot hits Elias but Reigns has to punch Shane in the face. Drew misses the Claymore on the distracted Reigns and it’s a spear to finish Elias at 10:44.

Rating: D+. Just a main event tag here and there wasn’t exactly a lot of doubt in how things were going to be finishing up. If nothing else though, it was nice to have Shane be the pesky manager he should be rather than getting in the ring to have these matches. He’s fine in that role, but for some reason WWE would rather have him be competitive in major matches. I’m sure there’s no connection to that and the lack of solid, top heels in the company.

Post match Reigns has an idea and spears Elias again so Truth can win the title back. I mean, it is beneath Reigns to win it after all.

Overall Rating: C-. It really is amazing how far Raw has fallen when this show, which was only kind of good at times, blows it completely out of the water. The wrestling was average at best and there wasn’t really anything you needed to see but there were never any moments where I wanted to go jump off a balcony or stick my head in a vice. It’s still not great, but I’ll take watchable over….whatever Monday was every day.

Results

Kofi Kingston b. Kevin Owens – Trouble in Paradise

Mandy Rose b. Carmella – Rollup

Bayley b. Lacey Evans – Rollup

Roman Reigns/R-Truth b. Elias/Drew McIntyre – Spear to Elias

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: May 21, 2019
Location: Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, Rhode Island
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s a big night as we have the 24/7 Title making its Smackdown debut. I don’t know what else we could have that lives up to that level. The Roman Reigns vs. Elias rematch and the return of Big E. just don’t feel anywhere near as important as the comedy stuff we might be seeing. Let’s get to it.

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

Shane McMahon (they’re not waiting tonight) is in his office when a nervous Elias comes in. Elias didn’t like what some of the fans have been saying about him and he lost focus at Money in the Bank. He’s ready for Reigns tonight and he’ll be in Shane’s corner at Super ShowDown. Shane says he doesn’t need it, but he’ll be in Elias’ corner tonight. Well of course he will be.

Here’s an excited New Day to announce that Big E. is back. Someone is brought out under a sheet and it’s….not E. Whoever it is is smaller that Xavier Woods and he is promptly thrown out. The real Big E. comes out and there’s a party ready for him in the ring, complete with blocks and a WELCOME BACK sign. Oh and lots of pancakes of course.

Big E. asks if he can smell the other two, with Woods saying that Big E. is medically cleared to sniff. Big E. brings up Becky Lynch’s mother but Woods cuts him off, though he does agree that she’s rather attractive. Kofi gets them back on track and talks about Brock Lesnar winning Money in the Bank and Kevin Owens losing on Sunday, which brings out Owens and Sami Zayn.

Sami talks about Big E. being gone for six weeks when he was gone for nine months. Big E. thinks they should get Sami something, with the team deciding on getting him nothing. Owens leaves and Sami rants about the fans being toxic, only to be cut off by the trombone. Sami promises to beat Kofi tonight, which Kofi says he’ll take seriously.

Carmella is walking through the back and looking for R-Truth, along with a bunch of other people (Drake Maverick even has wanted posters). She finds Truth in a wig (Truth: “The title gave me away didn’t it?”) and explains the rules to him again because Truth thinks he gets to keep it if he survives seven days. He can’t do this by himself and wants her to help him get through things. Carmella, possibly due to a head injury, agrees.

Ali vs. Andrade

Ali is taped up and Andrade doesn’t get an entrance. He and Zelina do get in an early tranquilo pose so Ali kicks him out to the floor. Back in and Vega offers a distraction so Andrade can take over as we take a break. We come back with Ali hitting a tornado DDT to send Andrade outside, meaning it’s a suicide dive.

The running flip dive puts them both down and Ali’s back is banged up. They head back in with Andrade kicking him in the back and hitting Two Amigos, followed by a slam into the corner. Andrade isn’t done as he slams Ali into the timekeeper’s area and we get the dive back in at nine. Running knees to the back give Andrade two so Ali small packages him for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. Ali getting a fluke win is more than he usually gets so I’ll take what I can get. That being said, Andrade’s push stalls again as WWE doesn’t get how to protect someone while putting someone else over. They couldn’t do this with someone other than Andrade? Of course not….I guess.

Carmella fixes Truth’s wig and hands him a bra. Truth: “I’ve always had trouble getting these on.”

Video on Lars Sullivan.

Mandy Rose vs. Carmella

Sonya Deville and Truth are here as well. Carmella hammers away to start as we enter the filler before someone comes after Truth portion. Sonya pulls Mandy to the floor and gets in, allowing Mandy to grab a rollup for two. A superkick drops Mandy and here comes the mob to chase Truth for the no contest at 1:34.

Post match Truth runs off, with Carmella on his back, and the mob follows.

Bayley says she created her own opportunity at Money in the Bank. She’s passed the hugs and now she’s doing her best.

Carmella and Truth run into the women’s locker room and then come back out as the mob chases again.

Elias plays guitar to get ready for Reigns. I’m not sure I get the connection.

Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn

Non-title. Hang on though as Big E. has been attacked and says it was Owens. Kofi is aggressive to start and runs Sami over on the floor. Back in and Sami sends him over the top and then into the steps before giving himself some jumping applause. Kofi hits a dropkick for a breather and we take a break. We come back with Sami hitting a top rope superplex for two as we hear about Woods going with Big E. to a hospital. Sami misses a kick to the face but Trouble in Paradise misses as well. The second Trouble in Paradise connects for the pin at 8:14 to finish Zayn.

Rating: C. This had some big spots but they were packed into a short match. It’s still annoying to have Sami losing after cutting such great promos but I’ll take what I can get in a pretty action packed match. If nothing else, how bad of a sign is it that the former World Champion not losing is that big of a relief?

Post match here’s Paul Heyman with the briefcase to tease Kofi, saying it’s the perfect time. Cue DOLPH ZIGGLER from behind to attack Kofi, including wrapping a chair around his neck and sending him into the announcers’ table. Ziggler even Pillmanizes the neck and Kofi does a stretcher job….before getting up on the stage and limping off. So, again, how many people can’t get to TV or can’t get off the upper midcard treadmill as they bring in ZIGGLER for a likely World Title match?

Roman Reigns arrives (with forty five minutes left in the show he’s main eventing) but Elias is on top of one of the production trucks to serenade him with a song about how jealous Reigns is.

Becky Lynch/Bayley vs. Lacey Evans/Charlotte

Before the match, Bayley and Becky threaten to come after the others’ titles. Joined in progress with Charlotte chopping Bayley in the corner and shouting about the title. Bayley gets dragged into the other corner so Lacey can grab a chinlock. Charlotte pulls Becky off the apron to avoid a cheap shot in true heel fashion.

Bayley gets up again and knocks Charlotte to the floor which is enough to bring Becky in for the house cleaning. The Bexploder has Charlotte in trouble but she Downward Spirals Becky into the corner. A rollup with a grab of the ropes and the trunks gives Charlotte two but Lacey decks Becky with the Woman’s Right. Bayley chases Lacey off and small packages Charlotte for the pin at 5:19.

Rating: D+. Now clearly this is a great way to set Charlotte up as the next challenger because that’s the right way to go. We haven’t seen Charlotte holding the title for all of two days so it’s time for something new for her. Bayley vs. Becky is intriguing, though I could go for keeping the titles apart for the time being.

Carmella and Truth keep running with Jinder Mahal catching up for a near fall. The B Team catches Truth next but get in a fight over who can pin him, allowing Truth to run off.

Dolph takes the microphone into the arena and says he gets why fans are booing him. This goes way back to when Ali got hurt and Kofi took his place. That should have been Ziggler getting to run the gauntlet and then winning the title from Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania. Every day since Wrestlemania he’s thought that it should be him and at Super ShowDown, it will be him. Yeah I still don’t care about Dolph Ziggler saying the same things he’s said for years.

Video on the history of Randy Orton vs. HHH to set up their match at Super ShowDown.

Roman Reigns vs. Elias

Shane is in Elias’ corner and handles his introduction. Reigns starts fast with the apron dropkick to rock Elias. Hang on though as he has to glare at Shane, allowing Elias to kick the rope for a low blow. A DDT gives Elias two and he sends Reigns shoulder first into the post. Back from a break with Reigns hitting the corner clotheslines but Shane breaks up the Superman Punch, allowing Elias to hit the jumping knee in the corner. An electric chair is broken up and Reigns hits a good right hand.

Another keeps Elias in trouble but he elbows out of a super Samoan drop. Now the electric chair into a powerbomb gives Elias two and it’s time for the slugout. The Superman Punch gets two with Shane putting Elias’ foot on the ropes. That earns Shane an apron dropkick but Elias sends Reigns into the post and then the steps. Back in and Elias drops a top rope elbow for two so Shane tells him to take off a buckle pad. The distraction lets Shane put the guitar in the corner but Reigns spears Elias for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C. This feels like an old NWA style angle where if Reigns wins he gets five minutes with the annoying manager, but the manager happens to be the final boss and the biggest threat to actually beat him. Shane was portrayed as the evil mastermind here but he’s the kind of evil mastermind who can win a big match as well. That’s quite the heel power for someone who can’t get through a five minute match without needing oxygen.

Post match Shane grabs the guitar but Reigns takes it away. Cue Drew McIntyre to Claymore Reigns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the streamlined version of the show and that makes it much better. It still has some big problems (Ziggler is back, Shane is the king of WWE, the long opening segment) but the comedy was in short enough spurts that it wasn’t as big of a problem and Truth did make it funny. I’d still like to actually see some of the people they already have on the roster getting a bigger push, but that’s the kind of thing that has just gone by the wayside for the sake of Shane. Good show here, though it feels like a mistake more than a successful game plan.

Results

Ali b. Andrade – Small package

Carmella vs. Mandy Rose went to a no contest when several wrestlers interfered

Kofi Kingston b. Sami Zayn – Trouble in Paradise

Becky Lynch/Bayley b. Charlotte/Lacey Evans – Small package to Charlotte

Roman Reigns b. Elias – Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: January 29, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the final night in Phoenix and that means we should be hitting the ground running. Last night’s Raw wasn’t too bad and hopefully we get a good show out of the blue side. We need some #1 contenders since the Royal Rumble winners are going after the Raw Titles and with Elimination Chamber coming up, there are some free spots open. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Becky Lynch winning the Royal Rumble and then challenging Ronda Rousey last night on Raw.

Here’s Becky to open things up. A lot has been happening in Phoenix and while the first part of the Rumble didn’t go well, she didn’t fold after a loss like Rousey. She’s coming for the title and is very proud of moving from the pre-show of last year’s Wrestlemania to this year’s main event. The fans cut her off with a YOU DESERVE IT chant before Becky says that she saw doubt in Ronnie’s eyes last night and now she’s going to break Rousey’s arm at Wrestlemania. If Rousey doesn’t walk into Wrestlemania believing that, she’s going to be carried out knowing it.

That’s a great line but here’s Charlotte to interrupt. Charlotte is proud of Becky, who somehow won the Royal Rumble without being in it. Maybe Becky learned something from her after all, because Charlotte brought her to the main event. Becky slaps her in the face and leaves, only to have Charlotte chase her down for the attack. Charlotte whips her into the barricade and the bad knee gets banged up again. Agents break it up in a hurry. It’s pretty clear where this is going and that’s fine.

US Title: R-Truth vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is defending. Before the match, R-Truth says he isn’t sure what happened at the Royal Rumble. He was rapping, and then he was taken out. However, he’s getting this as a consolation prize for not getting into the Rumble. I’ve heard worse ideas. Nakamura kicks him down at the bell and hits a reverse exploder suplex. Kinshasa is countered into a Lie Detector that slips off into something like an armdrag to send Nakamura to the floor.

Back with Nakamura hitting his running knee in the corner for two. The Landslide is countered into a small package…..to give Truth the pin and the title at 5:22! That was a rather strange ending as it seemed that they didn’t intend for it to end there, with Truth still wrestling after the pin. Not enough shown to rate, but it wasn’t much anyway.

Post match Rusev comes out, saying he won the title from Nakamura because it deserved better. If that’s the case, it’s not good enough for Truth either. A shove from Carmella to Lana is enough for a title match right now.

US Title: R-Truth vs. Rusev

Rusev is challenging and we’re joined in progress with R-Truth caught in a chinlock. Back up and R-Truth gets a quick rollup out of the corner for the pin to retain at 1:16.

Post match Nakamura jumps R-Truth again and Rusev joins in, because the solution to a popular face is to turn him heel all over again, just a few months after turning him face in the first place.

We recap the opening segment.

Becky leaves, saying she can’t get hurt any worse.

R-Truth is checked on but says he’s fine.

Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe

Before the match, Zelina Vega comes out to say that Rey got her barred from the ring last week because he can’t focus on anything. That allows Andrade to come in from behind for the beatdown, including Three Amigos and the hammerlock DDT. No match.

The Good Brothers ask Rusev what was up with that. R-Truth just beat Rusev and Nakamura back to back and didn’t deserve that. Rusev says to mind their business back in catering. A tag match is set up and Nakamura comes in to accept the challenge. Rusev says they’ll team together one time and Nakamura better not screw him over.

Clip from the premiere of Fighting With My Family.

Here are Shane McMahon and the Miz for a chat. After sucking up to the fans a bit, Shane gives us a video tribute to their time as a team (that doesn’t make things any better). Back in the arena, Shane talks about how Miz has one major motivating factor in his entire life, so here’s Miz dad in a Miz jersey. Papa Miz says he loves his son and is proud of him, setting up a big hug. Now though, we need to find some new #1 contenders, which is what we’ll be seeing later tonight.

Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are announcing their entrances into the Elimination Chamber match for the first ever Women’s Tag Team Titles. Mandy isn’t worried about Naomi and we see a clip from Tough Enough in 2015, with Naomi saying she wasn’t sure if the Tough Enough girls, including Mandy, were ready to take this. Mandy in particular was called out for being weak, and that’s why she wants to ruin Naomi. She was so crushed by what Naomi said that she developed a complex, to the point where her boyfriend left her. Naomi ruined her relationship so Mandy wants to end Naomi’s. That’s uh, rather over the top.

New Day vs. Usos vs. The Bar vs. Heavy Machinery

Elimination rules. Otis shoves people around to start and shrugs off Kofi’s kicks. Kofi tries a slide between the legs but Otis sits down on him for a smart move. Big E. comes in for some gyrating but Otis vibrates, setting up stereo shoulders. Neither can get an abdominal stretch so they try the shoulders again. It’s off to Knight for a double belly shot to the head and we take a break. Back with Corey giving us Mandy updates as Sheamus chinlocks Jimmy. That’s broken up and Jey comes in to clean house as the pace picks up.

Everyone else gets knocked off the apron in a hurry and there’s the running Umaga attack, only to have Jey sent outside. A powerbomb/top rope double stomp combination gets two on Sheamus with Cesaro making a save. Big E. Cactus Clotheslines Cesaro to the floor, leaving Kofi to take the Compactor for the elimination at 7:51. The Usos low bridge Heavy Machinery to the floor but Cesaro tags himself in to break up the double dive. Jimmy gets dropped onto the announcers’ table and we take a second break.

Back with Knight hitting a side slam on Cesaro but Sheamus breaks up a hot tag. As Corey and Saxton bicker over Mandy, the hot tag brings in Otis to clean house with some running splashes in the corner to Sheamus. Otis hits the Caterpillar on Sheamus but Jimmy tags himself in for a high crossbody to Knight. Sheamus tags himself in as well though and the Brogue Kick gets rid of Heavy Machinery at 16:52. Not that it matters though as a superkick into the Superfly Splash gives the Usos the pin and the title shot at 17:22.

Rating: B-. I’m hoping Heavy Machinery gets to be a team that actually goes somewhere on Smackdown, because this division is dying for some fresh blood. There’s no reason to believe that’s going to be the case, but it certainly needs to happen. The same three teams have been around forever now and that has to change at some point.

Here’s Daniel Bryan, sporting a black eye, to change the WWE climate. He asks who won on Sunday, and after waiting for the BECKY chants to die down, Bryan says the people and their children all won. Bryan is the planet’s champion and now someone has seen the light. That person came out for the greater good on Sunday, so here’s Rowan, carrying a bag over his shoulder.

Bryan praises Rowan as an enlightened man of the Earth and his intellectual peer. However, Bryan calls himself a hypocrite because he carries around this title. A trashcan is brought into the ring as Bryan calls the title a symbol of both excellence and excess. This title was made from a cow who did nothing wrong, and Bryan thinks she should be called Daisy. Bryan thinks Daisy had the ability to feel immense job, but she didn’t get to feel it long enough. The title is thrown into the title because it’s trash. Fans: “GOODBYE DAISY!”

Rowan pulls out the new title, which is rather….wood looking. The new title is made of hemp and carved from an oak, with the fans being more interested in the hemp. This brings out AJ Styles, who asks if Bryan smoked the prototype of that belt…..and here’s Randy Orton to cut them both off. Back from a break with Jeff Hardy in the ring and Mustafa Ali coming out.

Before he can say much, Samoa Joe comes out to say he’s here to put a champion to sleep. Jeff can pretend that he’s at an AA meeting and shut up while Joe is talking. Ali got choked out last week, and Joe wants to know how Wendy is doing. The fight is on as Bryan shouts that he’s going to be champion forever because no one is getting a title shot. HHH pops up on screen to announce Bryan defending the title in an Elimination Chamber match next month to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an episode where the wrestling wasn’t the point (though it was fine) as most of the show was spent building up things for later. We already have two title matches set for Elimination Chamber and we’ll be seeing a tag match next week. I’m liking the direction things are going in, and if we get a great Elimination Chamber show out of it, so be it.

Results

R-Truth b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Small package

R-Truth b. Rusev – Rollup

Usos b. The Bar, Heavy Machinery and New Day – Superfly Splash to Sheamus

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mixed Match Challenge
Date: December 11, 2018
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Renee Young, Vic Joseph, Michael Cole

We’re finally at the finals as the winners of tonight’s two matches are heading to TLC this Sunday. Unfortunately you can pretty clearly see who is winning based on what is already booked for the pay per view so there isn’t much mystery, but at least we’re finally done with this thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Raw Division Finals: Bayley/Apollo Crews vs. Jinder Mahal/Alicia Fox

Crews is the replacement for the ill Finn Balor, because we can’t go a week on this show without a replacement. Mahal headlocks Crews to start until Crews comes out of it with a backslide for two. It’s off to the women with Bayley rolling her up a few times for two each, sending Fox outside for some quality shouting. Back in and Fox’s suplex is countered into a small package for two more and it’s already back to the men. Well to be fair it’s not like Bayley was pinning her. Crews jumps over Mahal in the corner and flips forward a bit until Mahal knees him in the face.

More knees keep Crews down and we hit the required chinlock. Apollo comes up with the jumping enziguri and it’s back to the women to pick up the pace again. Everything breaks down and Bayley hits the Stunner over the middle rope for two with the Singh Brothers making the save. Fox and the Brothers take Bayley to Bellies but Mahal superkicks Crews. After the melee, Bayley goes outside to get Fox but walks into a big boot to give Fox the unlikely pin at 9:35.

Rating: D+. Well you knew that was coming and there was no way around it. As soon as Bayley and Balor made the Raw finals, there was no way Mahal and Fox were losing. It’s the usual WWE idea: have a team that only they want to go on to win something win it, just because….whatever they see in Mahal. Anyway at least it’s not exactly in an important match.

Mahal and Fox take credit for the win in their own unique ways. Asuka comes in and laughs at them a lot.

Smackdown Division: R-Truth/Carmella vs. The Miz/Asuka

Miz and Asuka argue over who should start until Asuka finally gets the nod. Now why couldn’t Carmella or Truth start and make the decision for them? Miz demands to be tagged in so Asuka chops him for the tag. Truth shoulders him down and hops around in a circle, followed by the hip thrusting. With Miz on the floor, DANCE BREAK! Asuka even joins in on a second edition and since Miz is annoyed, Truth hammers away in the corner. That’s finally enough for Miz, who kicks Truth down and slaps on a chinlock.

The announcers are so bored that they talk about Mike Chioda refereeing. Miz’s short DDT gets two and a heck of a clothesline takes Truth down again. Truth gets in a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Carmella. That means a lot of screaming as Asuka loads up a German suplex.

Some knees to the chest have Carmella in trouble but Truth comes in with a Lie Detector to Miz. Carmella loads up the superkick on Miz but he pulls Asuka in the way like a true jerk. The Little Jimmy gets two on Miz, who pops up and throws the good ones to the floor. Asuka isn’t happy though and FINALLY snaps on the cheating Miz, kicking him in the head and walking away. An Unprettier gives Truth the pin at 11:38.

Rating: D+. Yeah this was obvious last week and there wasn’t much doubt a few weeks back either. As soon as Asuka was announced for the TLC match, there was no way she was making it to the finals. I’m not a fan of the things but points to Truth and Carmella for getting some crazy mileage out of the dance breaks. It’s gotten them a pay per view match, which is about 10,000x more than it should have done.

Overall Rating: D. And thank goodness it’s over. The Mixed Match Challenge is something that can work, but PLEASE take it back to the format from the first season. This was a nightmare with a bunch of matches that didn’t go anywhere because they had nothing to fight over and the two teams who only got into the playoffs on the last week making the finals. Just have things go the way that actually worked and things can be better, unlike this season.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mixed Match Challenge
Date: December 4, 2018
Location: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Vic Joseph

We have two shows left around here and that’s best for everyone involved. Tonight we have the Smackdown semifinals with the one loser team against the three good teams, meaning we might be in for another lame show but maybe one of the matches can be pretty good. That was the case last week and hopefully the blue people can do it just as well. Let’s get to it.

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

AJ Styles is carried out.

Smackdown Division Semifinals: R-Truth/Carmella vs. Charlotte/Jeff Hardy

The men start things off and, after some headlocks, a quick dance off breaks out. This is completely different than the dance break that is coming in the next few moments of course. The women come in and Carmella’s kick to the ribs is blocked, meaning it’s time for the hard chops. Carmella dances away and thankfully gets taken down by the leg. Everything breaks down and Charlotte/Hardy are sent outside, meaning DANCE BREAK.

It’s a short form one and as they’re annoyed at the lack of dancing, Hardy and Charlotte come back in to jump them both. Charlotte’s Figure Four neck rolls look to set up the moonsault but Carmella pulls her off the top. It’s back to the men with a double tag, even though that’s twice as much as necessary. The women fight to the floor, leaving Jeff to set up the Swanton. Carmella dives back in to protect Truth until Charlotte pulls her outside. That’s enough for Jeff to miss the Swanton and Truth gets the rollup pin at 6:41.

Rating: D. This was a nothing match with the big story being WHEN WILL THEY DANCE. I get why they put Carmella and Truth through here as Charlotte is already booked for TLC and Hardy will likely have a match with Joe so there’s no reason to pretend that they’re going to win in next week’s finals. Truth and Carmella are popular enough at the moment, but…..wait…..dang it. We’ll come back to this in a minute.

Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal promise to win next week.

Finn Balor and Bayley promise to win next week.

R-Truth and Carmella are proud of their win and Truth wants to go to Memphis, Egypt on their vacation.

Smackdown Division Semifinals: Jimmy Uso/Naomi vs. The Miz/Asuka

The women start things off and a hip thrust knocks Asuka away for a bit. Naomi’s kick to the head is countered into a quickly broken ankle lock so it’s off to Miz vs. Jimmy. Some armdrags have Miz in trouble but he’s right back with a running dropkick in the corner. Jimmy doesn’t seem to mind and dances a bit before hitting an uppercut. The Samoan drop has Miz in trouble and the running hip attack makes things even worse.

Miz crotches him on top though and we hit the chinlock. The short DDT gives Miz two and it’s off to a front facelock but Miz yells at Asuka for costing them the last match. Well that’s rather mean. Jimmy shoves him away and makes the hot tag to Naomi so the pace can pick up. A springboard kick to the face gives Naomi two and the guys fight to the floor. Naomi hits the Rear view for two but gets pulled into the Asuka Lock for the tap at 8:52.

Rating: C-. This was one of the better matches of the season, but it also gives away the ending of next week’s Smackdown match, which was what I was dreading earlier. We’re going to get Truth and Carmella knocking off Miz and Asuka because Asuka is busy in what should be the main event of TLC. But hey, at least we get a pay per view dance break now.

Overall Rating: D+. I can’t wait for next week’s final because even at half an hour a week, this show has become a complete chore. I’m not completely sure how the ending goes at TLC, but given who is likely to be in the match I can’t imagine it’s going to be interesting in the first place. The idea of having the finals at TLC in the first place was good, but potentially having the lamest teams involved is defeating the purpose. Another bad show this week, but at least it’s almost done.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mixed Match Challenge
Date: November 20, 2018
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Vic Joseph

We’ve actually arrived at a turning point here with the last night of the regular season. After tonight we move into the playoffs, which should make things a little bit better. Unfortunately we’re getting the four winless teams battling it out for a spot in the final four, because going 1-3 is good enough to get a spot in the playoffs. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers talk about the prizes. That’s a big deal, and a smart move.

Raw Division: Alicia Fox/Jinder Mahal vs. Bobby Roode/Natalya

The losers are out and the Singh Brothers are all banged up from Brock Lesnar destroying them last week. The guys start things off and the fans are behind Bobby in what feels like a rare occurrence. Roode shakes off a wristlock and starts chopping away but can’t hit the Glorious DDT. It’s off to the women with Fox getting caught in a slingshot atomic drop, minus Natalya sticking her knee out. A basement dropkick gives Natalya two but Fox blocks the Sharpshooter and kicks her in the face.

The chinlock goes on (well duh) so let’s look at R-Truth trying to leave because he thinks it’s Thanksgiving. The northern lights suplex gives Fox two and it’s off to a front facelock. Natalya can’t quite get out but Alicia stops for her Mahal inspired breathing, allowing the hot tag to Roode. Everything breaks down and Fox slaps Roode, who is fine enough to hit a spinebuster on one of the Singh Brothers. The distraction is enough for Mahal to hit the Khallas for the pin on Roode at 8:08.

Rating: D. So you know how these teams kept losing every single match all tournament long? Well now one pair of losers beat another set of losers and gets to go face a team that has beaten them already once this season. That’s about all they have for us to look forward to and I could go for something more than that, though that hasn’t stopped this season yet.

Braun Strowman is out of the second round and will have a replacement announced next week. AJ Styles is officially out as well, so Jeff Hardy will be Charlotte’s permanent partner.

Fox and Mahal argue about who is the captain. They also argue over where they would go on their vacation, with Fox wanting to go to Kentucky to taste some real country chicken.

Smackdown Division: R-Truth/Carmella (0-3) vs. Rusev/Lana (0-3)

They take turns shouting catchphrases to start with no contact in the first two minutes. With that out of the way, Rusev and Lana hit the floor so we can have a dance break. A break from what isn’t clear, but neither is why a team who is going to be 1-3 is in the playoffs. Thankfully Rusev and Lana jump them from behind with Lana covering for one to actually start the match.

Some running knees to the back give Lana two more and we hit the chinlock. In a smart move, Rusev pulls Truth off the apron and then gets the tag, meaning he gets to come in and beat up a downed Truth. Lana goes outside and sends a downed Carmella into various things before stopping to pose. Truth jumps Rusev on the floor, leaving Carmella to superkick Lana for the pin at 6:50.

Rating: F. That’s this season of the show in a nutshell: shenanigans to waste time early on and then a quick match with neither of them doing anything that seemed impressive. Rusev and Lana going out doesn’t shock me as the dance break thing is lukewarm right now and that’s enough to get one more match out of Truth and Carmella. It’s not like either team had a chance against Carmella/Hardy in the next round anyway, but a little more effort here would have been nice.

Here are the brackets for the next round:

Raw

Ember Moon/???

Jinder Mahal/Alicia Fox

Finn Balor/Bayley

Bobby Lashley/Mickie James

Smackdown

Jeff Hardy/Charlotte

R-Truth/Carmella

Miz/Asuka

Jimmy Uso/Naomi

Bayley and Finn Balor are ready for next week.

Overall Rating: F. The only positive to come out of this show is the fact that we’re three weeks away from the end of this mess. There’s nothing going on here and watching the four winless teams in two short matches wasn’t the solution to make things better. Things will improve a bit when we get to the bigger matches down the line, but that’s not making things better here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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