New Column: Planting Seeds

There is more than one way to do what we saw on Friday.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-planting-seeds/

Survivor Series Count-Up – 2015 (2016 Redo): For About Five Minutes

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 2015
Date: November 22, 2015
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 14,481
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

Oh and before we get going: ISIS was allegedly targeting this show for a terrorist attack. Nothing would come of the rumors but it got quite a bit of attention.

Lillian Garcia sings the National Anthem as a big middle finger to the terrorism charges. I actually liked this and she can sing the heck out of that song.

WWE World Title Tournament Semifinals: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio

Ambrose praises Reigns for his win and Roman is happy to fight Dean for the title. That was pretty much the only possible ending to the tournament and everyone knew it when the brackets were revealed. Kevin Owens comes in after Ambrose leaves and thinks Reigns will screw up at the finish line all over again because Kevin himself will stop him.

WWE World Title Tournament Semifinals: Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose

Rating: B. I liked the energy here as it felt like a back and forth match with Owens not being able to keep Dean down and Dean just trying to sneak in anything he could at any time. It also helps that you could see Owens getting the win instead of waiting around until he got speared. That can do wonders and it made for a better match here.

TLC 2015 ad. I still love that video game theme.

Team Ryback vs. Team Sheamus

Ryback, Usos, Lucha Dragons

Sheamus, King Barrett, New Day

Divas Title: Paige vs. Charlotte

Tyler Breeze vs. Dolph Ziggler

Back in and Breeze slowly hammers away before grabbing a weak half crab. Ziggler dropkicks him out of the air and hits some running clotheslines into the neckbreaker. To be fair, he does touch his knee before doing the big jumping elbow for two. We hit the pinfall reversal sequence before Tyler kicks him in the knee and hits an Unprettier for the pin at 6:31.

Undertaker/Kane vs. Bray Wyatt/Luke Harper

WWE World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose

WWE World Title: Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns

Brogue Kick gets two, second Brogue Kick makes Sheamus champion at 34 seconds. Where did Dean go while this was happening?

Ratings Comparison

Original: C

Redo: D+

Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio

Original: B

Redo: B-

Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose

Original: B-

Redo: B

Team Ryback vs. Team Sheamus

Original: C

Redo: D+

Paige vs. Charlotte

Original: C-

Redo: B-

Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze

Original: C-

Redo: D

Brothers of Destruction vs. Wyatt Family

Original: D+

Redo: D

Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose

Original: D

Redo: D+

Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: D

I was WAY too kind to this one the first time around. The last hour and a half is dreadful.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2015/11/22/survivor-series-2015-rise-and-fall/

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

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

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

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

Survivor Series Count-Up – 2015 (Original): Fill Out Your Brackets

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 2015
Date: November 22, 2015
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

Pre-Show: Team Miz vs. Team Neville

Miz, Bo Dallas, Stardust, Ascension

Stardust comes in to take D-Von into the corner as we hear about the Gobbledy Gooker debuting 25 years ago today. Off to Miz who keeps up the beating, only to walk into a spinebuster. Neville comes in to clean house with his variety of kicks and a snap German suplex. A surprise Bodog and the Skull Crushing Finale take Neville out at 8:52, only to have Goldust roll Miz up for the pin at 9:03.

We open with Lillian Garcia singing the National Anthem as the middle finger to the ISIS threats.

WWE World Title Tournament Semifinals: Alberto Del Rio vs. Roman Reigns

WWE World Title Tournament Semifinals: Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title again. Dean starts with some headlocks and armdrags (straight out of an old Aiden English song) but Owens crotches him on top. The Cannonball is only good for one but the backsplash gets two. We hit the chinlock (Owens: “CHINLOCK CITY BABY!”) and HHH is shown watching again. Dean suplexes him down and they slowly get up with Owens getting the better of it.

Team Ryback vs. Team New Day

Ryback, Lucha Dragons, Usos

New Day, King Barrett, Sheamus

The hometown boy Xavier Woods has a new haircut (like a pompadour) and Big E. wants us all to cheer for it. New Day rips on the Dragons for being small, the Usos for being injured and Ryback for being bald. Sheamus wants to get jiggy on these posers and you can feel the air go out of the place in a funny bit. Kofi: “I think what he meant to say was NEW DAY ROCKS!”

Divas Title: Paige vs. Charlotte

Reigns and Ambrose are ready to fight like brothers.

Tyler Breeze vs. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler makes his comeback with the normal stuff, including a neckbreaker and the big elbow for two. A nice pinfall reversal sequence gives us a bunch of two counts before Dolph just slams him face first into the mat. Breeze bails to avoid the superkick (like any model would do) and kicks him in the knee, setting up the Unprettier to give Tyler the clean pin at 6:45.

We recap the Wyatts vs. the Brothers of Destruction. Bray targeted Undertaker at the end of Hell in Cell before kidnapping Undertaker and Kane. He stole their souls (whatever that means), setting up this regular tag instead of what could have been a cool elimination tag).

Bray Wyatt/Luke Harper vs. Undertaker/Kane

Nothing special for Undertaker after the match as he and Kane just do their signature pose.

WWE World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose

Ambrose has already lost his shirt and they go at it right after the big match intros. A clothesline puts Reigns on the floor and Dean follows with the suicide dive. Back in and Dean hammers away until Reigns powerbombs him out of the corner ala Undertaker. Reigns gets two more off a sitout powerbomb but Dean runs him over. The top rope elbow is blocked with a Superman Punch though and both guys are down.

Neither finisher can hit (way too early) but the rebound lariat is countered into a spear for two (shows what I know). There was almost zero hit on that near fall. A second spear hits post and Dirty Deeds gets two on a much hotter cover. Both guys sit up so they slug it out from the mat. Back up and the spear out of nowhere gives Reigns the title at 8:39.

Dean hugs his friend and leaves as confetti falls. Cue a smiling and applauding HHH to offer a handshake but Reigns spears him instead. Sheamus comes in for a Brogue Kick and here we go.

WWE World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus

The Brogue Kick only gets two but a second gives Sheamus the title at 39 seconds. So was Ambrose off checking the Bengals score?

Results

Roman Reigns b. Alberto Del Rio – Spear

Dean Ambrose b. Kevin Owens – Dirty Deeds

Team Ryback b. Team New Day – Shell Shock to Sheamus

Charlotte b. Paige – Figure Eight

Tyler Breeze b. Dolph Ziggler – Unprettier

Undertaker/Kane b. Bray Wyatt/Luke Harper – Tombstone to Harper

Roman Reigns b. Dean Ambrose – Spear

Sheamus b. Roman Reigns – Brogue Kick

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

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

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

Smackdown – November 13, 2020: They’ve Still Got It

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: November 13, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re less than two weeks away from Survivor Series and that means it’s time to get the rest of the men’s elimination team set up in a hurry. Other than that I would say it would be nice to hear something about the champion vs. champion matches but that ship seems to have sailed. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to get things going, with the commentators actually talking about Reigns vs. Randy Orton or Drew McIntyre at Survivor Series on the way to the ring. Reigns says Heyman calls this the Island Of Relevancy because Reigns makes everyone relevant. Jey Uso was the one who made you ask which twin he was but thanks to Reigns, he’s Main Event Jey Uso.

Over the last two weeks he has beaten Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens and then at Survivor Series it will be him leading Smackdown to victory. Then Reigns will beat the secondary champion on the same night. You can respect the man’s accomplishments but not respect the man himself….and here’s Drew McIntyre to interrupt.

McIntyre says he won’t waste Reigns’ time but he’s going to win the title on Monday and they’ll see each other at Survivor Series. He remembers eliminating Reigns to win the Royal Rumble this year and then beat Heyman’s (unnamed) client in five minutes at Wrestlemania. Reigns wouldn’t remember that though because he wasn’t at Wrestlemania. Someone had to step up in Reigns’ absence and that was McIntyre. At Survivor Series, McIntyre will prove that he’s the man.

Reigns says that’s all true but he’s back now, and that means no one knows who McIntyre is. He doesn’t watch Raw, just like everyone else, because they’re all watching Smackdown to see him. Reigns says tell us who McIntyre is, so McIntyre promises to win the title and then show Reigns what a champion really is.

They go nose to nose but here’s Jey Uso to ask what McIntyre is doing here. Jey talks about the people he’s beaten and challenges McIntyre for tonight. McIntyre shoves Uso down and stares at Reigns, seemingly meaning the match is on. If that’s not setting up Survivor Series, it better be setting up Wrestlemania because that sounds like a heck of a showdown.

Post break Reigns screams at Jey and says take care of this.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Apollo Crews

Sami is defending and before the match, he goes on a rant about how he was only told about his title defense at 7pm. WWE is trying to sabotage him but he is going to turn this into a positive. Tonight he is going to show what it means to be the Intercontinental Champion and how much better it is than the United States Title.

Crews’ entrance cuts him off and Apollo slugs away to start, including tossing Sami outside. Back inside and Crews hits a jumping enziguri into a standing moonsault for two. Sami is sent outside again, where he tears the ring skirt off. Crews is sent into the apron and Sami ties his leg into the ring structure for the countout at 2:08. Well that was unique.

Adam Pearce talks to Drew McIntyre and offers him the match against Jey. Drew almost mocks Pearce for suggesting that he wasn’t interested.

The Mysterios are ready to end Seth Rollins for good tonight. Rollins calls himself the messiah but to Rey, he’s nothing but the devil.

Here’s Sasha Banks to talk about how she is the champion and still going after everything that she has been through. Cue Bayley for a distraction though, allowing Carmella to come in with a superkick and the X Factor.

Otis is eating three plates of food at once at catering when Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode come up to mock him over being so pathetic. They bring up Tucker and Mandy, which makes Otis turn the table over. See, Otis eats a lot of food and doesn’t have any friends so….that’s about all there is to him now.

Tribute To The Troops is coming back.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Robert Roode is here with Ziggler. Otis drives him into the corner to start and then sends Ziggler flying without much trouble. Roode offers a distraction so Ziggler hits the Zig Zag…for two. Well that was surprising. The superkick is blocked though and Otis hits a World’s Strongest Slam into the Caterpillar (more of a falling elbow than a jumping one this time). Roode’s distraction doesn’t break up the Vader Bomb and Ziggler is done at 1:51. Points for actually not mocking someone and then having them lose for a change.

Post break Chad Gable congratulates Otis on his win and offers to be his mentor. He even has a brochure on the Alpha Academy, which seems to interest Otis. This is already more interesting than anything involving a one note short joke.

Long video on Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio, which has dragged in several other people over the last six months. Tonight it’s No Holds Barred in the final chapter (I’m sure).

Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio

No Holds Barred with the rest of the Mysterio Family and Murphy at ringside. Rey slugs him into the corner to start but Rollins takes him down in a hurry. It’s time for a chair but Rey dropkicks the leg out to save himself. Rollins is sent into the turnbuckle and it’s a tornado DDT onto the apron. They head outside with Rollins sending him into the steps but Rey sunset bombs him into the barricade.

We go to a replay for the sake of Rey needing to adjust his mask and come back with Rollins countering the sliding splash into a suplex drop onto the announcers’ table (Rey’s mask is twisted to the side again with his nose sticking out on the landing). Back in and Rollins starts in on the back before sending him chest first into the corner. The chair is wedged into the corner but the comeback is on with Rey snapping off a headscissors for a breather. Rollins sends him sliding underneath the bottom rope for a crash to the floor though and the steps to the face put Rey down again.

The Stomp only hits the steps though and Rey knocks him onto them, setting up the sliding splash for a good landing. Back with Rollins loading up a table in the ring and hitting Two Amigos (on the fifteenth anniversary of Eddie’s passing) but the third through the table is broken up. Rollins slides the table into Rey’s ribs for a clever counter though and the stomping is on in the corner. Rey gets in a few shots but a powerbomb out of the corner and through the table gets two.

Rollins goes for Rey’s other eye but has to superkick Dominik for trying to interfere. Murphy stares at the rest of the Mysterios as Rey dropkicks the chair into Rollins’ face. That makes Murphy look back and forth before getting inside and handing the chair to Rollins. Then he knees Rollins in the face to complete the turn (for the third or so time), leaving Rollins to get into 619 position to yell at Murphy. Rey completely misses the first time and falls out to the floor, but the second attempt connects, setting up the frog splash for the pin at 18:30.

Rating: B. They kept billing this as the final chapter and if that’s what it was (forgive me for not buying it), they went out with a good one. Once you get rid of all the nonsense between these two, they’re very talented wrestlers who can have a good match in almost any form. That’s what they did here and it felt like a major match worthy of the big blowoff.

Post match the family hugs and Aalyah goes for Murphy. Rey stops her though and says Murphy has been looking for his approval. Rey shakes Murphy’s hand, Aalyah hugs Murphy, and Dominik finally shakes his hand as well. Murphy even hugs Angie.

Adam Pearce has put Natalya into another Survivor Series qualifying match but that’s not what she wants. She wants to just be put on the team because she’s the BOAT and storms off. Chelsea Green pops up next to Pearce for her debut.

Post match Rollins screams at Pearce about Murphy and demands a chance to destroy him.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Natalya vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tamina

Actually hang on as we’re making it a four way.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Natalya vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tamina vs. Chelsea Green

Everyone starts going after Tamina to start because she’s the monster who has to be dealt with every time. Green and Natalya take her outside for a whip into the barricade. A dropkick knocks Green off the apron so Liv and Natalya can fight back inside. Morgan hits a spinning DDT for two but Natalya takes her down for the chinlock.

That’s broken up and Morgan gets two off a clothesline as this has broken into a singles match for the time being. Natalya sweeps the legs but the Sharpshooter is broken up. A Codebreaker gives Morgan two but Tamina finally comes back in and gets caught with another Codebreaker to give Liv the pin at 3:50.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what happened there as Green just disappeared about a minute into the match. Liv and Natalya seemed to be looking over their shoulder a few times waiting on someone to run in as well so I’m not sure what happened there. I really hope it isn’t an injury, because when you consider she broke her wrist in her NXT debut, we could be looking at another level of snake bit.

Drew McIntyre talks about how humiliating it would be for Jey Uso to lose in his own backyard.

Big E. hustles someone in a rope jumping competition but here are the Street Profits with some covered plates. They pull the plates back but Big E. is curious why everything is shaped like an L. See, that’s what the Profits are going to be serving New Day at survivor Series, if they even beat the Hurt Business on Raw. Big E. says the Street Profits are good but at best they’ll be New Day Lite or Diet New Day. A lot of one sided laughter ensues.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso

Unsanctioned. McIntyre shoves him into the corner to start and shrugs off a shot to the face. Instead, Drew takes him into the corner and chops away, even ripping off Jey’s shirt to make it worse. There’s a stomp to Jey’s hand and an elbow to the face takes him down as well. Jey gets fired up and sends him over the top, only to have his dive cut off with a shot to the face. Back in and Jey kicks the ropes for a low blow, followed by a superkick out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Drew charging into a Samoan drop for two. Jey stomps him down in the corner but the running Umaga attack is cut off by a shot to the face. Back to back belly to belly suplexes have Jey in trouble but the Future Shock is countered into a rollup for two. A sitout spinebuster gives Drew another near fall, only to have Jey come right back with a superkick. Jey gets caught on top but manages to break up the superplex to knock McIntyre into the Tree of Woe.

As usual, Drew pulls himself up and throws Jey down by the neck. The threat of a Claymore sends Jey bailing to the floor so the brawl can be on again. Cue Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for a distraction though and Jey manages to post him. McIntyre is sent into the steps as well…but Reigns won’t let Jey follow him back inside. Reigns tells Jey to make him understand so Jey goes inside and hammers away. Drew doesn’t seem to mind and pops up with the Claymore for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B-. At first I was annoyed at the idea of Uso losing, but at the end of the day he just lost to one of the biggest stars WWE has and easily the biggest face in the company. Jey has been playing with the house’s money for months now and it’s not like losing to a much bigger star is going to kill his push. Good match too and dang Reigns vs. McIntyre feels like a must see showdown.

Post match Drew gets in Reigns’ face again, with Reigns adjusting the title and telling Drew to get himself one of these.

Overall Rating: B. Now that was a well paced wrestling show. The stuff that didn’t matter was in and out in a hurry and the stuff that did matter got time and was allowed to develop. Also, well done on actually acknowledging the champion vs. champion matches, which have been left by the wayside. That being said, I’m worried about Green though as there was clearly something wrong with her just disappearing like that in a match that should have been a strong debut for her. That’s really not a good sign and hopefully whatever happened is nothing serious.

What stuck out to me though was how well they set up Reigns vs. McIntyre. It goes to show you what happens when you build people up well and then set up a match. Reigns has been unstoppable since his return but McIntyre has been turned into the top face in the company over months of being treated like a star. Then you put them together, even for a tease, and I want to see what happens. That’s a proper build, and in a way it’s even more frustrating because it shows that WWE still knows how to do this. Either way, I want to see the match and that’s a nice thing to be able to say again.

Results

Sami Zayn b. Apollo Crews via countout.

Otis b. Dolph Ziggler – Vader Bomb

Rey Mysterio b. Seth Rollins – Frog splash

Liv Morgan b. Tamina, Chelsea Green and Natalya – Codebreaker to Tamina

Drew McIntyre b. Jey Uso – Claymore

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

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

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

Main Event – November 5, 2020: And There It Goes

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: November 5, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re back to normal around here, as we are over a week removed from Hell In A Cell, meaning that Smackdown can exist around here again. I’m not sure what we are going to see from the show, but odds are we are going to get some of the build to Survivor Series, which needs some help at this point. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Titus O’Neil vs. Erik

Titus continues to wrestle in pants instead of gear, which might be the most interesting thing to happen to him in years. They power each other around to start until Erik hits a running knee to the chest. Some shots to the back put Titus into the ropes until Titus throws him into the corner. Titus’ slam is no sold and Erik hits some crossface shots to the jaw. The chinlock goes on but Titus backdrops his way to freedom. Back up and Erik charges into the Clash of the Titus for the pin at 5:08 (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: D. Questionable (Maybe?) ending aside, there was only so much that you can get out of a five minute match between two guys who aren’t great at the singles thing. This is on the bad end of Main Event and I really hope that isn’t the norm again, because these matches can be moderately entertaining. That’s not what we got here though and it’s not a good sign.

Long video on Roman Reigns beating Jey Uso inside the Cell.

From Smackdown.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to open things up with Jey Uso waiting in the ring. After a look back at Reigns beating Uso in the Cell match, Jey takes the mic from Heyman to say that he didn’t quit. Reigns says he told him so and that he made Jey quit like he promised. Jey can’t believe what Reigns did and says Reigns isn’t tougher than him. Reigns calls this the kind of thing that this is what you have to do to become champion.

The entire family, from the oldest to the youngest, is behind him and if Jey doesn’t do as he promises, he’s out of the family. He knows Jey wants to bash his skull in right now but what can he do. Jey looks near tears and shouts that he hates Reigns. Why does Reigns have to do this? Reigns knows Jey hates him right now but by the end of the night, Jey will fall in line. Reigns was outstanding here, with his voice really low and threatening while knowing he was completely in control.

From Smackdown.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Jey Uso vs. Daniel Bryan

Jey doesn’t look happy, even as he shoulders Bryan down to start. Bryan is back with a wristlock but Jey knocks him into the corner. That just earns him the moonsault over Jey into Bryan’s running clothesline, followed by the YES Kicks. Jey gets knocked outside and here are Reigns and Heyman, sending Jey into quite a bit of anger as we take a break.

Back with Bryan hitting a running dropkick into the Tree of Woe. Jey slips out and starts kicking away but the Superfly Splash hits knees. The LeBell Lock goes on until Jey gets to the rope to save himself before too long. The running dropkick connects in the corner but Jey is right back with a superkick. Now the Superfly Splash can connect for the clean pin at 9:42.

Rating: C+. I was surprised when Jey pinned AJ Styles a few weeks back but this was almost shocking, as Bryan is one of the top stars on Smackdown and Jey pinned him completely clean in a pretty decent match. That’s a good way to make a star, though it makes Reigns look even bigger after he destroyed Jey in back to back matches. I’m curious to see what this means for Jimmy, as it’s hard to imagine this all being forgotten as soon as Jimmy is back.

Post match Reigns comes to the ring, where Jey says he’s with him. Jey acknowledges Reigns a the head of the table and superkicks Bryan, setting up another Superfly Splash. Jey shouts about understanding now and says he loves Reigns too. Reigns points to Bryan and says make him understand. Jey takes Bryan outside and puts him onto the announcers’ table for another Superfly Splash. Reigns looks happy as Jey hammers away to end the show. Points for doing this after a win. It’s so annoying to have someone lose clean and THEN make them look awesome. This worked well and that had something to do with it.

We get a very quick look at Braun Strowman qualifying for the Raw Survivor Series team and the following brawl.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado

Gran Metalik is here with Dorado. They go after each others’ legs to start until Dorado slaps on a headlock. A flying mare takes Carrillo down but he’s back up with an armdrag into an armbar. Carrillo’s springboard is dropped out of the air though and we take a break. Back with Carrillo caught in a chinlock before Dorado puts a boot in his back and pulls on the arms.

Dorado sends him into the corner but misses a top rope splash, allowing Carrillo to hit a jumping enziguri. A springboard missile dropkick gets two but Dorado counters a powerbomb into a faceplant. Now the top rope splash connects for two on Carrillo, who is back up with a high crossbody for the same. The torture rack faceplant finishes Dorado at 12:42.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable luchador match here and they worked well together. That being said, Carrillo continues to have the charisma of a steering wheel and Dorado isn’t exactly thrilling either. There isn’t much to get out of a match like this but they did as well as they could with what they had.

From Smackdown.

Here are Murphy and Aalyah, arm in arm, for a chat. Murphy says that as a man, he needs to apologize to Rey and Dominick face to face. Neither of them come out but here’s Seth Rollins instead. He knows that the Mysterios will never accept him but Rollins will always forgive him. Rollins can always accept Murphy, and he’ll accept Aalyah as well, no matter what her last name is. Cue Dominick to jump Rollins but Murphy pulls him off and goes after Rollins.

Dominick goes after Murphy as Rollins bails up the ramp. Rey comes in to help, but Aalyah gets in the way of the 619. She says she loves Murphy and Rey is distraught. He’s so upset that he speaks Spanish but Aalyah won’t go with them. Rey asks one more time for her to come with them but Aalyah kisses Murphy, which makes Rollins smile from the stage.

From Raw.

Drew McIntyre vs. Miz/John Morrison

Miz tries to hammer on McIntyre in the corner to start but is toss into the same corner. McIntyre shows him how to really beat someone up and then punches Morrison down for a bonus. Now it’s Morrison being pulled in but Miz sneaks in with a chop block. A double backbreaker has McIntyre in more trouble but he sends them outside anyway. The reverse Alabama Slam sends Morrison face first into the ramp and we take a break.

Back with Miz and Morrison managing to take it outside again and sending McIntyre hard into the barricade. Morrison’s springboard corkscrew splash gets one on McIntyre and we hit the chinlock. McIntyre fights up again and puts Morrison on the top rope. The elbows knock McIntyre into the Tree of Woe but McIntyre muscles himself up for a release German superplex.

McIntyre is right back up with the spinebuster, meaning Morrison has to shooting star press the cover for the break. Morrison is knocked outside again so Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale for two instead. McIntyre knocks Morrison down again and hits the Future Shock on Miz. The Claymore is loaded up but Morrison pulls Miz outside. The big flip dive means it doesn’t matter and it’s the Claymore to finish Miz at 15:35.

Rating: D+. I like everyone in the match but it felt like they didn’t have much to do during the middle section, leaving them to do stuff more than once to fill in the time. This was more of an exercise in patience until McIntyre got the win, as there was no way he was losing again here, especially to Miz and Morrison. Even WWE isn’t screwing that up (so far).

Post match here’s Orton with the RKO to McIntyre. Orton poses but Fiend’s laugh ends the show.

Overall Rating: D. And Main Event is back to everything that makes the show feel worthless: nothing matches that don’t mean a thing either before, during or after the bell and recaps of how bad things have been around the company as of late. I can’t say I’m overly surprised as Main Event has never shown any consistency, but it’s a bit disappointing after what we had been seeing.

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

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

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

Thought Of The Day: Not Being Calendar Marks

It’s why Roman Reigns has worked so well.

Roman Reigns won the Universal Title back in August and there is no reason to believe that he isn’t going to be losing the title anytime soon. It’s pretty clear that he is going to be champion for several months and that creates a problem: what is he supposed to do until then? Smackdown doesn’t have the deepest roster in the world and you have to have a big title defense every month…..at least in theory.

One of the best things that WWE has done in recent weeks is have Reigns defeat Jey Uso in a few pay per view matches which were designed to advance the story rather than have any challenge for the championship. That worked out so much better because there was no need to have Reigns devour someone as a token challenger. Was anyone needing to see Reigns vs. someone like Rey Mysterio in a match with no drama? Going with the completely different way of doing things is smart as well as a breath of fresh air, but it also saves their limited big matches for later.

Again: WWE knows how to fix problems, but they just don’t do it often enough. Do more of this kind of thinking and see how much better things get.

Smackdown – November 6, 2020: See? It Can Be Done.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: November 6, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Survivor Series is coming up and since that is all about brand vs. brand, this show and its major stories are almost going to exist in a vacuum for the time being. We do however have a big title match as Sasha Banks is getting to defend her Women’s Title against Bayley in a match that could be interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long and rather nice package on Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, chronicling their team, split and the title change. Nice job on making this feel pretty big.

Bayley hopes Sasha got her photo shoots in because she’s losing her title tonight, like she always does. Tonight, this ends like it began, with Banks crippled in the ring.

Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Banks is defending and drives Bayley into the corner to start. A forearm to the face sets up the rope walk wristdrag to take Bayley down but it’s too early for the Bank Statement. Back from a break with Banks hitting the running knees in the corner and Bayley heading to the apron. Banks gets a running charge so Bayley tries to use her legs to send Banks into the post…but leaves her over a foot short, meaning Banks falls onto Bayley/the apron instead in a nasty fall. Thankfully Banks is able to get back in for two and we hit the chinlock.

Banks gets back up and uses her legs to pull Bayley into the corner for a breather. The middle rope Meteora (almost more of a Thesz press this time) puts Bayley down but Banks can’t follow up. Instead Bayley rolls to the floor and it’s a crossbody off the apron to take her down again. We come back from another break with Bayley catching her on top but Banks takes it to the floor. Bayley counters a powerbomb with a hurricanrana into the announcers’ table but Banks breaks up the top rope elbow.

A running elbow on the apron sets up Banks’ frog splash for two but the Bank Statement is blocked. Bayley kicks her from the apron into the barricade…and it’s kendo stick time. The referee stops that so Bayley brings in a chair, but Banks throws it away. The distraction lets Bayley hit a Backstabber into the Bayley to Belly for a rather hot near fall.

Bayley’s top rope elbow gets two, mainly because it didn’t come close to making serious contact. A belly to back suplex gives Bayley two so she grabs the Bank Statement on Banks. That’s reversed into a cradle for the break and they head to the apron again. Bayley’s charge hits the post and now it’s the Bank Statement to retain Banks’ title at 18:24.

Rating: B-. Some of those moves either not connecting or just not working well hurt this a good bit though they never felt like they were going long and that’s a great thing. Above all else though, they made it feel like Banks FINALLY defending a title was a big deal and that’s what mattered the most. Good match, though it needed to be a little sharper to really work.

Post match Banks celebrates but Carmella pops up on stage with a superkick into an X Factor. Well to be fair Banks needed a fresh challenger and Carmella is far from the worst choice.

Kevin Owens comes up to Jey Uso at the coffee table and asks why Jey is getting Roman Reigns’ coffee. Jey doesn’t like that but it was just a joke. Owens talks about the Survivor Series team instead because they’re partners. It seems that Jey has a lot on his mind though so Owens leaves him alone. Jey’s emotional stuff has been very sharp this whole time and it’s making the story.

Survivor Series will be the Undertaker’s Final Farewell. Cool idea, if you believe it’s his final anything.

Jey Uso looks at a long video on his aggression against Daniel Bryan last week, which did come with a win. He doesn’t like the suggestion that he has to do everything Roman says but here’s Paul Heyman to ask if Reigns authorized this interview. Roman needs to talk to Jey and he shouldn’t be kept waiting.

Rey Mysterio can’t find Aalyah or get her on the phone when Dominick comes in to say his match is now. Rey tells him to go find his gear but here’s King Corbin, Mysterio’s opponent, to jump him from behind.

Heyman says he respects Jey but he has to run things like this by Roman. Jey: “I have to run an interview on TV by my cousin???” Heyman: “I’m glad you understand.” Jey has to stay outside while Heyman goes to get Reigns, who isn’t happy with the interview. Reigns doesn’t like what Kevin Owens was saying because if Owens disrespects one of them, he disrespects the entire bloodline. Is that what Jey is going to allow? Jey says he’s going to handle it and leaves.

Reigns asks Heyman if he knew about this and Heyman seems nervous. Reigns says Heyman is supposed to handle things so Reigns doesn’t have to. He tells Heyman to go find Adam Pearce so we can solve this Owens problem tonight. Heyman looking terrified of angering Reigns is great and can build up to a lot more things later.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Rey Mysterio vs. King Corbin

Rey is banged up but has Dominick in his corner. Corbin snaps off a spinebuster for an early two as Rey isn’t even in his gear. A few more shots keep Rey down and Corbin stands on his head for a bonus. They head outside with Corbin missing a charge into the steps but he’s right back with an elbow to the face back inside. Rey starts fighting back again but here’s Seth Rollins for a distraction.

We take a break and come back with Rey hitting a springboard splash but getting launched into the corner. An over the shoulder spinning faceplant drops Rey again and Corbin hammers away at the back. Rey knocks him off the top and tries a dive but gets caught in a series of backbreakers. The World’s Strongest Slam gives Corbin two so Mysterio rolls out to the floor. Corbin is right out there with him for some rams into the apron and the bearhug goes on.

Rey fights out of that because it’s a bearhug and some kicks put Corbin down. The springboard seated senton gets two but Corbin ducks to the floor to avoid the 619. Corbin decks Dominick from behind, which earns him a slingshot dive from Rey. Now the 619 connects but Rollins jumps Dominick this time around. Rey breaks that up but now it’s Murphy and Aalyah (who is having some issues keeping her dress up) coming down as well. Rey yells at them and walks into End of Days for the pin at 14:03.

Rating: C-. It didn’t feel overly long but at the same time there were a few too many things going on in there near the end. I can live with Corbin going to Survivor Series (you knew it was coming) but at the same time, how much longer can they actually drag out Mysterio vs. Rollins? We’ll be at six months next week and it actually seems to be extending out even longer. Lucky us.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Natalya vs. Zelina Vega vs. Ruby Riott

Ruby has gotten a heck of a haircut and her remaining hair is dyed green. Vega is knocked outside early on and it’s Natalya slamming Riott down for two. They had to the corner but Vega is back in to knock Natalya outside and hit a hurricanrana driver for two on Riott. Natalya comes back in and gets Vega into the Sharpshooter. Riott adds in an armbar but Natalya lets go, leaving Vega to tap to Riott at 3:08. That was unique.

Rating: C-. The match didn’t have time to go anywhere but that was a creative finish and I can go for more of Riott in a bigger spot. She comes off as more of a natural around here and is certainly unique looking, so at least they have something a little different with her. It’s better than Natalya at least.

Big E. is in the back hustling people at Trivial Pursuit when the Street Profits come in to offer him a spot in the champions’ lounge. He appreciated the offer but thinks they’re just trying to get some information on New Day. Big E. has a tip for them: lay down in the ring and New Day won’t beat them up so badly. Maniacal laughter ensues and Big E. leaves, with Billie Kay coming in to replace him. She offers them her head shot/resume and says she has some inside information on the red brand. Dawkins: “Billie, we were on Raw at the same time as you.” Billie is stunned as they leave.

We get another video on the recent Murphy vs. Rollins vs. Mysterios drama.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Seth Rollins vs. Otis

Rollins knocks him down to start but has some issues with the power of giggling. Cue Murphy for a distraction as we see the Mysterios watching in the back. So much for those issues I guess. A backdrop puts Rollins in front of Murphy and the distraction lets Otis run him over. Otis looks at Murphy but walks into a Sling Blade on the way back inside.

For some reason Rollins tries a shoulder to the stomach, which works as well as you would expect. Shaking and gyrating ensue and Otis runs him over a few times. Rollins gets a boot up in the corner but he dives into a fall away slam. There’s the running splash in the corner but Murphy gets on the apron to distract Murphy. The superkick into the Stomp sends Rollins to Survivor Series at 4:34.

Rating: D+. You’re only going to get so far with Otis in a singles match and thankfully they didn’t go with a rather ridiculous move by having him beat Rollins. I’m not all that interested in seeing more from Rollins/Murphy but we’re way past the point where that is going to matter. Otis’ push seems to be done though and while I can’t say I’m complaining, I do feel sorry that he had everything pulled out from under his feet thanks to the pandemic.

Murphy leaves almost immediately as Rollins seems both pleased and confused.

Post break Rollins catches up to Murphy (he must be a slow walker) and thinks he knows what he saw out there tonight. Rollins nearly begs Murphy to tell him that he’s right. Murphy points to Rollins and calls him messiah, then points to himself and says disciple. That’s what Rollins wanted to hear and he’s rather pleased as he walks off. Aalyah comes in and yells at Murphy, who tells her to calm down because he knows what he is doing. This is for the greater good.

Earlier today, Michael Cole sat down with Lars Sullivan, who reiterated his hatred of bullies because he has been bullied his entire life. People have gotten on him for the way he looks, dresses and talks. Those bullies would shoves him down, steal his lunch and call him freak. When he was thirteen years old, he started lifting weights and gained 50lbs of muscle in eighteen months.

That stopped the bullying and he became the bully. He would bully the kids who laughed at him because they deserved it and he could bully whomever he wanted. Sullivan could make them say or eat whatever he wanted, like bugs. Or he could do this, and he screams. That’s intimidation and bullying and he loves it. These interviews are oddly working for me.

Kevin Owens is ready for his match and says he is going to have to fight his Survivor Series partner. Sometimes he has a bad habit of speaking his mind and it can get him in trouble. If what he said earlier got him in trouble, then so be it. Last week, Jey got out of hand with Daniel Bryan but Owens can’t talk much as he has done some questionable things. The difference is that he did them himself because he is his own man, unlike Jey. The beating Jey has coming is 100% from Owens.

Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso

Owens grabs a headlock as Reigns and Heyman are watching in the back. Jey sends him to the apron though and snaps the throat across the top. The suicide dive is left a bit short, so Owens catches him for a toss into the barricade. The frog splash off the apron crushes Jey and sends us to a break. Back with Owens hitting a DDT and going up top but here’s Heyman for a distraction. Uso is not one to look a gift Heyman in the mouth and superkicks Owens to the floor for a ram into the steps.

Jey’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Owens is right back up with a superkick. Another superkick sets up the Cannonball and the Swanton gets two. Uso is back with a neckbreaker for two of his own but Owens is right back with the Pop Up Powerbomb for two as Uso gets his foot on the rope. Reigns’ music comes on though and Jey hits a low blow into a low superkick. The Superfly (not frog Cole) Splash gives Jey the pin at 11:27.

Rating: C. This was another storyline development win and it’s not like Owens lost clean. That being said, even though he is just Reigns’ minion at this point, Jey has now beaten AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens in a little over a month. That’s a good run for anyone and the match was pretty watchable. Well done on making a new star and having a great story to boot. See? It can be done.

Post match Jey poses with Reigns and Heyman to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They had three distinct parts to this show with the title match taking up the first fourth, then a bunch of Survivor Series qualifying matches (with the Rollins/Mysterios stuff tied into the men’s) and then the Uso/Reigns/Owens stuff. That makes for a packed but also entertaining show, which flew by as it tends to do. I’m liking this show a lot more than I used to and so much of that goes to Reigns and company, because they are having one of the most interesting stories of the year. Good show here, even though it isn’t like to get much attention given the election coverage.

Results

Sasha Banks b. Bayley – Bank Statement

King Corbin b. Rey Mysterio – End of Days

Ruby Riott b. Zelina Vega and Natalya – Armbar to Vega

Seth Rollins b. Otis – Stomp

Jey Uso b. Kevin Owens – Superfly Splash

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

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

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

Smackdown – October 30, 2020: Something Positive

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: October 30, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time to start the build towards Survivor Series, but also the start of the Usos being Roman Reigns’ lackeys. That could go a long way in the short and long terms so I’m curious to see where it goes. Other than that, there isn’t a lot going on around here so maybe they can start something new. Let’s get to it.

Here is Hell In A Cell if you need a recap.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

Robert Roode is here with Ziggler, who gets Owens to chase him to start and stomps away back inside. Owens hits an elbow to the face so Ziggler kicks him in the knee. A missed charge puts Owens on the floor and Roode gets in a cheap shot from behind. The referee ejects Roode on suspicion of cheating (speculating isn’t fair) and we take a break. Back with Owens fighting out of an armbar but getting knocked down for two more.

Owens gets up again and catches a crossbody, which he spins around into something like a White Noise/Death Valley Driver hybrid. The Swanton hits knees but Owens blocks the Fameasser. The Pop Up Powerbomb is countered into a Fameasser (cool) for two so they go into a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. Ziggler’s superkick is countered into the Stunner for the pin at 10:29.

Rating: C. My levels of apathy towards Ziggler matches continue to grow, which I didn’t know was possible. There’s just such a firm limit on what you are going to get with him, though what you get is often completely watchable. What matters here is Owens won the match though as he is a lot more interesting than most of the people who could be in the spot. Completely watchable match, but Ziggler sucks the life out of almost anything he does.

Video on Daniel Bryan, including the rise of the YES Movement.

Natalya asks Adam Pearce how the Survivor Series team is going to be made and suggests that she is the captain and picks the team. Billie Kay comes up with a combination head shot/resume but here’s Bianca Belair who is here to be captain. Natalya says no one cares and calls herself the boat. Belair: “That isn’t as cute as you think it is.” Amen. Anyway, Pearce makes a triple threat qualifying match to end this parade of people talking like NO OTHER HUMAN WOULD EVER TALK.

We get a sitdown interview with Lars Sullivan, who asks why he isn’t being called the Freak. Lars: “Would you like to be called the Freak?” Sullivan goes into a mini rant about being labeled a freak, but Corey Graves says all he meant was he isn’t capable of doing the physically freakish things that Lars is capable of doing. Lars: “I’ll accept that.”

Sullivan talks about being called a freak for the first time when he was nine or ten years old, because the Tracy Brothers were singing about him being a freak show. He didn’t know what to do so he cried. Everyone there laughed at him, even the teachers. The laughter stopped but the screaming never did. As for what he wants to do in WWE, his goal is to unleash all of his pain and humiliation on WWE and make this place his personal playground. I can go with channeling the original Mankind story, and Sullivan is just off enough to make it work fairly well.

Bianca Belair comes out for her match…so let’s look at Seth Rollins vs. Murphy from last week with Murphy trying to make amends with the Mysterio Family to no avail.

Aalyah and Murphy are in the back. Her mom seems to approve of whatever makes her happy but Rey and Dominick don’t want her having anything to do with Murphy. He’s going to apologize to them tonight though so she takes his hand.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Bianca Belair vs. Peyton Royce vs. Natalya

Billie goes to the floor to start so Natalya shoves Bianca and quickly finds out that was a bad idea. Belair backflips away from her and knocks Billie off the apron. Natalya’s discus lariat drops Belair so Billie can get two, followed by a hurricanrana to Belair. A basement dropkick cuts off Natalya and a handspring moonsault gives Belair two. Natalya’s springboard belly to back drop sets up a somewhat mistimed basement dropkick and the Sharpshooter goes on.

Billie adds a reverse chinlock at the same time and thank goodness Bianca didn’t tap. Billie kicks Bianca in the face to make her DDT Natalya and it’s time for back to back near falls each. The Sharpshooter has Billie in trouble for a good while until Belair makes the save. Natalya is sent into the post and Belair hits the KOD to finish Billie at 4:11.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and while Natalya isn’t quite as soul crushing as Ziggler, she is still just there for the most part. This match didn’t do the Sharpshooter many favors as both of them survived a long time in the hold, but it’s not like Natalya is going to be taken seriously anyway. They had me worried that Belair was going to take the fall here but well done on going with the only logical move.

Carmella snaps her fingers to get a bucket of champagne. She is that woman who calls her shots and makes her own rules. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead because no matter what, she will always win. Next week, the entire world will know why she is untouchable. This feels like a gimmick that has been done in about a dozen similar forms over the years.

A breast cancer survivor is in the virtual audience. Always cool.

Daniel Bryan feels bad for what Jey Uso is going through but he’s ready for the best Uso tonight.

Here are the Street Profits for a match to thank the New Day for the imitation on Monday. New Day is a great tag team but at Survivor Series, they’re being served an L. They want the smoke.

Street Profits vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title. Dawkins blocks Cesaro’s hiptoss to start and shoulders Cesaro down. Ford comes in with the great dropkick and Dawkins belly to backflips Ford onto Cesaro for two. A running Blockbuster sends Cesaro the floor and Ford hits a big running flip dive onto Nakamura. Cesaro LAUNCHES Ford over the barricade though (that’s going to be on a highlight reel) and we take a break.

Back with Nakamura kicking Ford in the ribs to set up a slingshot suplex. Ford gets in a shot for a breather so we can take another look at that toss over the barricade (as we should). The hot tag brings in Dawkins to clean house, including the spinning splashes in the corner. Another splash misses though and Nakamura hits a running knee to the ribs in the corner. Cesaro adds a gutwrench powerbomb for two with Ford making the save. The Anointment hits Cesaro and it’s a superplex into the Cash Out to finish Nakamura at 9:14.

Rating: C+. The match was the usual high energy work from the Profits but that launch over the barricade should get the attention. Ford pushed off of that perfectly and it made for one of the coolest visuals in a little while. Ford is such an athletic freak and it is always fun to watch him do things that no human being should be able to accomplish.

Sami Zayn is looking forward to facing Bobby Lashley at Survivor Series because Sami is a man of all of the continents. He is the people’s champion and the champion of the people because people love him from Bolivia to Lebanon to New Zealand to Botswana. They know he will never lie to them but Lashley only represents ONE country. At Survivor Series, Sami is going to show Lashley that the Intercontinental Champion is greater than the United States Champion. I can always go for someone who can talk looking into a camera and making me want to see a match.

Here is Sasha Banks, with the chair from Sunday, for a chat. She says you shouldn’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk and on Sunday, she walked the walk. That’s why she beat Bayley to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion. Now that Bayley is in her past, she is ready for Survivor Series and Asuka because she is the best of the best. Cue Bayley to say Sasha knows she can’t beat Asuka without Bayley in her corner. That’s why next week, Bayley wants her rematch next week. Bayley: “Trick or treat. Ding dong, the title reign is dead.” Sasha says it’s on.

We get a preview of the 30 Days Of The Deadman special.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Jey Uso vs. Daniel Bryan

Overall Rating: C+. Above all else, this show felt like it had a plan and then executed it. I know I say this a lot but it means so much to have this show only running two hours. It means they don’t feel like they’re scrambling to fill things in, which was more evident tonight. They built up Survivor Series and Reigns/Uso, which made for a good use of two hours. It’s not a great show but it’s an efficient show, which is a good sign for Friday night for a change.

Results

Kevin Owens b. Dolph Ziggler – Stunner

Bianca Belair b. Natalya and Billie Kay – KOD to Kay

Street Profits b. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura – Cash Out to Nakamura

Jey Uso b. Daniel Bryan – Superfly Splash

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

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

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

Main Event – October 22, 2020: The Calm Before The Cell

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 22, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Hell In A Cell so it’s time for some hardcore build towards the pay per view. That is where this show tends to be the most useful, though you never can tell about the exclusive matches these days. If nothing else it might be nice to see some of the bigger names around here for a change. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ricochet vs. Gran Metalik

Ricochet avoids a charge to start but Metalik flips out of an armdrag attempt. The flipping exchange is on and they both miss some kicks until it’s a standoff. Ricochet slams him down and drops an elbow for two before hammering away in the corner. A headscissors out of the corner sets up a quickly broken chinlock on Ricochet, who is right back up with a springboard standing moonsault. A middle rope hurricanrana into a standing shooting star gives Ricochet two but Metalik is back up with a sunset flip for the same. The Metalik Driver is broken up though and it’s a Kick Back to give Ricochet the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C. This worked out fine as you probably expected. Ricochet got to go out there and do his thing with someone who can mostly keep up with him and they even got a few minutes. I have no idea why Ricochet is stuck toiling on this show, but that might be pretty low on the list of stupid Raw related things WWE is doing at the moment.

From Smackdown.

Smackdown World Title: Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending and Strowman is in street clothes. A Superman Punch puts Strowman on the floor to start and Reigns adds the apron dropkick. Reigns knocks him around again, including sending Strowman face first into the announcers’ table. Strowman gets in a shot of his own and sends him over the announcers’ table, followed by the running shoulder over the barricade.

Back from a break with Strowman hitting…something in the corner as the camera stays on Goldberg in the crowd. Reigns tries the Superman Punch but gets caught in a choke. That’s switched into a powerbomb, followed by the chokeslam for two on Reigns. The kickout includes a low blow (that’s a brilliant spot) and the spear gets two. Another spear is countered into a powerslam attempt but Reigns slips out. Strowman tries a pop up powerbomb but Reigns counters into a guillotine choke of all things and Strowman taps at 10:40.

Rating: C. The match was more about checking a box on Reigns’ run with the title as he has now slayed a monster. Strowman had as much of a chance of winning here as I do of being Miss Nevada 1979 and that’s fine for this kind of a spot. If nothing else, they established that Reigns has a submission now and Jey Uso is in danger at the pay per view. Oh and please no Goldberg. I mean….please just don’t. No one wants to go there.

Post match here’s Jey Uso to stare Reigns down as Reigns hits a spear on Strowman. Reigns grabs a chair and says if he can do this to Strowman, what could he do to Jey? Reigns unloads on Strowman with chair shots, so here are the referees and agents to….not quite break it up. More chair shots keeps Strowman down so Uso gets in, with Reigns dropping the chair. Reigns says this makes no sense and tells Uso to beat on Strowman instead.

Uso grabs the chair and Reigns turns his back so Uso can hit him. Jimmy doesn’t do it, instead punching Reigns in the face and superkicking him down. Jey shouts that he loves Reigns too and chairs him down, drawing the referees back in. With Uso being held back, Reigns hits the Superman Punch and says it took him turning his back for Jey to have his best shot. Reigns leaves as Jey is down to end the show. Again, this is the best story going today and this worked very well again.

From Raw.

Women’s Title: Lana vs. Asuka

Lana is challenging and gets headlocked to start. Asuka runs her over and dances, setting up the Asuka Lock but Lana is in the rope in a hurry. A rollup gives Lana two and she kicks Asuka down for the same. Lana kicks her down again but the Asuka Lock retains the title at 2:16.

Post match here are Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler to jump Asuka and put Lana through the announcers’ table for the fifth time. Back in and Asuka gets to her feet to kick Shayna to the floor and escape.

From Smackdown.

Here are Bayley and Banks for the contract signing, with Adam Pearce overseeing things. Banks signs in a hurry but Bayley says she is wanting to get this out of the way so she can continue her record setting reign. Bayley says Banks has been waiting to turn on her but Banks says if she could have she would have. Banks promises to take the title so Bayley grabs the chair, which Banks grabs as well. Bayley bails without signing, so Banks promises to make her sign no matter what.

Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo

Commentary actually mentions their rather detailed history. Garza hammers him in the back to start but gets caught in a headlock. Carrillo flips out of a headscissors and hits the high angle springboard monkey flip to send Garza outside. A flip to the floor is cut off with a superkick though, allowing Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS as we take a break.

Back with Carrillo fighting out of an armbar and getting up a boot in the corner. Garza kicks him down for two more and we hit the Rings of Saturn of all things. That’s broken up as well and Garza hits a springboard spinning kick to the face. A missile dropkick gives Carrillo two and a springboard spinning headbutt gets the same. Garza grabs a rollup with tights for two of his own but the referee yells at him for the cheating. That’s fine with Garza, who hits the Wing Clipper for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C-. I liked them playing up the history between the two, but at the end of the day there isn’t much that can be done to make this interesting. We’ve seen it so many times now and that isn’t exactly the way to make me care about seeing it again. At least the Carrillo push has died, though it’s kind of a shame that he’s stuck here because he is definitely talented enough to do something somewhere on the regular show.

Long recap of Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre.

From Raw.

The Cell is lowered and here’s Randy Orton for a chat, because there was no way this show was ending with anything but talking. Orton sits in a chair in the middle of the ring and talks about all of his memories in the Cell. He remembers hurting Jeff Hardy and others, but all of his opponents were legends. That word interests him because there are legends and then there are legendary moments, like when McIntyre beat Brock Lesnar….and here’s Drew to interrupt. Orton says McIntyre can come on in so Drew grabs some bolt cutters and opens the door. Drew comes in and slams the Cell shut and the show goes off the air.

Overall Rating: D+. This show did accomplish one thing: it made me realize how little build this show received on the main shows. The Cell matches themselves have been set up well enough, but man alive there is almost literally nothing else in sight here. Not the worst show, but Survivor Series can’t come soon enough around here.

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

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

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

Hell In A Cell 2020: Punch It Up

IMG Credit: WWE

Hell In A Cell 2020
Date: October 25, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time for another version of the show where WWE doesn’t care enough to even put together six matches before we get to the show. I’m not sure why WWE feels the need to do something like this but this marks two years in a row of a similar nature. There are three Cell matches tonight so it must be big. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: 24/7 Title: R-Truth vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak is challenging and immediately starts talking to Little Jimmy….who he then knocks down. Truth goes after Gulak in the corner and hammers away so Gulak takes him down by the leg. A leglock goes on, followed by Gulak stretching Truth’s neck over his back (think a Gory Stretch but without tying up the arms). Truth fights back with John Cena’s offense, including the AA for two. Gulak goes after the knee again and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence, with Truth rolling him up for the pin to retain at 5:23.

Rating: D. The match was pretty straightforward, meaning it felt out of place with the 24/7 Title. There was the Little Jimmy stuff at the beginning, but Gulak beating up an invisible boy isn’t enough to make up for the rest of things. It’s hard to criticize the title, though I’m not sure I get the need for a match to warm up the crowd when there is no crowd.

Post match the menagerie of numskulls run in to chase after Truth.

The opening video looks at the Cell matches and not much more, mainly because there isn’t much more after that.

The Cell is lowered.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso for Reigns’ Universal Title. Reigns beat Jey at Clash Of Champions but wanted Jey to acknowledge him as Tribal Chief of the family. That hasn’t happened yet, so Jey is getting one more shot, though there are some stipulations. First of all, it’s an I Quit match, but the catch is that if Reigns wins, both Jey and his brother Jimmy have to obey Reigns. If they don’t, they are out of the family.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending inside the Cell in an I Quit match. They shout at each other a bit until Reigns shoulders him down to start. A snap suplex has Jey in more trouble and Reigns sneers down at him in a great visual. Jey manages an enziguri to knock Reigns outside though and a dive sends him into the Cell. A running clothesline puts Reigns on the floor again and there’s another dive. Reigns is driven into the wall again and Jey starts to get serious, only to get cut off with a spear back inside. Reigns starts telling Jey that it’s over so Jey knocks him outside for a dropkick into the Cell.

The dive is cut off with a right hand though and Reigns hits another spear back inside. Jey is back up with a superkick into the Superfly Splash and they’re both down with Reigns not quitting. Another splash connects but Reigns says the head of the table never quits. Therefore it’s time to bring in a leather strap, even as Paul shouts no. Uso whips him in the back so Reigns hits a third spear to cut him off again. Jey can’t breathe but he won’t quit, so this time it’s Reigns whipping him for a change. Reigns: “I DO THE WHIPPING AROUND HERE!”

Jey’s look of shock at the pain is a great visual as he did these same things to Reigns but didn’t realize how bad it would be to get it back. More whips have Jey down but he uses the strap to pull himself up. They slug it out until Jey hits a superkick and ties the strap around Reigns’ throat. Reigns still won’t quit so Jey grabs a chair but Reigns hits the Superman Punch. The guillotine goes on with Reigns jumping into a bodyscissors and Jey is mostly out. That’s not quitting though and Reigns is looking more annoyed than anything else. Reigns says all Jey had to do was quit and now we’re here.

The referee and Reigns both implore him to quit until Reigns tells the referee to shut his mouth. Reigns lays Jey on the apron for the running kick to the head but Jey still won’t quit. With that not working, Reigns puts the steps on the apron and crushes Jey’s head between the steps and the post. Jey is out and Reigns is looking like this hurts him even more. The referee goes to call it because Jey is out so Reigns throws him over the top for thinking about ending things.

The other referee comes in but Reigns yells about what he’s supposed to tell his own kids for Jey making him look bad. A bunch of officials come out to tell Reigns to stop….so he throws the steps inside. Adam Pearce and company all bail out so Reigns puts the steps on top of Jey. Reigns shouts that Jey has been testing him their whole life and all he has to do is acknowledge him.

There is no going back when you go this far and now Reigns is ending him for not understanding. Reigns picks up the steps but here’s Jimmy Uso to lay on Jey for the save. Jimmy asks what is wrong with Reigns and says we can fix this. It’s Josh that is laying here in the ring and they can get through this together. Reigns starts crying and says he doesn’t know who he is anymore. Jimmy extends his hand and Reigns takes it…and then pulls him into the guillotine choke. Jey finally quits to save his brother at 29:06.

Rating: C+. I have no idea how to grade something like this as again it was more of a long segment than a match for the most part. It was similar to Clash in that regard, but I always have a problem with something like this being in the Cell, which added nothing. If people can just come in over and over, what’s the point in having the Cell other than a visual?

Now all that aside, this was more great character development stuff and shows how far Reigns has gone to the dark side. There’s something that makes it so much different when it’s family and I want to know how it’s going to be now that the Usos have to obey him. It was good, but the Cell didn’t add anything here and that gets annoying.

Post match Heyman is stunned as Afa and Sika come out to hug Reigns and put a lei around his neck.

The announcers are all emotional about what we just saw.

Elias vs. Jeff Hardy

Before the match, Elias sings about how they’re having a match but Jeff can always lean back on the booze. Elias: “WWE stands for Walk With Elias but Jeff Hardy stands for DUI.” Elias chops him against the ropes to start but Hardy snapmares him into a Hennig necksnap for two. Hardy cranks on the arm with a hammerlock and they head outside with Jeff hitting a dropkick through the ropes. A dive off the steps earns Jeff a crash into the steps but he beats the count back inside.

Elias hits a clothesline to set up the chinlock but Hardy fights up and gets a breather. The legdrop between the legs into a basement dropkick gives Jeff two and Elias is in trouble. The Twist of Fate is countered into an electric chair into a spinning powerbomb for two on Hardy. Jeff is back up with the Whisper in the Wind and now the Twist connects. Hardy loads up the Swanton but Elias rolls to the floor and grabs the guitar. That’s taken away though and Jeff cracks him with the guitar for the DQ at 7:51.

Rating: C-. Pretty much a Raw match and little more, which is about all you could have expected. Elias has never quite developed in the ring, though he can work well enough and Hardy can make up the slack with anyone. They kept things short here though and you can guarantee this continuing to promote Elias’ album.

We recap Otis vs. Miz for Otis’ Money in the Bank briefcase. Miz doesn’t want Otis to be Mr. Money in the Bank so he has tried to ruin his life. This set up the court case on Smackdown where Judge JBL made their match tonight for the briefcase.

Otis says his mama taught him to flaunt it if you’ve got it. Well he has it, and tonight Miz is going to get it.

Money in the Bank Briefcase: Miz vs. Otis

Otis is defending and John Morrison/Tucker are the seconds. Otis’ music also now starts with “Blue Collar Working Man” because we need things explained to us. Miz gets knocked down to start and Otis throws in an OH YEAH. They head to the floor with Miz being run over again but Morrison offers a distraction. Back in and the DDT gives Miz two so we hit the sleeper, with Cole saying that at Otis’ size, he probably has a bad case of sleep apnea.

With that weird statement out of the way, Miz kicks Otis in the face for two and hits the YES Kicks to the chest. The power of jiggling gets Otis out of trouble and the shirt comes off. There’s the flapjack but Morrison pulls Miz away from the Caterpillar. Morrison loads up a briefcase shot but gets caught, meaning he hides the briefcase behind his back and swears innocence. That’s good for an ejection and Otis hits a discus lariat for two. As Cole cracks up at Corey’s joke about Otis being able to power a small city, Tucker turns on Otis with a briefcase shot and Miz gets the pin at 7:26.

Rating: D. They had to do something like this as there was no reason to believe that Otis was going to win the World Title in any universe. Miz winning over anyone on Raw isn’t likely either, but it’s a lot easier to believe than Otis winning. Tucker turning on Otis gives them an out, though they’re going to have to bend the Draft rules for that long awaited Heavy Machinery showdown. In addition to that though, commentary was destroying this match as they were openly cracking up at Corey’s Otis jokes and it was really distracting. I know Otis isn’t exactly serious, but can we pretend this matters?

Miz and Morrison say how big of a deal this is and say the World Champions are on notice. Tucker comes in and shrugs off Miz and Morrison’s congratulations. He talks about how he has sacrificed everything for Otis and the team, like having him do the hot tag for the Worm or giving him the confidence to ask out Mandy Rose. Tucker has sacrificed everything for the team and he’s sick of it. Otis comes in to jump Miz and Morrison but Tucker runs off. Perfectly logical reasoning from Tucker.

We recap Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women’s Title. They feuded forever and then they teamed up to dominate the women’s divisions. Then they started losing their titles so Bayley turned on her before Banks could do the same. Banks was on the shelf with an injury thanks to Bayley but now she’s back for revenge and the title.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Banks is challenging inside the Cell and kicks Bayley’s chair out of the Cell to make things even. The beating is on in a hurry and Banks grabs the Bank Statement, sending Bayley to the ropes. That means nothing in the Cell though so Bayley crawls to the floor for the break. Bayley drives her into the Cell but misses some kendo stick shots. Sasha throws the stick outside as well though and hits a knee to Bayley’s face. A table is set up at ringside but Bayley gets in a shot to cut her off.

That’s fine with Banks, who uses the edge of the table to drive Bayley into the Cell. A Meteora off the table into the Cell sets up another Meteora for two back inside. Bayley knocks her back to the floor though and tosses the chair at her, only to have Banks slide under the table. Said table is kicked into Bayley’s face and they go to the apron. Bayley throws her at the Cell so Sasha hangs on and jumps right back onto the apron.

A hurricanrana to the floor sends Bayley into the Cell and Banks whips her into the steps. Banks bridges some kendo sticks between the Cell and the holes in the steps but Bayley whips her through them instead. Bayley puts the sticks back and catapults Banks throat first into them this time. The reverse chinlock stays on Banks’ back and neck before Bayley sends her face first into an open chair.

The chair is wedged into the corner and Bayley hits a running sunset bomb to send Banks head first into the steel (dang that looked nasty). Bayley gets two off a top rope elbow but the bulldog driver is countered into the Bank Statement. Another crawl to the floor is enough for the escape and Bayley ties her in the ring skirt. Bayley unloads with the kendo stick shots to the back and it’s time for some duct tape and rope. Two of the sticks are taped together and wedged between the ring frame and the Cell but Banks gets in a blast with a fire extinguisher.

Bayley is fine enough to get the original chair back inside but Banks unloads on her. Banks sends her into the Cell and throws in a kendo stick to continue the beating. A lot of shouting and a lot of shots to the ribs have Bayley in more trouble but she crawls for her chair. Banks cuts that off and goes up for the frog splash but Bayley gets the chair up. The bulldog driver on the floor gives Bayley two and it’s time for a ladder, which is laid over two open chairs.

Bayley spray paints an X onto Banks and goes up top with the chair, only to hit the ladder instead. A running Meteora into the corner and a Bayley to Belly onto the ladder gives Banks two, meaning it’s frustration time. Bayley is back with her own Bayley to Belly for two so it’s time for the chair again. This time Banks pulls her down into the Bank Statement though, even tying the chair around Bayley’s neck. Some stomps to the chair to go with the hold make Bayley tap away the title at 26:32.

Rating: B. This at least felt a lot more like the violence that takes place inside the Cell, which is kind of the point of the show. Banks winning the title here makes sense and it’s not like they needed to stretch it out any longer. They beat the fire out of each other here and it felt like a bit time fight, which is entirely the point. You can all but guarantee that these two aren’t done, but hopefully they wait until TLC for the rematch.

A lot of staring ensues post match.

The Hurt Business is ready to step up and accept Mustafa Ali’s challenge. It’s going to be Bobby Lashley vs. Slapjack and MVP is even willing to raise the stakes: no cornermen or seconds, and we’ll make it a US Title match.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Slapjack

Lashley is defending and this is the result of Mustafa Ali issuing a challenge on the Kickoff Show. Retribution now has regular music and a regular entrance to make sure they aren’t unique whatsoever. Lashley wastes no time in running him over and hitting a quick suplex. Back up and Slapjack scores with a dropkick to send Lashley into the corner for the Cannonball. A running DDT gives Slapjack two but Lashley isn’t having any of that. The big spinebuster sets up the Hurt Lock to retain at 3:54.

Rating: D+. Another totally standard Raw match which wouldn’t have been more filler if it was a filler item in the filler section at the filler store. There’s no such thing as a filler store you say? Well there’s also no sense in building up a team like Retribution for so many weeks and then having them lose every match like this either so it all fills out.

Post match the rest of Retribution comes in but the Hurt Business makes the easy save.

Survivor Series is Undertaker: 30. As it kind of has to be.

The Cell is lowered. Yeah we saw this about forty minutes ago. Find something new.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre. Orton has had two title shots this year with McIntyre beating him both times, so Orton has attacked various legends to force McIntyre into the Cell. This is rather similar to how Summerslam was set up but you can’t expect them to come up with another new idea so soon.

Quick look at Batista in the new Gears of War game.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

Inside the Cell with McIntyre defending. McIntyre makes his entrance but here’s Orton as a cameraman to jump him from behind. That doesn’t go well for Orton, as McIntyre chops away and sends him into the Cell. The beating continues around the Cell and McIntyre takes it inside, demanding that the Cell be locked. I mean, it didn’t matter in the opener but it’s a nice idea. The bell rings and McIntyre hammers away but the threat of an RKO means he has to knock Orton outside.

Orton is driven into the cage and McIntyre shoves his face into the steel for a bonus. McIntyre sends him back first into the Cell as this is one sided so far. A chair to the ribs and back keeps Orton down but he avoids the steps being thrown at his head. The Claymore misses (mainly because McIntyre stopped way too early) and Orton hits him in the leg with a chair. Said chair is driven into McIntyre’s previously injured jaw and McIntyre is sent face first into the buckle.

Orton sends the bad jaw into the steps as well before wrapping his pants around McIntyre’s eyes. McIntyre’s face is shoved into the Cell wall and a thumb to the eye cuts off his comeback. There’s a whip into the steps and McIntyre looks shocked by the pain. A table is set up against the Cell but Orton grabs the backbreaker for one to keep McIntyre down. McIntyre is back with the overhead belly to belly and there’s a neckbreaker into the nip up. They head outside with McIntyre suplexing him through the table as the fans (uh….) think this is awesome.

Back in and Orton hits a low blow into the hanging DDT for two. Frustration is setting in so Orton whips out some bolt cutters and opens the door. McIntyre gets knocked down again and Orton climbs the Cell, which is just not going to end well. For reasons of general stupidity, McIntyre follows him up and Orton catches him with a pipe shot to the leg. Orton starts climbing down so Drew follows him, meaning it’s the fight on the side of the Cell.

Some shots to the hands finally knock McIntyre down and through the announcers’ table (not quite the biggest fall) so he come sup bleeding from the mouth. McIntyre is coughing a lot and they finally get back inside. The backslide gives McIntyre two (in a call back to Summerslam) and there’s the Claymore to send Orton outside. Back in and another Claymore misses, setting up the RKO to give Orton the pin and the title at 30:34.

Rating: B. Another good one, though your mileage on Orton winning the title back may vary. I wasn’t big on them going outside just to set up not very big crash, as they still don’t quite get the point of the Cell. That being said, they beat each other up for quite a long time here and you almost had to have Orton take the title at some point after the back to back losses. It isn’t the worst thing by far and the match was good, but it could have been better with more violence and less walking around.

Overall Rating: B. I’m really not sure what to think about this one as the big matches were good and the weaker ones were all mostly short, but man alive this did not feel important. This felt like a show they threw together without much effort and then slapped the Cell name on it to make everything work. It’s a good show and makes up for some of last year’s complete drek of a main event, but I’m not likely to remember any of this in about a week. They were in and out in three hours and it had some good stuff with several important changes, but it had no impact or punch and that’s a weird combination.

Results

Roman Reigns b. Jey Uso – Jey quit when Jimmy Uso was in a guillotine choke

Elias b. Jeff Hardy via DQ when Hardy used Elias’ guitar

Miz b. Otis – Tucker hit Otis with the Money in the Bank briefcase

Sasha Banks b. Bayley – Bank Statement with a chair around Bayley’s neck

Bobby Lashley b. Slapjack – Hurt Lock

Randy Orton b. Drew McIntyre – RKO

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