Smackdown
Date: January 7, 2022
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncastville, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the first show of the year and that means we’re in for a special night with two World Champions in the house. Last Saturday, Brock Lesnar became the WWE Champion and tonight he is here to confront Roman Reigns, who was not around at Day One due to health issues. I think that’s going to make for a sufficient explosion so let’s get to it.

Here is Day One if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Paul Heyman aligning with Brock Lesnar on Raw, revealing that he got Lesnar into the WWE Title match at Day One.

Here is Roman Reigns for a chat. He was gone for a week and everything fell apart….but here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to interrupt. We get the big staredown and Heyman loads up the catchphrase but Lesnar gets in Reigns’ face to introduce himself. That means Lesnar does Heyman’s catchphrases and tells Reigns to acknowledge him.

Last Saturday, they both got what they wanted: Lesnar got the WWE Title and Reigns got out of the match. Now let’s give the people what they want and go title vs. title, champ vs. champ. Reigns says it’s a good idea but it isn’t his idea. This is his show so we’ll do it on his time. Besides, he doesn’t do business with people who do business with trash like Heyman.

That’s too far for Heyman, who says he got Reigns where he is now. Heyman protected him from Lesnar and loved him….but Lesnar cuts Heyman off as he is about to cry. Lesnar wants to know what Heyman is talking about, sending Heyman into a crying rant about how Reigns was all he had while Lesnar was gone. Lesnar: “Shut up Paul!” Reigns: “Don’t talk to him that way.” Lesnar: “I said shut up.” Reigns drops Lesnar with a Superman Punch and leaves as Heyman looks stunned. That’s an interesting twist.

Sami Zayn talks about how the conspiracy against him started over a year ago but now he has the chance to win his Intercontinental Title back. First up though, he has to deal with Rick Boogs, who is a gorilla with a guitar. Hold up though, as Sami walks over to see Johnny Knoxville, who is here to get in the Royal Rumble. Sami laughs it off and says he needs technical wrestling skills, but Knoxville says he has to send someone over the top rope.

Sami Zayn vs. Rick Boogs

Boogs doesn’t waste time in gorilla pressing Sami to start, sending him outside as we take a break. Back with Sami hammering away but getting caught in a bearhug. Boogs isn’t done as he powers him up into a suplex, gets kneed in the head to take him down to one knee, and then powers back up into the suplex (because that can be done). Sami bails to the floor and manages to catch Boogs with a boot to the face. Back in and Boogs small packages him for the fast pin at 6:33.

Rating: C. Boogs is about as scary of a power freak as you can get and it is cool to see what kind of things he can come up with week to week. Sami losing again isn’t the best sign, but there is a good chance that he winds up winning the Intercontinental Title anyway. This didn’t have much time to get very far, but Sami’s frustrations are always funny.

Post match Sami yells a lot and here is Johnny Knoxville to dump him out. Apparently that is enough to qualify Knoxville for the Royal Rumble.

New Day sounds British and promise to take the Tag Team Titles from the Usos in a street fight tonight.

Here is Charlotte to mock the ideas of new year’s resolutions. Those are the things that are designed to make people feel better but she doesn’t have to do that. The Royal Rumble is coming up and it is a chance for a lot of women to make their mark. Here are a lot of the people already in the match:

Rhea Ripley
Nikki Ash
Nikki Bella
Brie Bella
Shotzi
Natalya
Michelle McCool
Dana Brooke
Carmella
Queen Zelina
Mickie James
Tamina
Kelly Kelly
Aliyah
Summer Rae
Naomi
Shayna Baszler
Lita
Charlotte

Pat McAfee: “That’s Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James!” As a bonus, there is a nineteenth entrant in the Royal Rumble: Charlotte herself! Cue Naomi to interrupt and challenge Charlotte to a title match right now. Charlotte doesn’t think so, meaning it’s a slap in the face and a toss to the floor (through the ropes).

Charlotte vs. Naomi

Non-title but a Championship Contenders match. Charlotte chops away to start and we’re quickly into the figure four neck lock, with Naomi’s face being driven into the mat. Naomi fights up and hits a bulldog into the middle buckle but Charlotte boots her off the top and out to the floor.

Back up and a Blockbuster off the barricade knocks Charlotte silly on the floor….but here is Sonya Deville to say that this match can’t be won by countout. Charlotte hits a chop block to take Naomi down and we take a break. Back with Naomi kicking Charlotte in the face, setting up a springboard spinning kick to the face for two. Charlotte shrugs it off and grabs the Figure Four so Naomi makes the rope….which has Sonya saying it’s No DQ.

Naomi is still down so Charlotte stomps away on the ropes, setting up the double jump moonsault for two. Back up and they hit stereo big boots but Naomi grabs a rollup for two more. Charlotte hits a backbreaker out of the corner for two of her own and breaks up the split legged moonsault. Natural Selection finishes Naomi at 13:10. Sonya: “And your loser: NAOMI!”

Rating: C. So they were going for the Vince McMahon vs. Steve Austin deal here with Sonya and Naomi, and there is at least a feud set up for that to work. I’m not sure how effective it was and I do kind of want to see Naomi take Sonya apart, but I also could have gone without Charlotte getting another win. This couldn’t have been Shayna Baszler? Just to give her SOMETHING?

The Usos are ready for the New Day.

We recap the opening segment.

Adam Pearce has been told that he can pick Roman Reigns’ opponent for the Royal Rumble and has until the end of the night. He and Sonya Deville are off to bounce some names off each other.

Here is Happy Corbin for Happy Talk. Corbin talks about how with the Coronavirus running around, you have to watch your back. That includes Drew McIntyre, and we see a clip of Corbin attacking him at Day One. McIntyre is here tonight though….and it’s Madcap Moss, dressed as McIntyre (complete with neck brace, cane, and limp inflatable sword).

Moss, doing the Scottish accent, says if he could survive haggis, he could handle anything Corbin did. If they had a match though, Moss would have all kinds of problems. As for the injury, he is going to milk it for all it is worth so he can write poetry about the Loch Ness Monster. McAfee: “When is this over?” Moss reveals that he isn’t really Drew McIntyre and it’s time for a match.

Madcap Moss/Happy Corbin vs. Viking Raiders

Joined in progress with Erik headlocking Moss but it’s off to Corbin before that can get very far. Deep Six gets two on Erik and it’s time for the villains to take turns beating on him in the corner. Moss pounds away until the referee has to pull him away, allowing Erik to score with a hard knee to the face. Corbin pulls Ivar off the apron though and Moss hits his forward neckbreaker (the Punchline) for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, though I don’t think there was any need for it to go long either. Moss and Corbin have things going on while the Raiders are just there to take a loss every now and then. I would assume we’re heading for McIntyre vs. Corbin at either the Rumble (if McIntyre is healthy by then) or in Saudi Arabia in February at the latest, and either of those sound like a long way off.

Drew McIntyre will get an update on his neck injury on Monday.

Sheamus isn’t worried about McIntyre because he is more worried about Ridge Holland’s broke nose. To take his mind off of it, he is entering the Royal Rumble.

Adam Pearce tries to tell Roman Reigns his Royal Rumble opponent but Reigns says there is no one on this roster he can’t smash. Reigns has Pearce leave without telling him the opponent so he can watch his cousins’ match. It’s going to be Goldberg isn’t it?

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. New Day

New Day is challenging in a street fight and this is their last shot at the titles. Woods and Jey get things going (because we are tagging to start) but it’s quickly off to Kofi for the Trust Fall to the floor. We take a very early break and come back with all four fighting on the stage.

That doesn’t last long as Woods hits a tornado DDT for two on Jey back inside. Jey whips out some duct tape to tie Woods to the rope, leaving Kofi to hit a messed up SOS for two on Jimmy. Woods is freed in a hurry and they fight to the floor again. The Usos take Woods over the barricade and hit him in the face with the steps, only to get knocked down by a diving Kofi as we take another break.

Back again with New Day pulling out a helmet and knight armor, meaning Woods can shrug off a superkick to the face. The armor and helmet are kicked into the Usos’ faces with some Van Daminators and it’s time to get a table set up in the ring. That takes a bit too long though and it’s a double superkick to Kingston. With Woods on the floor, the 1D through the table finishes Kingston at 18:14.

Rating: B-. The armor/helmet stuff was amusing but I don’t know how many more times I can see these teams fight. They fought before the pay per view, they fought at the pay per view, and now they fought after the pay per view. Thank goodness they announced this as the final match between the teams (at least for now), but forgive me for being a bit skeptical about that one.

We cut to the back where someone knocks on Roman Reigns’ door (sounding like a certain famous theme song)….and it’s Seth Rollins. He laughs at Reigns, who looks annoyed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show where they started the build to the Rumble in a hurry, with most of the women’s field set, another name added to the men’s match, and a surprise main event being set up. The wrestling left a good bit to be desired, but they covered a lot of ground in the span of two hours. Sometimes that is the kind of show that you need and they made it work well here.

Results
Rick Boogs b. Sami Zayn – Small package
Charlotte b. Naomi – Natural Selection
Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss b. Viking Raiders – Punchline to Erik
Usos b. New Day – 1D through a table to Kingston

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

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Smackdown
Date: December 10, 2021
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re on the way to Day One and that means some more of the show needs to be put together. The main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Title is now set, but we are missing a Jeff Hardy, who was released earlier this week. That could shake things up a bit so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Blackjack Lanza.

Here is Sami Zayn, in a wheelchair/leg cast/neck brace, with two male nurses pushing him to the ring. After a video on last week’s big beatdown at the hands of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, Sami says he is the toughest man in WWE. Sami talks about how this isn’t necessarily a conspiracy, but he was betrayed last week….and now he has to sue. He promises to sue everyone involved with last week but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman: “You’re doing my people’s shtick. My people own entertainment in Hollywood.”

Sami tells him to get out of his camera shot but Heyman shushes him. Heyman keeps going with his usual speech but Sami stands up because he knows Reigns isn’t here tonight. Violence is threatened against Heyman…..and here is Brock Lesnar, meaning it’s time to panic. Lesnar grabs a chair and Heyman is already looking a little nervous. Lesnar sits down in the chair and looks at Zayn, who thinks this is a bit far.

They got off on the wrong foot, with Zayn saying his pain is a ten. Lesnar says he did Sami a favor last week because he was never going to beat Roman Reigns one on one. All he was doing was hurting Zayn so that Reigns’ win wouldn’t really count! Lesnar confirms that Sami is from Montreal and we get a bit of French, which is Lesnar trying to lighten the mood.

Lesnar invites him to Saskatchewan to go hunting or fishing, but Zayn says he’s vegan. That brings Lesnar to his feet and he wheels Zayn towards the ropes. Heyman: “WHAT THE H*** AM I LOOKING AT HERE???” Heyman thinks he spent too much time at the dispensary and the edibles are kicking in (McAfee: “PREACH!”).

Three years ago, this would have been a trip to Suplex City, but instead he’s watching the once and likely future Universal Champion….who beats up the nurses as Heyman bails. Heyman looks pleased as Lesnar throws the wheelchair out of the ring and gives Zayn an F5 (McAfee: “WE NEED ANOTHER NECK BRACE!”). This was a long opening segment to bring the Beast back out, but it makes Lesnar’s laid back attitude a bit more odd as he just shrugged it off and mauled Zayn again.

Post break, Lesnar is asked what that was about. He says to ask his advocate, Paul Heyman.

Shinsuke Nakamura/Rick Boogs vs. Los Lotharios

Boogs Pounces Humberto to start but a cheap shot from Angel….doesn’t do much as Boogs brings him inside as well. There’s a gorilla press toss to send Angel outside but the distraction lets Humberto get in some shots from behind. That doesn’t last long either as Nakamura comes in and hits Kinshasa for the pin at 1:25.

A bunch of wrestlers are gathered around for the unveiling of King Woods’ new crown. Said crown is rather large, but Woods is ready to beat up RKBro and the Usos tonight.

We look back at Drew McIntyre being annoyed that he wasn’t in the #1 contenders battle royal.

Last week, Sonya Deville told Drew McIntyre that Adam Pearce made the list.

This week, Adam Pearce tells Drew McIntyre that Sonya Deville made the list, on orders from a higher authority. Said higher authority also says Drew can’t bring his sword to the ring, so Drew puts the sword into the desk.

Sasha Banks comes up to Toni Storm in the back and tells Storm she has this tonight against Charlotte. Banks praises Storm’s training around the world and tells her not to lose her cool until Charlotte loses hers. Then it’s Toni Time. This was one of those segments depicting two women talking in ways that no humans would never actually talk.

Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre slugs away to start and the brawl is on, with an exchange of hard forearms to the chest. They head outside with McIntyre snapping off an overhead belly to belly as we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting the Irish Curse for two but McIntyre is back up in a hurry. The Claymore is cut off by a running knee for two and they slow down a bit. They trade headbutts until McIntyre blasts him with the Claymore for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. There is something to be said about having two big power guys hit each other in the face really hard. That’s what we got here, and it’s certainly better than watching McIntyre do the goofy stuff with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss. This feud might have been more than a few times now, but it still works well in a spot like this one.

In the back, we see Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin stealing Adam Pearce’s desk, still containing the sword.

Video tribute to Blackjack Lanza.

Paul Heyman is leaving when Kayla Braxton interrupts him. Heyman asks her to stop doing that, so Braxton asks about Lesnar calling Heyman his advocate. Heyman asks her to stop doing that too, so Braxton brings up what Roman Reigns will think about the comments. Reality sets in for Heyman in a hurry, as he knows he screwed up.

We recap Naomi vs. Sonya Deville, as Sonya is the latest evil boss.

Sonya Deville vs. Naomi

Naomi tells Sonya to get out here, so here is Sonya, albeit with a few announcements. Natalya is the guest ring announcer and Shayna Baszler is the guest timekeeper. Naomi bails outside to go after both of them to start so Sonya bails before the opening bell. All three get on the apron, so here’s the debuting Xia Li to even things up a bit (complete with blue electric lights coming off of her during the entrance). Naomi and Xia clear the ring but Sonya is pulled out before Naomi can hit the split legged moonsault. No match.

Riddle wants Randy Orton to meet his friends….the cast of Jackass Forever. Riddle is a big fan but Orton has nothing to say.

Charlotte vs. Toni Storm

Non-title but a Champions Contender match. Charlotte punches her down to start so Toni is right back with a basement dropkick. There’s the running hip attack in the corner and a crossbody gives Storm two. Not to be outdone, Charlotte kicks her in the face and Storm is down for a bit. Charlotte goes up for the double moonsault but a bit of mistiming leaves Charlotte trying to cover Storm when she is on her face. The Figure Eight is countered into a small package to give Storm two, followed by a German suplex for the same. Charlotte posts her and takes it to the apron, where Storm is stomped against the post for the DQ at 3:20.

Rating: C-. So yeah, after getting her comeuppance in the form of a pie in the face, Charlotte is right back by beating Storm so much that the referee had to call the match. But hey, at least Storm gets another match where she is probably going to get this close to winning before coming short again. That way we can get back to the important stuff, like Charlotte vs. Banks. Such is WWE, and I can’t even get annoyed anymore.

Post match, Charlotte lays her out AGAIN.

Brock Lesnar comes in to see Adam Pearce, who looks terrified. Lesnar thanks him for the suspension, because he got to score a giant moose when he was out hunting. Lesnar pulls out his flip phone to show Pearce said moose but can’t get it to work. Instead he talks about hanging the moose up on the wall in his cabin and wanted a way to remember things. That’s why he named the moose Pearce.

Usos vs. New Day vs. RKBro

Non-title. New Day double teams Riddle to start and Woods drops a fist for two as the Usos are cool with hanging out on the apron. The Usos come in to clear the ring in a hurry though and we take a break. Back with Woods forearming Jey down to start, allowing Kofi to come in with a high crossbody for two. Riddle tags himself in for the release gutwrench suplex for his own two on Jey.

Jimmy makes a blind tag though and now it’s Riddle getting double teamed. Orton breaks that up in a hurry but Jey cuts Riddle off in a hurry. The chinlock goes on but Jey spends too much time posing, allowing Riddle to avoid a corner splash. The tag is loaded up….but Jimmy pulls Orton off the apron. New Day has to make a save of their own and we take a break.

Back with Kofi cutting off a tag attempt so Riddle stays in trouble. Woods grabs a suplex for two and the chinlock goes on again. The fans want Orton but get Woods elbowing Riddle in the back of the head instead. Riddle strikes away at New Day and that’s enough for the hot tag to Orton. House is cleaned in a hurry, including the hanging DDT to Jey. The RKO is broken up but Jey can’t hit the Superfly Splash. Woods tags himself in as Orton hits the RKO on Jimmy. Jey superkicks Orton but gets superkicked by Woods, setting up Daybreak for the pin at 18:54.

Rating: B-. That was the least surprising ending I can remember in a very long time, as it would be the most WWE ending possible. Sure New Day doesn’t have a title of their own, but they get to be the best team in the world. That’s one of the many reasons why WWE is in the state that it is in today, and the fact that you could guess the ending as soon as the match was announced makes it even worse.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show this week, though there were more than a few moments where I rolled my eyes at some of the dumber things they were doing (New Day winning, Charlotte leaving Storm laying). Lesnar smashing Zayn was good and Heyman was great as always though and Xia Li’s debut worked. There were enough positives this week, but there were also enough moments that left me skeptical about the future, as tends to be the case in WWE.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura/Rick Boogs b. Los Lotharios – Kinshasa to Humberto
Drew McIntyre b. Sheamus – Claymore
Toni Storm b. Charlotte via DQ when Charlotte would not stop attacking Storm in the ropes
New Day b. Usos and RKBro – Daybreak to Jey

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

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Smackdown
Date: December 3, 2021
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

In something you probably don’t remember hearing around here, it’s the Brock Lesnar Show as he is back after his suspension last month. Odds are this is going to set something up for either Day 1 or the Rumble and that opens up a few questions. I’m curious to see where this is going so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Sami Zayn becoming #1 contender last week but Brock Lesnar’s return was announced for the show immediately thereafter.

Here is Brock Lesnar to get things going. Lesnar says he is here for the Universal Title but cue Sami Zayn to interrupt. Sami talks about how he’s a fan of Lesnar and is cut off almost immediately. Lesnar: “I’m sorry, you’re a fan?” Lesnar talks about living in Saskatchewan, where he hunts, kills and eats things. Now why hasn’t he ripped Sami’s head off yet? Sami explains the battle royal win….and Lesnar starts laughing.

Sami says it might be funny and Lesnar wants to see the title match tonight. Lesnar: “Sami right? Tonight! Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns!” Sami says he didn’t want to do it in Texas and he has a bad hip but Brock doesn’t want to hear this. Brock backs the babbling Sami up against the ropes and twists his arm until Sami agrees to the match. Lesnar will be there too! Crazy scary Lesnar who isn’t worried about anyone is great.

Post break, Sami is with Sonya Deville and tries to talk his way out of the Roman Reigns match. Brock comes up and Sami changes his tune, with Sonya making the match. Lesnar even gets to face the winner at Day 1!

Video on Shayna Baszler, including the stomp to mess up Nia Jax’s arm. After the video, McAfee refers to this as the Future Endeavors Kick.

Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler is sent outside to start, where she counters a baseball slide into an ankle lock. Banks breaks that up and hits the Meteora off the apron for two as we take a break. Back with Baszler hitting a running knee in the corner, setting up a gutwrench suplex for two. Banks fights up and hits a springboard tornado DDT for two of her own. Baszler pulls her down into the Kirifuda Clutch but Banks flips out and grabs the Bank Statement. That’s broken up as well so Baszler hits a running knee, only to get caught in a hurricanrana for the pin at 8:49.

Rating: C. You knew it was happening as soon as the Baszler video aired. I’m not sure what the point of this one was other than getting Sasha a win, though there is no reason to get annoyed at WWE for having Baszler lose again. Baszler has long since reached the point of “it’s not going to happen” so this is about all you could have expected.

Adam Pearce calls Sonya Deville and says he isn’t going to show up because it would be better if he just remembers the Alamo. Deville: “Oh come on.” Drew McIntyre comes in and doesn’t like that it was Adam Pearce’s decision for him to not be in the battle royal last week.

It’s time for Happy Talk, with Happy Corbin in shorts to show off his rather tattooed legs. Corbin and Madcap Moss talk about last week’s battle royal, including Moss eliminating a bunch of people until Corbin tossed him out as well. Jeff Hardy did some stupid things and Drew McIntyre didn’t even get in the match. Cue McIntyre, with Angela the sword, allowing Hardy to jump Corbin from behind. Hardy and McIntyre steal their hats.

Xia Li debuts next week so we get another comic book video. This one talks about her walking through a quiet street until she has to beat up some muggers.

Viking Raiders vs. Los Lotharios

Erik plants Angel in a hurry and them knocks Humberto off the apron. Ivar gets knocked off the apron though and it’s a Muta Lock to Erick….and we pause for a good while until Rick Boogs can show up on the announcers’ table. This time though, Humberto is fine enough to roll Erik up for the pin at 1:41 anyway. Ok points for a surprise twist.

Post match the Vikings are mad at Boogs and Shinsuke Nakamura but the power of rock calms things down.

We look at Toni Storm getting pied into fear by Charlotte last week.

Storm says she wants a title shot and doesn’t care how much Charlotte embarrasses her. All she wants is the title.

Jey Uso vs. King Woods

Before the match, the Usos call out Sami Zayn and Brock Lesnar for wanting to face Roman Reigns at Day 1. Woods cuts them off and brings out the returning Kofi Kingston to have his back. Jey hammers him in the corner to start but misses a running hip attack. Back up and Woods kicks him in the face but Jimmy interferes for the DQ at 2:02.

Post match Kofi helps Woods clear the ring.

Roman Reigns isn’t happy with everything happening tonight without his knowledge. Paul Heyman insists he didn’t know any of this would be happening, but Reigns promises to smash Sami Zayn and Brock Lesnar.

The New Day, with Aliyah for a bit for her latest random cameo, is ready to win the Tag Team Titles from the Usos at Day 1.

Here is Charlotte to respond to Toni Storm’s challenges. The point is that #1 doesn’t acknowledge #2, but she’ll get to the point: no. Charlotte leaves and Storm is waiting on her with a pie.

Video on Ricochet.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro

Sheamus sends him straight to the apron for the ten forearms to the chest and an early near fall. The double fish hook stretches Cesaro’s face but he fights up and knocks Sheamus over the barricade. Back in and Sheamus drives some knees to the head while shouting about how much better Ridge Holland is than Cesaro. That starts a comeback….and it’s cut off by the Brogue Kick to give Sheamus the pin at 3:47.

Rating: C. Can they please just release Cesaro already? They aren’t going to push him, they aren’t going to give him anything to do and they don’t see much in him. If they’re that sure he isn’t a star, why keep him on the payroll? I know the answer to most of these questions is AEW, but egads it’s frustrating to watch something like this after his token pay per view main event earlier this year.

Naomi challenges Sonya Deville again and Sonya accepts. The catch is Naomi can’t touch her until they’re in the ring, so Sonya hits her in the face and doesn’t give her a date for the match.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn

Sami is challenging but first he needs to rant about no one having his back for years. Cue Brock Lesnar so Sami keeps talking about how he’s going to win the title. Brock snaps off the German suplexes into the F5 and Sami is left laying. Another F5 makes it even worse and Lesnar puts Sami in the corner, despite him being out on his feet. Lesnar leaves and post break, Reigns comes out for the match. The Usos are here with Reigns and pull Sami back up so the bell can ring. Spear and guillotine retain the title at 16 seconds to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one as it was much more about setting things up for Day 1 rather than anything of note here. It wasn’t terrible or even that bad, but it’s a show where you would have been better off reading a recap than watching the show. At least they accomplished something, but don’t waste your time with anything on this show, save for maybe Lesnar having fun getting a fat check.

Results
Sasha Banks b. Shayna Baszler – Hurricanrana
Los Lotharios b. Viking Raiders – Rollup to Erik
King Woods b. Jey Uso via DQ when Jimmy Uso interfered
Sheamus b. Cesaro – Brogue Kick
Roman Reigns b. Sami Zayn – Guillotine

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: November 26, 2021
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Survivor Series, where a grand total of very little took place. Raw won the Battle For Brand Supremacy but Roman Reigns beat Big E. in the show’s main event. We are now on the way to Day 1 and Reigns’ next challenger will be determined this week via a battle royal. Let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Kayla Braxton is in the ring to talk about Brock Lesnar’s suspension but here are Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns to interrupt. Heyman says we don’t deal with rumors like this one on the Island of Relevancy. The fans aren’t pleased but Heyman tells them to stop booing Braxton. He wants Braxton to go get some sources and find some real news. Stop living through an Instagram filter because there is no real journalist filter. Braxton is allowed to leave so the fans want Brock. McAfee: “Did they say let’s go……Brandon?”

Reigns says the problem with rumors is they give losers false hope. Compared to him, everyone around here is a loser. He has beaten everyone around here and Brock is the biggest loser of them all. After Survivor Series, Big E. is a loser too and it’s getting embarrassing around here. Tonight we have a Black Friday Battle Royal to crown a new #1 contender. Why not let three or four of them win tonight because he can smash them all? When his days are done around here, which could be sooner than later, the world will acknowledge him.

We recap Drew McIntyre helping Jeff Hardy last week vs. Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss.

Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss vs. Drew McIntyre/Jeff Hardy

Corbin jumps Hardy to start and gets atomic dropped into the basement dropkick. Moss comes in and gets elbowed in the face to give McIntyre two. The fans are very pleased with Hardy as he comes back in to work on Moss’ arm. Moss is sent outside and Hardy dives off the apron to hit Corbin as well. A clothesline puts Hardy into the timekeeper’s area though and we take a break.

Back with Corbin throwing Hardy into the corner but he’s back up with a double clothesline to put himself and Moss down. The hot tag brings in McIntyre, who cuts off the slide under the ropes clothesline. Moss’ interference lets Corbin grab Deep Six for two and everything breaks down. The Glasgow Kiss drops Moss into the Claymore into the Swanton to give Hardy the pin at 8:25.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable tag match here and the hometown star even gets to win for a change. It was a simple match that played off of last week’s stuff and gave the fans something to cheer about. Again: WWE knows how to do this kind of thing and a (fairly long) string of matches like these could do a lot of good for restoring some fan confidence.

Aliyah and Kayla Braxton are chatting but Paul Heyman comes in to scare Aliyah off. Heyman asks if Braxton has any confirmations yet, before saying that Reigns isn’t scared of Lesnar. If she doesn’t have a confirmation by the end of the night, he’s pushing to get rid of her. Or is that just a rumor?

Cesaro vs. Ridge Holland

Sheamus is on commentary to sing Holland’s praises. Holland runs Cesaro over to start and grabs an early chinlock. That’s broken up so Holland busts out a heck of an overhead belly to belly for two. A powerslam drops Cesaro again for no cover as Holland would rather elbow him in the face a few times. Holland pauses for a second though and gets rolled up for the pin at 2:48.

Drew McIntyre says he wants in the battle royal but Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville don’t have a final lineup yet.

Rick Boogs vs. Angel

This is billed as a Thanksgiving Leftovers Throwdown. McAfee: “THINGS ARE MESSY IN MY PANTS RIGHT NOW!” There are a bunch of Thanksgiving leftovers around the ring and Boogs teases putting Angle through a table of them to start. That’s broken up and we hit the crossarm choke back inside. Boogs powers up and busts out a heck of a gutwrench suplex. Humberto has to be dealt with and it’s a gutwrench powerbomb for two on Angel. Humberto grabs the guitar but Shinsuke Nakamura puts him through the table. The distraction lets Angel hit a superkick into the Wing Clipper for the pin at 3:12.

Rating: C-. This was a bit messy, but the weirder part is that they didn’t even bother with the Thanksgiving stuff. What is the point in having it out there if you could have the same match without the stuff included? Boogs losing to Angel isn’t a terrible thing, and should lead to a big tag match, or maybe an Intercontinental Title match.

Video on Becky Lynch cheating to beat Charlotte at Survivor Series.

Kayla Braxton asks Adam Pearce about Brock Lesnar’s suspension, and happens to have a clip of Lesnar attacking Pearce ready. Pearce isn’t happy and says Lesnar’s suspension isn’t being lifted anytime soon.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. Charlotte says Becky Lynch had to cheat to beat her because Charlotte is the better woman. Cue Toni Storm to say she’s stepping up to Charlotte before Charlotte has the chance to come after her. Charlotte isn’t pleased and offers to beat Storm up right now. The brawl is on and Charlotte is sent outside, where she grabs a leftover pie to knock Storm down. Then Charlotte does it again for a bonus, with Storm….just standing there and looking at her. And yes, that’s the whole segment: Storm interrupts, gets pied twice, and does absolutely nothing.

Earlier today, Sasha Banks blamed Sonya Deville for costing them the Survivor Series match for not putting Naomi on the team. Deville doesn’t like that but Banks suggests that Deville is jealous. All Deville is now is a suit, which Deville says makes her the boss. Deville makes a tag match.

Xia Li is still coming soon.

Sasha Banks/Naomi vs. Natalya/Shayna Baszler

Sonya Deville is on commentary. Baszler goes with an early ankle lock on Banks but the Kirifuda Clutch is backed into the corner. Naomi comes in but gets taken to the floor, where Natalya gives her the release atomic drop. Back in and Banks has to break up the Kirifuda Clutch with a Backstabber to Baszler as we take a break.

Back with Baszler knocking Banks off the apron again and cranking on Naomi’s leg. A double suplex puts Naomi down and Natalya grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and Naomi flips out of a suplex but Natalya pulls her back down. The discus lariat gives Natalya two and a Michinoku Driver is good for the same. Back up and Naomi grabs a quick rollup for the pin at 10:16.

Rating: C. Banks kind of disappeared near the end, but this wasn’t about her anyway. I’m glad to see Naomi actually win something for once to get one up on Deville as their eventual showdown continues to loom. Overcoming the odds is the point to one of these evil bosses stories so this was a good way to move things forward.

Deville reluctantly applauds the winners.

The lineup has been released for the battle royal…but Drew McIntyre didn’t make it. Sneering ensues.

Raw Rebound.

Battle Royal

Ivar, Erik, Sheamus, Sami Zayn, Drew Gulak, Ricochet, Jinder Mahal, Humberto, Angel, Cesaro, Happy Corbin, Shaky, Mace, Rick Boogs, Mansoor, Madcap Moss, Ridge Holland, Jeff Hardy

Hold on though as here is Drew McIntyre with the sword to chase everyone off. Adam Pearce comes out to try and calm things down as we take a break. We come back with things having started and the Bloodline watching in the back. Mahal is out early and Sami kicks Gulak out. Sheamus and Holland knockout Mansoor and there goes Mace. Moss manages to get rid of Shanky and Cesaro dumps Holland, only to get tossed by Moss as well.

Corbin doesn’t seem to notice Moss’ success, but Moss tries to toss him instead. That’s fine with Corbin, who eliminates Moss instead. We take a break and come back with more halfhearted elimination attempts. Sheamus punches Zayn to the apron and Angel tosses Boogs. The Vikings get rid of Angel and Humberto and Zayn goes through the ropes (not out) to the floor. Sheamus gets beaten up by the Vikings as well but he manages to send both of them out. We’re down to Ricochet, Sheamus, Hardy, Corbin and Zayn as Ricochet hits a springboard crossbody to drop Sheamus.

A rolling dropkick hits Hardy but Corbin clotheslines Ricochet. There’s a chokebreaker to drop Ricochet again but he comes back with an enziguri. Sheamus Brogue Kicks Ricochet though and he’s out without much trouble. Corbin and Sheamus slug it out but Hardy is back up to catch Corbin with a Twisting Stunner. Sheamus is back up to help Corbin go after Hardy but Corbin turns on him for the elimination. Hardy tosses Sheamus….and forgets that Zayn is still in and gets eliminated to give Sami the win at 19:43.

Rating: C. It was a battle royal with the most annoying ending possible and the hometown star slipping on a banana peel to lose in the end. The “hey he’s still in” finish is one of the most overdone concepts that WWE loves to use and you could see it a mile away here. Zayn winning is interesting, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see something take that title shot away.

Roman Reigns is rather pleased in the back.

Kayla Braxton gets in the ring to interview Sami but we have BREAKING NEWS: Brock Lesnar’s suspension has been lifted and he will be back next week. Now Reigns isn’t pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This certainly wasn’t a great show but they did enough to make things work. I would still expect King Woods to wind up getting the next major Universal Title shot but they still have tome to get there. At least some things were moved forward here and it was a more interesting show with the Survivor Series stuff out of the way.

Results
Drew McIntyre/Jeff Hardy b. Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss – Swanton Bomb to Moss
Cesaro b. Ridge Holland – Rollup
Angel b. Rick Boogs – Wing Clipper
Naomi/Sasha Banks b. Natalya/Shayna Baszler – Rollup to Natalya
Sami Zayn won a battle royal last eliminating Jeff Hardy

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

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Smackdown
Date: November 12, 2021
Location: Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We are nine days away from Survivor Series and it would be nice if they talked about the show a little bit more. The show has been acknowledged more than once, but the champion vs. champion matches have gotten almost no attention whatsoever. I’d love to see the show built up some more, but we have too many other things to get to first. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Sonya Deville, with the Smackdown women’s Survivor Series team: Shotzi/Natalya/Shayna Baszler/Aliyah, but they need a fifth. That would be the captain of the team: Sasha Banks. Shotzi isn’t happy with this though and is ready to fight Banks, but here is Naomi to come out and get in Sonya’s face. Naomi hits Baszler and the fight is on.

Sasha Banks/Aliyah/Naomi vs. Natalya/Shotzi/Shayna Baszler

Banks bulldogs Natalya down to start so it’s off to Baszler in a hurry. That earns her some running knees from Banks and it’s off to Aliyah, who gets taken into the corner for some alternating stomps. Aliyah gets a small package but has to fight out of a Kirifuda Clutch attempt. The tag brings in Naomi to clean house but Natalya gets in a tag of her own, allowing Baszler to knock Naomi outside.

There’s a suplex to drop Naomi hard on the floor and Natalya does it again for good measure. Naomi gets sent hard into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Naomi caught in Shotzi’s front facelock before Baszler comes back in to work on the arm. Naomi fights out of the corner, including a kick to the face to put Baszler on the floor. Natalya breaks up the tag again though, only to get rolled up.

The kickout sends her into Aliyah for the hot tag, meaning a high crossbody can get two on Natalya. Some Thesz presses and a neckbreaker get two on Natalya as everything breaks down. Banks hits the Meteora off the apron to drop Baszler and Naomi superkicks Shotzi. Back in and Natalya get the Sharpshooter on Aliyah, only to have Naomi shove it over to give Aliyah the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C. I can go for the idea here, but ultimately it is a little hard to buy that Aliyah, who still looked very nervous out there (fair enough) can pin Natalya by more or less leaning on here. There is also the Naomi factor, as you would think she would be on the team somewhere, but that might be too much for WWE to ask. At least they’re giving the team some time. Granted it’s time fighting among themselves, but it’s something.

Sami Zayn is practicing his leadership speech in front of a mirror but Jeff Hardy interrupts. Zayn asked what Hardy thinks, and Jeff says it sucked.

Aliyah is rather excited over her win but Sonya Deville comes in. Sonya asks how long Aliyah has known Naomi and then pulls her off of the team. No replacement is named and Aliyah is crushed.

We look back at Roman Reigns and the Bloodline attacking New Day last week, which has left Kofi Kingston on the injured list.

Kayla Braxton comes up to Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Reigns thinks it’s either to acknowledge him or to flirt with the wise man. That makes Reigns laugh, so he tells Heyman to smarten her up. Heyman says that is going to be a hard task but promises that Reigns will make Xavier Woods acknowledge him tonight. If that doesn’t happen, Reigns will take a knee. If Reigns breaks that promise, you can strip him of the Universal Title and ban him from Smackdown.

We look back at Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss getting into it with the Viking Raiders.

Moss has a new joke about Viking Raiders, which suggests that Erik is fat.

Los Lotharios vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rick Boogs

Boogs busts out some air drums to start and gutwrenches Humberto up for a spinning suplex. Angel gets in a cheap dropkick though and some running knees in the corner give Humberto too. Angel’s dropkick to the side of the head connects but Boogs muscles him up for a face first drop onto the buckle gets him a breather. The hot tag brings in Nakamura to clean house as everything breaks down. Angel posts Boogs and pulls Humberto out of the way of Kinshasa. Humberto uses an Angel distraction to kick Nakamura, setting up a springboard High/Low for the pin at 4:52.

Rating: C. This is the kind of result that is rather annoying. Why in the world would you not have Boogs take the pin here over the Intercontinental Champion? It makes all the sense in the world, but for some reason Nakamura takes a pin rather than his goofy sidekick. That’s one of the (many) reasons why the title means nothing anymore and it’s really annoying to see. Again.

NXT’s Von Wagner is in Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville’s office when Sami Zayn comes in. Zayn wants Jeff Hardy off of the Survivor Series team, so Pearce makes Sami vs. Hardy, with the loser off the team.

Video on the Wrestlemania tickets on sale party at AT&T Stadium. I’ll be there so this is always cool to see.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. Charlotte says it’s nice to see everyone before moving on to talking about her Survivor Series opponent, Becky Lynch. She talks about all of Becky’s different monikers but they add up to making Becky a manufactured champion. Becky has had her great moments, like winning at Wrestlemania XXXV (with Charlotte’s help) and beating Bianca Belair in 26 seconds. At Survivor Series, her new name is going to be Becky Uh Oh, because Charlotte is going to beat her.

Before Charlotte can move on, here is Toni Storm (hokey smoke I had forgotten she actually works here anymore) to interrupt. Toni wants to know about anyone getting an opportunity, so why not Charlotte vs. Toni for the title tonight? That’s a no and Charlotte leaves as Toni glares a lot. Again: slight build for the pay per view and then we move on to something else.

Xavier Woods talks about what a rough week it has been for New Day but promises to make Roman Reigns bend the knee tonight.

Aliyah is on the phone to complain about being thrown off the team when Mustafa Ali comes in. Ali says he knew this would happen but Ricochet comes in to say Aliyah did well and to keep her head up. Aliyah leaves with him and seems to feel better.

Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy

Sami goes after the arm to start but Hardy is back with a hiptoss, much to the pro-Hardy’s crowd’s delight. Hardy sends him face first into the buckle but Sami is back with right hands to take over. They head outside with Jeff sending Sami into the barricade but missing Poetry In Motion. We take a break and come back with Sami grabbing a chinlock. Hardy fights up and hits the basement dropkick for two, with the kickout being quite the surprise. Whisper in the Wind gets two more and there’s the Twist of Fate. The Swanton finishes Sami at 9:13.

Rating: C-. There wasn’t much doubt about the winner here as Sami is the kind of guy who can talk a lot but rarely backs it up in the ring. I’m not sure who is taking Zayn’s place, but it would be nice to see someone fresh get the chance. This is supposed to be the new Smackdown, so let it be someone new for a change.

Post match Sami is all upset.

Hit Row raps about how awesome they are.

Jinder Mahal and Shanky rap about their own greatness. Eminem and Vanilla Ice references are made. Shanky also has to drop a beat for Mahal, setting up a rap about Hit Row. Well so much for Hit Row meaning anything.

Xia Li is coming.

Ridge Holland still thinks Sheamus is rather neat. Cesaro comes in to say he knows Sheamus well, because they didn’t just set the bar, but they were the Bar. Holland says he and Sheamus will be a much more successful team when Sheamus is back next week.

Raw Rebound.

Roman Reigns vs. King Woods

The loser takes a knee/acknowledges the other. Paul Heyman is here with Reigns but Woods is on his own. Reigns goes right after Reigns to start but gets knocked to the floor for a surprise. A dropkick through the ropes rocks Reigns again until he drops Woods onto the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Reigns hitting the rapid fire clotheslines in the corner. Woods gets in a shot of his own for a breather and a side kick to the face gets two. Reigns plants Woods coming off the ropes but the spear is cut off with a superkick. The Limit Break gets two…as the Usos pull Woods out for the DQ at 10:48.

Rating: C+. This was another good one as Woods continues to be on the roll of a lifetime. It would not shock me at all to see him turn this into a Day 1 challenge for the title in his hometown of Atlanta, as I’ve heard far worse ideas. Solid match here with the ending keeping Woods looking very strong.

Post match the big beatdown is on and the Usos put the crown on Reigns’ head to end the show. Again: you can see how they have Big E. pulled into this but it still hasn’t happened yet.

Overall Rating: C. The show had the same problem as Raw: there is almost nothing done to set up the matches at Survivor Series. There are some points where it feels like they are getting the teams ready, but the lack of personal issues is dragging things down. It’s another case of WWE trying to build towards multiple things at once and as a result, nothing feels important.

Results
Sasha Banks/Aliyah/Naomi b. Sonya Deville/Natalya/Shotzi – Rollup to Natalya
Los Lotharios b. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rick Boogs – Springboard High/Low to Nakamura
Jeff Hardy b. Sami Zayn – Swanton Bomb
King Woods b. Roman Reigns via DQ when the Usos interfered

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

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Smackdown
Date: October 29, 2021
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re still on the way to Survivor Series and this week seems likely to be the Halloween themed show. That means we get a Trick Or Street Fight, because the world was waiting on another chapter in Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Happy Corbin. At least this version is a tag match though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Charlotte for a chat, with commentary referencing last week’s “feisty” title exchange with Becky Lynch. She talks about how great she is and how no one can do what she does, because her winning another title is just another Friday. Cue Sasha Banks to interrupt and laugh at the idea of Charlotte being a leader around here. She wants another title shot but Charlotte thinks it should be someone new. Cue Shotzi in the tank to say she’ll have a shot and Charlotte says ok. Shotzi shoots the tank to celebrate.

Shotzi vs. Charlotte

Non-title but a Champions Contenders match with Sasha Banks on the floor. Charlotte throws her into the corner to start but gets a little too cocky, allowing Shotzi to roll her up for two. A kick to the head cuts that off though and it’s time for some more WOOing. Charlotte gets sent outside though and Shotzi hits a quick dive (which barely cleared the ropes) as we take a break.

Back with Shotzi hitting a super hurricanrana (McAfee: “LIKE A SPIDER MONKEY!”) and knocking Charlotte back to the floor. Shotzi grabs a rollup for two more but Charlotte sends her into the corner to take over. The double jump moonsault gets two but Shotzi fights back up. Banks gets on the apron to yell at Charlotte so Shotzi has to stop to avoid a collision. That’s enough of a distraction for Charlotte to grab Natural Selection for the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C-. Shotzi was looking off in a lot of this and it brought the match down. At the same time, Charlotte getting to be her usual self and winning again didn’t help things either, but that’s just what you have to deal with when it comes to anything she is doing. Not the best way to get going, as tends to be the case with Charlotte these days.

Post match Charlotte leaves as Shotzi is livid at Banks and beats her down. Banks gets sent into the tank a few times and Shotzi hits the Ball Pit. Howling ensues.

Jeff Hardy is glad to be back, even with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss coming in to laugh at him.

We look back at Brock Lesnar wrecking everyone last week, earning himself a suspension.

Adam Pearce isn’t happy with what Lesnar did, so Lesnar is being fined $1 million.

Paul Heyman finds this amusing and here is Kayla Braxton to ask what Lesnar will think. Heyman won’t answer so Braxton flat out asks him, sending Heyman into a near rant about how great Lesnar is. He calms down though and leaves before saying anything else.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat. It’s Open Challenge time (just like the opening match) so get someone out here.

Drew McIntyre vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali talks about how much more athletic he is than McIntyre but the chops have no effect. One chop sends Ali into the corner and McIntyre sends him flying with a suplex. The Futureshock is countered but so does Ali’s 450. McIntyre can’t hit the Claymore but he can counter a tornado DDT into a Kimura to make Ali tap at 2:01.

Post match Ali goes on a rant about how the people only boo him because his name is Mustafa Ali. Oh screw off with doing this stupid angle again.

Kofi Kingston is singing King Xavier’s praises when they run into Hit Row, who deem themselves not worthy. Then they sing for him.

Here are King Xavier and Kofi Kingston for a knighting ceremony. Xavier talks about how great Kofi is, even quoting the Golden Girls theme song, before giving him a special pin. Cue the Usos (because THESE TEAMS MUST FEUD FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER) to say they’re the real royalty around here. They take shots at each others’ clothes until Xavier says we’ll have a Trial By Fire match tonight. I’m sure the match will be good but I can’t bring myself to be interested in going back to this feud again. You have a brand new roster and the best you can come up with is the rehash of rehashes for a tag feud?

Raw Rebound.

Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rick Boogs

Trick of Street Fight. It’s a brawl to start (as it should be) with Boogs hitting the swinging gutwrench suplex on Moss. Boogs busts out the guitar for Good Vibrations until Corbin breaks it up with a kendo stick. Commentary makes Halloween puns and here are the 24/7 goons to make their Smackdown debut.

Boogs and Corbin clothesline each other so here is Moss again, only to have Boogs sends him into the bucket of apples. Moss comes up with an apple in his mouth and it’s time for the good guys (including McAfee) to enjoy some apples as we take a break. Back with Boogs getting double teamed but Nakamura makes the save with some candy. Nakamura kicks the post by mistake so it’s time to break up a pumpkin.

The villains try a double powerbomb through a table but Boogs makes the save with pumpkins and a skeleton. Moss breaks up a cover and sends Nakamura flying with a fall away slam. Deep Six plants Boogs but Nakamura kicks Corbin in the head. Moss puts a pumpkin over Nakamura’s head but Boogs posts Corbin. Cue two masked men to kendo stick Boogs down though and Moss hits his neckbreaker onto the pumpkin for the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C. I’m surprised at the winners and I think that’s a good thing. This was the kind of wacky themed match that is fine for a show like this, though it was reaching the point of no return with the time. I never need to see Nakamura and Corbin in the same ring again, so odds are we’ll see it again for the next several months.

The masked men are Angel Garza/Humberto Carrillo.

Sonya Deville denies stacking the deck against Naomi. Sami Zayn comes in to talk about Survivor Series….and we go to Naomi’s entrance. No transition or anything and Sami was in mid-sentence.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

Hold on though as here is Sonya Deville to say that since Brock Lesnar injured a referee last week, she’ll be taking the referee’s spot this week. Baszler takes her down by the leg to start but Naomi fights up for a ram into the corner. Deville offers a distraction but Naomi is fine enough to kick Baszler in the head. That’s not good for a count, so Baszler reverses and Deville counts three in half a second to give Baszler the win at 1:13.

Post match Naomi yells at Deville and gets Kirifuda Clutched.

New Day promises to take out the Usos.

Naomi says she’d love to fight Sonya Deville if she ever gets back in the ring. She’ll fight Shayna Baszler one on one too. Didn’t she just do that?

New Day vs. Usos

Non-title. Woods takes Jimmy down to start and hands it off to Kofi for the house cleaning. A dropkick puts the legal Jey on the floor so Kofi tries the dive, which is pulled out of the air. Kofi is sent over the barricade and we take a break. Back with Kofi in trouble, including a side slam planting him down hard.

Jey stomps away in the corner but Kofi hits the jumping stomp for a breather. It’s oft to Woods to clean house until a kick to the head slows him down. A exchange of forearms allows Kofi to come in off a blind tag. The top rope ax handle hits Jey but Jey grabs a Samoan drop for two. Everything breaks down again and Jey superkicks Kingston. Woods makes a blind tag though and grabs a rollup to pin Jey at 10:19.

Rating: B-. Yeah of course the match was good and yeah of course the champions lost. I’m not sure why any of this should be a surprise, because it’s what happens between these teams. Since WWE can’t come up with anything better, it is time to just play the hits again and I’ve heard of worse ideas than New Day vs. Usos. Not many less interesting, but several that are far worse.

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling itself was mostly good, but e pluribus gads this company feels dead creatively. This was a big collection of stuff we’ve seen before and not in a good way. How this could be the second show with the new roster is beyond me, but WWE really needs to figure this out. The lone hope I have is that they were punting because the World Series was on as well, but it’s not like there is a reason to give them the benefit of the doubt over the last….well years really.

Results
Charlotte b. Shotzi – Natural Selection
Drew McIntyre b. Mustafa Ali – Kimura
Madcap Moss/Happy Corbin b. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rick Boogs
Shayna Baszler b. Naomi – Rollup with a fast count
New Day b. Usos – Rollup to Jey

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: October 22, 2021
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Crown Jewel and that means it is time to start getting ready for Survivor Series. The big story coming out of the show is Roman Reigns retaining the Universal Title as Paul Heyman managed to stay in the middle while still interfering in the match. That could mean more than a few things going forward so let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns retaining the Universal Title over Brock Lesnar, albeit with an assist from the Usos and a title belt shot.

Here are Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat to get things going. Reigns isn’t happy with Heyman, as he doesn’t get why the title was thrown into the middle of the ring last night. Reigns: “Shall we work on this?” He demonstrates how to put the title in his hand and says that Heyman isn’t good as his job. We hear Reigns’ various monikers, including the greatest Universal Champion of all time (that has been a long five years). Reigns lists off all of the people he has smashed while champion, including Brock Lesnar.

Speaking of Lesnar, wasn’t he supposed to be here tonight? Reigns has Heyman pull out his phone to read Lesnar’s promise to beat up Reigns as soon as he arrives tonight. Reigns: “He’s tweeting now!” That makes Reigns laugh and he wants Lesnar out here for his second beating in a row. He faces the Titantron but no one shows up, so Reigns thinks Lesnar must be scared. Reigns makes it clear: he isn’t leaving the ring until Lesnar gets here.

We take a break and come back with Reigns and Heyman still in the ring, with the former talking about how great he is. The fans want Lesnar but Reigns says Lesnar is scared of him, just like everyone else. Reigns is ready to leave but here is Lesnar to cut him off. The fight is on with Lesnar knocking him to the floor but stopping to look at Heyman. One heck of a steps shot knocks Reigns silly and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table.

Cue the Usos for the save so Lesnar beats them up, allowing Reigns to get back up. Lesnar drives Reigns into the post and then steals a camera, which he throws at the post to break it into pieces. Someone gets sent over the announcers’ table so Adam Pearce sends out various wrestlers to calm Lesnar down but they’re beaten down as well. Cesaro, Jeff Hardy and the Viking Raiders finally calm things down, leaving Lesnar to hold up the Universal Title. Now that was a hot angle and it felt like Reigns was running scared for the first time.

Post break, and post a bunch of replays, Adam Pearce gets in the ring to say Lesnar’s actions were unacceptable. Therefore, Lesnar is suspended indefinitely. Cue Lesnar again and Pearce knows he messed up. Lesnar grabs him by the shirt and wants Pearce to say it again. Pearce, while struggling to breathe, repeats the suspension. Lesnar: “Is that right?” Lesnar hits an F5, hears his music start, and hits another F5, with Pearce’s pants being ripped in the process. That’s not enough for Lesnar, who grabs the mic and tells Pearce to say it again. Since Pearce can’t move, Lesnar hits him in the face with the microphone to some rather strong praise from the crowd.

The locker room is worried about what happened and here is Naomi to get in Sonya Deville’s face. Sonya yells at her and since Naomi is a face on the WWE roster, she calmly walks away without any rebuttal. Drew McIntyre pops in to say he’s here to make a difference so it’s open challenge time.

Here is Drew McIntyre in the ring and it is still open challenge time.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

Sami has a new theme and says he’s used to being forgotten around here. He is actually the longest tenured member of the Smackdown roster and he is kind of a locker room leader. McIntyre may be a former WWE Champion, but he’s a newbie around here. Sami will accept the challenge and drops to the floor at the opening bell. McIntyre follows him outside and sends Zayn into the barricade for a big crash.

We take a break and come back with Zayn hammering away in the corner but McIntyre snaps off an overhead belly to belly. Sami snaps Drew’s throat across the top rope but the Glasgow Kiss gets McIntyre out of trouble. A charge hits post to put him back in trouble though and Sami sends him into said post again. The Helluva Kick, complete with the countdown, is cut off with the Claymore to finish Zayn at 6:50.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t a great match or anything but they kept it short as they should have. I was expecting this to be bell, Claymore, bell and it was only just a little bit more than that. It was a good way to debut McIntyre on his new show and it worked out well enough. Zayn can lose over and over and talk his way right back into being fine so this worked out in a short span.

It’s time for the official coronation of King Xavier Woods, with Kofi Kingston making the presentation. Woods comes to the ring and Kofi puts the cloak onto him, allowing the fans to hit a YOU DESERVE IT chant. Woods: “ME???” The scepter is presented, and that just leaves the crown. Kingston gives Woods a huge over the top introduction and puts the crown on his head to a rather positive reception. Woods promises it will be a fair and fun reign, with Kofi reading a proclamation and waving the robe behind him. Goofy fun here and it’s great to see Woods getting the chance to do something on his own.

Becky Lynch isn’t interested in trading titles with Charlotte, so maybe she should be Becky Two Belts again.

Xia Li is coming soon.

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

Rematch from Crown Jewel where Mansoor won. Ali misses a charge in the corner and walks into a backdrop. There’s a clothesline to the floor and Mansoor backdrops him from the apron to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gives Mansoor two but Ali is back in with a Batista Bomb for two. A tiger suplex of all things drops Ali but he is back up with a sunset flip. That’s fine with Mansoor, who sits down on it for the pin at 2:37. Mansoor was certainly energetic here.

Ridge Holland isn’t surprise he made it here.

Aliyah is ready to give Smackdown a makeover.

Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo say that winning is easy when you look this good.

Sheamus delivers nothing but bangers. These were short and to the point and a lot better than what I would have expected from introductions.

Here is Hit Row to rhyme about how great they are and now they need a big bag for all of their nice things.

Hit Row vs. Dustin Lawyer/Daniel Williams

Swerve takes Lawyer down in a hurry and hits a running elbow to the back. The backsplash gives Dolla two and it’s a Wasteland/World’s Strongest Slam to Williams and Lawyer at the same time. A side slam/running kick to the head finishes Lawyer at 1:12. Simple, to the point, get the idea over, wrap it up before you overstay your welcome. Not a thing wrong with that.

We recap Lesnar’s destruction earlier, including that of Adam Pearce.

Sonya Deville says Pearce is going to be ok eventually and she told him what would happen. For now though, we have to keep going and she’ll take care of things on her own.

Happy Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title Champions Contenders match and Corbin thanks Nakamura for sending him into the downward spiral that eventually made him happy. Madcap Moss and Rick Boogs are here too as Corbin powers Nakamura into trouble to start. Nakamura is back up with some shots in the face to take over and Good Vibrations (with Boogs accompanying on guitar) makes it worse. Back up and Corbin shoves Nakamura to the apron before dropping him face first…well close enough to the apron as we take a break.

Back with Corbin hammering away on the mat until Nakamura fights up and hits a running knee. Nakamura strikes away and hits the running knee in the corner for two. End of Days is broken up but the Deep Six gives Corbin two of his own. Boogs guitars Nakamura back to life and he knees Corbin down. Kinshasa is loaded up but Moss goes after the guitar, drawing Nakamura out for the save. Corbin sends Nakamura into the steps though and End of Days finishes Nakamura at 9:38.

Rating: C. Sweet goodness I can’t stand that finish and it’s the kind of thing that WWE loves to do. Not only did they not hide how the match was going to end, but a champ takes a fall to set up a title match which could have been set up any of about a dozen other ways. That’s not how WWE likes to do things though, because why put in the work when you can be lazy instead?

Charlotte says Becky Lynch can hand over the title really easily. Just pretend it’s Charlotte’s suitcase that Becky carried for years. We aren’t even done with the first “THE ROSTERS ARE FINALIZED” show and we already have a guest star from Raw.

Here are Becky Lynch and Charlotte, in their gear, to exchange titles. Sonya Deville tells them to hand it over but Becky drops hers. They trade the titles but Charlotte issues the challenge for winner take all. Cue Sasha Banks to call Charlotte a b**** so Becky leaves, saying she’ll see one of them at Survivor Series. Sasha and Charlotte insult each other and Banks wins a quick brawl to end the show. Just like it was last year, this was hardly anything that helped the titles, but that is long past the point of mattering.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a new era and that appears to be what they were going for here. There were new people introduced doing new things and it made for a good way to set things off. I liked how they introduced a lot of new people and set things in motion, with a hot opening segment making it that much better. This might not have been a classic, but it was a good way to make things interesting for the future.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Mansoor b. Mustafa Ali – Cradle
Hit Row b. Dustin Lawler/Daniel Williams – Side slam/running kick to the head combination to Lawyer
Happy Corbin b. Shinsuke Nakamura – End of Days

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: October 15, 2021
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re in a unique situation as this is the go home Smackdown for a pay per view but there is one more Raw to go. Crown Jewel is in less than a week with Brock Lesnar challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Title. Lesnar is here tonight as part of the special Supersized show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Edge and, after we see a video on his feud with Seth Rollins and the announcement of Hell in a Cell at Crown Jewel, it’s time for a chat in a chair. Edge talks about how the two of them have had problems for a long time but now Rollins has gone to Edge’s home. That’s the place where he breaks bread with his family and tucks his little girls in at night. It was right out of Edge’s playbook, like the time he slapped John Cena’s dad.

They have traded wins and now it is time to settle this inside the Cell. Rollins is the only one who can match Edge’s intensity and Edge will put him down for good. The trilogy ends in the Cell with Rollins being stomped out for good. Edge’s in-chair promos are awesome and he sold the story rather well.

We recap the Smackdown half of King of the Ring.

Finn Balor is ready to end Sami Zayn.

King of the Ring Semifinals: Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor

Balor takes him down to start and then counters a sunset flip with a basement dropkick. Sami is back up with a shot to the face and some choking on the ropes. Balor fights out of a chinlock though and sends Sami outside for the big flip dive as we take a break. Back with Balor making a comeback and catching Sami on top with a loud chop.

The superplex is broken up with Sami shoving him off the top, only to dive into a dropkick out of the air. Sami is right back up and hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two of his own. The exploder suplex sends Balor into the corner but the Helluva Kick misses. Instead Balor kicks Sami in the head but the Coup de Grace is broken up as well.

Sami’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two and it’s time to argue with the referee. Balor is back up with the Sling Blade into another missed Coup de Grace. Sami rolls him up for two more but another exploder is countered, setting up the jumping double stomp. There’s a shotgun dropkick in the corner, followed by a shotgun dropkick in the corner. Now the Coup de Grace sends Balor to Crown Jewel at 11:24.

Rating: B. Again, the men’s match gets the time and winds up being pretty good stuff. There wasn’t much in the way of drama here as Sami doesn’t do the Saudi Arabia shows, though it’s hard to imagine Sami beating Balor in a big match in the first place. Good match here, with the last few minutes being rather hot.

Video on Paul Heyman being put in the middle of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, which certainly has him torn between two monsters. We see some clips of Heyman and Lesnar’s time together over the years. Reigns isn’t sure where Heyman’s loyalties lie and Lesnar isn’t making it better by thanking Heyman for his free agent status. We also see last week, with Heyman doing what Reigns says and promising Reigns will beat Lesnar before dropping to his knees in reverence. This was excellent, as tends to be the case with this kind of WWE video.

Naomi vs. Sonya Deville

Hold on though as Sonya is here in a suit. The match is still happening, but we have an addition.

Naomi vs. Sonya Deville/Shayna Baszler

No tags here so Sonya slaps Naomi in the face, only to have her kick Shayna in the face. The chase is on until Sonya hits a running knee to the face. Shayna holds Naomi up for a shot to the ribs but she fights out and hits a springboard kick to drops Shayna in a hurry. Sonya grabs the foot though and it’s the Kirifuda Clutch to put Naomi out, allowing Sonya to cover her with a foot for the pin at 2:33. I’m glad to see Sonya back in the ring, as she really was getting good when everything happened last year.

Video on Hit Row.

Here’s what’s coming up, which is translated to “don’t switch to the Rampage Buy-In show”.

Sasha Banks is ready to beat Becky Lynch tonight, which is about righting some wrongs. She’s getting the title back at Crown Jewel.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Here is Seth Rollins (looking like a deck of cards/Harley Quinn exploded on his jacket) for a chat. He heard what Edge said earlier tonight and it was the best joke he has heard in months. No he isn’t scared to face Edge inside the Cell. See, Hell has already frozen over tonight in Los Angeles, because Edge has already said that Rollins is not Edge Lite.

It is time to prove that he is better than Edge in every single way and now he is going to prove it inside the Cell. Rollins makes it clear that he is not afraid of Edge, who the fans want to see. Rollins has more experience in the Cell and it made him the man he is today. It does end in the Cell, but not like the fairy tale Edge is expecting. Good promo, though not quite as good as Edge’s.

Carmella and Zelina Vega know that they’re better than Toni Storm and Liv Morgan. Tonight, they’ll have a fair match in the Queen’s Crown Tournament.

Queen’s Crown Tournament Semifinals: Carmella vs. Zelina Vega

Carmella is willing to fight without the mask here and takes Vega down by the arm to start. Vega rolls her up so Carmella kicks her in the face. That’s too far for Vega so Carmella begs forgiveness, sending Vega into a face punching rage. Now Carmella wants the mask, plus a timeout to put it on. That’s going to be difficult as Liv Morgan has the mask, which scares Carmella back inside so Vega can grab a small package for the pin at 2:45. They really can’t help themselves with these short matches can they? Or is this just trolling now?

Video on Sheamus.

It’s time for Happy Talk with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss. First up, Moss tells a story about a chicken who has an eggsisential crisis. That moves them on to Kevin Owens, who isn’t all that much to see. Corbin is excited about the new names showing up next week but Rick Boogs interrupts the jokes (to McAfee’s incredibly happiness). Shinsuke Nakamura is here to dance around the ring as Boogs plays guitar and McAfee wishes Cole a happy birthday. That’s all that happens, meaning there is no reason for the show to end.

Video on New Day.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Usos

The Profits are challenging in a street fight and get some Boogs during their entrance. It’s a brawl to start with Ford hammering on Jimmy in the corner, only to get pulled down for a neckbreaker. Dawkins is taken outside and sent into the barricade, only to have Ford hit a crazy flip dive over the post. The Profits whip out a table but the Usos take them down with a dive as we take a break.

Back with the Profits still in trouble and the kendo sticks being brought in. Dawkins is left alone for the shots to various parts of his body, including the big double swing for two. The kickout sends the Usos into a rage with more shots but Ford is back in with a VERY high crossbody to take both of them down. Ford chairs Jimmy down for two but Jey is back in with a pop up Samoan drop.

That earns him a toss into a belly to back suplex and more kendo stick shots from the Profits. A Doomsday Device is broken up and Dawkins is sent shoulder first into the post, setting up a double superkick for two on Ford. Dawkins is back for the Anointment into the twisting frog splash, only to have Jey break up the cover. Jey puts Ford through the table at ringside so Dawkins tackles him down and hammers away. The double teaming cuts him down again though and it’s the double Superfly Splash to finish Dawkins at 14:18.

Rating: B. Pretty awesome fight here with both teams working hard, though that’s a pretty definitive way to wrap up the feud between the teams. The Usos have beaten the Profits more than once now and it seems that we are getting ready for the New Day vs. the Usos. Again. As always. Anyway, this was rather awesome and a heck of a TV match.

Becky Lynch talks about how great she is, from going undefeated for so long to winning the title back after having a baby. She’ll win again at Crown Jewel.

Video on Charlotte.

Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

Non-title and here is Bianca Belair to join commentary. Becky works on the arm to start and then runs Banks over with a shoulder. Banks is right back with a missed running Meteora, allowing Becky to roll her up for two. An exchange of rollups gives us a standoff so Banks tries and fails to get the Bank Statement. Becky manages to catch her with a legdrop to the back for two and the stomping is on in the corner. Banks is sent HARD into the post and now it’s time to work on Banks’ shoulder.

We hit the reverse chinlock to keep Banks down but she fights up with the Three Amigos. That’s fine with Becky, who sends her shoulder first into the post. The middle rope Fameasser in the ropes gives Becky two but Banks sends her into the post for a change. Banks hits the running knees in the corner, setting up the top rope Meteora for two. The Backstabber sends Becky outside (Bianca: “Hey Becky.”) but she counters a sunset bomb into a legdrop on the apron.

Back in and Banks drops her again, setting up a frog splash for two. Banks hits the double knees in the corner but another try is countered into an exploder. Becky goes up top for the top rope legdrop and another near fall. The kickout has Becky mumbling to herself and she misses another middle rope Fameasser. They head outside with Becky dropping Belair but getting kicked up against the barricade. Back in and Lynch gets up her knees to block another frog splash and they’re both down.

A butterfly suplex sets up a cross armbreaker (not the Disarm-Her Cole) but Banks slips out again. Some uppercuts rock Banks but the Manhandle Slam is countered into a rollup. Another Backstabber sets up the Bank Statement, sending Becky bailing to the rope. That lets Belair try a hair whip on Becky’s arm, setting up another Backstabber to finish Becky at 18:37.

Rating: B. This was a long match and felt like it belonged on a pay per view, as you do not see Becky lose a singles match like, ever. Belair costing Becky (after she missed the legdrop that had served her well in the match) the match is a good way to set up the title match, as it feels like a match where three women have a reason to fight. You don’t get that very often and this was a pretty awesome way to get things ready.

Adam Pearce pops up to get the contract signing ready. Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman, with Brock Lesnar coming out next. Lesnar puts his feet up on the table as Heyman says his counsel is to sign the contract. Reigns signs and Lesnar does as well, without even looking at the deal. That makes Reigns laugh and say Lesnar must be some kind of a dumb***. Lesnar says he already read the contract this morning….with his advocate Paul Heyman. That’s enough for Lesnar who walks away with a big smile on his face. Reigns is NOT pleased and can barely look at Heyman.

We run down the Crown Jewel card to fill in some of the five minutes left with the big segment over.

Overall Rating: A-. That’s one of the best Smackdowns, or probably WWE shows, in a VERY long time with three good to great matches and a pretty awesome closing segment as well. I had a great time with this show and it is worth the watch, assuming you skip the first two women’s matches. Other than that, this was WWE letting the wrestlers wrestle and the show worked as a result. Awesome stuff with three matches carrying the night.

Results
Finn Balor b. Sami Zayn – Coup de Grace
Sonya Deville/Shayna Baszler b. Naomi – Pin after a Kirifuda Clutch
Zelina Vega b. Carmella – Small package
Usos b. Street Profits – Double Superfly Splash to Dawkins
Sasha Banks b. Becky Lynch – Backstabber

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: September 24, 2021
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules, which is mostly minus the extreme. The one stipulation confirmed so far has been Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor in an Extreme Rules match, though maybe we can get some more added this week. There is also an Intercontinental Title match scheduled so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Becky Lynch to get things going and we see a clip of her interrupting Bianca Belair’s homecoming last week. Becky talks about how much fun she had last week and wonders where her celebration is. She never lost the Women’s Title, then came back less than a year after having a child and won the title in record time. Last week, Becky tried to come out and offer Belair a handshake but she wouldn’t let go of Becky’s hand. What choice did she really have? Becky wanted to give Belair time, but then she was goaded into a rematch at Extreme Rules, so what choice does she have?

Cue Bianca Belair to interrupt, telling Becky to stop talking about embarrassing her last week. Becky has embarrassed her at Summerslam and in her hometown, but Belair didn’t know she was facing Becky last time. Becky: “But you knew you were going to have a match.” (Yep.). She asks if the EST thing is just a catchphrase, sending Belair into a list of her various accomplishments, which took a quarter of the time Becky took. Belair: “Oh and I won an ESPY.”

Belair promises that she won’t lose in 26 seconds on Sunday and sticks out her hand, earning a slap to the face. The fight is on and Belair plants her with the KOD. This wasn’t great as Belair sounded whiny in a lot of places, but her jacket with various patches listing off her accomplishments, including names she has beaten, was awesome.

Intercontinental Title: Apollo Crews vs. King Nakamura

Nakamura, with Rick Boogs, is defending while Crews has Commander Azeez with him. They start fast by running the ropes until Crews muscles him up for a gorilla press toss out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Nakamura fighting out of a chinlock. The sliding German suplex brings Crews out and the middle rope knee to the chest gets two.

Kinshasa is cut off with an enziguri though and it’s a World’s Strongest Slam tossed into a Samoan drop for two on the champ. A powerbomb plants Nakamura again but he pops up for a spinning kick to the head. Nakamura follows him outside but gets stared down by Azeez. That leaves Boogs to suplex Azeez (dang) and Nakamura tries a cross armbreaker, which he turns into a cradle to retain at 7:43.

Rating: C. Not too bad here, though Boogs continues to look like the star. Nakamura holding the title feels like something he is just doing at the moment, which is fine enough (McAfee loving Boogs makes it good enough), but he could use a big challenger. Good TV title defense here though and that’s all it needed to be.

We look at Roman Reigns making a special appearance on Raw.

Montez Ford is ready to win the Tag Team Titles at Extreme Rules, even if Angelo Dawkins is away at a wedding. The Street Profits have beaten the Usos a few times before and he has been watching them act as Roman Reigns’ Bloodline B******.

Roman Reigns is with Paul Heyman and doesn’t look pleased. Heyman recaps what Ford says and Reigns wants him tonight. Heyman tries to talk him out of it but that isn’t happening, so he’ll get the match made.

Post break, Heyman gets Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville to agree to the match. They’ll talk about the Draft later.

We look back at Seth Rollins wanting Edge back to face him one more time to end this once and for all.

Rollins has not heard anything in a week and the sound of Edge’s silence is deafening. It reveals the truth, which is that Edge is hurt badly. Edge is ashamed to admit that Rollins is the reason he will never compete again but that isn’t good enough. Rollins wants an answer and he wants it next week, with Edge crawling to the ring. Next week, he wants to hear that he is the better man and not Edge-Lite. Rollins knows Edge will make the right decision.

Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega

Carmella joins commentary (while sitting on the table) as Vega takes Morgan down into something like a dragon sleeper (as Aleister Black used to use). Morgan slips out and goes after Carmella, allowing Vega to kick her in the face. A Code Red finishes Morgan at 2:19. Morgan is probably winning on Sunday, but dang it’s hard to believe she will.

Happy Corbin has gone on a shopping spree because his talk show debuts this week.

Here’s Happy Corbin for the first edition of Happy Talk. Corbin whistles the theme song and talks about how he wants to put smiles on people’s faces. That made him wonder who his first guest should be, so he has found someone who embodies happiness. Therefore, his guest is….himself! After Corbin brags about his clothes, we look at him attacking Kevin Owens last week. Cue Owens, but the returning Riddick Moss jumps him from behind. A double chokeslam plants Owens onto the steps. Good enough use of Moss.

Montez Ford is excited to face Roman Reigns tonight and he doesn’t regret anything he said. He’s ready for Reigns and he wants the smoke.

Nikki Ash vs. Natalya

Rhea Ripley and Tamina are here too because this story needs to keep going. Nikki dropkicks the knee out a few times to start and Natalya needs a breather in the ropes. A suplex drops Ash though and Natalya hammers away in the corner as the camera cuts are on fast. Tamina gets up on the apron but Ash reverses a small package for the pin at 1:48 anyway. Women’s matches going short again and I’m not a bit surprised.

Post match here are Shotzi and Nox to (hopefully) finally set up the title shot they earned a bunch of times. They even fire the tank at the champs, which doesn’t go well. Cole: “Shots have been fired!” It was one shot you counting challenged twerp.

Dominik Mysterio tells Rey Mysterio that he’s being suffocated and would have won without Rey out there. Rey leaves because Dominik isn’t thinking straight. Sami Zayn comes in to say Dominik has the tools but should listen to his instincts instead of Rey. Dominik seems to think about it.

Here is Naomi to say she is here to wrestle and wants a match right now. Cue Sonya Deville to say not so fast because Naomi isn’t doing this. Naomi wants to face Sonya, who says she would slap her face off if she was still a wrestler. Deville is an executive (Naomi: “Not a good one.”) though and orders Naomi’s mic cut off. Security takes Naomi out with Deville telling her to TikTok her way to obscurity. Hopefully this leads to Deville back in the ring and Naomi doing….well anything.

The Usos are walking Roman Reigns to the ring but run into the Alpha Academy for the staredown.

A fired up Becky Lynch isn’t scared of Bianca Belair because she can beat her in 26 seconds.

Extreme Rules rundown.

Roman Reigns vs. Montez Ford

Non-title and Ford starts fast by dropkicking Reigns outside as we take an early break. Back with Reigns in control and raining down the right hands in the corner. Ford shrugs off the clotheslines in the corner and enziguris Reigns out to the floor. A whip sends Reigns into the barricade but the announcers’ table breaks before Ford can do anything with it. Back in and Reigns tosses him into the air for a big crash, setting up the jumping clothesline to drop Ford again.

We take another break and come back with Ford flipping around, not quite sticking the landing, but hitting a dropkick anyway. The running Blockbuster gets two on Reigns and a DDT drops him again, but the frog splash hits knees. Reigns guillotines him for the tap at 15:58.

Rating: B-. These two had a rather nice match here and that’s what they needed to do. It was a good match between two guys who can work a few styles, with Ford hanging in there long enough to give Reigns a bit of a sweat. We weren’t about to get an upset or anything close to it, but why should we in a match like this? Good stuff, as you probably guessed.

Post match Paul Heyman says that isn’t enough so Ford needs to suffer some more. Heyman calls the Usos out and the beatdown is on, including Ford going through a table. The lights go out though and here is the Demon to dive on the Bloodline. Balor unloads with chair shots to everyone and stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Where did this show go? It felt like they had just gotten started and then it was wrapping up. The Lynch/Belair stuff ate up some time, but there were two matches of any kind of length without much in between. It wasn’t much of a show and it’s heading into not much of a pay per view, but the Draft next week is rendering both of them worthless anyway. Nothing to see here, though everything picks up next week.

Results
King Nakamura b. Apollo Crews – Rollup
Zelina Vega b. Liv Morgan – Code Red
Nikki Ash b. Natalya – Small package
Roman Reigns b. Montez Ford – Guillotine

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: September 17, 2021
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s almost time for Extreme Rules hold the extreme. So far we have nothing extreme whatsoever about the show and that is going to make for a weird card. I can imagine some matches being adjusted, though WWE is the kind of place where the show being named one thing and not having any of is not out of the question. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Seth Rollins beating and injuring Edge last week, with Michael Cole doing a voiceover to explain what happened.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. We see a clip of Brock Lesnar returning last week and issuing the challenge to Roman Reigns. Then the Demon showed up because he is going to be facing Reigns at Extreme Rules. The winner of that will get Lesnar at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, which doesn’t do much good for Extreme Rules. Reigns tells Paul Heyman to teach these people how to acknowledge him, so Heyman goes into a speech about how Reigns never takes a day off. He fears no man, beast or demon, but they all fear him. Heyman: “Don’t boo me. You know that it’s true!”

Heyman knows that Balor is scared of Reigns and last week, he saw….something in Brock Lesnar’s eyes, but here is Big E. to interrupt instead. The fans give Big E. quite the reception for his first night as WWE Champion. Before he can say anything, here is Balor to interrupt as well. We take a break and come back with….a match actually.

Usos vs. Finn Balor/Big E.

Non-title contenders match. Jey kicks Balor in the face to start but Balor takes him down for a basement dropkick. Big E. comes in and takes Jey to the apron for a splash and two. Back in and a double suplex gets one on Big E. but a missed charge allows the hot tag to bring Balor in for the house cleaning. Jey pulls Balor to the floor though and Jimmy adds a dive as we take a break.

We come back with Balor in a fireman’s carry and being driven head first into the corner for two. Balor fights out of a chinlock and nails the Pele kick, allowing the double tag to Big E. and Jey. Big E. takes him down and loads up the Warrior Splash but charges into a Samoan drop. Back up and Big E. hits the Rock Bottom out of the corner, setting up the Warrior Splash to Jimmy. The spear through the ropes is cut off by a kick to the face and a superkick gets two. Balor comes back in with a Sling Blade and it’s the Coup de Grace to Jimmy. At the same time, Big E. hits the Big Ending on Jey for the pin at 11:20.

Rating: C+. What a random tag match here, especially with the Tag Team Champions taking a clean fall. There is no shame in losing to the WWE Champion, but things are already busy enough without getting to the Usos defending the titles against a makeshift team, probably next month. It was a surprise, but I’m not sure if that is a good thing.

Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns are watching in the back as Reigns asks if there is anything Heyman needs to tell him. Reigns asks if Heyman knew about Brock Lesnar showing up at Extreme Rules and Heyman insists that he didn’t. Heyman knows that Lesnar showed up last week with the lie about Heyman knowing about Summerslam because Lesnar is scared of Reigns. That’s the mask he hides behind you see. Reigns asks if Lesnar is going to be at Extreme Rules, but Heyman doesn’t know anything about it. Reigns says he doesn’t pay Heyman to think, but to know in advance.

Rick Boogs vs. Robert Roode

King Nakamura and Dolph Ziggler are here too. Roode knocks him into the corner to start and snaps off a quick Blockbuster for two. Boogs is right back up with a Samoan drop and a t-bone suplex. The Boogs Cruise finishes Roode at 2:02.

Post match Boogs and Nakamura go to celebrate with Pat McAfee but here are Commander Azeez and Apollo Crews to take them out. Crews grabs the mic and says he is tired of Nakamura disrespecting the title, so he wants a rematch. We’re really doing this feud again?

We recap Kevin Owens vs. Happy Corbin, including Logan Paul and Corbin beating Owens up.

Owens is ready to beat up Corbin and swap emotions with him.

Kevin Owens vs. Happy Corbin

Hold on as Corbin jumps Owens from behind to start and leaves him laying. No match for now.

We look at Bianca Belair’s (the hometown girl) high school athletic accomplishments. Ignore her name being listed as Bianca Blair.

Kayla Braxton interrupts Paul Heyman, who has another near heart attack. She has heard that Brock Lesnar will be heading to Raw in the WWE Draft, with Heyman laughing at the idea that she has sources. Heyman accuses her of having a sexual lust for her but she can’t be with the wise man. LEAVE HIM ALONE! Then Big E. is here as well, with Heyman having to congratulate him on his title win. Big E. says he’s looking forward to facing Heyman’s boy at Survivor Series….be it Lesnar or Reigns. Or maybe Finn Balor, because Heyman may have overlooked him. Cue the Usos to jump Big E. and lay him out.

Here is Seth Rollins to say someone should have helped Big E. Never mind that though as Rollins wants to talk about how great last week was for him. What happened to Edge was horrible and scary and Rollins describes feeling the bones break. We see a video on the match, plus the attack and Edge leaving in an ambulance. Rollins asks what you were expecting to happen.

Last week he had his great win and then everyone was staring at him and calling him a monster. No he didn’t go too far, because Edge went too far to try and face Rollins last week. Rollins blames the fans for pushing Edge to the match, including cheering when Edge called him Edge-Lite. What makes it even better is that Rollins is not done with Edge. See this week on NXT (he’ll probably get fined for leaving out the 2.0), Edge’s wife Beth Phoenix said that Edge was at home recuperating.

That means Edge is watching, so Rollins wants to know if Edge is physically and emotionally capable of getting back in the ring. Rollins saw the fear in Edge’s face and he cannot live with himself feeling sorry for someone like Edge. That’s why he can’t move on until he finishes Edge once and for all. Rollins can either go to Edge’s cabin and beat him up in front of his family, or Edge can crawl back to this ring for one more dance. Rollins was selling the emotions here but this took some time to get to the point.

Becky Lynch isn’t worried about Bianca Belair getting momentum because she has stopped Belair in her tracks before. Tonight is Belair’s homecoming, but maybe Becky will have to check it out.

Toni Storm/Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega/Carmella

Carmella knocks Morgan off the apron to start and then runs away from the threat of Storm. Vega comes in instead and chops at Storm, who kicks her in the chest. A running knee drops Storm and we hear about how Storm is obsessed with the 80s. Storm suplexes her way out of trouble and brings Morgan in t kick Carmella into the corner. That’s bad enough that Vega and a screaming Carmella walk out at 2:10.

Post match Morgan asks if she broke Carmella’s nose but she isn’t sorry at all. Morgan is tired of Carmella running away, so she wants a match at Extreme Rules. If Carmella accepts, Morgan will make her look as ugly on the outside as she does on the inside. WWE women? Arguing about looks?

The Street Profits are looking forward to celebrating with Bianca Belair but more than that, they want the Tag Team Titles from the Usos.

Carmella is in the trainer’s room and accepts the challenge for Extreme Rules. That’s cool with Zelina Vega, who will face Liv Morgan first.

Finn Balor talks about being born into a family of railroad workers instead of coming form a wrestling family. He fought and clawed to come here and the Demon comes from everyone who has ever disrespected him. The Demon is a rage in him which cannot be controlled and it summons him. Roman Reigns and the Usos’ disrespect has just lit a fire in him. You are looking at the face of Finn Balor but at Extreme Rules, you will see the face of the Demon. Then a light shines onto his face and he turns into the Demon. Was anyone asking for or needing an explanation of the Demon?

Naomi comes up to Sonya Deville and wants to know why she can’t have a match. She lists off her resume and gets in Deville’s face, promising to get her match one way or another. Deville does not seem pleased.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn

Rey Mysterio comes out to join commentary, which Dominik does not seem to like. Sami goes after Rey to start and the distraction lets him take Dominik down to start. Back in and Sami tries a top rope armdrag, only to get crotched down to the floor. Dominik adds a big dive and Rey is pleased as we take a break. We come back with Dominik hitting a hurricanrana into an enziguri as Rey is in full on cheerleader mode. The 619 connects but the frog splash this knees, allowing Sami to grab a cradle for the pin at 6:09.

Rating: C. This was a completely watchable match with a story included. I’m sure we’ll be getting Dominik vs. Rey at some point in the future, as there isn’t much left to do with them. Dominik just lost clean so what else can be done here? Dominik told Rey to stay out, he wouldn’t, and Dominik lost. Now they can get to the match at some point in the future, however they decide to get there.

We look at Bianca Belair’s accomplishments as she attended her high school homecoming celebration.

Here is Kane for Belair’s homecoming. Kane brings up the fire and says that never gets old. He brings out Bianca Belair, who is in the Tennessee orange. There are balloons and a table with something underneath a cover as Kane asks her how it feels to be back in Knoxville. Belair is overwhelmed and talks about how her dad (in the front row) taught her to finish something if someone started something with her. That’s what she is going to do with Becky Lynch at Extreme Rules.

Kane says she’ll have to bring the title back to Knoxville for a big celebration, but he has a gift for her tonight: the Key to Knox County (which is a HUGE key). Belair thanks everyone and is proud to be Knoxville made. She wants to celebrate the town and that means it’s time to sing Rocky Top (the University of Tennessee fight song). Cue Becky Lynch (in bright yellow and sunglasses) to mock the song and say that Belair has a key but Becky has the title on lock. Belair: “YOU DON’T EVEN GO HERE!”

That means a YOU DON’T GO HERE chant as Becky says tonight can be Belair’s night because Extreme Rules won’t be. Becky offers a handshake but Belair pulls her in, only to miss the clothesline. The Manhandle Slam plants Belair and Becky escapes because NO HOMETOWN ENDING CAN BE NICE! This is little more than a joke at this point and it’s such a great example of a lot of WWE’s problems.

Overall Rating: C. That ending really did leave a bad taste in my mouth as they had everything going until the last thirty seconds. The fans LOVED Belair but that’s not how things can end in WWE, meaning Becky has to get the last laugh. The rest of the show was actually pretty skippable, though you probably had a decent time if you stuck with it. Just end the show with Belair singing Rocky Top and you have a much better episode. Now if they can actually make Extreme Rules EXTREME, they could be on to something better.

Results
Big E./Finn Balor b. Usos – Big Ending to Jey
Rick Boogs b. Robert Roode – Boogs Cruise
Liv Morgan/Toni Storm b. Carmella/Zelina Vega via countout
Sami Zayn b. Dominik Mysterio – Rollup

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