Summerslam 2018: They’ve Been Watching NXT

IMG Credit: WWE

Summerslam 2018
Date: August 19, 2018
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips, Jonathan Coachman

It’s the second biggest show of the year (I think) and that means we’re in for a stacked card. The big matches include Roman Reigns challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title, AJ Styles defending the WWE Championship against Samoa Joe and, in the match that I think should close the show, Daniel Bryan vs. the Miz. Tonight has some promise so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Zelina Vega/Andrade Cien Almas vs. Rusev/Lana

Thankfully they waited a little longer before starting the first match this year, allowing some more fans to get into the arena. Last year was embarrassing looking but it’s a little better this time. The men start and it’s an early double tranquillo pose, earning Almas and Vega some Bulgarian roaring. We settle down to a RUSEV DAY chant and Rusev hitting a suplex. A missed charge sends Rusev shoulder first into the post and it’s an armbar to send us to a break.

Back with Almas getting two off a reverse tornado DDT. A second attempt is countered with a shove off the top and the hot tag brings in Lana. Vega has to come in as well and Lana kicks her down, setting up a Spinarooni of all things. A kick to the face cuts Vega off again but Lana stops to slap Almas, allowing Vega to roll her up for the pin at 6:55. They botched that one pretty badly as Vega was supposed to put her feet on the ropes but she’s so short that they couldn’t reach. Lana was barely struggling either and it didn’t look good.

Rating: D. I was really disappointed here as this could have been something very fun. What we got was a short match between the guys and then a bare bones match from the women. I don’t know if the stage got to Lana or what but this was the bad match that a lot of people have expected her to have. The finish was even worse though and made the match feel like a joke.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak is challenging and everyone else is banned from ringside. Alexander has held the title since Wrestlemania and Gulak has been on a roll, making everyone tap out. Gulak takes him to the mat and then into the corner to start but it’s way too early for the Gulock (dragon sleeper). Instead Alexander rolls out and dropkicks Gulak down so it’s time to go to the floor. Back in and Alexander’s springboard is blocked with a big boot, followed by a neckbreaker onto the knee.

We take a break and come back with Gulak staying on the neck with a clothesline for two. Gulak cranks on the neck but Alexander is right back up with a bottom rope springboard Downward Spiral. Some right hands keep Gulak in trouble and Cedric followed him to the floor with a big flip dive.

Back in and Alexander catches him on the ropes, setting up a short form Gulock to really mess with the neck. A spinning elbow to the jaw gets Cedric out of trouble for the time being but Gulak smacks him in the face. Gulak reverses the Neuralizer into an ankle lock but gets reversed into a cradle. Back up and Cedric hits the C4 but Gulak turns it over into a rollup for two more. Another rollup gives Gulak two but that’s reversed into a stacked up rollup for the pin on Gulak at 10:42.

Rating: C+. They had a hot finish here with the rollups and I was actually surprised by the finish. That being said, I’m not wild on having Alexander keep the title and would have bet on Gulak picking up the belt here. There’s not much of a reason to keep the title on Alexander as he’s far from the most interesting guy in the world. At least the match was pretty good though.

Kickoff Show: Raw Tag Team Titles: Revival vs. B Team

The B Team is defending and get taken down in the very early on with a dragon screw leg whip to Dallas. A Shatter Machine puts the illegal Axel down as well and it’s Dawson starting on in Dallas’ knee. Back from a break with Wilder staying on the knee and handing it back to Dawson, who gets kicked shoulder first into the post. Axel is still down from the Shatter Machine though and there’s no hot tag to be had.

Dallas’ knee is fine enough for the hanging swinging neckbreaker and now the hot tag brings Axel in. Axel cleans house and loads up the PerfectPlex but gets small packaged. The referee is with Dallas and Wilder though until Wilder snaps Dallas across the top. Dallas falls onto Axel and Wilder to turn the small package over for the pin on Dawson at 6:14.

Rating: D+. How can you not at least chuckle at these two schmucks? They’ve embraced the clueless putz characters and that’s all you can ask for. As ridiculous as they are, it’s not like the Raw tag division has anything else going on. Revival is a great team, but that doesn’t matter if they can’t get more than five minutes and a bunch of nothing opponents. This was the right call, which is better than I was expecting.

By the way, the total wrestling time on this year’s Kickoff Show: about 24 minutes, or just over half of last year’s. That’s a BIG improvement as there’s no need to have so much wrestling on a bonus feature before we get to the four hour pay per view.

The opening video features actor Terry Crews outside the arena, rhyming about what it means to be the best on the big stage. This was released earlier in the week.

There’s a big digital Empire State Building over the ring. That isn’t likely visible in the arena.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler is defending and has Drew McIntyre in his corner while Rollins has the freshly returned Dean Ambrose in his. The fans are very hot for Rollins here, especially BURN IT DOWN. Feeling out process to start with Seth being driven into the ropes but Dean is right there to cut Drew off. Back up and they run the ropes with Rollins nailing a hiptoss, sending Ziggler outside for a breather.

Seth follows him and it’s time for another big staredown. Rollins gets sent to the apron but stops to stare at Drew, allowing Ziggler to grab two off a neckbreaker. With Rollins seeming to favor his knee, Ziggler talks trash to Ambrose and then sends Rollins into the corner for a Flair Flip to the floor. Back in and the chinlock keeps Rollins in trouble for a good while. The comeback is cut off as Rollins grabs a vertical suplex over the top, only to fall out with Ziggler for a big crash.

Rollins hits a Sling Blade for two back inside and the middle rope Blockbuster gets two more. Ziggler rolls away from the threat of the frog splash so Rollins hits him with the suicide dive. The springboard clothesline sets up the ripcord knee for two and they’re both down for a minute. Ziggler’s sleeper is thrown off so they head to the apron with Ziggler saying this is it. Rollins gets shoved into the post and a jumping DDT drives him head first into the apron. That’s only good for a nine count as Rollins comes back in for the low superkick.

The frog splash hits knees though and Ziggler rolls him up for two more. Ziggler heads up top but Rollins is right there for a reverse superplex into a reverse inverted DDT (now that’s how you mix it up) and a near fall of his own. McIntyre sends Dean into the steps though, allowing Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag for the nearest fall yet. Dean is back up with Dirty Deeds to McIntyre and the bloody Rollins to avoid the superkick. The Stomp gives Rollins the title back at 22:01.

Rating: B. I know it won’t be, but I really could go for this feud ending already. It started a little over two months ago and feels like it’s been going on for a year now. At least Rollins has the title back and that’s all well and good, especially with the prospects of Ziggler and McIntyre being able to split up for good now. If nothing else, it’s nice to start the show with a good, long match for a change after last year took forever to get going.

The Bellas are here and are asked about their chances of appearing at Evolution. It turns into a list of plugs for their various projects before Nikki says they want to see Ronda Rousey win the Raw Women’s Title tonight. They’ll be ringside for the match tonight. And so it begins.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day

New Day, Big E. and Xavier Woods here, are challenging after having won a tournament. Rowan runs Woods over to start and gets two each off a big boot and splash. It’s off to the fists around the head crush, followed by a pumphandle backbreaker to keep Woods down. Woods finally kicks Harper to the floor and makes the hot tag to Big E., who drops to the floor to throw some suplexes.

Back in and the Warrior Splash gets two on Harper, who comes right back with the Michinoku Driver. The double spinebuster doesn’t work though and Woods dives over the top onto Rowan. Everything breaks down and Big E. is sent into the steps, though the Brothers look a little banged up. They’re fine enough to hit the double spinebuster for two on Big E. with Woods making the save and getting the tag. Kofi gets taken down so Rowan eats the Big Ending on the floor.

A blind tag brings in Big E. but Harper stuns him with a superkick on the apron. Big E. tries the release Rock Bottom off the apron into the Codebreaker from Woods but the timing is off and it’s more like Harper just landing on Woods. Harper is fine enough to roll away from Woods’ top rope elbow so Woods hits it on the floor instead. The pain is immense but Woods throws him back in for the tag to Big E. UpUpDownDown is imminent but Rowan uses the mallet for the DQ at 9:36.

Rating: C+. They were getting somewhere before the ending to set up a rematch either on Smackdown or in the Cell. It’s a good idea to make the Brothers seem vulnerable against a top team like New Day, who couldn’t quite finish them off. At the moment the Smackdown tag team division is all of four teams so it’s a good idea to not change the titles just yet, along with keeping this match going for another month. Nice match, with an understandable ending.

Jon Stewart is here.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens, which started back in June. Strowman threw him off a ladder at Money in the Bank and then won the briefcase, so Owens tried to be nice to him. Then Strowman destroyed his car, threw him in a portable toilet and off of a cage, meaning it’s time for a rematch with the briefcase on the line.

Money in the Bank Briefcase: Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman is defending and can lose the briefcase by any means. The bell rings and Owens is knocked into the corner a few seconds later, followed by the run around the floor to shoulder him down. Strowman has so much fun that he does it again and a superkick just annoys him. A chokeslam onto the ramp knocks Owens silly and the running powerslam ends him at 1:56. Total and complete squash.

There was a Be A Star rally earlier in the week.

We recap the Smackdown Women’s Title match. Becky Lynch beat Carmella to earn a spot but then Charlotte returned and did the same thing, earning her own shot. Charlotte and Becky then got in a bit of a passive aggressive fight over Becky being jealous of Charlotte being added. Fair enough, but WWE loves itself some triple threats.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Carmella is defending and gets double teamed to start. In a smart move, she slaps Becky in the back of the head and blames Charlotte. The wedge doesn’t last long as Becky hiptosses Carmella to the floor and tries an early Disarm-Her on Charlotte. That goes nowhere as Charlotte escapes but gets pulled to the floor. Carmella sends Becky into the steps and reminds us that she is in fact the champion.

Back in and we hit the chinlock on Charlotte for a good while as Graves sings the champ’s praises. Becky has to be knocked off the apron, allowing Charlotte to start her comeback with the chops. Some suplexes make it even worse but Becky is back in with a double missile dropkick. Charlotte gets knocked outside and there’s the Bexploder to the champ. She crotches Becky on top though and gets two off a loose super hurricanrana. Charlotte comes back in with a spear to take them both down for two each and grabs a Walls of Jericho of all things on Carmella.

The Figure Four goes on instead but Becky makes the save with a guillotine legdrop. Carmella is back up and sends Becky outside for a suicide dive, only to have Charlotte miss the corkscrew moonsault (she slapped Carmella and completely missed Becky) to put them bot down. Back in and Carmella has to break up the Disarm-Her, followed by a superkick for two on Becky. Charlotte gets knocked to the floor and the Disarm-Her goes on, only to have Carmella grab the rope. The hold is slapped on again but Charlotte runs in with Natural Selection to Becky for the pin and the title at 14:35.

Rating: C+. Much better than I was expecting here and they better turn Becky heel after that ending. Thankfully they took the title off of Carmella, but at this point either she or Charlotte has been champion since November. They need some fresh blood in there, which hopefully is a ticked off Lynch.

Post match Carmella leaves so Becky and Charlotte can hug, only for Becky to turn on Charlotte and beat the fire out of her to a HUGE YES chant. Becky throws her over the table, leaving Charlotte to take a YOU DESERVE IT chant. That was the only way to go as A, Becky has a legitimate complaint about Charlotte being put into the match and stealing her title and B, there isn’t anyone else for Charlotte to fight.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match. AJ Styles has been champion since November, becoming the longest reigning World Champion in Smackdown history. Joe signed the contract to face him, partially because there was no one left aside from maybe Miz. After the match was set, Joe started talking about how AJ was sacrificing his family to be champion. AJ tried to keep things calm, but Joe read a letter supposedly from AJ’s wife Wendy, saying Joe was completely right. In other words, AJ isn’t happy.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is challenging and even introduces AJ’s wife and daughter at ringside. It’s a feeling out process to start as AJ is a little more calm than (erg, especially after Joe’s comments) he should be here, even as the fans chant TNA. AJ grabs a headlock to slow Joe down but a heavy shoulder cuts him off. Some leg kicks have AJ in even more trouble but he’s right back with some forearms. The sliding forearm sends Joe outside and AJ tries to follow him, only to get kicked in the knee to take him off the apron.

A hard suicide dive sends AJ into the announcers’ table and one heck of a clothesline takes his head off back inside. We hit the chinlock, which makes you wonder why Joe doesn’t turn around just a hair and make it the Koquina Clutch instead. AJ gets up and knocks Joe’s block off with a right hand to the floor, followed by the slingshot forearm. Joe charges into an enziguri and the Phenomenal Blitz sets up another running forearm. The moonsault into a reverse DDT gets two on Joe and AJ puts him on top.

That doesn’t go well for the champ, who gets shoved down for a middle rope knee to a standing AJ for two more. The running big boot into the backsplash gets the same but AJ is right back with the fireman’s carry backbreaker. AJ is limping a bit and misses the Phenomenal Forearm, allowing Joe to snap him over with the powerslam for two more. A one armed Styles Clash gives AJ the same and they’re both down. Back up and they slug the heck out of it until a Pele sends Joe into the corner.

AJ makes the mistake of charging into the release Rock Bottom but is still able to put on the Calf Crusher. Joe’s solution: slam AJ’s head into the mat over and over. Joe slips over into the Koquina Clutch but AJ gets his foot on the ropes. It’s Muscle Buster time but AJ forearms him in the head. That’s fine with Joe, who hits one of the loudest enziguris I’ve ever heard to knock AJ outside. Joe sends him into the steps and grabs the mic. He tells Wendy that AJ isn’t coming home but he’ll be her new daddy. A suddenly bloody AJ tackles Joe off the table and through the barricade, followed by a chair to the back for the DQ at 22:46.

Rating: A-. You have to imagine that the Cell awaits these two and for once, the story would seem to fit that. AJ being able to do whatever he wants to Joe fits, but it would also seem to play much more into Joe’s hands. Anyway, of course these two had a great match because that’s all they know how to do. They were beating the fire out of each other and I want to see it again, which is the sign of a well done match. Really good stuff here, as expected.

Post match the beating continues until Wendy says that’s enough. AJ goes over to his family and his incredibly cute daughter says “daddy you’re bleeding”. AJ apologizes and hugs her before walking away with his family. Joe is TICKED as he leaves.

Here’s Elias to plug his album and talk about how awesome his songs are. He even has a new song, which he’s debuting right here in New York City. And then his guitar breaks. That’s too much for Elias, who throws the pieces around and storms off without saying anything.

Miz runs into the B Team and says if Bryan had followed his example, he might have lived off of Miz’s success like they had. For old times sake, they can fetch his limo for the celebration after. Actually they have their own celebrating to do because they’re the B Team and the B stands for Daniel Bryan. Dallas likes Miz and Mrs. (which he pronounces Mers) but they have their own show: Total Fellas. Dallas: “But with a B! Total Bellas!” Miz is stupefied as they leave.

We recap the Miz vs. Daniel Bryan. This one is over eight years in the making as Bryan came into WWE as Miz’s NXT rookie, despite being a top independent star. Bryan eventually defeated Miz a few times but they went on their own paths. Miz won a WWE Title while Bryan became the top star in the company, only to have injuries take him away for a few years. Now he’s back and healthy though, meaning it’s time for these two to FINALLY have the big match on the grand stage.

They’ve done a great job of setting up the culture clash here as Bryan is all about the love of wrestling and Miz is about becoming a star. Those worlds don’t jive and it’s made their feud that much better. The crowd reaction should be interesting, though Bryan is going to be the biggest face that ever faced around here.

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan

Maryse is in the front row with a baby carriage. Miz hides in the corner for a bit before scoring with some YES Kicks. The running dropkick connects but Bryan grabs him by the throat and hammers away. The real YES Kicks rock Miz and a big one to the chest puts him down. Miz gets in a knee to the ribs and the surfboard goes on. Of course Bryan knows how to get out of that and starts kicking at Miz’s legs.

The REAL surfboard goes on and Bryan even bends back to get two off a bridge. Back up and Miz catches him with a hard clothesline, followed by a cravate with bonus trash talk. Miz starts firing off some knees to the head but Bryan is right back with right hands of his own. The moonsault over Miz sets up the running clothesline and the running corner dropkicks connect. A backdrop sends Miz to the floor and Bryan follows with two boots through the ropes and a top rope clothesline.

Back in and Miz gets caught in the Tree of Woe, which of course means more YES Kicks. One heck of a top rope belly to back suplex puts Miz down for two more but he’s right back with the short DDT. With Miz’s chest blood red, he fires off some NO Kicks of his own, which bring Bryan back to his feet. Bryan dragon screw whips Miz’s leg and hits the big kick to the head but can’t get the YES Lock. Instead a catapult into the post sets up the Skull Crushing Finale for two but Miz charges into another kick for another two.

They head to the apron with Bryan firing off kicks until the last one hits the post. That means a Figure Four back inside and Bryan is in big trouble. As usual, the solution is to punch Miz in the face and then turn the hold over. Miz lets it go and tries the Finale but Bryan kicks him in the back (the leg shouldn’t be able to do that) and goes with the heavy elbows to the head.

The YES Lock goes on and Bryan punches Miz in the back of the head as the aggression continues to come out. Miz makes the rope though and bails to the floor, only to get kneed in the head. That knocks Miz right in front of Maryse, who hands him something. Whatever it is knocks Bryan silly when he tries a suicide dive, giving Miz the pin at 23:30.

Rating: B+. I liked this one as much as I expected to and the ending does set up a rematch. You have to imagine that Bryan is sticking around given that finish as there’s a wide open door for the feud to continue. It was a nice, long match and got the attention that it deserved, but it didn’t feel like the final match throughout. The ending takes care of that though and everything is fine.

Replays confirm the object, with Graves going into full Bobby Heenan mode to talk his way around the cheating.

Video on Undertaker vs. HHH for Super Show-Down in their final match. To be fair they haven’t been ridiculous with the plugging tonight.

Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor

THE DEMON IS BACK! FOR THIS MATCH??? This is the rubber match after Corbin started being mean to Balor for being small. It’s been a horrible story but the Demon makes up for some of it. Cole gets his Demon history wrong, saying it last appeared two years ago. It was last year Cole. You called the match.

The fans are VERY pleased and Corbin is told he has to face him. The bell rings and it’s the shotgun dropkick into the Sling Blade to put Baron on the floor in the smoke. Balor adds a flip dive and it’s another Sling Blade on the floor. Back in and Balor hits a top rope double stomp to the back, followed by the Coup de Grace for the pin at 1:29. NOW THAT’S MORE LIKE IT!

Bryan is ticked off when Brie finally remembers that they’re married and comes in to see him in his moment of need. He calls his comeback a bust but she gives him a pep talk which seems to work well enough.

US Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy

Nakamura is defending after taking the title from Hardy last month. Feeling out process to start and of course Nakamura is over like free beer in a frat house in New York. Nakamura dodges a few early shots and tells him to COME ON. Jeff does exactly the same and sends Nakamura into four buckles in a row. That earns him a quick takedown and Nakamura slaps on a chinlock.

Nakamura hammers on him a bit more until Hardy, to the tune of a BROTHER NERO chant, comes back up with a Sling Blade. An atomic drop sets up the legdrop between the legs and a basement dropkick gets two. Jeff slips out of the reverse exploder but the slingshot dropkick is countered into Nakamura sitting him on the top. The running knee misses though and Jeff gets two off a Whisper in the Wind.

Nakamura is fine enough to catch him with another kick to the head, followed by the sliding knee for two. Kinshasa is countered into a failed Twist of Fate attempt but Hardy is ready for the low blow. Now the Twist of Fate sets up the Swanton Bomb for a delayed two as Nakamura grabs the bottom rope. A second Twist of Fate sends Nakamura bailing to the apron, so Jeff climbs the post and Swantons the apron because he’s that freaking crazy. Back in and the Kinshasa finishes whatever is left of Hardy at 10:55.

Rating: C. I have no idea how Hardy is still walking and I don’t think he does either most of the time. The match was fine enough and Hardy gave it a run but Nakamura needed this way more than Hardy did. If nothing else Hardy already has Randy Orton sitting around for their big pay per view match so the loss was the only option here. Not a bad match, but nothing great, especially on a long shot.

Post match Orton comes out, smacks himself in the head, and leaves without even getting in the ring. Ok then.

We recap Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss. Rousey was about to win the Raw Women’s Title last month but Bliss interfered for a DQ and cashed in her briefcase to win the title. Bliss then made Rousey snap and got her suspended for a month. Rousey’s reward: a match for the title tonight.

Raw Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss

Rousey is challenging and before the match, here’s Natalya in the same jacket her dad wore at Summerslam 1990. Bliss comes out and sneers at the Bella Twins, who are sitting in the front row. Rousey now has eye paint and her name on her shorts as she does the power walk to the ring. Bliss hides in the corner to start (smart) and a single right hand puts her on the floor. More stalling ensues so Rousey even turns her back and sits down so Bliss can come in with no problem.

Rousey closes her eyes and Bliss grabs a chinlock, meaning it’s time for the scary Ronda face. The hold is broken (Bliss: “No no no no no!” Rousey: “YES!”) and there’s the swinging Samoan drop. A chase lets Bliss get in a forearm and Rousey is just made angrier. Bliss gets flipped on her face and Rousey unloads in the corner, followed by some judo throws. Another swinging Samoan drop (Rousey: “ARE YOU READY???”) connects and it’s armbar time. The arm is twisted in a variety of angles (including Bliss popping it in and out of joint) and one hard crank makes Bliss tap at 4:39.

Rating: C+. What do you want me to say? That was exactly what it should have been as Rousey should be able to destroy Bliss in short order. I’m not sure who is supposed to take the title off of Rousey, but if she can hold it until Wrestlemania (which she likely will), there’s a heck of a dream match to be had with Charlotte. Total squash here and, again, Rousey looked like she’s been doing this for years.

Post match Natalya comes in for the celebration and the Bellas join them because reasons. Rousey goes into the crowd and kisses her husband for the nice moment.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (again). As is usually the case, Reigns is whining about how Lesnar is lazy and doesn’t like the fans so he should get another title shot. Also as usual, the fans don’t seem to buy it and Reigns isn’t likely to be cheered here. There are a few options for the finish and that makes the ending a little more interesting than usual.

Raw World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

Brock is defending and gets no reaction (That HAD to be muted. No New York crowd has ever been that quiet). Hang on though as here’s Strowman with the briefcase. He’s not cashing in behind anyone’s back because he’ll be waiting on the winner. The bell rings and Reigns hits two Superman Punches and a pair of spears but the third is countered into a guillotine choke. That’s broken up with a spinebuster but Lesnar puts it right back on.

Another spinebuster breaks the hold again and they’re both down. Lesnar takes his gloves off and it’s Suplex City time. Three straight German suplexes draw a YOU BOTH SUCK chant and Reigns can barely stand. Reigns is back up with a missed charge that hits Strowman so Lesnar goes outside and gives Braun an F5 on the floor. With Reigns back in, Lesnar beats on Strowman with the briefcase, which he then throws from ringside all the way to the entrance, breaking part of the LED board. Strowman gets chaired down but Lesnar walks into a spear to make Reigns champion at 6:16.

Rating: C+. I know they repeat moves and I know the ending isn’t the most popular move in the world, but these two know how to make the matches feel big. I was wanting to see what happened and that’s more than you can say about a lot of matches. Reigns finally getting rid of Lesnar is a good thing, but I really wish they would just get rid of the briefcase already so it doesn’t have to be around.

Reigns poses to end the show with no cash-in.

Overall Rating: A-. That was a heck of a show and above all else it was about the pacing. They did a GREAT job of making this show stay at a steady pace with some hot matches and then a quick match to let the fans get back into it. That took place throughout the night and did wonders for the show, which never felt like it dragged. Compare this to Wrestlemania, which felt like it dragged every few minutes.

On top of that, the wrestling was solid all night long with good to very good wrestling, logical booking decisions and stuff being set up for the future. This was a very entertaining night and notice the crowd not taking the show over at all. That’s a nice change of pace and made the evening that much more enjoyable. Really good stuff here and the best WWE pay per view in a long time.

Results

Seth Rollins b. Dolph Ziggler – The Stomp

New Day b. Bludgeon Brothers via DQ when Rowan used the mallet

Braun Strowman b. Kevin Owens – Running powerslam

Charlotte b. Becky Lynch and Carmella – Natural Selection to Lynch

Samoa Joe b. AJ Styles via DQ when Styles used a chair

The Miz b. Daniel Bryan – Left hand with a foreign object

Finn Balor b. Baron Corbin – Coup de Grace

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Jeff Hardy – Kinshasa

Ronda Rousey b. Alexa Bliss – Armbar

Roman Reigns b. Brock Lesnar – Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Main Event – August 9, 2018: The Talking Is Strong With This One

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: August 9, 2018
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re coming up on Summerslam and since he was on Raw last week, there’s no Brock Lesnar to be seen this time around. There is however Roman Reigns, who I have a feeling we’ll be hearing from here. Hopefully there’s some more stuff from Smackdown though, as that show was great. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

No Way Jose vs. Curt Hawkins

Jose has the Conga Line to make him look a little better. Hawkins’ shoulder doesn’t do much good as Jose headlocks him and grabs an atomic drop. A shot to the ribs puts Jose on the floor and Hawkins is rather pleased. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a snap suplex into the second chinlock. Hawkins misses the elbow though and Jose slugs away, followed by a fireman’s carry flapjack for two. The Pop Up right hand finishes Hawkins at 5:30.

Rating: D. I’m not sure how many times we can see this match but I’m sure WWE is willing to try and find out. Hawkins losing over and over, at least in this form, stopped being interesting a few months ago and until things actually change up, there’s not much interest to be had in him. Granted the same is true for Jose, but that’s a little less surprising.

From Raw.

We get a sitdown interview with Reigns to talk about his match with Lesnar. We go through their whole history, including the great Wrestlemania XXXI match, the pretty bad Wrestlemania XXXIV match, the stupid Greatest Royal Rumble match and then last week’s Lesnar segment, which really had nothing to do with Reigns. He’s sick of Lesnar using WWE and disrespecting the fans, so Lesnar is learning a lesson at Summerslam.

This was a long recap of their story, and did little more than tell us that it’s been going on for a very long time. Your stat of the night: Lesnar has held the title 487 days. He’s had five televised title defenses and three of them have been against Reigns. Two of them have also involved Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman. In total, four different people have gotten title shots in 487 days.

From Raw again.

We get a sitdown interview with Paul Heyman, who doesn’t know where he stands with Brock Lesnar. Brock has disconnected his phone number and won’t respond to intermediaries. Heyman looks like he’s about to burst into tears as he says Lesnar is just going to get annoyed at this interview. He considers Lesnar a friend and this isn’t how he pictured it ending.

They had talked about riding off into the sunset together with the Universal and UFC Heavyweight Championships on his shoulders. Heyman starts crying but says just do it. When asked about any potential new clients, Heyman says it would be inconceivable just a week ago, but doesn’t say year or no. He still picks Lesnar, because he’s never been so angry. Reigns doesn’t stand a chance. This was the best thing on the show tonight, mainly because it was actually different.

From Smackdown.

Byron is in the ring to interview Miz, who pops up on screen instead of coming to the ring. He calls Byron a bad announcer and plugs the success of Miz and Mrs., which doesn’t have a single bad review on Rotten Tomatoes. Byron keeps asking about the match with Bryan but Miz ignores him to plug the show. Tonight he learns CPR, which would be a good idea for Bryan because he needs to resuscitate his career. Miz finally mentions it, saying he’s become a star while Bryan has been working in a garden.

Bryan needs this match while Miz needs to be recognized as WWE Champion. Miz is here night after night while Bryan has been off in bed crying. He’s not hiding from anyone and at Summerslam, Bryan is getting exposed as being beneath Miz. Go talk to Bryan about it because he’s probably off eating kale and talking about his wife. Bryan runs into the room, beats up security and punches Miz a few times until a potted plant to the back of the head lets Miz escape. The string of good promos continues tonight, but that kind of goes without saying for these two.

Heath Slater/Rhyno/Chad Gable vs. Ascension/Mike Kanellis

Slater forearms Kanellis down to start and it’s Gable tagging himself in to crank on the arm. Viktor comes in and gets his arm twisted around as well, followed by Gable spinning all over the place into a crucifix. Everyone comes in and the good guys clean house as we take a fast break.

Back with Kanellis kicking Gable in the face for two, followed by Viktor dropping a fist for the same. Gable dives over Konnor but still can’t get over for the tag. Konnor knocks Slater off the apron so Gable rolls underneath the clothesline to tag Rhyno. Everything breaks down and Kanellis tries a rolling German suplex, only to be reversed into the Rolling Chaos Theory for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C-. Still not a great match but it was fast enough to make things work. I’m not sure why Slater/Rhyno/Gable can’t make it onto the main show more often, or why Slater/Rhyno haven’t been sent over the Smackdown where they need some fresh blood in the tag team division. Kanellis…just hope your wife’s injury doesn’t last much longer.

Video on Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss, including Rousey going nuts and getting suspended. They meet for the title at Summerslam.

From Raw again.

Ronda Rousey vs. Alicia Fox

Natalya and Alexa Bliss are the seconds. Before the match, Bliss is asked about Rousey and mocks the interviewer for not being able to come up with something better. Fox shows a clip of herself beating up Rousey last week and talks about how great Rousey is at everything else. Was she the captain of the Raw Survivor Series team? Bliss cuts her off and thanks Fox for everything she’s done. Rousey can deal with what’s left of Rousey in Brooklyn and here’s Rousey to cut her off.

We get the Big Match Intros and Fox chills in the corner at the bell. Rousey isn’t impressed by the trash talk and shoves her to the floor. Back in and Fox bails right back to the floor again. A Bliss distraction doesn’t work very well as Natalya cuts her off, only to be posted. Fox tries a charge at the distracted Rousey but the referee stops her for some reason.

Fox pounds away in the corner….and there’s the death stare. The rights and lefts have Fox rocked and the judo throws have Fox rocked. Fox bails for the third time but Rousey follows her for a whip into the barricade. Back in and Fox gets suplexed with ease, followed by the armbar (with a lot of shouting to Bliss) for the tap at 3:47.

Rating: C+. The stuff where Rousey was smashing Fox was fun but this would have been better served as bell, armbar, bell. To be fair though, it’s kind of hard to complain when Rousey beating the heck out of people is some of the most entertaining stuff WWE can do. Maybe not as fun as WWE trying to turn Fox into something worthy of the spot but still fun nonetheless.

Post match Rousey gets interviewed by Bliss tries a sneak attack. Rousey flips her over and gives Bliss a look saying “are you kidding me?” Bliss bails and Rousey promises to win the title.

Overall Rating: C-. The talking was strong with this one and that’s the best thing that could have happened. This week’s TV was better than usual with the promos being entertaining and making me want to see Summerslam. On the other hand you have the pretty worthless original matches but at least they kept those short so they didn’t waste much time. Check out Smackdown instead of watching this though.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Monday Night Raw – August 6, 2018: Can We Turn This Car Around?

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 6, 2018
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman

With less than two weeks to go before Summerslam, we have the main event set, along with the issues between Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. It’s hard to say what else we might get set up in the next two shows, but tonight will be focused on Ronda Rousey’s in-ring TV debut. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video showing the whole Lesnar/Paul Heyman/Angle story from last week.

Opening sequence.

Here are Angle and Baron Corbin with Kurt hyping up Rousey’s match tonight. She’s a former UFC Champion who has no problem fighting on Raw. Corbin warns Angle to watch it but Angle goes on a rant about Brock having no integrity after last week. Heyman still has his job though because he did get Lesnar out to the ring before the show. Cue Roman Reigns to interrupt to say Lesnar attacked because the Big Dog wasn’t here to protect the yard.

Corbin laughs at this but Reigns is worried about a potential Lesnar suspension. That’s not happening and the Summerslam match is still on. Angle wants to see Reigns give Lesnar the beating he deserves, which Corbin thinks is rather unprofessional. Reigns accuses Corbin of running away last week but Corbin says he left after beating up Finn Balor. The guy who actually won the Universal Title. Corbin yells at Angle for just being the guy that makes matches so Angle makes Reigns vs. Corbin right now.

Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin

Corbin hits him in the face before the bell but Reigns gives him a Superman Punch for two. Back from an early break with Corbin sliding under the bottom rope for the clothesline, giving Reigns a look like he just dislodged something from his throat. We hit the chinlock for a bit until Corbin just slams Reigns head first onto the mat. He’s not the most diverse guy in the ring but he can make things look painful.

Another chinlock goes on for a few more moments so Reigns fights up with a clothesline to the floor. The apron dropkick connects but Corbin posts him to send us to a second break in less than nine minutes. Back with Corbin holding a chinlock (dude, enough) and Reigns fighting up with clotheslines (dude, also enough).

The Deep Six gets two but Reigns hits his second (a lot of repeating in this match) Superman Punch for the same. Corbin looks to take a walk, drawing out Finn Balor to cut him off. The third Superman Punch, this one off the steps, drops Corbin and the spear gives Reigns the pin at 18:45.

Rating: D. Back in the 80s, Dusty Rhodes yelled at Big Bubba Rogers for botching a move. His words: “Don’t do s*** you don’t know how to do.” That’s the case with putting Baron Corbin in these long matches. He doesn’t know how to do them and we’ve seen him go nearly forty minutes combined in the last two weeks with about six chinlocks combined. Corbin has two cool moves. Let him do those, then get out in about eight minutes. The matches are boring and Reigns wasn’t helping things here. Also, who is Reigns going 18 minutes with a guy like Corbin less than two weeks before the World Title match at Summerslam?

Post match Balor dropkicks Corbin into the corner and hits the Coup de Grace.

We recap Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre jumping Seth Rollins again last week.

Rollins comes in to see Angle and gets a tag match set up for tonight with a partner to be named. They wouldn’t bring Dean Ambrose back tonight would they?

Bobby Roode vs. Mojo Rawley

Fallout from last week’s brawl in the locker room. Roode slugs away and dropkicks Rawley off the apron as we take a break. Back with Rawley holding a waistlock (better than another chinlock) and dropping a knee to the ribs for two. The waistlock goes on again (Mojo: “How you feel right now? A little bit glorious?”) until Roode fights back with more right hands. Roode’s neckbreaker drops Rawley and the Blockbuster does it again. Rawley tries a fireman’s carry but Roode slips out and hits the Glorious DDT for the pin at 8:08.

Rating: D+. You build Mojo up for a few weeks and have Roode pin him clean? Other than the song, what is there to like about Roode? The match was more boring stuff as neither guy showed any energy and, just like the first match, a lot of it was spent in a hold on the mat. The ribs didn’t even go anywhere this time. I like Rawley so I’m annoyed to see him lose, but having it be to Roode is even worse.

Elias is in the back and seems to be in the middle of filming another documentary. The first one was decent enough so why not.

Here’s Elias to play some guitar. He brags about the album’s success, which is pretty impressive to only have four songs. The documentary came out last week but it was wrong, which is why he’s filming his own version. Elias wants the camera crew to circle around him but the audience isn’t right. Maybe their faces could be blurred or cropped out with another crowd? I don’t think Elias knows what cropping means. Elias isn’t happy, just like he wasn’t last week when bobby Lashley interrupted him.

Cue Lashley to say that he liked the original documentary but Elias wasn’t a fan. That thing made him seem egotistical! Lashley is here to steal the spotlight, just like when he came back in April. Lashley’s comeback has been a joke, but he doesn’t want to hear anything else from Elias. The filming crew leaves and Elias throws a clipboard at him so the beatdown can be on. Lashley gets in a spinebuster and has the cameraman film while he gives Elias the delayed suplex. At least do a delayed Jackhammer.

Cole makes it clear that Ambrose will NOT be Rollins’ partner. Thanks for taking care of the option people might be interested in seeing.

Tyler Breeze offers to be Rollins’ partner, saying he’s kind of gorgeous if you’re into that whole Crossfit Jesus look. Breeze offers the Shield fist when Reigns comes in to say he has Seth’s back. In case 18 minutes of Reigns wasn’t enough for you.

Titus O’Neil vs. Rezar

Rezar knocks Titus down as we hear about his MMA career. Titus’ right hands give him a breather and a big boot rocks Rezar. Akam offers a distraction though and Rezar gets in a big boot of his own. A spinebuster finishes Titus at 3:12.

Rating: D. At the beginning of this match, the announcers talked about Titus being almost a hometown boy here after college and his charity’s big Back to School Bash event, which was a really cool event. Better make sure to do this match, which could have been swapped with last week’s match IMMEDIATELY because this great feud, which started with the Authors squashing Titus Worldwide in two minutes, needs to be advanced. Little things like that almost bother me as much as the big dumb things they do.

It’s time for the return of the Kevin Owens Show with Jinder Mahal as the guest. Owens praises his personal guru, who is responsible for Owens’ back being healed. They share something special but the fans cut him off with a WE WANT STROWMAN chant. Owens brings up Mahal defeating Strowman via countout last week, which is a way Owens could win the Money in the Bank briefcase. As for tonight though, we need Mahal vs. Strowman one more time. There’s no Strowman…because he’s underneath their platform and turns it over. Well that was scary.

Braun Strowman vs. Jinder Mahal

There’s no contact early on as Owens grabs the briefcase. The chase is on again but this time Strowman thinks better of it and comes back. Owens runs off with the case again but Strowman catches him this time. Jinder comes up and gets hit in the ribs with the briefcase for the DQ at 1:47. So to recap: they spend months building Strowman up, then give the big title shot to Reigns again, then have him lose a few matches to Mahal. And his pops are going down…why again?

Clip of Rollins and Reigns doing the Shield pose with a fan over the weekend.

Corbin gives Angle a phone call from Stephanie McMahon, who has an order for him. Angle isn’t pleased.

Corbin tells Reigns that he can’t be Rollins’ partner due to Stephanie’s orders. If he tries to wrestle, he’ll lose his Summerslam title shot. Handicap match time, but only after Reigns punches Corbin in the ribs.

Balor vs. Corbin is set for Summerslam.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre/Dolph Ziggler

Rollins slaps McIntyre in the face and gets a chase going, setting up a low superkick to really put him down. Ziggler distracts Rollins on top though and McIntyre tries to catch a high crossbody. I say try because McIntyre kind of drops him on the knee but Rollins seems to be ok.

The armbar goes on for a good while until Ziggler comes in for the first time. It’s not a good time though as he misses a charge in the corner, allowing Rollins a much needed breather. McIntyre posts himself and it’s a Sling Blade to Ziggler. The suicide dive sends Ziggler into the barricade and there’s the buckle bomb back inside. Rollins avoids the Fameasser but McIntyre runs him over again. The superkick puts Rollins away at 7:07.

Rating: C-. I can’t count how many times I’ve said this in recent years, but I’m already burned out watching these two fight. Starting with Ziggler’s title win on June 18, that’s the sixth time he and Rollins have been against each other in some form. You have this big of a roster and there’s no other way to do this feud? Have them fight some jobbers to the stars and then cut promos. Is that really thinking outside the box anymore?

Replays show that Ziggler wasn’t legal. Ok then.

Video on Alicia Fox, trying to make her seem important before her match with Rousey. Did you know she’s been on Total Divas???

B-Team vs. Revival

Non-title. B-Team now has a very new theme, sounding like a high school cheer. I liked their old theme but this fits them much better. Wilder and Axel start with the former being taken into the wrong corner. Dallas comes in and gets the same treatment, with Revival clubberin away. It’s off to Dawson for a chinlock….and there go the lights. They come back up and it’s Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt on the apron instead. The two of them come in and it’s a no contest at 3:10.

Rating: D. Well at least Revival didn’t lose. We can have the triple threat match at Summerslam because Heaven forbid we don’t have one of those crammed in. This division isn’t in great shape right now and Matt/Bray aren’t really adding anything to it other than a face team. But hey, at least another comedy team gets the titles.

We look back at Strowman turning over the stage.

Summerslam recap.

Riott Squad vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Sasha starts with Morgan and sends her face first into the middle buckle. Bayley comes in for the sliding clothesline and an armbar on Logan. The middle rope crossbody gets two but Bayley goes hard into the corner to put her in trouble. Back from a break with Logan holding a chinlock (of course) to keep Bayley down. Bayley powers up and sends her into the corner before avoiding a charge from Morgan.

The hot tag brings in Banks to clean house, including a knee to Logan’s face. The super hurricanrana from Bayley sets up the top rope Meteora for two on Logan with Morgan making the save. Bayley loads up a dive from the apron but a hooded woman pulls Morgan out of the way. The hood comes off to reveal Ruby Riott, whose distraction lets Logan roll Banks up for the pin at 10:39.

Rating: D+. I’m glad to have Ruby back but I’m so over the Bayley/Sasha program. Are we supposed to be setting up a handicap match for Summerslam? We went from the I love you to this in the span of three weeks? I can understand why they would back off of that, but a little closure, even a line explaining why it’s barely been mentioned since then, would have been nice. Or at least any kind of story to be seen here.

Video on Ronda Rousey’s WWE career so far, including her success and being in the title match when Alexa Bliss cashed in Money in the Bank, setting up their match at Summerslam.

Next week: B-Team vs. Revival vs. Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt for the Tag Team Titles.

Ronda Rousey vs. Alicia Fox

Post match Rousey gets interviewed by Bliss tries a sneak attack. Rousey flips her over and gives Bliss a look saying “are you kidding me?” Bliss bails and Rousey promises to win the title.

Overall Rating: D. This was the rough show that only WWE can pull off. The Heyman promo and the Rousey destruction were fun but other than that, it felt like WWE dragging us along on the way to Summerslam whether we like it or not. It’s the same problem that has been around for so long: it’s really hard to make myself are about the same matches on pay per view that I’ve seen on TV so many times already. The Reigns vs. Lesnar stuff has been a rough sit and I have a feeling it’s not going to be the end of Reigns being screwed out of the title. I didn’t like this show and it was getting harder and harder to watch all night long.

Results

Roman Reigns b. Baron Corbin – Spear

Bobby Roode b. Mojo Rawley – Glorious DDT

Rezar b. Titus Worldwide – Spinebuster

Jinder Mahal b. Braun Strowman via DQ when Strowman used the briefcase

Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre b. Seth Rollins – Superkick

B-Team vs. Revival went to a no contest when Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy interfered

Riott Squad b. Bayley/Sasha Banks – Rollup to Banks

Ronda Rousey b. Alicia Fox – Armbar

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Main Event – June 21, 2018: I’ll Miss Rowdy Ronda

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 21, 2018
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

We’re FINALLY at a fresh set of stories as Money in the Bank is done, which is one of the best things in the world that could have happened. Things hit the ground running this week as we only have four weeks to go before Extreme Rules. This was a big week of television and there’s a lot to cover so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tony Nese vs. Gran Metalik

Nese throws a right hand and poses so Metalik hits him right back, sending Nese into the corner. That earns Metalik a legsweep but he avoids a Lionsault. Nese bails to the floor and pulls him face first into the apron though as they’re not exactly doing anything major at the moment. Back in and a bodyscissors keeps Metalik in trouble but he’s right back up with a high crossbody to rock Nese. Metalik goes up again but has to crotch Nese to avoid some pain. The Metalik Driver is broken up and Nese’s running knee in the corner is good for the pin at 5:01.

Rating: D+. Again, I have no idea what I’m supposed to get out of seeing the same cruiserweights fight every week. We know they’re there and they’re on 205 Live every week, so it’s just two shows where I don’t have to pay much attention to either person. It’s not a bad match, but I’ve already forgotten a good chunk of what happened. There’s nothing that makes them stand out, and this is no different.

We look at Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey from Sunday.

From Raw.

Kurt Angle is in the ring to introduce Bliss, whose title is sitting on a table. He hands her the title and announces that Nia is cashing in her rematch at Extreme Rules. Bliss thanks the fans for giving her the opportunity to rub it in our faces, which draws a WE WANT RONDA chant. It’s all about Bliss now so cue a ticked off Ronda but Angle gets in her way. Alexa laughs all of this off because everything she did was perfectly legal.

It’s obvious that Ronda is upset because the stories were all about Bliss last night. Now, Rousey is just irrelevant. That’s enough for Rousey, who runs over Angle and hits Bliss in the back with the briefcase. She beats Angle up with it as well and takes out some referees for good measure. One heck of a powerbomb drops Bliss through a table.

Post replays, Angle suspends Rousey for 30 days.

Post break, Rousey promises to be back in thirty days to take care of Bliss, champion or not.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Carmella to get things going in the arena. Carmella talks about having self esteem issues when she was growing up because she never felt good enough. Then she started writing her own story and she saw something in herself that no one ever saw. Everyone out there needs to look in the mirror and repeat these words: Mella is MONEY! Why would someone like her ever have self confidence? She’s been moon walking and trash talking since she was a baby so everyone needs to just give up. Carmella brags about all of her accomplishments, which she has done completely on her own.

Cue Asuka, or at least James Ellsworth in Asuka gear. Ellsworth says no one was ready for Asuka and offers some praise to Carmella, saying she’s better than several women, including Trish, Lita, Rousey, and Mother Teresa. Now it’s the real Asuka, without robe or mask, coming to the ring to take Ellsworth down. Carmella uses the distraction to deck Asuka and wrap things up. I’m so glad they brought Ellsworth back for this role when there are probably a dozen people on the roster with nothing to do.

From Raw again.

Here’s Seth Rollins to talk about how far Elias took him last night. That’s what Seth wanted though, because it’s what it means to be the Intercontinental Champion. Let’s keep that going right now with an OPEN CHALLENGE.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler is challenging and there goes some of the energy. Rollins knocks him to the floor and we take a very early break. Back with Ziggler throwing him back inside and kicking at the knee. A whip into the corner turns Seth upside down for two and we hit the chinlock. Rollins fights up….and the USA Network goes out. The feed comes back in a commercial so we eventually come back to Ziggler taking the Fameasser.

A superkick gives Rollins two but Ziggler heads up top. Rollins catches him again and rolls through a high crossbody. The buckle bomb connects but Drew McIntyre offers a distraction, allowing Ziggler to roll him up with tights for the pin and the title at 18:26. Too much was missed by the outage but this was the same match you would expect from these two.

Quick look at the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.

Authors of Pain vs. Breezango

Oh yeah the Authors still exist. Akam shoves Breeze around to start but gets kicked in the face to put the big man on the floor. Rezar comes in but the double belly to back is broken up as well and it’s off to Fandango. That’s about all the good things there are to say about Fandango at this point as the middle rope stomp/backbreaker combination has him in trouble. Back from an abrupt break with Breeze Supermodel Kicking Akam, only to walk into the Last Chapter for the pin at 6:05. Not enough shown to rate but it was a squash.

We wrap it up with a very shortened version of the Smackdown gauntlet match, just looking at the eliminations and AJ Styles coming out to stare down Rusev to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As usual, this show almost completely depends on what you get on Raw and Smackdown, so this week was a pretty easy sit. They were smart to keep things short with the gauntlet match as it could have covered the length of this show. The original content on here was nothing special, but with two short matches it’s hard to get annoyed. Completely fine show, but really just a recap hour.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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Monday Night Raw – June 18, 2018: It’s Hard To Be An Olympic Gold Medalist

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 18, 2018
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s finally the night after Money in the Bank and therefore we now need to deal with the fallout of the briefcase. In this case that would be the men’s briefcase, which was won by Braun Strowman. However, we now have to wait for Brock Lesnar to grace us with his presence, which may not be until the build to Summerslam. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey with Rousey having the title won until Alexa Bliss cashed in to win the title.

Post replays, Angle suspends Rousey for 30 days.

Post break, Rousey promises to be back in thirty days to take care of Bliss, champion or not.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler

Post match Rollins yells at Ziggler and gets taken out by McIntyre.

McIntyre and Ziggler say that’s the first of many because they’re not like everyone else.

Bobby Roode vs. Curt Hawkins

Hawkins tries a backslide for two but gets caught in the Glorious DDT to make it 204 losses in a row at 43 seconds.

Stills of the men’s Money in the Bank match.

Here’s Braun Strowman to list off all the things he’s done, including playing a cello. This briefcase is the greatest though because he snatched the contract away from seven other men. Now all Brock Lesnar has to do is show up and Strowman will cash in. Cue a banged up Kevin Owens to say he wants to congratulate Strowman. That’s why he was trying to get everyone to side against Strowman: no one could stop him on their own.

Owens talks about how they could be a team together because Sami is out injured and Strowman had to get a ten year old to team with him at Wrestlemania. Maybe they do something for each other and then later on, Owens gets a title match at the new champion? Strowman shakes his hand and then loads up the powerslam but Owens bails. That’s a good feud for Strowman until Lesnar gets back.

Sasha Banks is upset in the back when Bayley comes in. She knows what Sasha is doing because she’s playing the ladder match over and over again in her head. Sasha admits that Bayley is right and agrees to team up to face the Riott Squad tonight. It’s a new beginning for them.

Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt vs. Heath Slater/Rhyno

Non-title but hang on a second as the B Team pops up on screen, doing some rather good impressions of Matt (Axel) and Wyatt (Dallas, who can sound eerily like his brother). Dallas says screw this because they’re the B Team and can beat anyone. They turn the lantern off but can’t figure out how to leave.

Matt and Bray are stunned so Slater and Rhyno jump them from behind. It’s a brawl to start until a Twist of Fate is blocked. Matt gets knocked into the corner but avoids a top rope right hand from Slater. The Side Effect allows the hot tag off to Bray for the running crossbody. Everything breaks down and the Kiss of Deletion ends Slater at 3:20.

Rating: D. Nothing match but it was a reason to have Matt and Bray in the arena for the goofy promo. Matt and Bray aren’t great champions but when they have the same teams around to beat up every few weeks, there’s only so far they can go. The B Team isn’t good but they’re at least funny, which is more than you can get from many teams today.

We recap Ronda snapping. That was a heck of a powerbomb.

Baron Corbin brings a phone to Angle so he can talk to Stephanie McMahon. Angle isn’t exactly thrilled and seems ready for a long lecture.

Back from a break with Angle still on the phone. He hears some big news and promises an announcement for tonight, but has to run something by Corbin first.

Jinder Mahal vs. Chad Gable

Before the match, Mahal says everyone must embrace change. If you let go of your anger, you will experience Shanti (which he talks about before his rocket push began last year). Mahal snaps at the bell and beats on Gable, who takes him down with some amateur stuff. A suplex drops Mahal on his head and a dropkick puts him on the floor. Back in and the moonsault gives Gable two but Mahal boots him in the face. The Khallas gives Mahal the pin at 2:28.

The Riott Squad breaks stuff in the back.

Special Olympics video.

Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Liv Morgan/Sarah Logan

Morgan and Bayley start things going with Liv driving her into the corner for the early tag off to Logan. Banks tags herself in and elbows Morgan in the face, only to have Bayley tag herself right back in. A Thesz press and some right hands have Logan in trouble and the Squad is down as we take a break. Back with the hot tag bringing Sasha in as everything breaks down. The double knees in the corner have Morgan in trouble but Logan gets in a cheap shot and Morgan rolls Banks up (with trunks) for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: D+. Just a match here but at least they’re going to be getting to the latest version of this split so they can finally have a match already. Banks taking the fall is fine here and it’s cool to have the Riott Squad getting somewhere for awhile. They need something to do, but at least they’re finding out how to play the characters better.

Post match Bayley tries to console Sasha but gets shoved down as Banks walks away again.

Back from a break with Sasha walking through the back and Bayley chasing after her. Banks doesn’t want to talk to her and the fight is on with Bayley being sent into a catering table.

Here’s Angle in the ring to announce that Lesnar will be defending his title again soon. Before he can announce any details here’s Roman Reigns to interrupt. Reigns says the next challenger is right in front of him. He wants to be the champion who defends the title every single week and Angle seems to agree, but here’s Bobby Lashley to interrupt. Lashley, after fumbling the name of who he’s talking about, says he’s seen Reigns try to beat Lesnar for three years now.

It’s time for Reigns to step aside so someone who can beat Brock beat Brock. Lashley can beat Reigns too but Angle says they both have a point. They’ll be having a multiman match at Extreme Rules for the title shot with more names being announced later. Cue the Revival of all people to say they’re tired of people demanding things all the time.

They want a match with Reigns and Lashley right now because a win over these two great singles wrestlers will catapult their careers to the next level. So in other words, we’re building to another multiman match for a future title shot? AFTER FIVE WEEKS OF MONEY IN THE BANK BUILD??? THAT’S REALLY THE BEST THING THEY CAN COME UP WITH???

Roman Reigns/Bobby Lashley vs. Revival

Reigns punches Dawson in the face to start and holds Dawson in place while arguing with Lashley. Dawson has some more luck with Lashley, meaning he gets in a single kick to the ribs before a pair of spinebusters put Revival down. A quick end around lets Dawson chop block Lashley and something like the Demolition Decapitator gets two. Dawson’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Lashley fights up and brings in Reigns to clean house. Superman Punches rock both of them but Lashley tags himself in and spears Wilder for the pin at 6:22.

Rating: D+. Bring back jobbers. Like please, bring them back so I don’t have to see something as painful as seeing the Revival treated like this. We have the B Team doing their comedy stuff while the best tag team NXT has ever had is stuck here doing jobs to push two people in a multi man match. I’m so glad NXT exists for just such an emergency.

Angle and Corbin run into Finn Balor, who wants to be in the #1 contenders match. Corbin laughs at him and a fight seems imminent but Owens comes in to say calm things down. Balor laughs at Owens for not realizing what’s right behind him, because Strowman is right there. Strowman says he’s here to look after Finn, and a tag match seems imminent.

AJ Styles is on the cover of WWE2K19.

We recap Angle’s rocky night.

No Way Jose vs. Mojo Rawley

Jose, with his neon green gear, punches Rawley down to start and dances. Back up and Rawley knees him in the ribs and hammers away. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Jose gets two off a flapjack. Rawley’s right hand in the corner sets up the fireman’s carry faceplant for the pin at 2:41. I could go for more of Rawley.

Post match Mojo says it’s about staying focused, not hyped.

Banks is leaving when Bayley comes up to her again and says she’s not done with her. Sasha drives away and Bayley throws a water bottle at the car.

Here’s Elias with his hair down to sing about how awesome he is and ask fans to wonder what would Elias do. He wants to be in the match at Extreme Rules and says his new catchphrase a lot.

Rollins says the loss is on him and invokes his rematch clause for next week.

Finn Balor/Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin/Kevin Owens

Owens is banged up but still able to take Balor into the corner for some kicks to the ribs to start. It’s off to Strowman though and the power begins, even with Corbin taking off his vest to make things serious. With the villains knocks to the floor, Strowman picks Balor up and throws him onto the two of them for a crash as we take a break.

Back with Corbin holding a chinlock before handing it off to Owens for one of his own. A backbreaker just hurts Owens’ knee so Corbin comes back in to punch Balor in the ribs. Balor gets sent to the floor and tries a springboard on the way back in, only to get knocked out of the air. The Deep Six gives Corbin two and it’s back to Owens. The beating continues until Strowman comes in without a tag, splashes Corbin, and throws Balor into the corner for the tag.

Strowman starts chasing Owens around the ring as he tends to do but this time Corbin dives off the apron to take him down. Everything breaks down and Strowman drops Corbin with a shot to the chest. The chase goes on again and this time Strowman plows through Owens to put him into the timekeeper’s area. The Coup de Grace is broken up though and the End of Days puts Balor away at 16:42.

Rating: D+. That would be your Coliseum Video random tag team match of the week and I’m not sure what the point is in having Corbin get the pin. The match felt like leftovers from the Money in the Bank build, which isn’t exactly inspiring stuff. At least they didn’t have Strowman take the fall, but I hope he’s not downgraded now that he has the briefcase.

Overall Rating: D. This show was on a roll to start with the hot Rousey angle and then fell down a hill with one not great angle and match after another. It felt like they were still out of steam from Money in the Bank and it showed here. I’m interested in some of the things we have coming up and Lesnar coming back, hopefully to drop the title and leave for good, has me intrigued. It just felt like they were trying to do too much here and it hurt the show a lot.

Results

Dolph Ziggler b. Seth Rollins – Rollup with a handful of tights

Bobby Roode b. Curt Hawkins – Glorious DDT

Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt b. Heath Slater/Rhyno – Kiss of Deletion to Slater

Liv Morgan/Sarah Logan b. Sasha Banks/Bayley – Rollup to Banks

Roman Reigns/Bobby Lashley b. Revival – Spear to Wilder

Mojo Rawley b. No Way Jose – Fireman’s carry faceplant

Baron Corbin/Kevin Owens b. Finn Balor/Braun Strowman – End of Days to Balor

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

Money in the Bank – June 17, 2018: Some Witty Title Or Pun About Money

IMG Credit: WWE

Money in the Bank 2018
Date: June 17, 2018
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Jonathan Coachman, Byron Saxton

It’s finally time to get to what WWE seems to think is the most important show of the year, at least based on how much they promote it. Tonight we find out who might be cashing in to get a cheap World Title reign at any point in the next year. Other than that we have AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura V in a Last Man Standing match. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Bludgeon Brothers vs. Anderson and Gallows

Anderson and Gallows are challenging. Gallows slugs away at Rowan in the corner to start and everything breaks down in a hurry. That means some HI YAH kicks from Anderson with Harper and Rowan falling to the floor with Harper’s leg getting caught in the ropes. He’s fine enough for half of a double dropkick to put Gallows down as we take a break.

Back with Anderson being catapulted throat first into the middle rope for two. Harper’s splash gets two as Gallows is still down on the floor. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Rowan goes shoulder first into the post. A spinebuster plants Rowan again and the hot tag brings in Gallows. Everything breaks down with a pumphandle slam planting Harper, followed by Anderson diving onto Rowan. The Magic Killer is broken up and the assisted sitout powerbomb ends Gallows at 7:35.

Rating: C. This was exactly what it needed to be with a short match that didn’t wear the crowd out and gave us some nice wrestling for a few minutes. The Bludgeon Brothers are a dominant team and could hold the belts for awhile as there’s really no one worthy of challenging them at the moment, unless Sanity comes in as faces.

The opening video looks at a cash-in montage and promises to only explain this once. That’s so laughable that I’m just going to move on to the other big matches being discussed. After that, we go back to Money in the Bank, meaning they’ve already reneged on their promise after two minutes.

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass

It’s smart to get Bryan out there early and get the crowd away from CM PUNK/ALL IN chants. Cass takes him into the corner and shouts a lot so Bryan throws some right hands. It’s too early for the heel hook so Bryan kicks away at the knee instead. Cass knocks him hard into the barricade in a crash and then gorilla presses Bryan face first onto the apron.

Back in and some elbows give Cass two, followed by the bearhug to keep Bryan slow. A swinging Boss Man Slam gets two more but Bryan goes after the knee. Said knee is wrapped around the post a few times and it’s already YES Lock time. That’s broken up with a simple grab of the rope and Cass heads outside, meaning a big dive from the top to take him out again. Back in and Cass crotches him on top for a super fall away slam.

The big crash is only good for two so it’s off to a torture rack. Something like a running reverse FU gets two and it’s Bryan going after the knee all over again. A few chop blocks set up the YES Kicks but the running knee is countered. The big boot gives Cass two and it’s back to the torture rack. This time the reverse FU is escaped and Bryan nails the running knee. The heel hook makes Cass tap at 15:25.

Rating: C+. Well that was long. Bryan getting the clean pin is the right call of course and hopefully this gets him away from Cass once and for all, but I’m not sure how long this needed to go. With such a long card with three matches that should be getting at least 20-25 minutes each, it’s not the brightest idea in the world to have this go so long. At least it ended in the right way though.

New Day is going over strategy to pick who is going to be in the Money in the Bank match when Kevin Owens comes in, carrying a bag. That would be a bunch of pancakes AND syrup (Big E.: “THIS FOOL CAN STAY!”) but Owens is just trying to find out who is in the match. It’s also a ploy to take out Braun Strowman but New Day doesn’t cheat. Owens doesn’t care for pancakes or BootyO’s and Big E. screams a lot. After things calm down, Owens insults everything about Chicago so they steal his syrup and tell him to get out.

Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley

Sami has taunted Lashley over Lashley’s claims about his family and life so Lashley is here to kill him. The stalling is on for more than two minutes to start until Lashley catches up to him and shoves Sami to the apron. That allows Sami to get in a poke to the eye and a good posting as Graves thinks Lashley’s dad will want to adopt Sami. Lashley shrugs it off and scores with a fall away slam, followed by a running shoulder in the corner. There’s the delayed vertical suplex followed by a second one. An over the shoulder backbreaker sets up a third delayed vertical suplex for the pin on Zayn at 6:35.

Rating: D+. Well that’s over at least. I still can’t believe they’re having Lashley’s finisher be a delayed vertical suplex, which hasn’t been a big spot since about 1975. The match was nothing that wouldn’t be on Raw, which makes me wonder how in the world they felt putting us through the last few weeks was acceptable. Both guys deserve so much more than what they’ve gotten over the last month.

Here’s Elias to sing about how much he hates Chicago, because it’s full of scumbags. After the fans chant that they are scumbags, Elias says they’re not worth it and we’re ready to go.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Elias

Rollins is defending. Feeling out process to start with Elias not being able to get very far early on. They head outside with Elias being dropped on his face and there’s a flying clothesline back inside. Rollins heads to the apron but gets clotheslined down to reaggrivate his previously injured neck. A hard DDT gets two and it’s off to a cobra clutch, which Rollins can’t shrug off.

Rollins avoids a knee drop though and there’s the Sling Blade to really give him a breather. There’s the suicide dive but Elias gets in another shot to the neck to cut Rollins off again. The springboard knee misses and Rollins comes up favoring his knee, allowing Elias to hit a jumping knee to the face for a fast two. A slugout goes to Rollins and there’s a superkick for two on Elias. Even with the banged up knee, Rollins heads up top and the frog splash hits raised knees.

Now it’s Elias heading up top, only to get caught with the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for a very near fall. Back up and Elias avoids a charge to send him into the post, followed by a whip into the steps. The top rope elbow gets a VERY close two and the fans find this awesome. Rollins is placed up top but shoves him away. They trade small packages for two each, followed by a rollup with tights for two on Elias. Rollins can do the same thing and grabs the tights to retain at 17:01.

Rating: B. Well of course he did it again. Rollins is on another planet right now and is bringing people up to his level, which is one of the hardest things in wrestling. He’s making these matches a treat to watch and Rollins can bring the goods like few others right now. I just hope he gets something out of Lesnar if he’s given the chance.

We recap the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match with Paige talking about what an opportunity this is. Fair enough. You too can far exceed your career ceiling by stealing titles.

Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch vs. Lana vs. Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Ember Moon vs. Naomi vs. Natalya

Banks trips over something on the way in. It’s a big brawl to start (as is custom) with Charlotte being crushed. The first ladder is brought in and it’s Ember vs. Sasha with Moon’s springboard crossbody driving Banks into the ladder. Lana comes in with an X Factor onto the ladder before throwing the smaller version to the floor. That means it’s time for the big ladder but Natalya makes a save.

Naomi does the splits onto a ladder and gets dropkicked down for her efforts. Charlotte comes back in and that means a staredown with Becky that goes nowhere, leaving Naomi to hit a Blockbuster off the apron to drop Sasha. Everyone is down on the floor until it’s Moon and Naomi going for the same ladder inside. Ember takes over without much effort but it’s Banks coming in and sending her face first into a ladder in the corner.

Lana is put on top of Moon on said ladder and Banks drops the double knees onto both of them. Charlotte and Sasha go up the same side of a ladder at the same time until Natalya comes in to pull Charlotte off. Becky pushes the ladder over with Sasha coming down with knees to both Charlotte and Banks. Bliss remembers that she’s in the match and comes in for a save but it’s time for the big ladder. Six of them go up at once but Banks and Charlotte make the saves.

Charlotte powerbombs Moon onto a ladder in the corner and Lana gets pulled off as well. Bliss reverses a powerbomb attempt into Code Red on Charlotte but gets shoved down by Lana. For some reason Lana grabs the Accolade on Bliss but it’s Naomi springboarding in to take Lana off the ladder. Naomi can’t get the briefcase down due to reasons of she’s not winning and Lynch makes the save.

Charlotte and Becky slug it out on top but Bliss shoves the ladder down. That just earns her a spear from Charlotte but Sasha makes a save of her own. Natalya electric chairs Lana, only to get sent outside. Charlotte spears Moon onto the ladder again but Becky is back in with an exploder suplex. Becky goes up but can’t get it down either, allowing Bliss to shove the ladder, sending Becky face first into the ladder in the corner. Bliss pulls down the briefcase at 18:27.

Rating: B. There were some issues with people not being able to pull down a briefcase but the rest of the match was rather good. Bliss winning is the safe pick, though some of these women (like Becky) need to win something sooner or later. I’m hoping she doesn’t get the title back anytime soon as we’ve been there way too recently. I’ll give them this though: at least they didn’t go with Natalya for the obvious cash in on Rousey.

Kurt Angle and Paige chat about Money in the Bank when Baron Corbin comes in and demands that we take things seriously. Paige brings up him losing his cash-in last year but Corbin tells Angle to get it done in the men’s match.

We recap Jinder Mahal vs. Roman Reigns. Mahal was mad about not being in the Money in the Bank match and cost Reigns his qualifying match. A feud started with Reigns beating the heck out of him as well as Sunil Singh, setting up this match.

Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal

Singh is in a wheelchair and the booing of Reigns is at a near Wrestlemania level. However, oddly enough it goes very quiet in a hurry, almost like it was turned down. I’m sure I’m just imagining things. They punch it out and there are the CM PUNK chants. A sloppy Samoan drop gives Reigns one to start and Mahal bails to the floor.

The distraction lets Singh get out of the wheelchair to get in a cheap shot so Mahal can take over. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a reverse chinlock to mix things up a bit. Mahal beats on him a bit more and we hit another chinlock, because this is how you do a Mahal vs. Reigns match IN FREAKING CHICAGO.

Reigns makes his comeback as the Wave breaks out around the arena. Mahal cuts him off with a jumping knee to the face and the Wave continues. A gutbuster looks to set up the Khallas but Reigns rolls away and hits the Superman Punch for two. Mahal is busted open off something but still manages to avoid the spear and send Reigns into the post.

Now it’s a VELVETEEN chant until Reigns stops him with a kneelift. A Fameasser from the apron over the middle rope but Singh gets up and tries to send Reigns into the post. Superman Punches abound and there’s a spear to Singh, followed by one to Mahal for the pin at 15:40.

Rating: D-. Not so much bad but terribly boring with the crowd having none of it and this time I can’t blame them. This was a really dull match with a bunch of laying around in chinlocks and Mahal doing his usual boring offense. They knew what they were getting into this this match and it was every bit as awful as it could have been. And now, we’re likely going to get a rematch because we’re that lucky.

Special Olympics video.

Recap of the rest of the night, likely to get the ladders set up again.

Actually never mind as we recap Carmella vs. Asuka (because this show is running long already but of course we have time for a recap). Carmella cashed in her briefcase in April and now it’s time for Asuka to get her one on one shot at the title.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Carmella

Asuka is challenging and has Carmella bailing to the floor in a hurry. Back in and Carmella slaps her in the face, earning herself a hip to the face. More strikes rock Carmella and there’s a sliding knee to send Carmella outside. Back up and Carmella pulls her face first into the post for two. Followed by just rubbing Asuka’s face into the mat. Carmella kicks the knee out and we hit the chinlock.

It’s off to a front facelock for a bit until Asuka goes up, only to miss a middle rope dropkick. A kick to the head is countered into a kneebar but Carmella is quickly to the ropes. It’s back to the striking with a knee to the face and a running dropkick, followed by a German suplex to rock the champ. Another running charge misses though and Asuka falls out to the floor in a heap.

Carmella actually hits a suicide dive for two but gets hit in the face a few times. Cue someone in Asuka’s robe and mask for a distraction though and the ELLSWORTH chants begin. The distraction lets Carmella get two off a rollup and it’s James Ellsworth under the mask. Carmella’s superkick retains the title at 11:04.

Rating: D+. Now I know a lot of you are probably going to be annoyed that Carmella won, but let me make this clear to you: she had a BRIEFCASE and that makes her worthy of winning here. Ellsworth makes my eyes roll but good for him for getting back in the company. I just wish they would actually do something with Asuka, who has plummeted since Wrestlemania.

We recap the Last Man Standing match. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura have had four matches so far but Nakamura won the most recent, earning the right to pick the stipulation for this match. He picked a match where he could beat on Styles as much as he wanted so here we go.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Styles is defending and this is Last Man Standing. They lock up to start before realizing what a waste of time that is and fighting to the floor. A suplex into the steps has the champ in more trouble and a running shot to the head gets eight. Back in and Nakamura kicks him down without much effort and Styles has to pull himself up using the ropes. Nakamura adds in more kicks to put Styles on the floor again, this time choking with a boot against the steps.

They fight into the crowd with Styles punching away but trying a springboard off the barricade (which wouldn’t provide much spring) proves badly as Nakamura kicks his leg out from underneath him. That’s not enough either so they head back inside with Nakamura throwing some soft kicks to really mess with Styles. The reverse exploder is broken up and Styles kicks him in the head. Nakamura doesn’t even go down but misses a low blow, which ticks Styles off even more.

The Pele….might have connected but Nakamura is right back up with the reverse exploder. Styles knocks him down for an eight, only to have Nakamura break up the Phenomenal Forearm. They head back outside with Nakamura loading up the announcers’ table. Kinshasa on the table is good for nine and it’s table time. As opposed to the two tables at ringside of course. The table is set up inside but Styles slips out of a superplex, only to have his powerbomb attempt broken up.

Nakamura rams the table into Styles’ ribs and puts the table up in the corner. Styles actually goes through the table but the ropes get him up at nine. The turnbuckle pad comes off and Nakamura puts him ribs first onto the buckle for the knee in the corner. Of course the running knee hits the buckle (that was really stupid) and, after a random crowd shot, AJ starts kicking at the leg. The Calf Crusher goes on and Nakamura taps so Styles hangs on a little while longer.

They head outside again with AJ blasting the knee with the chair. For some reason he begs off though and walks into a low blow. That’s not enough but a Kinshasa gives Nakamura…..nine. Nakamura loads up something on the table but his knee gives out, allowing Styles to hit the Phenomenal Forearm off the announcers’ table, followed by a Styles Clash on the floor….for nine again. Nakamura says COME ON so Styles kicks him VERY hard low. That’s not enough either as it’s a springboard Phenomenal Forearm through the announcers’ table to retain the title at 31:04.

Rating: A-. That win is going to give Styles the longest WWE Championship reign since Brock Lesnar’s 2014/2015 reign and that makes me wonder who could take the title from him. My guess would be Samoa Joe, but that might be too good to be true. Other than that, save for a cash-in, there aren’t a lot of viable options, which isn’t too promising considering AJ has been feuding with Nakamura for three months now.

We recap Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women’s Title. Jax is unstoppable and Rousey is having her first singles match for the title. A few weeks back, Jax challenged Rousey and then turned heel out of annoyance over the attention Rousey has been receiving as of late.

Raw Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Ronda Rousey

Rousey is challenging and smiles all the way to the ring. Jax drives her into the corner for shoulders to the ribs to start and tosses Rousey across the ring for another splash. Another splash misses and Rousey punches her in the chest, only to get headbutted down. The Samoan drop is countered into an armbar and then a triangle, which is countered into a sitout powerbomb.

Rousey falls to the floor so Jax takes her outside for a swing into the barricade. Jax rams her head into the mat for two and it’s off to the bearhug, which Coach says allows Rousey to rest. Another Samoan drop gets two more but the legdrop misses. Rousey gets the armbar over the ropes and holds it until four, followed by a high crossbody (with Rousey looking like she’s not sure how she got up there) for two. A HARD knee to the face sets up a judo throw (nearly dropping Jax on her head) for another near fall. The armbar is loaded up….and here’s Bliss to hit Rousey with the briefcase for the DQ at 10:48.

Rating: C+. There are two ways to go here. Rousey’s selling was GREAT here and she looks like someone who could be a star for a long time, especially with how little time she’s had in the ring. The problem though is this felt like any given wrestler having a match, which takes away all of what’s special about her. Oh and thank goodness one of the briefcases seems like it’s going to be gone.

Bliss hits Jax with the briefcase, posts Rousey and hits her with the briefcase as well. More briefcase shots to Jax’s bad arm have the champ in trouble and we have a cash-in!

Raw Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss

Jax is defending. There’s the DDT and Twisted Bliss gives Bliss the title back at 18 seconds. I’ll take getting rid of a briefcase any way I can.

We recap the Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, which is just everyone saying they’ll climb to win because it’s so important.

Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe vs. Rusev vs. The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

Woods teases getting the spot but rips open his shirt to reveal KOFI written on his chest. Everyone goes after Strowman, which goes as well as you would expect it to. Strowman is left alone in the ring early on but everyone goes after him with ladders and then throw said ladders on him, which never really works but it looks good. Miz tries to use the distraction to go up but gets taken down by Joe.

Kofi comes back in with Trouble in Paradise until Owens makes a save. A superkick puts Kofi down and here’s Balor for a save of his own. Balor and Owens fight to the floor with Owens superkicking him onto the announcers’ table and loading up the big ladder. The frog splash will have to wait though as Owens has to stop Rusev, who gives him a fall away slam onto a ladder bridged against the ropes. Kofi comes back in with a springboard shot to the head but Balor dives onto everyone.

Strowman is back up and starts to wreck things until Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch. Owens superkicks him and loads up a big splash off a really high ladder. Strowman just gets up though and grabs Owens (Owens: “I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!”) for a huge toss through the table below. With Miz loading up a ladder in the ring, Strowman runs through a ladder (which was being held up and got broken in an awesome visual) and Roode/Balor at the same time to make the save.

Strowman goes up so Joe harpoons him with the ladder but Balor is back up this time around. Roode makes another save but here’s Kofi for another save. Rusev comes back in for a double stack Accolade, followed by an attempt at a triple stack with Miz included. Thankfully Joe is back in for a Koquina Clutch, which Rusev breaks in short order. Miz goes up and gets his hands on the ladder but it’s Kofi’s turn for a save.

Balor is back in with a Sling Blade on Roode and a Coup de Grace from the ladder on the floor crushes Roode back inside. Strowman is back in as well for the powerslams but Kofi springboards onto his back. Balor is climbing up the other side as Strowman climbs with Kofi going along for the ride. Strowman knocks them both off and wins at 19:45.

Rating: B. This was your Money in the Bank match with all of the big bumps and near wins with a bit of a surprise finish. I mean, we have to wait, oh, several months before Lesnar shows up or anything but that’s WWE for you. Strowman winning is a surprise but I have a bad feeling it’s going to be at least somewhat about Stephanie being pleased with Angle for bringing one of the briefcases to Raw. Nothing that hasn’t been done before, but Strowman destroying people was fun.

Overall Rating: B+. As usual, the show was quite good but it doesn’t validate the long, terrible build to get us here. One of the briefcases is already gone and there’s a good chance that we’ll see the other one gone by Summerslam when someone takes the title off of Lesnar. It was a good night, but my goodness I’m ready for something fresh after the last month plus of getting ready for this one night. If nothing else, no more of that stupid song.

Results

Daniel Bryan b. Big Cass – Heel hook

Bobby Lashley b. Sami Zayn – Delayed vertical suplex

Seth Rollins b. Elias – Rollup with a handful of tights

Alexa Bliss won Money in the Bank

Roman Reigns b. Jinder Mahal – Spear

Carmella b. Asuka – Superkick

AJ Styles b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Phenomenal Forearm through a table

Ronda Rousey b. Nia Jax via DQ when Alexa Bliss interfered

Alexa Bliss b. Nia Jax – Twisted Bliss

Braun Strowman won Money in the Bank

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

Money in the Bank 2018 Preview

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s finally, and I do mean FINALLY, here. After what feels like a thirty seven and a half year build, it’s finally time for Money in the Bank. Just like last year we have two ladder matches and just like most years, a majority of the people involved in the matches have no realistic chance of winning the briefcase. There are some other matches on the card as well though and hopefully the show is as entertaining as these have the potential to be. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Bludgeon Brothers(c) vs. Anderson and Gallows

We’re starting off with one of the most obvious endings on the card. Anderson and Gallows are former Tag Team Champions but haven’t really done much of late. Granted that might be due to WWE being unable to focus on much more than the champions and their #1 contenders at the same time, but what else can you expect from such a poor, helpless (and endless) creative team?

I’ll take the Bludgeon Brothers to retain of course, as there’s nothing going on with Anderson and Gallows while the champs are looking rather dominant. At this point I’m not sure who is actually going to take the titles from them as no one on the roster stands out. I do however know that it won’t be Anderson and Gallows, at least not for a long time. This is just going to be your usual ten minute Kickoff Show match with the champs retaining and that’s all it needs to be.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Carmella(c) vs. Asuka

Now on paper, this should be one of the squashiest squashes in the history of squashing. However, that’s not how WWE tends to roll and given how they’ve completely drained the energy from Asuka since WrestleMania alone, I’m not expecting her to get the title here. Throw in rumors of a certain chinless wonder returning to help Carmella and we have all the makings of one of the dumbest things that WWE could possibly do.

And unfortunately, that’s exactly what I expect them to do. I’ll take Carmella to retain with the help of James Ellsworth as Asuka loses her second singles match to someone who barely belongs in the same company as her, let alone the same ring. Carmella maybe a ball of energy, but after so many years of being undefeated, Asuka deserves something a lot better than losing to Carmella, who only has the title because of a match she won a year ago. They’re also likely to shout about how important the briefcase was and how it’s led Carmella to a win over Asuka, just in case the idea hasn’t been hammered in enough yet.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Elias

This one intrigues me as you really could go either way wit h the thing. On one hand, Rollins is on fire and capable of having a good match with anyone or anything right now. Elias on the other hand has a heat all his own and has taken one of the more classic concepts in wrestling (insulting the live crowd) and turned it into a near art form, making him one of the best villains on the entire show. If he had the in-ring abilities to back it up (and he’s not the worst by any stretch), he could be World Champion by next year.

I’ll take Rollins to retain here, but I can’t imagine he holds the title much longer. With Summerslam coming up in about two months, it’s going to be high time to move him up to the next level and that means giving him a shot at the Universal Title. I can’t imagine them having it be champion vs. champion (though it wouldn’t shock me) and having Rollins lose to someone significantly lower on the card than him would be a major hit to someone who has been on the kind of roll he’s on. Rollins retains here, but his days as champion are coming to a close.

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Cass

They wouldn’t would they? I know this company loves to set up trilogies for whatever reason but egads tell me they’re not going to have Bryan lose here to someone like Big Cass. I like Big Cass, but there’s no reason to have him go over Bryan. Again, with Summerslam coming up in the near future, Bryan needs to be geared up for a big match, perhaps against the Miz. Therefore, unless Miz is out there costing Bryan the match, I don’t want to see anything but Bryan winning by whatever means.

Therefore, in what I hope is a show of good faith proven right, I’ll take Bryan here, probably via the heel hook that they’ve been building up as a finisher. The long legs would be a perfect target and it’s not like Big Cass doesn’t have it coming to him. Bryan doesn’t need the win but a loss would be a pretty bad blow to him. The fact that I have to worry about WWE having Bryan take the loss here is rather sad, but that’s the WWE that we live in today. Bryan goes over, at least I hope.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon vs. Sasha Banks vs. Natalya vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Lana

Like I mentioned in the opening, there are various people who just aren’t going to win the ladder matches but have to be in there because Heaven forbid these things only have six people each. Therefore, you can write off Lana, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss and probably Becky Lynch. At the end of the day, they’re all coming into this cold and there’s no reason to believe they’re going to pull down the briefcase.

With the remaining names, I’ll go with what should feel obvious and take Natalya, who is likely coming after her new best friend Ronda Rousey. It’s one of those stories where WWE has beaten us over the head with their ideas of subtlety, leaving little doubt of what’s going to happen. Or they’ll give it to someone completely random like they did with Naomi at the Women’s Battle Royal back at WrestleMania. But yeah I’ll take Natalya, which takes us to our next match.

Raw Women’s Title: Nia Jax(c) vs. Ronda Rousey

Remember when Jax did that big speech about bullying and it sounded kind of ridiculous because she’s three times Bliss’ size and yet still took ten minutes to beat her both time? Remember how that seemed like something that would crush her momentum because it really didn’t work on any level? Well Jax is already back to mediocrity and now the only question is whether or not this show actually closes the show.

So yeah of course I’m going with Rousey to win here, and I think it might actually close the show. Well actually I think it ends with Natalya cashing in to take the title from her in all of ten seconds because Rousey isn’t used to wrestling and Natalya was just following the rules that Rousey didn’t know. That can set up the big rematch in Brooklyn, even if Natalya is one of the least interesting people you could possibly put the title on. Rousey should be fine, but this could go badly if she can’t handle someone of Jax’s size and lack of experience. But yeah, Rousey wins, as she should.

Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal

Let’s get this thing out of the way before I get buried by the booing from the crowd. I have no idea who the fans are going to go for here, but somehow it might wind up being Mahal, just because he’s not Reigns. What worries me more is that we might not be done seeing these two fight, meaning this is only going to be the first match in a series. But hey, if Reigns isn’t cheered here, maybe he can be cheered next time.

I’ll take Mahal to win here, likely through some form of shenanigans, which will set up a rematch at Extreme Rules which won’t be well received either. I’m really not sure what either of these two are expected to get out of a feud against each other but that’s what we’re stuck with. The more interesting thing here is going to be the crowd reactions though, as this match might even befuddle the Chicago fans. Either that or it’s going to be a new level of rejection and hatred, the latter of which is the more likely of the two.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

I know I’ve said this before, but Nakamura has to win the title here right? I mean, this is the fifth match these two have had against each other and there’s no reason for him to not get the belt already. This is a Last Man Standing match and that would seem to favor someone with a hard hitting finisher like the Kinshasa. Given how this story has been going though, it wouldn’t shock me if they went to a draw and we somehow got another match out of the thing.

With that being a possibility, I’ll hold out hope that Nakamura FINALLY wins the title here, as I can’t imagine how far he’ll fall if he goes 1-4 in the feud and never even wins the title. Styles has the longest reign with the title since Brock Lesnar’s reign that started when he beat John Cena at Summerslam 2014. The other problem is Styles being out of someone to fight, meaning it’s time to move the title on from him. Nakamura wins, as he should have done two months ago.

Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn

The worst part about the whole build to this match? It should actually be pretty good. These two are more than capable of having a good match and Zayn has been such a great heel in the whole thing. There’s only so much they can do with this kind of terrible material though and Lashley never seeming to get upset in the whole thing hasn’t done them any favors.

Of course Lashley is going to win here, because he needs to give Zayn what’s coming to him or whatever, even though the story has been such a mess that I’ve forgotten why they’re fighting in the first place. Lashley should be moving on to something bigger, but Zayn deserves a big run of his own. I’m sure he’s too small to count in WWE though, especially when you have someone Lashley’s size. In other words: this continues to be a big mess and it’s not likely to get much better after the match is over.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Roode vs. Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Xavier Woods/Big E/Kofi Kingston

The list of people involved in a match shouldn’t go on for three lines. That has to be a rule somewhere. Just like in the women’s version, there are some names here who aren’t going to win. Therefore, we can drop Roode, Balor, Rusev and whoever goes in from the New Day. I’d almost say Strowman is a stretch as well because they’ve built him up as too unbeatable to actually give him the win.

I’m going with Samoa Joe to win the briefcase. First of all, what’s the point in putting the briefcase on Monday Night Raw when they don’t actually have a World Champion most of the time? Samoa Joe comes off as the kind of guy who could be downright menacing with the thing and make himself out to be a real threat. Miz would be fun too, but I’ll go with Samoa Joe, just for the sake of really wanting to see him get the World Title which he’s deserved for so long.

Overall Thoughts

I’m not exactly thrilled with this show, though it has a tendency to be one of the more entertaining shows of the year. The problem is there’s only so much that you can get out of a show that had such a dull and boring build. The ladder matches are always worth a watch and there’s enough potential later on down the card to make it work out a little better. If the show is at least good, everything should be fine. Just not fine enough to warrant the excessively boring buildup.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

Main Event – June 14, 2018: Get It In While You Can

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 14, 2018
Location: Verizon Arena, Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the recap show for the final week before Money in the Bank and I’m really not sure what to think of something like that. This wasn’t the strongest week in WWE and that means it could go a few ways. There were more highlights this week than last but that’s not exactly a high bar to clear. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Titus Worldwide vs. Ascension

Titus and Viktor start things off with the loud chop in the corner rocking Viktor. It’s off to Konnor and Apollo with the pace actually picking up a bit. Konnor shoulders him down and we hit the chinlock so let’s talk about Ronda Rousey for some reason. Viktor comes back in for a chinlock of his own but Crews fights up and makes the hot tag off to Titus. Everything breaks down and the Clash of the Titus ends Viktor at 5:37.

Rating: D. So remember when the Ascension was part of the Breezango deal and that was cool for a few weeks? Well WWE certainly doesn’t as neither team has done anything of note for a long time. But hey, we get the B Team and the thrown together Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt team while the teams that did their entertaining stuff for months are forgotten again because….well….oh year we needed more of the Bar and various other teams we’ve done before.

From Raw.

Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya vs. Ember Moon vs. Sasha Banks

Bliss makes another entrance for whatever reason. Moon throws Bliss down with a fall away slam and Bliss backs into Banks. With Bliss sent into the barricade, Moon dropkicks Natalya down but gets rolled up by Banks for two. We get the Natalya vs. Banks showdown but Natalya’s knee is still banged up. Natalya gets taken down again and it’s Moon taking her place, only to be kicked away.

Sasha flips onto Natalya but Moon hits a SCARY suicide dive to drive Banks into the barricade. Bliss steals the near fall and we take a break. Back with Bliss clearing the ring and working on Natalya’s knee until Banks comes back in for some clotheslines. Moon is back in for some knees to the face but Bliss gives her a Code Red for two. The Meteora gives Banks the same and we go split screen for a Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax video. This show really is everything I can’t stand about modern WWE wrapped together.

Back to full screen with Twisted Bliss hitting knees as we take a break. We come back with Natalya breaking up the Bank Statement on Bliss but hurting her knee in the process. She’s fine enough to put Banks in the Sharpshooter until Moon makes the save with a superkick. The Eclipse drops Natalya but Bliss makes another save. Banks comes in and gets knocked out again, leaving Natalya to make Bliss tap to the Sharpshooter at 20:39.

Rating: C+. The match was the same batch of diving saves and near falls that they all are, which means it was at least entertaining. What it wasn’t though was meaningful in any way as this has nothing to do with giving you an advantage in a ladder match. Then again, that’s never stopped WWE before because they came up with this blueprint years ago and haven’t changed it a bit since.

Quick clip of the ten woman tag from Smackdown.

From Raw again.

Finn Balor vs. Bobby Roode vs. Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman clears the ring to start and we take an early break. Back with Strowman getting triple teamed and Owens asking who the monster is now. Strowman fights them off again as the announcers make their picks for Sunday. For some reason Owens tries a cheap shot on Strowman and then bails to the floor, which has gone so well for him with Strowman for months now. Strowman shrugs off Balor and Roode so he can chase Owens to the back. The chase doesn’t last long as Strowman throws him back through the entrance and it’s monster time.

Balor joins them on stage and gets sent into the set, leaving Strowman to load up the announcers’ table. Roode is back up with a ladder and some shots to the ribs have Strowman in trouble. They put Strowman on the table and Owens climbs a table for a big frog splash. Back from another break with Owens and Strowman down, leaving us with the not very thrilling Roode vs. Balor match.

Both guys go down so let’s hit that split screen Rousey vs. Jax ad. Balor kicks him out to the floor before hitting the Sling Blade back inside. Owens is back in to break up the Coup de Grace but Balor knocks him off the top. The required Tower of Doom puts everyone down and Strowman is on his feet. Roode and Balor get knocked down so Strowman catches Owens going into the crowd.

Back at ringside, the injured Strowman runs them all over but Balor manages to get some boots up in the corner. A top rope double stomp to back staggers Strowman again so he shoulders Balor down to get a breather. Roode and Owens get back together on Strowman until Owens rolls him Roode up for two. Balor hits the Sling Blade on Strowman and there’s the shotgun dropkick. There’s the Coup de Grace with Roode making the save because this just can’t end.

Roode hits the Glorious DDT on Strowman but Owens makes the save. Another frog splash gets two on Strowman so let’s bring in a ladder. Well if Owens could do this before, why did he wait so long? Strowman absorbs two shots to the ribs and chokeslams Owens (Owens: “I’M SORRY!”). The powerslam onto the ladder ends Owens at 25:57.

Rating: C-. The Balor vs. Roode part really hurt this but the bigger problem is the booking of Strowman. Looking at what happened to him in this match, why in the world would I believe that anyone can beat him in a singles match? Brock beat him clean but unless Lesnar returns from his spring and summer vacation early, there’s nothing for Strowman to do and with no one who could beat him (save for Roman of course), we’re stuck sitting around waiting on something for Strowman to find something to do or for him to cool off. What a great way to use a guy who only gets over like this every few years at best.

Quick clip of Samoa Joe vs. Rusev from Smackdown.

Mojo Rawley vs. Chad Gable

Rawley easily shoves him into the corner but Chad does a lot better with a wrist crank to take Rawley to the mat. An armdrag into an armbar keeps Rawley in trouble and the flying headscissors puts him down again. With the wrestling not working, Rawley plows through Gable to take over for the first time.

A whip into the corner gets two and we hit the chinlock. Gable fights up and dropkicks him to the floor but Rawley catches a high crossbody back inside. The fireman’s carry faceplant gives Rawley two so he flapjacks Gable face first into the buckle. The running right hand to the face in the corner puts Gable away at 6:24.

Rating: D+. Rawley is coming off as the new King of Main Event and that’s….not exactly a great place to be in. He’s getting better in the ring but egads he needs a better finisher than a running right hand in the corner. Gable on the other hand is just kind of floating around at the moment because there’s no place for an Olympic wrestler with talking abilities in WWE.

We’ll wrap it up here.

Here’s Coach to moderate a face to face showdown between Rousey and Jax (the second time since the match was announced). Nia says they’re both elite athletes and she’s purposely pushed Rousey’s buttons over the last few weeks. Rousey has a lot of great things about her but she’s still very new in WWE. Her success came from outside of WWE and there are some different rules around here. Nia lists off some things in MMA that you can’t do around here and promises a demonstration on Sunday. Rousey says she improvises and on Sunday she’ll improvise Nia’s arm off.

Nia points out that Rousey’s one match was against a businesswoman who competes part time (and HHH, who Stephanie has apparently absorbed) and it’s clear that Nia isn’t ready. That’s too much for Rousey, who lists off all the times where she’s been told she wasn’t ready and all the times she’s proven them wrong. Rousey: “I am Ronda Rousey and I was born ready.”

Nia stands up and has her punch blocked but a headbutt puts Rousey down. Rousey pulls her down for the armbar attempt and eventually makes her tap…for a bell? Anyway, good of them to confirm that Rousey can put the armbar on Jax after we saw her put it on the bigger and stronger HHH.

Overall Rating: D. So Smackdown, the much better show this week, is relegated to a bunch of clips while the boring Raw gets several featured segments. I’m guessing they’re trying to get in everything they can until the FOX deal makes Smackdown the major show by default but egads at least pretend like Smackdown matters. Or at least pretend that your horrible Raw show wasn’t all that great. You know, because it really wasn’t.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

Monday Night Raw – April 23, 2018: Not A GooThe Greatest Royal Rumble Is Friday!d Show

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 23, 2018
Location: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Booker T.

It’s both a new night for the roster as well as a go home show because April has to be the most packed month of all time. In this case we have the first night under the new roster after last week’s Superstar Shakeup, where your mileage may vary on how good of a thing that is. At the same time it’s the go home show for the Greatest Royal Rumble. Let’s get to it.

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

In memory of Bruno Sammartino.

The roster is on the stage in Bruno shirts for the ten bell salute.

We get the Bruno tribute video with a who’s who of people talking about how important he was and what he meant to so many generations. He was before most modern fans’ time and I don’t think we can really appreciate how big of a star he was. Sammartino was the World Champion and that’s how he’ll be remembered. Outstanding stuff here, as usual with these tributes, and they treated him like the legend they should have.

Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to open things up. After a break, Heyman introduces himself for the man who is STILL the reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar. Heyman knows fans think he’s here to gloat, just like they were when they broke the Streak or when they took John Cena to Suplex (repeated 14 times) City.

When it comes to Lesnar, this is real, and no one in the locker room or the crowd has a chance. Heyman delivers spoilers because Lesnar doesn’t gloat. However, Heyman can gloat all night long. He talks about the un-PG elbows to Reigns’ head and the multiple F5’s, but none of this matters to Lesnar. This Friday, Lesnar, who is dying to be in a UFC cage, will be flying across the world to be locked in a cage with Roman Reigns.

A small ROMAN chant breaks out before Heyman talks about Brock’s new contract. Lesnar wanted a fight inside a cage and now the odds are stacked against Reigns even more than before. Reigns will be coming back home in multiple boxes as another victim, but here’s Reigns to interrupt. Reigns says he’s coming home with the title and that’s it. I’m still not sure what to expect over there, but they’re booking themselves in a necessary title change at this rate.

We get some tweets of people paying respect to Bruno.

Bobby Roode vs. Elias

Roode cuts Elias off after only a mention of his name, which should make him a full on heel. Elias gets knocked around early but avoids the Blockbuster with Roode banging up his knee on the landing. An armbar gives the knee a chance to rest and the threat of a Glorious DDT sends Elias bailing to the floor.

Back from a break with Roode firing off some chops until Elias sends him into the post. We hit the neck crank and here’s an inset ad for Undertaker vs. Rusev at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Egads man you talk about it all night and do a regular commercial and NOW THIS? Good grief the Saturday morning Memphis shows had fewer show advertisements. We hit the chinlock for a bit until Roode fights up with some clotheslines and a sunset flip for two. The Blockbuster drops Elias but he bails to the floor. Roode throws him back in but Elias rams him shoulder first into the ropes and gets the pin at 11:48.

Rating: D+. I still have no idea why Roode isn’t a heel. Outside of his entrance being popular, everything about him screams heel but this is what we’re getting at the time. It’s certainly surprising to see Roode lose, but if it leads to a heel turn then I’m all good. I do like Elias getting a win though as he’s still being well protected (Braun feud excluded).

Bray and Matt laugh a lot and say run.

Bray Wyatt/Matt Hardy vs. Ascension

Corey explains Bray’s transformation and Cole is just lost. Viktor locks up with Matt to start and cartwheels away, which Matt declares WONDERFUL with a round of applause. It’s off to Bray who can’t Rock Bottom Viktor but can clothesline Konnor. Matt gets taken down and a fist drop gets two as the announcers explain the Tag Team Title situation. Graves to Cole: “You’re ok with a ten year old winning the Tag Team Championships but the Hardy Compound is weird?” It’s back to Bray for the running crossbody and a corner splash, followed by the Side Effect for two on Viktor. The elevated Twist of Fate puts Viktor away at 3:45.

Rating: D. This is the kind of match that Bray and Matt needed as they go into the title match. There’s no reason to have them lose in Saudi Arabia so a win here is a good idea. Let them build up at least a little momentum before they go on to face a good team, even if this was only a step above a squash.

More Tweets on Bruno.

Here are Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the Sami and Kevin Show. They hype up the Greatest Royal Rumble and say it’s great because one of them will win it. They’re here tonight because of Stephanie McMahon was smarter than their first guest, which means Sami and Kevin singing YOU SUCK.

Cue Angle to say that they shouldn’t quit their day jobs. Owens understands Angle’s bitterness as Stephanie has his manhood in a jar in Connecticut. They recap the conspiracy on Smackdown and say that Stephanie must hate Angle for what she’s done to him. Angle agrees, because if not for him then Stephanie would still have full use of her arm. Owens talks about Angle needing this job because he has five kids. Actually it’s six because Sami forgot Jason Jordan “just like Angle did for years.”

Angle warns them about the beating they’ll be receiving on Friday when they’re in the ring with him, Daniel Bryan, Shane McMahon, Chris Jericho and everyone else they’ve treated badly over the years. As for tonight, they can have a tag match with Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman. Can we please not do the Stephanie vs. Angle story again? It wasn’t great the first time.

The Miztourage offer their services to Seth Rollins but get shot down.

Greatest Royal Rumble rundown.

Titus Worldwide vs. Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre

Titus runs Ziggler over to start and a standing moonsault gives Crews two. A blind tag lets McIntyre kick him in the face though and Drew hits a reverse Alabama Slam to rock Apollo. The Claymore into the Zig Zag is good for the pin at 2:10.

Post match Ziggler brags about having a dangerous man watching his back. Drew says Ziggler is right because he’s dangerous to a soft locker room. People are just back there collecting checks and it makes him sick. This is how a superstar looks and speaks because he’s the wake up call and reality check that this place needs. Again: let Drew be a star on his own without Ziggler around. It doesn’t benefit anyone but Dolph, who will manage to let everyone down.

Chad Gable comes in to see Angle and asks about Jason Jordan. Angle says he’ll be back soon but Gable is here as a singles competitor. Jinder Mahal comes in and complains about not receiving a celebrating last week. He demands to be sent back to Smackdown and threatens to call Stephanie. Gable tells him to have some respect but Jinder thinks he’s Nicholas. It’s about to get physical so Angle makes a match right now.

Jinder Mahal vs. Chad Gable

Jinder jumps him before the bell and the referee starts the match anyway. Mahal hammers away but gets sent outside, where a hard clothesline drops Chad to send us to a break. Back with Gable in a chinlock until Mahal sends him chest first into the buckle. Gable fights up and starts in on the leg with a dragon screw legwhip, only to get caught with a hot shot. A running knee to the face rocks Gable again and the Khallas is loaded up. Gable walks the ropes though and flips back into a rollup for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: D+. That’s a good idea for a win, even if Mahal is getting a title shot on Friday. Gable has more personality than Mahal could ever hope to and with an Olympic wrestling background to go with it, there’s a lot of potential there. Mahal was trying here but my goodness the levels of boring are just too much to overcome.

The Riott Squad says last week was a message to the entire women’s division. They’re here to take over and Logan says a scared animal is easy prey. Riott promises to take over in the ten woman tag tonight. This was pretty rough.

More Bruno tweets.

We look at the Lesnar/Heyman/Reigns segment.

Samoa Joe has no problem with Reigns winning the title but he’s worried he won’t have anyone to put to sleep at Backlash.

We run down the rest of the Rumble card.

The Miztourage, in new shirts, offers their services to Finn Balor but their TOO SWEET offer is declined.

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman/Bobby Lashley

Sami and Owens try to bail but Strowman throws them back in without too much trouble. Lashley forearms Owens down in the corner but it’s off to Sami for some right hands to take over. A suplex gives Sami two and the double teaming begins. Owens is sent outside and Lashley gets two off a crossbody but Owens pulls him to the floor. We hit a backsplash and it’s off to a break.

Back with Lashley fighting out of Sami’s chinlock and dropping him with a clothesline. That’s enough for the hot tag to Strowman, who runs around the ring and shoulders Owens down. Sami gets taken down as well so Strowman goes outside to run Owens over again, just as he gets up. Strowman does it a third time, this time with a dropkick as the fans are going insane for this stuff. That’s enough for Sami as he bails up the ramp, only to be thrown back inside by Lashley. There’s the delayed suplex to Sami (one arm version), followed by the running powerslam from Strowman for the pin at 12:03.

Rating: C. This might not have been a great match but it was entertaining. Strowman running Owens over three times in a row was making me laugh and Sami being tossed around like a toy was great. Strowman and Lashley could make for a very entertaining monster team and I could go with seeing more of them in the future.

Owens hasn’t moved since taking that dropkick in a funny visual.

Video on Baron Corbin.

Baron Corbin vs. No Way Jose

The Conga line is back. Actually hang on a second as Corbin isn’t coming to the ring with all of those people at ringside because he’s not going to get jumped. Corbin is here for serious competition but Jose isn’t on his level. Therefore, no way Jose. Corbin leaves so Jose starts the Conga line again, only to get jumped by Corbin on the stage, including the chokebreaker.

Alexa Bliss gives a public service announcement about bullying over Nia Jax. Apparently Nia ate the rest of a burrito bowl that Bliss was trying to give to a homeless woman but Alexa did nothing. She can make things right at Backlash when she gets the title back. This has been your Moment of Bliss.

Finn Balor/Seth Rollins vs. Miztourage

Axel runs Balor over to start and does a little dance before it’s off to Dallas for some knees. The chinlock goes on in a hurry but Balor is right back with a Pele for a breather. The hot tag brings in Rollins to clean house, including a suicide dive to take them both out. There’s the Sling Blade to Axel and it’s a Stomp into the Coup de Grace for the pin at 4:56.

Rating: D+. That felt so much shorter. I’m not sure what they’ll do with the Intercontinental Title as I can’t quite imagine Rollins making it through both title defenses without dropping it somewhere. If nothing else, Miz can tie the record for the most title reigns and move even closer to the record for most days. Either way, it would be nice to get on to something different from the Wrestlemania feuds.

Natalya fires her team up for the ten woman tag. Nia says that insulting her can be bad for your health. Bayley and Sasha stare at each other without saying anything.

More Bruno tweets.

Alexa Bliss/Mickie James/Riott Squad vs. Nia Jax/Natalya/Sasha Banks/Ember Moon/Bayley

Logan takes Banks to the mat to start and it’s off to Sasha vs. Morgan. Banks pulls her into the corner and hands it off to Ember as Booker talks about training Moon. A springboard spinning crossbody gets two and one heck of a suicide dive takes Morgan out as we take a break. Back with Logan chinlocking Banks but Mickie tags herself in, much to Logan’s annoyance.

That means another chinlock so let’s hit that inset promo for Reigns vs. Lesnar (I mean, it’s not like these people are going to the show or anything so giving their time to someone else is totally cool). Back again with Banks fighting up and bringing Natalya in to clean house. The Sharpshooter goes on but Logan makes the save with a chop block. She tags Bayley in but Mickie kicks the injured Natalya to the floor.

Her knee is bad enough that the trainers come out and Sasha checks on her as well. Bayley fights Riott off and the hot tag brings in Nia to wreck some people. Nia DIVES off the apron to take everyone out, leaving Mickie to baseball slide Natalya again. Trash talk ensues and here’s Ronda Rousey to defend her friend. Mickie baseball slides Ronda as well and the armbar makes Mickie tap for the DQ at 14:15 before I can finish typing this. Remember: Mickie James, a six time Women’s Champion and future Hall of Famer, was tapped out in seconds by the armbar. Stephanie McMahon blocked it three times.

Rating: D. Nia’s dive was good and the ending was fairly telegraphed (and fine) since Rousey getting into the regular division is a good idea. The rest of the match wasn’t much to see, especially with the inset promo about thirty seconds after the return from a commercial. I really hope that’s just a thing for this show and Wrestlemania, because we hear enough ads during the show, let alone during the matches.

Rousey helps Natalya to the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as they really pushed the Rumble too hard. I don’t know if they even pushed Wrestlemania this much in the go home show and that’s a little hard to take. If nothing else, get rid of the ads during the matches. Other than that though, this was a lot of setting things up going forward, which has me worried about Backlash. I believe we have three matches set at the moment and three TV shows left before we get there. But hey, at least we get the REALLY big house show before we get a worn out roster on Monday and Tuesday. Not a very good show this week.

Results

Elias b. Bobby Roode – Rollup

Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt b. Ascension – Elevated Twist of ate to Viktor

Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre b. Titus Worldwide – Claymore/Zig Zag combination to Crews

Chad Gable b. Jinder Mahal – Rollup

Braun Strowman/Bobby Lashley b. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens – Running powerslam to Zayn

Finn Balor/Seth Rollins b. Miztourage – Coup de Grace to Dallas

Alexa Bliss/Mickie James/Riott Squad b. Nia Jax/Natalya/Ember Moon/Bayley/Sasha Banks via DQ when Ronda Rousey interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

Main Event – April 12, 2018: The Best Of The Three

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: April 12, 2018
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s been a busy week so it’s time for something a little bit easier to watch. This time around we’ll have a lot of Wrestlemania to recap but odds are it’s going to be focusing on the fallout editions of Raw and Smackdown. Throw in some cruiserweights with the good guys winning and let’s get to it.

Here’s Wrestlemania if you need a recap.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the Titantron on my right and the hard cameras across the arena.

Opening sequence.

Percy Watson is on commentary. THIS SHOW DOES NOT NEED THREE ANNOUNCERS!

Mark Andrews vs. Tony Nese

Nese starts in with the power, including a knee to the ribs. Andrews sends him outside for a middle rope moonsault to take over, only to get powered right back down. We hit the torture rack for a few moments until Andrews slips out and starts the sticking and moving. The 619 to the ribs sets up a sitout bulldog for two and Nese is rocked. Andrews stays on the ribs with a double stomp and the shooting star is good for the fast pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. Not bad at all for such a fast match. Andrews is someone who impresses me more and more every time I see him. He’s very small but they’ve developed something of a character for him and that’s a lot more than I ever would have guessed. Oh and his theme song is kind of awesome.

Quick look at Jeff Hardy returning on Raw.

From Raw.

Jeff Hardy/Finn Balor/Seth Rollins vs. Miz/Miztourage

Before Finn’s entrance, the production crew replaced a piece of the stage, which I thought would be a Rey Mysterio entrance but turned out to just be for the smoke in Balor’s entrance. Miz and Rollins start but let’s hand it off to Axel instead. Rollins kicks both lackeys in the face and it’s off to Jeff for some Poetry in Motion to Axel and Dallas. Finn and Seth play decent Matt’s actually.

Back from a break with Balor coming in and forearming all three villains. Miz offers a distraction though and Dallas decks Balor from behind. Now Miz is glad to come in with a chinlock, followed by the Hennig necksnap from Axel. Dallas drops some knees and grabs a chinlock of his own as we’re not exactly setting any new standards here (as they shouldn’t be here). Balor finally dropkicks Miz down and the hot tag brings in Jeff to clean house.

A Whisper in the Wind takes down the Miztourage as you can see Rollins getting all charged up on the apron. The diving tag brings in Seth with a springboard clothesline to Miz. Rollins suicide dives onto all three of them for a big crash and we hit a BURN IT DOWN chant. Back in and the superplex into the Falcon Arrow (Cole: “Tonight he hits it!” He hit it last night too.) gets two on Miz with Dallas making the save. Finn dives onto Axel and Dallas and the Stomp finishes Miz at 13:56.

Rating: C+. This was just an easy way to end the show and that’s all it needed to be. I would have had Jeff come out later in the night, but that would have meant the lack of the Matt segment so it balances out. Rollins pinning Miz again is fine, especially with the title match already being set. It’s not like Miz is going to be damaged by a loss in a six man tag so this was fine all around.

Post match Dallas takes a Twist of Fate, Coup de Grace, Swanton and Stomp. Axel gets a similar treatment and a Stomp to Miz ends the show.

From Raw again.

Here’s Roman Reigns for a chat. He took a beating last night but he’s here while Brock Lesnar isn’t. When he got to the Superdome yesterday, no one could look him in the eye. As of this past Wednesday, Lesnar was done and going to the UFC. Now though they have another match in a cage in Saudi Arabia later this month. That means Reigns can win the title there in a match he found out about on the internet. This brings out Samoa Joe to say Reigns exposed Lesnar last night.

For over a year, Reigns has been saying he’s the only one who can beat Lesnar. It doesn’t matter who couldn’t look at Roman because he’s a failure. It also makes him a liar because he can’t beat Brock Lesnar. Every time the Beast meets the Big Dog, the Big Dog gets conquered. After Lesnar makes Reigns fail again, Samoa Joe will be waiting at Backlash to put him to sleep. As usual, Joe was great here with the commanding voice and fire in his eyes. Joe as the new #1 contender could do some great things, especially if he eventually wins the title.

Quick package on the debuts from this week.

Lucha House Party vs. TJP/Jack Gallagher/Ariya Daivari

Daivari hammerlocks Dorado to start but gets hurricanranaed and dropkicked for his efforts. A double tag brings in Gallagher and Dorado for the pinfall reversal sequence and Dorado falls forward into a splash. Lince grabs an arm and Kalisto does the same, allowing them to throw Gallagher down in a heap. That’s rather ungentlemanly of them. Daivari offers a distraction though and Jack pulls Kalisto off the ropes for a crash.

Back from a break with Gallagher cranking Kalisto’s arm back ala Pentagon Dark and bringing Daivari in for a double suplex. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Davari misses the top rope splash. The hot tag brings in Metalik for rope walking into a headscissors. Everything breaks down and it’s a double Golden Rewind to Gallagher and Daivari. Something like a reverse Sling Blade drops TJP and the rope walk elbow ends TJP at 10:24.

Rating: C. Went a little longer than it needed to but the Lucha House Party guys are always worth taking a look at. I’m a little annoyed at the depushing of TJP and Gallagher but anything that involves seeing Daivari getting beaten up with worth some time. The guy is so uninteresting that it’s the only fun part about having him around.

From Raw again.

Here’s Stephanie McMahon, walking very slowly and with her arm in a cast after last night, to open the show. Cole talks about how Ronda Rousey’s debut may be the best debut in Wrestlemania history. Does that mean the best wrestler to debut at Wrestlemania (As in she’s better than Fandango and Baron Corbin? Or the best ever first match at Wrestlemania? I’m thinking someone else has probably done it better before. Stephanie talks about the post Wrestlemania crowd having an international flavor (Is that an insult?) but she expected at least SOME sympathy.

She did tap out last night but the fans have to admit that one woman did everything she could last night and made the transition. Yes Stephanie did make that transition and was amazing so she deserves all the praise. This brings out Rousey to a very nice reception (which she earned) and even Stephanie gives her credit for last night. Rousey is a role model and a superstar and with Stephanie guiding her, they can reach new heights. The fans tell Stephanie to shut the F up so Stephanie calls Rousey her friend….and offers a handshake.

Now if you don’t know where this is going and yeah I’m not even going to finish that. Rousey hugs her and smiles before shifting to the death stare. Stephanie gets taken down by the bad arm and Rousey takes the brace off to crank it back all over again. Referees run in for the late save and Rousey is all smiles. She’s getting better at the facial expressions and really does come off like a star. Medics come out to check on Stephanie and the fans tell her that she deserves it. As she’s leaving, JoJo asks for a little respect for Stephanie. I was hoping that made the broadcast because it made me laugh in my seat.

My issues with Stephanie are fairly well known but I LOVED this. The key to Stephanie is her being in on the joke and that doesn’t happen very often. This time she was in full on obnoxious heel mode but with a bit of a wink to the camera that she knew she was about to be destroyed. That made this workable because she was FINALLY getting what was coming to her. I know you can’t have it happen all the time, but once a year isn’t quite often enough.

Quick look at Paige being announced as the new Smackdown GM.

And from Smackdown.

AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan

Non-title. AJ takes him to the mat to start and it’s an early standoff. A shoulder block works a bit better and things speed up. Bryan fights out of a test of strength and starts in on the arm with the hard kicks. It’s off to a hammerlock with Bryan bending the arm in a variety of unnatural manners. AJ fights up and it’s the drop down into the dropkick as the fans aren’t sure who they like more. The slingshot forearm to the floor drops Bryan again and we take a break.

Back (after Bryan misses a Swan Dive in the break) with Bryan hitting the running clothesline to set up the YES Kicks. AJ counters the big one with the dragon screw legwhip but Bryan moonsaults over him in the corner. That’s fine with AJ, who moonsaults over him right into the reverse DDT to drop Bryan for two. The Phenomenal Blitz is reversed into a cross armbreaker but AJ rolls over for the break.

Instead it’s the Calf Crusher to work on Bryan’s bad knee but Bryan reverses that into the YES Lock, which is reversed into a rollup for two. A hard clothesline gives AJ two and they’re both winded. Bryan is back up with some hard kicks and it’s time to load up the running knee.

Thankfully AJ is smart enough to realize that the YES chants mean something is coming and he ducks the knee, only to get pulled into the YES Lock. Dang Bryan will get you one way or another. AJ gets the rope so Bryan puts him in the Tree of Woe for more kicks. A belly to back superplex is reversed into a crossbody….and here’s Nakamura to knee Bryan in the head for the DQ at 12:42.

Rating: B. This was getting somewhere but the ending was the right call. Bryan vs. Styles could be a major pay per view match and there’s no reason to throw away a clean finish on a regular TV match. They were starting to really turn this into something good as both guys were cranking it up. I was liking this more than Styles vs. Nakamura from Wrestlemania so there’s hope for something better in the future.

Post match Nakamura abuses Styles’ groin and hits Kinshasa to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a great way to look at the biggest week in WWE in the span of about forty five minutes. The wrestling wasn’t great but this is a great example of that not being the point. I’ve seen some of this stuff three times now and this might have been the most entertaining presentation. Just get us in and get us out and show us the good stuff. That’s Main Event in a nutshell and it worked here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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