Main Event – September 10, 2020: They’re Almost Onto Something

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 10, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

Things have been getting a little bit better around WWE as of late and maybe we can see something better on this show as a result. Last week’s was pretty good and I’m curious to see what they can put together again. I have no reason for it to go anywhere, but maybe I can have a little hope. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Akira Tozawa

Ali gets knocked down to set up the chinlock and a neckbreaker gets two. Some elbows to the neck set up an abdominal stretch and Ali is sent into the corner. The ninja shouting earns Tozawa a DDT and there’s the rolling X Factor. The Ninjas offer a distraction to break up the 450 so Ali superkicks Tozawa down and hits a Michinoku Driver for the pin at 5:36.

Rating: C. I can always go for someone mixing up their finishers a bit, especially when they are mainly a high flier. You need to keep those things fresh and there is only so much that can be done when they are used time after time. As for the rest of the match, I can appreciate them trying to do something a little different with the Ninjas, because having the same match over and over again is going to get boring in a hurry.

We look at Roman Reigns joining forces with Paul Heyman and winning the Universal Title.

From Smackdown.

Here are Reigns and Heyman to get things going. Heyman says as soon as you thought he was out, Reigns pulled him back in. Reigns is the one corrupting him and pulled Heyman back in from the ocean of obscurity. Now he is back on the island of relevancy because they did the same thing to Heyman that they did to Reigns. What happened to the thank yous and the appreciation?

Reigns over delivered during his life threatening illness and no one offered him any thanks. When Reigns needed some time off, they made him give up his title. A Fiend or a monster isn’t born to reign. Imagine turning on Fox News and seeing an interview with a growling man as champion. Roman’s reign as your champion has always been defined as what WWE wants you to like: family, tradition and legacy. Tonight there is a four way to crown a new sacrificial lamb.

Heyman isn’t going to say their names because he’ll let Anderson Cooper and Carmella’s latest boyfriend handle that. Heyman is outside council to your Undisputed Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. Roman says he is a man of his word and did exactly what he said he was going to do: he signed the contract, wrecked the other two and left as Universal Heavyweight Champion. He’ll face whoever wins tonight and all he has to do is show up and win. Really, really good stuff here as Heyman sounded ticked off and Reigns sounded like the serious monster that he has needed to be for years now.

From Smackdown.

Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin vs. Sheamus vs. Jey Uso

For the shot at Clash and we’re finally ready to go about ten minutes after Riddle’s entrance. It’s a brawl to start with Jey superkicking Corbin to the floor and Sheamus hitting a backbreaker on Riddle. Jey comes back in for the save but gets knocked down, leaving the big guys to brawl. Riddle gets in as well and it’s a double charge in the corner to Sheamus and Corbin.

They come back with the Irish Curse and Deep Six for a double two, followed by Sheamus running Corbin over. We take a break and come back with Sheamus hitting the forearms to Jey’s chest but Riddle is back up with strikes of his own. An exploder suplex into the Broton has Sheamus in trouble but he pulls Riddle into the Cloverleaf. Jey makes the save and hits some running Umaga Attacks to both of them in the corner.

Corbin gets in a cheap shot on Jey but Riddle and Sheamus throw Corbin over the barricade. Jey dives onto Sheamus and Riddle for the double knockdown but Corbin is back up to throw Uso into the video screens. The other three get back in and Sheamus Brogue Kicks Corbin. The Bro To Sleep sends Sheamus outside and it’s the Floating Bro to Corbin. Jey comes back in with the Superfly Splash to Riddle for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: C. Well it wasn’t expected. I’m not exactly going to believe that Jey Uso is actually getting the title shot until I hear the bell ring and I’m also not sure that the match is going to last more than about fifteen seconds if it does take place. The match was good enough and the ending was a surprise, though I’m not entirely convinced that it’s lasting, which is fine too. That being said, you have Riddle, Sheamus and Corbin in there and Riddle takes the fall?

Post match Jey says he made the family proud too and is ready to take Roman to the Uso Penitentiary.

From Raw.

Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton

Orton stalls on the floor to start and holds his jaw from the Claymore earlier tonight. Lee gets tired of waiting but gets his throat snapped across the top rope. Back in and Orton goes to the eye but Lee calmly blocks the RKO with straight power. Orton isn’t sure what to do so he goes outside and sends Lee into the steps. Back in and Orton grabs the chinlock, complete with a bodyscissors this time. Lee fights up again and shoves off another RKO attempt, setting up a powerslam for two. The powerbomb is loaded up but Orton slips out and hits the RKO…but turns into the Claymore from Drew McIntyre for the DQ at 6:24.

Rating: C. Lee got in some spots here but you could feel a lot of the energy going away, mainly because he felt like an obstacle for Orton rather than someone doing something for himself. However, an important note to this (though it might have been unintentional): Lee rolled to the ropes after the RKO instead of just laying there, giving them a small out to make it look a little unclear if he would have been pinned. That’s better than some people get, even if it might have been just so McIntyre could have somewhere to land.

From Raw.

Orton is very slowly leaving as he holds his jaw. Cue McIntyre to jump him again and send him into the spare ring backstage. The third Claymore leaves Orton laying one more time.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Riddick Moss

They go for the grappling to start with Moss using the power to get the better of things. Carrillo switches to the wristlock but Moss headlocks him over. That takes us to a standoff and trash talk until Carrillo works on the arm some more. A drop toehold into the springboard wristdrag sends Moss outside and the triangle dropkick puts him down again. We take a break and come back with Moss hitting a suplex and unloading in the corner.

Moss muscles him out of the corner and plants Carrillo for two more. The chinlock with a knee in the back goes on, followed by some hard right hands to the head. We hit the abdominal stretch (Joe: “Nothing like an abdominal stretch.”) and Carrillo’s back is too banged up to hiptoss his way to freedom.

Moss shouts to Joe that Carrillo doesn’t have what he has but Carrillo is back up with a springboard elbow to the face. There’s a spinning kick to the head for two on Moss but he rolls away before the moonsault can launch. Moss forearms him on the apron and drops him throat first onto the rope. The neckbreaker finishes Carrillo at 8:04.

Rating: C. Power vs. speed is the classic wrestling formula and it worked out well enough here. For the life of me though I don’t get why they aren’t putting Moss on regular Raw again. He was there before everything went nuts and now the best he can do is get an appearance on Raw Underground. They see something in him, so why just leave him on the nothing shows like this?

From Smackdown, after Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler retained the Women’s Tag Team Titles over Bayley and Sasha Banks.

From Raw.

Murphy vs. Dominik Mysterio

The rest of the Mysterios are at ringside and it’s a street fight so Dominik has a kendo stick. Murphy knees him in the face to start though and Dominik is in trouble early. They head outside with Dominik getting in some shots to the face and they head up near the stage. Dominik climbs onto the video screens and hits a big dive to take Murphy down as we take a break.

Back with Dominik slugging away until they brawl up towards the stage. That goes nowhere so they wind up back at ringside with Murphy ramming Dominik head first into the ramp. Dominik is fine enough to block the eye into the steps but gets dropped ribs first onto the barricade. Some chairs to the back have Dominik in more trouble and we hit the seated abdominal stretch.

That’s broken up with a hiptoss to the floor but Murphy is right back in to tie Dominik in the ropes. It’s time for the kendo stick but Rey pulls it away. Angie and Aliyah get Dominik free and he hits a sunset bomb through a table at ringside. Now it’s Murphy being tied up in the ropes and all four of the Mysterios beat on him with the kendo sticks until Murphy quits at 14:12.

Rating: D+. They were having a pretty watchable match but then they had to get into the Mysterio Family stuff again and it’s really hard to care that much. This feud has been going on for about four months now and there have been multiple times where it could have been blown off. Somehow it’s still going though, and while it might be shifting towards Murphy vs. Rollins, seeing these Mysterio Family Values moments doesn’t exactly inspire me. Four people just beat up one guy. What a great moment that makes me want to cheer for all of them.

Post match the beating continues to end the show. Your heroes everyone.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s kind of amazing how much better Smackdown is than Raw at the moment. Their stories are better and it feels like they are taking some chances instead of staying in the holding pattern that has dominated the summer. The original stuff here was fine by Main Event standards, but stay away from the Raw stuff for your own sanity. As usual.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Smackdown – April 14, 2006: Tournament Time

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 14, 2006
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s tournament time as we have the first match in the King of the Ring. That could mean a few different things going forward, but this time around it means Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton in a first round match. Then there is some new giant around to go after Undertaker so it’s kind of like old days. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Booker T. and Sharmell for a chat with a robe and throne in the ring. They like the way the stuff looks but Booker is much more excited about his restraining order against the Boogeyman. That has made Smackdown a Boogeyman Free Zone, but last week Booker lost to Gunner Something, which will never happen again. He is going to prove his greatness in the King of the Ring tournament, because this has made a lot of great careers.

Booker lists off everyone else in the tournament and none of them are as great as he is. He would like everyone to rise up and bow down to their next king. With that out of the way, Booker has to try on the robe and starts knighting the robe, allowing Sharmell to debut ALL HAIL KING BOOKER! Cue Bobby Lashley to spear Booker down, with Booker’s legs staying in the air long after Lashley leaves for a good visual.

Johnny Nitro vs. Brian Kendrick

Melina, Joey Mercury and Paul London are all at ringside. Kendrick starts fast with the forearms but gets sent throat first into the middle rope. The chinlock is on early but Nitro misses a charge into the corner. Kendrick’s spinning facebuster sets up another shot to the face but Mercury shoves Kendrick off the top. London dives onto Mercury and Melina gets knocked down, leaving Kendrick to victory roll Nitro for the pin.

Rating: C-. They did what they could in the time that they had but you can’t get too far in just over three minutes. The interference looks to set up the Tag Team Title match later on and that works out well enough, though I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea of sitting through the partners facing each other next week and then probably a six person tag down the line.

We recap Paul Burchill beating William Regal last week, meaning it’s buxom wench time.

Burchill sees Regal (off camera) and Regal isn’t happy because the shoes hurt and the knickers are out of his selection box.

This Week In Wrestling History: Barely Legal, focusing on Tazz vs. Sabu. The recap given by the voiceover is more details than I remember Joey Styles telling us on the show.

Paul Burchill vs. Rasheed Brown

Before the match, Burchill introduces Lady Regal, who falls off the rope swing and can’t stand up in the dress (which he has to wear until Burchill loses a match). Regal finally gets to his feet and comes to the ring, where Burchill pulls out a sword to poke him in the skirt. The rather large Brown shoves Burchill into the corner to start but gets taken down with a quick shot to the back. Regal gets on the apron with brass knuckles to nail Burchill but hits Brown by mistake, setting up Walking The Plank to give Burchill the easy pin.

Post match Burchill and Regal leave, arm in arm.

Kurt Angle congratulates Rey Mysterio on winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania and blames Randy Orton for the title loss. Tonight, Angle is going to take out all of his frustrations on Orton.

We look at Bret Hart winning the first King of the Ring.

Matt Hardy vs. Road Warrior Animal

Fallout from Animal jumping Matt on Velocity last week. The brawl starts on the floor before the bell with Animal being driven into the apron. They try to bring in a chair and the bell actually rings, with Matt hitting the Twist of Fate for the pin in about twenty seconds. And so much for that, thank goodness.

We look back at Rey Mysterio winning the Royal Rumble and then the title at Wrestlemania. How many times are we looking back at all of this stuff???

Palmer Cannon says that the following video is not endorsed by WWE.

Video of Miz wrecking havoc at WWE Headquarters. Didn’t we see this last week?

US Title: Chris Benoit vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

JBL, with Jillian Hall, is defending in a match that was supposed to be a celebration. Before the match, cue Teddy Long to say we’re having a change. The title is going to be on the line in a steel cage, which just happens to be above the ring and no one seemed to notice it yet, aside from all of the times that it was shown earlier in the night. JBL begs the referee to not make this happen so Benoit hammers away to start, sending JBL from one corner to another.

An early JBL escape attempt doesn’t work as Benoit pulls him back down and onto the mat. JBL is back up with a belly to back superplex but Benoit chops him down without much trouble. It’s too early for the Sharpshooter as JBL kicks him away and drops some elbows. Benoit is back up with some knees and chops in the corner before catching JBL on top again.

They both come crashing back down though and it’s time for a quick breather. It’s JBL up first with Two Amigos but Benoit pulls him into another failed Sharpshooter attempt. The Crossface doesn’t work either so Benoit hits the full Three Amigos. The Swan Dive connects for no cover as Benoit would rather go up than cover or walk out the door. JBL is back up with a super Russian legsweep and we take a break.

Back with Benoit climbing the cage again and getting electric chaired back down for two. A sleeper has Benoit in more trouble but the arm stays up the third time. Another suplex drops JBL and it’s time to roll the German suplexes. Benoit can only get two though and JBL boots him in the face. JBL goes for the door but the confused Jillian accidentally slams it on Benoit’s head. The Crossface goes but there is no referee to see the tap. Instead JBL rolls him over for two before kicking Benoit low, which is enough to retain the title.

Rating: B-. This was rolling until the messier than necessary ending. The Jillian stuff didn’t need to be there and seemed to be more of an idea for the sake of having one. JBL shouldn’t be dropping the title yet anyway, and especially not to Benoit after a long reign. The match was good, but having it in a cage didn’t add much of a note.

We look at Great Khali debuting and destroying Undertaker last week.

Here are Daivari and Great Khali for a chat. Daivari talks about how we have heard about Undertaker being a phenom for a long time now, but Khali is a real monster. We will all fear and worship him because Undertaker is gone.

Gymini vs. Mexicools

Jesse cleans house on the Mexicools early on and the old Harris Brothers H Bomb should finish Psicosis off early. The delayed cover only gets two though as Super Crazy has the referee. Crazy comes in to clean house but some twin magic lets Jesse hit a high collar suplex for the pin.

King of the Ring First Round: Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton

Orton hides in the rope to start but Angle is patient enough to hit some clotheslines. A trip to the floor doesn’t last long as Orton is thrown inside for the ankle lock. That is broken up as well but Orton catches him with some shots on the way back in. Choking on the rope ensues and we’re already in the chinlock (I’ll let you figure out who is doing what).

Angle fights up and gets to the apron, where he manages to suplex Orton over the top and out to the floor in a nasty crash. That’s good for a nine count so Angle hits the German suplexes. The Angle Slam is countered into the backbreaker to give Orton two, meaning it’s the ankle lock to make Orton tap.

Rating: C+. The time hurt them again here but Angle getting a win back is the best thing for him. He doesn’t need to win the tournament, but he needs to show that he can still dominate at this level. That’s where this win came from and the extra part about Orton being the one who took the fall to lose Angle’s title makes it better.

Post match Angle puts the ankle lock on again, lets go and leaves, then comes back to do it again to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They kept things moving tonight and I can always appreciate that. There was a lot of stuff crammed into the two hour show and it started to set the stage for the next pay per view in May. I liked the show rather well and nothing was bad, though the cage match ending left a bit to be desired. Good enough effort this week.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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Monday Night Raw – September 7, 2020: The Extra Important Part

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 7, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole

Last week, we set up the main event of Clash Of Champions so tonight it’s time to get a lot more stuff done. I’m not sure what that is going to entail but there are a lot of titles that are going to need to be defended. That could make for an interesting show, but that has never stopped WWE before. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Randy Orton to get things going. Orton talks about earning the Clash Of Champions title shot last week and tonight, he’s ready to kick Lee in the head. We could list off everyone Orton has Punted over the years but Raw is only three hours. Last week, Orton earned the shot against Drew McIntyre but that’s assuming Drew can wrestle. We look at the three Punts to McIntyre and Orton asks what McIntyre should do. Maybe he should just forfeit the title…and here’s an ambulance. Of course McIntyre is driving and he gets straight in the ring for the Claymore.

Earlier today, the Hurt Business beat up a janitor for allegedly saying something about Shelton Benjamin’s mama. Now that could be a nice reference to days past, but I doubt anyone remembered it when they said something.

McIntyre says he’s going to be at Clash no matter what. Adam Pearce says he can’t risk another injury so he needs McIntyre to leave. McIntyre does just that and Pearce sends security to be on guard against Retribution.

Hurt Business vs. Cedric Alexander/Ricochet/Apollo Crews

The Hurt Business jumps Cedric on the stage before the bell and the beatdown is on until Ricochet and Crews make the save. Cedric gets on the apron as Shelton clotheslines Crews down to start. Lashley hammers him down in the corner and MVP adds the running big boot for two. It’s back to Lashley for the chinlock…and Cedric jumps Ricochet to beat him down. Crews gets a Lumbar Check and Shelton hits Paydirt for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. They had to do something with this story at some point and Cedric accepting the team’s offer, or at least rebelling, instead of getting beaten down week after week makes sense. If nothing else it gives us some fresh matches as there are only so many ways you can have the same match over and over. I’m liking this idea and Cedric vs. Ricochet and/or Crews sounds interesting.

Post match Cedric looks up at the team and smiles, though he doesn’t stand with them.

Street Profits vs. Angel Garza/Andrade

Non-title, Zelina Vega is here with Garza/Andrade and speaking of matches we don’t need to see anymore. Garza starts with Ford and TAKES OFF HIS PANTS. Ford picks up the speed early on and Vega isn’t pleased with him getting taken down early on. Yelling ensues on the floor and it’s off to Andrade, who is knocked down into the frog splash for the pin at 2:03.

Post match Garza walks off, because we’re doing this again. Hold on though as here are Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura for a staredown with the Street Profits. Post break Cesaro says they were surprised to find out that the Street Profits are the longest reigning Raw Tag Team Champions in years. Usually people think of people never defending their titles when they think of the Street Profits. That’s why next week, thanks to the quarterly brand vs. brand invitational (Huh?), they want a champions vs. champions match.

Nakamura holds up a red cup and says they want the….but Dawkins calls him out for copyright infringement. Ford isn’t happy with the Bar 2.0 coming here and suggests Cesaro get an STD test from having so many partners. Anyway, the match is on, with Nakamura getting to say SMOKE.

Earlier today, R-Truth was at a restaurant when dessert was served. A Ninja popped up through the table though, with Truth shouting that he did not order a Ninja. Akira Tozawa shows up so Truth throws the title to Little Jimmy, who must have gotten out of the juvenile facility. Jimmy drops the title but Truth picks it up and runs away. He even steals the card and says that the restaurant will never get on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives while serving Ninja!

Billie Kay vs. Peyton Royce

Kay is no the Femme Fatal. They slap it out to start and Peyton loads up a Widow’s Peak. That’s broken up and Kay misses an elbow, allowing Peyton to grab a waistlock. The chinlock goes on but Billie gets up and drives her into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Royce is right back with a neckbreaker for the pin at 2:40.

Post match Peyton helps her up.

We look back at Murphy accidentally kicking Seth Rollins in the head at Payback and ultimately costing them the match. Then last week, Rollins beat Dominik Mysterio and left him laying. Tonight, it’s Murphy vs. Dominik.

Here are the Mysterios (Rey/Dominik/Aliyah/Angie) for an in-ring chat. Rey doesn’t have a timetable for his return from the tricep injury but he’s very proud of his son. Before Dominik can say anything, Murphy pops up on screen and says Rollins picked him up when no one else would. As for tonight, let’s make it a street fight. Dominik agrees to embarrass Murphy in front of his messiah, because a simple “you’re on” is too basic for a WWE promo.

Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax aren’t happy with having a handicap match each against the Riott Squad. Drew McIntyre walks by and Adam Pearce isn’t happy.

Asuka/Mickie James vs. Lana/Natalya

Mickie gets a shot at Asuka next week. Natalya gets double teamed to start so it’s quickly off to Lana, who is backed into the ropes. A kick to the ribs doesn’t work on Asuka, who shows Lana how it’s done. Asuka misses the running hip attack in the ropes so Mickie slaps her on said hips for the tag.

Natalya comes in to whip Mickie into the corner but Mickie grabs a quick rollup for two. Lana plants Mickie for two more, with Asuka having to make a save. Everything breaks down and Mickie hits a neckbreaker on Lana…but there is no Asuka. Instead Mickie goes up ans Asuka tags herself in for the Asuka Lock on Lana for the tap at 4:51.

Rating: D. Even without a crowd in person, you could feel how ice cold this was. Using Natalya and Lana to set up anything is a bad idea and that was on full display here. Mickie vs. Asuka isn’t the best match in the world but for a one off match, it works out well enough. Just don’t have Lana and Natalya do anything but be the replacement IIconics though, because it won’t end well.

Cedric Alexander says he’s ready to make this official with the Hurt Business, but Shelton Benjamin says he better be serious, or it won’t go well.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with the Hurt Business and Cedric Alexander as the guests. MVP officially welcomes Cedric to the team and they hand him the shirt, which goes over his shoulder. Just one question: what made Cedric change his mind? Shelton wants to know as well, but Cedric says he is tired of taking beatings and going broke with Ricochet and Apollo Crews. Cue the Viking Raiders and Crews/Ricochet to storm the ring and the fight is on in a hurry.

Hurt Business vs. Ricochet/Apollo Crews/Viking Raiders

Benjamin suplexes Ricochet to start before charging into a raised boot. Ricochet kicks him down and Crews comes in for a standing moonsault. It’s off to Erik to knee MVP in the face and fire off more knees up against the ropes. Ivar adds a crossbody for two and it’s back to Crews, who gets taken into the wrong corner. The spinning Dominator doesn’t work and it’s Erik coming back in to ram into Lashley a few times. The shotgun knees send Lashley into the corner and Benjamin gets suplexed.

Lashley is right back with the spear though and Erik is down in a hurry. A series of slams put Erick down and Shelton suplexes him for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit before MVP comes in for a running boot in the corner. Cedric gets the tag, yells at his former friends, and chokes away on Erik in the corner. Erik gets up and brings in Ricochet to clean house as the pace picks up. A moonsault hits MVP but Cedric comes in to glare at Ricochet for the distraction.

MVP gets in a shot to the back of the head for two and Cedric adds the Neuralizer for two of his own. Ricochet fights up for the slugout and nails a superkick. A nasty looking dragon suplex causes everything to break down with Ivar hitting a dive onto everyone but Cedric. Back in and Ricochet misses the 630, allowing Cedric to grab the Michinoku Driver for the pin at 10:16, even though Ricochet was very clearly up at two (Cole: “Cover, kickout! He didn’t kick out!”).

Rating: C-. Everything after that dragon suplex looked off, with Ricochet looking like he was supposed to bridge but not even getting one, Ivar slamming his wrists together in an X after the landing (that might mean nothing but it was hard to ignore) and the weird timing on the pin. I’m not sure what happened in there but it was pretty awkward for the last minute or so. At least Cedric got the pin though, or at least close to one.

Post match the replay shows that Ricochet did indeed kick out. Medics come out to check on Ivar so yeah that X was very intentional.

Drew McIntyre is still here as he just happened to grab the wrong phone and can’t find the exit.

We recap Aleister Black attacking Kevin Owens.

Owens heads into Raw Underground to face Black, but does mention that he still doesn’t like Shane McMahon. Now is that little bit of continuity too much to ask for elsewhere?

Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton

Post match Adam Pearce comes out to yell at Drew McIntyre. I think we have a future General Manager on our hands, which isn’t the worst idea. McIntyre leaves and referees are sent to check on Orton, who is holding his jaw.

We go to Raw Underground, where Aleister Black destroys an unknown before Kevin Owens comes in for the fight (So where was he for the last ten minutes?). The fight is on and they fall to the floor for a double knockdown as we take a break.

Orton yells at Pearce and says his word means nothing to him.

Shayna Baszler vs. Riott Squad

Handicap match and Nia Jax is in Shayna’s corner. Ruby gets taken down to start but grabs an armdrag, only to have Shayna grab her arm. The armbar goes on on the mat and Ruby can’t roll her way out of it early on. Ruby manages to get out and brings in Liv, who is knocked to the floor in a hurry. Ruby’s distraction lets Liv get in some knees to the back but Baszler knees her in the face. The arm stomp is loaded up but Jax says she could do better. Baszler doesn’t stomp on the arm, allowing Morgan to grab a sunset flip for the pin at 2:33.

Owens and Black are still fighting at Raw Underground, with Black grabbing an armbar. Owens gets him off the stage though and hits a powerbomb to the floor to knock Black silly.

Nia Jax vs. Riott Squad

Shayna is at ringside. Liv can’t get a sunset flip so Nia sends her into the corner, with Ruby adding a running crossbody. Back up and a clothesline rocks Riott so hard that even Shayna is impressed. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Nia runs her over again. Riott avoids the arm stomp though and Liv tags herself in. The Riott Kick sets up Oblivion for two…as the lights go out for the no contest at we’ll say 2:55.

The Retribution logo comes up on screen and three people in black appear on screen. One of them talks about how the Thunder Dome has changed nothing. They have been forgotten and left to pick at what they can. Another person says they are here like locusts to feed on what they can. Their darkness is coming and they are Retribution.

The Mysterios will be at ringside and Rey tells Seth Rollins to stay out of this.

Black and Owens are STILL fighting until Dabba Kato interferes and wipes them both out.

Orton is very slowly leaving as he holds his jaw. Cue McIntyre to jump him again and send him into the spare ring backstage. The third Claymore leaves Orton laying one more time.

We recap the parade of Claymores.

Orton is taken away in an ambulance.

Murphy vs. Dominik Mysterio

Post match the beating continues to end the show. Your heroes everyone.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m split on this show as it has some positives and negatives. The bad part part is that there weren’t very many interesting things going on. Cedric joining the Hurt Business worked well and Black vs. Owens could go well, plus the World Title feud is getting better. That might be the end of the good parts though and that’s not enough for a three hour show.

The important part of the show was something even better though: stuff happened. One of the bigger problems of WWE TV over the last few months has been the feeling that stories just keep going with nothing of note happening. That has changed over the last few weeks, with a different energy to the show which has made it seem like things are happening on the show. That makes things so, so much easier to watch every week and that was the case here. It might not be good, but it’s not terrible either and that’s a big step in the right direction.

Results

Hurt Business b. Cedric Alexander/Ricochet/Apollo Crews – Paydirt to Crews

Street Profits b. Andrade/Angel Garza – Frog splash to Andrade

Peyton Royce b. Billie Kay – Neckbreaker

Asuka/Mickie James b. Lana/Natalya – Asuka Lock to Lana

Hurt Business b. Ricochet/Apollo Crews/Viking Raiders – Michinoku Driver to Ricochet

Randy Orton b. Keith Lee via DQ when Drew McIntyre interfered

Riott Squad b. Shayna Baszler – Sunset flip

Riott Squad vs. Nia Jax went to a no contest when Retribution interfered

Dominik Mysterio b. Murphy when the Mysterios beat him with kendo sticks

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Main Event – September 3, 2020: The Roll Continues

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 3, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s the second week in the Thunder Dome and they’re coming off a good start with a solid show last week. Last week’s show had a pair of higher than usual quality original matches but that has no bearing on this show whatsoever. That has always been a big part of Main Event’s problems, as you never know what you might be getting here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Akira Tozawa

The Ninjas are here with Tozawa, who shouts about NINJA POWER to start. Tozawa is sent to the apron where he can’t suplex Carrillo out but can get superkicked, right onto the pile of Ninjas for the save. Back in and Tozawa kicks Carrillo down but misses a middle rope spinning crossbody.

Carrillo grabs a snap suplex but it’s too early for the moonsault as Tozawa crotches him down. There’s the standing backsplash for two on Carrillo and we hit the double arm crank. Back up and Tozawa flips out of a German suplex attempt but gets chopped down. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Tozawa and a torture rack face plant gives Carrillo the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. Carrillo mixing it up a bit is one of the best things that he can do as there is only so much you can get out of his limited promo skills/charisma. Then you have Tozawa, who has enough charisma that he could probably loan some of it out to other wrestlers. Tozawa is someone I have wanted to see more from for a long time now and the Ninjas deal is about as good as he has had in a good while. It’s better than nothing, though not that much.

Quick look at Keith Lee beating Randy Orton at Payback.

From Raw.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Keith Lee

The first of the three qualifying matches. The bell rings after the break and Lee cranks on the arm, including lifting Ziggler up by the hand. A hard catapult sends Ziggler face first into the buckle and Ziggler needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Ziggler takes him down by the knee and grabs a chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Lee gets up and runs Ziggler over as we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting Grizzly Magnum and throwing Ziggler into the corner. Ziggler hits a quick Fameasser for two and a neckbreaker into the jumping elbow gets the same. Lee gets up again and slugs away, followed by a pop up face plant. Ziggler tries to fight back but walks into the Spirit Bomb for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C. Might have been a bit longer than it needed to be but Lee getting another win is a good sign. If nothing else you can put him in the triple threat later and have someone else take the fall to (probably) send Orton on to Clash. They’ve given Lee two big wins early on so the foundation is being set. Just don’t screw it up from here.

Quick look at Randy Orton beating Kevin Owens in seconds thanks to Aleister Black.

Video on Seth Rollins/Murphy vs. Dominik Mysterio/Rey Mysterio.

From Raw.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins

The third of three triple threat qualifying matches. Mysterio goes straight at him to start but gets sent to the floor. Back in and Seth stomps away but gets kicked in the face. They head outside with Dominik sending him into the announcers’ table and then diving off of it as we take a break.

Back with Dominik fighting out of an abdominal stretch but getting pulled down into a bodyscissors. That’s switched to a waistlock instead but Dominik fights up and counters a buckle bomb with a hurricanrana into the corner. The tornado DDT out of the corner into a standing moonsault gets two on Rollins and he rolls outside. That means a big dive from Dominik as the rest of the Mysterios are watching in the back. The 619 sets up the frog splash but Rollins rolls away, setting up the Stomp for the pin at 10:03.

Rating: C. Dominik is doing a lot better in the ring than probably would have been expected of him and to be fair they didn’t do something crazy here. I still don’t really care to see him in the ring, but at least they aren’t going completely overboard with someone who looks lost out there. The match was fine enough and the right person won in short enough order so I can’t get that upset. I’m curious about what Rey’s injury means for Dominik though, as there isn’t much else for him to do other than stuff with his dad.

Post match Rollins hits another Stomp as the Mysterios are devastated.

We look at Roman Reigns winning the Universal Title back at Payback.

Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali

Works for me. Maybe not so much for them though but I’ll take what I can get. Ali armdrags his way out of a wristlock to start but Ricochet flips him back down for a standoff. A headlock doesn’t get Ricochet very far and a shoulder gets one. Back up and Ali drives him into the corner, including an elbow to the face as some frustration is setting in. Ricochet gets sent to the apron and Ali punches him down, setting up a neckbreaker for two as we take a break.

We come back with Ali hitting another neckbreaker for another two and shouting a lot. A third neckbreaker is broken up so Ricochet hits a big clothesline. Ali’s tornado DDT is countered into a northern lights suplex and then a brainbuster for two. Ali tries a sunset flip but has to roll through into a sitout powerbomb for two instead. The 450 misses though and Ricochet hits a poisonrana into the Recoil for the pin at 10:53.

Rating: C+. Yeah like this was going to be anything but good. They did their thing that they have done dozens of times and since they are such talented people, it worked out as well as anything else could have. These two are still WAY too good for this show and that is very apparent every time they are out there. Ali working a lot more heelish here was weird, though I’m not sure how much I’d like to see it full time.

Post match respect is shown and everything is cool.

From Raw.

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee vs. Seth Rollins

The winner gets McIntyre at Clash of Champions. Rollins pitches the alliance with Orton, who immediately drops down to the floor. Then Rollins rolls out to yell at him but Orton says he changed his mind. Lee grabs Rollins by the hair (Rollins: “OW!!!”) and pulls him inside where Rollins’ headlock doesn’t work very well. Orton comes back in and gets splashed in the corner but Rollins is back up with ax handles to Lee. They send Lee to the apron so Lee slingshots in with a crossbody to both of them as we take a break.

Back with Lee getting knocked out of the air and sent to the floor for a drop onto the announcers’ table. There’s a whip into the steps to put Lee down even more but they carry him back to the apron in a rather questionable move. Orton turns on Rollins with the hanging DDT for two but Rollins is right back with the Falcon Arrow for the same.

Lee rises up though and throws Rollins into Orton for the big crash. Orton heads outside where Lee Pounces him into the barricade before catching Rollins’ suicide dive and tossing him into the announcers’ table. Back in and Rollins enziguris Lee and kicks him in the head again to knock him down. The Stomp is countered into the Spirit Bomb but Orton comes back in for the RKO to Lee and pins Rollins at 11:05.

Rating: C+. That was about all they could do here and that’s the right call. Lee looked dominant and didn’t get pinned, which is what matters most in this. Orton gets back into the title match as well, which isn’t quite surprising and it’s not like Rollins is going to be hurt by taking a fall. Good enough here, but more importantly it wasn’t stupid and that’s an improvement.

Overall Rating: C+. I know it’s a very low bar to clear but WWE is on a bit of a roll as of late. There has definitely been an extra energy since Summerslam and they kept it up with a nicer than usual Main Event. The Thunder Dome has been a big help and you can feel how much better things have been since it debuted. I have zero confidence in it continuing, but at least it’s there for now.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Smackdown – April 7, 2006: The Other Followup Show

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 7, 2006
Location: Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the fallout show for Wrestlemania and that could make for an interesting night. Raw was pretty good this week and I’m wondering if they are going to follow the same path. There are a few ways to go with this one and Smackdown could use a boost after some fairly weak Wrestlemania build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. MNM

Non-title and here are London and Kendrick to pick Melina up during the splits entrance for a little change of pace. Nitro gets elbowed in the face to start and Mercury is knocked off the apron. A headscissors into a dropkick gets two on Nitro but Kendrick is sent outside in a big crash. Back in and Nitro stomps away as the champs take over for the first time. Kendrick is sent crashing outside again and this time Melina rakes the eyes because she’s rather good at being evil.

Back in again and the breakdancing legdrop hits Kendrick but he manages a small package for a very delayed two. Nitro chokes on the rope and Melina gets in some choking, followed by Mercury coming in for four straight near falls. The fans want London and get him as he comes in to break up a cover, though I don’t think that’s what they meant. Back up and Kendrick gets over for the tag to London, but the referee didn’t see it for the old classic.

The double stomping is on but Kendrick rolls between them and makes the hot tag to London. House is cleaned and the Dropsault gets two on Mercury. Melina gets up on the apron to knock London into a rollup for two but Kendrick breaks up the Snapshot. London gets a VERY close two off a sunset flip but Nitro breaks up the 450. The Snapshot is broken up again though and London grabs a cradle for the pin.

Rating: B-. Dang this could have been a heck of a title change but the big deal here is finally having a fresh team to come after the titles. Well a fresh team that people might actually like that is. By this point, MNM’s title reign means nothing whatsoever but it could be a nice moment when they finally drop the things, despite what all the losses have done to them.

A very excited Booker T. and Sharmell come in to see Teddy Long. Teddy doesn’t get it and reminds them what happened at Wrestlemania. The difference though is Booker now has a restraining order against Boogeyman and if he comes within 100ft….Long goes to jail?

We look at Rey Mysterio winning the Royal Rumble.

Booker T. vs. Gunner Scott

Scott, better known as Brent Albright, is debuting. Booker hammers on him a bit to start but gets taken down with a drop toehold, much to his surprise. Some knees to the ribs set up a chinlock on Scott, which is broken up in a hurry. Booker kicks him in the face and there’s a spinebuster….followed by the Boogeyman’s music. Scott uses the distraction to grab a rollup pin.

Post match here’s Teddy Long to say that must have been a miscue. He raises Scott’s hand to rub it in.

We look at Randy Orton beating Rey Mysterio at No Way Out, plus Mysterio being added back into the Wrestlemania main event anyway.

Scott is very pleased with his win and Chris Benoit comes up to congratulate him.

Chris Benoit vs. Simon Dean

Benoit’s music hits while Dean is still on his scooter and panic sets in quickly. They go inside to start the proper beating and it’s a belly to back suplex into a hard elbow. Dean gets him into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs and a bulldog but the fans are all over him. The chinlock is broken up in a hurry and Benoit rolls the German suplexes into the Crossface for the tap.

Rating: D+. It was short and to the point, which was nice as it’s fun to see Dean get beaten up. This was a fine little way to get Benoit back on his feet after the loss on Sunday, which is where you can use someone like Dean rather effectively. Benoit is someone you can heat up in a hurry and they did it here in the same way they always did: with a nasty beating and a good looking Crossface.

Post match we get a video invitation to join JBL for his huge US Title celebration next week.

We look at Mysterio winning the title on Sunday.

Kurt Angle growls a lot and slaps Randy Orton in the face.

Smackdown World Title: Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio is defending. They stare at each other for a good bit to start and the EDDIE chants are on again. Rey gets back into the corner but comes out with a headlock, which is reversed into a headscissors on the mat. That’s broken up as well but Orton is back up with a forearm to the back. An uppercut from his knees gives Orton two and we’re already in the chinlock. Rey fights up and the wheelbarrow bulldog is quickly countered with a faceplant so the chinlock can go on again.

A headscissors gets Rey out of trouble and sends Orton outside, meaning it’s the big springboard seated senton to the floor. Orton gets pummeled in the corner but knocks Rey right back down and grabs another chinlock. Rey fights up again and gets to the apron but the springboard is countered with a dropkick to the floor (that looked good). We take a break and come back with Rey in probably the sixth chinlock so far. A faceplant out of the corner plants Rey for two more and we’re in another chinlock.

That’s broken up in a hurry and Orton does the dive onto a raised book which was only designed to dive into a raised boot. Rey hits the springboard seated senton and a springboard moonsault into a reverse DDT gets two. Rey goes up but gets dropkicked out of the air for two more. One heck of a clothesline drops Rey again but Orton’s charge hits the post. Rey mixes it up a bit with a 619 in the corner, setting up the regular version. Dropping The Dime retains the title.

Rating: C+. This got a lot better once Orton dropped the chinlocks. He probably used eight or nine during the match, which is more than a lot of people are going to use in a month. There was no reason to believe that the title was changing here and Mysterio pinning Orton clean is far from a stretch. Cut out five (or more) of those chinlocks and thisi s a much better match but what we got worked well.

Palmer Cannon says the following views are not those of WWE.

Miz torments WWE headquarters.

Mysterio thanks everyone who believed in him from day one and dreams do come true. He is ready to defend against everyone but for now he wants to thank his family, who are here with him.

William Regal comes up to Paul Burchill and complains about the pirate garb. They have a match next and we get a bet with the winner getting to chose how the winner dresses. Burchill thinks Regal will make a lovely buxom wench.

Paul Burchill vs. William Regal

Regal goes to the eyes to start but loses a slugout. They uppercut it out until Regal throws him down with a half nelson suplex. We hit the chinlock (Orton fan) but Burchill suplexes his way to freedom and the C4 finishes Regal.

Rating: D+. This didn’t get much time but Regal continues to be able to make something out of nothing. He was fighting as he usually would for the sake of turning Burchill back into a normal looking human. That isn’t something that should warrant something so serious but Regal made it work, which is quite impressive.

Wrestlemania XXIII is in Detroit.

Teddy Long announces the return of the King of the Ring. The first match: Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton.

Undertaker vs. Mark Henry

Post match Undertaker hits Khali in the face a few times but Khali (not named) chops him down. Some headbutts rock Undertaker and Khali rips a turnbuckle pad off (giving us some stuffing to make me think about George Steele) to ram Undertaker in. The big posing ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. This would have been in between a C and C+ if that was possible as the show was just slightly more hit than miss. Khali debuting felt like an important moment and it means that we don’t have to see Undertaker vs. Henry again. Other than that, Rey vs. Orton was fine enough and they set things up for the future, including the King of the Ring being set up. Not a bad show, but it was only so good.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Main Event – August 27, 2020: I Like Them

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: August 27, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re off to the Thunder Dome for the show and I’m not exactly expecting it to make that much of a difference. It’s also the last show before Payback, meaning we will be building to a show and recovering from another one at the same time. That could mean a few different things around here, though none of them are exactly thrilling. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Arturo Ruas

Ali has to duck from an early kick to the head but a knee puts him down. Ruas kicks him in the arm to keep Ali in trouble and the martial arts are on full display. We hit the armbar on the mat but Ali gets in a few rollups for two each. Another shot to the arm cuts Ali off though and it’s off to an armbar to send Ali over to the ropes.

Rating: C. Now THIS is what Main Event could be as Ruas got in a lot and looked good instead of just getting squashed. They had me believing that the upset could be happening and that’s a hard thing to pull off, especially on a show like this. Not too bad, but then again that could just be Ali being his usual awesome self.

We look at Drew McIntyre retaining the Raw World Title against Randy Orton at Summerslam, plus Orton attacking him the following night on Raw.

From Raw.

Here’s Orton for a chat. Orton talks about doing whatever he wants to whomever he wants but that wasn’t the case last night. He promised everyone that he was going to RKO McIntyre and then kick him in the skull to take the title…but he didn’t. Orton is a lot of things and he has proven that he will always be the Legend Killer. He has killed a lot of legends recently and that’s what he was doing earlier when he kicked McIntyre twice in a row. Earlier tonight, Drew came out here and offered him a rematch out of pity. Does McIntyre know who he is?

He is Randy Orton….and here’s Keith Lee. Orton isn’t sure what to think of this so Lee says Orton looks perplexed. Lee: “Greetings and salutations Mr. Orton.” Lee thought Orton might want to take this chance to bask in his glory. Orton has been called a lot of things over the years, as has Lee, but the only thing that is true is that Lee is limitless. The challenge is issued for right now and Orton says….maybe later. I can go for more of Lee and I’ll take this over squashing some jobber.

From Raw.

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee

Lee shoves him away to start and gets in a leapfrog, followed by a big shove out to the floor. Back in and Orton’s right hand is caught, allowing Lee to hit a standing overhead belly to belly. Orton bails to the floor again and this time Lee follows for a…failed posting attempt as Orton sends him shoulder first in instead. Orton stomps away back inside and covers, with Lee firing him off with the kickout.

The chinlock into a sleeper goes on but Lee drives him into the corner for the quick break. Lee hits the running corner splash and a crossbody takes Orton down again. Orton gets knocked outside again but Lee throws him back inside this time, only to get kicked in the face to set up the hanging DDT. Orton loads up the RKO but here’s McIntyre for the DQ at 4:47.

Rating: C. I’m not sure on this one as Lee got in a good about of impressive stuff and wasn’t beaten when McIntyre interfered, but the match ended with Lee down and Orton loading up his finisher. Lee didn’t need to pin Orton here, but it could have had a little better ending. Like Orton walking out for a countout or something, as the McIntyre match is all but already set.

Later in the night, Orton Punted McIntyre for a third time.

We look at Asuka winning the Raw Women’s Title at Summerslam.

From Raw.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Asuka is defending in a lumberjack match. Banks is sent outside in a hurry and a hip attack knocks her off the apron again. Baszler stares Bayley down for daring to help Banks up and we take a break. Back with Banks kicking Asuka down but getting reversed into the ankle lock. Asuka is kicked out to the floor though and Banks dives at her, only to hit the Riott Squad by mistake.

That lets Asuka get up and hit a sliding shot off the apron to take Banks down again. Asuka goes after Bayley, who throws lumberjacks at her to avoid a bad case of death. Banks gets in a cheap shot from behind and nails the frog splash for two back inside. Bayley tries to throw in a chair but Baszler makes the save, leaving Banks to get Asuka Locked for the tap at 7:41.

Rating: C+. There was too much going on here and it was a far cry from what they did last night. The bigger problem though is having the same people face each other so often. They have a lot of talented people in the division but it is rare to see someone new getting into the title picture. Banks, Bayley and Asuka (and Becky Lynch and Charlotte) have been the divisions for a long time now and they need to do something different. Look around the ring and pick someone. Who isn’t Nia Jax.

Video on the Fiend becoming Universal Champion and Roman Reigns returning at the end of Summerslam.

Ricochet vs. vs. Humberto Carrillo

This could be fun. After a slap of hands, they fight over wristlocks to start with Ricochet taking him down to work on the arm. Back up and a running hurricanrana sends Carrillo to the floor, setting up the backflip into the superhero pose. More respect is shown before Carrillo headscissors him out to the floor and strikes his own pose. That means more respect, which is broken up as Ricochet superkicks him to the floor.

Back from a break with both guys escaping suplexes and Carrillo grabbing a rollup for two. A jumping spinning kick to the head drops Ricochet and a dropkick puts him down again. Carrillo’s missile dropkick gets two but Ricochet rolls to the apron before the moonsault. Ricochet rolls through a high crossbody and a quick Recoil finishes Carrillo at 9:52.

Rating: C+. Let two talented high fliers have a high flying match for a few minutes. It’s an idea that has worked forever so why not do it again here? This worked out rather well and while I would rather Ricochet be doing something on Raw, I’ll take what I can get in the situation. At least it got some time too.

We look at Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins from Summerslam.

From Raw.

Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Buddy Murphy

The Mysterios jump them on the floor before the bell and the fight is on in a hurry. Dominik and Murphy start things off with Dominik dropkicking him to the floor and knocking Rollins into the announcers’ table. A backdrop puts Murphy on the floor again and Rey hits a….something that the camera misses to send Rollins into the barricade. Rollins is left alone in the ring and it’s a dropkick into a failed 619 attempt from Rey. Dominik dives onto both of them and we take a break.

Back with Rollins mocking Rey for not being able to make the tag but Rey scores with the sitout bulldog. Murphy cuts off the tag to Dominik but Rey scores with an enziguri, allowing the hot tag. A springboard crossbody gets two on Murphy and Dominik sends him into the corner. The tornado DDT gives Dominik two but he has to slip out of the buckle bomb. Rey comes in off the hot tag and it’s a double 619 to Murphy. Dominik goes up….and it’s Retribution to destroy the Mysterios for the DQ at 10:00.

Rating: C. While I didn’t need to see any combination of these four again, above all else they kept it WAY shorter than last night and that’s a big improvement. Dominik has the skills to hang in there in short bursts but there is only so much that you can do in a match that goes on that long. Retribution showing up suggests that things may be finally moving on, but dang it took some time to get us here.

Post match the beatdown is on with Rollins and Murphy watching from the stage as Retribution (six of them this time) leave the Mysterios laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Not too shabby here with a pair of matches featuring people I like so I can’t complain all that much. There was no point in focusing on Smackdown whatsoever as it came before Summerslam and nothing mattered at that point. There wasn’t much focus on Payback here, but that could be because there was nothing set up for the show when the Main Event stuff was filmed. If that is true (and it might not be), should tell you a lot about the problems with the company at the moment.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Monday Night Raw – August 31, 2020: Top Of The Priorities List

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 31, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

We’re done with pay per view for a bit but now it is time to start getting ready for Clash of Champions. Already announced for the show is a series of matches to set up a triple threat later in the night for the shot at Drew McIntyre, so at least they’re going quickly. There isn’t a ton of fallout to deal with from last night so the slate might be a bit more open. Let’s get to it.

Here is Payback if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here’s a ticked off Randy Orton to open things up and talk about how Drew McIntyre deserves to be in pain. McIntyre has been promising to kick Orton’s head off but Orton is doing the kicking around here. Orton talks about all the people he has kicked in the head and laughs at McIntyre thinking he is entitled. He takes out everyone he faces and we see a graphic of all of the legends he has hurt in hospital beds (including Shawn with a bag of ice on his head).

Orton’s laugh is cut off by Keith Lee, who talks about how he beat Orton last night, which makes him wonder why Orton is talking about title shots. Maybe beating a legend killer means Lee should be getting that title shot. Lee considers Drew McIntyre a friend but here’s Dolph Ziggler, his opponent in one of the singles matches tonight, to jump him from behind.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Keith Lee

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler bicker about who is responsible for winning the Tag Team Titles last night. Asuka comes in to interrupt and the other champs aren’t cool with that. Shayna is shoved away and a big staredown ensues.

Adam Pearce wants security on extra watch for Retribution.

Here’s Asuka for an in-ring chat. She talks about all of the women she has beaten and now she needs a new challenger. It doesn’t matter who is ready for Asuka because Asuka is ready for anything. Cue Mickie James to say Asuka is awesome but she’s coming for the title. Cue Natalya and Lana, both in gear for a change, to say Mickie isn’t jumping the line like that. Lana talks about being a fashion influencer and if Mickie wants to face Natalya, you have to go through her. Asuka is ready for all three of them so Lana and Natalya jump the two of them but Mickie and Asuka clear the ring in a hurry.

Connor’s Cure video.

We look back at the Hurt Business cleaning house in Raw Underground last week.

The Viking Raiders and Cedric Alexander are ready for a match tonight. Demi from the Bachelor thinks it’s great that Cedric turned down the Hurt Business and kisses Ivar on the cheek. They all leave and Andrade pops up with a rose. Again, WHY IS DEMI HERE???

Lana vs. Mickie James

Natalya is at ringside and Asuka is on commentary but it takes a bit to get her headset working. Lana chokes in the corner and snaps off a suplex for two before the chinlock goes on. Mickie fights back and hammers away with some clotheslines but Lana slips out of the MickDT. Instead it’s the Mick Kick to finish Lana at 2:39.

Mickie and Asuka stare each other down post match.

We look back at Aleister Black attacking Kevin Owens last week.

Randy Orton leaves Black’s dressing room.

The IIconics are ready for their match against the Riott Squad where the losers have to split up. They have known each other since high school and sacrificed a lot to get here. The Riott Squad isn’t breaking them up and their win will be iconic.

Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton

The second triple threat qualifying match. Hold on though as Black comes out to jump Owens before the bell and even hits Black Mass on the floor. Saxton: “Is this why we saw Randy Orton leaving Aleister Black’s locker room?” Joe: “OF COURSE IT IS BYRON!” Owens gets inside and says ring the bell and it’s an RKO for the pin at 15 seconds.

Rey Mysterio is not cleared to compete tonight but Dominik will be taking his place in the triple threat qualifying match. Dominik knows he is an underdog but he is ready to make his family proud.

Here are MVP and Shelton Benjamin for the VIP Lounge. MVP hypes up the guest and brings out Bobby Lashley for the big celebration. MVP talks about how he has seen a lot of young people getting in trouble over youthful exuberance and Apollo Crews did it too. There are three things you can guarantee in life: death, taxes and Bobby Lashley. Speaking of Lashley, he promises to get some revenge on Crews for jumping him after last night’s match. Shelton promises to do the same to Crews in Raw Underground but MVP is ready for the six man tag they have coming up.

MVP walks to talk about Cedric Alexander but here’s Cedric to interrupt in person. The Hurt Business goes to meet him in the aisle and MVP asks if Cedric has had a change of heart. That’s a no, and he didn’t come alone. Cue the Viking Raiders to start the brawl before their match.

Hurt Business vs. Viking Raiders/Cedric Alexander

Lashley stomps away at Erik in the corner but a forearm to the face cuts that off. A running shoulder in the corner has Erik in trouble again though and it’s off to MVP for the rights and lefts. It’s off to Ivar who knocks Shelton into a knee from Erik and Cedric comes in to hammer away in the corner. Shelton busts Erik’s spine but it’s back to Cedric, who is dropped with a faceplant.

That means Cedric is choked down in the corner and MVP’s running boot to the jaw connects. The armbar goes on but Cedric fights up and tries for the tag but the Vikings are pulled outside. That’s fine with Cedric, who grabs a rollup (and some tights) for the quick pin at 6:20.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here, but Cedric getting a win is a good bonus. The tights on the rollup could go a little somewhere as it’s not like this story has been going anywhere for the time they have put into it so far. The Hurt Business does tend to lose quite a bit, but at least they have the US Title and the champ didn’t take the fall.

MVP seems rather pleased with Cedric and calls off the Hurt Business from destroying him.

Post break, the Hurt Business jumps Cedric in the back. Apollo Crews and Ricochet make the save.

IIconics vs. Riott Squad

The winners get a Women’s Tag Team Title shot and the losers are forced to disband. Kay jumps Riott to start and Peyton bulldogs her onto Kay’s knee. We’re already in the chinlock but Ruby fights up in a hurry and brings in Liv to clean house. A dropkick to the back gets two on Peyton but Billie gets the same off a suplex. Liv gets in a shot to the face and the hot tag brings in Riott as everything breaks down. Peyton and Liv fight to the floor, leaving Riott and Kay to trade rollups until Ruby gets the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C-. The match was the fast paced formula stuff with the right team winning, but I really don’t get the need to split up the IIconics so soon. Unless there is some reason for one of them to lose, I don’t think either of them is ready to hang on their own. A story where they need each other could work out well, but I’m going to need to see how they make this work.

Post match the IIconics freak out and hug each other. Hopefully there is more to this.

Shane McMahon is ready for Raw Underground.

Commentary announces that Rey Mysterio has a torn tricep. Well that’s neither good nor surprising.

Video on Seth Rollins/Murphy vs. the Mysterios.

Here are Rollins and Murphy for Rollins’ match against Dominik, but Rollins isn’t happy. He yells at Murphy for costing them the match last night by kicking him in the head and then getting pinned by DOMINIK MYSTERIO. Rollins has a big chance tonight and can’t have Murphy screwing it up for him. Murphy is sent to the back and out of Rollins’ sight. Rollins does not want to see him until Murphy figures out what he stands for. Murphy slowly leaves and gets jumped by Dominik on the way to the back.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins

Post match Seth hits another Stomp as the Mysterios are devastated.

We’re off to Raw Underground where Titus O’Neil is beating people up. Riddick Moss comes in and the fight goes off the stage. Someone distracts Titus though and Moss takes him down for the knockout win. More later.

The Street Profits have a scouting report on Zelina Vega and company. Zelina’s details include “poisons people” and “amusement parks” because she’s too short to ride roller coasters.

Earlier today, Akira Tozawa tried to come into the building but his name wasn’t on the list. Tozawa got out of the car, found out that the list was blank, and was rolled up by R-Truth for the 24/7 Title. Of course the security guard was the referee, so Tozawa kidnapped him and chased after Truth. He was in such a rush that one of the Ninjas had to walk all the way into the building.

Street Profits vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Non-title tornado rules with Zelina Vega and Demi at ringside. The match starts fast as expected with Dawkins turning a double superplex into a Tower of Doom as we take a break (again with no pitch to the break, which has been a trend tonight). Back with Ford on the floor and Dawkins being chopped to the mat. A middle rope dropkick to the side of the head gets a delayed two on Dawkins and the armbar over the ropes makes it even worse. Dawkins fights back to clean house though and a bulldog gets two on Andrade.

Another shot to the head puts Dawkins down again but Ford hits a BIG dive for the save. The pace picks up and a running Blockbuster into an enziguri hits Andrade….and there go the lights. The referee bails and Angel leaves with Demi. Ford covers Andrade but here’s Retribution over the barricade. Commentary bails and even Zelina starts fighting three of the members at ringside. That goes as badly as you would expect and it’s a big beatdown on Andrade and the Profits. We’ll say it’s a no contest at about 9:00.

Rating: C-. This was a weird one even before the ending and that didn’t do it any favors. It doesn’t help that there is no one else to challenge the Profits for the titles at the moment so this is the best we can get. They have held the belts for over six months now and that doesn’t exactly make it easier to keep the division fresh. Retribution being back is a bit of a relief though as they weren’t on either Smackdown or Payback. That doesn’t seem very long, but it is almost enough to make you believe WWE was dropping a story.

Back with commentary sounding perfectly calm and calling the replay, despite the three of them running for their lives five minutes ago. Samoa Joe is not someone who is going to have a bunch of masked guys interfere and chase him off and be fine with it. That’s completely out of character for him and I doubt WWE cares.

Adam Pearce yells at security.

The IIconics are at Raw Underground as Jessamyn Duke destroys Avery Taylor. Another woman gets up and yells at Duke so Marina Shafir, in street clothes, gets up and massacres the other woman in about ten seconds. The IIconics tease getting in but Peyton stays on the floor, leaving Billie to get beaten up.

We look at Cedric Alexander pinning MVP and then getting beaten up by the Hurt Business.

Apollo Crews is ready to fight Shelton Benjamin in Raw Underground and has Cedric Alexander and Ricochet with him.

Post break, the Hurt Business arrives at Raw Underground and it’s Crews vs. Benjamin. Shelton takes him down but Crews gets in a Kimura. That’s broken up and they fight off the stage, meaning the brawl is on with the other four. All six wind up on the platform and the Hurt Business knock/choke them all out in a hurry. Well that was one sided.

Demi is scared of Retribution but Angel Garza has this covered. Retribution charges in and beats up security so Garza runs off. The women of Retribution step forward and Demi runs off. So to recap: WWE showed Garza getting engaged to his longtime girlfriend, then made him a womanizer, then brings in a woman from the Bachelor to play his second on-screen love interest for months. There was NO ONE else in WWE who could have played her role? Or his role for that matter?

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee vs. Seth Rollins

Overall Rating: C. The best thing here was that they didn’t do anything incredibly stupid. I know that might be a pretty low bar to clear, but in WWE’s world, it is at the top of the priorities list. They set up or moved things towards Clash while keeping things moving well enough. I liked what we got here and while nothing is worth seeing, they didn’t ruin Lee (yet) and I could see myself being interested in where some of these things go. Good enough show here, which is quite the upgrade over what they had been doing in recent months.

Results

Keith Lee b. Dolph Ziggler – Spirit Bomb

Mickie James b. Lana – Mick Kick

Randy Orton b. Kevin Owens – RKO

Cedric Alexander/Viking Raiders b. Hurt Business – Rollup with tights to MVP

Riott Squad b. IIconics – Rollup to Kay

Seth Rollins b. Dominik Mysterio – Stomp

Street Profits vs. Andrade/Angel Garza went to a no contest when Retribution interfered

Randy Orton b. Keith Lee and Seth Rollins – Orton pinned Rollins after a Spirit Bomb from Lee

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Payback 2020: At Least Someone Is Happy

IMG Credit: WWE

Payback 2020
Date: August 30, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back on pay per view less than a week after the last one ended, because that’s a thing that needed to happen. This time around we have the big main event of the Fiend defending the Smackdown World Title against Braun Strowman and a surprisingly heel Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman in his corner. That sounds like it could have some serious legs so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: IIconics vs. Riott Squad

The IIconics promise to expose them as frauds before the match. Riott charges at Royce to start and the chase is on around the ring. That means Riott runs into Shades of Kay and it’s off to a neck crank inside. Kay forearms Riott for two and the trash talk is on in a hurry. Royce knees her in the back a few times and we hit the chinlock as they aren’t exactly tearing the house down with the offense here.

Riott fights up but a Kay distraction lets Royce knock Liv to the floor. Kay tries to convince Morgan that Riott did it and Morgan is rather confused on the floor. Riott knocks Kay away and Morgan convinces herself to get up for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Morgan slips off a springboard dropkick but manages to make some contact with Royce anyway.

A double stomp in the corner gets two more on Royce but the double STO is broken up. Deja Vu gets two on Riott with Morgan making the save and pulling Riott over for the corner. I’m not sure when Riott was legal in the first place but I can’t imagine it matters. Oblivion gets two on Royce so it’s the Riott Kick to give Riott the pin at 9:00.

Rating: D+. They had a story to the match and played it up well enough but they were so sloppy throughout and some of the botches and miscommunication hurt it a lot. What matters is that the right team won and the Squad getting a Tag Team Title shot could be a nice story. Just tighten things up a bit and it can be a lot better.

The opening video looks at the major feuds and talks about revenge. That only makes sense in a few of the matches but it fits the theme.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Apollo Crews

Lashley is challenging and has the Hurt Business with him. MVP gets in a quick promo during the entrances, saying that last time Crews got hurt, but this time he gets Lashley. Crews gets taken down with a waistlock to start as Joe compares the Hurt Business to people who show up at your birthday, eat your cake in front of your wife and sing you a song. Crews fights out of the corner and hits a dropkick to the floor, setting up a moonsault from the apron.

The Hurt Business stares Crews down so he gets back inside rather than dealing with the numbers. Back in and Lashley drops him onto the top rope for another trip to the floor, followed by a ribs first ram into the post. We hit the chinlock and then a waistlock as Lashley keeps using the power. Crews fights up and hits a jumping enziguri but gets caught in the spinning Dominator for two.

The spear misses though and Crews hits a middle rope high crossbody for a breather. The Toss Powerbomb doesn’t work so Crews settles for a spinebuster for two instead. Crews can’t hit a gorilla press but he can hit a German suplex. A frog splash gives Crews two more but Lashley is right back with a spinebuster. The Full Lashley with a bodyscissors gives Lashley the title at 9:29.

Rating: C. Lashley was going to wind up with the title at some point so giving it to him here made as much sense as anything else. Maybe Crews gets it back at Clash Of Champions but there was no stopping Lashley from getting it either here or there. You can’t have the Hurt Business come up short every time so the title change had to take place.

Post match Crews jumps the Hurt Business and promises to get the title back as he runs off.

We look at Roman Reigns becoming a Paul Heyman Guy. Man that needed a live crowd.

Paul Heyman won’t answer if Reigns will sign the contract but you would have to ask him for sure. Kayla Braxton: “Can I ask him in person?” Heyman: “No you may not.”

JBL comes up to Keith Lee and offers him a shot at some hedge funds for only a million bucks. Lee doesn’t have that kind of money, but JBL thinks he will if he wins tonight. What a random cameo.

We look at Big E. getting annoyed at Miz on Talking Smack for suggesting that the rest of New Day has been holding him back.

Sheamus says tonight is Big E.’s time to fall because New Day has been propping him up.

Big E. vs. Sheamus

Big E. goes with the waistlock to start until Sheamus reverses into one of his own. That’s flipped away without much effort so Sheamus grabs a headlock on the mat instead. Big E. breaks that up as well and knocks Sheamus down but the apron splash only hits apron. Back in and Sheamus starts in on Big E.’s knee with a shinbreaker and some general stomping. The Irish Curse gives Sheamus two and we hit the half crab.

That doesn’t last long so Sheamus goes up, only to dive into a pair of belly to bellies. The Rock Bottom out of the corner gives Big E. two but Sheamus is back with a slingshot shoulder. Big E. fights up again and hits the spear through the ropes to the floor. Sheamus goes back to the knee with a heel hook but Big E. is back up in a hurry. That means a jumping knee to the face but the Brogue Kick is countered into a powerbomb. Big E. hits the Big Ending for the pin at 12:25.

Rating: C. This felt like a slightly bigger than usual Smackdown match and that works fine enough. Big E. needs to rack up some wins, but at the same time, he needs somewhere to go with the wins. Beating Miz, Morrison and Sheamus is fine, but that is only going to get him so far. He needs a story other than “I want to be my own man” over and over again and while this was a nice step, he needs some bigger ones.

Post match a very fired up Big E. shouts at commentary that he’s coming.

Matt Riddle is done with King Corbin’s tweets and is ready to shut him up tonight. He has no reaction to Corbin’s tweets talking about how Riddle is a failure at home. That’s your official acknowledgment of SpeakingOut I guess.

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler argue over who is the captain of the team. Remember like two weeks ago when Nia attacked Shayna’s friends on Raw Underground? Something tells me WWE doesn’t.

Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin

Corbin is carried in on the throne and jumps Riddle before the bell to get the early advantage. They fight outside early on with Corbin talking trash as Cole praises his striking abilities. Back in and Riddle kicks away in the corner and grabs a Kimura. That’s broken up so Riddle grabs a choke but Corbin throws him off.

Corbin grabs a chinlock but Riddle fights up, leaving Corbin to shout at commentary. Corbin’s under the ropes clothesline is cut off with a kick to the head and they head outside again. Riddle is driven back first into the apron but Riddle is back in with the running forearms in the corner.

A running knee gets two on Corbin and they strike it out with Corbin getting the better of things with a shot to the face. Deep Six gets two and the frustration sets in. Corbin hammers away some more but Riddle pulls him into a triangle. That doesn’t work so it’s the Bro To Sleep into the Floating Bro to give Riddle the pin at 10:53.

Rating: C+. Not too bad here as Riddle gets another win and starts moving up the ladder a bit. He can move up, down, left or right but it’s the right way as long as he gets away from Corbin. That’s a dead end feud if there ever has been one but at least he got his “feud with Corbin” badge. Just get him somewhere else now.

Post match Riddle is asked about the win but gets jumped by Corbin because this has to keep going.

We recap Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Bayley and Banks have dominated the women’s divisions for months so it’s time to throw together a pair who doesn’t like each other to go after the titles.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bayley/Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler

Jax and Baszler are challenging. Baszler tags herself in at the bell to kick Banks down in a hurry. Banks gets caught upside down in the corner so Baszler can kick her in the face over and over. Bayley comes in and gets taken down by the arm but Banks grabs Jax’s leg, allowing Bayley to throw Baszler into her. Back in and Banks grabs a seated abdominal stretch on Baszler before hitting two Amigos.

It’s back to Bayley for the sliding clothesline but an angry Jax comes in for the save. Jax gets the tag and slams Bayley down for two but Banks sneaks in for a chop block. Bayley gets Jax down in the corner and hammers away, only to get slammed down again. There’s the Samoan drop to Banks, with Jax swinging Banks’ feet into Bayley’s face for a bonus.

Bayley grabs the leg for a not so great kneebar so Jax drags her over to the corner for the tag to Jax. House is cleaned in a hurry and a gutwrench faceplant hits Banks. It’s off to Jax, who says they can win. Everything breaks down with Banks hitting a faceplant on Jax to cut her off. Bayley comes in to drop Jax again and Banks’ frog splash barely gets two.

The champs look scared so Banks hits a sliding knee for two more. Baszler tags herself in as the champs hit a double backdrop on Jax. Banks saves Bayley from the Kirifuda Clutch so it’s an Indian Deathlock to Banks and the Kirifuda Clutch to Bayley at the same time. Baszler wraps Banks’ arm around Bayley’s throat to make her tap away the titles at 10:23.

Rating: C+. It’s the right way to go as Bayley cost Banks her only remaining title, but sweet goodness it is going to be around to hear Jax and Baszler bicker throughout their entire title run. They had to change the titles sooner rather than later at this point though as the story has cleared its peak and needs to go somewhere else.

Post match Nia shouts a lot to celebrate and Shayna says they’re the champs. My goodness it’s already starting.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee. Orton attacked Drew McIntyre on Raw so Lee stepped up to face him. McIntyre interfered in the match so Orton attacked him again later in the match. Lee is stepping up for his friend and his first big match.

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee

Lee has generic rock music but they did fix his gear, putting him in the sleeveless shirt and the same shorts he wore in NXT. Orton goes after him to start but Lee crossbodies him for a trip to the floor. Back in and Orton demands respect before snapping off a chop. Orton does it two more times and Lee is getting angry. Grizzly Magnum drops Orton in a hurry and Lee takes him into the corner.

They head outside with Orton getting in a cheap shot and dropping Lee hard onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Orton gets two on off a knee drop, meaning it’s chinlock time. Lee fights up and Pounces Orton all the way to the floor, setting up his own drop onto the announcers’ table. Orton takes him back inside for the hanging DDT. The RKO is loaded up but Lee counters into the Spirit Bomb finishes Orton at 6:35.

Rating: C-. Well ok then. I didn’t see that one coming but points for giving Lee the clean win in his real debut. At some point you need to pull the trigger on someone and that’s what they did here in the same vein as Kevin Owens back in 2015. The match itself wasn’t all that great due to the time, but Lee got the win and that’s a big deal. Orton losing is rather surprising, but he’s probably getting the rematch at Clash anyway.

Heyman still won’t answer about Reigns signing the contract but you can believe that Reigns is leaving as champion.

We recap Seth Rollins/Murphy vs. the Mysterios. This feud has been going on for months as Rollins has tried to get rid of Rey as a sacrifice for the greater good. They faced off on Raw but Retribution interfered so it’s time for a rematch.

Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Rollins gets chased to the floor to start and the frustration sets in early. Dominik kicks Murphy in the face and brings Rey in for a Russian legsweep into a dropkick for two. Rey wants Rollins and gets to roll him up for two. Murphy takes Rey down to the floor for a cheap shot and it’s Rollins hitting a shoulder to the ribs back inside. Rey gets over for the hot tag to Dominik, who is taken down in a hurry.

Murphy’s snap suplex gets two and we hit the abdominal stretch to Dominik’s banged up ribs. That’s broken up and Dominik kicks Murphy away, allowing the hot tag to Rey. A top rope moonsault press gets two on Rollins but the 619 misses. A basement kick to the head gets two more with Murphy making the save. Dominik’s DDT out of the corner hits Murphy but Rollins is back with the Sling Blade.

Murphy and Dominik fight to the floor and Rollins counters Rey’s high crossbody with double knees to the ribs for two. Dominik comes back in and sends Murphy outside again, only to be sent back outside by Rollins. Both Mysterios are sent into the barricade and Rollins asks Rey where the family is now. Rollins tells Murphy to kick him in the head but the kick hits Rollins instead. Rey’s sliding splash winds up being a sliding sunset bomb to send Rollins into the barricade, leaving Dominik to hit a 619 into the frog splash to pin Murphy at 15:59.

Rating: C+. So yeah that happened, which has been my reaction to every match in this feud so far. It hasn’t been an interesting feud but it keeps going on and on no matter what. They really need to wrap this up sooner rather than later because there isn’t much to it at all. Get them on to something else already because they haven’t had much of a purpose in a long time now.

The Hurt Business leaves. Nothing more to it than that.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. the Fiend for the Universal Title. Fiend took the title from Strowman last Sunday at Summerslam and the returning Reigns attacked both of them to end the show. Reigns then revealed Paul Heyman as his new associate, turning heel in the process. Tonight it’s No Holds Barred, but Reigns may not have signed the contract.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. The Fiend

No Holds Barred and Fiend is defending. Fiend does his big entrance and Strowman jumps him from behind, with the powerslam getting two about thirty seconds in. Fiend runs him over and Sister Abigail gets two more as Reigns is nowhere to be seen. Strowman heads outside and they slug it out until Fiend Rock Bottoms him through the announcers’ table. With Strowman down, Fiend grabs the big mallet but Strowman throws a chair at him.

A big shot to the chest puts Fiend down on the steps so Strowman grabs the mallet. That’s knocked out of his hands so Fiend can pick it up and hit Strowman in the chest. Fiend screams a lot and then twists Strowman’s neck, setting up a steps shot to the elbow. We see Alexa Bliss watching in the back as Fiend takes him up the ramp for another neck twist. Strowman sends him into the LED boards but has to fight out of another Sister Abigail.

A running charge knocks Fiend off the stage and through some tables for the big crash. They head back to the ring, where Fiend catches him on top. Fiend superplexes him down and they break the ring for the even bigger crash. Now, ten minutes into the match, here’s Reigns with a chair and Heyman at his side.

Reigns signs the contract (because that’s how contracts work in wrestling) and demands another referee but only gets two on each of them. A bunch of chair shots have Strowman down for two more but Fiend is up with the Mandible Claw on Reigns. That’s broken up with a low blow to put Fiend on the floor and the spear to Strowman gives Reigns the title back at 12:43.

Rating: C+. They got as close to sticking the landing as this company is capable of doing these days so I’ll take what I can get. Reigns came in and basically stole the title, which is quite the heelish move for him. Now do the big promo and explanation on Smackdown and everything should be fine. Fiend vs. Reigns has been the plan for a long time now and for once they can finally get there. Not a great or even good match, but it did the job they needed it to do.

Overall Rating: D+. And thus ends the pay per view that only needed to exist in the minds of the WWE scheduling department. Nothing on here was terrible and the ending worked, but this was a bunch of TV level matches and then the main event. This would have been bad as a regular pay per view but coming a week after Summerslam, it felt like some downloadable content on a game that wasn’t great in the first place. Totally skippable show, which shouldn’t be that surprising.

Results

Bobby Lashley b. Apollo Crews – Full Lashley with bodyscissors

Big E. b. Sheamus – Big Ending

Matt Riddle b. King Corbin – Floating Bro

Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax b. Sasha Banks/Bayley – Kirifuda Clutch to Bayley

Keith Lee b. Randy Orton – Spirit Bomb

Dominik Mysterio/Rey Mysterio b. Murphy/Seth Rollins – Frog splash to Murphy

Roman Reigns b. The Fiend and Braun Strowman – Spear to Strowman

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Payback 2020 Preview

IMG Credit: WWE

It feels like we just got done with this. It’s already time for another WWE pay per view in the form of Payback, which is another one of those generically named pay per views where there are no expectations but they might be able to make it work better as a result. The end of Smackdown gave me a lot of hope for what they could do, but you never can tell around here. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: IIconics vs. Riott Squad

This is another match added at the last minute. It doesn’t feel like it is going to be the biggest match in the world but it is something that can get the energy going a little bit to start. WWE needs some fresh teams to come after the Tag Team Titles so one of these teams makes as much sense as anything else. I mean, assuming you let one of them get some wins going.

I’ll go with the Squad to win here, as the IIconics have had their moments already. They’re also the kind of team who can get over again in a hurry after a loss so let the Squad get a little something going for a change. It isn’t like you can have the top singles stars in the division holding the Tag Team Titles forever, so mix it up a bit and see what else you have out there.

Sheamus vs. Big E.

This was added on Saturday as another rematch on the card. These guys fought last week with Retribution getting involved so this is likely going to be the clean version. Given how many rematches we already have on this show, it fits in well with the overall theme, even if there wasn’t much of an issues that warranted another match. They already took part in a six man this week anyway so I guess this passes for a feud these days.

I’ll take Big E. to win as they seem to want to try and do something with him on his own, even if that has so far mainly consisted of beating up Miz and John Morrison. This is as good as we are going to get at the moment and this might have been better served as a Kickoff Show match. Big E. can get a win against a former World Champion though and that’s a good sign for his future, even if it hasn’t really gone that far yet.

Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin

I think I’ve made my thoughts on Corbin known well enough but this is the kind of spot that suits him well. He’s in the midcard and can use the legitimate heel heat that he has to make someone new look better. Riddle can shut him up and overcome the obstacle in front of him, which gives him a nice achievement on his way up the ladder. This is something that should be almost impossible to screw up, putting it in WWE’s problem area.

I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt (because that has never gone badly for me before) and say that they’ll get it right and have Riddle go over here. There is a chance that they will stretch it out for another month but I think it’s best that you just wrap it up and don’t bother messing with anything else. Don’t do something stupid here and let them go with whatever makes sense.

Dominik Mysterio/Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Let’s get this one over with because they already have the NEXT match set up as Rey will face Rollins the following night on Raw. This is a feud that doesn’t seem to have the most heat but we are still watching it every single week no matter what. They already did this match on Raw and now we get to see it all over again just six days later. Maybe Retribution can interfere the same way they always do to spice things up a bit.

Give me the Mysterios to win here because this needs to keep going for some reason. I’m assuming that the win makes Rollins mad enough that he wants to destroy Rey (again) the following night, maybe with Retribution getting involved again. Above all else though, I’m just trying really hard to make myself care about the feud and it hasn’t happened in months. Get to the end of this already so they can all move on to ANYTHING else (and yes I know how dangerous it is to say that).

US Title: Apollo Crews(c) vs. Bobby Lashley

This it he what the entire Crews vs. MVP feud seemed to be building towards and that is a good sign. Lashley is the final boss of the Hurt Business because….well how could he not be? Crews has come a long way in a short time as champion and I could see this one going either way. It’s the kind of run that could get him a little higher up on the ladder, but not that much higher based on how hit and miss he is at promos.

Anyway, I’ll go with….Crews here, but I don’t think he makes it through Clash Of Champions with the title. This could be a good match for both of them but at the same time, Lashley winning would make a lot of sense. The Hurt Business could use a big trophy like the US Title, but I think he slips on the banana peel here and Crews escapes. Lashley will wind up as champion, but it isn’t taking place here.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bayley/Sasha Banks(c) vs. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler

Here we have one of the worst kind of teams available: anything involving Nia Jax. Or in this case it is more about the tag partners who don’t like each other but are willing to team together, while still reminding us that they don’t like each other. This seemed to be set up for Asuka/Baszler but why go for good when you could go for Jax?

I’ll take Baszler and Jax to win here as they have been setting up the idea of Banks and Bayley finally coming back down but you’ve seen me talk enough about how many times I’ve been burned by the story. I’ll just say that it happens again here and the idea of Bayley FINALLY losing her title at the Clash could work out well enough. Anyway, the champs drop the titles here and continue to fall apart.

Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton

That’s such a cool thing to get to put down and I have no idea what they’re doing here. This is another rematch from Raw when WWE managed to screw up Lee’s solo debut because…well because they’re not that bright sometimes. Apparently new music is on the way but if they don’t get rid of the horrible looking gear, it doesn’t matter. That might be one of Lee’s many issues on Sunday.

For the life of me I don’t get what they’re going to do here but I’ll take Orton to win. Orton is gearing up for the rematch with Drew McIntyre, probably also at Clash, which begs the question of WHY you would make this Lee’s real singles debut. If you want Lee to be a big star (and of course you should), don’t put him in this spot. Give him a nice win to start so he can get over and then go somewhere from there. Don’t have him stumble right out of the gate, but given that he is basically wrestling in a skirt, we are long past that point of worrying. Orton wins, as people try to figure out how they expected to get out of this.

Universal Title: The Fiend(c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

I had this one mainly planned out and then the world got turned upside down on Smackdown as Reigns was revealed as the new Paul Heyman Guy. I’m not sure what to think of that as it only happened a few hours ago and….dang man what in the world happened? Reigns is suddenly the top heel, Strowman is fresh heel and….I guess Wyatt is going to become the top face?

With all that being said, I’ll flip a coin and say Reigns win here, likely pinning Strowman, so that you make Reigns out to be the big monster all over again and have Wyatt chase him for a bit, possibly setting up the Cell. It might not be pretty, but having Fiend lose the title back this soon wouldn’t surprise me. Whatever gets Strowman out of the main event scene will help a bit, but dang it has done some damage to everyone involved. Reigns wins here though, as he almost has to after that reveal (which could have come at the pay per view, and possibly should have).

Overall Thoughts

I really don’t know what to think of with this one but I’m curious to see where the Reigns/Heyman thing goes. That could be one heck of a heel run, though I’m not sure how well they are going to make it work. This isn’t exactly a major show, but we have four weeks before Clash Of Champions and that means this is feeling more like your traditional B pay per view. Just don’t do anything bad and work well with what you have. That is basic for a wrestling promotion, which makes it sound like deciphering hieroglyphics blindfolded for WWE. Please don’t screw up Reigns and Heyman though. Please.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Smackdown – March 31, 2006: The One Time A Year

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: March 31, 2006
Location: Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the go home show for Wrestlemania and that’s probably the best thing that can happen to Smackdown at the moment. The blue matches are already set and have been for a good while. That has left us with some rather weak shows on the way to Chicago but tonight is the last stop. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Randy Orton causing issues before Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle.

Here is Mysterio to open things up. He wastes no time this week and calls out Orton right now but here’s Angle instead. Angle wants Orton tonight so he can beat him here and then do it again at Wrestlemania. No one beats him, including Rey on Sunday. Cue Orton to call both of them ladies, sending Rey and Angle into an argument over who gets to face Orton tonight. Orton suggests a handicap match and then changes his mind because he isn’t wrestling tonight. He’ll see you in Chicago but here’s Teddy Long to interrupt.

Teddy likes the idea of a handicap match but Orton says Teddy is giving Rey another favor like he did when he put Rey in the main event of Wrestlemania. Angle seems to agree so Rey thinks Angle doesn’t respect him. Orton cuts them off and suggests Rey vs. Angle tonight so Rey can prove himself. They’re both down and Teddy makes the match. As for now, security is going to escort Orton out.

A ranting Orton left during the break.

Chris Benoit vs. Road Warrior Animal

Non-title. Before the match, Animal rants about how he is a legend but doesn’t have a spot at Wrestlemania. Benoit gets shoved around to start but Benoit takes him to the floor without much trouble. Back in and Benoit rolls the German suplexes so Animal tries the brass knuckles. Benoit doesn’t mind and snaps on the Crossface for the easy tap.

Benoit goes to the back where an applauding JBL and Jillian Hall are waiting for him. JBL talks about taking the World Title from another technical wrestler in Eddie Guerrero so he knows he can do it to Benoit as well. Benoit is glad JBL’s hand is healed because he’ll need it to tap out.

This Week In Wrestling History: Wrestlemania II with the battle royal, where William Perry and Big John Studd eliminated each other.

Perry is going into the Hall of Fame this year.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Daniel Cross

JBL has Daniel Cross with him and Cross is having his fifth career match. His fifth career loss comes after less than a minute and a pair of Clotheslines From JBL.

Hall of Fame rundown.

Miz is still coming, but first he needs to invade Titan Towers.

Booker T. vs. Paul Burchill

Sharmell is here too and they both look scared of the Boogeyman. Booker knocks him around to start but Burchill hits a quick crossbody….and it’s Boogeyman time. Sharmell freaks out and tries to leave but they’re scared of Boogeyman’s smoke. There is no Boogeyman so Booker checks underneath the ring, with Boogeyman coming out the other side and kidnapping Sharmell. Booker gets counted out somewhere in there as the angle disguised as a match wraps up.

Post break, Booker can’t find Sharmell. Just follow the screaming.

Bobby Lashley/Tatanka/Matt Hardy vs. MNM/Finlay

Hardy and Mercury start things off and it’s quickly off to Lashley to beat up MNM (again). A Finlay distraction cuts Lashley off but he shrugs them off all over again. Tatanka comes in for a dropkick to Nitro and a legdrop gets two. Finlay comes in and hammers on Tatanka so it’s off to Mercury, who gets punched in the face. Good grief MNM are presented as such helpless losers. Tatanka suplexes both champs down and hands it off to Matt to clean house. Everything breaks down and Lashley gets to clean house, leaving Matt to hit the Twist of Fate to finish Mercury.

Rating: D+. Sweet goodness MNM can’t buy some good luck at this point. Was anyone looking for a rehash of Hardy/Tatanka vs. MNM? Matt getting a win is fine, but was there no one else for him to beat? Nothing to see here, but at least Lashley got to clean some house. Just stop making it the champs’ house.

Here’s Mark Henry in a suit for a funeral for Undertaker. With a choir singing over the speakers, Henry goes over the victims of the Streak, giving us a rather rare Giant Gonzalez reference. The future is in Henry though brothers and sisters, amen. He is the man who took out Batista and he will end the Streak. This didn’t need the funeral theme but lining up the names was a nice idea.

Mexicools vs. Jamie Noble/Kid Kash

Jamie goes nuclear by messing with the lawnmower on the way to the ring, meaning the fight is on in a hurry. Kash takes Psicosis into the corner to start and Noble comes in to run him down with an elbow to the face. Super Crazy gets knocked off the apron so Noble can choke away behind the referee’s back. The camel clutch goes on with Noble pulling at the face before Psicosis dropkicks him out of the air. The hot tag brings in Crazy and house is cleaned with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Kash. Noble hits a neckbreaker and Kash goes up top but Crazy super Spanish Flys him down for the pin.

Rating: C. This was one of those matches you usually only see right before a major pay per view, with the cruiserweights getting to go in there and getting to do their stuff for a few minutes. The good thing is that these people are talented enough to make it work because they can do this kind of stuff in their sleep. Perfectly fine match and a completely acceptable use of TV time.

Booker looks for Sharmell by following a trail of worms.

Post break, Booker follows Sharmell’s screams (and the worms) and finds….Sharmell on a box and screaming a lot because she’s scared of the worms. Boogeyman is far down the hall and laughs a lot. Please get to the end of this already.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio

Non-title. Angle drives him into the corner to start and then takes him down by the arm. The headlock on the mat keeps Rey in trouble but he gets in a drop toehold into the ropes. Angle gets away from the 619 attempt though and things reset. A headscissors into the corner and another one to the floor have Angle in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Angle sending him hard into the corner to band up the ribs and we hit the waistlock. The bodyscissors goes on but Rey fights up, only to get snapped over in an overhead belly to belly for two. The reverse chinlock with a knee in Rey’s back goes on but Rey fights up again and hits a sitout bulldog. A basement dropkick gets two and a springboard seated senton gets the same. Rey misses a charge into the corner though and it’s a release German suplex to send him flying. There go the straps but the ankle lock is countered into a 619, which is countered into an ankle lock for the tap.

Rating: B. You have to give the fans some kind of an important match on the show and putting two of the best ever out there is a good way to go. They had a fair amount of rest holds and stuff where they could lay around here and that’s not a bad thing. The good side here is the fact that Angle and Mysterio are still very great, even when they’re not at full gear. Nice main event and easily the best thing on the show.

Post match here’s Orton for the RKO to Rey as Angle looks on. Orton says Angle is getting the same thing on Sunday so Angle charges back in. The RKO is countered into an Angle Slam and the ankle lock to make Orton tap to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show is always a weird one as you can only get so much out of a Smackdown where they are trying to get to Wrestlemania safely. The main event is good as you would expect, but the rest is a bunch of quick appearances from people who are going to be at Wrestlemania. It isn’t much to see, but that is hardly a surprise this time around.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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