Monday Night Raw
Date: July 6, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Extreme Rules, or whatever they’re calling it this week. Tonight we might get a pretty big deal: finding out what stipulation Dolph Ziggler has for Drew McIntyre. Unfortunately that means more Ziggler time, which is about as much of a death blow as this show can get in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Drew McIntyre to open things up. McIntyre talks about how he’s ready for whatever Dolph Ziggler has planned for him. Maybe it’s a cage match, a street fight, or a match on the edge of a cliff over a volcano with sharks with frigging laser beams on their heads. So get out here and make your announcement. Cue Ziggler, who says he isn’t going to tell anyone about the choice until they get to Extreme Rules. Ziggler talks about how great he is and says Drew’s resume is a big black hole from 2014-2017.

McIntyre brings up Wrestlemania so Ziggler says that McIntyre got there by stepping on a lot of people. Like this man, so here’s Heath Slater. Heath talks about their history together and everything that has happened between them over the years. Back in April, Slater watched McIntyre become WWE Champion, but then he was released two weeks later. When McIntyre was released, Slater called him every day, but where was McIntyre for him?

Slater and McIntyre only talked on the Bump, because it was the only show they would let him on. McIntyre knows Slater’s kids, and not the 22 the world thinks he has. When Slater was there for him, McIntyre wasn’t there for Slater. Remember when McIntyre said he would petition for a match with Slater? Well now he’s on the unemployment line so now he wants McIntyre to give him what he deserved. Slater slaps him in the face and McIntyre gets serious and says it’s on.

Heath Slater vs. Drew McIntyre

Non-title and they’re both in street clothes. Claymore finishes Slater in 22 seconds. Thank goodness they didn’t try to make Slater a serious thing in this mess.

Post match Ziggler yells at Slater so the fight is on with McIntyre saving Slater. McIntyre and Slater hug.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are going to talk to the fans instead of the interviewer. Asuka pops in after they leave and says she’s not here alone.

Here are Bayley and Banks for a chat in the ring. They brag about how awesome they are and promise to leave Extreme Rules with all of the gold. Cue Asuka to say that Banks isn’t ready. Bayley issues the challenge on Banks’ behalf, but Asuka has something else in mind.

Sasha Banks vs. Kairi Sane

Bayley and Asuka are at ringside. Banks takes her down to start and gets in a big chop. Some dancing takes a little too long though and Sane gets two off a dropkick. They trade cross arm chokes until Sane gets her in an Octopus. Bayley starts yelling so Asuka drops her, setting up a baseball slide into Bayley and Banks as we take a break. Back with Banks choking on the ropes and then hitting the double knees in the corner.

We hit the modified bow and arrow, with Banks pulling the hair for a bonus. More knees in the corner miss though and Sane scores with a big chop of her own. A top rope forearm to the chest gives Sane two and some running Blockbusters have Banks in more trouble. The Interceptor cuts Banks in half and the Sliding D gives Sane two. Banks gets in a shot to the neck but the Meteora is countered into something like a mixture between a Boston crab and a Sharpshooter. Whatever it is, it brings Bayley in for the DQ at 13:21.

Rating: C+. Good stuff while it lasted but the DQ ending was a fine way to go. Banks and Bayley absolutely do not need to be taking a loss here so that’s the best thing they could have done in the circumstances. I know Sane is probably leaving soon, but it’s good to see her getting in a good match while she can.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Sane hits a big dive from the top.

We look back at Seth Rollins and company going for Humberto Carrillo’s eye last week, with Aleister Black making the save. Rollins managed a Stomp onto the steps though.

Rollins and Murphy have jumped Aleister Black and put a Mysterio mask on his head.

The Viking Raiders admire their bowling ball when Big Show comes up to tell them to be serious. They were devastated by what happened to Edge and Christian, but they do have their own five second pose. Show slaps both of them so Erik says the raid is on tonight.

Here’s Kevin Owens for the KO Show. Since his guest is Seth Rollins, he doesn’t waste time in getting rid of the chairs. Rollins comes out and asks how Owens’ broken ankle is doing. Owens: “It’s feeling a lot better than your ego.” Owens talks about the bond the two have from facing each other at Wrestlemania so he has a gift for Rollins. It’s a KO Mania III shirt, just like the one he was wearing when he beat Rollins at Wrestlemania.

Rollins throws it away and says he doesn’t care about any of this. The only reason he is out here is to use the show as a platform to address Rey Mysterio. Rollins officially challenges Mysterio for Extreme Rules, but at the same time, he has been thinking about Owens. Maybe Owens would get more out of fighting with Rollins instead of against him. Owens is all about fighting so maybe he should fight for the greater good.

Cue Mysterio and Dominick to interrupt, with Rey accepting the challenge. As for tonight though, Rey needs a partner for the scheduled tag match. Owens cuts them off and offers to be Mysterio’s partner, with an extra bonus: the winning team picks the stipulation for Rollins vs. Mysterio. The fight is on in a hurry.

Kevin Owens/Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Dominick is here too. Joined in progress with Mysterio hammering on Murphy and sending him to the floor for a hurricanrana from the apron. Back in and Rey hits an enziguri to hand it off to Owens. An elbow to the head allows the tag to Rollins, who hammers away on Owens against the ropes. Owens clotheslines him down and drops the backsplash to pick up the pace a bit.

They head outside to keep up the brawl before handing it off to their partners. Murphy has to avoid the 619 and then gets in a cheap shot, allowing Rollins to rake Dominick’s eye. We take a break and come back with Rollins working on Owens’ leg. Murphy’s cheap shot prevents the hot tag attempt and it’s Rollins sending Owens into the corner.

A backdrop sends Rollins to the apron so Owens can get in a superkick, which hurts his still healing ankle all over again. Everything breaks down and Rollins grabs Dominick, but here’s Black to make the save. Black doesn’t touch him though to avoid the DQ, allowing Dominick to go after Murphy’s eye. Rey hits the 619 into the frog splash for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C. I’m still not feeling the eye for an eye thing but Owens is a lot more interesting to watch that Humberto Carrillo. Black and Mysterio are both easy enough but Carrillo manages to suck the life out of the show whenever he’s out there. The problem is that Dominick does something similar and he isn’t likely to be leaving anytime soon.

Post match, Rey picks an Eye For An Eye match, where the first person to pull out an eye wins.

We look back at Bobby Lashley and MVP taking out Apollo Crews last week.

MVP and Lashley aren’t worried about Crews.

Here are MVP and Lashley for a chat. MVP talks about everything that he did as the United States Champion over the years and promises that he’ll be champion again when he challenges Apollo Crews at Extreme Rules. As for tonight though, there is a new United States Title to unveil, and since MVP beat Crews last week, he’s pretty much the new champion.

The belt is unveiled and features bigger letters saying UNITED STATES CHAMPION near the middle with an eagle on the bottom half and flags under its wings. I’ve seen worse. Cue Ricochet and Cedric Alexander to say you win titles around here, and it’s time to make the Hurt Business declare Chapter 11. The fight is on with Lashley and MVP being cleared out.

MVP/Bobby Lashley vs. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander

MVP is in street clothes so he brings Lashley in before trying anything physical. Alexander gets powered into the corner but manages to roll over for the tag to Ricochet. A springboard is broken up and Ricochet is knocked to the floor, with MVP sending him into the barricade. Back in and MVP pounds away, including a knee to the ribs for two.

Lashley comes in again for the crossface shots to the head and a delayed suplex for two. A lifting Downward Spiral from Lashley gives MVP two but Ricochet slips out of a suplex (where he staggers over to about a foot from Alexander) and hits an enziguri (with Ricochet going back into the middle because it wasn’t the planned spot) to set up the hot tag to Alexander. The tornado DDT drops MVP but it’s the spear to finish Alexander at 6:53.

Rating: C. I know he’s been losing but I’m rather glad to see Ricochet back on the show. There is no reason to have someone as good as he is wasting away on Main Event so it’s great to see him back on the big show. I know he isn’t likely to get a big push in the near future, but it’s almost impossible to not get a push without being on the show in the first place.

Post match Lashley puts Alexander in the full nelson with Ricochet missile dropkicking in for the save.

We look at Big Show beating Angel Garza and Andrade in a handicap match last week.

Zelina Vega makes Angel Garza apologize to Andrade. Ric Flair comes up and says it’s a must win tonight. Randy Orton comes in and says he can respect both of them for being third generation wrestlers, but if they lose, they’re meeting the Legend Killer.

The Kabuki Warriors are ready for Asuka to beat Bayley tonight so they can challenge for the Tag Team Titles next week. Kairi plays her flute as Asuka dances, with Charly Caruso looking fascinated.

Andrade/Angel Garza/Randy Orton vs. Big Show/Viking Raiders

Ric Flair and Zelina Vega are here with the villains. Big Show and Garza start things off with the big forearm to the back having Garza in early trouble. There’s the big chop in the corner and it’s off to Erik, who brings Ivar in for the back to back knees. It’s back to Show, who doesn’t seem to mind the tag to Andrade. Show drops him as well and slams both Vikings onto him for two.

Garza stops to yell at Andrade so Orton demands Garza come out to the floor. Orton grabs him by the throat and yells a lot as we take a break. Back with Garza knocking Ivar into the corner, only to have Ivar roll over for the hot tag to Erik. Andrade is knocked to the floor but Orton gets in a cheap shot to take over on Erik in the corner. Orton taunts Show a bit as Garza knees Erik in the corner.

Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and stomps away before handing it back to Andrade for a wishbone. Erik fights up though and the hot tag brings in Show to clean house. The threat of an RKO doesn’t work but it lets Andrade choke Show. Everything breaks down and Garza saves Andrade from the Viking Experience. Orton tags himself in and hits the RKO to finish Erik at 13:43.

Rating: C-. WWE has done a remarkable job of making Orton seem like the biggest and most intimidating star in the company in just a few weeks. That’s really hard to do and a lot of it has to do with just how good Orton is at pretty much everything at the moment. The wrestling may not have been the best in the worst, but Orton felt like a star here and that is a great thing.

The IIconics are ready to beat up Ruby Riott again, but here’s Ruby to say the sound of their voices makes her neck twitch. They all leave and MVP is shown standing next to Cedric Alexander. MVP likes Cedric’s heart and doesn’t get why Cedric is happy being Ricochet’s sidekick. Cedric doesn’t want to hear it so MVP asks why Cedric doesn’t have a WWE Network special like Ricochet does. Lashley and MVP are in the Hurt Business, but Cedric is in the catering business, because that’s where he’s going to be staying from now on.

Ric Flair is praising Randy Orton when R-Truth runs in. He thinks Flair is Akira Tozawa in disguise but runs off when he hears the Ninjas coming. Tozawa freezes when he sees Orton, who sends him away from Truth for some reason. That’s interesting.

Ruby Riott vs. Billie Kay

Peyton Royce is here with Billie. Riott gets taken into the corner for some boot choking to start and it’s a suplex for two. The bow and arrow is broken up as Riott breaks the grip and headscissors Kay into the middle buckle. A Peyton distraction lets Kay hit a middle rope Eat Defeat though and something like a Rock Bottom into a sitout spinebuster (or maybe a reverse half nelson Bubba Bomb) finishes Riott at 2:40.

Bayley isn’t worried about Asuka but Banks accepts the Tag Team Title challenge for next week should Asuka somehow win.

Asuka vs. Bayley

Non-title with Sasha Banks and Kairi Sane at ringside and Nikki Cross on commentary. Security tells her to stay calm but she freaks out again after Bayley and Banks taunt her. Bayley runs the ropes to start and the threat of the Asuka Lock sends her straight to the floor. A knee to the face on the apron rocks Asuka, but Bayley knocks Cross’ headset off, sending her into insanity again. Cross is taken out and Asuka knees Bayley in the face (Sasha’s UH OH face is great) as we take a break.

Back with Bayley tripping her down and forearming at the spine to take over. A sliding lariat gives Bayley two and we hit the chinlock. Bayley sends her outside, where the four women get in a staredown. The distraction lets Asuka score with a kick for two, followed by a kick to the chest for the same. A Banks distraction slows Asuka down though and Bayley catapults her into the ropes twice in a row for two. Bayley sends her outside and onto the announcers’ table, allowing her to sit in on commentary for a bit. Bayley says this tastes so good and we take a break.

Back again with Bayley chinlocking away and then running her over for two. Asuka fights up with a backfist and an elbow to the face, followed by some knees for a bonus. The hip attack gives Asuka two more and one heck of a backfist puts Bayley on the apron. Back in and a middle rope dropkick gives Asuka two more but Bayley sends her outside. The running knee sends Asuka’s head into the barricade and a cheap shot takes Sane down as well.

The distraction lets Banks get in a cheap shot to set up a Saito suplex to give Bayley two. Bayley is frustrated but gets freaked out as Cross is now behind the Plexiglas. The distraction lets Asuka grab the Asuka Lock. Bayley can’t flip out of I so Banks comes in, only to get speared down by Sane. Asuka switches to a rollup for the pin at 23:25.

Rating: B. This was one of the few times where Bayley actually felt like she was standing toe to toe with one of the top stars of either women’s division. You don’t see her do that very often and it was nice to see for a change. I wasn’t sure who was going to win here and that’s a very nice feeling to have every now and then. Good match, with the interference and shenanigans tying into a few stories and keeping Bayley protected in the loss.

Overall Rating: C. They were doing the moving day stuff around here as things were set up both for Extreme Rules and next week’s show. That’s a good use of three hours and the show didn’t feel as long this week, but it still wasn’t all that great. The matches were nothing worth seeing outside of the main event and some of the stories didn’t quite click, but they had enough good stuff to make it passable. This whole period is hardly important on the way to Summerslam though, and you can feel that with a lot of what is going on.

Results

Drew McIntyre b. Heath Slater – Claymore

Kairi Sane b. Sasha Banks via DQ when Bayley interfered

Rey Mysterio/Kevin Owens b. Seth Rollins/Murphy – Frog splash to Murphy

Bobby Lashley/MVP b. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander – Spear to Alexander

Angel Garza/Andrade/Randy Orton b. Big Show/Viking Raiders – RKO to Erik

Billie Kay b. Ruby Riott – Rock Bottom sitout spinebuster

Asuka b. Bayley – Rollup

 

 

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

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

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

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

This aired on Fox Sports 1 on Tuesday so it’s worth another look.

Survivor Series 2018
Date: November 18, 2018
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 16,325
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the second redo of the year and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. I remember this one a little bit better than some of the more recent shows for some reason and I’m not sure if that is a good thing or not. It’s hard to say how well these things hold up but that’s kind of what I’m going for here. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Smackdown Tag Teams vs. Raw Tag Teams

Smackdown: Usos, New Day, Sanity, Anderson And Gallows, Colons

Raw: Bobby Roode/Chad Gable, Revival, B-Team, Lucha House Party, Ascension

Kofi Kingston, Alexander Wolfe and Gran Metalik are the odd members out here. New Day, with blue pancakes this time, handles the Smackdown introductions to stretch things out a bit more. Kalisto and Epico start things off with Kalisto kicking at the legs and trying his handstand hurricanrana…which he leaves short so Epico has to kick him in the ribs instead.

A suplex gives Epico two as the apron looks ridiculous with so many people up there. Hold on though as Kalisto injures his knee so it’s off to Dorado for a quick splash. Kalisto comes back in almost immediately and gets suplexed down, allowing Primo to come in and hit a basement dropkick. Primo is sent into Epico and knocks him off the apron by mistake. Dawson makes a blind tag through and it’s a quick Shatter Machine to get rid of the Colons at 3:10.

Anderson comes in to clothesline Wilder and hits the Rocket Kick in the corner. Axel comes in to stomp on Anderson…and Metalik has taken Kalisto’s place, which we’re just allowing to happen because no one listened to Monsoon and Ventura explain the rules. Stomping in the corner ensues but Axel spends a bit too much time fist pumping, allowing Anderson to roll Dallas up for the elimination at 5:02.

It’s off to Dain vs. Gable after we nearly got Gable vs. Big E. in the match I didn’t know I needed to see. Dain hits a quick Divide for two so it’s Young coming in for two of his own off a neckbreaker. Roode makes the save and it’s a neckbreaker/moonsault combination to finish Young at 6:32. Konnor comes in to kick Big E. in the face but gets pulled into the spanking abdominal stretch. It’s off to Woods, who gets tossed with a fall away slam in short order. Viktor grabs a chinlock but Woods fights up for a discus forearm. Just to show off, Woods lifts Big E. onto his shoulders for a splash to finish Viktor at 8:48.

The Luchas try to go after Gallows and it goes as well as you would expect. Dorado has to slip out of the Magic Killer and it’s a Stunner to Gallows. Anderson gets hurricanranaed into the ropes and it’s the Luchas hitting stereo Asai moonsaults onto Anderson and Gallows. Back in and a rope walk Swanton gets rid of Anderson at 10:40 as the apron is finally clearing out a bit.

We’re down to the Usos/New Day vs. Roode/Gable/Revival/Lucha House Party so Jimmy comes in for the first time. Dorado chops him into a rollup for two and a Lionsault gets the same. Jey comes in off a blind tag and comes pretty close to catching Dorado in a Samoa drop for the pin at 11:57.

It’s Dawson coming in to grab Woods and a Wilder distraction lets him get in a cheap shot to really take over. Dawson misses a charge though and Woods hits a dropkick, allowing the double tag to Big E. and Wilder. Big E. clotheslines Dawson outside but gets rolled up for two, allowing Gable to come in for a suplex. Rolling Chaos Theory into a neckbreaker gets two on Big E. and everything breaks down with Wilder hitting a tornado DDT on Woods on the floor.

That means the dive from Big E., leaving Roode and Gable alone in the ring. Roode backdrops him onto everyone else but Jey superkicks Roode down. Jey does the GLORIOUS pose and dives onto the pile rather than, you know, covering the knocked silly Roode. Just to get nuts, Gable German superplexes Jimmy onto everyone else for the big crash. Back in and Woods hits Roode with the Honor Roll, leaving Big E. to catch Gable’s moonsault. That means UpUpDownDown to finish Gable at 18:33 but Dawson sends Big E. outside.

Woods goes up for the rope walk….undetermined move that is countered into the Shatter Machine to tie us up at 19:31. It’s the Usos vs. Revival and a slugout goes to the non-brothers. A reverse powerbomb/top rope clothesline (felt like a Steiner Bulldog with some miscommunication) gets two on Jey so Jimmy enziguris Dawson. Wilder is back up though and we go old school with a PowerPlex for two as Jey has to make a diving save. The Shatter Machine is broken up and it’s a bunch of superkicks to set up the Superfly Splash (with a Roman Reigns fist pump on the way down) for the pin at 23:15.

Rating: C. It was fun once they got down to the last bit but sweet goodness there was too much going on here. There is only so much you can do with enough people for a nice battle royal at first, plus seconds on the floor. It’s an idea that makes sense but when so many of these teams are looked at as jokes, they would have been better off cutting this in half and doing individual eliminations. Still though, perfectly watchable, especially once they got rid of the dead weight.

The opening video focuses entirely on the battle for Brand Supremacy because that’s all this show is about anymore. Even the huge champion vs. champion matches are just part of Raw vs. Smackdown.

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women

Raw: Mickie James, Nia Jax, Tamina, Bayley, Sasha Banks

Smackdown: Carmella, Naomi, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Asuka

The injured Alexa Bliss and Naomi are the captains, which is Naomi comes out second for her team. This is fallout from the moment of the year with Becky Lynch and Smackdown invading Raw, setting up Nia Jax punching Becky in the face and putting her on the shelf, setting up the main event of Wrestlemania and changing their careers forever. It’s funny how that works somehow no?

Naomi and Tamina start things off as the fans want Becky. A dropkick sends Tamina into the ropes and everything breaks down in a hurry. Naomi’s Disaster Kick puts Nia on the floor but Tamina hits a superkick to get rid of Naomi at 1:21. Carmella is right back in to roll Tamina up and get us down to 4-4 at 1:32. The fall leaves Carmella alone in the ring so DANCE BREAK.

Nia comes in behind her and Carmella’s rollup has no effect, as expected. Therefore it’s off to Mandy, who gets taken down with a single knee. That means it’s Mickie coming in for two off a neckbreaker but Mandy is right back up with an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up in a hurry though and it’s off to a quickly escaped Muta Lock. Asuka comes in to face Mickie, which Cole says is a match everyone would want to see. Then watch it from Takeover: Toronto on the Network!

Asuka starts with the hip attack into the dance, setting up the Octopus Hold. Sonya comes in to charge into Mickie’s boot and a snapmare takes her down. Bayley tags herself in and Mickie is rather annoyed, even as Banks comes in for the double knees in the corner. Now it’s Mickie tagging herself back in for the super Thesz press but Sonya knees her in the face. That should finish but Mandy tags herself in and steals the elimination at 7:38.

Sonya doesn’t know what to think, even as Bayley runs in for two off a rollup. The Moon Walk DDT lets Carmella mock Banks but she walks into the Bayley to Belly for the elimination at 9:12. Mandy comes in and stomps away at Bayley as the announcers get into their usual bickering session that has nothing to do with the match. Bayley kicks her away and brings in Banks to take over in a hurry, including the Bank Statement for the tap at 10:49.

Asuka comes in and takes over on Banks, allowing Sonya to grab a bodyscissors and shout a lot. That doesn’t last long either as it’s Banks getting up and bringing in Bayley for the waving running knee in the corner. A spinebuster gives Sonya two with Jax making the save and earning some of the loudest booing of her career.

Jax goes shoulder first into the post and Asuka kicks her to the floor, only to get caught by the Meteora from Banks. Bayley and Sonya tackle each other to the floor and it’s a Bayley to Belly….but neither can beat the count at 15:18. That leaves us with Nia/Sasha vs. Asuka with Banks coming in for the team. Asuka knocks her down and shows off the Smackdown top before hitting a knee to the face. A heck of a German suplex puts Banks down and a hip attack knocks Jax off the apron.

Banks trips her up to send Asuka into the apron but she’s right back with a missile dropkick for two. The Asuka Lock is broken up and the running knees in the corner crush Asuka again. Banks goes up but Nia shoves her off the top for some reason, meaning it’s the Asuka Lock for the tap at 19:36. Nia comes in and drops a bunch of legs before finishing with the Samoan drop at 20:15.

Rating: C. You have to remember that Nia was public enemy #1 at this point and pushing her as the monster like this made sense. Normally I would complain about pushing someone who has a history of injuring people and who is hardly interesting in the first place, but WWE has shown their love for Jax for a long time and no amount of complaining is going to change a thing.

Raw – 1

Smackdown – 0

Stephanie McMahon, in that instantly irritating way of speaking, tells Acting General Manager Baron Corbin that he better win the rest of the matches if he wants to have the job permanently. Shane McMahon and General Manager Paige come in and suggest Raw will be feeling blue. More trash talk ensues with Shane looking forward to Corbin being fired. This kind of banter is just horrible and feels so forced, which is why it almost never goes away in WWE.

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Raw (Intercontinental) vs. Smackdown (United States) champion vs. champion here. Yes Nakamura is wrestling in the blue shirt over his jumpsuit, because A BIG BLUE JUMPSUIT doesn’t tell you which brand he is on. Rollins goes after the arm to start but Nakamura slips out and invites Rollins to COME ON. The wristlocking is back on as they seem to have a lot of time here.

A way too early missed Kinshasa attempt lets Rollins do his own COME ON. The threat of a ripcord knee sends Nakamura to the apron and Rollins onto the top for some lounging. Nakamura sends him to the apron though and it’s the slingshot Fameasser over the ropes to put Nakamura on the floor. That means the suicide dive, but since that is the most obvious move ever, it gets cut off with a kick to the face instead.

Back in and Nakamura works on a double chickenwing, plus a front facelock to mix it up a bit. Rollins fights up and sends him into the corner, setting up the Sling Blade for a breather. Nakamura gets thrown outside for the back to back suicide dives but two is a nasty number in wrestling so there’s a third. The springboard clothesline gets two back inside and things slow down a bit. Rollins’ suplex is escaped and Nakamura kicks him in the face, followed by the running knee to the ribs in the corner.

A Backstabber….doesn’t do much for Nakamura as Rollins is right back up with a superkick for two. Rollins slugs away but his clothesline is countered into a triangle. Since it’s Rollins, the traditional powerbomb counter is swapped for a Buckle Bomb instead, which at least gives us some variety. The ripcord knee is broken up again and Nakamura’s Landslide gets two. In a bit of a rare move, Nakamura goes up top, earning himself the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for a nice near fall.

They slug it out with Nakamura daring him to swing harder so it’s a reverse exploder to drop Rollins. Kinshasa misses though and it’s the ripcord knee for a close two. The frog splash misses though and Nakamura’s running knee to the back of the head gives him his own two. Nakamura still can’t hit Kinshasa so Rollins superkicks him, only to miss the Stomp. Kinshasa misses again though and it’s the Stomp to give Rollins the pin at 21:27.

Rating: B. It was very good though I was left wanting and expecting more. These two can be great against each other, though it is another case of Nakamura never rising up to that next level. He is still very entertaining and someone worth watching almost every time, but his big matches always feel a bit disappointing. Still though, rather hard hitting back and forth match, which is exactly why these two were out there. It’s rather good, just not great.

Raw – 2

Smackdown – 0

Braun Strowman doesn’t like his partners on the Raw men’s team and he doesn’t even know who Bobby Lashley is. If they don’t help him win tonight, they’re getting these hands. Drew McIntyre says he’s in charge and violence is about to ensue so here’s Corbin to remind Strowman that he can’t touch him. Instead, Strowman throws Lio Rush at Corbin to let off some steam. Cue R-Truth for the pep talk, until he is reminded that he’s not on the team. Confused R-Truth may be one of my all time favorite gags.

The Bar vs. AOP

Smackdown vs. Raw in a battle of the Tag Team Champions with Big Show and Drake Maverick as the thirds. Rezar throws Sheamus into the corner to start as Byron accuses Drake of drinking….cuckoo juice? The Bar gets in some double teaming on Akam and, after the catchphrase, the Swing has to be broken up. Akam takes the Swing instead, only to have Rezar come back in for the backbreaker/middle rope stomp combination to take over.

The chinlock goes on before Akam just powers Cesaro down and hammers away. Rezar knees Cesaro in the face for two so Sheamus tries to come in, allowing Cesaro to grab a rollup for….well nothing actually as the referee is with Sheamus. Not the best plan there man. Cesaro’s uppercuts don’t do much good as Rezar takes him right back down and grabs a chinlock.

That’s broken up as well and it’s the springboard uppercut to allow the tag to Sheamus. House is cleaned in a hurry, including the Brogue Kick to Rezar with Maverick putting the foot on the rope. The chase is on until Cesaro knocks Maverick down, allowing Show to grab him. Maverick is so scared that he, ahem, relieves himself in fear. Back in and the powerbomb/neckbreaker combination finishes Sheamus at 9:04.

Rating: D+. This was a pretty boring power match with both teams only going in spurts until the big joke of an ending. There is only so far you can go with that as the big joke and you can imagine where things are going to go as a result. I mean, the fact that this show is now a year old makes it easier to figure out, but that doesn’t make it better.

Raw – 3

Smackdown – 0

The Miz has Shane McMahon fire up Team Smackdown. R-Truth is here as well to talk about getting on the Smackdown roster. He already is, which is a relief as Raw is a mess.

We recap Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy for the Cruiserweight Title. Ali won a match to become #1 contender and now we have the title match. The idea here is the champ vs. the never will be champ as Ali tries to grab the brass ring again. Sometimes it really can be that simple.

Cruiserweight Title: Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali is challenging. They start fast with Murphy’s power not exactly working as he drives Ali into the corner, only to have him flip over the champ. That means a dropkick to the floor into the big flip dive but Ali’s back is banged up. The second dive is blocked with a shove off the top into the barricade, followed by some rams into the apron. A heck of a backdrop sets up the chinlock with a knee in the back until Ali jawbreaks his way out of trouble.

The rolling X Factor is countered with a show to the floor though and Murphy hits his own running flip dive. Back in and Ali scores with a superkick into a tornado hanging DDT (awesome) for his own two. The 054 (I miss that) is broken up with a shove to the floor and this time it’s Ali’s face hitting the apron on the way down.

Murphy loads up the announcers’ table but Ali hits a Spanish Fly down to the floor again because he’s crazy and can do stuff like that. Back in and Murphy is fine enough to hit a superkick into a pair of powerbombs for two before kneeing him out of the air. Murphy’s Law retains the title at 12:20.

Rating: B-. It was entertaining, it was hard hitting, and almost no one cared because there is little reason to be interested in 205 Live. The wrestling can be very entertaining and some of the matches are great, but the show is as important as a bicycle to a fish. That has been a problem since the show debuted and it isn’t going to get better in the future.

When asked about his recent heel turn, Daniel Bryan….just smiles.

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men

Raw: Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler

Smackdown: Shane McMahon, The Miz, Rey Mysterio, Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy

Corbin (at ringside but not on the team) and M are the captains. Strowman and McIntyre nearly get in a fight before the bell but Strowman gets to start….until McIntyre tags himself in after about three seconds. The Koquina Clutch has Drew in early trouble but he backflips out and Claymores Joe for the pin at 37 seconds. I’m going to assume Joe was hurt (again), or we need Shane to get more ring time.

After a quick meeting, Hardy comes in second with the fans going to the DELETE chants in a hurry. Jeff tries running around a bit, earning himself a hard clothesline so Ziggler can come in. Shane tags himself in for a rematch of Crown Jewel, because that nightmare needs to be touched on again. A dropkick rocks Shane, who is right back with some armdrags. The Fameasser gets two but Shane scores with a spinning elbow. The jumping elbow is countered into the Zig Zag but Miz makes his own save.

Strowman comes in but McIntyre tags himself in again, meaning it’s on in a hurry. For some reason Smackdown breaks it up so they can gang up on Strowman, who isn’t having it. Rey manages a 619 though and they head outside with Strowman getting knocked onto the announcers’ table. The big Shane elbow knocks them both out, because WE NEED TO GET THAT IN. Back in and Miz kicks Drew down for one as we see Paige and Stephanie watching backstage. As long as they don’t talk, I’m good.

McIntyre gets away to go over for the tag….but he won’t do it, even as Balor yells at him to make the tag. Instead McIntyre smacks Miz in the face, allowing Balor to tag himself in. Balor kicks McIntyre down before kicking Miz in the head, followed by the baseball slide. Back in and the Sling Blade rocks Rey and a dropkick puts him in the corner. The Coup de Grace misses though and it’s a 619 into the springboard splash to tie it up at 12:04.

McIntyre is right there to deck the eliminated Balor so Lashley tags himself in to throw Rey into the corner. The delayed vertical suplex is delayed too long though as Rey rolls out and hits an enziguri. It’s Ziggler’s turn to tag himself in so Rey faceplants him and brings in Hardy. Everything breaks down and Hardy tornado DDTs McIntyre on the floor, allowing Ziggler to grab the running DDT for two on Jeff. The rapid pace comeback is on for Jeff, but the Swanton hits raised knees.

For some reason this hurts the knees this time so Mysterio is able to bring Miz in. The beating is on in the corner and it’s Shane coming back in for Coast to Coast to eliminate Ziggler and cement Shane as Best in the World (remember he beat Ziggler in the finals) to make it 4-3 at 18:10.

Lashley is back in to suplex Shane right over to Miz, who gets beaten up this time around. Miz gets in a few shots of his own to set up the running clothesline. It’s back to Shane for ANOTHER Coast to Coast, though thankfully Strowman chops him out of the air. Strowman comes in and wastes no time with the powerslam to eliminate Hardy at 20:45. That leaves Strowman/McIntyre/Lashley vs. Mysterio/Miz/McMahon, and the powerslam takes Mysterio out at 21:26.

Miz starts to panic (Graves: “Does this mean there won’t be a Marine 7”) and it’s another powerslam for the pin at 22:27. Shane is alone against the monsters and you can feel the fans panicking from here. Shane pulls himself up to face Strowman and says bring it on, so Strowman dropkicks him into the corner (Graves: “A T-REX DROPKICK!”) and hits the third powerslam for the pin at 24:01.

Rating: D+. This doesn’t hold up as it’s another Shane showcase, with one big spot after another and Shane getting to go out there and look like the toughest man in the company. Raw winning was more confusing than anything else as it already guarantees them the night, but they did have me believing that they might have had Shane pull the miracle. Consider that great selling or really sad.

Raw – 4

Smackdown – 0

Post match Corbin jumps Strowman and poses with McIntyre and Lashley.

Here’s how to help victims of the California wildfires. Nothing wrong with that.

Seth Rollins has been focused on Dean Ambrose as of late but for tonight, he’s due for an ice bath and some cold ones. Charly tells him that he has to defend the Intercontinental Title against Ambrose at TLC. Rollins likes the idea because Ambrose will have nothing left to hide behind.

We recap Charlotte vs. Ronda Rousey. This was supposed to be Becky Lynch vs. Rousey but then destiny happened in the form of the mega brawl on Raw and Becky’s face being broken. Becky picked Charlotte to take her place, which was out of left field but they didn’t have another option.

Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte

Raw vs. Smackdown Women’s Champion so we get the Big Match Intros. Rousey (with the ridiculous eye makeup) starts swinging early so Charlotte grabs her by the ropes and throws her down. The armbar is blocked and Charlotte has to flip out of Piper’s Pit to get us to a standoff. Charlotte grabs a headlock and sends her face first into the bottom buckle to really take over for the first time. It’s time to start on the leg as Rousey is bleeding from the mouth.

She’s fine enough for an enziguri to get a breather and what looked like a triangle over the top has Charlotte in trouble for a change. Charlotte crotches her on top but Rousey is right back with a triangle. That’s reversed into a Boston crab but Natural Selection is blocked. The armbar is blocked again so Charlotte goes up, only to have the moonsault hit raised boots. Rousey spends too much time yelling though and gets speared in half for two.

The Figure Four goes on until Rousey turns it over, with Rousey managing to talk trash while screaming at the same time. They roll to the floor and Rousey is all fired up, meaning it’s time to start striking away. Some chops knock Rousey into the corner and Rousey looks shaken for the first time.

Another chop is blocked so Charlotte gets two off a big boot. Rousey is right back with a hurricanrana and Piper’s Pit but Charlotte gets away from the armbar again. It’s time for a breather on the floor and Charlotte is smart enough to break the count for an extra break. Rousey isn’t waiting so she goes out after her, only to walk into a kendo stick shot from Charlotte for the DQ at 14:10.

Rating: A-. This felt like the main event level match that they were hoping for, which is all the more impressive given Rousey’s complete lack of experience. She knows how to feel like a big deal and Charlotte having to use her natural abilities to counter all of the submissions was a great story. Charlotte snapping and admitting that she can’t beat Rousey worked perfectly too and I had a great time with this all around.

Raw – 5

Smackdown – 0

Post match the beating is on with the referee having to take the chair away from Charlotte. She isn’t done though and it’s Natural Selection onto the chair to knock Ronda silly. Charlotte beats up the referees trying to make the save and wraps the chair around Rousey’s neck. Pillmanizing ensues and Charlotte’s eyes are bugging out. Fans: “THANK YOU CHARLOTTE!” Rousey takes a long time to get up but does it on her own, because PILLMANIZING SOMEONE’S NECK IS A FIVE MINUTE ANNOYANCE!

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan, which is a rapid fire change as Bryan only turned heel and won the title five days before this show. Therefore, the entire video is about Bryan’s turn, setting up the match here. It was annoying, but since WWE didn’t want AJ losing to Brock, they had him lose to Bryan instead. That is the kind of logic only WWE can go with and no, it still doesn’t sound like an intelligent idea.

Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar

Battle of the World Champions with Brock trying to complete the Raw sweep. Bryan mocks Lesnar during his entrance and smiles a lot. A running dropkick to Lesnar’s knee starts things off as the mind games are on. Bryan heads outside for a run around the ring so Lesnar follows him, only to have Bryan run back inside and mocks Brock’s bounce. Brock comes back in and hits Bryan in the face as things change in a hurry.

The first German suplex has Bryan nearly done on the apron so Brock starts a SUPLEX CITY chant in a great heel move. The second German suplex has Heyman worried and the third has Bryan rocked again. An overhead belly to belly puts Bryan on the floor and Lesnar even gets to pose with the title. Brock throws him hard into the barricade and we hit the bearhug with Cole saying this isn’t about brand supremacy anymore. Then what the heck is it about now Cole? And what has the last hour and a half been about?

More suplexes ensue and the fans are not happy with the repetitive Lesnar offense. The second bearhug makes it even worse and Brock throws another overhead belly to belly. The F5 connects (Brock: “Goodnight everybody!”) but Brock pulls him up at two. Bryan kicks him in the face twice and, after a ref bump, gets in a low blow. The running knee connects for two (how Bryan won the title) so Bryan kicks away to put Brock down in the corner.

A bunch of stomps to the face have Brock stunned and Bryan low bridges him to the floor. The slingshot dive is pulled out of the air but Bryan slips out and posts him. Bryan tries the suicide dive though and gets posted hard to cut off the big rally. The steps are picked up but only hit the post, allowing Bryan to hit another knee. Back in and another running knee gives Bryan another two as Heyman is losing his mind.

Bryan switches gears by going after the knee with a chop block and a wrap around the post. Lesnar is sent into the corner for the running dropkicks (or a running knee and a running attack from Cole) but he pulls Bryan into the F5….as the knee gives out. The YES Lock goes on but Bryan makes the mistake of switching to a triangle, which is reversed into the F5 for the pin at 18:43.

Rating: B+. It’s nearly a copy of the same match that Brock had with AJ last year but it was still a heck of a fight with Bryan coming close to picking up the upset. That being said, it’s still the brand new WWE Champion losing clean five days after he won the title. I know WWE MUST DO THE BRAND SUPREMACY deal but was there really no better option for something like this? Like AJ vs. Brock II with a countout or something? Annoying, but at least it came after an awesome match.

Raw – 6

Smackdown – 0

Bryan smiles at Lesnar to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Well they threw the Brand Supremacy stuff out the window at about the halfway point, leaving the wrestling to carry the rest. As luck would have it, the last two matches were awesome and left me wanting more so well done all around there. Some of the matches aren’t that great with no particularly good Survivor Series matches, but what we got for the rest of the show was quite entertaining, even if the core concept was lost.

Ratings Comparison

Raw Tag Teams vs. Smackdown Tag Teams

Original: D+

2019 Redo: C

Smackdown Women vs. Raw Women

Original: C

2019 Redo: C

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins

Original: B

2019 Redo: B

AOP vs. The Bar

Original: C-

2019 Redo: D+

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy

Original: B

2019 Redo: B

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men

Original: C+

2019 Redo: D+

Charlotte vs. Ronda Rousey

Original: B

2019 Redo: A-

Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan

Original: A-

2019 Redo: B+

Overall Rating

Original: B+

2019 Redo: B

The two main events almost swapping is interesting but, other than the men’s Survivor Series match, this is all in the same ballpark or identical.

Here is the original review if you are interested:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/18/survivor-series-2018-layeth-the-smackdown-down/

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

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

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

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

Main Event
Date: June 25, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

It’s back to the full schedule of both Raw and Smackdown this week, which may or may not be an improvement. The show has been featuring some slightly bigger names in recent weeks so the original wrestling has been a little easier to watch. Then again you never know what is going to happen around here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Ruby Riott

They start slowly with Belair catching Riott’s kick to the ribs. That means a snapmare into a standoff so Riott pulls her into a rollup. Belair grabs a cravate and hits a running clothesline into a hiptoss. Riott is right back with some rams into the buckle into a Downward Spiral. A front facelock has Belair in more trouble but she snaps off a suplex. Belair grabs a spinebuster and after shrugging off a knee to the ribs, finishes Riott with the KOD at 5:55.

Rating: C-. Belair has grown on me a lot in recent months and I’d love to see her get some more time on Raw. Why she can’t at least be involved with the Street Profits a little more than she has been in recent weeks is beyond me, but at least we’ve been getting the Viking Profits, whatever that’s worth.

From Smackdown.

There are wrestlers around the ring for Styles’ Intercontinental Title presentation. AJ is glad that everyone got their cheering right and he’s just here to say he told you so. Life’s rewards are for the people who go and claim the brass ring instead of waiting for a handout. He’s ready for the title presentation but Renee Young isn’t the right person to do it. Instead, AJ wants Daniel Bryan to do it himself.

Bryan gets in the ring and AJ says put it around his waist, but make sure not to do anything stupid. AJ says Bryan doesn’t have to do it if he’s a coward. Bryan finally puts the title on and says that last week, AJ was the better man. Bryan gets all fired up and says AJ is going to be a great champion. Imagine AJ vs. Gran Metalik or against Big E. (they both seem game), but AJ sees it a little different.

That’s fine with Bryan, who thinks Drew Gulak should get a shot because he beat AJ two weeks ago. AJ thinks Bryan is trying to get himself a title shot so he has to become #1 contender. The next person to challenge for the title is going to have to suffer the consequences. Cue the debuting Matt Riddle, much to AJ’s annoyance. AJ sees another human being looking for a handout. The fight is on with Riddle cleaning house so AJ says get a referee out here.

AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle

The wrestlers are still around the ring. Hold on though as AJ says no shoes, no shirt, no title shot. The bell rings and Riddle hits a German suplex into the rolling gutwrench suplexes for two. Riddle hammers away on the mat and kicks him in the head for two more. More shots have AJ in the corner so he snaps off a dropkick to get a breather.

Back up and Riddle kicks him down in the corner but this time AJ hits a running clothesline to the apron. Riddle gets knocked into King Corbin and gets in an argument as we take a break. Back with AJ in control but the YES Kicks just fire Riddle up. A right hand to the head puts him down though and a snap suplex gives Styles two. AJ takes him down again and a dragon screw legwhip sends Riddle into the corner.

Riddle’s comeback is cut off with a shot to the leg but a jumping knee to the face rocks AJ. A quick suplex drops AJ again and the Broton gets two. Riddle grabs a rear naked choke but has to let go when Styles bridges back for two more. The Calf Crusher goes on so Riddle goes to the ropes, meaning AJ heads outside to get in Bryan’s face. AJ yells at Bryan before loading up the Phenomenal Forearm, only to get caught in the Bro Derek to give Riddle the pin at 12:53.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to have a debut and the lack of a clean finish helped a bit. AJ has no one to blame but himself here and that makes for a good way to set up some potential matches in the future. You could go with Styles vs. Riddle or Bryan or maybe even all three (hopefully not), or perhaps Riddle vs. Bryan for the #1 contendership. It’s nice to have the options like that though and that’s what they did here.

Post match the lumberjacks get in the ring to celebrate with Riddle, who strikes his still awesome pose.

From Raw.

Here’s Drew McIntyre to open things up. He explains last week’s title defense….but here’s Dolph Ziggler to interrupt. Ziggler explains that he and Robert Roode have been traded to Raw in exchange for AJ Styles. We hear about McIntyre’s redemption story, with Ziggler bringing him up from nothing and now McIntyre is WWE Champion.

That sounds like a reason for Ziggler to get a title shot at Extreme Rules, but McIntyre doesn’t remember Ziggler winning many matches without Big Daddy Claymore there to help him out. Ziggler has become exactly what the two of them used to despise: an entitled jackass. It was Ziggler who named him the Scottish Psychopath so imagine what McIntyre will do with the title on the line. Ziggler wants the match, so it’s set for Extreme Rules for the title.

Cedric Alexander/Ricochet vs. Austin Theory/Murphy

Again, did these people come to the wrong show? Murphy works on Ricochet’s arm to start until the reversal lets Ricochet do the opposite. They flip up to a standoff and that means a double tag. Alexander snaps off a rollup into a basement dropkick as everything breaks down. Ricochet and Alexander snap off stereo headscissors to the floor and the teased dives take us to a break.

Back with Murphy hitting a DDT for two on Ricochet and kicking him in the back for the same. A front facelock is driven into the corner but Murphy sends him face first into the corner. Ricochet rolls out with a dropkick and a kick to the face is enough for the hot tag to Alexander. House is cleaned in a hurry, including a tornado DDT to Theory. Everything breaks down and Theory escapes the Lumbar Check. Murphy hits a running knee to finish Alexander at 10:44.

Rating: C. This is another good example of a match that could be on any given Raw but for some reason they’re stuck on Main Event. At least Austin and Murphy are able to get on the show for the sake of the Seth Rollins stuff. Ricochet and Alexander….I really don’t get it and I can’t imagine I’m alone in my confusion.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House. Bray has been gone for a long time so he has joined a book club, learned the new Tik Tok moves, learned how to raise the dead, learned how to knit, and taken over a reptile society. Ramblin Rabbit pops in to say Bray has just been sitting in the corner muttering about losing to Braun Strowman. After a clip, a distressed Bray thanks him for the reminder. It’s true that he lost, but in defeat, he learned that he went about this the wrong way.

We cut to the arena where Braun Strowman comes out (now with what sounds like a train at the start of his music), causing Bray to give him thumbs down. Bray wasn’t lying about raising the dead and he morphs into the Wyatt Family version, saying that in order to move forward, they have to take a step back to where it all began. Bray created him so now Braun needs to come see him. Follow the buzzards and run. The lantern is blown out to end the show. Does WWE really think that Strowman’s time with the Wyatt Family was that important? And they’re going to fight at the Wyatt Compound aren’t they?

From Raw.

Here are Rey Mysterio and Dominick for a chat. Rey talks about how scary it can be to not be able to get in touch with your child. That was the case last week when Rey didn’t know Dominick was coming here to go after Rollins. Mysterio isn’t happy with what Dominick did and no matter how big or strong he may be, he’s still Rey’s son. Last week, Dominick fought for him, so tonight, Rey is going to fight for him. He needs to get revenge on Rollins, but he needs to do it on his own.

Dominick isn’t going anywhere though, so Rollins can come fight a family. Cue Rollins to say Mysterio has put him in a difficult situation. Should he come to the ring to destroy a father in front of his son, or should he sacrifice Dominick in front of Rey? Actually never mind, because this is fate, prophecy and destiny, so he’ll take both of them at once. Austin Theory and Murphy join Rollins….but Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo jump them from behind.

The brawl is on with Theory and Murphy being taken down, leaving Rollins surrounded. Mysterio gets in a 619 and the good guys try to take out Rollins’ eye like he did to Mysterio, only to have Murphy and Theory make the save. Rollins goes for Dominick’s eye but Black and Carrillo make the save to end the show. Dominick still isn’t all that interesting but this was a hot brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It wasn’t a bad show or anything close to it but having people this talented on Main Event is rather mind boggling. Raw isn’t exactly overflowing with interesting stuff at the moment and for some reason we’re getting people like Ricochet and Murphy in action here. It’s not the most logical thing, but then again, nothing about Main Event ever has been.

 

 

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

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

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 29, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

We’re in uncharted territory here with so many names possibly missing due to the Coronavirus outbreak. So far we have two contract signings for Extreme Rules planned, which certainly sounds like something that could manage to be as uninteresting as Raw can actually be. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Bayley and Sasha Banks brawling with Asuka in the ring as Samoa Joe is standing next to the contract table. Referees come out and break it up so Joe can do the introduction. The brawl is on again with Joe begging referees to get them apart. With the women separated, Joe introduces Dolph Ziggler as we’re doing both signings at the same time. Ziggler handles Drew McIntyre’s introduction and we’re finally settled down and ready to go. We’ll start with the men, with Ziggler talking about ending McIntyre’s nineteen year journey as McIntyre looks rather serious. Both of them sign with Drew saying it’s official.

McIntyre calls those serious words from Ziggler and talks about how they used to be family. As family, McIntyre is going to let him pick the stipulation for the title match. Asuka cuts him off by shouting in Japanese and signs her own contract. Banks promises to become Two Belts Banks and stamps her own signature on the contract. The brawl is on with Ziggler trying a superkick but McIntyre pulls it out of the air. The threat of a Claymore sends Ziggler bailing, along with Bayley and Sasha. Book the mixed tag for later.

We look at Angel Garza and Andrade jumping the Street Profits after last week’s Tag Team Title match.

Garza is talking to Jessika Carr when Charly Caruso comes up and doesn’t seem pleased. Zelina Vega makes fun of her and promises that the team is getting some gold. Big Show comes in and says he’s going to the ring next to deal with Randy Orton.

Here’s Big Show in the ring to call out Orton. Instead he gets Andrade, Garza and Vega, who Show calls Smurfette. Show says he isn’t in the mood for this tonight so don’t try him. Garza laughs off the idea that Show is a legend so Show says he has boots older than him. More talking ensues but Show cuts him off and says come fight if he wants to. Vega says Show’s days on Raw are numbered and he can say hi to Edge and Christian in the retirement home.

Cue Ric Flair to say he respects Vega but needs to have a word with his old friend. Flair has been hanging out with Orton while Big Show is making cartoons on Netflix. That’s cool because everyone wants that spot in Hollywood and Show will be in the Hall of Fame, but don’t try Orton. For now though, Garza and Andrade can deal with Show. Cue the Viking Raiders though and the brawl is on to take us to a break.

Viking Raiders vs. Angel Garza/Andrade

Joined in progress with Zelina on commentary and Erik throwing Garza down. Ivar drives Garza into the corner for two and we hit the armbar. Erik slams Ivar onto Garza for two but Andrade uses a distraction to come in with a superkick. It’s Erik in trouble with Garza hitting a hard kick to the head for one as Vega explains the power of fiery Latinos. Erik punches Garza into the corner but Andrade comes in to kick Erick in the face. Andrade stops to yell at Garza….and walks out. Vega tries to calk things down and we take a break.

Back with Andrade on the apron as Garza unloads on Erik in the corner. Erik fights up and runs Andrade over though and the hot tag brings in Ivar to clean house. The handspring elbow is cut off with a dropkick to the back and everything breaks down. The powerbomb/release World’s Strongest Slam combination plants Andrade and Garza but Garza and Ivar fight to the floor. Andrade hits the running knees in the corner on Erik and the Wing Clipper gives Garza the pin at 11:36.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and it’s nice to see some fresh challengers being set up for the Street Profits. They have done the Vikings vs. Profits for so long now that it’s time for someone else. The problem is that there are only so many teams to be able to do anything at the moment. Andrade and Garza are as good as we can get at the moment.

We look back at Natalya beating Liv Morgan last week, followed by Ruby Riott trying to make up with Morgan later on.

The IIconics come up to make fun of Riott, who mentions them losing their Tag Team Title match. A challenge is made for later.

Flair wants to talk to Andrade, Garza and Vega.

24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa vs. R-Truth

Tozawa, with Ninjas, is defending and grabs a quick rollup for two. Hold on though as Tozawa needs to poke finger guns at Truth, who avoids a charge with ease. Back up and Truth leapfrogs him but hurts his knee, only to catch Tozawa in a rollup for the pin and the title at 1:07.

Post match another Ninja rolls Truth up for two, allowing Truth to run off with the title.

We look at Bobby Lashley taking Apollo Crews down with the full nelson last week.

Lashley doesn’t think much of MVP going after Crews, but MVP calms him down by saying Crews’ offer to join us is gone. Now the kid needs to learn something before we get to the complete destruction. The two of them walk past Murphy and Seth Rollins (no Theory) with Rollins holding a Rey Mysterio mask. He needs to deliver his most important message now.

Here are Rollins and Murphy for the message. We see a recap of the issues with Rollins vs. Mysterio/Dominick, including Humberto Carrillo and Aleister Black nearly taking out Rollins’ eye last week. Back in the arena, Rollins talks about the duty that Mysterio has to his son. The problem is that Rey hasn’t been, ahem, seeing things clearly. Rollins talks about how he gave Rey a chance to get out with honor but Mysterio refuses to leave. They are bound by fate and as fate would have it, Mysterio is meant to be a sacrifice for the greater good of Raw.

Rollins is going to tear him down piece by piece, but here are Mysterio and Dominick on the screen. Rey says that there will be no forgiveness for Rollins no matter what. Mysterio loves Dominick, but now he has to do something even worse to Rollins. It’s an eye for an eye and it won’t be fate, because it’s going to be by design. Dominick can forgive Rey, but he’ll never forgive Rey, which will be ordained by fate. Rollins: “Oh bravo.” Cue Carrillo and Black and it seems that we have another match being booked on the fly.

Post break, Rollins and Murphy are still on the floor to yell at Carrillo and Black. Carrillo says Rollins will never be the man Mysterio is. Black knows evil when he sees it and promises to make Rollins atone for it. Rollins says this ends now and we’re ready to go.

Humberto Carrillo/Aleister Black vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Black kicks away at Murphy to start and scares Rollins off the apron. The distraction lets Murphy kick Black to the floor and Rollins stomps away next to the barricade. Back in and Rollins whips Black hard into the corner, setting up Murphy’s reverse chinlock. Black fights up with a shot to the head and it’s a hot tag to Carrillo, who has to chase Rollins to the floor. That lets Murphy get in a cheap shot but Carrillo enziguris him without much trouble.

A middle rope crossbody connects and Rollins comes back in, only to be sent outside. Another enziguri sets up the missile dropkick to Murphy and Rollins has to save Murphy from the 619. Carrillo hits the big springboard dive to the floor and we take a break. Back with Carrillo getting in a shot to Rollins for a breather. The diving tag brings in Black to beat up Murphy and moonsault onto both of them. Murphy counters Black Mass into a rollup so Black knees him in the face.

Carrillo comes back in for a 619 to Murphy for two with Rollins diving in for the save. Rollins dives onto Black and Murphy hits a running knee for two on Carrillo with Black making a save of his own. The Cheeky Nandos kick hits Carrillo and it’s a powerbomb/jumping knee to the face combination….for two. If you’re going to debut a big spot like that, don’t have it be for a near fall. Black and Murphy head to the floor, leaving Rollins to Stomp Carrillo for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced match and it’s nice to see Rollins win something for a change. That’s been part of the problem with this rather lacking story: Rollins hasn’t really done anything other than taking out Mysterio. He loses most of his big matches and the promos feel like something that has been done in every indy promotion in the world at one time or another. It’s not horrible, but I can’t find any interest in the whole thing.

Post match the brawl stays on with Carrillo taking the steps to the face, with Rollins putting Mysterio’s mask on him. Black has to save Carrillo’s eye from the steps so Rollins gives Carrillo the Stomp onto the steps instead.

Asuka and Drew McIntyre are ready for their mixed tag tonight. McIntyre dubs her the Empress of Claymore Country and Asuka says Ziggler isn’t ready for Drew.

We look at the tribute to Undertaker from Smackdown, including the legends talking about how great he is. A highlight video is included.

Lana tries to recruit Ruby Riott, who tells her to go ruin another promising career. Lana talks about how great Natalya is and says that’s the kind of leader the women’s division needs. Ruby doesn’t seem convinced.

Peyton Royce vs. Ruby Riott

Billie Kay is here with Peyton and a quick distraction lets Peyton take Riott down by the arm to start. Another Billie distraction sets up the hammerlock on Riott, but she’s back up with some forearms. An STO gets two on Peyton but the third distraction lets Royce grab a rollup for two. Riott gets her own rollup but walks into a fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: D+. There isn’t much you can get out of this but the IIconics are a rather solid midcard act. I’m not sure why Riott needs to lose so much, but if there is one thing WWE likes to do, it is have people lose a lot and then expect us to care about them. If they can do it with Riott and Morgan at the same time, that’s even better.

Big Show talks about growing up in South Carolina where Ric Flair was the most important man in the world. Now Flair is mentoring Randy Orton, so Orton has to be the most dangerous man in wrestling. Show is ready to take care of Andrade and Garza tonight.

We look back at the opening segment.

Big Show vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Andrade and Garza bail to the floor and agree to get back inside together. It’s Andrade who stays on the floor, leaving Garza to chop the heck out of Garza. That’s enough to send Garza outside, where Andrade tells him to get back in there. Garza tags Andrade in so he can fail at a waistlock attempt on Show. A slam puts Andrade down and Show steps on his ribs.

It’s back to Garza, who gets chopped in the corner again before kicking away at the knee. The low superkick doesn’t quite keep Show down so Garza stomps away even more. Andrade comes in and argues with Garza, who decides to walk out this time. Vega can’t keep the peace and it’s a chokeslam to finish Andrade at 5:35.

Rating: D+. This was pretty much every Big Show handicap match you would care to see as he threw the two of them around, they got in a little something, and then he hit a chokeslam for the win. I know Show is an old, dependable star, but he isn’t exactly doing anything new when he’s out there, and it can get a little repetitive at times. Like it was here for example.

Post match gives Andrade the KO Punch.

R-Truth has escaped the Ninjas and runs into Cedric Alexander, Apollo Crews and Ricochet. Truth thinks Alexander may be a Ninja, but his favorite superhero, Richard O Shea will take care of things. For now though, Truth has an idea.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley for MVP’s match, but first MVP talks about how no one can be him. However, he’s a legend and wants to give back. That’s what he was trying to do with Crews, who just disrespected him. That isn’t going to stand, but here’s Crews to interrupt. Crews doesn’t want to hear about disrespect because MVP wouldn’t listen to Crews say no in the first place. Ring the bell.

MVP vs. Apollo Crews

Non-title with Crews starting fast by snapping off a hurricanrana. MVP is sent to the floor for the big flip dive onto Lashley, allowing MVP to send Crews into the steps. Back from a break with MVP hitting a big boot and putting on a dragon sleeper. There’s a knee drop for two but Crews fights up and hits a Stinger Splash in the corner. A spinebuster gets two on MVP but Lashley offers a distraction so MVP can crotch Crews on top. MVP hits a running big boot and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C-. MVP has shown to be very valuable as a talker for Lashley though I’m not entirely sold on him as a wrestler at this point. It’s ok to have him win over Crews thanks to the interference, and it’s not like this is setting up anything more than Lashley getting a title shot at Extreme Rules anyway.

Post match Lashley puts on the full nelson until Ricochet and Cedric Alexander come in for the save.

Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley

Joined in progress again as we now have four out of seven matches being made during the show. Lashley throws him around to start and drops Ricochet with a release suplex. Ricochet tries to fight up but gets caught in the spinning Big Ending for two. Lashley throws him outside and then tosses him around even more, followed by a ram into the post. The count is broken up at nine even though Ricochet is mostly dead. Lashley sets for the spear but Ricochet collapses.

Ricochet slips out of the full nelson and sends Lashley to the floor. Lashley gets him in a fireman’s carry, only to have Ricochet slip out and post him. MVP sends Lashley back inside where Ricochet hits a Lionsault for two. Cedric Alexander takes out MVP and Ricochet hits some kicks to the head. A big kick is countered into a powerbomb though and the full nelson finishes Ricochet at 6:35.

Rating: C. This started off as a squash and turned into a nice David vs. Goliath match by the end. Lashley wasn’t going to lose to anyone here, let alone Ricochet, so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. At least they got Ricochet and Alexander on the card though and that’s a good thing after so many weeks away.

Post match, Lashley full nelsons Alexander as well.

Bayley and Sasha Banks tell Ziggler not to screw this up for them.

We look at the contract signings again.

Drew McIntyre/Asuka vs. Sasha Banks/Dolph Ziggler

Bayley sits in on commentary as the guys start. McIntyre powers him around early on and chops away in the corner as Asuka is very pleased. A quick Fameasser doesn’t even give Ziggler one and it’s off to the women (Bayley: “MAIN EVENT TIME!”). Asuka shoves her around to start but Sasha avoids a charge. That means the threat of the Asuka Lock but the guys come in, allowing Banks to slip out. A spinning elbow to the face drops Banks to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Ziggler rolling him up for two and hitting the delayed DDT. For some reason Ziggler tags Banks in and Asuka gets to come in as McIntyre is still banged up. Asuka hits a running knee to the face for two on Banks but Bayley offers a distraction. That lets Banks hit a Meteora off the apron (though she seemed to overshoot it) to knock Asuka silly. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Banks hits the double knees in the corner for two more.

Asuka gets in some knees of her own and it’s a double tag to bring the men back in. McIntyre hits the top rope shot to Ziggler’s head but Banks tags herself in. Banks yells at McIntyre, who punches Ziggler off the apron as the yelling ensues. Asuka comes in to kick Banks in the head for two but Banks reverses into a rollup for two. The Bank Statement is countered into the Asuka Lock but Banks flips back onto her for the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C. Just a main event tag match here and they did a good job of making Sasha feel like more of a threat. It’s better to go there than having McIntyre take a fall as they’ve done a great job of making him seem like the most important person on the show. This was one where you could probably guess how the match was going to go and that’s not a bad thing.

Overall Rating: C-. This show started fast and then just died starting with the Rollins segment. It wasn’t the worst show but it went from a hot show to a show focusing on people like Big Show, Andrade, Garza and Ziggler. There was a lot of stuff on here that really didn’t work, and with more than half of the matches being made throughout the night, it felt like they were scrambling to fill three hours. I can get the issues they were dealing with here, but this felt every second of the three hours and that’s not a good thing.

Results

Andrade/Angel Garza b. Viking Raiders – Wing Clipper to Garza

R-Truth b. Akira Tozawa – Rollup

Seth Rollins/Murphy b. Aleister Black/Humberto Carrillo – Stomp to Carrillo

Peyton Royce b. Ruby Riott – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Big Show b. Andrade/Angel Garza – Chokeslam to Andrade

MVP b. Apollo Crews – Fisherman’s suplex

Bobby Lashley b. Ricochet – Full nelson

Sasha Banks/Dolph Ziggler b. Asuka/Drew McIntyre – Rollup to Asuka

 

 

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

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

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 8, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Backlash so expect to hear a lot of about the best match ever. Christian is here to interview Edge, but even more importantly, we have a Decathlon between the Street Profits and the Viking Raiders. Things like that convince me that WWE hates us at times. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Asuka for a match vs. Charlotte but hang on as here are Bayley and Sasha Banks to interrupt. They brag about winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles, allowing them to go wherever they want. Asuka yells in Japanese so here’s Charlotte to tell them to pick up the pace. Charlotte says she needs to beat Asuka, but here are the IIconics to say they’re going to win the titles again on Sunday. Asuka yells some more and Charlotte agrees. It doesn’t matter how many titles Bayley and Sasha win because Charlotte will always see them as garbage. The fight is on and it’s Charlotte and Asuka clearing the ring.

Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. IIconics vs. Charlotte/Asuka

Non-title. Sasha headlocks Peyton down to start but the Meteora is countered into a rollup for two. They both try dropkicks at the same time, meaning it’s a standoff. Asuka and Charlotte are knocked off the apron and it’s Bayley coming in to send Peyton into the corner. There’s a knee to the ribs for two but Peyton gets over to Billie for the tag. Bayley shouts a lot so Billie pulls her down by the hair and knees her in the face.

Charlotte tags herself in and sends Bayley into the corner. There won’t be a tag to Asuka, with Charlotte opting to chop Bayley in the corner instead. Bayley avoids a charge in the corner and drives Charlotte over for the tag to Sasha. The champs stomp away until Charlotte knocks them both down (of course) and brings in Asuka.

House is cleaned in a hurry with the flying hip attack to Banks and a bulldog/clothesline combination to the IIconics. Charlotte mockingly applauds as we take a break. Back with the IIconics cleaning house until it’s off to Charlotte to take them out. Asuka tags herself in and kicks away at Billie, only to have Charlotte tag herself back in, ordering Asuka out of her ring. Chopping abounds but Asuka tags herself in again to Asuka Lock Kay for the tap at 10:42.

Rating: C. You could see where this was going the second Banks and Bayley came out because Charlotte must be involved in everything. Odds are she’s either going to be added to the Raw Women’s Title match or Charlotte and Asuka will be added to the triple threat title match. Really, you might as well just add her to both because we need her star power everywhere, or so WWE certainly seems to believe.

Post match Charlotte lays out Asuka and holds up the title. So the new Tag Team Champions (including Bayley, who has been SmackDown Women’s Champion for eight months) are afterthoughts for another Charlotte title feud. Great.

We recap Seth Rollins hosting Rey Mysterio’s retirement ceremony last week, with Dominick Mysterio looking ready to fight for his dad. Later that night, Aleister Black beat Rollins but got beaten down after the match.

Rey Mysterio joins us for a chat from his house but hang on because Rollins comes out to join commentary. Back from a break with Rey talking about seeing his doctor this morning and now he’s coming for Rollins. Seth says Rey needs to understand the power of words and all the lies that he is spreading. Rey could have walked away a hero but he needs to spread this misinformation. He had the chance to walk away a legend so now Rollins is inviting Rey and Dominick to come to Raw next week. Rey knows this is just because he’s not cleared and yells in Spanish. Cue Black to jump Rollins as we cut to a break.

Humberto Carrillo/Aleister Black vs. Murphy/Austin Theory

Carrillo starts fast with the high angle springboard armdrag to put Theory on the apron. He’s right back in for the double tag to Murphy and Black, with the latter firing off the kicks. Murphy’s Law is countered into a rollup for one and Black adds a springboard moonsault for two. Everything breaks down and Carrillo hits a loud suicide dive onto Theory. Murphy goes up top and gets his head kicked in by Black the pin at 2:20.

Post match here’s Seth Rollins in a Mysterio mask to Mysterio’s music (which is completely different than last week when Nia Jax did the same thing in an Asuka mask) so the trio can beat down Carrillo and Black. Carrillo is sent to the floor and Black gets planted by Murphy’s Law. The Stomp leaves Black laying again.

Randy Orton is ready for Edge to be on the Peep Show.

Here’s Christian for the Peep Show with Edge. After Edge sits down, Christian says Edge is running on fumes and couldn’t pull off the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever in his prime. They’re best friends so they have to be honest with each other. Edge talks about how difficult it is to have this kind of a burden put on him. This is a different Edge though and isn’t the same guy who had to calm Christian down before all of their tag matches. It’s an Edge firing on every cylinder, even though he doesn’t know how many cylinders he has left.

Christian says he’s hearing excuses and he wants to know what Edge was expecting when he came back? Flash a smile and hit some spears before he goes home? Edge’s biggest fan was his mom, who is going to be there for this one too. Christian calls him Adam as Edge’s lip is quivering and that’s what Christian was looking for.

Edge put Orton down at Wrestlemania because he has the anti-venom and we believe in him. We think you can have the greatest match ever, and here’s Orton on the screen to interrupt. Orton is tired of hearing about this and is ready to take away every ounce of GRIT that Edge has. This Sunday, in the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, the redemption of Edge is over. Edge: “No it’s not.” And he leaves.

That was one of the dumbest segments I can remember in a good while and sums up the problem with this entire setup. In the entire Edge and Christian segment, there was not one mention or reference to Edge winning the match. The whole point was having a great match and if Edge won, that was just a bonus. As a fan, why should I care if Edge can have a great match? I should be caring about who wins and loses, not how many stars a match is going to get. It’s one thing for a wrestling fan to think that way but for a wrestling company to be presenting that as the story? That’s a really bad sign.

MVP, in a Shad Gaspard shirt, is ready for Bobby Lashley to be in the VIP Lounge this week but R-Truth interrupts him. As Truth tries to hide in a crate, MVP asks what he is thinking by interrupting him. Cue Bobby Lashley to full nelson Truth and leave him laying.

We recap the Viking Raiders vs. Street Profits. In everything other than wrestling of course.

It’s time for the Decathlon, with five events picked per side. It’s a bunch of rapid fire competitions so here’s the short version:

The Profits won a 1600 meter dash to start, the Raiders won archery (when Dawkins shot a guy in the foot), the Profits won the flip cup (so Ivar broke the table), the Raiders won sword fighting when Ford forfeited, the Profits won the hurdles (resulting in an argument over whether you’re supposed to run through or jump over the hurdles), the Raiders won stick fighting, the Profits won a dance off (with Ford dancing to Sexy Boy and Ivar to Fandango’s theme), the Profits won the shot put, the Raiders won turkey leg eating and the Raiders won the pole vault, meaning it’s a 5-5 tie. My head hurts again.

Here’s Apollo Crews for a chat. He’s ready to defend the US Title against the winner of the following match.

Kevin Owens vs. Andrade vs. Angel Garza

Owens jumps the other two on the way to the ring and the fight is on in a hurry before the bell. We come back from a break with Owens being double teamed and the argument over who gets to pin him. Garza stops to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS, allowing Owens to roll Andrade up for two. Owens fights out of another double team but gets his throat snapped across the rope. A dropkick to the back of the head stops Owens again and it’s Andrade cranking on both arms. The chinlock goes on and Garza grabs the leg at the same time. Joe: “That’s the most violent Pilates session I’ve ever seen.”

A double suplex gives Andrade two but the fight is on when Garza makes the save. Zelina tries to break up the fight on the floor but she gets knocked down as we take a break. Back with Owens breaking up a superplex attempt from Garza and hitting the Swanton for two. Andrade jumps on Owens’ back so he drops down onto Garza for the crash. The Cannonball hits Garza but misses Andrade, who hits the running knees in the corner to both of them.

Garza superkicks Andrade but gets superkicked by Owens, setting up the frog splash for two on Andrade. Garza’s missile dropkick puts Owens down so it’s a strike off between Garza and Andrade. The two of them head outside, leaving Owens to hit a big running flip dive. Back in and Garza dropkicks Owens in the leg and grabs a leglock. The rope is grabbed and Owens hits the Stunner, only to have Andrade come in and steal the pin at 12:49.

Rating: C+. I was surprised by the ending and while I don’t exactly care to see Apollo vs. Andrade again, it wasn’t the way I expected the match to go. Just getting Crews a title defense on pay per view is a good idea, though I’m not sure if he is going to be retaining. This story isn’t all that interesting, but it’s better than having the title sit on the shelf for months at a time.

We look back at the opening segment and match.

Charlotte says she didn’t lose the NXT Women’s Title last night and she doesn’t like Asuka stealing her moment. Asuka dances in with the title, singing about being a champion. Charlotte asks if she takes anything seriously and gets slapped down.

Zelina is mad at Andrade and Garza.

Kurt Angle joins us to read cue cards (you can see his eyes going back and forth) to talk about how important chemistry is to a great match. He picks Edge to win on Sunday.

Drew McIntyre is thinking about joining the Vikings and invites them to a celebration after the show tonight. There will be meat and turkey legs, but Erik tells Ivar to focus.

Here’s MVP for the VIP Lounge. He talks about his guest being great and having the most devastating finishing move in WWE so here’s Drew McIntyre. Drew talks about them being friends, even though MVP might have had something to do with last week’s full nelson. MVP says they’re not friends and that Bobby Lashley is the real guest. See, MVP is here to make Lashley reach his potential as World Champion. Drew asks about all of MVP’s World Titles and offers to count down to the Claymore but Lashley runs in. Cue the Viking Raiders for a scheduled tag match, with the Street Profits joining them.

Viking Raiders vs. MVP/Bobby Lashley

Drew and the Profits are at ringside. Lashley hits a quick Downward Spiral to Ivar but some knees to the ribs get him out of trouble. It’s off to Erik for a knee to MVP as Lana is watching in the back. Ivar slams Erick onto MVP so Lashley comes in to run Erik over. MVP adds a chinlock but quickly hands it back to Lashley to hammer away.

Erik punches his way to freedom though and it’s back to Ivar to clean house. Everything breaks down with MVP and Lashley yelling at the Profits, leaving Ivar to dive onto both of them as we take a break. Back with the Vikings beating Lashley up some more, including an armbar from Ivar.

We cut to an interview with Lana, who talks about how she needs to work on her marriage. Back to full screen with MVP working over Ivar, who flips over MVP’s back to make the hot tag to Erik. Lashley gets sent outside, where he stares at McIntyre and then spears Ivar. Back in and the full nelson makes Erik tap at 15:10.

Rating: C. The action was good and it makes Lashley look like a monster to make someone like Erik tap. That being said, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I hope they wait a bit before doing the Raiders vs. the Profits again. Lashley came off great here as the Raiders are big but he’s better. Good booking, assuming they don’t have the Raiders shrug it off and go for the titles immediately.

Post match Ivar punches MVP and gets full nelsoned as well. The Street Profits can’t break it up, but the Claymore certainly can.

Charlotte vs. Asuka

Non-title and here are Banks and Bayley to join commentary. Charlotte kicks Asuka in the face and then takes her down by the leg. They head outside with Asuka being thrown over the commentary table as we take a break. Back with Asuka still in trouble on the floor and not being able to hit the hip attack inside. She can however something like the Octopus but Charlotte is out in a hurry with a running kick to the head for two.

The IIconics are watching from the crowd as Charlotte cranks on both arms at once. Charlotte knees her to the floor but misses a baseball slide. Instead Asuka hits a dragon screw legwhip over the middle rope and now the hip attack hits against the barricade. Charlotte sends her into the barricade for a clothesline though, followed by some bare kneedrops. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Asuka gets two off a small package.

Charlotte’s clothesline gets the same and it’s out to the floor again. The baseball slide drops Asuka but she unloads with kicks to Charlotte’s leg. Back in and Charlotte boots Asuka off the top as the IIconics jump Banks and Bayley. We take another break with the other four gone and Asuka hip attacking Charlotte. The cross armbreaker has Charlotte in trouble but she powers out and knocks Asuka into the chinlock.

Asuka fights up so Charlotte knees her back down, only to have Asuka get in another shot. The middle rope dropkick sets up a German suplex to send Charlotte into the corner. That means more kicks to the back and it’s a hip attack to put Charlotte outside. They fight to the apron with Charlotte hitting a big boot, setting up a moonsault off the barricade. Asuka’s leg is wrapped around the post but she’s able to pull Charlotte face first into the post as well.

Back in and another big boot gives Charlotte another two but Asuka counters the spear with a heck of a knee to the face. The Asuka Lock is countered with a rollup for two so Asuka rolls her into something like a Koji Clutch. That’s broken up but here’s Nia Jax for a distraction, allowing Charlotte to hit another big boot for the pin at 27:12.

Rating: B. They beat each other up as always and I can go for the idea of Asuka having someone she can’t beat, but another interference to set up the finish wasn’t quite the way I wanted to see it go. No it wasn’t a clean loss, but it feels like Asuka is someone who has been fighting from underneath since the day she won the title. That gets a little annoying and having Charlotte get the win again doesn’t make it any better.

Post match Jax Samoan drops Asuka to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Yes, Charlotte did just open and close the show with wins over the Raw Women’s Champion, the Smackdown Women’s Champion and the Women’s Tag Team Champions. Why are you surprised at this point? The show was pretty solid overall with some good wrestling and a build towards Backlash that was needed. I’m not overly excited for a lot of the show, but the main event looks good and there are a few other things that could help boost it up. This show helped get us there, but 45 minutes of Charlotte is a lot not matter what.

Results

Charlotte/Asuka b. IIconics and Sasha Banks/Bayley – Asuka Lock to Kay

Humberto Carrillo/Aleister Black b. Austin Theory/Murphy – Kick to Murphy’s head

Andrade b. Angel Garza and Kevin Owens – Stunner to Garza

Bobby Lashley/MVP b. Viking Raiders – Full nelson to Erik

Charlotte b. Asuka – Big boot

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

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

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 1, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Backlash and that means it’s time to get the hard push going. They’re doing something right with Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley as last week’s brawl went pretty well. What matters is getting something else underneath that and pushing “the greatest wrestling match ever” isn’t really working. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Seth Rollins and company to open things up. Rollins talks about wanting to face Aleister Black soon but later tonight, it’s Rey Mysterio’s retirement ceremony. Rey won’t be here to retire himself though so Seth, as the leader, is going to appreciate Rey for the rest of us. See, Rey was a sacrifice for the greater good of Monday Night Raw, which was a moment that will live in time forever. Rollins has prepared a video on Rey’s career, which starts off as a nice tribute and then jumps to Rollins taking out Rey’s eye. Cue Black to deck Rollins and clear the ring.

Seth Rollins vs. Aleister Black

They slug it out to the floor to start with Black getting the better of things. Rollins hits a dropkick on the way back inside though and it’s time to stomp away. There’s a dropkick and Rollins talks trash about Black disrespecting Mysterio. Black is sent outside for the suicide dive into the barricade but Rollins misses an enziguri back inside. Black hits a kick to the head but gets backdropped over the top to land face first on the apron in a nasty looking crash.

Austin Theory and Murphy go after Black but here’s Humberto Carrillo (ERG) for the save with a chair before anything happens. Back from a break with Rollins choking away in the corner and slugging off a comeback attempt. The top rope knee to the head misses and Black slugs away with some more success. The Lionsault gives Black two and a German suplex is good for the same. Rollins gets in a low superkick into the Falcon Arrow for two more.

The frog splash hits knees though and they head to the apron for a kickoff. Black kicks him into the steps and hits a moonsault to the floor as we take another break. Back again with Rollins knocking Black off the top and hitting the frog splash for a delayed two. The Stomp misses though and Black grabs an armbar. That’s broken up so Rollins tries another springboard, only to get kneed out of the air. Humberto cuts off Theory and Murphy from interfering, allowing Black to roll Rollins up for the pin at 21:08.

Rating: B-. This felt long but the bigger problem is Rollins losing again. He’s one of the featured stars of the show and he hasn’t exactly won anything important in a good while. I do like Black getting a win though as it gives him a nice boost, though I’m not sure where he is supposed to go at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is on and Black has to watch Carrillo take the Stomp. Rollins asks if Black wants to be a hero and then Stomps him as well.

We look back at Angel Garza beating Kevin Owens last week.

Garza talks about how everything goes in love. In competition and seduction, you must always be one step ahead. He even has a rose for Charly Caruso, but Zelina Vega rips it up.

Shawn Michaels talks about Edge and Randy Orton because he knows about having the greatest matches ever. He picks Edge.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley.

Lana again yells at MVP, who cuts her off and says he isn’t getting sucked into a bunch of attention seeking drama. She accuses him of trying to revive his career but MVP isn’t really phased. Lana calls him a leach, which MVP says means there are two of them. That earns him a slap but no screaming this time.

We recap the opening sequence.

Kayla Braxton brings out Apollo Crews for a chat. Crews talks about how it hasn’t sunk in yet but for tonight, he gets to pick his own opponent. Here’s the opponent for the title defense.

US Title: Apollo Crews vs. Kevin Owens

Crews is defending and Owens has a bad knee coming in. Before the match, Owens thinks Crews is giving him the title shot out of pity. Crews insists that he deserves it, but Owens says the first title reign will be a short one. They start fast with Crews hitting a dropkick for one but Owens is back with his own dropkick. A clothesline to the floor looks to set up the flip dive but Crews is smart enough to step to the side.

Crews’ moonsault off the apron misses so Owens hits a Cannonball off the apron instead. Back in and the Swanton gets two on Crews in a near fall. We pause for a quick injury to Crews, who was goldbricking so the slugout can be on. They fight out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Crews charging into a superkick but coming back with an enziguri for two. A corner splash connects but Owens knocks him down, only to have the Swanton hit knees. They’re both down so here are Andrade and Angel Garza for the double DQ at 10:24.

Rating: C. This was starting to get good near the end and at least Crews looks like a fighting champion instead of someone who loses in his first defense. That being said, it’s more interference to set up an impromptu tag match because that’s one of the favorites around here. A four way at Backlash wouldn’t surprise me.

Angel Garza/Andrade vs. Kevin Owens/Apollo Crews

Never let it be said that this company doesn’t change up something that they like. Joined in progress with Crews being stomped down and Andrade hitting a running knee to the face. Garza comes in for a kick to the face but Crews gets over for the hot tag to Owens. That’s fine with Andrade, who pops him in the face and grabs a half crab. Owens breaks it up and brings Crews back in for an Angle Slam to Andrade. Garza hits Owens in the knee, leaving Andrade to take the Toss Powerbomb for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: D+. It was the short form version of the same kind of match we’ve seen for years. There was nothing interesting here but at least Crews got a pin. Odds are it’s a four way for the title somehow, which could be a nice win for Apollo, assuming they don’t put it on Garza as fast as they can.

We recap the Viking Raiders vs. the Street Profits in various competitions.

Tonight, it’s bowling, with the Raiders being rather good at the game. The Profits are terrible for the sake of tying the score. The Raiders even provide beverages, in the form of goat’s milk. With the Profits not being able to hit a single pin, the Raiders raid the snack bar but don’t get thrown out because Ivar is cute. The Profits want the smoke so the lights get all flashy and the comeback is on. It’s 130-121 to the Profits with one Raiders ball to go, so Ivar is thrown down the alley and hits a strike to win by one pin. That ties the competitions at 2-2.

We recap the IIconics attacking Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss last week.

Cross/Bliss and the IIconics have to be separated in the back.

Nikki Cross vs. Billie Kay

Cross sends her into the corner over and over to start, setting up a basement dropkick for two. A big boot gives Kay two and she elbows Cross for the same. The kickouts are getting on Kay’s nerves so Cross slugs away and even hits a slingshot dropkick to the ribs. The missile dropkick doesn’t work though and Kay hits a sitout Rock Bottom for the pin at 5:10.

Rating: D+. They’re sticking with the greatest hits tonight as we get the challenger pins champion checked off the list. It’s an interesting idea to have the champs trying to fight two battles at once and coming up a bit short though so points for trying something different. And having the champions actually do something of course.

Drew McIntyre is ready to Claymore MVP again if that’s what he wants.

Rey Mysterio joins us via satellite and says he isn’t sure when he’ll be back. If the wound is infected, his career is over. His retirement isn’t in his hands anymore and he may never be cleared to compete again. As for Seth Rollins, he certainly has a lot of negativity for someone who claims to be a messiah. Dominick comes in to say that someone from this family needs to fight back and no he won’t calm down. Rey isn’t happy with what Rollins has put his family through and leaves. Dominick stays and says an eye for an eye.

Here’s Nia Jax to say she didn’t start this with Kairi Sane. This is all smoke and mirrors, just like Asuka’s title reign. Asuka is champion because of Becky’s hormones and now Nia is the victim in all of this.

We recap R-Truth and Rob Gronkowski arguing over the 24/7 Title.

Earlier today, Gronkowski was doing a Tik Tok photo shoot when R-Truth, as the gardener, rolled him up to steal the title back. Good. Now stay gone.

Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax

Nia shoves her down to start and pats her on the head, earning a shot to the face. Sane gets in a sleeper but Jax slips out, leaving Sane to kick away at the back/shoulder. Back up and a headbutt catches Sane on top but she pulls Jax down with a DDT for one. The sliding elbow in the corner looks to set up the Insane Elbow but Jax rolls outside. Sane’s slide is countered and Jax sends her head first into the steps. Back in and the big leg finishes Sane in a hurry. This would be the match where Sane was busted open badly so they did a nice job with the editing there.

Rating: C-. Now stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Nia is laughing off the idea that anyone could beat her and is being all dominant as she heads into a title shot. That feels like the only story that they know how to tell with her and it gets a little tiresome seeing it every single time. That’s the same problem that so many stories have these days and it’s not going away.

We look back at Edge’s comments on Randy Orton last week.

Orton talks about Ric Flair calling him the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. A few weeks ago, Edge talked about Orton not having a passion for wrestling and having everything handed to him. It’s true, and Edge is angry that it took a half effort from Orton to accomplish everything. All he has to do is wake up, lace up his boots and get in the ring. At Backlash, Edge’s storybook ending is being rewritten by the RKO.

Charlotte vs. Asuka

Non-title. Before the match, Charlotte talks about how she wants one of the NXT wrestlers in the crowd to step up and become her next challenger so she can make them bow down. We hear about Asuka’s resume and Charlotte thinks the Empress wants to be the Queen. The threat of the Asuka Lock is broken up early on and Charlotte strikes away. A shot to Asuka’s knee sends us to an early break.

Back with Charlotte staying on the knee, including a kick to said knee to cut off Asuka’s striking. Charlotte charges into a kick to the head though and a German suplex into a Shining Wizard gets two. Joe: “A flying knee each day keeps the coherency away.” Asuka pulls her into the triangle choke, which is reversed into a Boston crab.

Asuka rolls out and grabs a kneebar but Charlotte stands up and grabs her own German suplex. That just means another triangle from Asuka, with Charlotte powerbombing her way to freedom for two more. Charlotte kicks her to the floor….so here’s Nia Jax in Asuka’s mask to Asuka’s music for a distraction and the countout to give Charlotte the win at 9:47.

Rating: B-. I never need to see Charlotte again and I certainly don’t need to see her beat Asuka again. The love for Charlotte around here is sickening at times and this time we even got Nia Jax mocking thrown in to keep up the greatest hits. They were having a good match and I’ll take the countout over a clean fall any day. Just give me a break from Nia and Charlotte. Please.

Lana is asked if Bobby Lashley or MVP came up with the idea of her not being at ringside for Lashley’s matches. She isn’t sure, but she can be ringside for other matches.

MVP vs. Drew McIntyre

Non-title and here is Bobby Lashley to watch. Hold on though as here’s Lana to stand next to a confused Lashley. McIntyre hammers him down in the corner to start and adds a clothesline, followed by the Glasgow Kiss to the floor. Lashley offers a distraction though and MVP sends McIntyre into various things. Back in and a running big boot gives MVP one but McIntyre shrugs it off and hits the top rope shot to the head. Lashley pulls MVP outside so McIntyre dives onto both of them. The Claymore finishes MVP at 2:56. Lana added nothing here.

Post match Lashley grabs the full nelson on McIntyre to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Man alive I did not care about this show or anything on it. They were doing a bunch of by the book angle advancement and while the wrestling was good, it was a chore to watch and didn’t make me want to see anything on the pay per view. The Edge vs. Orton stuff started off pretty dumb and is now just getting annoying, just like the Rollins vs. Mysterio feud, which seems to be bringing in Dominick for a replacement. Not a good show from a storytelling perspective (though Lashley vs. McIntyre still has me interested) but the wrestling was a bright spot.

Results

Aleister Black b. Seth Rollins – Rollup

Kevin Owens vs. Apollo Crews went to a double DQ when Angel Garza and Andrade interfered

Apollo Crews/Kevin Owens b. Andrade/Angel Garza – Toss Powerbomb to Andrade

Billie Kay b. Nikki Cross – Sitout Rock Bottom

Nia Jax b. Kairi Sane – Legdrop

Charlotte b. Asuka via countout

Drew McIntyre b. MVP – Claymore

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

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

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

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

This time around it’s a look at Seth Rollins’ stable, including who should be in it, what it should be called, and more. Plus, your up to date scorecard in who is yelling at whom this week in wrestling podcasts (you really do need something to help you keep track). All this and more of course.

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7s8JdTf6kIDKyBLNxNqFzA

Google Podcasts:
https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aH…lzb2Rlcy9mZWVk

Spreaker:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/mouth-…ore-radio-show

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/MouthOfTheSouthShoreRadioShow

Twitter and Instagram:
@motssradio

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 18, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

We’re on the road to Backlash and that means we need to get ready for a midlevel pay per view. I’m not sure what to expect from the show but there is a good chance that something will be added this time around. If nothing else, we have King Corbin as a guest star and an ax throwing contest. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Becky Lynch highlight reel. I know the timing of this might not be the best, but this feels like an In Memorium segment.

Opening sequence.

Charly Caruso is in the ring to start and brings up the idea of Randy Orton vs. Edge being the best wrestling match of all time, should it take place. Cue Orton to say that challenging Edge to a wrestling match isn’t a surprise because the second W stands for wrestling. They’ve already torn the building apart in a Last Man Standing match and on that night, Edge was the better man.

No one can do what he does in the ring in a wrestling match though, including Edge. Last week Orton saw doubt in Edge’s eyes and the grit (take a shot) and passion are gone. Cue Edge (in a GET GRIT) to say Orton is playing a game of chess so he wasn’t going to rush in. This is just about getting a paycheck for Orton because he was handed this spot.

Orton didn’t grow up dreaming of being WWE Champion or saving up money to go to the show at the end of the month like Edge did. He didn’t cry when he won the Intercontinental Title because it was a stepping stone to the top. Edge remembers beating Orton for that title in 2004 but Orton tells him to hold on. Edge isn’t stopping because Orton doesn’t love this like everyone else does and yes he accepts the challenge. That’s enough for Orton, who leaves without saying a word. I’m digging the love of the business vs. love of a check vibe here, though the “best match ever” thing isn’t working.

We look back at Seth Rollins injuring Rey Mysterio’s eye and getting in a fight with Aleister Black as a result.

Rollins, in a suit, has a revelation for Murphy.

Here are Rollins and Murphy to explain what that revelation is. Rollins talks about falling into a dark place after losing to Drew McIntyre at Money in the Bank, but without darkness, there can be no light. However, he has been pulled out of the darkness by Rey Mysterio. What happened last week has been described as an act of hatred and an act of penance.

Rollins saw it as a moment of clarity that can make him the leader Raw needs. Rey is sitting at home with his family and soon, he will come to know that what happened to him was a blessing in disguise. Soon Rey will say thank you. Cue Humberto Carrillo to say Rey is an idol to millions and Rollins is just a coward. Carrillo gets in the ring but Murphy gets between them.

Murphy vs. Humberto Carrillo

Joined in progress, despite Murphy already having a match with Aleister Black scheduled for later. Humberto gets in a kick to the head from the apron but Murphy sends him head first into the mat. Back up and Humberto hits an enziguri, followed by a springboard kick to the face to put Murphy on the floor. That means the big twisting flip dive but Carrillo glares at Rollins, allowing Murphy to knee him out of the air. Murphy’s Law finishes Carrillo at 2:50.

Post match Murphy stays on Carrillo but here’s Black to start in a hurry. Or not actually as Black tries Black Mass, sending Murphy bailing up the ramp.

King Corbin complains about not having his own private locker room. There were fingerprint smudges on his crown and he has to go from building to building to get food. What is going on here at Raw? Now, he and the referee need to talk about how tonight’s match is going to go.

An emotional Liv Morgan talks about her mom not having much in her bank account but having a lot of determination. She is her mother’s daughter and a couple of weeks ago, she had a match with twelve time champion Charlotte. No she didn’t win, but she did learn. One day, she will be Raw Women’s Champion.

Here’s Charlotte for a chat because she needs to be on every show. Charlotte talks about everything she’s been doing lately, including a champion vs. champion match this week on Smackdown against Bayley and her sidekick Sasha Banks. As for tonight though, she invites Ruby Riott out here for a challenge.

Charlotte vs. Ruby Riott

Non-title and joined in progress again with the fight heading to the floor where Riott can dodges a chop, which hits the post by mistake. Riott goes after the arm but gets sent into the post, allowing Charlotte asks if Liv is watching this. Back up and Riott manages to send Charlotte face first into the middle buckle for two. Riott hits a Downward Spiral, though Charlotte takes it almost like a DDT. A double wristlock is broken up so Ruby tires the Riott Kick, which is blocked with ease. The Figure Eight makes Riott tap at 3:40.

Rating: C. Hey Charlotte wins again while Riott loses again. It’s almost like you could have just gone with that result as soon as Riott’s music came on. The match was the usual way to let WWE praise Charlotte every chance they can, because the solution to everything is more Charlotte (and more Corbin of course).

Bobby Lashley is ready for R-Truth but MVP comes in to bring up the fact that Lashley hasn’t had a WWE Championship match in thirteen years. Lashley already has enough trophies, like that trophy wife. That earns MVP a glare, but all he wants is to unleash Lashley.

We look back at last week’s basketball game. Tonight: axe throwing.

The Street Profits are ready for the competition and run into a bunch of people in viking gear. The Viking Raiders blow a horn and say they have a gift for them: SMOKE, as produced by a fire. Dawkins says they don’t mean it literally, but Ford says you accepts a gift from a bunch of vikings with axes. Good advice really. Ivar throws a perfect axe and Ford is ready to go already. Dawkins says they’ve got this. More on this later.

Here’s Kairi Sane with a bunch of balloons around the ring to celebrate Asuka. Cue Asuka, who is very pleased by the whole thing. Sane presents her with some flowers and talks about all of Asuka’s accomplishments, making her a Grand Slam Champion. Sane busts out a flute and plays a little diddy, only to have Nia Jax interrupt.

There’s nothing to celebrate because Asuka was handed the title. Becky is on maternity leave so Asuka is just on a temp job. Nia will be champion soon because look at her. Then we can have a real party, so Asuka starts striking away. The running hip attack sends Jax outside. This would have been a little better had it not been the same as about 184 other Jax promos.

King Corbin says Drew McIntyre may be WWE Champion but he’s not a king you see. Drew beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship but he still has the ability to slip up. We see Drew watching in the back as Corbin says the next time they face off, he’ll take Drew’s title in the main event of Wrestlemania.

Here’s R-Truth, whose cousin Pretty Ricky has talked about how bad Bobby Lashley has been lately. Now he doesn’t want to be put in Nelson from the Simpsons again but he’s going to have to face Lashley tonight. His childhood hero John Cena would never give up, just like Truth will never give up on getting his baby back. So Tom Brady, he’s coming for you, even if it means a sack! After commentary explains the joke (AGAIN), we’re ready to go.

R-Truth vs. Bobby Lashley

Truth accuses Lashley of trying to Debo him and bails outside, where Pretty Ricky appears. Lashley isn’t having that and sends him ribs first into the post. Back in and Lashley slaps him a few times, sending Truth into a frenzy. Unfortunately that frenzy lasts about three seconds as it’s a clothesline into the full nelson slam. The full nelson makes Truth tap at 2:25.

Post match MVP comes out to applaud.

Lana is watching in the back and screams again. She throws some stuff to add an extra dimension.

The Kabuki Warriors are rather happy in the back as Nia Jax watches on.

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

The IIconics are challenging and show us a clip of their win last week. They’re looking forward to getting their titles back so Bliss and Cross can just leave. Bliss has to fight out of the corner to start and the double knees Royce’s ribs get two. It’s off to Kay for a scoop brainbuster on Cross but she misses a big boot, allowing the (rather early) hot tag to Bliss. Insult To Injury gets two on everything breaks down in a hurry. Bliss blasts Kay with the right hand and Twisted Bliss gets two as Royce makes the save. Peyton sends Bliss into the post three times in a row, which is a DQ at 2:44.

Sane is playing the flute again but Jax sends her into a case.

Post break, Kay blames Royce for the loss and slaps her before they hug and cry.

We look at Chapter Two of Undertaker’s Last Ride.

We look back at Shayna Baszler beating Natalya last week. Tonight, they’re meeting again in a submission match.

Asuka is livid and wants revenge on Nia.

Post break, Asuka jumps Nia as they’re flying through this story tonight.

Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler

Submission match. Natalya goes right after her and tries an early Sharpshooter, which is reversed into an ankle lock. That’s broken up with a boot to the face so Baszler starts bending the arm. Natalya spins out so Baszler pulls her straight down by the hair. Shayna can’t get the Sharpshooter so Natalya puts her own. The rope is reached but THANKFULLY that’s not a break, meaning Shayna has to crawl out of the ring for the break. Back in and Natalya grabs a kneebar but Shayna reverses into a Koquina Clutch for the tap at 3:48.

Rating: C-. Some of the holds looked a bit nasty but it’s still Natalya. Why does WWE think fans are interested in her other than she’s been around for a long time? The match wasn’t terrible but I’m going to need a much bigger reason to care about Natalya than….well whatever reason WWE thinks we have of caring about her. A heel turn isn’t going to work either, as Natalya can’t do emotions no matter what.

Post match the production staff sets up the KO Show but Natalya wrecks everything in a fit.

We look at the issues between Zelina Vega and company.

Vega tells her team to be on the same page out there. Andrade seems to blame Austin Theory for everything and tensions remain high.

Here’s Kevin Owens for the first time since Wrestlemania for the Kevin Owens Show, though the set is still wrecked. Owens has been out since Wrestlemania due to an injury but now he’s back at full health. Therefore, let’s bring out his guests: Zelina Vega, Andrade, Angel Garza and Austin Theory.

Owens heads to the apron so Vega can talk about how there is no distention here and there won’t be a Jerry Springer Show. Vega brags about all four of them and isn’t happy that Owens is on the apron. Owens says he’s offering them some respect but it’s also because there is another guest: Apollo Crews, who runs in to jump Andrade. The big brawl is on and we take a break.

Angel Garza/Andrade vs. Kevin Owens/Apollo Crews

Not joined in progress for once with Garza TAKING OFF HIS PANTS early on. Due to the lighter weight, Crews suplex slams Garza down and hands it off to Owens to stomp away. A backsplash crushes him as Owens tells Andrade to get in. Andrade does just that and kicks Owens down but he’s right back with a clothesline.

It’s back to Crews to pick up the pace, including a hard spinebuster to Garza. Vega offers a distraction so Theory can accidentally hit Garza, allowing Crews to hit the toss powerbomb to finish Garza at 2:49. Owens is very proud of Crews. Not that Owens would want the US Title for himself or anything, because that’s not what we’re doing at the moment.

Post match the team is in disarray and Andrade jumps Theory from behind. The fight is on with Garza helping take Theory down as Vega yells at them to stop. Theory is sent into the barricade and Vega adds a slap, saying she should have never believed in him. Another whip sends Theory into some chairs as the team seems to be down one man.

Drew McIntyre says he’s ready for all of the challenges and Monday is always a good night for a Claymore Party. He knows Bar….hold on let him get this right….King Corbin is dangerous but Drew has a special Claymore for him.

Back to the woods, where the Vikings are really, really good at axe throwing (or maybe the production staff is really good at camera cuts). Ford asks for some space so he can get his Tiger Woods on. Ivar: “TIGER??? IS THERE A TIGER IN THE WOODS???” Can we PLEASE get some continuity on their level of pop culture knowledge? Anyway, Ford throws and the axe goes sailing over a tree.

Post break, Dawkins goes to throw and accidentally breaks the barrel of ale. Ford offers some of his cup but Dawkins says this is nothing like Thor.

Aleister Black vs. Murphy

Seth Rollins is here too. Black wastes no time in striking away at Murphy and taking it to the floor for a big kick to the chest. Another kick hits post though (like when Charlotte chopped the post earlier) and Murphy takes him inside as Rollins sees Theory still down at ringside. Black fights back and loads up Black Mass but Theory comes in for the DQ at 2:34 on Rollins’ orders.

Post match the beatdown is on with Theory hugging Rollins.

And now, in the fourth segment of the night, it’s time for the actual axe throwing competition. They both get ten throws and only bulls’ eyes count. The Vikings win 10-1 with Ford hitting the only target on the last throw. Then the cops come up to complain about an axe being thrown through their police car window. It must have been someone who couldn’t throw, so Dawkins takes the axe, throws it over his shoulder, and hits a bull’s eye. See, it’s like the opposite of last week, but with axes!

Apollo Crews says he’s been waiting a long time since Money in the Bank and now he had to do something. Now, he knows what he wants: the United States Title, which he wants a shot at next week. Zelina Vega comes in and promises pain next week if Crews goes through with this. Crews is ready for his title shot.

We’re STILL not done with the axe throwing thing, as the cops yell at all four of them for being dangerous. The female cop lets them go though because Ivar is cute. Erik, not so much.

Drew McIntyre vs. King Corbin

Non-title. Hold on though as here are Bobby Lashley and MVP, with the former saying he’s coming for McIntyre’s title no matter what. The two of them watch as McIntyre and Corbin fight over a lockup to start. A shot to the leg staggers McIntyre early on but he’s fine enough to clothesline Corbin outside. Another clothesline puts Corbin over the barricade with MVP clapping from the stage.

There’s a third clothesline to put Corbin at ringside and he goes inside, only to roll back to the floor to avoid a Claymore. Corbin knocks McIntyre off the apron and into the barricade, followed by the slide underneath the corner clothesline for two. McIntyre gets sent face first into the turnbuckle and it’s a superplex to give Corbin one. Corbin talks trash and runs into an overhead belly to belly.

There’s a big boot to set up the top rope shot to the head into McIntyre’s nip up. McIntyre gets two off a spinebuster but Corbin plants him down for one more. Back up and the Futureshock looks to set up the Claymore, which is countered into Deep Six for two. Corbin tries the slide under the ropes clothesline but walks into the Claymore for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: C. Now this is a better usage of Corbin (provided you keep him on one show): let him do one match as a threat to the champ and then send him elsewhere. There is no reason to do anything higher up with him than that and if WWE can grasp that concept, they might be able to get something out of Corbin. It was fine for a warmup for McIntyre vs. Lashley and that’s all it needed to be. Now keep Corbin on his own show if you have to have him in such a big role.

McIntyre calls out Lashley but MVP points at his watch to say on their time to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure how to feel on this one as they had some good and bad things going. I like the keeping things moving and making you want to know where things are going next. There is no reason to have some big fifteen minute match and then expect me to want to see more of it next week. Save that stuff for the pay per view and make it feel more important.

Then though you have points where they just kept going with stuff. Nia seems primed to be the next challenger for Asuka. Ok, that’s fine. Have her interrupt, then have her attack Sane, then have Asuka swear revenge for her fallen friend, who Nia could beat in a regular match if you have the chance. That’s probably a month and they did it in about ten minutes. It’s ok to not burn through EVERYTHING in one night while also keeping things moving. Find the middle ground.

That middle ground does not include FIVE SEGMENTS on an axe throwing contest in the middle of the woods, especially a week after a basketball game. The Vikings beat the Profits in a tag match two weeks ago on Raw. In theory that sets up a title match (because WWE loves that trope) but instead, it’s setting up a rehash of MVP/Matt Hardy when neither were healthy enough to wrestle. I know they’re stretched for ideas here, but can we please just get to a match instead of the guaranteed tiebreaker competition next week?

Overall, this show wasn’t the worst by any stretch and they are indeed doing something, but a lot of what they are doing is making my head hurt. Lashley is a great choice as the Monster Of The Month/Two for McIntyre and I like Theory joining up with Rollins, who is a much better fit for him than Vega and company. Just tighten things up a bit and this show could actually work rather than being dragged over the finish line for a change.

Results

Murphy b. Humberto Carrillo – Murphy’s Law

Charlotte b. Ruby Riott – Figure Eight

Bobby Lashley b. R-Truth – Full nelson

Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross b. IIconics via DQ when Royce sent Bliss into the post

Shayna Baszler b. Natalya – Koquina Clutch

Apollo Crews/Kevin Owens b. Angel Garza/Andrade – Toss powerbomb to Garza

Aleister Black b. Murphy when Austin Theory interfered

Drew McIntyre b. King Corbin – Claymore

 

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

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

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 11, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

It’s time to start picking things up a lot again around here as Becky Lynch is going to make some kind of major announcement. That sounds like she might be dropping the title, and really that might be the only option as it’s hard to imagine almost anyone beating her. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we’ve got coming up on the way to Backlash next month. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Money in the Bank ladder matches with Asuka and Otis winning the briefcases.

Opening sequence.

Here’s an emotional Becky Lynch without the title but with the Money in the Bank briefcase. She’s upset about something and needs to go away for awhile. That’s why she made asked the powers that be around here to raise the stakes last night. Cue Asuka to scream about the briefcase, but Becky opens it up to reveal the title, which now belongs to Asuka because the ladder match was for the title, not an opportunity at the title. Asuka freaks out and celebrates around the arena. Becky: “You go be a warrior, because I’m gonna go be a mother.” Asuka stops and hugs Becky before chanting her name in a great moment.

Post break a bunch of wrestlers come in to congratulate Lynch on the news.

Bobby Lashley vs. Humberto Carrillo

No DQ and it’s not a good sign that I heard Carrillo’s music and said out loud “do we have to?”. Lashley throws him around to start but gets knocked outside, setting up a suicide dive. That’s knocked away so Lashley grabs a chair, which is dropkicked into his face as we take a break. Back with Carrillo missing a baseball slide but avoiding a big boot and kicking Lashley in the head. A dive off the barricade is pulled out of the air and Carrillo gets posted hard. Carrillo gets the chair though and unloads, only to get caught in a full nelson to make Carrillo tap at 8:40.

Rating: D+. I know they’re trying with Carrillo and want him to be a thing but egads it’s not working. There’s just not much there and it’s showing more and more every single time. He’s fine enough in the ring but the lack of charisma or reason to care is destroying him. Lashley isn’t going to get much further with a full nelson, but the power stuff is better than the Lana nonsense.

The Street Profits are ready to meet the Viking Raiders….in a game of basketball.

The Raiders don’t know why they’re doing this and think karaoke might work. Oh and worry about fouls.

Asuka and Kairi Sane celebrate the title.

Video on Edge vs. Randy Orton at Wrestlemania.

We look back at Apollo Crews getting injured against Angel Garza.

Zelina Vega and company are arguing in the back.

Angel Garza vs. Akira Tozawa

Joined in progress with Garza sending him into the corner and TAKING OFF HIS PANTS. A loud chop in the corner connects as Vega is arguing with Andrade and Austin Theory at ringside. Tozawa snaps off a hurricanrana but gets caught with a pop up kick to the chest. A penalty kick gives Garza two and he loads up the Wing Clipper, yells at Theory, and plants Tozawa for the pin at 2:45. Tozawa’s back and forth booking between Raw and anything related to the Cruiserweight Title tournament continues to astound me.

Post match the team keeps arguing but here’s Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre is ready to fight and Claymores Theory. Garza and Andrade laugh so it’s a Claymore to Garza, followed by a staredown with Andrade.

Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade

Non-title. McIntyre works on an armbar to start and shouts at Vega a bit. Back up and McIntyre hits a kick to the ribs out of the corner to send Andrade outside. Andrade charges into a tilt-a-whirl slam onto the apron as this is one sided so far. Andrade dives under the ring and reaches through the ropes that hold it together to pull McIntyre into the apron.

A baseball slide hits McIntyre in the ribs before Andrade starts in on the arm. Double knees to said arm get two but McIntyre is back with a sitout powerbomb for the same. McIntyre gets sent into the corner for the running knees but the hammerlock DDT is countered into a Glasgow Kiss. The reverse Alabama Slam sets up the Claymore for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C+. They’re moving with the stories tonight as Vega’s team seems to be on the ropes after only being around for a few weeks. Andrade losing again doesn’t make him look good, but it’s not like his title reign has meant anything in four and a half months anyway. Granted he’s losing to the World Champion so it’s not like it’s some upset. Still though, either protect him or get rid of the title.

Post match Drew says he didn’t come out here for a match but anything can happen on Monday Night Raw. He’s always up for a Claymore party, but he’s here to talk about something else. Last night he was in a heck of a fight with Seth Rollins. He still has the title though and now he has some more exciting news. There is something called the Brand To Brand Invitation, meaning that a wrestler from Smackdown has challenged Drew to a match and it has been accepted. That’s why next week, live on Raw, it’s Drew vs. King Corbin.

MVP asks Lashley when he last had a WWE Title shot. That would be 2007, when MVP was just getting started. Now MVP is back and Lashley is in the same place. When is the real Lashley coming out? MVP walks off and runs into Lana, who he says should let Lashley free. Lana screams. A lot.

It’s time for A Moment Of Bliss with Bliss saying the Man is having a baby. Nikki: “The Man becomes the mom!” Nikki wishes all of the mothers a happy belated Mother’s Day but here are the returning IIconics to interrupt, with Nikki imitating their pose. Peyton doesn’t like being disrespected and the title challenge is on. Nikki says the titles are like their babies so Billie says we can make it non-title. They are the future because they are ICONIC.

IIconics vs. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross

Nikki kicks Peyton to the floor to start and ties her in the ring skirt for the beating. Back in and the IIconics get Cross into the corner for the double teaming. Some rollups give Nikki two but Peyton kicks her down for two. Billie grabs the chinlock and hands it back to Peyton, who gets slammed in a hurry so Nikki can tag Bliss. House is cleaned in a hurry and it’s Insult To Injury for two on Billie. Everything breaks down and a shot to the throat staggers Bliss. Nikki is sent outside and something like a reverse Magic Killer finishes Bliss at 4:28.

Rating: D+. The IIconics aren’t much in the ring and it’s another bad sign for the titles as another team pops up and is now the other half of the division. These might be the least necessary titles in recent memory and it doesn’t make it any better when teams just come and go for months at a time but are suddenly in the title match.

Rey Mysterio, who was thrown off the roof last night, reveals that he landed on a lower roof six feet below so he and Aleister Black are teaming tonight. Seth Rollins, one of Rey’s opponents tonight, comes in to glare at Rey, who congratulates him on becoming a father. Rollins walks away from a handshake.

R-Truth/Ricochet/Cedric Alexander vs. MVP/Brendan Vink/Shane Thorne

Truth dances into the splits to start and makes Thorne sit down in pain. It’s off to Ricochet as Truth becomes Pretty Ricky (crossed eyes, big teeth) on the apron. Vink comes in to elbow Alexander in the face and the pace slows a bit. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by Thorne coming inf or a kick to the back.

Thorne grabs the neck crank and hands it back to Vink, who is kicked in the head. The hot tag brings in Truth (yes Truth, not Ricky) so house can be cleaned on MVP. Everything breaks down and Ricochet moonsaults onto everyone but MVP and Truth. Ricky comes back so MVP knocks out his big teeth, only to get caught in the Lie Detector (and a horrible one at that) for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: D+. Well that was dumb. The Pretty Ricky thing is rather stupid and I have a feeling the big teeth are going to get some people complaining. It wasn’t a good match, but at least MVP took the fall instead of one of the younger people. I still can’t get my head around Vink pinning Ricochet, but they seem to have moved on from that for now at least.

Post match here’s Lashley to spear Truth down and put him in the full nelson. Lashley leaves with MVP.

Jinder Mahal says he’s back.

AJ Styles grabs some popcorn to watch a look at the first episode of the Last Ride.

We look back at Becky’s announcement.

Shayna Baszler can’t believe Becky threw away her career to grow a parasite. Shayna: “Do we know who the father is?”

We look at the first part of the Last Ride.

Becky and Vince McMahon have a moment we can’t hear.

Aleister Black/Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Yes, a day after what looked like death. Rollins on the other hand seems to be in a trance with his hair all over the place. Black grabs an Octopus on Murphy, followed by a hard armdrag into an armbar. Murphy tries to fight back but Black moonsaults into his sitting position to stare him down. An elbow to the face rocks Black as Rollins still hasn’t moved an inch.

Black knees Murphy out to the floor, with Rollins registering nothing. Another big knockdown sends us to a break. Back with Murphy diving into a knee to the face to put them both down. Rey comes in with the seated senton and the springboard spinning crossbody. Murphy’s Law is countered into the sitout bulldog for two but Murphy sends him into the corner. That means Rey knocks Rollins off the apron so Rollins breaks up the 619…and that’s a DQ at 11:00.

Rating: C. This was an angle instead of a match and that’s ok. Mysterio vs. Rollins could be interesting as Rollins’ Monday Night Messiah deal (assuming it’s still around) wasn’t quite working as a main event story. I’m curious where they’re going with this, but it’s an interesting way to start.

Post match Rollins destroys Mysterio and hits him in the eye. Black gets sent over the barricade and Rollins orders Murphy to step back. Rollins sends Rey face first into the steps and the eye is busted open.

The Viking Raiders practiced basketball to less than successful results. So they know what Carpool Karaoke is but not basketball? WHO WRITES THIS STUFF???

And now, the basketball game between the Raiders and the Profits. Ivar doesn’t know what it means to check and the Profits score without much trouble. The Profits are up big and say they want the smoke. Erik: “Actually, smoking isn’t good for you.” Ivar rolls the ball to Erik, whose shot is blocked without much trouble.

Dawkins knew white men couldn’t jump but they weren’t sure about vikings. It’s 49-0 late in the third quarter and Ford hits a three from half court. Erik picks Ivar up and calls a foul on himself. The Vikings score late and claim a victory, despite the score being 74-2 with the Vikings having committed 19 fouls.

AND THAT’S IT! That’s the whole segment. The Tag Team Champions and the team that beat them last week just played a game of basketball where the Profits destroyed them because the Vikings, at least one of whom can drive and knows how to write a song about worshiping Thor, don’t know how basketball works. I’d pay to see the production meeting where this was written, but it might give me hives.

Natalya doesn’t like Shayna disrespecting motherhood but Shayna says Natalya will never have a kid. The Hart Dynasty dies with her.

Back on the basketball court, it turns out that the Raiders were faking and are quite good at basketball, including Ivar being able to dunk. So wait….you know, actually I’m good. I don’t want to know anything more about this.

And before someone misses the point and explains the idea of “anything you can do I can do better”, I get it. This was just really stupid, as the champs shrugged off the loss from last week, after apparently being eaten up by not being able to beat the Raiders, and played basketball with them.

Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya

Natalya takes her down to start but Shayna drives her into the corner and dances a bit. That earns her some applause from Natalya, who tries to roll her into the Sharpshooter. That’s broken up so Baszler misses the stomp on the arm, only to knee Natalya in the head for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: D+. Baszler was a great jerk earlier but there is only so much that can be done in a short match against Natalya. It was a lot better than having Natalya try to be emotional though as she just isn’t that good at doing so. The knee to the face for the pin looked good though and Baszler could be a great challenger for a face Asuka.

Post match Natalya freaks out over the loss. Yeah still not interesting.

King Corbin doesn’t feel bad about throwing Black and Mysterio off the roof because they’re fine. He’s able to take Drew on next week because Corbin made him the champion. Next week, Corbin is taking him out.

Next week: the IIconics get a Women’s Tag Team Title shot.

Here’s Edge for the big closing segment. He knows his career didn’t end at Wrestlemania but why is he confronting Randy Orton? Edge got his pound of flesh at Wrestlemania….and here’s Orton. Randy says congratulations because the better man won. Orton goes to leave but turns around and comes back because he can’t be the bigger man. The better man won at Wrestlemania but the better wrestler didn’t.

Edge hid behind other wrestlers at the Royal Rumble and then incapacitated Orton at Wrestlemania. He might not have gotten up at ten but it didn’t take him nine years to make it back. Orton talks about how Edge hasn’t had a regular match since 2011 and his grit and passion won’t help him there. If Edge has the guts, they’ll have a straight up wrestling match at Backlash. Edge doesn’t say anything but Charly Caruso says if it happens, it might be the greatest wrestling match ever. Try to get your head around that one to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all over the place with one story after another. What matters though is they felt like they were trying again. The energy was back and while a lot of it was in the wrong direction (Basketball? MORE CORBIN???), it was a big difference than the dead shows that we’ve been seeing as of late. Last week had better matches and was a better show on its own, but this one had some stuff that made me want to watch again. You can tell Money in the Bank season is over because there was a point to stuff here. Maybe not good points, but points nonetheless.

Results

Bobby Lashley b. Humberto Carrillo – Full nelson

Angel Garza b. Akira Tozawa – Wing Clipper

Drew McIntyre b. Andrade – Claymore

IIconics b. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross – Spinning faceplant to Bliss

R-Truth/Ricochet/Cedric Alexander b. Brendan Vink/Shane Thorne/MVP – Lie Detector to MVP

Aleister Black/Rey Mysterio b. Seth Rollins/Murphy via DQ when Rollins attacked Mysterio in the ropes

Shayna Baszler b. Natalya – Knee to the face

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

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

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

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

It’s time for another unique one as we have Money in the Bank split between the WWE Headquarters in Connecticut and down at the Performance Center. Depending on which reports you believe, the ladder match (Is it matches or match?) may be taking place throughout the show, because just having the match as usual is too simple or something I guess. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Jeff Hardy vs. Cesaro

There aren’t a lot of good things going on in WWE at the moment but they are doing an excellent job with making Hardy’s return a big deal. Hardy is a living legend and treating him like one is a very good idea. Above all else (and this will come into play later), if you weren’t watching twelve years ago, you might not know of Hardy’s mega singles run. Bring your fans up to date with that amazing video production team that they had. It can work wonders and it was awesome here.

In case you didn’t get it, of course Hardy wins here as he seems primed for some sort of a run. Cesaro is a perfect choice for a first opponent in nearly two months as he can work with anyone and works a similar style to Sheamus, who is the big prize for Hardy at the moment. Hardy is a heck of a star and Cesaro can make him look good, though I’d love for Cesaro to get one big singles run. I’d think he’s earned it at this point.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Tamina

We’re starting the main card with this one for the sake of getting it out of the way. I like Bayley quite a bit but my goodness she can be dull at times. It also doesn’t help that there is no reason to believe that this is leading to anyone but Sasha Banks in the big blowoff. Then there’s Tamina and egads how much more can I complain about her? For the sake of my blood pressure, we’ll move on from this as fast as possible.

Bayley retains here and there’s no reason for anything else to go down. We’re likely heading for Bayley vs. Banks at Summerslam and the idea of Tamina winning….well my goodness hasn’t there been enough suffering in the world lately? This match could be a disaster and I’m not expecting much more, but hopefully they get in and out quickly without doing something stupid.

R-Truth vs. MVP

This was added to the show on Saturday and I’m really not sure why. With all of the people they’ve been pushing as of late, they pick R-Truth and the new manager? It could be a nice little match, but this makes the main card instead of Hardy’s return to the ring? If nothing else I’m curious to see what R-Truth does with no fans, because he could make something entertaining out of it.

I’ll go with MVP here as he at least has something going on. R-Truth hasn’t been around since WrestleMania and I think we’ve long since proven that he doesn’t need to win anything ever again (outside of another 15 24/7 Titles) to stay over. MVP can get a nice win to show that he still matters, though a video package might be better. He’s a great example of someone who was something a long time ago but WWE needs to refresh us on who he is. It works with Hardy and it would work with MVP, who wins here.

Smackdown World Title: Braun Strowman(c) vs. Bray Wyatt

This one really hasn’t been working for me and I don’t see it going much better once they get in the ring. Strowman just does not feel like a top guy and their segment on the go home show was excruciating. It was Wyatt trying to make it sound like some big deal and Strowman reading from a script. The match feels like a clash of styles, but above all else I don’t care about it very much. Give me a reason to care and it might work better, but “you were in the Wyatt Family” isn’t enough.

I’m not sure what to think here but I’ll take Strowman retaining as the match is against Wyatt instead of the Fiend. I don’t think there’s any secret to the fact that the long term plans is Reigns vs. Fiend, but they’ve made it clear that this is against Wyatt. If nothing else, Strowman needs to retain in his first major defense for the sake of making him not look like he has some staying power, which has always been an issue for him. Strowman retains, but the Fiend is coming.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. Miz/John Morrison vs. Forgotten Sons vs. Lucha House Party

I know I’ve said this before but it’s still the case: New Day has felt like transitional champions for years now and I’m not sure how much of an impact another title reign has. They’ve good for a short term reign until we get to the next big thing, but the next big thing never comes. That seems to be the case again here, though they might at least have someone to drop the titles to here.

The Forgotten Sons seem to be the easy choice here so I’ll go with them, though I could see the Lucha House Party winning the titles and dropping them to the Sons almost immediately. The Sons aren’t my favorite team or even all that interesting, but you have to pick someone at some point so go with what you have available to you and see what happens.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre(c) vs. Seth Rollins

McIntyre has been behind the eight ball since he won the title in an empty arena, wrestled in front of an empty arena, and then gets blamed for the show crashing around him when there are about 184 different factors. I don’t think WWE is going to pull the plug on him or anything, but the Brock Lesnar shadow is getting bigger and bigger every single day that things stay bad.

McIntyre retains here though as there is no reason to switch it back to Rollins for the third time in thirteen months. The Monday Night Messiah character could have some legs if it is tweaked a bit (or if he hadn’t lost to Kevin Owens last month) but I can’t imagine him getting the title here. McIntyre should hold onto the title, as it would be completely unfair to blame him for everything that is going south right now.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

And then we have the namesake matches, which are going to be complete insanity. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing yet, but it’s certainly going to be different. If nothing else, having this with six people instead of eight should do a lot of good, though with both matches taking place at once like some wacky game show, how much sense can they really make out of the whole thing?

I’m going with the safe pick of Shayna Baszler winning here, though I can’t shake the feeling of Dana Brooke getting a dark horse win. Baszler and Nia Jax would seem to be the logical picks though as Becky Lynch survived against Baszler and a rematch would make sense. Jax would be the same and her cashing in on a gassed champion would be fine. But yeah, I’ll go with Baszler, who almost has to win the title at some point soon.

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

The bigger question here isn’t who wins the briefcase but rather who is taking the big plunge that has been teased/flat out promised by Lynch in recent weeks. This really is a wide open field and anyone involved could win the thing. No one has stood out above the rest of the options and that could make for a fascinating match. Now if only they can make it as wacky and entertaining as they seem to be planning.

I’ll take AJ Styles here, with Rey Mysterio as the second possibility. You could go with any of the six options and I don’t remember the last time that was a realistic option. They need someone to fight McIntyre after he gets done with Rollins and Styles is someone who makes as much sense as anyone else. Styles wins here, and I have absolutely no confidence in that choice.

Overall Thoughts

As much as I can’t stand the build to this show, I’m very curious to see what they are going to do with the ladder matches. They’ve got my interest up and while there is a chance for a disappointment, hopefully this is more Boneyard match than anything else. I like the idea of the change on the normal format and that might be what Money in the Bank has been needing for a long time now.

 

 

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

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

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

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