Monday Night Raw
Date: January 10, 2022
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We are less than three weeks away from the Royal Rumble and the show is starting to come together. It seems that we have a pair of World Title matches and a good number of names set for both Royal Rumble matches. There are still some things that need to be done though and some of that should be taken care of tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Brock Lesnar becoming WWE Champion at Day One and Bobby Lashley becoming #1 contender last week.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, with Bobby Lashley and MVP watching backstage. The Hurt Business comes up to Lashley and are glad to have the team back together. Lashley says not so fast because he works alone, with MVP nodding in agreement. Back in the arena, Heyman does the intro and Lesnar is happy to be here.

Cue Lashley and MVP to interrupt and the staredowns are on. MVP handles Lashley’s intro so Lashley can talk to Lesnar face to face. Lashley says Lesnar has been ducking him for twenty years, with Lesnar saying it is an honor for him (as in Lesnar) to be in the ring with him (as in Lesnar). Brock talks about winning titles all over the world in different rings, so it’s Lashley’s fault that they never met each other.

Lesnar asks how many threads MVP’s suit is, with Lesnar saying he is funny and money. He calls Heyman over and says…..knock knock. Heyman: “Brock Lesnar is doing a knock knock joke in Philadelphia. I thought I had seen it all. Who’s there?” Bobby. Heyman: “Bobby who?” EXACTLY! Lesnar calls Lashley a Brock Lesnar wannabe and walks away. Cue Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to jump Lashley but he leaves them laying in a hurry.

Riddle is trying to get ready for their Tag Team Title match but Randy Orton tells him to be serious. Orton writes TAG IN RANDY on Riddle’s hands and starts heading to the ring. Hold on though, as Riddle needs to know if Orton is a Pat’s or Geno’s guy. Orton picks Geno’s (cheesesteak place) and we’re ready to go.

Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. Alpha Academy

RKBro is defending. Riddle tries to wrestle with Gable and gets taken down in a hurry. An armbar doesn’t work so well for Riddle as Gable is right in the ropes before it can get anywhere. Riddle knocks Gable outside and hits a big springboard Floating Bro to take him out as we take a break.

Back with Gable hitting a dragon screw legwhip on Riddle and handing it off to Otis. The Floating Bro gets Riddle out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Orton to clean house. Gable gets crotched on top and the top rope superplex brings him right back down. Otis makes a blind tag though and the World’s Strongest Slam to Orton gives Otis the pin and the titles at 9:24.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting story as they were telling the story of Orton being the big savior for the team but he took the fall anyway. I’m curious about where this is going for RKBro, as the team didn’t need the titles anymore, but I’m not sure what they are doing without them. I don’t want them to split, but what else is there for them to do in WWE logic?

Damian Priest is in the Royal Rumble.

Priest and the Street Profits are ready for a six man tonight but they’re also ready to go after each other in the Rumble. For now though, they want the smoke.

Bianca Belair is ready to get the next shot at Becky Lynch.

Street Profits/Damian Priest vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode/Apollo Crews

Ford jumps over Crews to start so it’s off to Ziggler, who gets hit in the face. Priest comes in and cleans house, with the villains being knocked outside without much trouble. We take a break and come back with Crews gorilla pressing Ford. Ziggler’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Ford fights up and brings in Dawkins to clean house. Everything breaks down and Ford hits a big flip dive to the floor. That leaves Ziggler to Zig Zag Dawkins for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C. I’m rather glad that we’re in for the annual Ziggler semipush, which continues to happen for reasons I do not quite understand. I can’t imagine it goes anywhere in the Royal Rumble, but it’s not like he and Roode are winning the Tag Team Titles anytime soon. Fine enough six man, but it came and went with Ziggler winning, so not much to get behind here.

Smackdown Rebound.

We recap the opening segment.

Here is a dancing Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins is happy to see Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar hit each other a lot because he’ll be ready to take the Universal Title from Roman Reigns. Cue Big E. to interrupt and make a reference to the Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot, which Rollins doesn’t get. Big E. gets to the point and enters the Royal Rumble so he can win the title back at Wrestlemania. Rollins laughs it off so Big E. thinks they should face off tonight. Actually let’s just do it right now. Rollins wants a referee out here and the bell rings.

Big E. vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins starts fast with a dropkick but gets caught in a powerslam. Big E. gets knocked outside for a dive though and the fight heads to the floor. That’s fine with Big E., who hits the apron splash and we take a break. Back with Rollins slipping out of a powerslam attempt and taking Big E. down into a chinlock. That’s broken up and Big E. hits the Rock Bottom out of the corner but Rollins headbutts his way out of a belly to belly.

Big E. sends him to the apron and hits the spear to the floor as we take a break. Back with Big E. fighting up and snapping off the belly to belly suplexes. The Warrior splash connects but Rollins escapes another Rock Bottom out of the corner. Rollins hits a frog splash for two but Big E. powerbombs him down.

A Stretch Muffler goes on, sending Rollins straight to the ropes. Big E. plants him again for two more but another spear through the ropes hits knee. That means Rollins can go up, where he has to escape a super Big Ending. Big E. can’t hit a regular version either so Rollins has to miss a Pedigree attempt as well. Some forearms put Big E. down and there’s the Stomp for the pin at 17:56.

Rating: B. This got into a groove of the big fight feel as these two beat on each other rather well. It’s a good win for Rollins, but Big E. continues to fall rather quickly. I don’t think he’s getting back to the title picture anytime soon, and unfortunately that is not the biggest surprise. He had his run, WWE decided that the bad results were his fault, and here we are again. At least they built Rollins up well for Reigns, which should be good.

We look at the big announcement of most of the women’s Royal Rumble field.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Nikki ASH for a chat. Nikki seems to be ok with last week’s loss but Ripley doesn’t want to talk about it. That’s not cool with Nikki, because they are going to talk about it right now. Nikki doesn’t want to split up the team but Ripley thinks it’s time to go their own ways. They can get the titles back, but Ripley says it’s not about that. Nikki: “You think you’re so much better than me?”

That’s not what Ripley said but Nikki meant that she’s the better one. It’s great to know where Rhea’s head is, which is enough to make her leave. Ripley turns back to face her and the team seems to be done, but we do get a hug. Then Nikki turns on her and the beatdown is on, with Nikki saying superheroes don’t need friends. I’m glad WWE FINALLY seems to be giving up on this stupid gimmick, but forgive me for not being emotional about a split between a team that got together less than five months ago.

Reggie has cheesteaks for himself and Dana Brooke, but he thinks someone is going after the 24/7 Title. Cue R-Truth with a trashcan containing Akira Tozawa, so Brooke and Reggie throw their food at….Tamina, who freaks out and turns over the trashcan. Excuse me for one second.

THIS STUFF IS FREAKING STUPID AND NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE 24/7 TITLE!!!

Anyway, Reggie and Brooke run off, with Reggie running into Omos. Dana says let him down, which Omos actually does, albeit with a threat to Reggie. Oh and for a bonus: today happens to be Tamina’s birthday. Thank goodness they came up with LET’S THROW FOOD AT HER.

Doudrop, now with a lot of makeup, wants the Raw Women’s Title.

Omos vs. Nick Sanders

Chokeslam and fireman’s carry drop connect, as Dana Brooke and Reggie watch in the back. The chokebomb finishes at 1:33.

We recap the opening segment, including Bobby Lashley wrecking the former Hurt Business.

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge. We get straight to the point as he has what he describes as the most gorgeous and curvaceous guest he has ever had: the owner of thighs that could crack a coconut, Beth Phoenix. They’re ready to do some damage to Miz and Maryse at the Royal Rumble because Beth would fit in with the Broad Street Bullies (Philadelphia Flyers reference).

They have more titles between themselves than any other couple in WWE history, including Miz and Maryse. We see a video on Beth Phoenix’s career, including various wrestlers talking about her career and accomplishments. Edge gives her the floor and says if Edge was trying to butter her up for later, flattery will get you everywhere. Beth: “Down boy, down boy.” Beth is ready to destroy Miz and Maryse, who are just annoying.

Cue Miz and Maryse to insult Philadelphia and be ready to take car of Beth and Edge at the Royal Rumble. Edge mocks Miz for hiding behind Maryse to avoid the spear. Miz isn’t hearing it and has his own highlight video on Maryse. Back in the arena, Miz brags about what Maryse has done, but Miz and Beth respect the heck out of her. Edge: “But my wife can bench press a Buick.” Beth finds it funny that Maryse hasn’t been so eager to get involved now that Beth is back.

The time for apologies is long gone, and it is time to wreck Maryse for good, with the fans chanting au revoir. Miz laughs it off and tells Maryse to tell Beth what is going to happen at the Royal Rumble. Maryse walks off while Miz is hyping her up though, so Beth volunteers to beat Miz up at the Rumble instead. This feud isn’t that good as I’m not sure how much of a demand there was for Miz and Edge to fight in the first place, but there is even less for the mixed tag. I’m sure the match will be good, but it’s kind of hard to get interested.

Austin Theory is ready to beat AJ Styles to impress Vince McMahon.

We look at the Tag Team Title change.

AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory

Styles starts fast with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but Theory grabs a suplex for two. Back up and Styles dropkicks him to the floor but gets sent outside for his efforts. Theory’s dropkick looks even better and we take a break. Back with Styles slamming him down for two but having to check his tooth. Theory grabs a brainbuster onto the knee for two but Styles gets to the apron….where Grayson Waller jumps him for the DQ at 7:02.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go very far but at least we got the Grayson Waller portion of the match. Sarcasm aside, this is a wisely set up segment, as you don’t want Styles losing twice in a row and you don’t want Theory getting pinned. It also set up another rmatch while keeping people strong, which is about as good as you could have done here.

Post match the beatdown is on but Styles clears the ring.

We go backstage to look at the curtain into the arena….and nothing happens. There’s your production gaffe, but then we catch up with Waller heading through the curtain and saying AJ is getting taken over tomorrow night.

Liv Morgan is tired of getting so close to winning but coming up short. She’s never giving up though.

Alexa Bliss is in therapy but can’t be fixed until she is willing to open up. We get a flashback of her time as the female Fiend, which makes her feel thirsty. She pours the entire pitcher of water and then breaks a bunch of stuff in the office. See you next week doc. Bliss has been gone for four months and the best thing they can think of is “let’s do the same thing”. What a brilliant idea.

Becky Lynch (who had to stand in the arena while the Bliss segment aired) isn’t woried about any of her potential challengers but will sit in on commentary for the match anyway.

Doudrop vs. Liv Morgan vs. Bianca Belair

They all punch each other to start until Doudrop suplexes Belair down hard. The two of them head outside so Morgan flip dives onto them. Back in and Doudrop crushes Liv in the corner but Belair breaks it up. Doudrop crushes both of them with a basement crossbody before dropping Morgan onto belair for a double cover. The chinlock has Liv in trouble but she fights up and gets sent over the top for a crash into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Doudrop missing a charge into the corner and getting rolled up to give Morgan two. Morgan grabs the Rings of Saturn on Belair, who powers out after some hard pulling. Belair gets sent into the corner but Doudrop powerbombs Morgan hard. Belair breaks up the cover with a 450 before the one count and plants both of them down. The handspring moonsault hit both of them and the KOD gets….no count as Becky runs in for the save. Becky and Belair fight so Doudrop can hit a Banzai drop to pin Morgan at 14:42.

Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse and the best thing is they gave us a surprise winner. The problem continues to be that none of these three feel like they are worthy of challenging Lynch. It didn’t help that Lynch wasn’t exactly sounding inspired on commentary, leaving us with a long but not that interesting match. At least Doudrop got the win and that gives us a fresh match for a change.

Post match Doudrop shoves Becky out to the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. There were two segments on this show that ruined an otherwise pretty good night. We had some good action and some story development as the Rumble gets closer, but then things had to fall apart. Between Reggie and Dana Brooke throw food at Tamina and Alexa Bliss is in therapy, I don’t remember getting this annoyed at Raw in a long time. It feels like it’s from another planet and is inserted into what is an otherwise good show. That crippled almost any interesting I had in the show and that tends to happen far too often on Raw. Overall it’s a good show, but the bad stuff on here is really bad.

Results
Alpha Academy b. RKBro – World’s Strongest Slam to Orton
Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode/Apollo Crews b. Street Profits/Damian Priest – Zig Zag to Dawkins
Seth Rollins b. Big E. – Stomp
Omos b. Nick Sanders – Chokebomb
AJ Styles b. Austin Theory via DQ when Grayson Waller interfered
Doudrop b. Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan – Banzai Drop to Morgan

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 27, 2021
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the final show of the year and that means it’s also the go home show for Day One. There are a few big stories this week, including the renewal of Miz and Maryse’s wedding vows, but we also get to find out how the Coronavirus outbreak has impacted the roster. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is RKBro for a chat. Riddle, in a party hat, talks about how the team had a good year but Randy Orton won’t read a Christmas card. Orton wants to beat Otis right now to make sure he has a good new year, but Riddle wants to look forward to the future. Next year could see them patent Brogurt! Last week Riddle was thinking about the future and thought he turned into a viper but Orton doesn’t want to hear about it.

Instead he asks to see a clip from last week, which has Riddle wondering what Orton means by “production truck”. Anyway, Otis might be non-RKOable, so here is the Alpha Academy for a chat. Chad Gable again brags about his recent Masters degree and doesn’t like that being booed. Riddle tells him to be quiet because Riddle considers himself a man of higher education. That has Orton pleased, as does Riddle wanting to face Gable right now.

Chad Gable vs. Riddle

Gable wrestles him down to start and gets an early near fall as Riddle can’t do much with him. Riddle fights up so Gable takes out the leg by wrapping it around the ropes. Some shots to the leg keep Riddle in trouble, setting up a tiger suplex for two. The ankle lock goes on but Riddle is out in a hurry with a jumping knee to the face. The Floating Bro finishes Gable at 4:09.

Rating: C. This was a showcase for Gable until Riddle hit a few shots for the pin at the end. That’s rather typical of Gable in WWE: he looks good for a bit and then comes up short in the end, despite feeling like a star in the making. I could go for him getting a big win and while that wouldn’t have been the case here, it would have been a nice start.

Otis vs. Randy Orton

We’re joined in progress with Orton not being able to hit the RKO but Otis being able to hit a big splash. A knee drop has Orton in more trouble and another RKO attempt is shoved away. Orton heads outside, where Otis misses a charge into the steps. Back in and the hanging DDT plants Otis but a third RKO attempt is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam. The Vader Bomb misses though and now the RKO can connect to finish Otis at 3:21.

Rating: C. This was starting to go somewhere but they had to go home before it could really go anywhere. The RKO not working on Otis seemed like something that could have lasted for a bit but then Orton just hit the thing to finish him off. Why have an interesting and longer story when you can just not?

Post match Riddle wants to give Orton his present….and we get the big hug. Riddle is thrilled and celebrates as Orton leaves.

We look back at Bobby Lashley wrecking everyone in last week’s tag team main event, only to be laid out by Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens.

Kevin Owens is ready to talk about what happened but we get a message from Big E., who promises to retain the title after getting back to himself. He knows he is worth more and didn’t come this far to just come this far and you have to feel that. Owens says Big E. is wrong and says this is his own story. Everything is coming together and he’ll win the title at Day One. Oh and interviewer Kevin Patrick is now named Bert.

Veer Mahaan is coming. Still.

Dana Brooke/Reggie vs. Tamina/R-Truth

Corey: “R-Truth couldn’t have picked a better partner.” Truth headlocks Reggie to start as Graves rants about Reggie’s red and yellow gear. Tamina comes in and knocks Reggie into the corner, meaning Brooke can come in to strike away. Everything breaks down and Reggie grabs a victory roll on Truth (who gets spiked down hard) for the pin at 2:46.

Post match Tamina goes after Truth but Brooke makes the save.

Nikki Ash is feeling confident and issues the challenge for herself and Rhea Ripley against Queen Zelina and Carmella for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Video on the Paul Heyman/Roman Reigns/Brock Lesnar saga.

RKBronament Finals: Mysterios vs. Street Profits

The winners get the Day One title shot. Ford takes Dominik down with a headscissors but they both nip up in a hurry. Dawkins comes in to run Rey over but everything breaks down. The Profits are sent outside, with the Mysterios hitting a sliding splash/sunset bomb into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Ford missing a splash in the corner so Dominik can hit a flip cutter to put them both down.

The hot tag brings Rey back into beat up Dawkins, including the springboard crossbody. Dawkins elbows him down to break up the 619 so Rey is right back with a tornado DDT for two. The Silencer drops Rey so Ford can hit the Cash Out for two, with Dominik having to make a save. Dominik dives out onto Dawkins and the 619 hits Ford, setting up a frog splash for two. The double 619 only half hits but Rey is sent hard to the floor. That leaves Dominik to get caught in a Doomsday Blockbuster for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B. These guys got rolling here and it was a pretty awesome match as a result. Dominik still might not be the most interesting character but he can have a fast paced match that gets the crowd going. That’s enough to add to Rey’s legendary status and the Profits’ general awesomeness to make a really solid showing here. One note: Ford has changed his hair and it makes him look a good bit older, which is not a positive.

Video on AJ Styles and Omos.

Miz is NOT happy with the flowers ready for his wedding vow renewal with Maryse. He is however happy with the guest officiant: Eric Bischoff, who promises to make this must see TV.

Here is AJ Styles for a chat and he wants to know where Omos is. He has been around for twenty years and has seen them come and go…but NXT’s Grayson Waller is in the front row, with a sign mocking Styles. AJ has him get in the ring, where Waller says Mondays feel right. Maybe he can take AJ’s spot when Omos is done with him! AJ says let’s get this over with because Waller isn’t a star, but here are Commander Azeez and Apollo Crews. Since Omos isn’t here tonight, AJ can fight Crews’ giant instead.

Carmella accepts the Women’s Tag Team Title shot from Rhea Ripley and Nikki Ash, because that means Ash will have to be involved at some point. Nikki is ALMOST second best or almost a good tag partner, but Carmella and Zelina aren’t ALMOST going to retain their titles. Not a bad promo here.

AJ Styles vs. Apollo Crews

Apparently Crews changed his mind during the break and took Azeez’s place. Sure. Crews snaps him throat first across the top and hits a big backdrop to take over. Styles is sent hard into the corner and Crews pulls him outside for a knee to the ribs. There’s a face first drop onto the apron and we take a break with Styles in big trouble.

Back with Styles fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the Pele kick. Styles charges into a boot in the corner but comes back with a fireman’s carry backbreaker anyway. The Styles Clash is countered into a sitout powerbomb to give Crews two but Styles is back with the moonsault reverse DDT. They head to the apron, where Crews hits a Death Valley Driver to knock Styles silly for two. A superplex is broken up and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence until the Styles Clash finishes Crews at 10:42.

Rating: C+. This was a good performance from Crews and Styles was his usual self, but it doesn’t say much about how the show is set up. They actually changed their minds during a commercial about a match that probably doesn’t mean anything in the long term. Styles as a face again is not a bad thing either, and now I’m curious about what is next for him after Omos.

Post match, Commander Azeez goes after Styles as well but gets taken down.

Seth Rollins, at his home and still in a purple suit, says Kevin Owens can take credit for last week, but Rollins will take the title.

Here is Kevin Owens for a chat. Owens talks about what a great time he has been having lately, from an amazing Christmas with his family to beating Edge in Madison Square Garden this week (don’t bother looking that up and take his word for it). He is the only member of the four way match here tonight and that gives him a huge advantage. Owens loves watching Big E. and Bobby Lashley fight while he and Seth Rollins are like this. He’ll win the title on Saturday, but here is MVP to interrupt.

MVP is looking forward to Bobby Lashley shutting Owens up at Day One, because Lashley has a message for Owens. MVP reads from his phone, but Owens doesn’t think Lashley actually wrote it. Owens tells him to text Lashley that he’s going to win but MVP insults Owens’ mother. Owens: “My mother says I’m special.” Cue the former Hurt Business but MVP doesn’t know why they’re here. They know Lashley can’t win on his own so they’re here to help take Owens out. Owens says let’s get this over with so they can text Lashley about reforming the Hurt Business.

Kevin Owens vs. Cedric Alexander

MVP is on commentary. Owens runs him over to start and hits the fisherman’s buster onto the knee for an early two. They head outside with Owens being sent into the barricade, setting up a springboard Downward Spiral for two back inside. Owens shrugs that off and hits the Pop Up powerbomb, setting up the Stunner to finish Alexander at 3:19.

Rating: C-. Short and to the point here with Owens getting a fine win to give him some momentum going into the title match. Alexander continues to be one of the best hands that doesn’t get a lot of time so it was nice to have him actually get in the ring for a change. That being said, this didn’t need to be a competitive match and it certainly wasn’t, so they did put it together well.

Post match Shelton Benjamin wants to go after Owens but gets Stunned as well.

We recap Damian Priest snapping last week, setting up his US Title defense against Dolph Ziggler.

Damian Priest likes having his violence take over, even if he is facing Dolph Ziggler.

US Title: Damian Priest vs. Dolph Ziggler

Priest is defending after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Ziggler goes straight for him and gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A few shots stagger Priest but he knocks Ziggler outside. Priest sends him flying into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break. Back with Ziggler hammering away in the corner but Priest fights back and hits a heck of a flapjack. The Broken Arrow gets two but Ziggler is back with a quick DDT. That’s not enough to finish Priest either so Ziggler slaps him in the face. You don’t do that to Priest, who snaps and beats the tar out of Ziggler in the corner for the DQ at 10:25.

Rating: C. The ending hurt this one a good bit and I don’t know how much of a surprise it really was. WWE loves to find a way to extend these feuds that don’t really need to be extended and that was the case again here. The match was fine enough and the ending made sense with Priest’s inner anger coming out, but oh joy, another Ziggler title match.

We recap Edge vs. Miz.

It’s time for Miz and Maryse to renew their wedding vows, with Eric Bischoff (to a VERY strong reaction) officiating. Miz comes to the ring and trips on his way into the ring. Maryse comes out in the wedding dress and they are both rather happy. Well as happy as Miz can be in a place like Detroit. Maryse praises Miz for being a great father and husband before asking if he will continue being her husband. Miz: “Should I?”

Of course he will, and then recites his vows in French. Or at least he tries, because he needs help from Maryse and slips into Spanish. Maryse tells him to just do it in English so he praises her again, including their fireworks inducing lovemaking. She’ll continue to be his wife too, so Bischoff goes to wrap it up. We know how this is going to end though (his words) so here is Edge to interrupt.

Edge talks about how he was getting sick listening to those vows and can’t wait to crush Miz at Day One. Miz calls it true love with Maryse and kisses her, so Edge tells them to get a room. Edge promises to embarrass Miz on Saturday but then starts looking around. Miz isn’t sure what is going on but Edge is just messing with him. Hold on though: they did want this to be a white wedding right? We get the Brood music and there’s the blood (now gray/black) bath to end the show. At least Edge finally got one up on them.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where they had to make do with the resources that they had and it came off fairly well. There is only so much that you can do with a limited roster as you try to build towards the pay per view, but in a way it worked even better than usual. It felt like a show building to something else rather than blowing a lot of stuff off, so nicely done on keeping things open going forward. Not a classic or anything, but it was much better than the recent usual Raws.

Results
Riddle b. Chad Gable – Floating Bro
Randy Orton b. Otis – RKO
Dana Brooke/Reggie b. Tamina/R-Truth – Victory roll to R-Truth
Street Profits b. Mysterios – Doomsday Blockbuster to Dominik
AJ Styles b. Apollo Crews – Styles Clash
Kevin Owens b. Cedric Alexander – Stunner
Dolph Ziggler b. Damian Priest via DQ when Priest attacked in the corner

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 20, 2021
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Day One and the Raw World Title match has grown. Last week Bobby Lashley won a series of matches to earn the right to be added to the match as the bad guys had a big night. Now we need to change things up a bit on the way to the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Bobby Lashley running the gauntlet last week to earn the Day One title shot.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley for a chat. MVP hypes up Lashley’s accomplishments last week and explains just how impressive it really was. Now no one can hang with him, but here is Big E. to interrupt. Big E. was impressed last week, but the Lashley that he knows (the one with a lot of sisters) has all of his success on his own.

That made it all the more surprising when MVP hit Big E. in the knee with a cane last week. Lashley says he’s a monster but he’ll take a win how he can. Besides, MVP said if he couldn’t do it, MVP could…so let’s do that right now. Lashley heads outside so MVP loads up the cane, only to have Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins jump him from behind. The brawl is on, until Big E. helps Lashley clear the ring. Just announce the tag match.

We recap Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop.

Belair is ready for the final showdown with Doudrop so she can take her out once and for all.

Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens are panicking over Bobby Lashley when Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce come in. They make the main event tag match for later tonight.

Doudrop vs. Bianca Belair

Belair wastes no time in trying the KOD, sending Doudrop bailing to the floor. Doudrop s smart enough to snap the throat across the top rope and take her into the corner for the big forearms. A World’s Strongest Slam plants Belair but she rolls away from the backsplash. Belair rolls outside, where she catches Doudrop with a spinebuster to send us to a break. Back with Belair getting crotched on top and then failing at a sunset bomb.

Instead, Doudrop hits a splash in the corner, setting up a Cannonball. The confidence is starting to pick up so Belair strikes away to start the comeback. Belair scores with a middle rope crossbody and the handspring moonsault gets two (hit the shocked kickout face). It’s time for Belair to go up top this time but Doudrop powerbombs her down in a heap. Another Vader Bomb misses though and now the KOD can finish Doudrop at 10:48.

Rating: C+. This was a showcase for Belair as the power game was on full display. The KOD at the end looked very good as she muscled Doudrop up and planted her perfectly. They billed this as the big finale of the feud and it would be nice to see Belair move back into the title picture. It’s not like there is anything else for her to do at the moment.

We recap Austin Theory attacking Finn Balor over the last few weeks.

Finn Balor vs. Austin Theory

Balor goes right after him to start and the fight heads out to the floor. Theory actually gets the better of things and takes it back inside for corner clotheslines. We hit the chinlock to keep Balor down but he fights up, only to get neckbreakered off the apron to send us to a break. Back with Balor scoring with a quick double stomp to get a breather, setting up more kicks to the downed Theory. Balor gets crotched on top though, setting up a springboard Spanish Fly. Theory is so happy that he grabs the phone, allowing Balor to reverse into a cradle for two. ATL is escaped though and the Coup de Grace connects for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on having Theory lose but it was to one of the more established stars on the show. Theory seems to be one of the projects on Raw at the moment, which could be good or bad. I could go for more of both of these guys and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them do this again at Day One.

AJ Styles and Omos are ready to fix things on MizTV.

Smackdown Rebound.

It’s time for MizTV. Before we get to the point, Miz wants to clear everything up: he and Maryse are perfectly fine. With that out of the way, we get our guests for the week with AJ Styles and Omos. The two of them have been having problems but Styles wants them to get together and win ALL of the titles. That’s not what Miz has heard though, as Omos has been saying that Styles holds him back and Omos could do all of this himself. Styles recruited Omos to WWE but now he is ready to be the big star all on his own. Styles doesn’t know what to say but he has to worry about that later.

AJ Styles/Omos vs. Mysterios

Dominik picks up the pace to start but gets pulled into an abdominal stretch to slow him down. That’s fine with Dominik, who flips out and brings Rey in to hammer away. The tornado DDT sets up a 619 but the frog splash hits knees. Back up and Omos won’t tag in, allowing Rey to grab a rollup for the pin at 2:23.

Post match AJ yells at Omos, who shoves him away. That’s enough for Styles, who starts hammering on Omos to limited avail. Omos catches him in a fireman’s carry faceplant and says he’ll see Styles in a match.

Austin Theory goes to Vince McMahon’s office.

Randy Orton vs. Chad Gable

Orton is here alone while Otis is with Gable. Orton goes after the arm to start but gets taken to the mat without much trouble. Gable wrestles him down again and Orton needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Orton grabs a headlock takeover but Gable quickly reverses into an armbar. Some armdrags set up another armbar as Orton is getting frustrated. Orton sends him outside and catches Gable with the hanging DDT on the way back in. That’s broken up and Gable hits an armdrag (not a German suplex Graves) but misses another, allowing Orton to hit the RKO for the pin at 2:59.

Post match Otis goes after Orton, who bails when he can’t hit the RKO.

Bobby Lashley/Big E. vs. Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens is set for later.

Lashley can’t trust Big E. but he can beat up all three of them tonight. MVP isn’t worried either.

Earlier today, Dana Brooke and Reggie went on another not-date, this time around a bunch of nice looking Christmas trees. This time Akira Tozawa is an elf but Tamina is here to yell at him for getting in the way. Santa Truth showed up and the brawl was on between the women and Dana escapes again. I’d rather just look at the Christmas lights.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Damian Priest

Non-title but a Champion’s Contenders match, with Robert Roode in Ziggler’s corner. Ziggler kicks at the knee to start but has to counter a powerbomb attempt into a sunset flip for two. Priest takes him down and goes up top though, only to get superplexed back down as we take a break.

Back with Ziggler hitting his running DDT for two but Priest strikes away to cut him down. The Broken Arrow gets two and a kick to the face knocks Ziggler silly. The referee has to check on Ziggler, allowing Roode to trip Priest off the apron. That sends Priest too far so he goes after Roode, earning himself a countout at 9:01.

Rating: C. Not exactly a surprise here as Ziggler has a tendency to get more title shots and rematches than anyone in the history of wrestling. Priest getting to beat him up will work out well enough for him in the future, but for now this wasn’t exactly an interesting match. At least Priest didn’t take a pin here, so I’ll call that a minor victory.

Post match Priest chases Ziggler off and beats Roode up again, including the Reckoning on the floor.

Finn Balor is on to more important things but Austin Theory jumps him. Theory drops him hard onto the anvil case and Balor is grimacing.

Post break, Austin Theory goes in to see Vince McMahon, who liked Theory getting at Balor again. Not that it matters though as Theory lost his match. Vince likes watching revenge though, as it makes him feel like he had a good meal. Next week, Theory gets to face Balor again and Vince threatens him with the eraser again. Then he blows eraser shavings at Theory and says Ho Ho Ho.

It’s time for the Cutting Edge, because this show needed two talk shows. Edge talks about how much he has in common with his guest, in that they are both Canadian and frustrated with Miz. The guest is Maryse, who isn’t here to be Edge’s friend, but she goes on a rant about how she can’t get a word in around Miz. She has a lump in her stomach but she wants people to know that there is a woman behind Maryse. It has been fifteen years with Mike Mizanin and she wants a thank you. She takes care of everything from the house to the kids and now she is exhausted.

Edge looks a bit stunned as Maryse moves on to how she almost got hurt last week. If something happens to her, who is taking care of her kids? Would Edge have ever done this to his wife? Edge apologizes that Maryse’s life is some kind of horrible country song. Is anyone else buying this? Of course he wouldn’t do this to Beth Phoenix because he respects her. Get Miz out here already, so here is Miz to interrupt. Edge catches him coming in from behind but Maryse hits Edge with her purse, setting up the Skull Crushing Finale. Of course everything is ok with Miz and Maryse. Phoenix has to be showing up soon right?

Rhea Ripley vs. Queen Zelina

Nikki Ash and Carmella are barred from ringside. Zelina promises that Ripley won’t be able to end her reign. Ripley blocks a kick to the ribs to start but misses a big boot. Instead Vega tries a tornado DDT, which is blocked as well. Vega spins into a jawbreaker for two on Ripley, who easily blocks a running knee. A delayed superplex doesn’t work for Ripley as Vega slips between the legs and hits a running knee for two. Not that it matters as Ripley hits Riptide for the pin at 2:09, meaning she is a bit better without Ash.

Big E. doesn’t have to team well with Bobby Lashley tonight. Cue Lashley, with Big E. wondering where MVP is to jump him again. Lashley says don’t worry about that, but just be ready for later.

Here is Liv Morgan for a chat, complete with a kendo stick. Morgan talks about how Becky Lynch accepted the rematch for Day One, but only after she injured Morgan’s arm. She talks about going to Iowa to jump Becky at her gym in Iowa and we see a clip of the attack. Morgan showed up and went after Becky, but it was a lookalike so the real Becky could jump her (ignore the pretty big gap in logic to get there).

Instead, Becky got beaten up anyway and Morgan is ready for Day One. Becky can try to break her arm, but she’s going to break Becky’s face. Cue Becky, who asks how Morgan feels about beating up an innocent woman. Morgan says Becky went after her arm but she beat Becky up with one good arm. That gets some respect from Becky, but she doesn’t think Morgan can handle the heat. Morgan throws the stick to Becky, who leaves anyway.

I like Morgan a good bit, but STOP HAVING HER DO THESE LONG RECITED PROMOS. They don’t sound like things she would say and it’s obvious that she is just reading words given to her. She got popular doing one thing and now they’re having her do the opposite to weaker effect. Why is this a surprise anymore?

Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens vs. Big E./Bobby Lashley

Lashley wrecks them both to start and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Lashley hitting a one armed delayed vertical suplex to drop Rollins again. Rollins manages to send him outside though and Owens stomps away to take over. Lashley gets thrown back inside to keep up the beating, which he shrugs off without much trouble.

Big E. comes in for the suplexes and gyrating, setting up a clothesline to send Rollins outside. Owens gets in a cheap shot though and Rollins adds a frog splash for two. We take another break and come back with Lashley wrecking things again, allowing the tag back to Big E. Everything breaks down and Lashley spears Big E., followed by another spear to Owens for the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C. I’m curious about how that ending was supposed to go as it felt like the match was going to end sooner rather than later anyway. The good thing is that Lashley gets another big win, as he is looking more and more like an unstoppable monster. I don’t know what that means for his chances at Day One, but he’s looking awesome on the way there.

Post match Rollins makes a save about ten seconds late, as it seems the ending wasn’t as it was supposed to be. The Stomp hits Big E. and Lashley gets hit with the steps. The apron powerbomb and a Stomp on the steps leave Lashley laying. Owens and Rollins celebrate

Overall Rating: C-. While it wasn’t the mess that last week’s was in this area, this show continued to make me wonder why I would cheer for any of the heroes around here. Save for one or two, this show was filled with heroes who were either inept, lame or just stupid. Between Big E. being left laying again, Morgan not being able to tell which redhead was which (and Lynch being some genius strategist) and Edge knowing Miz’s plan and getting laid out anyway, there wasn’t much to get excited about here.

That’s been a major WWE problem for a long time and it was on full display this week. It’s like WWE builds someone up, gets us to cheer for them and then changes their minds and decides to cut them back down to size. Why they would want to do that is beyond me, but it is making for some dreadful television. The wrestling was fine, but egads it would be nice to have a main event face stand tall and look smart for a change around here.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Doudrop – KOD
Finn Balor b. Austin Theory – Coup de Grace
Mysterios b. AJ Styles/Omos – Rollup to Styles
Randy Orton b. Chad Gable – RKO
Dolph Ziggler b. Damian Priest via countout
Rhea Ripley b. Queen Zelina – Riptide
Big E./Bobby Lashley b. Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens – Spear to Owens

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 13, 2021
Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than three weeks away from Day One and the card seems to be at least somewhat set. That being said, it seems that we might be seeing a new addition to the Raw main event in the form of Bobby Lashley. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the change made official tonight so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s cage match with Big E. defeating Kevin Owens, followed by Bobby Lashley laying out Owens, Big E. and Seth Rollins.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley to get things going. MVP says last week is what happens when you disrespect Lashley and that’s a problem with this generation. That’s why it is imperative to have Lashley added to the Day One WWE Title match, because that’s a great way to start the year.

Cue Kevin Owens to say he hasn’t been disrespecting the two of them because he hasn’t been paying attention to anything they have done in two years. Owens earned his way into the title match and in nineteen days, he becomes WWE Champion so the fans can have someone to believe in.

Now it’s Seth Rollins interrupting, saying you can’t start the show without the star. Rollins respects Lashley’s suit game and has to take Owens’ side, even though he can’t blame him. Lashley shouldn’t be in Rollins’ title match, which has MVP thinking the two of them are terrified. Lashley says get in the ring and do something about it, so Owens thinks they should go after him together. Rollins is in, so Owens tells Rollins to go first.

Arguing ensues so now it’s Big E. to interrupt, calling this his favorite group of idiots. Big E. talks about beating Lashley a few times so he has no problem doing it one more time. Cue Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to say the four way sounds like a good idea, so Lashley is in….if he can beat all three of the others tonight.

We look back at the Alpha Academy attacking Riddle last week.

Earlier today, Riddle is looking at the blazers, saying he has been watching tapes for ideas. Randy Orton says he hopes Riddle is focusing on their potential opponents, but Riddle is focusing on podcasting. Orton doesn’t want to hear about podcasting, being a shaman, or hanging out with jackasses on Smackdown. Riddle goes into a thing about the Jackass cast being at Smackdown, but Orton wants him to focus on Otis. If Riddle can beat Otis tonight, maybe, one day, a long time from now, he can put the blazer back on.

Kevin Owens is told that he has to face Bobby Lashley first and isn’t overly happy. Seth Rollins is reminded he has to face Lashley as well and storms off to get ready. Big E. is fine with a triple threat or a four way.

Riddle vs. Otis

Randy Orton and Chad Gable are here too. Otis knocks him outside to start and then drives Riddle back first into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Otis missing a charge to go shoulder first into the post. Riddle hits a kick to the face but a high crossbody is pulled out of the air. That’s broken up and Riddle strikes away, setting up the Floating Bro to a standing Otis. Somehow Otis gets back up and blocks the RKO, setting up the pop up World’s Strongest Slam to finish Riddle at 8:25.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to get very far due to the commercial, but at least they were doing something to make Otis look like a monster. I’m not sure how that is going to work since the Alpha Academy was eliminated from the tournament last week, but maybe we get a bit of a swerve.

Post match Orton hits the RKO on Gable but Otis elbows him down.

We look back at Doudrop attacking Bianca Belair.

Doudrop vs. Bianca Belair

They fight over a lockup to start with Belair having to climb the corner. That doesn’t work so well for Doudrop, as Belair armdrags her way out. Back up and Belair can’t drop her again, so it’s time for that dance she does in every match. Doudrop sends her into the corner but Belair is back with a pretty ugly hurricane into said corner and out to the floor.

Back in and Belair gets her own legs tied over the ropes, allowing Doudrop to hit a hard elbow as we take a break. We come back with Doudrop hitting a Michinoku Driver for two as Belair is in trouble. Doudrop loads up a Vader Bomb but gets reversed into a powerbomb, setting up a 450 to give Belair the pin at 10:33.

Rating: C+. I can go for the idea of Belair getting to show off her power and that 450 looked great. Doudrop is good as the monster but she was just there for Belair to slay. This should be enough to move on to something else, though that isn’t how WWE tends to work most of the time.

Post match, Doudrop jumps Belair again because a pinfall isn’t enough to finish a feud.

We look at the Next In Line signings from the NCAA.

Gable Steveson is here, complete with gold medal.

Kevin Owens says a lot of this is trash, but him winning the WWE Title will help.

Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens

The first of three matches Lashley has to win to get into the Day One title match. Lashley powers him around to start but gets sent outside. The Cannonball from the apron misses though and Lashley runs him over again. Back in and Owens scores with a quick superkick, setting up the Cannonball in the corner.

There’s a backsplash for two on Lashley, followed by a tornado DDT for the same. Owens hits him in the face though and Lashley is mad, earning Owens a whip into the corner for an upside down crash. The Hurt Lock is blocked but so is the Stunner, allowing Lashley to hit a spinebuster. Lashley gets one arm up for the Hurt Lock and Owens taps immediately at 4:33.

Rating: C+. They packed a good bit of stuff in here and it was a good showcase for Lashley as a result. Owens tapping out immediately makes sense as he is the kind of guy who would hope Big E. and Seth Rollins will do the hard work for him. It’s just part one of three though, so we have a long way to go.

In the back, Seth Rollins is annoyed but is told that he is up next. Growling and walking ensue.

We look back at Liv Morgan coming up short in her title match against Becky Lynch.

Veer Mahaan is still coming.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She’s still the champ, though some fans might be happier than others. Those people who are booing her are the same ones who begged for her to come back but then didn’t like her being mean. We see the Angry Liv Girl from last week, which makes me miss Angry Miz Girl. They aren’t the ones who got in this ring and broke down those gender barriers to become the biggest star in the industry. If you don’t evolve in this business, you get left behind, but don’t worry because she is holding this title for a long time.

Cue Liv Morgan to say that she made Becky doubt herself, hence the cheating to win. Girl in the crowd: “NO!!! BECKY RULES!!!” We see a photo of Becky cheating to win last week, which makes Liv know she can win. That’s why she wants a rematch at Day One, but the fight is on for now. Becky stomps gets her down onto the steps and stomps on the arm to leave Liv laying. With that out of the way, Becky accepts the challenge for Day One, but says she’s off to her house with her baby girl and hot husband.

We look back at Omos snapping and costing himself and AJ Styles a tag match last week. The team seemed to split after the match.

AJ Styles says this team isn’t done and you don’t give up on someone like Omos. Styles praises Omos as someone special, so here is Omos behind him. Omos thanks him and they seem good.

Reggie and Dana Brooke were in the snowy park earlier today, with Reggie offering some tips on keeping the 24/7 Title. Maybe over hot chocolate? Dana seems interested but R-Truth and Akira Tozawa are there in costumes. Cue Tamina to jump Brooke but she escapes, leading to a big chase into a pile of snow. Tamina tells Truth and Akira Tozawa to stay out of their way.

Damian Priest/Finn Balor vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler

Priest throws Ziggler around to start but Roode comes in, allowing Priest to beat up both of them at once. Ziggler is sent outside with Roode following him, meaning Priest can drop them both as we take a break. Back with Priest beating up Ziggler until he is sent outside for a spinebuster from Roode. Balor comes in to clean house but cue Austin Theory for a distraction. Ziggler uses said distraction to hit the Zig Zag for the fast pin at 7:24.

Rating: D+. This was barely long enough to rate but the point was to move Theory vs. Balor (and maybe/hopefully Priest as well). That being said, being pinned by Ziggler in 2021 is not exactly the best sign for a wrestler’s future and I’m not sure how much more Balor is going to be doing in WWE. Maybe he sticks around, but egads it’s not the smoothest course for him.

We look at Zelina Vega beating Nikki Ash last week, setting up Jerry Lawler’s return to accidentally humiliate her even more.

Nikki Ash talks about how depressing things have been but Rhea Ripley wants the old Nikki back.

Queen Zelina vs. Rhea Ripley

Carmella and Nikki Ash are here too. Before the match, Vega talks about how the fans can cheer her, but loses the accent when they boo. Ripley shoves Vega around to start but Carmella goes after Nikki. A superkick leaves her laying so Ripley gets rid of Carmella, allowing Vega to grab a rollup for the pin at 58 seconds.

Kevin Owens pitches Seth Rollins another alliance but Rollins storms off.

Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley

Second match Lashley has to win to be added to the Day One title match. Lashley knocks him outside without much effort to start but Rollins escapes the ram into the post. Back in and Lashley snaps off some suplexes, setting up the Downward Spiral. MVP: “BOBBY! SMASH!” Rollins bails outside to escape the Dominator but here is Kevin Owens to punch Rollins in the face…and that’s a DQ at 2:23. Hold on though as Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville come out to say not so fast. It’s being restarted as a No DQ match (which will be the case for Big E. vs. Lashley as well) so Lashley spears Rollins down for the pin at 3:36.

Austin Theory comes in to see Vince McMahon, who is meeting with Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez, to brag about taking out Finn Balor. Vince offers a pat on the back or a participation trophy, but Theory would rather have a match. Vince says they’re not friends and Theory hasn’t impressed him. Instead, Vince gives him a pencil and points out the eraser. I don’t think I get it.

Here is Maryse to host MizTV, with special guest….the Miz. After saying Maryse looks especially gorgeous tonight, Miz gets to the point: it’s almost the Road to Wrestlemania, and that means the Hall of Fame class will be announced soon. Miz would like to officially nominate himself to be the first member of the class, complete with a career highlight video. Miz and Maryse are near tears, but still toast the champagne to the idea of retiring Edge again at Day One.

Cue Edge to mock Miz for talking too much and telling him to shut up. Edge doesn’t get why Miz complains so much, but Miz doesn’t see what is so scary about him. We hear about Edge not helping him in 2006 so Miz throws the champagne in his eyes. The fight is on with Miz hiding behind Maryse to avoid the spear. The Skull Crushing Finale lays out Edge but Maryse yells at Miz for using her as a shield. Maryse slaps him and leaves. I’m not sure about this one, as Edge didn’t add anything with his comments, but the Maryse deal seems to open up the mixed tag door.

Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins give Big E. a pep talk but he calls them idiots and leaves.

Smackdown Rebound.

Commentary recaps Bobby Lashley’s gauntlet. Three fans get up from the front row and walk away as they’re talking.

We recap Lashley’s efforts so far.

MVP says Lashley is ready for Big E. in a No DQ match.

Big E. vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title and No DQ, with Lashley needing a win to advance to the Day One WWE Title match. It’s a power brawl to start with Big E. knocking him down, meaning it’s already table time. Hold on though as Big E. has to go back inside and plant Lashley again. NOW the table can be tossed in but Big E. has to save himself from going through it. Lashley grabs a Downward Spiral but gets sent face first into a chair in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Big E. blocking a suplex through a table. Instead Big E. knocks him to the apron for some forearms to the chest and an apron splash. They head outside with Lashley driving him into the post but having to block the spear through the ropes. Back in and Lashley hits a heck of a spinebuster through the table as we take another break.

We come back with Big E. dropping Lashley onto the steps and then heading back inside. The Hurt Lock is blocked and a spear connects, but here are Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens to go after Lashley. Big E. fights both of them off but then gets double teamed down. Owens and Big E. head outside, where a Rock Bottom puts Owens through a table. Lashley spears Rollins through a table in the corner, allowing Big E. to get back in. That’s fine with MVP, who hits Big E. in the knee with the cane. Lashley’s spear is enough to send him to Day One at 19:45.

Rating: C+. It was a good power brawl and would have made a fine house show main event when Lashley was still champion, but egads this didn’t do Big E. any favors. I can only assume that Lashley is becoming a face after this as he has now beaten three former World Champions in one night, including in this match where two of them had to save the third. I’m not a fan of the champ losing, but it certainly made Lashley look like the biggest star on the show, which he pretty much is at this point.

Overall Rating: D. This is a show where the wrestling absolutely does not make up for everything else. I don’t remember the last time I felt like a company was trying to take away every single person I might want to cheer for on one night. Belair wins, then gets taken out two minutes later. That is the lone face win on the night, with everyone else losing or being laid out, including Liv Morgan and Edge in the big interview segments.

Then you have the main story of the night, with Lashley running through pretty much the entire main event scene so he can be added to the main event scene. That’s something that could have been stretched out for weeks but instead we gt it here in the span of a few hours. What does this leave for the story for the next two weeks? Talking and/or wacky tag matches? How lucky we are to receive such Christmas gifts.

Overall, this show felt like WWE was trying to take away the fun from the show and they certainly succeeded. There was nothing to cheer about all night and the show just kept dragging on. Day One has gone from a show I wanted to see to a show we need to get through so we can move on to the Road to Wrestlemania. Maybe it winds up working, but this was one of the most depressing episodes of WWE TV I can remember in a long, long time.

Results
Otis b. Riddle – Pop up World’s Strongest Slam
Bianca Belair b. Doudrop – 450
Bobby Lashley b. Kevin Owens – Hurt Lock
Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler b. Damian Priest/Finn Balor – Zig Zag to Balor
Queen Zelina b. Rhea Ripley – Rollup
Bobby Lashley b. Seth Rollins – Spear
Bobby Lashley b. Big E. – Spear

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 18, 2021
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Crown Jewel, though the audience is going to be decimated by a mixture of the MLB Playoffs and Monday Night Football. The card does include Charlotte defending the Raw Women’s Title against Bianca Belair, along with a rematch between Drew McIntyre/Big E. vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Charlotte to get things going but she isn’t sure why there are no champagne and balloons for her final night on Raw. There is a conspiracy against her because Bianca Belair isn’t even on the roster yet but has two title shots this week! Charlotte: “AND YOU PEOPLE THINK I’M ENTITLED???” After dealing with the crown and various chants, Charlotte says Belair needs to get over it already because Charlotte is the mountain that she can’t climb. Belair can deal with Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks…or she can interrupt right now.

Belair doesn’t think there is a conspiracy against Charlotte because this is just desserts. Belair has done everything she said she would and has earned this shot. She had Charlotte beaten until Becky Lynch had to save things. Now Charlotte is throwing a fit because she can’t get a celebration before she leaves? Belair promises to win the title and take it to Crown Jewel, where she can leave with both titles. Charlotte goes after her but has to avoid the KOD, allowing Belair to kick her off the apron.

We recap the Raw half of the King of the Ring.

Xavier Woods is ready to join the likes of King Shamrock, King Mabel and King Bookah. Kofi Kingston says Martin Luther King had a dream but Woods’ dream is to be king. Woods is ready to sit on that throne at Crown Jewel as King Woods I. Points on a King Shamrock reference as I wouldn’t have bet on that one.

Video on Seth Rollins.

King of the Ring Semifinals: Xavier Woods vs. Jinder Mahal

Veer and Shanky are here with Mahal while Woods has Kofi Kingston. Saxton actually brings up these two facing off in the semifinals of the US Title tournament for some history. Woods starts fast by knocking him into the ropes for a running crotch attack, setting up some right hands in the corner. Mahal runs him over with a shoulder though and it’s time to crank on a headlock. That’s broken up with a Russian legsweep and a running basement dropkick. Mahal isn’t having that and plants Woods with a side slam, setting up a shot to the face. Woods gets tossed outside and into the steps for a crash and we take a break.

Back with Mahal hitting a gutbuster for two and telling Woods to COME ON. The Khallas is blocked so Mahal settles for a side slam instead. Woods fights back up and knocks Shanky off the apron, setting up a top rope ax handle….only to dive into the Khallas. Somehow Woods grabs the rope for the break Mahal puts him on top but gets knocked down, setting up the rope walk elbow to send Woods to Crown Jewel at 9:57.

Rating: C. The action wasn’t great, but my goodness that was a relief to see Woods win. WWE has shown a tendency to be so obsessed with Mahal that it isn’t hard to imagine him getting the win here (or even the crown). Woods might not win the whole tournament, but they have done the right thing to set up the finals.

Post match Kofi gives Woods the cape and scepter for the big pose on the stage.

We look back at Austin Theory beating Jeff Hardy last week.

Earlier today, Theory said he did look up to Hardy, but last week he was looking down at him. Then the 24/7 goons run by, with Theory saving Reggie from R-Truth. Theory: “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM???” Truth: “I have a theory!” The challenge is thrown out for later, but Truth wants Theory to make sure his mom says he can stay up that late.

Video on Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg.

Austin Theory vs. R-Truth

After Theory makes his entrance and the Lashley vs. Goldberg video, Truth comes out in street clothes. There was a misunderstanding: Truth didn’t answer the challenge for himself, but for his friend.

Austin Theory vs. Jeff Hardy

Theory runs him over to start and mocks Hardy’s dance, only to get small packaged for two. They head outside with Hardy being neckbreakered off the apron as we take a break. Back with Hardy getting in a few shots of his own and sending Theory outside for a dropkick through the ropes. Poetry in Motion off the steps sends Theory up against the barricade but the Swanton Bomb is countered. Theory TKO’s him onto the knee for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C. Another middle of the road match but Theory is looking like a star every step of the way. Giving him another win over a legend like Hardy is a great thing and it is so nice to see him do this without losing a fall so fast. Totally watchable match too, which is more than you usually get on Raw.

Post match Theory takes another selfie but Hardy pops up and gives him the Twist of Fate. Hardy takes his own selfie because he’s a sore loser.

We look back at Drew McIntyre and Big E. getting in a fight last week, causing them to lose their tag match.

Drew McIntyre and Big E. say they’ll work together tonight but then the best man will win on Thursday. Drew: “Don’t worry, I will.” Big E. does his full intro in McIntyre’s face, so McIntyre throws in some posing for a funny response.

Charlotte interrupts Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce and yells about how horribly she was treated earlier tonight. She thinks it’s a conspiracy, which is a word I’d love to see banned from wrestling. Deville says it isn’t, but Charlotte promises to win anyway.

Drew McIntyre/Big E. vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler

Big E. powers Ziggler around to start but Roode comes in for a cheap shot. The referee misses a shot to the eye but Big E. gets in a leapfrog. A shot to the face puts Roode down and another takes Ziggler off the apron. There are the forearms to the chest on the apron, setting up the apron splash, with Ziggler breaking it up at the last minute. That’s fine with Big E., who counters the Fameasser by sending Ziggler into the timekeeper’s area. Roode sends Big E. into the steps though and we take a break.

Back with Ziggler stomping Big E. in the corner and getting two off a dropkick. The sleeper goes on but Big E. is up in a hurry, only to get raked in the eyes. Roode grabs a chinlock for a bit but Big E. runs Ziggler over and finally brings in McIntyre to clean house. The belly to belly puts Roode down and Ziggler gets Alabama Slammed onto him for a crash.

Roode fights out of a fireman’s carry but Ziggler pulls Big E. off the apron (and he grabs his knee on the landing), leaving Roode to grab a spinebuster for two. An assisted Fameasser drops McIntyre for two more but he gets in a shot for a breather. Big E. is back up for the reluctant tag and the Big Ending plants Roode for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C+. There was a nice story in here as McIntyre and Big E. know they have to work together and wan to win, but then want to take the other’s head off on Thursday. I was glad they didn’t have McIntyre walk out or something instead of taking the big tag, but at least they went with something a little more original. Good enough stuff here, even if it was similar to what they did two weeks ago.

Post match McIntyre and Big E. yell at each other but it doesn’t get physical.

The Street Profits are hyped up for Crown Jewel, including the Raw Tag Team Title match. They think AJ Styles is the kid in school who doesn’t do any work in the group project but still gets an A. Ford: “I was that kid.” They want the smoke, but here are AJ Styles and Omos to say they’re winning the titles at Crown Jewel. That’s enough to make the Profits laugh because they want the smoke. Styles thinks Street Profits is a dumb name.

Video on Kevin Owens.

Mansoor vs. Cedric Alexander

Shelton Benjamin is here with Alexander, who goes right after Mansoor to start. Some right hands in the corner set up some right hands on the mat for two and we hit the waistlock. Back up and Mansoor manages to kick him down and spins into a reverse DDT to stagger Alexander. The slingshot neckbreaker finishes Alexander at 3:46.

Rating: C-. This would have been fine as the main event of any Main Event and that’s all it needed to be. Mansoor gets a win to heat him up a bit on the way to Crown Jewel, where he is likely to be the most popular star on the show. Mustafa Ali will make him look good, just like Cedric did here.

Post match, here is Mustafa Ali in a suit to promise to take the smile from Mansoor and everyone else at Crown Jewel. Mansoor tells him to shut up and promises to take him out on Thursday.

We get a sitdown interview between Goldberg and Bobby Lashley, with Goldberg saying that his threats are promises. Lashley says that’s criminal but he isn’t going to get the authorities involved. Goldberg doesn’t look interested as Lashley says it’s going to be like Summerslam. Lashley brings up Goldberg’s son, which is enough to get Goldberg’s attention.

Lashley talks about how he is going to have Goldberg begging for mercy at Crown Jewel. Goldberg: “Are you finished yet?” That’s enough for Lashley to walk out, with Goldberg threatening to kill him on Thursday. This was more of what we have had the whole time: old man Goldberg talking a lot and looking bored until he says his next line.

We look back at Omos taking out Riddle before Randy Orton took out AJ Styles.

Riddle thinks Randy deserves a Kids Choice Award for his acting last week. He knows it was a great plan, but Orton insists there was never a plan. As Orton seems like he’s trying not to break up, Riddle wants to know the plan for the Street Profits tonight. The plan tonight is the same as it is at Crown Jewel: win. Now let’s go get some smoke.

Video on Keith Lee.

RKBro vs. Street Profits

Non-title. Riddle starts with Ford and takes him straight down into a cross armbreaker. Ford manages to slip out in a hurry and grabs a headlock, followed by a dropkick to take Riddle down again. A double dropkick does it again and Dawkins backflips Ford onto Riddle for two. Everything breaks down and the Profits are sent outside, where Orton helps take Dawkins down. Riddle adds a penalty kick and springboard Floating Bro, only to have Ford flip dive onto both of them for the big crash.

We take a break and come back with Riddle gutwrenching Ford and swinging him around (that’s a new one) before hitting the gutwrench suplex. Ford is trying to count his fingers until Riddle covers him for two. The chinlock goes on but Ford fights up and kicks Riddle in the head for the breather. The diving tag brings in Dawkins for the house cleaning, including a t-bone slam to Riddle.

Dawkins hits the Silencer for two but Riddle gets in a shot of his own, allowing the hot tag to Orton. That means Ford gets powerslammed into the hanging DDT (with Ford staying still on his head on the landing for a cool visual)…and we have Omos. That’s enough for AJ Styles to come in with the Phenomenal Forearm to Orton for the DQ at 10:20.

Rating: C+. This was getting better near the end but they weren’t exactly hiding how this was going to wrap up. It’s kind of early to burn through a match like this, even if it didn’t have a clean finish. At least they didn’t have one of the teams lose, but egads RKBro vs. Omos/Styles needs to wrap up already, as the title picture really needs some fresh blood at the moment.

Post mach Orton and Omos beat RKBro down, including a chokeslam to Riddle and a kick to Orton’s side (as Omos couldn’t quite hit the head).

Video on Becky Lynch.

Queen’s Crown Tournament Semifinals: Shayna Baszler vs. Doudrop

Before the bell, here is Zelina Vega to watch, albeit with the crown and cape on. Baszler kicks away at the leg but gets caught with a quick Saito suplex. There’s the Cannonball in the corner and Doudrop loads up an over the shoulder piledriver, only to get reversed into the Kirifuda Clutch. That earns Baszler a ram into the corner and a toss gets Doudrop out of trouble. The basement crossbody misses though and the Kirifuda Clutch goes on for a good while….until Doudrop leans back and pins Baszler at 2:39. Somehow, one of the longer matches of the tournament so far.

Nikki Ash and Rhea Ripley welcome Bianca Belair to Raw, complete with a hat. They do know she was here last year right?

Finn Balor vs. Mace

Xavier Woods is here and Balor doesn’t look impressed. Mace starts fast and hammers away, including knocking Balor down in the corner. Balor avoids a charge in the corner but walks into a swinging Boss Man Slam for two. We hit the nerve hold but Balor is up in a hurry. Mace’s powerbomb is countered and Balor hits a quick double stomp for a breather. There’s the Sling Blade to drop Mace and the Coup de Grace finishes for Balor at 2:44.

Post match Balor goes up to Woods and shoves him away. Kofi Kingston comes out to hold them apart, with Woods saying Balor is going to remain a prince.

John Morrison is meditating to find his chi but the Viking Raiders don’t get it. Why search for chi if you can’t use it to raid?

Crown Jewel rundown.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Feeling out process to start until they both try running dropkicks for an early standoff. Belair jumps over her in the corner and tells Charlotte what to kiss. They head outside with Belair being thrown over the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Charlotte kicking Belair to break up a handspring and nipping up to try a handspring moonsault of her own. That only hits knees though, allowing Belair to show her how to do it right. A baseball slide dropkick hits Charlotte, who is right back up with a powerbomb. Charlotte hits the double jump moonsault for two and comes up to show off a bloody mouth. Belair is back with a spinebuster so Charlotte bails straight to the floor in a smart move.

That’s fine with Belair, who follows her out and tosses Charlotte onto the announcers’ table as we take another break. Back again with Belair getting two off a cradle but Charlotte kicks the air in front of Belair’s face to put her down again. Belair gets sent outside for the moonsault, with Charlotte again not quite making full contact. Back in and Belair counters Natural Selection and hits a release Glam Slam (that didn’t look quite right) for two of her own.

The KOD is countered and Charlotte is right back with she spear for two and the big shocked face kickout. Charlotte pulls her around by the braid and goes up top but misses the moonsault. Belair suplexes her over for two and goes up, where Charlotte kicks her in the leg. A sunset bomb off the top gives Belair two though and they’re both down. Then Charlotte hits her with a chair for the DQ at 22:42.

Rating: B-. They were having a good (albeit kind of sloppy at times) match here until the really weak ending. I’m not sure what happened with the finish but I’m almost sure they ran out of time and had to find something to wrap it up. Odds are we’ll see this one again, as both of them are going to be major players going forward. Also of note: Charlotte looked like something happened to her mouth, as it was banged up and the referee was checking on her quite a bit.

Post match Belair takes the chair and hits Charlotte with it to end the show. That absolutely felt like they were out of time and had to go home immediately.

Overall Rating: C. There were certainly parts that didn’t work, but above all else, this show benefited from having a focus. They were trying to set up Crown Jewel tonight and that worked out about as well as could be expected. Now that being said, the show they were building towards isn’t exactly interesting, but they did have something to shoot for here and it helped. Nothing was terrible and they got some stuff done, so we’ll call this one in the middle, as it still wasn’t good but it was better than normal for Raw as of late.

Results
Xavier Woods b. Jinder Mahal – Rope walk elbow
Austin Theory b. Jeff Hardy – TKO onto the knee
Big E./Drew McIntyre b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – Big Ending to Roode
Mansoor b. Cedric Alexander – Slingshot neckbreaker
RKBro b. Street Profits via DQ when AJ Styles interfered
Doudrop b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup
Finn Balor b. Mace – Coup de Grace
Bianca Belair b. Charlotte via DQ when Charlotte used a chair

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 27, 2021
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re done with Extreme Rules and the biggest changes involve a doll and this show. First up, Charlotte destroyed Lillie the doll last night, sending Alexa Bliss into an emotional breakdown. Other than that we have a WWE Championship match set for the top of the show, because Monday Night Football is going to kill them otherwise. Let’s get to it.

Here is Extreme Rules if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Big E. cashing in Money in the Bank to win the WWE Title, plus pinning Bobby Lashley again last night at Extreme Rules in a six man tag. The rematch is set for tonight.

WWE Title: Big E. vs. Bobby Lashley

Big E. is defending and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Lashley powers him into the corner to start so Big E. fires off a slap to the face. That earns him a beating in the corner and a snap suplex for less than one. A clothesline puts Big E. on the floor but he snaps off a belly to belly to send us to a break. Back with Lashley hitting a Downward Spiral into a big clothesline to put Big E. in even more trouble. Lashley takes him up top but Big E. blocks the superplex.

That’s fine with Lashley, who knocks him off the top and down onto the apron for a crash instead. The double clothesline on the floor teases the double countout but they make it back inside. That means the slugout can be on but Lashley has to go to the ropes to avoid the Big Ending. The spear through the ropes drops Lashley….but here are Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander in Hurt Business shirts. Lashley hits a spinebuster and seems pleased but here is New Day to go after Alexander and Benjamin. The spear cuts Big E. down as the other four fight inside for the DQ at 10:00.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how many people expected a clean finish here so it wasn’t like it was a disappointment. Giving Big E. a DQ loss doesn’t exactly make him look great but I’m sure you are going to see something else from him later tonight. They mostly delivered a nice match though and that’s all they needed to do.

Post match the brawl is on and security comes out to break it up. Actually we’re not done as this match is happening again later tonight inside a steel cage (which they just happen to have lying around).

Erik vs. Angel Garza

Ivar and Humberto Carrillo are here too. Erik powers him around to start but gets caught in an armbar for his early efforts. That’s broken up and Garza is back with his knee to the face. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, which Carrillo teases throwing in. That brings Ivar over but the distraction lets Garza hit a superkick into the Wing Clipper for the pin at 2:01.

We recap Charlotte beating Alexa Bliss last night and destroying Lillie, plus beating up Bliss again, because it has been so long since Charlotte accomplished anything.

24/7 Title: Reggie vs. Ricochet

Reggie is defending. Feeling out process to start with Ricochet working on a wristlock but they need to trade moonsaults over each other out of the corner. Ricochet sends him outside for the big flip dive as the 24/7 goons are watching from the front row. That’s enough for them to jump the barricade and jump Reggie for the DQ at 1:20.

Post match Ricochet fights back but Drake Maverick has a walkie talkie, telling someone to do it now. Cue Akira Tozawa to go after Reggie, who escapes anyway. Note that Ricochet is the one who is a guest star but we have a continuing story involving four morons trying to catch an acrobat to win a comedy title.

Riddle is on his own tonight because Randy Orton is probably taking a week off to have some Skyline Chili. Or he needed to take a break from Riddle because he wanted to RKO him on the concrete. Riddle thinks that’s a bad idea because it could hurt Orton’s back. It’s cool though, because Riddle has his headphones with Orton’s theme song. Singing ensues.

Akira Tozawa is still in the ring and wants a match with someone.

Keith Lee vs. Akira Tozawa

Yes it’s Bearcat and it’s a splash into the Big Bang Catastrophe for the pin on Tozawa at 35 seconds.

We recap the opening match and a very serious Big E. promises to beat Bobby Lashley again, just like he did when he promised to cash in. A serious Big E. is a good Big E.

US Title: Sheamus vs. Damian Priest

Priest is defending and it’s no countout/no DQ. Why Priest needed to have his entrance before that big recap is beyond me, but letting the US Champ stand around in the ring for three minutes certainly isn’t a bad look or anything. Before the match, Sheamus says this won’t be pretty, but it will be pretty ugly as he gets the title back. They go with the power to start with Sheamus headlock takeovering him down.

Priest fights up but gets elbowed in the face to cut him off. The Broken Arrow is broken up so they head outside, where Priest hits a quick suplex. There’s a big boot and it’s already time for a table. Sheamus isn’t having that and sends Priest into the steps but the ten forearms on the apron are broken up. Instead, Sheamus hits the White Noise through the table in a big crash to send us to the break.

Back with Priest fighting out of a kendo stick choke, because White Noise off the apron through a table is just a spot. Another table is set up in the corner but Priest is back up with kendo stick shots. A chair is brought in but Priest is sent head first into it in the corner (that sounded great). Priest is back up with South of Heaven for two and they slug it out from their knees. An enziguri gives Priest two but he jumps into the jumping knee to the face for the same. The Reckoning is loaded up but Sheamus slips out, only to be sent through the table in the corner. Now the Reckoning can retain the title at 15:50.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a fight and the match they should have had last night at Extreme Rules. I’m not sure what the point was in having an extreme match on Raw when you had a regular match on the extreme pay per view. The other problem here: Sheamus, a multiple time World Champion, just hit his secondary finisher off the apron and through a table. It sent us to a break and we came back with Priest being fine. You could do an injury spot or a title change off of that, but it might not even be the biggest spot in a Raw match.

Mustafa Ali isn’t happy with Mansoor signing the two of them up for a six man tag with Jeff Hardy. Ali rants about Hardy, who pops up behind them, asking what Ali would say to them. After Ali backpedals hard, Hardy talks about how they are up against some scary monsters. He’s ready to twist their fates.

Jinder Mahal/Veer/Shanky vs. Mansoor/Mustafa Ali/Jeff Hardy

Shanky sidewalk slams Ali to start so it’s off to Mansoor, who gets elbowed by Veer. We hit the neck crank for a bit but Mansoor fights up in a hurry and brings in Jeff to clean house. Everything breaks down and Veer’s baseball lariat finishes Ali at 3:44.

Rating: D+. So yes, we really are reheating Jinder Mahal and the final form of the Singh Brothers. This hasn’t worked before and it isn’t likely to work now, but that has never stopped WWE before. Maybe focusing on Veery and Shanky would help, but I have no reason to believe that will be the case.

Karrion Kross promises to hurt people.

Karrion Kross vs. Jaxson Ryker

Kross knocks him into the corner to start and mocks Ryker’s military history. A suplex takes Ryker down but an armbar is broken up. The Doomsday Saito set up the Krossjacket to make Ryker tap at 1:37. That’s good for a smile.

Doudrop is going to answer Charlotte’s Open Challenge for a Women’s Title match.

Bobby Lashley rants about Big E. winning the title with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Tonight, he isn’t injured and he can hurt Big E. even more in a cage.

Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Riddle suplexes him down for an early two but gets hit in the face for a trip to the floor. AJ hits a sliding knee off the apron and we take a break with Riddle in trouble. Back with Riddle striking away but getting caught in a pumphandle gutbuster to cut him off. Riddle kicks him to the floor and hits a big dive to take AJ down again.

Back in and the Floating Bro is countered into a Calf Crusher (that was sweet) but Riddle slips out. The comeback is on as Riddle gets all fired up, even knocking Styles down a few times. That’s fine with AJ, who counters a running knee into a Burning Hammer (geez) into the Styles Clash for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: C+. This match right here might embody Raw’s troubles more than anything else. There is no reason for this match to happen. RKBro beat Styles and Omos for the titles and we have seen several combinations since then. It is continuing just for the sake of having matches and filling in time now. The match will be fine, but find a reason for them to fight other than “they’re fighting again”.

Post match, Omos plants Riddle again with the chokeslam.

We look back at Shayna Baszler snapping on Nia Jax and putting her on the shelf with an arm injury last week.

Shayna has no comment, but does have a nifty deck of cards.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Doudrop

Charlotte is defending. Doudrop shoves her around to start and Charlotte can’t manage to slam her. The big running backsplash crushes Charlotte….and here’s Eva Marie because WWE absolutely refuses to move on from ANYTHING. Charlotte gets in a chop block and Natural Selection retains at 1:52.

Post match Eva poses over Doudrop and gets decked by Charlotte.

Goldberg (OH HERE WE GO) is back and talks about how he and Bobby Lashley are both fathers. He doesn’t know what kind of a father Lashley is but Lashley attacked Goldberg’s son at Summerslam. Now he is going to fulfill the vow he made when his son was born and hurt Lashley a lot. I’m so excited for this. It’s right up there with a bad infection.

Eva Marie is still in the ring and complains about the disrespect. She can beat anyone in the locker room so here is Shayna Baszler. The Kirifuda Clutch knocks Eva out in a hurry and the fans approve. Shayna lets go and unloads on Eva’s arm ala last week with Jax for a bonus. I could go for face Shayna.

Nikki Ash and Rhea Ripley say they have nothing in common except the titles. Nikki thinks they need matching blue gear, but Rhea says it’s a good color on Nikki only. Hey, remember when Riddle and Orton were a team who didn’t agree on anything but they worked well together and one of them was really excited about the team and wanted them to have matching gear and a wacky name but the other wasn’t interested?

WWE Title: Big E. vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is challenging in a cage and jumps Big E. before they’re both inside. Big E. is sent into the barricade and the cage as this is one sided before the bell. A posting makes it even worse and we take a break. Back with the bell ringing and Big E. sending him into the cage over and over. A running clothesline drops Lashley again but he’s back up with a trip into the cage wall.

The spear is countered into a hiptoss into the corner but Big E. has to fight out of a Hurt Lock attempt. Lashley settles with a suplex for two and goes up but Big E. is right up there for an attempt at a super Big Ending. That doesn’t quite work as Big E. comes back down but gets caught in a dragon sleeper over the ropes. That’s enough for Lashley to go for a climb but Big E. is back up for the save.

Big E. goes up but the Hurt Business is there to cut him off. Lashley goes for the door but here’s Xavier Woods to slam the door on his head. New Day gets rid of the Hurt Business, with Kofi hitting the trust fall off the cage onto both of them. We take a break and come back with Big E. ducking an elbow and hitting the trio of belly to belly suplexes. The spear cuts Big E. down for two though and Lashley goes for the door. That’s broken up so Lashley tells him to stay down, only to walk into the Big Ending for two. A spinebuster plants Big E. so it’s time to climb but Big E. pulls him back down with the super Big Ending to retain at 16:31.

Rating: B. This was a pair of big strong guys hitting each other very hard and that’s what it needed to be. Setting up the super Big Ending earlier and then actually doing it in the end worked well and it felt like a major victory for Big E. He needed this to solidify himself as the champion and it was a good fight that felt like a pay per view level title match.

Post match the cage is raised, but here’s Drew McIntyre to stare Big E. (who is fine with this) down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. In something I’ve had to say far too many times over the years, there is a good two hour show in here somewhere, if you trim off a lot of the fat. By fat, I mean a lot of the repetitive stuff that has been done so many times that it doesn’t feel like it matters anymore whatsoever, such as Eva Marie vs. Doudrop, Jinder Mahal and company, the 24/7 Title, Styles/Omos vs. RKBro and probably Karrion Kross. It’s either not going to happen or it has happened so many times that there is no reason to be interested anymore.

The rest of the show did have some good moments, which tended to be when they were focusing on what the talented wrestlers can do in the ring. There were good matches and it felt like important things were happening here. The problem is there was so much other stuff that didn’t work and dragged the good down. That happens far too often on Raw, but it does seem like they are getting out of the horrible depths they had reached a few months ago. I’ll absolutely take that, but the Draft is going to change everything anyway so I’m not sure if it matters.

Results
Bobby Lashley b. Big E. via DQ when Kofi Kingston and Cedric Alexander interfered
Angel Garza b. Erik – Wing Clipper
Reggie b. Ricochet via DQ when R-Truth interfered
Keith Lee b. Akira Tozawa – Big Bang Catastrophe
Damian Priest b. Sheamus – Reckoning
Jinder Mahal/Veer/Shanky b. Jeff Hardy/Mansoor/Mustafa Ali – Baseball lariat to Ali
Karrion Kross b. Jaxson Ryker – Krossjacket
AJ Styles b. Riddle – Styles Clash
Charlotte b. Doudrop – Natural Selection
Big E. b. Bobby Lashley – Super Big Ending

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 20, 2021
Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules and in theory that should mean that it is time to actually add something EXTREME to the card. It would be nice to have the show actually live up to its name, though I think you can guess what kind of stipulations we are going to be seeing. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Big E. cashing in Money in the Bank to win the WWE Title last week.

Here is New Day to celebrate Big E.’s title win. Big E. is rather emotional as he soaks in the YOU DESERVE IT chants and says this feels like Thanksgiving to him. He is thankful for everyone who has been here chanting New Day Rocks and (and those who chanted NEW DAY SUCKS).

There are some great people here to celebrate with and one more above watching down (cue the BRODIE chants, and Big E. has to pause for a second). As for tonight though, it is time for some business because the New Day has to deal with the Bloodline. This is their show though and they will send Bloodline packing, because…..and they take so long loading up the catchphrase that the Bloodline cuts it off.

Bloodline vs. New Day

Kofi and Jimmy start things off with Roman Reigns pausing to point at the ceiling a lot. Jimmy gets snapmared down and Kofi adds a running kick to the chest, setting up Woods’ middle rope elbow for two. It’s time to start in on the arm but it’s off to Jey in a hurry. Kofi makes a blind tag though and springboards in with a high crossbody for two of his own. Reigns is sick of this though and pulls Kofi outside for rams into the announcers’ table and the post.

A big staredown takes us to a break and we come back with Kofi crawling for the tag but Jimmy knocks Woods off the apron. Kofi gets sent into the corner but runs up the buckles for a spinning top rope dropkick. The double tag brings in Reigns and Big E. for the heavyweight showdown. Overhead belly to belly suplexes send Reigns flying and a regular belly to belly drops him again. Big E. has to get rid of Jey though and Reigns is back up with a release Rock Bottom.

The Superman Punch is countered into another belly to belly but Reigns slips out of the Big Ending. It’s back to Woods as Big E. tosses Kofi onto the Usos but Reigns is back up with the Superman Punch. Woods superkicks Reigns for two but here is Bobby Lashley to take out a lot of people, with the referee watching the whole thing. Since we can’t have a DQ in this thing, Reigns spears Woods for the pin at 13:04.

Rating: B-. The ending really dragged this down, as this is the kind of match that could have just as easily ended with a DQ, but instead the solution is to make the referee look like an imbecile. Lashley being all ticked off about losing the title is a fine way to go, but could you at least make it look better? The match itself was the kind of big time showdown you would expect from these teams, but the ending just made my head hurt (for the first time tonight).

Post match Lashley spears Reigns down and hits another one to drive Big E. through the barricade.

Post break Bobby Lashley goes to see Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to rant about Big E. Lashley insists he can beat Big E. or Roman Reigns, so the bosses stare at him.

MVP is out of action with a broken rib after Randy Orton gave him an RKO last week.

Riddle has made sure that he and Orton have the same Spotify playlists and talks about how they are on a roll. Orton isn’t impressed, even as Riddle talks about how Orton can beat AJ Styles tonight. Riddle wonders what his spirit animal would be, thinking it might be a mongoose. Orton thinks Riddle is confusing a movie with real life and says he’s ready for AJ tonight. Oh and the headphones Riddle gave him? Pretty cool. Riddle responds by singing Orton’s theme song.

We recap Eva Marie vs. Doudrop.

Eva Marie vs. Doudrop

Hold on though as Eva says this isn’t a fair match because she’s put together and Doudrop is a mess. Girls like Doudrop can’t beat women like her but we ring the bell anyway. Doudrop chases her around the ring to start, catches her, and finishes with the basement crossbody at 1:19. This is in no way, shape or form different than their previous match, except that it was more recent.

Post match, Doudrop declares the Eva-Lution dead. Until their next three matches I’m sure.

Big E. storms into the bosses’ office and says he wants Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns tonight. They still say nothing.

Post break, Paul Heyman comes in to see the bosses and goes on about how people have come in here and complained about everything tonight. Heyman doesn’t do that, because he has a message from Roman Reigns. Sonya Deville cuts him off and makes a triple threat match for tonight. Now go tell Reigns that it is official.

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton

Omos and Riddle are here too. Orton wastes no time in taking AJ down with a headlock but it’s broken up in a hurry for a staredown. The armbar with some hand cranking has AJ in trouble again but the threat of an RKO sends him bailing to the floor. Back in and Orton grabs a suplex for one as this is total dominance so far. Orton starts the Garvin Stomp, allowing Riddle to strike Orton’s pose.

Omos offers a bit of interference though and that means it’s an ejection, with Riddle getting beaten up for dancing in celebration. AJ finally gets something going by knocking Orton outside for the slingshot forearm. Omos finally leaves and we take a break. Back with Orton whipping him chest first into the corner and hitting some clotheslines. Orton snaps off the powerslam for two and knocks AJ out to the apron. The hanging DDT is broken up though and AJ tries the Phenomenal Forearm but has to settle for a sleeper.

That’s broken up as well and Orton busts out a t-bone suplex of all things. AJ is back with a shot to the head but the Styles Clash is countered with a backdrop, which is countered into a cradle for two. A Lionsault of all things gives AJ two so it’s time for the Forearm. Orton teases the RKO counter so AJ drops back to the apron, allowing Orton to kick him down and hit the hanging DDT. The RKO finishes for Orton at 14:57.

Rating: B. You had two talented wrestlers doing their thing here and it worked out well, even with the extra time that they had. I know Orton might not be the most popular, but he can have a quality match with just about anyone and that is an incredibly valuable thing to have on your roster. The same is true for Styles, but he loses points for not having the mustache.

We recap Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler. They teamed together, they argued, they won, they argued, they lost, they argued, they lost some more, they argued, they did the same for about six more months before we FINALLY got to this match.

Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler

Nia brags about how she is the talented one and grabs a Samoan drop, only to put Shayna down and say it was that easy. Baszler knees her way out of the corner and a big kick to the head puts Jax down on all fours. Another kick to the face sets up the Kirifuda Clutch, which is countered with straight power. Shayna gets it again so Jax drops back onto her….and passes out at 2:22. I didn’t see that one coming but I’ll take it.

Post match Shayna takes her outside and kicks the mostly out cold Jax in the head. Shayna puts Jax’s hand in the steps for a running stomp to make Jax scream. Shayna looks conflicted but stomps on the arm anyway, meaning it’s higher pitched screaming. This was total destruction of Jax and should mean a pretty lengthy hiatus, which is a good thing at the moment.

Angel Garza/Humberto Carrillo vs. Mansoor/Mustafa Ali

Garza and Carrillo say they’re family and both rather handsome so why not team together. Ali gets taken down in a hurry to start, setting up a double slingshot suplex for two. Carrillo grabs an early chinlock but Ali is back up in a hurry for the tornado DDT. Mansoor and Garza come in with the former kicking him in the head. A belly to back suplex/top rope double stomp combination gets two on Garza with Carrillo making the save. Everyone heads outside with Garza posting Ali HARD (that was a great sound) and it’s a Muta Lock/dropkick combination to finish Ali at 2:43. I’ve wanted more Garza for a bit and this worked.

Video on Karrion Kross.

Rhea Ripley and Nikki Ash come out to tell us about how great Connor’s Cure really is. They dedicate their Women’s Tag Team Title shot to the sick children and hold up a V for victory over cancer. Ignore Rhea partially forgetting her lines here, as she seems to be rather emotional about the whole speech.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Natalya/Tamina vs. Nikki Ash/Rhea Ripley

Natalya and Tamina are defending (for the first time on TV for the first time in about four months) and I don’t like their odds here after that promo. Nikki gets knocked into the corner to start and Tamina stomps away as the champs control early. The Superfly Splash misses but it’s back to Natalya to cut Nikki off. Ripley takes Tamina outside and Riptides her onto the apron. That leaves Ash to small package Natalya for the pin and the titles at 2:15. That’s about as much hype as Natalya and Tamina’s reign deserved as it came to an end.

We recap Charlotte throwing her version of Lillie in the trash.

It’s time for Alexa’s Playground. Alexa Bliss brings out her guest for the week, and it’s a doozy: Charlotte. After picking up a microphone off the rocking horse, Charlotte says she would rather remind people that Bliss used to be a competitor. Bliss: “There she is ladies and gentlemen: the fun police.” Bliss wants a girl’s night between the two of them and Lillie, but there is no Charlie (Charlotte’s doll).

Worry not though because Bliss has Charlie….who gets a chant of her own. Charlotte wants the real Alexa Bliss, because this is just a way to hide how fragile Bliss really is. Start by getting rid of the black lipstick and then realize that Lillie is more popular than Bliss. How did Charlotte go from main eventing Wrestlemania to playing with dolls on Raw? She has beaten everyone and now she has to beat an adult who has to dress like a kid. Should she beat Bliss up tonight or wait until Sunday?

Bliss mocks Charlotte for being the best ever and points out that Charlotte has lost more titles than any woman ever. Without a title, who is Charlotte anyway? Without a title, she doesn’t have anything and her insecurities are stamped right on her forehead. Bliss says that’ not original, with Charlotte saying they don’t want to get into the whole lack of originality thing. Bliss calls her a narcissistic little b**** and says at least she knows who she is. You can call her crazy, but on Sunday, you can call her champion.

Charlotte shoves her so Bliss charges, earning herself a big boot. Charlie is ripped apart but Bliss gets up before Charlotte can get to Lillie. The DDT sends Charlotte running. The stuff where they were actually saying things to each other was good, but then it becomes about the dolls all over again and any positives are completely lost.

Drake Maverick and the usual band of idiots have a whiteboard plan to capture Reggie. A net is involved and they capture Drew Gulak instead. Reggie escapes and Maverick is livid.

Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy

If Hardy wins, he’s in the US Title match at Extreme Rules and Damian Priest is on commentary. Sheamus grabs a headlock takeover to start and then hits a shoulder to put him down again. Jeff drives him into the corner but has to elbow his way to freedom. That’s enough to send Sheamus outside but Poetry in Motion is countered into a drop onto the apron. Sheamus rips the face shield off and we take a break.

Back with Hardy hammering away and getting two off a middle rope splash. Sheamus kicks him in the face and nails the top rope clothesline for two. The knee to the face gets the same but the Brogue Kick is countered into the Twist of Fate. The Swanton hits knees though (egads that looked bad) but Hardy grabs a sunset flip for the pin at 9:02.

Rating: C+. I can go for these two having a nice match like this and that’s what we got here. Hardy being added to Sunday is a good idea as we’ve done Sheamus vs. Priest before and it is a good idea to add something fresh. I’m not sure what to expect on Sunday and that’s the right way to go.

Post match Sheamus goes outside to yell at Priest and the fight is on.

Bobby Lashley vs. Roman Reigns vs. Big E.

Non-title and Lashley and Big E. start brawling to start fast. Big E. takes him to the apron for the splash as Reigns stands back and watches. Some trash talking takes too long though and Reigns hits the apron dropkick on Big E. as we take an early break. Back with Big E. grabbing an abdominal stretch on Lashley until Reigns breaks that up. Reigns’ jumping clothesline drops Big E. for two but Lashley breaks up the apron dropkick.

They head back inside with Reigns hitting a heck of a Samoan drop for two on Big E. as Lashley is back up. Reigns takes Lashley up top but Big E. turns it into a Tower of Doom as we take a break. Back with Big E. throwing Reigns around with some suplexes until Lashley breaks that up. A delayed vertical suplex drops Reigns bug Big E. takes them both down and hits a double Warrior Splash.

The Big Ending rocks Reigns but Lashley pulls Big E. outside and puts him through the announcers’ table. Back in and Reigns Superman Punches Lashley to break up the spear but Lashley’s second attempt connects. Big E. breaks up that cover but has to block the Hurt Lock. Reigns makes the save with a Superman Punch and Big E. hits the spear to drive Reigns through the ropes. Back in and the Big Ending hits Reigns but Lashley breaks it up with a chair. Lashley unloads on Big E. with the chair….and walks into a spear to give Reigns the pin at 20:10.

Rating: B. This worked very well as they followed the formula for most good triple threat matches: let a bunch of people hit each other really hard until one scores a fall. At the same time, this probably sets up a chairs match between Lashley and Big E., which certainly works as a Raw main event. Reigns winning over Lashley is fine here as a champion didn’t take a fall and it came at the end of a very hard hitting match. Rather good main event.

Overall Rating: C+. I rather liked this and I can’t remember the last time that has been the case with Raw. The biggest positive here was the lack of anything terrible. There were certainly flaws and some of the stuff didn’t make a ton of sense, but what matters the most is there was no moment where I wanted to switch to a good folk dancing competition. I have no reason to believe that the show is getting better in the long term (though the destruction of Nia Jax gives me a bit of hope) but for a one off show, I will absolutely take this over the drek we’ve been seeing for….well years really.

Results
Bloodline b. New Day – Spear to Woods
Doudrop b. Eva Marie – Basement crossbody
Randy Orton b. AJ Styles – RKO
Shayna Baszler b. Nia Jax – Kirifuda Clutch
Humberto Carrillo/Angel Garza b. Mansoor/Mustafa Ali – Muta Lock/dropkick combination to Ali
Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash b. Tamina/Natalya – Small package to Natalya
Jeff Hardy b. Sheamus – Sunset flip
Roman Reigns b. Big E. and Bobby Lashley – Spear to Lashley

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 6, 2021
Location: FTX Arena, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s time to start getting ready for Extreme Rules as the show is in less than three weeks. You can probably guess where a lot of the card is going and that should make things a bit easier. There is some stuff taking place tonight as well, in the form of a rematch between Charlotte and Nia Jax. You know, since the first one was such a smashing success. Let’s get to it.

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

New Day is ready for Tag Team Turmoil. They’ll win because New Day Rocks.

The Viking Raiders will raid the entire division tonight.

Mansoor is ready for Tag Team Turmoil but Mustafa Ali tells him to follow his lead.

Lucha House Party says it’s LUCHA TIME.

Mace and T-Bar say Tag Team Turmoil means six more victims.

Jinder Mahal and Veer are going to be the next champions.

AJ Styles and Mansoor can’t imagine Riddle (AJ: “Old Smoky Brain himself.”) being in charge of anything so they’re taking the titles back. Bring these things back regularly! It’s a ten second sound byte and you get to know the characters just a little bit. Why is that so much to ask for week to week?

Here is RKBro for a chat. After looking at a clip of the two of them retaining the titles over MVP and Bobby Lashley last week, Randy Orton says the win was due to Bobby Lashley being a greedy son of a b****. That’s behind them though, because it’s time to find out who they are facing next. Riddle goes over some of the teams, thinking they should borrow the look from various other teams. Orton looks like he is about to bite through is lip as Riddle suggests going on a raid and drinking ale, even though Orton looks like he has never had a carb in his life.

Cue MVP and Bobby Lashley to interrupt, with Lashley not being pleased with what Orton did to him last week. Lashley wants Orton one on one and he is interested because it has been 10-15 years ago since they fought. Orton is down, if that WWE Title is on the line. Lashley and MVP have a chat and the match is on for Extreme Rules.

That’s not all though, as Lashley and MVP are going to get into Tag Team Turmoil so Lashley can be a double champion. Cue New Day to say Lashley and MVP better hurry up because Tag Team Turmoil is starting right now. The odds are against them, but that was true a few weeks ago when Xavier Woods beat Lashley.

Tag Team Turmoil

RKBro is watching at ringside and New Day is in at #1 and the Viking Raiders are in at #2. Kofi jumps over Ivar a few times to start and elbows him into the corner. Ivar sends him into the corner instead though and Erik drives Ivar into Kofi for the big crash. Back up and Kofi slips away, allowing the tag to Woods. That’s fine with Erik, who sends Woods flying with a suplex. Woods is back with a tornado DDT into a superkick, with Kofi adding a spinning kick to the head for two.

Erik sends Kofi outside but Woods blocks the knee and comes up with a discus forearm. Kofi comes back in and dives onto the Vikings on the floor, only to be caught and thrown into Woods as we take a break. Back with Kofi striking away at both Raiders and hitting the Boom Drop on Erik. Ivar comes back in for the springboard elbow/belly to back suplex combination for a near fall. A hurricanrana gets Kofi out of trouble though and it’s back to Woods…who is powerbombed by Erik. The top rope splash gets two but Kofi takes out Ivar, allowing Woods to small package Erik to advance at 10:06.

Jinder Mahal and Veer, with Shanky, are in at #3 and Woods hits a fast high crossbody for two on Mahal. Veer comes in to run Woods over but Kofi gets cut off by Shanky on the floor as we take a break. Back with Woods kicking Mahal away and Kofi coming in with a kick to the head. Everything breaks down and Daybreak gets rid of Mahal and Veer at 17:17 total.

Lucha House Party, with new music, is in at #4. The luchadors start fast and moonsault off the apron onto New Day on the floor. Metalik splashes Woods from Dorado’s shoulders and Dorado wins a chop off. Dorado goes up for a high crossbody but Woods seems to counter into a Codebreaker….I think.

Commentary doesn’t seem too sure either but Metalik cuts off the tag anyway. The tag goes through a few seconds later anyway though and Kofi comes in with the top rope splash to Metalik’s back. Woods comes back in and gets taken down again, with Dorado hitting a moonsault for two with Kofi making the save. Woods cuts Dorado off with a faceplant though and Kofi cuts off the save for the pin at 21:46.

Mace and T-Bar are in at #5 and we take another break. Back again with Woods fighting out of Mace’s chinlock but getting chopped back up against the ropes. A running knee in the corner sets up a nerve hold to keep Woods in trouble. T-Bar comes in with an elbow to the face and a chinlock of his own as this is grinding pretty badly. Woods kicks his way to freedom but T-Bar sends Kingston into the barricade to cut him off. That leaves T-Bar to load up Feast Your Eyes, which is countered into a rollup to give Woods the pin at 30:15.

Hold on though as the big beatdown is on from Mace and T-Bar until Mansoor and Mustafa Ali are in at #6. Mansoor goes after Mace and T-Bar out of sportsmanship while Ali stays on the floor and asks what he’s doing. Mace and T-Bar wreck Ali and Mansoor, which somehow isn’t a DQ because reasons.

Mace holds up the steps and Mace is sent into the steps as Graves says Mace and T-Bar can’t be disqualified. That’s not how DQ’s work but it’s not like consistency matters in WWE. Everyone is down and we take another break, coming back with….well the match is on hiatus actually, as Sonya Deville and Adam Page have ruled that they will continue after New Day and Mansoor/Ali have had a breather.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus

The winner gets a future US Title shot. Sheamus grabs a headlock takeover as Damian Priest is watching backstage. The forearms to the chest send McIntyre outside and Sheamus hits the top rope forearm to the head. Back in and McIntyre grabs a spinebuster for his own breather. McIntyre heads up top but Sheamus catches him with the top rope superplex and we take a break.

Back with McIntyre making a comeback and sending Sheamus into the corner, only to charge into a shot to the face. Sheamus pulls himself up top but gets belly to belly superplexed back down for two. McIntyre tries the Glasgow Kiss but hits Sheamus’ mask to knock himself silly. The Alabama Slam gives Sheamus two but he takes too long setting up the Brogue Kick (complete with McIntyre style countdown). The Futureshock gives McIntyre two and he sends Sheamus shoulder first into the post.

An armbreaker sends Sheamus to the ropes and the bad arm is snapped over the ropes. Sheamus is right back with a jumping knee to the face for his own very near fall. McIntyre grabs his own White Noise for two and they slug it out from their knees. McIntyre takes the mask off and kicks Sheamus down, setting up the Claymore, which is countered into a rollup with trunks to give Sheamus the pin at 14:49.

Rating: B. Two big guys beat on each other with one big spot after another for about fifteen minutes. That’s what you expect from a match like this and that’s what they gave you. Good match too, but would you expect anything else from them? Sheamus vs. Priest II should be fine, though it wouldn’t surprise me if McIntyre is added in to recreate last week’s triple threat.

Post match McIntyre hits Sheamus in the face with the mask and drops him with the Claymore.

Damian Priest is impressed by what we just saw because that was a fight. He’s going to enjoy Extreme Rules and he has Sheamus’ number. That means Sheamus is going to be hearing something new at Extreme Rules: “AND STILL United States Champion, Damian Priest.”

Nikki Ash is very happy about teaming with Rhea Ripley, who isn’t that enthusiastic. Ash thinks the team should be dubbed SUPER BRUTALITY and Ripley has to smile a bit.

Charlotte says she didn’t get splatted by Nia Jax last week so tonight she is going to beat Nia to retain the title. Not even the irresistible force can resist the Queen.

Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash vs. Tamina/Natalya

Champions Contenders match as I guess Shotzi and Nox’s title shot is on hold for the moment. Tamina powers Nikki around to start but Nikki is smart enough to take her down by the legs. Ripley comes in and ducks a swinging Nikki to kick Tamina in the face. The brawl is on but Natalya comes in. That’s fine with Ripley, who puts Nikki on her shoulders to swing into Natalya’s face.

Tamina sends Rhea into the steps though and we take a break. Back with Nikki kicking away from a Sharpshooter attempt and handing it back to Rhea for the clotheslines. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Ripley two and Nikki’s high crossbody gets the same with Tamina making the save. Natalya blasts Nikki with a discus lariat but Rhea makes the blind tag and hits Riptide for the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C-. I don’t care. The Women’s Tag Team Titles are the biggest joke in wrestling as Shotzi and Nox have beaten the champs THREE TIMES NOW but still can’t get a freaking title shot. I know WWE can’t keep their minds straight for more than two seconds because of the star power of TAMINA, but I’m sorry for not getting excited over another thrown together joke of a team who doesn’t see eye to eye but happens to win together getting a title shot. Maybe. One day. When WWE gets around to it. I mean, Natalya and Tamina haven’t defended their titles on TV since May 24, so I wouldn’t expect it soon.

Earlier today, Karrion Kross was on Moist TV. John Morrison asked what he was going to do next, with Kross saying he was going to make Morrison suffer. Morrison asks about going for various titles or opponents, with Kross saying that all sounds good. He’ll do all that, after he hurts Morrison tonight.

Karrion Kross vs. John Morrison

The Doomsday Saito drops Morrison to start but he gets to the ropes before the Krossjacket goes on. Morrison tries the Drip Stick and that does not seem wise. Kross backdrops him over the post for the crash and the Krossjacket knocks Morrison out at 2:00. Total destruction.

Video on Nia Jax.

Nia Jax doesn’t care about Charlotte and isn’t going to be bashed in the head with a crown this week.

Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is defending and Nia has Shayna Baszler in her corner. The bell rings and Shayna grabs the mic, saying that she’s interested in seeing if Jax is going to choke. Charlotte jumps Nia and it turns into quite the scrap as we try to recreate last week. Nia tells her to pull her hair and Charlotte bails while seeming to throw in a crotch chop. Charlotte grabs her title and goes to leave but stops to yell at Shayna.

That’s enough for Nia to pull her inside and run Charlotte over. A superplex is countered into a powerbomb out of the corner to give Charlotte two and we take a break. Back with Charlotte hitting(ish) her moonsault to the floor but she has to stop and yell at Shayna. They head inside again where Nia hits a headbutt into a splash in the corner before taking Charlotte up top. Shayna offers another distraction though and Charlotte hits a super Natural Selection to retain at 8:22.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to think of this one but it’s nice to see Nia and Shayna seemingly being FINALLY ready to split. Charlotte and Nia teased another worked shoot deal here and while it wasn’t good, it was on a different planet than last week’s all time disaster. Charlotte gets away from Nia for now (in theory) and that’s the best thing for everyone involved.

Post match Alexa Bliss pops up on screen to invite Charlotte to come to the Playground. Lillie wants to try on one of the robes! Charlotte says no, with Alexa asking if Charlotte knows what it’s like to be stuck with a maniac. Bliss: “Of course you do. You’re a Flair.”. They’ll just bring the Playground to her, so here is Alexa, with Lillie, in the ring. Charlotte asks if Bliss wants a title match and says fine, but this is her playground.

We recap Reggie running away from R-Truth and Akira Tozawa over and over.

24/7 Title: Reggie vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa is challenging and Reggie is in street clothes. Reggie kicks him down and hits the running flipping seated senton to retain at 35 seconds.

Post match the usual gang of idiots comes in to go after the title so Reggie flip dives onto them and runs off. Drake Maverick cuts him off but R-Truth stops Maverick, allowing Reggie to run away again.

We recap Doudrop attacking Eva Marie in their non-match last week.

Doudrop liked beating up Eva last week and wants a rematch next week. The beating will be part of the Doudrop-alution.

Tag Team Turmoil

RKBro is at ringside again. We’ll continue with New Day vs. Mansoor/Mustafa Ali as Ali low bridges Kofi to the floor to put New Day in trouble. Woods comes back with a dropkick to Ali’s back though and Kofi grabs a superplex (off of Mansoor’s back) on Ali to send him outside. Woods’ back is too banged up for a fireman’s carry so Mansoor wants to give him a break but Ali tags himself in and kicks away. Kofi is right back in for a high crossbody on Ali but going after Mansoor takes too much time. Ali gets in a superkick and goes up top, only to miss the 450. Trouble in Paradise into Woods’ top rope elbow finishes Ali at 4:18.

AJ Styles/Omos are in at #7 and we come back after a break with Woods being whipped into the corner to damage his back even more. Omos comes in to stand on Woods’ back and send him into the corner again. A running splash from behind crushes Woods again and Styles grabs the chinlock. Woods fights up and sends Styles outside before a double clothesline gives us a double breather. Omos knocks Kofi out of the air though and we take a break. Back with Kofi hitting Trouble in Paradise for two on AJ with Omos making the save. With Woods down, the Styles Clash finishes Kofi at 21:42.

Bobby Lashley and MVP are in at #8 to complete the field and it’s Lashley vs. AJ to get going. Lashley kicks him into the corner but AJ is back up with the Phenomenal Blitz into the Pele. Styles might have banged up his ankle though and it’s off to Omos to face Lashley. Omos wants the test of strength but has to pull his arms back in so Lashley can reach both hands.

The fans are WAY behind Lashley as he drives Omos into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Lashley can’t suplex him though and Omos picks him up for a delayed gordbuster. Lashley heads outside and starts yelling at Orton, allowing AJ to dive off of the announcers’ table onto both of them. Omos sends Riddle into the barricade and AJ takes out MVP. Back in and the Phenomenal Forearm misses Lashley, who spears AJ down for the pin and the title shot at 27:50 (2:28:27 total).

Rating: C+. That’s for both parts of the match as I try to figure out what I thought of the whole thing. It was certainly good with solid action and a nice story with New Day, but at the same time, it wasn’t like there were more than three teams with a real shot at winning. You knew it would be AJ/Omos, New Day or Lashley/MVP, and it wasn’t going to be New Day as soon as they started. What we got was good and I understand the break in the middle (a match that long is going to tank ratings in a hurry without one), but it was about a third of the show and that’s a long time on any one match.

Post match Omos gives Lashley the double chokeslam before leaving. Lashley gets up and it’s an RKO to leave Lashley laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. The women killed this show and there is no way around it. You had the worthless Women’s Tag Team Titles, the Nia vs. Charlotte match, Bliss vs. Charlotte continuing and Doudrop vs. Eva Marie II being set up with only a two minute Karrion Kross squash to break things up. The wrestling was far from bad but the storytelling is so horrible that it is dragging down everything else.

As for the rest of the show, it ranged from good to quite good, with Sheamus and McIntyre having a hoss fight, Kross continuing his very slow and unlikely road to redemption, Reggie being crazy athletic and a really really really long gauntlet match. I like where some of the show is going and it is far from a disaster, but they need to blow up the women’s division and fast, because it is killing so much every week.

Results
Sheamus b. Drew McIntyre – Rollup with trunks
Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash b. Tamina/Natalya – Riptide to Natalya
Karrion Kross b. John Morrison – Krossjacket
Charlotte b. Nia Jax – Super Natural Selection
Reggie b. Akira Tozawa – Running flipping seated senton
MVP/Bobby Lashley won Tag Team Turmoil last eliminating AJ Styles/Omos

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 30, 2021
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We are on the way to Extreme Rules and that means we need some things to set up for the show. That could take some time, as Raw has a tendency to not exactly rush things. There isn’t much going on with this show though, as we need something other than RKBro and waiting around for Goldberg to show up for the Bobby Lashley rematch. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Damian Priest to get things going. He welcomes us to the show and talks about how he is going to show the title the respect it deserves. We hear about some famous US Champions, including Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and John Cena, because the title’s history is about six years old. That’s unlike WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, who ran away from a challenge last week. Therefore, let’s have an open challenge.

US Title: Damian Priest vs. Sheamus

Sheamus is challenging but hang on because he needs to say he agrees with “Damo”. He promises to kick Priest in the face and take back his title but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre thinks it’s time for something fresh and new because he has never been US Champion. Priest sounds game but Sheamus gets into it with McIntyre….and here are Bobby Lashley and MVP to interrupt.

The GOLDBERG chants cut MVP off as he tries to talk about Lashley wanted to issue his own open challenge. What’s good for business is Lashley becomes the new US Champion. Now Randy Orton and Riddle interrupt, with Orton saying he thought everything MVP said sucked. Riddle: “But not like a Rumba, because that’s what it’s supposed to do.” Orton thinks Lashley is a greedy son of a b**** and Riddle asks how you would even hold a second title.

Lashley says he could use a second title, but maybe it should be the Tag Team Titles. Riddle says the word of the day tonight is Open Challenge, they can have an open challenge one on one against Bobby Lashley and MVP. Orton tries to explain the concept of an open challenge but MVP says they accept. McIntyre, Sheamus and Priest are ready to fight so here are Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to interrupt. We’ll have a triple threat match for the title, plus the Tag Team Title match. We’re STILL not done though as Rhea Ripley comes out…for her scheduled match. Well that’s less exciting.

Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler

Nikki Ash (uninvited it seems) and Nia Jax are here too. Hold on though as Nia promises to crush both Rhea and Nikki, just like she’ll do to Charlotte tonight. Shayna takes Rhea to the mat to start and cranks on an armbar. Some kicks to the head rock Ripley but she grabs a small package for two. Ripley tires the hand in the ring skirt and stomps away to send us to a break.

Back with Baszler kicking at the arm some more but Rhea tells her to bring it on. Some clotheslines and a headbutt rock Baszler and a basement dropkick connects. Baszler is fine enough to try a cross armbreaker but can’t get it on before a rope is reached. The Kirifuda Clutch is broken up as well but Jax crushes Ash on the floor. The distraction lets Baszler grab a pretty awesome torture rack into a rollup, which Ripley counters into a small package for the pin at 10:30.

Rating: C. The frustrations continue around here as they were having a pretty good match and the rollup Baszler used was cool. That’s where the good ends though, as this was still about Nikki being around and Jax getting to beat both of them up rather than letting Ripley have a moment to shine. Why is that so much to ask?

Post match Jax Samoan drops Ripley, just to make sure you remember who the star is.

The Viking Raiders are ready for you to join the raid.

Viking Raiders vs. Jinder Mahal/Veer

Shanky is here with Mahal and Veer. Ivar and Veer start things off with Veer hitting a heck of a Thesz press to take Ivar down in a hurry. Mahal comes in to stomp away, setting up the chinlock, because that’s what you expect from a former World Champion. Ivar fights up and brings in Erik to clean house. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Ivar Cannonballs off the apron to take everyone out. That leaves Mahal to get caught in the Viking Experience for the surprise pin at 4:48.

Rating: C-. The match didn’t have much time to go anywhere, but it gives me some hope that Mahal took a clean loss in a pretty nothing tag match. Maybe WWE is finally realizing that Mahal just isn’t that interesting and there is no point in wasting him in a higher level on the card. As has been the case since he returned: there is a place for him in WWE, but it isn’t that high up on the card despite what WWE thinks.

US Title: Sheamus vs. Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

Priest is defending and it’s Sheamus getting stomped down in the corner to start. Sheamus is sent outside for a step up flip dive from Priest, with McIntyre joining in for some chops. A backdrop sends Sheamus over the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area, leaving us with McIntyre vs. Priest as we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting a top rope clothesline for two on Priest but the Irish Curse is countered into something like a triangle choke.

That’s broken up and the Irish Curse sets up some shots to the face, even with Priest going for the mask. The forearms to the chest keep Priest in trouble and he crashes out to the floor. McIntyre gets back in though and some clotheslines put Sheamus down. The Futureshock is countered though and McIntyre is sent shoulder first into the post. It’s Priest getting back in for a spinwheel kick to drop Sheamus but McIntyre clotheslines Priest to the floor.

That leaves McIntyre to hit the big flip dive onto the two of them for a bit of a breather. Back in and McIntyre plants Priest with a Michinoku Driver for two. Priest is sat on top but Sheamus knocks McIntyre into the Tree of Woe. The big situp German superplex (nearly a Tower of Doom this time) sends everyone flying though and we take another break. Back again with McIntyre and Sheamus slugging it out until Sheamus gets two off the Alabama Slam.

Priest comes back in to break up the Texas Cloverleaf on McIntyre, setting up South of Heaven for two on Sheamus. McIntyre and Priest slug it out again until Priest loads up the Reckoning. Sheamus breaks it up with a Brogue Kick though and McIntyre rolls Sheamus up for two. Futureshock drops Sheamus but he cuts off the Claymore with a knee to the face for a heck of a near fall.

The fans deem this awesome as Sheamus hits a super White Noise for two more with Priest making the save (which you couldn’t really see until the camera changed to a wide shot). Priest drops Sheamus onto the turnbuckle and ducks a Claymore so McIntyre kicks Sheamus’ head off. The Glasgow Kiss rocks Priest but he counters a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into the Reckoning to retain at 21:30.

Rating: B+. I can always go with three big bruisers beating each other up for over twenty minutes and this was a heck of a match. They had me believing that you might see a surprise title change and that’s the idea of something like this. Priest pinning McIntyre means a lot for him and they all looked quite awesome. Sometimes the solution to a lot of your problems is to have a good, long match and that’s what they did here.

Post match, Priest and McIntyre shake hands in a show of respect.

We look back at Goldberg losing to Bobby Lashley at Summerslam, because that’s how you keep the momentum going.

Goldberg says he needs knee surgery but he’s coming for Lashley’s soul.

Reggie is in the park when he sees R-Truth in a wig and Akira Tozawa in a dog costume. The chase is on but Reggie uses a Frisbee to escape. Reggie Parkours away but they corner him on a bridge. Tozawa crawls after him like a dog but Reggie flips away again. Tozawa thinks the dog is a bad idea and leaves.

Video on Eva Marie vs. Doudrop, with Eva bringing her in but Doudrop not liking her and rebelling.

Eva Marie vs. Doudrop

Doudrop runs her over, sits on Marie’s chest and hits the basement crossbody for her own count. No match.

Doudrop announces herself as the winner as Marie isn’t sure what happened.

Charlotte laughs off the idea of Nia Jax squashing her.

Karrion Kross vs. Humberto Carrillo

Carrillo starts fast with a crossbody but Kross clotheslines his head off to take over (he hit him so hard that Smith thought Kross was fighting Ricochet). Kross runs him over again and sends Carrillo flying with a northern lights suplex. The chinlock goes on but Carrillo makes the comeback, only to get forearmed out of the air. The Doomsday Saito into the Krossjacket finishes Carrillo at 4:18.

Rating: D+. Near total squash here and that makes it so much more frustrating. WWE clearly knows how to push someone like Kross (in-ring gear aside) but they let him waste a few weeks with those early losses. It continues to make WWE look like they have no idea what they’re doing week to week and that is going to cause a problem in a hurry.

Nia Jax promises to do something painful with Charlotte’s invisible crown.

Riddle thinks a win over Bobby Lashley/MVP would make for a good win on RKBro’s resume….but how do you make a resume? Randy Orton says just be a good tag partner and let him do his thing. That’s cool with Riddle, who lists off some more of his own skills. Talking and scootering are included.

Charlotte vs. Nia Jax

Non-title and Charlotte bails from a charging Jax to start. Back in and Charlotte dodges again before slapping her in the face. Jax sends her into the corner but misses a running hip attack. Charlotte grabs a headlock to get as far as she can before switching to a dragon sleeper over the ropes. Jax is right back with a spinebuster (THUD) and Charlotte needs a breather on the floor. They change places and Charlotte takes her down with a dive as we take a break.

Back with Nia dropping Charlotte hard in a belly to back drop (not suplex, but just a drop), only to miss a charge in the corner. The moonsault hits knees and Nia hits a Samoa drop. The running legdrop misses and Charlotte kicks her in the face. Charlotte gets on her back for a delayed reverse DDT for two more. With nothing else working, Charlotte starts in on the knee, including the DDT to take it down. Charlotte mocks Jax’s hip based material and gets kicked into the corner. Back up and Jax hits one of the hardest powerbombs I’ve seen in a long time to win at 13:46.

Rating: F. This was horrible in every sense of the word and I’m not sure how much they were working together at various points. Charlotte looked completely bored, Jax could barely move, and Charlotte got dropped hard more than once. Simply put, Jax cannot go this long at this size and it showed bad here. She is nearly immobile and can only do so much. Throw in Charlotte looking like she would rather be having gum surgery and this was a total disaster. Have fun with the Extreme Rules rematch!

We recap RKBro’s celebration last week.

John Morrison’s match vs. Miz has been canceled for no apparent reason, but he wants to prove he can act anyway. Therefore, he’ll face Omos tonight. Omos: “Sucks to be you.”

John Morrison vs. Omos

Morrison’s Drip Stick is smacked away and he can’t quite strike away at the giant. Omos shoves him outside so it’s time to bust out the Parkour. A bit of a slip lets Omos hit a clothesline, setting up the double chokeslam for the pin at 2:03. This was really not good while it lasted.

Xavier Woods vs. AJ Styles

Woods starts fast with a Russian legsweep and AJ needs to head outside. That means a big dive from Woods but AJ gets in a shot to the face back inside. The threat of the Phenomenal Forearm sends Woods outside so AJ hits a hard dropkick through the ropes. Back in and AJ starts in on the leg, including something like a Stunner out of the corner.

Woods grabs a rollup for two, followed by a northern lights suplex for the same. AJ can’t get the Styles Clash as Woods flips out and ties him in the Tree of Woe. The dropkick in the corner gives Woods an awkward looking two (it’s like they couldn’t get the cover right) but Styles is right back with the Calf Crusher for the tap at 7:13.

Rating: C-. This was another awkward one and I’m not sure if it had to do with the crowd not being thrilled after Charlotte vs. Jax. Styles beating Woods is fine as it isn’t like losing to a multiple time World Champion is some kind of a career killer. Not a bad match, but it seemed more like a way to get Styles onto the show than anything else.

Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. MVP/Bobby Lashley

RKBro is defending and AJ Styles, with Omos behind him, is on commentary. MVP drives Riddle into the corner to start but Riddle is right back with some shots to the face. That’s enough to put MVP on the floor, setting up the big springboard Floating Bro as we take a fast break.

We come back with Lashley working Riddle over until a hot tag brings in Orton. The hanging DDT hits Lashley but MVP is still legal and gets in a cheap shot. It’s back to Riddle for a knee to Lashley, setting up the Floating Bro for two. Everything breaks down and AJ decks Lashley, only to have to deal with Omos. The distraction lets Riddle hit a jumping knee to MVP, setting up the Floating Bro to retain at 10:49.

Rating: B-. Now this was more like it with much more of an action packed match. They had a bunch of stuff happening throughout and the ending was the right call. There wasn’t much doubt about a possible title change, but at least they got in and did their thing with some time. Not a great match, but it was good enough to get the show out of a bit of trouble.

Post match Lashley goes after Riddle but walks into an RKO to end the show. Orton vs. Lashley could be interesting.

Overall Rating: D+. I don’t remember the last time I saw a Raw this up and down. The triple threat match was one of the best matches Raw has had in months (if not longer) but the Jax vs. Charlotte match might be the worst WWE match I’ve seen in ten years (ignoring matches with people who have no business being in a ring). The rest of the show wasn’t exactly good either, and the result was another week where I was wondering how bad things could get. Raw continues to be a miss, as they seem happy with running off in whatever direction they want and not caring how bad things get.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup
Viking Raiders b. Jinder Mahal/Veer – Viking Experience to Veer
Damian Priest b. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre – Reckoning to McIntyre
Karrion Kross b. Humberto Carrillo – Krossjacket
Nia Jax b. Charlotte – Powerbomb
Omos b. John Morrison – Chokeslam
AJ Styles b. Xavier Woods – Calf Crusher
RKBro b. Bobby Lashley/MVP – Floating Bro to MVP

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 23, 2021
Location: Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s the night after Summerslam and we are going to be dealing with a lot of the fallout. We have a long road to Extreme Rules and there were a lot of things at Summerslam worth talking about. The problem is that most of them had to do with Smackdown so we might not be in for much going on. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Summerslam.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley (in a snappy orange jacket) to get things going. After another recap of Goldberg vs. Lashley, because Raw needs more montages than a Rocky movie, MVP says he’d like to explain what happened on Sunday at Summerslam. We all know about Goldberg’s extraordinary history but not so much about his recently unextraordinary history.

What we didn’t know was that his son would be at Summerslam. Maybe he needed a good luck charm or something but Goldberg did score a couple of two counts. Either way, Lashley beat up Goldberg and won by referee stoppage. Goldberg quit like a coward and Lashley would have done that to anyone, including everyone here in San Diego. Lashley doesn’t owe Goldberg or his son an apology but here is Damian Priest to interrupt.

Priest doesn’t care about Lashley and MVP calling people a coward. Well Priest isn’t jumping him from behind and the challenge is on for tonight. Lashley seems interested but MVP tries to talk him out of it. Priest suggests that Lashley is the coward for not saying yes and the fight is on. A big boot sends Lashley outside so MVP says the match is on.

Damian Priest vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title and Lashley starts fast with the shoulders in the corner. A running shot to the face in the corner rocks Priest again but he makes the comeback….and here is Sheamus to jump Priest for the DQ at 1:28.

Post match the beatdown is on but Drew McIntyre runs in for the big brawl. A suplex puts Lashley onto the announcers’ table and I think we have a Teddy Long special.

Damian Priest/Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley/Sheamus

Joined in progress with McIntyre hammering on Sheamus until he gets taken into the wrong corner. Lashley comes in for a hard whip into the corner but McIntyre comes out with a clothesline. A shot to the throat cuts McIntyre off but he gets over for the tag to Priest anyway. Lashley takes him outside in a hurry and it’s a hard ram into the post. Back from a break with Priest fighting out of Sheamus’ chinlock but Lashley comes in for a head and arm choke.

That’s enough to drag Priest back into the corner for the tag back to Sheamus as the beating continues. Priest elbows his way to freedom though and the hot tag brings in McIntyre to clean house. The numbers game lets Lashley knock McIntyre down but the missed charge in the post puts Lashley in more trouble. Sheamus comes back in and catches McIntyre on top for a super White Noise and a near fall. Priest comes back in to clean house with the variety of kicks but Priest knees him in the face as Lashley walks out. McIntyre comes back in and Claymores Sheamus for the pin at 14:00.

Rating: C+. Nice power tag match here but I’m more curious about where this is heading for Lashley. They aren’t going to do another match with Goldberg at Extreme Rules, but a four way hoss fight between these four could be an interesting way to go. At least Priest didn’t lose in his first match as champion either.

We look at Doudrop turning on Eva Marie at Summerslam.

Doudrop says she made a mistake associating with Eva Marie but she likes the name Doudrop and that is who she is. Marie rolls in an anvil case to hit her in the ribs and the beatdown is on. Marie puts a boot on her and says this is Evaloution.

Karrion Kross vs. Ricochet

Kross now has what looks like a bedazzled hockey mask during his entrance. Once the bell rings, he has a big studded X over his chest, looking like the back of a pair of suspenders on either side. Ricochet gets knocked into the corner to start and a clothesline cuts off his comeback bid. A powerbomb into the Doomsday Saito sets up the Krossjacket choke for the fast win at 1:18. Dominant win, but the entrance gear was too laughable to make it matter.

Backstage at Summerslam, Big E. and Logan Paul interrupted a Baron Corbin interview. Paul suggested that Corbin was an a******.

Sheamus and Bobby Lashley argue in the back and have to be separated.

It’s time for MoistTV because THEY REALLY ARE RUNNING WITH THIS. John Morrison brings out Logan Paul, who tries to keep the crowd from killing him. Morrison asks what is next for the Paul Brothers but here is Miz to cut them off. Miz says he knows he’s Paul’s favorite star but Paul says he is more of a New Day fan. Paul talks about getting to put Floyd Mayweather on his highlight reel and this weekend, his brother is boxing former UFC fighter Tyron Woodley.

Miz isn’t impressed and asks what round Paul’s brother is getting knocked out in. Miz: “Bettors want to know.” Paul says his brother is doing the knocking out and threatens to knock Miz out. Morrison has to separate them and says that Miz always makes everything about himself. Miz goes on a rant about how this is a spinoff of MizTV and Paul leaves while the two of them argue. The argument is on, with Morrison accusing Miz of faking his knee injury. Cue Xavier Woods, who high fives Paul on the stage and it’s match time. I love Miz and Morrison, but they need to go away for a long, long time.

Miz vs. Xavier Woods

John Morrison is here with Miz. Feeling out process to start until Woods, in NWO Wolfpac gear (as the Scott Hall tributes continue) headlock takeovers him over. Back up and Woods starts going after the knee, including some shots in the corner. Hold on though as Miz has to be checked on by the referee, allowing Miz to pop up and knee Woods in the ribs. They head outside with Woods being sent hard into the barricade, allowing Morrison to spray a bunch of water on the floor. As expected, Miz is sent sliding into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Miz firing off the YES Kicks but the big one is countered into a rollup for two. A neckbreaker out of the corner gives Woods a breather and he fights up with the variety of strikes. Miz is knocked outside for the big running flip dive. Back in and a high crossbody gives Woods two but Miz loads up the Skull Crushing Finale. Morrison gets on the apron for no logical reason with the Drip Stick. That misses everyone and the distraction means the referee doesn’t see Miz’s rollup. Instead, Woods grabs a small package for the pin at 11:41.

Rating: C-. The match itself was good as Woods and Miz could probably have a passable match in their sleep, but then they had to do the stupid gags to put the focus on anything else. It wasn’t a great match by any means, but this was a good example of how Miz and Morrison’s shtick has gotten really old because of how long it has been going on.

Post match Miz and Morrison argue but finally seem to get on the same page. The Drip Sticks are loaded up but Miz jumps Morrison to finally split things up. The Skull Crushing Finale leaves Morrison laying.

We look at Charlotte regaining the Raw Women’s Title at Summerslam.

Nikki Ash came up to Rhea Ripley to ask if they could be partners tonight. Ripley is in. This might be more dramatic if the match had not already been announced.

Earlier today Reggie tried to go get some ice cream but Akira Tozawa and R-Truth attacked. Reggie jumped into a tree, jumped out, and landed on top of an ice cream truck. Reggie jumped into the truck and they got away.

We look at RKBro winning the Tag Team Titles at Summerslam.

Riddle comes up to Randy Orton and says he understands Orton not being a hugger. He knows Orton is going to love their celebration tonight, but Orton says he isn’t quite into it. Just do him one favor: don’t do anything stupid. Riddle: “Would I do something stupid?”

Earlier today, Mansoor asked Mustafa Ali to not interfere no matter what. Ali seemed cool with it but didn’t seem to think Mansoor was making the right move.

Jinder Mahal vs. Mansoor

Veer, Shanky and Mustafa Ali are all here too. Mahal hammers away to start but Mansoor snaps his neck across the top. A high crossbody gives Mansoor two but Mahal forearms him down again. The chinlock goes on as Ali doesn’t seem pleased. A superkick rocks Mansoor and Ali stays unpleased. Mahal is so annoyed that he unloads in the corner for the DQ at 2:17. This was mostly a squash and that isn’t exactly making Mansoor look like a star.

Post match the beatdown is on and Ali only gets in after the villains leave.

Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest seem to get along and are off for some drinks. Er, pints. Yeah pints.

Here is Charlotte for her championship speech. She told us it would happen and now she has her twelfth title. There is no one as talented as she is and she is going to hold this title as long as she wants. She doesn’t need friends, family or the WWE Universe because she only needs the title.

That’s enough for some pyro to go off and Charlotte talks about how great she looked in the mirror this morning. She knows how amazing she is and she is here because she is starting the new Women’s Evolution (there’s a Stephanie McMahon joke in there somewhere). Long live the Queen….but here are Alexa Bliss and Lillie, who are just here to say hi.

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler argue again, this time over Nia Jax teaming with Charlotte last week.

Elias walks away from his grave. This time he’s wearing a hat.

Nikki Ash/Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax

Baszler takes Ripley to the mat to start but the big stomp on the arm is broken up. Nikki comes in for a rollup on Baszler and a headscissors sends Baszler into the corner. Now Baszler can stomp her down though and it’s off to Jax for a fireman’s carry drop. Baszler drops Ripley and knees Nikki in the head as we take a break.

Back with Ash fighting out of Jax’s chinlock but getting caught in a side slam/running knee combination. Jax hits a running hip attack into a Stink Face but the Banzai Drop is broken up. The hot tag brings Ripley back in and house is cleaned, including the missile dropkick. Everything breaks down and Nikki flips down onto Nia, leaving Riptide to finish Baszler at 10:36.

Rating: C-. The wrestling was competent, but this was a good example of the lack of character work in WWE. There is no logical reason for Jax and Baszler to keep being a team. They haven’t won anything of note in a good while, they have literally argued since they started teaming, and Baszler loses over and over. Why are these two still a team? The answer would be because the script says they are, and that has been obvious for a long time now.

Oh and how cool is it that Ripley got her token three month title reign, never pinned Charlotte, and has now been dropped into a tag team while Lillie and Bliss go after the title? That is a story that could have been taking place without the title while Ripley got to be the star for a bit, but that would mean Charlotte isn’t the star so the last few months have basically been erased.

We look back at the Miz/John Morrison switch.

Morrison says that’s it for all of the shows and music videos, because he wants Miz next week.

Here is Riddle for the RKBro title celebration, complete with balloons and a red mat. Randy Orton comes out, looking rather annoyed. After a bunch of pyro and a special introduction as champions, Riddle has a present for Orton: his own scooter, complete with his name and tassels! Cue AJ Styles and Omos, with AJ calling this stupid and promising to beat Riddle right here, right now. Riddle admits that he lost last week but that was before he had Orton in his corner. Riddle promises to win with the three most dangerous letters in wrestling: RKBRO! Orton looks like he has a headache.

Post break, we have a few recaps, including announcements of Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus, Doudrop vs. Eva Marie and John Morrison vs. Miz for next week.

Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Omos and Randy Orton are here too. Styles charges straight at him and they go to the mat for the technical off. That’s broken up and Riddle looks just fine with the whole thing. Riddle kicks him to the apron and then out to the floor but the springboard is broken up. AJ still can’t get anything going as Riddle rolls some gutwrench suplexes for two. A sunset flip can’t set up the Styles Clash so Riddle hurricanranas him over the top for the big crash to the floor instead.

We take a break and come back with Riddle kicking him in the head, setting up the Broton for two. The bridging German suplex gets the same but Riddle is favoring his hamstring. AJ is back with the middle rope moonsault into the reverse DDT for two of his own. The Phenomenal Forearm is broken up but AJ gets him into the Calk Crusher on the bad leg. That’s reversed into the BroMission but AJ flips back for another near fall.

Riddle goes up but another Omos distraction breaks it up (just like last week). This time Orton goes after Omos, earning himself a toss into the barricade. A Burning Hammer gives AJ two as Orton unloads on Omos with the scooter. The distraction lets Riddle hit a jumping knee and the Bro Derek for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: C+. The talent lone in this one is going to make it work but Orton getting in there and helping Riddle out made things that much better (especially with the scooter). Riddle gaining energy from Orton makes for such a great story and I’ve liked the whole thing. It was a good main event and probably the best match on the show, which shouldn’t be that surprising.

Post match RKBro poses and AJ gets the RKO to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Well there was nothing big and new and the only major change seems to be in the Tag Team Title scene. What interests me is that you really can see a dividing line on Raw with the good and the bad. In essence, it’s almost anything involving the women’s division and Miz/John Morrison on the bad side, and just about everything else is on the good side (with Jinder Mahal in the middle depending on how high he is on the card).

The problem is the stuff that is bad is REALLY bad and it drags everything else down. If you had the opening matches, Kross’ squash, the women’s tag (maybe) and the main event, you have a pretty watchable show. There is a path to making Raw a watchable show. The problem is that it involves getting rid of a lot of bad things and I don’t think WWE sees them as negatives. Until that changes, Raw isn’t getting any better in any significant way.

Results
Damian Priest b. Bobby Lashley via DQ when Sheamus interfered
Drew McIntyre/Damian Priest b. Bobby Lashley/Sheamus – Claymore to Sheamus
Karrion Kross b. Ricochet – Krossjacket choke
Xavier Woods b. Miz – Small package
Mansoor b. Jinder Mahal via DQ when Mahal attacked in the corner
Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash b. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler – Riptide to Baszler
Riddle b. AJ Styles – Bro Derek

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

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

AND

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