IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: July 16, 2019
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It looks to be an eventful night this week and believe it or not, a big focus is going to be on Shane McMahon. We’re going to have a town hall meeting where wrestlers and people on the show can air their grievances with Shane, which could go a lot of ways. Other than that, Daniel Bryan is going to make a career changing announcement. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Kevin Owens calling out Shane McMahon for taking over the show.

Earlier today, Owens arrived when Shane met him at the door. Tonight, Owens has the night off because Shane is not having him interrupt the town hall.

We look at Undertaker Tombstoning Shane for the win on Sunday at Extreme Rules.

It’s already time for the town hall with the roster on the stage. Shane says anyone can say anything they want as long as they’re respectful. Roman Reigns goes first and says that no one respects Shane. That doesn’t work for Shane, so Reigns is going to be fined and dealt with later. Charlotte goes next and thanks Shane for treating her and her family so great. Liv Morgan, who Owens mentioned last week, calls her out for having everything handed to her. Charlotte: “Do you work here?”

They argue for a bit until Shane calls them off and Buddy Murphy goes next. Murphy says he doesn’t like Owens being rude to Shane and wants to slap the taste out of Owens’ mouth. Shane approves of this and declares Murphy no longer the best kept secret in Smackdown history.

Apollo Crews says no one likes Shane and gets called out by Zelina Vega, likely setting up a match with Andrade. Elias says that he is not Kevin Owens but New Day cuts him off. Kofi Kingston rants about how no one gets an opportunity under Shane. That’s enough for Shane, who says the town hall is over. Everyone leaves but Cesaro wants Aleister Black to pick a fight with him tonight. Shane makes the match in a hurry and Cesaro leaves. Cue Owens behind him and there’s the Stunner, after Owens misses Shane’s head on the first attempt. Owens runs off into the crowd to a rather positive reaction.

Aleister Black vs. Cesaro

Rematch from Sunday where Black won in a good match. Black flips away from Cesaro to start and has a seat as we take a break. Back with Cesaro holding a chinlock but Black fights up and hits the running moonsault for two. Cesaro kicks him in the face for the same and it’s off to a Crossface. That’s broken up and Black hits a knee, followed by Black Mass for the pin at 6:17. Not enough shown to rate but Black kicking another head off is a good thing.

Dolph Ziggler comes up to Shane in the back and says he wants to teach Owens a lesson tonight. That’s a no because Owens is probably long gone. Ziggler can get him back though, and it can be the main event tonight. That’s cool with Shane.

After Extreme Rules, Daniel Bryan ranted about how he failed in his quest to change the planet. If he still wants to do it, he has to go where Bryan has never gone before and he knows what he has to do. Bryan looked a little insane here.

Liv Morgan vs. Charlotte

Charlotte shoves her down to start so Morgan is right back up with a dropkick and a little wave. Liv gets in another knockdown for two but a heck of a powerbomb takes her down. The Figure Eight makes Liv tap at 2:26. Nice job of trying to push someone fresh but this is Charlotte’s world.

Post match Liv grabs a headset and says that Charlotte was right. When she comes back, she’s going to be real.

Ziggler finds Owens’ number.

Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville vs. Ember Moon/???

Moon needs a mystery partner and it’s…..Bayley. Mandy and Sonya jump them to start and Bayley gets choked on the ropes. Bayley fights back in a hurry and hands it off to Moon for the kicks to Mandy’s ribs. The Bayley to Belly sets up the Eclipse to finish Rose at 1:32.

Post match Bayley says she wants to elevate the division against someone she’s never faces before. She offers the Summerslam shot to Moon, who of course accepts.

Shinsuke Nakamura is proud of winning the Intercontinental Title and is free to rain chaos. Ali comes up to congratulate him and looks at the title.

Here’s New Day for a chat. Xavier Woods brags about Kofi retaining the title on Sunday but Kofi talks about the two of them winning the Tag Team Titles for the sixth time. They’re like three African American leprechauns with all the gold (Woods: “THESE ARE WHITE GOLD!”). They know what Daniel Bryan’s announcement and they accept the Tag Team Title rematch for right here and right now.

Cue Bryan and Rowan….but then they turn around and leave without saying anything. Then they come back, still say nothing, and leave again. They come back a third time but this time Bryan drops the mic without saying anything. Now it’s Samoa Joe coming out to say he’s ready for a championship opportunity. The New Day is throwing out title chances so Kofi can do the same right here tonight.

Hang on though as here’s Elias to cut him off. Elias says Joe has already gotten his shot but here’s Randy Orton to interrupt as well. He hasn’t had the title in a long time and will get it back with an RKO. Elias says they can’t all have title matches tonight but we can have a six man tag instead. New Day likes the sound of it, with each one getting in a playa for a bonus. Orton: “Nah. I’m good.” Kofi accuses the Viper of going limp and the match is on.

New Day vs. Elias/Samoa Joe/Randy Orton

Kofi elbows Elias in the face to start but an Orton distraction breaks up a cover attempt. Joe comes in and hammers away at Kofi but the running double stomp gives Kofi two. It’s off to Woods and New Day hits their parade of various jumping shots to Joe for two more. Elias comes back in and gets caught in the spanking abdominal stretch from Big E., followed by the Honor Roll to give Woods two of his own. Orton gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Elias takes over.

Back from a break with Woods fighting out of a chinlock but not being able to make a tag. Elias’ superplex is broken up and Woods hits a missile dropkick, allowing the hot tag to Kofi to clean house on Orton. The RKO attempt is broken up as everything breaks down. Big E. gives Orton the belly to belly and Joe is low bridged to the floor. Woods follows with a big running flip dive but Joe grabs the Clutch. Elias tries the running knee on Big E. and doesn’t come close but Big E. goes down anyway. Back in and Trouble in Paradise hits Elias’ side, leaving Kofi to take the RKO for the pin at 9:25.

Rating: C. So we’re going with Orton vs. Kingston at Summerslam? They’re certainly going with the safe paths in the title matches at the pay per view and while that’s not the worst idea in the world, it’s also not the most thrilling one. Hopefully we get something interesting, but you never know how good something like this is going to be.

R-Truth is hiding in some kind of a box when Carmella comes to find him. He’s tired of hiding but she thinks he should hide in plain sight at Comic Con. Truth: “Don’t call me a con. I did my time and paid my debt to society.” Eventually he gets the idea.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. IIconics

The Warriors are challenging and don’t even get an entrance. The IIconics are shown at ringside to start so this match really does mean as little as it seems. Shane chops Royce in the chest to start and Asuka adds a running knee for two. The running hip attack misses though and Kay hits a big boot for two. Asuka is right back with a spinning kick to the head to send her outside and the IIconics take the countout at 1:19.

Post match the Warriors destroy the champs even more.

Apollo Crews vs. Andrade

Crews jumps him before the bell and the beatdown is on in a hurry. Crews says he can go but gets knocked into the corner again. Andrade hits the running knees in the corner but Crews crucifixes him for the pin at :54.

We look back at Bray Wyatt’s return last night on Raw.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens

The threat of a Stunner sends Ziggler outside for a flip dive but the Swanton hits raised knees back inside. Ziggler gets two off a Fameasser and the chinlock goes on. Owens fights up and hits a superkick, setting up the Swanton for a rather close two. Cue Shane with a small army behind him to surround the ring. Ziggler hits the Zig Zag off the distraction for two (I bought that as the finish) and Owens slaps him in the face.

Ziggler pounds away in the corner and sends Owens hard into the post (Shane: “That looks like that hurt.”). A superkick misses and Owens hits the Stunner, only to have Shane pull him out of the ring. Owens hits another Stunner on Shane on the floor before running away in a smart move at around 6:15.

Rating: D+. This was almost all storyline advancement but they had me on the Zig Zag. Thank goodness they didn’t go that way as it would have been the dumbest thing they could have done. Owens looked great coming out of last week and Extreme Rules, so thankfully they didn’t go in the wrong direction by having him get pinned here.

Shane promises to make Owens pay to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The best thing I can say about this show is that nothing stupid happened. The right people won the matches (save for maybe Apollo) and there are some people they’re clearly interested in pushing. You can see most of the Summerslam card from here and I’d expect Owens vs. Shane in some kind of a loser leaves WWE match to be added soon. They did the right things here and it was certainly an energetic show, albeit nothing that did anything terribly memorable. All in all, not bad and better than Raw.

One very important note: According to Meltzer, Bischoff was NOT involved in this show in any way and was not even in town for it. No word on the reason for the delay, but this was not his debut episode.

Results

Aleister Black b. Cesaro – Black Mass

Charlotte b. Liv Morgan – Figure Eight

Bayley/Ember Moon b. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville – Eclipse to Rose

Randy Orton/Elias/Samoa Joe b. New Day – RKO to Kingston

Kabuki Warriors b. IIconics via countout

Apollo Crews b. Andrade – Crucifix

Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler went to a no contest when Owens ran away

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 15, 2019
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Corey Graves

It’s time for the new era as Paul Heyman is in charge starting with this week and as luck would have it, we’re less than four weeks away from Summerslam. Tonight we’re going to find out who will be challenging Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar at the pay per view, which should tell you where things are going. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar to open things up, with Lesnar holding the title like the boom box (get Stephanie’s completely random video response ready). We look back at Lesnar cashing in last night before Heyman gives us a “we told you so”. On top of that he told us that Seth Rollins wouldn’t be defending the title at Summerslam either. Heyman says he has all the stroke around here right now and for tonight, he has made a battle royal for the #1 contendership. There will be ten cross branded superstars involved, including:

Seth Rollins

Randy Orton

Big E.

Cesaro

Braun Strowman

Rey Mysterio

Baron Corbin

Sami Zayn

Bobby Lashley

Roman Reigns

Heyman laughs at the idea of Rollins strolling into Philadelphia like Becky Lynch’s stud but walking out like a gelding (Heyman: “Google it. I ain’t here to educate you.”). Whoever wins will be destroyed and robbed of his manhood and that’s another spoiler. And just remember: you’re all Brock’s b******.

Ricochet/Usos vs. Robert Roode/Revival

2/3 falls because of course. Ricochet passes Brock and Heyman on the way to the ring and….nothing happens. Jimmy superkicks Dawson to start and Ricochet adds the Recoil (Codebreaker) into a standing shooting star press for the first fall at 25 seconds. Ricochet grabs a headscissors on Roode, followed by a dropkick to bring Jey in. A spinebuster gives Roode two and it’s back to Wilder, who misses an elbow.

Jimmy comes in and things speed way up but Dawson’s flapjack catches him for the pin to tie things up at 3:44. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be the Shatter Machine or if they’re just really pushing a flapjack. Back from a break with Dawson dropping a leg and a double catapult sending Jimmy throat first into the rope for two. A hiptoss cuts off the hot tag attempt so Jimmy enziguris his way to freedom and brings in Ricochet. The Glorious DDT is countered into the Recoil and the 630 finishes Roode at 10:14.

Rating: D. Again, I have so many questions about this whole 2/3 falls thing. Are we supposed to believe that they just laid there during the break? Why is there a break between the second and third fall but not the first and second? How bad do the Usos look if they couldn’t beat Dawson in ten minutes last night but Ricochet can do it in 25 seconds? I’m sure we’ll see more of this later too.

Post match it’s the Club coming out to gloat but Ricochet dives on Styles. The brawl is on with the villains getting the better of things off the numbers game.

Viking Raiders vs. Vinny Gruner/Jackson James

The Raiders promise to rain down carnage like their ancestors. Total dominance ensues with Ivar being driven into James in the corner. He pulls James up at two and it’s the German suplex/springboard clothesline to make it even worse. The Viking Experience is good for the pin at 1:20.

We look at Undertaker pinning Shane McMahon with the Tombstone last night.

Various people are laughing at Drew McIntyre for losing and Drew calls out Cedric Alexander for his joke last week. This might be more interesting if Drew hadn’t kicked his head off and pinned him in about two minutes. Drew promises to dismember and disembowel him. Drew: “I’m only joking buddy. That’s illegal.” He’ll humble him instead. That might be illegal as well if he’s an Iron Sheik fan.

Drew McIntyre vs. Cedric Alexander

Fallout from last week. Cedric tries to speed things up to start and kicks Drew to the floor, only to get suplexed into the corner back inside. Another suplex sets up the suplex throw for two but Drew goes up and gets dropkicked out of the air. Drew has had it with Cedric and pounds him down in the corner, followed by the reverse Alabama slam but Cedric rolls through for the huge upset at 3:20.

Rating: D+. I can go with this but at the same time, Drew takes yet ANOTHER hit because WWE probably has given him the bulletproof label. That’s the worst thing that can happen to him but it seems to be what Drew has at the moment. This probably isn’t over, but at least Cedric got a win in there. I could go for more of Drew getting some big wins though, or at least any big win.

We look back at Shinsuke Nakamura beating Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Title last night.

Balor promises to get back on track by going over Samoa Joe to start.

Joe says try it. I kind of like these quick gorilla position promos.

We look back at Heyman announcing the battle royal.

Roman Reigns says this is his week from the ESPYs to the Hobbes and Shaw premiere to winning last night and now he’s getting the Universal Title shot.

Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe

Note that the recap and Reigns interview took place after Joe’s entrance. Do they really need to get the crowd ready for a match like that and then have them sit there? Joe takes him down by the wrist to start but Balor is back with a headlock takeover out of the corner. That’s reversed into a crucifix though and Balor is pinned at 1:24.

Post match Joe tries to choke Balor out but gets stomped in the chest. The Sling Blade sets up the Coup de Grace to get Balor’s heat back. The match was so short he probably didn’t even take his coat and shoes off. Balor poses but his music stops and the lights go off. We hear a beatdown taking place in the ring and the lights come back on to reveal….Bray Wyatt, in the Fiend mask, with Sister Abigail to Balor. Fans: “HOLY S***!”

That was a heck of a return, though I’m not going to be convinced that WWE is running with it until they actually give him some traction. The mask looked great and having a dual personality could be interesting. With Balor rumored to be taking some time off, having him be the first sacrifice to Wyatt could be great. It’s an awesome start, but Bray doesn’t have the track record to get me to sign off on it yet.

Drake Maverick and his wife check into a hotel (under the name 24/7 Champion) to consummate their marriage. His wife his fine with this and wants the most romantic room and expensive champagne. Maverick pays cash and even tips the desk clerk. The two of them leave and here’s R-Truth to bribe the clerk with a $1 bill. Truth asks if they have a guest under the name of Hornswoggle. Truth: “Lower case H, o-r-n-swoggle.”

The Street Profits watch and mock Maverick for being nervous. They also make their loud picks for the #1 contenders matches, with Dawkins still having a thing for Nikki Cross.

Zack Ryder vs. Mike Kanellis

Hang on as Maria wants to wrestle Zack herself. That’s not happening so Mike does it….and takes the Rough Ryder for the pin at 7 seconds. My goodness the hometown boy won a match.

Maria says that their unborn baby could have had a better chance than a loser like Mike.

The Club vs. Lucha House Party

Gran Metalik starts fast with the reverse Sling Blade getting two on Anderson. Gallows comes in and hammers away in the corner but here’s Ricochet to jump Styles for the no contest at 2:20. Actually never mind as it’s ANOTHER STUPID EXCUSE TO RESTART THE MATCH BECAUSE WE CAN’T JUST GO TO A FREAKING COMMERCIAL AROUND HERE ANYMORE!

Back with Dorado getting stomped in the corner until the Golden Rewind allows the hot tag to Kalisto. The rolling kick hits Anderson and it’s the springboard enziguri for two. A big flip dive takes Anderson down again but AJ breaks up a springboard. Kalisto tries it again but this time gets caught (mostly) in a spinebuster. The Boot of Doom hits Kalisto and the Calf Crusher is good for the tap at 8:14.

Rating: D+. Well thank goodness that they’ve come up with a bad solution to a problem that didn’t need to be fixed. This is like the Dusty Middle because there is no logical reason for it to happen (certainly not an explained one) and it’s just going to get worse as WWE continues to hammer this idea home.

We recap last night’s mixed tag and Lesnar cashing in.

Rollins says Lesnar doesn’t deserve the title and he’s possessed. Oh and Becky is tough and might be here tonight. He’ll fight anyone he has to in order to get his shot at Lesnar again.

We look back at Wyatt’s return.

Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya vs. Carmella vs. Naomi

Elimination rules and the winner gets the shot at Becky at Summerslam. Nikki Cross is here with Bliss and Becky comes limping out to watch. Bliss heads to the floor to start and Carmella’s rollup is broken up for no logical reason. Naomi and Natalya are left in the ring with an exchange of dropkicks, nipups and clotheslines. Carmella comes back in to steal two each, because people are often pinned by delayed covers off a clothesline. She does it again and the kickouts make her scream this time.

A hurricanrana out of the corner gives Carmella two on Naomi and the spinning headscissors sends Natalya into the corner. Natalya and Naomi get kicked in the face but Bliss runs in and steals the pin on Carmella at 3:03. Naomi takes a long time slamming Bliss and then dropkicks Natalya to the floor. Some kicks have Bliss in trouble in the corner as the fans really don’t seem interested here.

Bliss gets two off a clothesline and slaps her a few times for a bonus. We take a break with everyone down as the rules seem to be abandoned in the middle of the match. Back with all three circling each other until Natalya gets sent outside. Naomi hits a Blockbuster off the steps but Bliss jumps her from behind. Bliss takes Naomi back inside for a chinlock but gets caught in a Bubba Bomb into a rollup for two.

Natalya comes back in with the discus lariat to Naomi and another chinlock. There’s the surfboard to Naomi with Bliss coming in to cover Natalya for two at the same time. Naomi is back up to kick Natalya in the face but Bliss breaks up the split legged moonsault. A helicopter bomb hits Naomi but Bliss makes the save at two. Bliss grabs ANOTHER chinlock on Naomi, because this match needs a third chinlock at about the fifteen minute mark.

Naomi fights back up but gets knocked down for a fourth chinlock. Natalya makes the save but misses a charge into the middle buckle as the fans deem this awful. Naomi’s sunset flip is countered into a rollup to give Natalya the pin at 17:19 AND WE TAKE A BREAK!!! Back again with Bliss standing on the floor for a chat with Cross. Nikki grabs the mic and demands that the fans cheer for Bliss.

A right hand puts Natalya down and Insult to Injury gets two more. Natalya hits the belly to back drop and the stepover but Bliss avoids the basement dropkick. Fans: “LET’S GO CENA! CENA SUCKS!” Natalya follows her outside and hits a clothesline on Cross as the GOLDBERG chants start. Back in and the Sharpshooter makes Bliss tap at 23:26. That has to be some kind of a record.

Rating: F. I mean, what else could this be? The match was a nightmare and I can’t blame the fans for losing their minds like this. I’m really looking forward to finding out what the deal was here because there has to be some kind of a reason that they were left out there to die like this. That match was over 200x longer than Ryder vs. Kanellis.

Post match Natalya talks about what a difference a year makes but she’s ready to face her friend. Becky gets in the ring and says she’s learned that she’s better in war than in love. Natalya says that Becky must be a bad lover then “b****”. She promises to take the horseshoe out of Becky’s a** and win the title. Well that got harsh in a hurry.

Randy Orton wants to win the battle royal and even the score with Lesnar.

It’s time for MizTV with Dolph Ziggler as the guest. Ziggler requested to be on the show because he doesn’t like what Miz has turned into. Miz sucks up to WWE and does everything that he can but doesn’t even get booked on Extreme Rules. He’s out here wearing a shirt that says LONG ISLAND IS AWESOME but he’s not from Long Island. Or Hollywood for that matter. He’s from Cleveland and now he does whatever WWE tells him to do for the fame. Just like his wife. And the beating is on with Ziggler bailing. This is on the list of matches I never need to see again.

Maverick is spreading rose petals over his hotel room bed.

We look at Wyatt’s return again.

Back in the hotel room, Drake takes off his robs and reveals nothing but the belt and underwear. His wife gets ready but room service arrives. The bellboy reveals himself to be a referee though and Maverick frantically tries to find who is here. R-Truth pops out from the bottom of the cart and crossbodies Maverick for the pin and the title. Drake gives chase and the wife is left holding a pillow and screaming. Eh I was hoping for Truth in lingerie.

We look at Roman Reigns winning the first ever WWE ESPY.

Battle Royal

Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Big E., Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton

The winner gets Lesnar at Summerslam, Lashley has taped ribs and Lesnar and Heyman are watching from the stage. It’s a brawl to start with Corbin going after Rollins and Strowman punching Lashley in the bad ribs. Cesaro starts running at everyone in the corner to take over, including the Swing to Rey. Another one to Big E. is broken up and Lashley dumps Cesaro for the first elimination. Strowman does the same to Lashley and it’s time for a Strowman vs. Big E. showdown.

Big E.’s running splash staggers Strowman and Big E. manages the Big Ending but walks into the RKO. Sami gets rid of Big E. but walks into the RKO. The 619 connects and Orton gets rid of Zayn. There’s an RKO to Reigns followed by another 619 but Reigns shrugs off both finishers and Superman Punches Orton through the ropes. Rey hits a springboard seated senton on Roman but gets tossed by Orton. We’re down to Corbin, Rollins, Reigns, Strowman and Orton with the latter on the floor.

Strowman puts Corbin in the ropes so Reigns can hit the apron dropkick. A superkick from Rollins is enough to get rid of Corbin and get us down to four. Reigns spears Rollins by mistake and Strowman puts Roman on the apron. It’s the Chris Benoit/Big Show elimination but Rollins knocks Reigns out as well. Rollins thinks he’s won and has to hang on when Orton comes back in to throw him to the apron as well. The hanging DDT brings Rollins back in and Orton stops to stare at Lesnar. The RKO is broken up with a superkick to the ribs and the Stomp is enough for Rollins to get the title shot at 7:47.

Rating: C-. Well that was fast (the women’s match probably took up too much time). This was going to be Rollins or Reigns winning and Seth is a much better pick than Roman in storyline terms. I don’t need to see him fight Lesnar again, but that is the kind of thing you have to expect here. I’d rather they go with this than rush what could be a big story in four weeks so at least it makes sense.

Post match, Heyman promises that Rollins is going to be conquered. Rollins tells Heyman to shut up and promises a repeat of Wrestlemania. Lesnar teases coming down for a fight to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to think of this one as the biggest problem here was how fast so many things went by. How many matches on here didn’t even make two minutes? Couple that with the INSANE women’s match getting over twenty minutes (close to half an hour counting entrances and post match stuff) and this wasn’t the best start to the Heyman era.

Other than Wyatt, nothing really jumped off the page, though it wasn’t a bad show. That one match just wrecked the show, but I’m not exactly thrilled with where things are going at moment. Then again, they have to rush for Summerslam so maybe it’s not that bad. I liked it more than some recent Raw’s, so it certainly could have been worse.

Results

Ricochet/Usos b. Revival/Robert Roode – 630 to Roode

Viking Raiders b. Jackson James/Vinny Gruner – Viking Experience to James

Cedric Alexander b. Drew McIntyre – Victory roll

Samoa Joe b. Finn Balor – Crucifix

Zack Ryder b. Mike Kanellis – Rough Ryder

The Club b. Lucha House Party – Calf Crusher to Kalisto

Natalya b. Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Naomi – Sharpshooter to Bliss

Seth Rollins won a battle royal last eliminating Randy Orton

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Extreme Rules 2019
Date: July 14, 2019
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Michael Cole, Renee Young

We’re finally wrapping up a long stretch with what feels like a show from one company or another every week for months. This is a show built around violence and a full three matches out of the twelve have some form of gimmick that includes violence. The card doesn’t look bad though and hopefully it works out. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is challenging and this is a bonus match. Balor starts fast with a running dropkick but gets laid over the top rope for a running knee to the ribs. A middle rope knee to the head is broken up though and Nakamura falls out to the floor. That means the running flip dive but Nakamura is right back with an armbar back inside.

Balor is in the ropes in a hurry but has to fight out of a dragon sleeper. A running dropkick takes Nakamura down by the knee and we go to a split screen. Back with Balor hitting the shotgun dropkick in the corner but the Coup de Grace misses. Nakamura hits the running knee to the back of the head, followed by Kinshasa for the pin and the title at 7:03.

Rating: C. Well ok then. Nakamura winning the title is probably the right move as Balor wasn’t doing anything with it, but that’s going to present the same problem: is Nakamura going to do anything with it? Recent history would suggest no, but at least it’s better than Nakamura sitting around doing nothing all day.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Tony Nese vs. Drew Gulak

Gulak, the hometown boy, is defending. They go straight at it to start with Nese taking him down for some left hands. A leg sweep gives Nese one and a running clothesline puts Gulak on the floor. Gulak gets in his own clothesline on the outside though and they’re both down. We go split screen again and come back with Nese hitting a pumphandle powerslam for two.

Nese sends Gulak to the apron and ties him in the ropes for a middle rope moonsault (that’s a new one). Back in and Nese’s 450 goes a little far, meaning his knees go into Gulak’s chest for two. The sunset driver is countered into a powerbomb to give Gulak two, followed by the Cyclone Crash to retain the title at 7:28.

Rating: C+. They’re not wasting time with these Kickoff Show matches. In this case that’s for the best as you don’t want to have the matches go long and take away from what is being planned for the main show. These are designed to get the fans going and that is what this one did. Gulak retaining is the only logical choice and a showdown with Oney Lorcan is probably penciled in for Summerslam.

The opening video features a woman who might be Mandy Rose whispering that the rules are changing. We shift into a look at most of the matches, the majority of which are in no way, shape or form extreme.

We recap Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns/Undertaker. Shane has had the power go to his head (again) and helped Drew beat Reigns at Stomping Grounds. Undertaker is back to even the odds and take Shane down a few pegs.

Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns/Undertaker

No Holds Barred. Undertaker has some slightly different gear as the front of his top covers up the middle of his chest now, as opposed to the lower cut style he has had for years. It’s No Holds Barred, so of course tags are required with Reigns and McIntyre starting. An early belly to belly has Reigns in trouble and it’s off to Shane for the punches in the corner, drawing some nice booing.

Somehow Reigns survives and brings in Undertaker to hammer away, including Old School. Undertaker strikes away in the corner and we get the YOU STILL GOT IT chants. It’s back to Drew so we get a nice looking staredown before the slugout is on. A clothesline puts Undertaker on the floor but he lands on his feet and pulls Drew down. That means the apron legdrop and Reigns comes back in for his own right hands.

Undertaker has had it with Shane interfering and goes for a chair to chase him up the ramp. Reigns is sent into the steps as Shane comes back to watch McIntyre grab an armbar. Back up and Reigns nails the Samoan drop, allowing the tag back to Undertaker. It’s time to load up the announcers’ table but here’s Elias to guitar Undertaker in the back. McIntyre adds the Claymore to Reigns and another one saves Elias from the revived Undertaker.

Shane drops the top rope elbow to put Undertaker through the table and pops up far too fast. Coast to Coast drives a trashcan into Undertaker and McIntyre takes Reigns down. Undertaker sits up (thank goodness….I think) and chokeslams Shane, followed by another to Elias. McIntyre rises up behind him (cool shot) but it’s the spear from Reigns. The Tombstone finishes Shane at 16:56.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to think of this one but they were smart to start with this. What matters most for me though is Shane losing like this, marking the first time he’s been pinned since November. It would be great if they were toning down the Shane love, which has caused more problems than almost anything else as of late. Good thing they gave that rub to someone who needed it so badly too.

Undertaker gets to pose on his own because we’re supposed to believe he’s not going to wrestle much longer.

Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins talk about taking a walk through Philadelphia last night and coming up with ideas of how to hurt Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin. Losing is not an option.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Revival

The Usos are challenging with Jimmy and Dawson starting things off. Jimmy’s backslide gets two as Graves and Renee argue about the Revival enjoying the good life. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Usos hit stereo dives to take the champs out as the fast start continues. Jey stalks Wilder, who suckers him into a clothesline from Dawson to take over.

Back in and Dawson takes over on Jey before picking Wilder up for an assisted legdrop. The waistlock goes on for a bit before Dawson comes back in, only to distract the referee so we don’t get a hot tag. Dawson even throws in some Eddie Guerrero by pretending to be down so the cheating doesn’t come off as so obvious. Jey gets taken up top but a double collision knocks Dawson to the floor and Jey down to the mat. A double tag brings in Jimmy and Wilder as everything breaks down.

Jimmy can’t fight off the numbers though and gets sent into the corner, only to have him come out with a Whisper in the Wind. Dawson grabs a brainbuster for two and it’s an ode to Power and Glory with the PowerPlex. Jey dives in for a save and everyone is down again. The double dives are broken up but so is Wilder’s tornado DDT. That’s fine with the champs as the Shatter Machine finishes Jimmy to retain at 12:34.

Rating: B. This was the usual fast paced and entertaining match between the two teams and that’s why it was put on the show. There is nothing wrong with having two awesome teams go out there and do something entertaining, which is exactly what we got here. The Revival needed this far more than the Usos did too so it’s a good idea all around.

We recap Aleister Black vs. Cesaro. Black wanted someone to pick a fight with him and Cesaro did. Time for a match.

Cesaro vs. Aleister Black

An early Black Mass attempt misses and Cesaro uppercuts him into the corner. The Neutralizer is reversed into a backdrop but Cesaro sticks the landing and sits down, ala Black’s signature pose. Black knocks him to the floor and hits the middle rope moonsault for the first big knockdown. Back in and Black sweeps the leg but gets caught by the springboard uppercut for two. Black fights out of the chinlock in a hurry before switching over to an armbar. A Meteora attempt is caught in the air and Swiss Death gets two to keep Black in trouble.

Cesaro’s springboard uppercut is knocked out of the air with a springboard knee, followed by more kicks to the leg. That means a kneebar but Cesaro turns it over into a Sharpshooter in a sweet counter. Black crawls out so Cesaro switches over into a nasty Crossface. That’s broken up as well so they slug it out with Cesaro loading up the Neutralizer again. Some punches to the leg get Black out and Black Mass is good for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: B. Yeah that was awesome and exactly what it needed to be. Black could go on like this for a long time to come as his striking really is that good. Couple that with an awesome look and the great entrance and how could he not be a success? Maybe by having him sit in a room for months without doing anything but talking?

R-Truth is putting wanted posters everywhere for Drake Maverick, including on his own back. He asks Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross if they’re in the women’s locker room but Carmella drags him away. Bliss gives Cross her own Bliss shirt when the Street Profits come up to say they interrupted a special moment. They think Bayley is going to lose the title but it turns into an argument over stolen shrimp. Nikki screams at them and leaves, though Dawkins seems to approve of her in a certain way.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross

Bliss and Cross are challenging but Bayley has accused Bliss of using Cross. We get an early Sasha Banks reference as Cross tags Bliss in after about ten seconds. Bayley slugs away and drives Cross outside for a ram into the barricade. That’s fine with Bliss, who sends her into the steps to take over.

Back in and Cross gets two off a neckbreaker before tying Bayley up in the ring skirt for a beating. Bliss comes back in for the near falls and it’s time to tie Bayley in the Tree of Woe (Referee: “YOU HAVE TO LET HER GO! Bliss: “I KNOW!”). There’s no Alberto double stomp though as Bliss chokes instead and slams Bayley down by the hair.

Insult to Injury gets two but Bayley pops up with a clothesline and some more aggressive than usual right hands. Cross comes back in so Bayley slams Bliss onto her, followed by a modified Indian Deathlock. Bliss’ save attempt is countered into a Crossface while Cross is caught as well. The rope is finally grabbed and Cross hits a DDT but Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Bayley knees Cross in the face and drops the top rope elbow to retain at 10:23.

Rating: C. Not bad here and it opens the door for where this is going to go in the future. Cross and Bliss could have an interesting split, but the manipulation could go on a bit further. What matters most is Bayley continuing to build moment, though you know Charlotte is getting the title shot at Summerslam because that’s what always happens. Nice enough match, especially with another nice nod of “Bayley doesn’t need help.”

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley. They’ve been feuding for awhile now with Strowman winning their previous match, so they crashed through the set and caused a big explosion. Tonight, it’s Last Man Standing.

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

Last Man Standing and the fight is on before the bell with Strowman running him over. We get the opening bell and Lashley has to roll outside to beat the count. Strowman hits the running shoulder but a second attempt is cut off by the spear. That’s barely even good for a count so Lashley grabs the steps to knock Strowman over the barricade. They go up the steps with Lashley still in control, which is a bit more than I was expecting for him.

Strowman gets knocked into the concourse and they ram into a wall. Back up and Strowman sends him into a merchandise stand with a suplex sending Lashley into the t-shirt stand. That’s enough to bring them back into the arena with Lashley getting knocked down some steps. Strowman runs him over again but Lashley is fine enough to drive him through the barricade to get back to ringside.

A big charge drives Strowman over the table and Lashley turns it on him for a bonus. Strowman gets up again and heads into the crowd again, leaving Lashley frustrated. Lashley follows him out and gets tossed onto the international announcers. That doesn’t even keep him down for a long count and he sends Strowman into another wall.

Strowman gets up and kicks him in the chest so Lashley tells him to bring it, meaning it’s even more knockdowns. They go up the steps again with Lashley throwing a fan at Strowman, who tosses him aside. Strowman catches up to him and they fight on top of a tunnel, with Strowman hitting the powerslam down into the abyss for the win at 17:27.

Rating: B+. This was far better than I was hoping for with both guys beating each other up in a match that felt like two monsters wanting to finish each other. Strowman needs something new and I’m not sure what that is, but I can’t imagine it’s going after the World Title again. At least wait until Brock Lesnar doesn’t have the briefcase again because I can’t take Strowman losing to him again.

AJ Styles says he didn’t reform the Club to win the US Title. He can’t take away Ricochet’s skills but he can take away the title tonight.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Heavy Machinery vs. Daniel Bryan/Rowan

Bryan and Rowan are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Woods runs the ropes with Bryan to start and slides between his legs to set up a hard rolling elbow. Tucker tags himself in and gets headscissored right into the corner, allowing Rowan to tag himself in. That doesn’t go well for Woods, who gets slammed down, followed by the running corner dropkick from Bryan.

The surfboard goes on with Bryan remembering that it’s No DQ and grabbing Woods by the face. It’s back to Rowan but Bryan suckers Big E. to the floor and sends him into the steps. Woods manages a middle dropkick and tags Otis in instead due to a lack of Big E. Otis gets to clean house and it’s a corner splash to set up the Caterpillar to Bryan. A slingshot into a belly to belly gives Tucker two but Big E. comes back in.

The Warrior splash hits knees though and it’s an Otis suplex with Tucker adding a high crossbody for two. Rowan kicks Otis in the face and runs Woods over on the floor, leaving Big E. to spear Bryan through the ropes. Otis teases a dive, goes to the apron, and jumps off instead. Tucker adds a dive off the top and it’s the Compactor to Big E. Woods dives in for the save with Rowan following. Heavy Machinery hits a bunch of splashes in the corner but can’t double superplex Rowan.

Bryan tags himself in as Big E. superplexes Rowan but gets caught in the LeBell Lock. That’s switched into the Rings of Saturn with a leg grab but Big E. manages to pull him other leg over….until he realizes there are no rope breaks so he has to crawl to the floor to get Bryan to let go. Bryan fires off the kicks and slaps to Big E., who tells him to bring it. The backflip out of the corner is caught on Big E.’s shoulder and UpUpDownDown gives New Day the titles back at 14:00. Woods: “WE GOT ALL OF THEM!”

Rating: B-. Another good and fast paced match with a lot of action to keep the fans going. New Day winning the titles back isn’t the most interesting change but it feels similar to Balor losing the Intercontinental Title. What’s the point in keeping it on him if they’re not going to do anything with him? At least New Day will be on the show every week.

Kofi Kingston is celebrating with New Day in the back when Paul Heyman walks by. Heyman comes to the stage and says he is the advocate for the future Universal or WWE Champion. He is Philadelphia and the entire concept of extreme. Tonight, Lesnar is cashing in Money in the Bank and that is a spoiler. To tell you that in advance would make him stupid, so maybe he’s lying. Is he telling you the truth or is he Paul Heyman?

US Title: Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

Ricochet is defending and this is their rubber match. AJ has the Good Brothers with him and gets in a cheap shot before the bell with Ricochet saying he’s good to go. Ricochet is back up with a dropkick and a running chop in the corner as the pace stays fast to start. They head outside with AJ taking over and yelling at the referee as a bonus.

Back in and Ricochet gets whipped hard into the corner as the announcers actually explain the idea of AJ not wanting to be a mentor and put out to pasture just yet. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Ricochet flips out and hits an enziguri. A running hurricanrana sends AJ into the corner but Ricochet stops to go after the Good Brothers. That means a moonsault only gets two, followed by the rolling northern lights suplexes for the same.

Another springboard is countered into the fireman’s carry backbreaker but AJ can’t follow up. AJ suplexes him into the corner for two and a reverse DDT gets two more. The Styles Clash is countered with a hurricanrana and they’re both down again. It’s AJ up first with a Pele and a brainbuster for two more. Ricochet goes up top and knocks AJ down but Karl Anderson offers a distraction, allowing Gallows to get in a crotching. That means the Super Styles Clash (with Ricochet’s face bouncing off the mat) gives AJ the title back at 16:30.

Rating: B. This show is on a roll and I can live with Styles winning the title back. There wasn’t a terrible ending around here so it worked as well as anything they could have done. Ricochet can come back and win the title back in the big match at Summerslam, though I wouldn’t have done two matches in the first place to set this up. Do something else and keep things a bit more fresh.

We recap Kevin Owens coming after Shane McMahon earlier this week. Kevin complained that Shane was on the show and he wasn’t so Dolph Ziggler called him out. A match is made.

Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

Trash talk, Stunner, Owens get the pin in 19 seconds. Ok I can go with this.

Post match Kevin says that since Shane got Tombstoned, there’s no one to cut his mic. Owens says that Shane’s time is coming up and there’s something he can kiss.

We recap Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe for the Smackdown World Title. Like everyone else, Joe doesn’t believe in Kingston but you can believe that he’s the next champion.

Samoa Joe says he’s here to end Kofi’s unremarkable dream. New Day has all the titles right now and it’s time to begin the nightmare.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe

Kofi is defending and hits a running dropkick into the corner to start. Joe clotheslines him right back down though and it’s time to slug it out. A spinning kick to the leg has Kofi’s knee bending backwards and Joe runs him over again. Joe tells him to stay down and takes Kofi outside to crush his fingers in the steps. Back in and Kofi chops away, setting up the jumping clothesline to rock Joe.

The high crossbody gets two but Joe grabs the scoop powerslam for the same. The STF goes on with Joe switching into a Crossface. That’s broken up and Kofi grabs the SOS for two but Joe is right back with the Koquina Clutch. Kofi tries to walk the corner so Joe slams him down, setting up the backsplash for two. Another Clutch attempt is countered and Trouble in Paradise retains the title at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This was slow paced, but Kofi gets another win and is likely heading to 100+ days as champion (he has to make it to Tuesday). That’s a long longer than I was expecting him to make it, but it isn’t exactly going to matter as long as Lesnar is looming over him. I’m not sure where he goes at Summerslam, but I’m still hoping for the New Day triple threat.

We recap the Winners Take All match with Becky Lynch/Seth Rollins facing Baron Corbin/Lacey Evans. This is the third title shot for both of them and believe it or not, the interest isn’t that high. It’s a mixed tag with the personal relationship vs. the business relationship.

Raw World Title/Raw Women’s Title: Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch vs. Baron Corbin/Lacey Evans

Corbin and Evans are challenging, it’s Extreme Rules and the winners take all. Lacey has SETH written on the back of her trunks. There are tags again, because Extreme Rules means something very different in WWE. The men start with Corbin grabbing a kendo stick but walking into a Sling Blade. Lacey comes in and grabs the stick before getting rather close to Seth, earning a beating from Becky. She and Seth get in stereo beatdowns with the sticks and stand tall early on.

Back in and Seth has to knee his way out of a suplex attempt but Corbin is smart enough to get in a chair shot. Some chairs are brought in as Lacey points out the writing on the trunks. A DDT sends Seth onto a chair for two but Corbin makes the mistake of wedging a chair in the corner.

Becky has had it and unloads on Lacey with the chair before ramming her face first into one. The Bexploder onto the chairs and a legdrop onto the chair onto Lacey gets two. Lacey is right back with an elbow and a double springboard moonsault. The Woman’s Right misses so Becky grabs a reverse DDT. It’s off to Seth, but Corbin is still down on the floor. Since Rollins can’t go after Lacey, he brings in a table instead.

Becky gives him a hand and they set up a pair of them on the floor, which takes WAY too long. Lacey gets up and sends Becky into the steps, meaning it’s time for the champs to get destroyed with kendo sticks. A double chokeslam gives Corbin and Evans a double two and it’s time to go back outside. Becky saves Seth from a double suplex through a table so it’s a double suplex onto the ramp.

Corbin and Evans are laid on the tables and it’s a legdrop for Lacey and a very high frog splash for Baron in a pair of big crashes. Back in and Corbin is fine enough to hit Deep Six for two on Rollins with Becky making the save. Evans gets tossed outside but Baron gets smart by hitting End of Days on Becky. Corey: “Too far man.” As I roll my eyes, Rollins erupts and beats on Corbin with the chair, followed by the Stomp. Another Stomp sets up a third to retain the titles at 19:53…..and here’s Brock.

Rating: C. So I think I should probably get through this one in a hurry to get to what matters. The match wasn’t too bad but there is only so much that you can get out of Corbin and Evans as challengers. At least they didn’t win the titles, but egads man, I’m hoping Lesnar doesn’t get the title here.

Universal Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins

Brock snaps off some German suplexes and Heyman says ring the bell. The bell rings and the F5 gives Lesnar the title at 17 seconds. So yeah, everything from the moment Wrestlemania went on the air in the Universal Title picture? Forget about it.

Overall Rating: A-. I mean, what more can you ask for? There was nothing really close to bad and things certainly happened, though your definition of how good they were could vary. This was the final stopping point to the bad summer before we can get the new direction for Summerslam and it was one of the best shows that they’ve done in a long time. Maybe it was pure exhaustion or having no expectations, but this worked very well and I had roughly a 485% better time than I expected. Oh and it’s done before eleven, putting this at 4:55 instead of over five hours so…..good? Anyway, great show.

Results

Undertaker/Roman Reigns b. Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre – Tombstone to McMahon

Revival b. Usos – Shatter Machine to Jimmy

Aleister Black b. Cesaro – Black Mass

Bayley b. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross – Top rope elbow to Cross

Braun Strowman b. Bobby Lashley – Powerslam into a tunnel

New Day b. Daniel Bryan/Rowan and Heavy Machinery – UpUpDownDown to Bryan

AJ Styles b. Ricochet – Super Styles Clash

Kevin Owens b. Dolph Ziggler – Stunner

Kofi Kingston b. Samoa Joe – Trouble in Paradise

Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch b. Lacey Evans/Baron Corbin – Stomp to Corbin

Brock Lesnar b. Seth Rollins – F5

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

The summer of WWE continues. There are a lot of problems in WWE at the moment and any WWE fan can list them all off for you at a moment’s notice. I’ve been right there with them, though things have gotten slightly better in recent weeks. One of the underlying problems has been the amount of shows that the company has been running and it’s time for another one in the form of Extreme Rules, which doesn’t have the most extreme set of rules. Maybe the card itself will surprise me. Let’s get to it.

Aleister Black vs. Cesaro

This was literally set up with a knock on the door and even though that is where the story was supposed to go, it doesn’t make things that interesting. There is no history between the two of them but that’s kind of the point with Black. I have no idea how they’ve managed to screw up Black’s push so badly but I’ll take what I can get, even if it has taken this long.

I’ll go with Black to win because that’s the only thing that makes sense. I know the fans are going to be annoyed at seeing Cesaro lose again, but that’s just kind of what happens with him. He’ll help get Black somewhere, but it’s going to be the Black Mass for the pin, just as it should be. Black is the kind of guy who could go a long way, and Cesaro is a fine first step. Well the second first step as that first run with Ricochet has been forgotten.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Revival(c) vs. Usos

These two are joined at the hip and that’s fine by me. The best part about this whole thing has been the Revival getting away from the HORRIBLE pranks at the hands of the Usos, which didn’t help anyone whatsoever. The Revival enjoying the good life is funny enough, though at least they’re not looking like the bad end of jokes and that’s better than nothing at this point.

This could go either way but I’ll take the Revival to retain with some cheating. The Usos have been champions so many times that it doesn’t feel important anymore and they certainly don’t need the belts. Let the Revival keep them a little longer and rehab their image that much more, which they really do need after the last few months. They can still be a great team, as long as WWE will just let them do so. A win here would help.

SmackDown Tag Team Titles: Daniel Bryan/Rowan(c) vs. New Day vs. Heavy Machinery

As I was getting ready for this show, I wasn’t sure if New Day was doing anything on the show or who had these titles. That’s how little they matter and that says a lot about the tag division as a whole. Heavy Machinery doesn’t exactly belong in this match after they lost last month but when has that bothered them before? The titles are nearly ice cold right now so this isn’t the most important match on the show.

Give me the champions retaining here, as I’m hoping that we’re getting closer to the New Day getting frustrated with Kofi Kingston getting most of the glory and success. Much like the Usos, the New Day winning the titles again wouldn’t mean anything and I can’t imagine Heavy Machinery actually winning the titles. Bryan and Rowan are doing nothing as champions, but somehow they’re the best option at the moment.

Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak(c) vs. Tony Nese

Somehow this isn’t on the Kickoff Show (yet) but you can probably pencil it in. Gulak won the title from Nese in a three way at Stomping Grounds and this is his first title defense. What matters most here is Gulak’s new, aggressive character which has gotten him a lot further than his entertaining For A Better 205 Live deal. He’s fitting well as champion, though I’m not sure how long he’ll have the title.

He’ll have it longer than the end of Extreme Rules though as I’ll go with Gulak to retain here. Nese has had his run and while he was a success, he’s not the long term solution with the title. They’ve already got Oney Lorcan waiting to challenge Gulak over Summerslam weekend as well and that could be a heck of a match. Nese has come a long way, but he’s not getting back to the top again, at least not here.

SmackDown World Title: Kofi Kingston(c) vs. Samoa Joe

This has been a better feud than anything Kingston vs. Ziggler did, mainly because it feels like something fresh. What matters here is having a good match, because this feels like a one off match instead of the start of something big. While there is a chance that we could see a rematch at Summerslam, odds are this is going to be it and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Kingston retains here, at least I think, as I could see Samoa Joe puling off a surprise win. That’s the kind of thing he tends to do, though I’m not sure if he’s going to do so here. Kingston’s title reign has not gone very well so far, though it’s hard to put the entirety of the blame on him. Samoa Joe almost has to win the title at some point, but I don’t think that’s the case here.

Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley

This is Last Man Standing and a result of the two of them blowing up part of the set a few weeks back. It feels like we’ve seen this kind of thing from Strowman for years now as he gets to look dominant in a story like this, though I have no reason to believe that he’s going to win the title in the end. Lashley has looked great as well, though there is a lot more to be done with Strowman, at least in a company that makes sense.

Of course I’ll take Strowman here, though it’s going to come after a lot of stuff is destroyed. That’s not a bad place to go and the match should be fun (or at least extreme) but I have no confidence for where this is going in the future for either guy. At least it’s better than arm wrestling or a tug of war though, which means Heyman at least has one good thing going for him.

Undertaker/Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon/Drew McIntyre

No Holds Barred for the sake of McMahon. The match itself isn’t what matters here, as the whole point is much more about who Undertaker gets to face at Summerslam. Odds are that it’s going to be McIntyre, but I’m not sure who would win once we get there. That’s for later though so for now, we get more McMahon getting to hang with multiple time World Champions, if not beating them.

For the sake of my sanity, I’m going with Undertaker and Reigns squeaking by a guy whose career highlight is the NXT Title and the Monster McMahon, because somehow this is one of the biggest feuds of the summer. Assuming Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler isn’t added to the card (or even if it is), I could easily see Owens interfering here and taking McMahon down. Not for a pin of course because Undertaker and Reigns aren’t on that level, but maybe he can help bring McIntyre down.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Nikki Cross/Alexa Bliss

This feud has gotten a lot of time in recent weeks, though I’m not entirely sure which way it’s going. That’s the best thing about it though, as they really could take it in a lot of different directions and see what they can find. Cross is being conned by Bliss, but Bayley has been showing some more heelish tendencies as of late. That opens up a lot of doors and any of them could be followed up on here.

I’ll take Bayley winning to retain here, likely pinning Cross in the process. Above all else, Bayley needs to get FAR away from Bliss, as the two of them have been joined at the hip for far too long now. It almost never goes well for Bayley either and the longer they’re together, the more I expect Bliss to get the title and kill Bayley’s momentum again. Odds are Charlotte gets the title shot at Summerslam (because she’s Charlotte) so Bayley has to win here to set that up.

US Title: Ricochet(c) vs. AJ Styles

This one is going to come down to how much you believe the stories about Paul Heyman being so high on Ricochet. At the end of the day, Ricochet is the kind of guy who could be turned into a new top star for the company in the blink of an eye and it seems that they’re heading that way. At the same time though, Styles is Styles and you don’t want the newly reformed Club losing their first big pay per view match.

I think they’ll put the title on Styles though, likely through Good Brothers interference, meaning it’s time to have Ricochet chase the title again. Ricochet losing due to the numbers game is acceptable, but it would be nice to let the younger guys get a longer term chance. I’m not confident whatsoever in this one though and that’s a nice feeling for a match like this.

Universal Title/Raw Women’s Title: Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch(c) vs. Lacey Evans/Baron Corbin

We’ve covered every possible bit of ranting that can be done about this match and these feuds but now we get an Extreme Rules match for both titles. The big story here is the real life relationship between Lynch and Rollins (because that’s REAL while everything else is fake) vs. the business relationship between Evans and Corbin, because that’s what we want at an EXTREME show.

For the sake of my sanity (again with the sanity), I’ll go with the champions retaining here because….how could Corbin ever be World Champion? I mean I know he will be someday, but egads the possibilities of that give me hives. I’m not sure where this takes Rollins and Lynch (though the Power Couple battle against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon is starting to seem plausible) but for now, they keep the titles.

Overall Thoughts

Main event aside, this is actually a pretty good looking card and I don’t remember the last time that was the case for a WWE pay per view. There are a few violent matches sprinkled here and there but did anyone really expect an actual EXTREME show from this event? You take what you can get here as the nightmare summer continues. I don’t know what Heyman and Bischoff have in mind for Summerslam, but it almost has to be better than what we’ve been doing for the last few weeks. At least it’s going to be fresh and that’s what matters most.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the go home show for Extreme Rules and after last night’s long list of changes, you have to think that the card is mostly set for a change. Tonight is likely going to focus on Shane McMahon, with Roman Reigns possibly even gracing us with his presence for a change. We’re still waiting on the Eric Bischoff regime to start though, meaning this might not be the strongest show. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, Dolph Ziggler arrived and complained about carrying Kevin Owens when Owens showed up in his car and honked at him. They yelled at each other and got in a fight but some well placed wrestlers ran in and broke it up. Shane came in and told Owens to get out of here. Better than fifteen minutes of talking, though it would be better if Ziggler was arrested by the cops in the background for impersonating an entertainer.

In the back, Shane said he was doing his job and will replace the originally scheduled Ziggler vs. Owens main event.

Owens runs into the arena and rants about how Shane needs to hear the truth. He’s tried to be a good company guy for a long time now but a few months ago, the whole McMahon Family was out here saying they were going to listen to the fans. But now Shane gets more TV time than anyone else and NO ONE HAS EVER WANTED THAT!

It makes him sick, to the point where he wants to smash his head on the table, which he climbs onto. Shane comes out and says cut Owens’ mic. Owens finds another mic and rants about Shane calling himself the Best in the World being an insult to everyone in the back. Shane has that mic cut as well so Owens grabs a commentary headset and keeps going. Security finally chases him off.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Finn Balor

Non-title. On the way to the ring, Nakamura says that he’s getting his career back on track. Balor says that Nakamura won’t be using him to do that. Nakamura knocks him into the corner and we take a rather early break. Back with Balor getting kneed in the ribs but managing to send Nakamura into the corner. A Nightmare on Helm Street gets two but Nakamura is right back with a sliding German suplex. Kinshasa is countered with a Sling Blade so Nakamura hits the running knee in the corner.

The middle rope knee to the head sends Balor outside and a posting makes it even worse. They both beat the count back in but Nakamura sends him back outside for Kinshasa, where Balor beats the count again. We’re not done yet as Nakamura throws him outside for a third time, this time for a whip into the steps. Balor beats it AGAIN, so this time it’s Kinshasa for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: D+. So they had a wide open chance to have Nakamura knock Balor silly on the floor for a countout but nah, let’s just have Nakamura pin him instead. I was even getting my hopes up as they could have set up some kind of gimmick rematch on Sunday, but instead we get this. I’m sure we’ll get the rematch on Sunday, though Balor will be lessened a bit because that’s what the Intercontinental Title does.

Shane, Drew McIntyre and Elias are ready for Sunday’s tag match when Ziggler comes in and wants to fight. Instead of Owens, he’ll face Roman Reigns in the main event.

Video on Kofi Kingston’s title win and reign. Then Samoa Joe choked him out to set up their match on Sunday.

Joe says Kofi can deny the truth all he wants but that changes nothing. Kofi is everything Joe said he was and now Joe is coming for everyone Kofi has used to get where he is today. On Sunday, Joe is taking the title. Joe’s delivery alone has made this 49x better than Ziggler.

It’s time for a contract signing for the Women’s Title match on Sunday. Nikki Cross represents herself and Alexa Bliss and here’s Bayley as well. After looking at a clip of Bayley attacking Nikki last night, Bayley wonders where Alexa is again. Nikki says last night was the real Bayley, which Bayley attributes to Bliss being in her head. Bayley promises to bring whatever she has to on Sunday to beat both of them. Then what happens when Bliss loses and blames Nikki? That sends Nikki over the edge and she promises to win the title so they can be co-champions. She wants Bayley to stick around for the next match too.

Nikki Cross vs. Carmella

Bayley is at ringside as Nikki takes Carmella down to start. A faceplant and some rams of the head into the mat have Carmella in trouble. Nikki gets two off a snap suplex and it’s off to something like a Rings of Saturn. It’s off to a regular chinlock for a bit until Carmella gets up and avoids a charge. The Bronco Buster keeps Nikki down but she’s right back up with the Purge to finish Carmella at 3:42.

Rating: D+. The match wasn’t great but the storyline was fine with Nikki being serious and showing what she can do when she’s serious. Now that doesn’t help the fact that Bayley beat her clean last week but I’ll take what I can get. They’ve got something interesting with everyone playing mind games with each other and it could make for an interesting twist.

We look back at the Kabuki Warriors defeating the IIconics in Tokyo to earn a future title shot.

The IIconics run into Paige and the Warriors, who wan their title shot tonight. That’s not happening because Billie is sick though with mad cow bird flu (Peyton: “It’s really rare.”). Paige calls them annoying clowns and slaps Billie, before reminding her that she’s sick. The title match is coming.

We look back at the end of last night’s show with Cedric Alexander dressing up like a janitor to shock Drew and Shane, only to lose in the end and be unmasked, rendering the whole thing rather pointless.

Roman Reigns promises to make Shane and Drew rest in peace.

It’s time for a Tag Team Summit with New Day (whose music came on for half a second before Big E.’s intro), Rowan and Daniel Bryan and Heavy Machinery. New Day is out first and Big E. is excited about the idea of all three members of New Day being able to touch their championship tips together. Bryan and Rowan cut off the hip swivel though with Bryan saying no one takes the titles seriously because New Day doesn’t take them seriously.

Woods wants to hear from Rowan though, because Rowan is always taking orders from someone. It might be Bray, Harper or Bryan and they’re having trouble remembering who his daddy is. Bryan cuts that off and says New Day isn’t serious enough and they have always been a comedy act. It wouldn’t be as bad as if Heavy Machinery won, so here’s Heavy Machinery. Tucker talks about getting close to the titles at Stomping Grounds and now they’ve earned another title shot. Otis mocks New Day’s swiveling as the Chris Farley is strong with this one. Now it’s time for a triple threat.

Otis vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Xavier Woods

Bryan bails to the floor to start so Woods grabs a headlock. That’s reversed with a toss around the ring so here’s Bryan again for an attempt at a double suplex on Otis. He delayed vertical suplexes both of them at the same time (geez), leaving the other three to get in a brawl on the floor. Big E. and Tucker put Rowan over the announcers’ table and get thrown out.

Back from a break with Woods throwing Bryan into the barricade, only to have Bryan grab the LeBell Lock inside. Otis dives in for the save so Bryan kicks at him a bit. The big one is reversed into a suplex and there’s the Caterpillar, with Bryan rolling to the apron. That leaves Woods to take a World’s Strongest Slam for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C-. The break in the middle was a little better and didn’t feel as forced so it wasn’t as bad as last night. Otis winning was the right call as it adds a little big more intrigue to Sunday’s match. I still don’t see Heavy Machinery winning the titles, but it’s a nice way to make things more interesting.

Video on Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler, which isn’t happening tonight.

We recap the opening segment.

Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville interrupt Ember Moon at catering because this is still going. Ember’s win last week brought the two of them closer together and it’s a tag match for next week, assuming Ember can find a partner. If she can’t, she’ll fight on her own.

Ali isn’t scared of the devil in any form because he’s seen so much evil on the streets of Chicago as a police officer. He’ll ask the devil if he can have this dance and evil only shows up if you won’t fight.

Extreme Rules rundown.

We get a split screen interview between Aleister Black and an empty chair. Black looks a bit confused and then laughs when he is told that the opponent will not be announcing his identity at this time. This is something that Black himself would do so it’s very smart. Black doesn’t care who it is anymore but someone walks up to the chair. Their hand touches the chair and they sit down to reveal…..Cesaro. Black says he’ll fight him on Sunday.

Shelton Benjamin is asked about tonight’s main event, says “well” and leaves.

We’re ready for an interview with Kofi Kingston but Paul Heyman walks by first. Kingston, who didn’t seem to see Heyman, comes in and says last week he kicked Samoa Joe in the head. He likes facing people like Samoa Joe because it makes his title reign more impressive. This Sunday, he’s keeping the title.

Roman Reigns vs. Dolph Ziggler

Hang on though because here are Shane, Drew and Elias to watch. Shane is on commentary as Ziggler kicks Reigns down to start and nails a quick Shot to the Heart. Roman fights back up and knocks Ziggler outside for the apron dropkick. A distraction lets McIntyre post Reigns though, which Shane just happened to miss. Back in and Ziggler gets two, followed by another Shot to the Heart for two. A neckbreaker is good for the same and we hit the chinlock.

Another neckbreaker is broken up, as is Ziggler’s running DDT. Reigns starts the comeback but has to Superman Punch Elias, allowing the Zig Zag to hit for two. The superkick is countered with a Superman Punch for two but Elias pulls Ziggler out before the spear. Reigns hits the no hands dive but goes too far and lands face first on the floor. Thankfully he pops up as Shane comes into the ring. Ziggler superkicks Reigns but here’s Owens for a Stunner to Shane. Reigns and Ziggler get back in so the spear can finish Ziggler at 8:48.

Rating: C-. The Owens interference breathed some much needed life into this one but it wasn’t doing well before then. Ziggler and Shane continue to feel like the annoying friends who tag along on everything you do whether you want them there or not. Shane is likely gearing up for a match against Owens at Summerslam and Ziggler….well he’ll be there too, likely saying the same things he always says.

Overall Rating: D+. Owens was by far the best part of this show but so much of tonight felt like watching everything drag across the finish line to Extreme Rules as we FINALLY end this horrible stretch of programming. The build for Summerslam can’t get here soon enough, just because we’ve been watching these same boring stories for weeks now. Owens hopefully will be a breath of fresh air, but I fully expect him to be looking up at the lights at Summerslam as Shane’s music plays. Until that changes, things aren’t going to get much better.

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Finn Balor – Kinshasa

Nikki Cross b. Carmella – Purge

Otis b. Daniel Bryan and Xavier Woods – World’s Strongest Slam to Woods

Roman Reigns b. Dolph Ziggler – Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: July 4, 2019
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Renee Young

It’s a holiday edition of the show and that isn’t likely to matter as this is mainly an international show. Things got a lot more interesting this week on Raw and hopefully that carries over to here as well. Smackdown was its usual slog of a two hour show but it’s not like Smackdown means anything around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dana Brooke vs. Sarah Logan

It’s trilogy time and we even get a recap of their previous matches. Logan kicks her in the face to start and hits a few slams, setting up some howling. We’re already in the chinlock, drawing a rare DANA chant. Dana sends her outside for a cartwheel elbow to the face, followed by the Wade Barrett middle rope suplex into a suplex. A headscissors sets up a rollup for two on Logan, who is right back with the standing Texas Cloverleaf. That’s broken up as well so it’s the cartwheel splash for two on Logan. That’s fine though, as Logan hits a running knee to the back of the head for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: D. Well I’m glad they gave us the end to the feud and a definitive winner. This was on the same level they’ve been on since their first match and that’s not the best thing in the world. Brooke is trying to get somewhere and is better than she used to be but she’s a long, long way from being ready to be at the top levels.

From Raw.

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

Falls Count Anywhere. Lashley hits an early spear and they’re on the floor in a hurry. Strowman hits the big shoulder and drops a backsplash for two. A big tackle knocks Strowman into the timekeeper’s area for two more and they head into the crowd. It’s the walking around form of brawling until Lashley hits him in the back with a chair for two. They get into a clearing with Strowman hitting a heck of a charge to run Lashley over for two.

It’s up to the stage with Lashley getting in an impressive suplex for two of his own. A big spear sends Lashley through the set and it’s a BUNCH of explosions (Graves: “HOLY S***! Uncensored too.) with the screen’s lights going out. Both guys are sprayed with fire extinguishers and the referees call for EMTs as the match is of course thrown out at about 6:00.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah I’d say we have some new management now. This was All a bunch of killing time until we got to the big angle at the end and there’s nothing wrong with that. What matters most here is that they started with something different and fans are going to want to keep watching. It’s a different style and if that’s what we’re going to get, well done.

The medics look at both of them for a good while with no commentary. We even take a break and come back with the two of them being put into ambulances.

And from Smackdown.

We see a video from Lashley’s Twitter, saying Strowman got what he deserved. That had nothing to do with wrestling because they went into an unsafe area. Lashley could have been electrocuted or something worse but Strowman didn’t care. The next time Lashley sees that son of a b****, he’s sending him to the morgue.

From Smackdown again.

Here are Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe for a face to face showdown. Joe talks about choking him out last night, which was an act of generosity. It seems that Kofi is always receiving some kind of act of generosity. Whenever New Day is given a singles match, it’s always Kofi getting the shot because he’s the New Day’s guy. Joe says they’re using the people just like he does and in a few years, Woods and Big E. can be the hype man and butler.

Kofi talks about everything he has done by himself while Joe lost the US Title to Ricochet. Joe is the one always jumping people from behind but Joe isn’t convinced. He knows Kofi always has a way out planned, like when he brought in his kids. Kofi calls Joe jealous but Joe offers a handshake in honor of choking Kofi out two weeks in a row.

If Kofi will shake his hand, Joe will promise the safety of everyone Kofi holds dear until Extreme Rules. There’s no handshake, so Joe gives him five seconds before he starts slapping Kofi around the ring. Instead Kofi flips him off (that feels WAY out of character for him) and hits Trouble in Paradise.

Video on Baron Corbin/Lacey Evans vs. Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch.

Extreme Rules rundown.

Robert Roode vs. Cedric Alexander

Roode headlocks him to start so Alexander is right back with some running shoulders and a hip swivel. We take a very abrupt break and come back with Alexander kicking him in the face. The suicide dive connects and Cedric’s springboard clothesline gets two. Roode snaps off the spinebuster for his own two but the Glorious DDT is countered into the Neuralizer for another near fall. Roode gets smart though and grabs a rollup with rope for the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C-. Better than you might have guessed here with Roode looking smooth in the ring but still lacking in any reason to take him seriously. I know the mustache is incredible but I need more than that. Alexander continues to be the same talented but unpushed guy that he always is, mainly because he has no character to speak of.

From Raw.

Here are Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre for a chat. After the long intro, Shane talks about having other responsibilities other than gracing us with his presence. We look back at McIntyre and Shane beating up Roman Reigns last week but cut it off before Undertaker appeared. Shane promises to destroy the Undertaker again at Extreme Rules and Drew says he will not be intimidated by Undertaker. Drew is ready to fight right now and wants Undertaker out here right now. The thunder rumbles and the lights go out. Lightning hits some turnbuckles and here’s Undertaker.

Shane and Drew bail into the crowd and Undertaker says Reigns never asked for his help. If you need to know what happened last week, Undertaker will explain. He has been the reaper of wayward souls for a long time and he is here to collect Shane and Drew’s. Shane had a little of Undertaker’s respect for awhile because of their match inside the Cell. Just like most mortals though, Shane fell victim to his greed and ego. Therefore, Undertaker is claiming his soul for all of eternity. The two of them will never rest in peace. Fine enough explanation for a one off match.

And from Raw again.

US Title: Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

Ricochet is defending. An early rollup gives Ricochet two and he knocks AJ down in a hurry. The springboard splash hits raised knees though and AJ takes over. The fans are split as Ricochet knocks him to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and AJ knocks him backwards a few steps, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin and the title….despite Ricochet having his foot under the ropes at two. Cue a second referee as we find another way to not have action during a break.

Back with the match restarting and the Good Brothers at ringside. Ricochet hits an enziguri and a lifting swinging neckbreaker for two. The Phoenix splash misses so Ricochet sends him over the top and face first onto the apron. The big running flip dive misses but Ricochet lands on his feet. That’s fine with AJ, who hits another Phenomenal Forearm to the floor. Back in and the torture rack powerbomb gives AJ two but he gets caught on top. Ricochet knocks him down and grabs a spinning rollup for the pin to retain at 10:13.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to build up because of the spot in the middle. Is it that much to just have Styles vs. Ricochet in a straight ten minute match without the big part in the middle to change things up? It feels so unnecessary and doesn’t add anything more than a detail that doesn’t need to be there.

Post match they shake hands but the Good Brothers get on the apron. Ricochet is ready to fight but AJ decks him for the heel turn. The beatdown is on with a Magic Killer and a middle rope Styles Clash leaving Ricochet laying. AJ and the Good Brothers give the Too Sweet sign and Gallows says they’re back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse and I’ll certainly take what I can get here. The Raw stuff is far better than the Smackdown material but at least they were playing it smart by not having Smackdown get too much time. What we got here was a watchable enough show but as long as they keep up the good Raw stuff, they’ll be fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 1, 2019
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

So depending on which version of WWE’s own story you believe, this may or may not be the first show under Paul Heyman’s control. It doesn’t seem to be the case, but at this point they certainly need something fresh. Tonight is likely going to be more about the amazing mixed tag, which is probably going to headline the pay per view to even less interest. Let’s get to it.

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

As the announcers talk about the show, the Street Profits (reigning NXT Tag Team Champions) are shown in the back for a split second in what seems like a technical glitch. This is not acknowledged by commentary.

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman

Falls Count Anywhere. Lashley hits an early spear and they’re on the floor in a hurry. Strowman hits the big shoulder and drops a backsplash for two. A big tackle knocks Strowman into the timekeeper’s area for two more and they head into the crowd. It’s the walking around form of brawling until Lashley hits him in the back with a chair for two. They get into a clearing with Strowman hitting a heck of a charge to run Lashley over for two.

It’s up to the stage with Lashley getting in an impressive suplex for two of his own. A big spear sends Lashley through the set and it’s a BUNCH of explosions (Graves: “HOLY S***! Uncensored too.) with the screen’s lights going out. Both guys are sprayed with fire extinguishers and the referees call for EMTs as the match is of course thrown out at about 6:00.

Rating: C-. Oh yeah I’d say we have some new management now. This was All a bunch of killing time until we got to the big angle at the end and there’s nothing wrong with that. What matters most here is that they started with something different and fans are going to want to keep watching. It’s a different style and if that’s what we’re going to get, well done.

The medics look at both of them for a good while with no commentary. We even take a break and come back with the two of them being put into ambulances.

War Raiders vs. New Day

Big E. runs over Erik to start and it’s the apron splash to make it even worse. Ivar comes in and runs Big E. over and then crushing him in the corner with an assist from Erik. The chinlock goes on but Big E. fights out….and here’s Samoa Joe to choke Woods out for the DQ at 2:40. That is the War Raiders’ first loss of any kind in NXT or WWE.

Post match Kofi Kingston runs out for the save and you know where this is going.

New Day vs. Viking Raiders/Samoa Joe

Kofi tries kicking away at Ivar to start before handing it off to Woods, who gets kicked in the face. Woods gets caught in the corner and some chops to Erik don’t work very well. Instead Erik muscles him up for a suplex and it’s back to Ivar. Erik gets slammed onto Woods and it’s off to Joe for the neck crank. A middle rope dropkick gets Woods out of trouble though and it’s Kofi coming in to clean house.

Kofi starts kicking away and hits the Boom Drop on Erik. Joe comes in and is immediately kneed back to the floor but Erik blasts Kofi with a knee. Big E. suplexes Erik and sends Ivar outside for the suicide dive but Ivar knees him instead. Woods hits a dropkick through the ropes and Ivar adds a big suicide dive. There’s Trouble in Paradise to Ivar but Joe grabs the Clutch on Kingston and Kofi is out at 7:13.

Rating: C+. Exciting match, furthers Joe vs. Kingston and keeps the Raiders strong. It’s a well put together match that hit on all cylinders while also being high quality. What more could you possibly ask for out of a match like this? Good stuff and I buy Joe as more of a threat than I did before.

We recap Drake Maverick losing the 24/7 Title at his wedding.

Maverick has brought his wife to Raw, though under the premise of taking her to the beach. She’s not happy when she finds out what’s going on but he chooses her over the title. R-Truth shows up and says he’s a sucker for love. Hey I went to Dallas for my honeymoon over Wrestlemania weekend and went to the same arena so I’m on Maverick’s side here.

The Good Brothers are talking when AJ Styles comes in. AJ doesn’t think much of the two of them losing to the Viking Raiders. They accuse AJ of not looking great last week and Anderson bets his hot Asian wife (his words) that AJ can’t beat Ricochet for the US Title. The best is on, but Anderson doesn’t like Gallows talking about his wife.

No Way Jose vs. Cesaro

Drake and his wife are now sitting in the front row with R-Truth as part of the conga line. Cue Titus O’Neil and Cedric Alexander to chase him off with Drake reluctantly staying in his seat. The chase is on and Cesaro Neutralizes Jose on the floor. No match.

The Street Profits (Montez Ford/Angelo Dawkins) are introduced backstage and after Ford attempts a Rock promo, it’s a sip of the juice and dancing ensues, with Charly Caruso joining in.

We look back at the opening explosion.

Miz is ready to take care of Elias tonight. He blames himself for Shane dubbing himself the Best in the World but after tonight, Shane is going to need a replacement for Elias.

Here are Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre for a chat. After the long intro, Shane talks about having other responsibilities other than gracing us with his presence. We look back at McIntyre and Shane beating up Roman Reigns last week but cut it off before Undertaker appeared. Shane promises to destroy the Undertaker again at Extreme Rules and Drew says he will not be intimidated by Undertaker. Drew is ready to fight right now and wants Undertaker out here right now. The thunder rumbles and the lights go out. Lightning hits some turnbuckles and here’s Undertaker.

Shane and Drew bail into the crowd and Undertaker says Reigns never asked for his help. If you need to know what happened last week, Undertaker will explain. He has been the reaper of wayward souls for a long time and he is here to collect Shane and Drew’s. Shane had a little of Undertaker’s respect for awhile because of their match inside the Cell. Just like most mortals though, Shane fell victim to his greed and ego. Therefore, Undertaker is claiming his soul for all of eternity. The two of them will never rest in peace. Fine enough explanation for a one off match.

Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans are not worried about their mixed tag now being an Extreme Rules match. That plays into their hands and Baron doesn’t understand why Seth is willing to bet everything he has on his latest fling. Is she worth it? Lacey can’t wait to take the title from Evans and prove them wrong.

And now, Undertaker leaves.

Lacey Evans vs. Natalya

Corbin is at ringside. Lacey takes her down to start and some elbows to the back of the head make things even worse. A slingshot elbow gives Lacey two and it’s off to the chinlock. Natalya fights up but Corbin trips her from the floor. The Woman’s Right finishes Natalya at 3:31.

Rating: D. It’s amazing how much the energy goes out of the show when Corbin is on screen. The problem for Lacey is very simple: she’s already lost to Becky twice, so why would I want to see this happen again? She’s good at what she does, but we’ve covered this already and there’s no way to make it much better.

Ricochet thinks he could handle AJ Styles in a rematch. The Good Brothers come in and say AJ has Ricochet’s numbers. Threats are made but the two of them imply Ricochet should be worried about something else.

Post break AJ isn’t happy with the Good Brothers because he’s going to go talk to Ricochet. That’s not good enough for the two of them because the AJ they knew in Japan would slap Ricochet in the face. AJ walks off and finds Ricochet, who he accuses of running his mouth. Styles wants the title match tonight and Ricochet accepts. Ricochet extends his hand but gets slapped in the face. That earns AJ a slap right back.

Miz vs. Elias

2/3 falls. Miz jumps Elias before the bell and the beating is on with Elias saying he’s ready to go. The Skull Crushing Finale gives Miz the first fall at 12 seconds. Elias comes right back with a small package for two and Drift Away ties things up at 1:30. Back from a break with Elias hitting a sitout powerbomb for two and elbowing Miz in the face for one. The chinlock (with Corey offering some praise) goes on for a bit until Miz is back up with chops. Something like a Roll of the Dice gives Elias two but a running knee hits the post. Back in and Elias taps to the Figure Four at 8:57.

Rating: D-. It wasn’t going to be a very good match in the first place but the gimmick made it even worse. If they can trade falls in ninety seconds, why would I be interested in seeing them keep going for another seven minutes? I can appreciate the idea of wanting to keep the action on the air, but this is defeating the purpose in a bad way.

We look back at the main event of Stomping Grounds with Becky Lynch preventing Lacey Evans from costing Seth Rollins the Universal Title.

Lynch and Rollins don’t think agreeing to the match was impulsive and smile at each other quite a bit. Cue Maria Kanellis of all people, who doesn’t like them calling themselves the first couple of WWE. Maria: “I pushed an eight pound baby out of my uterus.” Mike Kanellis comes up and a mixed tag is made for later.

We look at the explosion again. Strowman may have suffered a ruptured spleen.

Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch vs. Mike Kanellis/Maria Kanellis

The men start with Mike bailing after getting kicked in the back. Maria tells him to get back in there so Seth elbows him in the face this time around. A pop up buckle bomb and the low superkick have Mike in more trouble so Seth takes him into the corner for the tag off to Maria, meaning it’s time to be afraid.

Becky comes in so Maria runs to the floor and grabs a mic, saying that Mike lied when he said he could mop the floor with Seth. Maria: “YOU CAN’T EVEN MOP THE FLOOR AT HOME!” Becky goes to hit her but Maria says she’s pregnant. Mike is stunned and asks how that could be true. Maria doesn’t know either because Mike isn’t man enough to do it. Becky pulls Mike back in and the Disarm-Her makes Mike tap at 3:33.

Rating: D. This was just an excuse for an angle and that’s fine. Mike and Maria aren’t interesting together but Maria being the evil witch that she can play very well is more than a good use for her. Sometimes you need someone to yell and rant and rave and she does it as well as anyone around.

Post match Becky and Seth leave as Maria rants about Mike somehow being the father of their child. She’s been waiting for him to be a man for months because the only man here tonight is Becky Lynch. Maybe next time, she’ll ask Becky to impregnate her.

Paul Heyman pops up in the back and threatens a Brock Lesnar cash-in. The Street Profits come in and Heyman looks mortified. They mess with his tie and Heyman leaves because he’s a busy man. The Profits talk about what just happened on live TV and Charly Caruso starts laughing. They then recite Rock A Bye Baby.

It’s time for A Moment Of Bliss with guest Nikki Cross. Bliss congratulates her for beating Bayley on Smackdown and Nikki thanks Alexa for taking her seriously. This brings out Carmella who asks why Nikki won but Bliss is getting the title shot. Bliss calls her out for being R-Truth’s sidekick and a match is set up.

Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss

Carmella wins with a rollup in 8 seconds.

Carmella vs. Nikki Cross

Yeah of course. Cross hits a running crossbody for two but a headscissors puts her on the floor. That earns her a trap in the ring skirt so Cross can hammer away for two more. Carmella is right back up with the Staten Island Shuffle into the Bronco Buster for her own two. Cross elbows her in the face though and adds a kick to the ribs, setting up the Purge for the pin at 2:46. Another way around a problem that causes a bigger problem here.

Cross is asked about fans saying she should get the title shot at Extreme Rules. Bliss says no comment and the two leave.

Maverick and his wife are trying to leave so they can have a proper honeymoon. She goes to freshen up but Maverick finds R-Truth and hits him with a suitcase to win the title. Maverick’s wife comes back in, with Drake saying they can do their honeymoon 24/7 now.

US Title: Ricochet vs. AJ Styles

Ricochet is defending. An early rollup gives Ricochet two and he knocks AJ down in a hurry. The springboard splash hits raised knees though and AJ takes over. The fans are split as Ricochet knocks him to the floor for the big flip dive. Back in and AJ knocks him backwards a few steps, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin and the title….despite Ricochet having his foot under the ropes at two. Cue a second referee as we find another way to not have action during a break.

Back with the match restarting and the Good Brothers at ringside. Ricochet hits an enziguri and a lifting swinging neckbreaker for two. The Phoenix splash misses so Ricochet sends him over the top and face first onto the apron. The big running flip dive misses but Ricochet lands on his feet. That’s fine with AJ, who hits another Phenomenal Forearm to the floor. Back in and the torture rack powerbomb gives AJ two but he gets caught on top. Ricochet knocks him down and grabs a spinning rollup for the pin to retain at 10:13.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to build up because of the spot in the middle. Is it that much to just have Styles vs. Ricochet in a straight ten minute match without the big part in the middle to change things up? It feels so unnecessary and doesn’t add anything more than a detail that doesn’t need to be there.

Post match they shake hands but the Good Brothers get on the apron. Ricochet is ready to fight but AJ decks him for the heel turn. The beatdown is on with a Magic Killer and a middle rope Styles Clash leaving Ricochet laying. AJ and the Good Brothers give the Too Sweet sign and Gallows says they’re back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I don’t know how much pull Heyman had with this show, but it felt almost entirely different than previous weeks. There are still issues abounding (the mixed tag being the top story at the pay per view is up there) but the key to the show was it did not feel boring. They were trying some fresh stuff here and while it might not all work, it felt like they were actually trying instead of just coasting through the summer until Summerslam.

They literally opened the show with a bang then got some popular acts out there to keep up the interest. Throw in the Kanellis angle, the Street Profits appearing and some of the established being stories being advanced and they had some good stuff going on. Now just get rid of the awfully executed No Wrestling During The Breaks policy and we could be getting somewhere. What mattered here was the effort, and if they can keep up even half of it, things will be trending up.

Results

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman went to a no contest when Strowman speared Lashley through the set

New Day b. Viking Raiders via DQ when Samoa Joe interfered

Samoa Joe/Viking Raiders b. New Day – Koquina Clutch to Kingston

Lacey Evans b. Natalya – Woman’s Right

Miz b. Elias – Figure Four

Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch b. Mike Kanellis/Maria Kanellis – Disarm-Her to Mike

Carmella b. Alexa Bliss – Rollup

Nikki Cross b. Carmella – Purge

Ricochet b. AJ Styles – Bridging rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 22, 2019
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

It’s kind of a new world around here as we have the first show with all the new talent brought over in the Superstar Shakeup. That could be a good or a bad thing, but given how many changes they’ve managed to make since the Shakeup took place, your guess is as good as mine about what they’re doing here. Let’s get to it.

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

Tonight it’s a pair of triple threat matches with the winners facing off later in the night for the #1 contendership to the Universal Title.

Here’s HHH to open things up but before he can say anything, Universal Champion Seth Rollins (the hometown boy) joins him. We get a quick hug before Rollins gets to soak in the cheers. Rollins talks about everything he’s been through in recent weeks, including stomping Brock Lesnar’s bucket head three times at Wrestlemania. HHH seems impressed but we pause for a BURN IT DOWN chant.

The landscape has changed recently and that brings them to Money in the Bank. Rollins knows all about that because he’s cashed in and been cashed in on, but that’s not happening again. HHH says worry about the night of Money in the Bank rather than the briefcase, which Rollins thinks means Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar. Actually it means the two triple threats, which we heard about five minutes ago.

This brings out Samoa Joe, who likes the Becky Lynch plan of a belt on each shoulder. Rey Mysterio comes out to say he wants Seth at Money in the Bank. Now it’s Drew McIntyre saying that he would be the Universal Champion if he had gotten to Lesnar first. Miz is out next, saying that he’s been rebooted thanks to Shane McMahon. Nothing sounds better as a headliner for Money in the Bank than Miz vs. Rollins but now it’s Baron Corbin (with some loud booing) to interrupt.

Corbin should get the title shot because he’s the only person to retire a Gold Medalist at Wrestlemania. Just to complete the set, here’s AJ Styles to say Corbin’s face is almost as annoying as his voice. Styles says he’s ready to make Raw the house that he built by winning the Universal Title at Money in the Bank. Rollins is ready for all of them because he’s Seth Freaking Rollins and he’ll burn it down. This was WAY longer than it needed to be with six versions of “it’s my title shot”.

AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe

One fall to a finish. Rey gets knocked into the corner to start and AJ hits Joe with forearms. A pop up hurricanrana drops Joe as I try to figure out why Mysterio and Joe are on the same level after Joe annihilated him at Wrestlemania. With Joe on the floor, AJ snaps off a backbreaker and knees Joe through the ropes. That’s too much fun though and it’s Joe coming back in to run both of them over and hammer away on Rey in the corner. Mysterio is sent hard out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Rey charging into the scoop powerslam with AJ making a save. Rey gets up and drops AJ but Joe is smart enough to roll to the floor to avoid the 619. That means a dive onto Joe so AJ and Rey can go up top at the same time. Joe comes back in and super backdrops both of them for the triple knockdown.

We take another break and come back again with Rey sending AJ to the floor and hitting a nasty crucifix bomb on Joe. There’s the tornado DDT to plant Joe again and everyone is down. The 619 is countered into the Koquina Clutch but AJ makes a save. That means a 619 to Joe but AJ comes in again and hits the Styles Clash to Rey onto Joe for the pin on Joe (of course) at 17:48.

Rating: B. I’m not even going to bother yelling about Joe taking the fall as it’s just not worth it anymore. AJ advancing on to the main event makes sense, though I’m scared about the idea of Corbin getting the title shot. The action was good here with three hard workers in there, though my hopes for Joe running through the roster is already looking unlikely.

We look at John Cena guest hosting the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Naomi vs. Billie Kay

Before the match, the IIconics tell Naomi thank you next, but can’t remember who sings the song. After remembering who it is, they wonder who is backing the Glow. Billie takes her down into an armbar but Naomi is right back up with the sitout jawbreaker. After knocking Peyton off the apron, it’s a sunset flip to finish Billie at 1:11.

Creepy dollhouse vignette.

The Miz vs. Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre

Again, one fall to a finish. McIntyre and Corbin double team Miz to start, knocking him to the floor and then bringing him back inside to keep up the beating. Corbin switches over to punching McIntyre in the face and going outside, where McIntyre sends him into the barricade. Back in and McIntyre suplexes Miz for two but Corbin’s distraction lets Miz get back up for the Daniel Bryan offense. McIntyre takes Miz up top for a super White Noise but Corbin adds a powerbomb for the Tower of Doom as we take a break.

Back with Miz diving onto the two of them on the outside. Miz throws McIntyre back inside for the Figure Four until a thumb to the eye breaks it up. Deep Six gives Corbin two on Miz but Corbin misses a charge into the steps to knock himself out. That leaves Miz and Corbin to trade pinfall attempts until a short DDT gets two on McIntyre. Another gets the same on Corbin so Drew sends Corbin outside. The Claymore drops Miz and Corbin comes back in to shove McIntyre to the floor and steal the pin at 15:01.

Rating: C+. You knew Corbin was winning, I knew Corbin was winning, the fans should have known Corbin was winning, and the world should have known Corbin was winning. Why? He’s the guy who wrestles in gear that makes him look like an assistant manager at Applebees, was the focal point of Raw when the show’s ratings tanked like never before, and has fewer great matches than I have terms as Governor of New Hampshire. And now we get to see him wrestle again tonight!

AJ Styles says he’s ready for Corbin and lists off the accolades, with AJ winning every one of them.

Here’s Sami Zayn to say he’s here to tell you the truth about yourself. No one likes to hear about how negative they are, which triggered the denial and deflection. The fans have created this false narrative of everything wrong with Sami, even though he understands what it’s like to be outside these walls. We see some photos of him in various nature locations and some historic locations.

Sami points out the huge smile on his face which goes away when he comes back here. There must be a problem and it’s all the fans here. It’s the toxic culture that the fans put on both him and themselves. It’s easier to blame him than accept the blame for all of this because the fans get in this mob mentality. That won’t keep them safe from him though because he’d rather be in any of those places than here. If the fans don’t like that, they can all take a trip to h***.

Video on Cedric Alexander.

Cesaro vs. Cedric Alexander

Cesaro is freshly on Raw as well. Alexander gets powered into the corner to start but an anklescissors sends Cesaro outside. Back in and Cesaro slams him down, setting up a neck crank to keep things slow. Cesaro forearms him in the back a few times before going back to the chinlock.

A boot to the face drops Cedric again but he fights back up with forearms and a spinning back elbow to the jaw. Cedric grabs a rather nice Michinoku Driver for two and the Neuralizer keeps Cesaro in trouble. The big running flip dive to the floor connects but Cesaro uppercuts him out of the air for the knockout pin at 6:25.

Rating: B-. Cedric looked great here and the more he can get in the awesome work he’s capable of the better. Just keep him away from longer promos as he really can’t talk well enough to survive on this level. Cesaro being back on his own and getting a win is a good sign, but I’m not believing anything about his push until I see some results.

The Usos are ready to fight everyone around here (including the Viking Raiders, as the name was so bad that even WWE buckled under the negative response). The Revival comes in and laughs off the idea of the Usos being great. That’s not cool with the Usos, who are ready to fight whenever.

Viking Raiders vs. Lucha House Party

The Raiders jump them from behind and the beatdown is on with the masked guys taking a beating. The pop up powerslam is now dubbed the Viking Experience because those WWE names MUST BE HEARD NO MATTER HOW MUCH EVERYONE HATED THEM!!! No match.

Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder aren’t worried about the new competition around here.

Here’s Becky Lynch for a chat. She talks about Lacey Evans being her first challenger around here and doesn’t mind being sucker punched. Becky has thrown a few punches of her own but it’s the person throwing her that bothers her. Lacey is another bleach blonde who uses certain skills to curry favors with management.

While Lacey is back there “furthering her career”, Lynch wants a fight right now. This brings out Lacey to say that it’s typical of a man to disrespect a lady, though maybe it’s just the Irish in her. At Money in the Bank, Becky will understand respect and those two titles (Two?) will belong to Lacey. Becky says she’s been on a journey and Lacey is on her last nerves. Do not confuse happiness with contentment because Becky is coming for her at Money in the Bank.

Becky Lynch vs. Alicia Fox

Non-title. Fox’s headlock doesn’t work and Becky sends her outside without much effort. Becky goes to the floor as well and gets driven hard into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Becky getting a sloppy headscissors but being sent outside before the Disarm-Her can go on. Becky drives her into the barricade this time and it’s the Disarm-Her to make Fox tap at 8:02.

Rating: D-. Yes they really brought back Fox for this horrid match which managed to bring Becky down. I tried to defend Fox for as long as I could because I liked her charisma but egads this was hard to sit through. It didn’t help that the match felt like eight hours instead of eight minutes. Terrible stuff and get rid of Fox already.

Post match Lacey punches Becky out twice in a row.

Corbin says he deserves to win the title and is ready to make Rollins pay for making his life miserable.

Ricochet vs. Robert Roode

Yes it’s Robert and he has a Rick Rude mustache to go with the new name. During his entrance (still with Glorious), Roode talks about losing 150lbs of dead weight with Chad Gable being gone. Now he can show why he’s glorious. Graves promises a spike in pregnancies after all the women see Roode’s mustache, which sends Renee off commentary in laughter.

A headlock slows Ricochet down to start but he’s right back with an anklescissors to send Roode into the ropes. Ricochet sends him outside and hits a picture perfect moonsault from the middle rope to the floor. Back from a break with Roode holding a chinlock and Graves continuing his pregnancy theories. A suplex gives gives Roode two more and we hit the reverse chinlock.

Ricochet fights up and hits a hurricanrana, followed by kicking the buckle into Roode’s head. The springboard clothesline sets up a standing shooting star press for two but Roode hits a spinebuster for two of his own. The Glorious DDT is countered into a swinging GTS but the 630 misses. Roode sends him into the buckle and hits the Glorious DDT for the pin at 11:18.

Rating: C-. They see more in Roode than in Ricochet? The Roode who is now ripping off Rick (and Silas Young in a way) Rude and hasn’t exactly been thrilling in his WWE run? I get the idea of trying to push someone while you can, but did this need to be Ricochet taking the fall? There’s no one else around whatsoever?

We go to the Firefly Fun House, which looks like a children’s program. Bray Wyatt (looking slim) in a longsleeved shirt comes in and introduces himself, saying he knew we would be together again. Offscreen children cheer and Bray can’t wait to show what he’s learned. He ducks his head and looks to come up evil but he’s just kidding. Bray introduces us to his special friends: Mercy the Buzzard and Peppy the Witch (the stars of the creepy vignettes). See, Bray used to be a bad man, which makes the children boo.

That part of him is dead now, but he always keeps a memory with him to prevent that from ever happening again. That would be a cardboard cutout of his old look…..and Bray whips out a chainsaw and cuts it in half. The fun is just getting started and remember that he’ll always light the way, so all you have to do is let him in. I have no idea what to think of this but it was disturbing in a lot of ways.

Next week: the Money in the Bank names are revealed.

Baron Corbin vs. AJ Styles

The winner gets Rollins at Money in the Bank. AJ seems to have an ankle or leg injury so it’s right hands instead of the dropkick. AJ’s springboard is blocked with a right hand to the face and Corbin sends him hard into the corner. They head outside with AJ being whipped in the barricade and getting dropped ribs first onto said barricade as we take a break. Back with AJ fighting out of a chinlock but getting slammed down onto his face for two.

Styles gets in some kicks to the leg but it’s too early for the Calf Crusher. Instead AJ goes with the running seated forearm and a spinning backfist to rock Corbin. A rollup into a Styles Clash attempt is broken up and it’s Deep Six for two. The Calf Crusher goes on this time though until Corbin slams him head first into the mat for the break. AJ gets sent into the corner but comes back with a kick to the head. The Phenomenal Forearm sends AJ to Money in the Bank at 13:05.

Rating: C-. I can’t remember the last time I felt such a relief, but there is no way that Corbin isn’t getting his title at some point. It’s clear that WWE sees the world in him for some reason and there doesn’t seem to be a way around it. At least we can have Rollins vs. Styles while it lasts though and that match should be awesome.

Post match Rollins comes out for the staredown. A handshake ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. The ending helped, but this was a show where the matches don’t add up to the overall total. There was way too much Corbin, too many champions losing and that nonsense with Fox looking like she belonged in OVW. At the same time, there were things like Bray’s new character (WHAT WAS THAT?) and Cesaro getting a win, though the Corbin push continues to elude me, even if he lost here. Rollins vs. Styles should be more than enough to help for a long time though, even with Money in the Bank coming up.

Results

AJ Styles b. Samoa Joe and Rey Mysterio – Styles Clash to Mysterio onto Joe

Naomi b. Billie Kay – Sunset flip

Baron Corbin b. Drew McIntyre and the Miz – Claymore to Miz

Cesaro b. Cedric Alexander – Uppercut

Becky Lynch b. Alicia Fox – Disarm-Her

Robert Roode b. Ricochet – Glorious DDT

AJ Styles b. Baron Corbin – Phenomenal Forearm

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Or so it seems.

Now here’s one where I’m not sure because it’s not clear who’s going to be in the match. Mysterio is already injured and might not be able to make the match….and it just so happens that John Cena has been rumored for a match on the show, which has just so happened to have Cena vs. Samoa Joe for weeks. As much as I’d like to see Samoa Joe vs. Mysterio, I think you can tell where I’m going.

So yeah, I’m going with the theory that the injury is a work and Cena comes out to challenge Samoa Joe instead. I’ll go with the champ retaining in a surprise, which doesn’t feel right but would be a great way to push him. The problem with putting the title on Cena is that he’d have to lose it, and unless that takes place in the next two nights, I’m not sure I see that happening. Unless…..say to someone debuting on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown Live in a US Open Challenge? But what kind of a Freak would you have to be to do that?

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 25, 2019
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re down to less than two weeks before Wrestlemania and the big story today (and one of the biggest in recent years) is that the Raw Women’s Title match will be headlining the show. It’s hard to fathom that something like this could actually happen, but that’s the case now and I really can’t believe I’m seeing it. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a discussion of the main event being announced, which is quite the sight to behold.

The Riott Squad comes out as the opponents for Ronda, Becky and Charlotte but here’s Becky for a rebuttal first. Becky talks about how Ronda was handed everything when she came in but no one cared until the Man came around. At Wrestlemania, the night will end with Ronda’s title over Becky’s head and Ronda’s head under Becky’s boot. Now it’s Charlotte interrupting, saying that it’s not the last six months for Becky or the last year for Ronda, but everything since Charlotte debuted.

Beat the Clock Challenge: Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Logan

This is the first of three matches with the competition being won by whomever has the fastest time. Logan bails to the floor to start and the chase is on until Sarah dives back inside. A modified Texas Cloverleaf has Rousey in trouble until she makes the rope. That means a Superman elbow to the face and the armbar to make Logan tap at 1:25.

Beat the Clock Challenge: Charlotte vs. Ruby Riott

Charlotte misses a running big boot to start and nearly gets thrown outside. Natural Selection misses as well and Ruby hits a quick Downward Spiral. The Riott Kick is countered into the Figure Eight but time expires at 1:25.

Beat the Clock Challenge: Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan

Charlotte boots Becky in the face before the clock starts and the screaming Morgan stomps in the corner. We hit the early chinlock as Rousey is looking confident on the stage. Becky rolls away and fires off the uppercuts. A kick to the ribs looks to set up the Disarm-Her but Becky gets rolled into the corner. Morgan goes for the leg but gets rolled up to give Becky the fast pin at 1:18 to win the challenge. This was a good idea as the wrestling didn’t mean anything, but Becky winning a match that plays into Ronda’s claim to fame is a smart way to go about things.

Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley/Lio Rush

If Balor wins, he gets a title shot at Wrestlemania. Rush is in street clothes though and says that he’s not medically cleared to compete thanks to Braun Strowman. Therefore, we have a replacement.

Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley/Jinder Mahal

If Balor wins, he gets an Intercontinental Title shot at Wrestlemania. The Singh Brothers offer an early distraction and Balor gets clotheslined to the floor as we take a fast break. Back with Balor making a comeback until the Singh Brothers trip him from the floor. That just means a big flip dive onto all four, followed by the Coup de Grace to pin Mahal at 4:47. Not enough shown to rate but it did exactly what it should have and needed to.

Elias is in Time Square for a performance when a guitar player comes up and sings. That’s enough for Elias, who is going to focus on headlining Wrestlemania.

Revival vs. Ricochet/Aleister Black

Non-title. It’s a brawl before the bell to start with Ricochet kicking Dawson to the floor and Wilder joining him in a hurry. The NXT chants begin (which would apply more to the Revival than Black/Ricochet) and we get the opening bell with Dawson sending Black into the corner. Black kicks his way out of a hammerlock and brings Ricochet in to pick up the pace. The Revival is sent to the floor and it’s the moonsault from Black, followed by one from Ricochet which barely makes contact.

Back from a break with Ricochet taking a double suplex but getting in a kick to the face for the tag off to Black. That means more kicks and a double standing Lionsault but Dawson takes him into the corner to regain control. It doesn’t last long though as Black Mass knocks Wilder silly, setting up the 630 for the pin at 8:38.

Rating: C. Not a bad match and it can set up something for Wrestlemania, but egads man come up with something other than having the champs lose. If WWE is so scared of having people leave, maybe not having them lose like this could entice Revival to stick around. Also, as weakened as the titles are at this point, do they belong on Wrestlemania? Against two people who haven’t been on the main roster for three months yet?

Here’s Drew McIntyre with a clip from two weeks ago when he attacked Roman Reigns. Then last week he challenged Roman to a match at Wrestlemania. Back in the arena, Drew says he hopes someone got through to Reigns because he’s already beaten Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Now he’s going to appeal to Joe the man, the husband and the father. Reigns has already been through enough because they’ve already watched their dad fight for his life. Do they want to see him go through it again at Wrestlemania when he’s going to lose this time?

This brings out Reigns to say that he accepts, but this is coming from Joe: don’t ever run your mouth about his wife and kids. The fight is on with Reigns getting the better of it until a low blow and Claymore take Roman out. Just in case you didn’t get the idea, we see a replay of the high points a few seconds after.

Post break McIntyre runs into Ambrose (Wasn’t he supposed to….leave?), who didn’t like being called a cockroach. Dean wants a Last Man Standing match tonight and it’s on.

Sasha Banks vs. Natalya

Bayley and Beth Phoenix are at ringside. Natalya doesn’t waste time in going after Sasha and it’s an early surfboard hold. That’s broken up with a rollup, though Natalya is right back with one of her own. They head outside with Natalya being sent into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Banks kicking at the ribs and slapping on the Bank Statement. That’s broken up and Natalya gets the Sharpshooter for a long crawl to the ropes. Cue Nia Jax and Tamina for the no contest at 8:48.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad while it lasted but then HEY! IT’S TIME FOR NIA AND TAMINA! Why these two have to be involved is beyond me but that’s never stopped WWE before and it’s not going to here. As annoying as they are, they’re going to be around and I’m sure they’ll be around after they lose, because that’s the only way WWE knows how to book them.

Post match the brawl is on with Beth hitting a Glam Slam on Tamina to send the monsters running. Beth and Natalya stare down at Bayley and Banks.

Hart Foundation Hall of Fame video. Back in the arena, Natalya is in tears and points to the sky.

Kurt Angle is happy to have his last match in Boston tonight when Baron Corbin comes in to mock him for sticking around so long. Angle: “Screw you.”

Bayley and Banks aren’t happy with the interference so they’ll take on everyone at Wrestlemania.

It’s time for A Moment Of Bliss, this time in the ring. She’s very happy about everything that has happened since she was announced as the host of Wrestlemania, but not everything has gone that well. We look at Braun Strowman’s issues with the SNL guys before Strowman is here as the guest. Bliss recaps everything that Strowman has done to various cars and asks what would happen if Strowman were to give them his hands.

That would be severe pain, which Bliss says is the first step in the healing process. Bliss brings in her seconds guests (via satellite): the SNL guys, who are soundly booed. Colin Jost apologizes for putting on a Mets hat last time and puts on a Yankees hat instead. Michael Che accuses Strowman of crossing the line and Jost makes jokes about the college admission scandal. Maybe he could teach Strowman something, like how to be an adult.

They want to make this right and all it takes is repayment for the car and an autograph from Brock Lesnar. Strowman has a better idea: Jost enters the Andre the Giant battle royal. Or maybe he can just stay backstage and let Strowman take care of this himself. Jost is eventually convinced but decides that Che is in too. Bliss makes it official and the two of them panic. I’ll definitely take this over some unfunny segment that gets extra time.

Elias is in front of Madison Square Garden, which isn’t quite the Garden in Boston, but he’ll sell it out faster than Billy Joel will. He’s having a cup of tea and someone puts a quarter in it. That seems to give Elias an idea.

Baron Corbin vs. Apollo Crews

Corbin gets a special intro, listing off his accomplishments and announcing him as Boston’s favorite son. Crews starts fast and dropkicks Corbin to the floor for the apron moonsault. Back in and Corbin slams him down to take over as Renee and Graves argue over whether or not they should make fun of Corbin for getting the match against Angle. Crews is right back with an enziguri and the frog splash for two. End of Days wraps up Crews at 2:46.

We recap the Beat the Clock Challenge.

Next week: Rousey/Lynch/Charlotte vs. Riott Squad.

Here’s Seth Rollins for a chat. He and Brock Lesnar are not cut from the same mold and they’re taking different paths forward. Rollins wants the burden that comes with being champion so he can inspire people. When he was a kid, he was inspired by Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, HHH and John Cena. Brock Lesnar doesn’t inspire people that way and that’s not what Rollins wants. Yesterday he had an autograph signing and everyone told him to beat Lesnar at Wrestlemania.

This brings out Paul Heyman and my eyes roll as this feels so old hat. Heyman thanks Rollins for making the Wrestlemania title match a handicap match with Rollins and the people teaming up against Lesnar. Heyman likes the odds because Rollins is just begging for the support. What’s next? Asking for thoughts and prayers because he’s undersized and overconfident? Heyman hopes Rollins loses so that everyone can take it personal. That’s it for Paul, but Rollins charges up the ramp and scares him down. Rollins promises to burn Suplex City down. This was every not great Heyman promo you’ve heard for nearly two years.

Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe

Non-title. I love it when the Brand Split is thrown completely out the window during Wrestlemania season. Joe says he forgot his bow of flowers but he was never that sentimental in the first place. His gift instead: a good night’s sleep when Joe chokes him out. Joe blocks an early German suplex attempt and sends Angle outside for a suicide dive.

Back from an early break with Angle in trouble but managing to roll the German suplexes. A running boot to the chest sets up the running backsplash but Angle…..ok there’s no snapping off to it but he gets the Angle Slam for two more. Joe on the other hand snaps off the powerslam, only to have Angle slip away and hit a missile dropkick. Angle Angle Slam is escaped and Joe gets the Koquina Clutch, with Angle dropping back into a cradle for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: D. Well of course. I mean OF COURSE you have the US Champion lose here to give Angle a feel good moment in a match to cap off a rivalry that ISN’T FROM THIS COMPANY. This is the kind of thing that WWE brings on itself and doesn’t get why it’s a bad idea. Joe just lost to Angle, who can barely move, and now I’m supposed to buy that he’s a threat to Rey Mysterio? Why? Just because he has the US Title?

This match didn’t need to happen or at the very, very least, didn’t need to be a clean fall. A countout was an impossibility here? I’m sure having the third champion lose tonight was the better call instead. And they wonder why no one cares about titles anymore and haven’t in a long time.

Here’s HHH for a chat. Before he gets to Batista, he praises the women getting to the main event of Wrestlemania because they’ve all earned it and it’s the ultimate goal. HHH talks about being glad that he didn’t get the microphone that Batista spit on, but he has something else to see. That would be a letter….which HHH can’t get out of his pocket. HHH: “I’m doing the job for the envelope in my pocket!”

It’s a letter from Batista’s lawyers, saying that he won’t be wrestling at Wrestlemania unless certain conditions are met. Batista talked about a lot of things, including figuring out that Evolution just existing to keep the World Title on HHH a little while longer. HHH: “Dave had a big week. He realized that and figured out that the moon isn’t made of cheese!” Batista also said that Evolution didn’t do anything for him.

When Batista joined Evolution, he was the Deacon and carried around a collection plate for D-Von Dudley. Evolution kept him from having a successful career. Six World Titles later, he left when he found out he couldn’t beat John Cena. Then he said HHH’s obsession made him quit again, just because he wouldn’t answer Batista’s phone calls. HHH called him back and Batista’s manager asked if HHH would move Wrestlemania to better accommodate his shooting schedule.

The letter finally got to the point: Batista wanted HHH to give him what he wanted. What he really wanted. What he really, really wanted. This goes on for two pages (to the tune of Wannabe by the Spice Girls if that isn’t clear) until it’s finally announced that HHH’s career had to be on the line. Batista beat up a seventy year old man to get HHH on the grandest stage of them all and that’s what HHH gave him. Now Batista is trying to quit again by making HHH put his career on the line but HHH isn’t letting him out of things that easily.

See, if HHH can’t beat a “self diluted douchebag” like Batista, he doesn’t belong in the ring. His career is on the line. This was hilarious with me laughing out loud multiple times. The problem is that’s the completely wrong direction to go for the feud, as HHH’s mentor and idol was beaten down. He shouldn’t be trying to be funny here (though he was really good at it).

Elias has collected thousands of dollars for performing….but he spends too much time bragging and a guy comes up to steal it. Then he steals the guitar case. Elias isn’t worried because he’ll make more money when he performs at Wrestlemania.

Dean Ambrose vs. Drew McIntyre

Last Man Standing. Drew chops him down to start and sends things to the floor, including a swing into the barricade. Back from a break with Dean hitting a top rope ax handle but getting beaten up with a kendo stick to the ribs. Dean is right back up though and knocks Drew to the floor for a suicide dive.

The Glasgow Kiss drops Dean again and a steps shot to the head makes it even worse. A chair is brought inside and wedged into the corner, of course with Drew going face first into it after having set it up. Dirty Deeds gives Dean an eight count and it’s time to hammer away some more. Dean grabs a table but gets thrown through it in the corner. That’s good for a nine count and the Claymore is good for the ten at 9:55.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere and was one of the most obvious endings you could have. That being said, it’s also the most logical way to go as Dean doesn’t seem to be sticking around (though he keeps popping up). McIntyre beating up Reigns’ Shield buddies is a good way to go and it gives him some actual momentum heading into Wrestlemania.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to think of this one as the wrestling was nothing great, but the pace of the show was excellent with nothing dragging and none of the stories getting too much time. The promos were good (albeit repetitive in some cases) and advanced or addressed the stories….but then there’s the problem on the show. Of the five matches involving champions, the champions went 1-3-1, with Rousey getting the lone win. I have no idea why that needed to be the case less than two weeks before Wrestlemania, but Raw has never been the most logical show in the world.

Results

Ronda Rousey b. Sarah Logan – Armbar

Charlotte vs. Ruby Riott went to a time limit draw

Becky Lynch b. Liv Morgan – Rollup

Finn Balor b. Bobby Lashley/Jinder Mahal – Coup de Grace to Mahal

Ricochet/Aleister Black b. Revival – 630 to Wilder

Natalya vs. Sasha Banks went to a no contest when Tamina and Nia Jax interfered

Baron Corbin b. Apollo Crews – End of Days

Kurt Angle b. Samoa Joe – Rollup

Drew McIntyre b. Dean Ambrose – Ambrose couldn’t answer the ten count

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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