Smackdown
Date: October 16, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the season premiere and that means….well I’m not sure actually as there isn’t really a season finale so this could be a little bit of everything. The two big matches are Roman Reigns defending the Universal Title against Braun Strowman and the New Day’s farewell six man tag. Let’s get to it.

The opening sequence has been updated to include the new roster.

The roster, including Daniel Bryan, is on the stage so HHH and Stephanie McMahon can welcome us to the show. They run down the card (and make a Rick James reference) and introduce some of the new/old names on the roster. That includes the Street Profits but Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode jump the champs from behind and it’s a big brawl to start. Cue Lars Sullivan to clear the ring, leaving Apollo Crews and Chad Gable (Cole called him Gable to give me a glimmer of hope) to be decimated. Jeff Hardy manages to knock Sullivan tot he floor and we take a break.

Lars Sullivan vs. Jeff Hardy

Sullivan runs Hardy over to start and tosses him down with ease. The top rope headbutt misses and Hardy slugs away to limited avail. The Whisper in the Wind gets two and Sullivan sends him outside again. A drop onto the apron gives Sullivan two but Hardy is right back with the Twist of Fate. Sullivan is up before Jeff can get to the top and he pulls Hardy down for the Freak Accident and the pin at 4:18.

Rating: C-. This was all about Sullivan and it worked out fine. Sullivan shrugged off Hardy’s big move which has helped him get to more than one World Title. That makes Sullivan look like a heck of a monster and that’s all it needed to do. Hardy isn’t going to be hurt by a loss and that’s totally fine. Not a great match, but good storytelling.

Bianca Belair vignette.

Here’s New day for their farewell match. Big E. talks about how they have finally found the one thing stronger than the power of positivity: the WWE Draft. Kofi gets a little emotional when talking about all of their moments together. We hear about becoming the longest reigning Tag Team Champions, their wars with the Usos and all of the tears when Kofi won the WWE Championship. Woods tears up a bit when talking about being given a chance by two people he didn’t deserve. Big E. talks about having breakfasts in Waffle House and talking about their families and his….TV or something.

Kofi talks about being unsure about being unsure if he wanted to keep wrestling in 2012 when the two of them came up to him and told him about an idea. Yeah they had some special moments but Kofi thinks of them as brothers and starts crying again. Now they’re going to do this one more time because NEW DAY ROCKS. This was almost hard to watch as these guys are a legitimate special team. You could feel the emotion between them and that’s something you can’t fake.

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura/Sheamus are ready to end these pancake eating Muppets.

New Day vs. Sheamus/Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

This is New Day’s farewell and their first six man tag in over a year. Nakamura takes Woods down to start before it’s off to Kingston, who gets kicked in the face. A dropkick gets Kingston out of trouble and it’s off to Big E., who is put on Woods’ shoulders for a splash on Cesaro. Sheamus and Cesaro shoulder Woods down to take over again though and Sheamus drops a knee.

Woods is quickly over for the tag though and Kingston comes in with a top rope splash. The villains take him to the floor for the triple ram into the post and it’s Kingston in trouble for a change. Nakamura chokes in the corner and Cesaro powers Kofi down with ease. Kingston gets knocked over the top and into the corner as we take another break. Back with Kofi hitting Trouble in Paradise on Cesaro and handing it back to Big E. to clean house.

The Rock Bottom out of the corner onto Woods’ knees gets two but the springboard tornado is broken up. Nakamura’s sliding German suplex gets two but Woods sends him to the floor. Kofi hits the big no hands dive and then kicks Sheamus in the head. Back in and Kofi dives into a kick from Nakamura, setting off the parade of strikes. Sheamus shouts that New Day is nothing without he and Cesaro before missing a charge into the post. That’s enough to set the Midnight Hour for the pin on Sheamus at 14:55.

Rating: B-. For as special as New Day has been and with all of their wacky shenanigans, they can also wrestle a very good trios match. That’s what they had here, and it’s especially fitting that the Bar, who are probably their greatest rivals not named the Usos, were included. New Day really was a big deal and if the World Title wasn’t on the line here, this should have main evented the show. I’m going to miss them, even if it’s all but a guarantee that they’ll have a reunion one day.

Post match New Day huddles and Big E. talks about what their time together means to him. That’s a special moment.

Otis is asked about everything that has gone wrong for him as of late and here’s Sami Zayn to mention all of the bad stuff. Otis shoves him down and Sami is stunned.

Here’s Daniel Bryan to talk about how cool it is to be in the Thunder Dome for the first time. We see Brie Bella and Bryan’s daughter Birdie in the virtual audience for a nice moment. Bryan talks about what we have going on tonight and we hear about all of the new names coming to the show for the next year. Bryan is looking forward to facing a lot of these people in the ring but here’s Seth Rollins to interrupt. Cole: “Some will say one of the most important Draft picks in the history of Friday Night Smackdown.” No Cole, no one is really saying that. Stop lying to us.

Anyway, Rollins says he is here to lead Smackdown and he wants to know which side Bryan is on. Bryan talks about wanting to save the planet but Rollins’ vision sounds self centered and a little dumb. Rollins: “You don’t mean that Bryan.” The fight is on and Rollins stomps away but Bryan hits a running clothesline.

The jacket comes off and the threat of a YES Kick sends Rollins bailing. Cue Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio to chase Rollins back to the ring and Bryan walks away, leaving Rollins all alone. Now it’s Murphy running in and Rollins is knocked to the floor in a hurry. With Rollins gone, Murphy sticks out his hand but Rey and Dominik leave.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode

Ziggler and Roode are challenging. Dawkins dropkicks Ziggler down to start but misses the spinning splash in the corner. Roode comes in and stomps Dawkins down in the corner, followed by a toss into the Fameasser for two. Everything breaks down and it’s a double DQ at 1:32. Well ok then. Probably pay per view rematch time.

Post match Roode and Ziggler hit a spinebuster/Zig Zag combination on Dawkins but Ford hits a high crossbody onto both of them.

We look back at Bayley vs. Sasha Banks from last week, which set up their match in the Cell.

Here are Bayley and Banks for the contract signing, with Adam Pearce overseeing things. Banks signs in a hurry but Bayley says she is wanting to get this out of the way so she can continue her record setting reign. Bayley says Banks has been waiting to turn on her but Banks says if she could have she would have. Banks promises to take the title so Bayley grabs the chair, which Banks grabs as well. Bayley bails without signing, so Banks promises to make her sign no matter what.

Smackdown World Title: Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending and Strowman is in street clothes. A Superman Punch puts Strowman on the floor to start and Reigns adds the apron dropkick. Reigns knocks him around again, including sending Strowman face first into the announcers’ table. Strowman gets in a shot of his own and sends him over the announcers’ table, followed by the running shoulder over the barricade.

Back from a break with Strowman hitting…something in the corner as the camera stays on Goldberg in the crowd. Reigns tries the Superman Punch but gets caught in a choke. That’s switched into a powerbomb, followed by the chokeslam for two on Reigns. The kickout includes a low blow (that’s a brilliant spot) and the spear gets two. Another spear is countered into a powerslam attempt but Reigns slips out. Strowman tries a pop up powerbomb but Reigns counters into a guillotine choke of all things and Strowman taps at 10:40.

Rating: C. The match was more about checking a box on Reigns’ run with the title as he has now slayed a monster. Strowman had as much of a chance of winning here as I do of being Miss Nevada 1979 and that’s fine for this kind of a spot. If nothing else, they established that Reigns has a submission now and Jey Uso is in danger at the pay per view. Oh and please no Goldberg. I mean….please just don’t. No one wants to go there.

Post match here’s Jey Uso to stare Reigns down as Reigns hits a spear on Strowman. Reigns grabs a chair and says if he can do this to Strowman, what could he do to Jey? Reigns unloads on Strowman with chair shots, so here are the referees and agents to….not quite break it up. More chair shots keeps Strowman down so Uso gets in, with Reigns dropping the chair. Reigns says this makes no sense and tells Uso to beat on Strowman instead.

Uso grabs the chair and Reigns turns his back so Uso can hit him. Jimmy doesn’t do it, instead punching Reigns in the face and superkicking him down. Jey shouts that he loves Reigns too and chairs him down, drawing the referees back in. With Uso being held back, Reigns hits the Superman Punch and says it took him turning his back for Jey to have his best shot. Reigns leaves as Jey is down to end the show. Again, this is the best story going today and this worked very well again.

Overall Rating: C+. This show felt more like a getting to know you edition and that’s what it should have been. With the big FOX presentation and the Season Premiere deal, it makes sense to go in that direction and it worked out well enough. Outside of the six man, the wrestling wasn’t much to see but what we got was fine. It’s nothing great, but as the first step into a much longer world, it was a nice effort.

Results

Lars Sullivan b. Jeff Hardy – Freak Accident

New Day b. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura/Sheamus – Midnight Hour to Sheamus

Street Profits vs. Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode went to a double DQ when all four brawled

Roman Reigns b. Braun Strowman – Guillotine choke

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: October 9, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s a special night as we kick off the 2020 Draft. The roster is broken up into two pools so if you don’t see a big name mentioned tonight, odds are they’re only going to be available on Monday. This is always worth a look and we have Sasha Banks vs. Bayley for the Women’s Title as a main event. Let’s get to it.

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

Stephanie McMahon is here to announce the picks.

To Raw: Drew McIntyre

To Smackdown: Roman Reigns

Raw: Asuka

Smackdown: Seth Rollins

Raw: The Hurt Business

Seth Rollins is a little heartbroken because he will miss Raw but now he never has to look at the Mysterio Family again. So we’ve seen our first miracle.

Big E. vs. Sheamus

Falls Count Anywhere. Sheamus starts fast with a Regal Roll for two but Big E. is right back with the spear through the ropes for two on the floor. It’s time for some weapons with Big E. pulling out a kendo stick, only to walk into a jumping knee. Sheamus ties him into the ropes and unloads with the stick before going underneath the ring for some more toys. The delay lets Big E. grab some duct tape and tie his feet together, meaning it’s Sheamus getting hit with the stick as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus’ feet untied and the brawl having moved backstage. It’s time to go over to catering, with Big E. getting covered in flour and eggs. With Sheamus’ back covered in welts from the sticks, they fight into the office area, where Big E. gets in some shots with a broom. A few trashcan shots keep Sheamus down and they go out into the parking garage. Big E. stops for some hand sanitizer but Sheamus gets in a tire iron shot.

White Noise through a windshield has Big E. in even more trouble and Sheamus throws him into the trunk. Sheamus tries to slam the trunk on Big E.’s arm but Big E. kicks his way to freedom. The Brogue Kick hits the trunk, which goes flying off the car. Now it’s Sheamus getting sent through a windshield, setting up a Big Ending from the hood of a car through a table for the pin at 14:44.

Rating: B-. They were going for the brutality here, but that only works so well when you have the eggs and flour in the middle. It got a lot more violent when things moved over to the parking garage though and Big E. felt like he got an important win. This could have been better though and it felt like they were trying to put in too much lighthearted material.

Post break, Big E. is interviewed about his match but here are Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods for the big return. Woods talks about how they need their Tag Team Team Titles back, though Big E. isn’t as into it (which may be due to the whole violent match he just finished thing).

Here’s Jey Uso for a chat. He wants to know what the stipulation is going to be for his match with Roman Reigns but there is no Reigns to speak of. Paul Heyman pops up on screen to say Jey can’t pick the time when Reigns appears, but Reigns (not here) applauds his ambition. Those who become too ambitious and want to come up against the champ will receive this, which sends us into a package on the Clash Of Champions match.

We pan over to Reigns sitting next to Heyman, who says his father taught him to only believe half of what you see in wrestling. As for what Jey just saw though, you can believe that. Reigns tried to help Jey and all he had to do was say the words. Jey had to acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief, so now we are going to have an I Quit match inside the Cell. Reigns just wanted to help Jey because he loves him, but after Jey quits, there will be consequences.

Commentary congratulates Stephanie for topping Forbes’ list of Chief Marketing Officers. Topping, coming in second place, apparently the same thing in WWE these days.

Time for more picks.

Raw – AJ Styles

Smackdown – Sasha Banks

Raw – Naomi

Smackdown – Bianca Belair

Raw – Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler (allowed to wrestle on all shows as Women’s Tag Team Champions)

I like that Naomi/Belair swap as Naomi needs a fresh start and Belair needs a start in the first place.

AJ Styles says he should have been the first pick for Smackdown but he wants to get away from that cheater Jeff Hardy and the neckbeard Sami Zayn.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Matt Riddle/Jeff Hardy

This was made on social media as Riddle said he wanted to team with Hardy just in case they switched placed. Riddle starts fast and knocks Miz and Morrison outside as we take an early break. Back with Morrison cranking on Hardy’s neck but Hardy gets over for the tag to Riddle. That means a quick Broton and, after knocking Morrison to the floor, the Bro Derek finishes Miz at 5:31. Nowhere near enough shown to rate and it didn’t do much in the time it had.

Post match LARS SULLIVAN returns and wrecks Hardy and Riddle. The destruction doesn’t take long and Miz gets beaten up as well.

More picks, with Lars Sullivan being added to Monday’s Draft pool.

Raw – Ricochet

Smackdown – Jey Uso

Raw – Mandy Rose

Smackdown – Dominik/Rey Mysterio

Raw – The Miz/John Morrison

Wait…..the ROLLINS FEUD COULD CONTINUE???? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME???? And Miz moves again! THE TRADITION CONTINUES!!!

The Mysterios are happy to be staying together and promise that it’s not over with Rollins. That’s not fair.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Bayley is defending and brings the chair with her. Banks goes after her before the bell and strikes away early, including a stomping in the corner. Bayley tries to leave but Banks grabs her by the hair and takes things back inside. The Bank Statement goes on but Bayley reverses into a rollup for two. Banks gets her own two off a rollup and it’s another Bank Statement, sending Bayley into the ropes again. That’s enough for Bayley, who grabs the chair and hits Banks in the ribs for the DQ at 2:28. That’s exactly what they should have done in this situation.

Post match Bayley misses a chair shot and gets sent face first into the chair. Bayley bails from the threat of more violence.

We look at Kevin Owens asking Alexa Bliss about the Fiend’s influence and getting Mandible Clawed for his efforts.

Alexa Bliss comes up to Kevin Owens and says let him in.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

New Day, meaning Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, are challenging here. Woods starts running around Cesaro to start and slides between his legs, setting up a forearm in the corner. The Day Break connects for an early two on Cesaro and we take an early break. Back with Woods fighting out of the corner and hitting the Honor Roll on Cesaro.

Woods hits a dropkick through the ropes to Cesaro and a springboard DDT plants Nakamura. Kofi hits a tornado DDT to the floor but dives into Cesaro’s uppercut. The Cesaro Swing into the Kinshasa is broken up by Woods and there’s Trouble in Paradise to Cesaro. Nakamura kicks Kingston down for two but Woods makes the save. After dropping Nakamura again, Woods hits the springboard elbow for the pin and the titles at 8:22.

Rating: C+. Well dang man. I was getting into Cesaro and Nakamura as champions and now they lose them this fast? I’m really not sure what the point is in having New Day win the titles again, but we are long past the point where the titles mean anything for New Day. I’m not sure what they can do, but New Day is always at least worth a look.

Time for the final round of picks.

Raw – Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods

Smackdown – Big E.

Raw – Dana Brooke

Smackdown – Otis

Raw – Angel Garza

You could feel the air going out of the building when the team was split up but….what else are they supposed to do together? If there has been a more successful trio in WWE history, they’re eluding me at the moment (they even beat Shield due to longevity and titles) but it’s not like they have anything left to do. It’s a risky move, but I can get the idea, especially if it means Big E.’s singles push is for real. That being said, Woods screaming “SAY E! SAY E!” after he and Kofi were moved to Raw was kind of heartbreaking.

Heavy Machinery is ready for Otis’ court case but Miz’s lawyer has filed a continuance so we’ll return to this later.

We look at the Women’s Title match from earlier.

Sasha Banks challenges Bayley to meet her in the Cell.

Next week on the Season Premiere: Roman Reigns defends against Braun Strowman and New Day’s final six man tag.

Kevin Owens vs. The Fiend

This is Fiend’s first ever match on television. Owens sends him straight into the corner to start and hits the Cannonball…but Fiend pops back up. The crossbody drops Owens to the floor and there’s a clothesline to turn him inside out. Back in and Fiend no sells another shot before knocking Owens outside again. Sister Abigail onto the announcers’ table has Owens down again and we take a break.

Back with Owens hitting three straight superkicks to knock Fiend down into the corner. Another Cannonball connects and Fiend stays down for a bit, setting up a third Cannonball. They head outside again with Owens hitting a DDT on the floor, followed by an apron splash. Owens hits the Pop Up Powerbomb through the announcers’ table but Fiend is right back up. The Mandible Claw goes on inside again so Owens hits a Stunner, which doesn’t break the hold. Owens is out at 9:59.

Rating: C+. This was much more an angle than a match as the idea was to reheat the Fiend. I’d call that a big success as Fiend looks unstoppable again (provided you don’t put him in there with someone who uses a spear). Owens has credibility and was easily dispatched, so what else can you ask for here? They did what they were trying to do and it worked out rather well.

Post match the lights go out and here’s Alexa Bliss to stare at the Fiend. They both look back at Owens and then stare at each other again to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There are certain shows where your overall take is going to vary wildly and that is the case here. The wrestling was completely not the point on this show, as they were going for making a bunch of splashes. As a result, this came off more the post Wrestlemania show with returns, surprises and twists, all of which made the night fly by. I had a great time with this, if nothing else for the sake of it being so different. It may not have been a great wrestling show, but it was an entertaining night and that’s what you have to do sometimes. I can see people not liking it and I won’t argue that, but I had a good time.

Results

Big E. b. Sheamus – Big Ending through a table

Matt Riddle/Jeff Hardy b. Miz/John Morrison – Bro Derek to Miz

Sasha Banks b. Bayley via DQ when Bayley used a chair

New Day b. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura – Springboard elbow to Nakamura

The Fiend b. Kevin Owens – Mandible Claw

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: October 2, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We are past Clash Of Champions and the pretty amazing moment between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso in the main event. Reigns wants to be acknowledged as the Tribal Chief of the Anoa’i Family and beat his family to get what he wanted. Even Paul Heyman seems scared of what he has done and now we will get to see where things are going. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash Of Champions if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Reigns destroying Jey until Jimmy Uso came down to throw in the towel.

Here are Heyman and Reigns for Reigns to be officially crowned Tribal Chief. Heyman, sounding shaken, says it’s time for the crowning, but Reigns says he wants to hear Jey Uso acknowledge him. Cue Jey to say he doesn’t know Reigns, who showed his true colors on Sunday. Jey did as well though, because Reigns beat him up. Reigns won’t break his spirit though, and if Jimmy didn’t throw in the towel, Jey would be champion.

Reigns says if Jey wasn’t proud of what he did, Clash was the worst night of his career, both professionally and personally. That’s not what he wanted to do going into that match because he was trying to help Jey. All he wanted to do was put his name in the main event for once. He loves Jey more than Jimmy does and all Jey had to do was acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief.

All he wanted was to represent the family to the fullest, but Jey disrespected him. Jey broke his heart and even now, Jey can’t look him in his eyes. If Jey wants another shot, sure he can have it. We’ll do it at Hell In A Cell, but it will have the highest stakes in WWE history. Reigns hugs him and whispers something in his ear that the microphone doesn’t entirely pick up and walks off with Heyman.

Jey cuts him off though and says whatever the stakes are, Reigns is on. Cole implies that the match is going to be inside the Cell but neither Jey nor Reigns said that. With Reigns and Heyman gone, here is AJ Styles to say it doesn’t matter who gets the most chicken bones at the end of the table. AJ says Jimmy is the better athlete anyway and Jey is just the runt. Jey knocks him outside and hits a dive off the announcers’ table.

Jey Uso vs. AJ Styles

AJ starts with the trash talk (in the loudly mic’d up ring) but gets kicked down. A headbutt to the chest connects but AJ avoids a charge in the corner. Some kicks to the back and chest set up the jumping knee to Uso for an early two. Uso gets catapulted throat first into the bottom rope but he’s fine enough to counter the Styles Clash. AJ gets sent outside again but he’s fine enough to cut off a dive with a kick to the head. There’s a suplex to put Jey onto the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with Jey fighting out of a chinlock and grabbing a neckbreaker for two. The superkick is cut off though and AJ grabs the fireman’s carry backbreaker for his own two. Uso kicks him to the floor and hits the big dive but the Superfly Splash hits knees. Jey breaks up the Phenomenal Forearm though and hits a low superkick to set up the Superfly Splash for the upset pin at 10:46.

Rating: B-. This is a heck of an upset win for Jey but it isn’t the biggest stretch in the world and that’s one of the better things about being such a successful tag wrestler. No Jey hasn’t done these things on his own, but he has had success elsewhere so this isn’t coming completely out of nowhere. Good match too, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there.

Post match Jey looks serious and keeps saying “I’m gonna get him.”

We look at Sami Zayn winning the ladder match.

Sami as both Intercontinental Titles and says he knows people are expecting him to gloat. Tonight is a whirlwind of emotions though and at the top of that list is resentment and anger. Initially his anger was against the fans because no one said a word when he was stripped of the titles. When AJ won the fraudulent title the fans cheered and then they just accepted it when he lost it to Jeff Hardy. As the only one around here with any principles, Sami throws the new title in the trash.

We recap Miz and Morrison trying to get Otis to hand over the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Next week: Otis defends himself in court. Oh sweet goodness.

Otis vs. John Morrison

Otis slugs him down to start and runs him over with a clothesline for a bonus. A pop up faceplant drops Morrison again and Otis throws him down with a suplex. The Caterpillar into the Vader Bomb finishes Morrison at 1:39. Well that was efficient.

Big E. says that with the Draft looming, he wants to face Sheamus in a Falls Count Anywhere match next week.

Sheamus vs. Shorty G.

Shorty sends him into the post and gets two off a German suplex to start. The moonsault misses though and the Brogue Kick drops Shorty. Another finishes him at 53 seconds. Of all the people being treated as stupid jobbers, Gable very well might be the most frustrating one I’ve seen in years.

Here’s Raw’s Kevin Owens (in a Street Profits shirt) for the Kevin Owens Show. Since this might be his new home after the Draft, he thought he should get used to this place so he’s here to talk to Alexa Bliss. Owens talks about how he has seen this change in Bliss’ attitude and anger, which reminds him of what he sees in Aleister Black. Bliss doesn’t know what he means and asks about Owens changing as well.

Owens says this is about her changing and asks to understand about the darkness taking over her. In a rather out there voice, Bliss talks about being in his (the Fiend’s) presence and how you feel like you’re on pins and needles. When he looks at you, it’s like you can’t look away. Owens would not know what that is like though, as Owens says we’re not talking about Black anymore. He says it’s like Bliss is brainwashed, and she says that’s true.

All of the lies have been washed away and she has been cleansed by him. Owens: “He’s here isn’t he?” Bliss: “He’s everywhere. I can hear him now. Let him in.” The lights go out and here’s the Fiend for the Mandible Claw to Owens as Bliss looks on. Fiend reaches his hand out to Bliss, who slowly takes it in a pretty creepy moment.

King Corbin/Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Matt Riddle/Lucha House Party

Before the match, Riddle talks about how this might be his last chance to team with his Lucha Bros. Kalisto isn’t there, though the rest of the House Party doesn’t seem to mind. Nakamura strikes away at Dorado to start but gets caught with a dropkick. Cue Kalisto though and we take a break. Back with Metalik being stomped down in the corner and Cesaro coming in for the delayed suplex.

Nakamura grabs a front facelock but Metalik hits a tornado DDT, allowing the hot tag to Riddle to forearm away at Corbin. There’s a t-bone suplex to Corbin into the Broton. The running kick to the chest gets two with Nakamura making the save. The Golden Rewind hits Nakamura but Cesaro comes in to uppercut Riddle for two. Metalik nails the big running flip dive to Cesaro but Kalisto kicks Dorado in the head by mistake. Riddle is right back up with a Final Flash to Cesaro, setting up the Bro Derek for the pin at 6:43.

Rating: C. That was a bit of a weird ending as they did the Kalisto miscommunication and then Riddle just pinned Cesaro a few seconds later. I guess we need to save him pinning Corbin for the epic trilogy match, or maybe they want to just keep Corbin looking strong because….he’s Corbin I guess. At least Riddle got the pin though.

Long recap on the fallout from Bayley attacking Sasha Banks.

The mystery woman is Carmella, who says she danced around forever and it didn’t get her anywhere. Now she is the princess and untouchable, unless she doesn’t want to be.

Here’s Sasha Banks for a chat. Banks talks about how she thought Bayley would have grown a backbone over the years but that hasn’t happened. Next week, it’s Bayley vs. Banks for the Women’s Title and Bayley knows what happens when there is no one there to save her. The neck brace comes off and Banks says Bayley doesn’t stand a chance, b****. I’d like to think that’s going to be shenaniganzy.

Next week: the Draft, Bayley vs. Banks for the title, Sheamus vs. Big E. in a falls count anywhere match and Owens vs. Fiend.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy

Sami is defending and has taped up ribs. Jeff gets knocked into the corner to start and Sami stomps away, only to have Jeff get in a kick tot he ribs. The turnbuckle pad got ripped off somewhere in there but Jeff avoids being sent into the steel. There’s a backdrop to Sami to send him outside and a baseball slide sends him into the announcers’ table. Jeff misses Poetry In Motion against the barricade though and we take a break.

Back with Sami putting on a chinlock and shouting about Jeff’s title reign being a fraud. Sami heads to the middle rope for an elbow to the back of the head for two as frustration is starting to set in. With Sami going up again, Jeff follows him up and grabs a top rope superplex for the double knockdown. The Twist of Fate is countered into a backslide for two and the Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a sunset flip for a near fall.

Sami suplexes him into the corner and now the Blue Thunder Bomb connects for two. Jeff knocks him down again but the Swanton hits knees (with one possibly hitting Jeff in the head). The Helluva Kick misses and Jeff loads up the Whisper in the Wind but Sami pulls him down, sending Jeff face first into the exposed steel for the pin at 14:11.

Rating: B. This is the kind of thing that people forget WWE can offer. They have an insanely deep talent pool, and when they cut away all of the nonsense and bad writing and angles and just let their really good wrestlers have a pretty long TV match, you get good results. It was a very nice wrestling showing between two people who know exactly how to have this kind of a match and I had a good time with the whole thing. Nicely done, and do it more often.

Overall Rating: B-. There were some parts on here which weren’t the best, but those matches were kept very short, leaving us with a pretty solid show. You had two good matches and some stuff was set up both for next week and at the pay per view. This was an efficient use of two hours which even expanded up to downright entertaining at times. Just like the main event, the show felt like it stripped away so much of the boring and downright stupid stuff that you get on Raw, leaving more or a wrestling show. WWE can still do these things rather well and if they just went that way, we would all be much happier.

Results

Jey Uso b. AJ Styles – Superfly Splash

Otis b. John Morrison – Vader Bomb

Sheamus b. Shorty G. – Brogue Kick

Matt Riddle/Lucha House Party b. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura/King Corbin – Bro Derek to Cesaro

Sami Zayn b. Jeff Hardy – Hardy fell onto the exposed turnbuckle

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 17, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton

We’re back with another recap special, likely featuring the wrestlers who are either way too good for this show or not good enough to make the rather large Raw every week. In other words, this show tends to be all over the place, even though it should be the easiest thing in the world to book. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Michael Cole on Main Event? Never say never I guess.

Bianca Belair vs. Billie Kay

Belair grabs a headlock to start and isn’t having any of this countering. A sunset flip is blocked as well but Billie sloppily spins around into an Octopus. That’s broken up and Belair rolls away, setting up a running shoulder to take her down. A running dropkick sets up the running splash for two on Kay and they head out to the apron.

Kay kicks her in the face for two and some shots to the ribs keep Belair down. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a hard whip into the corner to drop Belair again. That’s enough of being on defense as Belair fights up and sends her face first into the corner. The handspring splash gets two and the KOD gives Belair the pin at 5:42.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine match here as Billie didn’t get destroyed and Belair looked awesome as usual. What helped here a lot though was Cole on commentary. I know a lot of people don’t care for him all that much and fair enough, but he is the biggest name commentator today and that is the kind of addition who can add a lot, as he did here.

We look back at Jey Uso becoming #1 contender.

From Smackdown.

Jey Uso/Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin/Sheamus

There is no Reigns to start so Corbin punches Uso down, allowing Sheamus to hit the ten forearms to the chest. Jey manages a Samoan drop to Corbin to set up the running Umaga Attack but Corbin rolls away. Sheamus comes in for White Noise (with commentary arguing over what the move is called). The Brogue Kick is loaded up but here’s Reigns, with the distraction letting Uso hit a superkick to Sheamus. There’s a suicide dive to Corbin and a superkick to Sheamus sets up the Superfly Splash. Reigns tags himself in and spears Sheamus for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C-. There’s something awesome about this Reigns showing up and doing almost nothing to get a win. It’s such an obnoxious thing to do and suits him so well, including the subtle things like Reigns telling Uso to get out of the way so he can hit the spear. This has worked crazy well and Reigns has barely done anything since joining Heyman.

Post match Jey holds up Reigns’ hand, with the Universal Title, as Reigns stares at him to end the show.

We look back at the Mysterio Family attacking Murphy.

From Raw.

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

In a cage. Rollins strikes away to start and for the first time, I can’t fathom how many camera cuts are made. They were changing in time with Rollins’ shots to the back. Dominik grabs a tornado DDT and goes for the escape but here’s Murphy to slide in a kendo stick. Rollins sends him into the cage and we take a break with Cole in mid-sentence. Back with Rollins raking Dominik’s face across the cage but Dominik reverses into a ram of his own.

There’s a headscissors to send Rollins into the cage and now Rey hands Dominik a stick of his own. Some rams into the cage set up a sitout spinebuster for two on Rollins. The go up top and both crotch themselves on the rope, with MVP giving Dominik credit for shaking the ropes and being crafty. Dominik goes for the door but Murphy jumps Rey and beats him onto the barricade.

Murphy climbs up to cut off Dominik but gets knocked down, giving us what sounded like a sound effect on the crash landing. Dominik hits a frog splash for two so he goes up again, only to get superplexed down into the Falcon Arrow to give Rollins two. Rollins hits the Stomp but stops to glare at the Mysterios instead of covering. That means a second Stomp to finish Dominik at 11:59.

Rating: B-. I very rarely notice this kind of thing but the camera cuts here were completely insane and some of the most annoying things I can remember seeing in years. It was every few other second and it became the thing I kept focusing on rather than the match itself. As for the match, it was more of the same as Dominik looked good but came up short in a match where he shouldn’t have won. It was good enough, but I don’t need to see any combination of the Mysterios and Rollins/Murphy for a long time.

Post match Murphy seems to humble himself before Rollins, who sends him into the cage anyway. Rollins asks how it feels and says Murphy sucks. With Rey in the ring, Rollins tells Rey’s wife that he hopes the daughter turns out better. Rey’s daughter Aaliyah checks on Murphy for a bit before getting inside to check on Dominik as well, as Dominik is holding his shoulder.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Mustafa Ali

Carrillo spins out of a wristlock to start and he takes Ali down for a quick standoff. The high angle springboard armdrag sends a frustrated Ali to the floor but he’s back in with a kick to the face. Carrillo is sent outside for a hard ram into the barricade and we take a break. Back with Ali grabbing a neckbreaker and blasting him with a forearm to the face. They slug it out until Ali Russian legsweeps him hard into the corner.

Carrillo is right back up with a springboard kick to the face and a running hurricanrana drops Ali again. Ali gets sent into the corner but Carrillo misses a charge. The rolling X Factor is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two. Ali is right back up with the middle rope tornado DDT for two of his own and it’s time to stomp away. The 450 misses though and Carrillo is back up with a Spanish Fly for two more. Ali doesn’t even have to get back to his feet before grabbing the Koji Clutch to make Carrillo tap at 9:02.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Bayley, with the chair she used to destroy Banks, for a chat. We look at the beatdown and Bayley says of course she loved every second of it. Bayley knows everyone wants answers but she is full of questions. Banks is watching so did she really think Bayley wasn’t going to be her next target?

Sasha wanted to be Two Belts Banks again and was just using Bayley the whole time. She knows it because Bayley was using her the whole time. Bayley used her to become Bayley Dos Straps and is now the longest reigning Smackdown Women’s Champion in history. After last night though, Banks is nothing to her. Good promo here, and the explanation is a nice twist on the usual formula.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton.

From Raw.

Keith Lee vs. Drew McIntyre

Non-title. Lee hammers away to start and gets in a shot to the bad jaw, setting up a charge over the top. Back from a break with McIntyre slugging away so Lee goes right back to the chops. The top rope chop gets two and McIntyre drops him with a clothesline. A suplex doesn’t work for McIntyre so Lee runs him over with a crossbody for two of his own. Lee puts him on top for the superplex back down and a delayed two. The Claymore and Spirit Bomb are both blocked so it’s stereo crossbodies for a double knockdown. They pull themselves up…and here’s Retribution for the no contest at we’ll say 9:45.

Rating: C+. They went with the two big men hitting each other really hard formula here and it worked well. Lee still doesn’t lose for a good detail, but you can also tell that he has lost a lot of sizzle in the last few weeks. Maybe helping to deal with Retribution can be a nice boost though, which he somehow already needs. Also, well done on not having Orton interfere here, which felt like the obvious ending.

Post match the beatdown stays on but here’s the Hurt Business to take off the jackets and go for the fight as well. McIntyre and Lee get up to hit the big stereo flip dives onto everyone to end the show, as somehow no one was unmasked in that whole thing.

Overall Rating: C+. This worked out rather well as things are starting to pick up a bit on the way to Clash Of Champions. We still have a little way to go before we get there though and some of this stuff was a nice way to fill in some time. I’m not sure what else they can do to build up the show, but they have a few more title matches to set. That’s for next week though, so for now we have to settle for this one being pretty good.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: September 18, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We are coming up on Clash Of Champions and that means it is time to start getting ready for the pay per view. There are a lot of different things being set up, including a few more title matches. Tonight we might get a few steps closer to that but you never know around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Dirt Sheet, with Miz and John Morrison promising to get all of the dirt on the biggest stories going on in WWE today. After a clip of Miz announcing Mandy Rose is on her way to Raw on Talking Smack, Miz insists that he is not trying to get back at Otis. No, instead he is trying to help Otis as a former Mr. Money In The Bank. Now that Mandy is gone, Otis can focus on cashing in the briefcase while the men on Raw can focus on Mandy. Morrison: “Isn’t Ziggler over there?”

Cue Otis to beat both of them up, with Tucker throwing both of them back in as they try to escape. Otis is so angry at Miz that he hits the Caterpillar, showing the height of his violence. He even strips Miz down to his underwear, which isn’t quite the biggest deal when he wrestles in the same kind of gear.

Post break, Miz makes a phone call and says they have a plan.

Gran Metalik vs. Cesaro

The rest of Lucha House Party and Shinsuke Nakamura are here too. Metalik headscissors him down to start but gets taken into the corner for the uppercut. The armbar goes on as Kalisto and Lince Dorado seem to argue at ringside. Metalik gets sent outside and the referee ejects the rest of the House Party. Cesaro is pleased but the distraction lets Metalik hit a big springboard flip dive and we take a break. Back with Cesaro getting two off a big boot but Metalik gets up top for a flip dive and his own two. The moonsault hits raised boots though and Cesaro Neutralizes him for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C. The Lucha House Party’s collapse continues, even though they’re getting a pay per view title match. I’m not sure how good it is going to be to split them up because the trio doesn’t seem like the kind of guys that are going to get a push on their own, but tag teams exist to be split up in WWE so it doesn’t matter that much. Also, how random is that champion vs. champion match on Monday feeling? It really does seem to be just a one off instead of building to anything, which is a little odd.

After looking at a clip of last week’s main event, Jey Uso says he trust Roman Reigns tonight. At Clash Of Champions tonight though, one of them is leaving as the Universal Champion. They’ve been fighting since they were little, but now they aren’t little anymore.

And now, Know Your Bro with Matt Riddle. Matt demonstrates how many different emotions you can convey with the word “bro”.

It’s time for A Moment Of Bliss, with Nikki Cross as the guest. We look at Bliss giving Cross Twisted Bliss last week and walking away, only to have Cross win anyway. Cross and Bliss hug before Bliss can get to the question: why should we believe Cross can beat Bayley after losing to her all summer? Cross says she’s ready for Bayley and promises to win the title. Now that we have that settled, Cross has a question for Bliss: what is going on with her?

Last week she hit Cross with Sister Abigail, but Bliss can’t explain it. She doesn’t know how to handle it…and here’s (the rather not dead) Lacey Evans to interrupt. Lacey asks if this is the View with these women talking about their feelings. Cross should be thanking Bliss for helping her last week because Bliss threw Lacey off of her game. Besides, Cross can’t win if she doesn’t have a mean streak. The fight is on and they fight to the ring for their scheduled match.

Lacey Evans vs. Nikki Cross

Bliss is on commentary but hang on because Evans needs to sanitize before the bell. Cross kicks her to the floor and then takes it back inside to jump on Evans’ back. Lacey sends her into the corner and starts working on the arm with some hard knee drops. A running boot in the corner connects and there’s the slingshot Bronco Buster for two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Evans cuts her off again and starts pulling on the arm some more. Evans rams her head first into the mat and stays on the arm before hitting the standing moonsault. With Cross down, Lacey sprays the hand sanitizer in Nikki’s eyes, but she’s right back up with a hair takedown. Nikki hits a corner splash and finishes with the hanging neckbreaker at 7:12. Bliss seems rather pleased.

Rating: D+. The sanitizer deal was rather dumb here as Nikki acted like it was water in her eyes instead of alcohol. The rest of the match was Evans beating up Nikki in a match she had no chance of winning because Nikki has a title shot coming up and Evans has fallen through the floor. Nothing to see here, which shouldn’t be that shocking.

Post match Evans crawls over to Bliss while shouting about the Fiend. Bliss goes into the same trance as last week, hits Sister Abigail, and slowly walks off in the trance.

Paul Heyman narrates a video about the Anoa’i Family being perhaps the greatest wrestling family of all time. We see a lot of the members in action and dang there have been a ton of them over the years. Heyman talks about how it is a battle of the family at Clash Of Champions, but while they feast at the same table, there is one ruler of the dynasty.

We get a sitdown interview with Sasha Banks, beginning with a look at Bayley attacking her two weeks ago. Banks is nearly in tears and says she’s still here as we hear a lot of cheering noises. Cole talks about how Bayley used her and Banks knows that Bayley finds her useless now. She and Bayley used to walk these halls and talk about everything they have done together.

They had planned to take over the whole company together but now she sees these halls and, through tears, she sees all of the things she and Bayley did together. Banks gets a lot more serious and calls Bayley an idiot who is nothing without her. Now Banks is coming for the title. Bayley runs in and blasts her with a chair before wrapping the chair around Banks’ neck again. Some rather short people run in to break it up before Bayley can stomp on the chair. The idea made sense, but Banks isn’t much of an actress and the delivery hurt it a lot.

Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles

Sami goes to insist that he is introduced as the Intercontinental Champion but AJ jumps him from behind to start fast. Sami gets in a few shots and stomps away before grabbing a quickly broken chinlock. As Cole manages to find new levels of annoyance by talking in that completely unnatural manner associated with WWE commentary, Sami kicks the post by mistake and falls to the floor.

The slingshot forearm takes him down again and we take a break. Back with Sami hitting a Stun Gun but AJ grabs a neckbreaker for two. Sami slugs away but the Pele kick connects to drop them both. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Sami two and he suplexes AJ into the corner. The Helluva Kick misses though and AJ grabs a rollup, possibly with tights, for the pin at 10:18.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here but you can almost see the triple threat at Clash from here. Sami at least looked good after his long time off. AJ was a smart choice for the first opponent too as he can have a good match with anyone, meaning this was almost a layup. It’s hard to make heel vs. heel work but they pulled it off here.

Post match Sami jumps AJ and complains about the tights being pulled. Cue Jeff Hardy to take Sami out…and grab a ladder (oh freaking dang it). Jeff is tired of being called cheat and a fraud so let’s end it once and for all, with a ladder match. Good grief I’d give so much money to put a ban on ladder matches for a few years.

Otis is served with a lawsuit. Apparently Miz and Morrison are suing over emotional distress, creating an unsafe working environment (STOP MAKING UP STORIES ABOUT THAT BECAUSE YOU DO IT ALL THE FREAKING TIME!) and violating their First Amendment rights by interrupting their news program. Otis has a week to decide if he will forfeit the Money in the Bank contract or go to court.

Sheamus and King Corbin are ready for their Samoan Street Fight tonight. The guy who lured Big E. to the parking lot last night comes in to say Sheamus’ car is being towed. Sheamus goes outside and gets jumped by Big E. in disguise. Big E. beats up the guy from last week as well, including a Big Ending on the car and throwing him in the trunk, showing more seriousness than he has in years. Adam Pearce comes in to say Big E. needs to leave. This worked a lot better than I would have expected.

The mystery woman gets dressed behind a screen. She turns around but there is a mirror in front of her face.

Roman Reigns/Jey Uso vs. Sheamus/King Corbin

Samoan Street Fight and Paul Heyman is here with Reigns (actually present to start the match) and Uso. Before the match, Reigns says he didn’t want any confusing this week. This is his yard, island, ring and WWE. If you want to change it, come take it. Sheamus is a little banged up but still here. It’s a brawl to start and thankfully there are no tags here because thankfully they understand the idea of a street fight.

The villains are sent to the floor early on, where Corbin pelts a chair at Reigns’ head for a scary crash. Jey dives onto Corbin but a second dive is countered into Deep Six on the floor. Back in and Corbin grabs a chair but gets kicked in the head for his efforts. Reigns chairs Corbin down but Sheamus runs Reigns over on the floor. The beatdown is on and Reigns is thrown over the announcers’ table. A regular table is brought inside and Uso gets planted through it for a near fall.

Reigns is back up and throws an announcers’ chair at Corbin’s head for a pretty impressive power display. Sheamus knocks him down again and loads up the announcers’ table but White Noise is broken up. Reigns kick Sheamus low and Samoan drops him onto (not through) the table. Corbin is posted and Sheamus is speared through the barricade. Back up and Corbin jumps Reigns before throwing Jey over a bunch of stuff. Uso is back with a title shot to the face though and Reigns adds a spear. The Superfly Splash gives Jey the pin at 6:10.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun and most of that is because of Roman Reigns. THIS is the Reigns that people had been wanting to see for a long time. He was like a bulldozer here and running through everyone in his path, which made for some really awesome moments throughout. That’s the kind of Reigns that looked like the star of the company and someone who could be the champ for a long time with a huge moment being needed to take it from him. I liked this a lot and Reigns came off as the monster they have been wanting for a long time now.

Post match Reigns doesn’t look happy with Uso. Jey grabs the title and teases posing with it but throws the title to Reigns for a smile. Reigns and Uso hug so Jey can leave, with Reigns glaring at him from the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They’re taking an interesting approach to Clash as the main event is little more than a formality but the story has been set up well. Reigns vs. Uso is much more like the next step in Reigns’ story as we’ll get to see what he is willing to do to family, which makes it a lot better than what it would have been otherwise. Then you have Bayley vs. Nikki Cross, which is the most throw away, lame duck title match in recent years. The pay per view is looking hit or miss, but this week’s show worked out well enough. Just enough with the lawsuits and ladder matches though, please.

Results

Cesaro b. Gran Metalik – Neutralizer

Nikki Cross b. Lacey Evans – Hanging swinging neckbreaker

AJ Styles b. Sami Zayn – Rollup with a handful of tights

Roman Reigns/Jey Uso b. King Corbin/Sheamus – Superfly Splash to Corbin

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: September 11, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Things took a surprising turn last week as Jey Uso of all people became the new #1 contender to the Smackdown World Title. That could set up quite the one sided title defense for Roman Reigns but you never know. As for tonight, Jeff Hardy defends the Intercontinental Title against AJ Styles. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Never Forget graphic.

We get a long recap of Reigns’ comments last week, plus Uso becoming #1 contender.

Here are Reigns and Heyman for a chat. Heyman talks about letting the cat out of the bag two weeks ago. Then at Payback, they took the Universal title. That took us to last week when Jey Uso captured the #1 contendership in the biggest win of his career. Heyman invites Uso to the ring and we see some photos of the Usos and reigns growing up together. Uso thanks Heyman for getting him a spot last week but Heyman says it was Reigns’ idea, with Heyman just following an idea.

Reigns talks about how they are family and Jey earned this. He has never had a chance like this and while Reigns is going to beat him up like when they were kids, they’re still blood. Uso can go with that but here’s King Corbin to cut them off. Corbin thinks this is a setup because it’s family facing off at the Clash. He can’t stand someone abusing their power. Cue Sheamus to interrupt this time to recap all of the strings being pulled last week. Uso doesn’t want to hear it and challenges them to a tag match. The brawl is on with Reins not moving an inch as Uso cleans house.

Here’s what’s coming tonight, including Jeff Hardy defending the Intercontinental Title against AJ Styles. Sami Zayn storms the production truck and wants the title graphic taken away from Hardy.

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles

Hardy is defending but hang on a second because here’s Sami Zayn during the Big Match Intros. They can have this match but it’s an exhibition. Cue Adam Pearce with security to get rid of Sami, who doesn’t like any of this. AJ jumps Jeff from behind but walks into the Twist of Fate. The Swanton misses though and we take a break. Back with AJ hammering away and sending it outside to stomp on the floor. Jeff sends him into the steps though and nails the Whisper in the Wind back inside. The basement dropkick into the splash gives Hardy two and Hardy sends him outside again. Cue Sami to jump Styles for the DQ at 7:34.

Rating: C. The match never had the chance to go anywhere because of the time but the triple threat at Clash has seemed pretty obvious for a good while now. I’m glad they didn’t let this go very far as there was no reason to let us get invested into a match that is going to go nowhere on the way to the pay per view.

Post match Sami hits the Helluva Kick on Jeff.

After a quick look at Reigns and Uso, Hardy collapses on his way to the back.

Post break Hardy is dehydrated. Styles storms in and wants Sami to stop all these shenanigans.

We recap Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura going to Raw, with commentary explaining the Brand To Brand Invitational deal.

Cesaro and Nakamura are in their room in the back but here are the Street Profits to say they wanted to check the show out. With Cesaro and Nakamura gone, the Profits eat their popcorn.

Hardy is getting better when Sami comes in again, triggering a brawl.

Lucha House Party vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title and we get an inset promo from Kalisto, who calls himself the leader and says it’s time to win the Tag Team Titles. Gran Metalik hurricanranas Cesaro a few times to start and it’s quickly off to Kalisto for an assisted splash. Nakamura comes in for some knees to the face and ribs for two, followed by a knee choke in the corner. Kalisto is sent outside but we cut to the Street Profits in the back where a party has broken out with Nakamura and Cesaro’s champagne. That means a rollup pins Nakamura at 3:33.

Rating: D+. They aren’t wasting time with this show and in a way that’s nice. I could have gone without the champs being pinned but at least it wasn’t clean. The champions vs. champions match taking place on Raw is a little weird but there is a good chance that they are setting up something for the pay per view. It would at least make some more sense.

Post break the House Party joins the party.

Here’s Bayley, with the chair she used to destroy Banks, for a chat. We look at the beatdown and Bayley says of course she loved every second of it. Bayley knows everyone wants answers but she is full of questions. Banks is watching so did she really think Bayley wasn’t going to be her next target?

Sasha wanted to be Two Belts Banks again and was just using Bayley the whole time. She knows it because Bayley was using her the whole time. Bayley used her to become Bayley Dos Straps and is now the longest reigning Smackdown Women’s Champion in history. After last night though, Banks is nothing to her. Good promo here, and the explanation is a nice twist on the usual formula.

Nikki Cross vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Tamina vs. Lacey Evans

The winner gets Bayley at Clash Of Champions. Nikki comes out first but Bayley jumps her during the entrance. Lacey knocks Bliss down for an early two and whips her into Alexa’s boots in the corner. Tamina gets taken down as well but Evans misses the slingshot stomp. It’s Bliss coming back in to clean house until Tamina runs her over. Bliss’ DDT is easily blocked and Tamina kicks her in the face.

Lacey is back in but her slingshot dropkick is broken up. Cross is back up for the first time and kicks Tamina leg off, followed by the running clothesline for two. Tamina and Evans are sent outside for a dive from Cross. Bliss helps Nikki up but gives her Sister Abigail on the floor as we take a break. Back with Bliss having slowly walked out, almost in a trance. Lacey kicks Tamina down and hits the slingshot elbow for two.

Tamina is back up to break up the moonsault but misses a charge into the corner. The double jump moonsault connects but it’s Cross coming back in to make the save. A bulldog/running clothesline combination gets two on Lacey but it’s Tamina taking Cross down. Tamina superkicks Cross but walks into the Woman’s Right. Cross is back up with the Purge to Lacey but she has to slip out of Tamina’a Samoan drop. The rollup to Tamina sends Nikki to the Clash at 12:00.

Rating: D+. I can’t believe how much of a relief it was that Tamina didn’t win here. That would have been one of the most annoying outcomes they could have had and it is far from outside of the question around here. That being said, they were on different pages near the end there and it looked pretty rough. At least Nikki won, but I’m not sure how much of a chance she has a the pay per view. Still better than Tamina though.

We get another vignette of the mystery woman, who is getting dressed and has long blonde hair. Sweet goodness it isn’t Eva Marie is it?

Otis vs. John Morrison

Tucker is at ringside and Miz is on commentary. Morrison starts by kicking away but Otis uses the power of jiggling. Miz gets up so Tucker cuts him off, only to have Miz run off with the lunchbox. Otis uses the distraction to splash Morrison and hit the Caterpillar. The Vader Bomb is good for the pin at 2:27. Miz does know that he himself said possession of the contract means nothing right?

We look at Big E. being taken out by Sheamus last week.

Otis reveals that Miz had a fake lunchbox. Then he bites the real contract.

Miz says his lawyer thinks they can find a loophole in the Money in the Bank contract now that they have it. In reality they have an apple core, so Miz calls in a favor.

Evil Vince Puppet comes in (Vince: “What the my home is going on in here?”) and says Bray has lost his trust. If Bray doesn’t cooperate, he’ll be fired. That’s why there is a new special advisor to the Firefly Fun House, Wobbly Walrus, who might remind you of a certain Heyman. Vince: “This is such good ****!” Bray: “OH NO!” To Be Continued.

Jey Uso/Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin/Sheamus

There is no Reigns to start so Corbin punches Uso down, allowing Sheamus to hit the ten forearms to the chest. Jey manages a Samoan drop to Corbin to set up the running Umaga Attack but Corbin rolls away. Sheamus comes in for White Noise (with commentary arguing over what the move is called). The Brogue Kick is loaded up but here’s Reigns, with the distraction letting Uso hit a superkick to Sheamus. There’s a suicide dive to Corbin and a superkick to Sheamus sets up the Superfly Splash. Reigns tags himself in and spears Sheamus for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C-. There’s something awesome about this Reigns showing up and doing almost nothing to get a win. It’s such an obnoxious thing to do and suits him so well, including the subtle things like Reigns telling Uso to get out of the way so he can hit the spear. This has worked crazy well and Reigns has barely done anything since joining Heyman.

Post match Jey holds up Reigns’ hand, with the Universal Title, as Reigns stares at him to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was one of the more efficient shows that Smackdown has produced in a good while. They advanced stories, they kept things fast and set up a few things for the future. Above all else, this show flew by and I was stunned when it was halfway over. Now that being said, as well structured as it was, the content wasn’t all that great with a lot of the stories feeling pretty middle of the road at best. The Universal Title and Women’s Title matches are both feeling pretty small and the other story is about Otis’ lunchboxes. That’s not much, but the show was well put together, which isn’t that bad.

Results

AJ Styles b. Jeff Hardy via DQ when Sami Zayn interfered

Lucha House Party b. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura – Rollup to Nakamura

Nikki Cross b. Lacey Evans, Alexa Bliss and Tamina – Rollup to Tamina

Otis b. John Morrison – Vader Bomb

Roman Reigns/Jey Uso b. King Corbin/Sheamus – Spear to Sheamus

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: September 4, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the show after Summerslam and we get two big deals in one tonight. First of all, Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman are making their first comments since the revealed their alliance last week. In addition to that we have a four way match to determine the #1 contender for Reigns’ Clash Of Champions title defense. Let’s get to it.

Here is Payback if you need a recap.

Here are Reigns and Heyman to get things going. Heyman says as soon as you thought he was out, Reigns pulled him back in. Reigns is the one corrupting him and pulled Heyman back in from the ocean of obscurity. Now he is back on the island of relevancy because they did the same thing to Heyman that they did to Reigns. What happened to the thank yous and the appreciation?

Reigns over delivered during his life threatening illness and no one offered him any thanks. When Reigns needed some time off, they made him give up his title. A Fiend or a monster isn’t born to reign. Imagine turning on Fox News and seeing an interview with a growling man as champion. Roman’s reign as your champion has always been defined as what WWE wants you to like: family, tradition and legacy. Tonight there is a four way to crown a new sacrificial lamb.

Heyman isn’t going to say their names because he’ll let Anderson Cooper and Carmella’s latest boyfriend handle that. Heyman is outside council to your Undisputed Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. Roman says he is a man of his word and did exactly what he said he was going to do: he signed the contract, wrecked the other two and left as Universal Heavyweight Champion. He’ll face whoever wins tonight and all he has to do is show up and win. Really, really good stuff here as Heyman sounded ticked off and Reigns sounded like the serious monster that he has needed to be for years now.

Post break Jey Uso comes up to Reigns in the back and congratulates him. Heyman leaves and Jey asks what the deal is with Heyman and Reigns. Roman says he’s got this and Jey accepts, even saying he’s got Reigns’ back if he ever needs it. Reigns leaves and seems rather distant, which Jey notices.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Heavy Machinery

Otis runs Miz over to start and Tucker comes in for the standing double splash. Miz and Morrison are knocked to the floor and we take a break. Back with Tucker diving over both of them and making the tag off to Otis. House is cleaned but the Flying Chuck hits Otis to take him down. Morrison hits the Moonlight Drive on Tucker on the floor but Otis starts gyrating off Miz’s kicks. Miz is knocked down to set up the Caterpillar and a Vader Bomb (that’s better as he needed a new finisher) finishes Miz at 8:06.

Rating: D+. It’s kind of amazing how far Otis has fallen in the last few months and so much of that has to do with the crowd. It isn’t all from the crowd though, as some of it is over him not exactly feeling like a threat to the World Title. Can you imagine him cashing in the briefcase and actually being a real World Title contender at this point? Granted there very well could be some shenanigans to get it to someone else, and really, there almost has to be.

Post match, Morrison steals the Money in the Bank briefcase and celebrates with it.

Big E. and Drew Gulak are having a birthday party for the returning Xavier Woods and tell Lucha House Party to stay away from the cake. Big E. is ready to become #1 contender but someone comes up to say Woods has arrived. With the cake in hand, Big E. goes out to find him but gets jumped by Sheamus, who takes him down with a Brogue Kick. White Noise onto the windshield of a car likely writes Big E. out of the #1 contenders match.

Post break Big E. is injured and has to go to a local medical facility. Sheamus comes in and says that is tough to watch but he can’t take his eyes off of it. With Big E. being loaded up on the stretcher in the background, Kayla Braxton asks if Sheamus set this up because of the Payback loss. Sheamus claims self defense and thinks Big E. just got distracted by the idea of seeing Woods again. If you want to be Universal Champion, you need to be focused at all time. Now Sheamus has to go because he has a triple threat to get ready for.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles back but Banks doesn’t like Bayley being asked about tapping out twice in a row. Banks talks about how great Bayley is and promises to get the titles back.

Adam Pearce says the four way is still on and the replacement will be named tonight. Heyman comes up and wants to talk to Pearce about something.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler

Jax and Baszler are defending and we get an inset promo from Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, talking about how this is going to be a car crash. Cesaro calls out Nakamura for being insensitive after what happened to Big E. They raise a toast anyway. The champs are sent outside for double baseball slides but Bayley and Banks get caught. Despite them locking hands, the champs swing them into the barricade a few times as we take a break.

Back with Bayley in trouble as Banks seems rather concerned. Jax grabs a chinlock before it’s off to Baszler to crank Bayley’s arm back for a nasty visual. Bayley gets over for the tag to Banks and it’s a Backstabber into the running knees in the corner to Jax. The top rope Meteora gets two and everything breaks down. Jax is sent to the apron where Bayley hits a Stunner onto the middle rope so Bayley can hit a powerbomb to the floor. Bayley suplexes her way out of the Kirifuda Clutch and it’s time to beat on Jax in the corner.

The Backstabber hits Baszler and Bayley starts going up but Banks covers for two instead. Now Bayley can hit the elbow for two more but Banks’ running knees only hit the post. Back in and Baszler takes out the bad knee. A spinning toehold is countered into a small package for two but Baszler is right back up with a shot to knock Bayley off the apron. Baszler stomps at the knee and tries a Muta Lock, only to have Bayley come back in for the Bayley to Belly for the save.

Banks grabs the Bank Statement instead of tagging and it’s Jax coming in to break things up. Jax gets the tag and tries a Stretch Muffler but Banks reverses into a sunset flip for two. Bayley saves Sasha from a super Samoan drop and a double powerbomb hits Baszler. Jax hits a middle rope crossbody for the double pin to retain at 15:38.

Rating: B-. They did a really good job here of making you think that the match was over and then finding a way to keep it going. The action was intense here too and the knee injury was a fine way to keep things going. I’m not wild on Jax and Baszler as champions but they had a rather solid match here so fair enough for one night.

Post break Banks is taken away in an ambulance.

Here’s Sami Zayn for a chat. Sami does not like not being mentioned as Intercontinental Champion. He hijacks the headset and talks to the production truck for not including the fact that he is Intercontinental Champion. Apparently it wasn’t in their notes, but here’s Jeff Hardy to interrupt.

Hardy says all Sami had to do was ask for a title shot but Sami says it should have been Sami who was asking. Cue AJ Styles to say he’s back and healthy so Jeff says he’s ready to defend. AJ jumps Hardy and the fight is on with Sami joining in. AJ hits Hardy as well but Hardy gets back up, with AJ being sent outside. The Helluva Kick hits Hardy and Sami bails.

Jey Uso is replacing Big E. in the #1 contenders match.

Tucker can’t find Miz and Morrison to get the briefcase back. Otis is cool with it because he keeps the Money in the Bank contract in his mini lunch box. Tucker is happy but want to know what’s in the briefcase. As luck would have it, Morrison is ready to open the briefcase at that time and finds….a stapler, some Q-Tips and a sandwich.

Jey Uso thanks Roman for getting him in the match but Roman says it was Heyman’s doing. Reigns wants Jey to win one on his own and wishes him luck.

Riddle comes out for the main event and charges at Corbin’s throne on the stage to start the fight early. Sheamus and Jey come down and the brawl is on in the ring and on the floor. We take a break before the bell rings and come back with….the Firefly Fun House.

Bray knows that you are down in the dumps just like He is because He lost his favorite toy again. It’s cool though because next week a brand new friend is coming to the Fun House. BYE!

Alexa Bliss comes up to Nikki Cross in the back and doesn’t know what came over him. With Ramblin Rabbit in the background, Bliss hugs her and walks off.

Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin vs. Sheamus vs. Jey Uso

For the shot at Clash and we’re finally ready to go about ten minutes after Riddle’s entrance. It’s a brawl to start with Jey superkicking Corbin to the floor and Sheamus hitting a backbreaker on Riddle. Jey comes back in for the save but gets knocked down, leaving the big guys to brawl. Riddle gets in as well and it’s a double charge in the corner to Sheamus and Corbin.

They come back with the Irish Curse and Deep Six for a double two, followed by Sheamus running Corbin over. We take a break and come back with Sheamus hitting the forearms to Jey’s chest but Riddle is back up with strikes of his own. An exploder suplex into the Broton has Sheamus in trouble but he pulls Riddle into the Cloverleaf. Jey makes the save and hits some running Umaga Attacks to both of them in the corner.

Corbin gets in a cheap shot on Jey but Riddle and Sheamus throw Corbin over the barricade. Jey dives onto Sheamus and Riddle for the double knockdown but Corbin is back up to throw Uso into the video screens. The other three get back in and Sheamus Brogue Kicks Corbin. The Bro To Sleep sends Sheamus outside and it’s the Floating Bro to Corbin. Jey comes back in with the Superfly Splash to Riddle for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: C. Well it wasn’t expected. I’m not exactly going to believe that Jey Uso is actually getting the title shot until I hear the bell ring and I’m also not sure that the match is going to last more than about fifteen seconds if it does take place. The match was good enough and the ending was a surprise, though I’m not entirely convinced that it’s lasting, which is fine too. That being said, you have Riddle, Sheamus and Corbin in there and Riddle takes the fall?

Post match Jey says he made the family proud too and is ready to take Roman to the Uso Penitentiary.

Overall Rating: B-. The word here is energy, as the show felt like it was doing a lot of stuff that mattered (not everything mind you, but a good deal of it). Heyman and Reigns had a good promo to start, the Bayley/Banks angle was good and they threw in a big curve ball at the end. I liked the show more than I have liked Smackdown in a long time and that’s a nice thing to be able to say. Good start to the Evil Reigns era and now we get to wait and see what comes next. The fact that I want to see what that is makes this a success.

Results

Heavy Machinery b. John Morrison/The Miz – Vader Bomb to Miz

Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax b. Bayley/Sasha Banks – Double middle rope crossbody

Jey Uso b. Matt Riddle, King Corbin and Sheamus – Superfly Splash to Riddle

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Payback 2020
Date: August 30, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back on pay per view less than a week after the last one ended, because that’s a thing that needed to happen. This time around we have the big main event of the Fiend defending the Smackdown World Title against Braun Strowman and a surprisingly heel Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman in his corner. That sounds like it could have some serious legs so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: IIconics vs. Riott Squad

The IIconics promise to expose them as frauds before the match. Riott charges at Royce to start and the chase is on around the ring. That means Riott runs into Shades of Kay and it’s off to a neck crank inside. Kay forearms Riott for two and the trash talk is on in a hurry. Royce knees her in the back a few times and we hit the chinlock as they aren’t exactly tearing the house down with the offense here.

Riott fights up but a Kay distraction lets Royce knock Liv to the floor. Kay tries to convince Morgan that Riott did it and Morgan is rather confused on the floor. Riott knocks Kay away and Morgan convinces herself to get up for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Morgan slips off a springboard dropkick but manages to make some contact with Royce anyway.

A double stomp in the corner gets two more on Royce but the double STO is broken up. Deja Vu gets two on Riott with Morgan making the save and pulling Riott over for the corner. I’m not sure when Riott was legal in the first place but I can’t imagine it matters. Oblivion gets two on Royce so it’s the Riott Kick to give Riott the pin at 9:00.

Rating: D+. They had a story to the match and played it up well enough but they were so sloppy throughout and some of the botches and miscommunication hurt it a lot. What matters is that the right team won and the Squad getting a Tag Team Title shot could be a nice story. Just tighten things up a bit and it can be a lot better.

The opening video looks at the major feuds and talks about revenge. That only makes sense in a few of the matches but it fits the theme.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Apollo Crews

Lashley is challenging and has the Hurt Business with him. MVP gets in a quick promo during the entrances, saying that last time Crews got hurt, but this time he gets Lashley. Crews gets taken down with a waistlock to start as Joe compares the Hurt Business to people who show up at your birthday, eat your cake in front of your wife and sing you a song. Crews fights out of the corner and hits a dropkick to the floor, setting up a moonsault from the apron.

The Hurt Business stares Crews down so he gets back inside rather than dealing with the numbers. Back in and Lashley drops him onto the top rope for another trip to the floor, followed by a ribs first ram into the post. We hit the chinlock and then a waistlock as Lashley keeps using the power. Crews fights up and hits a jumping enziguri but gets caught in the spinning Dominator for two.

The spear misses though and Crews hits a middle rope high crossbody for a breather. The Toss Powerbomb doesn’t work so Crews settles for a spinebuster for two instead. Crews can’t hit a gorilla press but he can hit a German suplex. A frog splash gives Crews two more but Lashley is right back with a spinebuster. The Full Lashley with a bodyscissors gives Lashley the title at 9:29.

Rating: C. Lashley was going to wind up with the title at some point so giving it to him here made as much sense as anything else. Maybe Crews gets it back at Clash Of Champions but there was no stopping Lashley from getting it either here or there. You can’t have the Hurt Business come up short every time so the title change had to take place.

Post match Crews jumps the Hurt Business and promises to get the title back as he runs off.

We look at Roman Reigns becoming a Paul Heyman Guy. Man that needed a live crowd.

Paul Heyman won’t answer if Reigns will sign the contract but you would have to ask him for sure. Kayla Braxton: “Can I ask him in person?” Heyman: “No you may not.”

JBL comes up to Keith Lee and offers him a shot at some hedge funds for only a million bucks. Lee doesn’t have that kind of money, but JBL thinks he will if he wins tonight. What a random cameo.

We look at Big E. getting annoyed at Miz on Talking Smack for suggesting that the rest of New Day has been holding him back.

Sheamus says tonight is Big E.’s time to fall because New Day has been propping him up.

Big E. vs. Sheamus

Big E. goes with the waistlock to start until Sheamus reverses into one of his own. That’s flipped away without much effort so Sheamus grabs a headlock on the mat instead. Big E. breaks that up as well and knocks Sheamus down but the apron splash only hits apron. Back in and Sheamus starts in on Big E.’s knee with a shinbreaker and some general stomping. The Irish Curse gives Sheamus two and we hit the half crab.

That doesn’t last long so Sheamus goes up, only to dive into a pair of belly to bellies. The Rock Bottom out of the corner gives Big E. two but Sheamus is back with a slingshot shoulder. Big E. fights up again and hits the spear through the ropes to the floor. Sheamus goes back to the knee with a heel hook but Big E. is back up in a hurry. That means a jumping knee to the face but the Brogue Kick is countered into a powerbomb. Big E. hits the Big Ending for the pin at 12:25.

Rating: C. This felt like a slightly bigger than usual Smackdown match and that works fine enough. Big E. needs to rack up some wins, but at the same time, he needs somewhere to go with the wins. Beating Miz, Morrison and Sheamus is fine, but that is only going to get him so far. He needs a story other than “I want to be my own man” over and over again and while this was a nice step, he needs some bigger ones.

Post match a very fired up Big E. shouts at commentary that he’s coming.

Matt Riddle is done with King Corbin’s tweets and is ready to shut him up tonight. He has no reaction to Corbin’s tweets talking about how Riddle is a failure at home. That’s your official acknowledgment of SpeakingOut I guess.

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler argue over who is the captain of the team. Remember like two weeks ago when Nia attacked Shayna’s friends on Raw Underground? Something tells me WWE doesn’t.

Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin

Corbin is carried in on the throne and jumps Riddle before the bell to get the early advantage. They fight outside early on with Corbin talking trash as Cole praises his striking abilities. Back in and Riddle kicks away in the corner and grabs a Kimura. That’s broken up so Riddle grabs a choke but Corbin throws him off.

Corbin grabs a chinlock but Riddle fights up, leaving Corbin to shout at commentary. Corbin’s under the ropes clothesline is cut off with a kick to the head and they head outside again. Riddle is driven back first into the apron but Riddle is back in with the running forearms in the corner.

A running knee gets two on Corbin and they strike it out with Corbin getting the better of things with a shot to the face. Deep Six gets two and the frustration sets in. Corbin hammers away some more but Riddle pulls him into a triangle. That doesn’t work so it’s the Bro To Sleep into the Floating Bro to give Riddle the pin at 10:53.

Rating: C+. Not too bad here as Riddle gets another win and starts moving up the ladder a bit. He can move up, down, left or right but it’s the right way as long as he gets away from Corbin. That’s a dead end feud if there ever has been one but at least he got his “feud with Corbin” badge. Just get him somewhere else now.

Post match Riddle is asked about the win but gets jumped by Corbin because this has to keep going.

We recap Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Bayley and Banks have dominated the women’s divisions for months so it’s time to throw together a pair who doesn’t like each other to go after the titles.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bayley/Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler

Jax and Baszler are challenging. Baszler tags herself in at the bell to kick Banks down in a hurry. Banks gets caught upside down in the corner so Baszler can kick her in the face over and over. Bayley comes in and gets taken down by the arm but Banks grabs Jax’s leg, allowing Bayley to throw Baszler into her. Back in and Banks grabs a seated abdominal stretch on Baszler before hitting two Amigos.

It’s back to Bayley for the sliding clothesline but an angry Jax comes in for the save. Jax gets the tag and slams Bayley down for two but Banks sneaks in for a chop block. Bayley gets Jax down in the corner and hammers away, only to get slammed down again. There’s the Samoan drop to Banks, with Jax swinging Banks’ feet into Bayley’s face for a bonus.

Bayley grabs the leg for a not so great kneebar so Jax drags her over to the corner for the tag to Jax. House is cleaned in a hurry and a gutwrench faceplant hits Banks. It’s off to Jax, who says they can win. Everything breaks down with Banks hitting a faceplant on Jax to cut her off. Bayley comes in to drop Jax again and Banks’ frog splash barely gets two.

The champs look scared so Banks hits a sliding knee for two more. Baszler tags herself in as the champs hit a double backdrop on Jax. Banks saves Bayley from the Kirifuda Clutch so it’s an Indian Deathlock to Banks and the Kirifuda Clutch to Bayley at the same time. Baszler wraps Banks’ arm around Bayley’s throat to make her tap away the titles at 10:23.

Rating: C+. It’s the right way to go as Bayley cost Banks her only remaining title, but sweet goodness it is going to be around to hear Jax and Baszler bicker throughout their entire title run. They had to change the titles sooner rather than later at this point though as the story has cleared its peak and needs to go somewhere else.

Post match Nia shouts a lot to celebrate and Shayna says they’re the champs. My goodness it’s already starting.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee. Orton attacked Drew McIntyre on Raw so Lee stepped up to face him. McIntyre interfered in the match so Orton attacked him again later in the match. Lee is stepping up for his friend and his first big match.

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee

Lee has generic rock music but they did fix his gear, putting him in the sleeveless shirt and the same shorts he wore in NXT. Orton goes after him to start but Lee crossbodies him for a trip to the floor. Back in and Orton demands respect before snapping off a chop. Orton does it two more times and Lee is getting angry. Grizzly Magnum drops Orton in a hurry and Lee takes him into the corner.

They head outside with Orton getting in a cheap shot and dropping Lee hard onto the announcers’ table. Back in and Orton gets two on off a knee drop, meaning it’s chinlock time. Lee fights up and Pounces Orton all the way to the floor, setting up his own drop onto the announcers’ table. Orton takes him back inside for the hanging DDT. The RKO is loaded up but Lee counters into the Spirit Bomb finishes Orton at 6:35.

Rating: C-. Well ok then. I didn’t see that one coming but points for giving Lee the clean win in his real debut. At some point you need to pull the trigger on someone and that’s what they did here in the same vein as Kevin Owens back in 2015. The match itself wasn’t all that great due to the time, but Lee got the win and that’s a big deal. Orton losing is rather surprising, but he’s probably getting the rematch at Clash anyway.

Heyman still won’t answer about Reigns signing the contract but you can believe that Reigns is leaving as champion.

We recap Seth Rollins/Murphy vs. the Mysterios. This feud has been going on for months as Rollins has tried to get rid of Rey as a sacrifice for the greater good. They faced off on Raw but Retribution interfered so it’s time for a rematch.

Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Rollins gets chased to the floor to start and the frustration sets in early. Dominik kicks Murphy in the face and brings Rey in for a Russian legsweep into a dropkick for two. Rey wants Rollins and gets to roll him up for two. Murphy takes Rey down to the floor for a cheap shot and it’s Rollins hitting a shoulder to the ribs back inside. Rey gets over for the hot tag to Dominik, who is taken down in a hurry.

Murphy’s snap suplex gets two and we hit the abdominal stretch to Dominik’s banged up ribs. That’s broken up and Dominik kicks Murphy away, allowing the hot tag to Rey. A top rope moonsault press gets two on Rollins but the 619 misses. A basement kick to the head gets two more with Murphy making the save. Dominik’s DDT out of the corner hits Murphy but Rollins is back with the Sling Blade.

Murphy and Dominik fight to the floor and Rollins counters Rey’s high crossbody with double knees to the ribs for two. Dominik comes back in and sends Murphy outside again, only to be sent back outside by Rollins. Both Mysterios are sent into the barricade and Rollins asks Rey where the family is now. Rollins tells Murphy to kick him in the head but the kick hits Rollins instead. Rey’s sliding splash winds up being a sliding sunset bomb to send Rollins into the barricade, leaving Dominik to hit a 619 into the frog splash to pin Murphy at 15:59.

Rating: C+. So yeah that happened, which has been my reaction to every match in this feud so far. It hasn’t been an interesting feud but it keeps going on and on no matter what. They really need to wrap this up sooner rather than later because there isn’t much to it at all. Get them on to something else already because they haven’t had much of a purpose in a long time now.

The Hurt Business leaves. Nothing more to it than that.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. the Fiend for the Universal Title. Fiend took the title from Strowman last Sunday at Summerslam and the returning Reigns attacked both of them to end the show. Reigns then revealed Paul Heyman as his new associate, turning heel in the process. Tonight it’s No Holds Barred, but Reigns may not have signed the contract.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. The Fiend

No Holds Barred and Fiend is defending. Fiend does his big entrance and Strowman jumps him from behind, with the powerslam getting two about thirty seconds in. Fiend runs him over and Sister Abigail gets two more as Reigns is nowhere to be seen. Strowman heads outside and they slug it out until Fiend Rock Bottoms him through the announcers’ table. With Strowman down, Fiend grabs the big mallet but Strowman throws a chair at him.

A big shot to the chest puts Fiend down on the steps so Strowman grabs the mallet. That’s knocked out of his hands so Fiend can pick it up and hit Strowman in the chest. Fiend screams a lot and then twists Strowman’s neck, setting up a steps shot to the elbow. We see Alexa Bliss watching in the back as Fiend takes him up the ramp for another neck twist. Strowman sends him into the LED boards but has to fight out of another Sister Abigail.

A running charge knocks Fiend off the stage and through some tables for the big crash. They head back to the ring, where Fiend catches him on top. Fiend superplexes him down and they break the ring for the even bigger crash. Now, ten minutes into the match, here’s Reigns with a chair and Heyman at his side.

Reigns signs the contract (because that’s how contracts work in wrestling) and demands another referee but only gets two on each of them. A bunch of chair shots have Strowman down for two more but Fiend is up with the Mandible Claw on Reigns. That’s broken up with a low blow to put Fiend on the floor and the spear to Strowman gives Reigns the title back at 12:43.

Rating: C+. They got as close to sticking the landing as this company is capable of doing these days so I’ll take what I can get. Reigns came in and basically stole the title, which is quite the heelish move for him. Now do the big promo and explanation on Smackdown and everything should be fine. Fiend vs. Reigns has been the plan for a long time now and for once they can finally get there. Not a great or even good match, but it did the job they needed it to do.

Overall Rating: D+. And thus ends the pay per view that only needed to exist in the minds of the WWE scheduling department. Nothing on here was terrible and the ending worked, but this was a bunch of TV level matches and then the main event. This would have been bad as a regular pay per view but coming a week after Summerslam, it felt like some downloadable content on a game that wasn’t great in the first place. Totally skippable show, which shouldn’t be that surprising.

Results

Bobby Lashley b. Apollo Crews – Full Lashley with bodyscissors

Big E. b. Sheamus – Big Ending

Matt Riddle b. King Corbin – Floating Bro

Shayna Baszler/Nia Jax b. Sasha Banks/Bayley – Kirifuda Clutch to Bayley

Keith Lee b. Randy Orton – Spirit Bomb

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

Roman Reigns b. The Fiend and Braun Strowman – Spear to Strowman

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It feels like we just got done with this. It’s already time for another WWE pay per view in the form of Payback, which is another one of those generically named pay per views where there are no expectations but they might be able to make it work better as a result. The end of Smackdown gave me a lot of hope for what they could do, but you never can tell around here. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: IIconics vs. Riott Squad

This is another match added at the last minute. It doesn’t feel like it is going to be the biggest match in the world but it is something that can get the energy going a little bit to start. WWE needs some fresh teams to come after the Tag Team Titles so one of these teams makes as much sense as anything else. I mean, assuming you let one of them get some wins going.

I’ll go with the Squad to win here, as the IIconics have had their moments already. They’re also the kind of team who can get over again in a hurry after a loss so let the Squad get a little something going for a change. It isn’t like you can have the top singles stars in the division holding the Tag Team Titles forever, so mix it up a bit and see what else you have out there.

Sheamus vs. Big E.

This was added on Saturday as another rematch on the card. These guys fought last week with Retribution getting involved so this is likely going to be the clean version. Given how many rematches we already have on this show, it fits in well with the overall theme, even if there wasn’t much of an issues that warranted another match. They already took part in a six man this week anyway so I guess this passes for a feud these days.

I’ll take Big E. to win as they seem to want to try and do something with him on his own, even if that has so far mainly consisted of beating up Miz and John Morrison. This is as good as we are going to get at the moment and this might have been better served as a Kickoff Show match. Big E. can get a win against a former World Champion though and that’s a good sign for his future, even if it hasn’t really gone that far yet.

Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin

I think I’ve made my thoughts on Corbin known well enough but this is the kind of spot that suits him well. He’s in the midcard and can use the legitimate heel heat that he has to make someone new look better. Riddle can shut him up and overcome the obstacle in front of him, which gives him a nice achievement on his way up the ladder. This is something that should be almost impossible to screw up, putting it in WWE’s problem area.

I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt (because that has never gone badly for me before) and say that they’ll get it right and have Riddle go over here. There is a chance that they will stretch it out for another month but I think it’s best that you just wrap it up and don’t bother messing with anything else. Don’t do something stupid here and let them go with whatever makes sense.

Dominik Mysterio/Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins/Murphy

Let’s get this one over with because they already have the NEXT match set up as Rey will face Rollins the following night on Raw. This is a feud that doesn’t seem to have the most heat but we are still watching it every single week no matter what. They already did this match on Raw and now we get to see it all over again just six days later. Maybe Retribution can interfere the same way they always do to spice things up a bit.

Give me the Mysterios to win here because this needs to keep going for some reason. I’m assuming that the win makes Rollins mad enough that he wants to destroy Rey (again) the following night, maybe with Retribution getting involved again. Above all else though, I’m just trying really hard to make myself care about the feud and it hasn’t happened in months. Get to the end of this already so they can all move on to ANYTHING else (and yes I know how dangerous it is to say that).

US Title: Apollo Crews(c) vs. Bobby Lashley

This it he what the entire Crews vs. MVP feud seemed to be building towards and that is a good sign. Lashley is the final boss of the Hurt Business because….well how could he not be? Crews has come a long way in a short time as champion and I could see this one going either way. It’s the kind of run that could get him a little higher up on the ladder, but not that much higher based on how hit and miss he is at promos.

Anyway, I’ll go with….Crews here, but I don’t think he makes it through Clash Of Champions with the title. This could be a good match for both of them but at the same time, Lashley winning would make a lot of sense. The Hurt Business could use a big trophy like the US Title, but I think he slips on the banana peel here and Crews escapes. Lashley will wind up as champion, but it isn’t taking place here.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bayley/Sasha Banks(c) vs. Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler

Here we have one of the worst kind of teams available: anything involving Nia Jax. Or in this case it is more about the tag partners who don’t like each other but are willing to team together, while still reminding us that they don’t like each other. This seemed to be set up for Asuka/Baszler but why go for good when you could go for Jax?

I’ll take Baszler and Jax to win here as they have been setting up the idea of Banks and Bayley finally coming back down but you’ve seen me talk enough about how many times I’ve been burned by the story. I’ll just say that it happens again here and the idea of Bayley FINALLY losing her title at the Clash could work out well enough. Anyway, the champs drop the titles here and continue to fall apart.

Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton

That’s such a cool thing to get to put down and I have no idea what they’re doing here. This is another rematch from Raw when WWE managed to screw up Lee’s solo debut because…well because they’re not that bright sometimes. Apparently new music is on the way but if they don’t get rid of the horrible looking gear, it doesn’t matter. That might be one of Lee’s many issues on Sunday.

For the life of me I don’t get what they’re going to do here but I’ll take Orton to win. Orton is gearing up for the rematch with Drew McIntyre, probably also at Clash, which begs the question of WHY you would make this Lee’s real singles debut. If you want Lee to be a big star (and of course you should), don’t put him in this spot. Give him a nice win to start so he can get over and then go somewhere from there. Don’t have him stumble right out of the gate, but given that he is basically wrestling in a skirt, we are long past that point of worrying. Orton wins, as people try to figure out how they expected to get out of this.

Universal Title: The Fiend(c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

I had this one mainly planned out and then the world got turned upside down on Smackdown as Reigns was revealed as the new Paul Heyman Guy. I’m not sure what to think of that as it only happened a few hours ago and….dang man what in the world happened? Reigns is suddenly the top heel, Strowman is fresh heel and….I guess Wyatt is going to become the top face?

With all that being said, I’ll flip a coin and say Reigns win here, likely pinning Strowman, so that you make Reigns out to be the big monster all over again and have Wyatt chase him for a bit, possibly setting up the Cell. It might not be pretty, but having Fiend lose the title back this soon wouldn’t surprise me. Whatever gets Strowman out of the main event scene will help a bit, but dang it has done some damage to everyone involved. Reigns wins here though, as he almost has to after that reveal (which could have come at the pay per view, and possibly should have).

Overall Thoughts

I really don’t know what to think of with this one but I’m curious to see where the Reigns/Heyman thing goes. That could be one heck of a heel run, though I’m not sure how well they are going to make it work. This isn’t exactly a major show, but we have four weeks before Clash Of Champions and that means this is feeling more like your traditional B pay per view. Just don’t do anything bad and work well with what you have. That is basic for a wrestling promotion, which makes it sound like deciphering hieroglyphics blindfolded for WWE. Please don’t screw up Reigns and Heyman though. Please.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: August 21, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s finally time for Thunderdome as WWE makes its first venture outside of the Performance Center since the Coronavirus began. I’m not sure what to expect here and in a way that’s a nice feeling. WWE knows how to do something like this, but they could also screw it up very, very badly. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the arena with lightning on the ceiling and the pyro going off (a lot of it too). You know it’s the Thunderdome because it says so on their big signs.

And here’s Vince McMahon with the virtual fans around the ring. Vince promises that you’ll never see it coming this week….and here’s the Fiend. After a very long entrance, they do the staredown but here’s Braun Strowman to interrupt. The lights start to flicker and here’s Retribution to surround the apron. Fiend nods at Strowman and then waves. There go the lights again and Fiend is gone, leaving Strowman alone with probably twelve members of Retribution.

They all come in and jump him so here’s part of the locker room for a failed save attempt. More of them come out, including some women, and they finally clear Retribution out (including one mask being moved to the side but you can’t see the face). Retribution bails with Miz coming in after everyone is gone. Strowman is helped up…and throws down Drew Gulak and Jimmy Uso, who had helped save him.

That’s it for the opening segment and the best thing I can say is a lot of stuff happened. The problem is how little interest I had as soon as Strowman came out, because he is still one of the least interesting top stars the company has had in forever. Also, nothing really happened here other than Strowman being a jerk.

Sheamus vs. Big E.

The locker room is still around the ring. They power each other around to start until Big E. clotheslines him out to the floor. A shoulder puts Sheamus into the steps and the apron splash connects. Sheamus is fine enough to come back in with a top rope clothesline as Cole wonders why Retribution has not delivered a manifesto (yes a manifesto) to explain what they want. The Irish Curse connects and the lights start to flicker as we take a break.

Back with Big E. hitting a belly to belly into the Warrior Splash. Sheamus hits a jumping knee to the face for two but Big E. grabs a Rock Bottom out of the corner. Big E.’s charge hits the post and Sheamus grabs White Noise as Matt Riddle and King Corbin get in a fight on the floor. Sheamus gets distracted and Big E. grabs a rollup for the pin at 10:07.

Rating: C. They were having a nice power match here but Big E. needs a distraction to beat Sheamus? Big E. winning more matches is a good idea and hopefully they can continue as we keep going forward. WWE could have something there with his push, but a fluke rollup on Sheamus after a Corbin distraction causes the pin isn’t exactly a breakthrough win.

Jeff Hardy, scheduled to challenge for the Intercontinental Title tonight, has hurt his knee. Someone may have attacked him, though I’m more surprised by seeing Hardy’s leg, possibly for the first time ever.

Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura jump the Lucha House Party from behind on their way to the ring.

Tag Team Titles: Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Lucha House Party

Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado are challenging for the Party. Nakamura and Metalik start things off with the former hitting a knee to the ribs. Another running knee in the corner gets two as we get an inset interview with Miz and John Morrison, who make Spanish jokes. Cesaro comes in for some shots of his own but Metalik manages a top rope hurricanrana. The tag brings in Dorado to pick up the pace, including the triple moonsaults to Nakamura. Metalik hits a big springboard dive to the floor but it’s Cesaro countering Dorado’s hurricanrana into a sunset flip for the pin to retain at 5:40.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here but was anyone really expecting the House Party to be a serious threat to the champs? It’s not like Cesaro and Nakamura are likely to be the next great champions but they’re better than the House Party. If nothing else, this makes me hope that we could see something more from Kalisto on his own. He’s the best thing about the team and I could go for more of him.

Post match Kalisto yells at Dorado and Metalik has to break them up.

We look back at the opening sequence and see AJ Styles kicking Jeff Hardy’s knee out.

AJ says he was just trying to show some fire against Retribution, unlike Hardy. That’s the story of Jeff’s career in a nutshell though. He heads to the ring but stops to clink belts with Bayley and Sasha Banks.

Mandy Rose talks about how it has been a rough week for everyone. She knows that things are very dark right now but she needs to talk to Sonya Deville directly. Mandy turns to the camera and talks about how the Sonya she has known for years is still in there. She doesn’t know how Sonya is feeling, but Mandy wants to put this all behind them and get back to the way they were. They’re in a weird place with this story as there is no way they can just ignore everything that happened this week but it threw quite the wrench into the plans.

Here are Sasha Banks and Bayley for a chat with Corey Graves. After the mentioning of their nicknames, Graves gets straight to the point by asking if they’re splitting up. Bayley and Banks: “No.” Bayley knows Asuka isn’t winning both titles in one night and Banks doesn’t want any pot stirring.

Graves talks about how they weren’t sure who was going to go first and tensions seem to flare a bit over the idea that one of them would need some help against Asuka. Banks says no one can beat them both in one night so here’s Naomi to interrupt. They can’t decide who fights her first so Graves suggests a Beat The Clock Challenge to decide who faces Asuka first. Naomi dropkicks them both and it’s time for the first match after the break.

Naomi vs. Sasha Banks

Non-title and the clock is ticking. Naomi takes her down and slowly punches away before a headscissors puts Banks on the floor. Back in and Banks catches her on the ropes for the double knees to the ribs for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Naomi kicks Banks in the head. Banks rolls through a springboard crossbody for two but Naomi muscles her up to drop Banks ribs first on the ropes. A springboard kick to the head gives Naomi two more but Banks has had enough of this and grabs the Bank Statement for the tap at 3:39.

Rating: C-. Naomi can do some athletic things in the ring but it feels like they’re going from move to move instead of having some kind of flow to the match. She would do a move, they would stop, then she would do another move and they would stop again. The athleticism was good, but it didn’t exactly look great.

Naomi vs. Bayley

Non-title again and the clock is set at 3:39. Naomi is still banged up so Bayley knocks her straight back down and starts stomping away. The sliding lariat gives Bayley two and a clothesline out of the corner gets the same. Naomi is back with the Rear View for the pin out of nowhere at 1:55. That would be three losses for Bayley in the last four TV shows.

Post match here’s Asuka to say she will be the empress of every title. Banks comes charging and gets kicked in the head. Asuka goes to the ring and kicks Bayley around too, with Bayley seeming to limp a bit. She does remember to go back and grab her belts while leaving Banks laying on the ramp.

Jeff Hardy is cleared if he can get through the pain. He’s good to go.

Dana Brooke tries to offer condolences to Sonya Deville over what she went through this week. Sonya slaps her in the face.

Here’s Sonya on the stage to respond to Mandy Rose. There’s nothing Mandy can say to get out of this because they’re going to fight at Summerslam. No matter what happens, they’re having a No DQ match and the loser leaves WWE.

We look back at Alexa Bliss and the Fiend.

Nikki Cross talks to Alexa earlier this week and something was off.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy

Jeff is challenging and injured coming in. During AJ’s entrance, Daniel Bryan pops in to say he thinks AJ is acting like a coward for only facing Jeff when he is injured. AJ goes after him but Jeff uses the bad leg to kick out of instinct. Jeff gets some boots up in the corner but AJ knocks him off the ropes, leaving Jeff in a heap on the mat. AJ goes to whip him into the ropes and Jeff collapses again. Back up and Jeff manages to backdrop him to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Jeff hitting his sitout gordbuster for two but he crashes while trying to go up. The Phenomenal Forearm is knocked out of the air though and they’re both down again. AJ grabs the Calf Crusher but Jeff gets straight to the rope. Back up and AJ tries the Styles Clash but Hardy gets in a shot to the head with his knee brace, setting up the Twist of Fate. The Swanton connects for the pin and the title at 11:15.

Rating: C+. This was a match built around the story and that went well enough. Hardy winning the title back is a pretty big moment and while I wasn’t wild on them hammering in the story with the addiction stuff, they paid it off in a nice way. A rematch at Summerslam wouldn’t surprise me either and that’s not a bad thing.

Post match Hardy gets a quick interview and says he hopes this helps others. He gets cut off by his own music though to kind of kill the moment.

Post break, AJ is ticked off and rants to Joseph Park and Kayla Braxton about the loss.

Talking Smack returns tomorrow with Kayla Braxton and The Miz as hosts.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House with Bray Wyatt talking about how love can ruin all kinds of things. It can turn a field of sunflowers into a grotesque wasteland. He gets a phone call, which he takes on his hand, which tells him to talk about Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss for example. That brings us to Firefly Theater Presents, with Huskus the Pig as Braun (in a GET THESE HOOVES shirt) and Ramblin Rabbit (in a big wig) as Alexa. They know there is something between them…but Bray interrupts and asks what is going on around here. He gets rid of both of them and talks about how the Fiend can’t wait to get his hands on Braun. Cue Braun, who jumps Bray and drags him off, shouting that he isn’t finished with him.

Post break, Graves and Cole aren’t sure how Strowman got to the Fun House as no one has been able to get in there. Other than Seth Rollins last year of course.

We cut to the back where Braun and Bray are still fighting, with Braun knocking him around and then chokeslamming him off a ledge. Bray is seen laying on the concrete and a well placed ambulance pops in as Wyatt is out. Medics and referees load him into the ambulance and it pulls away, only to stop because the Fiend is inside. I wrote that before it happened but it was the only way that was going.

Overall Rating: C. So that’s the debut of Thunderdome and it was about what I was expecting: a somewhat more energetic than usual show but with a lot of the same stuff. Let’s see. We had the Braun Is Magic ending, a champ losing clean (again: third time in less than two weeks), a meaningless Tag Team Title match, Retribution doing their thing, and a Vince McMahon appearance that went nowhere. It was an energetic show, but not exactly something you need to see.

Now that being said, the Amway Center is a HUGE improvement over what we were seeing at the Performance Center. It felt big and important and those are some of the things the shows have been missing. They needed to freshen things up and that was accomplished tonight. I could go for more of this going forward and that’s going to be the case, which is a big improvement. The digital fans are a bit of a weird visual, but you forget that they’re there pretty quickly. Overall, not a great show, but a much better looking one.

Results

Big E. b. Sheamus – Rollup

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Lucha House Party – Sunset flip to Dorado

Sasha Banks b. Naomi – Bank Statement

Naomi b. Bayley – Rear View

Jeff Hardy b. AJ Styles – Swanton

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

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

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

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