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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Los Lotharios vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rick Boogs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy

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

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

Post match Sami is all upset.

Hit Row raps about how awesome they are.

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

Xia Li is coming.

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

Raw Rebound.

Roman Reigns vs. King Woods

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Smackdown
Date: November 5, 2021
Location: Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re just over two weeks away from Survivor Series and it might be time to start talking about the show. Since it absolutely has to be Raw vs. Smackdown, it shouldn’t be that hard to get things going. The show almost has to be better than last week’s so at least they have a clear bar to clear. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. Roman Reigns talks about taking last week off after smashing Brock Lesnar, but now he’s back so this tiny little no name town can acknowledge him. He was on a private island running around sans clothes last week (his wife loved it), but not everyone had a good time. Brock Lesnar got fined a million bucks, but there was one more thing.

Reigns asks Paul Heyman what happened to the Usos, with Heyman talking about how it was a non-title match. When flat out asked though, Heyman has to admit that the New Day won the match. Reigns likes the New Day, even though the Bloodline is better. He wants to know what happened, with both Usos blaming the other for taking the pin. Eventually it’s Jimmy who admits he lost, so Reigns wants to know how he’s going to fix it.

Jimmy promises to make everyone acknowledge the head of the title and the Universal Champion, but here is New Day to interrupt. Woods thinks the King is supposed to be at the head of the table, but Reigns hasn’t stopped talking about sitting there for a long time now. Kofi thinks the table has been forgotten on Reigns’ island of relevancy. As for tonight, Woods has an idea: Woods vs. Jimmy, and when Jey loses, he has to bend the knee to the King. Jimmy says the Bloodline bows to no one but Reigns accepts for him, with Woods having to bend the knee if he loses.

We look at Sonya Deville cheating Naomi out of a match with Shayna Baszler last week.

Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler

In the back, Sonya Deville insists that it has been tough love on Naomi. They start fast with Naomi hitting a Thesz press and then kicking Baszler in the face. Baszler snaps off a German suplex though and they fight outside, with Naomi sending her into the apron. Back in and a good high crossbody gets two on Baszler but she drops Naomi onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Naomi hitting a Heatseeker onto the apron. A sunset flip gets two but Baszler switches into the Kirifuda Clutch. That’s broken up with a rope break so Naomi grabs a rollup for the pin at 6:33. Hold on though because here’s Sonya Deville to say that should have been a rope break, so restart the match. Cole: “WHERE’S JACK TUNNEY???” The Kirifuda Clutch finishes Naomi at 7:30.

Rating: C-. Yeah we know. It’s the kind of story that we have seen over and over again: a corrupt authority figure does something to mess with a wrestler. The good thing here though is that it could bring Sonya back into the ring and that is certainly a positive. It has been a while since we’ve seen this so it’s far from the worst thing, but they might as well have had a big NOPE sign as soon as Naomi got the pin.

Roman Reigns is ranting to the Usos about what happened last week, saying he took a week off and this place is almost as bad as Raw. Jimmy laughs so Reigns gets in his face, saying they don’t lose.

Remember how Xia Li was coming? She still is.

Ridge Holland is here to meet his idol, Sheamus, because he would fight right in back home. He and his friends were all big fans and everything he knows he learned from watching Sheamus. That is bad news for everyone around here. Quite the interesting backstory.

We look back at Shotzi attacking Sasha Banks.

Shotzi talks about how she has lost everything, from matches to the support of the WWE Universe. That was her breaking point and she is going to run over everyone, even without the tank. This was a good example of someone writing a promo for a wrestler, even if it is not something that fits with their personality. Someone like Shotzi would never say “the support of the WWE Universe” but that’s how WWE people talk so here we are.

Los Lotharios vs. Mansoor/Cesaro

Mansoor takes Garza down by the arm to start but gets caught in a spinebuster as we get an inset interview from some bragging Lotharios. Carrillo comes in to punch Mansoor into the corner and a backdrop allows Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS. The half crab goes on but Mansoor escapes and brings in Cesaro to start cleaning house. The springboard corkscrew elbow sets up the Swing but Carrillo makes the save. Mansoor breaks up the near fall and Cesaro gets knocked into Mansoor. Something like a Muta Lock from Carrillo sets up a basement dropkick from Garza (The Cero de la Silla?) for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. You can always use a team like Los Lotharios and they were doing their thing well enough here. The tag divisions have been dying for new talent so this is a perfectly fine addition. Now just let them win some matches and go somewhere with it and they might be on to something.

Aliyah hits on Jeff Hardy but leaves so Jeff can have his interview. Hold on though as Jeff goes over to Aliyah, who runs into Sami Zayn. Sami wants to help her out, so he has one suggestion: pants suit.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for this week’s open challenge.

Drew McIntyre vs. Ricochet

Ricochet says Drew needs to watch his mouth or someone is going to come out here and slap him in the face. That’s what Ricochet does so Drew starts fast, including a heck of an overhead belly to belly. Drew is knocked outside but he catches a running hurricanrana and drops Ricochet onto the apron. Back in and another belly to belly has Ricochet sprawling into the corner.

We cut to Mustafa Ali, who seems interested because he and Ricochet have a lot in common. Back to full screen with Ricochet dropkicking McIntyre out of the air. A standing shooting star press is blocked though and a brainbuster gives Drew two. Ricochet hits some superkicks but a middle rope moonsault press is Claymored out of the air (DANG) for the pin at 3:41.

Rating: B-. WWE is getting the hang of these awesome short matches as of late, as they packed in so much stuff that I thought they had gone twice as long. I’m glad to see Ricochet on the show again and that finish looked great. Then there’s the Ali stuff and while I’m still nervous, they might have shifted away from what it seemed to be in the first place.

New Day is ready for the main event and dancing ensues.

Mustafa Ali comes up tor Ricochet and proposes a team. Ricochet turns him down though, because Ali complains all the time, was mean to his last partner, and is just a jerk. Ali isn’t pleased.

It’s time for Happy Talk, with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss laughing about how they have no competition. That brings them to their guests this week, the Viking Raiders, who seem to impress McAfee. The Raiders say they aren’t here to be guests but to raid this corny show. Corbin laughs at the idea of two guys in their Halloween costumes. Moss tells them a joke about how bad vikings smell so the set is wrecked.

Viking Raiders vs. Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss

Erik powers Corbin around to start so it’s off to Ivar to work on Moss’ arm. A Corbin distraction lets Moss come back with a spinebuster to Erik though and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. Ivar has to make a save of his own but Moss shoves him through the ropes for something you don’t see very often.

Deep Six gets two on Erik but he knocks Corbin away and brings in Ivar to start breaking people. A crossbody hits Moss for two and there’s the seated senton in the corner. Ivar cartwheels away from Corbin (McAfee: “A VIKING DID A CARTWHEEL!”) and drives Erik into the corner. Corbin is sent outside and Erik powerbombs Moss (after almost dropping him at first) but Corbin pulls Moss to the floor. The threat of an Ivar dive sends Moss and Corbin away for the countout at 5:41.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere but they followed the formula so it wasn’t that bad. The Raiders getting pushed again is a good idea and I could go for seeing them face the Usos for the titles. Corbin and Moss are more likely to get the push though, which isn’t surprising and also not the most exciting. Odds are the rematch is next week and a Nakamura/Boogs cameo wouldn’t surprise me.

Raw Rebound.

Hit Row runs into Sami Zayn, who is giving them some advice as the locker room leader. Zayn thought their entrance a few weeks ago sucked, but with some work, they could be stars. Top Dolla asks him to demonstrate a big entrance and the team is rather excited to see this.

Here is Sami Zayn, who is rather fired up during his entrance. With that out of the way, here is Hit Row, who seems to get a bit of a more positive reaction, to send Sami away in some shame.

The Usos ask if Roman Reigns is coming to the ring with them. Reigns asks how many of their mistakes does he have to fix.

King Woods vs. Jimmy Uso

Kofi Kingston and Jey Uso are here too and the loser has to bend the knee. Woods starts fast by knocking Jimmy outside to start. Back in and Woods dropkicks him out of the air for two but Jimmy drops him on the top. We take a break and come back with Jimmy stomping away in the corner before grabbing the chinlock.

Woods fights back up and knocks Jimmy down for a change, setting up a heck of a top rope legdrop for two. Jey offers a distraction though and it’s a super Samoan drop to give Jimmy his own near fall. The Superfly Splash hits raised boots so Jey offers a hand but the referee catches the cheating. Woods grabs a rollup (and pants) for the pin at 9:21.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one by the end and they had me on a few of the near falls. Woods winning is the right call as he is getting some energy out of the crown, so you don’t want him losing so soon. The match was good action with solid drama and that’s not bad for a total midcard main event.

Post match Jimmy reluctantly starts to bend the knee but here is Roman Reigns to jump Woods and set up the beatdown. Woods’ leg gets taken out and Reigns promises violence next week. New Day is going to need some backup, perhaps in the form of the WWE Champion, who is probably going to be facing Reigns at Survivor Series later this month anyway. That’s some amazing timing.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah last week was a one off as this was definitely a return to course after last week’s near train wreck. This week had better matches and some good story advancement, so well done on getting things closer to Survivor Series. I want to see what happens when a serious Big E. comes after Reigns and Naomi get to beat up Sonya, plus wherever they are going with Drew McIntyre’s open challenges. Good show here, and that’s nice to see again.

Results
Shayna Baszler b. Naomi – Kirifuda Clutch
Los Lotharios b. Cesaro/Mansoor – Assisted basement dropkick to Cesaro
Drew McIntyre b. Ricochet – Claymore
Viking Raiders b. Madcap Moss/Happy Corbin via countout
Xavier Woods b. Jimmy Uso – Rollup with a handful of pants

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

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

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

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn

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

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

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

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

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

Xia Li is coming soon.

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

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

Ridge Holland isn’t surprise he made it here.

Aliyah is ready to give Smackdown a makeover.

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

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

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

Hit Row vs. Dustin Lawyer/Daniel Williams

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

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

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

Happy Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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Crown Jewel 2021
Date: October 21, 2021
Location: Mohammed Abdu Arena On The Boulevard, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Michael Cole

After a year and a half away, WWE is returning to Saudi Arabia and the show is actually looking huge. For the first time in a very long while, we are seeing what looks to be a massive show with a lot going on. The main event is Roman Reigns defending the Universal Title against Brock Lesnar and that should be enough to carry just about anything. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Usos vs. Shelton Benjamin/Cedric Alexander

Non-title and the fans are WAY behind the Usos to start. Jey and Alexander start things off with Jey grabbing a belly to back suplex for two. It’s off to Shelton, who powers Jey into the corner and then hands it straight back to Alexander for a knee to the face. The arm work begins, including a shoulder breaker on Jey, setting up an armbar. A superplex sends Jey crashing down for two and it’s back to Alexander for a Tequila Sunrise.

With that broken up, the cross armbreaker goes back to the arm but Jey slips out. Jey gets in a shot of his own and gets over to Jimmy for the hot tag to clean house. What looked to be a mistimed Samoan drop gets two on Alexander, who is right back with a neckbreaker for the same. Benjamin is back in with a running knee in the corner as everything breaks down. The Angle Slam gives Benjamin two and Paydirt connects for the same. Jey is back up though and it’s a series of superkicks to send Benjamin outside. More superkicks set up the Superfly Splash to finish Alexander at 10:40.

Rating: C. Totally fine tag match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was involved. The Usos are one of the best tag teams the company has ever seen and Benjamin/Alexander work well together. The fans were WAY into the Usos too, making this a nice mixture. Good start to the night here, with the match being exactly what it needed to be.

The opening video talks about how huge this show is and goes into the standard look at the major matches.

There are camels by the stage.

We recap Edge vs. Seth Rollins inside the Cell. Rollins attacked Edge, who referred to Rollins as Edge-Lite. This set up a series of back and forth mental games between the two until Edge beat him at Summerslam. Then Rollins broke into Edge’s house (which was unlocked, so it wasn’t hard) and beat him in the rematch, attacking Edge’s neck in the process. Now it’s time for the big finale, inside the Cell, as Edge wants a lot of revenge.

The Cell is lowered.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins

Inside the Cell to start big. Edge slugs away in the corner to start as the fans declare this awesome in a hurry. Rollins gets kicked in the face to send him outside but comes back in with the springboard knee to the face to take over. A suicide dive only hits Cell though and Edge sends him hard into the steps. Edge throws in the steps and hits the Edgecution for two but already seems to be limping a bit. It’s already time to go for the chair bar but Rollins is back up with the Sling Blade.

They head outside again with Edge sending him into the Cell to regain control. Edge tries the Crossface but Rollins grabs the chair bar to hit him in the eye and escape. Rollins knocks the chair into Edge’s face and hits a frog splash for two. It’s already time for the table at ringside but first Rollins has to plant Edge with the Unprettier (which is suddenly Edge’s move) for two more.

Rollins takes his sweet time going up top, allowing Edge to shove him into the Cell and through the table for the big crash to the floor. The steps are thrown in, with Edge busting on the Edge-O-Matic to plant Rollins again. Edge leaves Rollins on the steps and goes up top to drive a chair into him for the big crash and a delayed near fall. Rollins is back up with a superkick into the Pedigree for two of his own and they’re both down. The Stomp is loaded up but Edge counters into a Buckle Bomb to set up the spear for the VERY near fall.

With nothing else working, it’s time for a ladder, which knocks Rollins right back down. Rollins is able to whip Edge into the ladder in the corner and let’s get another table for a bonus. The ladder is set up as well but Edge fights up to meet him on top. That’s not the best idea though as Rollins busts out a sunset bomb through the table for another near fall. Some superkicks drop Edge to his knees and a basement superkick puts him down.

Since that isn’t enough, Rollins wraps a chain around his boot for another low superkick. The Stomp onto the chair is countered with a crotching using the chair, allowing Edge to kick him down for a change. There’s a low superkick to Rollins and Edge grabs a Crossface, complete with a wrench in Rollins’ mouth. That’s not enough either though as Edge puts Rollins’ head onto the chair, setting up the Stomp for the pin at 27:40.

Rating: B. It was a heck of a fight and they beat each other up rather well, but this is what modern Cell matches have become: TLC matches with a big cage on top, which can leave things feeling a little cramped. There’s so much stuff around and inside of the ring that it almost feels messy, which isn’t what I would like to see in a Cell match. Going back and forth with the moves and spots that brought them here (including what is apparently now Edge’s Unprettier) worked, though it never hit that next level. In other words, most modern Cell matches.

Video on Bianca Belair.

We recap Mustafa Ali vs. Mansoor. Ali mentored Mansoor but then turned on him when the team didn’t work. It’s time for revenge.

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali is in his hometown and gets a huge reaction. They fight over wrist control to start with Mansoor grabbing a quickly broken armbar. Back up and a dropkick puts Ali on the floor as Cole mocks Ali for setting up a hashtag about himself. Mansoor dropkicks him to the floor but Ali sweeps the leg to drop him back first onto the apron. Back in and Ali grabs a camel clutch, followed by a tornado DDT for two.

Some trash talk lets Mansoor fight back up and an atomic drop has Ali begging off. Ali is sent outside but comes back with a kick to the face. The 450 misses though and Mansoor suplexes him into the corner. A moonsault gives Mansoor a delayed near fall (with the camera on a young girl in the crowd) due to a banged up neck, allowing Ali to grab a Koji Clutch. The rope gets Mansoor out of trouble and he avoids another 450 attempt. Mansoor hits the slingshot neckbreaker for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would have expected and that means it worked out just fine. They had a simple feud and Mansoor gets his revenge in front of his hometown/country fans. It was a good example of a match where they didn’t make things too complicated and it was a success as a result.

Post match Ali jumps Mansoor but here is a man with a his face and head covered to slowly walk down the ramp. The covering comes off to reveal….a silver medalist in karate from Saudi Arabia (“a karate player” according to Cole, making me want to bust out some Karate Fighters). Ali gets kicked in the head and posing with Mansoor ensues. Nice moment for the live crowd there.

Some women who have beaten breast cancer are given WWE Title belts with Natalya and Titus O’Neil talking about how great they are. Nothing wrong with that.

Raw Tag Team Titles: RKBro vs. AJ Styles/Omos

RKBro is defending, but hang on as Riddle goes backstage during the entrance. As you might have guessed, Riddle comes out on a camel to head to the ring (Orton’s stunned look is great). Styles and Riddle start things off and the fans are rather into this. Riddle scores with an early kick to the chest and it’s off to Orton, to a heck of an RKO chant. Orton sends Styles into the corner and it’s right back to Riddle for the gutwrench spin into the suplex.

The problem is Riddle suplexes Styles into the corner so Omos can come in. Riddle tags Orton in almost immediately and the beating is on in a hurry, with Omos dragging Orton over to the corner. Styles comes in to stomp away and hit the dropkick, but Styles wants Omos to finish him off. That means a nerve hold (which looks like Omos is just putting his hand on Orton’s shoulder) but Orton is up in a hurry, allowing the tag back to Riddle.

Styles scores with the Phenomenal Blitz, only to get caught with a Pele. Orton comes in again and hits a powerslam but Omos’ distraction breaks up the hanging DDT. Orton snaps Omos’ throat across the top and then counters the Phenomenal Forearm into the RKO. The Floating Bro retains the titles at 8:43.

Rating: C. Total Raw level match here with a cool looking spot with the RKO. I get why the feud continued here but it feels like they have just run out of things to do in the ring or to build towards a match. RKBro needs some new competition because we have been doing this for several months now and it isn’t interesting anymore.

Becky Lynch isn’t happy with Kevin Patrick asking her about momentum (Becky: “We go all the way back to the old country!”). She isn’t worried about being in a triple threat match, which she explains in a hurry.

Video on Charlotte, who isn’t on this show.

Queen’s Crown: Doudrop vs. Zelina Vega

Vega gets powered around to start but a neck snap across the top gets her out of trouble. For some reason Vega tries a sunset flip and is quickly pulled up. Doudrop hits some ax handles to the chest and drops an elbow but gets pulled off the ropes. A tornado DDT gives Vega two and she sends Doudrop into the corner for a running shot to the face. Doudrop is back to her feet for a swinging side slam for two, setting up a running backsplash for the same. Back up and Vega avoids a splash, setting up a Code Red to give Vega the crown at 5:50.

Rating: C-. The match was about as good as you were going to get given the size difference and by comparison, this actually got time. The fact that a match which wasn’t even six minutes long was nearly double the second longest match in the tournament is not a good sign, but at least they went with someone who could use the push. All in all, the tournament felt thrown together, but I’ll take Vega finally winning something.

We recap Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg. Lashley beat him via referee stoppage at Summerslam but then accidentally (perhaps) beat up Goldberg’s son after the match. Goldberg wants revenge and it’s falls count anywhere and no holds barred.

Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley

No holds barred and falls count anywhere. Lashley wraps a chain around his fist and hammers Goldberg down to start before sending him shoulder first into the post. Since Lashley can’t find a table, he beats Goldberg up with a chair and sends him into the corner again. Now the table is slid inside and Lashley stomps him down in the corner. The table is set up in the corner and Lashley takes out the leg (which caused the stoppage at Summerslam).

A chair is wrapped around the leg and a bottom rope Pillmanizing has Goldberg….well just kind of laying there. The leg is fine enough for Goldberg to get up and avoid the spear, sending Lashley through the table in the corner. Goldberg hits a spear into the Jackhammer but doesn’t cover. Instead, Goldberg takes his gloves off and throws Lashley outside for the spear into the timekeeper’s area.

Goldberg loads up the steps and then sends Lashley into various objects at ringside. Lashley is put on the steps but avoids being crushed by the rest of the steps. They go up the ramp and here are Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander, armed with kendo sticks. Goldberg beats the two of them up in a hurry and takes away Lashley’s kendo stick. Said stick is broken over Goldberg’s knee and a spear off the ramp through some tables finishes Lashley at 11:27.

Rating: C+. That could have been a lot worse. I still have absolutely no interest in seeing Goldberg and I do not care about his bored kid, but that could have been a lot worse. They used all of the smoke and mirrors here and that is the best idea. Goldberg was never exactly versatile to start and now he’s twenty years past his prime, so this is about as good as it was going to be.

King of the Ring: Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods

Of note: there was a Survivor Series ad before the match, hyping it up as the only night of the year where Raw and Smackdown go head to head. This is the seventh match of the night and the third Raw vs. Smackdown match. They go with the technical stuff to start with Woods rolling his way out of a headlock. An armbar has Balor in some trouble for all of about five seconds before he takes Woods down. The basement dropkick gives Balor two and we’re off to the chinlock.

Woods tries to fight up but gets taken down for the double stomp. A Nightmare on Helm Street gives Balor two but he charges into a superkick to give Woods the same. They strike it out for a bit until Woods grabs a small package for two. Balor goes up but gets superplexed back down, allowing Woods to load up the Limit Breaker. That only hits knees though and Balor hits the shotgun dropkick in the corner. The Coup de Grace misses though and Woods la majistrals him for two. Woods hits a gordbuster into double knees to the chest and now the Limit Breaker is enough to give Woods the pin and the crown at 9:37.

Rating: C+. What matters the most here is that it was a nice moment. WWE set up a story here and then paid it off, with Woods talking about always wanting to be king and the fans getting behind him. It’s an underdog story and WWE actually went the right way with the whole thing, which is not something you ever see around here. Nice job for once.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Big E. for the WWE Title. Big E. cashed in Money in the Bank to win the title last month and that means McIntyre is allowed to challenge for the title again. They don’t seem to get along and are both hyped up for this match.

WWE Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Big E.

McIntyre is challenging and is told to hit the ropes to start. Big E. isn’t going anywhere off the shoulder but McIntyre jumps over him in the corner and drops Big E. with another shoulder. They head outside with McIntyre hitting the overhead belly to belly, followed by a Russian legsweep for two back inside. McIntyre hits a spinebuster for two and there’s another overhead belly to belly to cut off Big E.’s comeback.

The Futureshock is countered and Big E. runs him over, setting up the Warrior Splash for two. The Michinoku Driver drops Big E. for two more but he’s back with the Rock Bottom out of the corner for another near fall of his own. Now McIntyre can hit Futureshock for two more but the Claymore is countered into a powerbomb. That means a Stretch Muffler can work on McIntyre’s knee until McIntyre rolls out.

Big E. doesn’t seem to mind as he comes back with the Big Ending for a very close two. With that not working, Big E. loads up a super Big Ending but gets reversed into a super bulldog for the next near fall. The Claymore is countered and Big E. loads up the spear through the ropes but McIntyre runs back in for the Claymore and a VERY close two. To mix things up a bit, McIntyre loads up his own Big Ending, which is reversed into the real thing to retain the title at 13:22.

Rating: B. Take two big, heavy hitters and let them beat each other up for a little while. That’s all we had here and it was a good one as a result. What matters here is giving Big E. another big win, as he hasn’t been champion that long and needs to establish himself as a top guy a little bit more. This worked out rather well and was one of the best things on the card, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

There was a Be A Star event earlier today.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair

Lynch is defending. No recap for this, but Lynch returned to beat Belair for the title at Summerslam, where she replaced Banks, who returned and attacked both of them. Belair picks Lynch up for an early suplex before gorilla pressing Banks (with one hand, because of course she can do that). Lynch is back in to send Belair outside and roll Banks up for two. The Backstabber is blocked so Banks settle for Stratusfaction (while kicking Belair off the apron at the same time).

Belair is right back in to beat on Banks in the corner but Lynch elbows her into the face. Lynch monkey flips Banks at Belair, who gets taken down with a hurricanrana. Belair pulls Banks up into a torture rack but Lynch hits a missile dropkick, sending Belair flying on the impact. With Banks on the floor, Lynch picks Belair’s leg and gets two off a bulldog. Banks comes back in so Lynch Bexploders both of them for a double two.

Lynch goes up top but gets pulled out of the air and double planted down. That leaves Banks and Belair to fight over a backslide until Belair blasts her with a clothesline. Banks is back up with a knockdown of her own and goes up, only to have to bail out of the frog splash. After Belair sends Banks outside, a powerbomb gets two on Lynch. Everyone gets back in, with Belair grabbing a delayed vertical suplex on Lynch. While Lynch is still in the air, Banks tries a sunset flip but Belair kicks her away and THEN suplexes Lynch (that’s scary).

Belair misses a moonsault though and it’s a Bank Statement/Disarm-Her at the same time. That’s let go because Belair should be mostly done so banks puts Lynch in the Bank Statement. Rather than just kicking her for the break, Belair hits a handspring moonsault, which does not exactly seem that wise. Back up and Banks sends Lynch outside, allowing her to grab Belair by the braid. Belair breaks that up and grabs a European Clutch for two, with Lynch breaking it up (sans handspring moonsault).

The Manhandle Slam gets two on Banks with Belair making another save. Belair slips out of another Manhandle Slam but gets sent out to the apron. Banks tries to powerbomb her off the apron but Belair backflips her way to freedom. Lynch is right back up with a double clothesline off the barricade and it’s the Disarm-Her on Belair back inside.

Banks tries to make the save so she Disarm-Hers both of them at the same time. That’s broken up with Belair trying a double KOD but Lynch falls off. Belair is knocked down again but Banks reverses the Manhandle Slam. That just leave Belair to come back in with the KOD on Lynch. Banks tries to steal the pin but Lynch rolls her up and grabs the ropes to retain at 19:33.

Rating: B+. This was the action packed match that I was hoping it would be and there were times where I believed all three of them could win. It felt like the big time match that it needed to be and one of the biggest things on the card. I liked this a good bit and while I could go for them figuring out the title situation on each show, this was what the match needed to be. Pretty awesome stuff here and the match of the night.

We recap Edge beating Seth Rollins inside the Cell.

Long recap of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. Reigns has been champion since last August with Paul Heyman at his side. Now Lesnar is back though and suggesting that Heyman is really in his corner. It has become a question of whose side Heyman is on, which has become much bigger than the match itself.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending. They go with the grappling to start and no one gets anywhere. Lesnar hammers away in the corner but it’s too early for a suplex. Instead Reigns hammers away, only to have to block another German suplex attempt. Lesnar powers him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. The German suplex finally connects and it’s more shoulders into the ribs in the corner. They head to the floor with Lesnar getting posted.

Reigns gets thrown back in but manages a Superman Punch, setting up the HUGE dive over the top to take him out (good grief). Back in and the spear gets two, setting up another Superman Punch. Lesnar leapfrogs another spear to send Reigns into the corner (ala Goldberg at Wrestlemania XXXIII) and it’s time for Suplex City, complete with Lesnar mocking Reigns’ roar. The F5 gets two (on a great near fall) but another one is countered into the guillotine.

Lesnar breaks it up with a spinebuster and hits another F5, which in this case means throwing Reigns at the referee. The referee gets thrown outside and Reigns is back up with a spear for no cover. Heyman is conflicted and throws in the title….right between the two of them. Heyman: “YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT!” They fight over the title with Brock pulling it away but the Usos come in for a double superkick. Reigns hits him in the face with the title and another referee comes in to count the pin at 12:22.

Rating: B. Good match here, mainly because it felt like a match. This wasn’t about a bunch of finishers spammed together as they actually built something up for a change. That makes the match so much better and a lot more fun to watch, which is more than I would have bet on otherwise. The ending leaves the door open for more later on and doesn’t give us a definitive answer to the Heyman deal. It’s the best story in wrestling today and it would be a shame if they just cut it of.

The Bloodline celebrates as Lesnar wakes up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was actually a heck of a show with the big matches delivering and nothing bad throughout. The crowd was way into it as well and that is always going to boost things up. Above all else, there were some nice feel good moments here and the show felt like it was designed to make the fans happy rather than screwing them over time after time. Easily the best Saudi Arabia show to date and one of the best WWE shows of the year.

Results
Edge b. Seth Rollins – Stomp onto a chair
Mansoor b. Mustafa Ali – Slingshot neckbreaker
RKBro b. AJ Styles/Omos – Floating Bro to Styles
Zelina Vega b. Doudrop – Code Red
Goldberg b. Bobby Lashley – Spear off the ramp
Xavier Woods b. Finn Balor – Limit Breaker
Big E. b. Drew McIntyre – Big Ending
Becky Lynch b. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks – Rollup while grabbing the ropes to Banks
Roman Reigns b. Brock Lesnar – Belt shot

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.

We are on the way to Crown Jewel and this time around that means we are going to be seeing quite the stacked card. There are some rather big matches set for the show and this time around, something might actually happen. For once it feels like a major show that just happens to be taking place in Saudi Arabia, which has certainly not been the case for most of the shows over there. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Usos vs. Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin

Are they still the Hurt Business? Anyway, this was added the day before the show as a way to give us something to get the crowd going. That should be enough to warm up the crowd, though you never know what this kind of crowd is going to be at these things. If nothing else, this is a way to have the Usos around for the main event, as Roman Reigns might need some bodies to throw at Brock Lesnar.

I’ll go with the Usos winning here, as they are one of the best WWE teams in a long time now. Alexander and Benjamin are back together, but it isn’t like they would have been a serious threat to the Usos on their best day. The action should be good, but this is all about the Usos, because they are a mixture of good and more important, making them the easy winners here.

King of the Ring: Finn Balor vs. Xavier Woods

We’ll get one of the more important matches out of the way here, along with one where I’m not sure who is winning. You have the much bigger star in Balor, who already has the Prince name and would be an easy step up to the King deal, but on the other hand you have Woods, who seems to be obsessed with winning the thing. That’s a nice story to throw in and WWE has actually done it well for a change.

As great as it would be to see Woods finally win something, I think it’ll be Balor winning, as he could us something to boost him back up. Balor is a much bigger star and it makes sense to give him the rub, even if Woods could do a lot more with the idea. This is a case where there isn’t a bad option for the win, and as long as they get to actually do something here, we should be in for a good one.

Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley

Let’s get this one out of the way so I don’t have to think about it again. This is the rematch from Summerslam, where fans were not exactly interested in seeing it in the first place. Then Goldberg, known for his sensitive emotions, got all serious because Bobby Lashley attacked Goldberg’s son Gage, meaning it’s time to get old man serious. That’s totally what this match needed, right?

As stupid as it is, I’m going with Goldberg winning here, because it seems like the kind of thing that WWE would do for the sake of some kind of feel good moment. Since Gage will be at the show (!!!), you can picture the big deal at the end, which is going to be one of those things that isn’t as interesting as WWE thinks it is but will run with it anyway, all at Lashley’s expense. Yay.

Raw Tag Team Titles: RKBro(c) vs. AJ Styles/Omos

I know they haven’t been feuding for very long but this feud has worn out its welcome in a hurry. There are a few other teams on Monday Night Raw but these two have been the exclusive title feud since before Summerslam, meaning I really never need to see them fight again. Both are still good pairings but at some point, you just need to see them fight someone else.

It seems way too early to have RKBro drop the titles just yet so I’ll go with the champs retaining their titles. Styles and Omos seem like a team who could be split up to go their separate ways a bit more easily, so maybe that is being set up by another loss. Omos is going to be given a chance on his own, even if he isn’t ready for the it yet. For now though, it should be RKBro retaining, which I think it will be.

Mansoor vs. Mustafa Ali

This is the easiest pick on the show and I don’t think that is any kind of a secret. WWE understands what they have in Mansoor and there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with giving a lower midcard wrestler a win in a match that is going to mean a lot to the live fans, no matter what WWE seems to think at any other point in the year for whatever reason.

Of course Mansoor wins here, because even WWE isn’t crazy enough to think there is any reason to do something else. Mansoor is likely going to be the most over star on the show and now he gets another win in his home country. Ali is a very talented guy in his own right and I could go for seeing him on such a big stage. I know it isn’t the best place for him, but it’s not like he was doing anything else beforehand (or likely after). Mansoor wins here, in as sure of a pick as you can have.

Queen’s Crown: Zelina Vega vs. Doudrop

I can’t help but sigh when I think about this match. The tournament has had six matches so far and those matches have totaled less than fourteen minutes of action. WWE has not exactly treated this tournament like anything that matters and what says honor than a match between someone who hadn’t won a match Vega, who hadn’t won a thing until the tournament started and Doudrop, who is turning into little more than a comedy character?

There seems to be more upside in Vega than Doudrop at the moment, so I’ll take her to win here. Vega is someone who feels ready to become a star as soon as she is given a chance, though it would not shock me whatsoever to see Vega lose something else. At least she is getting on the show this time, which is more than she can say most of the time. Vega wins here, though it really could go either way. Now can they at least get five minutes? Please?

WWE Title: Big E.(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

Now this one actually gets my interest up a bit, as these two could have a solid match against each other. Big E. has shown that he can hang with the bigger stars and McIntyre had a very nice main event level run as champion. Above all else, this feels like a title match these days, though comparing it to Reigns vs. Lesnar hardly does the WWE Title any favors.

I’ll go with Big E. retaining here, as McIntyre is on his way to SmackDown and there is no need to have him be like Charlotte and take the title over to the other show. Big E. can get a nice win, McIntyre doesn’t really get hurt by the loss and everyone gets to move on to whatever they are doing next. In other words, WWE has actually done something well for a change. I’m as shocked as you are.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

I’m not even going to try and keep track of what is going on with the title and who is on which show as of Crown Jewel and then as of Friday, because WWE is probably going to have some wacky idea to get them out of this. What matters here is we have three women who all could be a legitimate threat to leave with the title, which is always a nice situation to be in.

As for a winner, I think I’ll go with Lynch retaining, as she is fresh off of a loss to Banks and could use the pickup again. That would leave the door open for Lynch and Charlotte to swap titles ala Street Profits and New Day (because that’s such a great idea that doesn’t devalue the titles in any way), meaning we can have the Horsewomen back on top again at Survivor Series! Lynch retains here, leaving us with more room for the same stuff we’ve seen before.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins

The build for this match has been up and down to put it mildly, but what matters here is the fact that they set up the Cell in a way that actually fits. These two have been incredibly angry and violent with each other and it makes sense to do something like this as a result. It was also great to not have something as annoying as the calendar deciding that the match would take place, so again, WWE has actually done this right.

Give me Rollins to win though, as he is likely to be sticking around full time rather than having Edge pop in and out every few months. I wasn’t thrilled with having Edge win the first match, but at least Rollins tied it up a few weeks back. Rollins wins here and could easily be slotted in as Big E.’s next challenger, but don’t bet against WWE going the other way for the old guy getting his moment (to go along with winning the Royal Rumble and headlining WrestleMania of course).

Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Brock Lesnar

Now this feels like a main event and that is not something you get to say very often these days. Reigns has taken everything to a different level, but Lesnar is the kind of monster that you do not get to see very often. You also don’t get to see Lesnar as the good guy (or at close as he can get to being one) so they have something special here. By that I mean Paul Heyman being caught in the middle, because WOW he has been an amazing force in this whole thing.

I’m completely lost here, but for the life of me I can’t picture Reigns dropping the title yet, nor should he. Above all else, Lesnar being the absentee champion again does not interest me in the slightest and I’m almost scared to think of WWE doing it again. Reigns should retain here, though I’m not completely sure he is getting the win. You know you’re going to see this match again, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it at a big stadium in Texas next year.

Overall Thoughts

Above all else, this show is lacking that one dumb or less than great sounding match that so many of the Saudi Arabia shows have had. There is no gauntlet match or multi person tag match, so we’re left with what feels like a pretty straightforward major pay per view level card. That should work out well, so for once I’m actually optimistic about this show. Still not great on the location, but at least the content should work.

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

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AND

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

We recap the Smackdown half of King of the Ring.

Finn Balor is ready to end Sami Zayn.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Naomi vs. Sonya Deville

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

Naomi vs. Sonya Deville/Shayna Baszler

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

Video on Hit Row.

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

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

Crown Jewel rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

Video on Sheamus.

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

Video on New Day.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Usos

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

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

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

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

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

Video on Charlotte.

Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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AND

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

Smackdown
Date: October 8, 2021
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with the Draft, though we still have a few weeks before we switch over to the new roster. Until then we have Crown Jewel in less than two weeks, which is likely to get a lot of the focus tonight. Since it’s WWE, we also have a contract signing to deal with tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the contract signing, with Bianca Belair in the ring, Sasha Banks on the announcers’ table and Becky Lynch at her own table in the aisle. Becky doesn’t think much of Belair, who she beat in 26 seconds and Banks, who looks like a disco ball. Banks thinks Becky is jealous because she’s a bigger star than the two of them.

Belair doesn’t want to hear it and just wants to get the contract signed. Becky gets her attention so Banks runs in to jump Belair, meaning the brawl is on. That just lets Belair put them both in the KOD but she can’t flip them over. Instead she puts Banks onto the table and puts Becky through Banks and the table. The contract wasn’t signed in all of the melee. Of every contract signing, at least this one was short.

Rey Mysterio says being King of the Ring is the second best thing in WWE (after being Universal Champion), but it would make him sick to see Sami Zayn as king.

King of the Ring Tournament First Round: Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn

Before the match, Sami tells Dominik Mysterio that Dominik is better than his dad. Sami misses a Helluva Kick to start but Sami grabs a powerbomb for two instead as Cole talks about how important the tournament is. Rey is right back by sending Sami outside and the flipping hurricanrana takes him down again. There’s the top rope splash for two on Zayn, who is right back with a shoulder first whip into the post.

We take a break and come back with Dominik at ringside as Sami suplexes Rey into the corner. The Helluva Kick is countered though and Rey gets two off Code Red. A springboard hurricanrana gets the same but the 619 misses. Another Blue Thunder Bomb gets another two on Rey so Sami goes to pull off the turnbuckle pad. Dominik goes to put it back but Rey is sent into him, allowing Sami to grab a rollup for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C+. There was an energy here that I wasn’t expecting as both guys were working hard to make this better. Rey hasn’t moved that well in a good while and Zayn did his thing as well. Good match, while also advancing their story and the tournament. That’s a rather nifty use of about ten minutes.

Here are the brackets:

Sami Zayn

Cesaro
Finn Balor

Kofi Kingston
Jinder Mahal

Xavier Woods
Ricochet

Hit Row is coming.

Commentary is excited about the changes from the changes from the Draft.

We look at Seth Rollins invading Edge’s house last week and messing with his stuff as Edge freaked out.

Rollins doesn’t know why everyone is freaking out about what he did last week. He managed to beat Edge in Madison Square Garden without any cheating and then he went to Edge’s home as promised. That being said, Rolling still hasn’t gotten an answer to his challenge so he’s going to find someone who can make it happen.

Queen’s Crown Tournament First Round: Zelina Vega vs. Toni Storm

First match in the history of the tournament. Storm goes with the power to start but Vega is back with the Thesz press and a bunch of right hands. The modified dragon sleeper has Vega in trouble but Storm fights up and cranks on the arm. There’s a running hip attack in the corner to keep Vega down but she is back up to crotch Storm on top. Storm tries a backslide but gets reversed into a Code Red to give Vega the fast pin at 2:12.

Here are the brackets:

Zelina Vega

Liv Morgan
Carmella

Doudrop
Natalya

Dana Brooke
Shayna Baszler

We look back at Roman Reigns’ rough night last week, with Reigns being the #1 overall pick but having to deal with Brock Lesnar as well. Lesnar then announced that he was a free agent, much to Reigns’ annoyance as he believe Paul Heyman is behind it.

Here is the Bloodline for a chat. Reigns likes being acknowledged but he wants to get to the point: did Paul Heyman set up Lesnar’s free agent status? Heyman goes into a nearly begging rant about how he has nothing but loyalty Reigns. He may have been accused of a lot of things over the years, but never of being stupid. Wouldn’t it make more sense to stretch this out until Crown Jewel and set up Reigns’ strategy and then tell Lesnar about it? Heyman talks about how Reigns will conquer the Conqueror at Crown Jewel, but Reigns wants Heyman to tell Lesnar himself.

That means Heyman has to look into the camera and tell Lesnar what is going to happen. Heyman, with some more seriousness in his voice, talks about how Lesnar conquered the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, but now he has met his match. Reigns will retain the title, and that is a spoiler. Heyman drops to his knees before Reigns, who seems pleased. This was more awesome stuff from the best thing going in wrestling today.

Seth Rollins comes in to see Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville because he wants to know if Edge is going to be here tonight. Either way, Rollins will be in the ring at the end of the show for an answer. If the two of them see Edge first though, he asks them to return this photo of Edge and Beth Phoenix from their house.

Queen’s Crown Tournament First Round: Carmella vs. Liv Morgan

Carmella puts on her mask but Morgan takes her down and hammers away. The Code of Silence has Morgan in trouble so she grabs the mask to escape. An enziguri sets up Oblivion for two with Carmella putting her foot on the rope for the escape. Back up and Carmella superkicks her down for the pin at 1:46. As much as I don’t want to say it, I think it’s time to give up on believing it’s ever going to happen for Morgan. If you’re losing to Carmella in less than two minutes, what kind of future do you have?

Mace says he isn’t coming here to compete because that implies there is competition. All he sees is prey.

Here are Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss for Happy Talk. Before they can get too far, here is a ticked off Kevin Owens. Moss gets beaten up in the aisle and Owens goes inside to jump Corbin but the numbers game takes him down. Owens gets laid out again.

Naomi comes in to see the bosses and wants to know why she wasn’t in the Queen’s Crown Tournament but Sonya Deville cuts her off. Next week, Naomi is in the ring against….Sonya herself.

King of the Ring Tournament First Round: Cesaro vs. Finn Balor

Cesaro grabs a headscissors on the mat to start but Balor is right back up. That just earns him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to give Cesaro two and there’s a hard whip into the corner. Balor manages a quick double stomp to the chest though and Cesaro is tossed over the top. The big dive is countered into Swiss Death to give Cesaro two and we take a break.

Back with Balor knocking Cesaro down again and stomping away. Cesaro manages to start the uppercut train but Balor Sling Blades him back down. The Coup de Grace is cut off though and Cesaro adds a headbutt on top. The superplex gives Cesaro a delayed two and a Crossface has Balor in more trouble. Balor rolls him up to escape and the Swing is countered into a cradle for two more. Cesaro misses a charge into the post and there’s the big flip dive to the floor. Back in and the shotgun dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace for the pin on Cesaro at 9:43.

Rating: B-. I don’t think it’s any surprise that these two were going to have a good match. It helps that they got some time, just like Mysterio vs. Zayn. That’s a bit better than the two women’s matches tonight, which got about four minutes combined. It shows just how much of a difference that detail makes, but I don’t think WWE cares that much these days.

We look back at the contract signing, which did not include any contracts being signed.

Becky Lynch goes on a rant about how she isn’t respected around here but Sonya Deville says prove it by signing the contract. Becky signs to get us a third of the way to the match, though she throws the contract at Adam Pearce, hitting him low.

Here is Seth Rollins to call Edge out. Rollins says they can have any match Edge wants, anywhere they want. They can even have it Edge’s living room with his wife and kids cheering him on. Rollins says Edge is disappointing everyone, from his fans to his family. He can’t imagine how much this hurts Edge’s daughters’ hearts….and Edge arrives in the back (cutting it close with two minutes left in the show). Cue Edge to start the fight in a hurry and break the bar off of the chair. The Crossface is teased but Rollins elbows him to escape. Edge: “YOU! ME! HELL IN A CELL!” Rollins’ jaw drops to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I love a show that is quick and to the point and that’s what we got here. They didn’t bother trying to do anything more than hit the tournament stuff and advance or set up things for Crown Jewel. That’s how you run an efficient show and it feels like to have a night that has such a focus. Good show here, though the women’s matches left a good bit to be desired. Would it really hurt to give them five minutes each?

Results
Sami Zayn b. Rey Mysterio – Rollup
Zelina Vega b. Toni Storm – Code Red
Carmella b. Liv Morgan – Superkick
Finn Balor b. Cesaro – 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:

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: October 1, 2021
Location: Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

It’s a big night as we are starting this year’s Draft. That means we are going to be seeing a bunch of names moved from show to show, though it is not clear if NXT will be included as well. That could make for some interesting changes, but they might not all be for the best. Let’s get to it.

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

Commentary welcomes us to the show and sets up a few rules: half of the roster will be eligible for drafting tonight and half on Raw, but the rosters will not officially change until October 22, the night after Crown Jewel.

We waste no time as Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce are here to announce the first round picks:

Round 1
Smackdown: Roman Reigns
Raw: Big E.
Smackdown: Charlotte
Raw: Bianca Belair

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat, but first we look at a package on Reigns vs. Finn Balor from Extreme Rules. Reigns’ shirt now says We The Ones and he demands to be acknowledged, which the fans are VERY interested in doing. Heyman says that’s not good enough and talks about how the Demon is no longer undefeated.

Reigns performed an exorcism, and now he is moving on to Crown Jewel, which will not be taking place in Suplex City. That’s because Brock Lesnar will be running into the Suplexorcist and be smashed….but here is Lesnar in person. We get a long staredown and then the brawl is on, with Lesnar clearing Reigns out. The Usos come in and get dropped with F5’s, sending Reigns and Heyman away.

Charlotte isn’t surprised that she was brought over to Smackdown because Fox knows star power when she sees it.

Happy Corbin vs. Kevin Owens

Earlier today, Corbin introduces his new happy friend, Madcap Moss (that’s not bad). Owens clotheslines him to the floor to start but it’s too early for a dive. Moss trips Owens up though and it’s a lot of laughter to send us to a break. Back with Owens making the comeback but the Stunner is countered into a rollup for two. Corbin plants Owens with Deep Six for two but Owens knocks him into the corner for the Cannonball. They head outside where Corbin hits End of Days (Cole: “Or should we call it Happy Days?”) and another version connects inside for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C. It was a good enough power brawl but the rise of Happy Corbin continues to be one of the more entertaining things in all of WWE. No it might not be great or brilliant, but dang I’m having a good time with the thing. Throw in Moss getting something to do again and it’s another bonus.

We look back at Sasha Banks returning at Extreme Rules and costing Bianca Belair a shot at the Smackdown Women’s Title.

It’s time for round 2:

Round 2
Smackdown – Drew McIntyre
Raw – RKBro
Smackdown – Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods
Raw – Edge

So basically, Edge was traded for New Day and Drew McIntyre. I’ve heard worse deals….I think.

Here is Drew McIntyre to say that he had a great time on Raw but he has some unfinished business. There is a cloud hanging over Smackdown and it is time for McIntyre to break it up. With a point of Angela, McIntyre says he wants the Universal Title.

Here is Edge for a chat. After soaking in some loud cheers, Edge talks about how he is the only person here who was on the first Smackdown. Now though, he has been sent to Raw, which he sees as a challenge. Speaking of a challenge, we have Seth Rollins, who attacked him in Madison Square Garden three weeks ago and took him out again. Edge is on his way to 100%, and wants Rollins to come out here and make him saw Rollins is better.

Cue a laughing Rollins on the Titantron. Rollins is rather happy to be here….because he’s at Edge’s house. Edge storms to the back as Rollins lets himself inside and asks for Beth (Phoenix, Edge’s wife). Rollins helps himself to an apple and orange juice, while admiring Edge’s kids’ backpacks. As Rollins has a seat in the library, we cut to Edge frantically calling Beth and telling her to go to her brother’s (and ignore the groceries).

Carmella vs. Liv Morgan

Extreme Rules Kickoff Show rematch. Liv knocks her to the floor before the bell but Carmella says hang on a second. She has a team of people put a mask on her, then goes back inside to beat Morgan up, including an X Factor. No match, as I try to figure out what the point of that was.

Time for Round 3:

Round 3
Smackdown: Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss
Raw: Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash
Smackdown: Hit Row
Raw: Keith “Bearcat” Lee

Hit Row is awesome in NXT. It’s going to be sad to see their immediate demise on Fridays.

New Day/Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy/Dolph Ziggler/Bobby Roode

Ziggler and Kingston start things off (as their VERY longstanding rivalry continues) with Kofi hitting a jumping back elbow for an early two. It’s Ziggler being taken into the corner for the ax handle from Ford (still with the taped ribs). Gable comes in for an armdrag and sunset flip to Ford, setting up the ankle lock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Ford knocks all of the villains off the apron. Ford’s dive off the apron is cut off by Otis, who sends him hard into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Gable countering Ford’s sunset flip into a northern lights suplex for two (that was sweet). Ford manages to get in a shot to Gable though and the hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house. Everything breaks down, with Dawkins hitting his double underhook neckbreaker for two. Otis runs everyone over but gets sent outside, leaving Roode to hit a spinebuster for two on Dawkins. New Day is right back in though and Daybreak finishes Roode at 10:09.

Rating: C+. It was an energetic match and that’s about all you can ask for from something like this. Eight wrestlers with ten minutes between them and a commercial thrown in is not going to be enough to let everyone get some time and that was the case here. What we saw was fun and Ford got A LOT of the focus, but we didn’t get to see very much.

Xavier Woods did some stuff with the Boys and Girls Club. Jenga was involved.

And now the final round:

Round 4
Smackdown – Naomi
Raw – Rey Mysterio/Dominik
Smackdown – Jeff Hardy
Raw – Austin Theory

Theory is interesting. Dominik isn’t.

Here are the final picks:

To Smackdown:
Round 1 – Roman Reigns
Round 1 – Charlotte
Round 2 – Drew McIntyre
Round 2 – Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods
Round 3 – Happy Corbin/Madcap Moss
Round 3 – Hit Row
Round 4 – Naomi
Round 4 – Jeff Hardy

To Raw:
Round 1 – Big E.
Round 1 – Bianca Belair
Round 2 – RKBro
Round 2 – Edge
Round 3 – Rhea Ripley/Nikki Ash
Round 3 – Keith “Bearcat” Lee
Round 4 – Rey Mysterio/Dominik
Round 4 – Austin Theory

Jeff Hardy is in the back for an interview, but Brock Lesnar interrupts. He dismisses Hardy and Kayla Braxton to announce that he is officially a free agent because of Paul Heyman. Therefore, he can do whatever he wants to do. Mic drop.

We go to the Bloodline’s dressing room, where Paul Heyman is rather nervous. Roman Reigns asks if he and Heyman are good friends, with Heyman saying of course they are. Reigns says if they are friends, he needs to make sure that the Usos are drafted to Smackdown. Heyman says he’s the wise man but Reigns seems to laugh it off. Reigns: “YOU’RE ONLY THE WISE MAN WHEN I SAY YOU’RE THE WISE MAN!”

Reigns mocks the idea of sticking to the plan, and orders Heyman to go to Raw and make sure the Usos stay on Smackdown. Heyman thanks Reigns and leaves in a hurry. Reigns sends the Usos to Raw to make sure this gets done. If Heyman fails, leave him for dead. Reigns turning into a near Mafia boss is great stuff.

Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

Becky Lynch comes out for commentary as Banks grinds away on a headlock to start. A running hurricanrana drops Belair again as Becky talks about how unfair the Crown Jewel triple threat will be. Belair sticks the landing on a monkey flip and sends Banks into the corner as Becky rants about Banks interfering on Sunday. Banks’ crossbody is countered into a gorilla press drop (Becky: “I do CrossFit too!”) but Banks escapes the KOD. A HARD running forearm sends Banks outside and we take a break.

Back with Banks hitting a top rope Meteora for two. Belair isn’t having that and hits a double chickenwing slam, followed by a delayed vertical suplex for two of her own. Banks catches her on top and a tornado DDT drops Belair for another near fall. The frog splash gets two more but Belair fights up. That’s enough for Becky to trip her up though and Banks grabs a rollup for the pin at 13:45.

Rating: B-. These two still have great chemistry together and that is likely always going to be the case. The Becky interference was fine and it’s not like Belair lost clean. There is a very real chance that Belair leaves Crown Jewel with the title anyway so everything until then is just kind of filling in time.

Post match, here is Charlotte to take out Banks and Belair, setting up the dueling title pose with Becky to end the show (and setting up Survivor Series). I’m fully convinced they’re just trolling with Charlotte these days and that makes things a lot easier to take.

Overall Rating: C+. These shows are always weird to grade. They aren’t about wrestling whatsoever (as they shouldn’t be) but you also can’t really know what things are going to look like until we get done with Raw (and apparently Crown Jewel). There were enough moves that made me interested to make it work though so I’ll take what I can get. Add in Reigns seemingly at the brink with Heyman and it was an enjoyable enough show, with some pretty important moves thrown in.

Results
Happy Corbin b. Kevin Owens – End of Days
New Day/Street Profits b. Bobby Roode/Dolph Ziggler/Alpha Academy – Daybreak to Roode
Sasha Banks b. Bianca Belair – Rollup

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.

Extreme Rules 2021
Date: September 26, 2021
Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the night they go extreme without remembering to go extreme. This year’s edition features six matches with one match having any kind of extreme stipulation. The fact that they have been hyping up the Draft and Crown Jewel at the same time doesn’t exactly make this show feel important. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Carmella vs. Liv Morgan

This was moved up from the main card and we hear about how Carmella’s face pays the bills. It separates her from people like Liv, who should be ashamed of herself. Carmella: “I’m hot and you’re not.” As the Spanish commentary is on in full, Morgan jumps her before the bell and the fight is on, unlike the Spanish commentary anymore. Carmella avoids a charge to the floor and kicks Morgan in the face for two. The Bronco Buster (McAfee: “I’m gonna bust your sternum with my a**!”) hits Morgan, allowing Carmella to shout that she is hot and Morgan isn’t.

We hit the chinlock and the Spanish commentary is back. Carmella gets two off a faceplant but Morgan is back up with a faceplant and a running knee in the corner. A double stomp in the corner gets two and it’s off to an exchange of rollups. Morgan is back up with a Codebreaker for two more but Carmella kicks her to the floor. This time Morgan kicks her face first into the announcers’ table, setting up Oblivion for the pin at 7:49.

Rating: D+. Well that certainly was a TV level match that they added to the pay per view. I’m glad to see Morgan get a win but when you go 1-1 against Carmella and Zelina Vega over the course of 24 hours, your career might already be in trouble. Morgan is stuck in the bottom of the division at the moment and until that changes, none of this matters.

The opening video talks about how Extreme rules in this kingdom and looks at the rest of the card. So the Kingdom is one match on the card?

New Day vs. Bobby Lashley/AJ Styles/Omos

Bonus match for the sake of getting THE WWE CHAMPION on the show. The commentary now sounds like the French version as WWE continues to find new ways to look lame. AJ takes Woods down into a very early Calf Crusher so it’s off to Kofi Kingston as commentary has finally gotten better. With that going nowhere, Big E. comes in instead and gets to face Lashley, who runs him over.

Back up and Big E. takes him into the corner for the Unicorn Stampede but everything breaks down for a big staredown on the floor. Back in and Lashley launches Kofi into the wrong corner so Omos can take over on him. A delayed suplex sets up a chinlock from AJ but Kofi fights his way out. That’s not enough for a hot tag though as Lashley takes out the rest of New Day, setting up a lifting Downward Spiral for two on Kofi.

Kingston spins out of the Dominator and slips out of the running powerslam, allowing the hot tag off to Woods. An enziguri sets up a tornado DDT for two on Lashley but Woods gets planted right back down. Back up and Woods shoves him off the top, setting up a missile dropkick. The double tag brings in Big E. to face AJ, with the latter getting suplexed over and over. AJ manages to get in a shot of his own for the near fall but the Midnight Hour gets two with Lashley making the save.

Lashley hits a quick spinning Dominator for two but Kofi is back up to knock Lashley outside. Big E. launches Kofi onto Omos, who chops him out of the air. Back in and Lashley runs Big E. over and loads up the spear but AJ tags himself in. Lashley tags himself back in as AJ misses the Phenomenal Forearm. A spear hits AJ by mistake and the Big Ending finishes Lashley at 18:15.

Rating: B+. They had me worried that Big E. was going to take the fall here but they did a nice job of letting him get the big win. Big E. can get his next opponent in the Draft so this was a good way to use him. I know New Day has been around for a long time but the fans still react to them and they can put on a good match like this one. Solid opener here with the fans still hot, so good choice to start things off well.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Street Profits

The Profits are challenging and McAfee makes fun of the commentary issues during their entrances. Montez Ford has taped ribs so Angelo Dawkins takes Jimmy into the corner to start. A dropkick staggers Jimmy and Dawkins runs him over, setting up a pair of dropkicks to put the champs on the floor. Back in and a kick to the ribs puts Ford in trouble and the Usos drop him ribs first onto the top. The tape is ripped off and a belly to back suplex has Ford in even worse shape.

We get in a tug of war with Ford reaching for the tag but he has to send Jey into the post instead. The hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house, including the spinning splashes in the corner. The Usos send Dawkins to the floor but their dives are both blocked. The fans want tables but instead they get a superplex into the double arm twisting neckbreaker for two on Jimmy. The Doomsday Blockbuster gives Ford the same but it’s back to Jey for the running Umaga Attack in the corner.

Ford makes a blind tag though and it’s the Anointment into the Cash Out, which hits Jey’s knees for two. The ribs give out on another Doomsday Blockbuster attempt and Jey hits the Superfly Splash for a very close two on Dawkins. Everything breaks down again and Ford hits a huge dive onto everyone outside. Dawkins gets taken down though and it’s a kick to the ribs into the double Superfly Splash to retain at 13:45.

Rating: B. Another pretty awesome match here with the story of Ford’s ribs carrying things. They had me believing that the title change was taking place more than once here so they did a nice job of building the drama. The Profits are made men in the tag division at this point, though splitting them up to let Ford go on his own wouldn’t stun me. Either way, heck of a match here as the hot start continues.

Bobby Lashley wants his WWE Title back.

We recap Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte. Bliss wants to play with Charlotte and got her a doll of her own. Charlotte doesn’t play with dolls, sending Bliss into a rant about how she has an identity, unlike Charlotte when she doesn’t have a title.

Raw Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte

Hometown girl Bliss is challenging and puts Lillie on the post. Charlotte takes it outside to start and then throws Bliss back inside for some face rams into the mat. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two on Bliss and it’s time to crank on both arms. An inverted Gory Stretch has Bliss in even more trouble but she winds up in an electric chair. That means a hurricanrana can send Charlotte face first into the corner and things slow down a bit.

They head outside again with Bliss being sent hard into the barricade, giving Charlotte two back inside. The moonsault misses so Charlotte hits a standing version for two (ala Andrade), followed by a missed Natural Selection. They fight over some pinfall reversals until Bliss gets powerbombed for two. Bliss is back up with a heck of a Code Red for two but Twisted Bliss missed.

The Figure Eight is countered into a small package for two, followed by a hard DDT for the same with Charlotte putting her foot on the rope. With nothing else working, Charlotte throws Lillie at Bliss and hits a big boot. Bliss gets sent shoulder…..close to the post, setting up Natural Selection to retain at 11:27.

Rating: C+. This was far better because they didn’t do a bunch of stupid stuff. It isn’t a complicated idea and they made it work here. They had an intense match and didn’t do anything dumb. Charlotte winning makes sense in Bliss’ hometown, because you don’t want anyone getting too popular around here. That’s just not how WWE does things.

Post match Charlotte rips up Lillie, sending Bliss into a rage. The beatdown is on but since it’s Charlotte, she beats Bliss up again and sends her over the announcers’ table to leave. Bliss snaps and rips the top off the commentary table before going back inside to pick up the pieces of Lillie. A lot of emotional distress ensues.

Paul Heyman is on the phone when Kayla Braxton puts the microphone in his face. Heyman gets off the phone, saying he’ll call back in two minutes. Braxton asks who he is talking to, sending Heyman into a rant about how he doesn’t need permission to talk to other people. Is she worried about him talking to other women? He’s the special counsel to Roman Reigns, so now he needs to leave with the Usos.

United States Title: Damian Priest vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus

Priest is defending. Sheamus blasts Hardy to the floor at the bell so Priest goes right after Sheamus in a hurry. Some rapid fire kicks into a clothesline sends Sheamus outside with Priest following. Sheamus sends Priest into the barricade but Hardy is back up. The brawl lets Priest get back inside for a big flip dive over the top onto both of them. Back in and Priest beats up both of them, including the Broken Arrow to Hardy.

They all head outside again with Priest getting posted, leaving Hardy to walk into the Irish Curse for two. A tilt-a-whirl powerslam plants Hardy again and Sheamus hits the ten forearms to Priest’s chest. Hardy gets back up to roll Sheamus up for two with Priest making the save. Hardy hits the Whisper in the Wind onto both of them but Sheamus blocks the slingshot dropkick with a kick to the chest.

There’s an Alabama Slam to Hardy as Sheamus has lost his mask. The Cloverleaf goes on so Hardy makes the rope, which doesn’t matter because there is no rope break (how EXTREME). Priest makes the save and gets caught with White Noise but Hardy Twist of Fates Sheamus to the floor. The Reckoning is countered though and Hardy hits the Twist of Fate on Priest. Sheamus breaks up the Swanton and goes up where, after mocking Hardy’s dance, he drops a top rope knee to crush Priest for two more.

Sheamus flips up top but gets chokeslammed down, only to have Hardy Swanton onto both of them for the save. Priest and Hardy slug it out with Priest breaking up the Twist of Fate. Priest’s springboard is kneed out of the air by Sheamus so Hardy can come in and grab a near fall. A sunset flip gets two on Sheamus, who is back up with the Brogue Kick to Hardy. Priest is back up as well though and it’s a rollup to Sheamus to retain at 12:20.

Rating: B-. Dang they’re on a roll with this show and that’s a great thing to see. This was all about drama and again they had me wondering with some of those rollups from Hardy. The fact that he can make you believe that a surprise title change is coming makes things that much more interesting. Good stuff here, with Priest getting another win over a former World Champion as a good thing.

Big E. says he isn’t scared of Bobby Lashley and the title match is starting tomorrow’s Raw at 8pm.

We look back at the Kickoff Show match.

We recap Bianca Belair challenging Becky Lynch for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Becky returned at Summerslam and won the title from Belair in a surprise in 26 seconds. Now it is time for their straight rematch, with Lynch not wanting to hear Belair’s excuses.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch

Belair is challenging and Becky is mainly in white to change up the signature look. Becky offers an early handshake but they have to escape an exchange of finisher attempts, sending Lynch outside. Back in and Belair takes her down but has to slip out of a Disarm-Her attempt. Belair hits a splash for two and goes up, where she moonsaults back over Lynch. A dropkick puts Becky on the floor, where she has to yell at Cole for a bit.

Back in and Becky takes Belair down and shouts at the fans a lot. The running legdrop sets up an elbow, allowing Becky to yell at the fans even more. Becky tells the fans to shut their faces but also to cheer for the champ. So silent cheering? Or cheering from their elbows? Back up and Belair misses a charge in the corner, allowing Becky to hit the Bexploder for two. The kickout leaves Becky looking confused and we hit the camel clutch.

That’s countered into a suplex though and they’re both down. Belair gets back up and starts cleaning house but has to win a tug of war over her own hair. The spinebuster plants Lynch for two and there’s a fall away slam to make it even worse. The gorilla press is countered into a Disarm-Her but Belair is right next to the rope. They head outside with Belair loading up a double chickenwing, only to be sent into the steps.

Back in and Becky hits a top rope legdrop for two and the shocked kickout face returns. Another gorilla press is countered into a cross armbreaker but Belair flails around for the block. A chokebomb gives Belair two and it’s time for the exchange of rollups. Becky reverses into the Disarm-Her but has to pull Belair away from the ropes, allowing Belair to muscle her up for the KOD but Sasha Banks returns to jump Belair for the DQ at 17:30.

Rating: B. Dang it when did WWE remember how to be great? These two had a heck of a match going and the DQ actually makes sense for a change. You don’t want either of them losing and Banks returning is about as good of an idea as they had. Belair continues to look like a star and that’s what either women’s division has needed. Yes it’s more of the Horsewomen, but now someone new is coming in and that’s a great thing to see for a change.

Post match Banks beats Belair down and looks at Becky….before beating her down as well. The big brawl is on with Belair getting to leave, saying she’ll see the two of them on Friday. I’ll certainly take that over another Two Woman Power Trip.

We recap Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Title. Reigns has been fighting off a bunch of people who want the title, including attacking Balor. This didn’t sit well with Balor, who has brought back the Demon for the big title match.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor

Balor, as the Demon, is challenging and this is Extreme Rules. They extremely start with an extreme lockup and Reigns throws him down in an extreme manner. Balor starts kicking at the leg (McAfee: “He might be possessed but he has a brain!”) but Reigns is back up with a Samoan drop. It’s FINALLY time to get some weapons going, as Reigns grabs a kendo stick. Balor rolls outside though and rises up, this time with a bunch of kendo sticks tied together.

The bunch of sticks are enough to put Reigns down but he’s right back up to send Balor outside. That’s fine with Balor, who is back up to stomp away on Reigns. There’s the running kick to the face from the apron and it’s time for a table. Reigns isn’t having that though and puts it back under the ring, making him even more hated. Instead it’s time for a chair but Balor sends him into the steps. NOW it’s time to set up the table and the fans are rather pleased.

That takes too long though and Reigns hits a running boot to the face, sending Balor into the post. Reigns tosses him over the barricade and follows out to send Balor into the Kickoff Show area. Balor is tossed onto the Kickoff Show table but he kicks his way to freedom. A high crossbody off the table sends Reigns through the first table of the night for the big crash.

They head back to the ring, with Balor setting up another table. That takes too long though and it’s a release Rock Bottom to drive Balor through the table. Balor is back with the Pele Kick but the Superman Punch gives Reigns two. The spear is cut off with a kick to the face and Balor hits the Sling Blade….only to get speared down for two, with the kickout hitting Reigns low (to steal a counter). The Coup de Grace connects but the Usos pull Balor out at two.

It’s time for another table but Balor fights back and powerbombs Jey through the announcers’ table. One heck of a spear drives Balor through the announcers’ table and everyone is down, but the red lights start flashing and Balor pops up again. With the red light through the arena and Balor’s music playing, Balor unloads with a chair and dropkicks Reigns through the table. Back in and Balor goes up top….but the top rope breaks. Reigns hits the spear for the pin to retain at 19:40.

Rating: B. I’m not sure on this one, but what mattered here was giving you the belief that the title could change hands. The rope breaking was at least something unique and I’ll take that over the Usos coming in for the DQ or something like that. Balor was not going to win here and that’s all well and good, but they did have a fun match on the way there. I’m not sure how extreme a good chunk of it was, but at least the last few minutes worked well. It might not have been logical, though I’ll take what I can get around here.

Overall Rating: A. Yeah this was great and I don’t know what else there is to say. You had one great match after another and almost nothing was bad. The lack of extreme didn’t help, but that’s on the show’s name rather than anything else. I mean, it can only be so extreme when the main event ends with a rope break (dang I wish I could take credit for that one). Overall, this was an outstanding show and one of the best things WWE has done for a very long time. As usual, WWE is at its best when they have no expectations and there were a grand total of none coming into this one.

Results
New Day b. Bobby Lashley/AJ Styles/Omos – Big Ending to Lashley
Usos b. Street Profits – Double Superfly Splash to Ford
Charlotte b. Alexa Bliss – Natural Selection
Damian Priest b. Jeff Hardy and Sheamus – Rollup to Sheamus
Bianca Belair b. Becky Lynch via DQ when Sasha Banks interfered
Roman Reigns b. Finn Balor – Spear

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

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

AND

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