Monday Night Raw
Date: March 20, 2023
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than two weeks away from Wrestlemania and the show is mostly together. That means this week is going to be about firming up everything that is already set for the show, which will include some Roman Reigns. Other than that, it might be time to add in one or two more things, as WWE does on occasion. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn to get things going. They think the fans might like them before Sami goes into a talk about how he was wrong for a long time. They have always used each other to get to the next level but they have always done it as brothers. Owens has always said that Zayn is the best he has ever been in the ring with and that’s what made it harder watching him in the Bloodline. It’s time to take the Bloodline down though….so let’s look at that Wrestlemania sign.

Cue the Usos to say Owens and Zayn are just going to stab each other in the back. Zayn says Jey wants to stab Roman Reigns in the back, so we get straight to the Wrestlemania challenge. Jimmy says no, but Jey wants the chance to end the Zayn/Owens problem, so let’s do the brother vs. brother title match. The fight is on with the Usos being cleared out, only to grab chairs.

Cue Roman Reigns and the rest of the Bloodline arriving, which makes the Usos leave. You knew this match was coming but they took their time to get here, which is not a bad idea. The fans want to see the match and that is one of the hardest things to do with any match, let alone one of the bigger ones on the Wrestlemania card.

Montez Ford vs. Austin Theory

Non-title and Angelo Dawkins lets Ford do this one on his own. The fans want the smoke but have to settle for Theory shouldering Ford down and mocking his dance. Theory gets in a big beatdown in the corner but Ford is back up with some stomps of his own. A running clothesline puts Theory on the floor and there’s the toss over the barricade. Ford sits on some fans at ringside and we take a break.

Back with Ford hitting a high crossbody and a running uppercut to drop Theory again. Ford throws in a You Can’t See Me before hitting the standing moonsault for two. A DDT sends Theory outside and there’s the big running flip dive. Back in and Theory gets in a quick dropkick, setting up A Town Down for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. Letting Ford rub elbows with a champion is an interesting idea as he continues to look ready to break out on his own. Theory wasn’t going to lose so close to Wrestlemania though and he shouldn’t have, so burning off a Ford loss might be a bit of an odd way to go. It makes sense after last week, but Ford should be better protected if he’s going to get a shot on his own.

Post match Theory says he’ll make John Cena believe in him at Wrestlemania.

Roman Reigns doesn’t seem pleased with the Usos but Jimmy Uso says he’ll never forgive Sami Zayn for causing trouble with Jey. Jimmy says they’ve got Zayn and Owens at Wrestlemania, with Reigns saying he hopes so. Reigns asks for the room to be cleared….except for Jey.

Post break (and what I’m guessing was a rousing spelling bee), Reigns says Jey went off for weeks and now he’s back making decisions. Should Reigns believe him? Jey says he’s Bloodline, which is all Reigns needed to hear. Reigns says he loves him and Jey leaves. Paul Heyman comes back in and Reigns says he got the answers he was looking for, while looking a bit serious.

The men’s four way showcase tag match will include the Street Profits, Braun Strowman/Ricochet, the Alpha Academy and the Viking Raiders.

Chelsea Green interrupts Adam Pearce, who isn’t happy with Carmella not being available tonight. Instead, Piper Niven will be her partner tonight. Pearce reminds her that he is the same manager over and over so Green wants to be in the Wrestlemania match. Threats ensue.

Video on Omos vs. Brock Lesnar, complete with various measurements of Omos’ gigantic hands and reach.

Omos vs. Mustafa Ali

Dolph Ziggler is watching in the back as the chokebomb finishes Ali at 55 seconds.

Post match MVP promises that Brock Lesnar will far Omos at Wrestlemania.

Logan Paul is on the way to the ring and blows off Miz on the way.

It’s time for Logan Paul and Impaulsive TV. Paul knows that no one but his dad and that one fan with a sign for his energy drink like him. No one here is going to respect him, but who cares, because it isn’t his fault that they can’t see the talent in front of them. He is a 360 degree entertainer and mocks the St. Louis Rams for heading to Los Angeles. Paul is looking forward to being with the Rams in Los Angeles at Wrestlemania on April 1, his 28th birthday.

We look at Paul knocking Seth Rollins out last week a few times, complete with Rollins’ head turning into a clown as we see the punch land over and over. Paul’s mic goes out and we see Seth Rollins (in a leopard print suit) in the control truck. Rollins asks how we’re going to save this edition of Impaulsive TV….so he plays his own music and comes to the ring.

Cue Rollins, with Paul talking over the fans singing along in a funny bit (Paul: “No one told me St. Louis was tone deaf. Your outfit is stupid.”). The fight is on fast and they go over the announcers’ table, with Rollins getting the better of things. Rollins dives off the top onto some security (that was a nasty landing) but Paul knocks Rollins out again. They’re doing a good job of making Paul feel like a real threat to Rollins at Wrestlemania and that right hand is getting over.

Now available: Wrestlemania the Musical, starring the Miz.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Johnny Gargano

Damien Priest and Dexter Lumis are here too and Gargano has bad ribs after being attacked on NXT. Gargano starts fast and hammers away with left hands in the corner. The rolling kick to the head and running hurricanrana put Dominik on the floor, setting up the suicide dive (which made good contact). The ribs are banged up though and Dominik drops them onto the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Dominik staying on the ribs until Gargano suplexes his way out of trouble. A missed charge in the corner lets Dominik roll him up for two but the referee sees the feet on the ropes. The Lawn Dart into a basement superkick gives Gargano two but Dominik knocks him off the top. Dominik hits the frog splash for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C. Dominik stays warm on the way to a probably match with Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania and he beat a bit of a name on the way there. Gargano on the other hand just feels stagnant and seems to be living off of the reputation he built in NXT. It doesn’t help that he has been kind of floating around since returning to the main roster, but maybe that can be fixed after Wrestlemania.

Post match Dominik grabs the mic and talks about Rey Mysterio turning down his Wrestlemania challenge. Dominik isn’t done yet though and promises to not stop until he gets what he wants. This Friday, the entire Mysterio family will be live in Las Vegas, as in the same family that kicked him out of the group chat. Dominik: “That’s ok though because the Judgment Day group chat is much better.” He’ll be asking his mom for permission to face Rey at Wrestlemania, if she’ll let Rey’s testicles out of her purse.

Paul Heyman sends the Usos to the jet for seafood, because Roman Reigns is giving them the night off. Solo Sikoa doesn’t get to though, as Roman Reigns wants to see him.

Edge is in a room full of candles and talks about what a hostile man that he is. He has been taken into the Cell by the Deadman himself. We get part of the 23rd Psalm with Edge talking about how he is the valley of the shadow of death. So at Wrestlemania, bring the Demon to face the Devil. Edge’s delivery was good but the candles/Bible quotes/everything else felt almost cliched here. At least it gives Balor a reason to bring back the Demon.

Here is Rhea Ripley for a chat. She doesn’t want to live in the past like Charlotte, who keeps talking about what happened three years ago at Ripley’s first Wrestlemania. That was when she was trying to make a name for herself and earn respect. When Charlotte hears the name Rhea Ripley, she begins to question everything. Ripley: “Don’t WHAT me. You’re all pathetic.”

Charlotte has to admit that it is over for her and when she sees Ripley holding the title up, she’ll know her insecurities were true. She won’t respect Ripley, but she will fear her. Cue Damage Ctrl of all people, seemingly offering help with Charlotte. Ripley doesn’t need it, but Bayley says this is their show. Threats are made and Ripley is game, even if she isn’t in her gear. Bayley is in her gear though and we’re ready to go.

Bayley vs. Rhea Ripley

The rest of Damage Ctrl is here too. Ripley sends her into the corner to start but gets tossed to the apron. A Stunner over the apron sends Ripley to the floor where she blocks the dropkick under the bottom rope. Bayley is fine enough to send her into the post, only to have Ripley hit a flip dive off the apron to drop Bayley for two back inside. A hard knee to the face gives Ripley two but some interference breaks up Riptide. Cue Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus and Lita (with Becky carrying a big bag of popcorn) as we take a break.

Back with the Bayley to Belly hitting for no cover, as Ripley plants her with a belly to back faceplant. Bayley hits a running knee to the face though and they’re both down. Ripley kicks her down out of the corner though and the Prism Trap sends Bayley to the ropes. The others get in a fight at ringside, leaving Ripley to hit Riptide for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: B-. You can tell when wrestlers are a cut or two above the people around them and that is the case here. Ripley feels ready to break out to the next level and Bayley is one of the most established names in the women’s division. Becky and company coming down with the popcorn was a little weird, but at least they helped cost Bayley the match.

Chad Gable finds Otis getting a manicure and a facial and wants him ringside later. Otis seems game but Maxxine Dupri comes in to say Otis has a hand modeling gig. Otis leaves with….Gable actually.

This week’s Wrestlemania trailer: Drew McIntyre and the Brawling Brutes in the 40 Year Old Virgin, with Ridge Holland getting his overly hairy chest waxed. These still aren’t really funny.

Chad Gable vs. Ricochet

Otis and Ricochet are here too. Gable wrestles him to the mat to start as Otis keeps looking at his freshly manicured nails. Back up and Ricochet starts flipping away before dropkicking Gable into the corner. A super hurricanrana is blocked though and Gable….kind of release AA’s him down. Gable hits a top rope clothesline for two as we take a break.

We come back with Ricochet hitting a running shooting star press. Gable muscles him up though and hits something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator (that could be a finisher for someone) for two. Gable suplexes him for the same but here is Maxxine Dupri to take Otis to the back. Ricochet reverses Chaos Theory into a standing Sliced Bread, setting up the shooting star press for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C+. The still frustrating thing about the way WWE uses Gable is he can go in the ring. I’m not at all saying he should be some kind of a next big thing, but giving him nothing to do but put others over for a long time has taken a lot away from him. Just seeing him having something fresh to do with Otis recently has helped, but it’s still not quite enough.

Bianca Belair/Asuka vs. Chelsea Green/Piper Niven

Belair drops Green for the moonsault but Asuka tags herself in and the heroes clear the ring. We take a break and come back Niven taking over on Asuka. Everything breaks down though and Niven misses a charge in the corner allowing Belair to hit an impressive KOD for the pin at 6:36.

Rating: C-. I’m still not sure what the appeal is to having these matches where half of them take place during the break. Belair vs. Asuka still feels like a pretty weak Wrestlemania match, even if the actual product will work well. They need something to bring the interest up and Belair looking scared of Asuka isn’t doing it.

Post match Asuka takes out Belair. At least that’s taking a side instead of just looking at each other.

Here is the Bloodline (Roman Reigns/Paul Heyman/Solo Sikoa) for a chat. Reigns asks for acknowledgment but cue Cody Rhodes to cut him off. Rhodes wants to know why he is a problem and tells Heyman to stop, because he’s talking to the Tribal Chief. Reigns says the problem is what Rhodes represents and makes fun of his daddy for being a professional rassler.

Let’s look at Rhodes’ track record: he didn’t want to be Stardust so he ran away. Then he started a promotion and he couldn’t get over in it so he ran away. Then he got over and his body gave out so he ran away. Rhodes keeps talking about finishing the story at Wrestlemania but that’s not what’s going to happen. The real choice is April 3, when Rhodes isn’t the champion. Reigns hopes Rhodes will do something that makes his daddy happy and not run away.

Rhodes says what Reigns said is true, but what he did when he ran away helped every locker room make a lot more money. Yeah his daddy was a wrestler and Cody wanted to be a superstar but maybe it’s true that he’s just a runaway violent professional wrestler. No one needs to bring up his father one more time because he isn’t going to show up with a Bionic Elbow. Cody’s brother works elsewhere so all you have is him.

Instead let’s talk about Cody’s Cuban mother who would tell him to knock Reigns out and then hit him again for good measure. Let’s talk about April 3, which is when Reigns is going to wake up and remember how to lose. And then Jey is going to leave him too. Then Jimmy will be gone, and all that is left will be Solo, who Rhodes knows isn’t ready.

Sikoa will leave him too and Heyman will become an advocate again. That leaves Reigns without a family, a Roman with no more reigns and a chief without a tribe. Reigns leaves and Cody mocks Sikoa for following him before kicking Sikoa in the face. Reigns stops Sikoa from using the Samoan Spike to end the show. That was kind of a weird ending, and this one, while full of big shots at Rhodes, didn’t land nearly as well as their Smackdown faceoff.

Overall Rating: C+. This show did some good stuff and helped firm up some of the other stuff for Wrestlemania, but it seems they’re readying the point where there isn’t much left to say in some of the matches. The show is either set or mostly set and that doesn’t leave much to be done. They only have the big hard sell Raw left and that should be ok as long as nothing goes too far down next week.

Results
Austin Theory b. Montez Ford – A Town Down
Omos b. Mustafa Ali – Chokebomb
Dominik Mysterio b. Johnny Gargano – Frog splash
Rhea Ripley b. Bayley – Riptide
Ricochet b. Chad Gable – Shooting star press
Asuka/Bianca Belair b. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green – KOD to Niven

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: March 3, 2023
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are less than a month away from Wrestlemania and that means it is time to kick the build into high gear. This time around we are going to be seeing something special as Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes will be going face to face for the first time in a very long while. Other than that, I’m sure Sami Zayn will be up to something. Let’s get to it.

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

We’ll start big as here is the Bloodline (still minus Jey Uso) to get things going. After Reigns requests and receives his acknowledgment, here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Cody makes it clear that he isn’t here to fight because they can do that at Wrestlemania, one on one. Therefore, unless Reigns needs the rest of his team, they aren’t needed. Reigns sends the team away and asks if that makes Cody more comfortable. Reigns puts both titles down in front of Cody, who says Reigns has been champion for 915 days.

For some, Reigns has become this impossible mountain to climb, but that is kind of Cody’s thing. There is no way Cody could survive Stardust and there is no way 10,000 people will pay to see Cody headline an indy show. The goalposts are always being moved but he is always kicking it through the uprights. Reigns may be impossible for some, but that isn’t the case with Cody. Reigns: “That was good.” He accuses Cody of rehearsing that all week before asking if Cody has ever won the WWE Title. Or even competed for it. Or headlined Wrestlemania.

Reigns has been groomed for this since he was a little boy, both by his own father and by Cody’s father as well. Don’t worry though as he won’t degrade Dusty Rhodes, because Dusty was the one who put the confidence in him. We get the required Dusty impression and Reigns says Dusty knew everything Reigns would wind up doing. You know what Dusty would say about Cody though? Nothing. Maybe when Seth was in there talking to Dusty or something but most of the time, it was like Cody didn’t exist.

Reigns knows Dusty isn’t here anymore, but if there is anything he didn’t teach Cody, Reigns will at Wrestlemania. The handshake is offered though Cody says this isn’t even on the same playing field. Paul Heyman came to Smackdown to tell Cody the truth, and if that is the truth, then one of Dusty’s kids (as in students) was better than Dusty’s actual kids. If that is the truth, then Reigns is the son that Dusty always wanted. If that is the truth, then Cody has to win the title at Wrestlemania. So absolutely, may the better man win, and they shake hands.

This was Reigns showing he can hang with the big talking himself and it’s feeling more and more personal every week. Great stuff here, and Cody is building his own story with Reigns. That had to be done and for once they’re actually making it work. Keep this up and they are going to have something special in Los Angeles.

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Dominik Mysterio is here with Rhea. This is the result of Liv challenging Ripley to a match because it’s insane. Liv takes her down to start but a springboard armdrag is countered into a faceplant. A running knee drops Liv again but she fights back and hits a middle rope dropkick. With Rhea on the floor, Liv tries a dive, which is swatted away for a hard crash.

We take a break and come back with Liv kicking her away, setting up a Codebreaker. A springboard Codebreaker and middle rope Codebreaker Connect for two but the Oblivion is countered. Riptide is countered and an enziguri hits Ripley as well. That’s enough for Ripley, who knocks her down and hits a quick Riptide. The Prism Trap with a knee on Liv’s head gives Ripley the submission at 8:00.

Rating: B-. That might be high but this was a lot more entertaining than I was expecting. Morgan wasn’t about to beat the #1 contender but she got in a lot of offense and had Ripley selling a bit before the finish. What matters here is having Ripley look good and giving Morgan a bit more offense before the win was a good way to go.

The Bloodline is in the back and Roman Reigns wants to know when Jey Uso will be back. Jimmy Uso says Jey needs time, but Reigns is running out of patience. Jimmy will let Jey know, but Reigns implies he’s running out of patience with Jimmy as well.

We look back at Rey Mysterio not being able to hit his son Dominik last week.

Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley run into Santos Escobar, who wants Dominik in the ring right now. He even blows Rhea a kiss for a bonus.

Santos Escobar vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rhea Ripley is here with Dominik. A quick dropkick staggers Escobar to start but he sends Dominik into the corner and tells him to acknowledge the legacy of Rey Mysterio’s mask. Dominik: “NO!” A surfboard has Dominik in more trouble but he breaks that up and sends Escobar outside.

We take a break and come back with Dominik teasing a 619 but opting to choke on the ropes instead. Escobar wakes up though and hammers away, only to have Dominik go to the eyes to escape the Phantom Driver. Escobar is right back with a flying forearm into a standing legdrop for two. They collide for a double knockdown though and Dominik whips out some brass knuckles. The distraction lets Ripley hit Riptide on the floor, with Dominik adding the frog splash for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. Escobar continues to look like someone who could become a bigger deal if he is given the chance. It’s nice to see him getting a chance here and you can almost guarantee that he is going to be in a spot going forward. At the same time, the star here was Ripley, who has so much charisma and feels like a star. Dominik is getting the hang of things, but he is going to be in Ripley’s spotlight for a long time.

Post match Dominik takes Rey’s mask and rips it up. Cue Rey to glare at his son, with Dominik offering to hand it over if Rey will hit him. Rey won’t so Dominik drops the mask and hits Rey from behind.

Sami Zayn was at the airport earlier today and said you could feel the heat. Roman Reigns is feeling the heat too and tonight, he is facing Solo Sikoa. This isn’t about wins and losses, but rather about sending a message. The Sami Zayn problem isn’t going away until the Bloodline goes down. A lot of fans around him know it and the SAMI chants are on. I love it when they go out of the arena like this and Sami felt like a star here.

Here is Drew McIntyre for a chat and he gets right to the point by calling out Gunther. Cue Sheamus, who says Drew is going behind his back to get to Wrestlemania. Drew knows what winning the Intercontinental Title means to Sheamus and Sheamus isn’t going to calm down. That doesn’t work for Drew, who says he isn’t going to ask Sheamus for permission to do everything.

Sheamus says he isn’t Drew’s parent, but he thought they were brothers. No, instead Drew is just a backstabbing b******. Drew says if we’re telling the truth, the reality is Sheamus lost to Gunther twice….and here is LA Knight to interrupt. If you’re talking about the Intercontinental Title, you have to be talking about him. These two in the ring (who are arguing without even looking at Knight) have gotten every chance….and here is New Day to interrupt.

They mock Knight for saying you can’t have an LA Wrestlemania without him before saying Knight can’t even win a match around here. Cue Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) to interrupt and now the fight is on before they can say anything. Sheamus and Drew clear the ring but Drew dives onto a bunch of people (mainly landing on Kofi Kingston) instead of fighting. Kross sends Sheamus into the post and stands tall.

Earlier today, Tegan Nox and Natalya attacked Ronda Rousey, resulting in her arm being hurt and Shana Baszler making the save.

Shayna Baszler vs. Tegan Nox

Ronda Rousey (in a sling) and Natalya are here too and their entrance songs are used. Baszler starts fast and goes after Nox’s arm but gets kicked in the head for her efforts. Another shot to the arm cuts Nox down and an armbar makes her tap at 2:02. More or less a squash.

Gunther calls the lack of a Wrestlemania challenger a disgrace. He wants a worthy opponent for this great prize in this sacred sport. That’s as much praise as the Intercontinental Title has gotten in years.

Here is Bobby Lashley for a chat. He saw the Bray Wyatt Muscleman Dance on Raw so Bray can come see him right now. Instead, here is Uncle Howdy from behind and the beating is on. Lashley shrugs it off and hits the spinebuster, but the lights go out before the spear. They come back up and Howdy is gone. Well that made Howdy look worthless.

Jimmy Uso comes to see Roman Reigns. He called Jey Uso, who said he needs more time, which apparently is shorthand for “leave him the h*** alone.” Reigns can’t believe this and blames Sami Zayn. He wants Jimmy out there with Solo Sikoa against Zayn tonight. If they get rid of Zayn, Jey will come home. Jimmy leaves and Paul Heyman calls that wonderful. Reigns waves that off and says Jey has one week, which Heyman understands. If Jey isn’t back in a week, Reigns is going to blame Jimmy Uso. That gets the fans’ attention.

Solo Sikoa vs. Sami Zayn

Jimmy Uso is here with Sikoa. They start before the bell with Sami taking Sikoa down and sending Jimmy over the top. Back in and the bell rings with Sami sending Solo outside for a change. A Jimmy distraction lets Solo get in a posting though and Sami is thrown into the timekeeper’s area as we take a break. Back with Zayn knocking Sikoa down but walking into a Samoan drop. A tornado DDT gives Zayn two and a high crossbody gets the same. Sikoa misses a charge in the corner and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Jimmy saves Sikoa from the Helluva Kick though and the Samoan Spike finishes Zayn at 7:47.

Rating: C. That ending was a bit disappointing as Zayn taking another fall so soon after Elimination Chamber feels unnecessary. They could have gotten a better result out of some kind of screwy finish, so this was a little hard to take. The good thing is Zayn didn’t lose clean, but it would be nice if he didn’t have to lose at all here. Now that being said, the numbers game playing against him means he is going to need a friend, and that can only lead in one direction.

Post match Solo and Jimmy grab a chair and beat Zayn down, including putting it around his chair in the corner. Sikoa loads up the running Umaga Attack but Jimmy wants to do it instead. That takes too long though and Zayn grabs the chair, which he launches at Sikoa’s head. The Helluva Kick hits Jimmy and Zayn grabs the chair, only to have Sikoa knock it away. Zayn runs into the crowd as an upset Roman Reigns is shown in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that had more of an energy and there was a reason to care about almost everything going on. You don’t get that very often and it made for a good show. What matters here is that it felt like they have turned on the Wrestlemania jets and we should be in for an exciting ride over the next month. The Cody vs. Reigns showdown was awesome and if they can keep up that energy, the main event will be white hot. Good show here as they check another step off the Road To Wrestlemania.

Results
Rhea Ripley b. Liv Morgan – Prism Trap
Dominik Mysterio b. Santos Escobar – Frog splash
Shayna Baszler b. Tegan Nox – Armbar
Solo Sikoa b. Sami Zayn – Samoan Spike

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.

Elimination Chamber 2023
Date: February 18, 2023
Location: Bell Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the last major stop on the Road To Wrestlemania and this is all going to be about Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns. In spite of the show’s title, the Elimination Chamber matches are far, far down the ladder in importance from the main event, which should have one of the most electric atmospheres WWE has seen in years. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the Chamber matches, before shifting to the Zayn vs. Reigns main event and treating it like the bigger deal that it is.

Women’s Elimination Chamber

The winner moves on to face Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Title at Wrestlemania and there is no word on the length of intervals. Natalya is in first and Liv Morgan is in second to get things going. A shoulder runs Morgan over to start and they trade rollups for a standoff. They go outside with Natalya being sent into the Chamber wall a few times and Morgan kissing her on the cheek.

Back up and Natalya sends her face first into the pod wall over and over with the fans approving of the violence. Morgan’s head goes through one of the squares in the wall so Natalya can crank on her arms. After three minutes, Raquel Rodriguez is in third and gets to slam people around. The all away slam sends Morgan flying and there’s a big boot to Natalya. With Rodriguez holding both of them up, Natalya eventually manages a sunset bomb into the wall.

Back in and all three get knocked down until Cross is in fourth. Cross sends everyone out and pushes Rodriguez’s face up against the wall this time. With Carmella mocking her, Rodriguez gets sent face first into the pod, leaving Cross to climb on top for the very high crossbody onto all of them. Carmella is in fifth and gets two on Rodriguez before going to yell at Asuka. That earns her a chase back into the pod but Rodriguez drives Cross through said pod, with Carmella just escaping. Carmella then runs into another pod, with Rodriguez wisely getting rid of Cross at 11:43 for the first elimination.

One heck of a sunset bomb off the pod plants Rodriguez for two and it’s Asuka in sixth to complete the field. Asuka goes right after Carmella to wreck her for a bit before squaring off with Rodriguez. An Octopus has Rodriguez in trouble but she powers Asuka up to her shoulders. Asuka slips out and superkicks her down, only to walk into Morgan’s missile dropkick for two. Natalya can’t powerbomb Morgan, who hits her with a Code Red. The Oblivion is broken up by Carmella and the Sharpshooter, plus an arm crank from Asuka, knock Morgan out for the elimination at 16:34.

The Sharpshooter has Asuka in trouble but Carmella breaks it up and pins Natalya at 17:33. A quick double teaming gets rid of Rodriguez at 18:18 and we’re down to Carmella vs. Asuka. Carmella hits a superkick for a fast two but Asuka strikes her down. The armbar makes Carmella give up to send Asuka to Wrestlemania at 19:43.

Rating: C. You had two favorites to win and one of them did, after running through most of the field like a buzzsaw. Asuka winning isn’t exactly bringing in someone new, but it’s nice to see her get reheated. She absolutely has the talent, but Belair vs. Asuka feels more like a solid Money in the Bank title match rather than Wrestlemania.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley in a rubber match. Lashley beat Lesnar (with interference from Roman Reigns) at last year’s Royal Rumble and Lesnar escaped with a win at last year’s Crown Jewel. Now the roles are a bit reversed as Lashley is a bit more evil this time around. Also, the winner has to deal with Bray Wyatt, who has said he is waiting on whoever comes out on top.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

Lesnar wastes no time in taking him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Lashley gets knocked outside but comes back in with a pair of spears. The Hurt Lock is countered into the F5 for two as we’re not even two minutes into this yet. Another F5 gets another two but Lashley is back up with the spear. The Hurt Lock goes on and Lesnar is in trouble….so he kicks Lashley low for the DQ at 4:33.

Rating: B-. It was fun while it lasted but these fast paced, finisher spamming matches are only so interesting. Lesnar came off like a total villain in the end but that isn’t how things are likely to be presented. You can pencil in the big, violent, no holds barred brawl of some sort for WrestleMania, though I wonder where that leaves Wyatt. Entertaining sprint, but it’s nothing new from Lesnar.

Post match Lesnar takes out the referee and F5’s Lashley through the announcers’ table, much to the fans’ delight. The referee gets F5’d onto the remains of the table.

The Wrestlemania movie parody trailers are back! We start with Seth Rollins as the Joker (makes sense), doing the dance down the stairs. Then Becky Lynch, as an unmasked Batman, grabs him to ask what that was. Rollins asks what’s up with her voice, then she puts on her glasses, declares herself the Man, and leaves. Rollins: “She is the Man.”

We recap Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Rhea Ripley/Finn Balor. Edge vs. Judgment Day has been going on since last summer and Phoenix is stepping in to help deal with Ripley so Edge can go for his revenge again.

Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Rhea Ripley/Finn Balor

Dominik Mysterio is here with Ripley and Balor. Edge runs Balor over to start and hits a big boot before handing it off to Beth (with her Bull Nakano inspired face paint. Ripley comes in as well for the yelling staredown They trade clotheslines until Beth hits a slightly weird looking running elbow to the face. We hit the test of strength as the fans are all over Dominik.

They fight outside with Ripley being sent into the steps but a Balor distraction lets Dominik crotch Beth on top. Dominik gets chased off but comes back, much to the fans’ annoyance. Beth knocks Balor down and DDTs Ripley but Balor slides under the ring and pulls Edge off the apron. Riptide and the Glam Slam are blocked, as is Rhea’s attempt at a super Glam Slam.

Instead Beth reverses into a top rope superplex for a heck of a double crash and they’re both down. Beth kicks Ripley into Balor and the hot tag brings in Edge to clean house. The Edgecator has Balor in trouble and Beth puts Rhea in the same. Dominik interferes and throws something in, with Beth letting go to chase him off. Ripley headbutts Beth down and hits Edge with what looks to be brass knuckles.

Beth makes the save and heads outside with Ripley. After Balor gets crotched on top, the women powerbomb the men down but Ripley misses a Conchairto on the steps. The Glam Slam plants Ripley on the floor and there’s an Edgecution to Balor. Edge dives onto Dominik but the spear is countered into the Coup de Grace. The shotgun dropkick is cut off with a spear though and a Shatter Machine finishes Balor at 13:48.

Rating: B. I’m a bit surprised by the result here but this did a good job of making Beth feel like a huge star. She was showing off with the power and all of her stuff looked good. At the same time, Edge pins Balor in what should be the big finale for the feud. Then again they seem destined for one more match at Wrestlemania so the result here is a little odd.

US Title: Men’s Elimination Chamber

Austin Theory is defending and Johnny Gargano is in first with Seth Rollins in second. They go with the grappling to start with neither being able to get very far. Gargano misses the rolling kick to the face and the slingshot spear is cut off. The Pedigree attempt is countered with a backdrop onto the outside and Gargano takes him down again for a double knockdown. Theory is in third (before we even reach three minutes this time) and goes right after Gargano.

It’s off to Theory vs. Rollins, with the former getting pingponged back and forth between the other two. Theory thinks that means it’s time to bring back The Way from NXT, but Gargano decks him instead. With that not working for the champ, he tries to hide in the pod but gets double teamed in there as well. Damian Priest is in fourth and gets to beat up both good guys.

A bulldog driver plants Rollins and a lifting Downward Spiral gets two on Gargano. Priest busts out a Killswitch of all things on Rollins before kicking Theory in the head. A running flip dive over the ropes crushes Theory again and Priest knocks down everyone else to stand tall. Priest goes up top but Rollins catches him with the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two.

Bronson Reed is in fifth and the fans seem to approve. Reed Rock Bottoms Gargano onto Rollins (who was standing as well) and hits a running splash in the corner for the bonus. The double Samoan drop hits Rollins and Gargano at the same time, leaving Montez Ford looking a bit worried in the pod. Reed sends Priest into the Chamber and then splashes him against the pod as the dominance continues.

The top rope shoulder drops Theory as well until Ford is in, giving us an ultra rare all six entrance in the match at once. Ford gets to beat up Theory and loads up a People’s Elbow of all things, only to have Reed make the save. Reed puts Gargano in an electric chair and a springboard clothesline turns it into a poisonrana, with Gargano coming DANGEROUSLY close to landing on his head.

Ford climbs up the wall….and then winds up hanging upside down from the roof. A flip dive onto everyone else leaves everybody down and the fans are VERY happy. Reed is back up so a bunch of people hit him with superkicks, followed by One Final Beat, a Stomp before a frog splash gives Ford the pin to eliminate Reed at 17:55.

Everyone starts climbing the wall, with Gargano and Rollins sitting on top of a pod. The other three get knocked down so Rollins chops the heck of Gargano, triggering a fight. Rollins loads up the super powerbomb but Gargano reverses it into a hurricanrana onto the pile for the HUGE crash, leaving Gargano holding his face. Gargano is fine enough to superkick Priest and Ford, setting up One Final Beat to Theory on the outside. Priest breaks up one back inside though and the Razor’s Edge gets rid of Gargano at 22:54.

Priest chases Ford to the top but Rollins pulls Priest into a powerbomb, with Ford adding a top rope Blockbuster for the pin at 24:44. So we’re down to Rollins vs. Theory vs. Ford and everyone needs a breather. Ford wins a slugout with Rollins and starts busting out the flip dives on the outside. A Rock Bottom hits Theory inside but the frog splash hits knees. Rollins adds a Stomp onto the steel and Ford is out at 27:39.

Rollins wastes no time in superkicking him into a sitout powerbomb for tow, as Ford is still down in the ring. The referee needs some help for Ford (his limbs are moving) and medics have to help get him to his feet. Ford is helped outside but actually falls on the steps (he is on another planet right now). Rollins hits a Pedigree on Theory….and here is Logan Paul to hit Rollins with a Buckshot Lariat. Paul Stomps Rollins as well and A Town Down retains Theory’s title at 31:24.

Rating: A-. Some of those spots were insane and they had the place rocking more than once. Paul coming in to cost Rollins is a great way to set up their Wrestlemania match and Theory winds up getting a big win to keep his title reign going. Also, quite the star making performances here for Reed, Priest and Ford, who was knocked completely loopy there near the end. In theory (no pun intended) that could have been a way for Paul to get inside, but I would hope they wouldn’t tease what looked like a rather horrible injury when Paul could have snuck in when anyone was leaving.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title. Zayn tried to get into the Bloodline and eventually proved to be a valuable member of the team. Then Reigns slowly changed his mind on Zayn, accusing him of trying to steal the spotlight. Reigns gave him a chance to prove himself but Zayn cracked Reigns with a chair to one of the loudest reactions ever. Now Zayn wants to take the title from Reigns while Reigns just wants to destroy Zayn in Zayn’s hometown. This is one of the best built matches in years around here and the heat is going to be off the charts.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn

Reigns, with only Paul Heyman, is defending and WOW the reactions are off the chart, with Reigns being booed out of the building and Zayn getting an all time ovation (Worlds Apart always helps with that). The bell rings and we get a nearly four minute staredown with Reigns not leaving his corner. Reigns starts walking around the ring and the OLE chants seem to be getting on his nerves.

They finally lock up and Reigns runs him down with a shoulder. Sami’s headlock gets a huge reaction and they go back to circling as we’re nearly seven minutes into this. A low bridge sends Reigns outside and Sami nails the big flip dive. Back in and Zayn rains down some right hands in the corner as Reigns seems to be favoring his ear. A big right hand gets Reigns out of trouble and the apron dropkick has Zayn rocked.

Reigns laughs off some LET’S GO SAMI chants (Reigns: “That’s all you got? A couple of SAMI chants???”) before Reigns goes outside to yell at Zayn’s wife. Zayn gets put on the barricade in front of his wife as Reigns keeps yelling, followed by more shots to keep Zayn in trouble. Back in and a heck of a clothesline drops Reigns and the fans are back into it. A running clothesline sends Reigns outside and Zayn beats him up in front of his wife, who gets a quick kiss for a bonus.

A sunset bomb gives Zayn two but the Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a release Rock Bottom for two more. The Superman Punch is loaded up but Zayn counters into the exploder into the corner. The Helluva Kick is cut off by the Superman Punch for two and they’re both down again. Reigns’ spear only hits corner though and Zayn exploders him into the corner again.

Zayn hits his own Superman Punch into the Helluva Kick for a VERY close two and Montreal has a city wide heart attack. The threat of another Helluva Kick sends Reigns bailing to the floor, where Zayn’s diving DDT is cut off by an uppercut. Zayn manages to send him through the barricade though and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets another white hot near fall back inside.

Another Blue Thunder Bomb is blocked and the referee gets bumped in the corner. Zayn hits another Helluva Kick but there’s no referee for the visual seven or so count. Cue Jimmy Uso (the waiver must have gone through) for three superkicks to Zayn and a Superfly Splash to give Reigns two from a second referee. They slug it out from their knees with Zayn getting the better of things and stomping Reigns out to the floor (after seemingly missing a ref bump).

Zayn takes Jimmy off the apron and the spear hits….for two. Now THAT brings the fans back into it and Reigns yells about how he was trying to help Zayn. A loud slap hits Reigns and a Superman Punch hits the referee (that seems to be what they were trying to do a few moments ago) so Heyman throws in a chair.

Cue Jey Uso to stand between Reigns and Zayn so Reigns holds the chair out to Jey (like he did to Zayn at the Royal Rumble). There’s no swing though as Jey drops the chair, earning a yelling from Reigns. Zayn spears Jey by mistake, so Reigns unloads on Zayn with the chair. The spear connects for Reigns and a referee comes back to life to count the pin at 32:19.

Rating: A-. This is a match where the emotions are going to play such a big role because that’s what the match was based on. What we got was great and felt epic, but man alive that was a punch to the gut to see Zayn come so close and gets speared down at the end. No matter how you look at it, Zayn was never likely to win as the featured spot at Wrestlemania is going to Cody Rhodes. For now though, this is the next step in the Bloodline Saga, as Reigns gets to move past Zayn, but the Usos might not be so lucky. Heck of a main event with some hot near falls, but the energy and reactions are what mattered.

Post match Jimmy goes after Zayn again but Kevin Owens comes out for the save (….uh…..) and beats Jimmy and Reigns down. Jimmy gets put through the announcers’ table and Owens grabs a chair, so Heyman gets in and pounds on Owens’ back. Zayn gets back up and hits the Helluva Kick on Reigns. Zayn looks at Owens as he leaves and then soaks in one last round of cheers to wrap it up. Owens and Zayn never touched or did anything but look at each other.

Overall Rating: A-. This show looked great coming in and then it delivered even more than that, as they had a pretty outstanding night. The opener is the closest thing to not good and even that was perfectly acceptable. The men’s Chamber and main event carried the show though and it was a pretty incredible show overall. Zayn vs. Reigns was a very good match boosted up to great by the crowd reactions, which can be a very powerful thing. Awesome show and if they can make it feel like this for Wrestlemania, we’re in for something very, very special.

Results
Asuka won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match last eliminating Carmella
Bobby Lashley b. Brock Lesnar via DQ when Lesnar kicked Lashley low
Edge/Beth Phoenix b. Finn Balor/Rhea Ripley – Shatter Machine to Balor
Austin Theory won the Men’s Elimination Chamber last eliminating Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns b. Sami Zayn – Spear

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It’s the last big stop on the Road To Wrestlemania and for a five match card, four of them are big and the fifth includes some Hall of Famers. This show is pretty much stacked with either big matches or the awesome sounding main event. While the show is called Elimination Chamber, the whole thing is about Roman Reigns defending the World Title against hometown boy Sami Zayn. Let’s get to it.

Edge/Beth Phoenix vs. Finn Balor/Rhea Ripley

Somehow this is the least important match on the show as Edge’s war against the Judgment Day continues. In this case, he is bringing in the wife to go after Ripley, who is on her way to WrestleMania. This should be a good, long tag match as all four can do well in a spot like this one. That being said, it doesn’t help that this feels like it is only there to set up something at Wrestlemania.

I’ll take Judgment Day here, as Ripley pinning Phoenix would make her look like a bigger deal on what could be her path to the main event of the first night of Wrestlemania. That leaves Edge and Balor to have one more showdown, likely in a big match in Los Angels. The match should be a good way to give us a breather between the bigger matches. The fact that this is probably the smallest on the car is quite a positive sign.

US Title: Men’s Elimination Chamber

So here we have the first Chamber match with Austin Theory defending the US Title. This match hasn’t exactly had the best build but there is quite the varied set of challengers to come after Theory. While I’m not sure if Theory is going to lose the title, they are doing enough to make me think that the title could change hands so something is going right so far.

As for the winner….I’ll go with Theory retaining, but there is more than one option. First off, Gargano and Ford just aren’t going to win. As fun as it would be for Reed to win, he isn’t going to either. That leaves Rollins (always an option), Priest (who needs a win) and Theory, who is likely going to be in a pretty upscale match at Wrestlemania. Theory wins here, and gets the solid boost that it was designed to give him.

Women’s Elimination Chamber

Now this one is a bit more interesting as we have two viable winners and the bigger of the two isn’t anything close to a lock. With six total contenders for the Wrestlemania title shot though, we’ll knock out Liv Morgan, Natalya and Carmella without much thought. Nikki Cross is a dark horse candidate as well but I just don’t think they are going to go in that direction.

That leaves us with Asuka and Raquel Rodriguez and I think I’ll go with the latter. Asuka has been hyped up as the next challenger and while that would be a good match, it doesn’t feel all that interesting. WWE has seemed like they want to get invested in Rodriguez and I think they’ll actually pull the trigger here and give her the chance. Asuka is a very strong possibility and I won’t be surprised if she wins, but I’ll go with Rodriguez.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

It’s the trilogy match and somehow the winner gets Bray Wyatt after a pretty surprising challenge on Smackdown. This is the first time that Lesnar is the clear face vs. heel Lashley and it offers a unique twist on the match this time around. Lashley is in his suits again and that works well for him, though happy go lucky Lesnar is one of the most weirdly intriguing things I’ve seen in years.

I’ll go with Lashley winning here, if nothing else as the idea of Lesnar vs. Wyatt is something I can’t get my mind around. We should be in for a good power brawl here though and that’s the way a fight like this should be. The two of them can do pretty much everything to each other and that should make for a fun one. I’m still not sure what happens with Lesnar at Wrestlemania, but I don’t think he’ll be dealing with Wyatt.

Undisputed WWE World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Sami Zayn

We had to get here and dang it I don’t want to. Not that the match won’t be great and the reaction to Zayn alone even better, but I don’t want Zayn’s incredible run with Reigns to come to an end. I don’t think there is much of a secret as to who walks out with the title, but the (somewhat) more interesting question is how WWE goes about having the match end.

Yeah of course Reigns retains here, though I could go with the idea of Zayn winning by DQ, just for the sake of him saving some face. Zayn getting speared down would be a hard thing to see but Reigns losing via DQ or countout wouldn’t do him any damage. Granted it would hurt Cody Rhodes though, and that’s not worth it. Word on the street is that the Usos might be able to be around and them costing Zayn the title could set up what seems to be a likely Wrestlemania Tag Team Title shot for Zayn and Kevin Owens. So Reigns retains and probably wins, but hopefully there are enough shenanigans for a screwy finish.

Overall Thoughts

This show has me rather interested as there isn’t a bad or uninteresting match on the entire card. WWE is cooking at the moment and if they can hold onto that for another six weeks, we could be in for a great Wrestlemania. For now, we could be in for a great Elimination Chamber on the Road To Wrestlemania though and I’ll certainly take that. Just make this stuff work and don’t do anything nutty and it should be an awesome night.

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Smackdown
Date: February 3, 2023
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and the main event of Wrestlemania is set. That being said, there is a Sami Zayn sized road block on the Road To Wrestlemania and I’m not sure how they are going to deal with it. You can almost guarantee Zayn is getting the Elimination Chamber title shot, but dang it’s going to be a fun right on the way there. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Sami Zayn finally turning on the Bloodline with a chair shot to Roman Reigns, but Jey Uso couldn’t bring himself to help with the ensuing beatdown.

The Bloodline, minus Jey Uso, and everyone but Paul Heyman ignores questions about Jey. Heyman says they cannon confirm or deny Jey’s Bloodline status at the moment.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament: Imperium vs. Braun Strowman/Ricochet

For a future Smackdown Tag Team Title shot. Strowman shoves Kaiser around to start before it’s off to Ricochet for a headlock. A dropkick puts Kaiser down and it’s back to Strowman, who picks up Kaiser on the floor. Vinci hits a big dive onto both of them though and we take a break.

Back with Strowman going shoulder first into the post, allowing the double teaming to begin. Strowman fights out of it though and it’s back to Ricochet with the springboard crossbody. A running shooting star press hits Vinci and everything breaks down. Ricochet avoids the double dropkick in the corner but gets in a staredown with Gunther on the floor. That’s enough for Gunther to be ejected but he gets in a staredown with Strowman on the floor.

Ricochet gets caught in a high/low for two and we take another break. Back again with Ricochet escaping the Imperial Bomb and getting back over to Strowman to clean house. Vinci’s springboard spinning forearm has no effect on Strowman, who blasts Kaiser with a clothesline. The Monster Bomb into a Swanton off of Strowman’s shoulders finishes Kaiser at 16:16.

Rating: B-. What a weird tournament this was, as Ricochet and Strowman, who are at least regular partners, get the win rather than McIntyre and Sheamus, who are such a dominant force that they could conceivably take the belts. Ricochet and Strowman are good enough as challengers, but I’m not sure how much I buy them as a threat to the titles.

We look at Rhea Ripley winning the Women’s Royal Rumble, plus her choosing to challenge Charlotte for Wrestlemania.

Charlotte is ready for Rhea Ripley but Sonya Deville shows up and says she’ll be taking the title. Wrestlemania is in Los Angeles and needs a star.

Rey Mysterio and New Day were at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a promotional appearance for an upcoming NASCAR race. Judgment Day interrupted and started yelling, resulting in…..a car race between the Mysterios. They talk a lot of trash and Rey wins in the end. Of all the cross promotional stuff I’ve seen, this is far from the bottom of the list.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Sonya Deville

Charlotte is defending. They start slow with Charlotte taking over and knocking Deville down. A high crossbody connects but Charlotte misses a charge in the corner, allowing Sonya to get in a shot as we take a break. Back with Charlotte fighting out of trouble and hitting a belly to back suplex. The big boot gives Charlotte two but another one misses, allowing Sonya to snap her leg across the top.

A pump kick gives Sonya two and a middle rope knee to the face is good for the same. Sonya tries a Figure Four but gets reversed into a small package for two. Charlotte’s moonsault hits raised boots so Sonya, with feet on the ropes, can get two. Back up and Charlotte gets the Figure Four into the Figure Eight to retain at 10:22.

Rating: C. This felt like the story that we had to get cleared out before we get to the Wrestlemania title matches as Charlotte has a lot more important things to do than beat up Deville. The result wasn’t in doubt here and while the match wasn’t bad, it was little more than a glorified workout for Charlotte. The Ripley match was already set up Monday, so why was this going to be a big deal on Friday?

Video on Cody Rhodes, who came back from a horrible injury and won the Royal Rumble to get a title shot at Wrestlemania.

The Bloodline is in the back and Jimmy Uso hasn’t hear from his brother. Reigns: “Don’t you find that disrespectful?” He isn’t happy with what happened, but asks Jimmy a bit more emphatically if he has heard from his brother. Jimmy says again, he hasn’t heard from him, but Jey will be there next week for the title match. Reigns asks what about the rest of them. Has Solo Sikoa talked to Jey either? It’s Wrestlemania season, and Jimmy isn’t finding Jey on the couch. Find Jey, now.

Black History Month video on Kofi Kingston.

Brawling Brutes vs. Viking Raiders

Ivar and Butch start things off and it’s a brawl early on. A Valhalla distraction lets Ivar send Butch hard into the barricade though and we take a break. Back with Holland throwing suplexes on Erik, who cuts him off with a knee lift. An Alabama Slam plants Ivar but he takes Holland into the corner for some rapid fire elbows to the face. Butch tags himself in and hurricanranas his way out of something off the top. Butch’s moonsault is pulled out of the air though and Ivar picks him up. Holland gets kicked in the face on the floor and Ragnarok finishes Butch at 10:48.

Rating: C+. Another good enough match here, as the Raiders get built up for a likely Elimination Chamber showdown with McIntyre and Sheamus. It’s kind of weird that Sheamus has more or less dumped the Brutes for McIntyre, but he was overshadowing the other two anyway. I’m not sure how Butch and Holland will do on their own, but they’re going to get the chance.

Post match McIntyre and Sheamus come out to bet up the Vikings.

We look at the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match from the Rumble.

Bray Wyatt is in his chair….and Uncle Howdy comes up to him. A jump scare ensues.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs. Shotzi vs. Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler

It’s a brawl to start with Vega Code Redding Natalya for two, with Baszler making the save. Baszler drops Shotzi and stands on her head until Natalya makes the save. A knee to the face gives Baszler two on Natalya and we take a break. Back with Natalya’s Sharpshooter being broken up and Baszler Kirifuda Clutching Vega. Natalya breaks that up and has to break out of another Clutch. The Sharpshooter makes Zelina tap to give Natalya the Chamber spot at 7:28.

Rating: C. The second her music hit, you could pencil Natalya in for the spot. I understand that she is going to be in there to walk a lot of people through the match, but dang there is an emotional drop when she comes in. Natalya has talent, but she takes away so much interest because she is the same wrestler she has been for years now.

The rest of the Bloodline can’t find Jey Uso and Roman Reigns says that if they aren’t all on the same page, the Bloodline is done. Paul Heyman has sent catering to the bus so Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso can go eat while Reigns takes care of business.

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat. Reigns would rather talk about Cody Rhodes, but the people are insisting that he talk about the past. We can do that, and the story goes back to WarGames. Reigns saw greed in Zayn’s eyes that night, which is the same thing he sees in everyone’s eyes these days. When he goes to a restaurant, Reigns has to deal with everyone using him for something else instead of doing something for him. Now he has to deal with the same thing from Zayn.

The people here can’t ever give back either….and here is Zayn through the crowd to jump Reigns from behind. Heyman hands Reigns a chair but Zayn hits a spear to send Reigns running. Zayn says Reigns is wrong because he never wanted anything from him. Until now, because he is coming for the title. Heyman and Reigns look scared but Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa sneak in for the beatdown. The beating is on and Zayn gets taken down in the corner. Reigns blames Zayn for breaking up the Bloodline. He wants Zayn at Elimination Chamber in Montreal so he can ruin Zayn in front of his friends and family.

This Sami stuff continues to be phenomenal as he’s the hottest thing in wrestling right now. I know it’s still likely Cody’s title to win and yes he might be a bit of a better option long term, but those reactions for Zayn are something else, as he is showing fire like no one in WWE has done in years. It’s going to be tough watching him come up short, but dang it is going to be one heck of a ride.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a weird show as the ending is by far the best thing, even if the rest of the show was pretty good. Part of the problem is Elimination Chamber is in just over two weeks and that means a very rushed build to the event. What we got was good, but Zayn vs. Reigns is dwarfing everything else and it is showing hard.

Results
Ricochet/Braun Strowman b. Imperium – Swanton Bomb to Kaiser
Charlotte b. Sonya Deville – Figure Eight
Viking Raiders b. Brawling Brutes – Ragnarok to butch
Natalya b. Shayna Baszler, Zelina Vega and Shotzi – Sharpshooter to Vega

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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Royal Rumble 2023
Date: January 28, 2023
Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Pat McAfee

It’s time to get on the Road To Wrestlemania and that means we should be in for a big night. There are two Royal Rumbles, but the real main event is probably Roman Reigns defending the World Title against Kevin Owens. The interesting piece there is not in the result, but in what Sami Zayn is going to do. That should make for a heck of a show so let’s get to it.

Hardy (a musician) talks about the opportunity and how you kick down a door in front of you.

Pat McAfee is back to join commentary and Graves is livid.

Men’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and Gunther is in at #1 and Sheamus is in at #2. They slug it out hard to start with Gunther not being able to throw him out. The Irish Curse slows Gunther down but it’s too early to toss him out as well. Sheamus takes him into the corner and the Miz is in at #3. Miz annoys Sheamus before he can get in though and the chase is on, allowing Gunther to chop Miz down. Sheamus and Gunther take turns missing each other but hitting Miz by mistake.

Kofi Kingston is in at #4 and hits a Boom Drop on Gunther and Sheamus as Johnny Gargano is in at #5. Miz can’t toss Gargano out so it’s One Final Beat to cut Miz down instead. Sheamus hits the forearms to Miz on the apron and the Brogue Kick gets rid of him. Gunther can’t get rid of Sheamus and it’s Xavier Woods in at #6. New Day gets to clean house for a bit before stopping for a dance (spanking is involved). Everyone else gets back up and it’s Karrion Kross in at #7.

Kross, Gunther and Sheamus get to beat on each other with the heavy shots until Chad Gable is in at #8. Suplexes and shooshing abound but Woods actually takes Gable down in a wrestle off. Drew McIntyre is in at #9 and drops everyone before kicking Kross in the face for the elimination. Gunther and McIntyre have the showdown and it’s time to chop it out. Santos Escobar is in at #10, giving us Gunther, Sheamus, Kingston, Gargano, Woods, Gable, McIntyre and Escobar.

A quick trip to the apron has Escobar in early trouble but he kicks Sheamus in the head. Escobar dives back in to drop Gable but Gargano catches him on top. The super Phantom Driver hits Gargano and it’s Angelo Dawkins in at #11. Dawkins gets to clean house and Gunther kicks Woods out. Kingston hits his standing double stomp on Escobar but Gunther knocks him off the apron and into a well placed chair. That was a NASTY crash but one foot is still on the chair.

Brock Lesnar is in at #12 though so none of that might matter. Most of the people in the ring stops for Lesnar and it’s time for Suplex City on a bunch of people. Escobar, Dawkins and Gable are all out….and it’s Gunther vs. Lesnar. They stare each other down and it’s Bobby Lashley in at #13. Lashley spears Lesnar down and hits McIntyre with another one. There’s one for Sheamus as well and Lashley gets rid of Lesnar. That’s not cool with Lesnar, who throws in part of the announcers’ table.

Baron Corbin is in at #14 as Lesnar throws some steps around. Lesnar runs Corbin over before he can get in and wrecks various other things at ringside. Seth Rollins is in at #15 as it seems Kingston is gone (not confirmed though). Rollins takes forever to get in and throws Corbin inside. A superkick and clothesline get rid of Corbin and Rollins slugs it out with Sheamus.

Otis is in at #16 and World’s Strongest Slams McIntyre. Rey Mysterio is in at #17….or at least he is supposed to be as he doesn’t show up. Rollins dumps Lashley and there’s the Caterpillar to Gunther. Dominik Mysterio, in a Rey mask, is in at #18. Otis is eliminated during Dominik’s entrance as commentary suggests that Dominik jumped Rey and took his mask. Dominik stays outside for warmups before coming in for some worthless shots to Sheamus.

Elias is in at #19 and guitars Gunther but McIntyre and Sheamus give him stereo kicks to the face (OUCH). That’s it for Elias and Finn Balor is in at #20, giving us Gunther, Sheamus, Gargano, McIntyre, Rollins, Rey Mysterio (yet to be seen), Dominik Mysterio, and Balor. Sheamus won’t let Balor go after McIntyre and gets dropped for his efforts. Dominik saves Balor from being dumped by Gargano and Balor kicks Gargano in the head. That’s it for Gargano, leaving us with Judgment Day gs. Sheamus/McIntyre. Booker T. of all people is in at #21 and it’s a Book End into a Spinarooni.

Gunther tosses Booker without much trouble and it’s Damian Priest in at #22 to complete Judgment Day. Brawling ensues and it’s Montez Ford (dressed like a boxer) in at #23. Ford sends Dominik to the apron but can’t get rid of him. Instead Balor sends Ford over the top but some cat skinning is good for the save. Priest chokeslams Ford out without much trouble though and it’s Edge in at #24.

Spears abound to Judgment Day and Edge tosses Priest and Balor. We get the Edge vs. Rollins staredown but Dominik interrupts, allowing the rest of Judgment Day to pull Edge out. Austin Theory is in at #25 as Edge chases Balor up the aisle. Edge beats up Priest at the entrance but Rhea Ripley jumps Edge. Cue Beth Phoenix to go after Ripley though and I think we have a mixed tag set for Elimination Chamber. We get back to the match with Theory taking down Rollins and hammering on McIntyre.

Omos is in at #26 and side slams Theory before getting chopped by Gunther. A chokeslam drops Gunther and it’s Braun Strowman in at #27. The Omos vs. Strowman staredown is on and they hit each other in the face a few times. Strowman’s right hand just annoys Omos but a running clothesline gets rid of him. Strowman beats up various humans and it’s Ricochet in at #28.

Sheamus and McIntyre go after Strowman and get him to the apron but can’t get him out. Sheamus saves McIntyre from an elimination and slugs it out with Gunther again. With Sheamus on the apron, McIntyre helps him again but Gunther puts both of them out. Logan Paul returns at #29 and everyone goes after him.

Paul gets back up and hits a Buckshot Lariat on Ricochet but Gunther sends him to the apron. That’s broken up and it’s Paul vs. Strowman for a bizarre staredown. Strowman and Ricochet beat up Paul and send him through the ropes to the apron as Cody Rhodes is in at #30. That gives us a final grouping of Gunther, Rollins, Theory, Strowman, Ricochet, Paul, Dominik and Cody. After taking his time with the entrance, Cody hits a Cody Cutter on Theory.

Dominik tries Three Amigos on Cody but gets caught with the Cross Rhodes. That’s it for Dominik but Strowman Monsterbombs Cody. The Last Symphony hits Strowman but Ricochet hits Gunther with a standing Sliced Bread. Ricochet and Paul land on the apron and springboard at each other, colliding in the air for one of the coolest spots you’ll see in a long time. Cole says there are seven left, meaning Rey is officially not in. Cody gets rid of Strowman and Theory dumps Ricochet to get us down to four, as Paul apparently evaporated somewhere.

Cody clotheslines Theory out, leaving us with Cody, Gunther and Theory. Rollins and Cody team up on Gunther and they both hit Pedigrees. With Gunther down (not out), Cody and Rollins slug it out but Paul comes back in toss Rollins. So we’re officially down to Gunther, Cody and Paul, the latter of whom gets in the Wrestlemania sign point. The big right hand is countered into Cross Rhodes and Paul is gone, leaving us with Cody vs. Gunther.

Cody flips away from Gunther but gets chopped in the corner. With the Wrestlemania sign over them, Gunther gets sent to the apron but blocks the Disaster Kick to get back in. They both go on top with Gunther getting Cody to the apron and stomping as well as he can. A butterfly superplex brings Cody back in but the Cody Cutter drops Gunther again. Gunther gets back in from the apron and Shattered Dreams makes it worse.

Somehow Gunther manages the running dropkick though and there’s the powerbomb to drop Cody again. Cody is sent to the apron but hangs on and they chop it out. The sleeper goes on with Cody still on the apron but he tries to pull Gunther over. Gunther is smart enough to let him go and chop Cody back inside. Cody pulls him into Cross Rhodes though and Gunther is out to give Cody the win at 1:11:25.

Rating: A-. Now THAT is how you do a Royal Rumble, as they kept this filled with star power and kept it moving throughout. You had mini feuds and stories throughout the match and then the last ten minutes had some actual drama. Cody was the big favorite to win throughout but what matters here is they showed they know how to do a Royal Rumble. It was an excellent performance throughout with only a few down spots. Cody gets the win but this was an absolute star making performance for Gunther too. Awesome match and one of the better Rumbles of all time.

We recap the Mountain Drew Pitch Black match. Bray Wyatt returned and LA Knight doesn’t think too much of him. They have attacked each other, but now it’s time for Bray’s first match back after returning a few months ago. No one knows the rules, but you win by pinfall or submission.

LA Knight vs. Bray Wyatt

Pitch Black match meaning….the lights are going to be all neon, including Knight’s gear. Wyatt, all covered in paint, starts fast and choke throws Knight. They head outside with Bray loading up the announcers’ table (and knocking around all of the light up neon stuff). Knight fights out of a suplex and hits a clothesline to drive them through the table. A kendo stick shot just wakes Wyatt up though and it’s Sister Abigail to give Wyatt the pin at 5:03.

Rating: D+. Yes it was stupid and yes it was WWE getting a nice check, but it was five minutes and Wyatt gets his feet wet with a win now that he is back. That’s about all you can ask for out of something like this so I’ll take what I can get. Wyatt going too far is always a danger and thankfully they mostly avoided it here.

Post match Wyatt puts on a new mask and stalks Knight, whose kendo stick shots have no effect. They fight to the tech area and Wyatt cuts him down with the Mandible Claw. Uncle Howdy pops up on a balcony above the stand and dives down onto Knight, meaning it’s time for a bunch of explosions and fire. The Firefly Fun House characters pop up above the platform too and look down on Knight.

Tonight’s attendance: 51,338.

Raw Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss vs. Bianca Belair

Belair is defending and hammers on Bliss in the corner. Bliss pulls her out of said corner and hits a dropkick to the ribs. Some kicks to the ribs have Belair in more trouble and we hit the chinlock. Belair powers that up and snaps off a suplex before pounding down forearms in the corner.

The handspring splash hits knees but Belair is fine enough to hit a faceplant. Now the handspring moonsault can connect for two but Belair can’t quite powerbomb her. Instead Bliss grabs a DDT for two and a backsplash gets the same. Back up and Belair hits a quick KOD to retain at 7:02.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here as Belair runs down someone else. I’m not sure what is coming for her at Wrestlemania but she almost has to lose at some point. There is nothing left for her to do on Raw save for maybe losing to Rhea Ripley, which very well may come in Los Angeles in a few months.

Post match we see a playground and visions of Uncle Howdy, as Bliss sees various images from her past. What in the world does the writer of this story have on WWE? They’ve been at this for years now and I still don’t get the appeal.

Women’s Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and Rhea Ripley (favoring her ribs from earlier) is in at #1 with Liv Morgan in at #2. Liv knocks her into the corner to start and gets in a few shots, only to get pulled out of the air. Ripley muscles her up for a suplex and Dana Brooks is in at #3. Brooke dropkicks them out of the air and knocks Ripley around a bit before going up top with Morgan. A superplex brings Morgan back down and it’s Emma in at #4. Emma cleans some house, including a neckbreaker over the middle rope to Ripley.

Shayna Baszler is in at #5 and goes after Ripley’s arm before ankle locking Liv. Baszler stomps on Dana’s arm and Bayley is in at #6. Liv grabs Oblivion on Bayley before she can get in but Bayley saves herself on the apron. Bayley fights back on Liv and B Fab is in at #7…and is the first one out at Ripley’s hands. NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez is in at #8 and snaps off a headscissors to Ripley. As Perez gets to clean house, Dakota Kai is in at #9. Damage Ctrl takes too long to pose and get jumped by Liv and Dana.

Iyo Sky is in at #10 to complete Damage Ctrl, giving us Ripley, Morgan, Brooke, Emma, Baszler, Bayley, Perez, Kai and Sky. Morgan and Brooke get springboard missile dropkicked down before Brooke and Emma are tossed. Perez goes after Bayley but a hard dropkick from Sky puts Perez out. Natalya returns at #11 and goes after Baszler, who put her on the shelf. Candice LeRae is in at #12 and gets knocked into the corner by Baszler. We get the Natalya vs. Baszler showdown with Natalya snapping off a German suplex. They fight to the apron with Damage Ctrl eliminating both of them.

Zoey Stark from NXT is in at #13 and gets to kick a bunch of people. A kick to Ripley staggers her a bit and it’s Xia Li in at #14. Li gets to fire off a bunch of kicks of her own as Damage Ctrl gets rid of LeRae. Becky Lynch is in at #15 and this should clear out the ring a bit. Lynch unloads on Bayley and they fight to the floor (not out) with the rest of Damage Ctrl going after them. The trio takes out Becky and sends her over the announcers’ table but no one is eliminated.

Tegan Nox is in at #16 and helps Liv beat up Stark. Asuka is in at #17 (in long tights, with what looks like tiger/clown face paint and short hair, which might be her old Kana persona) and cleans house before starring Bayley down. Bayley gets scared and Asuka kicks Nox out. Piper Niven (yes Piper Niven, not Doudrop) is in at #18 and gets to clean house. Splashes abound and Tamina is in at #19.

Tamina goes after Doudrop, with commentary saying they have been dreaming of this showdown. No, no you haven’t you liars. Everyone else breaks it up and Becky is back in to start hitting people. Chelsea Green returns at #20, giving us Ripley, Morgan, Bayley, Kai, Sky, Stark, Li, Lynch, Asuka, Niven, Tamina and Green. Speaking of Green, Ripley tosses her in 5 seconds. Lynch gets rid of Kai and Sky back to back but Bayley dumps Lynch as well. Morgan gets rid of Bayley and Damage Ctrl brawls with her to the back.

Zelina Vega is in at #21 and is dressed as a character from Street Fighter 6, which she will be in as a character. Doudrop takes Vega to the apron, where Li and Vega strike it out. Li gets knocked to the floor and a middle rope Codebreaker hits Niven. Raquel Rodriguez is in at #22 and runs people over, including a fall away slam to Stark. Mia Yim is in at #23 with a tornado DDT to Stark and Lacey Evans is in at #24.

House is cleaned again and Michelle McCool, coming out of the front row, is in at #25. Tamina is out and Indi Hartwell from NXT is in at #26. Not much happens until Sonya Deville is in at #27. Yim hits Stark with Eat Defeat and Deville gets rid of her. Evans Cobra Clutches Vega to choke her out and send her hard to the floor for the elimination. Shotzi is in at #28 and has to save herself from a fast elimination. Deville gets rid of Hartwell and Nikki Cross is in at #29.

Cross forearms just about everyone….and Nix Jax is back at #30. The final grouping is Ripley, Morgan, Asuka, Niven, Rodriguez, Yim, Evans, McCool, Deville, Shotzi, Cross and Jax. Everyone surrounds Jax but she shrugs them off, setting up the showdown with Rodriguez. Jax drops Rodriguez and Morgan but a bunch of people go after her, with Ripley not being able to slam her. A horrible Riptide (fair enough) plants Jax and everyone gives her the giant treatment for the elimination.

Rodriguez knocks Evans out but gets caught in Asuka’s armbar. Asuka and Deville go to the apron with the latter being kicked out. McCool is out, with Shotzi and Yim following her. We’re down to Ripley, Morgan, Asuka, Niven, Rodriguez and Cross, with Niven getting to clean some house. Rodriguez kicks Niven out though and picks Ripley up for the trip to the apron. Ripley kicks Rodriguez out and Morgan gets rid of Cross. That leaves us with Ripley, Morgan and Cross so we reset a bit.

Morgan gets tossed into a Codebreaker on Asuka and manages to put Ripley on the apron. Ripley pulls Morgan out to the apron with her and kicks her down but not out. Asuka’s hip attack is blocked and all three of them wind up on the apron. Asuka mists Morgan and gets kicked out, leaving Morgan and Ripley. Morgan kicks the feet out so Ripley is hanging on by her hands but a headscissors drops Morgan to give Ripley the win at 1:01:07.

Rating: C. Well, the important thing is it cleared last year’s bar by about a mile. Having the NXT women in there helped a lot as there was no reason to not have them in there before. Other than that, they went with what mattered the most, as the idea was to have Ripley get the big win to move back into the main event scene. Ripley has been ready for the next big title run and this should set her up for that rather well. They had some dead spots in here but I’ll take some NXT surprises and a few returns (not Jax, never her) over the same legends every year. Not a great Rumble, but a passable enough one.

Hardy performs the show’s theme song, with commentary basically ignoring him.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens for the World Title. This is all about finding out which side Sami Zayn is on, even if there is nothing to really suggest that he is anything but loyal to the Bloodline.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

Reigns, with Paul Heyman and Sami Zayn, is defending. They take their time to start with neither going very far. Owens knocks him to the floor though and takes over early, including a backsplash to crush Reigns. Back in and Owens gets whipped hard into the corner, allowing Reigns to hit the jumping apron kick for two. Reigns grabs the chinlock before firing off the corner clotheslines.

Owens hits his own running clothesline for a breather before another one sends Reigns outside. The apron Bullfrog splash connects and the real version gets two back inside. Owens takes too long to follow up though and it’s a sitout powerbomb to give Reigns two. The Superman Punch is countered into a German suplex for two on Owens, only to have the Superman Punch connect to give Reigns a near fall of his own. The spear goes into the post though and Owens nails a superkick.

Owens hits the Swanton for two but gets caught on top. Some elbows knock Reigns down and Owens tries a jumping spinning moonsault but crashes down instead. Back up and Owens tries a more traditional moonsault, which misses anyway. The spear connects for two but the referee gets bumped. The Pop Up Powerbomb hits Reigns but there is no one to count. Reigns hits him low and tells Owens to grab a chair. Sami: “You told me not to do anything!”

Sami goes looking and finally finds one but takes a second to slide it in. The Stunner connects for two on Reigns, who comes back with the spear for the same. Owens bails to the floor and lands in front of Sami. Zayn tells him to stay down but Reigns hits another spear to send Owens through the barricade.

Back in and….Owens rolls outside again. This time Reigns sends the back of Owens’ head into the steps (OUCH) and then does it again. Reigns throws what used to be Owens back inside, with Heyman acknowledging Reigns as Zayn is looking worried. Some slaps to the face wake Owens up…and another spear cuts him down to retain the title at 19:14.

Rating: B-. The ending was about as obvious as you could get, but the question was what Sami would do. In this case that would pretty much be nothing, though you can all but guarantee something is coming before the end of the show. For now though, Owens gets to be the latest designated victim as we get closer to Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania. Not a great match, but that was never really the point.

Post match Jey goes to give Sami his own lei but Reigns says hang on a second. The big beatdown is on Owens, with a chair being wrapped around his neck in the corner. Solo Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack as commentary wants someone to do something about this. Reigns busted out the handcuffs as Sami is looking more and more uncomfortable. Owens is cuffed to the rope so the Usos can superkick him over and over.

The fans chant for Sami as Reigns picks up the chair. Reigns talks a lot but Sami FINALLY gets in front of him before the swing. Sami says Owens is done and this is beneath Reigns. Instead, Reigns hands Zayn the chair, but Zayn doesn’t want it. Zayn finally takes it, with Reigns telling him about how Owens has held him down since day one(ish). Zayn loads up the chair and…..pauses, until Reigns hits him in the face.

They go nose to nose with Reigns saying this is his whole life. Zayn nods….and blasts Reigns in the back with the chair to a MONSTER reaction. Jimmy and Sikoa are livid and kick Zayn down as Reigns sits up and looks crushed. Jey Uso looks at Zayn but doesn’t beat on him as he is told to, instead walking up the ramp and looking upset.

Reigns unloads on Sami with the chair (Fans: “F*** YOU ROMAN!”) and rips up the lei before leaving Sami laying. I know Cody is the #1 contender and all that, but with that segment and that reaction, they better have something huge for Sami between now and Wrestlemania or Cody is going to be sacrificed to the wrestling gods in Los Angeles. That segment, especially that reaction, was an all timer and there is nothing that is topping it for a long time in WWE.

Overall Rating: B. This is a bit of a weird Royal Rumble as the show is normally built around the Royal Rumbles. In this case though, you have an awesome men’s Rumble, an ok women’s Rumble and an incredible post main event angle. That Zayn/Bloodline segment is more than enough to boost this up a bit and tied together with an all time men’s Rumble, the rest of the show is good enough. The Wyatt and Belair matches weren’t great, but they clocked in at a combined 12:05 (call it 20 for the post Wyatt match stuff) out of a four hour and twenty minute show. This show worked and the Road To Wrestlemania could be great.

Results
Cody Rhodes won the Men’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Gunther
Bray Wyatt b. LA Knight – Sister Abigail
Bianca Belair b. Alexa Bliss – KOD
Rhea Ripley won the Women’s Royal Rumble last eliminating Liv Morgan
Roman Reigns b. Kevin Owens – Spear

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

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It’s that time of year again as we are beginning the Road To Wrestlemania. That means we are going to be seeing some of the biggest shows of the year and things are about to get a lot more exciting. WWE has done a nice job setting up the Royal Rumble matches this year as there are a lot of open spots remaining, though the men’s match is more or less a two horse race. Let’s get to it.

Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight

Let’s get the goofy out of the way first. This is the Pitch Black match, which is a product placement match from Mountain Dew. WWE still hasn’t exactly explained what it’s going to be, but knowing Wyatt’s involvement, things are going to get more than a little strange. By strange I mean ridiculous, but it’s a new Wyatt so I’m trying to hold on to false hope for as long as I can.

Of course Wyatt wins here, as there is zero reason to have Knight beat him in his first match. Save or some Uncle Howdy shenanigans, I can’t imagine there being any reason to think that Wyatt is in any danger here, though it is nice to see Knight putting in the work to make the match feel more important. This is Wyatt’s to win and I can’t imagine anything else, so hopefully they keep the goofiness to a minimum.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Alexa Bliss

As much of a layup as this seems to be, this one has me wondering about where it is going. Belair has nothing left to prove on Monday Night Raw and shifting her over to the Smackdown Women’s Title picture could be a good change of pace. At the same time, if Bliss is doing nothing more than being weird all the time without any actual success, it is going to get old fast.

I’m not certain on it, but I’m taking the title change here, as I think Belair moves over to do something else. Becky Lynch or even Bayley can take the title from Bliss soon enough, but Belair is very, very firmly established as a top star and she needs a new challenge. At the same time, Bliss needs a win to reestablish herself and I’ll go out on a limb and say she gets that win here.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Kevin Owens

The fact that Reigns is still on the same reign from when he defended against Owens TWO YEARS AGO at this same event tells you a lot about what he is doing. As has been the case with a lot of stuff lately, this is going to be much more about Sami Zayn than anyone in the match. Reigns has basically made this match Zayn’s final Bloodline exam and it begs the question of what is going to happen.

I’ll go with Reigns retaining, but I think we get the big stuff after the match. Once Reigns keeps the title, Zayn does something like refusing to help destroy Owens, turning face in the process. For the life of me, I can’t imagine anything but Zayn challenging Reigns for the title next month in Montreal, which would basically be Zayn’s Wrestlemania. Reigns isn’t losing the title here, but it’s going to be a big turning point in the Bloodline saga.

Men’s Royal Rumble

Let’s get the obvious out of the way right now. You can have your Brock Lesnar, your Bobby Lashley, your Seth Rollins and your Drew McIntyre. This match is 100% Cody Rhodes’ match to win with Sami Zayn being the only other person on the planet as a dark horse. Unless WWE has a monster surprise waiting on us here (and there are 11 spots open as of the end of Smackdown), this one should be pretty much in the bag.

Naturally I’m taking Rhodes, as I can’t picture a reason not to. I’m still not sure if Rhodes is THE guy to do all of this stuff, but if WWE has picked him to do it, then that’s better than slapping something together at the last second. As for a surprise pick, I still think there is a chance Randy Orton is back here, though he would almost have to win if he is back in this kind of spot. It’s going to be the Rhodes Show though, and while I don’t quite like it, I certainly get the idea.

Women’s Royal Rumble

Then we have this one and as sure as I was on the men’s, I’m completely in the dark here. There are several ways you could go for a winner and the fact that we only known twelve entrants makes it all the more confusing. Bayley and Becky Lynch are both possibilities, even if Lynch has yet to be announced for the match. I’d also call Raquel Rodriguez the darkest of dark horses, but if they wanted to pull the trigger on someone (even if they aren’t ready yet), Rodriguez is an option.

That being said, I’ll go with Rhea Ripley, who has yet to have her big moment. Her title reign was completely overshadowed by Charlotte and since then she has grown into a much bigger (and better) star. Ripley fits all of the criteria here and could be primed for a heck of a title match at Wrestlemania, say against a bit of a lame duck champion Becky Lynch. It should be Ripley this year, but I’m far from confident on this one.

Overall Thoughts

Even though the Sword Of McMahon continues to hang over our heads, there is a lot of potential with this show. If nothing else, I love not knowing who is scheduled for the Royal Rumbles and there is a good chance that we could be in for some awesome surprises. Just the fact that I can be excited for this show again is nice, and while it might go away as soon as McMahon changes his mind (again), I’ll take it for one night.

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: January 20, 2023
Location: Little Caesar’s Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re just over a week away from the Royal Rumble and that could make for an interesting build to the show. Most of the card is set and that means it is time for a Bloodline show. Sami Zayn is having some issues with the rest of the team and that could be very interesting. Other than that, we start the #1 contenders tag team tournament. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Sami Zayn going after Kevin Owens last week but getting some seemingly unwanted help from the rest of the Bloodline.

The Bloodline arrives and Roman Reigns doesn’t seem thrilled with Sami Zayn.

We get brackets for the Tag Team Title #1 Contenders Tournament:

Drew McIntyre/Sheamus
Viking Raiders

Los Lotharios
Hit Row

Brawling Brutes
Imperium

Maximum Male Models
Legado del Fantasma

Dang. That’s like, a division.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Drew McIntyre/Sheamus vs. Viking Raiders

Valhalla is here with the Raiders. Before the bell, Michael Cole mentions Jay Briscoe passing away and talks a bit about how great of a team Jay and Mark were. That’s all it needed to be and good for the new WWE bosses for letting it be done. It’s a brawl to start and everyone fights on the floor until Sheamus fires off the forearms to the Vikings’ chests. What looked to be a super White Noise is broken up, leaving Ivar to hit the crossbody against the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Sheamus fighting out of a chinlock but getting forearmed in the face. The Irish Curse gets Sheamus out of trouble though and the hot tag brings in McIntyre to clean house. The Michinoku Driver gets two on Ivar and the superplex is loaded up but Erik makes the save. That leaves McIntyre in the Tree of Woe and, after Sheamus takes out Erik, the sit up into the belly to belly superplex drops Ivar as we take another break.

Back again with McIntyre dropping Ivar but the Claymore is cut off with a kick to the face. Sheamus and Erik come in to slug it out but Valhalla breaks up the Brogue Kick. Ivar hits the top rope splash for two on Sheamus, giving us a shocked Viking face. The Vikings beat Sheamus down but he knees Ivar out of the air. The Claymore hits Erik and the Brogue finishes Ivar at 17:45.

Rating: B. These guys got time and beat each other up, which is what you probably wanted to see from this kind of a match. Let four big, strong guys beat each other up for the better part of twenty minutes with Sheamus and McIntyre getting a win onto what could be a win in the tournament. Good opener here and you could feel some of those shots.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Roman Reigns and asks if everything is cool. Reigns saw how Sami looked last week and knows he is going to try to cover things tonight. Reigns wants the truth and Sami admits that he was a little disappointed when he was ready to finish Kevin Owens but the Usos and Solo Sikoa got involved.

Owens keeps saying that Sami is being used and for a split second….Sami doesn’t know, but it’s all fine. Reigns: “Get out.” Reigns isn’t going to do this every single week and wonders when he had to start running his plan by the Honorary Uce. Sami should just go find Kevin and start his own Bloodline. Paul Heyman has to tell Sami to get out and looks shocked.

Raquel Rodriguez is in the Royal Rumble.

Here is LA Knight for a match but first, he wants someone to help Bray Wyatt figure out what he is. One week he isn’t Uncle Howdy and then one week he is. Knight knows who he is and is ready to take out Wyatt at the Royal Rumble.

LA Knight vs. Ray Jones

Knight takes him into the corner to start but the Bray Wyatt logo pops up on screen. Blunt Force Trauma finishes Jones at 30 seconds.

Post match it’s the return of the Firefly Fun House, complete with the cast of puppets. Bray Wyatt is fixing the door, complete with his pants too low, requiring a Bray symbol for a censor. Bray says he has missed all of us so much and he can’t wait to have lots of fun with his friends once again. The Fun House friends aren’t sure about the Pitch Black match but Bray wonders who would name their kid Los Angeles Knight.

Bray gives us a special moment about how the dark is a special place where things can hide. Then the screen goes wacky and we see Uncle Howdy, with Bray’s voice saying “I told you so.” Bray pops back up and, in a serious voice, says he hopes Knight understand. He is the one who opened the door and whatever comes through it is his problem. BYE! HAVE A NICE DAY! So are we continuing our path through Bray’s history?

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Los Lotharios vs. Hit Row

B Fab is here with Hit Row. Adonis gets caught with a double basement superkick to start so Top Dolla pulls Humberto to the floor. Humberto is knocked over the announcers’ table but Los Lotharios dropkick him down. The distraction lets Adonis grab a rollup with tights for the pin at 2:39. This really wasn’t that good.

Video on Cody Rhodes return. He’s back at the Royal Rumble.

Braun Strowman is in the Royal Rumble.

Here is Charlotte for a chat and she gets straight to the point: if Sonya Deville has a problem with her, come do something about it. Cue Deville, who says she had to be dragged off of Charlotte last week. Does Charlotte just not get it? She wants another title shot, but Charlotte tells her to focus on the Royal Rumble. Charlotte will fight her right here and right now, but Sonya turns it down. She wants the title on the line, which draws out Adam Pearce to say Sonya can’t do this. The distraction lets Sonya jump her from behind and leave.

Roman Reigns is annoyed at the Sami Zayn situation but Paul Heyman tries to talk him down. With Kevin Owens coming up, maybe it’s better to have Sami on the inside instead of the outside.

Lacey Evans demonstrates the Cobra Clutch. Just get Sarge in here already.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Imperium vs. Brawling Brutes

Kaiser hammers on Butch to start but he’s right back with an armbar. Vinci comes in and double teams Butch down as we take a break. Back with Butch rolling over for the tag to Holland so house can be cleaned. A double delayed backdrop puts Imperium down and it’s already back to Butch. The cross armbreaker goes on so Vinci busts out a double belly to belly moonsault for the save and two. Butch hits a heck of a tornado DDT to leave us with a double knockdown. Holland comes in off the hot tag as everything breaks down. A brainbuster on the floor knocks Butch silly, leaving the European Bomb to finish Holland at 12:31.

Rating: C+. These teams are always worth a look, though it isn’t quite the same without Sheamus and Gunther there with them. Imperium going forward is a smart way to go, as the team is starting to get some traction as more than just Gunther’s goons. They don’t need to win the titles, but getting a win or two in the tournament would do them a lot of good.

Paul Heyman tells Sami Zayn that Roman Reigns wants to see him.

Shayna Baszler is in the Royal Rumble.

We get a long and lengthy look back at Raw’s history.  There are some rather cool clips in there.

Karrion Kross, with Scarlett, is not amped up to face Rey Mysterio next week. Rey can’t decided what he wants to be and that isn’t how it works. Therefore, he’s going to take Rey out, and then win the Royal Rumble.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Legado del Fantasma vs. Maximum Male Models

Zelina Vega is on commentary and announces that she is in the Royal Rumble. Del Toro takes Mansoor down without much effort to start but Mace comes in to shove Legado to the floor. Back in and Mace’s double chokeslam is broken up, meaning Legado sends him to the floor for a change. The big flip dive drops Mace and it’s an assisted splash for two on Mansoor back inside. Mace comes in but gets sent into Mansoor for a crotching in the corner. The Russian legsweep/running kick to the face finishes Mace at 2:55. The Models continue to not work.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Roman Reigns again, with Reigns suggesting that he overreacted. Reigns says he wants as much loyalty as he puts into this and Zayn insists that he has it. All Reigns has to do is ask for something to be done, so Reigns tells him to have the transportation ready for after the contract signing. Fists are bumped.

It’s time for the contract signing. Roman Reigns takes forever to get to his seat….and then Kevin Owens pops up and hits him with the Stunner. The invading Usos are dispatched as well and a powerbomb puts Reigns through the table. Owens signs and now Sami Zayn shows up, which has Owens running up the steps and into the crowd as the Usos are back up too.

Overall Rating: C+. They had a theme here with the tag tournament stuff and that is a fine way to go for a night. The Rumble card is all set so there isn’t much that needs to be done there other than announce names for the Rumbles. The contract signing didn’t take much time at all and now there is the issue of Sami being there late because he was doing what Reigns told him. This was a show that moved some stuff forward as things are coming together at the right time. I’ll take that as a big positive and hope they can pull off the important stuff, though that is the much trickier part.

Results
Sheamus/Drew McIntyre b. Viking Raiders – Brogue Kick to Ivar
LA Knight b. Ray Jones – Blunt Force Trauma
Hit Row b. Los Lotharios – Rollup to Angel
Imperium b. Brawling Brutes – European Bomb to Holland
Legado del Fantasma b. Maximum Male Models – Russian legsweep/running boot to the face combination to Mace

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Royal Rumble 2014
Date: January 26, 2014
Location: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jerry Lawler

Pre-Show: Tag Team Titles: Goldust/Cody Rhodes vs. New Age Outlaws

The Outlaws reunited as a nostalgia act and pinned the champs to earn this shot. Dogg and Cody get things going with Dogg hammering away, only to miss his Shake Rattle and Roll punch. Cody misses the Disaster Kick but sends both Outlaws to the floor. The champs hit dives on the Outlaws as we take a break. Back with Goldust in trouble as Dogg puts on a chinlock.

Rating: C. This was fine for an opener and the fans were into the nostalgia. The Outlaws were only transitional champions anyway as the Usos would get the belts before Wrestlemania. Cody and Goldust had them back before the year was over too so no one was really hurt by this.

Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt

Bray huddles with his Family on the floor, allowing Daniel to take him down with a plancha. Back in and a high cross body gets two on Wyatt but he chops Daniel off the middle rope and out to the floor. Bray charges at Daniel but drives the bad knee into the steps to put him back down again. Back in and Daniel starts kicking at the leg before snapping off a dragon screw leg whip. A modified curb stomp gets two for Bryan but Bray drives him back into the corner.

Some kicks stagger Bray and a drop toehold sends him into the middle buckle. Daniel kicks away in the corner and nails a top rope hurricanrana for two. Another running clothesline is countered by a running elbow to the chest as Bray takes over again. Bryan low bridges him to the floor and hits a running tornado DDT off the apron. A running dropkick sends Bray into the barricade and a missile dropkick puts Wyatt down in the ring.

The YES Kicks get two but Bray turns him inside out with a clothesline for two. Sister Abigail is countered but Bray bites his way out of the YES Lock. Daniel scores with more kicks and hits a top rope splash but Bray ducks to the floor to avoid the running knee. The Flying Goat is blocked though and Bray hits Sister Abigail into the barricade to knock Bryan silly. Back in and another Sister Abigail is good for the pin.

Paul Heyman says Brock Lesnar is going to challenge the winner of Orton vs. Cena for the World Title. However, first he has to make an example out of Big Show.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is here.

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

These two have had a feud for years and this time Big Show has been getting the better of it through pure power. Lesnar takes Show down before the bell and pounds on him with fists and then a chair. As Big Show is down, Lawler says Big Show gave Lesnar his first loss at the 2002 Royal Rumble, which would be three months before Lesnar debuted. We get the opening bell with Lesnar getting another chair but Show nails him with the KO Punch. Lesnar is rocked and Show takes him outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and Big Show loads up another KO but Lesnar ducks and throws him up for the F5 for the easy pin.

WWE World Title: Randy Orton vs. John Cena

No countout and no DQ with Orton defending.. The fans loudly chant for Daniel Bryan before and after the bell. They hit the mat and the fans are already bored less than twenty seconds in. Cena fights up and gets two off a bulldog but charges into an elbow in the corner. Now a Randy Savage chant starts up and Orton stops for a second before kicking Cena even more.

The fans chant for Bryan as the Wyatts destroy Cena even more.

Tribute video to the recently passed away Mae Young.

We get some classic Rumble promos.

The Usos are cool with having to fight each other.

Batista just says exactly.

Ryback says there are 29 superstars and one Human Wrecking Ball.

Mysterio will shock the world again.

The expert panel makes their picks. Duggan likes Ziggler, Shawn goes with Shield or Punk and Flair takes Batista.

Royal Rumble

90 second intervals with Punk at #1 (as ordered by Kane) and Seth Rollins at #2. Punk takes him into the corner to start for some shoulders to the ribs. Some kicks stagger Rollins but he comes back with a big kick of his own. A clothesline drops Rollins again but he pops back up with an enziguri. Both guys are down as Damien Sandow is in at #3. The fans loudly chant for Punk as he DDTs Sandow and drops Rollins with a neckbreaker at the same time.

Kevin Nash makes a required return at #14. He eliminates Swagger with ease and goes after Ambrose and Rollins. Punk has Ziggler dangling but Dolph gets his feet back in. Roman Reigns completes the Shield at #15, giving us Punk, Rollins, Rhodes, Kingston, Goldust, Ambrose, Ziggler, Nash and Reigns. Roman cleans house with punches and spears before launching Kofi out.

Ziggler puts Roman down with a DDT but eats a spear to cut him in half. Reigns throws Ziggler out with ease and the fans suddenly hate him. Nash gets the same treatment as Reigns now has three eliminations in less than two minutes. Great Khali is in at #16 and goes after the Shield but gets tossed by Reigns. Goldust eliminates Cody to make up for the last two years but Reigns gets rid of Goldust a second later. That leaves the Shield alone with Punk but Sheamus returns after being out six months with an injury at #17.

El Torito is in at #20, giving us Punk, Rollins, Ambrose, Reigns, Sheamus, Miz, Fandango and Torito. Of course the bull cleans house until Punk stands up. Punk grabs him by the head but takes a headscissors, only to have Fandango run Torito over. The referee checks on Punk as Torito dropkicks Fandango out. Reigns catches Torito with ease and dumps him out for his sixth elimination. Punk gets back up as Cesaro is in at #21. He immediately starts swinging Miz but Shield breaks up a Swing attempt on Punk. Instead Rollins gets swung a ridiculous THIRTY TIMES. Luke Harper is in at #22 as Reigns spears Cesaro down.

Rollins and Cesaro slug it out until Jey Uso is in at #23. The brawling slows down a bit now and JBL is in at #24. Cole: “The JBL character has never entered the Royal Rumble.” Good grief. JBL wears his full suit into the ring but asks Cole to go get his jacket, allowing Reigns to dump him out. Fans: “YOU STILL GOT IT!” Erick Rowan is in at #25 as JBL tries to talk about ANYTHING but being in the Rumble. Rowan kicks Miz out to clear things up a bit but everything slows back down again.

Harper tosses Jey Uso but the Wyatts turn around to see the Shield. Ryback is in at #26 and goes right for Cesaro as the fans chant Goldberg. Alberto Del Rio gets lucky #27 and things slow down yet again. Batista is in at #28 and the fans just rip him apart. He quickly dumps Rowan and has a staredown with Ryback before dumping him as well. Del Rio, the man who has been going after Batista since he returned, superkicks him down but gets lifted into the air and dumped with ease.

Batista is booed out of the building as we see a highlight package ends the show.

Ratings Comparison

New Age Outlaws vs. Goldust/Cody Rhodes

Original: C

Redo: C

Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt

Original:A

Redo: A

Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Original:B

Redo: B

Royal Rumble

Original:B

Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original:A

Redo: D+

Hokey smoke that’s quite the drop.

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Smackdown
Date: January 6, 2023
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are less than a month away from the Royal Rumble as we are officially in the new year. That means we should be in for some fun tonight and there is certainly a big main event. This week, the Usos will be defending the Tag Team Titles against Drew McIntyre/Sheamus in a match that was originally scheduled for last month. Let’s get to it.

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

The Bloodline opens things up by throwing chairs from the crowd as Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman come to the ring to join them. Reigns demands acknowledgment and seems to receive it but doesn’t seem happy. This week, we are going to hear from Sami Zayn, who says this year belongs to the Bloodline.

Zayn brags about the team winning its matches on Raw but that’s not what Reigns wants to talk about. He wants to talk about LAST YEAR when he and Zayn faced John Cena and Kevin Owens. Some people have said they lost, but Reigns doesn’t remember his shoulders being on the mat. Nah, Sami lost last week, so why did he call his shot? That’s what Reigns does, just like Babe Ruth.

Reigns thinks Sami might want to be the Tribal Chief. Why is Sami doing what Reigns does? Reigns starts screaming at Sami about wanting his job until Kevin Owens interrupts. Owens talks about how Reigns has a KO Problem and can’t get rid of him. Maybe he should deal with it in a title match at the Royal Rumble. Reigns: “Yeah sure whatever.” Reigns will give him the shot if Owens leaves forever after he loses. Owens seems to agree but the wording is a bit vague on if it’s title vs. career.

Earlier today, Kofi Kingston and Santos Escobar got into it backstage over Kofi’s Royal Rumble botch last year, meaning we’ve got something tonight.

Kofi Kingston vs. Santos Escobar

Xavier Woods and the rest of Legado del Fantasma are here too. Escobar gets in a shot to start and Kofi is rocked, allowing him to go up top. That’s fine with Kofi, who kicks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Kofi in trouble but managing to fight his way back up. Woods offers a trombone distraction but Escobar is fine enough to kick Kofi in the head for two.

Kofi slips out of a fireman’s carry and gets two off the SOS. Kofi goes up but gets kneed out of the air for two, leaving them both needing a bit of a breather. The brawl starts on the floor though and the distraction lets Escobar hit a jumping superkick. The Phantom Driver finishes Kofi at 10:05.

Rating: C+. You had two talented wrestlers with a bit of time so of course this worked out fairly well. Kingston is the definition of bulletproof in WWE so having him put over a newcomer like Escobar is one of the smarter things to do. It wasn’t a classic but for ten minutes on Smackdown, this was quite easy to watch.

Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns for the title is set for the Royal Rumble. No words on Owens leaving if he loses so that doesn’t sound like a stipulation.

Sami Zayn tries to talk to Roman Reigns but gets Paul Heyman instead. Heyman thinks this isn’t a good time as the Usos go in to see Reigns. Last week Heyman said stay three steps ahead, but that still might be a bad time for Sami.

Liv Morgan enters the Women’s Royal Rumble and is willing to go in at #1.

We look back at Uncle Howdy attacking Bray Wyatt last week, which freaked out LA Knight in the process.

LA Knight was walking through Memphis earlier today and after getting over how bad that was, he thought it was great that Bray Wyatt can’t keep his freaks in line. At the Royal Rumble, Wyatt is getting what is coming to him, YEAH.

Emma/Madcap Moss vs. Karrion Kross/Scarlett

This is Scarlett’s in-ring TV debut and we’re joined in progress with the women coming in off double tags. Scarlett shrugs off some right hands and suplexes her for two. Kross comes in to glare at Emma, allowing Scarlett to post her. Emma gets sent over the announcers’ table, leaving Kross to hit the Krosshammer into the Krossjacket for the win at 3:08.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a squash for Kross and Scarlett, as Emma and Moss never felt like they were a threat to win. Scarlett is someone who can easily handle herself in the ring and doesn’t always have to be on the floor. Kross seems to be ready for a showdown with Rey Mysterio and that means he wasn’t going to need to break a sweat here with Moss.

Post match Kross and Scarlett put a Rey Mysterio mask on Moss and says Rey is running out of time.

We look back at Charlotte returning and winning the Smackdown Women’s Title from Ronda Rousey in less than a minute.

Sheamus and Drew McIntyre were at Jerry Lawler’s bar earlier and fired each other up for their Tag Team Title match tonight.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. She is happy with her title win last week and doesn’t really care what people think of her. The one thing she isn’t is complacent, so she will face anyone. Cue Sonya Deville, who wants and receives a title shot.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Sonya Deville

Charlotte is defending and kicks Deville out to the floor to start. Back from a break with Deville going after the knee and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Charlotte hits some clotheslines, followed by a flipping clothesline for two. A spear cuts Sonya down and the Figure Eight retains the title at 6:46.

Rating: C-. So that happened. Charlotte wasn’t going to drop the title this fast but they didn’t even bother with anything close to drama. It was all about getting Charlotte in the ring again to clarify that she’s all nice and good now, with Deville being a good first victim to the title reign.

Video on Cody Rhodes returning to WWE last year.

Remember how Lacey Evans has been training? She still is.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Ricochet vs. Top Dolla

Dolla powers him into the corner to start and gets Ricochet on top to toss him down. A big boot gives Dolla two but he takes too long dancing, allowing Ricochet to kick him in the head. The standing Sliced Bread drops Dolla and the shooting star press finishes him off at 1:57.

Post match Dolla shakes Ricochet’s hand….allowing Ashante Adonis to superkick Ricochet in the face. B Fab adds in a kick of her own as all of Hit Row seems to have turned. Braun Strowman runs in for the save, which shouldn’t have happened as Top Dolla needed to look dominant here.

The Usos go to the ring for their title match. Roman Reigns tells Paul Heyman to bring him Sami Zayn.

Video on Gunther vs. Braun Strowman for the Intercontinental Title next week.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman, with Reigns telling him to sit without giving him a look. Sami immediately says that Reigns is the Tribal Chief and no one else is. Reigns doesn’t accept because he holds himself to a high standard and no one should be treated like Sami was earlier. He doesn’t accept because he should be apologizing, so Reigns says he is sorry.

Reigns understands that he is mad at Kevin Owens and taking out on Sami. That’s why he’s going to let Sami help him get rid of Owens, when Sami and Owens face off next week. Sami is in but hears the Usos’ music and goes towards the ring. Hold on though, as Reigns wants Sami to watch with him.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Drew McIntyre/Sheamus

The Usos, with Solo Sikoa, are defending. Sheamus takes Jimmy down to start and it’s off to Drew, who tosses him into the corner. Jey comes in and manages a quick suplex to take over, allowing Jimmy to come in for some choking. Drew gets sent outside and suicide dived into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus hitting the ten forearms to Jey’s chest but Jimmy gets in a shot to take over again. Drew cuts off the double Uce and it’s a double super White Noise for two on the champs. A flip dive off the apron takes the Usos down and it’s a Claymore for two on Jey with Jimmy making the save.

We see Reigns/Zayn/Heyman eating popcorn as they watch the match as the 1D hits Sheamus….for two as McIntyre makes the save. Sikoa goes after Drew but here are the Brawling Brutes to cut him off. Sheamus Brogue Kicks Jey so Jimmy makes the save. A dive takes the Usos out so Sheamus picks Jey up, only to be rolled up with Jimmy giving an assist to retain at 13:19.

Rating: B-. They had a bit of drama when Sheamus survived the 1D but there is only so much of a reason to believe the Usos are losing anytime soon. Sheamus and McIntyre could have gotten the title shot on a big stave and just a Smackdown main event doesn’t feel that big. Good TV match, but it should have been a bit bigger.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show tonight, but the question now is what happens with Sami/Owens/Reigns. That seems like it is about to blow up either in the next few weeks or at the Royal Rumble at the latest. Other than that, the Rumbles continue to loom, but there are only three out of sixty spots filled. That could take up a lot of time over the next few weeks so things could start picking up rather quickly. For now though, a good show that could have been bigger.

Results
Santos Escobar b. Kofi Kingston – Phantom Driver
Scarlett/Karrion Kross b. Emma/Madcap Moss – Krossjacket to Moss
Ricochet b. Top Dolla – Shooting star press
Usos b. Drew McIntyre/Sheamus – Assisted rollup to Sheamus

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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