IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Arturo Ruas

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

Ali comes back with a rolling…Codebreaker to the arm instead of the X Factor actually. A Crossface sends Ruas over to the rope for a change and Ruas’ missed charge goes into the post. Ruas tries a cross armbreaker but gets rolled up for two, followed by an Oklahoma roll to give Ali the pin at 5:39.

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

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

From Raw.

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

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

From Raw.

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee

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

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

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

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

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

From Raw.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

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

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

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

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

Ricochet vs. vs. Humberto Carrillo

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

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

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

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

From Raw.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 17, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

It’s the last night in the Performance Center and that means we are also less than a week away from Summerslam. This week’s show gets to deal with the big fallout from the Punt last week as Randy Orton kicked Ric Flair in the head. Since it’s a Flair story, we need the combined forces of Shawn Michaels and likely HHH down the line to tell us how great Flair is all over again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for an opening chat. After a long video on what happened to Flair last week, McIntyre talks about how Flair is a 71 year old legend with a tear in his eye and Orton kicked him in the head. McIntyre is ready to do whatever he has to do at Summerslam..and the video goes nuts as Retribution has struck again. We cut to the truck where they are wrecking everything in sight and we jump to a commercial with McIntyre still talking.

Post break, the locker room wants to know what’s going on. Drew McIntyre comes in and says he doesn’t like being disrespected like this and wants them to ban together to stomp them out. Seth Rollins and Murphy come in to talk about being the Messiah, meaning that the roster already has a leader. Rollins should be getting a title shot but Ricochet brings up Rey Mysterio returning tonight. No Rollins isn’t scared and asks for a match with McIntyre instead. They have to be separated and a match seems likely.

Here’s the Hurt Business, with the cameras staying on a wide shot for a good while and the graphics taking their time to start up. Still on the wide shot, MVP rants about Retribution and calls them out. He has been following the money, which takes you to catering, where you find Apollo Crews and his merry band of pranksters. Retribution showed up around the time that MVP faced Crews for the US Title.

Cue Apollo to laugh off the allegations and accuse MVP of trying to throw out some distractions before Crews beats him at Summerslam. MVP says Crews has had more starts and stops to his career than a bad car, and it’s back to catering as soon as he loses the title. Crews says he knows that’s why MVP wanted him in the Hurt Business, so maybe they can do some business right now. He can face Shelton Benjamin right now and if he wins, Lashley and Benjamin aren’t at ringside at Summerslam. Let’s go.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Apollo Crews

Non-title. Joined in progress with Shelton stomping away and unloading on Crews in the corner. Crews gets beaten down even more and here’s R-Truth, as chased by Ninjas. The distraction lets Crews get in a rollup for the pin at 2:03. They really needed to pin Shelton for that?

Post match the Hurt Business keeps up the beating but Cedric Alexander, Ricochet and Mustafa Ali make the save. Lashley gets the Full Lashley on Cedric but the numbers game gets the better of Lashley and sends him outside. R-Truth comes running back and gets kicked in the face by Shelton, who wins the 24/7 Title. MVP says this isn’t happening so let’s do a six man elimination later. Just give the title back to Truth already.

Angel Garza hits on Demi from the Bachelor again when Ivar comes in to hit on her instead. Demi is invited to join the hunt tonight and Ivar accuses Garza of poisoning Montez Ford. That’s not true, so Ivar eats a drumstick and is ready for their match tonight.

Ivar vs. Angel Garza

Ivar’s early spinning kick to the face is cut off and Garza sends him face first into the mat by the beard. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS as Angelo Dawkins is hitting on Demi in the back. Ivar hits a running crossbody to crush Garza, followed by some running clotheslines in the corner. A backsplash gives Ivar two and Garza heads outside, only to have Zelina Vega block the dive. Back in and Garza gets in a neck snap and the low dropkick finishes Ivar at 3:54.

Rating: C-. Just a match here which wasn’t all that bad but it did well enough. I’m not sure why we can’t have the #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles in a singles match before their Summerslam title shot but I’m guessing Erik’s Raw Underground match is a little more important. Not a bad match, but they haven’t done the best job of hyping this up.

Post match Dawkins pops up and suggests they ask Charly Caruso a little more about Garza. That’s shouted down so Dawkins says he has a tape. Garza goes running off, with Vega asking Samoa Joe what is going on. Naturally Joe knows, and talks about all of the extra security around here to deal with Retribution. The tape is going to show how far someone is willing to go around here. Vega leaves and isn’t happy.

We look at what Seth Rollins and Murphy did to Dominik Mysterio last week.

Vega and company try to get the tape away from Dawkins so Charly Caruso comes up to ask what’s going on. Dawkins plays the video (which is loaded into the tape machines despite him taunting Vega and company with his phone), which shows Vega poisoning Montez Ford’s red cup. Vega says it’s doctored and accuses Charly of being behind this because Garza upgraded to Demi (Garza gives a “well yeah” look). Dawkins is ready to fight on Sunday and is holding himself back but Ford runs in for the brawl. That was a rather badly put together…well everything actually.

Natalya vs. Mickie James

Lana is here with Natalya. This is Mickie’s first match in over a year and it was hyped up on WWE’s preview, so naturally she doesn’t get an entrance. Natalya takes her into the corner so Lana can film things before Mickie fights back and grabs a headlock. Mickie goes over to shout at Lana but the MickDT is countered.

A double clothesline gives is a double knockdown and here are Rollins and Murphy to yell at Joe. Rollins wants to know why Joe thinks Mysterio is going to be here as Mickie snaps off a hurricanrana out of the corner. A neckbreaker puts Natalya down again but Natalya knocks her off the top. The camera mainly stays on the argument as Mickie is counted out at 3:13.

Rating: D. This had me thinking of the opening scene to Guardians of the Galaxy 2 where the focus is on Groot while the battle is going on in the back. Picture that, but not entertaining or funny in any way. That being said, there is something funny about Natalya and Lana literally being downgraded to background noise during something else.

Post match Rollins threatens Joe and says he’ll take care of the Mysterios.

Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Asuka/Shayna Baszler

Non-title. Before the match, Sasha and Bayley friendly bicker about who faces Asuka first at Summerslam. Either way, they’ll laugh all the way to Payback and their Tag Team Title defense. Cue Shayna to say she has the next shot at the Raw Women’s Title but here’s Asuka to say they have to fight together before Shayna can fight her. Asuka and Shayna charge the ring to start things off and it’s a Codebreaker to put Sasha down.

As Asuka goes after Sasha, it’s Nia Jax knocking the Plexiglas down to take Shayna out. Pat Buck and some referees come out to take care of her but Shayna starts the brawl into the stands. Asuka hits the hip attack on Sasha and we take a break. Back with Bayley working on Asuka’s back and handing it off to Sasha for two off the Meteora. Bayley comes back in to clothesline Asuka down for two more but the big elbow hits raised boots. Asuka fights back but gets caught in the Bank Statement.

Cue Shayna for the save and Asuka brings her in off the hot tag. Shayna’s stomp to the arm is countered with a rollup for two but Bayley has to break up the Kirifuda Clutch. Banks has to save Bayley from the same and the Bayley to Belly gets two more. Asuka pulls Banks to the floor for the Asuka Lock and Baszler Clutches Bayley for the tap (two in two weeks for Bayley) at 11:58.

Rating: C-. Let’s see: champ loses via tap out for the second week in a row, they set up the Payback Tag Team Title match, Nia is back (making me sigh heavily), Shayna now looks like she should be challenging Bayley on the other show and Asuka only looks like a threat to one champion. Did I miss anything here or did they pack in another five stories into one match while I turned my head for a second? And can we get a match without some kind of shenanigans?

Video on Dominik being attacked last week.

Apollo Crews and company are ready and walk off. Randy Orton comes in and seems to be pondering things.

Shawn Michaels comes up to see Drew McIntyre and they talk about all of the bad things Randy Orton has done. Shawn talks about how Drew drove five hours to watch film with him every day while he was healing up and knows he can deal with Orton. As for tonight though, Shawn needs to handle Orton so give him his space.

The IIconics and the Riott Squad argue about who is winning their singles matches tonight. The camera pans over to show Shayna Baszler talking to Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke in their Raw debuts.

Long video on Retribution.

Ruby Riott vs. Peyton Royce

They fight to the floor early on before Peyton blocks an O’Connor Roll back inside. A knee to the head gets two on Riott but she fights back with a running elbow in the corner. Peyton is sent outside for an apron crossbody but Billie Kay and Liv Morgan get in an argument. That lets Peyton shove them into each other and throw Ruby back in for the Deja Vu and the pin at 2:54. This was nothing.

Shane McMahon is ready for Raw Underground.

We join Raw Underground in progress with Erik mauling an unknown. Dolph Ziggler gives it a 4/10 so Erik calls him out for a fight. Ziggler gets on the stage and we have our first name vs. name match. Ziggler goes for a leg but Erik blasts him in the face with a left hand. A suplex drops Ziggler again but he keeps a grip on Erik. They trade hard shots with Erik getting the better of it and picking him up by the leg. Ziggler grabs a sleeper though and adds a thumb to the eye as Erik is out. After the bell, Ivar knocks Ziggler onto a bunch of people.

Here are the Mysterios with Rey talking about how hard this has been on the two of them. It was torture seeing Dominik beaten down last week but no doctor is keeping him away from Summerslam. Rey is going to be in Dominik’s corner at Summerslam, but Dominik says he knew what he was getting into. Rollins and Murphy pop up on screen and promise to destroy both Mysterios at Summerslam. The Mysterio name will be destroyed, so Rey says get out here. Cue the two of them and the Mysterios bail…and come back in with kendo sticks to clean house.

MVP sits down next to Cedric Alexander and asks why he isn’t in the six man tonight. He brings up Cedric being caught in the full nelson (because he’s already forgotten that he named it the Full Lashley an hour and a half ago) and offers Cedric a spot on the team again. MVP leaves and Cedric is frustrated.

Back on Raw Underground, Riddick Moss and Arturo Ruas beat the heck out of each other and fall off the stage. They fight with security and the match is deemed a draw.

Hurt Business vs. Ricochet/Apollo Crews/Mustafa Ali

Elimination rules. Ricochet kicks Benjamin down for two to start but it’s off to Lashley, who runs over the legal Ali. The spinning Dominator gets rid of Ali at 1:35 and it’s 3-2. A big spinebuster plants Ricochet and Paydirt gets rid of him at 2:15, leaving Crews all alone. Crews comes in and hits the Toss Powerbomb to get rid of Shelton at 2:55 to even things up a bit. Cue Cedric Alexander to roll Shelton up for the pin and the 24/7 Title as we take a break.

Back with MVP stomping away in the corner and throwing Crews outside. MVP misses a charge in the corner though and Crews hits the Toss Powerbomb to finish him off at 9:29. Lashley comes straight in to knee Crews down but Crews hits some kicks to the head. The standing moonsault gets two but Lashley spears him down for the pin at 10:50.

Rating: C-. I’m still not sure why it isn’t Crews vs. Lashley for the title at Summerslam but maybe that’s what we have for Payback. There isn’t much shame in having Crews lose a glorified gauntlet match and this goes a long way to give MVP a chance on Sunday. Not a good match or anything, but it did its job well enough.

Summerslam rundown.

24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa vs. Cedric Alexander

Cedric is defending and knocks Tozawa to the floor early on, sending him crashing into the Ninjas. Tozawa comes back in with a spinning kick to the head but has to bail out of the top rope backsplash. The Neuralizer into the Lumbar Check retains the title at 1:22.

Shelton Benjamin runs in with Paydirt to win the title back.

Back at Raw Underground, Marina Shafir destroys a woman for the win. Nia Jax runs in and takes out Shafir and Duke. Shayna pops up for the fight and Jax bails. ENOUGH WITH NIA JAX ALREADY!!!!

Montez Ford vs. Andrade

Ford starts fast and sends Andrade outside for the big flip dive. Back in and Ford gets crotched on top, allowing Andrade to hit a superplex for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit until Ford fights back and hits a standing moonsault for his own near fall. Andrade goes up and gets hurricanranaed right back down. Zelina Vega offers a distraction so Andrade can break up the frog splash. Vega dives at an invading Bianca Belair but gets slammed down, allowing Ford to grab a rollup for the pin at 3:08.

Rating: D+. Another match that was energetic while it lasted, though I’m a bit surprised that they had Ford get back in the ring before Summerslam. They did an angle with him getting poisoned and he’s just back two weeks later? I guess it wasn’t all that important, but it would have been nice to see them hold out until the pay per view to add a little something to the match.

Here’s Shawn Michaels to show us what happened to Ric Flair again. Shawn talks about how the 31 days Flair spent on his death bed were some of the hardest days of all of our lives (uh….). Without Flair, there would be no Shawn, HHH, Edge, Christian, Big Show or Drew McIntyre (UH…….). Randy Orton is on that list as well and then he had the nerve to take out Flair last week. Shawn doesn’t know how it is going to happen but it is going to happen at Summerslam. Maybe it’s from Sweet Chin Music or the Claymore, but someone is going to give Randy what he deserves. Whatever it is, Orton is going to see it coming.

Shawn goes to leave and there’s the RKO into the Punt. McIntyre runs in to run Orton off and a referee comes out to check on Shawn. Orton comes back and McIntyre beats the heck out of him, including throwing him over the announcers’ table. McIntyre checks on Shawn but Orton comes back in again for the RKO as Shawn can’t get up to end the show. This was as expected, including the over the top praise of Ric Flair, because Shawn and HHH still haven’t officially opened their eternal shrine to him.

Overall Rating: D+. There’s quite a bit to unpack here. First of all, you can’t really say the show was boring, because it didn’t stop moving all night long. Now that being said, there were a lot of highlight packages (often different versions of the same one) and a lot of them made you feel like they were just filling in time. There wasn’t much on here that you needed to see and last week’s show felt a lot more like the go home show for Summerslam. It also doesn’t help that Thunderdome is coming and that means this show was little more than a placeholder.

What we got here wasn’t exactly great though, as there was a lot of stuff that got multiple segments despite not really warranting them. That’s the kind of thing that can get annoying in a hurry as you would like to see them space this stuff out a bit more so they don’t run through all of the creative so fast. But that might mean having a plan for more than a week at a time and Vince doesn’t seem to like that these…well years really. Not the worst show, but it doesn’t matter with the next few shows coming. Oh and get rid of Nia Jax. Have badgers bury her in the desert or something. It would be more useful.

Results

Apollo Crews b. Shelton Benjamin – Rollup

Angel Garza b. Ivar – Low dropkick

Natalya b. Mickie James via countout

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

Peyton Royce b. Ruby Riott – Deja Vu

Hurt Business b. Mustafa Ali/Apollo Crews/Ricochet – Spear to Crews

Cedric Alexander b. Akira Tozawa – Lumbar Check

Montez Ford b. Andrade – Rollup

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 10, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

For the first time in a very long while, some interesting stuff actually took place last week. That would include both Raw Underground and the debut of Retribution, but the problem with any WWE story is that at some point it has to go somewhere, and that’s where they get lost. I’m not sure what to expect here and that scares me. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Kamala.

Opening sequence.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We open with Samoa Joe in the ring for a contract signing. Seth Rollins comes out with Murphy, followed by Dominik, because they really do think this is what we should use to keep the fans’ interest early. Dominik comes out with a kendo stick and Rollins laughs him off for treating this like a joke. Joe doesn’t think much of Rollins treating this as a joke and asks why Rollins is acting like this. Why did he take out Rey Mysterio’s eye, have Murphy take out Aleister Black’s eye, and think about going for Joe’s eye last week?

Rollins threatens Joe and says that he himself is the only one with no choice in this whole thing. He goes into a rant about everything he has done around here with everyone not thinking anything of his efforts. All he is doing is for the greater good and when is it going to be enough? Dominik says it never will be because Rollins’ greater good is for himself. Rollins calls him ungrateful because everything Dominik is doing is because of him.

Dominik is ready to go, so Rollins says Dominik wouldn’t last ten seconds against him in a regular wrestling match. That’s why Rollins is going to do him a favor: Dominik can bring his kendo stick at Summerslam. Or any weapon he wants for that matter, so there are no excuses. Rollins and Dominik both sign, with Rollins being rather pleased.

Seth Rollins vs. Humberto Carrillo

Rollins grabs an armbar to start and sends Carrillo to the apron. Carrillo comes back in with a sunset flip and hammers away in the corner, only to get crotched on top. The belly to back superplex is broken up but Murphy’s distraction means no moonsault. Dominik kendo sticks Murphy though and Rollins gets the boots up to block the moonsault. A superkick sets up a powerbomb into the Stomp to finish Carrillo at 3:03.

Rating: D+. The match was decent enough but the lack of interest in anything they’re doing here hurts things a lot. There is only so much that can be done with such an uninteresting story and hopefully they make a change. It seems that they’re teasing Samoa Joe getting involved somehow, and that’s probably as good of a move as they can make. Dominik isn’t ready for this and that becomes ore obvious every week.

Post match Rollins and Murphy beat Dominik down, including a series of hard kendo stick shots. Rollins even takes the shirt off so the shots can hurt more. Murphy and Rollins tie him into the ropes with Rollins saying HI DAD over and over. With Dominik still helpless, Rollins has Murphy grab some more kendo sticks and now Murphy gets in his own shots. The double beating continues with Murphy saying that Dominik is a WWE Superstar now. This was a heck of a brutal beatdown with Dominik being destroyed and I do want to see him get back up and fight. Just find something else to say about him other than he’s Rey’s son.

Post break, commentary is rather serious about what we just saw.

Video on Retribution’s attacks last week.

Andrade vs. Angelo Dawkins

Before the match, Zelina insists that she had nothing to do with Montez Ford being poisoned. Why would she mess with the most important night of her team’s career? The Street Profits can have the smoke, because Angel Garza and Andrade want the Tag Team Titles. The lights go out again during Dawkins’ entrance because Retribution is around somewhere tonight. Dawkins jumps him from behind to start but Andrade gets in such a hard right hand that Dawkins loses his headband.

Back up and Dawkins hits a dropkick to send him outside, where Andrade sweeps the leg to send Dawkins face first into the apron. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Dawkins fights back with the clotheslines and the jumping spinning elbow. Andrade sends him into the corner again though and it’s the running knees for two. Back up and Andrade gets punched out of the air for no count as Vega has the referee. Cue Bianca Belair to pull Vega off the apron though and the spinebuster gives Dawkins the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C-. I was surprised by Dawkins winning here but it’s not like Andrade has been anything but a tag guy in recent months. The poisoning thing is interesting, but I’m hoping that they don’t go with some outsider and just have Vega be the person behind it. Go with what makes sense instead of the surprise in this one.

Bianca Belair vs. Zelina Vega

Joined in progress with Vega being driven into the corner and then muscled over with a snap suplex. Vega pulls her into a triangle choke but Belair powers out and hammers away in the corner. A poke to the eye gets Vega out of trouble again and she hits Belair in the face for a bonus. There are the running knees in the corner for two but Belair has had enough of Vega and tries the KOD.

That earns her some elbows to the face though and Vega headscissors her throat first into the middle rope. A crossbody is countered into a gorilla press drop though and Belair is annoyed again. Belair unloads on her with forearms to the back and throws Vega down with ease. Vega avoids a charge into the post and pounds away, only to get powerbombed out of the corner. The KOD is enough to finish Vega at 6:13.

Rating: D+. This was a scrappy one as Belair was pounding away on Vega as much as she could but Vega wasn’t quite enough of a threat to her. There is only so much that you can do here and Belair was only in limited danger. Again: go with what makes sense instead of something screwy and it’s that much better.

Post match Belair says she and Ford like to keep their careers separate, but Belair had to do something to stand up for her husband. Dawkins says Ford isn’t missing Summerslam and they’re bringing the ruckus and the red cups.

Here is the Hurt Business for the VIP Lounge. MVP says this is a more serious episode and talks about being the man who told you so. Last week, you had weird things going on with the lights going out in his match. He is a seasoned professional and a world class athlete but he can’t win titles in unsafe working conditions.

Cue Apollo Crews, to say MVP is always complaining and making excuses. MVP says Crews was the one who missed Extreme Rules because he had a bad neck. Crews says that he can make bad decisions because he’s a bad man. At Summerslam, the only lights that are going out are MVP’s. Crews charges the ring and throws the couch to the floor to clear the ring.

Apollo Crews vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title and joined in progress with Shelton driving him into the corner, only to have Crews flip forward and hit the dropkick. Benjamin throws Crews outside though and gets in a knee to the ribs as the referee keeps a close eye on the MVP and Lashley. Back in and we hit the chinlock until Crews fights up and hits a crossbody. Crews drives him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs and the Stinger Splash for a bonus. The Toss Powerbomb doesn’t work so Crews settles for a powerslam into the standing moonsault. Crews gets back up but Lashley offers a distraction, allowing Shelton to grab a rollup for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C-. The athleticism was good, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there, but it doesn’t quite make for a great match. This still seems to be building towards Crews vs. Lashley, though I’m not sure when we are actually getting there. Shelton not losing for a change is nice, though I’m still not thrilled with a champion losing again.

Post match Lashley goes after Crews with the full nelson but MVP calls him off because that would take him out of the title match again. Crews gets in a quick shot and runs off.

We go outside where Retribution throws a cinder block through a window with the WWE logo.

Mickie James is back and says she has gold on her mind. Lana and Natalya, in matching outfits, come in to say Mickie can’t be the face of the division without a Tik Tok. Natalya says she has won more than anyone else and that makes her the best of all time. Natalya and Lana: “HASHTAG BOAT!” Mickie says Natalya should know better and tells Lana that boats sink. Mickie leaves and the two of them call her rude. The new outfit didn’t help Natalya’s charisma.

Video on Raw Underground.

Ivar is flirting with a blonde when Erik, Ricochet and Cedric Alexander come up. The blonde says not to yell at Ivar because he’s cute. Not so much with Erik. How many times can they do that same joke? Ricochet and Cedric crack up.

We look at the beating of Dominik again.

Cedric Alexander/Ricochet/Viking Raiders vs. Akira Tozawa/Ninjas

Ricochet kicks a Ninja in the face to start and it’s a middle rope double stomp to the back into a Downward Spiral. Another Ninja gets kneed in the face and it’s off to Ivar for the knee to the ribs. Another one to the face rocks the Ninja but the third Ninja, who seems to be R-Truth in disguise, won’t get in. Tozawa yells at him and the other Ninja gets the Viking Experience for the pin at 1:10.

Post match it’s Truth and he rolls Tozawa up for the pin and the title.

Drew McIntyre promises to beat Randy Orton at Summerslam and make it clear that Evolution has passed him by. If Kevin Owens beats Orton tonight, he and Drew will be having a long talk.

Liv Morgan vs. Peyton Royce

Before the match, the IIconics accuse the Riott Squad of wanting to stab each other in the back. Morgan takes Peyton down to start and hammers away before they head outside. The brawl continues for a bit until Morgan sends it back inside for two off a rollup. Peyton gets kicked into the corner but Riott deals with an interfering Royce. That’s enough for Royce to get in a cheap shot and finish Morgan with the Deju Vu at 2:06.

Post match the Squad doesn’t see eye to eye again.

We recap Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler with Bayley and Asuka causing the no contest.

Shane McMahon is ready for Raw Underground.

It’s time for Raw Underground, with Cal Bloom vs. Riddick Moss. They fight in the ring and then brawl to the floor, with Moss sending him into a bunch of poles. Back inside and Moss slugs away again, eventually dropping Bloom with a shot to the head for the win. Good for them if this is a way to boost someone like that. The dancing girls are notably absent this week.

Asuka vs. Bayley

Non-title, Sasha Banks is with Bayley, and if Asuka wins, she gets the Raw Women’s Title shot against Banks at Summerslam. Asuka starts fast and hits the hip attack in the corner. Bayley catches her on top though and a sliding elbow gets two. Back up and a lot of shouting lets Asuka get two off a backslide, followed by a kick to the face. The lights flicker some more and it’s Asuka up first with a running shoulder into a release German suplex.

The hip attack gets two on Bayley and she gets tied up in the corner for a running stomp. That’s enough to send Bayley outside and we take a break, coming back to Bayley getting stomped down again. Bayley pulls her down into a kneebar of all things though and kicks away at the leg for a bonus. The referee gets distracted by yelling at Bayley, allowing Banks to ram the leg into the apron to give Bayley two. Asuka is right back up to pull her into a grounded Octopus and then a cross armbreaker.

Bayley stacks her up for two and then pulls Asuka into an Indian Deathlock of all things. Banks goes to taunt Asuka with the title, causing Asuka to reverse into a kneebar. That’s reversed as well and Asuka hits a running knee attack for two more. Asuka puts her on top but Bayley knocks her down, setting up the top rope elbow for another near fall. A sunset bomb sends Asuka into the corner but Bayley stops to mock Kairi Sane, only to get pulled into the Asuka Lock for the tap and the title shot at 15:05.

Rating: B. There is something interesting about Asuka being Bayley’s Kryptonite as Bayley has never beaten her in a singles match. What we got here was another good, hard hitting, back and forth match with two women beating the heck out of each other. I’m not sure how surprising the result was, but they had a good time getting there.

Back at Raw Underground, Arturo Ruas destroys an unknown.

Post break, Dabba-Kato destroys another unnamed victim, with a testicular claw included. Post match, Shayna Baszler gets up to get in the massive Kato’s….well chest actually but Shane breaks it up. Shayna goes to the ground and starts beating up a woman but a blonde makes the save. Shayna beats her up too, then does it again to a second blonde, who did show some submission skills. All three of them go after Shayna at once but she beats them all down with throws and strikes. The first blonde gets Kirifuda Clutched to give Shayna the win.

Retribution has turned over someone’s car and beat on it a little bit more.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Ric Flair is here with Orton. Owens gets headlocked to start but they fight outside in a hurry. Orton pokes him in the eye, only to be sent face first into the announcers’ table. Back in and Owens stomps away before shouting a WOO at Flair. The Stunner doesn’t work so Owens goes with the superkick instead, setting up the Cannonball. Owens seems to bang up his shoulder on the landing, even as Orton bails to the floor. That’s fine with Owens, as he hits another Cannonball against the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Owens hammering away some more and throwing in a strut (with another WOO). Orton gets knocked outside but sends Owens’ bad arm into the steps and then the barricade. Back in and Orton rakes the boot over Owens’ face and drops a knee. The chinlock, with a rake to the eye, goes on but Owens is back up in a hurry. Owens hits a clothesline into the backsplash but Orton knocks him down again and puts him on top. Orton gets knocked off the top and the Swanton connects for two. The Stunner is blocked though and it’s the RKO to finish Owens at 13:16.

Rating: B-. That’s the kind of win that can give Orton a nice boost. Owens is a former World Champion so a win over him means something, while losing to Orton is hardly a major defeat. It helps that it was a pretty good match too, with Owens getting in quite a bit of offense.

Post match Flair poses with Orton, who wants a microphone. Orton asks Flair to hang on a second and we take a break. Back with Orton saying he loves Flair after all these years, but he shouldn’t have been in this match with Owens. Of course he cares about Flair, but they will not be together any longer. Flair is a liability to him these days and that can no longer be the case. About eighteen years ago, Flair bailed Orton out of trouble in Peoria, Illinois and Orton thinks that he did it because he wanted Orton to be the son that he never had.

Flair starts crying and Orton talks down to him over having a pacemaker and going into a coma last week. Is this the best that Flair can be? Flair says that he’s not the same man he was before but there are some things that Orton wants to hear. Of course Flair wants to be in the spotlight. He’s 71 years old and he’s on Raw. Flair wants to be there with Orton when he wins his 14^th, 15^th, 16^th and 17^th World Title. He doesn’t want to see Orton beat John Cena’s record, because it’s his record.

Orton knows what it’s like to be where Flair was because Orton’s dad did it for years. Flair knows Orton is the greatest of all time and as soon as he got out of intensive care for 31 days and out of a coma for 12 of them, all he wanted to do was tell the people he cared about that he loved them. All he is now is Charlotte’s dad so he wants to have a good time with Orton.

They hug, but Orton hits him low and leaves Flair laying. Orton looks down at him, goes to the corner, waits for the lights to flicker, and then hits the Punt (with the lights off so we don’t see the contact in a clever way around it) to end Flair. Orton whispers something to Flair and here’s Drew McIntyre to chase Orton off, shouting “EVEN HIM???” Medics and Adam Pearce come out to tend to Flair.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it’s because things were such a mess last week, but this was WAY better than what they have been doing in recent weeks. Above all else, it felt like they have a series of targets in mind and focused on every single one of them in a row. The show wasn’t all over the place for a change and you can see what they are going for. The closing segment was quite good and the show worked as a whole. There was nothing outstanding and the wrestling wasn’t the best, but there was a focus here and that has been sorely missing from the show over the last few….well probably years. Good stuff.

Results

Seth Rollins b. Humberto Carrillo – Stomp

Angelo Dawkins b. Andrade – Spinebuster

Bianca Belair b. Zelina Vega – KOD

Shelton Benjamin b. Apollo Crews – Rollup

Peyton Royce b. Liv Morgan – Deja Vu

Cedric Alexander/Ricochet/Viking Raiders b. Akira Tozawa/Ninjas – Viking Experience to Ninja

Asuka b. Bayley – Asuka Lock

Randy Orton b. Kevin Owens – RKO

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 27, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

We’re less than a month away from Summerslam and that means things need to start picking up. You can see a lot of what they have in mind from here, but there are still a few things that need to be ironed out. Hopefully some of those things are set up tonight, as the wheels need to start turning. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers welcome us to the show and tell us what we have coming up.

Here’s Randy Orton to get things going and we see some clips of what he did to take care of Big Show last week. Orton knows he has had a great career and we hear about his history, including the Legend Killer and Evolution. This business has some greats like the Rock and Steve Austin, but neither of them are anything compared to him.

Now he needs something else though, which means becoming WWE Champion again. Drew McIntyre may be WWE Champion, but their resumes don’t quite line up. McIntyre doesn’t know how much trouble he is in now because Orton gets what he wants. Orton wants the title shot at Summerslam and Drew isn’t seeing the RKO coming.

Here’s the returning Nia Jax to say she gets what Orton meant. She wants to be Raw Women’s Champion, but cue Shayna Baszler to say not so fast. The brawl is on with referees breaking it up as we take a break.

Viking Raiders vs. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

The winners get the Street Profits at Summerslam so the Profits are here to introduce everyone. Garza and Andrade clear the ring to start and Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, which he throws straight at Dawkins. Joined in progress with Ricochet jumping over Ivar as Garza and Andrade chill on the floor with Zelina Vega. An enziguri into a headscissors takes Ivar down so Erik comes in instead.

Actually scratch that as the Raiders throw Garza inside and then beat up Andrade on the floor. This includes Erik slamming Ivar onto him while Ricochet and Alexander chop Garza in the corner. Back in and the German suplex/springboard clothesline hits Garza but Ricochet dropkicks Ivar. Andrade is back in to jump Erik from behind and it’s a double team on Erik. Ricochet goes for the cover to break up the alliance, allowing Ivar to come in and clean house. A splash (Ford: “The Love Splash!” Tom: “The Love Splash?” Ford: “THE LOVE SPLASH!”) connects and the Raiders clear the ring as we take a break.

Back with Andrade hitting his running knees in the corner to crush Erik for two. Everything breaks down and Andrade hits the spinning elbow to Ivar. Erik knees Andrade in the face but the dive is cut off by Garza’s kick to the head. Ivar goes up top to cannonball onto Ricochet, Alexander and Erik by mistake. Back in and the Wing Clipper hits Alexander for the pin and the title shot at 15:02.

Rating: C. The action was good, though I’m not a fan of having the Profits beat a team one week and then having the same team getting a title shot the next week. That being said, who else is there to get the show? The division is basically three teams at the moment and while Ricochet and Alexander are a team, they aren’t in a position to get that kind of a shot. It’s annoying, but they didn’t have another option.

Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax

The brawl is on and they go straight to the floor for the countout at 48 seconds.

Post match the referees try to break it up with both of them beating up a referee in the process.

Video on Eye For An Eye.

Murphy looks upset and Seth Rollins asks if he’s with him. Murphy is worried about Dominick Mysterio showing up tonight. Rollins hopes so because people like Dominick can’t get out of their own way. The greater good will move forward and tonight will be different.

Here are Rollins and Murphy for a chat. Rollins brags about beating Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black on back to back nights but something is preventing him from being happy. That would be Dominick, who is here tonight to confront him. This is a recurring theme as every time the Greater Good (sounds like they have a group name) tries to do something, someone steps in their way.

Kevin Owens had a broken ankle, Mysterio lost an eye, and now Black has an injured arm. That’s why Rollins wants to talk it out with Dominick so they can do it the right way. Cue Dominick to very slowly get in the ring with Rollins talking about how he understands how Dominick is feeling. If Dominick needs any guidance or help…and Dominick takes him down. Murphy is right back though and Dominick is sent outside for a whip into the barricade. Dominick is sent into the announcers’ table as well and Rollins looks at the steps.

Rollins takes too much time though and here’s Aleister Black to jump the Greater Good. The arm is sent into the apron though and Rollins whips him into the barricade. The Stomp plants Black on the floor and Rollins looks at the steps. He asks Murphy if he is in this so Murphy grabs Black and puts Black’s eye into the steps, as referees….just look at him. Dominick comes back with a kendo stick for the save. That was the best fire Dominick has ever shown but it might not be the best idea to have that happen just after the eye angle.

R-Truth comes up to Mustafa Ali in the back because Ali is going to be on the MVP Lounge. Ali isn’t going after the 24/7 Title, which is a good thing because Truth wants his baby back.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with MVP running down non-Hurt Business people. Last week, MVP saw someone come back from a seven month absence and he’s this week’s guest. Cue Mustafa Ali, who is very happy to have helped put the Hurt Business out of business last week. He is happy that he is back in WWE and on Raw, where he can become a champion. And he means a REAL champion, which doesn’t sit well with MVP.

That could happen, but MVP thinks it depends on Ali making the right decision. Ali doesn’t like the sound of that because he can think for himself. MVP says that sounds like what Apollo Crews said and now he is at home on the couch. So what is Ali’s decision? Cue R-Truth to go after Benjamin for two but the Hurt Business chases him off.

Mustafa Ali vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley draws a line on the mat and tells him to come get it and then shoves Ali down without much trouble. A big toss across the ring sets up a running shoulder to the ribs in the corner and Ali is in trouble early. There’s the faceplant and Lashley stomps him down in the corner. Now it’s a delayed vertical suplex for two but here’s Akira Tozawa to go after Benjamin as well. MVP and Benjamin beat up the Ninjas and Lashley gets in on things as well, including a crazy hard head first ram into the post. Ali gets in a shot from behind though and we take a break.

Back with Ali in trouble again as Lashley breaks up a springboard attempt and knocks him to the floor. That means some trash talk from MVP, plus an elevated Flatliner back inside. Ali slips away from the spinning Dominator though and the middle rope tornado DDT connects. The 450 misses and Lashley gets the full nelson for the tap at 11:31.

Rating: C-. Well so much for Ali being something important around here. This was 90% squash with Ali getting destroyed for most of the match until he hit a tornado DDT and that was it. This was almost depressing in a lot of ways as I was hoping to see Ali be a bigger deal, but then this happened.

Dolph Ziggler says he’s going to Summerslam after he beats Drew McIntyre tonight.

Long video on Sasha Banks vs. Asuka for the Raw Women’s Title.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Asuka, with Kairi Sane, is defending and can lose the title via countout, DQ or interference. Banks has Bayley here with her and before the match, Sasha talks about how there is no bigger bully than Stephanie McMahon. That’s because they run the whole company because they’re role models who stand against injustice. That’s why Bayley interfered at Extreme Rules and counted the pin on Asuka. Bayley: “Any role model would have done the same thing.” Before the bell, Sane chases Bayley off and we take a break.

Back with the Big Match Intros, followed by Asuka kicking away in the corner to start fast. The Shining Wizard gets two but Asuka can’t get a Fujiwara armbar. A Backstabber out of the corner gives Banks two and the half crab goes on. Banks lets that go and starts working on the leg until Asuka kicks her out to the floor. That’s enough for Banks as she tries to leave, but it’s the old Eddie Guerrero trick of throwing the belt to Asuka and falling down, but Banks doesn’t get the timing right and the referee doesn’t buy it. Asuka kicks her in the head instead and we take a break.

Back with Banks working on the leg again but Asuka fights up and strikes away. A knee to the face sends Banks to the apron but the knee is too hut to follow up. Banks is back with a kick to the head and the Meteora gets two. We’re right back to the half crab but Asuka grabs a kneebar instead. That’s switched into an ankle lock to keeps Banks in trouble until she rolls Asuka into the corner. A top rope Meteora is countered into a Codebreaker to put them both down again.

Asuka kicks the knee out again and gets two off a release German suplex. The hip attack gets the same but Banks gets in a shot of her own. The frog splash gives Banks two and the Bank Statement goes on. Asuka slips out but can’t get the Asuka Lock as Banks sends her outside instead.

Banks drops the bad knee onto the announcers’ table for nine, with the dive back inside ruining Banks’ posing. Asuka’s rollup is countered into the Bank Statement, which is reversed into the ankle lock. Asuka hits a middle rope dropkick but we see Bayley beating up Kairi Sane in the back. The distracted Asuka still hits a German suplex as Bayley beats the heck out of Sane. Bayley rams Sane into the steel wall over and over and Asuka finally goes to the back for the save, giving Banks the title via countout at 19:30.

Rating: B. They set this up well and I can go for Banks winning the title here, as it could set up something big at Summerslam. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Banks and Bayley getting a major rocket push as WWE tries to fill in the void left by Becky and Charlotte leaving. Good match too, as you would expect from these two without the stupid shenanigans.

Post break, Bayley and Banks are VERY excited and dance around in celebration. Asuka comes out of the trainer’s room and screams a lot.

Video on Regis Philbin, who passed away over the weekend.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Buddy Murphy

Carrillo goes straight at him to start and chops away in the corner, followed by a springboard back elbow. A springboard kick to the face sends Murphy outside for a suicide dive but Murphy shoves him off the ropes for a crash into the barricade. Back in and we hit the chinlock but Carrillo is right back up with a kick to the head. An enziguri sends Murphy into the corner and a missile dropkick to the back of the head gets two. Back up and Carrillo heads up top, only to dive into the jumping knee. Murphy’s Law is good for the pin at 6:36.

Rating: C+. These two having a good match is hardly a surprise, though I’m not sure how wise it was to have Murphy do the evil stuff to Black and then come out for a regular match later in the show. That’s part of having such a limited crew at the moment though and that is causing issue after issue. More Murphy is a good thing though so I’m rather pleased.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for the main event, but first he needs to address Randy Orton. The title match is set for Summerslam, and while Orton has promised Drew won’t see the RKO coming, Orton will sure see the Claymore coming. With that out of the way, here’s Ziggler for the stipulation. Drew liked Ziggler’s thinking at Extreme Rules for the Extreme Rules match, so tonight they’ll do it again, with Drew being able to get extreme too.

Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title and Extreme Rules. Drew goes outside to get a chair so Ziggler superkicks him without much trouble. Ziggler sends him into the post and Plexiglas but Drew is back with an elbow to the face. A lawn dart sends Ziggler hard into the Plexiglas and it’s time for the kendo stick. The Russian legsweep with the kendo stick sends Ziggler into the Plexiglas again and Drew wraps the stick around Ziggler’s mouth.

They head back inside with a bunch of chairs and a table coming with them. Ziggler can’t get a chair so McIntyre cracks him over the back with one instead. A low blow gets Ziggler out of trouble and he finds a second kendo stick to unload on McIntyre. Ziggler does everything McIntyre did to him but McIntyre takes the stick away.

Ziggler is placed on the apron, where his dive is caught for a big drive through the barricade as we take a break. Back with Drew hitting a top rope ax handle but not being able to hit the Future Shock. Instead Ziggler goes up but gets top rope superplexed right back down. The Zig Zag gives McIntyre two more so Ziggler grabs a chair, only to get Claymored through the table to give McIntyre the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B-. This was fine enough, though the lack of the title being on the line kind of took away the interest and that’s not the best idea given the way the TV numbers are going at the moment. McIntyre and Ziggler have chemistry together, but they can only do so much when you’re counting down to the pin. They have already been close enough to this place earlier this month, so seeing the match again wasn’t quite the draw.

Post match Drew holds up the title, earning every bit of the not so surprising RKO from Orton to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The two big matches carried the show and they had to do just that, as this week felt every second of the three hours and a lot more than that. As usual, it felt like they crammed weeks worth of material into a single week, which they kind of have to do because it’s time for Summerslam. I like the title change and Orton vs. McIntyre was inevitable (in a good way) but they need to find a way to make the show feel faster. I’m not sure if that is possible though, and that’s a big reason why the audience is leaving.

Results

Andrade/Angel Garza b. Viking Raiders and Ricochet/Cedric Alexander – Wing Clipper to Alexander

Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler went to a double countout

Bobby Lashley b. Mustafa Ali – Full nelson

Sasha Banks b. Asuka via countout

Murphy b. Humberto Carrillo – Murphy’s Law

Drew McIntyre b. Dolph Ziggler – Claymore through a table

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 20, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

We’re finally done with Extreme Rules and that means it’s time to get ready for Summerslam. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but tonight we have Randy Orton vs. Big Show in an unsanctioned match. I’d be stunned if this doesn’t set up Orton vs. Drew McIntyre at Summerslam, which is the most logical main event they have had in a long time. Let’s get to it.

Here is Extreme Rules if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Eye For An Eye, which is no less ridiculous in highlight form.

Opening sequence.

Here are Rollins and Murphy for a chat, with commentary saying that Rey is expected to make a full recovery, deeming last night all the more meaningless. Rollins goes into a medical explanation of what happened and talks about how seeing the eye out of socket made him feel sick. Since then though, he has been asked if he regrets it. Rollins will answer that with a question: does the WWE Universe regret doing what they did to him?

They made him do these things, so let him ask them: do you regret what they have done to him, and by proxy, what they have done to Mysterio. Remember that the stipulation was Rey’s idea and actions have consequences. Mysterio is now out of sight and there is no one to stand in his way. Cue Aleister Black, who says the blame is all on Rollins. Black kicks Murphy down but Murphy is back up to keep Black from getting to Rollins just yet. Rollins bails to the floor as Black gets inside and we take a break.

Seth Rollins vs. Aleister Black

Joined in progress with Rollins stomping away but Black elbows him in the face. Rollins heads outside where he is sent into the apron and post, but Black’s right hand only hits the latter. Back in and Rollins hits the Sling Blade, plus a kick to the back for two. The armbar goes on, followed by a hammerlock, plus Rollins sending the arm into the corner. Black fights up with a boot to the face and a low bridge puts Rollins on the floor again.

The springboard knee misses for Rollins and Black starts striking away. Murphy gets knocked off the ropes but the standing Lionsault misses. Black Mass knocks Rollins silly but Murphy comes in, only to get kicked in the face. Rollins uses the delay to escape and it’s Black Mass to Murphy as we take a break. Back with Black missing Black Mass and getting superkicked. Rollins heads up top but misses a dive, allowing Black to hit a superkick of his own. The bad arm is sent into the mat though and Rollins nails the Stomp for a delayed pin at 12:02.

Rating: C+. They gave Black an out with the Murphy interference but it seems that they’re moving forward with Rollins as the big evil, because that’s what the show is needing. The eye thing was stupid, but Rollins is already a damaged character with all of his losses (like last week). Rollins is a great heel on his own. Why does he need this midcard gimmick to drag him down?

Post match Murphy goes back to the ring and wraps Black’s arm around the post a few times. The arm is spread out across the top of the table for a big stomp, with Rollins asking who is here to save Black.

We look at MVP claiming the US Title last night.

Ron Simmons of all people tell MVP and Bobby Lashley that there is a better way. Simmons leaves and R-Truth, with a frying pan, comes up to say MVP has a nice replica, even though Apollo Crews is the real champion. R-Truth accepts their invitation to the ring because he doesn’t want to be put in the nelson from the Simpsons again. Lashley says they want the new 24/7 champion in the ring. Shelton Benjamin pops up and hits R-Truth from behind to win the title.

Here are MVP, Lashley and Benjamin to talk about how MVP made history instead of excuses. It didn’t matter what Crews’ excuse was, but they’re on to other things. That would mean beating Dumb and Dumber tonight, when they face Ricochet and Cedric Alexander. Cue Ricochet and Cedric to mock the Dumb and Dumber line and say they’re ready to fight. They have a third partner, who is making his return to the show tonight.

Hurt Business vs. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander/Mustafa Ali

The good guys clear the ring and we take a break before the bell. Lashley blasts Cedric with a clothesline to start and takes him into the corner so Shelton can hammer away. MVP adds some knees to the ribs as commentary talks about Crews being the REAL US Champion, even though that’s not how rules work in wrestling. A belly to back suplex gives MVP two and Lashley hits the spear in the corner.

MVP’s running big boot in the corner sets up Ballin for two. Alexander gets a boot up and brings in Ali off the hot tag. The villains bail to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Lashley chinlocking Ricochet and choking away in the corner. Ricochet gets over to the corner though and it’s a hot tag to Ali. House is cleaned, including a suicide dive to send Lashley over the announcers’ table, and the 450 finishes MVP at 14:26.

Rating: C. I’m glad to see Ali back as he hasn’t been here in months now. I’m assuming this all but ends whatever was left of the hacker deal, which is a shame as that had some potential. Either way, it’s nice to see him here again as there was little reason to have him sit on the sidelines for months at a time.

Randy Orton talks about some of the important moments of his career and all of the people he has dealt with. Sometimes those people saved him from himself, but those moments brought him satisfaction. It made him feel better when he stood over Edge’s injured body, knowing that he had injured his career. Tonight, he’s going to enjoy Punting Big Show in the head and ending his career once and for all.

Ron Simmons is talking to the Viking Raiders.

Video on Big Show’s career.

Christian joins us via satellite and talks about the unsanctioned match with Orton. He can’t believe that Orton would use Christian’s respect for Ric Flair to Punt him in the head but that’s exactly what happened. Christian doesn’t regret a thing and would do it all again in a heartbeat. Tonight, he wants to see Big Show knock Orton out cold.

Bianca Belair explains the EST concept and is looking forward to showing up and put the IIconics in their place. Peyton Royce comes in and sends the interviewer away before calling Belair the dumbest of all time. Ruby Riott comes in to say Royce lost last week and now there’s no Billie Kay here. Royce says Billie is off handling business but since Peyton has beaten Ruby before, she might as well forfeit tonight. That’s not happening.

Ruby Riott vs. Peyton Royce

Riott drives her into the corner to start but Peyton shouts a lot and hits an elbow for two. The forearms to the back keep Ruby down and an elbow to the chest gets two more. Royce gets in a kick to the face but misses something off the top, allowing Riott to hit the Riott Kick for the pin at 3:18.

Rating: D+. This was a near squash until the ending but it is nice to see Ruby finally win something for a change. I know it doesn’t mean much as it’s just over Royce, but after going so long between singles wins, you take what you can get. It wasn’t a good match or anything, but that wasn’t exactly the point here.

We recap Angel Garza/Andrade jumping the Street Profits last month.

Garza, Andrade and Zelina Vega are ready for the Profits tonight and yes, they’re on the same page. Tonight, they’re getting a step close to becoming champions. Garza hits on Charly a bit more but here are the Profits to jump them from behind.

Street Profits vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Non-title and Vega is at ringside. Andrade and Garza jump Ford to start and knee Dawkins in the ribs to start. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS (his own, not Dawkins’) and it’s Andrade stomping on Dawkins as we settle down a bit. Dawkins fights up and brings in Ford to hit his dropkick, allowing us the eyes bugged out look. A big flip dive to the floor drops Andrade and we take a break.

Back with Ford being stomped down in the corner and Garza adding a big shot to the face. The armbar goes on, followed by a quickly broken abdominal stretch. An enziguri is enough for the hot tag to Dawkins and the pace picks up a lot. Everything breaks down and it’s Ford tagging himself back in for the frog splash to finish Garza at 11:09.

Rating: C. I like the surprise ending here as this felt like it was destined to be the traditional non-title win over the champions to set up the title shot. The Profits have been champions for so long that they won the titles in front of people and that’s kind of a good thing. Ever since New Day’s record reign, no team had held the titles for more than 98 days. You need to build up a team for awhile and that’s what the Profits are doing.

We look back at the end of Sasha Banks vs. Asuka, with Bayley becoming the referee and stealing the title from Asuka.

Zelina yells at Andrade and Garza but they have this.

Here are Bayley and Sasha Banks for a chat. Banks says she has this and explains her version of what happened last night. Asuka intentionally tried to blind the referee with the mist and Bayley just borrowed his shirt. Bayley did it because she’s a role model and now they have all the gold. A celebratory dance breaks out but here are Asuka and Kairi Sane to interrupt.

Sasha was not ready for Asuka last night and the title is still hers. Banks says come get it so here they come. Hold on though as Stephanie McMahon pops up on screen to say Banks isn’t the Raw Women’s Champion. The title is on the line next week and Sasha can lose via pinfall, submission, countout, DQ, or with Bayley interfering. I’m assuming that counts for Asuka as well, but since Stephanie didn’t say it, it isn’t gospel.

Bayley vs. Kairi Sane

Non-title. Sane slugs away to start but Bayley comes back with some shots of her own. That earns her a hip attack to the floor, only to have Bayley come back in and stomp away in the corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long on Sane so Bayley snaps off a suplex for two. Sane drapes her on the top rope though and hits a top rope double stomp to the back, sending Bayley outside in a heap.

We take a break and come back with Bayley unloading in the corner. This is so fascinating that we cut to the back for an interview with Shayna Baszler, who says her interest in the match is like a shark seeing prey. Back to full screen with Sane reversing a suplex into a DDT for a breather. The Sliding D connects but Bayley grabs an armbar over the ropes in the corner.

Sane sweeps the leg and goes up top for an Alberto double stomp into a near fall. The spinning backfist into the Interceptor drops Bayley again but the Insane Elbow misses. Another Interceptor is cut off with a knee to the face. Bayley drops her with a suplex but misses her own top rope elbow. The Bayley to Belly is loaded up instead but Sane reverses into a rollup for the pin at 15:38.

Rating: B-. Given all of the rumors of Sane leaving WWE soon, this is quite the surprising result. That being said, it can also offer to shake things up a bit. I can’t imagine Sane taking the title from Bayley or anything like that, but it is a good idea to give Bayley something to do while they figure out her next big challenger. Good match too, with the surprise ending helping things.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for a chat. Last night he survived against Dolph Ziggler, who put up a heck of a fight. That’s typical of Ziggler’s career though, so it’s time to move on. Summerslam is coming up so he wants a top challenger. Cue Ziggler, who says he was so close that he wants a rematch.

Drew says no so Ziggler asks again, earning himself a shot to the face. McIntyre goes to leave but Ziggler says we’ll do it again with McIntyre picking the stipulation this time. The match is on, but Drew won’t give him any details yet. Ziggler wants to know the stipulation but Drew doesn’t know just yet. He’ll tell him before the bell rings. So yes, we really do need to do this AGAIN, because Ziggler is just so compelling.

Big Show talks about Randy Orton’s history and trying to live up to his name. They were a team before and called themselves the Hammer and Chisel. Over time, Show grew to learn that a tiger can’t change its stripes. That seems to have changed now because the Legend Killer is back. Show knows there is a boot to the head with his name on it but like a tiger, he’s dangerous when he has nothing to lose. Orton isn’t ending his story.

Big Show vs. Randy Orton

Unsanctioned so anything goes. Show knocks him into the corner in a hurry and hammers away at the arm. The spear sends Orton outside but cue Angel Garza and Andrade to jump Show. They whip him into the steps but the Viking Raiders run out to break up the Punt attempt as we take a break. Back with an unset table in the ring and Orton kicking at the leg. Show hits a quick chokeslam for two but the threat of the KO Punch sends Orton outside.

Back in and Show knocks him down again, this time putting Orton on the table. A Vader Bomb only hits table though, allowing Orton to hit the RKO for two. Orton isn’t happy, so he blasts Show in the back with some chair shots, leaving the referee to discard the pieces of the broken table. Another chair shot to the back sets up a top rope hanging DDT and a second RKO finishes Show at 13:45.

Rating: C. That’s all you could have expected it to be and that’s fine. Orton got in there and wrecked Show, which was exactly what he should have done. Show is expendable and Orton is probably about to headline Summerslam. What more can you expect from a match that was designed to accomplish one single goal?

Orton Punts Show to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: C-. It really is amazing how much easier a show this is to watch when they don’t have the stupid details dragging everything down. The Eye for an Eye stuff was referenced, but there is a big difference between “we’re going to rip someone’s eye out” and “Seth did something evil.” I don’t need to see Ziggler vs. McIntyre again, but if next week ends with McIntyre standing tall until an RKO outta nowhere ends the show, I’ll be happy enough. Not a great show here, but the lack of stupid helped it a lot.

Results

Seth Rollins b. Aleister Black – Stomp

Cedric Alexander/Ricochet/Mustafa Ali b. Hurt Business – 450 to MVP

Ruby Riott b. Peyton Royce – Riott Kick

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

Kairi Sane b. Bayley – Rollup

Randy Orton b. Big Show – RKO

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 13, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules and I think I can safely say thank goodness for that. In other words, it’s the last week that we need to act like Dolph Ziggler matters as a main event player of any kind in 2020, but also hopefully the last week of WWE sleepwalking through their television, as the Summerslam build can begin. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with the VIP Lounge. He’s looking forward to Extreme Rules and his guest tonight has a big role at that show. This brings out Dolph Ziggler, and we see a clip of the Heath Slater mini saga from last week. Ziggler likes the lounge and they trade ideas of how to get into Drew McIntyre’s head. It isn’t hard to turn McIntyre into the one who got fired because Ziggler picked him up off the ground and made him the man he is today.

McIntyre has yet to thank Ziggler so MVP does it for him. Cue McIntyre, who doesn’t like all of the sucking up around here. He has come to the conclusion that Ziggler used people. Ziggler has used Big E. and Mandy Rose but he and McIntyre were never friends. On Sunday, Drew is going to take him apart and punish him. McIntyre wants to fight right now and headbutts Ziggler down. Now can we please be done with Ziggler tonight?

Andrade, Angel Garza and Zelina Vega say they’re awesome and have the Street Profits running scared. Charly Caruso is beneath Vega but Garza pulls out a rose. Before he can give that to anyone though, the Viking Raiders pop up to accuse them of dishonoring the Street Profits. Ivar takes the rose and gives it to Charly, who seems to appreciate the gift. Garza, not so much.

Andrade/Angel Garza vs. Viking Raiders

Elimination rules and Vega is here as well. Garza and Andrade jump Erik to start and it’s Ivar getting beaten into the corner. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS but the delay lets Ivar bring Erik in. The Hammer of Thor gets two on Garza with Andrade making the save. A superkick staggers Erik though and Andrade comes in for the running knees in the corner. Garza takes out Ivar and the hammerlock DDT gets rid of Erik at 2:35.

Back from a break with Garza kicking Ivar to the floor and Andrade reluctantly praising him for it. The delay lets Ivar dive onto both of them but Garza grabs a small package for two back inside. A heck of a right hand drops Garza and a big clothesline does it again. Andrade tags himself in to save Garza from a powerslam but Ivar kicks him in the head for the pin at 7:58.

So it’s Garza vs. Ivar, with the former dropkicking him down. The Wing Clipper is broken up and Ivar sits on his chest out of the corner. Another spinning kick to the face gets two with Andrade putting the foot on the rope. Garza counters another seated senton out of the corner into a powerbomb and pulls the trunks for the pin at 9:23.

Rating: C-. There was little need for this to be under elimination rules, as having Andrade and Garza get a fall on the Raiders in less than three minutes gave you all of the impact that they needed. That being said, it made sense as they needed to fill in time, which is something that has to happen almost every week these days.

The IIconics laugh at Ruby Riott for not having a partner tonight but Bianca Belair comes in and explains the EST of WWE name. She does the three claps and Ruby Riott does the same, saying “what she said.”

IIconics vs. Ruby Riott/Bianca Belair

Billie’s face cringe when Belair comes out is good. Ruby and Peyton start but a Billie distraction lets Peyton get in a cheap shot. Ruby rolls her up twice in a row for two until Kay comes in off a blind tag and gets two off a big boot. Peyton’s spinwheel kick gets two but Billie gets kicked away, allowing the hot tag to Belair. House is cleaned and a handspring moonsault gets two on Billie with Peyton making the save. Peyton and Ruby fight on the floor and the KOD finishes Billie at 3:23.

Rating: D+. This was nothing but a showcase for Belair and that is long overdue. I’m so glad that they brought her up, featured her up for two weeks, and then put her on the sidelines for the sake of the Viking Profits stuff. Belair is WAY easier to watch as a face too, which is almost shocking as she seems as natural of a heel as you can have.

R-Truth congratulates Ricochet for being named MVP of Raw, but it’s really Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley with MVP in his corner. Truth says Ric Flair has challenged him but Cedric Alexander corrects him by saying Flair challenged him to face Randy Orton tonight instead. That means Truth needs something new so he walks over to Akira Tozawa, who he needs to teach him to be a black belt in about ten minutes. Tozawa says no, which brings in the Ninjas. Ricochet and Cedric pop in for their own martial arts poses, including Ricochet in a crane kick pose. Truth wants a match with Tozawa in the ring right now.

24/7 Title: R-Truth vs. Akira Tozawa

Truth is defending but doesn’t like the idea of all these ninjas. Cue Shayna Baszler of all people to clear out the Ninjas, with Tozawa leaving before he gets beaten down. Baszler turns to face Truth, who will let himself out. No match.

Baszler sticks around to say she’s tired of waiting around. All these Women’s Champions have no idea what it means to be tough so the Queen of Spades is here to hit them with a hard dose of reality. It wasn’t the most original promo, but it’s better than having Baszler sit around for weeks on end.

We look back at the setup for the Eye For An Eye match between Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins.

Murphy and Rollins are in the back and Rollins asks Murphy what is wrong. Murphy is worried about the stipulation but Rollins says to focus on his match with Aleister Black tonight. Rollins has a message to deliver.

Here’s Rollins with said message. He keeps saying the name of the match and that he knows what it means before asking how we got to this point. All he is trying to do is lead Raw to a brighter future and Mysterio won’t do his part for the greater good. How could WWE sanction such a match? Rollins needs everyone to understand that he never meant to harm Mysterio. All he wanted to do was fulfill his prophecy, which came from the WWE Universe.

They wanted him to lead WWE into the future and that is what he is doing. After Sunday, Rey will no longer be able to see his son get married or watch a sunset with his wife. Cue Kevin Owens, who isn’t sorry for interrupting. Last week when Owens came up with the idea of either Rollins or Mysterio picking the stipulation, he was expecting a last man standing match or a cage match. Now someone is going to lose an eye, so he has a present for Rollins from Jean-Pierre LaFitte: an eye patch. Rollins calls Murphy out here now but Aleister Black cuts him off and the fight is on as we take a break.

Aleister Black vs. Murphy

Joined in progress with Rollins and Owens at ringside. Murphy kicks him down into the corner until Black kicks him out of the air for a double knockdown. There’s a running knee to Murphy’s face, followed by a jumping knee to the face for two more. Black Mass is broken up with a shot to the knee but Black kicks him out to the apron without much effort. Murphy tries a suplex to the floor but gets hit with Black Mass. Rollins breaks up the cover for the DQ at 4:25.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t up to their usual standard but what are you expecting in a five minute match? Rollins cheating is a fine enough ending, though I could go with Black getting a few more clean wins. Murphy needs one more, as he may be a lackey, but he’s a rather talented lackey. Then again this story hasn’t exactly been kind to most so it isn’t the biggest surprise.

Post match Owens chases Rollins into the ring and here are Rey Mysterio and Dominick to surround him even further.

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

It’s a near lumberjack match here with several people at ringside. Rollins tries to bail to the floor to start but then comes back in to get kicked in the leg. Owens stomps away so Rollins begs off and gives him the sales pitch again, earning himself another stomping. Owens charges into a boot in the corner but Black gets in a distraction, setting up the Cannonball for two.

The double arm crank keeps Rollins in trouble before Owens sends him outside. Rollins tries to escape over the barricade but gets caught and beaten up again. They fight on the apron with Owens getting the better of things but Rollins slips out of a fireman’s carry. Back in and Rollins hits a chop block to put Owens outside again, setting up the suicide dive. We come back from a break with Rollins choking on the ropes and cranking on both arms as well.

Owens elbows his way to freedom and nails a superkick to put them both down. Rollins hits a quick Downward Spiral to send him into the middle buckle, followed by the Blockbuster for two. A superkick gets two more but the Stomp misses. Owens can’t hit the Stunner either so he sends Rollins back to the apron. Rollins goes after the eye to put Owens down, drawing Black and Dominick to the apron as well. Mysterio gets up too and that’s enough to set up the Stunner to finish Rollins at 16:29.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t the cleanest loss but it’s rather strange to see Rollins lose a match like this before going into the biggest Raw match on the pay per view. These two always work well together, but the Rollins messiah deal isn’t working for me and the matches haven’t been as good since he switched over. It’s still pretty good, but they can do better.

Post match, Mysterio promises to take Rollins’ eye.

Big Show comes up to Ric Flair in the back, who talks about knowing Show for twenty years. Flair has always been impressed by him because Show has unparalleled coordination for his size. Now Show is getting into Netflix and he can go into the Hall of Fame healthy. Why risk that to mess with Randy Orton? Show seems to think about it and stops Flair from leaving. He knows what Flair just tried to do and wants to know if Flair is willing to sacrifice his friendships so Orton can be the Legend Killer.

Video on how Orton became the Legend Killer.

Orton talks about having a few people who he has been close to over the years. One of them was Edge, who he sent home to be a father after Edge wouldn’t do it on his own. Christian wanted one more match and got kicked in the head. Then there was Big Show, who was one of the first people to take Orton under his wing. So why would Show want to avenge a few cracked skulls rather than maintain their friendship?

Finally there is Ric Flair, who is family. It would be a shame if Flair did anything to cost them their friendship. Tonight Orton faces R-Truth, who has done a great job of entertaining the people around here. Tonight, he’s the next victim of the Legend Killer. Flair comes in and says it’s time to go to the ring, but Orton says he’ll be right there and stares a bit.

Randy Orton vs. R-Truth

Non-title. Before the match, Flair praises R-Truth for being here for twenty years and knows Orton thanks a lot of him as well. That’s why tonight, it’s the RKO instead of the Punt. Truth goes after Flair to start and suckers Orton in, only to miss the ax kick. The RKO finishes Truth at 33 seconds.

Post match Orton loads up the Punt but here’s Big Show to break it up. Orton tells him to stop on the ramp though because the Punt is going to be for Show. The challenge is issued for next week in an unsanctioned match. Show: “OKAY!” And he chases Orton to the floor.

MVP and Lashley come up to Ricochet and Alexander in the back. Alexander turns down MVP’s offer again so MVP brags about guaranteeing a US Title win on Sunday. The interviewer goes over to Drew McIntyre, who is ready for any stipulation. Ziggler jumps him from behind and the fight is on, with referees and agents breaking it up.

Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley

Cedric and MVP are at ringside. Ricochet goes fast to start but gets dropped face first onto the apron. Back in and Lashley muscles him up for the spinning Dominator for two. Ricochet comes back with a kick to the head and the standing shooting star press for two of his own. A superkick rocks Lashley but he counters a handspring into the full nelson to make Ricochet tap at 3:34.

Rating: C-. I was surprised by the kickout on the Dominator but at least they didn’t do anything too crazy here. I’m still surprised that MVP is getting the title shot on Sunday but there is a really good chance that it’s Lashley challenging for the title at Summerslam anyway. Keeping him warm with wins like this is a good idea and there was no reason to believe Ricochet would pull off the upset here.

Post match Alexander tries to make the save but gets full nelson slammed.

Big Show accepts Orton’s challenge. Thanks for confirming that.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bayley/Sasha Banks vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are challenging. Hold on though because the champs have something to say before the match. We see their tribute to themselves from a few weeks back and now it’s time for the Big Match Intros. The Warriors jump the champs before the bell and we take a break, mainly because they weren’t starting the match with 25+ minutes to go in the show. Banks (with her huge headband) bails from Asuka to start so it’s Bayley coming in for the lockup.

They circle around the ring for a bit until Bayley gets in a shot to the face to take over. Asuka gets over for the tag to Sane, who decks Banks with a forearm. The running Blockbuster hits Bayley and a double Interceptor puts both champs down. Things settle to Asuka armbarring Banks but Sasha is back up to catch Sane on top. Sane gets catapulted into the Plexiglas and we take a break.

Back with Sane being thrown into the corner for some right hands to the head. Bayley grabs a chinlock until Sane jawbreaks her way to freedom. Banks gets kicked away and a spinning backfist is enough for the hot tag to Asuka. House is cleaned again but Asuka is sent into the corner for Banks’ running knees.

Banks hits a high crossbody but Asuka rolls through into the Asuka Lock. Sane spears Bayley but Asuka makes the rope. The Insane Elbow connects for two as Bayley makes the save (with Asuka not noticing it despite Bayley being three feet from her). Sane hits the sliding forearm, only to have Banks reverse into the Bank Statement to make Sane tap at 18:12.

Rating: B. This was the best thing on the show, even though that isn’t saying much. They did a smart thing by having Banks get the win as it sets her up as a bigger threat to Asuka, though it was very nice to not have her beat Asuka again. I’m not sure who takes the titles off of Banks/Bayley, but they’re really gelling as a team and it’s nice to see that working so well.

Overall Rating: D+. I was dreading this show coming in and they didn’t disappoint, with one promo after another to set up a bunch of matches that aren’t interesting no matter how they’re pitched. WWE is making no secret of the fact that Extreme Rules is mainly just a filler show that they have to have because the calendar says so and that makes for some very trying television. That was the case here again and while it was better than Smackdown, that isn’t quite the bar to clear. Just get us through Sunday and on to Summerslam already, because they can’t keep doing this kind of show.

Results

Angel Garza/Andrade b. Viking Raiders – Rollup with trunks to Ivar

Ruby Riott/Bianca Belair b. IIconics – KOD to Kay

Aleister Black b. Murphy via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered

Kevin Owens b. Seth Rollins – Stunner

Randy Orton b. R-Truth – RKO

Bobby Lashley b. Ricochet – Full nelson

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Kabuki Warriors – Bank Statement to Sane

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 6, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Extreme Rules, or whatever they’re calling it this week. Tonight we might get a pretty big deal: finding out what stipulation Dolph Ziggler has for Drew McIntyre. Unfortunately that means more Ziggler time, which is about as much of a death blow as this show can get in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Drew McIntyre to open things up. McIntyre talks about how he’s ready for whatever Dolph Ziggler has planned for him. Maybe it’s a cage match, a street fight, or a match on the edge of a cliff over a volcano with sharks with frigging laser beams on their heads. So get out here and make your announcement. Cue Ziggler, who says he isn’t going to tell anyone about the choice until they get to Extreme Rules. Ziggler talks about how great he is and says Drew’s resume is a big black hole from 2014-2017.

McIntyre brings up Wrestlemania so Ziggler says that McIntyre got there by stepping on a lot of people. Like this man, so here’s Heath Slater. Heath talks about their history together and everything that has happened between them over the years. Back in April, Slater watched McIntyre become WWE Champion, but then he was released two weeks later. When McIntyre was released, Slater called him every day, but where was McIntyre for him?

Slater and McIntyre only talked on the Bump, because it was the only show they would let him on. McIntyre knows Slater’s kids, and not the 22 the world thinks he has. When Slater was there for him, McIntyre wasn’t there for Slater. Remember when McIntyre said he would petition for a match with Slater? Well now he’s on the unemployment line so now he wants McIntyre to give him what he deserved. Slater slaps him in the face and McIntyre gets serious and says it’s on.

Heath Slater vs. Drew McIntyre

Non-title and they’re both in street clothes. Claymore finishes Slater in 22 seconds. Thank goodness they didn’t try to make Slater a serious thing in this mess.

Post match Ziggler yells at Slater so the fight is on with McIntyre saving Slater. McIntyre and Slater hug.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are going to talk to the fans instead of the interviewer. Asuka pops in after they leave and says she’s not here alone.

Here are Bayley and Banks for a chat in the ring. They brag about how awesome they are and promise to leave Extreme Rules with all of the gold. Cue Asuka to say that Banks isn’t ready. Bayley issues the challenge on Banks’ behalf, but Asuka has something else in mind.

Sasha Banks vs. Kairi Sane

Bayley and Asuka are at ringside. Banks takes her down to start and gets in a big chop. Some dancing takes a little too long though and Sane gets two off a dropkick. They trade cross arm chokes until Sane gets her in an Octopus. Bayley starts yelling so Asuka drops her, setting up a baseball slide into Bayley and Banks as we take a break. Back with Banks choking on the ropes and then hitting the double knees in the corner.

We hit the modified bow and arrow, with Banks pulling the hair for a bonus. More knees in the corner miss though and Sane scores with a big chop of her own. A top rope forearm to the chest gives Sane two and some running Blockbusters have Banks in more trouble. The Interceptor cuts Banks in half and the Sliding D gives Sane two. Banks gets in a shot to the neck but the Meteora is countered into something like a mixture between a Boston crab and a Sharpshooter. Whatever it is, it brings Bayley in for the DQ at 13:21.

Rating: C+. Good stuff while it lasted but the DQ ending was a fine way to go. Banks and Bayley absolutely do not need to be taking a loss here so that’s the best thing they could have done in the circumstances. I know Sane is probably leaving soon, but it’s good to see her getting in a good match while she can.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Sane hits a big dive from the top.

We look back at Seth Rollins and company going for Humberto Carrillo’s eye last week, with Aleister Black making the save. Rollins managed a Stomp onto the steps though.

Rollins and Murphy have jumped Aleister Black and put a Mysterio mask on his head.

The Viking Raiders admire their bowling ball when Big Show comes up to tell them to be serious. They were devastated by what happened to Edge and Christian, but they do have their own five second pose. Show slaps both of them so Erik says the raid is on tonight.

Here’s Kevin Owens for the KO Show. Since his guest is Seth Rollins, he doesn’t waste time in getting rid of the chairs. Rollins comes out and asks how Owens’ broken ankle is doing. Owens: “It’s feeling a lot better than your ego.” Owens talks about the bond the two have from facing each other at Wrestlemania so he has a gift for Rollins. It’s a KO Mania III shirt, just like the one he was wearing when he beat Rollins at Wrestlemania.

Rollins throws it away and says he doesn’t care about any of this. The only reason he is out here is to use the show as a platform to address Rey Mysterio. Rollins officially challenges Mysterio for Extreme Rules, but at the same time, he has been thinking about Owens. Maybe Owens would get more out of fighting with Rollins instead of against him. Owens is all about fighting so maybe he should fight for the greater good.

Cue Mysterio and Dominick to interrupt, with Rey accepting the challenge. As for tonight though, Rey needs a partner for the scheduled tag match. Owens cuts them off and offers to be Mysterio’s partner, with an extra bonus: the winning team picks the stipulation for Rollins vs. Mysterio. The fight is on in a hurry.

Kevin Owens/Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Dominick is here too. Joined in progress with Mysterio hammering on Murphy and sending him to the floor for a hurricanrana from the apron. Back in and Rey hits an enziguri to hand it off to Owens. An elbow to the head allows the tag to Rollins, who hammers away on Owens against the ropes. Owens clotheslines him down and drops the backsplash to pick up the pace a bit.

They head outside to keep up the brawl before handing it off to their partners. Murphy has to avoid the 619 and then gets in a cheap shot, allowing Rollins to rake Dominick’s eye. We take a break and come back with Rollins working on Owens’ leg. Murphy’s cheap shot prevents the hot tag attempt and it’s Rollins sending Owens into the corner.

A backdrop sends Rollins to the apron so Owens can get in a superkick, which hurts his still healing ankle all over again. Everything breaks down and Rollins grabs Dominick, but here’s Black to make the save. Black doesn’t touch him though to avoid the DQ, allowing Dominick to go after Murphy’s eye. Rey hits the 619 into the frog splash for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C. I’m still not feeling the eye for an eye thing but Owens is a lot more interesting to watch that Humberto Carrillo. Black and Mysterio are both easy enough but Carrillo manages to suck the life out of the show whenever he’s out there. The problem is that Dominick does something similar and he isn’t likely to be leaving anytime soon.

Post match, Rey picks an Eye For An Eye match, where the first person to pull out an eye wins.

We look back at Bobby Lashley and MVP taking out Apollo Crews last week.

MVP and Lashley aren’t worried about Crews.

Here are MVP and Lashley for a chat. MVP talks about everything that he did as the United States Champion over the years and promises that he’ll be champion again when he challenges Apollo Crews at Extreme Rules. As for tonight though, there is a new United States Title to unveil, and since MVP beat Crews last week, he’s pretty much the new champion.

The belt is unveiled and features bigger letters saying UNITED STATES CHAMPION near the middle with an eagle on the bottom half and flags under its wings. I’ve seen worse. Cue Ricochet and Cedric Alexander to say you win titles around here, and it’s time to make the Hurt Business declare Chapter 11. The fight is on with Lashley and MVP being cleared out.

MVP/Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander

MVP is in street clothes so he brings Lashley in before trying anything physical. Alexander gets powered into the corner but manages to roll over for the tag to Ricochet. A springboard is broken up and Ricochet is knocked to the floor, with MVP sending him into the barricade. Back in and MVP pounds away, including a knee to the ribs for two.

Lashley comes in again for the crossface shots to the head and a delayed suplex for two. A lifting Downward Spiral from Lashley gives MVP two but Ricochet slips out of a suplex (where he staggers over to about a foot from Alexander) and hits an enziguri (with Ricochet going back into the middle because it wasn’t the planned spot) to set up the hot tag to Alexander. The tornado DDT drops MVP but it’s the spear to finish Alexander at 6:53.

Rating: C. I know he’s been losing but I’m rather glad to see Ricochet back on the show. There is no reason to have someone as good as he is wasting away on Main Event so it’s great to see him back on the big show. I know he isn’t likely to get a big push in the near future, but it’s almost impossible to not get a push without being on the show in the first place.

Post match Lashley puts Alexander in the full nelson with Ricochet missile dropkicking in for the save.

We look at Big Show beating Angel Garza and Andrade in a handicap match last week.

Zelina Vega makes Angel Garza apologize to Andrade. Ric Flair comes up and says it’s a must win tonight. Randy Orton comes in and says he can respect both of them for being third generation wrestlers, but if they lose, they’re meeting the Legend Killer.

The Kabuki Warriors are ready for Asuka to beat Bayley tonight so they can challenge for the Tag Team Titles next week. Kairi plays her flute as Asuka dances, with Charly Caruso looking fascinated.

Andrade/Angel Garza/Randy Orton vs. Big Show/Viking Raiders

Ric Flair and Zelina Vega are here with the villains. Big Show and Garza start things off with the big forearm to the back having Garza in early trouble. There’s the big chop in the corner and it’s off to Erik, who brings Ivar in for the back to back knees. It’s back to Show, who doesn’t seem to mind the tag to Andrade. Show drops him as well and slams both Vikings onto him for two.

Garza stops to yell at Andrade so Orton demands Garza come out to the floor. Orton grabs him by the throat and yells a lot as we take a break. Back with Garza knocking Ivar into the corner, only to have Ivar roll over for the hot tag to Erik. Andrade is knocked to the floor but Orton gets in a cheap shot to take over on Erik in the corner. Orton taunts Show a bit as Garza knees Erik in the corner.

Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and stomps away before handing it back to Andrade for a wishbone. Erik fights up though and the hot tag brings in Show to clean house. The threat of an RKO doesn’t work but it lets Andrade choke Show. Everything breaks down and Garza saves Andrade from the Viking Experience. Orton tags himself in and hits the RKO to finish Erik at 13:43.

Rating: C-. WWE has done a remarkable job of making Orton seem like the biggest and most intimidating star in the company in just a few weeks. That’s really hard to do and a lot of it has to do with just how good Orton is at pretty much everything at the moment. The wrestling may not have been the best in the worst, but Orton felt like a star here and that is a great thing.

The IIconics are ready to beat up Ruby Riott again, but here’s Ruby to say the sound of their voices makes her neck twitch. They all leave and MVP is shown standing next to Cedric Alexander. MVP likes Cedric’s heart and doesn’t get why Cedric is happy being Ricochet’s sidekick. Cedric doesn’t want to hear it so MVP asks why Cedric doesn’t have a WWE Network special like Ricochet does. Lashley and MVP are in the Hurt Business, but Cedric is in the catering business, because that’s where he’s going to be staying from now on.

Ric Flair is praising Randy Orton when R-Truth runs in. He thinks Flair is Akira Tozawa in disguise but runs off when he hears the Ninjas coming. Tozawa freezes when he sees Orton, who sends him away from Truth for some reason. That’s interesting.

Ruby Riott vs. Billie Kay

Peyton Royce is here with Billie. Riott gets taken into the corner for some boot choking to start and it’s a suplex for two. The bow and arrow is broken up as Riott breaks the grip and headscissors Kay into the middle buckle. A Peyton distraction lets Kay hit a middle rope Eat Defeat though and something like a Rock Bottom into a sitout spinebuster (or maybe a reverse half nelson Bubba Bomb) finishes Riott at 2:40.

Bayley isn’t worried about Asuka but Banks accepts the Tag Team Title challenge for next week should Asuka somehow win.

Asuka vs. Bayley

Non-title with Sasha Banks and Kairi Sane at ringside and Nikki Cross on commentary. Security tells her to stay calm but she freaks out again after Bayley and Banks taunt her. Bayley runs the ropes to start and the threat of the Asuka Lock sends her straight to the floor. A knee to the face on the apron rocks Asuka, but Bayley knocks Cross’ headset off, sending her into insanity again. Cross is taken out and Asuka knees Bayley in the face (Sasha’s UH OH face is great) as we take a break.

Back with Bayley tripping her down and forearming at the spine to take over. A sliding lariat gives Bayley two and we hit the chinlock. Bayley sends her outside, where the four women get in a staredown. The distraction lets Asuka score with a kick for two, followed by a kick to the chest for the same. A Banks distraction slows Asuka down though and Bayley catapults her into the ropes twice in a row for two. Bayley sends her outside and onto the announcers’ table, allowing her to sit in on commentary for a bit. Bayley says this tastes so good and we take a break.

Back again with Bayley chinlocking away and then running her over for two. Asuka fights up with a backfist and an elbow to the face, followed by some knees for a bonus. The hip attack gives Asuka two more and one heck of a backfist puts Bayley on the apron. Back in and a middle rope dropkick gives Asuka two more but Bayley sends her outside. The running knee sends Asuka’s head into the barricade and a cheap shot takes Sane down as well.

The distraction lets Banks get in a cheap shot to set up a Saito suplex to give Bayley two. Bayley is frustrated but gets freaked out as Cross is now behind the Plexiglas. The distraction lets Asuka grab the Asuka Lock. Bayley can’t flip out of I so Banks comes in, only to get speared down by Sane. Asuka switches to a rollup for the pin at 23:25.

Rating: B. This was one of the few times where Bayley actually felt like she was standing toe to toe with one of the top stars of either women’s division. You don’t see her do that very often and it was nice to see for a change. I wasn’t sure who was going to win here and that’s a very nice feeling to have every now and then. Good match, with the interference and shenanigans tying into a few stories and keeping Bayley protected in the loss.

Overall Rating: C. They were doing the moving day stuff around here as things were set up both for Extreme Rules and next week’s show. That’s a good use of three hours and the show didn’t feel as long this week, but it still wasn’t all that great. The matches were nothing worth seeing outside of the main event and some of the stories didn’t quite click, but they had enough good stuff to make it passable. This whole period is hardly important on the way to Summerslam though, and you can feel that with a lot of what is going on.

Results

Drew McIntyre b. Heath Slater – Claymore

Kairi Sane b. Sasha Banks via DQ when Bayley interfered

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

Bobby Lashley/MVP b. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander – Spear to Alexander

Angel Garza/Andrade/Randy Orton b. Big Show/Viking Raiders – RKO to Erik

Billie Kay b. Ruby Riott – Rock Bottom sitout spinebuster

Asuka b. Bayley – Rollup

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 25, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

It’s back to the full schedule of both Raw and Smackdown this week, which may or may not be an improvement. The show has been featuring some slightly bigger names in recent weeks so the original wrestling has been a little easier to watch. Then again you never know what is going to happen around here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Ruby Riott

They start slowly with Belair catching Riott’s kick to the ribs. That means a snapmare into a standoff so Riott pulls her into a rollup. Belair grabs a cravate and hits a running clothesline into a hiptoss. Riott is right back with some rams into the buckle into a Downward Spiral. A front facelock has Belair in more trouble but she snaps off a suplex. Belair grabs a spinebuster and after shrugging off a knee to the ribs, finishes Riott with the KOD at 5:55.

Rating: C-. Belair has grown on me a lot in recent months and I’d love to see her get some more time on Raw. Why she can’t at least be involved with the Street Profits a little more than she has been in recent weeks is beyond me, but at least we’ve been getting the Viking Profits, whatever that’s worth.

From Smackdown.

There are wrestlers around the ring for Styles’ Intercontinental Title presentation. AJ is glad that everyone got their cheering right and he’s just here to say he told you so. Life’s rewards are for the people who go and claim the brass ring instead of waiting for a handout. He’s ready for the title presentation but Renee Young isn’t the right person to do it. Instead, AJ wants Daniel Bryan to do it himself.

Bryan gets in the ring and AJ says put it around his waist, but make sure not to do anything stupid. AJ says Bryan doesn’t have to do it if he’s a coward. Bryan finally puts the title on and says that last week, AJ was the better man. Bryan gets all fired up and says AJ is going to be a great champion. Imagine AJ vs. Gran Metalik or against Big E. (they both seem game), but AJ sees it a little different.

That’s fine with Bryan, who thinks Drew Gulak should get a shot because he beat AJ two weeks ago. AJ thinks Bryan is trying to get himself a title shot so he has to become #1 contender. The next person to challenge for the title is going to have to suffer the consequences. Cue the debuting Matt Riddle, much to AJ’s annoyance. AJ sees another human being looking for a handout. The fight is on with Riddle cleaning house so AJ says get a referee out here.

AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle

The wrestlers are still around the ring. Hold on though as AJ says no shoes, no shirt, no title shot. The bell rings and Riddle hits a German suplex into the rolling gutwrench suplexes for two. Riddle hammers away on the mat and kicks him in the head for two more. More shots have AJ in the corner so he snaps off a dropkick to get a breather.

Back up and Riddle kicks him down in the corner but this time AJ hits a running clothesline to the apron. Riddle gets knocked into King Corbin and gets in an argument as we take a break. Back with AJ in control but the YES Kicks just fire Riddle up. A right hand to the head puts him down though and a snap suplex gives Styles two. AJ takes him down again and a dragon screw legwhip sends Riddle into the corner.

Riddle’s comeback is cut off with a shot to the leg but a jumping knee to the face rocks AJ. A quick suplex drops AJ again and the Broton gets two. Riddle grabs a rear naked choke but has to let go when Styles bridges back for two more. The Calf Crusher goes on so Riddle goes to the ropes, meaning AJ heads outside to get in Bryan’s face. AJ yells at Bryan before loading up the Phenomenal Forearm, only to get caught in the Bro Derek to give Riddle the pin at 12:53.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to have a debut and the lack of a clean finish helped a bit. AJ has no one to blame but himself here and that makes for a good way to set up some potential matches in the future. You could go with Styles vs. Riddle or Bryan or maybe even all three (hopefully not), or perhaps Riddle vs. Bryan for the #1 contendership. It’s nice to have the options like that though and that’s what they did here.

Post match the lumberjacks get in the ring to celebrate with Riddle, who strikes his still awesome pose.

From Raw.

Here’s Drew McIntyre to open things up. He explains last week’s title defense….but here’s Dolph Ziggler to interrupt. Ziggler explains that he and Robert Roode have been traded to Raw in exchange for AJ Styles. We hear about McIntyre’s redemption story, with Ziggler bringing him up from nothing and now McIntyre is WWE Champion.

That sounds like a reason for Ziggler to get a title shot at Extreme Rules, but McIntyre doesn’t remember Ziggler winning many matches without Big Daddy Claymore there to help him out. Ziggler has become exactly what the two of them used to despise: an entitled jackass. It was Ziggler who named him the Scottish Psychopath so imagine what McIntyre will do with the title on the line. Ziggler wants the match, so it’s set for Extreme Rules for the title.

Cedric Alexander/Ricochet vs. Austin Theory/Murphy

Again, did these people come to the wrong show? Murphy works on Ricochet’s arm to start until the reversal lets Ricochet do the opposite. They flip up to a standoff and that means a double tag. Alexander snaps off a rollup into a basement dropkick as everything breaks down. Ricochet and Alexander snap off stereo headscissors to the floor and the teased dives take us to a break.

Back with Murphy hitting a DDT for two on Ricochet and kicking him in the back for the same. A front facelock is driven into the corner but Murphy sends him face first into the corner. Ricochet rolls out with a dropkick and a kick to the face is enough for the hot tag to Alexander. House is cleaned in a hurry, including a tornado DDT to Theory. Everything breaks down and Theory escapes the Lumbar Check. Murphy hits a running knee to finish Alexander at 10:44.

Rating: C. This is another good example of a match that could be on any given Raw but for some reason they’re stuck on Main Event. At least Austin and Murphy are able to get on the show for the sake of the Seth Rollins stuff. Ricochet and Alexander….I really don’t get it and I can’t imagine I’m alone in my confusion.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House. Bray has been gone for a long time so he has joined a book club, learned the new Tik Tok moves, learned how to raise the dead, learned how to knit, and taken over a reptile society. Ramblin Rabbit pops in to say Bray has just been sitting in the corner muttering about losing to Braun Strowman. After a clip, a distressed Bray thanks him for the reminder. It’s true that he lost, but in defeat, he learned that he went about this the wrong way.

We cut to the arena where Braun Strowman comes out (now with what sounds like a train at the start of his music), causing Bray to give him thumbs down. Bray wasn’t lying about raising the dead and he morphs into the Wyatt Family version, saying that in order to move forward, they have to take a step back to where it all began. Bray created him so now Braun needs to come see him. Follow the buzzards and run. The lantern is blown out to end the show. Does WWE really think that Strowman’s time with the Wyatt Family was that important? And they’re going to fight at the Wyatt Compound aren’t they?

From Raw.

Here are Rey Mysterio and Dominick for a chat. Rey talks about how scary it can be to not be able to get in touch with your child. That was the case last week when Rey didn’t know Dominick was coming here to go after Rollins. Mysterio isn’t happy with what Dominick did and no matter how big or strong he may be, he’s still Rey’s son. Last week, Dominick fought for him, so tonight, Rey is going to fight for him. He needs to get revenge on Rollins, but he needs to do it on his own.

Dominick isn’t going anywhere though, so Rollins can come fight a family. Cue Rollins to say Mysterio has put him in a difficult situation. Should he come to the ring to destroy a father in front of his son, or should he sacrifice Dominick in front of Rey? Actually never mind, because this is fate, prophecy and destiny, so he’ll take both of them at once. Austin Theory and Murphy join Rollins….but Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo jump them from behind.

The brawl is on with Theory and Murphy being taken down, leaving Rollins surrounded. Mysterio gets in a 619 and the good guys try to take out Rollins’ eye like he did to Mysterio, only to have Murphy and Theory make the save. Rollins goes for Dominick’s eye but Black and Carrillo make the save to end the show. Dominick still isn’t all that interesting but this was a hot brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It wasn’t a bad show or anything close to it but having people this talented on Main Event is rather mind boggling. Raw isn’t exactly overflowing with interesting stuff at the moment and for some reason we’re getting people like Ricochet and Murphy in action here. It’s not the most logical thing, but then again, nothing about Main Event ever has been.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 29, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

We’re in uncharted territory here with so many names possibly missing due to the Coronavirus outbreak. So far we have two contract signings for Extreme Rules planned, which certainly sounds like something that could manage to be as uninteresting as Raw can actually be. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Bayley and Sasha Banks brawling with Asuka in the ring as Samoa Joe is standing next to the contract table. Referees come out and break it up so Joe can do the introduction. The brawl is on again with Joe begging referees to get them apart. With the women separated, Joe introduces Dolph Ziggler as we’re doing both signings at the same time. Ziggler handles Drew McIntyre’s introduction and we’re finally settled down and ready to go. We’ll start with the men, with Ziggler talking about ending McIntyre’s nineteen year journey as McIntyre looks rather serious. Both of them sign with Drew saying it’s official.

McIntyre calls those serious words from Ziggler and talks about how they used to be family. As family, McIntyre is going to let him pick the stipulation for the title match. Asuka cuts him off by shouting in Japanese and signs her own contract. Banks promises to become Two Belts Banks and stamps her own signature on the contract. The brawl is on with Ziggler trying a superkick but McIntyre pulls it out of the air. The threat of a Claymore sends Ziggler bailing, along with Bayley and Sasha. Book the mixed tag for later.

We look at Angel Garza and Andrade jumping the Street Profits after last week’s Tag Team Title match.

Garza is talking to Jessika Carr when Charly Caruso comes up and doesn’t seem pleased. Zelina Vega makes fun of her and promises that the team is getting some gold. Big Show comes in and says he’s going to the ring next to deal with Randy Orton.

Here’s Big Show in the ring to call out Orton. Instead he gets Andrade, Garza and Vega, who Show calls Smurfette. Show says he isn’t in the mood for this tonight so don’t try him. Garza laughs off the idea that Show is a legend so Show says he has boots older than him. More talking ensues but Show cuts him off and says come fight if he wants to. Vega says Show’s days on Raw are numbered and he can say hi to Edge and Christian in the retirement home.

Cue Ric Flair to say he respects Vega but needs to have a word with his old friend. Flair has been hanging out with Orton while Big Show is making cartoons on Netflix. That’s cool because everyone wants that spot in Hollywood and Show will be in the Hall of Fame, but don’t try Orton. For now though, Garza and Andrade can deal with Show. Cue the Viking Raiders though and the brawl is on to take us to a break.

Viking Raiders vs. Angel Garza/Andrade

Joined in progress with Zelina on commentary and Erik throwing Garza down. Ivar drives Garza into the corner for two and we hit the armbar. Erik slams Ivar onto Garza for two but Andrade uses a distraction to come in with a superkick. It’s Erik in trouble with Garza hitting a hard kick to the head for one as Vega explains the power of fiery Latinos. Erik punches Garza into the corner but Andrade comes in to kick Erick in the face. Andrade stops to yell at Garza….and walks out. Vega tries to calk things down and we take a break.

Back with Andrade on the apron as Garza unloads on Erik in the corner. Erik fights up and runs Andrade over though and the hot tag brings in Ivar to clean house. The handspring elbow is cut off with a dropkick to the back and everything breaks down. The powerbomb/release World’s Strongest Slam combination plants Andrade and Garza but Garza and Ivar fight to the floor. Andrade hits the running knees in the corner on Erik and the Wing Clipper gives Garza the pin at 11:36.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and it’s nice to see some fresh challengers being set up for the Street Profits. They have done the Vikings vs. Profits for so long now that it’s time for someone else. The problem is that there are only so many teams to be able to do anything at the moment. Andrade and Garza are as good as we can get at the moment.

We look back at Natalya beating Liv Morgan last week, followed by Ruby Riott trying to make up with Morgan later on.

The IIconics come up to make fun of Riott, who mentions them losing their Tag Team Title match. A challenge is made for later.

Flair wants to talk to Andrade, Garza and Vega.

24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa vs. R-Truth

Tozawa, with Ninjas, is defending and grabs a quick rollup for two. Hold on though as Tozawa needs to poke finger guns at Truth, who avoids a charge with ease. Back up and Truth leapfrogs him but hurts his knee, only to catch Tozawa in a rollup for the pin and the title at 1:07.

Post match another Ninja rolls Truth up for two, allowing Truth to run off with the title.

We look at Bobby Lashley taking Apollo Crews down with the full nelson last week.

Lashley doesn’t think much of MVP going after Crews, but MVP calms him down by saying Crews’ offer to join us is gone. Now the kid needs to learn something before we get to the complete destruction. The two of them walk past Murphy and Seth Rollins (no Theory) with Rollins holding a Rey Mysterio mask. He needs to deliver his most important message now.

Here are Rollins and Murphy for the message. We see a recap of the issues with Rollins vs. Mysterio/Dominick, including Humberto Carrillo and Aleister Black nearly taking out Rollins’ eye last week. Back in the arena, Rollins talks about the duty that Mysterio has to his son. The problem is that Rey hasn’t been, ahem, seeing things clearly. Rollins talks about how he gave Rey a chance to get out with honor but Mysterio refuses to leave. They are bound by fate and as fate would have it, Mysterio is meant to be a sacrifice for the greater good of Raw.

Rollins is going to tear him down piece by piece, but here are Mysterio and Dominick on the screen. Rey says that there will be no forgiveness for Rollins no matter what. Mysterio loves Dominick, but now he has to do something even worse to Rollins. It’s an eye for an eye and it won’t be fate, because it’s going to be by design. Dominick can forgive Rey, but he’ll never forgive Rey, which will be ordained by fate. Rollins: “Oh bravo.” Cue Carrillo and Black and it seems that we have another match being booked on the fly.

Post break, Rollins and Murphy are still on the floor to yell at Carrillo and Black. Carrillo says Rollins will never be the man Mysterio is. Black knows evil when he sees it and promises to make Rollins atone for it. Rollins says this ends now and we’re ready to go.

Humberto Carrillo/Aleister Black vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Black kicks away at Murphy to start and scares Rollins off the apron. The distraction lets Murphy kick Black to the floor and Rollins stomps away next to the barricade. Back in and Rollins whips Black hard into the corner, setting up Murphy’s reverse chinlock. Black fights up with a shot to the head and it’s a hot tag to Carrillo, who has to chase Rollins to the floor. That lets Murphy get in a cheap shot but Carrillo enziguris him without much trouble.

A middle rope crossbody connects and Rollins comes back in, only to be sent outside. Another enziguri sets up the missile dropkick to Murphy and Rollins has to save Murphy from the 619. Carrillo hits the big springboard dive to the floor and we take a break. Back with Carrillo getting in a shot to Rollins for a breather. The diving tag brings in Black to beat up Murphy and moonsault onto both of them. Murphy counters Black Mass into a rollup so Black knees him in the face.

Carrillo comes back in for a 619 to Murphy for two with Rollins diving in for the save. Rollins dives onto Black and Murphy hits a running knee for two on Carrillo with Black making a save of his own. The Cheeky Nandos kick hits Carrillo and it’s a powerbomb/jumping knee to the face combination….for two. If you’re going to debut a big spot like that, don’t have it be for a near fall. Black and Murphy head to the floor, leaving Rollins to Stomp Carrillo for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match and it’s nice to see Rollins win something for a change. That’s been part of the problem with this rather lacking story: Rollins hasn’t really done anything other than taking out Mysterio. He loses most of his big matches and the promos feel like something that has been done in every indy promotion in the world at one time or another. It’s not horrible, but I can’t find any interest in the whole thing.

Post match the brawl stays on with Carrillo taking the steps to the face, with Rollins putting Mysterio’s mask on him. Black has to save Carrillo’s eye from the steps so Rollins gives Carrillo the Stomp onto the steps instead.

Asuka and Drew McIntyre are ready for their mixed tag tonight. McIntyre dubs her the Empress of Claymore Country and Asuka says Ziggler isn’t ready for Drew.

We look at the tribute to Undertaker from Smackdown, including the legends talking about how great he is. A highlight video is included.

Lana tries to recruit Ruby Riott, who tells her to go ruin another promising career. Lana talks about how great Natalya is and says that’s the kind of leader the women’s division needs. Ruby doesn’t seem convinced.

Peyton Royce vs. Ruby Riott

Billie Kay is here with Peyton and a quick distraction lets Peyton take Riott down by the arm to start. Another Billie distraction sets up the hammerlock on Riott, but she’s back up with some forearms. An STO gets two on Peyton but the third distraction lets Royce grab a rollup for two. Riott gets her own rollup but walks into a fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: D+. There isn’t much you can get out of this but the IIconics are a rather solid midcard act. I’m not sure why Riott needs to lose so much, but if there is one thing WWE likes to do, it is have people lose a lot and then expect us to care about them. If they can do it with Riott and Morgan at the same time, that’s even better.

Big Show talks about growing up in South Carolina where Ric Flair was the most important man in the world. Now Flair is mentoring Randy Orton, so Orton has to be the most dangerous man in wrestling. Show is ready to take care of Andrade and Garza tonight.

We look back at the opening segment.

Big Show vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Andrade and Garza bail to the floor and agree to get back inside together. It’s Andrade who stays on the floor, leaving Garza to chop the heck out of Garza. That’s enough to send Garza outside, where Andrade tells him to get back in there. Garza tags Andrade in so he can fail at a waistlock attempt on Show. A slam puts Andrade down and Show steps on his ribs.

It’s back to Garza, who gets chopped in the corner again before kicking away at the knee. The low superkick doesn’t quite keep Show down so Garza stomps away even more. Andrade comes in and argues with Garza, who decides to walk out this time. Vega can’t keep the peace and it’s a chokeslam to finish Andrade at 5:35.

Rating: D+. This was pretty much every Big Show handicap match you would care to see as he threw the two of them around, they got in a little something, and then he hit a chokeslam for the win. I know Show is an old, dependable star, but he isn’t exactly doing anything new when he’s out there, and it can get a little repetitive at times. Like it was here for example.

Post match gives Andrade the KO Punch.

R-Truth has escaped the Ninjas and runs into Cedric Alexander, Apollo Crews and Ricochet. Truth thinks Alexander may be a Ninja, but his favorite superhero, Richard O Shea will take care of things. For now though, Truth has an idea.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley for MVP’s match, but first MVP talks about how no one can be him. However, he’s a legend and wants to give back. That’s what he was trying to do with Crews, who just disrespected him. That isn’t going to stand, but here’s Crews to interrupt. Crews doesn’t want to hear about disrespect because MVP wouldn’t listen to Crews say no in the first place. Ring the bell.

MVP vs. Apollo Crews

Non-title with Crews starting fast by snapping off a hurricanrana. MVP is sent to the floor for the big flip dive onto Lashley, allowing MVP to send Crews into the steps. Back from a break with MVP hitting a big boot and putting on a dragon sleeper. There’s a knee drop for two but Crews fights up and hits a Stinger Splash in the corner. A spinebuster gets two on MVP but Lashley offers a distraction so MVP can crotch Crews on top. MVP hits a running big boot and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C-. MVP has shown to be very valuable as a talker for Lashley though I’m not entirely sold on him as a wrestler at this point. It’s ok to have him win over Crews thanks to the interference, and it’s not like this is setting up anything more than Lashley getting a title shot at Extreme Rules anyway.

Post match Lashley puts on the full nelson until Ricochet and Cedric Alexander come in for the save.

Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley

Joined in progress again as we now have four out of seven matches being made during the show. Lashley throws him around to start and drops Ricochet with a release suplex. Ricochet tries to fight up but gets caught in the spinning Big Ending for two. Lashley throws him outside and then tosses him around even more, followed by a ram into the post. The count is broken up at nine even though Ricochet is mostly dead. Lashley sets for the spear but Ricochet collapses.

Ricochet slips out of the full nelson and sends Lashley to the floor. Lashley gets him in a fireman’s carry, only to have Ricochet slip out and post him. MVP sends Lashley back inside where Ricochet hits a Lionsault for two. Cedric Alexander takes out MVP and Ricochet hits some kicks to the head. A big kick is countered into a powerbomb though and the full nelson finishes Ricochet at 6:35.

Rating: C. This started off as a squash and turned into a nice David vs. Goliath match by the end. Lashley wasn’t going to lose to anyone here, let alone Ricochet, so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. At least they got Ricochet and Alexander on the card though and that’s a good thing after so many weeks away.

Post match, Lashley full nelsons Alexander as well.

Bayley and Sasha Banks tell Ziggler not to screw this up for them.

We look at the contract signings again.

Drew McIntyre/Asuka vs. Sasha Banks/Dolph Ziggler

Bayley sits in on commentary as the guys start. McIntyre powers him around early on and chops away in the corner as Asuka is very pleased. A quick Fameasser doesn’t even give Ziggler one and it’s off to the women (Bayley: “MAIN EVENT TIME!”). Asuka shoves her around to start but Sasha avoids a charge. That means the threat of the Asuka Lock but the guys come in, allowing Banks to slip out. A spinning elbow to the face drops Banks to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Ziggler rolling him up for two and hitting the delayed DDT. For some reason Ziggler tags Banks in and Asuka gets to come in as McIntyre is still banged up. Asuka hits a running knee to the face for two on Banks but Bayley offers a distraction. That lets Banks hit a Meteora off the apron (though she seemed to overshoot it) to knock Asuka silly. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Banks hits the double knees in the corner for two more.

Asuka gets in some knees of her own and it’s a double tag to bring the men back in. McIntyre hits the top rope shot to Ziggler’s head but Banks tags herself in. Banks yells at McIntyre, who punches Ziggler off the apron as the yelling ensues. Asuka comes in to kick Banks in the head for two but Banks reverses into a rollup for two. The Bank Statement is countered into the Asuka Lock but Banks flips back onto her for the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C. Just a main event tag match here and they did a good job of making Sasha feel like more of a threat. It’s better to go there than having McIntyre take a fall as they’ve done a great job of making him seem like the most important person on the show. This was one where you could probably guess how the match was going to go and that’s not a bad thing.

Overall Rating: C-. This show started fast and then just died starting with the Rollins segment. It wasn’t the worst show but it went from a hot show to a show focusing on people like Big Show, Andrade, Garza and Ziggler. There was a lot of stuff on here that really didn’t work, and with more than half of the matches being made throughout the night, it felt like they were scrambling to fill three hours. I can get the issues they were dealing with here, but this felt every second of the three hours and that’s not a good thing.

Results

Andrade/Angel Garza b. Viking Raiders – Wing Clipper to Garza

R-Truth b. Akira Tozawa – Rollup

Seth Rollins/Murphy b. Aleister Black/Humberto Carrillo – Stomp to Carrillo

Peyton Royce b. Ruby Riott – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Big Show b. Andrade/Angel Garza – Chokeslam to Andrade

MVP b. Apollo Crews – Fisherman’s suplex

Bobby Lashley b. Ricochet – Full nelson

Sasha Banks/Dolph Ziggler b. Asuka/Drew McIntyre – Rollup to Asuka

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 4, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

Time for that sweet lower midcard action with the highlights thrown in for a bonus. Actually it’s probably the other way around but what else am I supposed to talk about here? We’re almost up to Backlash so the hype videos will be strong around here, even if the show isn’t that big in the first place. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ricochet vs. Shane Thorne

Ricochet has changed things up a bit: he has a backwards hat now. Ricochet takes him down by the leg to start and they grapple for leg control for a bit. Neither can get a chinlock/choke so Ricochet goes for a wristlock instead. That’s reversed into a headlock takeover but Ricochet sends him to the apron. Ricochet gets his arm slammed onto the apron to put him in real trouble for a change.

The armbar goes on and MVP is rather pleased with what he’s seeing. A belly to back suplex onto the arm gets two but Thorne misses the Cannonball (the most overly used move these days). Ricochet is back with a spinwheel kick and the springboard spinning crossbody. A running shooting star press hits Thorne’s raised knees but it’s the Kickback to give Ricochet the pin at 6:05.

Rating: C-. Just a run of the mill Main Event match here, though Thorne was looking more polished than usual. Ricochet is one of the sadder cases in WWE today though as he is the kind of guy who could be pushed in a big way but it just never took off. He’s one of the long list of names who should have gone somewhere and they seemingly stopped caring. It’s annoying, but you know it’s happening around here.

We look back at the Jeff Hardy/Elias hit and run.

Quick look at the battle royal to get Sheamus back in the Intercontinental Title tournament.

From Smackdown.

Intercontinental Title Tournament Semifinals: Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

Sheamus kicks him down to start and grabs a chinlock, only to have Bryan fight back with the kicks in the corner. The suicide dive to the floor connects and we take a break. Back with Bryan working on the arm but Sheamus elbows him down. The top rope clothesline gives Sheamus two and he says he created the YES Movement when he beat Bryan at Wrestlemania.

Bryan fights back but gets Irish Cursed into the Cloverleaf. That’s broken up so Sheamus takes him up top for a superplex. Bryan blocks that as well and hits the missile dropkick but the YES Lock is countered into White Noise for two. Sheamus runs him over again and loads up the Brogue Kick….and here’s Jeff Hardy. The distraction lets Bryan hit the running knee for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B-. Odd ending aside, they beat each other up well enough and played off some of their history. Bryan knows exactly what he’s doing int here against a big guy and Sheamus is better than your average monster lug. I’m curious about the Hardy ending, but at least they didn’t wait long to seemingly move past the drunk/high thing.

From Raw.

Charlotte vs. Asuka

Non-title. Before the match, Charlotte talks about how she wants one of the NXT wrestlers in the crowd to step up and become her next challenger so she can make them bow down. We hear about Asuka’s resume and Charlotte thinks the Empress wants to be the Queen. The threat of the Asuka Lock is broken up early on and Charlotte strikes away. A shot to Asuka’s knee sends us to an early break.

Back with Charlotte staying on the knee, including a kick to said knee to cut off Asuka’s striking. Charlotte charges into a kick to the head though and a German suplex into a Shining Wizard gets two. Joe: “A flying knee each day keeps the coherency away.” Asuka pulls her into the triangle choke, which is reversed into a Boston crab.

Asuka rolls out and grabs a kneebar but Charlotte stands up and grabs her own German suplex. That just means another triangle from Asuka, with Charlotte powerbombing her way to freedom for two more. Charlotte kicks her to the floor….so here’s Nia Jax in Asuka’s mask to Asuka’s music for a distraction and the countout to give Charlotte the win at 9:47.

Rating: B-. I never need to see Charlotte again and I certainly don’t need to see her beat Asuka again. The love for Charlotte around here is sickening at times and this time we even got Nia Jax mocking thrown in to keep up the greatest hits. They were having a good match and I’ll take the countout over a clean fall any day. Just give me a break from Nia and Charlotte. Please.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Cedric Alexander

They lock up to start and Benjamin has to dodge a kick to the face. A dropkick connects though and Cedric grabs the armbar. Shelton breaks up the springboard though and we take a break. Back with Shelton hitting a big backdrop for two and grabbing the chinlock. That doesn’t last long and Shelton is back up with a tornado DDT.

Shelton hits a heck of a shot to the face for two but Paydirt is countered into a rollup for the same. They’re starting to pick up the pace here and it’s getting rather entertaining in a hurry. The Neuralizer gives Cedric two more and the Michinoku Driver is enough to finish Benjamin at 11:02.

Rating: C+. They were getting somewhere here as Cedric gets to show off what he can do in the ring while Shelton can still go with a lot of very talented people. Cedric is just a step behind Ricochet as someone who could have been something (not a top star, but a player in the midcard at least). Not a classic or anything close to one, but for a Main Event main event, this was some pretty high level stuff.

From Raw.

MVP vs. Drew McIntyre

Non-title and here is Bobby Lashley to watch. Hold on though as here’s Lana to stand next to a confused Lashley. McIntyre hammers him down in the corner to start and adds a clothesline, followed by the Glasgow Kiss to the floor. Lashley offers a distraction though and MVP sends McIntyre into various things. Back in and a running big boot gives MVP one but McIntyre shrugs it off and hits the top rope shot to the head. Lashley pulls MVP outside so McIntyre dives onto both of them. The Claymore finishes MVP at 2:56.

Post match Lashley grabs the full nelson on McIntyre to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. By comparison, this was a pretty decent show with a focus on the better stories and a rather snappy Shelton vs. Cedric match. It’s still not a show that you need to watch in any way shape or form, but at least they had a slightly better effort than most weeks. Given how unimportant this show is, that’s as much as you can ask.

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

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

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

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