What am I supposed to say about this show? It’s been one of the least interesting builds to a pay per view that I’ve seen in years and I haven’t seen many people who think otherwise. The matches are ranging from “we don’t need to build this” to “they’ve been feuding for a long time so let’s just have them feud more” to “it’s a pay per view with a major main event so let’s burn this off here.” Maybe I’ll find something to get excited about but I’m not there yet. Let’s get to it.

The pre-show match is a replacement due to Orton being injured again, though to be fair it’s been a pretty long time since his shoulders acted up. Instead of the match that’s only been kind of built up, we’re getting a rematch from a match that wasn’t great in the first place but it’s a way to let the writers do the same idea twice in a week so they don’t have to think of anything new.

The new match is Cesaro/Neville/Ziggler vs. Sheamus/Rusev/King Barrett in a match that changed on Thursday after the debut of Tyler Breeze. I know the most common (not common sense that is) booking would be to have the good guys get their win back here and set up the fabled rubber match on Raw, but I’m thinking instead they go with the heels winning here as Ziggler already has business with someone else. Maybe Breeze even interferes like he should in a well booked promotion. Either way, heels win for my pick that has little chance of being right.

We’ll start the actual show with the most obvious ending: Kevin Owens retains over Ryback. This was more interesting before Ryback got pinned clean in four minutes on Monday but since the writers think they have about fifteen male wrestlers, we had to sacrifice the Intercontinental Title match to help rebuild the World Champion. This wouldn’t be a problem but Rollins has been destroyed in recent weeks and needed the help. This was because

1. The writers don’t know how to book a heel champion.

2. How else was Kane going to look strong because Big Show had recently squashed every normal piece of cannon fodder to set up a house show match no one believed he had a prayer of winning?

So yeah Owens retains and there’s no real reason to believe otherwise.

New Day retains over the Dudleyz in another rematch (that’s three in a row for those of you counting). If they didn’t change the titles in New York, there’s no real reason to change them anywhere else. I’m hoping this is the end of the feud and that they don’t try to stretch it all the way out to a tables match somewhere. New Day can entertain against anyone and the Dudleyz can put over team after team without losing their credibility. There’s no need to continue the feud so hopefully they wrap it up here.

Now we have a match that could go either way with the Divas Title match (rematch #4). Nikki was never really broken down after losing the title because holding the record seems far more important to her than actually being the champion. Charlotte on the other hand has had trouble beating Brie Bella, even losing to her in a tag match recently. Either way it seems that the winner will just be keeping the title warm for Sasha Banks, so the question comes down to does WWE want Nikki to bore us to death against Banks or do they want a rematch of the Charlotte vs. Sasha classic? All hail the new champ.

Next up is the US Title Open Challenge, which may or may not be a rematch. Cena is pretty clearly losing here so the question is who gets the belt. There are multiple options in this case, ranging from the newly debuted Tyler Breeze to perhaps a newcomer debuting to the now free Dean Ambrose. While I think they’ll go with Ambrose, that leaves the issue of how does Ambrose put Cena on the shelf for a few months? I can’t imagine Cena is just going to lose and say “see you in two months” so he needs someone to injure him.

Unfortunately, I think that leads us to Big Show. He’s still fresh (as fresh as you can be nearly seventeen years after debuting) off the Lesnar feud and WWE is the kind of company that would rather make him a transitional champion, believing that he gets the win over Cena and whoever beats him inherits the momentum, even though that doesn’t work because it’s freaking Big Show. That’s my pick, though it’s probably going to be Ambrose.

That leaves us with the three main events and we’ll start with the least important: the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (rematch #5). The idea here is that Kane has multiple personalities and if his Demon side can’t beat Seth Rollins for the title, his Corporate side loses his job as head lackey to the Authority. At the same time though, Rollins continues his eternal quest to impress the Authority because this show exists to make them look important. Oh and of course Kane pinned the champ on Raw to make us believe that they might put the title on the 48 year old who hasn’t been interesting in years.

Of course Rollins retains as that old “who cares if he loses all the time if he still has the belt” mindset shines through again. I know we’re still setting up Rollins vs. HHH (which has been coming for months now) but could they try to give us something good along the way? This is the match that they spent months setting up in the summer and we’re finally getting it here because the REAL main event is carrying the show, meaning there’s no need to put in effort on this match because we’re lucky that way.

I don’t think they want to get rid of Sheamus’ briefcase yet (oh lucky us) so Rollins retains, though I’m sure there’s going to be some wacky shenanigans that mean Kane gets to keep his job (probably after a thorough performance evaluation or whatever they call it this time). It’s probably a DQ or a countout because that way Kane wins the match and we can ignore the whole “if Kane doesn’t win the title he’s fired” stipulation because of whatever reason the Authority has this time. Rollins retains but doesn’t win, meaning we get a rematch at Survivor Series and probably TLC because we’re just that lucky.

Then we have the match with the biggest build as Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns get inside the Cell for rematch #6. This is another bad feud as they started fighting back in June and are still after each other today. Bray won at Battleground with Harper’s help and they’ve traded tag wins ever since. Therefore, it’s clear that it’s time to go inside the Cell. I mean, a regular cage or something else is out of the question because it’s October so what else can they really do? This should be a fun brawl but we’ll be waiting around for the interference that everyone knows is coming.

I think I’ll go with Roman here, though Bray needs the win a lot more than he does. Neither guy has done anything significant since Wrestlemania but at least Reigns was a big deal at the beginning of the year. Wyatt has his full minions (well once Harper is back from his “personal issues”, which I assure you have nothing to do with that photo that I’m sure you’ve all seen.) now and is probably going to lose anyway, which will (or at least should) set up a Survivor Series elimination match so they can continue the feud past the advertised ending. Like they almost always do.

Speaking of the end, we have what is billed as the final showdown between Lesnar and Undertaker and I can’t be more thankful. Oh and rematch #7 to complete the field of matches that we actually know about. The match at Summerslam was fun but it’s the same story as the Wrestlemania match with Lesnar vs. HHH: yeah it was good but I don’t need to see them again this fast. It doesn’t help that neither guy seems interested in selling the match. Brock has appeared twice, Undertaker once in recent weeks. Their showdown on Monday was “yeah we’re going to fight on Sunday” and that’s about it.

I’ll take what should be the obvious winner with Lesnar, but don’t be surprised if they have some sort of wacky ending and set up one FINAL (as in final final, not prelude final) match at Wrestlemania to send Undertaker out. The drama and violence should be good but it’s a match where they’re having to drag me into it and I don’t really care what happens.

What a horrible looking show. I can’t remember the last time I was less interested in a pay per view than this as WWE hasn’t given me a single thing to get excited about. Save for the Cena match, everything is a match we’ve seen recently. That’s how you book a house show and we’re getting it as a regular pay per view. They need to figure out something new and do it in a hurry because this is one of the worst times I can remember for creative in a long time and the ratings are backing that up.

I don’t know of anyone excited for this show and it’s only going to get worse as the company throws its feet on the desk and say “eh no one is going to watch because of football anyway so we’re on vacation.” I know people aren’t going to watch but at least pretend like you care what’s going on and don’t give us a blend of the last two pay per views you put together and expect us to be entertained.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Smackdown
Date: October 22, 2015
Location: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Booker T., Jerry Lawler, Rich Brennan

It’s the final show before Hell in a Cell and we might get some build towards the World Title match after it got little more than lip service on Monday. Aside from that I’d assume we’re in for a lot of video packages on the other big matches and maybe another cryptic promo from Bray, possibly including the prophecy he was supposed to give on Monday. Let’s get to it.

We open with Seth Rollins walking through the back when he runs into Kane. That would be Corporate Kane, not Demon Kane, Harlem Heat Kane or Kane the Undertaker. Kane has a match for him tonight and threatens violence if Rollins tries to run again. Rollins leaves and Kane finds Kofi and Big E., both of whom have XW bands on their arm. Those dastardly Dudleyz put Woods through a table on Monday and now there are just two unicorns. Kofi: “What do you see in front of you right now?” Kane: “Men with fingers on their heads.” Kane plays a tiny trombone for them and makes the two of them vs. Ambrose/Reigns for later.

Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro

Non-title. Cesaro takes him to the mat and rides the champ before gutwrenching him for two. Seth bails to the floor and we see Stardust and Ascension in the Stardust Section again. The champ grabs his belt and thinks about leaving but changes his mind and goes back inside for the running uppercuts instead. Another bailout attempt is broken up by Cesaro but Seth sends him into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Seth getting two off the springboard knee to the head. It doesn’t seem to have much effect though as Cesaro dropkicks him off the top and out to the floor, followed by the running uppercut against the barricade. Back in and Seth’s enziguri sets up the low superkick for two, only to charge into Swiss Death. The Crossface doesn’t last long and Rollins breaks up the apron superplex, followed by the Pedigree for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C+. This was the entertaining match you would expect from these two when they’re given a bit of time. Cesaro loses of course because that’s all he knows how to do these days. The big thing I took away from this though was the Pedigree is so out of character for Rollins. He’s a high flying striker and the Pedigree really doesn’t fit that style. I know it’s going to be part of the HHH vs. Rollins feud, which is still going to start any day now right? Like any day.

The Stardust Section mocks Cesaro.

Miz promises that MizTV will be awesome, unlike Renee’s hair.

Breast cancer time.

Here’s Paige to address trying to reform PCB and being accused of attacking Natalya last week. Paige says she only cares about what Charlotte and Becky think of her so she’d like them to come out here for her explanation. Becky doesn’t care to hear it but Paige talks about being happy when the two of them made it to the main roster. That’s all well and good, but Becky doesn’t believe it after everything Paige has said and done.

Charlotte says she’s going to talk now. Paige had her moment over a year ago and all Charlotte wanted was her own moment to share with the two of them. It’s clear that Paige doesn’t respect Charlotte because it’s not all about Paige for once. Cue the Bellas with Nikki talking about her record and Brie saying this feels like Pretty Little Liars. Charlotte wants a fight but Paige says Nikki has to fight her first. Nikki accepts because she’s fearless or whatever.

Nikki Bella vs. Paige

Lawler says Paige has made it all about herself again as Nikki takes over with a facebuster to start. Booker brings up winning the TV Title and how it messed up Harlem Heat. I’m sure Stevie being out for five months had nothing to do with it either. Nikki sends Paige shoulder first into the post and we take an early break. Back the bad arm going around the post again as Booker thinks Nikki knows about pressure points.

Nikki mocks THIS IS MY HOUSE before slamming Paige down on the arm. Paige comes right back with a superkick for two but walks into a spinebuster for the same. The Rack Attack is broken up and Paige gets two off a fall away slam. Brie: “STAY FEARLESS!” We get what looked like a quick edit to get to an Alabama Slam from Nikki for another two. Nikki finally drills her with the forearm and the Rack Attack is good for the pin at 11:20.

Rating: B-. I’m no fan of the Bellas but this was actually good. They were trading big moves and it worked really well all things considered. It’s amazing how much more entertaining these women are when they cut out all the stupid cattiness and just beat each other up. I’m really hoping they don’t put the belt back on Nikki but this was one of her best matches to date.

It’s time for MizTV with guests Dolph Ziggler and Summer Rae, with Dolph coming out after a long recap of the story since Lana and Rusev’s engagement was announced. Miz brings up Ziggler being tossed aside by TMZ of all places despite having more relationships than almost anyone in WWE. Lana is a grown woman who can do whatever she wants and Summer was just trying to use Dolph (“Which I’m usually into”) but he wants nothing to do with it. Miz isn’t convinced so here’s Summer to make it more interesting.

She gets right to the point and suggests that she wants to propose to Dolph. Dolph: “I’m just not that into you bro.” Actually that’s not what she meant because she’s found a new man: Tyler Breeze, complete with NXT theme and entrance. After a quick NXT chant, Breeze says he needs no introduction but Dolph needs someone to bring him beyond 1985.

Tyler has been hearing of Dolph treating his Summer Rae of sunshine so poorly so he flew in from Monte Carlo. Ziggler calls him a whiny millennial but Breeze decks him (and rightfully so. That’s quite the insult.) and drives the still injured throat (still injured? It is?) into the buckle. Referees help Ziggler up so Breeze adds a Beauty Shot before posing for a picture with Summer.

Sheamus/King Barrett vs. Lucha Dragons

Rusev is at ringside. Cara starts with Barrett and kicks him to the mat before monkey flipping Kalisto into a 450 for two. That was cool. It’s back to Cara who gets shoved off the ropes and grabs his knee. The knee is fine enough for Sheamus to throw him into the barricade though and a powerslam gets two. Barrett’s pumphandle slam is broken up and Cara scores with an enziguri, allowing the tag off to Kalisto. A quick hurricanrana driver plants Sheamus but Rusev pushes Barrett out of the way of a suicide dive. Kalisto dives onto Barrett but the distraction sets up the Brogue Kick for the pin at 4:17.

Rating: C. There’s always room for a foreign heel stable. It’s like Jello. Besides it’s not like most of them are doing anything else so why not throw them together? It worked for Road Dogg and Billy Gunn so maybe it works here too. Good enough match here and it makes the monsters look good before they lose on Sunday for the sake of setting up a rubber match that no one wants to see.

Clip from Raw of Reigns and Ambrose cleaning house of the Wyatts.

Here’s Bo Dallas with something to say. He accepts the US Open Challenge for he and his fellow Bo-Mericans. His version of Bo say can you see is interrupted and it’s time for a match.

Ryback vs. Bo Dallas

Ryback throws him around to start but gets his throat snapped across the top rope as we see Owens watching in the back. Not that it matters as the Meat Hook and Shell Shock end this at 1:39. Nice job of rebuilding Ryback after the totally unnecessary loss on Monday.

Owens says Ryback is a lot of things Owens isn’t, including champion. Renee takes this as Owens being arrogant but Owens thinks it means he’s better than Ryback. This Sunday it’s the Kevin Owens show and he’s walking out Intercontinental Champion. Trust him.

Long video on Lesnar vs. Undertaker, which Booker compares to Ali vs. Frazier.

Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose vs. New Day

Non-title. Eden introduces this as a tag team match which will probably get her in hot water backstage. No Woods here due to being put through a table on Raw. It’s been far too long since someone was off TV to sell a short term injury like this. A loud NEW DAY ROCKS opens things up as Kofi does the unicorns pose. Ambrose headlocks Kofi to start and brings in Reigns for the jumping clothesline.

Big E. comes in for the hip swiveling and a shoulder to put Roman down. Reigns gets driven into the barricade and it’s time for a break. Back with Reigns breaking out of an abdominal stretch and making the tag off to Dean for some right hands. A quick Kofi trip puts New Day back in control though and it’s time for the rotating stomps. Big E. sounds like he’s on a microphone as he shouts encouragement.

Kofi loads up the Boom Drop, shouts HOPSCOTCH, does a little hopping, and lands on Dean for two. Ambrose makes the quick tag and it’s off to Roman to clean house. There’s an apron boot to Big E. and another one on the announcers’ table to Kofi. Ambrose comes back in with a missile dropkick to Big E. and the champs bail, only to run into the Dudleyz. Back in and Big E. takes a Doomsday Device, followed by a Superman Punch to Kofi. The spear puts Kingston away at 12:07.

Rating: C-. It’s really kind of amazing how much less entertaining the New Day is without Woods out there. They’re just a basic power and speed team and the HOPSCOTCH thing wasn’t enough to get me really into the match. Woods is the heart and soul of the team and I never would have guessed that when they got together in the first place.

Bray pops up on screen and says Roman can’t outrun his fear.

Overall Rating: D+. Totally standard go home episode of Smackdown as they’ve found the safest formula they can come up with and aren’t moving away from it until USA drags them to a new night. It was another two hours that came and went with the Divas match actually being the highlight of the show. Smackdown continues to be the definition of “just there” and I’m getting more and more indifferent to it every single week.

Results

Seth Rollins b. Cesaro – Pedigree

Nikki Bella b. Charlotte – Rack Attack

Sheamus/King Barrett b. Lucha Dragons – Brogue Kick to Kalisto

Ryback b. Bo Dallas – Shell Shock

Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose b. New Day – Spear to Kingston

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

Star Wars and stupid wrestling booking.

http://www.wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-coming-attractions/43502/

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 19, 2015
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, John Bradshaw Layfield

Tonight is all about the Cell as we’re getting a special panel of people who have been inside the Cell before. It’s one of the first times that the main event has actually received any focus and they have their hands full with giving the match a good build on such short notice. Let’s get to it.

We get right to the point with Steve Au…..oh wait never mind he’s been canceled again. Actually scratch that scratching as he’s on the show again. Austin does his poses on the ropes as his status for the show is changed another 394 times, leaving us with Austin actually appearing. JBL runs down his career stats, including saying that Vince has referred to Austin as the greatest draw in company history because NOTHING IN WWE CAN BE REAL. Right Rusev? Also, brilliant idea to have Austin come out first and not have him around later on when Monday Night Football kicks in to try to get some fans back.

Austin plugs the podcast with Lesnar tonight before bringing out the Undertaker to FINALLY hype up the match. JBL continues his nonsense by calling Undertaker the most iconic performer in sports entertainment history. He’s not even the most iconic person from Texas in the arena right now.

Austin leaves and Undertaker promises that this Sunday he will make the gates of Hell look like the gates of Heaven. This brings out Heyman and Lesnar almost immediately and Heyman promises that Lesnar will gain his revenge this Sunday. Then Undertaker will know what it’s like to die with a tainted legacy. It will be a legacy of dominance marred by the conqueror who took everything away from him.

Undertaker takes off the hat and robe while saying that if Lesnar takes everything from him, it means Undertaker can fight with nothing to lose. Brock comes straight to the ring but drops back off the apron. Well at least Heyman can relax. There better be more from this tonight because that’s nowhere near enough to build up this match. Undertaker’s nothing to lose line was good though.

John Cena/Dudley Boyz vs. New Day

Cena will officially have another US Open Challenge on Sunday. That piques my interest while also scaring me to death. I still have a bad feeling it might be Big Show and that’s not good for anyone. Before the match, Woods thinks the New Day are all unicorns because they’ve brought magic back to the WWE.

Big E. gets in some cheap shots at the Dallas Cowboys before reminding Cena and the Dudleyz about the beating they too a few weeks ago used the brass. Kofi says they used the brass to kick their……Woods: “KOFI! PG SHOW!” Kofi: “So what? We’re the New Day!” He finishes the line and Xavier gets in a comical gasp.

Bubba elbows Kofi in the head to start but it’s quickly off to D-Von for a double team elbow as we take an early break. Back with Cena taking the rotating stomps in the corner, followed by a running downward spiral from Woods for two. Big E. gets two off a side slam (with bonus dancing) but Cena dropkicks him in the chest and makes the tag to D-Von. Everything breaks down and Cena dives on Big E., leaving Woods to roll D-Von up for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C. A lot of this was in the commercial so it’s a hard one to grade. I’m tired of seeing these groups fight though and hopefully the whole thing is wrapped up on Sunday. New Day continues to just own every single show they’re on though and the line from Kofi before the match was great. Not a bad match or anything but it’s the same thing we’ve seen several times now.

Post match Woods takes an AA, followed by a superbomb through a table.

We get some breaking news: the Wyatt Family has attacked Randy Orton over the weekend, meaning he’s out of the match on Sunday. No word on if this is legitimate or not but I haven’t heard anything about a Wellness violation or an injury so I’m assuming storyline.

Ambrose is sick of this and says he’s got business with Luke Harper and Braun Strowman tonight.

Nikki Bella/Alicia Fox vs. Naomi/Sasha Banks

Now pay attention here people. Watching a Bellas match, you too can find out how they empower women every second of every day. They talk about it in every interview and that makes it so right? Sasha and Alicia get things going and it’s Banks getting two off a dropkick. It’s off to Naomi for an a-may-a-a-a-a-a-zing dropkick (sweet goodness that doesn’t get better without the music) and we take a break.

Back with Fox keeping Naomi from tagging out, followed by a double suplex (was that the empowering part? I for one could certainly feel women everywhere being stronger when a Bella did a basic wrestling move so it must have been). Naomi comes back with some kicks but Nikki hits a running dropkick to the ribs before bending over to choke Naomi on the ropes. A few more kicks are enough for Naomi to tag in Sasha for some knees to the face (empowerment down by two points).

It’s quickly back to Naomi who rams Nikki into Alicia to set up a rollup for two. Nikki’s spinebuster plants Naomi and the Rack Attack is enough for the pin at 8:47. Cole had to make sure to mention that it was a team win. Not that he mentions Alicia by name or anything but this certainly wasn’t all about Nikki, like everything else in the division.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here other than Nikki being awesome, because that’s exactly what this match was supposed to showcase. I’m not sure why this needed to be shown again, but maybe it can empower the Total Divas ratings and help build the crossover audience that these shows are supposed to share.

We recap Kane pinning Rollins last week. This has resulted in Corporate Kane being suspended. Of course the Authority could solve the obvious problem this creates by just saying KANE has been suspended but that would make too much sense. For the bosses of a global corporation, HHH and Stephanie are dumb sometimes.

Speaking of dumb things, breast cancer is dumb. I didn’t know this until Stephanie told me so, meaning she’s done has job for the night.

Here’s Shawn Michaels, who stops for a bite of pizza on the way. Shawn talks about being in the Cell before and how nothing can prepare you for it. He’s been in the Cell with the Undertaker before but there’s another match on that night as Roman Reigns is finally finishing things with Bray Wyatt. However, this brings out Seth Rollins instead. Rollins asks why Shawn is out here when he was just supposed to introduce him.

Those were his instructions, but Shawn has been ignoring instructions for over twenty years now. Well save for all those years when he wasn’t on TV but I get his point). Seth says those instructions came from HHH himself. Shawn needs to be talking about the man people have been calling Shawn Michaels Version II (John Morrison? Dolph Ziggler? Tyler Breeze? Shelton Benjamin even?). Michaels brings up that exact point: if he had a nickel for every time someone was going to be the second Shawn Michaels, he’d be a billionaire.

He never tried to be anyone else and just became the best ever on his own. Shawn mentions Kane but Rollins goes on a rant about how sick he is of Kane (since when did Rollins become the voice of the masses?) but there’s no music to play him off. Shawn says the worst part about being the second version is no one plays your music. Besides, Seth has a match right now against Ryback. Version I’s (not Matt Hardy as he’s too busy trying to figure out how that injunction actually works) song plays him out.

Ryback vs. Seth Rollins

Non-title. Ryback charges right at him to start and no sells some of the champ’s strikes. There’s part of a Flair Flip in the corner and a big chop puts Seth down. They head outside with Ryback’s ribs being driven into the barricade, followed by a Rollins suicide dive to send them into the announcers’ table. Seth is smart enough to put on a bodyvice back inside Ryback is fine enough to throw Rollins onto his shoulder and spin him around into a powerslam (that was different), followed by a spinebuster. Rollins bails from the Meat Hook, kicks Ryback in the ribs, and hits a Pedigree for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: D. BUT HE’S THE #1 CONTENDER FOR A TITLE!!! Of all the people you have to feed to Rollins, you pick someone who is getting a title shot in six days??? Why can’t they get any booking involving Rollins correct? It’s not had. Throw out….I don’t know…..Jack Swagger? As in a guy with NOTHING going on? No instead it needs to be someone you’ve been building up for months and who has a title shot on Sunday. Only in WWE.

We look at Summer Rae costing Rusev a match on Smackdown and then getting turned down by Ziggler.

Dolph Ziggler/Cesaro/Neville vs. King Barrett/Sheamus/Rusev

Rusev beats Neville into the corner to start but Neville escapes and does his flips across the ring. Some kicks keep Rusev in enough trouble for a tag off to Cesaro, who tags Neville back in after just a few seconds. It’s off to Sheamus to pound Neville down before Rusev comes for even more stomping. A big forearm sends Neville into the announcers’ table and a staredown takes us to a break.

Back with Neville still taking a beating but he avoids a charge and tags in Cesaro for the running uppercuts. A high cross body gets two on Sheamus but a collision puts both guys down. Double tags bring in Ziggler and Barrett with Dolph cleaning house. The big elbow drop gets two but Rusev makes the save. Ziggler mostly hits a Fameasser on Barrett for two followed by a superkick for the same. Rusev kicks Cesaro the floor and Neville does the same to Rusev, setting up a HUGE flip dive to take both guys. Ziggler rolls Barrett up for two but it’s a Brogue Kick from the floor to give Barrett the pin at 12:57.

Rating: C+. I like six man tags as you can fight so much stuff into one match while getting some fresh pairings. The match was just kind of there but it had a hot ending and that’s all you need most of the time. Barrett and Sheamus being rebuilt is a good thing and I’m glad it was Ziggler taking the fall as he can lose and lose without ever taking any real damage.

Here’s Flair for the third legends segment. He makes it quick by plugging Wrestlemania in Dallas next year and introduces Roman Reigns, who will team up with Ambrose to fight the Wyatts again. Roman gets to the ring but the Wyatts (including Erick Rowan but without Luke Harper, who was shown on the graphic earlier) are here in a hurry. Reigns gets two chairs this time and says one is for him and one is for Bray.

They get inside and sit in the chairs with Reigns talking about how Bray likes to kick people while they’re down. He knows the monsters are coming for him in a minute but let’s talk about this Sunday. When the monsters can’t get in the Cell, Bray won’t be able to get out. The fight is on but Roman has the chair to knock the monsters off the apron and send Bray to the floor. Ambrose runs out for backup and the Wyatts bail.

The Authority is in the back when Shawn comes in. They think Reigns and Ambrose shouldn’t be in a 2-3 handicap match against the Wyatts tonight but Seth isn’t available. Rollins doesn’t like the idea of being protected so he’ll go out there and it’s time for a Shield reunion. WITH AN HOUR OF BUILDUP BECAUSE THIS COMPANY IS STUPID!

Brie Bella vs. Charlotte

Non-title. Charlotte starts with her rolling headscissor slams but stops to yell at Nikki. Back in and the Brie Mode knee has Charlotte in trouble and we hit a long chinlock on the champ. Brie does the YES Kicks because she doesn’t know how to wrestle like a heel but thankfully Charlotte comes back and hits a quick spear and the Figure Eight for the submission at 5:34.

Rating: D. Brie is really bad at this heel thing. Her big spots are a dropkick, a move where she’s trying to get the fans to shout with her and her husbands YES Kicks which get a very positive reaction. She’s supposed to get the fans to boo her but instead we’re stuck with face spots and chinlocks. Well done Brie. You’re still empowering women of course because you wrestle and stuff.

Renee Young comes up to accuse Paige of attacking Natalya last week. Paige thinks it might have been Summer Rae, Lana, Eve Torres, Kaitlyn, Trish Stratus or even Lita. Renee presses her on this so Paige says Renee is no Erin Andrews, nor is she as cute.

Kevin Owens vs. Mark Henry

Non-title. So Owens is here but having him interfere in Ryback’s match earlier was asking too much. Owens mocks the Hook Em Horns sign and gets thrown to the floor. He’s lucky he didn’t get shot. Back in and Owens avoids a splash and gets two off a quick backsplash. Henry gets back up and shouts about being here fifteen years (it’s been more like nineteen) and headbutts Kevin in the corner. Owens stops him with a superkick though and actually nails the Pop Up Powerbomb for the pin at 3:42.

Rating: C-. That ending more than raises this up as Owens showed some shocking power with that one. Henry had some fire here but was cursed by being born in Texas, meaning he had no chance at winning here. This was better than I was expecting and that’s always nice to see.

Post match Ryback (LOSER!) chases Owens off but Henry throws Owens back in for a powerbomb (LOSER WHO DOESN’T SELL A RIB INJURY!).

Rollins assures us that this isn’t a Shield reunion.

Long video on the history of Lesnar vs. Undertaker. Well their recent history as their first Cell match is ignored.

The Kickoff match has been changed to a rematch of the six man from earlier tonight.

Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins vs. Wyatt Family

It’s Strowman/Rowan/Bray here. We get the big staredown to start with Rollins taking his time to stand beside Reigns and Ambrose. Rollins insists that he start and he gets Rowan right in his face. That means it’s off to Reigns instead and Rowan gets beaten down in the corner. Off to Ambrose vs. Wyatt with Dean running Bray over and tagging back out to the champ. Bray kicks Seth in the ribs and we take a break. Back with Dean coming in to hammer on Strowman but the giant runs him over to regain control. Bray kicks him in the face and Erick’s side slam gets two.

Cole brings up the horrible ending to Ambrose vs. Rollins inside the Cell last year as the announcers make sure to remind us that this is NOT a Shield reunion. Dean fights out of a chinlock and escapes a Sister Abigail attempt but Strowman pulls Reigns off the apron. Rollins is ready for the tag but he grabs his knee and drops to the floor before limping up the aisle. Reigns Superman Punches Rowan but it’s Strowman with the standing choke. Roman is in trouble but Dean comes in with a kendo stick (after throwing chairs to the side) for the DQ at 14:12.

Rating: C+. Well this could have been worse. It’s a good and logical thing to have Rollins limp away, especially when you have a potential big Wrestlemania moment on your hands with a proper Shield reunion. I still don’t like even teasing it like this but WWE feels the need to waste everything they can whenever they can. Good enough match.

Reigns cleans house post match with a HUGE dive over the top and spears to Bray and Erick. The fans think this is awesome to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. That’s really as high as I can go with this due to so many stupid decisions which I think you can figure out already. This show did a lot of really good things though and had more energy (read as less Authority/Kane) than any show has had in months. Lesnar vs. Undertaker is still a horrible “big” main event but it wouldn’t be WWE if they didn’t overestimate drawing power. It’s a good show here but my goodness the things they could do without the stupid mistakes.

Results

New Day b. John Cena/Dudley Boyz – Rollup to D-Von

Nikki Bella/Alicia Fox b. Naomi/Sasha Banks – Rack Attack to Naomi

Seth Rollins b. Ryback – Pedigree

Rusev/King Barrett/Sheamus b. Neville/Cesaro/Dolph Ziggler – Barrett pinned Ziggler after a Brogue Kick

Charlotte b. Brie Bella – Figure Eight

Kevin Owens b. Mark Henry – Pop Up Powerbomb

Wyatt Family b. Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns via DQ when Ambrose used a kendo stick

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

Aside from the important shows, my favorite reviews to look back on are the shows where people say I got the ratings totally wrong. I’ve changed my opinion on shows before via a second look so maybe that’s going to happen here. This week’s show was pretty much hated but I had a decent enough time with it. Let’s get to it.

We start immediately with the big story of the night: the Authority isn’t here (and won’t be here despite saying they’re trying to make it all night). Therefore Corporate Kane is in charge and gets to book the show on his own so he makes himself vs. Seth Rollins in a lumberjack match. Why doesn’t he make this a title match you ask? Plot convenience of course.

Throughout the night, the Authority keeps trying to get hold of Kane and ask him what the main event is but bad reception keeps cutting them off. Why doesn’t HHH send him a text or an e-mail so he can get the information when the reception is good and doesn’t have to be on his phone at that time? Plot convenience of course. Granted it wouldn’t matter in this case as the Authority found out about the match and told Kane he had to change it.

Naturally this gave us Demon Kane vs. Rollins because that’s still supposed to be different. This wasn’t the best idea, especially given that the fans aren’t thrilled to see them fight in the first place, so now they get to fight twice. Monday Night Football was a weak game and they had a chance to do something good, but we get Rollins vs. Kane I instead of the only match at the pay per view. I know I defend this company a lot, but there are times where they do stuff that boggles my mind.

Ambrose and Orton had a male bonding segment that was interrupted by New Day. As usual New Day stole the show with pure charisma and asked why Orton has been a part of so many groups. This led to a very long tag match (by Raw standards at least) that didn’t do much for me but could have been far worse. If my best option is nearly twenty minutes of pretty good wrestling, I’ll gladly take it over the drek that Raw is capable of putting on any day. Even on a new day, like the team that won the match due to some face miscommunication.

Things aren’t boding well for Orton/Ambrose heading into the pay per view. For one thing they lost here and even worse they’re actually on the pre-show. That screams angle for later in the show to me, as they’ve been in one of the biggest stories on the show and the card currently has six matches. I could easily see a fight breaking out to set up Orton vs. Ambrose on the show, because why build what could be a solid midcard pay per view match when you can throw it out there with an hour of build?

Video on Undertaker vs. Lesnar, which would air again (or at least a very similar version) later in the night. Well that’s nice of them. It’s not like either guy can be bothered showing up and making me want to see the match so I’ll take what I can get.

Nikki beat Naomi in a nothing match but the fans chanted for Sasha to fill in most of the time. The more I think about it the more I’m glad they haven’t added Sasha to the title match in the hopes that we get past Nikki’s rematch and move on to something else, because you know this company loves itself some rematches.

Dolph Ziggler answered the US Open Challenge and lost like everyone else does. It was another good match but when are they going to pick something for Cena to do at the pay per view? Word on the street is that he’s leaving for a few months after the show but at the moment there’s no one to challenge for the title and no real prospects, unless they throw Big Show in there again. Would that really be a big surprise at this point? You would think Ziggler wins it here but I guess this was the payoff to the accidental superkick. Every day that goes by scares me even more that we’ll get something stupid at the pay per view.

The Dudleyz squashed the Ascension. At least they’re on TV.

Sheamus and King Barrett beat Neville and Cesaro in a nothing match. Barrett has said he wants to be a tag wrestler and Sheamus/Barrett would be fine enough for a team. I’d like to see Cesaro/Neville actually win something but they seem to be the latest acts on the doomed bulletproof list.

Roman Reigns came out and gave a big speech about how Bray was trying to take away his livelihood. This has been described as horrible but I really liked it. What was far worse was the obnoxious Chicago crowd jeering the whole thing because they can’t shut up for five minutes. They decided a long time ago that they don’t want to see Reigns (they’ll take anyone but him I assume) and no matter what he says, they’re going to boo. This gets annoying quickly and unfortunately that’s often what decides everyone’s reactions to the speech. Roman got to the point and delivered, which is a big improvement over his usual stuff.

In something I really don’t like, Reigns beat Braun Strowman by countout. I could live with this if it was like Strowman’s debut match against Ambrose where it was a squash, but in this case Roman hung with Braun the whole way and basically knocked him out to win. That shouldn’t happen for months but this is WWE where the idea of CHILL OUT AND WAIT is sacrilegious. Not a good brawl either and that’s not a good thing, especially with Braun losing and being made to look beatable this early.

Here’s the column on the Lana/Rusev/TMZ fiasco:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2015/10/14/new-column-the-worldwide-leader-in-not-knowing-the-difference/

Then Ryback beat Rusev in about three minutes because Vince loves publicity as long as it’s controlled publicity.

Kevin Owens squashed Kalisto to end one of the best uses of the mini feuds that I’ve seen in a long time. They don’t need to do their usual tropes so let Owens beat up a midcard tag team instead. The story works fine and Owens vs. Ryback is built up even more. Simple, yet effective. I love that idea.

Brie Bella pinned Charlotte in a tag match because the way to get someone new over in the division is to give them the title and then have them lose almost every match. Paige and Natalya fought a bit to pad out the match. I do like the idea that they have more than one Divas story going at the same time, but they could have better ideas than Brie Bella pinning the Divas Champion.

Kane pinned Seth Rollins off a tombstone. This really doesn’t surprise me at this point and it shouldn’t surprise you either. Neither should Rollins retaining the title in a boring pay per view match.

So….yeah I’m not sure what I was thinking. Ziggler vs. Cena was good but not good enough to make up for a lot of the boneheaded moves going on here. This is looking like the weakest pay per view I’ve seen in a long time and WWE really doesn’t seem interested in making anything of it. Lesnar vs. Undertaker might as well not even be happening because neither guy seems interested in building it, leaving us with a main event of Kane vs. Rollins. Which we saw here. And it sucked.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

Looking at the difference between real fake and fake real in wrestling.

http://www.wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-the-worldwide-leader-in-not-knowing-the-difference/42877/

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/630053-espn-announces-weekly-wwe-recap-segment-details-highlights-of-seth-rollins-appearance-tonight

I can’t wait to hear all the purists whine about how this isn’t real but having to leave to go see who Matthew Berry says they should bench for their fantasy team this week.

Cool news for wrestling fans as this is going to be about five minutes a week and could lead to more coverage down the line.

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 12, 2015
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton

We’re getting closer to Hell in a Cell and most of the card is now set. The big story though is New Day, who was showed a completely different style last week as they left John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and the Dudleyz laying. This is a different kind of crowd to perform in front of though and they could certainly change a lot of what we’ve got coming. Let’s get to it.

Kane is on the phone with HHH and Stephanie, who aren’t going to be here until late. They tell him to keep things with Rollins under control until they arrive. Kane promises he will and then makes himself vs. Rollins in a lumberjack match.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Dean Ambrose with something to say. He’s here to welcome us to the show but now he’s looking for a fight. Instead he gets Randy Orton, who says he’s been fighting the Wyatts alongside him and they’re going to continue doing that at Hell in a Cell against Luke Harper and Braun Strowman. Ambrose says he’s been fighting the Wyatts for years so if Orton follows his lead, everything will be fine.

Naturally they get in a mini argument over who the leader is but here’s New Day to interrupt. They talk about slaying everyone last week and brag about leaving everyone laying with their bare hands. This included sending the Dudleyz to a retirement home and beating the WWE’s prized possession down, even though they could see him. Evolution or Legacy couldn’t do that and…..dang Orton has been in a lot of groups. It’s out with the old and in with the New Day so Orton and Ambrose need to pull a Derrick Rose and sit on the bench. That brings Kane to the screen to make the tag match for right now.

New Day vs. Randy Orton/Dean Ambrose

Non-title. Dean cleans house on Kofi to start and works on the arm. A shoulder sends Kofi to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Dean clotheslining Big E. for two and it’s off to Orton for a dropkick. The good guys take turns stomping on Big E., complete with the Garvin stomp.

Dean shows Orton how to stomp and they get in an argument, allowing E. to crawl over and tag as we take another break. Back with New Day in control and stomping Orton down, including the running dropkick from Orton. Big E. slaps on a bearhug until Randy elbows his way out, setting up the tag to Dean.

All of the New Day members are sent to the floor for a suicide dive but E. comes back with a belly to belly inside. Another tag brings in Orton, who ducks Trouble in Paradise and plants Kofi with the hanging DDT. The camera went wide like someone was going to run in but nothing happened. The RKO is loaded up but Kofi shoves Randy into Dean, setting up a rollup for the pin at 17:53.

Rating: C+. Long match here but more of a plot device than anything else. Above all here though: New Day didn’t lose. That’s a really nice surprise out of them as they didn’t go with the lame idea of having the Tag Team Champions used to build up someone for a one off tag match and a possible feud among themselves. They’re getting somewhere, just very slowly.

Video on Undertaker vs. Brock with the final chapter inside the Cell.

Nikki Bella vs. Naomi

We see a video of the Iron Man match from last week and the fans want Sasha, who is at ringside. Naomi’s corner wiggle (she’s just having fun!) and a kick to the chest get two on Nikki but she takes Nikki down and stands on her hair. We hit the hammerlock on Naomi as Nikki tries to have some psychology. That preposterous idea offends Naomi so much that she rapid fires kicks to the ribs and sends Nikki out to the floor for a big dive. Brie gets on the mic and starts a WE WANT SASHA chant to get in Naomi’s head. Sasha pulls Brie off the table but the distraction lets Nikki hit the forearm and Rack Attack for the pin at 4:54.

Rating: C-. Not bad here but they’re getting dangerously close to making Sasha the star of the division while almost never wrestling a singles match. At this point they almost have to add her to the title match at the pay per view and that’s where it seems they’re going. I’d put the title on her now and be done with it, but Nikki getting it back is always a chance. Maybe Charlotte can chase her and not look like a huge loser for a change but that might be giving WWE too much credit.

Paige has been named the Most Unconventional Diva in a Payday (candy bar) product placement bit.

Here’s John Cena for the US Open Challenge but first he wants to talk about this building. This is where he had his first WWE match back in 2002 but tonight Chicago is the place to be and he’s the man to beat so who wants some this week?

US Title: John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler

Cena is defending and starts with an armdrag (that’s a new one) into an armbar. Ziggler goes to the floor and the fans go nuts with a YES chant and look at something in the crowd. Cena grabs the mic and says that we just had a marriage proposal and SHE SAID YES. Well that’s not something you see every week. Fans: “She! Said YES!” Cena even goes to applaud them again and it’s off to an armbar from Ziggler as we take a break.

Back with Ziggler hitting his elbow drops but Cena fires off the shoulders. Ziggler breaks up the Shuffle with a dropkick as we hear about John Cena facing Kurt Angle in his debut. A modified ProtoBomb sets up the Shuffle and the STF goes on. Ziggler somehow powers out and puts on a sleeper while they’re still on the mat. That goes as far as a sleeper is going to and Cena knocks Ziggler to the floor.

The middle rope AA is broken up and Ziggler catches him with a running middle rope DDT (cool move) for a very close two. Cena’s big running clothesline takes Ziggler down and he catches a charging Dolph in the AA but Ziggler counters into the Fameasser in midair for two. Now the STF goes on in the middle of the ring but Ziggler makes the rope again.

The cross body off the top sets up the roll into the AA but Ziggler rakes the eyes and superkicks Cena down for two. They slug it out and Ziggler headbutts him into the Zig Zag for a very close two. I thought that might have been it. Back up and the AA ends Ziggler at 17:40. It’s as quick as it sounds.

Rating: B+. This was the standard formula for the US Open Challenge and it still works. I’m really curious where they’re going to go with Cena as he’s due off right after the pay per view and he doesn’t really have anything to do aside from the New Day fallout (is he going to mention that tonight?) and I’m not sure how they get the title off of him before then.

HHH calls Kane from the plane and asks how things are going. Kane doesn’t mention the main event.

Dudley Boyz vs. Ascension

Ascension jumps them to start and Viktor hits a nice jumping knee to D-Von’s face. D-Von avoids an elbow and makes the tag off to Bubba, who talks trash as he beats Viktor up. The Doomsday Device (you knew they were busting that one out in Chicago) sets up the 3D to pin Viktor at 2:41.

Neville/Cesaro vs. Sheamus/King Barrett

This could be fun. Neville speeds things up on Barrett to start before it’s off to Cesaro, who gives Neville a boost for a (partially botched) standing Phoenix splash of all things. Sheamus comes in for a slugout but the battering ram is countered by another uppercut. Cesaro throws Neville down onto Sheamus and Barrett, only to have Sheamus’ kickout send Neville into the Bull Hammer to give Sheamus the pin at 3:56.

Rating: D+. Neville is officially in free fall. He’s still there and in some stories, but he’s falling through the cracks in a hurry. I don’t remember the last time he won a big match and the Stardust story just kind of ended with no real blowoff. Hopefully he bounces back and it’s certainly not too late for him, but this isn’t a good sign.

Video on Braun Strowman.

Here’s Roman Reigns for his match against Braun Strowman but he has something to say first. He recaps the entire Bray Wyatt feud while stopping to ask if the fans can’t hear him when they keep chanting WHAT. The fans aren’t interested in the recap of the ANYONE BUT YOU but Reigns says this isn’t boring. Imagine if someone tried to keep you from making a future for your family because Bray Wyatt is trying to hold Reigns back from building a life for his daughter.

That’s the biggest mistake Bray could make and he’ll get what’s coming to him at Hell in a Cell. This was MUCH better than Reigns’ normal stuff and he didn’t stumble once. Cue the Wyatts with Bray asking who Roman is trying to convince. Bray will take the blame for Roman’s lot in life but it all ends in the Cell. Roman says when that door is locked, Bray is going to wish that he’s inside there with anyone but him. Good line there.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

Roman is quickly sent out to the floor so he tries to hit and move a bit more. Strowman easily powers him into the corner and slams Reigns down as Roman can’t do anything with him here. Off to a neck crank for a bit until Reigns fights up and starts with the clotheslines. Bray is getting worried but Reigns can’t Samoan drop Strowman.

Reigns punches away from the floor and the apron boot has Strowman staggered. The second attempt is blocked with a clothesline though and Braun comes out to play. Reigns sends him into the announcers’ table several times but Roman has to Superman Punch Harper. There’s another one to knock Strowman over the table and Braun is counted out at 7:58.

Rating: D+. Pretty ugly brawl here and I’m really not wild on having Strowman lose in any way this early. The fact that he wasn’t pinned helped but as usual WWE has no idea how to book someone beyond from pay per view to pay per view. Strowman is looking more and more like a plot device to get us to Reigns vs. Wyatt again and that’s a shame.

The Wyatts surround Roman but he gets to the floor just in time. Bray kneels in front of Roman and says follow the buzzards so Reigns pops him in the jaw.

The Authority calls again and they’re on the way to the arena. This time Kane tells him the main event but HHH can’t hear him due to bad reception. HHH: “I know Rollins but who is he facing?” Kane: “It’s me.” HHH: “I know it’s you Kane but who is he facing?” Full House had better plot devices than this.

Ryback vs. Rusev

No entrances for either guy. We recap the Summer story from last week and Cole casually mentions that TMZ reported Lana and Rusev got engaged over the weekend. So yeah, screw storylines because a gossip site told the truth about your story. You could always NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT but that would be ignoring the internet and that might mean a downgrade in your social media score or whatever.

JBL asks why Summer is here. Cole: “Maybe she’s not into social media?” The Meathook looks to set up the Shell Shock but Rusev slips out. Rusev’s charge hits the post though and now the Shell Shock is good for the pin at 3:07. So much for Rusev meaning much after Wrestlemania.

Rating: D+. What do I even say here? The entire story has been thrown out because we need to report on TMZ. It’s another example of just taking the easy way out of a storyline instead of actually writing your way out of it. I can’t stand that sort of laziness but it’s what we’re stuck with in modern wrestling.

Post match Summer shows us photos from TMZ and rips into Rusev for leading her on. She slaps him in the face and walks off as Rusev shouts a lot. My loose Russian translation thinks he said “I’ll take em both, I’m hardcore.”

Kalisto vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title. Owens shrugs off the early kicks and punches Kalisto in the side of the head. Some more kicks have little effect and Owens sends him to the floor. Owens teases a dive of his own but opts for a running slide to the floor instead. We get the Lucha Dragons pose from Owens but Kalisto comes back with a rolling kick to the head and the hurricanrana faceplant for two. A tornado DDT gets the same but Kalisto’s hurricanrana is countered into the Pop Up Powerbomb for the pin at 3:45.

Rating: C-. I still really like the booking here as Owens gets to have this meaningless mini feud with the Dragons but still gets to build towards his rematch with Ryback without the usual tropes WWE is so obsessed with. Good stuff here and again Kalisto is an incredibly fun act who could be something special going forward.

Brie Bella/Alicia Fox vs. Becky Lynch/Charlotte

Paige is on commentary and isn’t happy that Natalya is now part of Team NBC. Paige: “They’re just going through a phase.” Becky works on Brie’s arm to start before it’s off to Charlotte who helps with stereo legdrops onto Brie’s arms. The spear gets two but Natalya goes to argue with Team Bella, causing Paige to get up and shove her a few times. Back inside and Charlotte walks into a middle rope dropkick from Brie for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: D. BRIE BELLA??? Now they have Charlotte losing to BRIE BELLA??? Charlotte’s reign is reaching Zack Ryder territory now as they’re having her lose everything and then expect her to still be over while the Bellas are the dominant looking ones. Nikki is one thing but BRIE BELLA???

The Authority finally finds out who Rollins is facing because Kane couldn’t just text them the match earlier tonight. HHH says there’s no way that match can happen. Anyone can replace Kane but he can’t face Rollins. I smell a loophole coming. Fans: “CM PUNK!”

Rollins appeals to Big Show and says he sees him as family. Show laughs it off and leaves with Kane taking his place. He’s going to find a suitable replacement though.

Another Lesnar vs. Undertaker video.

Seth Rollins vs. ???

Non-title lumberjack match and the opponent is…….of course it’s Demon Kane. Did you really expect anything else? They’ve even managed to calm down the Chicago crowd and Kane keeps throwing Rollins out to the lumberjacks who are more than willing to throw him back in. Kane gets low bridged to the floor but the lumberjacks just stand back. Seth’s suicide dive is caught by the throat so Seth runs away, only to get caught by Cesaro.

Back in and a clothesline knocks Kane over the top but he lands on his feet. Kane starts beating up New Day but stops to stare at Big Show. Gah anything but that. Kane slaps him in the face so Show knocks Kane out but he’s still able to kick out at two. The springboard knee to the face gets the same as the announcers keep calling him Demon Kane.

A frog splash gets two more for the champ but Kane pulls him off the top with a superplex. Both guys are down and New Day pulls Kane to the floor, triggering a big brawl between all of the lumberjacks. Back in and the lumberjacks come in but Kane sits up to stop Big E.’s Warrior splash. Everything breaks down again and the Pedigree is countered, followed by a tombstone to pin Rollins at 8:21.

Rating: D. BUT HOW CAN ROLLINS POSSIBLY KEEP THE TITLE NOW??? I knew Kane was going to win the second his music hit because that’s how you build to a match on pay per view: by having the same match on free TV just a few weeks beforehand. Kane doing his same schtick that he was doing twelve years ago doesn’t do much for me, especially since he has no chance at winning in the title match.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had a lot more energy than usual and it helped things out quite a bit. They’ve got most of the show set for the pay per view and I’m actually intrigued by the card. Naturally there are some holes in this show such as the “let’s ignore stories because TMZ said so” and the stupid swap for the main event, but did anyone not see that coming? I had a good time with this one though and it flew by, which is always a good feeling on Raw. I’m not sure that’s a good thing though as it means you can’t wait for it to be over and it’s not as bad as it could have been. Take that for what you will.

Results

New Day b. Randy Orton/Dean Ambrose – Rollup to Orton

Nikki Bella b. Naomi – Rack Attack

John Cena b. Dolph Ziggler – Zig Zag

Dudley Boyz b. Ascension – 3D to Ascension

Sheamus/King Barrett b. Neville/Cesaro – Sheamus pinned Neville after a Bull Hammer

Roman Reigns b. Braun Strowman via countout

Kevin Owens b. Kalisto – Pop Up Powerbomb

Brie Bella/Alicia Fox b. Becky Lynch/Charlotte – Missile dropkick to Charlotte

Kane b. Seth Rollins – Tombstone

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

This is a weird spot for WWE as they’re building up to a house show before they start building up to Hell in a Cell. Unfortunately that means we’re going to be in for a lot of Big Show, though fortunately it means we’re in for a lot more of the New Day and there’s nothing wrong with that. Let’s get to it.

They got right to the point with the US Open Challenge. Cena said anyone could come get some and it’s Xavier Woods taking the challenge. Of course this led to some hilarious shenanigans from all three members of New Day which I can’t do justice by just typing them up here. Cena no sold most of this and looked more like a villain who was being all serious. That being said, I really like the idea of Cena treating the title like the most important thing in the world and not something worthy of joking about.

As you might expect, Cena gave Woods the best match of his career before New Day came in for the DQ. That brought out the Dudleyz for a six man, which New Day actually won when Cena was knocked to the floor. This was entertaining and a good way to kill some time. Just like last week, it’s a better idea to start a show with action rather than spending twenty minutes setting up the night’s action.

Here’s the big story of the first half of the night: Kane gets a performance evaluation despite being creepy. Thankfully this was mostly done off screen so we didn’t have to go through a bunch of lame and unfunny comedy. The closest thing was Kane giving Seth the head of his statue back in a good bit. Kane was eventually declared competent and Rollins whined a lot, eventually Pillmanizing Kane’s injured ankle.

Corporate Kane would be taken to an ambulance but Demon Kane came back out and destroyed Rollins. I’m not loving this idea but at least it’s something different. Also, they have to do Kane vs. Rollins at some point so why not do it on a show where they know the main event is going to carry everything else?

Big Show squashed Mark Henry to set up Saturday. Short and harmless. Well except to Henry.

One of the big segments of the night was Team PCB on MizTV. This is where I really started losing interest in the show. Paige came out and it turned into this big whining fest between the three of them plus Team Bella about who started the Divas Revolution. This felt like WWE was copying the Kardashians or some Real Housewives show with all the whining and cattiness.

Aside from trying to find a reason to care about who started this Revolution, this made every person involved in this story look like they were about 17 years old. It’s a bunch of whining and people sounding stupid as the title is forgotten again. I don’t want to see the division going in this direction, but unfortunately this is the kind of “entertainment” that dominates pop culture these days and it’s likely going to be more prominent in this division going forward.

Oh and Team PCB reformed for a match but Paige walked out, allowing Nikki to pin Charlotte for the title. Charlotte’s reign as champion is making Rollins look great by comparison.

The Wyatts squashed the Prime Time Players. This was fine.

King Barrett beat up Neville and Stardust. I’m glad he’s back but I don’t buy for a second that Barrett is going anywhere.

Bray Wyatt babbled a lot.

Randy Orton squashed Bo Dallas.

Ryback started a fight to break up Rusev vs. Kevin Owens in less than a minute. Dolph Ziggler ran out to superkick Ryback.

Let’s look at this set of segments for a bit. There was maybe ten minutes spent on these, but I’m not sure if I like that or not. The matches being short helps as there’s no reason to have something like Orton vs. Dallas go anywhere, but it’s kind of hard to care about matches that don’t get any time and everything goes flying by. It felt like they were trying to fill time and I can’t stand it when a show feels like it’s there for no reason. I can see both sides of this, but I’d really like something with more depth to it than what we got here.

Heyman came out to talk about Big Show vs. Brock so Big Show came out and scared him. No one with a brain who has seen five minutes of WWE believes Show has a chance here and it’s really annoying to have to sit through all these promos and matches building up what is going to be one sided.

The main event was a big brawl between Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns. This was barely a match and that’s exactly what it should have been. They fought into the crowd and the highlight was the aftermath with Bray picking up a PERSON and throwing him at Reigns. Reigns speared Wyatt through a table to end the show in a brawl clearly designed to set up a match inside the Cell. Nothing wrong with that. Again though, Bray threw a PERSON at Reigns. That’s awesome on a whole different level.

Raw was……yeah this week. It feels like they’re spending more time setting up the house show on Saturday than the pay per view, which made for some uneven moments tonight. There are parts of it that I liked but at the same time it still feels like they’re searching for their next idea instead of knowing where they want to go and that’s never a good thing. Things should change a lot next week with the MSG show out of the way, but they should have already started some more of the build towards the pay per view.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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

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WWE Madison Square Garden House Show
Date: October 3, 2015
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Rich Brennan, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton

This is another WWE Network exclusive from the world’s most famous arena. It’s a pretty stacked card with the main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show in a match that could totally be different than any time they’ve fought before. Other than that we have the traditional steel cage match with US Champion John Cena defending against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins again. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about Cena vs. Rollins and Brock vs. Big Show.

There’s a mini Titantron set up like there was in Japan. The middle rope is pink again for breast cancer awareness.

Rusev/Sheamus vs. Randy Orton/Dolph Ziggler

This was originally billed as two singles matches and it’s a really smart move to not go with the same stale pairings we’ve seen multiple times each. I know this is nothing revolutionary but at least it’s something new. Orton gets quite the positive reaction from the fans. Sheamus and Orton get things going and the fans are all over Sheamus’ looks. Orton fights out of the corner and it’s off to Rusev who is greeted by a big USA chant. Dolph comes in with a dropkick for two but a Sheamus distraction lets the swinging Rock Bottom plant Ziggler for two.

It’s off to Sheamus for a chinlock as the announcers debate Lana and Summer. See, I can live with the constant storyline stuff while we’re sitting in a rest hold. It’s better than discussing how to fight out of something like that because you can only take that discussion so far. Rusev comes in for a nerve hold and the villains take turns keeping Ziggler in trouble. Dolph finally gets in a slam on Rusev (really? A slam?) and the diving tag brings in Orton to clean house. A Ziggler superkick knocks Rusev off the apron and the Brogue Kick misses, setting up an RKO to put Sheamus away at 8:40.

Rating: C+. Total formula tag match here and there’s nothing wrong with that. They kept this from getting too long (ala the Beast in the East main event) and the fans stayed in it as a result. The RKO is a great way to end a match like this as it’s always going to wake the fans up and it’s not like the MSG fans need a lot of help.

Post match Rusev screams at Sheamus for costing them the match. Sheamus is more useless than Lana and all these people so he needs to pack his bag and leave. Sheamus gets up and Brogue Kicks Rusev and walks off. That didn’t feel like a face turn.

We recap Kane and Seth Rollins from Monday with Kane’s split personalities.

Corporate Kane is here to help run the show and will run down to help if Demon Kane comes after Rollins. Well limp down but you get the idea.

Stardust vs. Neville

No seconds here. Stardust shoulders him down to start but Neville sweeps the leg and does a little dance. The running hurricanrana (that’s such a cool looking move) sends Stardust down again but he comes back with the Disaster Kick to put Neville down. Stardust looks at Neville’s cape before putting on a chinlock. That goes as far as a chinlock is going to go so Stardust tries to crotch him against the post but the superhero pulls him face first into the post instead.

The Asai moonsault drops Stardust again but he comes back in with a Side Effect for two. With nothing else working, Stardust puts on Neville’s cape and goes up top, only to dive into a right hand to the ribs. Neville kicks him in the face and the Red Arrow is good for the pin at 7:25.

Rating: C. We’ve seen this a few times before and I’m not sure where else the feud can go unless they bring in a fourth apiece and set up a Survivor Series match. The superhero vs. supervillain stuff has kind of fallen off and there’s not much left other than some decent matches. Good enough here and the faces continuing to win is a smart idea.

Paul Heyman (with a phone in his hand for old times’ sake) compares Big Show to the Boston Celtics and promises to make MSG the city hall of Suplex City.

Team Bella vs. Team PCB

P C and B all come out separately. Becky starts with Alicia and that means it’s time for JBL to start talking about boxing. Paige’s request for a tag is ignored so she tags herself in to send Fox into the corner. As expected, the fans want Sasha. It’s back to Becky who gets taken into the corner, allowing Brie and Alicia to double suplex her for two. Nikki comes in and goes after Charlotte for a distraction but it backfires as Becky slides over for a tag.

It’s Charlotte cleaning house with a spear to Nikki but Paige tags herself in as the Figure Eight goes on. The argument lets Alicia take over and a northern lights suplex gets two. Back to Nikki for a chinlock until Paige fights up and dives for a tag, only to have her partners drop to the floor. The Rack Attack ends Paige at 8:24.

Rating: C-. This was more storyline stuff than a match but that’s what you have to expect at a house show. Paige is now officially full on heel as there’s no reason for her to do some of the things she’s done here other than being evil and Charlotte/Becky’s actions (mostly) made sense. It’s good that they’re moving on from the standard team battles though as they had been old for a long time.

Paige says she can’t believe her friends would do this to her and she’s not sure if she can forgive them. It seems that they’re already dropping the Pipe Bomb promo from Raw for the sake of a delusional stuck up character instead. Well that’s good as the interesting character might have made the Bellas look bad. I mean, they do it enough to themselves and Paige pointing out all their flaws might ruin some horrible children’s dreams.

Clip from Smackdown (I’m as shocked as you are) of Reigns challenging Wyatt for a match inside the Cell.

Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens

Jericho is challenging and he welcomes us to the 25^th anniversary of his first match in wrestling. Twenty five years ago he wrestled Lance Storm (in the front row) to a ten minute Broadway in a small town in Alberta in front of fifty people. Jericho thanks us all for being along for the ride and promises a big party tonight. Kevin starts fast but gets dropkicked out to the floor and sent into the announcers’ table.

Back inside and Kevin wishes Jericho a happy anniversary before punching in the face. A chinlock slows things down as JBL says Jericho was an unproven talent in WWE until he beat Rock and Austin in the same night. Dude go watch some Network and learn the history better. Jericho comes back with a missile dropkick and enziguri for two. The Pop Up Powerbomb and Codebreaker are countered and Owens’ package piledriver slam gets two. The Lionsault hits knees and there’s the Cannonball to a nice reaction.

Owens’ Swanton hits knees as well and the Walls go on. Kevin fights over to the ropes and sends Jericho shoulder first into the post for two. Now the Codebreaker works but Owens grabs the rope for the break. This has been a really good back and forth match so far and Jericho has been in control for the majority. Kevin comes back with a superkick but the Pop Up Powerbomb is countered into another Walls attempt. Just like at Night of Champions though, Owens pokes the eyes and grabs a small package for the pin at 8:34.

Rating: B-. It’s a really good idea to keep the matches moving here as the fans aren’t going to stand for a long match with a bunch of filler. This was a fun match though between two guys that know how to work an entertaining style. Jericho is perfect for roles like this as he never needs to win another match and he’ll be fine all around. Owens gets a big win and can brag about beating another legend so everyone looks good.

We recap New Day vs. the Dudley Boyz which is about the new generation vs. the legends.

Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Dudley Boyz

New Day is defending and of course they have something to say. This time it’s about the Dudleyz’s never ending retirement tour with all of their references to the 90s and glasses with no lenses. On top of that, they put a good man like Xavier Woods through a perfectly good table! JBL incorrectly says the first tag team tables match was in this building at Summerslam (Royal Rumble 2000).

D-Von runs over Big E. to start but Bubba charges into an elbow in the corner. Now it’s Kofi getting beaten up as Woods tries to get the fans behind the champs. The power of positive double teaming takes over for New Day and it’s time for some tromboning. E. puts on a chinlock and Woods thinks the stock is rising on tricep meat. Ray avoids the Warrior splash and makes the tag off to D-Von as everything breaks down. The 3D has Kofi beaten but Woods comes in for the DQ at 6:40.

Rating: D+. This really isn’t surprising and it’s probably the right call. New Day could be a special team and it’s not like the Dudleyz need another title reign. I’d be fine if they won them eventually but I’m not going to miss anything if it never happens again. Besides, any reason to hear more from New Day is always a positive.

Post match New Day sets up a table but Bubba breaks up the Midnight Hour, leaving Woods (busy playing Taps) to take a 3D through the table.

Recap of Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar, which is built around the idea that Big Show beat him in this arena thirteen years ago. Really that’s about it and we’re supposed to believe that Show is a threat here.

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

Brock goes right after him to start and gets sent out to the floor. Lesnar just smiles and the fans chant for Suplex City. Back in and Show pummels him in the corner but misses a charge and takes some shoulders to the ribs. The first German is blocked and there’s the chokeslam. Brock pops up so it’s a second chokeslam, only to have him get up again. There’s a third chokeslam for two and it’s time for the suplexes. Brock can’t hold him up for the F5 and it’s kind of an AA instead. It’s time for more smiling though and Lesnar hits the fourth German. Now the F5 finishes Show at 4:05.

Rating: C-. JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER FREAKING TIME THEY HAVE THIS STUPID MATCH AND WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO BIG SHOW TALK ABOUT HOW HE’S A FREAKING GIANT AND NO ONE CAN BEAT HIM!!! I’m so glad we sat through Show squashing a bunch of people so he could lose in four minutes just like he does every time he fights Brock. You could have set this match up with a single promo but instead, Cesaro had to be squashed twice. Well done WWE.

Show isn’t done and he calls Brock back in. That’s fine with Lesnar as it’s a belly to bell and a second F5 for good measure. The fans give Big Show the Goodbye Song and Eden says let’s hear it for him.

The cage is lowered.

US Title: Seth Rollins vs. John Cena

Cena is defending and Rollins is World Champion. For the sake of clarity, I’ll only refer to Cena as champion. Pin/submission/escape to win here. Seth fights out of a headlock to start and sends Cena face first into the cage a few times for two. Rollins’ escape attempts don’t work and Cena bulldogs him off the top for two. Seth comes right back with the top rope knee to the face and the Sling Blade gets two.

We get the classic raking the face against the steel spot but Cena grabs the electric chair for two. It’s back to the top with Rollins getting knocked off first, only to catch the top rope Fameasser in a powerbomb for two. They take turns sending each other into the steel and it’s time for the flying tackles. Rollins kicks him in the head to break up the Shuffle but decides to try a Shuffle of his own.

Now it’s the real comeback but Rollins grabs the cage to escape the AA. The springboard knee is caught in the STF but Rollins crawls to the door. They fight over the escape attempt until Rollins slams the door on Cena’s head for a close two. Cena counters the Pedigree with a catapult but has to stop Rollins from escaping over the top. John gets most of the way over but Seth superplexes him down and rolls into the falcon’s arrow for another close two. They fight to the top again and this time it’s a tornado DDT from Cena for a near fall.

Cena goes for the door but Rollins climbs over the top and slams the cage onto his head again. John gets up AGAIN and pulls Rollins back in for an AA but Seth lands on his feet and hits the low superkick for two to end a great sequence. The STF is countered into a Crossface but Cena powers up into another AA attempt.

Rollins rolls out again and hits Cena low (totally legal) but here’s Kane. For some reason this keeps Seth from being able to climb down until Kane is right underneath him, leaving Rollins to miss a splash off the top of the cage. The AA finally connects to retain Cena’s title at 22:43.

Rating: A-. Really good match here and it would have been even better had Kane not come out. This felt like the big showdown that you often get in cage matches and it was cool to see the fans respecting Cena for his great effort. I could have gone without seeing Rollins getting pinned again but at least it was as close to being not clean as you can get in a cage match.

Cena leaves and Kane gives Rollins a chokeslam and tombstone to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Totally fun two and a half hour show here with Brock squashing Big Show and a really good main event. The key thing to remember here is that this was a house show and not a pay per view. It’s really just a bonus for the Network subscribers and that lowers the level of expectations quite a bit. Nothing was really bad here and they kept things short and sweet. Fun show here though and a really good way to spend about two and a half hours. Check out that cage match if you get the chance.

Results

Dolph Ziggler/Randy Orton b. Rusev/Sheamus – RKO to Sheamus

Neville b. Stardust – Red Arrow

Team Bella b. Team PCB – Rack Attack to Paige

Kevin Owens b. Chris Jericho – Small package

Dudley Boyz b. New Day via DQ when Xavier Woods interfered

Brock Lesnar b. Big Show – F5

John Cena b. Seth Rollins – Attitude Adjustment

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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