The moment that made me an NXT fan and what made it work for good.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-nxt-moment/

Shield’s Final Chapter
Date: April 21, 2019
Location: Taxslayer Center, Moline, Illinois
Commentators: Renee Young, Corey Graves, Michael Cole

Welcome to your weekly “WWE must have fresh content” show as we get a special look in at a house show where the Shield is teaming together for THE LAST TIME EVER WE PROMISE AND WE’RE NOT CHANGING IT AGAIN FOR REAL THIS TIME. This would be at least the third farewell moment for the team, but this time it’s televised. Oh and we get an Intercontinental Title match for a bonus. Let’s get to it.

The announcers welcome us to the show and run down the card, which does indeed have a third match added.

Video on the history of the Shield, which really is quite the dominant run. They do include the split, which is one of those things that has to be included to really complete the story.

Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor vs. Elias

Balor is defending and is in trouble at the opening bell as Elias jumps him again and stomps away. Elias starts working on the arm, meaning it’s off to the armbar early on. A pull of the arm cuts off Balor’s comeback and the arm goes hard into the buckle. Balor does the same thing to Elias and gets two off a rollup. A Fujiwara armbar has Balor in more trouble and for some reason his skin looks yellow.

The hold is broken up and the Sling Blade connects but Elias clotheslines him right back down. Balor goes up and gets caught, nearly getting knocked onto the announcers’ table right next to the apron. With Renee running for cover, Balor grabs a sunset flip for two, which seemed to be the planned finish but Elias’ shoulder was up (that’s kind of a big deal at the moment). La majistral finishes Elias at 6:46.

Rating: D+. It was watchable enough and nothing that we haven’t seen done better on Raw in recent months. That being said, this wasn’t the focal point of the show and there’s nothing wrong with throwing it onto the card to pad things out a bit. Both guys get good reactions from the crowd so starting the night off with a quick match worked well enough.

Post match Elias loads up another song but the Riott Squad cuts him off. They want to sing along and try their hand, but the song turns into one about loving them instead of him. The dejected look on Elias’ face is funny, even as he gets cut off again.

Bayley/Ember Moon vs. Riott Squad

This is announced as a six woman tag but it’s two on two with Liv Morgan on the floor. Bayley sends Logan into the corner to start and gets thrown down on her face as a result. Logan gets in her own toss into the corner and it’s off to Riott vs. Moon, which is treated as a big deal. That doesn’t last long before Logan comes in again and takes a Stroke of all things. Bayley adds a baseball slide but Morgan breaks up the top rope elbow. Logan’s running knees in the corner rock Bayley again and it’s off to the standing Cloverleaf.

With that broken up, a hot shot into the buckle (this match likes corners) almost allows the hot tag to Moon but Riott breaks it up. As is the case EVERY SINGLE TIME, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later with Moon getting to clean house. Riott kicks her in the face and grabs a rollup for two with Liv holding on as a bonus. The referee does his job for a change and ejects Morgan, leaving Riott to take the Eclipse for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C-. Another Raw level match and I can’t even get annoyed at Riott taking another pin. That’s the kind of thing that is just going to happen over and over again and it’s not worth getting annoyed over. What did annoy me was that false hot tag into the hot tag thing. Just do something else now and then to mix it up a bit. Like, let the tag go through on the first attempt for once.

The Shield goes old school with the pick up the camera promo, talking about how many changes they’ve caused around here. Those changes are still going. Believe that.

We look at Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin interfering in a Lucha House Party six man earlier tonight, beating up both teams to show off how awesome they are.

Shield vs. Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre/Bobby Lashley

Before the match, the villains get to say something. Corbin says we’re not going to get a happy ending, just like we didn’t at Wrestlemania. Lashley promises violence. McIntyre wraps it up by saying history is written by the victors and the beating will be real tonight. Rollins has his original Shield vest in a nice touch. Rollins and Corbin start things off in what is likely a future pay per view title match.

Corbin shoulders him down and we hear a story about Renee and Dean’s first date, which included Rollins. It’s off to Dean for the first time with a sliding clothesline putting Corbin in more trouble. Lashley comes in and gets a clothesline of his own as the Shield starts picking up the pace on the villains. We settle down to Reigns vs. McIntyre with the Samoan drop giving Reigns two. Ambrose comes in again and the suicide dive hits McIntyre. Lashley and Corbin are right there to beat Dean down though and it’s Ambrose in trouble for the first time.

Corbin knocks Rollins and Reigns off the apron though and Dean slaps on a surprise Figure Four with McIntyre making the save. A snap suplex almost lets Dean get over for the tag so Lashley is right back with a belly to belly. Dean finally gets in a neckbreaker so Rollins can come in with the springboard clothesline. Corbin’s chokebreaker is countered into a rollup for two but Lashley clotheslines him from behind.

Rollins is fine enough to knock both of them off the top and high crossbody Corbin, allowing the tag to Reigns. Everything breaks down and the standing elbow lets Dean drop Drew. There’s a Rebound Lariat from Dean and a superkick from Seth at the same time, plus a spear to cut Lashley down. The Stomp into Dirty Deeds plants Corbin and it’s the final TripleBomb for the pin at 14:26.

Rating: C+. It’s almost every Shield match you’ve seen for years, but very thankfully about ten minutes shorter than the original match at Fastlane. There was no doubt about who was winning here and there was no need to have these goons and McIntyre put them in trouble for very long. This was the Greatest Hits version of the Shield and that’s exactly what it should have been in their swan song.

Post match the Shield poses and the fans thank Ambrose, including a PLEASE DON’T GO chant. Rollins: “Don’t you think we tried that already?” Seth talks bout how long it took to get us here and how none of this would be possible without the family in the ring. They hug and say something the mic isn’t supposed to hear and it’s time for Ambrose’s big farewell.

Dean talks about how the three of them are just like everyone else: if you work hard enough you can get anywhere you want to go and (with a point to Reigns) overcome any obstacle in front of you. If someone tells you that you can’t do something, stick your middle finger in the air and go get it. Reigns actually doesn’t say anything and it’s posing to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a show that you need to see whatsoever but they were in and out in about an hour and ten minutes so it’s not like it’s overly long. It’s really more of a footnote than anything else and after saying goodbye to the Shield so many times already, it’s kind of hard to get invested in it all over again. For a third of a house show with a special main event, it was completely fine but only worth seeing if you’re a major Shield fan.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: April 11, 2019
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Renee Young, Percy Watson, Byron Saxton

Wrestlemania has come and gone and that means it’s time for the big recap show of the most eventful shows of the year. Well in theory at least as this year’s shows were tame as WWE decided that we needed to have the big stuff take place during the Designated Fun Time of the Superstar Shakeup next week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jinder Mahal vs. No Way Jose

Mahal pushes him into the corner so Jose punches his way to freedom. The armbar is countered into a suplex though and Mahal grabs the chinlock, possibly trying to choke the green out of Jose’s hair. Some knees set up another chinlock as this is hardly fitting of a former World Champion. Jose fights up with a powerslam and a Stinger Splash in the corner but the Singh Brothers offer a distraction. The Khallas finishes Jose at 4:03.

Rating: D-. Again I ask how in the world did this nitwit become anything champion? He had to use two chinlocks to get through a four minute match, which should never be necessary. The match was awful as you probably guessed, and the big majority of that was due to Mahal, who continues to ruin anything he’s in.

From Raw.

Here’s Becky Lynch for her victory speech. Becky: “WE DID IT!” After dubbing herself Becky Two Belts, she says “Ronnie and Ric’s daughter” were so cocky coming up on Wrestlemania but the one who walked in with nothing walked out with everything. She left home at fifteen to fight around the world and now she’s here. Fans: “YOU’RE THE MAN!” Becky: “You hear that Ronnie, you little weirdo?” Whenever Rousey is done sulking, Becky will be ready to slap the taste out of her mouth. Charlotte is likely getting the Tag Team Titles to make her feel better.

Other than that though, she’s the redhead in leather with two titles, ready to slap the heads off you all. She goes to leave….and here’s Lacey Evans as we seem to finally be ready to go somewhere with this thing. Lacey gives her the Woman’s Right and Becky doesn’t even go down. They fight up the ramp with Becky almost getting the Disarm-Her to send Lacey running. It’s not a good sign when her finisher didn’t even take Becky off her feet, but Becky has faced most of the big names in the division already so a fresh opponent is a good idea.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Becky Lynch for a chat. She talks about doing what she promised to and became Becky Two Belts on Sunday. We look back at last nit with Lacey Evans hitting a heck of a right hand that didn’t even knock Becky off her feet. The Superstar Shakeup is next week but she’s not worried because she’ll be on both shows.

There’s a tsunami of challengers coming and she says bring it on. If she has to beat everyone in the locker room and sleep with one eye open for the rest of her career, so be it. Becky goes to leave and poses on the stage as Lacey jumps her with another Woman’s Right. This one knocks Becky down and Lacey leaves before she’s back up.

From Smackdown again.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Usos

The Usos are defending. Jeff starts in on Jey’s arm and hands it off to Matt for more of the same. Jey comes in and loads up a Samoan drop with Jimmy….just running up to him and not doing anything in a bit of miscommunication (possibly from nerves due to facing the Hardys). Matt gets taken down on the floor and then sent hard into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Jeff dropping the legdrop between Jey’s legs until an enziguri takes him down. Jimmy misses a dive off the top and the Whisper in the Wind gets two. Poetry in Motion connects on Jimmy and it’s the Side Effect for two. A superkick into the Superfly Splash gets two on Jeff but the Double Us misses. It’s back to Matt for the Twist of Fate into the Swanton for the pin and the titles at 9:45.

Rating: B-. And we couldn’t do this at Wrestlemania instead of the four way tag that wasn’t all that great in the first place why? The Hardys winning again is hardly a stretch as they’re still one of the best teams around and whoever beats them will get a great rub from beating one of the best ever. Hopefully this frees the Usos up to go to Raw where they can FINALLY have some fresh opponents.

Post match here’s Lars Sullivan to smash both Hardys ala Brock Lesnar in 2002.

We look at Sullivan attacking Kurt Angle on Raw.

We look at Sami Zayn insulting the Raw crowd.

We look at Undertaker destroying Elias. The bugged out eyes from Elias was one of the funniest visuals in years.

Heavy Machinery vs. Ascension

Viktor and Tucker start with some grappling with Tucker, the former All American, getting the better of it without much effort. With that working as poorly as you might have guessed, Viktor runs into an elbow and it’s off to Otis for a change. The double crush hits Viktor but Konnor low bridges Tucker out to the floor for a crash.

Back in and we hit the chinlock because that’s about the extent of Ascension’s offense. Some stereo kicks to the ribs keep Tucker in trouble and Viktor knocks Otis off the apron. In keeping with tradition, Tucker gets over for the hot tag a few seconds later and it’s time for shoulders and suplexes. The Caterpillar sets up the Compactor to Viktor for the pin at 6:11.

Rating: D. And there’s your better match on the show. This was another nothing match with the same teams we’ve seen for months on this show. I was a little worried about Heavy Machinery but their big spots are still well received and that’s the point of a team like them. Ascension….well they’re still employed so it could be worse.

From Smackdown.

Here’s New Day to open things up for Kofi Kingston’s big celebration, meaning a rainbow of balloons and a bunch of pancakes. The fans tell Kofi that he deserves it and Big E. talks about how Kofi won the title at Wrestlemania, bringing tears to eyes. Big E: “An A+ player….with extra credit!” Woods is all fired up too and praises Big E.’s split from last night so Big E. does it again for a bonus.

Woods talks about how people cried on Sunday because it was like seeing their heroes. The three of them got together and changed history so on behalf of everyone, congratulations Kofi. The new champ says this wasn’t in the script or in the cards, which is why it’s such a special moment. He thanks his family, in the front row tonight.

They inspire him to be the best he can be….and here’s the Bar to interrupt. Sheamus talks about how Kofi was about to lose the title last night because he’s a B+ player. A six man challenge is made with a new partner for the Bar: Drew McIntyre. I’d rather he be over on Smackdown anyway as his chances of being World Champion go up a bit.

And from Smackdown again.

New Day vs. The Bar/Drew McIntyre

Everyone is in the ring when we come back from a break. Hang on though as here’s Sami Zayn to say….that we’re not worth it before leaving. Woods kicks Sheamus in the ribs to start and it’s off to Kofi for a double stomp. Sheamus clotheslines Woods to the floor so McIntyre can hit his reverse Alabama Slam into the announcers’ table as we take a break (after being back from a break for less than three minutes). Back with Big E. getting the hot tag and hitting the Warrior Splash for two on Cesaro.

The Big Ending is broken up and Sheamus tags himself in for a jumping knee to the face. The spike White Noise gets two on Big E. as Xavier makes the save. A big clothesline drops Sheamus and it’s Kofi coming in with the top rope splash to Sheamus’ back. The dive over the top hits Cesaro and it’s Trouble in Paradise to finish Sheamus at 8:03. I don’t think I saw McIntyre once after the break.

Rating: D+. So remember last night when Kofi and a partner beat the bar and it didn’t lead anywhere to end the show? Well tonight it was a different partner as we set up the Superstar Shakeup instead of doing anything important tonight. What we got to see of the match was fine, though about half of it was in the break.

Kofi brings his family in to celebrate with New Day to end the show as….nothing else happens.

And from after Raw, in a bonus clip.

Seth Rollins calls Roman Reigns to the ring for a chat. Rollins puts him over for having his first match back after battling leukemia. They’re here to bring out Dean Ambrose because they need to have one last sendoff for their brother. Dean comes out and Rollins says that the Universal Title isn’t around his waist without Ambrose helping him get ready for Brock Lesnar. The fans chant PLEASE DON’T GO but Rollins says that doesn’t work.

Dean talks about being all over this country but the sweetest sights he’s ever see are Ambrose stomping Lesnar’s lunchbox head and Reigns coming back from leukemia. Ambrose has a long history here in this building and lists off a bunch of memories here. This is just a building though and what really matters is the people so thank you all. Dean bows to the fans and one more Shield pose takes us out. You don’t get emotional Dean very often and it was nice to see.

Overall Rating: D. These shows really don’t work when there’s almost nothing on the shows they’re recapping. Wrestlemania time is a special week and it’s a shame that WWE decided to cut off the special shows for the sake of putting everything on the Superstar Shakeup. There’s no reason that it has to be a week after Wrestlemania other than WWE has decided it needs to be, but why have fun when you don’t have to?

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 11, 2019
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

We’re finally (and I do mean FINALLY) clear to head towards Wrestlemania after getting Fastlane out of the way. Fastlane was a fun show but nothing exactly thrilling or necessary to see. Tonight should see the real start of the build towards the show, which can’t come fast enough. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s the Shield for their big farewell speech. Roman Reigns talks about how he’s learned you’re not promised tomorrow so if they rode together for the last time, he has no regrets. As for now though, he hasn’t had a one on one match on Raw in five months so we should correct that. Ambrose has business of his own too, and even if no one knows what it is, we love him anyway. That leaves us with Rollins, who has been chasing the dream for a long time now. The fans give us a SLAY THE BEAST chant, which Reigns turns into BURN IT DOWN.

Ambrose and Reigns leave but here’s Paul Heyman to interrupt Rollins. Heyman talks about being the advocate for the man who will destroy Rollins at Wrestlemania so Rollins tries his hand at the introduction. Rollins talks about how Lesnar has destroyed the big power guys but had trouble against people like AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Finn Balor.

Heyman says Rollins is listing off names but not telling the whole story. Lesnar didn’t have time to prepare for any of those smaller guys. AJ replaced Jinder Mahal, Bryan replaced AJ and Balor replaced Braun Strowman. The most amount of time Lesnar had to prepare was twelve days. We get a video on Lesnar, followed by Heyman saying that Lesnar has had months to prepare for Rollins. There is no preparing for Lesnar….and here’s Shelton Benjamin from behind to German suplex Rollins a few times.

Seth Rollins vs. Shelton Benjamin

Joined in progress with Heyman on commentary and Rollins grabbing a headlock. That goes badly for him as Shelton takes it to the mat before running Rollins over with a shoulder. Seth fights up with some right hands and chops, followed by a dropkick to send Shelton outside. A whip into the barricade is enough to bring Shelton back inside and he gets kicked in the face for a bonus.

The Blockbuster looks to set up the Stomp but Rollins has to escape a German suplex. Benjamin is sent outside again but blocks a suicide dive with a kick to the head as we take a break. Back with Rollins fighting out of a chinlock because that’s what you do when you come back from a break. Heyman admits that he paid Shelton to jump Rollins but not to have a match.

Hang on though as Heyman has to take a phone call and covers his microphone rather than taking the headset off. Rollins reverses a powerbomb with a hurricanrana as Heyman says Lesnar isn’t happy with what Cole has said and will be here next week. Cole: “Oh great.” Rollins hits the Sling Blade but walks into a release German suplex for his efforts. Shelton’s F5 attempt is countered into a pair of superkicks to the ribs and the Stomp gives Rollins the pin at 10:18.

Rating: C. I get what they’re going for with the story and it works well enough, though having Lesnar actually showing up next week being treated as such a big deal is a great summary of everything going wrong with the story. At least Rollins is able to wrestle at the moment, meaning his back must be doing better. It’s nice to see Shelton, but the time has long passed for him.

Intercontinental Title: Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley

Balor is defending after taking the title from Lashley at Elimination Chamber last month and there’s no Lio Rush in Lashley’s corner. Lashley throws him hard into the corner to start and grabs Balor’s face against the ropes. That just earns himself a dropkick but the corner enziguri is blocked with an elbow to the head. Balor escapes a suplex though and dropkicks him to the floor, setting up the running kick to the face from the apron as we take a break.

Back with, of course, a chinlock on Balor, followed by a hard Downward Spiral for two. Now why not come back on that kind of an impactful move? Lashley starts in on the back before going to a chinlock. Balor gets up with a dropkick to the head and a rollup to escape the Dominator. There’s a Sling Blade to set up the Coup de Grace but cue Rush to ring the bell for a distraction. The delay lets Lashley get up and spear Balor out of the air for the pin and the title at 10:55.

Rating: C. Well ok then. I’m certainly a bit surprised at the title change taking place so fast but I’m sure we’ll get the big final title change at Wrestlemania, because trading it back and forth doesn’t matter until we get to WRESTLEMANIA. Lashley losing the title back in New Jersey will be fine, though just let him be champion for months and let Balor win it for the first time there. Now the important question is how many other people can get in on that title match. You know we can’t just have two.

Baron Corbin looks at a clip of himself saying he hoped Reigns didn’t come back to Raw. Yeah he said it, but he’s not going to worry about hurting people’s feelings. Tonight, he’s house training the Big Dog.

We look at Becky Lynch getting destroyed by Charlotte until Ronda Rousey got Lynch disqualified to send her to Wrestlemania, six days after attacking Lynch to make sure she couldn’t go to Wrestlemania.

Here’s a ticked off Ronda to yell at the fans for telling her that she deserved to get beaten up with a crutch. These same people who chant at her cower behind a barricade. At Wrestlemania, she’s coming to desecrate the fans’ place of worship. She rants about how she wanted Becky at Wrestlemania so it can be one vs. all. WWE can even make it a handicap match if they want to because it’s on.

Rousey drops the mic and here’s Dana Brooke (please, make it quick) to talk about how she’s not going to let Ronda embarrass the locker room and disrespect the Women’s Revolution. Ronda always issues an open challenge after a pay per view so Dana Brooke is accepting. Rousey knocks her outside with a kick to the ribs and hits a throw on the floor. Back in and Piper’s Pit sets up the armbar….which she says she’ll do for $60 from the fans. Instead she hits a referee to complete a destruction faster than her promo.

We look back at Batista attacking Ric Flair before his birthday party and HHH’s response last week.

Aleister Black/Ricochet vs. Bobby Roode/Chad Gable

How have we not actually seen this match yet? Roode cranks on Black’s arm to start and takes him into the corner for a tag to Gable. We hit the reverse chinlock from Gable before it’s back to Roode for a waistlock. Black gets away for the tag and it’s off to Ricochet as the pace picks up. Gable blind tags himself in and it’s a German suplex/Blockbuster combination for two on Ricochet. The Glorious DDT is countered into a rollup for two more and it’s back to Black for a kick to Roode’s head. That’s not enough so it’s Black Mass to finish Roode at 4:28.

Rating: C. This was rather action packed while it lasted and you can never see Black Mass enough. They’re doing a good job of having Ricochet and Black stay strong and it wouldn’t shock me to see them win the titles at Wrestlemania. I mean, they’ll be one of probably four teams challenging but at least it’s something to look forward to.

Post match the Revival jumps Ricochet and Black from behind.

Some wrestlers, including Roman Reigns, visited some children with cancer today. Nothing wrong with that. The visit, not the cancer.

Here’s Alexa Bliss for a Moment of Bliss. She has a big scoop this week with the reveal of the official Host of Wrestlemania. This year’s host is bigger than any reality show star, more electrifying than the Rock and more positive than the New Day. The host is….Alexa herself! Fans: “You deserve it!” Bliss: “I know.”

We recap the SNL guys being announced as special correspondents for Wrestlemania.

Braun Strowman liked attacking one of the correspondents last week. Someone comes up to tell Strowman that his car is here but Strowman seems confused. Back from a break and the car is a rather nice sports car with a big bow on it. There’s a note saying that it’s from the SNL correspondents as an apology for last week. Strowman seems pleased….and then destroys it because he can’t fit in it and the window isn’t clean. He tells the attendant to give them this car door and that they’ll get these hands.

This is all Braun Strowman, one of the most over guys in the company for the last year, can get for Wrestlemania? The same Wrestlemania where he teamed with a ten year old last year? Yet Nia Jax, Baron Corbin, Tamina, Natalya and Shane McMahon are likely to have matches on the show? I think that sums up everything about WWE in one segment at the moment.

Here’s Elias to talk about how amazing it is that he’s such a success. He was born in Pittsburgh and evidence suggests that if you’re born here, you’re going to be a horrible waste of life. Elias talks about recently traded Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown but here’s No Way Jose, now with green braided hair, to interrupt. That just earns Jose a beating and Drift Away on the ramp.

Harlem Heat Hall of Fame announcement. Yes yes yes.

Lacey Evans cameo.

Natalya vs. Nia Jax

Beth Phoenix and Tamina are at ringside. It’s a fight to start and Tamina grabs Natalya’s leg, drawing Beth in for the DQ at 34 seconds.

Beth clears the ring post match. We cut to the back where Bayley and Sasha Banks are fighting with Nia and Tamina. So Beth and Natalya are your “legendary” team for the four way match, because last night’s match really does mean nothing whatsoever.

Here’s an angry HHH in street clothes to address Batista. This brings out said Batista, with security guarding him. HHH asks if Batista is getting in the ring or standing there as a nose ring model. Batista laughs and says he learned from HHH and Flair over the years so yeah, they’re here for him. He’s getting what he wants one way or another. HHH talks about Batista quitting over the years and promises to run through the guardians of the independent circuit to get to him.

Batista goes into a rant about how he quit to get away from HHH for holding him down so many times. He wants HHH at Wrestlemania and the match is on. That’s what Batista wanted: one more match to end his career on his terms and one more match to end HHH’s career on his terms. HHH says the match is going to be on his terms because it’s going to be No Holds Barred.

That’s the best idea given the circumstances and certainly fits the story that much better. Batista’s explanation for why he wants to face HHH…..well it’s an explanation. It’s not a particularly good one and it’s something we could piece together ourselves, but I’ll take it over us being left to figure it out or Batista saying his words spoke for themselves. The stipulation should help a lot and it gives me more hope for the match.

Here’s hometown boy Kurt Angle to address his in-ring future. He talks about his career both in amateur wrestling and in the WWE, but he’s wanted to make his announcement tonight. At Wrestlemania, he will be competing in his farewell match. Before he does that though, he wants one more match in Pittsburgh.

Kurt Angle vs. Apollo Crews

Angle armdrags him down to start as Graves talks about growing up watching Angle in Pittsburgh, even seeing him as a local sportscaster. Crews gets one off a dropkick and it’s off to the chinlock. That’s broken up but the Angle Slam doesn’t work. Instead Crews knocks him down and gets two off the standing moonsault. Crews misses the frog splash though and the Angle Slam gives Kurt the pin at 3:01.

Rating: D+. The wrestling wasn’t the point here as this was all about having a nice moment. That’s what they did here with commentary telling some nice Angle stories, plus talking about how Crews got into wrestling because of Angle. They were smart to keep this short too and the wrestling was watchable enough. It’s sad when this is a good night for Angle, but that’s the point we’ve long since reached.

Baron Corbin vs. Roman Reigns

Hang on as Drew McIntyre jumps Reigns from behind before Corbin comes out. Reigns gets beaten down and posted, followed by a Claymore and another posting. Rollins comes out to tell Reigns to get checked for a concussion, which he insists on doing in the back. They leave with Corbin never coming out.

Post break Rollins and Ambrose take Reigns into a trainer’s room. Ambrose goes up to HHH and says he wants McIntyre tonight, anything goes and falls count anywhere. The match is on.

Drew McIntyre vs. Dean Ambrose

Hardcore. Drew wants to start the fight on the stage and Dean is right there, knocking Drew off to the floor for an ax handle. They fight up into the crowd with Drew sending him face first into the railing and swinging Ambrose into a wall. A toss out of the press box is blocked and Dean is back with another ax handle shot.

We take a break and come back with Dean holding himself up on the handrails in the crowd and the referee crawling underneath him. They head back to ringside as we see clips of the fight at the concession stand and merchandise area during the break. Drew hits him in the face with the steps for two and it’s time to head back into the crowd. McIntyre spends too much time talking trash and gets kicked low but finds a chair to get in a breather. Dean gets dropped face first onto a hockey board but he’s right back up to put Drew on an anvil case.

The ensuing ride and crash let Dean drop an elbow for two and it’s time to head to the stage. Drew loads up the announcers’ table but gets dropped onto it for his efforts. Dean hammers away until a low blow cuts him off (and freaks Renee out). A hard ram sends Dean face first into the video screen prompts Cole to ask how low Drew will sink. DEAN BEAT UP HIS FRIEND THE NIGHT REIGNS ANNOUNCED HE HAD LEUKEMIA! I love short memories in wrestling. Dean kicks out so Drew ties him in a barricade for a Claymore and the pin at 14:22.

Rating: B-. This was a good brawl and the ending made McIntyre look like the killer that he needs to be when he fights Reigns next month at Wrestlemania. That’s a positive sign for McIntyre, who has lost a few steps in recent months due to WWE not knowing how to book most of the people they hire.

Post match Dean gets up again and it’s a second Claymore to knock him silly, freaking Renee out one more time. Drew poses to end the show as someone who looks like Edge is seen nearby.

Overall Rating: C+. Now this felt like a show on the Road to Wrestlemania, mainly because they were able to focus entirely on Wrestlemania instead of Fastlane, which is already being forgotten because it’s such a nothing show. The wrestling was acceptable, though far from the point tonight, which is fine. We got a match set up and you can see some more of them from here. There are seven shows left before Wrestlemania and while rushed, a good build towards the show is still a possibility.

Results

Seth Rollins b. Shelton Benjamin – Stomp

Bobby Lashley b. Finn Balor – Spear

Aleister Black/Ricochet b. Bobby Roode/Chad Gable – Black Mass to Roode

Nia Jax b. Natalya via DQ when Beth Phoenix interfered

Kurt Angle b. Apollo Crews – Angle Slam

Drew McIntyre b. Dean Ambrose – Claymore

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Fastlane 2019
Date: March 10, 2019
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Corey Graves

I’m not sure what to think of with this show as there’s only so much that can be done with a show that clearly serves as nothing more than a last stop on the way to Wrestlemania. There are some matches tonight that could go somewhere but a lot of what we’ll be seeing is going to be a stepping stone towards next month. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev

Lana is in Nakamura/Rusev’s corner and has her hair cut to its NXT length. It’s Big E./Xavier Woods for New Day here with Woods and Nakamura starting things off. Some whips into the corner don’t work for Nakamura as Woods snaps off a headscissors for an early two. A kick to the head drops Woods though and we take an early break.

Back with Rusev driving shoulders into Woods’ ribs in the corner and slapping on a bearhug. Nakamura comes back in for a front facelock as we go split screen to show Miz talking to his dad about bringing the titles home tonight. Shane McMahon comes in to say the same and the former champs are ready. Back to full screen with Woods getting away and making the hot tag to Big E. for some short form house cleaning. Nakamura’s guillotine choke slows things down but Big E. suplexes him away without much effort.

Nakamura snaps the throat across the ropes and gets two off a middle rope knee to the chest. Woods comes back in and gets kicked in the head, setting up a DDT to give Rusev two. A wheelbarrow suplex gets two and the sliding knee from Nakamura connects for the same. Woods rolls over for the tag to Big E. but Lana crotches Woods to break up UpUpDownDown.

The Machka Kick gets two on Big E. as Woods makes a diving save. Woods’ running flip dive onto both villains is countered into a double powerbomb for two back inside and Rusev is stunned. The Accolade goes on but Big E. going after Nakamura is enough for the break. It’s back t Big E. and now UpUpDownDown can connect for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B. This was a downright good match that got more time than I was expecting to see. They had the chemistry rolling with Big E. and Woods, the weaker of the New Day combinations, more than hanging with two solid midcard stars. I’m not wild on Rusev taking the pin, but it’s the logical result here.

The Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade match has been removed from the Kickoff Show and added to the main show as part of a four way for the US Title, also involving Samoa Joe and R-Truth.

The opening video looks at everyone trying to get to Wrestlemania. That would be a more effective theme is the show wasn’t likely to have fifteen matches with more than half of them being multi-person matches.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Shane McMahon/The Miz

Shane and Miz are challenging after losing the titles last month with Miz’s dad in the front row. Shane kicks at Jimmy to start as Jey talks about Shane’s shoes. Jimmy gets knocked down into the corner and Miz comes in for some double stomps. A Hart Attack gets two on Jimmy as Graves keeps ripping on Miz’s dad. Jey comes in and Shane walks into a clothesline to put the champs in control.

The chinlock goes on for a good while until Shane fights up with a tornado DDT. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Miz, who cleans house to take over. Miz sends the Usos outside for a big dive off the top (you don’t see that very often) which gets some applause from Miz’s dad. Back in and Jimmy gets two off a Samoan drop with Shane making the save.

Shane gets knocked down and it’s the Skull Crushing Finale to Jey but the referee is checking on Shane, meaning it’s only a near fall. Jey sends Miz into the post but the Usos spend too much time yelling at Miz’s dad, allowing Miz to get two off a rollup. With Jimmy down in the corner, Shane goes up so Jey gets up on the other corner. Jey goes to dive at Miz but Shane dropkicks him out of the air for a good looking crash. Miz goes up for a splash which hits knees, allowing Jimmy to roll him up for the pin to retain at 14:09.

Rating: B-. It was an entertaining match with Miz trying harder than usual but there’s only so much you can do to get around the fact that this is designed to set up Miz vs. Shane at Wrestlemania. There are so many other teams who could have been used in this spot but for some reason we’re stuck watching these two do their thing about Miz and his dad. I’m not sure who is supposed to care about this story, but I don’t think too many people are.

Post match Miz and Shane shake hands and go over to Miz’s dad. Everything seems ok until Shane jumps Miz, because we’re getting face Miz vs. heel Shane at Wrestlemania. Shane even shoves Miz’s dad and uses his well known MMA skills for a triangle choke on Miz. The hold is finally let go and Miz’s dad comes over the barricade to check on him. I’m so glad we’re giving Shane McMahon this story instead of all the people sitting on the sidelines. You have people leaving because they can’t get a spot, and Shane is getting featured in the first half hour of a pay per view.

Bobby Lashley, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre are ready to break the Shield again.

Here’s Elias for a song. He makes fun of Miz, mocks Cleveland and mentions Lebron James….and that’s it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Asuka

Asuka is defending after Mandy (with Sonya Deville in her corner) pinned her in a non-title match a few weeks back. Mandy grabs a headlock to start but gets caught in an ankle lock. That’s enough to bring Sonya up to the apron, allowing Mandy to knee Asuka in the face for a closer two than it should have been. The abdominal stretch goes on with Graves praising Mandy even more than usual, sending Phillips into obvious fits of laughter on commentary.

The hold is reversed into an Octopus Hold as Sonya randomly looks underneath the ring. Asuka goes with the strikes into a release German suplex for two. A sliding knee gets two more but the running hip attack misses, allowing Mandy to score with another jumping knee. Asuka knees her even harder so Sonya goes underneath the ring for a kendo stick. Mandy trips over the raised ring skirt though and Asuka scores with a kick to the head to retain at 6:38.

Rating: C. Mandy has gotten way better in a hurry and that’s a good sign for her future. Just looking at her, you would expect her to be nothing but eye candy, but she’s actually turned into someone worthwhile who can have a good match with a lot of people. This was WAY better than it had any right to be, though the ending was a big head scratch inducing.

Post match Mandy doesn’t want to hear from Sonya.

Earlier tonight, Kofi Kingston was told to go see the McMahons about the Smackdown World Title match. He’s still waiting outside when the rest of New Day comes up to say they need to go in now. Woods and Big E. give Vince a great speech about how Kofi has been waiting for eleven years and now it needs to be a triple threat. Vince makes it a triple threat with Kofi in the title match RIGHT NOW with New Day barred from ringside.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens

Bryan is defending. Actually hang on a second as Kofi has his entrance, but we’re told the match is taking place later tonight. Instead we get this.

Kofi Kingston vs. The Bar

The Bar doesn’t have to tag so the double teaming is on in a hurry. Kofi tries to fight back but is quickly taken down for a double leg crank. The beating heads to the floor but this time Kofi actually knocks Sheamus down on the apron. Cesaro catches him inside though and the powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination destroys Kofi again. The fans declare this boring as the Brogue Kick gets two with Cesaro pulling Kofi up. Cue New Day for the save but Rusev/Nakamura cut them off. The super White Noise finishes Kofi with feet on the chest at 5:08.

Rating: D. Pure angle advancement and that’s fine. There’s only so much you can get out of something like this and you can’t blame the wrestlers for not having a good match here. Kofi’s push towards the title like this feels a bit rushed though and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him lose again to set up the (hopeful) title change at Wrestlemania.

Sasha Banks and Bayley are ready to defend the titles against anyone and they’re ready for Nia Jax and Tamina tonight.

Elias sings again, this time about how Kofi and Miz looked like Cleveland Cavaliers.

We recap Shane turning on Miz. It was less than 45 minutes ago!

Shane has nothing to say.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Revival vs. Aleister Black/Ricochet vs. Chad Gable/Bobby Roode

The Revival is defending so the challengers send them outside in all of two seconds. Roode and Gable join them on the floor, leaving Ricochet and Black to moonsault into their poses. We settle down to Gable waistlocking Ricochet down but getting thrown off for a break. Wilder tags himself in and it’s quickly off to Dawson for an assisted suplex. Gable tags himself in as well and gets two off his own suplex. The armbar doesn’t last long as Dawson comes in and drops Ricochet ribs first across the top rope.

Some elbows get two but Ricochet rolls forward for a dropkick to Dawson. That’s enough for a double tag to bring in Black and Roode with Aleister cleaning house. It’s too early for Black Mass as Roode sends the kick into Dawson and spinebusters Black for two. Everything breaks down and Gable German suplexes Dawson with Wilder coming off the top with a splash for the save.

Ricochet’s shooting star gets two with Roode making a save of his own. Everyone heads outside with Ricochet and Dawson being left on top. Ricochet hurricanranas him down, landing head first on the apron in the process. Thankfully he’s not dead and hits a running flip dive over the top onto Roode, with Gable tagging himself in as Ricochet is flying through the air (legal, believe it or not). It’s a bad idea though as the Shatter Machine finishes Gable to retain the titles at 10:47.

Rating: B. This was good stuff with another obvious winner, which will lead to Revival losing the non-title matches for weeks. It’s smart to have Roode/Gable take the fall (as they could have for weeks instead of Revival) as Black and Ricochet are still new and shouldn’t be getting pinned yet. It’s the best match of the night so far, though I’m not sure how strong of a compliment that is.

Post match the Revival goes after Black and Ricochet, earning a 630.

US Title: Samoa Joe vs. R-Truth vs. Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio

Bonus match with Joe defending. All three challengers go to the floor so Joe is right there with a suicide elbow to all three of them. Back inside and Joe headbutts Andrade down in the corner but Truth is back up to take over. Rey comes in to send Andrade and Truth down but Joe runs Rey over. A heck of a tornado DDT gives Rey two on Joe so Andrade takes Rey up top.

Truth makes a save and it’s a super hurricanrana to Andrade to give Truth two with Rey breaking it up with a slingshot legdrop. Rey dives at Joe and gets caught, only to have Andrade missile dropkick both of them. Andrade isn’t done as he hits two of Three Amigos, with Rey reversing the third into a small package for two. With Andrade on the floor, Rey hits a hurricanrana off the apron, leaving Zelina Vega to kick Truth in the head.

That means a fight with Carmella, so Joe Rock Bottoms Rey for two. Truth fights back and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Joe but the ax kick misses. That means a whip into the post to get rid of Truth but Rey is there with the 619. Dropping the Dime misses though and Joe chokes Rey out to retain at 10:51.

Rating: B-. It’s not as good as their match on Smackdown but what we got here was good while it lasted. I was worried they would switch the title already so it’s a relief that Joe got to retain. It’s a positive sign that he might actually keep the title and stick around as champion for more than a few weeks.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Boss N Hug Connection vs. Tamina/Nia Jax

Beth Phoenix is on commentary. Bayley/Sasha Banks are defending and Graves is suggesting a split in the near future. Banks kicks Nia in the face to start and it’s off to Bayley so Nia throws Banks at her for a good visual. Tamina comes in to take over and the Samoans take turns beating on her in the corner.

A mini hot shot gets rid of Tamina though and it’s back to Banks to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down with Banks trying a suicide dive but getting pulled out of the air. Bayley dives onto the three of them before throwing Nia back in for a Meteora. The top rope elbow gets two with Tamina making the save, leaving Bayley to hurricanrana Nia for the pin to retain at 7:00.

Rating: D+. Well, they tried, and by they I mean Banks and Bayley. Nia and Tamina were as useless as ever here as big dragons who could barely move, as tends to be the case almost every time they’re out there. What in the world are you supposed to do with two monsters who can barely move? The champs need something better than this, but you can almost guarantee that Nia and Tamina will get another chance because they always do.

Post match the beatdown is on again until Beth gets up from commentary. Nia and Tamina beat her down until Natalya makes the save. The Samoans beat her down as well and stand tall. This is an exact summary of what is wrong with Nia: she’s a monster who loses a lot and then is right back the next week/night/two minutes later being a monster again. She lost a match FIVE MINUTES AGO and now we’re supposed to buy her as a monster. Graves asked “who is going to stop them”. Uh, BAYLEY AND SASHA PERHAPS???

This is what I mean when I say Nia needs to go away for a long time, but WWE insists on her being there. Oh and great: Natalya/Beth vs. Tamina/Nia is going to be on Wrestlemania now. A match that no one was asking for but we’re getting it anyway because that show isn’t going to be long enough already.

We recap Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens. Kofi was originally supposed to get the shot but Vince got all evil and replaced him with Owens. Kevin has beaten Bryan in a tag match with a Stunner, though he feels like a filler challenger until Kofi gets the real shot.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan is defending….and this is still going to be a triple threat match.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Mustafa Ali

Bryan, with Rowan in his corner, is defending and the fans are immediately there with the WE WANT KOFI chants. The bell rings and Bryan yells at the two of them, earning himself a double beatdown. Owens: “Save the planet somewhere else you idiot!” With Bryan down on the floor it’s Owens running Ali over with a shoulder. Bryan gets back in and starts with the kicks as the KOFI chants get even louder.

They all head outside with Owens Cannonballing them both against the barricade for two on Bryan. Ali comes back in and goes up top, where Bryan dropkicks him down into the barricade for a heck of a bump. That leaves Owens to take the kicks in the corner and it’s off to an armbar, drawing more KOFI chants. Bryan moonsaults over Owens out of the corner and hits the running clothesline but stops to kick Ali back outside.

The YES Kicks have Owens in more trouble as Ali comes back in for the rolling X Factor. Bryan runs him over again but Owens is up with the superkicks. Ali jumps on Owens’ back, only to be dropped down onto Bryan for a huge crash. It’s Bryan heading up top but having his Doomsday Device broken up and a super Spanish Fly plants him. Ali reverse hurricanranas Owens into position for the 054, which only hits mat. The Stunner gives Owens two on Ali and a Pop Up Powerbomb gets the same on Bryan.

Another powerbomb onto the apron is countered into a backdrop but Bryan’s running knee hit the post. Ali hits a 450 onto Bryan on the apron with Rowan making the save at two. Owens and Ali superkick the monster down but Ali’s dive is caught. Owens adds a big running flip dive but Bryan is right there with the running knee from the apron. Another running knee misses Bryan and Ali is right back with a middle rope tornado DDT to the floor.

Owens is back up to drop Ali again but Rowan sends Bryan inside and Owens through the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Bryan gets two as the fans get another chance to chant for Kofi. Bryan slaps Ali in the face while shouting YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE HERE so Ali slaps back and goes up, only to dive into a knee to the face to retain Bryan’s title at 18:39.

Rating: B+. Distracting chants aside, this was a strong three way with the right winner (of the available options). The problem right now is WWE running basically the same story with Becky and Kofi and they’re risking the fans just not caring after being teased so many times. It works well enough if the title changes happen at Wrestlemania, but all these changes for the sake of changes and things happening during the shows are getting old.

Post match Rowan claw slams Ali.

We recap Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch. Becky was supposed to go to Wrestlemania but Vince said no and put Charlotte in the match instead. Then Stephanie decided to let Becky have another chance so if she wins tonight, she goes to Wrestlemania in a triple threat for the Raw Women’s Title.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Becky limps to the ring on a crutch and also has a bad arm and bad ribs. She throws the crutch away and we’re ready to go with Charlotte easily taking things into the corner. Becky fights out of the corner with one right hand, only to have Charlotte say you’ll have to do more than that. A half crab wrecks the knee even more and Charlotte chop blocks the leg down.

Becky tries to fight back with a shot to the face but gets taken down with another chop block. Charlotte stays cocky and heads up top until Becky shoves her off and into the barricade for the big crash. Back in and the Becky gets the Disarm-Her, which is reversed into a Figure Eight….and here’s Ronda Rousey to hit Becky for the DQ to make it a triple threat at Wrestlemania at 8:43.

Rating: D. So the top face in the whole thing is beaten down again while the fresh heel runs in and attacks said face, thereby giving the fans what they want, while making sure Becky looks like a loser in the process. I’m sure we’ll hear from Stephanie about the whole thing though because this story is somehow her and her family. This is another match that could have been on Raw and no one would have noticed much of a difference.

Elias sings some more about how awful Cleveland is and says he’s done for the night. Lacey Evans comes out for her cameo and leaves as always. Randy Orton comes in with an RKO to Elias but walks into the Phenomenal Forearm from AJ Styles.

We recap the Shield vs. Baron Corbin/Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre. The Shield is back due to Roman Reigns being in remission. The other three are here because Shield needs targets.

Shield vs. Baron Corbin/Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre

Cole hypes up the idea of this being the last time for the Shield because Ambrose isn’t re-signing. The fight is on before the bell and the Shield clears the ring without much effort. Lashley takes Rollins into the corner to start and hands it off to Corbin, who gets taken into the middle buckle with a Downward Spiral. Ambrose comes in and fights McIntyre for a few moments before handing it back to Reigns, who doesn’t get much of a reaction.

McIntyre forearms him a few times before it’s quickly back to Rollins for a wishbone stretch. Corbin comes back in and takes over on Rollins, including the required chinlock. Seth fights up but gets cut off by McIntyre. That means a kick to the face and it’s back to Ambrose to take over. Dean sends McIntyre outside for a top rope elbow to the head but Lashley hits the spear. Ambrose barely beats the count back inside so Lashley plants him with a Downward Spiral for two.

Corbin chokeslams Reigns as the other four fight into the crowd by the Kickoff Show set. Reigns gets two off a sitout powerbomb as Rollins dives off a balcony to dive onto the other three. We get some miscommunication with Corbin trying his slide underneath the ropes and running through Reigns’ boot to the face like it didn’t make contact. A Superman Punch gets two as everyone is back to ringside.

End of Days hits Reigns with Rollins and Ambrose diving in for the save. Reigns almost gets TripleBombed through the announcers’ table but another save is made. A Stomp knocks Lashley silly and Reigns spears Corbin. There’s the TripleBomb to put McIntyre through the table and Corbin is left alone in the ring. One more TripleBomb finishes Corbin at 24:52.

Rating: B-. It was good, but egads the IT’S THE LAST TIME got obnoxious by the end. There was almost no doubt about how this was going and I don’t know how many people believe that it’s the last time for the team. At least Corbin took the fall instead of either of the other two, though it’s not like they had any chance between them. As usual, the Shield reunions weren’t great but that’s become the standard anymore.

Shield poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Yeah the show was watchable and even good at times, but I don’t remember a more annoying pay per view in a long time. The show is just now over and I don’t think I can remember one single thing here that felt like it mattered. There was good action, but nothing we haven’t seen done better before (in one case, earlier this week). WWE made it very clear that this show didn’t matter and that’s what we got here: a show that didn’t change anything and if you skipped it, you wouldn’t miss anything. I feel like I wasted my time tonight and that’s one of the worst feelings you can have coming out of a show.

Results

Usos b. Miz/Shane McMahon – Small package to Miz

Asuka b. Mandy Rose – Kick to the head

The Bar b. Kofi Kingston – Super White Noise

Revival b. Aleister Black/Ricochet and Bobby Roode/Chad Gable – Shatter Machine to Gable

Samoa Joe b. R-Truth, Andrade and Rey Mysterio – Koquina Clutch to Mysterio

Sasha Banks/Bayley b. Tamina/Nia Jax – Hurricanrana to Jax

Daniel Bryan b. Mustafa Ali and Kevin Owens – Knee to Ali

Becky Lynch b. Charlotte via DQ when Ronda Rousey interfered

Shield b. Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre/Bobby Lashley – TripleBomb to Corbin

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

So here we are, with the show that has been treated as an afterthought to an afterthought and is now just being treated like a nothing show. There are a few things on the show that could be interesting, but WWE has been acting like this show, as in the show they’re putting on, is just a nuisance that they’re required to cover. Just watch Raw and see how much effort they’ve put into it as compared to promoting Wrestlemania. Hopefully things pick up a little bit and the show winds up being fun. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade

Well if you insists. This has been a great feud so far and one of the best things on SmackDown this year. These guys mesh very well together and this one can serve as the rubber match after their previous big blowoff officially went to a no contest because WWE doesn’t know the definition of a no contest.

I’ll take Andrade to win here as he needs to be elevated a little bit more. Mysterio is already a legend and has been for about ten years now so giving Andrade the big win (again) is the right call. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Mysterio won to give the fans a feel good moment, but at the same time there’s little reason to do it, as Andrade would be hurt by a loss much worse than Mysterio. Andrade should win, though I don’t know if he will.

Kickoff Show: New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev

This feels like it has another reason for existing, as the match was added on Friday with no particular reason (or announcement if you ask Xavier Woods). It feels like a reason to have New Day in the building for something later on in the show, perhaps with Kofi Kingston in the main event. It’s not like there’s anything going on here, so it makes as much sense as anything else.

I’m going with Rusev/Nakamura to win here, as they could go somewhere as a tag team and if something bigger is coming for New Day, having them lose early on is more interesting than having them win a meaningless match. The SmackDown tag division desperately needs some fresh blood and Rusev/Nakamura are as good as anyone else. Just getting them on TV more would be a smart move so I’ll go with them here.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Asuka(c) vs. Mandy Rose

I figured I’d get one of the easiest ones out of the way first. Rose pinned Asuka in a non-title match a few weeks back because having her beat someone else in a #1 contenders match or winning a few matches in a row and being granted a title shot (like the way things worked for years) just wasn’t in the cards. Asuka is coming in a little banged up so they might have to go with some smoke and mirrors.

That being said, is there any doubt here (a line that has never gotten me into trouble before)? Asuka should steamroll Rose here with a grand total of no trouble because it’s Asuka vs. Rose in a title match. At the moment, Asuka needs an opponent for WrestleMania and I don’t think Rose is going to play into the card, outside of a spot in a big women’s match. Asuka retains, as she should.

SmackDown Tag Team Titles: Usos(c) vs. The Miz/Shane McMahon

Can someone tell me why this is still a thing? Are we really still playing up Miz’s daddy issues (which came out of nowhere) and how great and influential McMahon is to the whole thing? This story hasn’t been well received from the start and that hasn’t changed a bit yet. I have no idea why we’re stuck with something like this when you have other tag teams who could get a rub out of the thing, but logic has never been a factor when the McMahons are involved.

I’ll go with the Usos to retain here because we need to set up Miz vs. McMahon for WrestleMania somehow. I’m not sure what the story is going to be and I’m not sure how WWE thinks they’re going to get people interested in the whole thing, but that seems to be where we’re going. The Usos should be in a big match at WrestleMania, perhaps with the Hardys, which is roughly 194x more interesting than this. At least the Usos should retain, as they should.

Shield vs. Bobby Lashley/Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre

I’m not going to pretend like this is going to be anything other than a near guaranteed win. The Shield got back together earlier this week and there’s almost no way, other than the team splitting (AGAIN) that they’re losing, especially not to a team including Corbin. It should be a great moment to have the team back together and more importantly Reigns back in the ring, but there’s not exactly a doubt here.

In case it’s not really clear, the Shield wins handily here, hopefully with Corbin taking the fall. The main thing that springs to my attention here though is how McIntyre is now just another guy. He’s stopped being someone all that important or feeling like the hot prospect and is now just fighting random matches on Raw, which is far less than he should be doing. It’s very sad, and yet not surprising in the slightest.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Boss N Hug Connection(c) vs. Nia Jax/Tamina

It’s the first title defense for the inaugural champions and while I rip on Jax and Tamina for various (and what should be obvious) reasons, they’re good choices for the first challengers. They’re physically imposing and work well enough together, so having the champs retain over them is a smart first title defense.

Obviously I’m taking the champions to retain as I should, since there’s really no reason for a title change so early in the titles’ history. The champs will be fine against a team they’ve fought before and hopefully it’s Jax taking the fall to make it seem a little bit more impressive. This isn’t something that needs a lot of thought put into it but Bayley and Sasha Banks fighting from behind is a good way to get things going for their title reign.

Raw Tag Team Titles; Revival(c) vs. Aleister Black/Ricochet vs. Chad Gable/Bobby Roode

This one makes me sad on so many levels. While I was hoping to see DIY getting this spot (on their own that is), I can take Black and Ricochet instead, but it really just makes me think of how sad it is that Ciampa had to get neck surgery. The other problem is how awesome the Revival could have been had WWE not managed to sabotage them, which has been the case for years now.

Regarding the actual match, I’ll take Revival to retain, as WWE seems to think that just having the titles is all that matters and you can have them lose over and over again week after week. Revival needs a win, but even if they get one here I’m not going to be convinced that things are going to be better for them overnight. They’re practically a lost cause, and that’s just sad.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Now you know Stephanie McMahon is going to be ringside for this, though the more interesting question is will she be on commentary. We certainly need her to explain this story to us even more, because having the McMahons involved so far has only done positive things for the whole story. The deal here is if Lynch wins, she’s added to the WrestleMania 35 Raw Women’s Title match to make it a triple threat. I think you get this one.

I’ll go with Lynch winning, though honestly it wouldn’t surprise me to see her lose so a certain first family of wrestling can come riding in to save her and give the fans what they want. You know, as opposed to just giving the fans what they want. The WrestleMania match is going to be the triple threat no matter what, but WWE is doing everything they can to suck the fun out of the whole thing for the sake of the McMahon, because….fill in the gap yourself.

SmackDown World Title: Daniel Bryan(c) vs. Kevin Owens

The more I think about it, the more interesting this could be. The match itself shouldn’t be that surprising, but the question becomes “What about Kingston?” With New Day being in town for the show, there’s a good reason to believe that something is going to go down. It could be Kingston challenging the winner for WrestleMania or it could be Kingston being added to the match at the last minute. Either way, something is going to happen here and that’s interesting.

I’ll take Bryan to retain, assuming Kingston isn’t added. Assuming Kingston is added, I’ll take Bryan to retain. The important thing is getting Kingston his WrestleMania match, though I’m a bit scared he’ll lose there too for the sake of keeping Bryan hot. Bryan is a great heel and deserves the mega run, but Kingston needs his win soon before he cools off. That win doesn’t come here though, and neither does Owens’.

Overall Thoughts

The show has gotten a little better in the last week or two, but there is just no hiding how little this thing means in the grans scheme of things. WWE has gone out of their way to ignore this show and I hope they learn something going forward. Either treat the show as something that matter or don’t hold the thing, because this has done a lot more harm than good.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: March 7, 2019
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Percy Watson

Things started happening in a hurry last week as WWE suddenly remembered that they needed to set up Fastlane outside of the big matches. That made for some eventful stuff this week and hopefully that translates to this show as well. I’m not sure if I should believe that to be the case or not, but you have to have hope. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Apollo Crews vs. EC3

Rematch from last week. EC3 takes him down with a quickly broken headlock as Crews fights up with a dropkick and armdrag. Crews gets stomped down in the corner for a bit and we hit the reverse chinlock. A clothesline cuts off Crews’ comeback but Crews gets in one of his own. That’s enough to head up top, only to get crotched back down. The 1%er finishes Crews at 5:25.

Rating: D. EC3 has to be near the top of most ridiculous demotions in recent years. He had two matches and is already trading wins with Apollo Crews on Main Event? That’s really the best thing they could do with him? I feel sorry for the guy as he was brought up without any thinking and never had a chance to show what he could do up there. Maybe it can change, but for now it’s rather ridiculous.

From Raw.

Here’s Roman Reigns to open things up to another solid pop. Reigns says last week was the comeback but this week it’s time to take the yard back. There was one person standing in his way and that’s Seth Rollins. This brings out Rollins, who says what an inspiration this is for him. Rollins wants to bring the Universal Title back to Raw but he knows what Reigns is going through. If anyone deserves the shot, it’s Reigns. That sounds nice to Reigns, but he tells Rollins good luck.

They had me believing that they were going to go with Reigns vs. Lesnar again at Wrestlemania so it’s quite the relief that it was just a tease (for now). I know that Reigns is going to be back on top of the card at some point in the future but for now, it needs to be Rollins after what they’ve built up over the last few months.

From Raw.

Rollins tries talking to Ambrose about getting the Shield back together but it’s a no. He appreciates the help last week but now he has to do it on his own.

From Raw.

Post break Dean is still in the ring when Reigns and Rollins come out to pitch the reunion one more time. Dean goes through the crowd instead but here are Lashley, Corbin and McIntyre to interrupt and make fun of the Shield being split again. The fight is on until Ambrose runs back to the ring for the save. Rollins and Reigns do the pose and Dean throws his fist in for the big reunion.

Yet again, from Raw.

We look back at Batista attacking Ric Flair last week and calling out HHH.

Here’s HHH to talk about Batista and Flair. HHH says he was here last week for Ric Flair, but also for Richard Fliehr, one of the best men he has ever known. They were at each other’s sides for their weddings (well, most of Flair’s weddings as HHH couldn’t make all of them) and HHH was next to him when Fliehr buried his son. Then a year ago he stood by Fliehr’s bed when he was clinging to life and was scared to answer his phone because he thought it was the call saying he was gone.

Last week HHH wanted him out here to be the Nature Boy one more time but Batista wouldn’t let that happen. Batista has been trying to get HHH’s attention for months and when HHH got hurt in November, it seemed to be the end of things. That wasn’t good enough for Batista, who finally didn’t quit for once. So Batista attacked a seventy year old man who was trying to have one more moment?

Now Batista wants to show up on a screen and go Bad Guy 101 with HHH by saying he doesn’t like Philadelphia? HHH doesn’t care where he wants to go and he’ll come to Batista’s house or go to a movie set if he has to. When Batista comes to see him, it’s going to be the man instead of a character and Dave has to look him in the eyes. Good promo here and HHH’s response made sense, though I’m still needing to know why Batista did this in the first place. What exactly does he have to prove?

Tyler Breeze/Lucha House Party vs. Jinder Mahal/Singh Brothers

Lince Dorado and Kalisto for the Luchas here. Sumir shoulders Dorado down to start and we get the Bollywood dancing. That just earns him a dropkick and it’s off to Sunil, who gets taken down with a spinning crossbody. Kalisto comes in for the splashes and we take an abrupt break. Back with Breeze getting the hot tag and kicking Sumir in the face for two. Everything breaks down and the Beauty Shot drops Jinder, leaving Sunil to take the Salida Del Sol into the shooting star press to give Dorado the pin at 7:39.

Rating: D+. There’s something hilarious about Mahal taking a backseat to the Singh Brothers in these matches. The guy stopped mattering a long time ago but now he’s the definition of “just there”, which says a lot when he’s by far the most successful of all six people in a match.

We look back at Kevin Owens taking Kofi Kingston’s place in the Fastlane title match.

We see the brawl between Owens and Rowan from Smackdown.

From Raw.

Here’s Stephanie McMahon with the Women’s Title and the agreement for Becky to sign. After we see Rousey laying the title down last week, Stephanie brings out Charlotte and Becky. Stephanie explains the hold harmless agreement but Charlotte mocks her before any signing takes place (and I need to make sure who signs and who doesn’t, because if there’s one thing WWE adheres to, it’s signed contracts). Becky offers to fight her right now on one good leg and there’s the signing.

We cut to the back where Rousey is storming into the arena and come back with her walking to the stage (must be a huge arena). Rousey storms in and demands the title back. Stephanie hands it over and changes Sunday’s match. Now, if Becky wins the on Sunday, she’s in the Wrestlemania title match. Ronda isn’t done yet though and yells at Stephanie about making money for the company. She goes into a rant against the fans about how terrible everything is and how she’s sacrificed so much for this company and then they boo her out of the Staples Center.

Screw the Woo and the beating is on with Charlotte getting kicked to the floor. Rousey puts Becky in the armbreaker and cranks back before hammering away in the corner. The armbreaker goes on again and Charlotte leaves as Ronda poses over Becky. Ronda puts the hold on for the third time as they seem to have wrapped things up very early.

And from Smackdown.

Here’s Charlotte to call out Becky for a friendly discussion. First though, we get a video from last night featuring Ronda Rousey attacking Becky before Sunday’s match. Cue Becky, who says she’s sore but it’s worth it to be inside Charlotte and Rousey’s head. She’s going to be damaged going into Fastlane but that just means she has nothing left to lose.

Charlotte kicks the crutch out and the attack is on with a knee to Becky’s knee and a kick to the arm making her cringe in agony. Becky gets in a crutch shot though and grabs the Disarm-Her while shouting that it’s her title. Referees come out and break it up as Charlotte rolls outside.

Overall Rating: D. This show continues to be astounding in its efforts to marginalize Smackdown even more. For the second biggest wrestling show in the world and what is going to be the flagship show very soon, it’s amazing to see how little WWE itself cares about the thing. It was incredible to see how much Raw stuff they crammed in here as Smackdown was thrown in at the end. Not a good show, and at this point I’m less and less surprised every week.

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

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

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

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

Since it’s Fastlane and WWE doesn’t care, here’s a bunch of stuff at once.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-news-fastlane-week-edition/

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 2012
Date: November 18, 2012
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 8,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield

Pre-Show: 3MB vs. Zack Ryder/Santino Marella

Back to Slater for some shots in the corner but he gives up the hot tag to Santino for all his usual antics. Heath punches him down and brings Jinder in again for some knee drops off the ropes. Santino misses a double clothesline which gives Slater another near fall. The Band stays on Marella but he backdrops Mahal down, allowing for the lukewarm tag off to Ryder. The Broski Boot connects and everything breaks down. A Rough Ryder connects on Slater but the legal Mahal sneaks in with a full nelson slam for the pin on Zack.

Team Clay vs. Team Tensai

Brodus Clay, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio

Tensai, Primo, Epico, Prime Time Players

The monsters are going at it back inside and Clay botches his high collar suplex, making it into more of a lifting downward spiral. Tensai avoids a charge in the corner and shoulders Brodus down, setting up a backsplash for the elimination. Gabriel comes in with some kicks to the side but gets taken down by a big shoulder block. Off to Titus for an abdominal stretch followed by a backbreaker. Back to Tensai for two off a backsplash but he misses a second one, allowing Gabriel to get a quick rollup for the elimination.

Divas Title: Kaitlyn vs. Eve Torres

Team Ziggler argues over who is the leader.

US Title: Antonio Cesaro vs. R-Truth

Cesaro (known as the Swiss Superman) is defending and asks why Americans are thankful. The only thing he can think of is how great of a champion he is. Truth gets a quick rollup, sunset flip and rolling cradle for two each before thrusting his hips a bit. Cesaro comes back with a headbutt and a clothesline before pounding away on Truth in the corner. Off to an armbar but a USA chant gets Truth to his feet. The champion shoulders him in the corner and puts on a body vice to keep Truth down again.

World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus vs. Big Show

Big Show is getting winded so Sheamus pounds away as much as he can, only to miss a charge and go shoulder first into the post. The Final Cut gets two and Show goes to the middle rope, only to be caught in an electric chair of all things for two. They slug it out from their knees and Sheamus takes over, knocking Show down with a running ax handle.

The Brogue Kick and chokeslam are countered and Sheamus gets two off White Noise. Now the fans are getting into this again. Sheamus loads up the Brogue Kick again but takes out the referee by mistake. Four people immediately come out to check on the referee as the replay shows the champion pulling him in the way. Big Show knocks out Sheamus and one of the referees counts a pin to end the match out of nowhere.

Rating: C. The match was slow for the most part and the ending hurts it even worse. This took all the good stuff out of their match at Hell in a Cell and turned it into a dull imitation. This needed to be two monsters firing bombs at each other until neither guy could get up but instead it was your usual Big Show match at about 4 miles per hour.

Team Ziggler vs. Team Foley

Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, David Otunga, Damien Sandow, Wade Barrett

The Miz, Kofi Kingston, HELL NO, Randy Orton

Ryback was originally on Team Foley but was moved to the main event and replaced by Miz in a Raw poll. As you can see, the match is a huge mess and almost no one was interested in it for the most part. HELL NO (Kane and Daniel Bryan) are the Tag Team Champions and Kofi is Intercontinental Champion of course. Sandow is an intellectual.

The Tag Team Champions get in an argument for no apparent reason, allowing Ziggler to hit a quick Zig Zag on Kane for the pin. That makes the move look strong if nothing else. Orton and Miz get in a quick fight for some reason but Randy catches a sneaky Ziggler in the slingshot suplex for two. Off to Kofi for the matchup that will not die with Ziggler being launched face first into the buckle for two. Back to Bryan who gets poked in the eye, allowing Dolph to tag in Barrett.

A double tag brings in Barrett and Miz with the American connecting with the corner clothesline. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered into a pumphandle attempt (called Wasteland by Cole) but Miz escapes into the Finale for the elimination to tie us up at two. Del Rio comes in next but charges into a DDT for two. Alberto grabs a German suplex for two but gets pulled off the middle rope in a crash. Miz misses the corner clothesline and gets enziguried for an elimination.

We recap the main event. Punk has been champion for a year almost to the day, Ryback got screwed over by referee Brad Maddox inside the Cell and Cena gave Ryback his spot in the Cell due to injury. The solution was a triple threat match.

WWE Championship: John Cena vs. Ryback vs. CM Punk

Punk is back in now and scores with a snap suplex on Ryback, but the monster pops right back up and gorilla presses the champion into a fall away slam. Cena comes back in with a belly to belly for two on Ryback before putting on a chinlock. Punk breaks it up with a top rope ax handle and Cena falls to the floor. Another ax handle attempt is caught in midair but Punk takes Ryback down with a neckbreaker. Cena sneaks in with a rollup for two but Punk DDTs him down for two more.

Ratings Comparison

3MB vs. Zack Ryder/Santino Marella

Original:

Redo: D+

Team Clay vs. Team Tensai

Original: B-

Redo: C

Eve Torres vs. Kaitlyn

Original: D-

Redo: D

R-Truth vs. Antonio Cesaro

Original: D

Redo: D

Sheamus vs. Big Show

Original: C-

Redo: C

Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler

Original: C-

Redo: C-

Ryback vs. John Cena vs. CM Punk

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: D+

Redo: D

About the same down the line. It sucked back then and it sucked now. I actually watched most of this show late and while still tired from a flight the first time around but apparently it had more problems than that.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/11/21/survivor-series-2012-a-filler-ppv-disguised-as-a-major-show/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-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: October 18, 2018
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

This is an interesting week as Raw was a run of the mill show but Smackdown reached one of the biggest milestones you can achieve. Now in theory that should mean that Smackdown gets some more time on this show over Raw, but stranger things have happened around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Rhyno vs. Konnor

They start with the power struggle and an exchange of chops goes nowhere. A short arm clothesline gives Konnor one and the front facelock goes on. Back up and a collision puts both guys down again but it’s Rhyno up first with a flying shoulder. Konnor kicks him in the face for two but misses a big elbow. Rhyno can’t hit a powerslam though and it’s an STO to give Konnor the pin at 5:12.

Rating: D+. I get that they’re trying to rehabilitate the Ascension a little bit and that’s a fine idea. The problem is that it’s not a practical one. You can’t have a team be that worthless for so many years and then just have them start winning without some kind of change. Maybe it’s a face turn, maybe it’s a gimmick overhaul or maybe it’s something else, but the fans aren’t going to buy them suddenly winning matches after being so pathetic for so long.

Quick look at the opening to Smackdown 1000 and the Evolution reunion.

Video on the Bella Twins turning on Ronda Rousey.

From Raw.

Here’s Rousey to say that the Bellas at least owe her an explanation. Cue the Bellas with Nikki saying the people paid to see them and not her. They don’t owe her an explanation because this is show business and not show friends. Ronda disrespected them and disregarded everything the two of them have done for this business. It disgusts them to see Rousey as the face of the women’s revolution because Nikki deserves to be champion.

They made the term Divas mean something and children look up to her. If that’s the case, the future of America is worse than I thought. The Women’s Title wouldn’t exist without the Divas Title. What is she going to do? Try to break their arms? Fans: “YES! YES! YES!” Ronda says she tried and thought they were friends, but now she knows they’re just a pair of do nothing Bellas.

They were there because of the men they were with and at Evolution, their arms are coming off. The only thing that is going to stop her is a referee and that hasn’t gone well in the past. Brie says the two of them have knocked down more doors in a week than Rousey ever has.

Rousey lists off the places she’s dominated before getting in the line of the promo with “the only door you ever broke down was to John Cena’s bedroom.” BIG gasp on that one. Rousey wants to fight now but Nikki just does her dance as security comes out to get rid of Ronda. They get taken down as well and Ronda calls the Bellas (now gone) out here again.

This was REALLY bad (save for that Cena line) with terrible delivery of awful lines and a story that no one with a brain is going to accept as realistic. Everyone came off looking worse here and it went on a good ten minutes longer than necessary. But hey, I’m sure TMZ will be talking about it.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Edge (with Tony Chimel doing his intro for old times sake), with the shoulder length hair again, for the Cutting Edge. This has always felt like his show because this is where some of his greatest achievements took place. He cashed in Money in the Bank on the Undertaker and had a No DQ match against Eddie Guerrero that people still talk to him about to this day. He even married and divorced Vickie Guerrero. However, he’s been watching the show for the last few weeks and now he needs to be Smackdown’s moral compass.

Therefore, his first guest is Becky Lynch, who Edge sees a lot of himself in. Becky says she modeled her career after him so that means a lot. Edge talks about not being someone who was supposed to succeed and having to scratch and claw their way to the top, just like Becky. The thing is though, Becky didn’t make the right choice.

If there was a friendship that got in Edge’s way, he crushed it, leaving a trail of burnt bridges. That’s not the right way, no matter how many titles you win. The path that Becky is on will lead to her sitting alone, looking at all of her titles on the wall, by herself. The bigger problem is she won’t even like herself.

Becky says it’s true that she doesn’t like herself because she loves herself. She tells Edge to get out of the champ’s ring and make sure you don’t hurt your neck again going through the ropes. Cue Charlotte to say that it’s not cool to go there. The fight is on with agents and referees having to break it up in short order.

Also from Smackdown.

World Cup Of Wrestling Qualifying Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title. This is Rey’s first singles match for WWE in four and a half years. Nakamura takes him down to start and drops a knee for an early one. A front facelock has Rey in some more trouble but he’s right back out with a headscissors. Rey knocks him outside for the sliding splash underneath the bottom rope. Back in and Rey gets caught in the Tree of Woe and we take a break.

We come back with Rey hitting a top rope seated senton and a top rope hurricanrana getting two. Nakamura kicks him in the head but misses Kinshasa, allowing Rey to headscissor him again. After Nakamura crawls over to the ropes, it’s a 619 into the springboard frog splash for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C-. This was watchable enough but some of the spots weren’t exactly hitting and Nakamura was his usually uninspired self. Mysterio looked good in spots but it certainly wasn’t a match that would make you thrilled to see him back. It’s more like he’s lost some weight and come back after not being around for a bit. I’m glad he’s back, but it wasn’t exactly anything major.

For a change, here’s something from Smackdown.

Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. The Bar

New Day is defending and since they’re wrestling, Booker T. and Jerry Lawler are running New Day’s commentary booth. Woods headscissors Sheamus down for a basement dropkick and an early near fall as we cut to Lawler and Booker for more analysis than the regular team gives in a week. Cesaro takes over on the arm and it’s off to Sheamus for a double elbow as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus missing a charge into the corner and the hot tag off to Big E. Cesaro comes in as well and gets Rock Bottomed out of the corner, landing on his head. Sheamus misses the Brogue Kick and gets speared through the ropes, leaving Woods to hit a Shining Wizard for two on Cesaro. Back in and the Midnight Hour is broken up but Cesaro makes a blind tag. Big E. hits the Big Ending on Sheamus but gets Neutralized for two with Woods making the save as we take a second break in less than seven minutes.

Back again with Big E. missing a charge and getting caught in a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination for two with Kofi Kingston breaking up the cover due to feet on the ropes. The Bar loads up the announcers’ table but here’s Big Show to chokeslam Kofi through it instead, leaving Sheamus to Brogue Kick Big E. for the pin and the titles at 13:38.

Rating: C. This was the Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff “do something to make it memorable” title change and that’s fine. The tag division means nothing on this show so switching the titles doesn’t change a thing anyway. Hopefully the Usos can get back in there now as they’re more than overdue to be in the title scene again.

From Raw.

We go to the bowels of some building where Undertaker and Kane talk about the lack of respect. Michaels didn’t stay in the shadows out of respect but out of fear. They will unleash everything on DX for the first time ever and all of Shawn’s fears will be realized. HHH can crawl back to the board room and Shawn can hide in retirement. DX had three words for them, so they have three words for DX: Rest In Peace.

Zack Ryder/No Way Jose vs. Revival

Jose even has the full conga line with him. Dawson and Jose start and that means some dancing. Some arm cranking has Dawson in trouble and it’s off to Ryder for all of ten seconds. Wilder comes in and gets punched down but Dawson offers a distraction so Wilder can pull Jose down by the afro. To be fair it’s kind of Jose’s fault for having such large hair. Back from a break with Jose still in trouble as Wilder slaps on a chinlock.

Dawson comes back in and drops a knee for two but Jose elbows him in the face. The hot tag brings in Ryder to clean house and he slips out of a double suplex into a double neckbreaker. Revival heads to the floor and gets dropkicked, leaving Jose to high crossbody Wilder for two. Dawson makes a blind tag though and it’s the Shatter Machine for the pin on Jose at 9:58.

From Raw again.

Shield vs. Drew McIntyre/Dolph Ziggler/Braun Strowman

Shield does their entrance through the crowd after using the stage earlier. Strowman tells Ziggler to start the match and show him something so it’s Dolph vs. Rollins to get things going. Ziggler takes him down with a headlock, saying he could do this all day. Ambrose and Rollins have an accidental collision and the ensuing argument lets Strowman run everyone over. Reigns gets dropped as well and we take a break.

Back with McIntyre still in control of Reigns and Ziggler coming in for the chinlock. Reigns shrugs him off but it’s McIntyre coming in and taking a clothesline. Strowman cuts him off with a corner splash, only to have McIntyre tag himself in and stomp away. That’s not cool with Strowman, who tags himself in and yells at McIntyre a bit. A missed charge in the corner lets Reigns muscle him up for the Samoan drop (not as effective since we saw the same spot earlier in the night) but McIntyre and Ziggler knock Rollins and Ambrose to the floor.

The Claymore/Zig Zag combination gets two with Rollins and Ambrose making the save. The hot tag brings in Rollins, who clotheslines McIntyre and tags Ambrose in to start cleaning house. Strowman blocks the double suicide dives but Reigns comes off the apron with the Superman Punch. Back in and Dean rolls McIntyre up for two with Ziggler making the save. Dirty Deeds hits McIntyre but the referee takes forever to cover, allowing Ziggler to shove Rollins into the cover for the break.

That means another fight and Ambrose tries Dirty Deeds but Rollins shoves him away. Ziggler shoves them together and gets two off the Zig Zag on Ambrose. Reigns breaks up the Claymore/Zig Zag combination and Strowman goes shoulder first into the post. McIntyre Claymores Strowman by mistake (he seemed to miss but they moved the camera just in time to cover it) and a spear cuts McIntyre down. The TripleBomb finishes Ziggler at 14:34.

Rating: C+. This was nowhere near what they did last week and that’s probably because it’s the third time this match has taken place in about ten days. Ambrose and Rollins’ issues can take a backseat for another week, but it’s pretty clear that this isn’t over yet. That being said, the interesting thing here is Drew, who seems all but poised for the big turn after kicking Strowman in the face.

Post match Strowman powerslams Ziggler but eats a Claymore (and a great one at that), allowing McIntyre to leave to end the show. To quote JR: “Oh I like this. I like this a lot.”

Overall Rating: D+. So yeah, it’s not the most surprising thing in the world that the 1000^th episode of the second biggest wrestling show in the world was treated like any other show. We did however get more of the Bella Twins, because that’s how WWE works. It was interesting that World Cup got almost no attention save for the one World Cup qualifying match, as WWE continues to try to hide the fact that the show is actually taking place.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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