Smackdown
Date: September 25, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for Clash Of Champions though the Smackdown side of things might not interest you the most. The blue main event for Sunday’s show will feature Roman Reigns defending against Jey Uso, which kind of slows down the interest that the show is going to have. Maybe the last show before Sunday can help things out. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Road Warrior Animal.

Here are AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Jeff Hardy for a Championship Ascension ceremony to set up the ladder match. Corey Graves, the emcee, explains the match and says there is no champion’s advantage. AJ says Jeff must think the title feels heavy because it’s the last time he’ll be holding it. As for Sami, why are you here? He took six months off to grow a neck beard and still thinks he’s champion.

Sami accuses AJ of being stupid for winning a tournament and calls Jeff’s title a shampionship. Jeff: “Sami, Sami shut up man.” Hardy actually agrees with Styles when he says Sami has no claim to the title. The belts are hung but Sami drives the ladder into their heads and beats on Jeff, with AJ making the save. Cue Adam Pearce to make the scheduled Sami vs. Jeff match a triple threat with AJ also involved. We’ll do that next.

AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy

Non-title. Sami gets sent to the floor so AJ can hammer on Hardy. That doesn’t last long as Sami comes in to jump AJ and then send Hardy outside. AJ is right back with a chinlock on Sami but Jeff is back in with a dropkick for the save. Jeff uses Sami for a springboard to splash Styles in the corner but Sami breaks up the Swanton by knocking him to the floor.

Styles follows with a slingshot forearm and we take a break. Back with the Tower of Doom being broken up and a triple slugout starting. Sami hits a running boot to each of them but AJ nails a Pele. AJ is back up with the Phenomenal Forearm to Jeff but Sami throws him outside and steals the pin at 12:02.

Rating: C. Not only is it winning a match via pin to set up a match that has nothing to do with pins, but it’s the most basic ending to a triple threat that you can find in WWE. Oh and for a bonus, the champ gets pinned. The wrestling was fine, but it feels like the kind of thing that we’ve seem time after time. Kind of like ladder matches in general, as WWE (counting NXT) has run an average of about a ladder match a month for the last year.

Post match AJ jumps Sami and climbs the ladder to pick up both titles.

We recap Miz/John Morrison threatening to sue Otis over the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Otis doesn’t buy this and doesn’t trust Miz’s lawyers so he’s keeping the briefcase. Miz and Morrison come up with the former saying that he is going to take everything, including Otis’ mama’s double wide. More threats are made, with Miz bringing up Mandy Rose being sent to Raw. Otis goes for Morrison’s throat and referees break it up. Is anyone ever going to explain why Otis and Mandy, who work in the same company, in the same city, in the same building, but on different shows where wrestlers seem to come and go as they please, is a big problem?

We look at Bayley attacking Sasha Banks twice in a row.

Here’s Bayley, with the chair that started it all, to have a seat for a chat. Bayley doesn’t have time for the fans booing because the champ’s time is important. She has business to tend to on Sunday because Nikki Cross is waiting for her. Why is Cross thinking it should be different just because there is no Sasha? Bayley looks at the chair and says she is retaining the title. Bayley: “Right Sasha?”

Gran Metalik vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

The rest of Lucha House Party and Cesaro are here too. Graves gets straight to the point by saying that singles matches have almost no bearing on tag team wrestling. Metalik misses a superkick to start but sends Nakamura outside. That’s fine with Nakamura, who sends him hard into the barricade, followed by a hard ram into the turnbuckle back inside. Metalik sends him outside and hits the big flip dive, followed by a slingshot hilo for two back inside. The moonsault misses though and Nakamura pulls him off the ropes. The reverse exploder into Kinshasa finishes Metalik at 4:17.

Rating: C. I was worried they would do something like have Metalik get the cheap pin here, which would be a bit too much to take. Granted when you have commentary saying that the match doesn’t mean anything for Sunday, you kind of have to wonder why we’re supposed to be interested. The match was fine as Metalik is talented, but it didn’t exactly draw me in.

Post match Cesaro comes in and lays out Lince Dorado as Kalisto looks on. After Cesaro and Nakamura leave, Kalisto gets in but gets yelled at by the rest of the team.

Jey Uso wants Roman Reigns to come deal with things.

Video on Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns, including clips of them growing up and members of the Anoa’i Family commenting. Rikishi and Sika talk about watching their sons growing up and Jey is ready to fight his family to be champion. Jey says Reigns used to be a puppy and both dads say their kid will win. This was a really good idea and as usual, WWE knows how to produce a video.

Here’s Jey Uso for a chat. We see a clip from last week’s street fight, where Jey pinned King Corbin and then picked up the Universal Title. Reigns didn’t like the pin or what happened after the match, giving him a big glare to end the show. Uso wants Reigns out here now, but we see Heyman and Reigns in the back sitting in silence.

Heyman finally comes out of Reigns’ locker room and says the world should get to see these two face to face in the ring. Here’s where everyone has it wrong though: it’s on Reigns’ time, not Uso’s. That will happen tonight, but on Reigns’ time. Uso isn’t happy with that and says he’ll man up at Clash and tonight. Welcome to the Uso Penitentiary.

We recap Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin.

Corbin is ready to make Riddle say Bro, but with meanings involving all kinds of pain.

King Corbin vs. Matt Riddle

We get an inset promo from Riddle, who says he can’t wait to throw down and show Smackdown the difference between a stallion and a jacka**. Riddle starts fast and hammers away but Corbin catches him on the way inside. Corbin powers out of what looked like a Kimura and hits a hard elbow for two. A kick to the face sends Corbin outside though and Riddle throws him over the announcers’ table as we take a break.

Back with Riddle grabbing a triangle but Corbin powers out in a hurry. Corbin’s running right hand drops Riddle again and he can barely get back up. It’s just a ruse though as Riddle catches him with a jumping knee to the face. The Broton into another knee gets two so Riddle tries the Bromission. That’s broken up as well and Corbin hits the Deep Six but the End of Days is countered into another knee to the face. The Floating Bro hits knees though and End of Days finishes Riddle at 11:23.

Rating: C+. Was anyone asking for this to continue? I’m not sure, but WWE had the chance to set up a trilogy and all it took was Riddle losing clean to Corbin of all people. I’m sure we’ll have a third match at some point, but it’s not like Riddle had any momentum going after beating Corbin in the first place.

Post match Riddle says losing sucks but it isn’t stopping the stallion. He is going to keep going until Smackdown is the Bro Show.

The mystery woman puts on her jewelry and makeup. She also writes UNTOUCHABLE in lipstick on her mirror and takes a picture of it.

Alexa Bliss vs. Lacey Evans

Fallout from last week when Bliss took Lacey out after a match. In an inset promo, Alexa calls Lacey a Karen without calling her a Karen. Bliss rolls her up for two to start but Lacey knocks her down. Lacey sends it into the corner and throws the napkin at her, followed by the slingshot dropkick for two. We hit the cobra clutch for a bit but Bliss comes right back by cranking on the arm. Hold on though as the Fiend’s laugh is heard and we take a break.

Back with Evans stomping away and tying up Bliss’ legs for a forearm to the face. Bliss gets sent into the corner and a nasty slingshot dropkick puts her on the floor. Back in and Lacey gets two as we cut to a crowd shot (possibly so Bliss can fix her gear). Bliss makes the comeback with a basement dropkick but Evans cranks her down by the arm. Evans misses the double jump moonsault (Bliss had moved before the second jump) and we have the Fiend’s red light. Bliss snaps and unloads on Evans for the DQ at 10:50.

Rating: D. These two didn’t even seem to be in the same book out there for a lot of this, but some of that is due to trying to cram in a little too much. They did the Fiend’s voice and then did the light, all so Bliss could snap. On top of that, Lacey is now a former Marine, a tough mom, a southern belle, and now Karen. Pick two of those at most and calm down.

Post match, Alexa hits Sister Abigail on the floor and Fiend’s voice says let me in.

Here are Reigns and Heyman for the big closing. Before Heyman can get very far, here’s Uso to interrupt. Reigns cuts him off and says this family needs him to be the tribal chief. That’s why he’s keeping the title on Sunday and he walks away. Jey asks what if Reigns is wrong. Why can’t Jey be the Big Dog and provide for his family and kids as Universal Champion?

For his whole life, it has been Reigns as the star and the man. Whenever anyone talks about Jey, they ask which one he is. On Sunday, Jey is going to the top. Uso goes to leave but Reigns pops back up with a Superman Punch. Reigns screams at him about feeding the entire family with the title. Jey can take the payday and the whipping that comes with it, but he’s never taking the title from Reigns. He is never taking Reigns’ place at the head of the table. This was more incredible stuff from Reigns, as it tends to always be these days.

Overall Rating: D+. The wrestlers were trying, but this came off like a show that did not matter in the slightest. It was a bunch of middle of the road stuff, including a match where commentary said it didn’t matter with regards to Sunday. This felt like a show where they took the week off and threw whatever they had out there to fill in the time. Uso vs. Reigns has actually been set up well though and I’m more than a little impressed with how they have turned what should be a two minute squash into something interesting. Well done there, but the rest might as well have been Main Event.

Results

Sami Zayn b. AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy – Phenomenal Forearm to Hardy

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Gran Metalik – Kinshasa

King Corbin b. Matt Riddle – End of Days

Lacey Evans b. Alexa Bliss via DQ when Bliss attacked Evans

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

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

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

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

Smackdown
Date: September 18, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We are coming up on Clash Of Champions and that means it is time to start getting ready for the pay per view. There are a lot of different things being set up, including a few more title matches. Tonight we might get a few steps closer to that but you never know around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Dirt Sheet, with Miz and John Morrison promising to get all of the dirt on the biggest stories going on in WWE today. After a clip of Miz announcing Mandy Rose is on her way to Raw on Talking Smack, Miz insists that he is not trying to get back at Otis. No, instead he is trying to help Otis as a former Mr. Money In The Bank. Now that Mandy is gone, Otis can focus on cashing in the briefcase while the men on Raw can focus on Mandy. Morrison: “Isn’t Ziggler over there?”

Cue Otis to beat both of them up, with Tucker throwing both of them back in as they try to escape. Otis is so angry at Miz that he hits the Caterpillar, showing the height of his violence. He even strips Miz down to his underwear, which isn’t quite the biggest deal when he wrestles in the same kind of gear.

Post break, Miz makes a phone call and says they have a plan.

Gran Metalik vs. Cesaro

The rest of Lucha House Party and Shinsuke Nakamura are here too. Metalik headscissors him down to start but gets taken into the corner for the uppercut. The armbar goes on as Kalisto and Lince Dorado seem to argue at ringside. Metalik gets sent outside and the referee ejects the rest of the House Party. Cesaro is pleased but the distraction lets Metalik hit a big springboard flip dive and we take a break. Back with Cesaro getting two off a big boot but Metalik gets up top for a flip dive and his own two. The moonsault hits raised boots though and Cesaro Neutralizes him for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C. The Lucha House Party’s collapse continues, even though they’re getting a pay per view title match. I’m not sure how good it is going to be to split them up because the trio doesn’t seem like the kind of guys that are going to get a push on their own, but tag teams exist to be split up in WWE so it doesn’t matter that much. Also, how random is that champion vs. champion match on Monday feeling? It really does seem to be just a one off instead of building to anything, which is a little odd.

After looking at a clip of last week’s main event, Jey Uso says he trust Roman Reigns tonight. At Clash Of Champions tonight though, one of them is leaving as the Universal Champion. They’ve been fighting since they were little, but now they aren’t little anymore.

And now, Know Your Bro with Matt Riddle. Matt demonstrates how many different emotions you can convey with the word “bro”.

It’s time for A Moment Of Bliss, with Nikki Cross as the guest. We look at Bliss giving Cross Twisted Bliss last week and walking away, only to have Cross win anyway. Cross and Bliss hug before Bliss can get to the question: why should we believe Cross can beat Bayley after losing to her all summer? Cross says she’s ready for Bayley and promises to win the title. Now that we have that settled, Cross has a question for Bliss: what is going on with her?

Last week she hit Cross with Sister Abigail, but Bliss can’t explain it. She doesn’t know how to handle it…and here’s (the rather not dead) Lacey Evans to interrupt. Lacey asks if this is the View with these women talking about their feelings. Cross should be thanking Bliss for helping her last week because Bliss threw Lacey off of her game. Besides, Cross can’t win if she doesn’t have a mean streak. The fight is on and they fight to the ring for their scheduled match.

Lacey Evans vs. Nikki Cross

Bliss is on commentary but hang on because Evans needs to sanitize before the bell. Cross kicks her to the floor and then takes it back inside to jump on Evans’ back. Lacey sends her into the corner and starts working on the arm with some hard knee drops. A running boot in the corner connects and there’s the slingshot Bronco Buster for two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Evans cuts her off again and starts pulling on the arm some more. Evans rams her head first into the mat and stays on the arm before hitting the standing moonsault. With Cross down, Lacey sprays the hand sanitizer in Nikki’s eyes, but she’s right back up with a hair takedown. Nikki hits a corner splash and finishes with the hanging neckbreaker at 7:12. Bliss seems rather pleased.

Rating: D+. The sanitizer deal was rather dumb here as Nikki acted like it was water in her eyes instead of alcohol. The rest of the match was Evans beating up Nikki in a match she had no chance of winning because Nikki has a title shot coming up and Evans has fallen through the floor. Nothing to see here, which shouldn’t be that shocking.

Post match Evans crawls over to Bliss while shouting about the Fiend. Bliss goes into the same trance as last week, hits Sister Abigail, and slowly walks off in the trance.

Paul Heyman narrates a video about the Anoa’i Family being perhaps the greatest wrestling family of all time. We see a lot of the members in action and dang there have been a ton of them over the years. Heyman talks about how it is a battle of the family at Clash Of Champions, but while they feast at the same table, there is one ruler of the dynasty.

We get a sitdown interview with Sasha Banks, beginning with a look at Bayley attacking her two weeks ago. Banks is nearly in tears and says she’s still here as we hear a lot of cheering noises. Cole talks about how Bayley used her and Banks knows that Bayley finds her useless now. She and Bayley used to walk these halls and talk about everything they have done together.

They had planned to take over the whole company together but now she sees these halls and, through tears, she sees all of the things she and Bayley did together. Banks gets a lot more serious and calls Bayley an idiot who is nothing without her. Now Banks is coming for the title. Bayley runs in and blasts her with a chair before wrapping the chair around Banks’ neck again. Some rather short people run in to break it up before Bayley can stomp on the chair. The idea made sense, but Banks isn’t much of an actress and the delivery hurt it a lot.

Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles

Sami goes to insist that he is introduced as the Intercontinental Champion but AJ jumps him from behind to start fast. Sami gets in a few shots and stomps away before grabbing a quickly broken chinlock. As Cole manages to find new levels of annoyance by talking in that completely unnatural manner associated with WWE commentary, Sami kicks the post by mistake and falls to the floor.

The slingshot forearm takes him down again and we take a break. Back with Sami hitting a Stun Gun but AJ grabs a neckbreaker for two. Sami slugs away but the Pele kick connects to drop them both. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Sami two and he suplexes AJ into the corner. The Helluva Kick misses though and AJ grabs a rollup, possibly with tights, for the pin at 10:18.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here but you can almost see the triple threat at Clash from here. Sami at least looked good after his long time off. AJ was a smart choice for the first opponent too as he can have a good match with anyone, meaning this was almost a layup. It’s hard to make heel vs. heel work but they pulled it off here.

Post match Sami jumps AJ and complains about the tights being pulled. Cue Jeff Hardy to take Sami out…and grab a ladder (oh freaking dang it). Jeff is tired of being called cheat and a fraud so let’s end it once and for all, with a ladder match. Good grief I’d give so much money to put a ban on ladder matches for a few years.

Otis is served with a lawsuit. Apparently Miz and Morrison are suing over emotional distress, creating an unsafe working environment (STOP MAKING UP STORIES ABOUT THAT BECAUSE YOU DO IT ALL THE FREAKING TIME!) and violating their First Amendment rights by interrupting their news program. Otis has a week to decide if he will forfeit the Money in the Bank contract or go to court.

Sheamus and King Corbin are ready for their Samoan Street Fight tonight. The guy who lured Big E. to the parking lot last night comes in to say Sheamus’ car is being towed. Sheamus goes outside and gets jumped by Big E. in disguise. Big E. beats up the guy from last week as well, including a Big Ending on the car and throwing him in the trunk, showing more seriousness than he has in years. Adam Pearce comes in to say Big E. needs to leave. This worked a lot better than I would have expected.

The mystery woman gets dressed behind a screen. She turns around but there is a mirror in front of her face.

Roman Reigns/Jey Uso vs. Sheamus/King Corbin

Samoan Street Fight and Paul Heyman is here with Reigns (actually present to start the match) and Uso. Before the match, Reigns says he didn’t want any confusing this week. This is his yard, island, ring and WWE. If you want to change it, come take it. Sheamus is a little banged up but still here. It’s a brawl to start and thankfully there are no tags here because thankfully they understand the idea of a street fight.

The villains are sent to the floor early on, where Corbin pelts a chair at Reigns’ head for a scary crash. Jey dives onto Corbin but a second dive is countered into Deep Six on the floor. Back in and Corbin grabs a chair but gets kicked in the head for his efforts. Reigns chairs Corbin down but Sheamus runs Reigns over on the floor. The beatdown is on and Reigns is thrown over the announcers’ table. A regular table is brought inside and Uso gets planted through it for a near fall.

Reigns is back up and throws an announcers’ chair at Corbin’s head for a pretty impressive power display. Sheamus knocks him down again and loads up the announcers’ table but White Noise is broken up. Reigns kick Sheamus low and Samoan drops him onto (not through) the table. Corbin is posted and Sheamus is speared through the barricade. Back up and Corbin jumps Reigns before throwing Jey over a bunch of stuff. Uso is back with a title shot to the face though and Reigns adds a spear. The Superfly Splash gives Jey the pin at 6:10.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun and most of that is because of Roman Reigns. THIS is the Reigns that people had been wanting to see for a long time. He was like a bulldozer here and running through everyone in his path, which made for some really awesome moments throughout. That’s the kind of Reigns that looked like the star of the company and someone who could be the champ for a long time with a huge moment being needed to take it from him. I liked this a lot and Reigns came off as the monster they have been wanting for a long time now.

Post match Reigns doesn’t look happy with Uso. Jey grabs the title and teases posing with it but throws the title to Reigns for a smile. Reigns and Uso hug so Jey can leave, with Reigns glaring at him from the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They’re taking an interesting approach to Clash as the main event is little more than a formality but the story has been set up well. Reigns vs. Uso is much more like the next step in Reigns’ story as we’ll get to see what he is willing to do to family, which makes it a lot better than what it would have been otherwise. Then you have Bayley vs. Nikki Cross, which is the most throw away, lame duck title match in recent years. The pay per view is looking hit or miss, but this week’s show worked out well enough. Just enough with the lawsuits and ladder matches though, please.

Results

Cesaro b. Gran Metalik – Neutralizer

Nikki Cross b. Lacey Evans – Hanging swinging neckbreaker

AJ Styles b. Sami Zayn – Rollup with a handful of tights

Roman Reigns/Jey Uso b. King Corbin/Sheamus – Superfly Splash to Corbin

 

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

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

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

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

Smackdown
Date: September 11, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Things took a surprising turn last week as Jey Uso of all people became the new #1 contender to the Smackdown World Title. That could set up quite the one sided title defense for Roman Reigns but you never know. As for tonight, Jeff Hardy defends the Intercontinental Title against AJ Styles. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Never Forget graphic.

We get a long recap of Reigns’ comments last week, plus Uso becoming #1 contender.

Here are Reigns and Heyman for a chat. Heyman talks about letting the cat out of the bag two weeks ago. Then at Payback, they took the Universal title. That took us to last week when Jey Uso captured the #1 contendership in the biggest win of his career. Heyman invites Uso to the ring and we see some photos of the Usos and reigns growing up together. Uso thanks Heyman for getting him a spot last week but Heyman says it was Reigns’ idea, with Heyman just following an idea.

Reigns talks about how they are family and Jey earned this. He has never had a chance like this and while Reigns is going to beat him up like when they were kids, they’re still blood. Uso can go with that but here’s King Corbin to cut them off. Corbin thinks this is a setup because it’s family facing off at the Clash. He can’t stand someone abusing their power. Cue Sheamus to interrupt this time to recap all of the strings being pulled last week. Uso doesn’t want to hear it and challenges them to a tag match. The brawl is on with Reins not moving an inch as Uso cleans house.

Here’s what’s coming tonight, including Jeff Hardy defending the Intercontinental Title against AJ Styles. Sami Zayn storms the production truck and wants the title graphic taken away from Hardy.

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles

Hardy is defending but hang on a second because here’s Sami Zayn during the Big Match Intros. They can have this match but it’s an exhibition. Cue Adam Pearce with security to get rid of Sami, who doesn’t like any of this. AJ jumps Jeff from behind but walks into the Twist of Fate. The Swanton misses though and we take a break. Back with AJ hammering away and sending it outside to stomp on the floor. Jeff sends him into the steps though and nails the Whisper in the Wind back inside. The basement dropkick into the splash gives Hardy two and Hardy sends him outside again. Cue Sami to jump Styles for the DQ at 7:34.

Rating: C. The match never had the chance to go anywhere because of the time but the triple threat at Clash has seemed pretty obvious for a good while now. I’m glad they didn’t let this go very far as there was no reason to let us get invested into a match that is going to go nowhere on the way to the pay per view.

Post match Sami hits the Helluva Kick on Jeff.

After a quick look at Reigns and Uso, Hardy collapses on his way to the back.

Post break Hardy is dehydrated. Styles storms in and wants Sami to stop all these shenanigans.

We recap Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura going to Raw, with commentary explaining the Brand To Brand Invitational deal.

Cesaro and Nakamura are in their room in the back but here are the Street Profits to say they wanted to check the show out. With Cesaro and Nakamura gone, the Profits eat their popcorn.

Hardy is getting better when Sami comes in again, triggering a brawl.

Lucha House Party vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title and we get an inset promo from Kalisto, who calls himself the leader and says it’s time to win the Tag Team Titles. Gran Metalik hurricanranas Cesaro a few times to start and it’s quickly off to Kalisto for an assisted splash. Nakamura comes in for some knees to the face and ribs for two, followed by a knee choke in the corner. Kalisto is sent outside but we cut to the Street Profits in the back where a party has broken out with Nakamura and Cesaro’s champagne. That means a rollup pins Nakamura at 3:33.

Rating: D+. They aren’t wasting time with this show and in a way that’s nice. I could have gone without the champs being pinned but at least it wasn’t clean. The champions vs. champions match taking place on Raw is a little weird but there is a good chance that they are setting up something for the pay per view. It would at least make some more sense.

Post break the House Party joins the party.

Here’s Bayley, with the chair she used to destroy Banks, for a chat. We look at the beatdown and Bayley says of course she loved every second of it. Bayley knows everyone wants answers but she is full of questions. Banks is watching so did she really think Bayley wasn’t going to be her next target?

Sasha wanted to be Two Belts Banks again and was just using Bayley the whole time. She knows it because Bayley was using her the whole time. Bayley used her to become Bayley Dos Straps and is now the longest reigning Smackdown Women’s Champion in history. After last night though, Banks is nothing to her. Good promo here, and the explanation is a nice twist on the usual formula.

Nikki Cross vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Tamina vs. Lacey Evans

The winner gets Bayley at Clash Of Champions. Nikki comes out first but Bayley jumps her during the entrance. Lacey knocks Bliss down for an early two and whips her into Alexa’s boots in the corner. Tamina gets taken down as well but Evans misses the slingshot stomp. It’s Bliss coming back in to clean house until Tamina runs her over. Bliss’ DDT is easily blocked and Tamina kicks her in the face.

Lacey is back in but her slingshot dropkick is broken up. Cross is back up for the first time and kicks Tamina leg off, followed by the running clothesline for two. Tamina and Evans are sent outside for a dive from Cross. Bliss helps Nikki up but gives her Sister Abigail on the floor as we take a break. Back with Bliss having slowly walked out, almost in a trance. Lacey kicks Tamina down and hits the slingshot elbow for two.

Tamina is back up to break up the moonsault but misses a charge into the corner. The double jump moonsault connects but it’s Cross coming back in to make the save. A bulldog/running clothesline combination gets two on Lacey but it’s Tamina taking Cross down. Tamina superkicks Cross but walks into the Woman’s Right. Cross is back up with the Purge to Lacey but she has to slip out of Tamina’a Samoan drop. The rollup to Tamina sends Nikki to the Clash at 12:00.

Rating: D+. I can’t believe how much of a relief it was that Tamina didn’t win here. That would have been one of the most annoying outcomes they could have had and it is far from outside of the question around here. That being said, they were on different pages near the end there and it looked pretty rough. At least Nikki won, but I’m not sure how much of a chance she has a the pay per view. Still better than Tamina though.

We get another vignette of the mystery woman, who is getting dressed and has long blonde hair. Sweet goodness it isn’t Eva Marie is it?

Otis vs. John Morrison

Tucker is at ringside and Miz is on commentary. Morrison starts by kicking away but Otis uses the power of jiggling. Miz gets up so Tucker cuts him off, only to have Miz run off with the lunchbox. Otis uses the distraction to splash Morrison and hit the Caterpillar. The Vader Bomb is good for the pin at 2:27. Miz does know that he himself said possession of the contract means nothing right?

We look at Big E. being taken out by Sheamus last week.

Otis reveals that Miz had a fake lunchbox. Then he bites the real contract.

Miz says his lawyer thinks they can find a loophole in the Money in the Bank contract now that they have it. In reality they have an apple core, so Miz calls in a favor.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House where they have rolled out the welcome mat. Bray Wyatt talks about how, thanks to Roman Reigns, something special is missing around here. Everyone handles loss in a different way though, and that’s The Less You Know. Now it’s time to have some fun and meet the newest member of the Fun House. That would be…Pasquale The Persevering Parrot. Actually Pasquale won’t come out because Bray forgot to cut some hoels in the box. Abigail: “Polly want a headstone?”

Evil Vince Puppet comes in (Vince: “What the my home is going on in here?”) and says Bray has lost his trust. If Bray doesn’t cooperate, he’ll be fired. That’s why there is a new special advisor to the Firefly Fun House, Wobbly Walrus, who might remind you of a certain Heyman. Vince: “This is such good ****!” Bray: “OH NO!” To Be Continued.

Jey Uso/Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin/Sheamus

There is no Reigns to start so Corbin punches Uso down, allowing Sheamus to hit the ten forearms to the chest. Jey manages a Samoan drop to Corbin to set up the running Umaga Attack but Corbin rolls away. Sheamus comes in for White Noise (with commentary arguing over what the move is called). The Brogue Kick is loaded up but here’s Reigns, with the distraction letting Uso hit a superkick to Sheamus. There’s a suicide dive to Corbin and a superkick to Sheamus sets up the Superfly Splash. Reigns tags himself in and spears Sheamus for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C-. There’s something awesome about this Reigns showing up and doing almost nothing to get a win. It’s such an obnoxious thing to do and suits him so well, including the subtle things like Reigns telling Uso to get out of the way so he can hit the spear. This has worked crazy well and Reigns has barely done anything since joining Heyman.

Post match Jey holds up Reigns’ hand, with the Universal Title, as Reigns stares at him to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was one of the more efficient shows that Smackdown has produced in a good while. They advanced stories, they kept things fast and set up a few things for the future. Above all else, this show flew by and I was stunned when it was halfway over. Now that being said, as well structured as it was, the content wasn’t all that great with a lot of the stories feeling pretty middle of the road at best. The Universal Title and Women’s Title matches are both feeling pretty small and the other story is about Otis’ lunchboxes. That’s not much, but the show was well put together, which isn’t that bad.

Results

AJ Styles b. Jeff Hardy via DQ when Sami Zayn interfered

Lucha House Party b. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura – Rollup to Nakamura

Nikki Cross b. Lacey Evans, Alexa Bliss and Tamina – Rollup to Tamina

Otis b. John Morrison – Vader Bomb

Roman Reigns/Jey Uso b. King Corbin/Sheamus – Spear to Sheamus

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

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

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

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

Smackdown
Date: September 4, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the show after Summerslam and we get two big deals in one tonight. First of all, Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman are making their first comments since the revealed their alliance last week. In addition to that we have a four way match to determine the #1 contender for Reigns’ Clash Of Champions title defense. Let’s get to it.

Here is Payback if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns revealing Paul Heyman as his new…whatever term they are using for him, and Reigns winning the Universal Title two nights later.

Here are Reigns and Heyman to get things going. Heyman says as soon as you thought he was out, Reigns pulled him back in. Reigns is the one corrupting him and pulled Heyman back in from the ocean of obscurity. Now he is back on the island of relevancy because they did the same thing to Heyman that they did to Reigns. What happened to the thank yous and the appreciation?

Reigns over delivered during his life threatening illness and no one offered him any thanks. When Reigns needed some time off, they made him give up his title. A Fiend or a monster isn’t born to reign. Imagine turning on Fox News and seeing an interview with a growling man as champion. Roman’s reign as your champion has always been defined as what WWE wants you to like: family, tradition and legacy. Tonight there is a four way to crown a new sacrificial lamb.

Heyman isn’t going to say their names because he’ll let Anderson Cooper and Carmella’s latest boyfriend handle that. Heyman is outside council to your Undisputed Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. Roman says he is a man of his word and did exactly what he said he was going to do: he signed the contract, wrecked the other two and left as Universal Heavyweight Champion. He’ll face whoever wins tonight and all he has to do is show up and win. Really, really good stuff here as Heyman sounded ticked off and Reigns sounded like the serious monster that he has needed to be for years now.

Post break Jey Uso comes up to Reigns in the back and congratulates him. Heyman leaves and Jey asks what the deal is with Heyman and Reigns. Roman says he’s got this and Jey accepts, even saying he’s got Reigns’ back if he ever needs it. Reigns leaves and seems rather distant, which Jey notices.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Heavy Machinery

Otis runs Miz over to start and Tucker comes in for the standing double splash. Miz and Morrison are knocked to the floor and we take a break. Back with Tucker diving over both of them and making the tag off to Otis. House is cleaned but the Flying Chuck hits Otis to take him down. Morrison hits the Moonlight Drive on Tucker on the floor but Otis starts gyrating off Miz’s kicks. Miz is knocked down to set up the Caterpillar and a Vader Bomb (that’s better as he needed a new finisher) finishes Miz at 8:06.

Rating: D+. It’s kind of amazing how far Otis has fallen in the last few months and so much of that has to do with the crowd. It isn’t all from the crowd though, as some of it is over him not exactly feeling like a threat to the World Title. Can you imagine him cashing in the briefcase and actually being a real World Title contender at this point? Granted there very well could be some shenanigans to get it to someone else, and really, there almost has to be.

Post match, Morrison steals the Money in the Bank briefcase and celebrates with it.

Big E. and Drew Gulak are having a birthday party for the returning Xavier Woods and tell Lucha House Party to stay away from the cake. Big E. is ready to become #1 contender but someone comes up to say Woods has arrived. With the cake in hand, Big E. goes out to find him but gets jumped by Sheamus, who takes him down with a Brogue Kick. White Noise onto the windshield of a car likely writes Big E. out of the #1 contenders match.

Post break Big E. is injured and has to go to a local medical facility. Sheamus comes in and says that is tough to watch but he can’t take his eyes off of it. With Big E. being loaded up on the stretcher in the background, Kayla Braxton asks if Sheamus set this up because of the Payback loss. Sheamus claims self defense and thinks Big E. just got distracted by the idea of seeing Woods again. If you want to be Universal Champion, you need to be focused at all time. Now Sheamus has to go because he has a triple threat to get ready for.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles back but Banks doesn’t like Bayley being asked about tapping out twice in a row. Banks talks about how great Bayley is and promises to get the titles back.

Adam Pearce says the four way is still on and the replacement will be named tonight. Heyman comes up and wants to talk to Pearce about something.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler

Jax and Baszler are defending and we get an inset promo from Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, talking about how this is going to be a car crash. Cesaro calls out Nakamura for being insensitive after what happened to Big E. They raise a toast anyway. The champs are sent outside for double baseball slides but Bayley and Banks get caught. Despite them locking hands, the champs swing them into the barricade a few times as we take a break.

Back with Bayley in trouble as Banks seems rather concerned. Jax grabs a chinlock before it’s off to Baszler to crank Bayley’s arm back for a nasty visual. Bayley gets over for the tag to Banks and it’s a Backstabber into the running knees in the corner to Jax. The top rope Meteora gets two and everything breaks down. Jax is sent to the apron where Bayley hits a Stunner onto the middle rope so Bayley can hit a powerbomb to the floor. Bayley suplexes her way out of the Kirifuda Clutch and it’s time to beat on Jax in the corner.

The Backstabber hits Baszler and Bayley starts going up but Banks covers for two instead. Now Bayley can hit the elbow for two more but Banks’ running knees only hit the post. Back in and Baszler takes out the bad knee. A spinning toehold is countered into a small package for two but Baszler is right back up with a shot to knock Bayley off the apron. Baszler stomps at the knee and tries a Muta Lock, only to have Bayley come back in for the Bayley to Belly for the save.

Banks grabs the Bank Statement instead of tagging and it’s Jax coming in to break things up. Jax gets the tag and tries a Stretch Muffler but Banks reverses into a sunset flip for two. Bayley saves Sasha from a super Samoan drop and a double powerbomb hits Baszler. Jax hits a middle rope crossbody for the double pin to retain at 15:38.

Rating: B-. They did a really good job here of making you think that the match was over and then finding a way to keep it going. The action was intense here too and the knee injury was a fine way to keep things going. I’m not wild on Jax and Baszler as champions but they had a rather solid match here so fair enough for one night.

Post break medics are checking on Banks…and Bayley kicks her in the head. Bayley sends her into the steps and then stomps the bad leg on the steps. Banks goes into the barricade and then back in to keep up the beating, including more kicks to the leg. Bayley yells at her a lot and then wraps a chair around the leg. Banks gets in some kicks but Bayley blasts her again and adds a bulldog driver. With Banks out cold, Bayley wraps the chair around Banks’ neck and Pillmanizes her, probably putting Banks out all the way until Clash Of Champions.

Post break Banks is taken away in an ambulance.

Here’s Sami Zayn for a chat. Sami does not like not being mentioned as Intercontinental Champion. He hijacks the headset and talks to the production truck for not including the fact that he is Intercontinental Champion. Apparently it wasn’t in their notes, but here’s Jeff Hardy to interrupt.

Hardy says all Sami had to do was ask for a title shot but Sami says it should have been Sami who was asking. Cue AJ Styles to say he’s back and healthy so Jeff says he’s ready to defend. AJ jumps Hardy and the fight is on with Sami joining in. AJ hits Hardy as well but Hardy gets back up, with AJ being sent outside. The Helluva Kick hits Hardy and Sami bails.

Jey Uso is replacing Big E. in the #1 contenders match.

Tucker can’t find Miz and Morrison to get the briefcase back. Otis is cool with it because he keeps the Money in the Bank contract in his mini lunch box. Tucker is happy but want to know what’s in the briefcase. As luck would have it, Morrison is ready to open the briefcase at that time and finds….a stapler, some Q-Tips and a sandwich.

Jey Uso thanks Roman for getting him in the match but Roman says it was Heyman’s doing. Reigns wants Jey to win one on his own and wishes him luck.

Riddle comes out for the main event and charges at Corbin’s throne on the stage to start the fight early. Sheamus and Jey come down and the brawl is on in the ring and on the floor. We take a break before the bell rings and come back with….the Firefly Fun House.

Bray knows that you are down in the dumps just like He is because He lost his favorite toy again. It’s cool though because next week a brand new friend is coming to the Fun House. BYE!

Alexa Bliss comes up to Nikki Cross in the back and doesn’t know what came over him. With Ramblin Rabbit in the background, Bliss hugs her and walks off.

Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin vs. Sheamus vs. Jey Uso

For the shot at Clash and we’re finally ready to go about ten minutes after Riddle’s entrance. It’s a brawl to start with Jey superkicking Corbin to the floor and Sheamus hitting a backbreaker on Riddle. Jey comes back in for the save but gets knocked down, leaving the big guys to brawl. Riddle gets in as well and it’s a double charge in the corner to Sheamus and Corbin.

They come back with the Irish Curse and Deep Six for a double two, followed by Sheamus running Corbin over. We take a break and come back with Sheamus hitting the forearms to Jey’s chest but Riddle is back up with strikes of his own. An exploder suplex into the Broton has Sheamus in trouble but he pulls Riddle into the Cloverleaf. Jey makes the save and hits some running Umaga Attacks to both of them in the corner.

Corbin gets in a cheap shot on Jey but Riddle and Sheamus throw Corbin over the barricade. Jey dives onto Sheamus and Riddle for the double knockdown but Corbin is back up to throw Uso into the video screens. The other three get back in and Sheamus Brogue Kicks Corbin. The Bro To Sleep sends Sheamus outside and it’s the Floating Bro to Corbin. Jey comes back in with the Superfly Splash to Riddle for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: C. Well it wasn’t expected. I’m not exactly going to believe that Jey Uso is actually getting the title shot until I hear the bell ring and I’m also not sure that the match is going to last more than about fifteen seconds if it does take place. The match was good enough and the ending was a surprise, though I’m not entirely convinced that it’s lasting, which is fine too. That being said, you have Riddle, Sheamus and Corbin in there and Riddle takes the fall?

Post match Jey says he made the family proud too and is ready to take Roman to the Uso Penitentiary.

Overall Rating: B-. The word here is energy, as the show felt like it was doing a lot of stuff that mattered (not everything mind you, but a good deal of it). Heyman and Reigns had a good promo to start, the Bayley/Banks angle was good and they threw in a big curve ball at the end. I liked the show more than I have liked Smackdown in a long time and that’s a nice thing to be able to say. Good start to the Evil Reigns era and now we get to wait and see what comes next. The fact that I want to see what that is makes this a success.

Results

Heavy Machinery b. John Morrison/The Miz – Vader Bomb to Miz

Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax b. Bayley/Sasha Banks – Double middle rope crossbody

Jey Uso b. Matt Riddle, King Corbin and Sheamus – Superfly Splash to Riddle

 

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

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

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

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

NXT UK
Date: August 27, 2020
Host: Andy Shepard

It’s time to crack open the vault again and that’s a very nice thing to hear. Granted it won’t be that way for long as the regular shows are back on September 17 but I’ll take what I can get while it lasts. The previous show was a lot of fun and I’m curious to see what we get here a second time around. Let’s get to it.

Andy reminds us that they are back on September 17. With that out of the way, it’s time to send us to our first match.

William Regal picks the only WWE match of the recently passed away Rollerball Rocco’s career. Now this is the kind of thing that could make this show (or another show) must see. From MSG, December 28, 1984.

Junior Heavyweight Title: The Cobra vs. Black Tiger

The title is vacant coming in and Tiger is Rocco. Cobra works on the arm to start but Tiger snapmares him down for a knee and elbow. Back up and Cobra grabs the arm again and they head to the mat for the exchange of holds. Cobra is out of a chinlock in a hurry so Tiger hits a running clothesline. A backdrop lets Cobra grab his own chinlock, only to miss a middle rope ax handle. Instead it’s a crucifix into a headscissors to keep Tiger down as Gorilla Monsoon talks about the one time he tried to wear a mask.

An airplane spin into a faceplant sets up a Boston crab but Tiger is out in a hurry. The surfboard goes on but Tiger falls into the ropes. Tiger gets up for a kick to the head into a legdrop for two before hitting Cobra in the mask a few times. The chinlock goes on again and it’s off to a leglock, allowing Gorilla to praise the WWF as much as he can. Tiger grabs a headlock on the mat but misses something like a Vader Bomb, allowing Cobra to hit a quick backsplash for two.

Cobra dropkicks him to the floor and slams Tiger off the top. Gene Okerlund rejoins commentary and this could be quite the interesting description. Cobra grabs a figure four necklock as Gene talks about how whoever wins this title could easily go buy a half a million dollar house with a garage full of cars. As I can’t help but smile at Gene trying to hype things up, Tiger gets two off a suplex and plants him with a piledriver.

A middle rope falling elbow misses though and they’re both down. Back up and Cobra gets two off a spinwheel kick and a dropkick sends Tiger to the floor. That means a suicide dive, which was unthinkable around these parts. Tiger hits a suplex and floats over for two before grabbing a Tombstone. The second attempt is reversed into a Tombstone from Cobra, setting up the top rope backsplash for the pin and the title at 12:32.

Rating: B-. The big thing to remember here is the timing. Tombstones, top rope backsplash and a suicide dive three months before Wrestlemania? This was completely out of the norm for this audience and yet these guys looked completely natural. Yes it was done better later on, but dang this was out of nowhere and the kind of hidden gem that I could go for a lot more often.

Toni Storm sends us to Evolution.

Mae Young Classic Finals: Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai

They trade headlocks to start as we hear about Toni being the first Progress Women’s Champion. Toni slips out of a headscissors but Io picks things up with a fast dropkick. A handstand into a double knee drop sets up a Rings of Saturn (which Beth calls a version of a full nelson) to keep Toni grounded. Toni gets a foot on the ropes and snaps off a hard German suplex, only to get dropkicked off the top.

Shirai pops up and scores with a moonsault to the floor but Storm is right back with a German suplex on the apron. Back in and Shirai unloads on her with forearms, only to have Storm pop up with the Storm Zero for a close two. Shirai hits a 619 and a springboard sunset flip for two of her own. The moonsault hits raised knees and Storm Zero is good for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. Well that was sudden. I was expecting this to be nearly twice as long and the match is just over that fast? Storm winning makes more sense as Shirai comes in with all the hype and Storm already lost once late in the tournament last year. The match was good, but I was expecting a lot more.

NXT UK is coming to London.

Next week: a special look at Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov.

Video on the NXT UK tag team division, capped off by the champions, Gallus.

Ilja Dragunov sends us back to a time before Takeover existed. From Arrival.

Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro

No real story here other than they had a great match before and it’s time for a big rematch for the sake of having another great match. It’s rather odd to see Sami come out without his much bouncier theme. The fans are chanting MATCH OF THE YEAR before the bell even rings. Cesaro shoves him down with ease and it seems that they have a lot of time to work with here. A fast armdrag and dropkick have Sami in more trouble as this is all Cesaro in the very early going.

Sami’s hurricanrana is easily countered but he flips out of the Swing attempt and sends Cesaro outside for the flip dive. They head inside again and Sami’s high cross body is countered into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Sami is sent outside as the beating continues, including an uppercut to break up the diving tornado DDT in a nice call back to their classic.

Back in and Cesaro starts in on the knee with a quick leglock and a shot to the bad wheel. Sami tries to kick him away so Cesaro returns the favor with some kicks to the knee. Some dragon screw leg whips set up a half crab, sending Sami crawling over the ropes as fast as he can. Cesaro is sent outside and Sami’s knee is good enough for a springboard moonsault (fair enough here as it’s just bouncing off the ropes instead of jumping) but Cesaro catches him in midair for a tilt-a-whirl powerslam onto the ramp.

Sami dives back in to beat the count and hits the exploder into the corner for two. The Blue Thunder Bomb (ok that’s too much on the bad knee) gets the same for Sami but Cesaro pops back up and grabs an old Brock Lock to stay on the leg. The rope is grabbed again so it’s time for the Cesaro Swing with Sami trying to sit up and get to Cesaro while being swung around.

A hard European uppercut in the corner and a jumping double stomp onto the head of all things get two each for Cesaro and both guys look stunned. Cesaro gets caught on top into a super hurricanrana, followed by the Helluva Kick for a VERY near fall. Sami can barely stand so Cesaro keeps popping him with uppercuts and telling him to stay down. As usual, Sami’s selling is just amazing here as he can make you believe that he’s dead and makes every move look like he just got hit by a bus.

Back up and they slug it out with Sami grabbing a German suplex to send Cesaro into the corner, only to eat a running boot to the face. Cesaro tries the Neutralizer but Sami climbs over the back into a great looking sunset bomb for two. Both guys are down until Cesaro grabs Swiss Death (the pop up uppercut, or pop up grazing forearm here) for one. That just ticks Cesaro off though and it’s a wicked spinning uppercut, followed by the Neutralizer to put Sami away at 22:55.

Rating: A. Sami’s selling issues aside, this was about two guys beating the tar out of each other until one guy couldn’t get up. The ending sequence was perfect with Sami giving it everything he had but Cesaro having that one extra gear that was just too much for Zayn to survive. This should have been the launching pad to bring Cesaro up to the next level but how many times has that been said over the years.

Sami is crushed but Cesaro comes back and hugs him.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this worked, as you kind of knew it would. At the same time though, it will be nice to get back to original stuff. You can only do greatest hits and the like for so long and having something fresh is going to be a good change. WWE has the resources to do whatever they want, but at some point you have to run shows to function as a promotion. It has been long overdue for NXT UK to do that, but at least we’ve had some awesome stuff like this to get us through. Skip the women’s match, but check out the other two for sure.

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

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

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

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

Survivor Series 2016
Date: November 20, 2016
Location: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 17,143
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Mauro Ranallo, John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole, David Otunga

I say this every year but it’s always hard to believe that it’s been a full year since this show. This was the first time that a Survivor Series was expanded to four hours but thankfully there’s a good chance that they could make it work, mainly due to the elimination matches. The main event though is Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg, which I’m sure will be completely uneventful. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Drew Gulak/Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese vs. Noam Dar/TJ Perkins/Rich Swann

This is a preview match for something called 205 Live, which debuts next week. I know it hasn’t gone great but the division really has evolved into a better place than when it started. Swann gets a nice reaction and then starts with Nese, who gets chopped in the corner. They do their regular flips with Swann’s jump over Nese’s feet getting a good pop (as always) before it’s off to Perkins.

Some suplexes set up an Octopus Hold but Nese reverses into a kind of gutwrench suplex. Gulak comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner with everyone working him over. We actually get a TJ PERKINS chant as he slaps on the kneebar to keep Gulak in trouble. Everything breaks down and we take a break.

Back with Daivari in trouble this time as Dar gets two off a running kick to the face. Nese offers a distraction though and a spinebuster takes Dar down. A superkick gives Daivari two and it’s back to Gulak to crank on the leg. If this sounds rather uninteresting, it’s only because that’s what it is.

Dar dropkicks his way to freedom and the hot tag brings in Swann to very little reaction. A good looking jumping hurricanrana takes Daivari off the middle rope as everything breaks down again. That means we hit the dives but the referee CUTS PERKINS OFF. Now you know that’s not working so Perkins dives over the referee to take out some villains. Back in and Swann’s standing 450 ends Daivari at 11:48.

Rating: C-. I forgot how uninteresting these earlier cruiserweight matches were. The guys barely have characters and the entire story here was “three faces vs. three heels”. It didn’t get much better for a long time but, as usual, the problem comes down to one simple thing: if the smaller guys on the main roster can be big stars and do all these dives, why should I be impressed when cruiserweights can do them too?

Kickoff Show: Luke Harper vs. Kane

Harper is part of the NEW Wyatt Family, which screwed Kane over, meaning we need a match here. Kane grabs a full nelson of all things and we’re in a chinlock fifteen seconds in. That goes nowhere so Harper grabs a headlock as the fans are oddly split here. Kane starts in on the shoulder by sending it into the buckle. Harper sends him outside though and hits that suicide shove of his (Who needs cruiserweights?).

A slingshot flip splash gives Luke two and we take a break. Back with Kane in a chinlock (well duh) but managing to superplex Harper down for a crash. The sidewalk slam gets two but Harper scores with a superkick for the same. Kane’s running DDT and Harper’s Boss Man Slam are good for two more each but it’s the chokeslam to put Harper away at 9:10.

Rating: D+. Well what were you expecting here? This was exactly the match you would have planned out for them and Kane won with his finisher. It’s about as paint by numbers of a power match as you can get and while it wasn’t terrible, it’s also a match I really didn’t need to see.

The opening video looks at Goldberg vs. Lesnar and then all the Raw vs. Smackdown matches. Well at least they got some time. I’m sure Stephanie’s voiceovers had nothing to do with it.

Raw Women’s Team vs. Smackdown Women’s Team

Raw: Bayley, Alicia Fox, Charlotte, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks

Smackdown: Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Carmella, Naomi, Nikki Bella

Entrances alone take forever of course, which will be a theme tonight. Charlotte is Raw Women’s Champion and has Dana Brooke in her corner. Becky is Smackdown Women’s Champion but Nikki is captain. You know, because of course. Bliss gets a heck of a reaction (gee I wonder why). Actually hang on a second as there’s no Nikki. We cut to the back where she’s down after being attacked. Not to worry though, as Smackdown coach Natalya is more than willing to take the spot.

Carmella and Alicia get things going and it’s an early northern lights suplex to give Fox two. That just earns her a trip into the corner for the Staten Island Shuffle…and let’s look at Team Raw while Fox gets in a kick to the face. That felt like a hard edit to make sure we didn’t see something. Becky comes in and wants Bayley but Charlotte tags herself in instead. Banks does the same though and everything breaks down as Team Raw is about to implode. As usual, I would ask why Team Smackdown didn’t just let them. Nia will have none of this though and easily clears the ring to settle things down.

We settle down to Becky and Banks trading rollups before it’s off to Charlotte for more of the same. Becky can’t get the Disarm-Her and it’s off to Nia as things get a lot more difficult. Carmella and Bliss come in for the expected results and Naomi’s high crossbody is pulled out of the air. Natalya actually gets a reaction but Nia clotheslines her head off for her efforts. It’s off to Fox vs. Carmella with Alicia avoiding a Bronco Buster, setting up what looked to be a mostly missed ax kick for the elimination at 6:35. Bliss comes right in, sends Fox into the buckle and adds Twisted Bliss to tie it up at 6:48.

Charlotte and Naomi come in with the latter cleaning house, including knocking Nia outside and hitting a high crossbody to the floor. Nia posts her though and that’s a countout at 8:23. We pause for the Tye Dillinger TEN chant until Bliss takes Banks down and grinds her face into the mat. Banks sends Bliss and Natalya into each other, followed by the double knees in the corner to Alexa. Back up and Bliss saves Natalya from the Bank Statement, allowing Natalya to roll Banks up for the elimination at 10:20.

Charlotte comes in and gets suplexed, meaning we hit the SUPLEX CITY chants. You would think fans would know more chants than that. Charlotte goes up for the moonsault but, as always, Natalya powerbombs her down for two in the near fall that never ends Charlotte. The required Sharpshooter sends Charlotte crawling for the ropes but a big boot ends Natalya at 12:01.

Becky and Bliss get in an argument over who should come in, allowing Jax to suplex them both at the same time. Of course that gets a MAMA MIA from Mauro, which I miss hearing so often. Bliss gets caught in a slam but Becky makes a blind tag and missile dropkicks Bliss in the back to knock her onto Jax. The Disarm-Her actually makes Jax tap at 13:35 and it’s 2-2 with Becky/Bliss vs Charlotte/Bayley.

Jax mauls Becky, leaving Bliss to get big booted down for the elimination at 14:03. Becky fights back as fast as she can with the series of clotheslines into the leg lariat, followed by Bexplex. Bayley has to dive in for a save after a top rope legdrop before coming in for the slugout. Another Bexplex gets two but Bayley’s elbow to the back gets the same. You can tell Becky is getting tired out there so Bayley blocks the Disarm-Her and grabs the Bayley to Belly for the final pin at 17:53.

Rating: C+. The quick eliminations didn’t help things here but the ending was the right call. There was way too much talent on the Raw side to lose and I’m VERY glad it was Natalya, who can wrestle this style without having to dumb things down too much. Becky was pretty much all the blue team had for a lot of the match and she put up a valiant effort, only to be outgunned. That makes her look strong and Bayley getting a win like this is a good thing for her at this stage in her main roster career.

Charlotte takes Bayley out post match and beats her around ringside.

Smackdown mascot James Ellsworth runs into Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, who weren’t funny in 2016 either. They make some bad chin puns but Raw GM Mick Foley comes in to run them off. Ellsworth talks about all the great memories he has of Foley, most of which involve him being in extreme pain. Foley thanks him anyway and suggests Ellsworth move to Raw. He appreciates the offer but politely turns it down because he’s true blue. Foley leaves and Ellsworth runs into Braun Strowman, who asks if he knows Ellsworth. James runs in a smart move.

Intercontinental Title: Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Miz is defending and Sami is trying to take the title to Raw. We get the Big Match Intros and Sami gets quite the reaction for being Canadian. Sami spins out of a wristlock to start and Miz looks annoyed in the corner. Miz gets sent outside but Sami has to bail out of the flip dive. The moonsault off the barricade works though, drawing over Maryse for a distraction. Well she can be quite distracting.

This one works well with Miz taking out the knee to get his first advantage. Some hard stomps to the knees have Sami in trouble but he’s still able to clothesline Miz to the floor. A flip dive works as well, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two. Miz’s short DDT gets the same and it’s time for a double breather. The running corner dropkick/clothesline look to set up the ax handle but Sami reverses into the Blue Thunder Bomb.

The Helluva Kick only hits corner though and that means the Figure Four. This one stays on for a good while until Sami makes the ropes, earning himself some YES Kicks. Sami reverses one into a Figure Four of his own but Maryse rings the bell. Since Sami isn’t all that bright, he of course falls for it, only to have Miz roll him up to retain at 14:06.

Rating: C-. Kind of a dull match as you knew a lot of Sami’s near falls weren’t going anywhere. I can go for Miz and Maryse teaming up to steal wins though and it’s a big reason why he’s been an awesome Intercontinental Champion. This would also help play into Sami’s heel turn nearly a year later as he would get tired of losing while playing by the rules. Makes sense, especially in a long term form.

Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles are bickering over being teammates tonight when Shane McMahon comes in and tells them to cool it so Smackdown doesn’t lose again.

Raw Tag Teams vs. Smackdown Tag Teams

Raw: Enzo Amore/Big Cass, Cesaro/Sheamus, Gallows and Anderson, New Day, Shining Stars

Smackdown: American Alpha, Breezango, Heath Slater/Rhyno, Hype Bros, Usos

A fall eliminates both members of a team. Enzo and Cass suck up to the live crowd, as you might expect. New Day and Slater/Rhyno are the respective champions. Fandango tries to give everyone a fashion ticket to start, earning himself a Midnight Hour for the elimination at 44 seconds. New Day spends too much time celebrating though and it’s a superkick from Jimmy to pin Big E. at 1:08.

Gallows comes in to punch Jimmy in the face before handing it off to Cass for the tall power. The fast tags continue as it’s off to Epico vs. Ryder (who is rocking some old school Survivor Series logo trunks) with Mojo coming in for a clap around the ears. Rawley gets taken down into the corner for the huge group beating though as we keep trying to get everyone in. It’s back to Ryder (not Slater like the fans want) but Gallows saves Anderson from the Broski Boot. Instead it’s the Magic Killer to pin Ryder at 5:08.

Gable comes in as Graves talks about how scared he is of American Alpha. It doesn’t seem to be the most valid fear to start though as Epico takes Gable down into a chinlock. Some rolling suplexes have Gable in more trouble and Primo comes in with a springboard ax handle to the ribs. He misses a charge in the corner though and it’s off to Jordan for a quick Steiner Bulldog to get rid of the Stars at 8:08.

The six remaining teams (Enzo/Big Cass, Cesaro/Sheamus, Gallows and Anderson vs. American Alpha, Heath Slater/Rhyno, Usos) come in at once as everything breaks down. That means Enzo gets tossed over the top onto a big pile….which was mainly Raw guys but whatever. Rhyno gets thrown over the top as well, only to have Slater add an even bigger dive. Back in and Cesaro swings Jordan but Gable makes the save with a Rolling Chaos Theory.

Gable isn’t done though as Jordan throws him over the top for a HUGE flip dive onto everyone. Sweet goodness those two were awesome together. I mean, not as awesome as Jordan on his own with Kurt Angle kind of around but still. Back in and it’s a quick Magic Killer to get rid of Jordan at 10:39 as the eliminations are still flying. A spinebuster plants Slater and he’s caught in the wrong corner.

Sheamus won’t tag Cesaro (this was before their ridiculous matching outfits) and an argument breaks out, allowing the hot tag off to Rhyno as everyone bickers. Rhyno comes in and Gores Gallows for an elimination at 12:28. Cass wastes no time with a big boot to Rhyno, followed by the Bada Boom Shaka Lacka for the pin at 12:45.

That leaves us with the Usos….who superkick Enzo down to set up the Superfly Splash and an elimination at 13:26 before I can type the Raw teams. So now we’re down to the Usos vs. Cesaro/Sheamus with the latter hitting the ten forearms (you know the chant) on Jimmy. Cesaro comes in and eats a double superkick but Sheamus Brogue kicks Jimmy with Jey making a diving save.

Super White Noise plants Jimmy again but Jey is right back with a Superfly Splash for two with Cesaro making a save of his own. The hot tag brings in Cesaro for the Uppercut Train and a 619 as the fans lose their minds over Cesaro again. A high crossbody gets two on Jey and it’s time for the Swing. Jimmy breaks up the Sharpshooter and Jey gets the Tequila Sunrise. That’s reversed right back into the Sharpshooter with Sheamus remembering he’s in the match to cut off Jimmy, leaving Jey to tap at 18:55.

Rating: B. This was during the time that I couldn’t stand Sheamus and Cesaro (not a lot has changed in a year) but they did a lot of stuff in this match, despite the crunched timeline. Getting nine eliminations in less than nineteen minutes is a lot but you have to clear the ring out at the beginning. It’s entertaining, but hits a hard ceiling that it’s not getting past.

Stephanie and Foley decide that Sheamus and Cesaro should get a Tag Team Title shot tomorrow night. They recap the rest of the show with Stephanie getting way too serious, as usual.

Preview for TLC with Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles in a TLC match for the title.

Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick does his best Sean O’Haire impression and is ready for Kalisto. If Kalisto wins, he brings the division to Smackdown. It’s fine for a one off match but it was really hard to buy Kendrick as the best cruiserweight in the company in 2016.

Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick is defending and charges straight into a knee to the face. Kalisto is right back with a suicide dive, followed by a springboard corkscrew crossbody for two. Some rollups give Kalisto more near falls and a shotgun dropkick has Kendrick in even more trouble. A rollup into the corner finally gives Kendrick a breather and he crushes Kalisto between the steps and the apron for good measure.

Back in and we hit the cravate to slow things back down. Kalisto manages to fight up and get to the apron where he grabs a C4 out to the floor in the big crash of the match. A good looking suicide dive takes Kendrick down again but he reverses a super Salida Del Sol into the Captain’s Hook. Kalisto finally grabs the ropes and fires off some kicks, followed by the hurricanrana driver. The Salida Del Sol gets two with Kendrick getting to the ropes. Kalisto heads up top….and here’s Baron Corbin for the DQ at 12:21.

Rating: C-. The match was good at times but Kendrick really isn’t the kind of guy you want as a long term champion. It also didn’t help that you knew they weren’t changing up the cruiserweight division so close to 205 Live’s launch. Corbin interfering was fine enough, but it really does make the title match feel like a big waste of time.

The Kickoff Show panel recaps the show so far.

Daniel Bryan yells at Corbin, who doesn’t want little pests running around on Smackdown.

We recap the men’s Survivor Series match, which started in July at the second Brand Split. Naturally this is about the McMahons as Shane and Stephanie are the Commissioners and therefore they have to be fighting. We look at all the entrants as this is treated like the major match is should be treated as. Then Shane is added to the match and that notion kind of falls apart.

Raw Men’s Team vs. Smackdown Men’s Team

Raw: Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns

Seth Rollins

Smackdown: AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Shane McMahon

AJ and Owens are the World Champions, Reigns is US Champion and Ellsworth is here as the mascot. This is also during the period where Orton is part of the Wyatt Family because we needed that story to get to Orton as World Champion again. Rollins gets a nice reaction and it’s far better without BURN IT DOWN or whatever the line is. AJ and Owens start things off with Styles wasting no time in hitting the drop down into the dropkick.

That’s enough of that though as it’s and they slug it out with AJ getting the better of it. The STUPID IDIOT chants mean it’s time for Jericho, who throws his shirt at AJ and hammers away. Styles dropkicks him down again as the announcers discuss Jericho insulting Undertaker on Twitter. It’s off to Ambrose vs. Rollins, which turns into far more of a wrestling match than it should.

Rollins can’t get a Pedigree so let’s go back to Jericho. Chris yells at Dean for the $15,000 jacket issue, earning himself some really bad armdrags. An enziguri cuts Dean down for two but Ambrose is right back with a bunch of right hands to the head. Shane comes in for the first time and my interest goes down. I’m still not a fan of middle aged Shane and this isn’t likely to change things.

Shane’s bad punches and an armdrag (better than Dean’s) take Jericho down until a dropkick cuts him off. The announcers debate the TV ratings as Reigns comes in and gets booed out of the building. Roman hammers him down in the corner and Seth comes in for a chinlock. That’s broken up so let’s go with Dean vs. Kevin. Owens hits a superkick but gets caught in a hurricanrana, only to have Jericho break up Dirty Deeds.

Everything breaks down and Strowman tags himself in, leaving the fans to chant for Ellsworth. The fight heads outside with Dean being left alone in the ring until Strowman catches his slingshot dive. Strowman walks him around the ring until AJ’s slingshot forearm to the floor breaks it up. Owens dives onto everyone and Strowman tosses Shane across the ring in a pretty good power display.

Some double teaming doesn’t do much to stop Strowman but they manage to knock him outside. That’s enough of Dean and Ambrose working together so they get in a fight, allowing Strowman to hit the running powerslam for the pin on Dean at 15:57. AJ was looking right at the cover and didn’t move. Shane gets to beat on Strowman for a bit but thankfully he gets hammered down as well.

The Phenomenal Forearm is pulled out of the air with AJ being tossed outside in a nasty heap. Orton gets thrown aside too but a stare from Bray stops Strowman in his tracks. Strowman grabs Jericho by the throat but decides to run Bray over instead, followed by a dropkick to put him on the floor. Braun goes outside as well but runs into an RKO onto the announcers’ table. After we pause to see what a random eight year old fan thought of it (he was applauding), Shane drops the top rope elbow to put Strowman through said table. That and Ellsworth grabbing Braun’s foot get Strowman counted out at 21:18.

Strowman catches Ellsworth running up the ramp though (How slow is this guy?) and throws him off the stage through some tables. Everyone else is mostly dead until Jericho covers Shane for two. Owens is fresh enough to drop the backsplash on Shane for two (but only after mocking the dance). There’s the Lionsault but Shane gets two of his own off a small package.

Shane takes a Codebreaker but Orton comes in before the cover, meaning Shane survives another finisher. He avoids a top rope splash though and it’s off to AJ to work on Jericho. With Owens getting in an insult to AJ’s hair (too far man), Jericho counters the Styles Clash into a failed Walls attempt. The Phenomenal Blitz rocks Jericho but Owens comes in with the List of Jericho to blast AJ. That’s a DQ at 29:23, but not before he gives AJ a Pop Up Powerbomb.

Orton gets the tag and comes in with the RKO to get rid of Jericho at 30:19. Notice Reigns blankly staring up at the ramp and not hearing the RKO RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. So it’s down to Shane/AJ/Orton/Wyatt vs. Reigns/Rollins with Orton hammering on Rollins to start. Wyatt and Orton take turns on Seth as Shane is still laid on the apron after his long time in the ring. The superplex takes Rollins down (looks great too) but it allows the hot tag to Reigns. AJ comes in as well and MY GOODNESS the fans do not like Reigns.

House is cleaned with a series of Samoan drops, followed by a great looking Razor’s Edge powerbomb for two on AJ. Seriously that was good enough to cut off the booing. A Pele cuts off a Superman Punch and it’s back to Shane for no logical reason. Shane gets in a tornado DDT to drop Reigns and a clothesline takes Rollins down. Reigns tries a spear but gets awkwardly countered into the post.

In probably the spot of the match, Shane loads up Coast to Coast but gets speared out of the air for a SICK landing. Shane actually kicks out at two but you can see that he is completely gone. Like Lesnar after the botched shooting star gone. The referee says Shane is eliminated at 37:07, presumably due to his brains looking like a pie that has been run over by a bus driven by raccoons.

We pause for a bit as doctors get Shane out of the ring until Roman blasts Bray with a clothesline. Rollins and AJ get stereo hot tags with Seth’s Blockbuster putting Styles down. There’s the slingshot knee to AJ and a suicide dive to Wyatt. With Reigns down on the floor, let’s hit that ROMAN’S SLEEPING chant! Still one of my favorites because the fans just will not give him a break no matter what. An enziguri staggers AJ on top and now it’s WAKE UP ROMAN. Reigns does in fact wake up and saves Rollins from a hanging DDT on the floor.

With Orton down, it seems as good a time as any for a DoubleBomb. Styles makes a save before it can be loaded up but here’s Ambrose to jump Styles again. The fans call Dean a STUPID IDIOT as the former Shield beats up security. NOW the TripleBomb puts AJ through the table, allowing Rollins to get the pin at 47:00. It’s down to two on two with the Wyatts vs. the Shield (not the worst idea in the world)….and here’s Luke Harper for a distraction so the Wyatts can take over.

Reigns posts Orton but Harper superkicks him down, only to have Rollins score with a flip dive to the floor. Back in and the low superkick hits Wyatt but he dives into an RKO, giving Bray the pin at 49:25. Reigns, all alone, sends both of them outside and takes Harper out as a bonus. Back in and Orton eats a spear to save Wyatt, leaving Bray to grab Sister Abigail for the pin at 52:50.

Rating: A. This is a great example of a match that benefits from all of the time it had. What I loved about this was how long it took to take someone out. Most of the people in here were former World Champions and it doesn’t make sense to have them losing in a minute or two like in the other matches. They let the match build up for a change and that’s what makes this feel important.

Above all else though, this felt like someone surviving instead of whoever was left last. Look at the women’s match. Bayley barely looked like she had been through anything at the end. Orton and Wyatt looked banged up, which is how they should after a match like this. It’s a well put together match that got the kind of time it needed, which is exactly how something like this should be. Really strong stuff here with Bray, who actually needed it, getting the win.

We recap Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar. Goldberg was being interviewed about being in WWE2K16 and said he didn’t owe Lesnar a rematch. Lesnar challenged him though and Goldberg wanted his son to see him wrestle. The match was on and it does indeed feel like a battle of two people who could kill each other.

Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg

We get the full Goldberg entrance, complete with someone knocking on his door. Lesnar drives him into the corner to start but Goldberg shoves him right back down, scaring the heck out of Lesnar in the process. Back up and the spear connects to drop Lesnar again. There’s a second spear, followed by a Jackhammer to give Goldberg the huge upset at 1:25.

Yeah I still don’t like it. Sure it was shocking and a huge moment, but what did this set up? Goldberg eliminating Lesnar from the Rumble, Goldberg getting the most unnecessary Universal Title reign ever, and then a good sub five minute match at Wrestlemania. One of WWE’s biggest issues is giving fans something to cheer for and they give this spot to Goldberg, who they didn’t even create, for the sake of a video game (might not have been their call) and a story that could have made someone’s career. After this, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman both fell to Lesnar, but Goldberg doesn’t. I don’t buy it, nor to I like it.

Goldberg celebrates with his family to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. One of the major perks about a match running nearly an hour on a three and a half hour show is that it can REALLY bring an overall rating up. Throw in a good women’s match and nothing really bad, this is actually a strong show. It’s far from perfect (main event aside, though that was the only thing that could have closed the show) but it’s a heck of a card, which I can always go for of course. The main issue is they could have gotten this one under three hours so it’s a bit long but nothing too bad. Really solid show though and most of that is due to the mega long match.

Ratings Comparison

Rich Swann/Noam Dar/TJ Perkins vs. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese/Drew Gulak

Original: C

Redo: C-

Kane vs. Luke Harper

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Women’s Survivor Series Match

Original: C

Redo: C+

Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Original: C+

Redo: C-

Tag Team Survivor Series Match

Original: D+

Redo: B

Kalisto vs. Brian Kendrick

Original: C

Redo: C-

Men’s Survivor Series Match

Original: A-

Redo: A

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: B+

My eyebrows went up when I saw the original overall rating. The year of mellowing on the ending have helped a lot as there’s no way this is a B-. Also I really couldn’t stand Sheamus and Cesaro back then.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2016/11/20/survivor-series-2016-there-are-no-words/

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

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

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

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

Wrestlemania XXXVI Part 1
Date: April 4, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield
Host: Rob Gronkowski

Sweet goodness that does not feel right. I’m not sure what to expect tonight because WWE didn’t feel the need to tell us what was going to be taking place on either night. This show is going to have about a hundred asterisks in the history books and that’s perfectly fine, but it doesn’t make things any less disappointing (not that it’s WWE’s fault). Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cesaro vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak takes him down by the arm to start but Cesaro powers up with a backbreaker to get out of trouble. That earns him a LeBell Lock (which Cole calls a Crossface, missing the point of the move almost entirely) to send Cesaro outside so Gulak dives on him for a bonus. Back in and Cesaro’s arm gets snapped across the top rope and a clothesline puts him on the floor again. Cesaro gets sent into the steps but he’s able to uppercut Gulak out of the air back inside for two. The Neutralizer can’t work but Cesaro uses the left arm uppercut and goes with a (no hands) spinning torture rack slam for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C. Just a match here and it did well enough with the warmup stuff, though my goodness it’s going to be a rough couple of nights. The lack of crowd reaction is going to hurt things a lot but that was always going to be the case. They were a little more energized than usual, but Cole on his own and nothing else as far as noise is going to make for some tough going.

Stephanie McMahon welcomes us to the show to explain that we are on a closed set with no audience. Tonight, they are going to be making people happy, because this is Wrestlemania. There’s your first WWE pat on the back of the night.

Instead of an original version of America the Beautiful, we get a montage of versions of the song played at previous Wrestlemanias. That’s a good one at least.

The opening video goes into the full pirate theme but the narrator says hang on a second because this is too cliched. Instead, he walks us through everything included, such as shots of heroes and catchphrases. It turns into a regular trailer, complete with the same narrator telling us to forget everything we know coming into tonight. Fate leads the way and fate has a funny way of surprising us. We go into For Those About To Rock for a better intro. I love pirate movies so this worked well for me.

Rob Gronkowski welcomes us to the show and says he’s the right man for the job because he knows how to start a thirty hour party. Mojo Rawley comes in to take some chops and it’s time to go to the ring.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross

The Warriors are defending for the first time since mid December. Asuka laughs at Bliss to start and it’s off to Sane before anything happens. Kairi knocks Bliss down and messes with her bow so it’s a slap to the face, allowing Bliss to mess with Kairi’s hair for a change. It’s off to Cross for a running basement dropkick but Sane powers her into the corner. Asuka comes in and gets forearmed in the chest as everything breaks down.

Nikki dives off the apron to take out Sane, meaning it’s time for a hug back inside. Back in and Nikki sends Sane to the floor, only to have her dropkick through the ropes cut off. Cross gets taken into the corner but manages a sunset flip for two, setting up the tag to Bliss. That’s fine for Sane, who hits an Alberto top rope double stomp for her own two. Asuka works on an armbar but her bulldog is broken up.

Not that it matters as a kick to the face drops Bliss for two more. Bliss gets up and avoids a charge, allowing the hot tag to Cross to pick up the pace. Sane rakes her eyes but Asuka walks into the Purge. The Insane Elbow breaks up the cover though and they’re both down again. Cross goes for a rollup but gets pulled into the Asuka Lock.

That’s broken up with Twisted Bliss but Sane Intercepts Bliss to put everyone down. Cross catches Sane on top but gets caught in a powerbomb/top rope forearm combination for a rather near fall. Back up and Cross hits the Purge to drop Sane, setting up Twisted Bliss for the pin and the titles at 15:03.

Rating: C. This could have been worse but it went on a good bit too long. The title change was supposed to be a feel good moment but when the titles have never meant anything beyond their first few weeks, the impact isn’t really there. Cross was pushed as the star of the match and it was fine enough, though I have no faith in the futures of the titles.

The Artist Collective have a plan for Daniel Bryan.

Elias vs. King Corbin

Hold on though as Corbin shows us a clip of his attempted murder of Elias last week so Corbin demands a forfeit. Cue Elias to break the guitar over Corbin’s back and a good posting so we can get started. Elias elbows him down for one and a swinging neckbreaker gets the same. Corbin gets in a toss to the floor though and Elias is sent shoulder first into the post. Some elbows to the shoulder keep Elias down as Cole tries to make this story sound intense.

Corbin shouts at commentary a lot and then sends Elias shoulder first into the post again. Elias manages to reverse a whip to send Corbin’s shoulder into the post though and it’s time for a breather. Some clubberin in the corner puts Corbin down but he grabs Deep Six for two. Elias knees him in the face for two more but Corbin rolls away before the top rope elbow launches. An uppercut lets Corbin put his feet on the ropes for two so Elias grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 8:53.

Rating: D. Raw style match here and that’s not the best thing in the world. It was fine for a revenge match as Elias was aggressive but pinning Corbin is more damaging to him than pin. That being said, Elias being launched off a ten foot high balcony is just an eight day injury now? Come on already.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler. Lynch has been Raw Women’s Champion for a year now and has beaten everyone there is to beat but Baszler won a triple threat match, also including Bayley, at Survivor Series. Baszler was unstoppable in NXT and bit Becky’s neck to draw a lot of blood. Then she ran through the Elimination Chamber to earn the title shot in the most obvious result in years. Becky has been trying to play mind games but Baszler is such a killer that she doesn’t seem too bothered.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler

Becky is defending and drives her semi truck to the arena for her big entrance. Baszler wastes no time in going for the Kirifuda Clutch but Becky is outside in a hurry. Baszler follows but Becky sends her into the steps a few times and Baszler is banged up early. Back in and Becky hits her missile dropkick, setting up a beating in the corner. It’s too early for the Disarm-Her though and Becky has to get out of the Kirifuda Clutch.

A spinebuster into a double underhook spinning faceplant gets two and Becky is sent to the apron. They slug it out until a Rock Bottom onto the apron plants Baszler. A powerbomb into the cross armbreaker has Becky in trouble until she stacks Baszler up for two. That’s reversed into the Disarm-Her on Becky, followed by a knee to the face for another near fall.

Becky goes to the apron and gets in a Stunner over the ropes, setting up a quickly broken Disarm-Her over the ropes. Baszler reverses that into an even more quickly broken Kirifuda Clutch to send Becky outside. This time Baszler follows her out and swings Becky head first into the announcers’ table like she did on Raw. Back in and the standing version of the Clutch goes on but Becky flips backwards into a cradle to retain at 8:42.

Rating: B-. Uh….ok then. I have no idea why they need to keep the title on Becky at the moment as she has literally held the title for a year and is getting close to the modern record. I’m not sure what the point is in keeping it on her here as the only thing left is a submission match with Baszler or a one on one match with Rousey, which doesn’t seem likely. Good match, but pretty confusing result.

Undertaker is getting a limited series on the WWE Network. Makes sense given the upcoming 30 year mark.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan

Zayn is defending with Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew Gulak all at ringside. Sami hits the very long pause button to start and Bryan finally gives chase, allowing Cesaro to cut Bryan off. They do the same thing again but this time it’s Nakamura playing Cesaro’s role. Gulak and Cesaro get into a fight on the floor until Gulak sends Nakamura over the barricade. Gulak nearly gets in a fight with Sami for the DQ but Bryan finally chases Sami down on the ramp.

Bryan starts in on the leg as Sami loudly begs off, only to be sent outside. That means a heck of a suicide dive, followed by a running dropkick in the corner for a bonus. Some knees to the face have Sami rocked but he scores with some forearms to slow Bryan down. Bryan fights back up but Cesaro and Nakamura jump Gulak. That earns them a double suicide dive, allowing Sami to kick Bryan out of the air for the surprise pin at 9:20.

Rating: C+. Nice match here with another surprising finish. Sami is a rather good choice for the cocky champion who keeps surviving and after everything he’s done over the years, I like the idea of letting him have the title for a bit. Throw in the issue of Bryan possibly self quarantining and there was little reason to switch the title here. Well other than the idea of Bryan facing a challenger of the week in one great match after another.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Jimmy Uso vs. Kofi Kingston vs. John Morrison

Morrison is defending for his team in a ladder match. Some monkey flips don’t work to start so everyone goes to the floor to grab a ladder each. Jimmy gets knocked down first and comes up holding his leg. Morrison stomps both of them down on the mat but has to fight off the SOS onto the ladder. Trouble in Paradise misses as well and it’s Kofi vs. Jimmy slugging it out on top.

That goes nowhere so Morrison takes Kofi’s place, leaving Kofi to springboard through the ladder…and then get caught and dumped to the floor. Morrison puts a ladder over the middle rope and climbs to the top of the post for a corkscrew Swanton onto Jimmy onto the ladder. The climb takes too long though and it’s Kofi springboarding in for a hurricanrana to take Morrison down in a unique spot.

A running dive over the top takes down Morrison and the ladder and they’re all down on the floor. Back in and Morrison hits the super Spanish Fly on Kofi, followed by the Superfly Splash from Jimmy. Kofi headbutts Morrison off the top of the ladder before diving off the top with the double stomp to Morrison’s chest. Jimmy slides in another ladder and wedges it inside the standing ladder.

A HARD whip sends Kofi face first into the bridged ladder and Morrison gets superkicked out of the air. Jimmy goes up but Morrison shoves the ladder over, sending Jimmy down for the big crash (it was such a drop that he changed directions after landing). Kofi catches Morrison on top for the slugout but here’s Jimmy with another ladder to put all three up at once. They all pull the title hook down at once and it’s a triple headbutt to knock Morrison down with the titles to retain at 18:36.

Rating: B. This felt like a good ladder match that would have made it into a great one had it been in front of a crowd. What we got was good enough though and the dives and landings were rather awesome. I liked this more than almost anything else but my goodness it’s hard to watch them land like this with no one being there to watch. Good match, but sad in its way.

We recap Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins. Seth has turned into the Monday Night Messiah but Owens doesn’t think much of him. They both had teams built up but the AOP is sidelined due to Rezar’s injury and Samoa Joe is suspended. Therefore, it’s one on one with the idea that Owens has never had a Wrestlemania moment. That’s not quite how history works, but it’s what we’re getting.

Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens

Rollins is in white but the glove has been some king of Tiger King referenced. Owens slugs away to start and hits a backsplash to put Rollins on the floor in a hurry. A backdrop onto the apron has Owens in trouble and a Falcon Arrow onto the apron makes it even worse. The suicide dive is broken up with a right hand but Rollins is fine enough to hit the Sling Blade.

Owens hits a DDT to get a breather and the Swanton connects for two. The Pop Up Powerbomb misses and so does the Stunner, allowing Rollins to hit an enziguri. Owens blasts him with a clothesline though and it’s a double knockdown. Rollins is up first and hits some superkicks to set up the Stomp, only to get reversed into the Pop Up sitout Powerbomb for two. They head outside with Rollins hitting him with the bell….and that’s a DQ at 10:09.

Hold on though as Owens says Rollins isn’t much of a god if that’s the best he can do. Owens wants to continue it No DQ so Rollins is back in to knee him in the head as the bell rings. Rollins throws him to the floor and the steps bounce off of Owens’ head, followed by a chair to the back. Owens bells him in the head a few times (it rings even if you hit someone with the board underneath it) and then climbs the sign for a huge backsplash to send Rollins through the announcers’ table. They stagger back inside for the Stunner to finish Rollins at 17:26 (counting the break in the middle).

Rating: C. I wasn’t big on this match in the first place and the whole Owens has never had a Wrestlemania Moment deal is still stupid but at least they didn’t stick with the DQ. This feud has lost almost all of the steam that it had in the first place so hopefully it’s done here. Granted when you don’t have much of a TV show to lord over, you’re not going to be the best messiah in the world.

Mojo and Gronk talk about how great the show is when R-Truth comes up to complain about how hard everything is. Gronk knocks him down and Mojo gets the title back. Notice the completely fine announcers’ table in the background.

Paul Heyman scares Charly Caruso but says Drew McIntyre is the one who should be afraid. In 24 hours, McIntyre is being exposed as a fraud and he can crawl out of the ring, victimized and conquered.

We preview tomorrow’s matches.

Smackdown World Title: Braun Strowman vs. Goldberg

Goldberg is defending. Strowman can’t get the powerslam and it’s a pair of spears to drop him in the first minute. Make it three straight for two and then a fourth cuts Strowman down again. Strowman counters the Jackhammer into the powerslam and then another one and then a third and then a big running fourth for the pin and the title at 2:13. You could have gone either way but it’s better to have someone actually active instead of Goldberg. Strowman as champion is about two years overdue, but I can’t imagine this lasts very long.

Wrestlemania XXXVII is in Los Angels.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Undertaker, which is all about AJ not being impressed by the modern Undertaker. He has called out Undertaker’s real life family and Undertaker has been acting more like BikerTaker than the Deadman as they head into a Boneyard match.

Undertaker vs. AJ Styles

They are in a graveyard for this one and there goes the gong as a hearse pulls up to the gate. The casket is pulled out by some druids and it’s AJ inside for a good surprise. Undertaker rides in on the motorcycle to Metallica and AJ talks about Michelle McCool digging the grave. Undertaker goes after him so AJ grabs a rock, only to get sent into an open casket. Undertaker punches through a window and cuts his arm open but throws AJ on top of the hearse anyway.

Some right hands knock him off the hearse and Undertaker has a seat while asking if AJ wants more. After Undertaker quotes Clubber Lang (“You want some more? I got a lot more.”), AJ throws some leaves in his face and gets in a low blow. Undertaker stands up after some right hands and knocks AJ down again, this time into a grave. Cue the OC as this has turned into a western.

A bunch of light comes out of a building and the walls come down to reveal a bunch of masked men. They surround Undertaker and do the eternally brilliant thing of attacking him one at a time. With that taken care of, Anderson and Gallows jump Undertaker but he isn’t about to be hit with a shovel. Instead Undertaker takes it back and beats them down, allowing AJ to break a tombstone over his back.

AJ hammers away and calls him an old man but breaks his fingers on Undertaker’s head. They fight through a wall and both lay on the ground sound like they’re dead. AJ says Undertaker is nothing but Undertaker flips him off and says come on. A shovel over the back puts Undertaker down in a grave and AJ goes to the machine with a barrel of dirt. Then a light shows up behind him and Undertaker pops up to beat on him some more. AJ climbs up a well placed ladder to get on the roof of the barn, so Undertaker makes flames come up to keep him in place.

Anderson and Gallows are up there too, with Gallows being thrown off. Anderson gets Tombstoned onto the metal roof and Undertaker chokeslams AJ off the roof. Undertaker climbs down and asks AJ what his wife’s name is now. They’re just getting started as Undertaker carries him over to the grave. AJ apologizes so Undertaker picks him up and says AJ put up a great fight. Undertaker hugs him and says most people wouldn’t have given him that kind of a fight. Undertaker turns to leave….and then knocks AJ into the grave. Undertaker gets in the machine and pours the dirt on AJ for the win at about 18:30.

Rating: A+. I don’t know what else you could have wanted from this match. This went so far beyond anything resembling sane or rational and went into complete insanity territory, making it one of the most entertaining things I can remember WWE doing in a LONG time. Of course it’s not good but that’s the point. This was entertaining, and that’s a lot more than you are going to get out of most Undertaker matches these days. Watch this and be prepared to laugh quite a bit, because it’s like Final Deletion but with production value.

AJ’s hand sticks out of the dirt as Undertaker gets on his bike. He throws up the fist so more fire comes up on the building and the Undertaker symbol lights up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I’m really not sure how to grade this one but I liked some parts of it well enough. The problem really is in the atmosphere, as the show feels so weak that there isn’t much that can be praised. The people were working hard and I feel so bad for them to not get their big Wrestlemania stadium experience. What we got was fun at points, but the lack of crowd energy or big show feeling made it more of a chore to watch at times. It definitely has its moments though, and I didn’t hate it by any means. Check out the main event for sure though, probably with some friends to watch with you, and have a good time.

Results

Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross b. Kabuki Warriors – Twisted Bliss to Sane

Elias b. King Corbin – Rollup with tights

Becky Lynch b. Shayna Baszler – Rollup

Sami Zayn b. Daniel Bryan – Helluva Kick

John Morrison b. Kofi Kingston and Jimmy Uso – Morrison pulled down the titles

Kevin Owens b. Seth Rollins – Stunner

Braun Strowman b. Goldberg – Running powerslam

Undertaker b. AJ Styles – Undertaker buried Styles

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

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

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

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

Too little too late?

Dang this would have had fans drooling a few years ago. Now though, Zayn is banged up and more annoying than anything else but it’s still nice to see him finally get a title reign like this. At the same time you have the rather interesting Bryan/Drew Gulak pairing, which could go in a few different and entertaining directions. This match could as well, but I think I know which it is.

Remember that after this show is over, WWE is going to have some TV time to fill. Over on Smackdown, I think there might be some mileage out of having Bryan, as the new Intercontinental Champion, pick an opponent and go out there to fill in twenty or so minutes every week. He’ll have to win the title in the first place here though and I think that is what happens here.

Smackdown
Date: April 3, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Michael Cole

While it might not feel like it, this is the go home show for Wrestlemania. The show is again taped, and maybe now that we are only twenty two hours away from the start of the show, we can get some kind of information about the changed World Title match. I mean it’s not like it’s that important or anything. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

There are ladders around the arena and it’s time for MizTV, but here are the Usos instead. They aren’t waiting to be invited out here because it’s time for them to win the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania. Cue the New Day to say not so fast because it’s time for them to enter the annals (Big E: “Hehe annals.”) of history by winning the titles again. The fight is about to start but here are Miz and Morrison to interrupt.

Miz talks about how New Day and the Usos will destroy each other, allowing he and Morrison to retain. They climb the ladders and say BE JEALOUS but New Day and the Usos run up the ramp so the brawl can be on in a hurry. The ladders are knocked over and, just as Miz said, New Day and the Usos beat each other up, allowing the champs to pose.

Naomi vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina

Sasha Banks and Bayley are on commentary. Tamina cleans house to start and we take a very early break. Back with Tamina getting one on Naomi but Lacey comes back in to take over. The slingshot Bronco Buster connects as Sasha and Bayley no sell questions about turning on each other at Wrestlemania. Sasha gets up and sends Lacey into the steps, leaving Naomi to sunset flip Tamina for two. A Samoan drop gives Tamina two so Bayley offers a quick distraction, allowing Tamina to superkick Naomi for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: D+. This was your “hey Tamina really could win” match, followed by everyone collectively laughing. She’s in the match to get it up to a higher number, though I’m still not entirely sure why she’s on the roster. Nothing to see here of course, but at least they got the Tamina stuff out of their system tonight.

Post match Bayley tries to make amends with Tamina and gets superkicked. Sasha tries the same and gets Samoan dropped.

Tucker is warming up when the circle of lights pops up. This time the words “THE TRUTH WILL BE TOLD” flashes up on screen.

From Wrestlemania XXIV:

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

Flair has the blue robe one more time and while I’m still a fan of the black and white one, I can’t help but smile at seeing the classic look again. Shawn shoulders him down to start and it’s clear that they’re going to have all the time they want here. They trade some hammerlocks with Shawn getting the better of it on the mat. That’s broken up as well and we get the first WOO.

The chops in the corner let Flair yell about Old Yeller but Shawn slaps him in the face and asks if that’s all he has. An exchange of chops in the corner goes to Flair (as it should) but Shawn elbows him in the jaw and goes up. This time Flair slams him off the top and goes up…..for a crossbody into a near fall! You would think that would get more of a reaction but he has to fail at an early Figure Four attempt.

Shawn kicks him to the floor and tries an Asai moonsault, which only hits the announcers’ table, with his ribs landing on the edge which doesn’t break (I’ve seen that many times and it draws a very real cringe). That’s only good for a nine count and Shawn can barely move because of the ribs. A belly to back suplex gives Flair two and he manages a delayed vertical for the same. Note: Charles Robinson (Little Naitch) is referee here and for some reason he’s in a Smackdown shirt. Yeah he’s a Smackdown referee, but you can’t just throw him in a Raw shirt for the occasion?

Flair’s neckbreaker gets two more but Shawn sends him outside. That means a moonsault to the floor which takes Flair out and bangs up the ribs even more. They chop it out back inside and it’s Shawn’s forearm into the nipup as the pace picks up a bit. A slam drops Flair and Shawn’s top rope elbow connects, meaning it’s time to Tune of the Band. Shawn can’t bring himself to do it though and Flair grabs the legs and slaps on the Figure Four in the middle of the ring.

The hold is turned over and they load up the bridge into the backslide….but Flair just can’t do it anymore so they go into a rollup instead. It’s time for the chop block and NOW the Figure Four is on for real. Shawn crawls to the rope so Flair stomps away some more until the referee drags him away. That’s enough of a delay for Shawn to hit Sweet Chin Music for a very close two and the fans go nuts on the kickout.

Shawn loads it up again but stops to tell Flair to get up. That means a low blow (again, you knew he was getting that in somehow) for two more and the fans really bought the near fall. To mix things up a bit, Shawn sweeps the legs and tries a reverse Figure Four (thank goodness it wasn’t a Sharpshooter) to send Flair bailing to the ropes this time.

A rollup with tights gets two and they chop it out from their knees. The chops bring them to their feet and Shawn hits another superkick to put Flair down. There’s no cover though as Shawn goes into the corner and Flair slowly gets up. Shawn says the now legendary I’m Sorry, I Love You and superkicks Flair one more time, this time for the pin at 20:34.

Rating: B+. I don’t remember truly liking this one before and that’s because there are different ways to look at it. It’s hard not to look at a match like this through the emotional lens but if you take that away (which you kind of have to given that Flair wound up wrestling again), it’s actually a heck of a match with all of the old Flair tropes thrown in. Those worked for so long because it’s a great formula that can work against anyone. When you add in Shawn’s second to none abilities, there was no way this wouldn’t be outstanding.

The problem though is that Flair just can’t do a lot of this stuff anymore. He’s trying as hard as he can and what he could still do was good, but seeing him not be able to bridge up anymore was rather sad because it’s something he’s done for so many years before. I don’t remember liking this match that much but it really is a strong one, even ignoring all the other things added to it.

Post match Shawn leaves the ring and a crying Flair gets to his feet for one of the best standing ovations you’ll ever see. This is more than deserved and while he should have retired a long time ago (you could argue all the way back in the 90s), he was far from embarrassing himself and someone as influential, successful and downright talented as he was should absolutely get this kind of a sendoff. And for those who are wondering why, this was originally going to close the show but Flair refused and insisted it go in the middle.

We look back at Elias being attacked last week.

Goldberg is now defending against Braun Strowman. No reason is given and the match is just changed.

Otis tells Tucker to leave him a little piece of Dolph Ziggler. Tucker says he ran into Mandy Rose earlier and she asked about him. Otis gets a text and is rather happy before running off.

Tucker vs. Dolph Ziggler

No Otis this time. Tucker runs him over to start and the fight is on in a hurry, including some kicks to Ziggler’s ribs. A quick shot puts Tucker down for the jumping elbow but he’s right back up with a big boot. Ziggler’s DDT out of the corner puts them both down and we take a break. Back with Tucker slugging away and knocking Ziggler outside. That means a ram into the barricade and a side slam gets two back inside. They head outside again and this time it’s a Zig Zag onto the steps for the DQ at 9:17.

Rating: D+. This is the latest part of your soap opera story around here and that’s not the best thing in the world. Otis vs. Ziggler could be entertaining but at the same time, it’s not the kind of match that I need to see at WrestleMania. Ziggler probably could have won here and then taken Tucker out but it could have been a lot worse.

Post match Ziggler loads up the steps but Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville appear to break it up with Otis making the real save. The Truth Will Be Heard appears again and this time we go to a control room. Someone whose face we can’t see says he told us the truth will be heard. He plays a video from Valentine’s Day showing Mandy talking to Sonya.

After Mandy leaves to do something, Sonya picks up Mandy’s phone and sends Otis a text, saying she’ll be late. We see Otis saying that sounds great and Sonya deletes both messages. Sonya then talks to Ziggler, saying both of them will get what they want. Back in the arena, Mandy walks away from Sonya. Otis chases Dolph out as well. Eh GTV could be fun back in the day so this should work.

Post break, Mandy won’t talk to Sonya.

Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Cesaro and Drew Gulak are at ringside while Sami Zayn is on commentary. They fight over arm control to start until Bryan dropkicks him to the floor the running baseball slide sets up Bryan’s running knee from the apron and Nakamura is down. Back in and Bryan hits a running dropkick in the corner, only to get knocked off the middle rope. Nakamura’s middle rope knee to the chest gets two and the sliding German suplex in the corner takes us to a break.

Back with Bryan still in trouble as Nakamura kicks away at the chest. Bryan kicks away and goes for the arm, followed by even more kicks to stagger Nakamura again. The YES Lock is countered and Nakamura pulls him into a blocked cross armbreaker. That’s reverses into another armbreaker from Bryan (Sami: “HOW DID HE DO THAT???”) which is switched into the LeBell Lock. Cesaro runs in for the DQ at 11:39.

Rating: C+. This was the first match all night that felt like something worth watching. Bryan and Nakamura are a great pairing and can have a solid match against each other, which is what we got here. They had some time and while Bryan getting the tap out would have been a bit better, this was the best match of the night by a mile.

Video on the Fiend vs. John Cena.

Here’s Cena for the big closing segment. Cena thanks the fans for getting us here and now we are less than one day until Wrestlemania. The thing is, no one knows what is going to happen, including Bray Wyatt himself. See, no one, including Bray, will tell him what a Firefly Fun House match is. Fear can lead to panic and panic can lead to collapse. The Fiend feeds on fear and panic and here we are. Cena will not be afraid and the poor man’s Mr. Rogers isn’t scaring him.

Goldberg has shown how to beat the Fiend and now the Fiend has made this happen. Cena promises a beating but here are the Firefly Fun House characters, saying that after Fiend is done with Cena, he’ll play with them forever. They say forever over and over again until Ramblin Rabbit says he’s here. The lights go out and the Fiend appears in the crow’s nest. Bray himself pops up behind Cena to say let him in. The lights go out again and Cena is alone to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This didn’t add much to Wrestlemania but then again it’s not like this is the kind of show that really needs to. Not this year at least, as nothing else makes sense this time around. The announcement of Strowman replacing Reigns was laughably bad as there was no build or explanation, but other than that we had some perfectly fine building for the matches. I don’t really want to see anything more than I did coming in though and the wrestling was mostly weak, but it could have been a lot worse.

Results

Tamina b. Lacey Evans and Naomi – Superkick to Naomi

Tucker b. Dolph Ziggler via DQ when Ziggler slammed Tucker into the steps

Daniel Bryan b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Cesaro interfered

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

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

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

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

Elimination Chamber 2020
Date: March 8, 2020
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jerry Lawler, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s time for the show the company mostly forgot until the last second. Thanks to being sandwiched between Super ShowDown and Wrestlemania, this is a show that has received very little attention and the build has suffered as a result. Neither World Champion is involved here and the likely main event is a #1 contenders match to the Raw Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Viking Raiders vs. Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins

It’s like a rejected Main Event match. Ryder and Ivar start things off and it’s an early power display from Ivar, who throws Ryder all over the place. Hawkins comes in and gets the same treatment but a cheap shot from the apron lets Hawkins grab a suplex for two. Hawkins’ neckbreaker gets the same and we hit the chinlock.

That doesn’t last long so Erik gets sent outside for a clothesline from the apron and we take a break. Back with Erik fighting out of a chinlock and hitting Hawkins in the face, allowing the hot tag to Ivar. Everything breaks down and the Rough Ryder hits Hawkins by mistake, setting up the Viking Experience to finish Ryder at 4:49.

Rating: D+. So they’re turning Hawkins and Ryder heel and then have them get beaten by the Raiders in a short match? Good, as that’s exactly how it should have gone, heel turn or no heel turn. You can’t have a team like Ryder and Hawkins beating the Raiders no matter what they do because it would be beyond reasonable, as Hawkins and Ryder have been nothing for so long. I could go for the two of them as heels, but at least let them do something else before getting this high.

The opening video talks about the Road to Wrestlemania but to get there, you have to go through the Chamber. Shayna Baszler promises to have some horrible things planned.

Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak is the hometown boy. Feeling out process to start and a shoulder puts Bryan down in the corner, leaving him a bit surprised. Gulak goes with a headscissors on the mat so Bryan headstands his way out and they tie their legs together. An exchange of kicks on the mat puts them both in the ropes and Bryan needs another breather on the floor. Back in and Bryan ties Gulak’s legs up and pulls on his face but Gulak slips out of the surfboard attempt.

Gulak reverses into one of his own as he continues to know a counter for everything Bryan throws at him. Bryan slips out and hits him in the face so they go into the corner for the chop off. Gulak gets in a dragon screw legwhip (remember that he told Heath Slater to work the knee a few weeks ago) and it’s back to the headscissors on the mat again. This time Bryan tries to spin out but gets dropped on his head (from about four inches) to put him down again.

Gulak grabs him by the neck and puts Bryan over his back for a spinning neckbreaker and another near fall. Back up and they suplex each other over the top for the big crash to the floor, leaving Bryan with his back banged up. They head back inside for a Saito suplex to drop Bryan, leaving him favoring his arm, possibly due to the neck. A seated full nelson stays on the neck until Bryan fights up for two off a dragon suplex.

Gulak suplexes him again for another two (with Bryan landing HARD on the back of his head) to send Bryan outside. He has to dive back in to beat the count and the running clothesline takes Gulak down. What looked to be a belly to back superplex is broken up so Gulak hits a reverse superplex into the Gulock. Bryan flips out though and pulls Gulak into the YES Lock for the knockout win at 14:19.

Rating: B+. I dug the heck out of this as it was a rather well done story, even tying into the stuff that Gulak had been saying for weeks. It was giving me a Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid vibe from about 25 years ago with Bryan not taking his opponent all that seriously at first before realizing he was in a real fight. The neck stuff made sense and it was as solid of a put together match with no stakes that I’ve seen in a very long time. Good stuff with the psychology and storytelling both shining brightly.

Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode don’t need luck to win the Tag Team Titles tonight, with Ziggler dedicating the win to Mandy Rose. The ring of lights popped up on the screen behind them, with no one noticing it again.

US Title: Andrade vs. Humberto Carrillo

Andrade is defending and has Zelina Vega with him. A spinning back elbow to the face gets an early two on Carrillo but he’s back up with a dropkick. Carrillo clotheslines him to the floor and scores with a very high angle spinning crossbody for two back inside. Andrade gets in a shot to the face for a breather though and it’s time to start in on the arm. The armbar goes on as Cole lists off some great United States Champions. Lawler: “You want to list Humberto Carrero with those stars?”

They head outside with Carrillo being sent into the barricade, giving Lawler a chance to praise countout victories. Carrillo dives back in to beat the count at nine (twice in two matches) and the armbar goes on again. That’s broken up and Andrade is kicked outside for a breather, followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker back inside. They go to the top where Carrillo can’t hit a superplex, but he can hit a super hurricanrana for the delayed two.

Andrade is right back with the running knees in the corner for two so Zelina pulls back the ring mats. The hammerlock DDT is countered with a backdrop and Carrillo flip dives over the referee to take Andrade down. Back in and Andrade rolls through a high crossbody for two and it’s off to a pinfall reversal sequence. Carrillo grabs a victory roll but Andrade reverses into a rollup with tights to retain at 12:30.

Rating: C+. The spots are good and the action was there but the lack of caring about Carrillo could not be any more clear. The fans just are not interested in him and while they may react to his spots, they don’t seem to care about him in the slightest. I don’t see that changing, and the fact that he lost again here should seal his fate for the future. It won’t because of the cheating, but it should.

AJ Styles doesn’t think much of Aleister Black’s music and tattoos but it doesn’t matter because Black isn’t a challenge. The Good Brothers are going to be in his corner and no it’s not going to be a fair match. How could it be a fair match when Black is facing AJ Styles?

The Chamber is lowered.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. New Day vs. Lucha House Party vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler vs. Heavy Machinery vs. John Morrison/The Miz

Miz and Morrison are defending and it’s Gran Metalik/Lince Dorado for the House Party. New Day (with white paint by numbers gear) is in at #1 and the Usos are in at #2. Some quick trash talk sets up the fight with Kofi dropkicking Jimmy, only to get punched down by Jey. Kofi slips off a springboard and falls onto Jey for two but goes up again anyway. This time Big E. has to break up a double superplex and it’s a standoff until Lucha House Party in at #3 (after about three and a half minutes instead of the announced five).

The Luchas pick up the pace, including the Golden Rewind and the missile dropkick into three straight moonsaults for two on Jimmy. Big E. throws Dorado and Metalik over the top for back to back crashes, followed by launching Kofi onto both of them. Back in and Kofi jumps over Big E. but misses a double elbow, leaving Big E. to go outside. Dorado tries a springboard onto the Chamber wall but slips, with his foot going through the chain.

Thankfully he doesn’t break his leg and is fine enough to climb on top of a pod. Kofi follows him for the slugout with Metalik joining him to knock Kofi down. The Luchas hit big flip dives and Miz and Morrison are in at #4 (as the time continues to be WAY off). Dorado gets double spinebustered down and Morrison’s standing shooting star press gets two, with Metalik making the save. Miz and Morrison tie Metalik in the Tree of Woe and kick away, followed by a double DDT for two on Jimmy.

Jey gets caught in a neckbreaker/springboard double stomp combination for two more, followed by a spinning Razor’s Edge slam for the same on Dorado. Metalik goes on top of a pod and snaps off a great looking hurricanrana to Morrison for another near fall. Kofi is back in with the Boom Drop to Miz but Trouble in Paradise misses. That means the spinebuster/Flying Chuck combination for two more but Big E. is back up for a powerbomb/top rope knee to the chest combination for two on Miz.

Heavy Machinery is in at #5 and starts wrecking things before stopping cold in a weird moment (someone might have missed a cue). Big E. gets crushed by Tucker and Otis and the Caterpillar gets two….as Dorado is hanging from the top of the Chamber. He pulls himself up for a shooting star onto everyone but Heavy Machinery for the spot of the night. The Compactor finishes Metalik at 17:14 and it’s Ziggler and Roode in at #6 to complete the field.

Miz and Morrison help them beat down Heavy Machinery and the fans start cheering for Otis again. Tucker fights back so Otis goes after Dolph, sending him up to the top of a pod. That means Tucker follows him up and throws him onto Otis, who drops him throat first onto the top rope. Tucker flip dives onto New Day and the Usos, leaving Roode and Ziggler to jump Otis.

The Glorious DDT on the outside is broken up but Otis misses a charge into the pod…and crashes all the way out to the floor. The arena goes QUIET as Tucker checks on Otis before turning back to Roode and Ziggler. That just earns him a superkick into the Glorious DDT to get rid of Heavy Machinery at 23:43. Roode and Ziggler mock Otis as he is carried out but it’s Trouble in Paradise and the Big Ending to set up Superfly Splashes off the pods to get rid of Roode and Ziggler at 25:12.

The fans are glad to see them leave and it’s down to New Day, the Usos and Miz/Morrison. The champs get stared down by all four of them and the beatdown is on in a hurry. Miz and Morrison are sent over the top and it’s a superkick to Big E., followed by a pop up Samoan drop for two on Kofi. Big E. comes back to clean house so Kofi can go on top of the pod, only to miss a high crossbody. Miz and Morrison come back in to steal the pin at 29:04, leaving us with the Usos vs. the champs. Double superkicks give the Usos two but only one Superfly Splash connects, with the other hitting knees.

That means a double near fall as they thankfully didn’t manage to screw up the Elimination Chamber as well. Miz sends the Usos into each other and hits the Skull Crushing Finale for two on Jimmy. The Figure Four goes on and Morrison takes care of Jey, setting up Starship Pain at the same time. Jey breaks up the cover with a rollup for his own two but it’s a Miz rolling Jey up with feet on the ropes and Morrison grabbing the legs (totally legal) to retain at 32:53.

Rating: B. This was a weird match as the fans were into the big spots (which were awesome) and they REALLY cared about Otis vs. Dolph but the crowd just gave up after that part of the match was over. It’s a strange situation to have the titles mean almost nothing by comparison to the story but I get why they booked it the way they do. Now they have two stories in this division, though the fans don’t care whatsoever about one of them. It was a good match, but the build was so lame that it isn’t likely to leave much of an impact. Heavy Machinery vs. Roode/Ziggler at Wrestlemania should be awesome though, if it’s done right.

Natalya is disgusted by Randy Orton and promises that Beth Phoenix will survive this so she can see Edge destroy Orton. Oh and she’ll win the Chamber match tonight.

Aleister Black vs. AJ Styles

No DQ and the Good Brothers are at ringside. Feeling out process to start with AJ bailing to the ropes early on before striking away to slow Black down a bit. Black kicks him in the chest as the UNDERTAKER chant starts up. A Gallows distraction lets AJ get in a dragon screw legwhip though and he crushes it in the corner to make things even worse. It’s kendo stick time with a few shots keeping Black in trouble until he gets in a shot to the face for a breather.

A dropkick puts Black on the floor though as the fans want tables. AJ dives into a knee and Black makes the fans happy with a table. That takes too long though as AJ is back with some chair shots. The chair is wedged in the corner and the fans want Undertaker again. A kick to the head drops Black again and we hit the leglock. That’s broken up as well so Black can start striking away, only to get pulled into the Calf Crusher.

Since the ropes aren’t an option, Black crawls over to the stick and crushes it against AJ’s face for the break. The stick shots have AJ in trouble so he Peles his way out, leaving them both down. AJ gets in the Phenomenal Forearm to a kneeling Black and a brainbuster gets two more. Black starts striking away again and the middle rope moonsault connects for another near fall.

The bridging German suplex gets the same but AJ is back with a fireman’s carry backbreaker. Another moonsault from Black is countered into an attempted Tombstone but Black rolls through into a rollup for two. Black kicks him into the chair in the corner and it’s time to go outside again. This time AJ sends him over the announcers’ table but Black kicks him onto the table. The Meteora drives AJ through the table and they’re both down again, with Black holding his leg.

Black Mass is loaded up inside but Black has to kick the Good Brothers down. All three jump him though and there’s the Magic Killer to drop Black. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up….and there’s the gong so the fans can explode like they’ve been wanting to all match. AJ gets chokeslammed and the lights go out again so Undertaker can disappear. And Black Mass gives Black the pin at 23:14.

Rating: B-. I know I’m going to get some glares for liking this show so much but it’s another good match in a string of them tonight. Black gets his big win that he’s been needing and it’s another completely legal win. It was an even match and he almost had it won until the Good Brothers got involved so there isn’t even an asterisk on the thing. A handicap match (or a tag match if Kane is there too) could be a better way to go at Wrestlemania but what matters here is Black getting a big boost. Good match too, though it took its time to get going.

We look at the Street Profits winning the Tag Team Titles on Raw.

The Street Profits want the smoke.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

The Profits are defending and the AOP are in the challengers’ corner. Dawkins works on Murphy’s arm to start and it’s Ford coming in to do more of the same. The fans want the smoke but have to settle for more of the Profits working on the arm. Rollins comes in and gets in a shot to the face before handing it back to Murphy in a hurry. Dawkins comes back in with a dropkick and back to back double Japanese armdrags put the challengers on the floor.

Back in and Rollins takes over on Dawkins’ leg but Murphy gets kicked over the top. The hot (Already?) tag brings Ford back in for the house cleaning, even though he slips when trying to stick the landing on a backdrop. The big flip dive hits Murphy but the AOP grabs Ford. Cue the Viking Raiders to fight them to the back and we settle down to Murphy chinlocking Ford to take over. Another Meteora gets another two but Ford is back up and tags Dawkins in.

That means dropkicks a go-go as everything breaks down, including Ford splashing Rollins for two. Rollins Sling Blades Dawkins and a double superkick gets two. Murphy tries a Pedigree but gets catapulted into the corner, setting up a right hand to Rollins. Ford’s frog splash hits knees so Rollins can get two and it’s the buckle bomb/enziguri combination to drop Ford again. Dawkins makes the save and suplexes Rollins on the floor, leaving Murphy to get loaded up in a double superplex.

Rollins is back in though and turns it into a Tower of Doom to put everyone down. Cue Kevin Owens through the crowd with a bucket of popcorn but instead of having a ticket, he hops over the barricade and sits on the announcers’ table. That distracts Rollins but Owens points at Dawkins, who drives Rollins into the barricade. A double powerbomb puts Murphy against the barricade as well, setting up the Cash Out to finish Rollins and retain at 18:14.

Rating: C+. The match was ok but there was too much going on and it got a bit too messy. What matters is the Profits retaining though and the match with Owens seems all but a lock for Wrestlemania in one form or another. It’s the big feud on Raw outside of the World Title scene and the match makes sense, though I’m curious if they’ll do anything other than just a straight singles match.

Post match it’s a Stunner for Rollins, plus a popcorn shower.

We recap the Kickoff Show match.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Sami Zayn/Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura. Strowman beat Nakamura to win the Intercontinental Title and is fighting all three of them to up the ante a bit.

Sami knows that the fans want to see Strowman wreck people but in all the months they have been dealing with Strowman, Sami has avoided him every time. Tonight, Sami is going to face him one on one and he wants Cesaro and Nakamura to stay on the apron because he needs to do this.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn/Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman is defending and Sami starts for the team but tags Nakamura in after about ten seconds of staring. Nakamura’s headlock is shoved away and his running clothesline has even less effect. A running splash in the corner crushes Nakamura but Sami distracts Strowman, allowing Nakamura to kick the knee out. The trio starts taking over on Strowman with Sami being willing to stay in and jab away at a downed champ.

Nakamura grabs a sleeper but Strowman fights up and tosses Cesaro from corner to corner. Sami runs away from Strowman, who runs over Cesaro and Nakamura as Sami hides underneath the ring. The other two catch Strowman and a missed charge sends him shoulder first into the post. Kinshasa into the post knocks Strowman cold and Sami adds the Helluva Kick for the pin and the title at 8:24.

Rating: D+. The big idea here is that Strowman can’t get his hands on Sami, which works fine when you’re a manager but not so much when it’s a former NXT Champion who has beaten big names. Odds are this sets up a squash to give Strowman the title back at Wrestlemania, which makes you wonder why they needed to give Strowman the title in the first place. Anyway, it could lead to a nice payoff and that’s what matters at the end.

We run down the Wrestlemania card.

We recap the women’s Elimination Chamber, which is not a total lock for Shayna Baszler. Nope not at all.

Shayna Baszler vs. Asuka vs. Liv Morgan vs. Ruby Riott vs. Sarah Logan vs. Natalya

The winner faces Becky Lynch at Wrestlemania and it’s Riott at #1 and Natalya in at #2. Ruby goes straight at her to start but gets taken outside for some kicks from the chatty Natalya. The Sharpshooter goes on outside with Natalya shouting TAP until it’s broken up. Some shots to the ribs put Natalya in trouble and she gets bounced off the cage to make it worse. More cage shots keep Natalya down and it’s Sarah Logan in at #3 as Natalya is double kneed into a pod.

Logan climbs onto a pod as Natalya manages to powerbomb Riott off the Chamber. That means a big dive off the pod, with Logan seeming to kick Natalya in the face on the way down. Back in and it’s a Tower of Doom to put everyone down until Shayna Baszler in at #4. A faceplant sets up the Kirifuda Clutch to eliminate Logan at 7:45. Baszler knees Riott in the face and Clutches her out at 8:13, leaving her alone with Natalya. That means several rams against the pod and the Clutch makes Natalya tap at 9:24, leaving Baszler alone for a bit.

Baszler poses a lot as Liv shouts that she’s going to Wrestlemania. It’s Morgan in at #5 and she manages a kick to the face, only to get swung into the Chamber wall. Another swing sends her into the pod and Baszler chokes her in front of Asuka, as the crowd (and commentary) goes silent for a bit. Another Clutch knocks Morgan out at 13:58, leaving Baszler to wait on Asuka. The pod finally opens and Asuka hits the hip attack, only to have Shayna kick and knee her down.

A quick Asuka Lock attempt is countered but so is the Kirifuda Clutch, with Asuka getting the Lock on the second try. They roll outside to break it up and Asuka gets rammed hard into the wall. Back in and the Clutch has Asuka in trouble but she rolls into a cover to force the break. Another spinning faceplant sets up another knee to the face and Asuka is in trouble. The Clutch sends Baszler to Wrestlemania at 21:00.

Rating: D+. So you know how WWE made it clear that Shayna was going to face Becky at Wrestlemania? Well we just saw Shayna run through four jobbers and Asuka to guarantee the match. It couldn’t have been booked much better, but it also couldn’t have been much less interesting. Baszler looked like a monster, but how impressive is it to have her squash Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan? It was logical and told the right story, but that doesn’t mean it was fun to watch for the most part.

Overall Rating: C+. It was better than it had any right to be but man alive did this show die near the end. There comes a point where hard work isn’t going to be enough to overcome such a weak card and that point came right at the end of Black vs. Styles. The first four matches are all quite good, but everything after that is ok at best. This wasn’t a good looking show coming in and some people managed to overcome it, but there was too much weak/predictable booking weighing it down.

Results

Daniel Bryan b. Drew Gulak – YES Lock

Andrade b. Humberto Carrillo – Rollup with a handful of tights

Miz/John Morrison won an Elimination Chamber match last eliminating the Usos

Aleister Black b. AJ Styles – Black Mass

Street Profits b. Seth Rollins/Murphy – Cash Out to Rollins

Sami Zayn/Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Braun Strowman – Helluva Kick

Shayna Baszler won an Elimination Chamber match last eliminating Asuka

 

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