IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 13, 2019
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Renee Young, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re over in England this week for a taped show, which happens to be the go home show for Money in the Bank. I’m not sure what we’re going to be seeing this week but odds are we’ll be getting a match between the people involved in Sunday’s ladder matches. Oh and at least four people from Smackdown, because the Wild Card Rule is a mess. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Miz for MizTV top open things up. He talks about how important Money in the Bank is for the future but there is something else we need to get out of the way. That would be Miz’s match with Shane McMahon, when they will be locked in a cage. Miz promises to win and then brings out Roman Reigns as his guest. Reigns doesn’t think much of his Money in the Bank opponent Elias, who has never actually done anything in this company. That sounds good to Miz, who talks about Reigns’ movie career and suggests a buddy comedy.

Reigns doesn’t like it because that sounds like the old Miz. He wants to talk to the new Miz, who chased Shane McMahon and Elias out of the arena with a chair last week. After seeing a clip of that chase, Miz talks about getting some respect after thirteen years around here. Last week he brought the fight, which is what he is going to do to the daddy’s boy on Sunday. Shane is going to go down faster than his dad did to a Superman Punch.

This brings out Shane to say that he is still the boss and therefore, MizTV is over. Cue Bobby Lashley and Elias to attack from behind and join Shane in the aisle. Actually let’s get a referee out here, as the show opens with a fifteen minute talking segment, Shane McMahon, and an impromptu match.

Elias/Bobby Lashley vs. Roman Reigns/The Miz

Shane is at ringside. Miz hammers on Elias to start and gets two off an early Reality Check. It’s off to Reigns, sending Elias bailing to the floor. Back in and the good guys clean house, with Miz hitting alternating YES Kicks to both of them. Lashley picks Miz up and tries a powerbomb but settles for a Downward Spiral.

We take a break and come back with Shane choking Miz on the ropes, allowing Elias to hit an Old School Meteora for two. Lashley’s delayed vertical suplex has Miz in more trouble but he DDTs Elias to get a breather. The hot tag is cut off by Lashley though and Miz is still down. Lashley misses a charge into the post but Shane pulls Reigns off the apron and sends him into the steps for the DQ at 11:08.

Rating: D+. Just a tag match here though at least they kept it a little shorter than they did before. That being said, just having Reigns around isn’t going to be enough to fix the ratings woes as this was the same main event style tag match that they run ever week, albeit with Shane interfering. It was watchable, but nothing that they haven’t before.

Post match the brawl is on until Miz cleans house with a chair.

We get a long video on Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles, looking at a comparison of the two paths they took to get here. Rollins rose up the ranks and has been successful everywhere he has gone. Styles on the other hand started in the dying days of WCW, then did something else for a long time, and was in WWE to show how great he really was. Seth defeating Brock Lesnar while AJ failed is the big difference, with AJ wanting to prove that he can win the big one on Raw.

We look at Braun Strowman nearly murdering Sami Zayn last week. How Sami survived that and appeared on Smackdown the next night still hasn’t been explained.

Strowman says he regrets that the trash compactor didn’t turn Sami into a cube. No one can stop him from becoming the Monster in the Bank again. An assistant comes in to say Shane wants to talk to Strowman. Did Strowman just admit to attempted murder?

Post break, Sami is pleading his case to Shane when Strowman comes in. Sami thinks he deserves something for what happened last week, like Strowman’s Money in the Bank spot. He’ll even fight for it tonight. That sounds good to Shane, who removes Strowman from his match against Drew McIntyre and makes it Sami vs. Strowman, falls count anywhere, for the spot in the ladder match. Strowman promises to eat Sami alive and fear sets in.

Mojo Rawley vs. Apollo Crews

Crews would be your fourth Smackdown name, assuming you count Shane (Vince had to write him off as part of the Wild Card Rule last week and his profile on WWE.com says Smackdown so I’d think he counts.). Some stomping in the corner has Rawley in trouble to start but a flip from Crews tweaks his knee. Crews says he can go and gets his leg taken out, allowing Rawley to yell a lot. The running right hand in the corner sets up the Alabama Slam to give Rawley the pin at 1:13. So he screams a lot and paints his face. That’s the best they can come up with?

Alexa Bliss complains about her luggage being lost because she’s a celebrity. Nikki Cross, now sounding completely sane, comes up to ask if anything is wrong. Bliss doesn’t know how Cross grew up in a place like this and could use someone to talk to. Cross didn’t think anyone had noticed her being here in four weeks so Bliss spills her guts about her recent issues. She can’t wrestle tonight without her gear, so Cross gets the chance instead.

And now for the show’s centerpiece: a double contract signing! Lacey Evans, Charlotte (that’s five) and Becky Lynch all come out for the signings with the fans being behind the champ. Becky talks about how great it is to be back in London before promising that Lacey will crumble under the pressure of the Man being on her neck.

Charlotte talks about Becky’s big mouth getting her in trouble again and how it’s always been her issues. Lacey complains about Becky not wearing the proper clothing to such a formal occasions. This isn’t a fight in a barn. Who wears a camisole and leather pants to a barn fight? Becky laughs it off and signs, leaving Charlotte to talk over the BECKY TWO BELTS chants. She finds this hilarious and Becky’s confidence can’t hide her jealousy. On Sunday, Becky will bow down to the Queen.

Charlotte signs and Lacey says the WWE needs a lady to show them the way. Lacey says Becky can “continue to pretend to swing around something that she doesn’t have” and it’s not going to be enough to take out two real ladies. Becky offers her a free shot as Becky signs. The table is shoved aside and the fight is on with Lacey getting caught in the Disarm-Her. Charlotte breaks it up with a big boot and a double powerbomb puts Becky through the table. Both titles are held up for a pretty good visual.

That’s the second contract signing in three weeks. Is that really the best thing that they can come up with? It’s not like it’s some brilliant trope that you never see anywhere else. They’re just sitting there trading shots at each other. Do they really have nothing better to do than the contract signing? Just have them yell at each other on stage or something for the sake of a little change of pace.

Baron Corbin vs. Ricochet

Ricochet starts with the flips, including one over Corbin to set up a springboard crossbody. Corbin heads outside so Ricochet kicks him in the face and hits the moonsault off the middle rope. Back in and a heck of a clothesline drops Ricochet as we take a break. We come back with Ricochet trying more flips until running into Deep Six.

Ricochet spins around into a DDT for two but the 630 misses. Instead he settles for a hurricanrana and a standing shooting star for two, with a rather big surprise at the kickout. Corbin hits End of Days for the pin at 9:31. Graves: “You may not like it but you have to accept it.” The WWE booking philosophy ladies and gentlemen.

Rating: D+. Graves’ line at the end is great and sums up Corbin quite well. He’s winning more and more big matches despite not exactly being thrilling, while Ricochet’s only win as of late has been a pin over perennial midcarder Robert Roode. I know we’re going to get Corbin as World Champion at some point and I kind of wish we could just get it over with already so the nightmare can be real.

Post match Corbin pulls out a ladder but Ricochet shoves him off.

Rey Mysterio says Samoa Joe crossed the line by yelling at his son last week. Cesaro comes in and asks when Raw became bring your kid to work day. Well Shane was first a referee in 1988 so somewhere around then? Cesaro says Dominic looks more like Joe than Rey because he’s a foot taller, so is Dominic even Rey’s kid? The fight is on as I wonder how many more people we can accuse of being Dominic’s father.

We get a long video on Roman Reigns, the same one we saw last week on Smackdown.

AJ says he’s ready to win on Raw and make Monday Night Rollins the House that AJ Styles built.

Naomi vs. Nikki Cross vs. Natalya vs. Dana Brooke

During the entrances, everyone, including Bliss, gets to talk about how important winning MITB would be. Cross is her usual fired up self during her entrance. Bliss comes out for commentary so Corey can lose his mind again. It’s a brawl to start with Naomi hitting a Bubba Bomb on Dana, leaving Nikki to tie Natalya in the ring skirt for the forearms. Naomi knocks the two of them down and we take a break. Back with Dana’s handspring elbow getting elbowed in the back so Natalya can put on the surfboard. Nikki goes up top to dive onto it but Naomi shoves her down and breaks it up herself.

Brooke and Natalya get together and double gorilla press Naomi but Nikki comes back in with something like the Rings of Saturn on Naomi, plus some screaming. This time Natalya makes the save so Naomi gives her the split legged moonsault for two as Brooke makes her own save. Hang on though as we now have a ladder set up at ringside, with Nikki spearing Natalya underneath it. Brooke dives onto the other three but Nikki pops up and takes her down. Back in and Nikki’s hanging swinging neckbreaker finishes Natalya at 9:20.

Rating: C-. Not terrible here and it’s nice to see Nikki win, though I could go for her being in the ladder match over Natalya. That being said, we can’t do that because Natalya is a veteran and that means she needs to be around every single time. Naomi was rather energetic here, though I don’t give her much of a chance to win on Sunday.

Sami rants about Braun being part of the toxic fantasies around here because everyone wants to run through their problems. It’s better to be right than strong though, which is why Sami will figure something out tonight.

Cesaro vs. Rey Mysterio

During the entrances, Samoa Joe says Rey is the one who crossed the line by bringing his son into WWE. On Sunday, he hopes he sees Rey and Dominic. Rey starts fast with the short hurricanrana and a better headscissors out of the corner. Cesaro grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but Rey winds up on his shoulders.

Another headscissors tries to take Cesaro to the floor but he lands on his feet….with Rey still on his shoulders. The third headscissors sends Rey into the barricade but Cesaro is right back with a pair of swings into the barricade to knock Rey silly. There’s a one armed apron superplex for two more and we take a break.

Back with Rey reversing a suplex into a DDT and speeding things back up. The spinning faceplant sets up la majistral for two and Cesaro is rocked. The 619 is countered into the Swing but Cesaro misses the Swiss19. A Code Red gives Rey two of his own but the Neutralizer is reversed into a headscissors. That means the 619 into the top rope splash to finish Cesaro at 10:40.

Rating: B. Best match of the night by a mile here as both guys were allowed to show off a bunch of their rather impressive stuff. It’s a fine move to have Rey get built up for his title shot on Sunday, though Cesaro’s latest singles push is already starting to falter, which tends to be the case every single time.

We recap the Usos tormenting the Revival over the last two weeks.

The Revival is sick of the Usos tormenting them and it stops now.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House but Bray is nowhere to be seen but pops up from behind a table. Rabbity is seen in a chair with a bandage over his eye as Bray talks about having a secret. It’s almost time to show the world what he has been working on, but he’s going to need the help of all his Fireflies.

The cheering warms his soul, but there is still a lot of darkness in his noggin. This time though, he has learned how to control it. Bray gets a lot more sinister and asks if we want to see his secret. He turns to the door and we cut to some rather creepy images of what looks like a bunch of toys, and Bray morphs into something like an evil clown with his hair down. Bray, in a dark voice: “Yeowy wowwy.” Well that worked, though you need to see it to get the full effect. I’m not sure how well it works in an arena, but these are great.

We look back at the contract signing.

Money in the Bank rundown.

Seth Rollins says it is personal with AJ now. We see a match between the two of them from 2006 (which isn’t fifteen years ago like Seth says) at NWA No Limits, where Seth says his family got to see him. Now it’s time to show what he can do as the backbone of Raw, but now he isn’t looking up at AJ anymore. Now it’s AJ looking up at him.

Braun Strowman vs. Sami Zayn

Falls Count Anywhere with Braun’s Money in the Bank spot on the line. Braun starts fast and rips Sami’s hoodie off before sending him outside. That means the running shoulder so Sami bails into the crowd. A beer to Braun’s face lets Sami run even more and they make it to the concourse. Some trashcan shots to the head just annoy Braun, who throws Sami into a column for two.

Cue Baron Corbin with a chair to the back plus some trashcan shots to put Strowman down. A belly to back suplex puts Strowman through a merchandise table so Sami can get two. Strowman is back up and sends Corbin into a wall as we take a break. Back with Strowman in control again and throwing Sami into a barricade in the arena. The threat of a ladder sends Sami bailing to the back again but this time it’s Drew McIntyre jumping Strowman.

A DDT onto a chair gives Sami two so Strowman gets up and hits McIntyre with an ice chest. Sami crawls away and goes through a curtain to get back into the arena. Strowman follows and drops a bunch of ladders on Sami but here are Corbin and McIntyre to beat Strowman up. A ladder to the face puts Strowman down and the two of them suplex him through a ladder. The Claymore is enough to give Sami the pin at 14:36.

Rating: C+. This was a nice garbage brawl with Sami having to come up with something to survive against the monster. I can go for having Sami in the ladder match as he’s a more interesting candidate than Strowman, who isn’t likely to win the title anytime soon. The interference was a good idea and I liked the match well enough, with the right decision helping a lot.

Post match Strowman gets up so Corbin throws Sami to him. A chokeslam through the announcers’ table leaves Sami laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. After the last two weeks, this was a major relief and it still wasn’t that good of a show. They kept things moving and they even had some stuff happen, but most importantly it wasn’t a show with a lot of explanations or meaningless matches that didn’t change anything. Those promos during the show helped a lot as well and were a lot more effective than having the wrestlers come out and talk where they take forever to say something. Money in the Bank is looking a little better, but it might just be that Raw wasn’t as much of a slog this week.

Results

The Miz/Roman Reigns b. Elias/Bobby Lashley via DQ when Shane McMahon interfered

Mojo Rawley b. Apollo Crews – Alabama Slam

Baron Corbin b. Ricochet – End of Days

Nikki Cross b. Natalya, Naomi and Dana Brooke – Hanging swinging neckbreaker to Natalya

Rey Mysterio b. Cesaro – Top rope splash

Sami Zayn b. Braun Strowman – Claymore from Drew McIntyre

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 7, 2019
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the first show under the new Wild Card Rule, which basically means the Brand Split is done. The official rule is that four names from the other show can come over, but the real question is how many of those people will actually show up. Since WWE couldn’t actually manage to get the rule straight last night for more than about an hour at a time, odds are it’s going to be changed around here as well. Let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, looking straight at the stage. The entire hard camera side and upper deck were tarped off. The rest of the arena was mostly full, but that one side was completely empty.

Here’s Monday Night Raw’s AJ Styles to open things up. Phillips: “AJ Styles could be the first Wild Card Rule name showing up!” Gee you think? AJ is glad to be back and explains the Wild Card Rule again, saying he’s here because he was brave enough and fast enough. This brings out Sami Zayn (who was crushed in a garbage truck last night) to insult the Kentucky Fried Hillbillies and call AJ out for his toxic ego which has spiraled out of control.

AJ makes fun of Sami for smelling bad from the trashcan, suggesting that Sami take a shower. This brings out Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, who say that Kofi is champ now so AJ shouldn’t be so worried about Smackdown anymore. AJ is just returning the favor from last night when Kofi came over to Raw. Kofi gets in his face and asks what AJ is going to do about things but Sami cuts them off, saying that this shouldn’t happen.

The truth is that the people aren’t happy for Kofi, who is now caught up in trying to make the fans happy by throwing out title matches. Besides, if anyone should be getting the title match, it’s Sami himself. Kofi asks about the smell as well so the fans tell Sami to take a shower. Anyway, Kofi put the title on the line last night because he’s a fighting champion and he’ll defend the title against either of them tonight. Not that it matters which one though, because he’ll remain champion. The dancing wraps up another too long opening segment.

Kevin Owens is in his car and says that since it’s his birthday, he’s going home instead of dealing with horrible Kentucky people. He’ll win the title from Kofi at Money in the Bank.

The triple threat title match is official for tonight.

We get a rather cool video from Ali, who is looking up at a street light. The light seems far away but it shows you the path that you can take. At Money in the Bank, the briefcase will look far away too but he’ll follow the path to it and get his opportunity back.

Ali vs. Andrade

Post match Ali and Andrade double team Orton but it’s a pop up RKO to Ali (sweet) and an RKO out of the air to Andrade (not as sweet but still great).

We look back at Shane McMahon and Elias attacking Roman Reigns last night.

We get a long and really cool video on Reigns, starting back in 2010 in the Leakee days and moving into the Shield Era, followed by his singles success. Then he got sick again and had to go away, but now he’s back and wants another shot. This continues a trend: Reigns the person is awesome, but Reigns the character, not so much.

Here’s Shane McMahon to deal with the Tag Team Title situation (for some reason he made two entrances, with an unrelated IIconics promo in between). Before the announcement though, Shane promises to win the cage match at Money in the Bank and be deemed Best in the World again. As for the titles, there is a team that deserves the titles more than anyone else and here they are.

Cue Daniel Bryan and Rowan, which is quite the surprise move but something with some intelligence to it. Before they can claim the titles though, here are the Usos (#3 and #4 from Raw), who say Roman Reigns gave them permission to show up whenever they like. Oh and the Wild Card Rule of course. The Usos talk about all the teams that earned the titles, including Shane at one point. Now Shane is just going to hand them over to Spongebob and Patrick? They want the titles on the line right now and the match is on.

Actually hang on a second as we get a promo from Finn Balor. He’s in Ireland but thinking about winning Money in the Bank so he can be Finn Two Belts.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Daniel Bryan/Rowan

The titles are vacant coming in. Bryan works on Jey’s arm to start but it’s quickly off to Jimmy for a forearm in the corner. Rowan comes in for a hard slam and splash for two on Jimmy as the twins are in trouble for a change. We hit the double arm crank with Bryan stepping through and driving Jimmy’s head into the mat.

Rowan’s neck crank has Jimmy’s eyes bugging out and a running crossbody has the rest of him hurting as we take a break. Back with Bryan kicking away at Jimmy but missing the big kick. Jey comes in off the blind tag and superkicks Bryan for two but the LeBell Lock has him in trouble. The hold is broken up with a roll out though and another superkick drops Bryan again.

Everything breaks down and the Usos double superkick Rowan down, followed by a suicide dive to Bryan. The Superfly Splash gets two on Rowan in a good near fall. The Double Us is broken up so the Usos settle for double suicide dives….which are caught by Rowan. That means a running knee to Jimmy and a throw into the barricade to Jey. Back in and a pair of superkicks rock Rowan and Bryan, but Rowan is fine enough to hit the claw slam for the pin at 12:37.

Rating: B-. This was good stuff with the Usos being their usual awesome selves and Bryan adding the star power. Rowan was very good with the power game as well and giving him the pin was a surprise. It was smart to give Rowan the fall here as Bryan is clearly going to be the star of the team, but giving Rowan something of his own is a good idea.

Post match Shane is rather pleased. So are they his lackeys now?

We look at last night’s Firefly Fun House. I have a bad feeling about the reaction to kids being shown in such a state.

Back from a break and Shane is still here, now with the Money in the Bank briefcases next to him. He has an announcement to make about the ladder matches but here’s Miz through the crowd (#5 from Raw, though it wouldn’t surprise me if they said Miz was unauthorized) for the beatdown. The B Team makes the save though and Shane gets in a chair shot to leave Miz laying. Thankfully the announcers brought up the B Team formerly being the Miztourage.

Rowan and Bryan are in the back when they run into Heavy Machinery, who congratulate the new champs and stare at the titles.

Ember Moon/Carmella vs. Sonya Deville/Mandy Rose

Carmella hits a very spinning headscissors on Sonya to start but a Mandy distraction lets Sonya get in a spear for two. Moon comes in and snaps off her kicks as everything breaks down. An enziguri sends Sonya to the floor for a suicide dive but Mandy is right back with the lifting sitout Pedigree to finish Moon at 2:19.

Post match here are Paige, Asuka and Kairi Sane. Paige says they’ll be facing Sonya and Mandy next week. I still have no idea why Asuka and Kairi need Paige.

Aleister Black talks about dealing with the sins of the father and the mother. They left marks on you, along with the marks you leave on yourselves. He is your absolution and salvation, but he needs to apologize to his opponents for his need to prevail at their expense.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn

Kofi is defending and the fans tell Sami to take a shower. Sami gets knocked down to start and it’s an early middle rope Vader Bomb for two. AJ hits a gutbuster on Kofi and chops at Sami in the corner but Kofi is back with a rollup for two. With AJ staggered, Kofi goes up for the top rope splash to the back and the referee makes sure to check on him. A pair of clotheslines drop Sami and Kofi adds his jumping chop to Styles. There’s the Boom Drop to keep Styles down but Sami breaks up Trouble in Paradise.

We take a break and come back with Kofi chopping his way up but getting powerbombed by Sami. AJ comes back in and hammers on Sami in the corner until a rake to the face slows him down. The tornado DDT gives Sami two of his own and a heck of a top rope superplex gets the same on the champ. AJ catches Sami on top with a hurricanrana and a fireman’s carry backbreaker drops Kofi again. The moonsault DDT looks to drop Sami but Kofi grabs the SOS on AJ, who reverse DDTs Sami at the same time in a cool spot.

Rating: B. This was a bit longer than it needed to be but they had me on a few of those near falls from the Blue Thunder Bomb (all the more impressive given how rarely that gets a pin). Kofi is getting some collateral out of these wins and that’s a good idea for someone who isn’t considered the strongest champion in the first place. Good stuff here, and Kofi vs. Owens is getting a little stronger.

Post match Kofi promises to retain the title at Money in the Bank because Owens isn’t in his head.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s very clear that they have no idea what they’re doing long term right now but at least we got a far better show after a few weeks of horrible. Hot shotting title matches isn’t going to work forever either, though something as simple as announcing them in advance is out of the question.

The Wild Card Rule is still a mess and little more than a bridge to the end of the Brand Split but for now I can at least have some fun mocking WWE for not being able to count. It would be nice if they had something more than a bunch of one off shows, but we’re not quite there yet. I’ll take the good where I can get it though and this was better than what we’ve been getting lately.

Results

Ali b. Andrade via DQ when Randy Orton interfered

Daniel Bryan/Rowan b. Usos – Claw slam to Jey

Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville b. Ember Moon/Carmella – Lifting sitout Pedigree to Moon

Kofi Kingston b. Sami Zayn and AJ Styles – Trouble in Paradise to Zayn

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

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

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

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

Looking at the difference between logical but boring and entertaining but Russo.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-hawkins-ryder-didnt-read-fine-print-lockbox-bro/

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 29, 2019
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Corey Graves

It’s a homecoming show for me as Rupp Arena hasn’t hosted a Raw since 2010, which was the first Raw there since 2000. Since I live ten minutes from the arena, it was rather nice to not have such a long drive home. Now the problem with that is it was a long show, but that’s Raw for you. Let’s get to it.

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

As you can tell, I was in the arena for the show, sitting in the upper deck opposite the hard camera. The crowd was the biggest I’ve seen for a Raw in Rupp perhaps ever, which says a lot as Rupp is one of the biggest arenas in the country. The upper deck wasn’t even entirely tarped off, which I never remember seeing.

Cole welcomes us to Rupp Arena from the University of Kentucky. It’s not on the campus, nor is it owned by the University but that hasn’t stopped WWE from saying the same wrong line over and over for years.

Here’s Alexa Bliss to announce the men’s Money in the Bank participants. After explaining the concept for the uninitiated, here are the participants: Braun Strowman, Ricochet (Kentucky boy), Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin (Bliss: “He is the former acting General Manager of Monday Night Raw. Former Golden Gloves….you know I’m not going to list the rest of his accolades. It’s Baron Corbin.”).

Baron wastes no time in insulting the fans by promising to become a two time contract winner. Ricochet: “Or is that two time loser?” The insults abound, with McIntyre accusing Corbin of choking last week against AJ Styles as well. Corbin says it was because he didn’t have the chance to adequately rest between matches but McIntyre doesn’t want to hear it. He also doesn’t want to hear from Ricochet, who isn’t grown up enough for this.

McIntyre promises to drop Corbin and Ricochet where they stand but Strowman tells all of them to shut up. None of them can stop him, so let’s do the preview match right now. By preview, he means a match that has nothing to do with climbing a ladder, which is all Money in the Bank is about.

Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman/Ricochet

Strowman still isn’t playing and blocks an early chokebreaker attempt. A clothesline puts Corbin on the floor for the middle rope moonsault from Ricochet as the fans give Ricochet quite the welcome home. Back in and Ricochet swings at McIntyre but a crossbody is countered into a suplex which is escaped as well, only to have McIntyre chop him down.

That’s enough for the villains to take over on Ricochet as we’re told about Bliss announcing the women’s participants later. Now that Graves is very happy, Corbin chokes away on the rope. The chinlock goes on because Corbin knows one style match and that includes a chinlock. Ricochet fights up for a clothesline and nipup into the dropkick but Corbin drops him again as we take a break.

Back with Ricochet still in trouble off a huge backdrop from McIntyre during the break. They head outside with Strowman chasing Corbin but running into the Claymore, with McIntyre seeming to bang himself up on the landing. Drew is fine enough to hit a heck of a clothesline on Ricochet and crank on the arm back inside. It’s back to Corbin, who gets kicked in the face and dropkicked for a bonus, allowing the hot tag to Strowman.

House is cleaned in a hurry but McIntyre avoids a charge to send Strowman shoulder first into the post (the ring shook). The Claymore is loaded up on Ricochet but Corbin tags himself in. That earns him a right hand from McIntyre, sending Corbin into Strowman’s powerslam. The shooting star press gives Ricochet the pin at 14:05.

Rating: C-. This was every Money in the Bank build match that you could have, with the faces and heels teaming together despite having no intentions to do so in the actual ladder match. Corbin and McIntyre already getting in a fight isn’t surprising, but Corbin holding up the briefcase again is looking more and more likely by the week.

Here are the Usos, who sing their own theme music in one of the best jobs of hyping up a crowd in a hurry.

Usos vs. Anderson and Gallows

During their entrances, Anderson and Gallows promise to lock the Usos up in their own penitentiary because they’re bullet proof. Jimmy runs Anderson over to start and a shot to the face gets two. It’s off to Jey, who slides over to taunt Gallows and then gets in a running elbow for two more.

Gallows comes in and gets knocked outside but is fine enough to block a suicide dive. Back in and Jimmy gets sent neck first into the middle rope for some quality writhing in pain. The beatdown is on and we take a break. Back with Anderson grabbing the chinlock and getting two off an elbow to the face. A belly to back suplex gives Gallows two but Jimmy uppercuts his way out of trouble.

The hot tag brings in Jey for a superkick and a Samoan drop, followed by the running Umaga attack in the corner. Jey misses a charge into the corner though and walks into the always good looking Anderson spinebuster for two. The Magic Killer is broken up and it’s double superkicks into the Superfly Splash to finish Gallows at 11:19.

Rating: C. I’ve been a big Usos fan for a long time so it’s cool to see them back on track over on the new show, but my goodness I could go for more from Anderson and Gallows. They’re good, they’re entertaining and they can work, yet they’re lucky to get a ten minute match once every few months. Would a few weeks long program be too much to ask?

Post match the Usos say put the kids to bed and cover grandma’s eyes, because we’ve got something special. We see a clip of Jey near the showers, where he films Dash Wilder shaving Scott Dawson’s back, which the fans don’t know how to accept. Back in the arena, the Revival comes out and say that since Dawson is a real man with big muscles, he needed some help. The Revival says there’s nothing wrong with that and they’ll come for the Usos after their match tonight. That’s cool with the Usos, who promise penitentiary time.

I was there the night the Revival debuted on the main roster and now I’m here when they’re in a feud over shaving back hair. That’s what tag team wrestling is to WWE these days: Hawkins and Ryder holding the titles, the War Raiders having three names in three weeks, and the Revival dealing with personal grooming. And you wonder why this division is considered death.

We look at Rey Mysterio losing to Samoa Joe in a minute at Wrestlemania. Their rematch is tonight. It’s non-title, so get Rey’s victory music ready now.

Here’s Miz for MizTV. Miz hypes up the crowd, saying he thought we had some Wildcats in here. He’s glad to be back on Raw with new challenges and new guests, starting with one tonight: Bobby Lashley. Miz starts his intro but Lashley cuts him off in the third person. We move on to Lashley’s untapped potential, with Lashley not wanting to hear about it because he’s a two time Intercontinental Champion since returning a year ago. But what has Miz done? Miz: “Bobby Lashley wants to go stat for stat with me?”

Miz says the old Miz would list off his accomplishments (which he does) but cuts himself off because we could be here for a long time. The fans seem to like that so Miz calls himself an overachiever. Miz: “Have you seen my wife?” Lashley brings up Shane McMahon attacking Miz’s father and the fight is on. Miz fights back and throws Lashley plus the chairs out of the ring. I think you know what’s next.

The Miz vs. Bobby Lashley

Joined in progress with Lashley hitting the delayed vertical suplex but Miz is right back with the kicks in the corner. Some running dropkicks connect as the referee gets the blood gloves. Cue Shane McMahon for a distraction but Miz clotheslines Lashley to the floor. A dropkick through the ropes drops Lashley and Miz stares Shane down. Shane charges the ring as Miz rolls Lashley up for two, followed by the short DDT for the same. The YES Kicks connect but Shane puts up a picture of Miz’s dad. That’s enough of a distraction for Lashley to hit the spear for the pin at 2:53.

Post match the double beatdown is on and Shane chokes Miz out as he looks at the picture of his father. Shane reiterates that he is the best in the world. This coming Thursday, it will be six months of this story. Six months of Miz vs. Shane McMahon. That’s all they can come up with for what is going to be over half a year over Shane winning a tournament in Saudi Arabia and then Miz’s horrible father. They deserve the backlash they get for this nonsense.

Post break, let’s take another look at what we just saw.

Viking Raiders vs. Lucha House Party

The House Party jumps them before the bell and it’s a springboard missile dropkick to rock Ivar. He’s fine enough to cartwheel away from a handspring elbow and it’s off to Erik as the Raiders take over. Erik drives Ivar into the corner to crush Metalik, setting up the Viking Experience for the pin on Kalisto at 1:54.

Post match Lince Dorado tries to avenge his buddies but gets caught in the German suplex/springboard clothesline combination.

Video on the IIconics.

Here’s Alexa Bliss to introduce the women’s Money in the Bank participants. First up is Natalya, who is proud to finally have a chance to be Raw Women’s Champion. Next up is Dana Brooke, who is tired of Natalya being handed everything. They get catty with each other until Alexa shuts them down. Naomi is third (giving us a FEEL THE BLISS graphic as the two graphics are up at once. That means another speech from Naomi about getting a chance but Bliss cuts them off again, saying they’re worse than the men earlier.

Bliss talks about the fourth woman getting the chance but no one can stop talking long enough for her to be given an opportunity. And it’s Bliss herself rounding out the field. Naomi wants to fight Bliss, who says she would, but she doesn’t want to. Bliss doesn’t even have the right shoes! Naomi: “I can beat you with my shoes on or off.” After the worst smack talking ever, Bliss agrees to the match.

It’s time for Firefly Fun House. Bray Wyatt is painting, because he loves to express himself and when you express yourself, no one can hurt you. Rambling Rabbit, a rabbit puppet that looks like he’s been beaten half to death, pops up and asks to see the picture. It’s of the Wyatt Compound burning, which doesn’t sit well with Rambling. Abby the Witch pops up (Bray: “YEOWWY WOWWY!”) and scared Rabbit off before saying Bray didn’t learn his lesson last time.

Bray assures her that is all in the past and that he’s sorry for what he did. The kids forgive him for what he did, which is enough for Abby, as long as Bray keeps it quiet while she sleeps. Bray calls her a sociopath and here’s Rabbit to ask if that’s the Word of the Day. Why yes it is, and Bray spells it for us, though he doesn’t define it. That’s all the time we have for today but remember: he’ll light the way and all you have to do is let him in. Just like last week this is really creepy, but I’m not sure how it’s going to work in the arena.

Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss

Joined in progress again with Bliss having to tie her shoes, allowing Naomi to kick her in the leg and hit a bulldog onto the middle buckle. The standing Stinkface (erg) sets up a splits splash for two on Bliss. Back up and Bliss takes her into the corner for some stomping and it’s off to a chinlock. Naomi fights up again and hits her dancing kicks but Bliss drops her again.

Hang on though as she needs to tie her shoes (Percy Femur’s favorite wrestler everyone). Naomi’s small package gets two so Bliss slaps on another chinlock to slow things down. The shoes flare up again so Naomi goes after Bliss, who loses both shoes in the process. Bliss sends her into the corner and yells about the shoes, only to walk into the Rear View. The split legged moonsault finishes Bliss at 6:01.

Rating: D. The shoes thing got a bit annoying but the bigger problem was how they couldn’t do much of anything out there because they kept getting in the way. Bliss being back in the ring is a good thing though as she’s certainly an upgrade over some of the women’s division. With so many moving over to Smackdown, she’s certainly one of the better choices on Raw.

Rey Mysterio wants to do better against Samoa Joe tonight to prove himself to his son Dominic.

Here’s Becky Lynch for a chat with Charly Caruso. After soaking in the BECKY TWO BELTS chants, Becky says that’s why she would do this. She had a hard journey to get here and that means she can either talk or fight. Becky only knows how to fight so of course that’s what she’s going to do. Never tell her the odds, because people told her she would never main event Wrestlemania, until she did. Then people said no one could beat Ronda Rousey, until Becky did it.

Her whole career has been a long shot but nothing has been an accident. You can talk about odds all you want, but she got where she is today by beating everyone. Charlotte has the pedigree but Becky has her numbers. As for Lacey Evans, she has a great right hand but it’s a mistake to punch someone who likes it.

We see a clip of Evans knocking Becky out last week so Becky wants to fight right now. Cue Evans, who says it’s just like a man to want what he wants when he wants it. Lacey is tired of these manners so the fight is on. Referees can’t break it up and agents can’t either as the fight is getting intense in a hurry. After several moments it’s finally broken up after a heck of a brawl in a very good segment.

Video on Make A Wish Day. Nothing wrong with that.

Revival vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

Non-title. Hawkins takes Dash down to start as the announcers are already talking about the back shaving stuff from earlier. Dawson gets in a cheap shot from the apron to put Ryder in trouble and it’s time for some hard elbow drops. The SHAVE YOUR BACK chants get on Dawson’s nerves so he grabs a front facelock. Dawson even mocks the fans with his own SHAVE YOUR BACK chant before kicking Ryder in the stomach. Ryder is fine enough to reverse Wilder’s suplex into a neckbreaker but Dawson is right there to knock Hawkins off the apron. That means a collision with Ryder though and a crucifix pins Dawson at 4:17.

Rating: D. So it was a squash until a fluke win for the champs, who were barely mentioned as the entire thing was about the Revival vs. the Usos. If WWE wants to go with that as the top feud on the show, that’s fine. Just get the titles onto one of them instead of having the champions look like the fourth most important team (at best) on the show.

Miz’s response to Shane: a challenge for a cage match at Money in the Bank. So once Miz wins there, where do they go for the tiebreaker?

Here’s Sami Zayn for a chat. Last week he talked about being on vacation and not being happy now that he’s back here. The other great thing about his time away was allowing himself to get back to things that interest him, such as history and psychology. That made him think about a concept called psychological entitlement, which is very appropriate for WWE fans.

For years, these people have been fed the lie that the customer is always right. Sami won’t even get into the economic and social reasons why that has been pounded into their heads because no one here will get it. The point is that everyone feels they are right and they should get everything they want. If they don’t get it, they’ll throw a fit right then and there. Last week at the airport at 4am, a father told his five year old to sign an action figure. Sami said no, but it didn’t make him feel good. He was already bothered by the fact that the kid had been taught that he got what he wanted.

After seventeen years and five star classics, Sami thought he had done enough already. That is the new dynamic: he’ll do what he wants and the fans will gladly take it. Recently people have been telling him to quit WWE if he hates it so much. That’s not going to happen, because nothing sounds more enjoyable than taking the fans in the palm of his hands. From now on, Sami is taking the power back. The promos are great, but I’m not sure where this is going.

Shane accepts Miz’s challenge.

Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio

Non-title. Before the match, Joe says he embarrassed Rey at Wrestlemania. If Rey was any kind of a father, he would have gotten his son a mask to hide his shame. Tonight, Rey is paying for costing Joe his title shot last week. Joe goes right at him to start and knocks Rey to the floor. The suicide elbow launches too early as Rey slides back in and hits the seated senton off the apron.

Rey’s sliding splash hits knees though and we take a break. Back with Joe grabbing a neck crank as we hear about Rey’s loss at Wrestlemania. Just have him pin Joe already because they’re making it as obvious as anything else. Rey fights up and hits the tornado DDT, followed by a 619 to the ribs. The regular 619 is blocked and Joe hits the release Rock Bottom out of the corner. Joe picks him back up but gets pulled into a rollup for the pin at 7:18. Joe didn’t even try to move during the pin and it looked horrible.

Rating: D+. What we got was good but the ending looked terrible and the Curse of the US Title continues to be a very real threat. I’m sure we’ll get a rubber match at Money in the Bank, because Joe choking him out in a minute on the biggest show of the year was just a starting point. Just let Joe (or whoever else gets saddled with the title) win something already, because this is nonsense.

Post match Dominic comes out to put Rey on his shoulders in a scene you don’t get very often.

It’s time for the contract signing between AJ Styles and Seth Rollins. Michael Cole starts the questioning by asking what a win would mean to AJ. That’s an easy one because the win is the reason AJ came here. He spent two years on Smackdown and he’s very grateful, but now it’s time to come where the really crazy fans are.

AJ has heard about Seth for two years and knows he’s a good guy, but AJ wants the Universal Title. When you want something bad enough, you’ll do some unexpected things to get it. The fans aren’t sure what to make of that so AJ goes back to the compliments by saying Seth is a winner and a champion. But how many times has it been said that Seth will be the new AJ? Not very many that I can think of, but AJ thinks it makes sense because Seth is stronger, faster and younger. Fans: “SHAVE YOUR BACK!”

The reality though is Seth will never be the next AJ Styles. Seth didn’t want to be though, because he would rather be the first Seth Freaking Rollins. The compliments are appreciated but things are different on Raw. That’s Michael Cole instead of Tom Phillips and the ropes are red. If AJ wants to take the title, he needs to be better than phenomenal.

AJ asks about Seth’s health after being a workhorse for all those months. Fans: “BURN IT DOWN!” AJ knows they’ll burn it down and then he’ll build it back up. Seth doesn’t know how much trouble he’s in because the Shield isn’t around to help him anymore. Yeah he went through a lot at Wrestlemania, but Seth doesn’t have much left.

AJ is ready to go now though and at Money in the Bank, he’s biting like a pit bull and not letting go until he’s Universal Champion. Styles signs and Seth starts talking about their differences. It’s true that AJ likes to build things up but Seth likes to burn things down. There is one thing that separates them though: Seth beat Brock Lesnar. That seems to get to AJ as Seth signs.

AJ picks up the title and slowly hands it over so Seth can hold it up. Fans: “SHAVE HIS BACK!” AJ jumps him instead and the fight is on with Seth kicking him out to the floor. There’s the suicide dive and Seth poses again, but it’s a shot to the head into the Phenomenal Forearm through the table to end the show.

This took some time to get going because they don’t have any reason to hate each other, but some of those lines from Seth ran deep. AJ seems to be playing heel here, and while that might not go full blast or last permanently, it’s an interesting way to go here. It’s also something AJ knows how to do, so we should be in for some quality stuff if that’s where they’re going.

Overall Rating: D. This was a rough one and it didn’t get much better watching it back. The wrestling ranged from annoying to bad and some of the stories feel like they’re trying to be way too jokey instead of serious with some not so funny acts. Couple that with a bunch of “I’M GOING TO WIN AND CASH IN THE BRIEFCASE BECAUSE IT’S MY TIME!” promos and this was a hard watch. It did have some good parts (contract signing, Becky vs. Lacey, Sami’s promo and the Viking Raiders) but the bad is far stronger here and given the direction of some stories, that’s going to be the case for a long time.

Results

Ricochet/Braun Strowman b. Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre – Shooting star press to Corbin

Usos b. Anderson and Gallows – Superfly Splash to Gallows

Bobby Lashley b. The Miz – Spear

Viking Raiders b. Lucha House Party – Viking Experience to Kalisto

Naomi b. Alexa Bliss – Split legged moonsault

Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins b. Revival – Crucifix to Dawson

Rey Mysterio b. Samoa Joe – Rollup

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: April 25, 2019
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: Percy Watson, Renee Young, Byron Saxton

These shows are so hit or miss and with a week where a lot went down, it’s hard to say what we’re going to get. If nothing else we might have something fresh in the way of the original matches, though there is no reason to expect it to be anything worth seeing. That’s never stopped Main Event before though. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Dana Brooke vs. Ruby Riott

Dang it not Ruby. Likely annoyed at having her stable broken up and getting sent to Main Event, Ruby drives her into the ropes but gets powered right back out. Some elbows work a bit better for Riott until a kick to the face gives Brooke two. Shoulders in the corner put Brooke back in trouble so she grabs a rollup for two more to get away.

The chinlock goes on to keep Brooke down again as the back and forth continues. This time Brooke fights up and gets kicked in the face for her efforts, meaning it’s right back to the chinlock. Brooke comes back again with a clothesline and the handspring elbow sets up a cartwheel splash. Ruby gets two off a rollup but walks into the Samoan driver for the pin at 5:12.

Rating: D. Remember the match where Brie Bella knocked Liv Morgan silly and the rest of the match was a mess? Ruby Riott was the one who took charge and threw something together on the floor. She can do that because she’s talented, experienced and unique enough to be put in that spot. Now she’s jobbing to Dana Brooke on Main Event.

We look back at Roman Reigns punching out Vince McMahon.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Shane McMahon to get things going. After making Greg Hamilton do the big intro, Shane wants to talk about Roman Reigns. We see the clip of Reigns hitting Vince last week, which is like disgracing the American flag or defacing Mount Rushmore (which Shane stumbles over). That man is a national treasure and it’s time for payback.

Shane lists off some options before saying that he’ll deal with Reigns right now in this ring. Reigns comes out and they both drop their mics. Cue Elias from behind and the beatdown is on. Drift Away leaves Reigns laying. Great. More McMahon Family Fun as Shane and Vince like each other again.

We look at Becky Lynch having to face two challengers at Money in the Bank.

From Raw.

Baron Corbin vs. AJ Styles

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

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

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

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

From Raw.

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

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

EC3 vs. No Way Jose

EC3 is rather disturbed by the Conga Line. Same with me man. The dancing begins again after the bell with EC3’s waistlock not being much of a counter. A slam works a bit better though and it’s a Stinger Splash into a neckbreaker. The seated full nelson sets up the EC3 Elbow (that’s growing on me) for two more. It’s too early for the TKO though and Jose grabs a belly to back suplex. Some clotheslines set up a high crossbody but EC3 gets in a reverse DDT to cut things off. The 1%er finishes Jose at 5:13.

Rating: D+. It was slightly better than the first match but that might be due to the lack of Ruby Riott losing. EC3 is someone else who seems to check all of the boxes for greatness in WWE but for some reason (possibly backstage discipline), he’s stuck here as the high point of his week. Hopefully things turn around for him because he’s too good to pass up.

And from Smackdown to close things out.

Kofi Kingston vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title, Rusev and Lana are at ringside and Owens and Woods have their own announcers’ table. Nakamura misses an early kick to the head and gets sent to the floor. Kofi teases a dive so Nakamura can get back in, where he takes Kofi down into a cross armbreaker. That’s switched into a cross armbreaker but Kofi stacks him up for two and the escape. Kofi’s top rope splash to the back gets two and a dropkick puts Nakamura on the floor again. A dive is cut off with a kick to the face though and Nakamura adds the knee drop off the apron.

Back from a break with Nakamura hitting more knees, followed by a kick to the head. They head outside with Nakamura kicking him out of the air for two as we go to New Day for more commentary. Kofi flips to his feet and goes to the middle rope but Nakamura hits the sliding German suplex to take him down again. Kinshasa is countered with the standing double stomp. Trouble in Paradise misses so Kofi settles for the SOS, drawing in Rusev for the DQ at 13:23.

Rating: B-. The ending wasn’t exactly in doubt as WWE isn’t about to push Nakamura into the World Title scene all of a sudden. Kofi not winning isn’t the biggest problem in the world as it’s basically a matter of time until he loses the title. Good match from two good workers, but what comes after is probably what really matters.

Post match Owens and Woods make the save with Woods being taken down. Owens cuts the nonsense and superkicks Kofi, setting up the big beatdown. He shouts that Kofi’s kids better have had a good time because Owens is coming for the title. Kofi tries to fire up but gets stomped down in the corner. Woods breaks up the apron powerbomb so Owens gives it to him instead to end the show. I know it seemed obvious from the beginning, but that’s because it was obvious from the beginning. Why stretch it out for another few weeks instead of just getting to the point already?

Overall Rating: C. The original wrestling was even worse than usual if you can believe that, but the rest of the show was good stuff with a nice focus on the recaps, which were all big stories instead of focusing on midcard material from one show over another. There is interesting stuff going on in WWE at the moment and this was a nice showcase.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 23, 2019
Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re officially into the new era of Smackdown after last week’s brand split and believe it or not, Roman Reigns is the focal point of the show again. Last week saw Reigns attack Vince McMahon, which has started off rumors that he might be fired. In other words, it’s McMahon time again and that’s likely to be the case for the time being. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Shane McMahon to get things going. After making Greg Hamilton do the big intro, Shane wants to talk about Roman Reigns. We see the clip of Reigns hitting Vince last week, which is like disgracing the American flag or defacing Mount Rushmore (which Shane stumbles over). That man is a national treasure and it’s time for payback.

Shane lists off some options before saying that he’ll deal with Reigns right now in this ring. Reigns comes out and they both drop their mics. Cue Elias from behind and the beatdown is on. Drift Away leaves Reigns laying. Great. More McMahon Family Fun as Shane and Vince like each other again.

Post break Elias and Shane promise more to come for Reigns.

We look back at Kevin Owens becoming an honorary member of the New Day.

Kofi Kingston is proud to be WWE Champion and Owens comes in to shout a lot. He’s happy to be part of the team and wants to do them proud.

Finn Balor vs. Andrade

Non-title. During the entrances, Vega and Andrade say Balor can’t run and promises to extend Andrade’s legacy with the Intercontinental Title. A very early Vega distraction lets Andrade kick him to the floor, setting up a corkscrew dive to send us to a break. Back with Balor reversing a powerbomb into a DDT. The Coup de Grace is broken up so Balor gets in a sunset flip for two instead.

Andrade is sent outside and that means the running flip dive (good looking one too) to crush Andrade again. Back in and Andrade elbows him in the face, setting up the running knees in the corner for two. Vega tries to interfere with a high crossbody but Andrade catches her instead, allowing Balor to hit the shotgun dropkick into the corner. Now the Coup de Grace can finish Andrade at 7:51.

Rating: C+. This has been WWE telling you that their first match didn’t matter, as Balor should have no reason to face Andrade again. Now of course he will because we need a trilogy match between two people whose first two matches might have been fifteen minutes combined. Just make sure the title is on the line next time because losing to the champ gets you a title shot.

Elias sings a challenge to Roman for Money in the Bank. Shane pops up and likes the idea before they leave together.

Earlier today, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville told Paige that they were above her now and Absolution wasn’t happening again.

Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce

Before the match, the IIconics declare Kairi and Asuka super lame-os instead of superheroes. Last week, Peyton only got pinned because she was dehydrated. Tonight though she’s had a whole GALLON OF WATER (Billie: “Really? A whole gallon?”) so she’s ready to give Kairi her first loss on Smackdown. Kairi kicks her in the arm to start and kicks Peyton in the back, setting up the Interceptor spear. The Sliding D in the corner sets up the Insane Elbow to finish Peyton at 1:35.

Post match Sonya and Mandy come out to applaud Kairi.

Aleister Black sits down in a dark room and says he won’t explain his tragic backstory. You’ll learn about him soon enough.

Jinder Mahal vs. Chad Gable

Mahal is another bonus Superstar Shakeup move. And never mind as Lars Sullivan jumps Gable from behind during his entrance. Mahal runs so Sullivan beats up the Singh Brothers. R-Truth runs in and tries to go after Sullivan but gets laid out as well. No match.

We look at the Shane/Reigns/Elias segment again.

Reigns accepts the Money in the Bank challenge.

Here’s Charlotte for a chat. She talks about the main event of Wrestlemania but there’s a problem: Ronda Rousey lost the Smackdown Women’s Title for her and now Becky is carrying it around without beating Charlotte. This brings out Becky, who says it was Winner Take All at Wrestlemania. Becky did what Charlotte couldn’t and now she’s Becky Two Belts. Charlotte laughs it off and says that every time Lacey Evans knocks her out, it’s Charlotte in her head.

They start talking over each other with Becky saying she wants fresh challengers but management keeps putting Charlotte in front of her. If Charlotte wants to work her way up, Becky can beat her again and still be Becky Two Belts. This brings out Bayley, who says Becky has never beaten her. Charlotte tells Bayley to get in the back of the line so Bayley calls her out for always getting title shots. Bayley slaps the mic out of her hand and says earn a title shot for a change.

Bayley vs. Charlotte

Bayley shoves her down to start and hits the running elbow to the back. That’s shrugged off and Charlotte chokes on the ropes, only to get rolled up out of the corner for two. A middle rope crossbody gives Bayley the same and she hits a running shoulder in the corner. Charlotte pops back up and goes after the knee as we take a break.

Back with Bayley kneeing her in the face but holding the knee in pain. Charlotte runs her over again but misses the moonsault. A belly to back gives Bayley two and the running elbow in the corner gets the same. Bayley gets pulled off the ropes but is fine enough to small package her way out of the Figure Eight for two. The spear finishes Bayley at 10:38.

Rating: C. Why yes, they did bring Bayley over to Smackdown to lose to Charlotte to set up another Becky vs. Charlotte match. I mean, they haven’t gone one on one on pay per view in over a month so it’s time to do the same thing all over again. Someone really needs to introduce WWE to the law of diminishing returns as it seems to be a very foreign concept.

Post match Becky says that she’ll give Charlotte a title shot at Money in the Bank, meaning she’s working twice that night.

We see the Firefly Fun House video, though they make sure to cut to a shot of the crowd watching it, just in case you started to get into what they were presenting.

Kofi Kingston vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title, Rusev and Lana are at ringside and Owens and Woods have their own announcers’ table. Nakamura misses an early kick to the head and gets sent to the floor. Kofi teases a dive so Nakamura can get back in, where he takes Kofi down into a cross armbreaker. That’s switched into a cross armbreaker but Kofi stacks him up for two and the escape. Kofi’s top rope splash to the back gets two and a dropkick puts Nakamura on the floor again. A dive is cut off with a kick to the face though and Nakamura adds the knee drop off the apron.

Back from a break with Nakamura hitting more knees, followed by a kick to the head. They head outside with Nakamura kicking him out of the air for two as we go to New Day for more commentary. Kofi flips to his feet and goes to the middle rope but Nakamura hits the sliding German suplex to take him down again. Kinshasa is countered with the standing double stomp. Trouble in Paradise misses so Kofi settles for the SOS, drawing in Rusev for the DQ at 13:23.

Rating: B-. The ending wasn’t exactly in doubt as WWE isn’t about to push Nakamura into the World Title scene all of a sudden. Kofi not winning isn’t the biggest problem in the world as it’s basically a matter of time until he loses the title. Good match from two good workers, but what comes after is probably what really matters.

Post match Owens and Woods make the save with Woods being taken down. Owens cuts the nonsense and superkicks Kofi, setting up the big beatdown. He shouts that Kofi’s kids better have had a good time because Owens is coming for the title. Kofi tries to fire up but gets stomped down in the corner. Woods breaks up the apron powerbomb so Owens gives it to him instead to end the show. I know it seemed obvious from the beginning, but that’s because it was obvious from the beginning. Why stretch it out for another few weeks instead of just getting to the point already?

Overall Rating: C+. I don’t know if it’s the lack of Baron Corbin or the show just not trying to feel so big and important but this is such an easier night to watch than Raw. Kofi vs. Owens isn’t the most interesting in the world but it’s fine for Kofi’s first feud, especially when it’s a very strong possibility that Owens could win the title. The rest of the show had some questionable decisions but the action was good and nothing was all that bad. Or maybe it is just the lack of Corbin.

Results

Finn Balor b. Andrade – Coup de Grace

Kairi Sane b. Peyton Royce – Insane Elbow

Charlotte b. Bayley – Spear

Kofi Kingston b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Rusev interfered

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

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

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

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

Just get it over with.

Let’s get this out of the way so I don’t have to think about it for a few days. This has been treated as one of the biggest matches on the show because reasons of McMahon, though I’m not sure how many people are going to care. The story is built around Miz’s father being a horrible person and only caring about his son when he teamed with McMahon and Miz wanting to stand up for his family. Therefore, McMahon needs a big spot on the show and probably close to twenty minutes.

I’ll go with Miz winning as McMahon doesn’t win these big matches (just a Tag Team Title match). It’s going to be long, commentary is going to talk about how awesome McMahon is, and then Miz will beat him and it won’t be worth the five months they put into this one story featuring McMahon, when several others could benefit from having this spotlight. At least Miz might be a better face this time around, though I don’t have my hopes up.

IMG Credit: WWE

Wrestlemania XXXII
Date: April 3, 2016
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Attendance: 101,763
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton

As we get ready for the pre-show matches, the place might be 10% full at this point as there was some confusion in opening the gates. There were no lines and it was just a sea of humanity trying to get inside.

Pre-Show: Ryback vs. Kalisto

Ryback plants him off a headlock and easily throws the champ outside. Kalisto gets in a quick bulldog for two but the kickout sends him outside. Some double knees to the chest get the same result and Ryback gets to show off by gorilla pressing Kalisto up the steps and back inside. We take a break and come back with Kalisto taking a hard elbow to the jaw for two.

Team Total Divas vs. Team B.A.D. and Blonde

Total Divas: Natalya, Brie Bella, Paige, Alicia Fox, Eva Marie

B.A.D. and Blonde: Naomi, Lana, Summer Rae, Tamina, Emma

Post match Nikki Bella comes out in her neck brace in what is supposed to be some big moment.

Usos vs. Dudley Boyz

Post match the Dudleyz load up some tables but get splashed through them instead. Cool visual if nothing else.

Fifth Harmony sings a very nice rendition of America the Beautiful.

Inter-continental Title: Kevin Owens vs. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder vs. Stardust vs. Sin Cara vs. Sami Zayn

Cara hits the big dive to put Stardust through the ladder, leaving Owens and Zayn to slug it out above the ring. Sami gets the better of it and hits the half and half suplex to drop Owens head first into a ladder (sick looking landing). That lets Sami go up until Miz shoves him over but this time Miz takes too long going up, earning himself a big shove off from Ryder, who climbs the ladder for the huge upset at 15:24.

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho drives him into the corner to start and the AJ STYLES chants are already going nice and strong. Styles gets in a hurricanrana and a snappy armdrag before sending Jericho outside. That should mean a slingshot dive but Jericho dropkicks him out of the air to take over. Back in and a neckbreaker sets up a dragon sleeper for a change of pace.

AJ tries to fight back but gets pulled down into the Walls for some good old fashioned ASK HIM/AHHHH exchanges. A rope is grabbed so AJ can hit the moonsault into a reverse DDT for two. Both guys head to the corner for a super sitout gordbuster and one heck of a crash. The Pele is countered into a Walls attempt but AJ reverses that into the Calf Crusher.

The Styles Clash is broken up and a Codebreaker gets a delayed two (with Cole making sure to say the near fall was due to the delay in a nice touch). For a change of pace, Jericho loads up AJ for the Styles Clash but gets planted face first for two instead. A rollup exchange sets up the real Styles Clash for two and the springboard 450 gets the same. With nothing else left, AJ heads to the apron and loads up the Phenomenal Forearm, only to have Jericho shove the referee away and catch Styles with the Codebreaker for the pin at 17:08.

New Day vs. League of Nations

Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar

Anything goes and Heyman gives Brock a big, over the top intro. JBL gives us a good example of trying to be too smart by calling Lesnar a former NWA Champion (assuming he means NCAA), which of course he never won. Brock hits the first suplex inside of ten seconds and the huge video screen above the ring kept count (It had been all over the place all night with unicorns for the New Day and various three camera shot replays. In other words, it was annoying in a hurry.).

Hall of Fame time with a pretty good class:

Godfather (So completely out of place here.)

Stan Hansen (How was he not in already?)

Joan Lunden (Warrior Award, which seems to have been forgotten this year.)

Fabulous Freebirds (You could argue they were the headliners.)

Snoop Dogg (Harmless. Not exactly PG but harmless.)

Sting (Only entrance and the loudest reaction.)

Everyone trades rollups to start in a fast and pretty athletic sequence until Charlotte kicks Becky in the face. That earns a nice round of applause and you can tell the women are ready tonight. A hurricanrana sends Charlotte across the ring and Sasha throws in an Eddie dance. They botch (not bad) a sunset flip/German suplex spot before Charlotte it sent outside, leaving Sasha to elbow Becky in the face.

Charlotte poses and gets some pyro to really make this special.

The Cell is lowered for the 33^rd time in WWE history. That stat kind of pulls things back a bit no?

Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker

Rating: D-. WAY too long here with a match that should have been a glorified squash (which this was) that ran only about half this long. The idea that Shane could hang in there with Undertaker under these or any circumstances (including a bunch of run-ins, which never happened), is a combination of insulting and stupid.

The pre-show panel chats for a bit.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Konnor gets rid of Page a few seconds later as this is already pretty dull stuff. The yet to be official Golden Truth eliminates Konnor and Tatanka goes on a warpath that no one was asking for. Corbin tosses Tatanka to no reaction and Kane backdrops Swagger out. The Social Outcasts of all people clean house and get rid of Goldust and Truth. We get a victory lap until Kane and Corbin get rid of Rose and Axel.

Wrestlemania XXXIII is in Orlando.

The Rock vs. Erick Rowan

Rock Bottom, six seconds. Again, I saw this called Rock burying the Wyatts. You know, because people are worried about ERICK ROWAN needing protection.

WWE World Title: Roman Reigns vs. HHH

Rating: D. And a lot of that is just for having the guts to go out there and do a match this boring in this spot on this show. This match was twelve minutes of HHH working on the arm and then getting into the main event style that went exactly where we knew it was going. The lack of drama or really anything interesting (save for that Stephanie spear) killed this and there was no recovering given how long the thing ran.

A quick celebration sets up the traditional long music video to wrap things up.

Ratings Comparison

Zack Ryder vs. Stardust vs. Sin Cara vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler

Original: B

Redo: B

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho

Original: B

Redo: B

New Day vs. League of Nations

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose

Original: D+

Redo: C+

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

Original: B+

Redo: A-

Shane McMahon vs. Undertaker

Original: D

Redo: D-

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Original: D

Redo: D

The Rock vs. Erick Rowan

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

HHH vs. Roman Reigns

Original: D

Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: D

Oh yeah I was still feeling the in-person vibe when I watched this back the first time. A C- is WAY too generous.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2016/04/08/wrestlemania-xxxii-strap-yourselves-in-this-is-a-long-one/

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Wrestlemania XXXII
Date: April 3, 2016
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Attendance: 101,763
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton
America the Beautiful: Fifth Harmony

The stadium looks nothing short of amazing, despite being mostly empty for the pre-show due to a lot of issues with getting people inside.

Pre-Show: US Title: Kalisto vs. Ryback

Pre-Show: Total Divas vs. Bad and Blonde

This would be Brie Bella/Alicia Fox/Paige/Eva Marie/Natalya vs. Lana/Naomi/Summer Rae/Tamina/Emma in a match with no story worth mentioning because these things never have stories of note. Summer elbows Alicia in the face to start before getting two off a DDT. A tag to Emma draws all ten of them in for a huge staredown as we take a break. Back with Eva coming in to some horrible booing to face Emma. A not bad headscissors puts Emma down but Eva slaps Natalya hard on th\e shoulder instead of tagging Paige.

Pre-Show: Usos vs. Dudley Boyz

Post match the Dudleyz get the tables, only to get superkicked again to set up double Superfly Splashes through the tables. The fans are NOT happy with that one.

Pop band Fifth Harmony sings a very nice America the Beautiful.

The opening video shows the Madison Square Garden microphone dropping to signify the start of a legend. Over the years this led to a group of legends such as giants, warriors and the dead rising. That brings us to the question of who becomes the next legend. This switches into a standard video about people rising up tonight to become legends in the usually awesome Wrestlemania style. Apparently this was narrated by Kelsey Grammer.

The camera pans around the stadium and that is just a sea of humanity.

Intercontinental Title: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Miz vs. Zack Ryder vs. Stardust vs. Sin Cara

Owens and Zayn go up top for the slugout on the ladder before falling down, only to have Zayn grab a half and half suplex (half nelson/half tiger) onto the ladder. Miz climbs up but takes forever to pull down the belt, allowing Ryder to shove him off and pull down the title at 15:23.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho. Styles debuted back in January and was immediately cheered by the fans. He then went on to defeat Jericho on Raw, setting up a series of matches between the two. They then formed a tag team but lost in their shot at the Tag Team Titles. Jericho snapped and turned heel on AJ, setting up their fourth match here.