Monday Night Raw
Date: November 6, 2023
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are done with Crown Jewel and that means we have less than three weeks to go before Survivor Series. There were only so many major changes at Crown Jewel, but the biggest on the Raw side might be Sami Zayn stealing Damian Priest’s Money In The Bank briefcase before the cash-in could take place. Priest won’t be happy with that and we might have some fallout to deal with tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

Crown Jewel recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. Rollins is very glad to still be the World Heavyweight Champion and he has some people to thank. First of all, he thanks Drew McIntyre for a great match and making him a bit better than he was before. McIntyre said that he was not in league with the Judgment Day and that was proven on Saturday. Other than that, Sami Zayn helped him cut off a cash-in attempt so if Sami is listening, get on out here.

Cue Sami, minus the briefcase, which Adam Pearce made him return. Rollins thinks he owes Sami something but Sami cuts him off, saying he was there to help prevent Judgment Day from becoming the Bloodline 2.0 because they hold all but one title around here (Gunther anyone?).

He will fight to prevent Judgment Day from taking over but Rollins says the reality is he runs Raw. Rollins appreciates that but he has gotten Sami a little thank you: a title shot anytime he wants. Sami says he wants to beat a champion at 100% but Rollins knows Sami isn’t at 100% either. Rollins tells him to just say when so let’s do it tonight. They shake hands and Rollins is in.

Judgment Day is NOT pleased.

New Day vs. Judgment Day

Non-title. Kofi jumps over Balor to start and sicks the landing on a monkey flip to up the early frustration levels. Everything breaks down and some stereo running flip dives take out Judgment Day in a big crash. Back in and Woods’ honor Roll gets two on Priest as we take a break. We come back with Woods hitting a missile dropkick and the double tag bringing in Kingston and Priest to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and a superplex into a top rope elbow gets two on Balor with Priest making the save. Balor Sling Blades Woods and the South Of Heaven into the Coup de Grace finishes Woods at 9:10.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure why you would burn through a match like this on Raw as it could easily be a major pay per view title match. Like them or not, New Day is one of the most successful tag teams in WWE history and can still hang with anyone around here. That could have been a big match and probably will be again at some point, but this is a weird way to use the first match.

Earlier, Drew McIntyre arrived and left.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Akira Tozawa

Nakamura strikes away to start but goes up and gets super hurricanranaed back down. The top rope backsplash hits knees but Tozawa snaps off another hurricanrana. Then Kinshasa cuts Tozawa in half for the pin at 2:31.

Post match Otis gets in Nakamura’s face, sending Nakamura bailing.

Video on Natalya.

Adam Pearce hypes up tonight’s four way Intercontinental Title #1 contenders match between the Miz, Bronson Reed, Ivar and Ricochet.

Seth Rollins assures Adam Pearce that he is ready for Sami Zayn tonight.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed vs. Ivar vs. Ricochet

The winner gets an Intercontinental Title shot at Survivor Series. Miz and Ricochet dropkick the monsters to start until Ricochet flips away and dropkicks Miz to the floor. Ivar is back up with a spinning kick to Ricochet but Miz is back in to break it up. Ricochet is draped over the ropes as Reed uses it as a springboard, which is enough to launch Ricochet into a hurricanrana to send Ivar back outside. The monsters crush the other two on the floor and then slam into each other as we take a break.

Back with Reed crushing Ivar in the back and going up, only to have Miz and Ricochet powerbomb both of them down. Miz is back in with a springboard crossbody and spinning DDT to plant Reed for two. Ricochet drops Miz for two but it’s Ivar coming back in with a splash for the save. The monsters drop Ricochet and Miz again before going up (gulp). Ivar’s moonsault hits Ricochet but Miz avoids Reed’s Tsunami, allowing Ivar and Miz to get the double pin at 13:43.

Rating: B-. They didn’t hide the fact that Miz was the likely winner here and that is ok. There is something funny about Miz being able to turn it up like he did here, as he was moving and working harder than usual. While I can’t imagine Miz taking the title from Gunther, he is a fresh challenger with a history of winning matches no one would expect him to win before.

Apparently Ricochet kicked out in time so only Miz wins and gets the title shot. Ivar drops Miz and gives him the moonsault anyway.

The Alpha Academy give Akira Tozawa a pep talk before his NXT Heritage Cup shot tomorrow. They’ll even be there live! Maxxine Dupri comes in and she’s ready to become #1 contender as well.

We look back at the Creed Brothers’ debut last week.

The Creeds and Ivy Nile officially signed with Raw earlier today when DIY came in to set up their match tonight.

Creed Brothers vs. DIY

Julius wrestles Ciampa down to start but Gargano comes in off a blind tag to double team Julius and take over. The Creeds are sent outside where they cut off stereo dives. DIY slips out of the counters but get dropped again as we take a break. Back with Ciampa cleaning house, setting up running kicks to the head in the corner.

Brutus Samoan drops Gargano so Julius can hit a standing shooting star, followed by Brutus’ standing moonsault for two. Gargano fights his way out of trouble and brings Ciampa back in to pick up the pace. Brutus breaks up Meet In The Middle though and cue Ludvig Kaiser to deck Gargano, allowing the Brutus Ball to connect for the pin at 9:39.

Rating: B. It might not have been quite as good as last week’s match against Alpha Academy but the Creeds seem to have proven themselves in two matches. DIY being kept somewhat protected is a good thing as well and now I’m curious to see where they go. While Judgment Day is tied up with the main event scene, if the Creeds run through another team or two, there won’t be anything left for them but going after the titles.

We look at Sami Zayn getting a title shot against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber in Montreal earlier this year. Jey Uso cost him the match and Zayn wasn’t happy.

Jey comes in to see Sami and apologizes for what happened at Elimination Chamber. Sami says that was then and this is now so Jey gives him a pep talk. As for Jey, he and Cody Rhodes have a Tag Team Title shot next week.

Becky Lynch is ready to fight anyone at Survivor Series after she wins the #1 contenders battle royal tonight. Nia Jax comes in to say no one is throwing her out tonight, which will make her as happy as she has been since she broke Lynch’s face. Lynch laughs that off and says that after that, she went on to headline Wrestlemania while Jax got fired.

Chelsea Green, Piper Niven, Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark seem ready to win the battle royal.

Battle Royal

Nia Jax, Becky Lynch, Piper Niven, Chelsea Green, Shayna Baszler, Becky Lynch, Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, Natalya, Indi Hartwell, Nikki Cross, Zoey Stark, Ivy Nile, Tegan Nox, Raquel Rodriguez, Maxxine Dupri

Hold on though as Xia Li comes in to jump Lynch during her entrance, meaning Li isn’t going to be allowed to compete. After a break, Becky is out as well due to having no memory of what happened. Cross stands in the middle of the ring again as the bell rings, meaning she is tossed pretty quickly. Everyone else fights on the floor as Cross keeps blankly staring. Nox and Maxxine get together and dump Niven but the distraction lets Nia get rid of Maxxine.

Carter and Chance start double teaming Nia but can’t get her out so they switch to Rodriguez instead. That’s broken up as well so Carter, Nile and Chance all go to the apron, with Nile getting rid of both of them. We take a break and come back with Rodriguez and Natalya being sent to the apron but Green can’t get in a double noggin knocker. Instead Green and Natalya switch places, leaving Green to slap both of them. Rodriguez puts Green out and Natalya does the same to Hartwell. Nile dropkicks Natalya out as her nice debut continues. Jax is back in to run a bunch of people over and Nox is out.

Everyone gets together and goes after Jax for the big elimination (and a ROAR from the crowd). We’re down to Stark, Nile, Baszler and Rodriguez…but Jax pulls Nile out to blow off some steam. Baszler and Stark get rid of Rodriguez, leaving them to fight on the apron. The Kirifuda Clutch goes on but Baszler lets go before Stark can flip her to the floor. That leaves Stark to hit a DDT and knock Baszler out for the win at 15:57.

Rating: C. This went long but the relief when Jax was eliminated helped quite a bit. Stark getting a singles match is a fresh way to go and I could go for seeing what she can do in the spot. Other than that, Nile had a very nice debut and seems to be someone WWE wants to push. They could have cut the time down a bit here but what matters the most is getting Ripley a challenger and that was well covered.

Rhea Ripley is ready to face Zoey Stark at Survivor Series but Stark comes in to say she had Rhea beaten at Crown Jewel. Ripley hasn’t forgotten about her and says that while Zoey couldn’t beat one person, Ripley beat four at once.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We look at John Cena getting beaten by Solo Sikoa and teasing retirement after.

Raw World Title: Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins

Zayn is challenging. Feeling out process to start before they go with the grappling. Zayn teases a shot to Rollins’ bad back but just taps it instead to play some mind games. Rollins is sent outside but avoids the dive, leaving them to go toe to toe. We take a break and come back with Rolling chopping away until Zayn hits a middle rope elbow for two.

Rollins fights up again and knocks him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Rollins fires away with some running forearms in the corner, followed by a Swanton into a Lionsault for two. They head to the apron where Zayn can’t hit a Blue Thunder Bomb, but he can hit a backdrop to send Rollins crashing to the floor.

We take another break and come back again with the Stomp being countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn suplexes him into the corner but the Helluva Kick is countered into a Pedigree for two more. The Stomp is countered into a Liontamer of all things, followed by a regular Boston crab. That’s reversed as well and Rollins small packages him to retain at 20:20.

Rating: B. This was a rather good V main event and they even got in a few teases of a title change. Zayn coming after the title is certainly interesting and seeing him going on a long road to FINALLY winning a World Title could make for a heck of a story. Rollins moving forward to whomever is next is a good way to go, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the two of them involved in WarGames, likely against Judgment Day.

Post match Judgment Day runs in to jump Zayn from behind and Rollins takes a beating of his own. Jey Uso runs in for the save but gets beaten down as well until Cody Rhodes makes the save. Referees and Adam Pearce come in to break it up, with Pearce saying they can play games if they want. IN WARGAMES! The brawl is on again and Rhodes jumps onto the pile to put Judgment Day down to end the show. They didn’t have much time to set up Survivor Series but this is the match that has been all but ready for months now anyway.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with one good match after another. They covered a bunch of stuff for Survivor Series, with two title matches plus WarGames being set. Raw has to do a lot of things to keep interest going for three hours but they pulled it off here. Pretty awesome show this week and if they can keep up that momentum going into Survivor Series, we could be in for an outstanding show.

Results
Judgment Day b. New Day – Coup de Grace to Woods
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Akira Tozawa – Kinshasa
Miz b. Bronson Reed, Ivar and Ricochet – Rollup to Reed
Creed Brothers b. DIY – Brutus Ball to Gargano
Zoey Stark won a battle royal last eliminating Shayna Baszler
Seth Rollins b. Sami Zayn – Small package

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Crown Jewel 2023
Date: November 4, 2023
Location: Mohammed Abdu Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

WWE is back in Saudi Arabia for another pretty strong looking show. The main event will see LA Knight challenging Roman Reigns for the Smackdown World Title in a match that could see quite the set of fireworks. Other than that, Seth Rollins is defending the Raw World Title against Drew McIntyre and a good bit more. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh

They start slowly and fight over arm control, with the fans rather behind Zayn. An armdrag into an armbar has McDonagh in trouble and Zayn sends him into the corner a few times. McDonagh gets in a shot of his own to take over for a bit, only to have Zayn chop away in the corner.

Some choking has Zayn down again and a Spanish Fly gets two. McDonagh’s moonsault hits raised boots though and Zayn suplexes him into the corner (as there is a nasty bruise on McDonagh’s side). The Helluva Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes McDonagh off at 9:45.

Rating: C. This could have been on any given Raw and it would have been about the same. Zayn winning is going to get the fans off on the right foot and that should make for a good start to the show. If nothing else it was a bit of a twist to have it be the Kick into the Blue Thunder Bomb so they even shook it up a little.

The opening video looks at Riyadh and some of the bigger matches on the show.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins for the Raw World Title. McIntyre is mad that he never got his big moment in front of the fans because of the pandemic but Rollins has told him to get over it. Now McIntyre wants his moment here instead.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

Rollins is defending. Feeling out process to start with the bigger McIntyre hitting some running shoulders. A snap suplex gives McIntyre one but Rollins knocks him to the floor for the dive….which is countered into a belly to belly onto the floor. Back in and Rollins’ bad back is whipped hard into the corner as McIntyre has a target. They chop it out until McIntyre kicks him down for two.

Rollins manages some kicks of his own, including an enziguri to stagger McIntyre. A knee to the face sets up a springboard Swanton and a Lionsault for two on McIntyre as Rollins mixes it up a bit. The Falcon Arrow gives Rollins two more, followed by the superplex but McIntyre grabs a brainbuster for two of his own. The Futureshock gives McIntyre two more and frustration is setting in.

Rollins plays a bit of possum and clotheslines McIntyre to the floor, setting up the suicide dive. McIntyre is fine enough to send him back first into the steps though and a side slam on the apron makes Rollins’ back far worse. Back in and a desperation Pedigree gives Rollins two but McIntyre kicks him down again. The Claymore is loaded up but Rollins reverses into the Stomp for a rather near fall. Rollins misses the Phoenix splash though and the Claymore gets two more. McIntyre loads up something else but Rollins reverses into a Pedigree and the Stomp retains at 19:25.

Rating: B. Good opening match here and it felt like an important title match, though they never quite hit that higher gear. What mattered here was getting McIntyre cleared out, though it would not surprise me to see him getting a rematch, likely at Survivor Series. He lost here however, and it came after a strong showing from both guys.

Post match Rollins celebrates….and here is Damian Priest to cash in. Before he can do that though, Sami Zayn pops in and takes the briefcase, meaning no cash-in.

In the back, Rhea Ripley gives Drew McIntyre an “I told you so” look.

We recap the Raw Women’s Title match, which is a five way hoss battle for Rhea Ripley’s title.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Zoey Stark vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Ripley is defending and gets a very long entrance, with about twenty men carrying cups and making a mini tunnel for her. Jax bails to the floor so the others can trade shots to the head inside. Rodriguez gets taken down on the floor and Ripley’s dive onto Jax is broken up. Back in and Rodriguez gets two clean house but Ripley and Jax are back in for a fight of their own.

Jax crushes Ripley for two as Stark makes the save, only to get Pounced by Rodriguez. Back up and Baszler gets a hold on everyone but Stark, who has to make the save. Stark goes up top but gets caught in a Tower of Doom, leaving everyone but Jax down. That doesn’t last long as Jax is knocked down too, leaving Ripley and Rodriguez to kick each other down for another breather.

Stark is up with a springboard dive onto everyone but Jax on the floor. Back up and Jax runs some people over until an impressive Tejana Bomb puts her down, leaving Ripley to make the save. Riptide hits Baszler so Stark makes the save this time. With that not working, Rodriguez goes after Baszler but Ripley Riptides Stark onto both of them and pins Baszler to retain at 11:05.

Rating: B-. It was the hoss fight but there is only so much you can do with that many people in there. Instead of letting us have a showdown between two, or even three, of them it turned into the usual “these people fight and then someone else breaks up a pin” sequence over and over. Ripley winning is the right call, though I could go or her defending the title against some of these people one on one.

Video on Saudi Arabia, with everyone talking about how absolutely amazing the place is.

We recap John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa. Cena hasn’t won a televised singles match in over five years and is starting to doubt himself. Now he needs to prove he still has it.

John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa

Cena goes after the arm and hand to start, with commentary pointing out that he’s weakening the Spike hand. The hand is sent into the steps but Sikoa headbutts him right back down. A Banzai Drop hits Cena but it’s way too early for the Samoan Spike. Sikoa crushes him in the corner but Cena is right back with a crossface (not the STF Cole). That’s broken up and Sikoa hits a belly to belly for two.

Cena grabs a quick Protobomb but the AA is countered into a Samoan drop. Sikoa takes a bit too much time though and Cena gets up top for a high crossbody and a near fall of his own. A chokeslam of all things gives Cena two but Sikoa is back with Spinning Solo for two. Cena counters the Spike into the STF, sending Sikoa over to the ropes. Back up and Sikoa hits three straight Samoan Spikes but for some reason Sikoa won’t cover. The fourth Spike finishes Cena at 16:15.

Rating: B-. I said in my preview for the match that there was an interesting story to be told with Cena losing but I didn’t think they would go through with it. Cena losing his confidence and thinking that his time is up could lead to quite the story if he is gearing up for retirement, but now there are a few different ways to go from here. This also makes Sikoa look huge and I’m curious to see where this goes. Good ending here, even if the match was only pretty good for the most part.

Post match Cena gets the big respect moment and walks up the ramp rather slowly.

Here’s the Miz for an unadvertised MizTV. Miz wastes no time in bringing out Saudi Arabian actor Ibrahim Al Hajjaj. They exchange pleasantries but before they can get very far, Grayson Waller interrupts. Waller has his people take over and turn it into the Grayson Waller Effect but Al Hajjaj says he can talk to both of them. For now though, he’s here to be on the hottest talk show in WWE: MizTV. Waller doesn’t like that so a fight is teased but Miz makes the save, including an assist from Al Hajjaj. We’re not done as Al Hajjaj adds in a People’s Elbow. Nothing wrong with a quick segment for the live crowd.

We recap Logan Paul challenging Rey Mysterio for the US Title, which isn’t much of a story. Paul challenged Mysterio for the title and Mysterio accepted, with Paul jumping him backstage after the match was made.

Earlier today, Paul drove a fast vehicle of some kind around the desert.

US Title: Logan Paul vs. Rey Mysterio

Paul is challenging and drives said vehicle into the arena. Rey can’t do much with the power game to start and then cranks on the arm. Back up and Rey takes him down with Paul bailing out to the floor. The headscissors sends Paul into 619 position but he sends Rey to the apron instead. A Death Valley Driver into the corner sets up a Lionsault for two on Rey and Paul hammers on the ribs in the corner.

The waistlock stays on the ribs so Rey gets creative by stomping on the foot. Paul grabs a gorilla press drop into a Warrior Splash for two. The bearhug into an over the shoulder backbreaker has Rey in more trouble but he armdrags Paul into the post. A high crossbody gives Rey two but Paul is back up with a slingshot Swanton for two. Rey shrugs if off and pulls him into a crossface, sending Paul crawling over to the ropes.

A springboard moonsault is loaded up but Paul has to catch Rey before he spikes his head on the mat. They go up, where Paul hits a flipping fall away slam for two in a heck of a crash. Rey tries a 619 but Paul pulls him out of the air and takes them up top. A super electric chair is countered into a superbomb, followed by a Code Red to give Rey two. Cue a member of Paul’s entourage to give Paul some brass knuckles but Rey breaks it up. Santos Escobar comes out to take care of the goon but Paul knocks Rey cold with the knuckles for the pin and the title at 17:53.

Rating: B. That’s exactly what it should have been and the ending fit perfectly. There was no reason to keep the title on Rey and Paul has needed to win something for a bit now. There will be a long list of people coming after Paul and he’ll bring some extra eyes to the title. As usual, the match was pretty strong and I’ll take that combined with the right result any day.

Post match Paul praises Rey, who says he knows what Paul did.

Bianca Belair says beating Bayley last night was phase one. Tonight it’s phase two, where she gets the Women’s Title back.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky

Sky is defending after cashing in Money In The Bank at Summerslam to take the title from Belair. Sky gets taken down to start and a delayed vertical suplex makes it worse. Some shots to the knee slow Belair down and a jumping stomp to the ribs gets two. Sky misses a top rope backsplash though and Belair sends her flying with a fall away slam.

Belair goes up but gets pulled down into the Tree of Woe to stay on the leg. The knee is fine enough to snap off a release German suplex. Belair wins a slugout but Sky rolls her up out of a Glam Slam attempt. Sky’s running hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb faceplant before Belair uses the hair to pull her into the post.

Cue Bayley for a distraction though and Belair crashes off the top. Belair falls out to the floor and there’s a moonsault to knock her silly again. Back in and Belair gets in a knockdown of her own, only to miss a handspring moonsault. Belair fights up again and gets a rollup but Bayley distracts the referee. That earns Bayley a dive from Belair, leaving the referee to check on a downed Sky. Cue the returning Kairi Sane to jump Belair, allowing Sky to hit Over The Moonsault and retain at 16:36.

Rating: B-. This went a bit long though the Sane surprise at the end did help. Sky needed to get a more traditional win over Belair after the cash-in but this wasn’t clean either. The other problem is this just didn’t feel like a big match. Maybe it’s having Charlotte always looming over everything or Ripley being one of the biggest stars in WWE but this didn’t come off like a major title match. They got the result right though and that’s what matters most.

Post match the beatdown is on as Bayley seems rather confused by the whole thing.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest, which is another part of the Raw Friends vs. Judgment Day. Their teams have traded the Tag Team Titles but now it’s a singles match.

Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest

Cody’s ankle is still a bit banged up following a recent attack. Priest jumps him before the bell but gets knocked outside rather quickly. Back in and Cody slugs away but he ankle gives out, allowing Priest to drop him. Cody fights back up and they go outside, where Priest is sent into the steps a few times.

A hard clothesline puts Cody down though and the Reckoning onto the announcers’ table drops him again. Back in and Cody counters another Reckoning into the Cross Rhodes but cue Finn Balor for a distraction. JD McDonagh comes out as well, allowing Priest to hit South Of Heaven for two.

Dominik Mysterio, with a chair, comes out but here is Jey Uso to clear things out. Cody hits a Flip Flop and Fly into the Bionic Elbow but the Cross Rhodes is broken up. A superkick knocks Priest out of the air though and the Cody Cutter gets two. Priest tries to fight up but gets Cross Rhodesed for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: B-. Pretty much the same thing again here, as we had a match that could have been a solid Raw main event and was good enough here. They seem to be heading towards building Cody up for Wrestlemania again and I can go with him beating Priest on the way there. If nothing else, it was kind of nice to just have a grudge match rather than something for a title for a change here as you don’t get that very often.

Some WWE people met some Saudi children. Nothing wrong with that.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight. Reigns has been Universal Champion for over three years and is running out of challengers. Knight is on the roll of a lifetime though and is getting the biggest match of his career.

WWE Universal Title: LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns

Knight is challenging and starts fast with a neckbreaker. Reigns is knocked to the apron and an elbow to the chest sends him outside. There’s a clothesline to the floor but Reigns slugs away back inside and grabs a cravate to slow things down (as we get what sounds like a one person CM PUNK chant). Reigns knocks him into the corner but charges into a boot, setting up a middle rope bulldog for a double knockdown.

A Russian legsweep into a DDT gets two but Reigns is back with something close to a release Rock Bottom for the same. Back up and the Superman Punch is countered into the torture rack neckbreaker. The LA Elbow is cut off with a Superman Punch and they’re both down for a needed breather. Knight leapfrogs over the spear though and Reigns crashes hard into the buckle.

Reigns headbutts his way out of a superplex attempt but Knight jumps back up for the top rope superplex. Now the LA Elbow can connect but cue Jimmy Uso to pull Reigns outside. The distraction lets Reigns hit a Superman Punch and the spear gets two. We hit the front facelock but Knight fights up and drives him into the corner. BFT connects out of nowhere but Jimmy puts the foot on the rope.

Knight goes after Uso on the floor and sends him into the announcers’ table over and over. Reigns comes outside and gets sent into it as well, followed by Uso being sent through said table. Back up and Reigns spears Knight through the barricade, followed by another spear for the pin to retain at 20:04.

Rating: B. That’s a Roman Reigns title match all right and we’ll probably see him in January for the Rumble. I’m not sure what is next for him, but these title matches, while good, are getting repetitive. As for Knight, he did hang in there with Reigns but at the end of the day it’s interference and a spear to put him down. That doesn’t so much make him look special as much as it makes him look like everyone else who has fallen to Reigns and that’s not a good thing.

Overall Rating: B. This was a good show overall with nothing really bad, but there is nothing you need to go out of your way to see. The problem comes down to it being right before Survivor Series and then the Royal Rumble, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for this show to matter. This show was setting the table for the big stuff down the road and while it was good, Paul winning the US Title is pretty much the only significant moment. Check it out if you have the time, but it’s not required viewing.

Results
Sami Zayn b. JD McDonagh – Blue Thunder Bomb
Seth Rollins b. Drew McIntyre – Stomp
Rhea Ripley b. Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Raquel Rodriguez and Nia Jax – Riptide onto Baszler
Solo Sikoa b. John Cena – Samoan Spike
Logan Paul b. Rey Mysterio – Right hand with brass knuckles
Iyo Sky b. Bianca Belair – Over The Moonsault
Cody Rhodes b. Damian Priest – Cross Rhodes
Roman Reigns b. LA Knight – Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

We’re going back overseas for this one as WWE returns to Saudi Arabia for another big show. One of the best things that could have happened to these shows is that WWE has begun treating them like the big show of the month (or one of two in this case) rather than some unique ordeal. For now that means Roman Reigns actually defending his title against LA Knight, plus a bunch more. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Sami Zayn vs. JD McDonagh

This is the next step in the rather long running battle between the good guys of Monday Night Raw and the Judgment Day, or in this case the guy who wants to be on the team. Zayn seems to want to wreck the whole team and beating their would be associate would be a good place to start. At the same time, McDonagh could use a win and it would not be out of the question to have him win here.

That being said, this almost has to be Zayn winning so we’ll go with that instead. Zayn is likely getting ready for a big match, likely inside WarGames, at Survivor Series and he can get some momentum here. Granted I’m not sure how much momentum there is to get out of beating McDonagh, but at least we might get something to start the show here, as Zayn can fire up any crowd.

US Title: Rey Mysterio(c) vs. Logan Paul

We’ll start the main card with what should be one of the easier calls. Paul has been one of the more consistent stars in WWE, even though he hasn’t been around very often. Someone who can draw in that much heat is worthy of giving a push and he might be in the right place here. It’s hard to imagine another part time champion, but in this case it is the right call.

So yeah absolutely Paul wins the title here, as there is no reason to keep the title on Mysterio. From the second he won the title, Mysterio felt like a transitional champion, which has been the case for more than one of his title reigns. Let Paul have the title in his big moment and build up someone else to come after it in the future. This should be a layup and I think WWE knows that this time.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Iyo Sky(c) vs. Bianca Belair

This is a rematch from Sky’s Money In The Bank cash-in at Summerslam. Belair had a good win over Bayley on SmackDown to get things ready but I’m not sure I can imagine her getting the title here. Belair held the title for such a long time that she doesn’t really need to pick up another win here, but it’s hard to imagine Belair losing a singles match to just about anyone.

With all that being considered, I’ll go with Sky retaining here, as Belair really doesn’t need the win. There is also enough depth in the division that Sky can defend against a few interesting choices going forward (Shotzi getting a big shot, say at the Royal Rumble, wouldn’t surprise me). For now, this is Sky’s match to win and hopefully it comes after a heck of a match.

Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest

This is another match that seems destined to move into the WarGames match later this month at Survivor Series and that should be a good thing. These two have mainly been working in tag matches lately but Priest has been teasing that Money In The Bank cash-in even more. At the same time, Priest could use a few big wins of his own, but beating Rhodes is another level.

I’ll go with Rhodes here, possibly with the rest of Judgment Day and Jey Uso getting involved. At the end of the day, I’m a bit tired of seeing these people fight each other over and over, but that is what we will probably be seeing for weeks to come. At the very least the match should be good, as they both know how to wrestle a rather good match. Rhodes wins here though, as he should be doing.

John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa

Now this one really has me interested as it could go either way. Yes it would make sense for Cena to win his first singles match in five and a half years or whatever the specifics are this time, but there is a very interesting story to be told if Cena loses again here and loses confidence in himself. Granted that might all depend on how long Cena is going to be around, but there is certainly a story to be explored there.

I’ll play it safe and go with Cena win, even though that isn’t what I want to see happen. Cena beating Sikoa isn’t going to hurt Sikoa’s value as there is no shame in losing to Cena, but my goodness it could be interesting to see Cena lose. I just can’t imagine it happening though and we’ll go with Cena winning, as it probably makes the most sense all thins considered.

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

We have another intriguing one here as McIntyre has had quite the chance to explain why he is upset again and he kind of has a point about not getting his moment in front of people. At the same time, Rollins telling him to get out of it is a rather accurate response and it makes for what should be a heck of a showdown between two main event level stars in one of the show’s top matches.

While I could see McIntyre winning here, I’ll go with Rollins to win and retain the title. Rollins is going to drop the title to a big name along the line but I don’t think it’s McIntyre here. At the same time, I’m not sure what is next for McIntyre as a loss here could send him into a full fledged heel turn. A Survivor Series rematch wouldn’t be out of the question, but for now, Rollins retains.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Zoey Stark

This is something you don’t see every day as we have an actual hoss fight in the women’s division. All five of them are rather hard hitting and we could be in for a big time fight. That is something that could go in a variety of ways and that makes it all the more interesting. The five way aspect makes a title change that much more likely, though there is one thing standing in its way.

I’ll go with Ripley retaining here, as she is by far and away the biggest star in the division and is not likely to lose the title anytime in the future. Unless Ripley loses here and wins the title back rather soon in a one on one showdown, it’s hard to imagine the reign ending anytime soon. Ripley is a star on another level and she can easily get a fall over one of these four while the other three move on to do something else. Ripley retains here though, as she should.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. LA Knight

This almost has to headline the show and the story here is the rise of Knight. Despite not actually winning anything of value, Knight has become one of the biggest stars in all of WWE. He’s the kind of guy who gets a reaction no matter what he does and has that look in his eyes that lets you know you’re seeing something special. I’m just not sure that’s enough to take the title from Reigns.

I really just can’t imagine Reigns losing the title here so we’ll say he keeps the belt, but they better not have Knight lose clean. Knight is someone who could be something very special in WWE and a clean loss would hurt that more than anything else. Reigns should keep the title as he seems all but destined to face Rhodes (again) at Wrestlemania next year, but Knight shouldn’t be flat out beaten here.

Overall Thoughts

This feels like one heck of a pay per view card on paper and I could imagine it being rather good I the matches get the chance to work out. I’m not sure I can imagine some big title change outside of the US Title but that might be good enough all things considered. This show has me interested and that is more than I can say about most of the shows in this series so far.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 30, 2023
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re less than five days away from Crown Jewel and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. There is always the chance that we’ll get some more matches set as well and that could make for some interesting changes. Other than that, I’m sure Judgment Day will be doing something as usual. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Rhea Ripley, JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio for a chat. Ripley is ready to see the men win but other than that, she wants Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins to make the right decision. One of them can walk out of Crown Jewel as World Champion and they need to make up their minds. As for Rhea herself, she is ready to be against the odds at Crown Jewel….but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt.

Zayn is sick of Ripley talking and hearing about how Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw. He has dealt with people obsessed with power like them for his entire career and his name is rebellion. He’ll fight them no matter the odds, so Ripley suggests he face Damian Priest tonight. The fight is teased but cue Ricochet (scheduled to face Dominik) to even things up a bit.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Ricochet

Non-title with Rhea Ripley and JD McDonagh at ringside. We’re joined in progress with Dominik sending him to the apron and twisting his leg around. Back in and Dominik stomps him down in the corner before posing on the ropes for a bit. Ricochet uses the delay to kick him in the head and hit a belly to back suplex. The running shooting star press gets two and we take a break.

Back with Dominik hitting Three Amigos but Ricochet fights up. The springboard high crossbody hits Dominik and the Lionsault gives Ricochet two. Dominik knocks him down but misses the frog splash, allowing Ricochet to hit a superkick. Ripley offers a distraction though and a McDonagh distraction lets Dominik grab a rollup while holding the tights for the pin at 11:25.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here as Ricochet can get things going when he is given the chance. At the same time, Dominik is capable of hanging in the ring. They played up the idea that Dominik needs a lot of help and that is the entire point of what he is doing. Nice match and a bit better than I was expecting.

Post match Ricochet beats up the men but Ripley saves him from the shooting star press.

Video on DIY, who reunites tonight.

Video on Raquel Rodriguez.

Alpha Academy vs. Creed Brothers

The Creeds, with Ivy Nile (to oppose Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa, are from NXT and this is a result of an Academy open challenge. We get a Creeds video before Gable wrestles Julius down without much effort. Gable gets him to the mat but Julius, from the mat, lifts him up into a delayed vertical suplex, which he hands off to Brutus to drop him down. Otis comes in and runs the Creeds over, setting up a double clothesline from Gable. Stereo suplexes have the Creeds in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Brutus hitting something like a Samoan drop for two and the tag brings Julius back in. That’s fine with Otis, who runs them over and hits a heck of a clothesline on Julius. The Caterpillar gets two on Julius as everything breaks down. Julius and Gable crash out to the floor and Otis hits a World’s Strongest Slam on Brutus.

Julius comes off the top with a 450 for the save and Gable moonsaults onto all three for the break. Dupri offers a distraction but Nile pulls her down. Tozawa tries to break it up and gets suplexed for his efforts. Back in and Otis misses a charge and the Brutus Ball (Doomsday Device with Brutus hitting a flying body block) is good for the pin at 10:56.

Rating: B+. This was an AWESOME tag match and if the Creeds aren’t on the main roster full time by the end of the year (at the latest) I’ll be stunned. They’re by far the best team in NXT and feel like some kind of second generation Steiner Brothers with some other goodness sprinkled in. The Academy more than backed up their half as well and this was one of the better matches Raw has had in a good while.

We look at Judgment Day taking out Cody Rhodes last week, only to have Rhodes run out for the save later in the night.

New Day (as the New Judgment Day) come in to the Judgment Day’s locker room to go trick or treating (Kofi Kingston’s candy bucket is a mini Money In The Bank briefcase, complete with contract). They’re promptly sent out (Finn Balor takes Xavier Woods’ candy), though Woods does stop to flirt with Rhea Ripley. With New Day gone, Damian Priest isn’t happy with not being out there earlier in the night. Priest teases cashing in at Crown Jewel and they decide to make tonight about themselves. Of note: Priest seemed cool with JD McDonagh being there with them.

Video on Nia Jax.

Here is the Miz for MizTV. Miz goes to introduce Gunther as his guest….but gets Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci instead. Kaiser goes on a rant about how Miz is everything wrong with WWE and nothing more than a clown. Miz says he’s been a lot of things but never a sidekick, which makes Vinci the third wheel. Vinci: “Weren’t you your wife’s sidekick on Total Divas?” Miz: “HE TALKS! He said something! Give him a round of applause ladies and gentlemen!”

Miz points out that it was Miz and Mrs. and Vinci wishes he could be shouted at by someone as hot as Maryse. Vinci is told to not talk until Gunther or Kaiser tells him to but here is Gunther to interrupt. Gunther says he isn’t Miz’s guest, but rather that he’s here to ask why this is a talk show in 2023. This ring is sacred to him and everything Miz does in it, plus Miz himself, is beneath him.

Miz says he’s heard that before and calls the invisible John Cena that he interviewed a few weeks ago more entertaining than Gunther. That makes Gunther laugh, as he says it’s why Miz is a talk show host while Gunther is the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. Miz gets serious and talks about his resume, including his two WWE Titles. He was very serious when he made the Intercontinental Title the most prestigious in all of WWE (the fans agree) and he’d be glad to do it again. Fans: “TAKE IT BACK!”

Gunther offers to make a memorable moment and Imperium starts wrecking the set. Miz is told he’ll do nothing about it as always but he clears out the goons….and gets taken down by Gunther’s chop. Miz tries to fight back again but gets cleared out to wrap it up. Odds are that’s a Crown Jewel match and something of a Miz face turn, which has gone so well before.

Post break Miz rants to Adam Pearce and wants a title shot at Gunther. Pearce can’t do that, because Bronson Reed wants a shot of his own. A #1 contenders match seems likely.

DIY vs. Imperium

DIY comes out as Miz leaves. Vinci is taken into the corner to start and it’s off to Ciampa. That’s a bit better for Vinci, who knocks him up against the ropes and hits a clothesline. Kaiser comes in and gets taken own by Gargano, giving us the DIY double self clap. Vinci drops Gargano onto the apron though and Kaiser hits a basement dropkick to put him on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Gargano still in trouble and Vinci hitting a backbreaker for two. Gargano DDTs his way out of trouble though and it’s Ciampa coming back in to clean house. A reverse DDT gives Ciampa two but the Fairy Tale Ending is broken up. Everything breaks down and Gargano kicks Vinci in the head, leaving Ciampa to roll Kaiser up for two. A discus lariat puts Ciampa back down but Gargano kicks Kaiser out of the air. Vinci misses a moonsault press and gets kneed in the face, setting up Meet In The Middle (running knee/basement superkick combination) for the pin at 10:50.

Rating: B-. This was the match they had set up for the last few weeks and then it went just fine. DIY is a team that can be added into the tag team scene without much trouble and that is what we got here. I’m not sure what the issue is for Imperium, but this doesn’t bode well for Vinci’s future. Either way, good match and DIY gets off to a nice start.

Shinsuke Nakamura is still looking for his next opponent and wants someone to step forward.

Video on Candice LeRae (or according to Cole, Candice Michelle, who hasn’t wrestled for WWE in almost 15 years).

Video on Xia Li.

Candice LeRae vs. Xia Li

Indi Hartwell is here with LeRae as Cole apologizes for the name slip. LeRae starts fast and kicks her down in the corner to start, setting up a running backsplash for an early two. Li ties her up in the ring skirt for a knee to the head, followed by a spinwheel kick back inside. That’s enough to knock Candice silly and we pause for a second before the referee calls it off at 2:03. That definitely felt like a way to get Li over as a dangerous striker more than anything else.

Candice gets checked on but seems fine enough to leave on her own.

Jey Uso comes up to wish Sami Zayn luck tonight. The interviewer comes in to talk to Jey, who thinks he and Cody Rhodes want the Tag Team Titles back. Then maybe Rhea Ripley will think about him differently.

Video on Shayna Baszler.

Candice LeRae gets checked out by medics.

Video on Drew McIntyre talking about the pinnacle of his career taking place when no one was around. Of course he’s angry and we even get a look back at the Chosen One days. He took his second chance and then came back to win everything, including the Royal Rumble….and then the pandemic happened. McIntyre won the WWE Title in the empty Performance Center and he did what he was supposed to do.

Then the people came back but his moment had passed. He was going to win the title back at Clash At The Castle but Solo Sikoa interfered and the Bloodline cost him everything. Now it’s his time to get it back, because Seth Rollins may be willing to break his back to keep the title, but McIntyre is willing to break Rollins’ back to get it. No more broken dreams. Heck of a video here as we see McIntyre’s side of the story, but he still comes off as whiny, which seems to be exactly the point.

Video on Zoey Stark.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat before his match. Rollins is ready to take out JD McDonagh tonight and then he can go on to face Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel. He brings up McIntyre’s issues and tells him to cry a river. Everyone was suffering in 2020 and there were people who had it a lot worse than McIntyre.

People didn’t know if they were going to work or eat again, or see their relatives again. So be grateful for what you had, because Rollins has a lot of people who want to take the title from him. If McIntyre can beat him and take the title, Rollins will be the first person who shakes the new champ’s hand. Rollins is no longer the Messiah or the Architect…but here is McDonagh to jump him from behind.

Seth Rollins vs. JD McDonagh

Non-title and McDonagh charges into a boot to the face to start. They head outside with Rollins chopping him around and cutting him off from going over the barricade. Back in and Rollins hits a backdrop but McDonagh knocks him into the corner. Rollins gets choked on the rope but he sends McDonagh crashing out to the floor. The suicide dive sends McDonagh crashing over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with McDonagh being sent face first into the middle buckle but Rollins grabs a Sling Blade. The Stomp misses though and the Pedigree is countered, allowing McDonagh to hit a hard headbutt. McDonagh grabs a standing Spanish Fly for two and frustration sets in. Rollins is up with a buckle bomb but a frog splash hits raised knees. Cue Damian Priest with a referee to stand at ringside, which has Rollins looking rather serious. A top rope belly to back superplex hits McDonagh and the Pedigree into the Stomp gives Rollins the pin at 13:58.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure how much the result of this match was ever in doubt and that’s not a bad thing. Rollins needed a warmup for Crown Jewel and they tied in McDonagh’s issues with Priest at the same time. McDonagh continues to be in a weird place and that is likely to continue for a bit, but at least he had a pretty good match here.

Post match Rollins gets in Priest’s face but nothing happens.

Ricochet isn’t happy with Dominik Mysterio so Adam Pearce offers him a chance to get an Intercontinental Title shot. That works for Ricochet, so here are Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, as the Hart Foundation, to complain about their match tonight. With them gone, Ivar and Valhalla come in, with Valhalla wanting to get Ivar an Intercontinental Title shot. They’ll be in his office, and Pearce needs another drink.

Becky Lynch is upset by her NXT Women’s Title loss but she is glad it was to someone as good as Lyra Valkyria. She defended her title more times in 42 days than Rhea Ripley has all years and the title needs her. Xia Li comes in and wants to fight, but again says on her time. Lynch points out that she’s said that before.

Chelsea Green vs. Natalya

Trick or Street Fight, with Green as Bret Hart (and Niven as Jim Neidhart) while Natalya is a leather clad bunny. Green gives a fan her sunglasses but takes them back like a villain should. Green starts fast with a pumpkin pie to the face and it’s time to throw in some candy. Some trashcan lid shots keep Natalya down but she avoids a legdrop through a table.

Green gets sent into the bobbing for apples bowl but Natalya has to deal with Niven. The double Sharpshooter is broken up without much trouble so Green goes for a pumpkin. One of them has the still completely stoic Nikki Cross’ head underneath but Green sends Natalya into the steps anyway. The candy corn is poured out (Cole: “They once used tacks, now they use candy corn! This is hardcore!”) but Natalya powerbombs her onto the corn. The Sharpshooter goes on so Niven offers a distraction….and gets pied in the face. The distraction lets Green hit the Unpretty-Her for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C. This was the kind of fun match that these things tend to be, as Green gets to showcase some of her incredible talents. She knows how to play the mean woman very well and she did so again here, with the cosplay making it all the better. This was fun and it’s ice to see one of the Women’s Tag Team Champions getting a win.

Video on Carmelo Hayes vs. Ilja Dragunov for the latter’s NXT Title tomorrow on Halloween Havoc.

Video on Rhea Ripley.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Damian Priest vs. Sami Zayn

They start fast with Priest getting the better of things as commentary talks about who Judgment Day’s leader really is. Priest kicks at the chest but Zayn gets in a few shots of his own. Those are broken up rather quickly though and Priest plants him on the apron as we take a break.

Back with Zayn fighting back but cue Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio for a distraction. Priest grabs the Reckoning (pretty much Cross Rhodes) but Zayn is able to slip out of the Razor’s Edge. Balor offers another distraction so Dominik can deck Zayn. Cue Jey Uso to go after Judgment Day, including a superkick to Priest for the DQ at 8:58.

Rating: C+. The ending was almost a little strange but I guess WWE doesn’t want Zayn taking another pin after last week’s loss to Drew McIntyre. At the same time, the stage continues to be set for WarGames in some form as the ragtag group of good guys getting to face Judgment Day could work very well. Not a great main event here, but they did at least give some time to the biggest story on Raw.

Post match the beatdown is on until Cody Rhodes (moving better but still with a slight limp) comes out for the save. Rhodes and Priest fight on the floor as Zayn and Uso clear the ring. Back to back Cross Rhodes plant McDonagh on the announcers’ table, leaving Rhodes to yell about how Priest is always walking behind someone else. Rhodes promises to take him out, with Cole wondering if it’s going to a “Saudi Arabian Nightmare” at Crown Jewel.

Overall Rating: B. This show took a bit of a different path towards building up Crown Jewel and it worked well. I liked having the five quick videos for the Women’s Title match rather than some big talking/brawling segment and the McIntyre video explained a lot of his deal. There was more than enough good wrestling with that Creeds vs. Academy match stealing the show. Pretty strong show here, but Crown Jewel is what matters most.

Results
Dominik Mysterio b. Ricochet – Rollup with a handful of tights
Creed Brothers b. Alpha Academy – Brutus Ball to Otis
DIY b. Imperium – Meet In The Middle to Vinci
Xia Li b. Candice LeRae via referee stoppage
Seth Rollins b. JD McDonagh – Stomp
Chelsea Green b. Natalya – Unpretty-Her
Damian Priest b. Sami Zayn via DQ when Jey Uso interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 23, 2023
Location: American Airlines Arena, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are closing in on Crown Jewel and a good chunk of the Raw side is covered. Seth Rollins is ready to defend the World Heavyweight Title against Drew McIntyre, who is still acting a little strange. Other than that, Judgment Day will likely have something to say and that should be important. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Judgment Day regaining the Tag Team Titles from Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso last week, thanks to an assist from Jimmy Uso.

Opening sequence.

Here are Finn Balor and Damian Priest to get things going. Priest say Judgment Day has a lot for us tonight but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Cody says he’s here to talk to the leader of the Judgment Day….but he doesn’t see Rhea Ripley. Priest laughs at him and says there are people involved in Cody’s story who are here right now.

The story is that Cody failed, which has him ready to fight. Priest has a match with Jey Uso tonight, but he’ll fight Cody at Crown Jewel. Cody is down but cue the rest of Judgment Day. Jey Uso runs in to even things up a bit and the fight is on but JD McDonagh comes in to take out Rhodes’ knee. Priest slams the leg against the steps with a chair and Rhodes is left writhing in pain.

Post break, Cody is in trouble.

New Day vs. Alpha Academy

Gable wrestles Woods to the mat to start so it’s quickly off to Kofi. The pace picks up but Gable pulls him out of the air (that was nifty) and sends him outside. Otis wrecks New Day and we take a break. Back with Kofi bringing Woods in to pick up the pace. A nice twisting powerslam gives Woods two on Gable but the Honor Roll is pulled into some German suplexes.

Otis comes in for a bulldog and Kofi has to make the save as everything breaks down. The Caterpillar hits Kofi but Woods is back up. Woods tries a reverse Worm (that’s different) but Gable pulls him into the ankle lock. That’s broken up though and Kofi hits Trouble In Paradise on Otis. Gable is taken out and the Limit Breaker gives Woods the pin at 10:17.

Rating: B-. This was another good example of taking two teams and giving them some time to show what they can do. The Academy is best known or their comedy stuff but they can have a solid match if given the chance. New Day is still one of the best teams around and it’s nice to see them getting to go out there and do their thing at a pretty high level.

Becky Lynch is ready for Indi Hartwell tonight and Lyra Valkyria tomorrow night.

We look back at Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins’ argument last week.

Rollins runs into Rhea Ripley and brings up her meeting with McIntyre two weeks ago. He says he has style and a title so clearly he’s not McIntyre. Ripley brings up the Judgment Day’s history with Rollins but thinks he might need their help. Rollins laughs it off but Ripley says he’ll need their help if he wants to be champion as long as Roman Reigns. Rollins says the last thing he wants to be is like Reigns. Ripley: “That’s not a no.”

Natalya offers Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae advice tonight and wishes Hartwell luck. Also mentioned: Tegan Nox is hurt.

NXT Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Indi Hartwell

Lynch is defending. Hartwell hits an early clothesline but Becky is back with a backslide for two. Snake Eyes and a side slam give Hartwell two and we take an early break. We come back with Hartwell hitting a top rope elbow to the back for two. Lynch’s reverse DDT gets the same but a big boot gives Hartwell two more. Hartwell goes up top but gets superplexed back down, only to have the Disarm-Her blocked. A powerbomb gives Hartwell two and a spinebuster is good for the same, meaning it’s time for frustration to set in. Hartwell pulls her up again but gets pulled into the Disarm-Her to retain the title at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This felt like checking another box on Lynch’s run with the title. She beats another former NXT Women’s Champion while closing the not very large loophole of Hartwell never being pinned for the title. Lynch is on to more important things and fans are around to forgetting that Hartwell was called up from NXT in the first place.

Xia Li jumps Hartwell’s friend Candice LeRae in the back.

Nick Aldis comes in to apologize to Adam Pearce in the back for what happened on Smackdown. All he wants is friendly competition and Pearce can go with that. He offers to let Aldis stay tonight, but once Aldis leaves, Pearce tells a referee to double security.

It’s time for the contract signing for the fatal five way for the Raw Women’s Title. We get entrances for Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Raquel Rodriguez and Zoey Stark, all of whom sign. Champion Rhea Ripley comes out last and complains that Adam Pearce is making her life a nightmare. Not that it matters because she’s retaining the title anyway. Jax doesn’t buy it as Ripley stays on the apron, accusing Ripley of wanting her to beat up the other challengers. Jax insults Rodriguez and the fight is on, with Ripley watching from the floor.

Akira Tozawa, now in Alpha Academy gear, chops Bronson Reed to set up a match. Maxxine Dupri comes in to ask if he’s nuts but Tozawa wants to go through with it.

Johnny Gargano vs. Giovanni Vinci

Ludwig Kaiser is here with Vinci. An early backbreaker puts Gargano down but no worries as we go split screen for a preview for the upcoming movie Friday Night At Freddy’s. Back to full screen and Vinci stays on Gargano until a superkick gets a breather. Kaiser goes for the distraction but cue the returning Tommaso Ciampa to cut him off. One Final Beat gives Gargano the pin at 2:30. At least Gargano got a win.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants a better opponent to set his inner self free.

Here is Logan Paul for a chat. Paul brags about beating up a boxer earlier this month but here is Dominik Mysterio to…..eventually say he can’t wait to see Paul beat up his deadbeat dad. Paul says they have a lot in common because they overcame the odds. The fans boo them out of the building until Paul says he can’t wait to be the new US Champion. For now though, he invites ring announcer Samantha Irvin into the ring to announce him as the new champion. Cue Ricochet to take the villains out.

Natalya/??? vs. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green

Natalya’s partner is….Nikki Cross, who is so serious she almost looks to be in a trance. Natalya rolls Green up to start as Cross stands on the apron, not touching anything and seemingly catatonic. Cross drops to the floor and walks out, even as Natalya fights back. Niven comes in though and hits the basement crossbody for the pin at 3:12.

Rating: C-. This was an angle rather than a match with the focus being on Cross’ new direction. I’m not sure what that is going to be but I’m a bit worried about Nox’s status. She has had so many devastating injuries over the years and hopefully she is back in the ring sooner than later. She didn’t miss much here, but that was kind of the point of the match.

We look back at Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre not getting along last week.

Miz complains to Adam Pearce about how Nick Aldis might appreciate him more, when Rhea Ripley comes in to sign the contract for Crown Jewel. She keeps the pen and goes to run into Dominik Mysterio, who is banged up from the fight earlier.

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Feeling out process to start with Zayn taking him into the corner and chopping away to start taking over fast. They’re quickly on the floor with Zayn hitting a moonsault off of the barricade as McIntyre can’t get much going early on. Back in and McIntyre takes over with a suplex but Zayn sends him outside again.

The slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and McIntyre sends him over the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Zayn knocking him to the floor for the big running flip dive as the ans stay behind Sami. A sunset bomb gives Zayn two but McIntyre hits him with the Glasgow Kiss.

The Claymore takes too long to load up as McIntyre’s ribs are banged up, allowing Zayn to grab the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn can’t hit the exploder suplex so McIntyre snaps off some belly to belly suplexes. A neckbreaker drops Zayn again but cue a smiling Rhea Ripley, allowing Zayn to get two. Now the exploder can connect but McIntyre offers a distraction and McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: B. I can’t imagine it’s any surprise that these two had chemistry together as they’re both incredibly talented stars. Zayn is trying to find his way on his own again and having him go about fifteen minutes with a former World Champion fits him well. McIntyre needed some momentum on his way to Crown Jewel and that is what he got with his win here. Good stuff, and that shouldn’t be a shock.

Nick Aldis talks to Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, who are both wearing blue. Adam Pearce comes in to take issue, though Aldis says he’ll leave. Nikki Cross slowly walks in front of Pearce, who needs a drink.

Bronson Reed vs. Akira Tozawa

Maxxine Dupri is here with Tozawa. Reed throws him into the corner to start but Tozawa slips out of a slam. For some reason Tozawa tries a waistlock, which goes as well as you would expect. Reed plants him, hits a backsplash, and finishes with the Tsunami at 2:35.

Post break Akira Tozawa is given the Dallas Cowboys belt and New Day/DIY come in to cheer him on as he lifts with it.

Seth Rollins mocks Drew McIntyre for joining the Judgment Day (which he hasn’t done), but both of them say they don’t need the team to win.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Jey Uso vs. Damien Priest

Priest slugs away to start but gets knocked to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Priest hitting a running elbow in the corner and planting Jey with the Broken Arrow for two. Jey slugs his way out of trouble and hits a high crossbody for two. That doesn’t work for Priest who turns him inside out with a clothesline, only to get Samoan dropped to the floor.

The dive doesn’t work though as Priest Downward Spirals him onto the announcers’ table. Back in and a swinging Downward Spiral gives Priest two so he loads up the Razor’s Edge. That’s broken up as well and Uso hits a superkick but cue Finn Balor for a distraction. Priest hits South Of Heaven for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. Another solid performance from Jey, but much like the Zayn vs. McIntyre match, one of the two has a lot more going on at the moment than the other. It wouldn’t have made sense for Priest to lose before his big match with Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel so him going over here was the right call. The fact that it came after a pretty good match helps too.

Post match the beatdown is on but here is a limping Cody Rhodes for the save with a chair.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a show that got some stuff done for Crown Jewel but was only so interesting. Things seemed fairly run of the mill with only Cody vs. Priest being set up for the pay per view. It’s not a bad show, but there isn’t anything on here that really stood out, save for McIntyre vs. Zayn (which shouldn’t come as any shock). Good enough show and I’m wanting to see Crown Jewel, but not a week where you needed to watch.

Results
New Day b. Alpha Academy – Limit Breaker to Woods
Becky Lynch b. Indi Hartwell – Disarm-Her
Johnny Gargano b. Giovanni Vinci – One Final Beat
Piper Niven/Chelsea Green b. Natalya/??? – Basement crossbody to Natalya
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Bronson Reed b. Akira Tozawa – Tsunami
Damian Priest b. Jey Uso – South Of Heaven

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 16, 2023
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Wade Barrett

It’s the season premiere, which comes off of last week’s season finale, as the idea of seasons in wrestling is still weird. One of the big attractions this week is Judgment Day getting their rematch for the Tag Team Titles against Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, which could be a heck of a showdown. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Sami Zayn to get things going. After welcoming us to the season premiere, Sami says it feels a little weird to be out here by himself. His brother and partner has been moved to Smackdown and he is obviously very sad that their partnership has ended this way. He is excited for Owens though because he knows Owens will do huge things on Smackdown. He’s excited for himself too, because now he gets to stand on his own two feet.

It’s time to prove that he is a World Heavyweight Champion level superstar, which the fans seem to find accurate. There is an elephant in the room though and that is due to the arrival of Jey Uso. It took Owens and Zayn years to get to the highest point but then they had to deal with Judgment Day. Now they’re getting a Tag Team Title shot tonight, but Zayn wants to thank the fans for getting him here.

Cue Judgment Day to interrupt, with Damian Priest bragging about who they’ve gotten rid of around here. Rhea Ripley cuts him off and talks about how they would recruit lost wrestlers and give them directions. In Zayn’s case though, they want to get rid of him permanently. The team surrounds him but Jey Uso runs in with a pair of chairs to even things up a lot. Finn Balor calls the team off and Sami leaves, not looking completely pleased with Jey.

We look at Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet getting in a fight last week, with Nakamura possibly costing him an Intercontinental Title shot.

Nakamura gives us another subtitled video about how he is going to smash Ricochet like a fly.

Jey Uso catches up with Sami Zayn in the back and asks if they’re cool. Sami says he needs a minute to think because even though Jey made the save, all he was thinking was that it should have been Kevin Owens making the save. Owens isn’t here and it’s because of Jey, even though Zayn wants him to be happy. Jey has the momentum and the titles and Sami has nothing and it’s because Jey is here. Jey says Sami has him and walks off. Sami shoves a ladder over and catches up to Jey, apologizing for what he said. He offers a handshake but Jey hugs him instead.

Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Falls Count Anywhere and Ricochet kicks him to the floor before the bell. They get inside with Nakamura kicking him in the head, setting up the reverse exploder for two. The Recoil gives Ricochet the same and a triangle dropkick puts Nakamura on the floor. That sets up a big twisting flip dive to drop Nakamura for two and they fight up to the stage.

That means a trip to the gorilla position, where Ricochet flips over Nakamura and hits a knee to the face for two. They come back to the stage, where Nakamura gets his knees up to block a standing moonsault. We take a break and come back with Ricochet climbing a balcony (where he half hugs a fan) and then shooting stars onto Nakamura and a bunch of security.

They head back to ringside and it’s time for a table….and nunchucks. Ricochet shrugs that off (because nunchucks) and kicks him down inside, setting up a springboard 450 for two. Nakamura cuts him off on top though and sends him crashing through the table at ringside. Kinshasa finishes Ricochet at 13:43.

Rating: B. This was what it needed to be, as it was a display of violence between two guys who have a reason to be mad at each other. Nakamura gets a nice win to put him back on track, though I could have gone with Ricochet winning to establish him as a bit of a bigger star. Still though, rather hard hitting match though and that’s what it needed to be.

Piper Niven and Chelsea Green interrupt a group of women who are standing around not doing much. Green says she and Nox are best friends, though Nox points out that Niven ordered them to be a team. Green doesn’t want to hear it but Nox threatens her away. Niven seems to threaten Nox on the way.

Video on Imperium.

Piper Niven vs. Natalya

Chelsea Green is here with Niven. Natalya tries an early rollup before going with a basement dropkick for two more. Niven manages a ram into the buckle though and Natalya crashes out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Niven missing a backsplash and getting…not hit with a basement dropkick, which thankfully Niven doesn’t sell. Niven’s basement crossbody misses as well and Natalya hits the discus lariat for two. That’s enough for Niven, who runs Natalya over and hits the basement crossbody for the pin at 6:27. Not enough shown to rate but Natalya worked well trying to fight the monster.

Post match Green comes in for the beatdown but Tegan Nox runs in for the save.

Damian Priest and Finn Balor want to take out Drew McIntyre but Dominik Mysterio doesn’t seem to like the idea. Rhea Ripley comes up after a phone call, saying she was handling Judgment Day business, as usual. She has Shayna Baszler on her own tonight too.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. Rollins recaps last week with the Crown Jewel title match against Drew McIntyre being set up, plus McIntyre saving him from a Money In The Bank cash-in. Cue McIntyre, with Rollins asking if McIntyre has been getting himself a little help. We see a clip of McIntyre and Rhea Ripley talking in the background last week.

McIntyre says first of all, he isn’t a thirsty creep like Jey Uso and Ripley came up to him. Second of all, what they were talking about is none of Rollins’ business and he should be worried about McIntyre taking his title. Rollins says no one is doing that to him but McIntyre needs to worry about stepping up in the big moment. McIntyre talks about the Bloodline costing him but Rollins tells him to GET OVER IT.

We hear about McIntyre stepping up during the pandemic when WWE needed it. Then he had his chance again in front of 50,000 people but the Bloodline cost him the title. Rollins says he understands what McIntyre is going though as he spent four years trying to get back to the top of the mountain. McIntyre is pointing fingers and making excuses and it won’t get him anywhere. When Rollins beats him at Crown Jewel, it will be the best thing to happen to him, because McIntyre will have no one to blame but himself. This was a good exchange and got more to the core of McIntyre’s issues, with Rollins calling him out for his whining.

Video on Bronson Reed.

Johnny Gargano vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Giovanni Vinci is here too but Tommaso Ciampa is injured after last week’s Imperium attack. Gargano starts fast but Kaiser kicks the knee out to take over. Kaiser knocks him down again and we take an early break. Back with Gargano fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the rolling kick to the head.

A springboard swinging Downward Spiral gives Gargano two and the Cheeky Nandos Kick connects. The sunset bomb gives Gargano two more and Willow’s Bell rocks Kaiser again. One Final Beat connects but Kaiser pokes Gargano in the eye. Gargano goes after Vinci but the distraction lets Kaiser kick him in the face. A twisting DDT finishes Gargano at 9:51.

Rating: C+. They’re playing up the idea that Gargano needs help to fight Imperium and losing to the numbers game isn’t the worst way to go. DIY vs. Imperium can be a big showdown when they get the chance, though I’m really not sure about having Gargano lose in his first match back. He doesn’t have the strongest reputation in the world on the main roster and this isn’t going to help things, cheating or not.

Indi Hartwell asks Becky Lynch for an NXT Women’s Title shot. Becky is cool with that and says she’ll go get it set up. As Becky leaves, she runs into Rhea Ripley for a staredown. Ripley smiles and walks away, with Becky saying something about being Becky Two Belts.

Drew McIntyre comes up to Sami Zayn and isn’t happy with him instantly forgiving Jey Uso earlier. That’s the right hand man of the Bloodline and Zayn just easily forgave him. Zayn doesn’t like that and we get a match set up between the two of them for next week.

Rhea Ripley vs. Shayna Baszler

Non-title. Before the match, Ripley says that no matter what, this is her division and Mami will always be on top. Baszler takes her to the mat with a quickly broken ankle lock but Ripley gets up and unloads in the corner. With that not working, Baszler takes her down by the arm and starts stomping. Ripley is back up with a spinning back elbow for a breather.

They go into the slugout with Baszler snapping off a German suplex. Baszler hits a knee to the face for two but Ripley knocks her back again. A missile dropkick of all things drops Baszler and Ripley loads up Riptide. That’s countered into a cross armbreaker (that was cool) but Ripley powerbombs her way out of trouble. Cue Nia Jax but Raquel Rodriguez and Zoey Stark pop up to take her down. Stark comes in and decks Ripley for the DQ at 5:35.

Rating: C+. This was good while it lasted but then the last minute plus was focusing on everything at ringside. Jax showing up took a lot of the fun out of this one and it didn’t get any better. As usual, Baszler is treated like someone who happens to be there as well and that gets annoying in a hurry.

Post match Ripley calls Jax in for the fight and Stark/Ripley beat Jax down, only for Stark to break up a slam and clear the ring. They’ve got something here

Becky Lynch gets a match with Indi Hartwell next week, per Shawn Michaels’ approval. Xia Li comes in to say she wants a shot too. Becky says say the word, but Li says on her time. Then why did she come in? Anyway here is Jade Cargill, with Becky telling her to get in line. Becky leaves and Cargill calls her funny.

Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso are ready for the main event.

Intercontinental Title: Bronson Reed vs. Gunther

Gunther, with Imperium, is defending. Reed powers out of the corner to start and staggers Gunther with a shoulder. That’s fine with Gunther, who boots him in the face twice in a row. Reed comes back out with a knockdown of his own, setting up a splash in the corner. They head outside with Gunther powering him into the apron, setting up the sleeper back inside. That’s broken up and Reed drops him on the apron, setting up the running shoulder to drop Gunther as we take a break.

Back with Reed winning a slugout, setting up a nasty Death Valley Driver for two. Gunther’s big clothesline gets two so he goes up top, only to get superplexed down for the huge crash. The Tsunami misses though and Gunther clotheslines him down. The top rope splash only gives Gunther two and he can’t believe the kickout. With nothing else working, Gunther hits the powerbomb to retain the title at 12:39.

Rating: B. I’ve said this before but there is something about building up a match between two monsters who are going to hit each other really hard. That’s exactly what you go there as it was a question of which one was going to manage to survive, which is how Gunther felt in the end. Reed didn’t feel like a major threat to win the title, but my goodness it was a heck of a fight on the way there.

Miz complains about being put on the third hour of the show and thinks Nick Aldis should take over Raw. Nia Jax comes in and says she’s still taking everyone’s best shot and looking pretty. No one has taken her best shot because she does the squashing around here. Miz isn’t pleased but we’re out of time for him.

Rhea Ripley comes in to see Adam Pearce and tells him to get the women’s division in line. Pearce is tired of threats so it’s a five way match for the title at Crown Jewel. Ripley isn’t happy and says she’ll eradicate them all. With Ripley gone, Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher come in to say they want to talk.

The Alpha Academy, with Akira Tozawa, is doing Pilates, when New Day comes in. Gyrations occur and a match is made for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Logan Paul.

We look at the opening of Kofi Kingston’s children’s library and digital center in Ghana to help with education. That’s awesome.

Gunther is proud of Ludwig Kaiser for his win tonight. Giovanni Vinci on the other hand, didn’t accomplish his goal. Gunther saw Johnny Gargano walking around tonight, so next week, he wants Gargano stretchered out. It’s Kaiser’s responsibility.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

Rhodes and Uso are defending. We’re joined in progress with Cody working on Balor’s arm and handing it off to Uso to do the same. Uso gets low bridged to the floor and it’s a backbreaker/elbow combination for two back inside. A quick escape allows the tag back to Cody, who hits a pair of powerslams. Cue Dominik Mysterio for a distraction but Uso superkicks Balor to break up 1916.

Cody hits Cross Rhodes on Priest but Dominik puts the foot on the ropes. Balor hits a dropkick on the floor and we take a break. Back with Cody snapping off the leg hands but Priest kicks him in the head. Cody manages to get over to Jey for the tag and the pace picks up. The Cody 1D hits Balor for two but Priest hits a chokeslam to put Cody onto the apron. Dominik shoves Uso off the top so Balor can roll him up for two.

Cue Sami Zayn to jump Dominik so Cody throws Priest over the barricade. Balor breaks up the tag though and it’s a double clothesline to put Uso and Balor down. Priest is back with a low blow to Cody and the toss Razor’s Edge puts Cody through the announcers’ table. Jey dives onto Priest but gets caught by Balor’s Sling Blade. Balor hits the shotgun dropkick but misses the Coup de Grace. Uso spears Balor and gives Priest another one before loading up the Superfly Splash. Cue Jimmy Uso to superkick Jey, allowing Balor to hit the Coup de Grace and win the titles back at 14:00.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t quite as good as the Fastlane match but they got things rolling by the end. There is definitely chemistry between these teams and it was a big time feel with the title change. I’m not sure what this is going to mean for Jimmy vs. Jey going forward, but it would not surprise me to see them getting a showdown at Crown Jewel. For now though, the title change is big enough.

Judgment Day poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt like a big deal and it was nice to see a bunch of stories advanced with an important moment at the end. There was nothing bad (save for maybe the ending to Ripley vs. Baszler) on the show and the matches were good to pretty good on the low end. I had a fun time with this show and it was one of the better Raw’s in awhile. WWE is starting to heat up again and that’s great timing as the important season is around the corner.

Results
Shinsuke Nakamura b. Ricochet – Kinshasa
Piper Niven b. Natalya – Basement crossbody
Ludwig Kaiser b. Johnny Gargano – Twisting DDT
Rhea Ripley b. Shayna Baszler via DQ when Zoey Stark interfered
Gunther b. Bronson Reed – Powerbomb
Judgment Day b. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso – Coup de Grace to Uso

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 9, 2023
Location: Chi Health Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Fastlane and that means things are moving on towards Crown Jewel and Survivor Series next month. That should make for some big matches being set up in the coming weeks, though it might take some time for those to come together. For now though, Seth Rollins is still the World Heavyweight Champion. Let’s get to it.

Here is Fastlane if you need a recap.

We open with a Fastlane recap.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going by bragging about his victory in the Last Man Standing match over Shinsuke Nakamura. He didn’t know if he was going to get back up, but he did. He didn’t know if he was going to keep Nakamura down, but he did. Then he went to the back and the adrenaline wore off, which is when he realized his back was still broken.

Being the World Heavyweight Champion has been one of the best honors of his career…and then he pauses for a good bit. He wants us to know that he is JUST GETTING STARTED. He’ll fight anyone anytime anywhere but maybe he can go one week without having to fight for his life out here. Maybe we could sing and drink a bit, but here is Drew McIntyre to interrupt. Rollins: “You want a World Heavyweight Title shot don’t you?”

McIntyre nods so Rollins says he’s ready to go get his gear on but McIntyre says he’s willing to wait for Rollins to be 100%. Maybe at Crown Jewel? Rollins: “So you’re not out here to jump me?” McIntyre: “Nope.” Rollins: “And you want me at 100%?” McIntyre: “Bingo.” That works for Rollins, so they’re on at Crown Jewel.

McIntyre is fine with that and says if you see him out tonight, buy him a pint and a shot, and then he’s out. Cue Damian Priest from behind to jump Rollins, with McIntyre watching from the aisle. Priest waves out Dominik Mysterio with the briefcase but McIntyre cuts him off. The briefcase is tossed at the Titantron and Rollins is back up to clear the ring.

Kofi Kingston vs. Ivar

Viking Rules match, meaning there are viking shields around the apron. Ivar starts fast and knocks him to the floor, where Kofi hits a big dive (and almost lands on his head). The table is loaded up but Ivar knocks him onto the apron for quite the splash. Kofi kicks him away though and hits a splash onto Ivar’s back for two on the floor. We take a break and come back with Ivar missing a flag shot and being sent through one of the shields. The SOS gives Kofi two but it’s too early for the Boom Drop.

Instead Ivar grabs a Jeff Cobb Tour of the Islands for two, followed by a tiger driver for the same. Ivar kicks him in the face and goes up, only to be thrown down (by the beard) through a table at ringside. Cue Valhalla to dive onto Kofi so here is Xavier Woods to…be scared by Valhalla. Ivar crushes Woods against the barricade but Kofi kicks him in the face. Back in and Ivar counters Trouble In Paradise into a drive through the table, setting up the moonsault to finish Kingston at 11:05.

Rating: B-. Good brawl here with both of them beating the other up well enough. Ivar FINALLY wins a singles match as he’s in the middle of his singles run, which is pretty long overdue. Other than that, this wasn’t as good as their surprisingly awesome match from a few weeks ago, but the right person won.

Shinsuke Nakamura has no comment on the Last Man Standing match but here is Ricochet to jump him for the brawl.

Damian Priest yells at JD McDonagh and the rest of Judgment Day for not having his back out there. Rhea Ripley calms him down because she has gotten Priest and Finn Balor a rematch for the Tag Team Titles next week. And Priest still has the briefcase! Priest backs off, but McDonagh needs to deal with Drew McIntyre.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nia Jax

Nia runs her over to start and slams Rodriguez’s head into the mat a few times. Rodriguez fights up and unloads in the corner but can’t manage a slam. Jax throws her outside and into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Rodriguez fighting out of a chinlock and knocking Jax down. A Samoan drop doesn’t work for Rodriguez either but it works just fine for Jax. The Annihilator takes too long though and Rodriguez hits a rather impressive powerbomb. Cue Rhea Ripley to throw Rodriguez outside for the DQ at 7:09 so she can go after Jax.

Rating: C+. The powerbomb looked great but this was a means to set up the ending of the match and that’s perfectly fine. We’re either setting up Ripley vs. Jax (probably the long term goal) or a triple threat match for the title. Either way, Ripley continues to feel like a star and having her slay the giant would work great for her. Rodriguez handled herself well enough here and that’s all you can ask in a situation like this one.

Post match Ripley kicks Jax down but gets jumped by Rodriguez. Shayna Baszler runs in to go after Jax but Ripley breaks that up and yells. Baszler drops Ripley with a German suplex and running knee as Jax bails. This is already more interesting than a lot of what we’ve seen around the women’s division in recent months.

Seth Rollins tells Drew McIntyre that they’re officially on for Crown Jewel, but what’s up with him cutting off the cash in? McIntyre says he hasn’t told a single lie because last week he said if it’s not his business, he doesn’t get along. He has a title shot at Crown Jewel and doesn’t want someone messing with it. Rollins says McIntyre isn’t taking the title from him and leaves.

Shayna Baszler says no one jumps her from behind in her ring and gets away with it.

Michael Cole brings out new Tag Team Champions Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes for a chat. Cole puts over their win but asks Rhodes what this means for his original goal of finishing the story. Will defending the Tag Team Titles deter him from winning the WWE Title, or is he scared of trying again after failing in his first attempt? Rhodes says Cole is right that he did bring Uso back to Raw and he’s happy with being a Tag Team Champion. Cole doesn’t let his question go but cue Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens (to different music) to interrupt.

Sami says everyone is talking about finishing the story. One story is the Usos holding the Tag Team Titles longer than anyone in history, but then he and Owens took the titles in the main event of Wrestlemania. The story now though is Cody and Uso winning the titles and Sami is happy for them.

Sami has mixed emotions though as he thinks they should be holding the titles. Owens is a little more to the point, saying he’s not happy that Rhodes and Uso are holding the titles. Owens wants them back so he wants to challenge them for tonight, but he doesn’t think Uso can handle losing to them twice. Cody says they’re on and Uso is in too.

Otis chops Chad Gable to ire him up for his #1 contenders match tonight. Bronson Reed (also in the match tonight) comes in to say Gable isn’t getting near the Intercontinental Title, because Reed is getting the shot tonight. Maybe Gable shouldn’t let his daughter watch tonight because it’s going to be another heartbreaking loss.

Ricochet vs. Bronson Reed vs. Chad Gable

For an Intercontinental Title shot next week. Ricochet comes out first but Shinsuke Nakamura jumps him from behind and bets him down, including a GTS. Maxxine Dupri is here with Gable. Reed starts fast and knocks Ricochet into the corner but Ricochet is fine enough to cut off a suplex attempt. They go outside with Ricochet kneeing Reed out of the air but Gable suplexes Ricochet and we take a break.

Back with Reed breaking up Gable’s sleeper and splashing both of them in the corner. A Samoan drop crushes both Ricochet and Gable but Ricochet manages a kick to Reed’s head. Ricochet’s missile dropkick sends Reed to the floor but Gable is right back up. A springboard spinning crossbody puts Gable down and a running shooting star press gets two.

Gable manages a German suplex to send Reed right back to the floor, where Ricochet hits a running flip dive. Back in and the ankle lock has Ricochet in trouble but he escapes rather quickly. Gable loads up a German superplex but Ricochet flips out, only to hurt his knee again. Gable’s Rolling Chaos Theory hits Ricochet but Reed crushes both of them. The Tsunami crushes Ricochet to give Reed the pin and the title shot at 11:02.

Rating: B-. They kept things moving here and it was an entertaining match throughout. Reed vs. Gunther is certainly a fresh match and has some serious hoss fight potential. If nothing else, it’s not to see Reed getting a move up the ladder, which has been teased for a long time now. Gable not getting pinned gives him an out for later as his obsession can continue. Finally there is Ricochet, who seems primed for a match with Shinsuke Nakamura down the line.

Becky Lynch has 11 stitches in her arm but she’ll be ready to fight tonight because that’s what a fighting champion does. Xia Li of all people comes up to say she wants a shot, with Lynch saying she’s not a hard person to find.

Drew McIntyre vs. JD McDonagh

Dominik Mysterio is here with McDonagh. McIntyre starts fast with one of the highest backdrops I’ve ever seen. Dominik offers a distraction though and McDonagh starts in on the leg. Back up and McIntyre avoids a charge, setting up the Future Shock. The Claymore finishes McDonagh at 3:59.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but what matters is getting McIntyre a win and giving McDonagh another failure. McIntyre is still in a weird place and I’m not sure where it is going to wind up. That makes things more interesting on the way to Crown Jewel and things could get all the more fun on the way there.

Post match Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are not pleased.

We get a sitdown interview from earlier today with Wade Barrett talking to Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. This reunion was seven years in the making and now they’re looking to the future. Gargano says he has been ready to return for a long time and saw what happened last week. He wasn’t about to let that happen but here is Imperium to jump them. A big beatdown ensues.

Video on Tegan Nox, looking at her history of terrible knee injuries.

Nox is ready for the biggest match of her career. Natalya pops in to wish her luck.

Ricochet is given a match with Shinsuke Nakamura next week, falls count anywhere. Of note, Drew McIntyre and Rhea Ripley appeared to be talking in the background.

NXT Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Tegan Nox

Lynch is defending. Nox takes her down to start but misses an early kick to the face. They trade some rollups with neither getting very far, though Lynch does seem to lose some extensions. Some armdrags have Nox down and they’re back up for a stalemate. Nox kicks her out of the corner and Lynch gets sent into some buckles.

They head outside with Lynch’s arm getting banged up again, allowing Nox to get two back inside. We take a break and come back with Lynch snapping off a suplex for two. Nox’s high crossbody gets the same but Lynch throws her down into a failed cross armbreaker attempt. Nox sends her into the corner for the reverse cannonball, followed b a kick to the head.

Lynch gets tied in the Tree of Woe for a regular Cannonball and another near fall. A cross armbreaker doesn’t work for Nox either and Lynch is up with a missile dropkick for two of her own. The Manhandle Slam and Disarm-Her are blocked and Nox gets a rollup for two. The Disarm-Her goes on this time though and Nox has to tap at 14:29.

Rating: B. They’re doing something interesting here with Lynch being the fighting champion who helps give a bunch of people their best match to date. That’s similar to the John Cena US Open Challenges from back in the date and it’s working well. Lynch is going to drop the title in a big deal but she gave Nox and Tiffany Stratton a nice platform on the way there. Good match here, with Nox getting in a lot.

Post match, respect is shown.

Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae are in Adam Pearce’s office when Rhea Ripley comes in to throw them out. She needs to make an example of Shayna Baszler next week so Pearce needs to make it happen.

Natalya, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance console Tegan Nox after their loss when Piper Niven and Chelsea Green come in to mock her. Green and Natalya go face to face, with Niven doing the threatening. Natalya vs. Niven is made for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Drew McIntyre gets in Jey Uso’s face and Uso is ready to go. Sami Zayn plays peacemaker again. With McIntyre gone, Uso says he appreciates Zayn having his back but it’s go time tonight. Zayn doesn’t have to be told twice.

Video on Ludwig Kaiser of all people.

Tag Team Titles: Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Zayn/Owens are challenging. Sami and Cody start things off but we get an early four way staredown to take us to a quick break. Back with Sami getting frustrated as Uso comes in, meaning it’s off to Owens. Everything breaks down and the four way brawl is on outside. They break it up before the double DQ/countout but the fight goes outside again and we take another break.

Back again with Owens and Uso trading superkicks until they both make tags. Sami Blue Thunder Bombs Cody for two and they both need a breather. Cross Rhodes gives Cody two with Owens making the save. Owens and Uso come back in to trade superkicks again with Uso getting the better of things. The Superfly Splash misses though and Owens hits the Stunner, with Cody having to make the save this time. Owens drops Uso and goes up but the Swanton hits raised knees. The elevated Cody Cutter drops Owens and the champs retain at 21:09.

Rating: B. This got a lot of time, though a good chunk of that was taken away due to the commercials. What matters here though is having a heck of a showdown and Cody and Uso getting a big win to make it clear that they’re legitimate champions, at least for the time being. Good main event here, and we’re likely going to be in for another big match next week against Judgment Day.

We get another preview of next week’s show.

Sami shakes the champs’ hands and Owens shakes Cody’s hand. He gives Uso an aggressive handshake to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Pretty nice show overall here, with good wrestling up and down and stuff being set up for both next week as well as Crown Jewel. I’m curious to see where some of these things go and that is a good sign at the end of a show. It can be hard to come off of a not so important pay per view but at least they’re off to a strong start on the way to Crown Jewel and then Survivor Series. Nice work this week.

Results
Ivar b. Kofi Kingston – Moonsault
Raquel Rodriguez b. Nia Jax via DQ when Rhea Ripley interfered
Bronson Reed b. Ricochet and Chad Gable – Tsunami to Ricochet
Drew McIntyre b. JD McDonagh – Claymore
Becky Lynch b. Tegan Nox – Disarm-Her
Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso b. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens – Cody 1D to Owens

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Fastlane 2023
Date: October 7, 2023
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re at the second of the not so important sounding pay per views here and coming into the show, we have a five match card. That either means we’re getting some bonus matches announced or things are going to go long this time. The main event would seem to be John Cena and LA Knight facing the Bloodline so let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the upper deck for this show, with the Titantron on my right.

The opening video features Pat McAfee (ok that makes sense) and talks about how Indianapolis is all about speed and moving forward, though sometimes you run into oncoming traffic. As you probably expected, the previews for the matches are included.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Cody Rhodes brought Jey Uso back to WWE (after about two weeks) and is the only person to believe in him. The Judgment Day recruited Cody but got turned down, meaning it was a lot of fighting and an ensuing title match.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

Rhodes and Uso are challenging and my goodness does Uso get an amazing reaction with the fans waving their arms along with him. Priest and Uso start things off with Priest running him over off a shoulder block. Uso ducks a right hand in the corner and slugs away though and Cody comes in to start on Priest’s knee. Priest blasts Uso with a clothesline to cut that off and it’s Balor coming in for his own stomping.

A headbutt gets Uso out of trouble and allows the tag to Rhodes, with a delayed gordbuster putting Uso down. Priest gets in a kick to the head from the apron but Balor’s chinlock doesn’t last that long. It’s back to Priest for a double arm crank and Rhodes is lured in so Uso can be kept in trouble. For some reason, about twenty minutes into the show, we see a wide shot of the arena and Cole talks about the show, almost sounding like he’s pitching it to new viewers.

Uso finally fights his way out of the corner and it’s Rhodes coming back in to clean house. The Disaster Kick hits Balor and Rhodes gives Priest a dragon screw legwhip over the rope. Balor is right back with 1916 for two but it’s too early for the Coup de Grace. A delayed superplex plants Balor but Rhodes can’t follow up. Uso comes back in with a high crossbody for two on Priest, who comes right back with a lifting Downward Spiral for two.

The limping Priest loads up a Razor’s Edge but gets low bridged to the floor for a ram into the announcers’ table. Back in and the Superfly Splash gets two on Priest, followed by a Cody Cutter to Balor. Uso spears Priest but cue Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. Uso superkicks Dominik but gets quite the smile and wave from Ripley.

Back in and the distracted Uso gets hurricanranaed into a Coup de Grace from Balor, with Cody diving in for the save (after sitting at ringside until it was his cue for a terrible visual). Ripley briefcases Uso in the face for two but cue JD McDonagh to swing the case at Cody….but he hits Priest in the knee by mistake. Cross Rhodes on the table drops Priest and it’s a Cody Cutter/Downward Spiral combination to Balor. Another Cross Rhodes gives Cody the pin and the titles at 20:44.

Rating: B+. This went nuts in the end and I had a great time with the whole thing by the final moments. I wouldn’t have bet on the win after Judgment Day and the Bloodline joined forces last week but this was quite the twist. Good job on the surprise and the place went nuts on the win, even as McDonagh is probably about to get destroyed for screwing up again.

Booker T., Wade Barrett and Xavier Woods order pizza from Pizza Hut. This explains why I saw a Pizza Hut car driving into the arena as I was walking in.

We recap Bobby Lashley/the Street Profits vs. the LWO. Lashley and the Profits are being extra aggressive and have taken out part of the team. Rey Mysterio has an idea so it’s mystery partner time.

LWO vs. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits

It’s just Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar (with Zelina Vega) to start for the LWO. Escobar kicks away at Ford’s leg to start and then does the same to his head. A crossbody has Ford in more trouble but he manages a right hand to cut Escobar off. Escobar is back up with a super hurricanrana to drop Ford but he takes Escobar into the corner.

Lashley comes in for a running shoulder to the ribs and the one armed vertical suplex allows Ford to come back in for two. The beating doesn’t last long as it’s back to Mysterio to pick the pace way up. Lashley knocks Mysterio outside though, meaning it’s time for quite the grin. Ford’s running splash gets two on Mysterio and Dawkins drives in some more shoulders in the corner.

Mysterio avoids a big charge from Lashley but Ford is right there to pull Escobar off the apron in a smart move. That earns Ford a Meteora from Vega but there is no one for Mysterio to tag. The villains head outside….and Carlito of all people returns to be the LWO’s third man. Carlito dropkicks Dawkins to the floor so Mysterio and Escobar can hit dives. The Backstabber finishes Ford at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Not a great or blow away match but this was all about the Carlito return. Yes a lot of people figured it out in advance but it was still a cool moment with a familiar face returning and getting to be put into a nice slot. It’s nice to have Carlito back and we could be in for a longer feud with these teams as the other LWO members are likely to be out for the time being.

Post match, commentary gets Pizza Hut, as delivered by Xavier Woods.

We look at Jade Cargill’s debut on the Kickoff Show.

We recap the Smackdown Women’s Title triple threat. Iyo Sky won the title at Summerslam, then defended it against Asuka a few weeks ago. Charlotte got involved and Asuka lost, so now it’s time for everyone to fight.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Charlotte vs. Iyo Sky

Sky is defending. Asuka starts fast by misting Charlotte for an early two, leaving us with Asuka vs. Sky. With Charlotte on the floor to get her eyes fixed, Asuka cranks on an armbar back inside. Sky grabs some rollups for a VERY near fall on Asuka, who is right back with a kick to the chest. Asuka comes back in and takes both of them down before unloading on Asuka in the corner.

Charlotte gets double teamed down, leaving Sky to missile dropkick Asuka into a heap. Asuka is fine enough to grab a German superplex for two but Charlotte comes in with a high crossbody to both of them. Back up and Charlotte takes over on both of them again, including a double flipping clothesline for two each. Asuka is back up and sends Charlotte outside, where she sends Sky out onto her for a crash.

Sky manages to drop Asuka with a moonsault, allowing Charlotte to moonsault off the top onto both of them. Back in and Charlotte goes up top with Sky, only to get caught in the Tower Of Doom. Charlotte is able to grab a Boston crab to Asuka but Sky makes the save with a running Meteora.

Things get complicated as Asuka gets a leglock on Charlotte but Sky adds a crossface, leaving them commentary confused about what happens if Charlotte taps. That’s let go so Charlotte is back up (of course) with a spear. Cue Bayley (against Sky’s wishes) as Charlotte gets the Figure Eight on Asuka. Bayley’s distraction means the referee doesn’t see Asuka tap, right before Sky’s Over The Moonsault crushes Charlotte to retain at 17:14.

Rating: B. This got better as it kept going, even with Charlotte being the focal point and getting the tap, meaning she is all but guaranteed to get another title shot down the road. It’s good to see Sky retaining though, as she has more than earned a big win like this one. I’m just worried that it’s going to be the Charlotte show down the road, though that’s all but guaranteed most of the time.

We look at Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso winning the Tag Team Titles earlier tonight.

LA Knight arrived in a Slim Jim racing car. For some reason in the arena, we saw the car pulling up (though we couldn’t see that it was Slim Jim) and then the video pulled off before we saw who was in it.

We recap John Cena/LA Knight vs. the Bloodline. Cena returned a few weeks ago and got on the Bloodline’s bad side, so Knight stepped up to help him.

Here is Pat McAfee (sporting an Indianapolis Colts title belt) for a surprise. He wasn’t about to miss this show in this city and thinks Indianapolis would be a great choice to host Wrestlemania. This city never lets the energy go down and now he’s going to do commentary. Before that though, he introduces John Cena.

John Cena/LA Knight vs. Bloodline

Paul Heyman is here with Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. Cena and Jimmy start things off with Cena powering him down, meaning Heyman’s guidance is needed. Heyman’s guidance seems to be “grab a headlock” but Cena is back up to run him over. Cena wants and gets Sikoa, who drops Cena with a single shot to the face. Jimmy comes in to stomp away, allowing Sikoa to tie Cena in the Tree of Woe for the running headbutt.

A missed charge doesn’t go so well for Jimmy but the tag to Knight is cut off. The chinlock has Cena in more trouble and he just can’t quite get over for the tag again. Back in and Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack in the corner but Cena fights up. That earns him a running spinwheel kick and it’s right back to Jimmy.

A quick AA gives Cena a breather but Sikoa breaks up the tag again. There’s a headbutt to Sikoa, giving us a LET’S GO SOLO chant from Jimmy (it doesn’t catch on). A Banzai Drop hits raised knees though and the diving tag brings in Knight to clean house. Knight neckbreaker Jimmy and stomps away in the corner, followed by a DDT to Sikoa.

Everything breaks down and the LA Elbow hits Jimmy, setting up Cena’s high crossbody to Sikoa. Jimmy is right back up with a Superfly Splash to Cena and everyone is down. Knight is sent outside so Cena loads up the AA on Sikoa, only to be superkicked by Jimmy. That lets Jimmy go up, with Knight coming in to jump up for the superplex. The Five Knuckle Shuffle sets up the BFT to finish Jimmy at 17:22.

Rating: B. Nice match here, though it felt more like a big time Smackdown main event than something that needed to be on pay per view. Instead, this was more about giving Knight the big rub by having him team with Cena for a high profile win. Knight is going to have to deal with the Bloodline in the future and that could make for a big moment.

Post match, the winners show respect.

Damian Priest wants to cash in Money In The Bank tonight, but Rhea Ripley says he’s too banged up and won’t let him.

The Indiana Hoosiers football team is here, including Declan McMahon, Shane’s son/Vince’s grandson. I wonder how he got those tickets.

The Brawling Brutes like the new WWE toy truck.

We recap Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. Rollins beat him last month to retain but Nakamura won’t leave him alone. Therefore tonight, it’s Last Man Standing.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Rollins is defending in a Last Man Standing match. Cole brings up that Rollins has not been pinned in a singles match since January before remembering that pins mean nothing here. Nakamura bails to the floor to start and sends a chasing Rollins’ bad back into the barricade. The fans want tables but will have to settle for Rollins suplexing him on the floor and peeling back the ring mats.

Rollins can’t send Nakamura into the exposed concrete but he can hit him with the steps. It’s time to throw in a bunch of weapons, which gives Nakamura quite the extended break. Nakamura is able to come back with some hard knees, allowing him to grab some nunchucks. A few hard shots keep Rollins down and Nakamura covers him with a trashcan. Kendo stick shots have Rollins in more trouble and there’s a knee to put him down for nowhere near a ten.

Rollins fights out of the reverse exploder though and scores with the Sling Blade for a needed breather. Some stick shots have Nakamura in trouble for a change and there’s the suicide dive to the floor. Back in and a frog splash crushes Nakamura, with Rollins having to pull himself up. Nakamura gets up as well and knees Rollins down, meaning a table can be set up in the corner.

Rollins is able to send him into (not through) the table and the Stomp gives Rollins eight. The announcers’ table is loaded up and it’s time to bring out a ladder. Nakamura is laid on the table but gets up and rolls away before Rollins can jump off of said ladder. They fight into the crowd with Rollins knocking him over towards the entrance. Nakamura knocks him off the stands and onto a well placed pad though, leaving Rollins to have to beat the count.

Some chair shots knock Rollins back to ringside, where he can’t hit a Pedigree on the concrete. He can hit it back inside though, allowing another table to be set at ringside while Nakamura beats the count. Nakamura puts him on the table and hits a top rope double knee for eight. More chair shots have Rollins in trouble as Cole is begging him to stop. Rollins manages a posting and loads Nakamura onto the announcers’ table before climbing the ladder.

Nakamura gets up and climbs the other side, where the mist knocks Rollins off the ladder and through the table. That’s good for nine so they go back inside. Kinshasa through the table gets nine more, with Rollins having to roll to the floor to survive. Nakamura takes him into the crowd again and they go up onto a small platform. Rollins manages a Pedigree and Stomp onto said platform for nine of his own, followed by a Falcon Arrow through a table (good thing it was there) to retain at 28:24.

Rating: B. That was a hard hitting match and Rollins felt like a star when he won, but it was also kind of a paint by numbers Last Man Standing match. I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen someone do the roll to the floor spot to save themselves in this kind of match but it’s hardly anything more. This should finish their feud though and now Rollins can move on to something else while Nakamura does….I’m not sure at this point.

Rollins celebrates and a highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. I liked the show, but it felt like a big time special edition of Raw than a pay per view. The Tag Team Titles changing hands was a surprise, but other than that, the main event was the only thing that felt like it really belonged on a major show. It wasn’t bad by any means and the worst match was completely fine. I just need something more than this, as five matches doesn’t even feel like a card that matters all that much. It’s worth a look if you want an easy show (that doesn’t even last three hours), but they weren’t hiding that this was just setting the table for the big stuff next month.

Results
Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso b. Judgment Day – Cross Rhodes to Balor
LWO b. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits – Backstabber to Ford
Iyo Sky b. Charlotte and Asuka – Over The Moonsault to Charlotte
John Cena/LA Knight b. Bloodline – Blunt Force Trauma to Uso
Seth Rollins b. Shinsuke Nakamura when Nakamura could not answer the ten count

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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We’re wrapping up the dead period of the pay per view calendar before we get to Crown Jewel and Survivor Series next month. That means we could be in for something interesting here and the card does look better than last month’s Payback. At the same time though, as of the night before the show, there are only five matches announced so far. While we are probably going to get a bonus match, this is all we have to work with at the moment. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Iyo Sky(c) vs. Charlotte vs. Asuka

We’ll start with a match that has a bunch of options and that could make for an interesting showdown. While it does feel like we’ve had more than a few triple threat matches for the title in recent months, it’s nice to see Sky getting to hold the title for a little bit. At the end of the day, almost nothing matters until you beat Charlotte and that might be what we see happen here. Maybe.

As nervous as I always am about the idea of Charlotte getting the title back, I’ll go with Sky retaining here. Asuka was champion not too long ago and Charlotte has been champion far too many times already. Sky needs the win a lot more than the other two and it would help establish her as a bigger deal. Hopefully it doesn’t take Damage CTRL helping her, but what matters is Sky leaving with the gold, which she should.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day(c) vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

This was a match that got a big boost from Smackdown, as Rhodes and Uso made a big save to help fight against the seemingly united Judgment Day and Bloodline. That spiced things up a bit more, though Rhodes and Uso do make for interesting challengers. While they might not be a regular team, they are the perfect choice to come after the titles right now.

That being said, I can’t imagine the titles change hands here, as the Judgment Day have just started something a lot bigger. I’m not sure if the whole thing is going to be a success, but it would be a surprise to see them losing the title so fast. It wouldn’t surprise me to see some interference to keep the titles on the champs here, but it’s going to come at the end of a heck of a fight.

Latino World Order vs. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits

This is a match where we are going to be in for a surprise as Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar are going to need a new partner after Lashley and the Profits obliterated the rest of the LWO. There is a name rumored that I’ll leave out to avoid spoilers but it would be quite the sweet moment if the prediction is right. Other than that, we are going to be seeing a strong six man tag, as Lashley and the Profits are already clicking and the LWO works well together.

While it would make sense for the new member of the LWO to get the win, Lashley and the Profits feel like they could be a big deal in the near future. That would involve them winning here and we’ll go with that as the pick. Escobar would likely be the one to take the fall, as I can’t imagine the newcomer or Mysterio taking the fall, but I’m curious to see what that means for the team. For now though, Lashley and the Profits win.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

This is a rematch from Payback where Rollins won, but this time it’s Last Man Standing. In other words, this one is going to be about the violence, which is where something like this should go. Rollins can have that kind of match and Nakamura has shown the ability to go extreme if need be. We should be in for a heck of a fight here, and the title being on the line makes it even better.

I’ll play it safe and go with Rollins to retain here, as it is hard to fathom the idea of Rollins losing here, with Survivor Series right around the corner. Maybe they do a quick loss here to give Nakamura a bit win before Rollins wins it back, but I’ll stick with Rollins winning. And again, no Money In The Bank cash-in, because they pushed it a bit too hard this week on Smackdown.

John Cena/LA Knight vs. Bloodline

Odds are this is going to be the big main event as it has all of the star power. Knight is on a roll, Cena is Cena, and the Bloodline, even without Roman Reigns, feels important. The Judgment Day tying in with the Bloodline this week should make things more interesting and now we get to see what could be a big step on the way to one heck of a story later on this year.

While I could see the Bloodline winning here with the help of their new friends, Cena and Knight winning here is a better way to go. Knight can get a win over Uso and move even further into the main event. Reigns is going to be back next week on Smackdown and that should be enough to make things more interesting in the big picture. Or now though, Cena and Knight win to send the fans home happy.

Overall Thoughts

They more or less have to add in another match or two, as a five match pay per view is either going to have a few forty minute matches or be done in about two hours. We do have a good card as it stands though and that means we could be in for a pretty nice B (or even C) level show. WWE is doing well right now and it would be great to continue that momentum on the way into one of their busier seasons.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: October 6, 2023
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

It’s the night before Fastlane and that means we’re in for the final push towards the show. There is a lot going on here, with John Cena and LA Knight officially teaming up to fight the Bloodline, but Judgment Day is lurking around as well. Other than that, we might be seeing something new added to the card as there are only five matches set. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of LA Knight saving John Cena from the Bloodline last week and agreeing to team with him at Fastlane.

Opening sequence.

Here is LA Knight to get things going but the Bloodline cuts him off almost immediately. Paul Heyman gets annoyed at the WHAT chant before saying that Knight will be the next megastar in this business. Him being that impressive is an achievement but now Knight has Heyman’s attention.

The Bloodline is going to have to do something about it, but Knight asks if Heyman is done running his mouth yet. Knight pulls out his receipt and indeed he didn’t buy any of Heyman’s BS. Jimmy Uso is ready to fight but John Cena runs in for the save. The Bloodline leaves, with Knight accusing them of not having Roman Reigns’ permission. Knight is thinking about tonight though and wants to face Jimmy.

The Judgment Day, with JD McDonagh, arrives.

Charlotte/Asuka vs. Damage CTRL

Dakota Kai is here with Damage CTRL. Charlotte and Sky start things off with Sky flipping out of a suplex. Asuka comes in to chop away as we hear about the stacked lineup for this week’s NXT. Bayley saves Sky from a running dropkick in the corner. Asuka missile dropkicks both of them down and we take an early break.

Back with Bayley suplexing Asuka and Sky coming in to grab a bodyscissors. Asuka fights up but gets kicked into the corner for her efforts. A shot to the face finally gets Asuka out of trouble though and it’s back to Charlotte with a high crossbody. Charlotte’s front flip clothesline gets two and everyone goes to the corner and it’s a Tower Of Doom to leave them down. Charlotte boots Bayley in the face but gets kneed down by Sky. Another big boot accidentally hits Asuka but Charlotte kicks Bayley into Sky and hits Natural Selection for the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C. This wasn’t the smoothest match in the world, with Natural Selection being more of a shove to Bayley’s back than a flipping cutter. Other than that, it was a great way to make Charlotte look dominant again as she took out her partner, plus both opponents before getting the pin. Not an awful match and it set things up for tomorrow, but more Charlotte is not exactly an interesting way to go.

The Bloodline goes into their locker room but runs into the Judgment Day, who say they’re right where they should be. Post break Solo Sikoa and Damian Priest are having a staredown, but Rhea Ripley says everyone out so she and Paul Heyman can have a chat. Ripley and Heyman assure them that they’re fine and everyone else leaves. Ripley: “Let’s talk.”

Bobby Lashley vs. Rey Mysterio

Non-title and the Street Profits and the LWO are here too. Lashley powers him into the corner to start but Rey manages to kick him down. A Lionsault gives Rey two with a rather strong kickout and we take a break. Back with Rey caught in a bearhug and then being tied up in the Tree of Woe. Rey manages to slip out and starts going after Lashley’s knee, followed by a spinning DDT for two.

The 619 is cut off and Lashley goes after the LWO at ringside. Rey’s dive is pulled out of the air but Rey manages to post Lashley for a breather. Back in and the 619 hits the ribs and there’s the regular version to the face. Montez Ford offers a distraction though and the fight is on outside. Rey intervenes but walks into the spear for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: C+. Good stuff, though the LWO might have actually been destroyed right in front of our eyes. Much like the first match, this was designed to build towards tomorrow’s match, though I could have gone without the champion getting pinned. It helps that it was to a former WWE Champion, but there’s something wrong about a reigning champion losing like that.

The LWO is mostly destroyed on the floor.

Rhea Ripley has apparently proposed an alliance with the Bloodline and Paul Heyman likes the idea. He hasn’t been himself lately, but this is really good. If Ripley will excuse him for a moment, he’ll make a phone call and get this authorized. Ripley asks what he means by authorized, with Heyman saying the Tribal Chief needs to authorize it. Heyman says it’s authorized for the Judgment Day, but not for the Bloodline. Ripley: “Paul, acknowledge me.”

Heyman says she’s in the wrong locker room to say that, but Ripley says he’ll acknowledge her just like Jey Uso did. Ripley says we’ll see which team is stronger, and authorizes him to make his phone call. She leaves, and a slightly shaken Heyman calls Reigns. If you didn’t realize Ripley was a top level star, this is about all the proof that you need.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre tease us with magic.

Dragon Lee vs. Austin Theory

Before the match, Theory brags about how big of a star he really is. Lee snaps off a hurricanrana to start but here is Grayson Waller for a distraction. Lee’s German suplex sends Theory outside but Waller’s distraction cuts off a dive. Theory scores with a rolling dropkick and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a superkick and rolling into a powerbomb for two on Theory. Waller offers another distraction though and Lee gets crotched, setting up a powerbomb into a faceplant (cool) to give Theory two. Lee cuts him off on top for the double stomp but Theory rolls out to the floor. Of course that means the big running flip dive to take out both villains but Waller cheap shots Theory. Cue Cameron Grimes to take Waller out, allowing Lee to roll Theory up for the pin at 9:17.

Rating: B-. Lee is one of those guys who is so smooth in the ring and it makes sense for him to move up tot he main roster. With not much room for growth in NXT, putting him up here where he can be the new high flier is a good idea. He’s looked good in his two matches so far and he very easily could turn into a much bigger deal rather quickly.

Rhea Ripley and Jimmy Uso have a talk that we can’t hear.

Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro are out of tomorrow’s six man tag, but Rey Mysterio has an idea.

Video on Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins. Damian Priest is shown watching with his Money In The Bank briefcase.

LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso

Paul Heyman is here with Uso, who runs Knight over to start. Knight gives him an elbow to the face but it’s too early for BFT. Instead Uso enziguris him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Knight hitting a sunset flip into a Backstabber (cool) and stomping away. The LA Elbow connects but Solo Sikoa runs in for the DQ at 7:42.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere with the break cutting off about half of the match. What I did like here was they didn’t hand either of them a loss before their big match. I get that you don’t want to do that in all three matches, but it was nice to see before what is likely going to be the pay per view main event.

Post match John Cena runs in for the save but here is Judgment Day to uneven the odds. Cue Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes and the fight is on, with Sikoa superkicking Cena. Knight clotheslines Sikoa to the floor and hits BFT on JD McDonagh. A bunch of other big moves lay out JD and the good guys glare at the villains to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was about getting things ready for Fastlane and they have done that well enough. In addition to all of the matches, we also have the mystery of who Rey Mysterio is going to get to join the team in the six man tag. On top of that, there is the Bloodline/Judgment Day alliance which could go a very long way in the future. Fastlane should be good and while this wasn’t a blow away show, it accomplished its goal and that is no easy task.

Results
Charlotte/Asuka b. Damage CTRL – Natural Selection to Bayley
Bobby Lashley b. Rey Mysterio – Spear
Dragon Lee b. Austin Theory – Rollup
LA Knight b. Jimmy Uso via DQ when Solo Sikoa interfered

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