This week with underused wrestlers, a lot of AJ Styles, defending Roman Reigns, Shelton Benjamin and a recommendation. As always, make sure to watch the videos!
https://wrestlingrumors.net/ask-wrestling-rumors-week-5-july-7-2018/
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: July 5, 2018
Location: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Vic Joseph
Oh come on already. Do I really need to watch Monday Night Raw all over again? Anything related with that show is going to be a chore at this point but that’s what we have to work with here. Well that and the Smackdown stuff which was perfectly watchable, although not exactly great. In other words I’m not sure what to expect here but it might not be the best thing in the world. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Ascension vs. Heath Slater/Rhyno
The ECW chants start up but switch to HE’S GOT KIDS in a hurry. Viktor can’t do anything with Slater so it’s off to Rhyno vs. Konnor for a power battle. A flying shoulder puts Konnor down but Rhyno charges into the buckle to put him in trouble. The fans get behind Rhyno but Konnor’s running splash into Viktor’s jumping knee doesn’t make things much better. The belly to belly gives Rhyno a breather and it’s back to Slater off the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Rhyno is sent to the floor, leaving Slater to take the Fall of Man for the pin at 5:07.
Rating: D. Just a Main Event match, but that’s the first time Ascension has won a match since February 7, 2017 in a twelve person tag. It’s their first two on two tag win since Superstars in February 2016. That’s getting up there in Curt Hawkins territory and I have no idea why they weren’t given at least a mini push at some point. Make them a one off challengers for the titles or something but don’t let them sit around doing nothing. What’s the point of calling them up in the first place?
From Raw.
Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre
Ziggler and Rollins start with an early cradle getting two on Seth. Another rollup gets the same so Seth dropkicks him into the corner. Drew comes in to run Rollins over and a shove by the throat puts him down again. It’s off to Reigns who is powered into the corner so Drew can punch him in the head.
The Samoan drop is broken up and McIntyre runs Reigns over again. A superkick gives Ziggler two but one heck of a right hand knocks him out of the air. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Rollins as the pace picks up. A suicide dive hits McIntyre and an apron kick into the frog splash gets two with McIntyre diving in for the save. Rollins and Ziggler exchange rollups until Dolph is sent to the floor.
That means a dive off the post to both villains and we take a break because the match needs to keep going instead of going home after a hot ten minutes. Back with Rollins fighting out of Ziggler’s sleeper and sending him into the corner. McIntyre is right around the other side to pull Reigns off and break up the hot tag, so Rollins kicks him in the face. Now it’s time for the hot tag but the Revival pulls Reigns off the apron for the DQ at 15:49.
Rating: C+. Good match here and they got the ending right. You don’t want the champ, McIntyre or Rollins taking a fall here and Reigns isn’t going to lose so the DQ is as good of an idea as you can get. This was starting to rock before the break and would have been great if they just wrapped it up there but I’ll take what I can get.
Post match the Revival beats Reigns down as Rollins takes the Claymore/Zig Zag combo. Reigns takes a Shatter Machine for a bonus.
From Raw again.
Revival vs. Bobby Lashley/Roman Reigns
Reigns and Dawson start things off with Roman powering him into the corner. Dawson takes a breather on the floor and Reigns refuses to tag Lashley in. Back in and Dawson punches away at Reigns’ ribs, which were banged up earlier tonight. Some stomps set up a bodyscissors to keep Reigns in trouble as he can’t get anything going.
A gutbuster gives Wilder two and another shot to the ribs cuts off Reigns’ comeback. There’s a hard whip into the corner to cut Dawson off but Reigns still won’t tag. Instead it’s Lashley coming in without a tag for a pair of spinebusters but Reigns shakes off the offer of a tag. Revival unloads on him in the corner and that’s a DQ at 7:11.
Rating: C. It was much more about the angle than the match but I’ll take the Revival not looking like a pair of losers for a change. I could go for a lot more of the Revival, but that just doesn’t seem to be in the cards around here. Reigns vs. Lashley should be fine and if they make Revival look a little more valuable in the process, so be it.
Post match Lashley walks away while Reigns takes another Shatter Machine and a top rope splash. Fans: “ONE MORE TIME!”
From Smackdown.
Usos vs. HELL NO
If the Usos win, they’re added to the Tag Team Title match at Extreme Rules. Bryan drop toeholds Jimmy down to start and puts on the surfboard. A corner dropkick seems to wake Jimmy up for some reason so it’s off to Jey, who gets dropkicked as well. Kane comes in and misses an elbow but shoves both twins over the top at once. They pull Kane out with them though and it’s back to back dives to drop Bryan and Kane as we take a break.
Back with Bryan speeding up things up and hitting another running dropkick on Jey in the corner. There’s a super hurricanrana and the YES Kicks have Jey in even more trouble. The Usos finally get their stuff together and take Bryan down with Jimmy stomping away in the corner. A backbreaker/middle rope chop combination gets two and the Usos make a wish on Bryan’s legs.
Back up and a double clothesline allows the hot tag to Kane but he’s kicked to the floor without much effort. Jey charges into an uppercut but it’s time for the superkicks. Back to back double superkicks put Bryan down and get two on Kane and it’s time to go up. The Double Us is caught by the throat, allowing Bryan to knee Jey down and Kane to chokeslam Jimmy for the pin at 12:38.
Rating: C. Kane looked REALLY bad here, barely able to move and not doing much of anything other than being knocked back a few steps and signature stuff. The guy is 50 years old and barely even wrestles part time anymore, but his talking and character stuff is still more than enough reason to have him around. Bryan worked most of the match and was his usual self, but the important thing was they got the finish right.
Bryan and Kane do the YES pose and hug, only to be cut off by the Bludgeon Brothers. A big staredown ends the show.
Quick look at Rusev attacking AJ Styles on Smackdown.
Jinder Mahal vs. Zack Ryder
Mahal works the arm to start but walks into a dropkick to put him on the floor. Back in and Ryder’s backslide gets two but Mahal kicks him in the face. A faceplant and corner forearm look to set up the Broski Boot, the threat of which sends Mahal bailing to the floor as we take a break. Back with Mahal choking in the corner and grabbing a chinlock. Mahal’s suplex gets two and it’s right back to the chinlock. Ryder fights up with the usual, including the middle rope dropkick. A Sunil Singh distraction breaks up the Broski Boot and the Khallas gives Mahal the pin at 10:13.
Rating: D. I’m not sure why it took over a year for WWE to figure out but this is pretty much Mahal’s comfort zone: boring matches against lower level competition with no chance of elevation. He’s just not that good and having him in a prominent position on television doesn’t work for anyone but him. I’m hoping the experiment is over, just for the sake of my sanity.
We look at Braun Strowman wrecking Kevin Owens’ car.
From Raw.
Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman
Owens gets shoved down, rolls outside and runs away for the countout at 51 seconds.
Strowman gives chase so Owens runs into his car, only to not have his keys. Instead, he hides in a well placed portable toilet as Strowman arrives. The fans try to tell Strowman where Owens is as Strowman looks into the car window. He teases going back inside but puts the pieces together. Using a falsetto voice, Strowman asks if anyone is in there and Owens gives himself away.
Strowman wraps duct tape around the thing to seal Owens inside before dragging the toilet and Owens back into the building. We watch as Strowman drags him all the way back into the arena (which takes a good few minutes) and up onto the stage. Of course it’s knocked off the stage and Owens emerges covered in blue liquid. If you listen carefully, you can hear Vince dying with laughter about Owens being “COVERED IN BLUE STUFF” for the next five hours to end the show.
Overall Rating: D-. Oh now you knew they were showing the whole ending to Raw here. For them that’s comedy gold and while I have no idea how that can be seen as the best idea, there’s a good chance that we’re going to be hearing about it more over the next few weeks. This was a dreadful show after a dreadful Raw with even the clipped version not being worth seeing.
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:
IMG Credit: WWE
Smackdown
Date: July 3, 2018
Location: Century Link Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
We’re less than two weeks away from Extreme Rules and the top story around here is the reunion of Daniel Bryan and Kane, who got back together last week and are already receiving Tag Team Title shot at the pay per view. Other than that we’re getting closer to Rusev Day where Rusev might win the WWE Championship. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
We open with a recap of Kane returning to help Bryan last week. You know what we haven’t opened with either tonight or last night? An In Memory Of Matt Cappotelli graphic. Couple that with the lack of a Vader tribute video (on TV at least, as they did have one on YouTube) and WWE is really slacking in this area as of late.
Renee Young brings out Kane and Bryan for a chat. Bryan says the team is unstoppable and Kane mentions some of the things they’ve had to do over the years. Kane says they’ve always been friends…but Bryan actually brings up their bad history together, including that time Kane tried to end his career and kidnap Brie Bella. Kane: “Yeah…..TRIED!” They get into the required YES/NO argument and here are the Usos to cut them off. Jey: “Hey what up Kane!”
Jey goes over some more of the team’s history but doesn’t think they should be getting a title shot. They get a title shot because they’re out here HUGGING? The Usos hug four times so they should get four title matches. The challenge is thrown out but Kane says they need to consider this as a team. Bryan doesn’t think much of this because Kane still thinks he’s the weak link. Cue Paige to confirm the Bryan and Kane will get the shot at the “Smackd” (yes Smack D, minus the own at the end) titles. Tonight though they’re facing the Usos, who will be added to the title match if they win.
Jeff Hardy explains why bald eagles are cool and has a US Open Challenge tonight.
Asuka is ready to beat up James Ellsworth tonight.
US Title: Jeff Hardy vs. ???
Hardy is defending against….The Miz, and thankfully they actually mention Miz beating Hardy in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. I’m rather surprised and pleased. A sitout jawbreaker has Miz in early trouble but it’s too early for the Twist of Fate. Miz bails from the threat of a Swanton and we take a break.
Back with Jeff fighting out of a chinlock but getting kicked down for two. That gets several replays before Jeff fights back with some of his usual, including a forearm and the legdrop between the legs. Some right hands send Miz outside but a missed charge into the barricade takes us to a second break after only being back for a few minutes.
Back again with Jeff hitting a spinning kick to the chest but favoring his leg, which Miz worked on during the break. Miz hits the running corner clothesline but misses a top rope ax handle, allowing Jeff to score with the Whisper in the Wind for two. A rollup with feet on the ropes gives Miz the same so he gets in an argument with the referee, allowing Jeff to hit the Twisting Stunner and a Swanton to retain at 16:25.
Rating: B-. The rapid fire commercials didn’t do this many favors but the match worked well enough, especially when Miz didn’t have much of a chance to win the title. It’s pretty clear that Shinsuke Nakamura is getting the title as soon as his leg heals up, which very well may be at Extreme Rules. That being said, I do like the idea of the title being defended more regularly.
Extreme Rules rundown. Two gimmick matches (an Iron Man match and an Extreme Rules match) aren’t exactly enough to live up to the show’s name.
James Ellsworth is posting in front of a mirror and promises to show that men are the superior gender.
Byron Saxton is in the ring, wearing a straw hat for….oh holy sweet goodness….the Third of July Pancake Eating Contest. The participants (of course New Day) all get introductions, including a few biographical details (Woods was born in a barrel of butcher knives and raised in a forest fire) but Big E.’s is so long that Byron just skips it. There’s a five minute clock and the pancakes are red, white and blue. The lights go out a few seconds in and here’s Sanity from behind to beat New Day down. I’ve never been so glad to see Eric Young. Big E. is thrown over the announcers’ table and Woods is elbow dropped through the table.
We look at the famous Battle of the Sexes tennis match to set up Ellsworth vs. Asuka.
Asuka vs. James Ellsworth
Carmella comes out for commentary but hang on a second as Ellsworth needs to do some pushups. A single push puts Ellsworth on the floor and Asuka unloads on him with right hands into the airplane spin. Ellsworth needs to stop for a breath so Asuka slaps the heck out of him. That’s enough for Ellsworth who runs into the crowd and it’s a double countout at 1:53.
Asuka chases Ellsworth back to ringside and gets hit with the belt.
Bryan has a list of things Kane has done to him over the years and wants an apology for all of them. Kane apologizes for everything and says Bryan is like a brother to him. Bryan: “You set your brother on fire!” Kane: “That’s…..never mind!” Kane talks about how important this is and asks if Bryan is ready. I’ll let you fill in the details.
Hardy vs. Nakamura is confirmed for Extreme Rules. Again, no gimmick attached.
Here’s AJ Styles for a match but first he talks about facing someone bigger and stronger than he is at Extreme Rules. That’s what he loves to do though because it’s another challenge. Rusev has been saying that he’s coming to take the title and throw him out. AJ: “Does he think this is rental property?” Cue Rusev to say he’s going to throw AJ out of the house that he built and move in on RUSEV DAY.
AJ Styles vs. Aiden English
Non-title. Rusev says he forgot to tell AJ something so English jumps him from behind. Rusev: “Never mind!” We take an early break and come back with English grabbing a neckbreaker for two. Not that it matters as the Calf Crusher makes English tap at 4:30.
Post match Rusev beats Styles down.
The Iconics are ready for Becky Lynch tonight.
Carmella yells at Ellsworth when Paige comes up. Next week it’s Asuka vs. Ellsworth in a lumberjack match.
Becky Lynch vs. Peyton Royce
Neither gets an entrance, but we got to see more from Ellsworth so it’s all fine. Peyton wastes no time in dropping Becky with a Samoan drop for two and it’s off to an abdominal stretch. That’s switched into a seated abdominal stretch but Becky is back up with the Bexploder. Becky slips out of a fireman’s carry and the Disarm-Her makes Royce tap at 3:32.
Rating: D+. In theory this is building towards Becky vs. Carmella, and while it makes me cringe to think that Carmella is going to go over Asuka again, I can appreciate the idea of Lynch getting another run with the title. She’s one of the best all around performers on the roster and I’m not sure why she hasn’t gotten another chance already.
Nakamura promises to strip away Jeff’s pride, honor and title.
Usos vs. HELL NO
If the Usos win, they’re added to the Tag Team Title match at Extreme Rules. Bryan drop toeholds Jimmy down to start and puts on the surfboard. A corner dropkick seems to wake Jimmy up for some reason so it’s off to Jey, who gets dropkicked as well. Kane comes in and misses an elbow but shoves both twins over the top at once. They pull Kane out with them though and it’s back to back dives to drop Bryan and Kane as we take a break.
Back with Bryan speeding up things up and hitting another running dropkick on Jey in the corner. There’s a super hurricanrana and the YES Kicks have Jey in even more trouble. The Usos finally get their stuff together and take Bryan down with Jimmy stomping away in the corner. A backbreaker/middle rope chop combination gets two and the Usos make a wish on Bryan’s legs.
Back up and a double clothesline allows the hot tag to Kane but he’s kicked to the floor without much effort. Jey charges into an uppercut but it’s time for the superkicks. Back to back double superkicks put Bryan down and get two on Kane and it’s time to go up. The Double Us is caught by the throat, allowing Bryan to knee Jey down and Kane to chokeslam Jimmy for the pin at 12:38.
Rating: C. Kane looked REALLY bad here, barely able to move and not doing much of anything other than being knocked back a few steps and signature stuff. The guy is 50 years old and barely even wrestles part time anymore, but his talking and character stuff is still more than enough reason to have him around. Bryan worked most of the match and was his usual self, but the important thing was they got the finish right.
Bryan and Kane do the YES pose and hug, only to be cut off by the Bludgeon Brothers. A big staredown ends the show.
Overall Rating: C+. I don’t know if this show is that much better (and it’s pretty good) or if it’s just so much better than Raw but this was so much more pleasant to watch than what we saw last night. This is a show with logical angles and you can see where they’re going, but more importantly the people aren’t doing horrible things to each other and expecting us to cheer as a result. That makes for such an easier night to watch and is why Smackdown continues to stay miles ahead of Raw.
Results
Jeff Hardy b. The Miz – Swanton Bomb
Asuka vs. James Ellsworth went to a double countout
AJ Styles b. Aiden English – Calf Crusher
Becky Lynch b. Peyton Royce – Disarm-Her
HELL NO b. Usos – Chokeslam to Jimmy
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:
It’s been long enough.
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/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
IMG Credit: WWE
Smackdown
Date: June 19, 2018
Location: Huntington Center, Toledo, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
We’re past Money in the Bank and that means it’s time to get things going towards Extreme Rules. Smackdown isn’t wasting any time in that area as we have a five man gauntlet match tonight with the winner getting a shot at AJ Styles at the pay per view. Other than that it’s hard to say what we might be having this week so let’s get to it.
Here are Sunday’s results if you need a recap.
Paige welcomes us to the show and recaps Sunday. Tonight is the gauntlet match, which she explains as well.
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.
Billie Kay vs. Becky Lynch
Before the match, Peyton does her Becky impression and says that she’s a loser. Becky punches her outside to start and Billie starts trying to hide, earning herself a forearm to the face. A good posting cuts Becky off though and we take a break. Back with Becky fighting out of a chinlock and getting kneed down anyway. Peyton adds in a knee to the head for two but Becky is right back up with the Bexploder. Billie misses a charge and gets knocked to the floor. A crossbody off the apron takes Royce down, leaving Billie to get caught in the Disarm-Her for the tap at 7:43.
Rating: D+. Becky winning is always a good thing and once the Asuka rematch is over, she would be a good choice to take the title from Charlotte. Of course that’s assuming they don’t just have Charlotte get it back and put us right back where we were after Wrestlemania. The Iconics will be fine as their talking is more than enough to keep them at their standard level and that’s not a bad place to be.
We look back at Shinsuke Nakamura hitting Jeff Hardy low last week.
With his back to the camera, Hardy talks about how Nakamura lost on Sunday and goes into a medical explanation of what Kinshasa did to him last week. Nakamura’s actions made him super focused and now his eyes are open, with Jeff turning to reveal some black and white face paint, including over his eyelids. He opens his eyes to reveal nearly colorless pupils, because Jeff is weird that way.
The announcers hype up the debut of Sanity.
We see Sanity’s shadows in the back with Eric Young saying the chaos has arrived.
Daniel Bryan is ready to face three of the best Smackdown has to offer and the Miz. He even asks Renee Young if he’s ready and gets her to say YES.
Sanity vs. Usos
Before the match, the Usos say they look like the Ultimate Warrior on Sesame Street and talk about how many things you need to be great around here. If Sanity wants to talk about chaos, welcome to the Uso Penitentiary. Sanity jumps the Usos before the match and the beatdown is on. No match.
Shinsuke Nakamura says it wasn’t fair that he lost because the referee didn’t count in Japanese. He’s not worried about Jeff Hardy.
Tag Team Titles: Anderson and Gallows vs. Bludgeon Brothers
The Bludgeon Brothers are defending. Joined in progress with Rowan hammering away and superplexing Gallows for two. A splash gets the same and we hit the fists into the sides of Gallows’ head. Gallows finally stops a charge in the corner with a boot and superkicks Harper for good measure. The spinebuster gives Anderson two on Harper but a Rowan distraction sets up the swinging Boss Man Slam for two more. Gallows gets sent into the barricade and the assisted sitout powerbomb ends Anderson at 6:00.
Rating: C. Well that happened. It was better than their match on Sunday due to how much of a faster pace they kept but it’s not like the ending here was in any doubt. Anderson and Gallows have nothing going on at the moment because WWE doesn’t know how to book more than a few teams at once. They certainly can do a bunch of multi-man matches though, which is where we’re immediately going.
Daniel Bryan comes out for the main event, has a weird staredown with the Bludgeon Brothers, and goes to the ring without further incident.
Gauntlet Match
Five people involved and the winner gets Styles at Extreme Rules. Daniel Bryan and Big E. get things going with Bryan going straight for the knee. The surfboard with a dragon sleeper has Big E. in early trouble but he snaps off a belly to belly and Bryan is in trouble in a hurry. There’s a splash on the apron and we take a break.
Back with Bryan missing the Swan Dive and getting caught in an over the shoulder backbreaker. Bryan fights up and hits his running clothesline, followed by the top rope hurricanrana. The running corner dropkick is blocked with a clothesline and an over the shoulder backbreaker into a regular backbreaker has Bryan in even more trouble. A Brock Lock goes on but Bryan reverses into a failed YES Lock attempt.
The triangle choke is countered but Bryan counters the powerbomb to smash Big E.’s knee into the mat. Bryan tries to speed things up a bit so Big E. sends him to the apron for the big spear through the ropes in a major crash. Back in and Big E. goes shoulder first into the post, setting up the running knee for the pin at 11:38. Samoa Joe is in third and we take a break.
Back again with Bryan getting chopped in the corner, followed by a snap powerslam for two. The powerbomb into the Boston crab into the STF into the Crossface keeps Bryan in trouble but a rope is grabbed. The dragon screw legwhip puts Joe down and Bryan wraps his knee around the post. Joe’s knee is fine enough for the backsplash and we take another break. We come back again with Bryan, whose chest is beet red, escaping the Koquina Clutch and sending Joe outside for the running knee from the apron.
The missile dropkick drops Joe again and it’s time for the YES Kicks. An enziguri sends Joe into the corner but he’s smart enough to bail to the floor before the running knee. Bryan tries the baseball slide but goes right into the Koquina Clutch. Joe keeps an eye on the count but Bryan slips out and dives back in for the countout win at 28:19. Hang on though as here are the Bludgeon Brothers for the assisted powerbomb. Cue Miz for a Skull Crushing Finale to get rid of Bryan at 29:19. Since we’re not following any rules here and that’s not a DQ for the Brothers attacking Bryan, it’s Miz vs. Rusev for the title shot.
Back from what should be the final break with Rusev kicking Miz in the head for two, sending Miz backing off. A fall away slam gets the same but Miz sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes. We hit the chinlock for a long while until Rusev powers up. A kick to the head sets up another kick to the head for two on Miz but he’s right back up with some YES Kicks of his own. The short DDT gives Miz two more, only to have Rusev kick him down and grab the Accolade for the tap out at 44:20.
Rating: B. Well that’s certainly a surprising result and one that I rather like. I would have bet on Samoa Joe but it’s nice to see Rusev FINALLY getting a chance at something, even if he winds up losing in his title match. At the same time though, I have no idea where they’re going with Bryan vs. the Bludgeon Brothers as it’s not like anyone really fits as a partner at the moment. Maybe they’ve got a surprise in mind, but I hope that doesn’t somehow mean Miz and Bryan teaming up as wacky partners. Anyway, good ending and a long match that didn’t feel long.
Post match AJ comes out and stares Rusev down before dropping Aiden English to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. Good show overall here as it’s very nice to be away from anything resembling Money in the Bank. They’ve already got a big match set up for Extreme Rules and you can see where they’re going with some other stuff. This might not have been a great show but it sets them up for a few fresh things and that’s more than I can say for most of the last month plus.
Results
Becky Lynch b. Billie Kay – Disarm-Her
Bludgeon Brothers b. Anderson and Gallows – Assisted sitout powerbomb to Anderson
Rusev won a gauntlet match last eliminating the Miz
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:
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: June 7, 2018
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Vic Joseph
I’m actually more interested than usual in this show based on how different this week’s television shows went. Monday Night Raw was such a disaster while Smackdown was a perfectly watchable wrestling show. I’m not sure how they’re going to pull off a highlight show when almost nothing interesting was going on Monday but they’ve pulled off something similar before. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
No Way Jose vs. Mike Kanellis
Kanellis is still alive. Who knew? They fight over a lockup to start and Jose scores with a hiptoss. Some forearms in the corner have Jose in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Kanellis takes way too much time yelling at the conga line and Jose is back up with a clothesline. A superkick gives Kanellis too (with a blown kiss as he’s dedicated to this ridiculous gimmick) but Jose’s pop up right hand is good for the pin at 5:11.
Rating: D. There’s only so much you can do here and while Kanellis isn’t anything special, it’s nice to see some fresh blood on the show. As long as Maria gets back in the next few months (or whenever she’s ready to be back), Kanellis might have a fighting chance. Jose’s presence here makes more sense as he’s almost destined to be a house show opener at best, even if he has some potential to do more than that.
Now we’re often told what’s coming up next, but in this case we’re being told that two different matches are up next. A mystery is afoot and we have some actual drama! I mean, it’s as low level drama as you can possibly have and it’s likely going to be done by the time I’m done typing this but what else am I supposed to talk about on this thing?
From Raw.
Natalya vs. Nia Jax
Non-title with Ronda Rousey on commentary. Nia runs her over and knocks Natalya to the floor as we take a break. Back with Natalya fighting out of a chinlock and scoring with a jawbreaker. A discus clothesline puts Nia down for two but Natalya hurts her knee on the step over into the dropkick. The Samoan drop ends Natalya in short order at 7:22.
Rating: D. I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to be interested in seeing if Ronda can armbar Nia when she’s already armbarred HHH but you can’t expect them to keep continuity for a full two months. Nia’s rather abrupt heel turn and Rousey suddenly being friends with Natalya are both stretches but I’ve seen worse from this company before. Just keep the match at Money in the Bank short and they should survive.
Post match Nia checks on the downed Natalya and Rousey comes in to keep things safe. Natalya is all frustrated as Rousey helps her out. Nia didn’t get physical after the match and looked concerned.
And from Smackdown.
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
The threat of a Disarm-Her sends Charlotte outside so Becky settles for a headlock back inside. That’s escaped as well and it’s a standoff until they both catch kicks to the ribs. A double knockdown sends us to a break. Back with Becky going for the arm again but getting caught in a backbreaker for two instead. Lynch drops her one more time and gets two off a top rope legdrop but gets sent into the corner. The moonsault hits raised knees and the Figure Eight is countered twice in a row. The second counter is pulled into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 8:11.
Rating: C+. I’d love to believe that this is going to lead towards Becky getting into the title picture again as I have no idea why she hasn’t been a long reigning champion already. She has the look, the talking ability, the skill and whatever else might be needed to make a long reign work. Unfortunately since it’s Money in the Bank season, this win isn’t going to move her up the rankings but rather just be a momentum builder, whatever that is supposed to mean.
Lynch helps her up and everything is cool.
From Raw again.
Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens
Owens easily takes him down to start and asks if that was too sweet. A headlock has Balor slowed down and we switch to a chinlock to really mix things up. Balor fights up into an armbar but Owens whips him hard into the corner to cut him off again. Back from a break with Owens holding another chinlock and Balor fighting up in short order. The kick to the head looks to set up the Coup de Grace but Owens rolls outside.
A snap of the arm over the rope puts Balor in more trouble and it’s off to an armbar. Balor fights up with an elbow to the face but gets superkicked back down. The shotgun dropkick knocks Owens into the corner, only to have him pop back up to crotch Balor. Owens stomps away and that’s a DQ at 18:34.
Rating: D-. So yes, after this horrible show, we’re really supposed to be interested in a DQ finish to a long and really boring match. These two are capable of so much more but since it’s Money in the Bank season, it’s time to sit around and do the boring matches for the sake of building momentum or whatever nonsense we’re supposed to care about this week.
Post match Owens hits the frog splash and climbs the really big ladder. He takes forever teasing the big splash off the ladder but Balor gets up and pulls him down. A Coup de Grace off the ladder crushes Owens and Balor pulls down a briefcase to end the show.
Akira Tozawa vs. Drew Gulak
Feeling out process to start before Tozawa hits him in the face a few times. We take an abrupt break and come back with Gulak hitting a backbreaker and cranking on the arm. Gulak mixes it up with a second chinlock before just stomping away. That doesn’t sound like submission based wrestling, meaning I doubt it’s going to go anywhere.
Tozawa fights back so let’s cut to the crowd, then back to the ring, then back to the crowd in about ten seconds. A missile dropkick gives Tozawa two and he grabs something like AJ’s Black Widow. That doesn’t last long (of course) and Tozawa misses a charge into the corner, setting up the Gulock for the tap at 10:13.
Rating: C-. They need to do something with Gulak sooner rather than later as he’s getting this submission stuff over and could be a great foil for a variety of people, mainly the Cruiserweight Champion. I mean, we’ve established that he couldn’t go onto the other shows and do his submission stuff there because he’s just a cruiserweight and that would never work.
We’ll wrap it up on Smackdown.
New Day vs. Miz/Rusev/Samoa Joe
Woods wastes no time in forearming Miz down for an early two and it’s New Day alternating with elbows and splashes for two more. Joe tags himself in to face Big E. and this is already feeling bigger. Big E. suplexes him down and it’s off to Woods to try his luck. That would be bad luck as an enziguri puts him down and we take a break. Back with Woods fighting out of Miz’s chinlock but getting pulled down by the hair.
Joe comes in and gets kneed in the head, allowing the double tags to Miz and Kofi. Everyone else fights to the floor and the Boom Drop has Miz in trouble. Joe breaks up Trouble in Paradise and the DDT gives Miz two. Big E. comes back in and gets whipped into the Rock Bottom out of the corner. Rusev gets low bridged to the floor and Woods hits a big flip dive over the top.
Joe gets sent outside as well and Kofi hits a springboard trust fall to drop him again. Big E. spears Miz to the floor (that’s going to be a bad injury one day) and the Midnight Hour is broken up as Joe pulls Woods into the Koquina Clutch on the floor. Kofi dives into the Machka Kick and Miz posts Big E. The villains come back in….and Miz grabs the pancakes, which he throws at Joe and Rusev by mistake. One Machka Kick and a backsplash later and Miz is left down and alone. Kofi comes back in and the Midnight Hour is good for the pin at 13:19.
Rating: C+. I liked this one though it wasn’t as good as the New Day’s match from a week or so ago. They’ve certainly lost some steam but they’re still one of the best trios around. That Trust Fall alone, which looked like a springboard to Miz, was enough of a cool visual to make this work. The pancakes….not so much but that’s their thing and it’s not going away at the moment.
Overall Rating: D+. Yeah this show didn’t do much good after what we had this week. It’s not interesting TV and that’s been the case for a long time now. If they want to make people more interested, give us something more worthwhile to watch. Mike Kanellis was one of the highlights of this week’s show and that should tell you everything you need to know about what’s going on in WWE right now.
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:
IMG Credit: WWE
Smackdown
Date: June 5, 2018
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton
Please just let it be better than last night’s show. With three TV shows between the two brands until Money in the Bank, it’s hard to say how much worse things could get. Last night’s Monday Night Raw was really not that well received but maybe the extra hour is what brought them down. It should be interesting to see how things go with just two hours and maybe less of a focus on the ladder matches. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Here’s Carmella to open things up. After demanding her praise from the crowd, it’s time to talk about Asuka. She knows Asuka is revered and that is more than enough to be intimidating. We see a video on Asuka’s best moments and Carmella says that’s impressive. Next though, we see the real Asuka, which was exposed at WrestleMania. Now she’s just the defeated Asuka, including losing her first match on SmackDown.
Cue Asuka, but before she can say anything it’s Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville interrupting. Mandy talks about getting close to defeating Asuka and knowing that she can be beaten. Sonya says Mandy left just enough for her to take out but here’s Paige to interrupt. Paige makes the matches around here so Asuka can pick who she wants to fight. That would be both of them of course and that’s next. Asuka needs to wreck these two as somehow she’s in need of some momentum. You wouldn’t ever expect that from someone like her but WWE managed to make Asuka lose momentum.
Asuka vs. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville
Carmella is on commentary. An early kneebar attempt has Sonya bailing to the ropes as Carmella eviscerates Saxton on commentary. Saxton: “If I were you Carmella….” Carmella: “THANK GOODNESS YOU’RE NOT!” Mandy gets in a cheap shot from the apron and Sonya hammers away in the corner to take over. Asuka fires up and hits some hip attacks but Carmella offers a distraction so Sonya can run Asuka over from behind.
The Moon Walk on the desk takes us to a break. Back with Asuka and Mandy slugging it out again until Asuka dropkicks the heck out of her. Stereo kicks to the face drop Asuka and Sonya but Deville is right back with a heck of a spear for two. With Mandy on the floor, the Asuka Lock makes Deville tap at 11:31.
Rating: C. Not bad here and thankfully Asuka didn’t lose again. I’m fine with her having to sweat a bit against these two but odds are she loses to Carmella (a new enforcer costing her the match wouldn’t shock me) and we get more of the same Carmella promo over and over. She’s good at it, but jumping from where she was to pinning Charlotte clean didn’t work for me then and it isn’t now either.
Post match Asuka has to deal with Mandy, allowing Carmella to hit her with the belt.
Miz is in the back practicing Mizjitsu when New Day comes in. They want some help revealing their member….Miz: “Rephrase.” They mean reaching in and pulling a name out of a hat, which Miz agrees to do. Miz reaches in and finds….pancake batter I think? He threatens them all with violence in tonight’s six man tag.
Karl Anderson vs. Harper
Harper hits him in the face to start and a forearm has Anderson down. A charge into the corner misses though and Anderson grabs a quick rollup for the pin at 2:18.
We look back at last week’s dance off.
Naomi promises to beat Lana and snatch the contract (no word on if that will render the contract bald).
Jimmy Uso/Naomi vs. Aiden English/Lana
The men start things off and English is already singing about Rusev. That goes nowhere and everything breaks down in a hurry with Naomi hitting a big dive over the top to take them both out (with English saving her from a broken neck as she was going to land on her head otherwise).
Back from a break with English offering a distraction so Lana can forearm her in the back to take over. A double arm crank keeps Naomi down and she can’t dive over to the corner. Naomi does manage a faceplant to put Lana down though and it’s the hot tag to bring in Jimmy. Everything breaks down and Naomi hits a high crossbody on English, setting up a superkick to the throat for the pin at 10:33.
Rating: D+. Just a match really but this is where Smackdown completely outshines Raw: they’ve put together this mini feud between Lana and Naomi to give them a reason to fight heading into the ladder match. Instead of just having them wrestle matches for the sake of wrestling matches, there’s something a little more personal and it makes things a mixture of a little more interesting and a lot easier to sit through. Now why can’t Raw get that?
We go to the back where Paige is moderating the contract signing between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles. After Paige explains the idea of Last Man Standing, AJ says this feels like it’s been going on forever with all of Nakamura’s tricks and mind games. It ends at Money in the Bank with AJ as the last man standing. AJ signs but Nakamura says the pen is out of ink. Paige has another one but Nakamura wants AJ’s. That one is broken and AJ is ready to fight with Dean Malenko and Adam Pearce holding him back. AJ gets in a hard slap anyway and leaves as Nakamura pulls out his own pen to sign.
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
The threat of a Disarm-Her sends Charlotte outside so Becky settles for a headlock back inside. That’s escaped as well and it’s a standoff until they both catch kicks to the ribs. A double knockdown sends us to a break. Back with Becky going for the arm again but getting caught in a backbreaker for two instead. Lynch drops her one more time and gets two off a top rope legdrop but gets sent into the corner. The moonsault hits raised knees and the Figure Eight is countered twice in a row. The second counter is pulled into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 8:11.
Rating: C+. I’d love to believe that this is going to lead towards Becky getting into the title picture again as I have no idea why she hasn’t been a long reigning champion already. She has the look, the talking ability, the skill and whatever else might be needed to make a long reign work. Unfortunately since it’s Money in the Bank season, this win isn’t going to move her up the rankings but rather just be a momentum builder, whatever that is supposed to mean.
Lynch helps her up and everything is cool.
Samoa Joe asks what you see when you look at him. Maybe a vicious man or a backwards moral compass? Tonight New Day will find out that those things are true but he wants more than that. He wants people to see a man who keeps his promises. Last week he climbed the ladder and pulled down the briefcase, just like he said he would. The people saw the future and they know it’s the truth. Any man who calls himself WWE Champion is a marked man and very soon, everybody gets it. Sweet goodness this man is awesome.
We get an old school platform interview with Big Cass, who brags about being tall. Years ago when he was in NXT, he was backstage at Wrestlemania XXX and once the show was over, he was getting his bag when he saw Daniel Bryan. All Cass could think was “really?” That should be him because a good big man will always beat a good little man.
We see a clip of Cass laying Bryan out and Cass brags about how big (with the camera looking up at him in a smart production choice) and smart he is and how he holds a grudge like no one else. At Money in the Bank, he’ll beat Bryan down and embarrass him, breaking his arms and legs so there won’t be any more heel hooks. Then Bryan can go be a garden gnome on Total Bellas because a little man like him will never survive in a big man’s world.
Sin Cara isn’t sure what happened to Andrade Cien Almas when Zelina Vega comes up. Almas accomplished nothing when Cara was his role model but Vega taught him to respect no one. She’s gone to Paige to set up a match between Cara and Andrade for next week and here’s Andrade to jump him.
New Day vs. Miz/Rusev/Samoa Joe
Woods wastes no time in forearming Miz down for an early two and it’s New Day alternating with elbows and splashes for two more. Joe tags himself in to face Big E. and this is already feeling bigger. Big E. suplexes him down and it’s off to Woods to try his luck. That would be bad luck as an enziguri puts him down and we take a break. Back with Woods fighting out of Miz’s chinlock but getting pulled down by the hair. Joe comes in and gets kneed in the head, allowing the double tags to Miz and Kofi. Everyone else fights to the floor and the Boom Drop has Miz in trouble. Joe breaks up Trouble in Paradise and the DDT gives Miz two. Big E. comes back in and gets whipped into the Rock Bottom out of the corner. Rusev gets low bridged to the floor and Woods hits a big flip dive over the top. Joe gets sent outside as well and Kofi hits a springboard trust fall to drop him again. Big E. spears Miz to the floor (that’s going to be a bad injury one day) and the Midnight Hour is broken up as Joe pulls Woods into the Koquina Clutch on the floor. Kofi dives into the Machka Kick and Miz posts Big E. The villains come back in….and Miz grabs the pancakes, which he throws at Joe and Rusev by mistake. One Machka Kick and a backsplash later and Miz is left down and alone. Kofi comes back in and the Midnight Hour is good for the pin at 13:19.
Rating: C+. I liked this one though it wasn’t as good as the New Day’s match from a week or so ago. They’ve certainly lost some steam but they’re still one of the best trios around. That Trust Fall alone, which looked like a springboard to Miz, was enough of a cool visual to make this work. The pancakes….not so much but that’s their thing and it’s not going away at the moment.
Overall Rating: B-. Holy Taylor Made Man of the 90s what a difference a night makes. This was a fun show with some good matches and stories that didn’t want me to let my hair grow so that it was long enough to pull out. It’s not great or anything but it didn’t have me begging to change the channel and after last night, that’s a major upgrade. Just having stories that tie into the ladder matches but aren’t exclusively about the ladder match makes a world of difference and the show was that much better as a result. Do this more often and I could downright tolerate Money in the Bank season.
Results
Asuka b. Sonya Deville/Mandy Rose – Asuka Lock to Deville
Karl Anderson b. Harper – Rollup
Jimmy Uso/Naomi b. Aiden English/Lana – Superkick to English
Becky Lynch b. Charlotte – Disarm-Her
New Day b. Miz/Rusev/Samoa Joe – Midnight Hour to Miz
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:
IMG Credit: WWE
By AB Morales
WWE’s creative team is notoriously large. Composed of more people than the entire cast of the latest Avengers movie (probably) you would think that such a large think tank would produce many a great ideas. But more often than not, we get the opposite effect of a large team. That being broken communication. Something very evident with the past few weeks, since Wrestlemania. So lets take a look at them, guess why and marvel at how so many ideas end up falling off:
The Superstar Shake-Up Debacle
Lets start with something that is less of a single story and just an example of terrible (or just lack of) planning. A staple of WWE brand splits. Once a year, “its time to shake things up again”. Since 2007, any time WWE goes to mix around their rosters, they somehow end up twisted and tangled. Raw vs Smackdown on PPV or something of the sort. This year was no different. The day after Wrestlemania, Samoa Joe appeared and challenged Roman Reigns for Backlash. The same day, The Miz demands his rematch against Seth Rollins. Clearly, with WWE planning their Superstar Shakeup as well, they would not be silly enough to have these guys jump shows, right? Nope. Despite having TWO Pay-Per-View matches already booked for him and Joe claiming he would show his domination of Raw, he just jumps to Smackdown and contradicts his promos. Similarly, The Miz wants to be the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, but also gets traded to Smackdown. With Jeff Hardy managing to keep the US title on Smackdown, the result of The Miz vs Seth Rollins never fell into question. WWE’s annual draft/Superstar Shake-Up becomes an annual showcase of WWE’s lack of planning.
Mickie James vs Ronda Rousey
The most notable one from this past Monday. When WWE announced Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax for Money In The Bank, it brushed under the rug all the teasing going on between Mickie James, Natalya and Ronda Rousey. Initially, Mickie attacked Natalya to the point that Ronda came down to help her trainer. We were teased with returning to the “psycho” days of Mickie James as well as what was supposed to be Ronda’s first singles program given she was scheduled to face Mickie in the European tour but that was also scrapped. Teasing between Natalya and Ronda was also involved in this story. But one week WWE just decided scrap all that and go straight to the big money fight. Months of planning go down the drain in a heartbeat.
Rusev Day Rift
Probably one that we should be glad got forgotten. Since November, Aiden English singing for Rusev and Rusev’s proclamation of Rusev Day (by the way, Happy Rusev Day) have turned the big Bulgarian into one of the most popular guys in WWE, for better or worse. WWE clearly isn’t too fond of him becoming so popular because of something they didn’t do. Three weeks ago, they saw it fit to tease tension between Lana and the duo with her saying something was holding Rusev back with you left to fill the obvious blank. But it seems WWE figured out what really was holding Rusev back: Themselves. Last week there was no follow up to the segment. This week Lana proclaimed how her and Rusev would be the first married couple to hold the two suitcases before asking English to sing. Seems everything’s all hunky dory now. And honestly, we’re glad they did in this case.
Sasha & Bayley Fighting By Pride Rock
Remember when Sasha and Bayley basically gave auditions for the live action Lion King at Elimination Chamber? WWE clearly doesn’t. After Sasha Banks turning on Bayley several times, she just randomly started asking her best friend what was going on. Bayley called her out on her selfish attitude and the result was Sasha proclaiming she was better than Bayley and that resulted in a big brawl in front of high school lockers (oddly enough). What happened after that? A PPV match was set up? Nope. A TV match was set up. With no winner. And afterwords, Sasha went right back to asking why Bayley was so mad. Completely forgetting their very heated brawl. One of the most egregious examples of WWE’s main roster butchering and mangling what was a very successful project in NXT. And the teasing is still going on and on.
Becky’s Losing Streak
There’s a peculiar trend going on right now. WWE can’t really handle their women’s division. Actually, scratch the “right now”. Maybe I’ll delve into it soon enough, but it’s clear WWE has a much harder time handling their women than their men. The women have grown too much for WWE to keep track of all at once. Becky’s losing streak is another one that was probably best forgotten. For a long time, the cute redheaded Irish girl has been one of the more consistently popular women in all of WWE. Even when she’s doing nothing, fans adore her and cheer her on. But for a good while, she’s been treading water on Smackdown. A series of losses led her to losing to Mandy Rose clean for her singles debut. Then Tom Phillips noted her “losing streak”. A common WWE trope. And then the very next week, Becky submits Rose to qualify for Money In The Bank. Trading the losing streak for another WWE trope: 50/50 booking.
Conclusion
There’s many other examples that pop up. Rusev challenging Randy Orton for the WWE Championship last year for Money in The Bank, Rhyno and Heath Slater breaking up, among many others. But lately, WWE has gone pretty overboard either forgetting or aborting stories and it greatly shows a lack of discipline. Why have such a large creative team if so many things are going to fall through the cracks?
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Thank you for reading. My name is AB Morales, Puertorican Dirt Sheet writer, a friend of KB for years. You can find and follow me here:
Facebook | Where I have my own personal blog with daily wrestling updates and even cover anime and videogames once in a while.
Twitch | Where I stream videogames and do occasional art streams.
Twitter | Where I do….., well it’s Twitter.
Impacto Estelar | My own little Spanish Dirt Sheet site.
IMG Credit: WWE
Smackdown
Date: May 8, 2018
Location: Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
It’s Money in the Bank season and qualifying matches are in the air. Last night’s Monday Night Raw saw three qualifying matches and tonight Smackdown will equal that amount with three matches already announced. Unfortunately they’re not the most intriguing matches but at least they’re getting them out of the way early. Let’s get to it.
Here’s Backlash if you need a recap.
Here’s Paige to open things up. After recapping Backlash (erg, enough), it’s time to talk about Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles. The match was on its way towards being a classic (not exactly) when the double low blow stopped things. We’ll be back to that later but for now it’s time to talk about Money in the Bank. She needs the best in the match so we’ll start….now.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
Non-title. Miz cranks on the arm to start as the announcers talk about Miz’s history in the Money in the Bank match. Jeff sends him outside and hits Poetry in Motion against the barricade but it’s way too early for the Swanton. We take a break and come back with Jeff holding an armbar as the pace stays slow. The Reality Check gets two on Jeff but he elbows out of a Skull Crushing Finale attempt.
They head outside with Jeff getting the better of a slugout as the sleeves of Jeff’s shirt make me want a rainbow pop. The legdrop between the legs and the Twisting Stunner rock Miz but again he gets out of the way before the Swanton. Miz slams him neck first onto the apron and we take another break.
Back again with Jeff jawbreaking his way out of a chinlock and getting two off the Whisper in the Wind. A baseball slide knocks Miz to the floor but again he avoids the Swanton, this time with a good crotching. Instead it’s a sunset bomb for two as the back and forth continues. The Twist of Fate gets two and a corner dropkick sets up Hardiac Arrest (the other corner dropkick). Another Twist of Fate sets up the Swanton for real this time, but Miz rolls him up for the pin at 20:16.
Rating: B. First of all, good back and forth match. Now for the problem (and I’d bet on this being right): this isn’t going to mean a thing as far as the US Title is confirmed. The champion just got pinned clean and I have a feeling we’re not going to hear a word about Miz wanting to be champion. Money in the Bank has done this before and it makes things all the dumber. Miz just pinned the US Champion clean and I’d be actually surprised if anything happens to the title as a result. I really hope I’m wrong, but odds are that’s where this is going.
Sheamus is eating Lucky Charms because it’s all that makes him feel better after losing to Xavier Woods last week. Cesaro compares it to a hawk losing a mouse between its claws. Sheamus: “I know! I was in the match!” Cesaro says he could have won so he agrees to face Woods tonight as well. He opens his bag and finds….pancakes. Sheamus finds the same thing and panic ensues. I like New Day a lot but WHY ARE PANCAKES FUNNY???
Sanity is coming.
We look at stills of Nakamura vs. Styles.
Renee Young talks to Nakamura, who isn’t cleared for competition tonight. In regards to the issues being over, no speak English. I mean, he knew it before but he’s forgotten it. As for AJ, they’re both nuts (laugh from the crowd) and they’re not finished.
Carmella screeches about beating Charlotte and it’s time to party. She’ll be celebrating next week in London. The Royal Family isn’t invited, just like Ric Flair isn’t invited. Speaking of Flair, did you know he has a daughter? Carmella beat her on Sunday.
Tye Dillinger says seven competitors down on the mat plus one contract plus one ladder plus one person left equals a perfect ten.
Naomi is going to make whomever is champion feel the Glow.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Charlotte vs. Peyton Royce
Before the match, Billie says Charlotte’s loss made her uncle overcome his stutter because he was laughing so hard. Peyton tries to imitate the look but it’s only funny when Charlotte does it. They lock up to start with Charlotte shoving her around. A toss to the floor takes us to an early break. Back with Peyton grabbing a chinlock before choking in the corner. A half nelson over the ropes with her legs has Charlotte in even more trouble and we hit another chinlock. Charlotte fights up with a neckbreaker by the hair but misses a big boot (but Peyton doesn’t sell it like Carmella did on Sunday).
A rollup gets two on Peyton and Charlotte dives onto Billie, leaving Peyton to grab a swinging neckbreaker on the floor. The referee gets distracted by Peyton so Billie can snap Charlotte’s neck across the top, setting up a spinning kick to the face for two. Charlotte is right back with the big boot, only to have the moonsault hit knees. Royce kicks the knee out for two but gets speared down. The Figure Eight makes Peyton tap at 12:56.
Rating: B-. This was a nice surprise, if nothing else as I was getting worried that Charlotte would lose back to back matches. They went with the right call here though as Charlotte is more interesting and you can put Billie in the match later. Just having one of them in there basically means they’re both in there and that’s all you need.
Daniel Bryan is ready to go win the Money in the Bank briefcase again because he cashed in the briefcase right here in Baltimore.
Shelton says he’ll win the briefcase.
Asuka says she’ll win the briefcase.
Xavier Woods vs. Cesaro
Hang on though as Big E. and Kofi have to throw out pancakes. Woods hits and moves but stops himself from running into the referee, allowing Cesaro to run him over. There’s a gutwrench suplex and we take a break. Back with Woods kicking him down and a wheelbarrow faceplant getting two. Sheamus gets on the apron but Big E. throws pancakes at him, allowing Kofi to hit a dive from the apron. The distraction lets Cesaro uppercut Woods out of the air for the pin at 7:07.
Rating: D+. Ok, enough with the pancakes. I don’t know if I’m just not getting the joke but it seems to be just more and more pancakes no matter what the situation is. That was funny for a little while but now it’s just an object that’s the joke instead of whatever was behind the object. Either come up with a reason they’re funny or come up with something that is funny, because this is annoying.
AJ Styles is still coming for Nakamura because it’s still about the title.
We see a bunch of destroyed action figures of tag teams. The Bludgeon Brothers say they have their own set of toys so come play with them. They smash the camera with their hammers.
Becky Lynch vs. Mandy Rose
In the back, Paige says Sonya Deville can’t go out there with Mandy. An early kick to the face gives Mandy two but a chinlock doesn’t last long. The Disarm-Her attempt sends Mandy outside so Becky catches her with the Bexploder instead. Becky’s bouncing kick out of the corner is broken up though and Mandy sends her throat first into the ropes for the pin at 2:26.
Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega debut next week.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Rusev
Bryan starts in on the legs early on and kicks the arm out for good measure. Some more kicks sends Rusev outside so Bryan tries the suicide dive, only to be caught and thrown over the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Rusev throwing him around some more but getting dropkicked in the corner.
The Spinning Rock Bottom doesn’t work so Rusev kicks him in the head for two instead. A quick YES Lock sends Rusev bailing to the ropes and Aiden English is rather relieved. Rusev heads outside so Bryan hits the running knee off the apron for two. Back in and the running knee misses, setting up a Machka Kick to give Rusev the completely clean pin at 11:20.
Rating: C+. Uh…..huh? I’m not sure how the reaction to this one is going to go as Rusev winning a big match is nice, but Bryan losing clean almost has to be leading somewhere. You don’t have Bryan come in here and lose like that, but maybe they have something planned. If nothing else, I’m sure Miz has something to say about that loss.
Bryan looks devastated to end the show. It certainly seems like they have something planned there.
Overall Rating: C+. As usual, I’m not thrilled with the Money in the Bank season but at least most of the wrestling was good tonight. The Bryan loss is more perplexing than anything else but I could go for finding out where they’re heading with it. We’ve got four weeks of build to the pay per view left and that could go in a lot of directions, which is a good problem to have. Nice show this week, but more importantly it has me wondering about some things.
Results
The Miz b. Jeff Hardy – Rollup
Charlotte b. Peyton Royce – Figure Eight
Cesaro b. Xavier Woods – Uppercut
Mandy Rose b. Becky Lynch – Neck snap across the top rope
Rusev b. Daniel Bryan – Machka Kick
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