Monday Night Raw
Date: February 28, 2022
Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Jimmy Smith Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We are just over a month away from Wrestlemania and it would be nice to have the show actually get some more matches announced. There are only a handful of things set for the card and WWE is running out of shows to build them up. Maybe they can put some of them together tonight, as they kind of need to. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence. Since when does this show have an opening sequence?

Here is Kevin Owens, in a sideways cowboy hat, to open with the Kevin Owens Show. He brings out his best friend and his tag team partner, Seth Rollins, to talk about how they’re going to win the Raw Tag Team Titles next week. Owens talks about how he can’t stand Texas but they have to find a way to get to Wrestlemania. Therefore they are going to win the titles next week and defend them at Wrestlemania, which will take place in that stupid Texas.

Owens stomps on the hat but for now, we need to bring out this week’s guests: the Raw Tag Team Champions, Alpha Academy. After assuring them that Otis’ chair is reinforced, Owens and Rollins promise to take the titles next week. Gable brags about his education and, after complaining about how they only have a 33.3% change of retaining the titles, starts shooshing both of them (just like their new SHOOOSH shirts suggest). This sets up a SHOOSH off between Gable and Owens until a Stunner leaves Gable laying and we take a break.

Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens vs. Alpha Academy

Non-title with Gable still down and we’re joined in progress with Otis elbowing Owens in the face. Gable gets on the apron as Rollins comes in to take Otis into the corner, only to be sent to the apron. A Gable distraction lets Otis knock Rollins off the apron and some whip send Rollins into the barricade.

Back in and Otis hits a suplex to drop Rollins but a missed shot allows the tag back to Owens. Everything breaks down and Owens hits a splash off the apron on Rollins, only to get run over by Otis as we take a break. We come back with Gable working on Owens’ knee before rolling some German suplexes. An enziguri rocks Gable though and it’s Rollins coming back in to pick up the pace.

A Sling Blade hits Gable and a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle makes it worse. There’s the Falcon Arrow for two more and Rollins nods after the kickout. It’s back to Owens for the fisherman’s buster onto the knee but Otis breaks it up. Otis’ Vader Bomb sets up a moonsault from Gable with Rollins making the save. Rollins dives onto Otis to take him out and dives back in for a pop up Buckle Bomb. A Stunner sets up a Stomp to give Rollins the pin on Gable at 12:41.

Rating: C+. This picked way up near the end and is a great way to give Owens and Rollins some momentum going into next week’s title match. I’m not sure I can imagine the titles changing hands as Owens would seem to have bigger plans so they can get the title match out of the way and move on. For now though, this was a good way to set things up, as I’m having trouble getting annoyed at champions losing anymore.

Video on Omos.

Omos says he has dominated everyone since he debuted last year at Wrestlemania and he’ll do it again here.

Omos vs. T-Bar

Omos jumps him before the bell and knocks him off the apron for a crash. T-Bar is mostly out of it so Omos throws him into the corner, where T-Bar says he can go. Omos misses a charge into the corner but is fine enough to knock T-bar sillier with a clothesline. The chokebomb finishes T-Bar at 42 seconds.

We look back at Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair yelling at each other last week, setting up Belair beating Doudrop.

Nikki Ash and Doudrop are ready to be the hero/villain in their six woman tag this week. Becky Lynch comes in to say she’s ready to win, like she did over Belair at Summerslam in 26 seconds.

Rhea Ripley/Liv Morgan/Bianca Belair have an unnatural conversation in the back about strategy for their six woman tag.

Bianca Belair/Liv Morgan/Rhea Ripley vs. Doudrop/Becky Lynch/Nikki Ash

Becky and Liv start but since Belair comes in, Becky hands it off to Nikki. That means it’s back to Liv, who actually locks up with Nikki and takes her down with a running hurricanrana. Everything breaks down early and the villains are sent to the floor as we take a break. Back with Becky rolling Belair up for two and sending her to the apron for a springboard kick to the face.

Becky uses the hair to pull Belair into the post and then ties it around the top rope. With that untied, Doudrop comes in to drop an elbow but Nikki misses a shot, allowing the hot tag back to Rhea. Becky gets faceplanted for two with Doudrop hitting a splash for the save. Everything breaks down and Nikki drags the crushed Becky back to the corner for the tag. Belair comes in as well as everything breaks down, with Liv hitting a dive to the floor.

Nikki high crossbodies Rhea but Belair is back in with a spinebuster. Becky grabs the braid to break that up but Belair WHIPS THE FIRE OUT OF HER with the braid, complete with some crazy cracking sounds (which are probably sound effects but dang those whips looked painful). Becky runs off while holding her ribs, leaving Belair to KOD Nikki for the pin at 12:11.

Rating: C+. This was a bit better than I expected and that is where things get more interesting. The interviews before the match were horrible and made me wonder how in the world they could screw these people up. No one talks like that and it made me want to turn off the show. Then you get to the match, where the women get to showcase their talent and the match is that much better. It’s amazing to see just how much of a gap there is between the in and out of the ring portions because the talent is absolutely there.

We look at Robert Roode costing Tommaso Ciampa the #1 contendership to the NXT Title.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Robert Roode

Dolph Ziggler is here with Roode. Ciampa’s No One Will Survive theme has been replaced with a generic rock song, which shouldn’t be that surprising. Ciampa starts fast but misses a running knee to Roode, who counters the Fairy Tale Ending and rolls him up for two. Another running knee connects to knock Ziggler off the apron and a rollup finishes Roode at 2:40.

Post match Roode and Ziggler beat Ciampa down, with Ziggler promising to take out Ciampa and Bron Breakker tomorrow on NXT.

We look at Dana Brooke losing and regaining the 24/7 Title.

Dana Brooke/Reggie vs. Akira Tozawa/Tamina

The women start with Tamina being sent into the corner for the handspring elbow. Reggie comes in to roll Tozawa up for two and a dropkick gets the same with Tamina making the save. Everything breaks down and Reggie’s running flipping seated senton finishes Tozawa at 1:44.

Post match Brooke kisses Reggie to the mat and Reggie seems pleased. Tozawa puckers up for Tamina, who kisses him as well. Tozawa looks like he is in a trance.

The Street Profits are ready to take out RKBro tonight. They throw in some mocking of the rest of the tag division for a bonus.

Mysterios vs. Hurt Business

Before the match, the Mysterios promise to take out Miz and Logan Paul at Wrestlemania but tonight they’re focused on the Hurt Business. Cue the Miz to list off his WWE accomplishments before bragging about how great Logan Paul really is. They’re big global stars and they are AWESOME, certainly better than the Mysterios.

We take a break and come back joined in progress with Benjamin sending Rey tot he apron for a Downward Spiral from Alexander. Back in and Rey fights out of the corner before hurricanranaing Alexander into the same corner. The diving tag brings in Dominik, who comes in off the top with a high crossbody to Shelton. A suplex drops Dominik but he’s back with a tornado DDT, bringing Alexander back in for the save. Dominik sends Shelton outside but his suicide dive is countered. That earns Benjamin a posting but Miz pops up to grab Dominik. Rey chases Miz off, leaving Dominik to get rolled up for the pin at 4:30.

Rating: C-. They have got to find something new for Dominik because this stuff is just so dull. He is completely fine in the ring but he is about as interesting as watching a sidewalk dry. Miz’s interference was a fine way to go, but come up with something better for Dominik, which means getting him out of this team as soon as possible.

Riddle is coloring to stay focused when Randy Orton comes in to say they’re going to go win tonight. Then next week, they’re getting their Tag Team Titles back.

Carmella and Queen Zelina are in the back, with Carmella saying she and Corey Graves are going to put on a show after she and Zelina retain the Women’s Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania.

RKBro vs. Street Profits

Riddle pulls Ford into an early triangle choke, which is enough to set up the Orton circle stomp, much to the fans’ approval. Dawkins comes in and is sent outside for a springboard Floating Bro from Riddle, who is taken down by Ford’s big flip dive as we take a break. Back with Riddle fighting out of trouble and bringing Orton back in for the hanging DDT to Ford.

Everything breaks down and Dawkins knocks Riddle to the floor, leaving Orton to have the RKO blocked. Ford enziguris Orton and hits the frog splash…..for the pin at 6:40, as Orton seemed like he couldn’t get the foot on the ropes. That really didn’t seem to be the planned finish, which was either Orton being out of position or hurt, as the referee and Riddle immediately checked on him and then talked to the Profits.

Rating: C. That ending did not look good as the splash looked to mess Orton up badly. I can’t imagine that was the planned finish as RKBro has a title match coming up next week and then gets beaten here in what should have been a tuneup. Hopefully Orton is ok, because he looked very out of it after the match.

Veer Mahaan is still coming.

Smackdown Breakdown.

Austin Theory is in Vince McMahon’s office and talks about Vince’s appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. Theory lists off McAfee’s accomplishments, which don’t seem to impress Vince. It will be Vince’s first sitdown interview in twenty years, but Theory thinks McAfee might jump him. Vince says it’s not that kind of a show and leaves. Theory picks up Vince’s pencil and says it could be.

US Title: Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Balor is challenging and we have had two breaks, the Smackdown Breakdown and the Vince/Theory segment since his entrance. Priest elbows Balor in the face to start and grabs a reverse chinlock. We hit the chinlock to keep Balor down for a bit, only to have him fight up and send Priest outside. The big flip dive drops Priest and we take a break.

Back with Balor scoring with the Pele to put Priest on his knee, setting up the double stomp. The shotgun dropkick sets up a missed Coup de Grace, allowing Priest to clothesline him down. Priest’s spinning kick to the head sets up the South of Heaven chokeslam for two. The Reckoning is loaded up but Balor slips out and this another shotgun dropkick. Now the Coup de Grace can connect for the pin and the title at 10:36.

Rating: C+. I can live with this one as Balor has needed something to do for a long time now. At the same time, Priest has gotten a good bit out of the title, though he has sputtered a bit in recent months. It was time for the change, though I’m almost scared to see what is next for Priest now that he has lost the title.

Post match Priest says the people carried Balor to winning the US Title. They never gave him that reaction during his title reign, so Priest is going to win that title back and all that motivation isn’t going to mean a thing. Priest clothesline him down and hits a Razor’s Edge onto (not through) the announcers’ table. There’s your heel turn, on a roster with a lot of heels.

We look back at Edge’s Wrestlemania challenge.

Here is Edge to get an answer to his challenge. Edge wants someone to come out and accept so here is….AJ Styles, much to Edge’s delight. Styles gets in the ring and says he accepts, with Edge talking about how both of them have wanted this match for a long time. Edge wants the bulldog AJ and not the one who has been Omos’ tag team b**** for the last few years.

Styles doesn’t like that and the fight is on, with the Phenomenal Forearm missing. Instead Edge kicks him low and gives that heel face of his. Edge hammers away and goes to leave but stops and comes back. The Conchairto crushes AJ’s head and Edge looks like he’s about to cry…before hitting another one to end the show. Yeah the Conchairto is a cliché, but this feels like a Wrestlemania match and that is a nice thing to see.

Overall Rating: C. The last hour saved this show as stuff actually happened for a change. As tends to be the case, the biggest problem around here is the long stretch where very little interesting happens and it feels like WWE is throwing stuff out there to fill in parts of the three hours.

There is some interesting/quality stuff here, such as the title change and Edge’s heel turn, but there is such a dry spell in the middle that the good parts (also including the opener and the six woman tag) are drowned out so badly. The last forty five or so minutes were a boost and I’m almost scared to think about how bad it would be without them. Oh and we are now back to the “how does X have a path to Wrestlemania” stuff, which is just as stupid now as it has been every other single time.

Results
Kevin Owens/Seth Rollins b. Alpha Academy – Stomp to Gable
Omos b. T-Bar – Chokebomb
Bianca Belair/Liv Morgan/Rhea Ripley b. Nikki Ash/Becky Lynch/Doudrop – KOD to Ash
Tommaso Ciampa b. Robert Roode – Rollup
Dana Brooke/Reggie b. Tamina/Akira Tozawa – Running flipping seated senton to Tozawa
Hurt Business b. Mysterios – Rollup to Dominik
Street Profits b. RKBro – Frog splash to Orton
Finn Balor b. Damian Priest – Coup de Grace

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 21, 2022
Location: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

With Elimination Chamber out of the way, it is time to start making the final preparations for Wrestlemania. We now even know the main event (or one of them at least) as new WWE Champion Brock Lesnar will face Universal Champion Roman Reigns, winner take all. They might want to work on finding anything else that matters somewhere in there. Let’s get to it.

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

Long Elimination Chamber recap.

Here is the new WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to get things going and the fans seem rather happy to see him. After thanking the fans, Lesnar is cut off by Paul Heyman, whose signature line is cut off almost immediately. Heyman manages to say that he represents the one true champion around here and says Lesnar might not get to Wrestlemania as champion.

Lesnar still has to defend the title at Madison Square Garden on March 5 against Bobby Lashley, but if Lashley can’t make it, Heyman will find a better opponent. Lesnar says he’s doing just fine without Heyman and says he’ll be on Smackdown, complete with a Heyman impression.

Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens are ready to beat RKBro tonight and be added to the Tag Team Title match. Then they can defend the titles at Wrestlemania, maybe even against the Usos in a champion vs. champion match. Either way, Owens doesn’t want to have to be in that horrible city of Dallas.

Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy

Non-title. Dawkins takes Gable down to start and it’s off to Ford for a good dropkick. Otis comes in to run Ford over with the straight power. Everything breaks down though and the Academy is sent outside. Ford gets pulled out with them, but it’s Dawkins hitting the big flip dive onto the pile as we take a break.

Back with Ford fighting out of Otis’ neck crank but getting cut off again with a clothesline. Gable comes back in and counters a sunset flip attempt with a northern lights suplex. An armbar doesn’t last long though as Ford fights up and brings in Dawkins to clean house. Everything breaks down and Dawkins is taken outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Otis comes in off a blind tag so Ford tries a slam, with Otis falling on top of him. Gable holds down Ford’s foot and Otis gets the pin at 9:07.

Rating: C+. The Profits continue to be one of the most entertaining teams to watch while the Academy are nailing this formula very well. Gable is the loudmouth who has a monster in his back pocket but can still do things on his own, while Otis is the monster who crushes everyone. It’s an effective combination and they had a good match here against worthy opponents.

NXT’s Tommaso Ciampa says he’s ready to face Dolph Ziggler any night of the week, including Mondays. He even has the perfect partner to team with against Ziggler and Robert Roode. Cue Finn Balor, who knows he is on Raw now but will never forget where he came from.

Finn Balor/Tommaso Ciampa vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler

Ciampa only gets half of an entrance as we come back from a break. Roode starts with Ciampa and gets dropkicked down, setting up Ciampa’s headlock. That’s broken up and Ziggler is brought in, with commentary saying that this is Ciampa’s Raw debut (it isn’t) and Smith saying he remembers Ciampa facing Walter (which Graves quickly corrects to Gunther) in NXT. Everything breaks down and Balor dives outside onto the other two as we take a break.

Back with Ciampa and Ziggler slugging it out until Roode slips in for a cheap shot. Ziggler slaps on a front facelock but Ciampa fights out of that as well. The hot tag brings in Balor to clean house as everything breaks down. Ziggler and Ciampa are sent outside, leaving Roode to plant Balor for two. The Sling Blade drops Roode though and it’s off to Ciampa for the knee to the face. The Fairy Tale Ending is countered but Ciampa is right back with a rollup to put Roode away at 9:16.

Rating: C. It’s still strange to see Ciampa on Raw but he is a talented veteran who can make anything work anywhere. This helped set up his showdown with Ziggler, which is likely a way to set up Ziggler for the Wrestlemania weekend NXT Title shot. Balor being back is a good sign as well, and now maybe he can do something better going forward.

Wrestlemania rundown.

It’s time for MizTV, with Miz complaining about Rey Mysterio. Rey uses everything he can to get the upper hand, including using his son Dominik to beat him at Elimination Chamber. That’s because the people need Rey and will forgive everything he does. Miz knows better than to trust the people, so he has his own partner. He is someone from a fighting family and he is dashing.

Before we get to meet him though, here are the Mysterios to interrupt. Rey says he knows everyone here hates Miz’s guts so it doesn’t matter who Miz has found. Bring them out there so they can get rid of him and give the Wrestlemania spot to someone who deserves it. Miz asks if Dominik deserves a WWE contract or did his dad just get him one?

Dominik says his dad brought him into wrestling and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep him here. Threats are made but Miz mocks the idea. A tag match is proposed for Wrestlemania, with Miz bringing out Logan Paul as his partner. Paul says he has pool toys bigger than Rey and Dominik accepts the Wrestlemania challenge. The fight is on with the Mysterios getting taken down and then sent into the posts.

The Alpha Academy isn’t worried about RKBro or Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens.

Rhea Ripley vs. Nikki Ash

Yes, it continues. Nikki talks a lot of trash to start, with Rhea eventually snapping and tossing her into the corner. A delayed vertical suplex drops Nikki again so she heads outside to rant to commentary. This time Rhea sends her face first into the announcers’ table, setting up Riptide for the pin back inside at 2:43.

Undertaker Hall of Fame video.

Damian Priest vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title and Cedric Alexander is here with Benjamin. Priest gets thrown outside to start, where Cedric gets in a hard shot to make it worse. Back in and Benjamin gets two off a suplex and we hit the chinlock. Priest fights up with a series of kicks of his own and there’s the South of Heaven chokeslam. The Reckoning finishes for Priest at 3:10.

Rating: C. This is the kind of win that can get Priest back on track. Benjamin isn’t going to be a threat to win the title and has nothing to lose, so have him put Priest over and get a nice win. Priest is starting to put things back together and he keeps holding onto the title, but at least now he isn’t losing most of his matches. It’s nice to see them make that kind of a correction for once.

Post match Priest says he has beaten a bunch of guys and now he wants more competition. Cue Finn Balor to say he’ll come take that title next week.

We recap Reggie turning on Dana Brooke to take the 24/7 Title back last week.

Here is Reggie for a chat. He has something to say and promises that there will be no 24/7 shenanigans for the moment. First though, he would like Dana Brooke out here, so here she is to join the chat. Reggie says that he got emotional last week and took his shot, but for now, he wants to make it up to her. He asks for and gets a referee before laying down on the mat. Dana covers him for two but Dana kisses him for the pin and the title. Post match here are the goons, with Reggie helping Dana escape. Akira Tozawa winds up inn Tamina’s arms but gets dropped when asking for a kiss of his own. The chase is on.

Video on the women’s Elimination Chamber match, with Bianca Belair earning the Wrestlemania title shot.

Here is Bianca Belair for a chat. She is the EST of WWE, which she explains again. Belair main evented last year’s WWE and now it is time to do it again. Cue Becky Lynch to remind Belair of what happened, six months ago to the day, at Summerslam. Becky promises to take her down at Wrestlemania but Belair isn’t convinced.

Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop

Becky Lynch is on commentary. Doudrop runs her over to start but Belair takes her into the corner for some kicks to the ribs. Back up and Belair sends her to the apron, where Belair hits her handspring kick to the face. Belair stops to yell at Becky though and Doudrop hits a crossbody as we take a break

We come back with Belair hitting a belly to back suplex but again stopping to yell at Becky. That makes Lynch take off her jacket as Doudrop crushes Belair in the corner. The Cannonball misses though and Belair manages a powerbomb out of the corner (leaving Becky speechless). Doudrop misses a charge in the corner though and it’s a KOD to give Belair the pin at 11:06.

Rating: C. There are certain things in wrestling that almost defy belief and Belair being able to throw Doudrop around is one of them. You don’t see someone with that kind of power, not to mention athleticism, very often and it is always impressive. It’s the same thing that made John Cena look like a star and WWE would be smart to push Belair, who has the charisma to back it up.

Post match, Becky and Belair stare each other down.

Here is Edge for a chat. He has a seat in a chair and asks if the fans can smell it. It isn’t him reeking of awesomeness, but rather the smell of Wrestlemania in the air. His first Wrestlemania was Wrestlemania 3 and he listened to the results on the radio. He heard about Hulk Hogan bodyslamming Andre the Giant and doing the impossible and he was so excited.

Then he was brought in for his first Wrestlemania at Wrestlemania XIV (Edge: “Yeah that’s how old I am.”) but he didn’t get in the ring until two years later. Edge talks about some of his best Wrestlemania moments, including TLC II (no other teams mentioned), the first Money in the Bank ladder match, the match with Mick Foley and coming THIS CLOSE to beating the Undertaker. Now he needs Wrestlemania again, just like Wrestlemania needs Edge. He needs someone to step up and fight him, because he’ll make you live forever.

RKBro vs. Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens

If Owens and Rollins win, they’re added to the upcoming Tag Team Title match. Riddle and Owens grapple a bit to start before colliding on an exchange of shoulders. Rollins comes in to take over on Riddle, who snaps off a gutwrench suplex to take him down as well. Orton gets to stomp on Rollins as a result and it’s a backdrop to the floor. The belly to back drop onto the announcers’ table is loaded up but Owens makes the save, with Orton being sent over the table instead.

We take a break and come back with Orton fighting out of Owens’ chinlock and making the hot tag to Riddle. A bit of house is cleaned, at least until Owens catches him on top to tie him in the Tree of Woe. Rollins hits an Alberto double stomp for two and Owens adds a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. The Stunner is blocked so Owens hits an enziguri setting up a Swanton.

Rollins adds a frog splash for two and the shocked face is on. Back up and Riddle rolls underneath a clothesline, allowing the hot tag to Orton. The double hanging DDT connects but the RKO is shoved off, with Orton landing in the corner to tag Riddle. Rollins knocks Orton outside for a Stomp on the floor, leaving Riddle to take Owens down again. Riddles’ RKO is countered into a Buckle Bomb though and it’s the Stunner into the Stomp for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. This was an energized match as both teams can bring it when they are given the chance. Adding Owens and Rollins to the title match doesn’t take anything away from RKBro, but their time seems to be coming to an end. I’m not sure how wise that is as they are the most over thing on Monday Night Raw, but that has never stopped WWE before.

The Alpha Academy isn’t pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing about this show is that it felt like they were starting to plan for Wrestlemania. It came off like the wrestlers were into their individual stories and are moving in some kind of a direction. Granted some of those directions aren’t clear yet, but the show felt more focused and like more things had been planned out. That is nice to see for a change and you could feel it as a result.

Results
Alpha Academy b. Street Profits – Rollup Gable holding Ford’s leg
Finn Balor/Tommaso Ciampa b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – Rollup to Roode
Rhea Ripley b. Nikki Ash – Riptide
Damian Priest b. Shelton Benjamin – Reckoning
Bianca Belair b. Doudrop – KOD
Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens b. RKBro – Stomp to Riddle

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 17, 2022
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We are less than two weeks away from the Royal Rumble and that means it is time for the card to be finalized. Last week saw Doudrop become the #1 contender for the Raw Women’s Title in what should at least be a fresh match. Other than that, we could use some more names being added to the namesake matches. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Becky Lynch to get things going. She knows the Royal Rumble is coming up and it is time for some big names to come back for the Big Time. People like Lita, Mickie James and the Bella Twins are here, but for now, it is time to deal with Doudrop. Last week, Becky got Doudrop her title shot, which is what she does. That’s the only way Doudrop could get her shot, but here is Doudrop to say she got everything on her own. Becky says follow her lead and you could win tonight. Cue Bianca Belair doing her dance and saying she’s in the Rumble. Now it’s Liv Morgan coming out to say she’s in too, but Doudrop wants to fight.

Becky Lynch/Doudrop vs. Bianca Belair/Liv Morgan

Belair dropkicks Doudrop to start but gets away without much effort. Everything breaks down and Doudrop is sent outside, leaving Becky to hit the Manhandle Slam on Liv. Doudrop (Becky’s partner remember) breaks up the cover, drags Becky to the corner and tags herself in, and splashes Liv for the pin at 2:24.

Post match, Doudrop hits a Bonzai Drop.

Edge and Beth Phoenix compliment Reggie and Dana Brooke. They walk up to Damian Priest, who is feeling a little edgy. Priest asks Edge for some tips on the Royal Rumble, but Phoenix gets handed a note. It’s from Maryse, who wants to meet Phoenix in the ring, one on one. Edge knows Beth has this, but he’s skeptical. They leave, so here is Kevin Owens to say he hopes he and Priest can have a good, clean match tonight. He’ll also have a surprise on the Kevin Owens Show.

It’s time for the Kevin Owens Show, with special guest Seth Rollins. We see a clip of Seth facing off with Roman Reigns on Smackdown, where he had to run from an Usos attack. Owens thinks Rollins is ready to take the Universal Title at the Royal Rumble, while also complimenting Rollins’ clothes.

Rollins says he’s winning the title and then sticking around on Raw. That works with Owens, because then they would have the best champion here with no Reigns or Brock Lesnar. Owens has his own big announcement: he is in the Royal Rumble! Cue Damian Priest to say no one believes these two are winning at the Royal Rumble. He also warns them not to wake Damian up, because he and Owens are up right now.

Veer Mahaan is coming to Raw.

Damian Priest vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title. Priest shrugs off a headlock and a running shoulder to start before knocking Owens into the corner. Owens manages to knock him down and hits a backsplash, setting up a chinlock. That’s broken up and Priest knocks him outside, where Owens seems banged up. That is some good old goldbricking though, allowing Owens to hit a superkick and a bullfrog splash off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Priest firing off the kicks and hitting a flapjack. The Broken Arrow drops Owens for two more but he breaks up a superplex attempt. Owens hits the Swanton but the Stunner is blocked. The Reckoning is countered into the pop up sitout powerbomb for two, leaving Owens frustrated. Back up and the South of Heaven chokeslam gives Priest two of his own, with Owens coming up favoring his hamstring. That’s enough goldbricking to set up the Stunner to give Owens the pin at 10:57.

Rating: C+. And thus, another champion goes down, because that’s just how things go around here. It should mean that Priest is going to hold the title for a long time, but it doesn’t exactly bode well for his future. The match was pretty good stuff, but I can’t help groaning when a champion loses. It’s a way of life around here, which might explain a bit about where WWE is at the moment.

We look at Nikki Ash turning on Rhea Ripley last week.

Nikki Ash talks about how Ripley should be down and out because she is the villain in all of this. Ash is the People’s Hero and that means she has to do things that normal people don’t understand. After tonight, Ripley is going to understand that she needs a superhero, whether she likes it or not. That’s already better than anything she did in the last few months.

It is time for Otis’ graduation ceremony from the Alpha Academy (in caps and gowns of course). Chad Gable brags about his education and GPA, knowing that no one here in Tulsa knows what a masters degree is. Last week, Otis completed his final exam and graduated, meaning it is time for him to receive his diploma.

Cue Riddle, in a cap and gown of his own, to interrupt though, because he has his own speech, which he wrote at the breakfast buffet this morning. The speech talks about it feels like last week they were the Tag Team Champions, when they were just a pair of wild stallions. Gable cuts him off because he assumes Riddle is here about a rematch, though he doesn’t think Riddle knows what that means.

Riddle says it’s like when you light something up twice. Like a candle! Gable is willing to accept the rematch challenge, if RK Bro can beat them in an academic challenge! Otis looks nervous as Riddle thinks it sounds like Billy Madison. Otis goes after Riddle, allowing Orton to come in from behind and RKO Gable. RK Bro lays them out and Orton takes Otis’ cap and gown (they fit) before accepting the challenge. Something tells me this is going to result in Riddle sounding dumb but then rattling off a really smart answer to win in a big surprise.

We look back at Finn Balor beating Austin Theory last month.

Austin Theory comes in to see Vince McMahon, who remembers that loss to Balor. Theory tries to say that he beat Balor up after the match so it should be a half victory. Vince says there is no such thing, but Theory better win tonight. If not, Vince is going to beat the heck out of him, leave him black and blue, then take a selfie with Theory. Then he’ll send it to Theory’s mom!

We get a tribute to Martin Luther King, about an hour and twenty minutes into the show.

Austin Theory vs. Finn Balor

Theory starts fast and knocks Balor outside as we take an early break. Back with Balor hitting a chop in the corner, setting up a Nightmare on Helm Street for two. Theory is right back with an ATL attempt but Balor reverses into a rollup for two more. Balor drops him again but misses the Coup de Grace. The ATL finishes Balor at 5:48. Not enough shown to rate but that’s a fast loss for a returning Balor.

Post match Theory takes a selfie and beats Balor up even more. Another selfie caps things off.

We look back at Nikki Ash taking out Rhea Ripley (again).

Rhea Ripley isn’t sure what kind of hero Nikki Ash thinks she is, but it’s time for a beating.

Rhea Ripley vs. Nikki Ash

Hold on though as here are Queen Zelina and Carmella to say they were right about everything with these two. Nikki is nothing without Ripley and Ripley needs someone to leech off of, because she can’t do anything on her own. Nikki jumps Rhea before the bell and sends her into the steps, meaning there is no match. That did seem like quite the fast turnaround for what feels like a big match.

We look at Omos destroying Reggie last week.

Dana Brooke gives Reggie a pep talk about his match with Omos as the 24/7 geeks watch from behind and eat popcorn.

Omos vs. Reggie

Cue the 24/7 Goons to go after Dana Brooke so Reggie tries to dive onto Omos. The chokeslam finishes at 29 seconds.

We look back at Miz running his mouth for Maryse, who walked away rather than get in a fight.

Here is Maryse for a face to face showdown with Beth Phoenix. She talks about Miz running his mouth and getting her in trouble but it’s just her tonight. Cue Beth Phoenix and Edge, with Maryse saying that she and Phoenix built up the women’s division. They should be friends with play dates and dinners and drinks. Beth tells her to shut up because she doesn’t buy any of this, because Maryse must have taken acting lessons from her husband.

The match at the Royal Rumble is still on and she is going to Glam Slam Maryse through the mat. Let’s give the people a preview right now but here is Miz from behind to jump Edge. That earns Miz a punch to the face but Maryse hits Beth with her purse, knocking her out. And indeed, there is a brick in the purse. Maryse flips her hair and hits Miz in the face.

The Street Profits are ready for the Royal Rumble. The Mysterios come up to say they too are ready for the Royal Rumble. Yelling ensues.

We look at Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins facing off on Smackdown.

Street Profits/Mysterios vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode/Commander Azeez/Apollo Crews

Dominik snaps off a running hurricanrana to take Ziggler down early but Ziggler runs him over. It’s quickly off to Roode but Dominik knees his way out of a suplex. Rey comes in with a hurricanrana of his own and there’s a running headscissors to drop Roode again. Roode blocks a top rope hurricanrana but gets taken outside anyway. Ziggler throws Dominik out as everything breaks down, giving us a big staredown on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Rey in trouble and Ziggler/Roode knocking the other good guys off the apron. Crews adds his standing moonsault for two but Rey is back with a tornado DDT. The hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house as everything breaks down. Roode and Ziggler take the double 619 but Azeez pulls Dominik’s dive out of the air. Rey breaks that up but Crews rolls Dawkins up for two. Dawkins runs Crews over though and the Cash Out finishes for Ford at 7:58.

Rating: C+. There is nothing wrong with having a bunch of people in there flying around for a fast paced match. They didn’t overstay their welcome either and that made for a more entertaining match. It was a perfectly fine way to use some television time and that is always a good thing to see on a show.

The winners celebrate until the Mysterios throw the Profits over the top. Then Rey throws Dominik over, saying pay attention, and You Can’t See Me.

We see a clip of Bobby Lashley on After The Bell, where he welcomes a challenge from Brock Lesnar.

We get a big video on Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar, both of whom have been forged over the years. Lesnar is from South Dakota, where he grew up on a farm and then won the NCAA Heavyweight Title. Then he came to WWE and dominated here as well, just like he did in the UFC. Then he came back to WWE and dominated again (this time for almost five times as long as his first run).

On the other hand, you have Bobby Lashley, who won three NAIA National Titles in wrestling, along with a gold medal in the Armed Forces Championships. He had a 15-2 record in MMA before coming back to dominate WWE, including winning the WWE Title. Now it is time for these two monsters to collide for the first time ever.

We look back at Maryse hitting Beth Phoenix in the head with a brick.

Miz is very proud of Maryse but he is going to one up himself by remembering that next week is her birthday! He is going to throw her an extravaganza, which earns him quite the kiss.

We go back to Alexa Bliss in therapy where the two of them sit and stare at each other. The therapist is glad things have calmed down a bit, because he can’t have her snap again like last week. He wants to do word association this week, with the following results:

Trust – Lily
Friend – Lily
Home – Lily
Doll – Lily
Imaginary – Bliss stands up and that’s the end of their session.

Bliss sits back down and looks around as the therapist leaves. They won’t let it go with that stupid doll.

Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins

MVP is here with Lashley, who runs Rollins over with a shoulder to start. Rollins changes things up a bit and tries the Pedigree but has to escape the Hurt Lock attempt. That earns Lashley a trip to the floor, where a suicide dive only knocks him to a knee. Another attempt is countered into an over head belly to belly to send Rollins flying as we take a break. Back with Rollins working on Lashley’s legs and grabbing a leglock. A dragon screw legwhip sets up a half crab to stay on the knee.

Rollins lets that go and tries the Stomp, only to be reversed into a Downward Spiral. A belly to belly and a neckbreaker set up the spinning Dominator for two on Rollins. The spear is countered with a superkick though and now the Pedigree connects (Nick Khan will be looking into this Rollins fellow) for two on Lashley so Rollins heads up top. That’s countered into a belly to belly superplex but here are Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander to jump Lashley for the DQ at 13:18.

Rating: B. This was the main event style match and they had the right ending as you can’t have one of the #1 contenders taking a loss less than two weeks away from their Royal Rumble title matches. They also ended the match when either of them could still have won and that is the correct way to do something like this. It was nice to see them not doing anything crazy here and it was a good match on top of the smart finish.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lashley smashes Alexander and Benjamin. Cue the Usos through the crowd to superkick Rollins to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did a much better job this year by making sure to avoid overly stupid moments. Other than the Bliss stuff and maybe the American Alpha deal (which wasn’t that bad), they kept things moving here and hyped up the big Royal Rumble matches. I’m still not sure who wins at the Royal Rumble and that is the kind of feeling that you want to have going into the show. Pretty good show this week, though the lack of Big E. was a bit weird.

Results
Becky Lynch/Doudrop b. Liv Morgan/Bianca Belair – Splash to Morgan
Kevin Owens b. Damian Priest – Stunner
Austin Theory b. Finn Balor – ATL
Omos b. Reggie – Chokeslam
Mysterios/Street Profits b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler/Commander Azeez/Apollo Crews – Cash Out to Crews
Bobby Lashley b. Seth Rollins via DQ when Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander interfered

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

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

AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. Alpha Academy

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

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

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

Damian Priest is in the Royal Rumble.

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

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

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

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

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

Smackdown Rebound.

We recap the opening segment.

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

Big E. vs. Seth Rollins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Omos vs. Nick Sanders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We look at the Tag Team Title change.

AJ Styles vs. Austin Theory

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doudrop vs. Liv Morgan vs. Bianca Belair

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Riddle vs. Otis

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

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

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

We look back at Doudrop attacking Bianca Belair.

Doudrop vs. Bianca Belair

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

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

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

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

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

Gable Steveson is here, complete with gold medal.

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

Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens

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

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

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

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

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

Veer Mahaan is still coming.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Queen Zelina vs. Rhea Ripley

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

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

Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley

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

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

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

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

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

Smackdown Rebound.

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

We recap Lashley’s efforts so far.

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

Big E. vs. Bobby Lashley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 6, 2021
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s a double main event week as have not just a title match but also a steel cage match to go with it. First up, Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will defend her title against Liv Morgan in a match that has been treated as a big deal. Then Big E. will face Kevin Owens in a cage, which should be a heck of a spectacle. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the end of last week’s show, with Seth Rollins attacking Kevin Owens, setting up Day 1’s triple threat match for the WWE Title.

Seth Rollins is ready for tonight’s cage match because it will make things ready for Day 1.

Big E. is ready to go to war with Kevin Owens in a cage.

Kevin Owens is ready to win tonight and then take the title at Day 1.

Kevin Owens vs. Big E.

Non-title in a cage. Owens goes straight for the door to start and then gets crotched on the top. Big E. chases him up top and shoves Owens’ head into the cage for a bit of pain. With that escape attempt cut off, Owens is sent into the cage a few times, only to have Owens do it to him as well.

We take a break and come back with Owens hitting a backsplash for two. They trade rams into the cage with Owens going up, where he has to take Big E. down with sunset bomb. Big E. is back up with some belly to belly suplexes but Owens bails before the Warrior Splash can hit. A superkick knocks Big E. into the corner, setting up Owens’ Cannonball. Owens slaps on a Boston crab of all things but Big E. powers out and goes for the door. Cue Seth Rollins to slam the door on both of their heads though and we take another break.

Back again with Big E. catching him on top but not being able to hit a super Big Ending. Instead, Owens hits the bullfrog splash for two, setting up the sitout Pop Up powerbomb for two more. Owens goes up again butt his time it’s the super Big Ending to bring him crashing back down. Big E. goes for the door instead of covering and Owens grabs the boot. Not that it matters as Big E. kicks him away and escapes for the win at 20:06.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time and felt like a showdown, but it wasn’t quite the great match. Rollins interfering was completely expected and makes sense, though his interference didn’t really change anything. At least it was nice to have a big time match on Raw though, even if it still feels weird to have a cage match set up a triple threat.

Post match Rollins jumps both of them (with the cage being raised in record time) but Big E. suplexes Rollins to save Owens from the Stomp. The Big Ending leaves Owens laying.

Post break, all three are still down, as Bobby Lashley had run in and attacked the trio during the break.

Here are Queen Zelina and Carmella for a chat, with Vega wondering why the people aren’t cheering. Would you rather be cheering for that fake superhero Nikki Ash?

Nikki Ash vs. Queen Zelina

Carmella and Rhea Ripley are here too. Vega knocks her down to start and rams Nikki’s face into the apron a few times. Nikki knocks her down but misses a high crossbody, allowing Vega to hit the Code Red for the pin at 2:06.

RKBro is ready for the RKBronament, which is either a tag team tournament or a tournament of their favorite Christmas movies. Riddle doesn’t want to talk about how Home Alone changed his life but he has a matching blazer for Orton to wear.

Nikki Ash is all upset, despite what Rhea Ripley says. A fan comes up to ask for an autograph, but means Jerry Lawler, who is behind them. Lawler says that was a tough loss and offers Nikki an autograph to cheer her up. Nikki leaves, with Lawler asking if it was something he said.

RKBronemant First Round: AJ Styles/Omos vs. Street Profits

RKBro is at ringside, in matching blazers of course, with Riddle on commentary. During the entrance, we get an inset promo from the Profits, promising to win. Ford dropkicks Styles down to start and Dawkins hits one of his own, setting up a splash for two. AJ knocks Ford outside though and there’s a slingshot Phenomenal Forearm to drop Dawkins on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Omos working over Dawkins and handing it back to Styles to do the same. Dawkins gets in a shot of his own though and it’s back to Ford to start cleaning house. An enziguri staggers Styles but he gets a boot up in the corner. Ford knocks him down again though and goes over to slap Omos, with Dawkins adding one of his own.

A double dropkick sends Omos outside but Styles his a pair of enziguris. Styles brainbusters Ford but doesn’t cover, instead loading up the Phenomenal Forearm. Omos tags himself in mid-springboard though and goes after Dawkins on the floor. Ford dives onto Omos, who drops him onto the apron. Dawkins has to be beaten up as well though and that’s enough for the countout to give the Profits the win at 9:43.

Rating: C+. They had a faster paced match here though it seems we might be done with Omos/Styles as a team. That might not be the worst thing in the world as there is nothing left for the team to do, but Omos on his own could be quite the risk at the moment. It could be interesting though, and I can get why you would want to take such a risk.

Post match AJ yells at Omos, who walks off on his own. Riddle gets in the ring to ask for a word on these breaking events, which has AJ almost confused. Riddle asks again and AJ asks if this is Dateline. AJ says he and Omos are a great team, but Riddle wouldn’t know anything about that before leaving in a huff. When asked for a comment, Orton says nope.

Becky Lynch says this is a big night for Liv Morgan, who is coming in with a bunch of momentum. Morgan already punched her in the face and now there is a new bandwagon to jump on. For Becky though, it’s just another night on Raw.

Riddle talks about what an emotional roller coaster tonight should be for the people, but Orton says his broadcasting days are over. It’s all on Riddle, who gets a second blazer.

US Title: Damian Priest vs. Robert Roode

Roode, with Dolph Ziggler in his corner, is defending. Priest powers him into the corner to start and hits some knees to the ribs. A kick to the back sets up a right hand to the jaw as Roode is in trouble to start. They head outside though and Roode sends him into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Priest slugging away and hitting the Broken Arrow for two. Roode hits a Backstabber for two, followed by the spinning spinebuster for the same. Priest isn’t having any of this and comes right back with some shots to the face. The Reckoning is countered into a rollup but the second attempt is enough to retain Priest’s title at 9:37.

Rating: C. Priest stacking up another win is always a good thing to see and that’s what he got here. Roode is someone who still has some value so it makes a different for Priest to beat him. If nothing else, it is good to have Priest on the show and getting to do something instead of just sitting around and padding his reign as champion without ever defending the belt.

Post match Ziggler superkicks Priest, because you can’t have Priest face one of them without facing the other.

We look back at Doudrop laying out Bianca Belair, only to be laid out herself.

Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop

Doudrop runs her over from behind before the bell and we start after a break. After a video on Lita vs. Trish Stratus headlining Raw 17 years ago to the day, Belair goes right at her to start and Doudrop is staggered early. A backsplash gets Belair out of trouble though and it’s a cobra clutch to keep her down. Doudrop clotheslines her out of the corner for two but Belair powers her into the corner. They fight to the apron with Belair slipping back in and forearming away to little avail.

Instead a running handspring….to the ropes, as I don’t think it actually hit Doudrop, sends her outside. Belair follows her outside though and gets crushed as we take a break. Back with Belair not being able to hit a suplex but being able to hit a spinebuster to plant Doudrop. A middle rope crossbody gives Belair two but a sunset flip earns her a sitdown splash. Doudrop’s Vader Bomb gets two so she gets serious by going after Belair’s hair. The Cannonball misses though and Belair tries the KOD, which sends Doudrop bailing to the floor for the countout out 12:59.

Rating: C. Belair’s power is scary as always but this feud hasn’t done much for me so far. It’s your run of the mill bullying deal and that is only going to get them so far when Belair hasn’t backed down at all and can hang in the ring with Doudrop’s power. In theory this should be blown off with Belair getting the definitive win at Day 1, and that’s probably best for everyone.

We look back at Vince McMahon slapping Austin Theory last week.

Theory comes in to see Vince again, with Vince explaining that no one cares when they ask how he is doing. Vince is putting him in a match tonight, which works for Theory. Vince asks if Theory expected it, which Theory didn’t. That’s not cool with Vince and sneering ensues. Always nice to see Austin and Vince together.

Smackdown Rebound.

It’s time for MizTV, sans Maryse, who doesn’t come to towns like Memphis. Miz has been watching last week’s showdown with Edge and thinks Edge is his old self. Or is he? Miz brings out Edge as his guest, with Edge calling him Mike. Miz thinks Edge was weak for not spearing him out of his $9000 shoes last week, but Edge can’t believe those shoes cost that much.

Edge tells him to not mistake the kindness for weakness, which sends Miz into a rant about how he needed some kindness when he debuted in 2006. Don’t pretend that he was treated badly for eating chicken in the locker room, because it was over everyone being scared of his it factor. He was a celebrity and more famous than most of the roster but Edge wasn’t there for him. That makes Edge bring up pulling Miz aside in this very building and telling him to get through it because he had something.

Miz blew him off then, even though Edge went through the same thing seven years earlier. Edge doesn’t see these things as problems like Mike does, because he needs to look in the mirror. That mirror will tell Miz that he is an a**, which has Miz saying Edge is scared of him. Miz says 2022 will be his year, so the challenge is on for January 1. Edge is in, but Miz bails from a challenge for tonight. The threat of a single right hand has Miz dropping to his back though, and Edge knows he’s afraid.

Liv Morgan is ready to win the Women’s Title.

RKBronament First Round: Alpha Academy vs. Mysterios

Riddle is on commentary again. Gable takes Dominik to the mat to start but Dominik is back up with a shot to the face. You don’t do that to Gable, who wrestles him down and puts on a half crab. Back up and Gable stays on the leg with a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner. Gable misses a moonsault though and Dominik grabs a rollup for the pin at 3:14. Otis was never in the match.

Rating: C-. This was basically a singles match with managers on the apron, though having Otis stay out of the match makes sense for the Mysterios. It makes him look like that much bigger of a force, though it does mean having to watch the Mysterios team again. They just aren’t interesting as a team and the level of care I can muster for them falls every single week.

Post match Riddle goes to interview the Alpha Academy, with Otis running him over.

Austin Theory is warming up in Vince McMahon’s office but Vince says he won’t be having a match tonight. Instead, Vince wants Theory to come up with another way to impress him. Theory unzips his vest and does more jumping jacks. Vince: “STOP!” Vince tells him to come up with something using his brains and Theory leaves.

Finn Balor vs. T-Bar

Balor goes straight at him to start but gets thrown down with raw power. Some knees to the ribs set up a chinlock with a knee in Balor’s back. The chokeslam is countered into a rollup for two, followed by Balor’s jumping double stomp to the ribs. The Sling Blade drops Priest again and Balor goes up, only to have to shove T-Bar off the top. That’s enough to set up the Coup de Grace for the pin at 3:33.

Rating: C. It’s good to see Balor getting a win and it’s good to see T-Bar getting a match against a high level opponent, but dang it’s amazing to see how far T-Bar has fallen since NXT. Balor vs. Dominik Dijakovic sounds like an awesome Takeover level match but instead we get this, which was just ok. WWE has just let T-Bar down and I don’t see him bouncing back anytime soon.

Post match Austin Theory jumps Balor and gets the required picture.

The 24/7 goons aren’t sure if they can try to pin Dana Brooke, because it might not be PG. Tamina chases Brooke off.

We look back at Bobby Lashley jumping Big E. to leave the Day 1 triple threat laying.

MVP says Bobby Lashley was disrespected and Lashley doesn’t like it.

Video on Liv Morgan.

Raw Women’s Title: Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch

Liv is challenging and this does feel big. Lynch runs her over to start but has to bail to the floor from the threat of Oblivion. Back in and Liv grabs a headlock but has to spin out to grab a backslide for two. Some running knees to the face put Lynch on the floor and a nervous Liv hits a suicide dive. Liv heads up top but gets caught on top, meaning it’s a superplex to bring her back down.

We take a break and come back with Becky grabbing a reverse chinlock. That’s broken up so Becky hits a reverse DDT for two and a hard whip into the corner rocks Liv again. She comes back with an enziguri but misses Oblivion. Instead a springboard spinning Codebreaker (cool) gets two on Becky and Liv follows up with a missile dropkick for the same. The Rings of Saturn has Becky in more trouble but she reverses into the Disarm-Her. That’s reversed into an exchange of rollups but Becky grabs the rope to retain at 14:56.

Rating: B-. This was getting good by the end and the ending, while a bit deflating, does leave the door open for a rematch, perhaps at the pay per view. WWE has something with Morgan and it would not surprise me to see her win the title one day (or maybe Day 1) fairly soon. Becky seems to be surviving more and more as champion and that is going to catch up to her.

Overall Rating: C+. Raw can do a lot of things, and this is the kind of show that can be so frustrating. It felt like they were trying for a lot of the show and that makes all the difference in the world. There were nowhere near as many stupid hijinks tonight and you had two big matches to bookend the show. They had some solid matches and set up some things for the pay per view without making me mad. It is far from a great or even exciting show, but this was miles ahead of what Raw has been, because they still do know what they’re doing and can cut out the nonsense when they want to.

Results
Big E. b. Kevin Owens – Big E. escaped the cage
Queen Zelina b. Nikki Ash – Code Red
Street Profits b. AJ Styles/Omos via countout
Damian Priest b. Robert Roode – Reckoning
Bianca Belair b. Doudrop via countout
Mysterios b. Alpha Academy – Rollup to Gable
Finn Balor b. T-Bar – Coup de Grace
Becky Lynch b. Liv Morgan – Rollup while grabbing the rope

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 29, 2021
Location: UBS Arena, New York City, New York
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re on the way to Day 1, which hasn’t actually been mentioned on the show so far. As for this week, we have the return of Edge, who will probably set up his next match. Other than that, Big E. is facing Kevin Owens, as we are setting up what should be (at least) a triple threat title match at the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins to say he should be upset after last week, but no one can keep him down. Not Finn Balor, not Kevin Owens and not Big E., no one. He’s in a good mood tonight because he has a secret. The breaking news: he’s getting his WWE Title match against Big E. at Day 1. It will be a reign that defines the future of WWE but here is Finn Balor to interrupt. The fight is on in a hurry and Balor sends him into the timekeeper’s area. Rollins is sent back inside but hits a dive to take Balor down. The steps rock Rollins but they head back inside for the opening bell (for a match which was at least scheduled).

Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Balor hits the shotgun dropkick to set up the Coup de Grace but Rollins rolls outside. That means the big flip dive and we take a break. Back with Balor hitting an enziguri and heading up, only to get crotched back down. Rollins hits the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two but the frog splash hits Balor’s raised knees.

The Sling Blade seems to be a bit mistimed but Rollins hits one of his own. What looks to be the Stomp is countered into Balor’s Sling Blade but the Coup de Grace misses again. Balor avoids the Stomp and they knock each other down. They slug it out until Rollins hits an enziguri, but the ripcord knee is countered into 1916. That’s countered with a shot to the face though (possibly in the eye), setting up a forearm to the back of Balor’s head. Now the Stomp can finish Balor at 8:44.

Rating: C+. I think you know the kind of match you’re going to get from these two and it’s really more about how much time they have. The shot to the eye is enough of a way for Rollins to cheat before pinning Balor, as Rollins needs the win on the way to the title match. Not a bad way to start the show at least and that’s better than some weeks.

We recap Becky Lynch egging Liv Morgan on last week until Morgan hit her in the face. Lynch looked a bit shaken.

Vince McMahon is in the back when Austin Theory comes in. Theory asks how he is doing and Vince tells him about an in-grown toenail and an ear ache. We recap Theory getting the WWE Title match, plus a photo with Vince, last week, before Vince tells Theory that they’re going to watch the show together. Vince says we’ll see if anyone does the unexpected….and threatens to kill Theory if he ever steals from him again.

Here is Becky Lynch for the contract signing with Liv Morgan and Sonya Deville moderating. Lynch realizes this is Morgan’s first contract signing and says Morgan is welcome for this chance, plus last week’s fire. But then Morgan held herself back last week, just like always. It’s going to take more than one punch to finish Lynch, who has already signed the contract.

It turns out that the title match is next week but Lynch goes onto a rant about how no one ever wins in this arena. Morgan asks if she can shut up for once and then signs the contract. Yeah she got upset last week and then channeled her emotions by using her fist instead of crying….like Lynch did after Survivor Series.

We see a clip (Morgan: “Courtesy of WWE’s social media team.”) of Lynch crying after beating Charlotte, leaving Lynch looking rather annoyed. Morgan says Lynch’s big contract is the reason Morgan’s friends are gone and that has Lynch all the more upset. Violence is teased but Deville holds them back as Lynch goes on about how she deserves to be paid and we hear about a ten woman tag for tonight. Morgan is in and shouting ensues. This was almost a good segment, but Morgan having to read rather obviously memorized lines killed it.

We recap Riddle dressing up like Randy Orton last week to beat Dolph Ziggler.

Riddle isn’t sure why Randy Orton isn’t dressed up like him this week and suggests a Freaky Friday remake. Orton isn’t going to the ring on a scooter….so Riddle puts a blond wig on him instead. Orton: “You have two seconds to get this off my head. One…” and the wig is off.

Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler

Roode and Ziggler are challenging. Riddle gets taken down by Roode to start and a catapult into a DDT gives Ziggler two. Riddle gets over for the tag off to Orton though and everything breaks down with the fight heading to the floor. Orton gets taken down and Riddle gets dropped onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Roode driving a knee into Orton’s back and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up with a belly to back suplex and the hot tag brings in Riddle to clean house. Everything breaks down and a Zig Zag gets two on Orton. The superkick is countered into a rollup for two on Ziggler, setting up the RKO to retain the titles at 10:30.

Rating: C. RKBro continues to be one of the better things going on Raw and that shouldn’t be a surprise. They have some awesome chemistry and the good thing is that they have been a team for so long now that they can do these teases of issues without it meaning a breakup. That’s going to make the actual breakup (assuming they have one) all the better and that’s a good thing.

Seth Rollins is rather happy when he runs into Kevin Owens. Things get serious as Owens says he’s added to the title match at Day 1 if he beats Big E. tonight. Rollins isn’t happy, but Owens tells him to go ask Adam Pearce (Owens: “The bald guy.”). Dig Owens’ old school Survivor Series shirt.

Post break, Rollins comes in to see Pearce about Owens’ idea…..but Owens was lying. Rollins leaves and is replaced by Sonya Deville, who thinks it’s not a bad idea.

Here is the returning Edge for a chat. The last time you saw him, he was winning a match inside the Cell but now it is time for him to see who he can face on Raw. We hear about AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Damian Priest and Big E. Instead, here is the returning Miz (with Maryse) to interrupt. We see a package of Miz on Dancing With The Stars before Miz talks about how Edge does nothing but make comebacks. While Edge was gone, Miz was representing WWE every week on national TV. Edge asks why he came in ninth place and Miz blames the fans. His dancing was REVOLUTIONARY!

Edge isn’t convinced and suggests he could get a MIZ SUCKS chant going anytime he wants. With said chant out of the way, Miz talks about how he was WWE Champion six months ago but Edge hasn’t won a major title in like forever. Edge was great once, but this time he should have stayed home for good. It’s true that Edge is dancing with a body that doesn’t have much left but he is the same person that everyone wants to face these days.

Edge says Miz has made it further than anyone thought he would, becoming WWE Champion and being someone whose name is used on other shows to get a reaction (there’s your reference). No one but Miz ever believed in him but here Miz is anyway. The fight is teased but Miz bails. This was absolutely inspired by MJF vs. CM Punk, though it absolutely wasn’t a parody or a bunch of shots at it. That’s quite the relief and this was a good segment, as it felt like serious Miz again.

AJ Styles is in sunglasses and says his eyes were damaged last week by the Street Profits’ fire extinguisher. Omos had to help him shave this morning! Revenge is promised.

Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy

Omos leads a still mostly blind AJ Styles to commentary. Ford gets pulled out of the air by Otis to start as AJ is asking who is winning. It’s quickly off to Dawkins for the Anointment but Gable is pulled outside. That leaves Ford to hit a big dive to the floor but AJ pops up on the apron to distract Ford. Not that it matters as Ford shoves Gable off the top and finishes with the frog splash for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: C. This was about AJ and I could have gone for more of playing up the angle a bit longer. They didn’t waste time on this one though and while it is good to keep up the Street Profits vs. Styles/Omos, but the Academy doesn’t exactly seem to have the brightest future at the moment.

Vince McMahon thinks Austin Theory should have seen that win coming. He wants Theory to look at him when he is speaking too.

We recap Dana Brooke winning the 24/7 Title last week.

Reggie is talking calmly to Dana Brooke in the back and not trying to take the title.

Seth Rollins comes up to Kevin Owens in the back and accuses him of being a liar. It turns out that now, if Owens wins, he WILL be added to the Day 1 title match. Sure.

US Title: Apollo Crews vs. Damian Priest

Crews, with Commander Azeez, is challenging. Priest throws him around to start but has to pause for a showdown with Azeez. The distraction lets Crews get in a cheap shot to send us to a break. Back with Crews hitting a toss powerbomb for two but Priest kicks him in the face. A DDT gets two on Crews and he bails to the floor but gets away before Priest can bust out the big dive. Instead Priest hits a flip dive off the steps (without much height) and goes up, only to have Azeez pull him face first onto the apron. That’s enough for an ejection and Priest is all angry. The beating is on and the Reckoning finishes Crews at 8:27.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but Priest gets another win over another established name. WWE has actually done a good job with him in recent months and he feels like a big deal. Keep that going and do it with more people and they might get somewhere for a change.

Seth Rollins comes in to see Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville, thinking that Kevin Owens is still lying. Actually he was telling the truth this time and the stipulation is set.

Hurt Business vs. Mysterios

Dominik walks toe rope to wristdrag Benjamin, earning a heck of a shoulder down. Alexander comes in with a slingshot hilo and we get the required Eddie Guerrero dance. A superkick gets Dominik out of trouble though and it’s off to Rey to pick up the pace. Rey hits a basement dropkick for two on Alexander and everything breaks down, setting up a double 619. Rey dives onto Benjamin and the frog splash pins Alexander at 2:59.

We recap the contract signing and set up the ten women tag.

Smackdown Rebound.

Team Liv vs. Team Becks

Liv Morgan/Bianca Belair/Dana Brooke/Nikki Ash/Rhea Ripley

Becky Lynch/Carmella/Queen Zelina/Doudrop/Tamina

Becky and Liv start things off with Becky being taken down in a hurry. Carmella comes in for a rollup and trash talk so Liv brings in Ripley to scare Carmella off. Vega gets tagged in against her will but all of Team Becks (that’s what the graphic said) comes in to go after Ripley at once. Team Liv is perfectly fine with this until Tamina is left alone. Ripley clotheslines her down and this time it’s a string of tags to bring in all of Team Liv to surround Tamina. The villains bail to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Doudrop chinlocking Ash and handing it off to Lynch for a legdrop. Carmella beats on Ash in the corner and grabs a chinlock of her own. That’s broken up and it’s back to Ripley, who is caught in the Code of Silence. Brooke breaks that up and it’s time for the parade of secondary finishers. Carmella superkicks Ripley for two and we take another break.

Back again with Brooke kicking Tamina away and handing it back to Liv to clean house. Dana loads up the superplex onto the pile but gets shoved down into the big crash instead. That leaves Liv to enziguri Carmella and hit an STO on Vega. Tamina gets kicked into the ropes and Oblivion finishes for Liv at 19:50.

Rating: D. It wasn’t the worst, but this was a pretty hard sit. Ultimately, it was too long and they had too many people involved. There is enough talent in the division to do a heck of a six woman tag, but some of them aren’t quite set up for a nearly twenty minute match. Morgan vs. Lynch is going to feel big time, but Doudrop, Tamina, Ash (not her fault) and arguably Carmella/Vega don’t feel like they belong on this level and were there to just make the match bigger.

Post match Liv takes out Becky again.

Back in Vince McMahon’s office, Vince teaches Austin Theory about expecting the unexpected. Theory keeps looking away and Vince doesn’t like it.

Veer Maahan is coming.

Video on Bobby Lashley, complete with a look back at his amateur career. I believe we’ve seen this kind of thing several times for Lashley. This kind of felt like a setup for a face turn and if so…I hope the Impact World Title is available because that’s not a good thing these days in WWE.

Big E. isn’t worried about Kevin Owens tonight and promises to take care of that duplicitous scourge (Big E.: “Yes I said DUPLICITOUS SCOURGE!”).

Austin Theory thinks he has learned to expect the unexpected. Then Vince McMahon slaps him and says he has a lot to learn. If there was a point to this, it’s eluding me.

Big E. vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title but if Owens wins, he’s added to the Day 1 title match. Hold on though as here is Seth Rollins to join commentary. Big E. powers him into the corner to start and Rollins is rather pleased. Owens takes it to the mat and starts working on the leg. Back up and Owens is sent outside, where Owens hits Rollins in the face. That’s not enough to sucker Rollins in though and Owens clotheslines Big E. down instead. They head back outside and Big E. gets dropped onto the steps as we take a break.

Back with Owens muscling him over for a superplex as commentary explains the triple threat concept (again). Big E. muscles his way out of a chinlock and hits the overhead belly to belly though, setting up the Warrior Splash for two. Owens superkicks him down for two of his own but charges into the Rock Bottom out of the corner for the next near fall.

The pop up sitout powerbomb (Rollins: “NO!!!!”) gives Owens two more and they’re both down. Owens goes to the apron but drops outside to run Rollins over. Back in and the Stunner is broken up so Big E. can blast him with a running clothesline. Rollins runs in to jump Owens for the DQ at 14:27.

Rating: C+. I was a bit surprised at the ending as it almost seemed too obvious of a way to go. That being said, they did build up the idea of Rollins getting more and more nervous (that “NO!” was a great touch) throughout the match until he was finally pushed too far and his insanity got the better of him. The triple threat is a good idea as well and we should be in for a solid pay per view match.

The triple threat match is officially declared and Owens shouts “I GOT YOU” at Rollins to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was kind of a weird one, with the Vince/Theory stuff not meaning much but there was some good wrestling throughout and they set up a pair of matches. Liv vs. Becky is sounding like a big deal and we could be in for a nice triple threat at Day 1. Edge vs. Miz makes it even better, as that could be a heck of a match if they do it right. Some of the other stories were advanced a bit here and there, though that ten woman tag brought things down a good bit. Not the worst show, and that is a step up for Raw.

Results
Seth Rollins b. Finn Balor – Stomp
RKBro b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – RKO to Ziggler
Street Profits b. Alpha Academy – Frog splash to Gable
Damian Priest b. Apollo Crews – Reckoning
Mysterios b. Hurt Business – Frog splash to Alexander
Team Liv b. Team Becky – Oblivion to Tamina
Kevin Owens b. Big E. via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered

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

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Tribute to the Troops 2021
Date: November 14, 2021
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s time for the big patriotic show, which is actually taking place closer to Thanksgiving this time around instead of the usual Christmas season. This one is airing on FOX to make it feel even bigger, though it is just a one hour edition which was taped last month at Smackdown. In other words, they don’t seem to be putting in as much effort this year. Let’s get to it.

Lilian Garcia sings the National Anthem, as only she can.

Video on the troops and what this show means to WWE.

Big E. vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title and commentary does give a brief recap of their history. Robert Roode is here with Ziggler and dig those red, white and blue ropes. Big E. powers out of a waistlock to start and sends Ziggler flying, setting up some gyrations. A kick to the ribs slows Big E. down and Ziggler gyrates a bit as well. That just earns him the abdominal stretch with rhythmic shots to the ribs (I guess that’s better than the spanking. Maybe?), setting up the apron splash. Ziggler is back up with a superkick off the apron though and we take a break.

Back with Big E. powering out of the sleeper and hitting some suplexes. There’s the Warrior Splash but the spear through the ropes is cut off. Ziggler hits the Fameasser for two and the Zig Zag connects for the same. Big E. pulls him out of the air though and the Big Ending is good for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C. This is what you should expect from this show: a quick appearance from a top star and the win not exactly being in doubt. Then again it’s not like villains ever win here, but they really shouldn’t be. Big E. winning over someone like Ziggler isn’t going to do any damage and it feels like he did a little something, so it’s standard Tribute to the Troops fare.

Post match Roode jumps Big E. and gets taken out as well.

We hear about a Marine who have learned some new skills and trains a lot. She has even been named Marine of the Quarter.

We look at some of the previous Tribute to the Troops specials.

We hear about a Marine from Brazil who moved to America to be in the military like his father.

Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan

They fight over arm control to start until Belair headlocks her down. That’s broken up with a headscissors as they’re certainly staying basic to start. Fast mind you, but basic. Back up and Belair flips over Morgan, setting up that little dance she does. A running hurricanrana sends Belair into the corner and now she knows she might have to work a bit. Morgan smiles at her and we take a break.

Back with Belair hitting a spinebuster for two but getting caught in a sunset flip for the same. A loud enziguri puts Belair down (the slow motion replay made that look NASTY) with Morgan needing a breather before following up. Morgan’s middle rope hurricanrana is countered with a drop onto the turnbuckle though, setting up KOD for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. I could have gone for more of this as they were just starting to get going before the match wrapped up. Morgan has come such a long way in the last few months and I’m glad to see her getting in some bigger spots on the card. Now just do something more with it, because this is only going to get her so far.

Respect is shown post match.

We hear from 98 year old Woody Williams, the country’s oldest Medal of Honor winner.

Video on a former member of the Navy who recently retired and is now trying to lead a regular life.

Roman Reigns vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title with Paul Heyman and Rick Boogs as the seconds. Reigns’ look of disgust at McAfee’s dance during Nakamura’s entrance is great. Reigns powers Nakamura down to start and they trade some headlocks. Nakamura tapes him down and drops a knee to the throat (or larynx according to McAfee), setting up Good Vibrations. Reigns knocks him into the corner though and starts firing off the clotheslines. We take a break and come back with….another look at the past Tributes to the Troops and a video on a student at West Point.

We’re back to the actual match nearly three minutes after the show came back on the air, as this show continues to be weird. Reigns plants Nakamura with a release Rock Bottom for two and putting on the golden gauntlet. Hold on though as Boogs busts out the guitar solo to break up the Superman Punch. The distraction lets Nakamura hit the spinwheel kick to the face but here are the Usos to jump Boogs. The distraction lets Reigns hit a Superman Punch off the steps and the spear is good for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C+. This is a match I could go with on a bigger stage, and at least the ending wasn’t clean so Nakamura saves some face. Nakamura has come a long way back after such a long stretch of just feeling like he was there, so it’s nice to have something closer to the good Nakamura back. Reigns was his usual self here, without going to that next level he can reach when he needs to.

The Bloodline poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. While it’s not a terrible show, it feels like one where WWE almost completely forgot that they were supposed to do it until the last minute. You basically saw a collection of dark matches with a bunch of military videos thrown in. It’s not the worst, but this certainly didn’t feel like some kind of a big, special show that WWE looks forward to every year. I would have expected a bit more from WWE on FOX, but this is what we got instead. That’s not exactly a strong tribute, yet it’s not the worst this show has ever done.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 15, 2021
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Survivor Series and that means we should be in for some build to the show. Granted that has been the case for a few weeks now and the focus has been on whatever comes after the show instead. Maybe we can talk about the show a bit more this week, as they don’t have much time left before the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Kevin Owens trying to make people believe he had changed last week. Then he lost to Seth Rollins and beat up Big E. anyway.

Here is Big E. for a chat. He thanks the fans for their attention before moving on to Roman Reigns. The Usos attacked his friends and now it is time to beat Reigns like he stole something. There better be some empty beds in those Brooklyn hospitals for them because he is taking a piece of Reigns that can never come back. That’s for Sunday but this is Monday Night Raw, so he needs to talk to Kevin Owens.

Big E. wants Kevin Owens out here right now so here he is. Owens talks about how last week was his third loss in a row and of course he snapped. He talks about how he was pushed too far and now he is going to break bad on everyone in the locker room, including Big E. That’s enough for Big E., who wants to fight right now. Owens heads to the back and for once, Big E. actually follows his….with the Usos popping up to jump him from behind.

The beatdown is on, with the Usos promising that Reigns is taking him out at Survivor Series. Oh and RKBro? The Usos run Raw too. Cue Riddle to jump the Usos with Big E. getting up to help clear the ring. Sonya Deville comes out to match the tag match. Hold on though because here is Seth Rollins to join us. I could go for a lot more of it, but this was exactly what it needed to be: Big E. acknowledging Roman Reigns and making their match seem personal. I’m not sure why it took so long to do so, but it’s better than nothing.

Riddle/Big E. vs. Usos

Non-title and Seth Rollins is on commentary. Big E. takes Jey into the corner to start and hands it off to Riddle for some kicks to the ribs. It’s back to Big E. as Riddle is sent outside, leaving Big E. to beat up the Usos on his own. That’s enough for Rollins, who jumps Owens for the DQ at 2:57.

Post match the beatdown is on but here is Randy Orton for the save. So where was he five minutes ago? An RKO drops Jimmy and we take a break, unfortunately without the big neon sign saying the six man is next.

Usos/Seth Rollins vs. Big E./RKBro

Joined in progress with Rollins’ arm getting cranked so it’s off to Riddle. It’s off to Jimmy, who kicks Riddle down and grabs a chinlock. Jey gets kicked off the apron but the distraction lets Riddle kick Jey down. It’s off to Big E. to pick up the pace, including the Warrior Splash to Jimmy.

A kick to Big E. doesn’t do much good as he takes Jimmy to the apron for a bunch of forearms to the chest. The apron splash connects as we take a break. Back with Orton having to fight out of a nerve hold and getting over to Riddle to pick up the pace. House is cleaned with forearms, suplexes, knees and backsplashes before everything breaks down. We settle down to Rollins elbowing Riddle in the front and back of the head, setting up a rollup for the pin at 11:10.

Rating: C. Slightly tired formula for setting the match up aside, this worked well enough to set up a pair of matches at the same time. Rollins getting the pin is a bit odd as he is the one who is the least associated with everyone else, but at least he has something going on of his own. Now can we get someone to work on Orton’s run-in schedule? He needs to be a more thoughtful partner.

Post match the Usos go after Riddle but Orton makes the save with the RKO. Everyone else leaves and Big E. grabs Jimmy, telling him to tell daddy Roman that the message is received. He has a return message, and that’s a Big Ending.

We recap Doudrop costing Bianca Belair her shot at becoming #1 contender last week.

Bianca Belair isn’t happy with Doudrop but Tamina interrupts. Tamina says she’s Belair’s business tonight, which works for Belair.

Kevin Owens doesn’t appreciate being called a liar, but he was in fact lying because that’s what a bad guy does. Therefore, by saying he is a liar and then lying, he was telling the truth. Finn Balor pops up to say he doesn’t trust Owens but since he was supposed to face Seth Rollins, he’ll face Owens instead. Owens seems down.

Bianca Belair vs. Tamina

Tamina runs her over to start and we hit the chinlock as Doudrop is watching in the back. A running elbow drops Belair again but she’s back up with a dropkick into the corner. Belair hits a spinebuster for two but Tamina scores with a superkick. The Superfly Splash is broken up with a slam off the top so Belair tries a handspring moonsault. Tamina gets the knees up but Belair hits her in the face and grabs the KOD for the pin at 4:40.

Rating: D+. So that’s what happens when Belair faces Tamina, in case you were actually wondering how that would have gone. I’m not sure why you would have, but it was nice to see Belair get a win. It’s designed to set up Belair vs. Doudrop though, and that might not be the most interesting choice.

Post match here is Doudrop to say she is coming for Belair after Survivor Series.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat and the fans didn’t seem to get the memo about needing to boo her. We see a clip of Charlotte talking about Becky on Smackdown and asking who Lynch even is. Becky says she used to be Charlotte’s best friend and the person who was always there for her. She was the person who was always there to offer Charlotte a shoulder to cry on, but the condition was Becky always had to be in the background. Then she dropped Charlotte and jumped into the stratosphere. Her success has made Charlotte so bitter and now she is going to make Charlotte face all of her demons.

Cue Liv Morgan to interrupt and say Becky just left her last week. Becky was expecting this and has a video ready, showing Morgan promising to become champion four months ago. Back in the arena, Becky says she has been back and won the title in 26 seconds, but Morgan has still done nothing. Morgan thinks Big Time Becks is a Big Time B**** and since that is the ONLY INSULT WOMEN IN WWE KNOW, the fight is on. The threat of the Manhandle Slam is countered into an armdrag and Becky leaves, allowing Morgan to hold up the title. Morgan was stepping up here, though it’s hard to imagine her having a real chance.

Randy Orton yells at Riddle for getting involved but Riddle just gets confused about being the enemy of your friend. Orton: “NOBODY SAYS THAT!” Orton only cares about this team and storms off, with the Street Profits popping up to say they like what Riddle did earlier. Riddle likes them too and they share a catchphrase.

Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy

Yeah they feuded on Smackdown over the summer but this is on Raw so it’s new and exciting. Dawkins flips over Gable to start and takes him down, allowing Ford to work on the arm. Ford’s dropkick drops Gable (with a kick) but Otis comes in to run Dawkins over. Dawkins avoids a charge in the corner though and Ford hits a big flip dive to take Gable down on the floor. Otis runs over both Profits and we take a break.

Back with Otis splashing Dawkins’ knee and handing it off to Gable for a dragon screw legwhip. The moonsault misses though and Dawkins hits the Silencer. That’s enough for the hot tag back to Ford, who strikes away at Otis. The kicks just seem to annoy Otis though, as he hits a pop up World’s Strongest Slam. Everything breaks down and Otis misses a charge into the barricade. Gable dives off the top onto Ford, who rolls through for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: C+. It’s no surprise that these teams worked well together because they have done it so often now. The Profits are a good team and the Academy has found their footing, so it would be nice to see them shifted towards the title picture. It’s not like RKBro is overflowing with challengers at the moment, so let’s see what these two could do.

We look back at Bobby Lashley beating Dominik Mysterio to take Dominik’s spot on the Survivor Series team.

Rey Mysterio comes in to see Adam Pearce about what happened with Dominik last week. Pearce doesn’t like Rey’s tone and gives him a match with Lashley tonight.

Nikki Ash vs. Queen Zelina

Rhea Ripley and Carmella are at ringside too. Nikki grabs a headlock to start before hitting a running crossbody. That earns her a toss to the apron so Nikki comes back in with a rollup for two. Vega gets caught in a fireman’s carry but fights out for a knee to the face. The chinlock goes on until Nikki fights up and kicks the knee out. A Carmella distraction lets Vega catch her on top though and Code Red gives Vega the pin at 2:45.

Post match Carmella yells at Rhea and a match seems ready.

Rhea Ripley vs. Carmella

Joined in progress with Ripley hitting a delayed vertical suplex and then tossing Carmella without much trouble. Carmella gets in a kick to the face for two and we hit the chinlock. Ripley fights up and grabs a northern lights suplex, earning herself a kick to the face. Back up and Ripley hits a headbutt into the Riptide for the pin at 4:10.

Rating: C-. This was quick enough and they didn’t do anything nuts like having Ripley lose. I’m not sure what the point is in having the Survivor Series team fight each other, but it’s not like the Women’s Tag Team Champions could do anything like defend their titles. That would suggest WWE cares about them and I think even they’re smart enough to know otherwise.

Post match, Vega says it doesn’t matter because Carmella is still going to lead the Raw women to victory at Survivor Series.

Big E. comes in to see Adam Pearce, who threatens to suspend him if he doesn’t play nice tonight.

Seth Rollins promises to lead Raw to the mountaintop, both before and after Survivor Series.

Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

Owens runs him over to start and hits an early backsplash for two. Balor rolls through a powerbomb though and scores with a basement dropkick. They head outside where the running apron kick is countered, allowing Owens to hit a swinging leg trap belly to back suplex for two. We hit the chinlock but Balor fights back and knocks Owens into the corner. Owens gets sent outside and that means the big flip dive to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Owens hitting a super Regal Roll for two and yelling at the fans a lot. A spinning side slam gives Owens two more and Balor charges into a superkick for the same. Balor rolls to the floor and hits the shotgun dropkick into the barricade. Back in and Owens hits the pop up sitout powerbomb for two but the Swanton hits knees. Balor gets caught going up top though and it’s a Stunner to give Owens the pin at 12:16.

Rating: B-. These two work well together and Owens needed the win to establish himself a bit better. Owens seems likely for a big Raw title match before his contract expires, though I can’t really picture him sticking around at this point. I’m not sure what is next for Balor, but dang I can’t remember the last time he won something important.

Here’s what happened at the Wrestlemania ticket on-sale party.

AJ Styles and Omos aren’t happy with Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler. Styles isn’t worried though, because he has his own Omos.

Dolph Ziggler and Roberts Roode aren’t worried either and think Styles and Omos are like the movie Twins, with AJ being Danny DeVito.

Video on Damian Priest.

AJ Styles/Omos vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler

AJ allows Omos to start with Roode, who thinks twice about things. Roode gets thrown into the corner and clotheslined, meaning it’s off to Ziggler instead. Omos fireman’s carries Ziggler into a faceplant and it’s the Phenomenal Forearm to give AJ the pin at 3:16.

Rating: D+. So that was a total squash and I’m not quite sure why. Styles and Omos are established as a team so it’s not like they needed the boost. It was one of the more dominant looking performances from Omos though, who will work well as a monster if he can start getting a bit better in the ring.

Bobby Lashley is ready to run through Rey Mysterio tonight, just like he’ll do to Team Smackdown on Sunday.

Smackdown Rebound.

Survivor Series rundown.

Rey Mysterio vs. Bobby Lashley

Dominik Mysterio is here with Rey. Lashley starts with the power but Rey slips out to the apron for a top rope seated senton. Some right hands put Rey down so Dominik offers a distraction, allowing Rey to knock Lashley outside. Rey’s sliding armdrag is countered but he manages to send Lashley into the post. Something like the 619 grazes Lashley and the sliding splash to the floor hits him again. Back up and Lashley throws him into the barricade as we take a break.

We come back with Rey being powered into the corner as Adam Pearce watches backstage. Rey avoids a running clothesline but his springboard moonsault is countered into a spinning Big Ending. Lashley sends him outside for a loud posting, followed by the running shoulder to the ribs back inside. There’s a one armed delayed suplex to taunt Dominik a bit but Rey fights up again. This time it’s a 619 into the ribs, setting up the regular version to the face. The top rope splash connects but Lashley picks him up and grabs the Hurt Lock for the tap at 11:11.

Rating: C. If I never see another Rey Mysterio/Dominik match again, it’s going to be too soon. I’ve been a big Rey fan for a long time but this stuff is just not interesting and it’s dragging down almost everything they do. It would be nice to just get to the split already so they can stop this family stuff, as it stopped being interesting a good while ago. For now though, it was fun to see Lashley maul him like a bear being let loose in an aquarium.

Post match Lashley keeps the hold on but glares at Dominik, who is too scared to get in. Lashley lets go and we cut to Adam Pearce, who heads into the arena with a microphone. It is his job to give us the best competition at Survivor Series, so Rey is off the team for a replacement to be named later. Cue Austin Theory to take out Dominik and get a quick selfie. Pearce likes that, so Theory is on the team in Rey’s spot. So yeah, we now have two evil authority figures, as that’s an idea that was begging to be rehashed.

Overall Rating: C. This show was certainly a rushed build to Survivor Series, but it was nice to have a focus for once. That’s something Raw has been lacking, as it feels like they have been building to multiple things at once. They were doing it again here, though it was nowhere near as bad as in previous weeks, when Survivor Series felt like a total afterthought. Survivor Series still doesn’t feel important, but at least it feels like WWE remembers it’s happening.

Results
Riddle/Big E. b. Usos via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered
Seth Rollins/Usos b. RKBro/Big E. – Rollup to Riddle
Bianca Belair b. Tamina – KOD
Street Profits b. Alpha Academy – Rollup to Gable
Queen Zelina b. Nikki Ash – Code Red
Rhea Ripley b. Carmella – Riptide
Kevin Owens b. Finn Balor – Stunner
AJ Styles/Omos b. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler – Phenomenal Forearm to Ziggler
Bobby Lashley b. Rey Mysterio – Hurt Lock

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 8, 2021
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Survivor Series and now we have the men’s and women’s Survivor Series teams set up. That means we don’t get a month of qualifying matches, but we are likely to get two weeks of I AM THE CAPTAIN and arguing about their love of a brand they have been on for less than a month. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s issues with Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Big E., as Big E. isn’t sure he can trust Owens.

Big E. and Kevin Owens are in the back, with Owens talking about how he cares about what Big E. thinks of him and wants people to know he turned over a new leaf. Big E. doesn’t really care though and has a match tonight. Owens says he cares what Big E. thinks.

Here is Seth Rollins, in some weird red and blue number, to welcome us to Monday Night Rollins. He is the face of Monday Night Raw and therefore he will lead the team to victory over those Smackdown bums at Survivor Series. The fans think Rollins looks stupid but what would they know about fashion.

Rollins talks about Kevin Owens, wondering if he is a hero or a snake. He has known Owens for a long time and there is one thing you can count on with Owens: he will stab you in the back at any chance he has. Owens is as low as he gets and cannot be trusted as far as he can be thrown, which isn’t far at all. Rollins is ready to turn Owens into the biggest loser in the world but here is a ticked off Owens to interrupt. The fight is on and Rollins has to escape the apron powerbomb. I’m kind of intrigued by this one.

We look back at Omos wrecking the tag team division last week.

RKBro is in the back, with Riddle worrying about turning into a robot and Orton worrying about the Street Profits. Cue the Street Profits, with Orton saying they’re on their own.

Omos/AJ Styles vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler vs. RKBro/Street Profits

Good to see AJ back. Ford dropkicks Roode down to start and mocks some dog poses. Dawkins comes in with a shoulder and suplexes Ford onto Roode for two. Ziggler comes in and gets punched down as well, allowing Orton to stomp away. The assisted Floating Bro gets two on Ziggler so it’s off to AJ, who gets kicked in the chest.

The Styles Clash is broken up and a triangle choke has Styles in more trouble. They fall over the top for the big crash to set up a huge staredown as we take a break. Back with Riddle fighting out of trouble and kicking Ziggler down. That’s enough for the hot tag to Orton but Roode has to save Ziggler from an RKO. Roode is sent into Omos to knock him off the apron, but he is able to catch a flying Styles.

We take a very sudden break and come back with Omos working on Ford before Ziggler comes back in for a boot rake to the eyes. A sunset flip gives Ziggler two but Ford is back up with an enziguri, which did not seem to come close to making contact. Either way, it’s enough for the hot tag off to Dawkins and house is cleaned in a hurry.

It’s back to Omos though and the wrecking is on in a hurry. Both Profits are taken down but Riddle’s knees to the chest do some damage. Granted it isn’t enough damage to avoid a double chokeslam to plant Riddle hard. Orton still teases getting in but blames Riddle for screwing up. Roode and Ziggler cut Orton off from getting in but Roode and Styles get in a fight on the floor. Omos deals with Roode, leaving Ziggler to pin Riddle at 22:51.

Rating: C. I was stunned when I looked at the clock as that was one of the fastest 20+ minute matches I can remember. The wrestling itself was fine, as everyone did their thing, though Riddle being down for so long off a single chokeslam was a bit much. Not bad though, and it’s certainly nice to see AJ back after whatever was wrong with him.

Post match it’s an RKO to leave Ziggler laying. Orton tells Riddle that he has to listen if they want to keep the titles.

Kevin Owens tries to convince Rey Mysterio to believe him but Rey has to do something.

Veer Mahaan is coming.

Here is Adam Pearce for a chat with the Mysterios. Pearce talks about Survivor Series, which has had some great debuts over the years and is the ONLY NIGHT OF THE YEAR where the two shows face off (there is something hilarious about them pushing this idea every year). That means this year’s Raw needs to live up to last year’s as Raw swept the night. It makes him think that he might have made a mistake by putting Dominik on the team, because every other member is a former WWE Champion. Dominik can keep his spot if he wins the following match.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Bobby Lashley

MVP is back and in Lashley’s corner and the winner is on the Raw Survivor Series team. Lashley starts fast with a suplex but Dominik knees his way out of trouble. A high crossbody doesn’t work for Dominik but he low bridges Lashley to the floor. Another dive is pulled out of the air though and Lashley drives him into the post.

Back in and a Downward Spiral drops Dominik again. The Hurt Lock goes on but Lashley won’t let Dominik tap, instead throwing him outside. Rey Mysterio tries to intervene and gets kicked in the chest, allowing Lashley to post Dominik again. An awesome spear sets up the Hurt Lock to end Dominik at 5:11.

Rating: C-. Total squash here, as it should have been. It makes me wonder why they had Dominik on the team in the first place, but it also has me worried that Pearce is going to be the latest evil authority figure. WWE has gotten away from that lame trope for a long time now and I really don’t need to see it happen again. Though he did get rid of Dominik so how evil can he be?

We look back at the Alpha Academy failing to recruit Big E. last week.

Seth Rollins comes up to the Alpha Academy to ask about Kevin Owens. Chad Gable talks about his recent graduation and says Owens is a horrible liar, just like Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers. Tonight, he’ll prove that Big E. can’t be the face of Raw.

Big E. vs. Chad Gable

Non-title and Otis is in Gable’s corner. Big E. takes him down by the arm to start and uses the power to run Gable over. The apron splash connects but Gable is back with some knee cranking. That’s enough to set up a belly to belly into a moonsault for two, followed by rolling Chaos Theory. Big E. is back with a Rock Bottom out of the corner and the Big Ending finishes Gable at 4:55.

Rating: C+. They packed a good amount into that short amount of time as WWE has been on a roll with these shorter matches as of late. I’m glad to see Gable getting in the ring more often in recent weeks as he really is that good. At the same time, it’s not like losing to Big E. is going to hurt him at this point.

Post match, Big E. and Otis have a staredown.

Kevin Owens tries to get R-Truth to believe in him. R-Truth believes in him, but he also believes in Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, that the Earth is flat (“But it’s round in certain places.”) and the Thanksgiving Man, among other things. Owens walks off.

Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce are with the Raw women’s Survivor Series team to announce a fatal five way tonight for a shot at Becky Lynch. Doudrop isn’t sure why Bianca Belair is getting another chance at another shot. Dana Brooke wants some respect, including from Liv Morgan. An argument breaks out.

We look at Wrestlemania XXXII to get us ready for tickets going on sale this Friday. I’m not sure how much I’d brag about that show.

We look at Bobby Lashley taking Dominik Mysterio’s spot.

Rey Mysterio says Dominik has a neck strain and goes on a rant against Adam Pearce. Austin Theory pops in for an unnoticed selfie as Rey holds ice on Dominik’s neck.

24/7 Title: Drake Maverick vs. Reggie

Reggie is defending and takes Maverick down in a hurry to start and it’s a running flip clothesline to take Maverick down in the corner. Cue R-Truth with a referee but the Hurt Business jumps him from behind. The distraction lets Maverick steal the pin and the title at 1:28 (ending Reggie’s record long reign).

Then Akira Tozawa wins the title.

Then Corey Graves wins the title.

Then Byron Saxton wins the title.

Then Maverick wins the title (with a handful of pants).

Then Reggie wins the title back and runs off. Graves: “SAXTON YOU RUIN EVERYTHING!!!”

Bianca Belair vs. Carmella vs. Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Queen Zelina

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a title shot against Becky Lynch, who is on commentary. In the back, Doudrop still isn’t happy with Belair getting the chance. Bianca gets in an argument with Lynch and it’s a big brawl on the floor with everyone getting involved. We take a break before the bell and come back with the match officially beginning, as Belair and Ripley are left alone. That’s broken up before anything can happen but the two of them are right back in for the showdown again.

They grapple around a bit with neither being able to get anywhere. Belair flips over Ripley but gets pulled outside so Carmella and Vega send her into the barricade. Back in and Ripley takes down Vega and Carmella without much effort. The numbers game gets the better of Ripley though and a low superkick gives Carmella two, with Vega breaking it up. Morgan gets knocked off the apron but Carmella has to break up Vega’s cover.

Ripley is back up and gets taken down by Carmella, setting up the stomping/choking in the corner. Morgan gets back in and cleans house but gets sent outside by Vega. Now it’s Ripley tossing Vega around as Becky declares herself as Becky From The Block. Vega tornado DDTs Ripley for two but Belair throws Vega onto everyone and we take a break. Back with Belair powerbombing Vega and Morgan down but getting missile dropkicked by Ripley.

Carmella superkicks Ripley and covers everyone else for two each. Belair sends Vega into the announcers’ table before heading back in for a showdown with Ripley. Both escape finishers until Ripley kicks Belair out of the air. Riptide connects but Morgan makes the save. Oblivion hits Ripley but Vega makes the save this time. Back up and Belair hits the KOD, drawing in Doudrop to pull Belair out. Morgan rolls Carmella up for the pin and the title shot at 16:28.

Rating: C-. I don’t think this was exactly a big surprise as Morgan vs. Lynch was teased last week. They could have an interesting match and it does open the door for a possible (though unlikely) change before we get to Survivor Series. There was a lot of action in the match, though it didn’t need that much time. At least we’re getting a more appealing title match, which isn’t WWE’s strong suit.

Seth Rollins asks Big E. about Kevin Owens but Big E. doesn’t trust either of them. He’ll be at ringside though.

Smackdown Rebound.

Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens

Big E. is on commentary but here is Austin Theory before the match to take some pictures. The phone is swatted away by Big E. though and Theory skedaddles. Also before the match, Seth grabs the mic to say that he and Owens had a plan to jump Big E. last week and it went badly. Cue Owens to cut him off though and the chase sends Rollins into the crowd as we take a break.

Back (after a This Week In WWE History, looking at the Montreal Screwjob) with the bell ringing and Owens hammering away on Rollins, who bails out to the floor in a hurry. Owens gives chase and hits a backsplash on the floor to crush Rollins. The Cannonball against the barricade does it again, followed by a stomping inside. Rollins gets knocked outside again so Owens hits another splash. That earns him a whip into the announcers’ table though and we take a break.

Back with Rollins stomping away at the ribs but getting pulled down so Owens can hammer away. Rollins goes right back to the ribs with a bunch of stomps to keep Owens in trouble. A snap suplex gives Rollins two but he misses the frog splash. Owens’ frog splash connects for two though and we take a break.

Back with Rollins charging into a superkick in the corner, followed by Owens hitting a heck of a running clothesline. Owens goes up but gets caught by Rollins, who gets planted with the spinning fisherman’s superplex. Rollins is right back with a Pedigree for two but Owens catches him with a Pop Up sitout Powerbomb for two. A shot to the bad ribs breaks up Owens’ Stunner and knocks him outside. Rollins tries to send Owens into Big E. but he dodges out of the way. The delay is enough to keep Owens from beating the count at 24:09.

Rating: B-. This was a long match which saw both guys looking good, though the ending left something to be desired. I know it’s the right way to go to keep the story going as Owens is going to be frustrated, but there isn’t much to be had from a countout after such a long match. It might make sense, but it doesn’t mean it’s satisfying.

Post match Rollins leaves but Owens snaps, beating the fire out of Big E. Referees try to break it up but Owens comes back over for another stomp to the head. Owens screams a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m going to assume that a lot of this show was due to the UK tour, as you never see so many long matches on a show. What we got wasn’t great, but it’s kind of hard to build to a show like Survivor Series anymore. What you’re seeing is a bunch of stuff being set up that won’t be taking place at the next pay per view, so why should I get interested so soon? I’m sure some of this stuff will be blown off either in December or at Day One in January, but that makes for some fairly weak television the way there. There was some ok stuff on here, but a lot of it felt like filler and that makes for a dull night.

Results
Omos/AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode b. RKBro/Street Profits – Chokeslam to Riddle
Bobby Lashley b. Dominik Mysterio – Hurt Lock
Big E. b. Chad Gable – Big Ending
Drake Maverick b. Reggie – Rollup
Liv Morgan b. Carmella, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley and Queen Zelina – Crucifix to Carmella
Seth Rollins b. Kevin Owens via countout

WWE, 2021, Monday Night Raw, Omos, AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, RKBro, Street Profits, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, Adam Pearce, Dominik Mysterio, Big E., Chad Gable, Drake Maverick, Otis, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Queen Zelina, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Austin Theory

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