Monday Night Raw – September 10, 2018: Would A Compass Help?

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 10, 2018
Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Renee Young, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Hell in a Cell, though I’m not sure how much attention that is going to get since we’re about a month away from Super Show-Down and a month and a half away from Evolution. WWE doesn’t seem to mind about going that far into the future so Sunday might not get the most attention. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman to open things up with the roster (the lower portions of it that is) around the ring. Dolph says we told you so because they beat the Shield down. We get a recap of Strowman vs. Reigns, which has morphed into the trio vs. the Shield. This led up to last week’s huge beatdown, with most of the roster getting together to wreck the Shield, with Seth Rollins nearly being thrown through a police van window.

Back in the arena, Strowman calls Ziggler and McIntyre his Dogs of War, which really doesn’t fir a guy wearing pink tights. Cue the Shield to beat down the guys at ringside with Dean Ambrose busting out some ax handles to make things easier. Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre bail and Shield stands tall to wrap a pretty hot opening. Above all else: it was eleven minutes, not twenty.

Earlier today, the Riott Squad wrecked the Bellas’ locker room. That’s like desecrating a national monument.

The Shield is trying to keep up the fight but cops cut them off. Baron Corbin tells Shield to get out or forfeit their titles. Rollins, seemingly with a plan, says no problem and they leave.

Nikki Bella vs. Ruby Riott

Ruby headlocks her down to start as the announcers IMMEDIATELY start talking about how the Bellas are such legends and how the locker room reveres them. Maybe if the Total Bellas cameras are around. An STO gives Riott two but Nikki hits that lame spear. Ruby kicks the rope to send Nikki outside though and we take a break.

Back with Nikki hitting a spinebuster and some clotheslines, followed by the Disaster Kick (one of the few things that looks good) for two. Sarah Logan offers a distraction though and it’s a Downward Spiral to give Riott two of her own. Back up and the Rack Attack 2.0, with Brie intercepting Logan, is good for the pin on Riott at 9:13.

Rating: D+. Perfectly watchable match, which is about par for Nikki. That’s all well and good(ish), but you would think the twins were Moolah and Trish in their primes based on the commentary. It’s kind of hard to take that seriously when you see what the other women, if nothing else some of the bigger names in the Mae Young Classic, are doing.

Big Show is on the stage with some pediatric cancer survivors. Cool indeed.

More kids got wrestling personas. Stephanie handles their introductions because of course. Gripes about narration aside, there is nothing wrong with this whatsoever and it’s always going to bring at least a smile.

Show talks about how greater these kids are than wrestlers trying to win a match. Each one gets their own introduction.

We look back at last week’s Shawn vs. Undertaker segment. I really hope this doesn’t set up Shawn getting back in the ring.

Drake Maverick gives AOP (yes that seems to be their official name, likely because Vince had a random idea one night) a pep talk. I’m sure they’ll need it.

AOP vs. Ronnie Ace/Nathan Bradley

Ace tries his luck on Rezar, earning himself an early fall away slam. A powerslam puts Bradley onto Ace and it’s the Super Collider for the pin at 1:18.

Video on Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton in the Cell.

HHH arrives in a limo.

Here’s HHH for a chat. HHH talks about how the era was back and the upcoming Undertaker match was on. Undertaker dominated a poll among the fans and that didn’t bother him. It did however bother Undertaker last week when Shawn Michaels picked HHH. He watched it back and Undertaker hadn’t lost respect for HHH or Shawn, but for himself. Undertaker has lost a lot since those matches and now he’s just a reputation. Now it’s personal though and HHH is going to put him down. More great stuff here as they’re doing everything they can (and succeeding) to turn this into an epic showdown.

We recap Shield’s issues tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre vs. B Team

The B Team is challenging. Ziggler and Dallas start things off with Bo hitting an early neckbreaker for two. Axel comes in and slugs away as we take a break. Back with McIntyre working on an armbar before stomping on Axel’s hand. A superkick into a reverse Alabama Slam gives McIntyre two but Axel catapults Ziggler into the corner. Everything breaks down and Ziggler rakes Dallas’ eyes, setting up the Zig Zag/Claymore combination to retain at 8:48.

Rating: D. The B Team are still comedy guys and there’s still no reason to believe that Ziggler and McIntyre shouldn’t slaughter them. They were fine for what they were as short form comedy goofs but they were designed to lose huge to a better team. There’s nothing wrong with that, but this match should have been what the title change was: near if not complete and utter dominance.

Post match Ambrose and Rollins run in to beat down Ziggler and McIntyre, who bail before McIntyre can get Stomped.

Video on the Undertaker vs. Mankind Cell match, with Foley being here tonight to commemorate the 20^th anniversary. I mean, it was two and a half months ago but points for the thought? Maybe?

Corbin yells at Ambrose and Rollins for coming back in but they insist that they’re individuals and not the Shield. They threaten to have Corbin arrested for filing a false police report last week with the local sheriff coming in to read him his rights. Corbin wants to talk in private and Dean says they won’t press charges. WWE really needs to have David Otunga explain how law works.

Kevin Owens vs. Tyler Breeze

Cole: “We thought Kevin Owens had quit.” Well he did quit, but what we’re curious about is why he’s back. No match as Owens wrecks Breeze before the bell and gives him the apron bomb.

Post destruction, Owens says Corbin immediately called him after he quit and begged Owens to come back. Owens agreed, under the condition that he suffers no consequences for his actions. Therefore Owens is back and blames Bobby Lashley injuring Sami Zayn for the whole thing. This is still his show and you can expect agony, anarchy and destruction. You can almost picture Lashley’s hand being raised from here.

Video on AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe, which is miles ahead of anything on Raw at the moment.

Bobby Roode/Chad Gable vs. Ascension

Rematch from last week where the new team won. Gable tags himself in to suplex Viktor a few times but Konnor kicks him in the face. The chinlock goes on early and it’s Konnor’s running splash setting up a Viktor jumping knee for two. Gable backdrops his way to freedom and hands it off to Roode to clean house. Roode loads up the GLORIOUS pose but Gable tags himself in again and hits Rolling Chaos Theory for the pin at 3:16.

Rating: D. They’re not exactly hiding what they’re going for here and that’s not the worst idea in the world. There’s a story there of having Gable turn heel because his partner isn’t doing enough, but WWE isn’t likely to think that way with a story like this. What we’re getting is long overdue though and finally getting it done is the right call. I mean, it should have happened months ago but at least it’s happening.

WWE has been nominated for People’s Choice Awards. Good for them.

Ziggler is annoyed at the Shield being back when Corbin comes in to announce McIntyre and Ziggler defending the titles against Rollins and Ambrose. It’s what Stephanie would want you see. Strowman is off to hunt the Big Dog.

Ronda Rousey/Natayla vs. Alexa Bliss/Mickie James

Alicia Fox is in Bliss and James’ corner. Natalya and Bliss start things off with Bliss being taken down off a headlock. The basement dropkick gives Natalya two and it’s off to Rousey for a nice reaction. Of course Mickie comes in as well, meaning Rousey gets to toss her down and bring Natalya back in.

The threat of a Sharpshooter sends Mickie bailing to the ropes and Alicia gets in a cheap shot from the floor. Bliss comes back in for an armbar attempt, drawing Rousey in for a glare. Everything breaks down and a Hart Attack (with Natalya playing her father of course) takes us to a break.

Back with Bliss throwing Mickie into the corner but stopping to mock Rousey’s punches, allowing Mickie to make the hot tag. Rousey is a bit too aggressive though and Mickie gets in a cheap shot to give the villains control. Bliss stomps away in the corner and James kicks her in the ribs to put Rousey in some very rare trouble. Rousey start throwing punches though, including rolling into a right hand to Bliss. James gets tossed around and the armbar is good for the tap at 13:53.

Rating: C. Perfect formula based tag match here and that’s a good idea for Rousey. They were playing up the rib injury here and that’s the kind of thing that can give Sunday’s match a little flavor. You can only have her steamroll people for so long and while the idea of Bliss hanging with her is a stretch at least, someone has to do it.

Post match Bliss kicks Rousey in the ribs to bang them up a little more.

Video on the Smackdown Women’s Title match. I can dig this cross promotion.

We run down Sunday’s card.

Elias spits water at someone when Strowman comes through the hallway, screaming for Roman.

Rousey is ready to fight again and doesn’t worry about her ribs.

Here’s Elias to talk about how he’s perfected rock and roll. The fans certainly seem to approve and he wants to know who wants to walk with him. Of course he makes fun of the Saints, swearing the Drew Brees told him that the season was already over. Cue Mick Foley, with a bad looking perm, to interrupt.

Foley says he’s a big fan and while Elias isn’t Nita Strauss, Elias doesn’t have a sincere bone in his body. Elias talks about being in the arena to watch Foley vs. Undertaker inside the Cell. That was a special moment but now Foley is a sad man who has been singing the same sad song for twenty years.

Foley actually isn’t here to discuss the past but rather the future. Apparently Foley lives pretty close to Stephanie McMahon and went to her with an offer. He wants to be part of Sunday’s show, which has made him flash back to 1998. That night, Foley got off the stretcher and got back on the cage. That’s why this Sunday, he’s going to be the guest referee for Reigns vs. Strowman. Elias doesn’t like the idea and tells Foley to leave while he can. That’s not cool with Foley, who is allowed to make one match tonight to take some pressure off of Corbin. The match is after a break.

Strowman wrecks more stuff.

Elias vs. Finn Balor

Elias starts fast with a clothesline and we hit the early neck crank. That lasts even less time than usual as Balor is back up with a basement dropkick. Elias whips him hard into the corner though and grabs a nerve hold. Balor pops back up again and hits a Sling Blade, only to charge into a jumping knee. Back from a break with Balor sending him to the floor but Elias charges back in with a hard clothesline. An electric chair Batista Bomb gets two but Balor grabs a small package for the pin at 10:18. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here, again, as neither really has anything going on at the moment. That being said, I’ll take this over another Balor vs. Corbin match anytime as at least this one had some potential to be entertaining, just from Elias having a microphone. At least they both made it onto the show, and that’s about all the positives there are here. Just a match really.

Earlier today, Bobby Lashley was working out when Lio Rush was talking him up. Lashley got a bit annoyed but told Rush to motivate him. I’ll take the cruiserweights doing these little roles. It’s far better than signing new talents when you already have them there in the first place.

Strowman knows Reigns is here and is going to call him out from the ring.

Undertaker is here next week.

Here’s Strowman to call out Reigns. No one shows up and Strowman says Reigns won’t be able to run on Sunday. Strowman will get his hands on Reigns and then hurt Foley far worse than Undertaker ever did. Reigns pops up on the announcers’ table so Strowman goes after him, earning himself a Samoan drop off said table through part of the stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This show has gotten lost and is having a really hard time getting out. Again, at least part of that is due to trying to hype up multiple shows at once. The big story is still Undertaker vs. HHH with Reigns vs. Strowman a close second. The problem is they’re not making me believe that this Sunday’s show means much. It’s pretty clear that we’re heading to a big six man tag between the top trios and while that’s good, it’s not exactly making me want to see the next matches.

Results

Nikki Bella b. Ruby Riott – Rack Attack 2.0

AOP b. Ronnie Ace/Nathan Bradley – Super Collider

Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre b. B Team – Zig Zag/Claymore combination to Dallas

Chad Gable/Bobby Roode b. Ascension – Rolling Chaos Theory to Viktor

Ronda Rousey/Natalya b. Alexa Bliss/Mickie James – Armbar to James

Finn Balor b. Elias – Small package

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw 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

Main Event – September 7, 2018: Those Three Hours Make A Difference

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: September 6, 2018
Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

The march towards three different pay per views continues and that could mean a variety of things. Well actually it means we get what we already know we’re getting, because this show is a collection of highlights. Monday’s show was pretty dreadful while Tuesday’s was a lot of fun so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tyler Breeze vs. Mike Kanellis

Vic says that Baron Corbin must be watching this match. Why? He’s the Raw GM, not the Main Event GM. Mike kicks him down early on and goes up top, only to get small packaged for two. Some stomping has Breeze in trouble and it’s time to work on the knee. A half crab (with some yelling at the fans) keeps Breeze down but a superkick gives him two. Breeze actually rolls him up into a half crab of his own but gets catapulted into the corner. Kanellis grabs a rollup, only to be reversed into another one to give Breeze the pin at 4:50.

Rating: C-. They were actually working here and put on a decent match with a story in the leg instead of just doing a nothing match. Breeze still needs Fandango back, but nowhere near as much as Mike needs Maria. That being said, I’m not sure how much impact Mike and Maria can have together anyway, as it’s not like they have a track record to run on in WWE.

From Raw.

Here’s Shawn Michaels to talk about HHH vs. Undertaker in Australia. After allowing fans to shower him with praise and plugging some things (new shirt, the Network and Super Show-Down), Shawn talks about his fellow Hall of Famers’ predictions for the match. He wonders if the Streak being over has something to do with the picks, but he’s still picking HHH. Yeah they’re best friends, but HHH still has more left in the tank.

At Super Show-Down, with Shawn in attendance, the Cerebral Assassin is going to cerebrally assassinate Undertaker….and there goes the gong. Undertaker comes out and in a really cool visual, the lighting flashes against Shawn’s shirt, making the heart logo flash on and off. After the two hour and seventeen minute entrance, Undertaker says this just became personal. He talks about HHH and Shawn’s twenty year friendship (minus the part where they tried to kill each other) and brings up taking Shawn’s career.

Shawn says that’s not what this is about. He’s a man of his word and someone had to be a man of his word by actually staying out of the ring. He’s the only person to stay retired and he’s done it out of respect for Undertaker. Cue the ONE MORE MATCH chants, which Shawn says he hears every time he steps into an arena.

For nearly a decade, everyone knocks on his door at Wrestlemania season, begging for a dream match and he has to turn down millions of dollars because he respects Undertaker. Shawn goes to leave, but Undertaker asks if it’s respect or fear. If Shawn had ever chosen to come out of retirement, it would have been for Undertaker, and he would have put him down all over again. In Australia, Undertaker is going to put HHH down again.

It’s a good segment and I want to see HHH vs. Undertaker again, but I’m worried about the match being a huge letdown. I can’t imagine that doesn’t close the show in a 20+ minute match and that’s not really Undertaker’s strong suit anymore. Teasing Shawn vs. Undertaker again isn’t the best idea as I can’t imagine Shawn actually working one more match, no matter what. Still though, this was effective and had the result they were shooting for.

From Smackdown.

Here’s Samoa Joe to say he didn’t see AJ Styles here tonight. Last week he promised to show up at AJ Styles’ house so he’s sure that AJ is locked up tight with his family, probably cradling a baseball bat. AJ’s wife Wendy is probably cradling their daughter Annie, telling them that Uncle Joe is a bad guy. See, Joe isn’t a monster though because he’s managed to make AJ be home on a Tuesday for once.

Annie can enjoy being tucked in tonight and she can get used to it, because after Joe gets done with AJ, he’ll be there every Tuesday night. AJ pops up on screen to say it’s time to stop talking. Cue AJ for the fight with Joe grabbing a chair. AJ takes it away but misses a big swing against the post. Referees break it up so AJ springboards onto Joe, taking out one of the referees in the process. Paige finally gets AJ to leave.

Quick clip of Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya on Raw.

Zack Ryder vs. Mojo Rawley

Ryder is a little apprehensive to start until he sends Mojo into the corner. That earns him a knee to the ribs and we take a very quick break. Back with Ryder dropping the top rope elbow for two but missing the Rough Ryder. The running right hand in the corner sets up the sitout Alabama Slam to give Rawley the pin at 6:09. They edited the heck out of that.

Recap of Shield vs. Braun Strowman/Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre.

From Raw.

Here are Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre to open things up. After a clip of last week’s attack on the Shield, Strowman talks about how that was justice. Two weeks ago, Strowman was ready to become Universal Champion but the Shield got involved. All that Reigns had to do was take his beating like a man, but now we have to go a different way, like it or not.

Strowman says that he has a path now with Ziggler and McIntyre at his side. Inside the Cell, he’s going to break Reigns’ spirit and body and there is no one to stop him. McIntyre says no one will ever be as dominant as they are. Ziggler promises to be more dominant than any group ever, including the Nation of Domination or D-Generation X.

The challenge is thrown out so here’s the Shield, only to have Baron Corbin send out some goons to stop them. That goes nowhere so Corbin sends out more of them but they’re taken out as well. The third batch is finally enough to keep Shield back, though they eventually break free and chase Strowman and company to the back.

Post break, Shield is arrested and taken away in an ambulance.

And from Raw again, after Strowman vs. Finn Balor.

Post match the beating is still on until a police siren goes off. A police van backs into the arena and it’s Reigns driving. Ambrose and Rollins come out of the back but the roster jumps them from behind. Reigns gets crushed by the steps, Rollins is knocked off the stage (and crashing arm first into the police van, slicing his arm wide open) and Ambrose is laid out on the announcers’ table. The big beatdown continues to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did the right thing here by focusing on the better stuff from Raw and the big angle from Smackdown. The best thing here though was the missing three hours between the Shield appearances, which wasn’t exactly the most thrilling time. The original matches here were good too, making this a very easy sit, even by Main Event standards.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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Monday Night Raw – September 3, 2018: Raw Sucks

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 3, 2018
Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

As the months change, so do things around here on Raw. Last week saw Braun Strowman turn heel and join forces with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre for the sake of fighting the Shield. Now that being said, the fans aren’t likely to boo them anyway, because that’s just how things work with Roman Reigns. Let’s get to it.

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

Post break, Shield is arrested and taken away in an ambulance.

Riott Squad vs. Bella Twins

The Bellas get the big entrance, including a plug for the premiere of Total Divas. Nikki hiptosses Morgan down to start as the announcers talk about Brie having a baby six months ago and all the wedding planning. A tornado flying armbar out of the corner gives Nikki two and it’s off to Brie for another armbar. It’s not enough to prevent a tag though and Morgan comes in for a kick to the back. It’s already back to Morgan, who get YES Kicked in short order.

The BRIE MODE knee hits Logan and Brie tries a suicide dive….but either completely botches it by getting caught on the ropes or Logan wasn’t ready to forearm her out of the air. Either way it looked like a disaster and takes us to a break. Back with Brie fighting out of a chinlock and diving over for the hot tag to Nikki. Everything breaks down and Brie botches another suicide dive, this time just not clearing the ropes. Nikki gives Morgan the Rack Attack 2.0 to finish things at 11:04 before Brie can botch anything else.

Rating: D-. Those two botches were terrible and didn’t do anything to get rid of the theory that the Bellas are really not very good in the ring. The announcers sounded like they were reading a list of awesome facts about the two of them and it felt more like a plug for Total Divas than a match. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of them in the future, probably because the reality shows need new storylines. Lucky us.

Corbin is on the phone with Stephanie when Finn Balor comes in. Balor wants a rematch and thinks Corbin is overcompensating for something. Tonight, the rematch should be one on one, man against man. Corbin agrees, with the match taking place in two hours in the main event. He’s a more scheduled boss than Angle ever was.

Chad Gable and Bobby Roode are now a team because Roode has impressed him. It’s not like they have anything else to do.

Chad Gable/Bobby Roode vs. Ascension

Before the match, Konnor says Roode was a flash in the pan and couldn’t make it in the singles division. Then you have Gable, who is short. That’s not something you say to Gable, who German suplexes both of them and hands it off to Roode for a suplex of his own. Konnor takes him into the corner to stomp away and it’s off to the chinlock. Viktor gets in his own stomping before it’s back to Gable to clean house. A cannonball off the apron drops Konnor and it’s a missile dropkick to Viktor. Rolling Chaos Theory finishes Viktor at 6:01.

Rating: D+. I mean, it’s not like we have anything better for the tag division and there’s no need to bring in someone new when you have these people sitting around doing nothing. I’m fine with the team and maybe they’ll go somewhere. The match wasn’t too bad and once they get some chemistry together, things could go well. Take a shot and see what happens.

Here’s Elias to talk about living in an insane world and being slapped by an insane girl last week. The only solution is to follow him to the promised land. Last week Trish Stratus came out here and slapped him, which is clearly due to her struggling with the fact that WWE stands for WALK WITH ELIAS. Next up, what is up with the Ohio State Buckeyes? What is a Buckeye anyway? It’s not something like a Wolverine, which actually sounds intimidating.

Before he gets too far though, here’s hometown girl Alexa Bliss, along with Mickie James and Alicia Fox. Bliss is proud to be from here and graduated high school right here in this very building. She starts an OH-IO chant….and it’s time to rip on the crowd of course. She recognizes some of the zombies that she went to high school with and look where they are while she’s in the spotlight. Alexa apologizes for Trish’s actions last week and doesn’t even want to get started on Ronda Rousey and her pet cat Natalya. She’s like some music but here’s Rousey to interrupt.

Natalya vs. Alexa Bliss

Rousey, Fox and James are at ringside. Bliss hides in the ropes a few times to start before having a Stratusfaction attempt countered (with Cole and Graves making fun of each other and missing the move entirely). A hard forearm to the face drops Natalya in the corner so Fox and James can slap her a lot. Bliss hits a DDT and grabs an armbar to make Natalya scream a lot and tap at 3:14.

Rating: D. Anyone want to have a good match tonight? This was short and bad, though it did give Bliss some momentum before she gets annihilated by Rousey. The shorter time helped it a bit but when that’s about as high praise as you can give a match, it’s pretty clear that there’s a problem.

Post match Bliss stays on her but Rousey cleans house. Fox gets knocked to the floor but the distraction lets Bliss chop block Rousey. Some right hands send Bliss to the floor as Rousey is having trouble standing.

We recap the opening brawl.

Shield has been processed and fingerprinted at the precinct.

Corbin gives someone his Rolex to get cleaned. Not a good idea at 9:15 at night. Strowman and company come in with a demand for competition tonight. Drew and Dolph want a Tag Team Title shot tonight and imply that they’ll take out Revival to get their title shot. The two of them leave and Strowman tells Corbin to find him some competition tonight.

Revival is ready for their title shot when Ziggler and McIntyre jump them for the big beatdown.

Tag Team Titles: B Team vs. Revival

Tag Team Titles: B Team vs. Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre

The B Team is defending and McIntyre drops both of them in about five seconds. Dallas low bridges McIntyre to the floor though and Axel gets two off a backslide. A clothesline puts Ziggler on the floor and the champs actually make it to a break. Back with McIntyre holding Dallas in an armbar and getting two off a suplex.

Ziggler comes in for some right hands and kicks the air in front of Dallas’ knee to set up a dropkick. McIntyre gets caught in a neckbreaker and the hot tag brings in Axel for the PerfectPlex on Ziggler. A quick save lets everything break down and Axel eats a superkick. The Claymore into the Zig Zag gives us new champions at 10:10.

Rating: D+. Where do I start? First of all, if you want to get Ziggler and McIntyre over as killers, don’t have them take ten minutes to beat a pair of comedy guys. This should have been about 90 seconds long and ended in the opening domination. Second, if you want Ziggler to break out of the mold of being a midcarder who never gets to break into the main event picture, don’t have him win a title that is viewed as lower than the midcard title.

The Authors of Pain and Drake Maverick are walking in the back with Maverick in a matching vest.

Connor’s Cure video, with a kid dressed up as a wrestling superhero. Cancer can’t see him.

Authors of Pain vs. Rakib Thompson/Jimmy James

Before the destruction, Maverick says he’s the Authors’ new manager and they’ll win the Tag Team Titles. I mean….sure why not. The Super Collider is good for the pin at 52 seconds.

Remember last week’s videos where legends talked about HHH vs. Undertaker? Well here’s another video, this time featuring a lot of the same clips in a different order. I really hope they stop with this promoting three shows at the same time thing.

Rousey is checking on Natalya when the Bellas come in. Natalya leaves and the Bellas praise Rousey, using those acting abilities. They offer to be her training partners or to help her with outside ventures, like starting a business or writing a book. Rousey thanks them and they talk over each other.

Corbin comes in to see Balor and says they can’t have their match tonight. Don’t worry though because Balor can face Strowman instead. So they’re doing a bait and switch on a match they made an hour and forty minutes ago?

Shield has been arraigned. Harold T. Stone thinks that’s a fast court.

Sasha Banks/Bayley vs. Dana Brooke/Ember Moon

Remember when Moon was given the big debut on Raw about five months ago? Banks hits a seated Meteora and we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Moon headscissoring Bayley and hitting a spinning springboard crossbody to take both of them down. It’s off to Brooke, who has to fight out of the Backstabber. Titus Worldwide offers her advice but she says she has this. She’s rolled up for the pin a few seconds later at 5:53. This match totally needed that break in the middle.

Post match Brooke says she’s had it with Titus and Apollo and walks away.

Renee talks about Balor vs. Strowman tonight, even though the graphic still has Corbin’s picture on it. That’s a pretty rare error.

Bobby Lashley leaves Corbin’s office with a piece of paper. It’s a performance review (ERG), saying he’s rather violent and has to undergo meditation in the ring with Jinder Mahal tonight.

Jinder is in the ring for the meditation and Lashley joins him. There is an angry energy coming from Lashley so Mahal has him sit down on the rub and they talk about Lashley being water. Mahal says shanti over and over again until Kevin Owens runs in through the crowd and stomps on Lashley. A distraction from Mahal allows Owens to hit a superkick, followed by the apron powerbomb. Well it lasted longer than I thought it would.

Clip of Shawn/Undertaker.

Next week: Mick Foley.

Shield has posted bail and left the precinct.

Finn Balor vs. Braun Strowman

McIntyre and Ziggler are out with Strowman. Balor gets knocked down in a hurry to start and a side slam makes it even worse. A sleeper doesn’t do him much good either so it’s a low bridge to send Strowman outside as we go to a break. Back with Balor fighting out of a chinlock but being sent outside for his efforts.

That’s a little better for Balor, who catches Strowman with a Sling Blade on the floor. They head back inside with Balor trying another sleeper before avoiding a charge to send Strowman into the post. That means the running flip dive to all three villains and Balor is rolling. Back in and Balor slaps on a triangle choke but Strowman muscles his way out. The powerslam finishes Balor at 10:37.

Rating: C. Match of the night here by about a mile. There was a little history here with Strowman being Balor’s friend for all of five minutes before destroying him in the match. A clean win like this does give Strowman some more momentum heading into the Cell and that’s a good idea. It certainly means more than beating the comedy goons.

Post match the beating is still on until a police siren goes off. A police van backs into the arena and it’s Reigns driving. Ambrose and Rollins come out of the back but the roster jumps them from behind. Reigns gets crushed by the steps, Rollins is knocked off the stage and Ambrose is laid out on the announcers’ table. The big beatdown continues to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. The Undertaker/Shawn segment and the closing segment were god but that’s nowhere near enough to fix the rest of this dismal show. You could tell it was a holiday edition this week as there was no fire to anything and the wrestling was as dull as you could have imagined. I’m not sure what it says when two mostly retired wrestlers having a match to renew a rivalry that ended six and a half years ago are more interesting than another rather good rivalry going to the Cell, but that’s what they’ve managed to pull off here. It’s a really weak show and Raw isn’t showing any signs of getting better at the moment.

Results

Bella Twins b. Riott Squad – Rack Attack 2.0 to Morgan

Chad Gable/Bobby Roode b. Ascension – Rolling Chaos Theory to Viktor

Alexa Bliss b. Natalya – Armbar

Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre b. B Team – Claymore/Zig Zag combination to Axel

Authors of Pain b. Rakib Thompson/Jimmy James – Super Collider to James

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Dana Brooke/Ember Moon – Rollup to Brooke

Braun Strowman b. Finn Balor – Running powerslam

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Tribute to the Troops 2017: It Is What It Is

Tribute to the Troops 2017
Date: December 14, 2017
Location: Naval Station San Diego, San Diego, California
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton

It’s the fifteenth annual special and that’s rather impressive. You never can know what to expect from these but it’s always cool to see WWE do something like this. The wrestling means very little at this show and there’s going to be a lot of filler but to complain about that would be missing the point. Let’s get to it.

The show is outside again for the first time in a good many years for a very cool setting.

Lillian Garcia performs the National Anthem at her usual amazing standard.

We look at a history of the show.

Shield vs. Samoa Joe/The Bar

Rollins and Reigns start things off with the troops in the audience telling Sheamus he’ll get sunburned. Some rapid fire elbows have Cesaro in trouble and it’s off to Dean for more of the same. Ambrose gets caught in the wrong corner though and it’s Joe hammering away. Everything breaks down and it’s the Shield cleaning house in short order. Back from a break with Rollins hitting a suicide dive and making the hot tag to Reigns. Everything breaks down again with Reigns Superman Punching Cesaro for two. The Wind-Up knee into Dirty Deeds drops Sheamus and it’s a spear to end Cesaro at 9:49.

Rating: C. I’m going to be a lot more lenient on the wrestling tonight because like I said, it’s just not the point. I’d be stunned if a heel wins tonight because this is the definition of a send them home happy show. You’re going to see these teams fight again on a big stage at some point and this was a nice preview.

Post match Reigns says the Shield brings the fight but the people in the audience here bring the big fight. Rollins and Ambrose say similar things and everyone smiles.

The cast of Star Wars loves the troops.

Clips of John Cena’s involvement with the troops over the years.

Carmella vs. Charlotte vs. Ruby Riott

Non-title with most of the division on the floor. Ruby bails to the floor to start before sneaking back in to jump Charlotte from behind. Charlotte gets in a few shots of her own but here’s Natalya to offer a distraction as we take a break. Back with Charlotte making a comeback but getting caught on top. Carmella pulls Ruby down and hits a Stratusphere for two on Charlotte and things slow down. Charlotte is back up with a double suplex and the rapid fire chops. A big boot sets up the Figure Eight to make Carmella tap at 10:04.

Rating: C. More of the same here with the face dominating and pulling off a win without much effort. Above all else though, how nice is it that the women aren’t in the Santa’s Little Helpers matches or whatever they want to call it this time? It’s really cool to see them have an actual match, even if it’s something this simple.

Charlotte thanks the troops, particularly the women.

Package of the wrestlers with the troops.

The cast of Pitch Perfect 3 love the troops.

Luke Bryan loves the troops.

Stephen Colbert loves the troops.

Machine Gun Kelly performs.

The cast of Daddy’s Home 2 loves the troops.

Sgt. Slaughter doesn’t want a fake Marine like Miz pretending to be the real thing. Dolph Ziggler is here too but doesn’t have much to say. Mark Henry comes in to tell Sarge to keep at it.

New Day/Usos vs. Shelton Benjamin/Chad Gable/Rusev/Aiden English

Before the match, New Day changes up their signature chant to a USA version. Big E. hits the abdominal stretch with some spanking on Gable to start and it’s off to Jey for a running Umaga Attack. Jey gets sent outside and into the barricade though as we take a break. Back with Rusev keeping Jey in trouble and Shelton coming in for a hard spinebuster. The Samoan drop allows the hot tag to Jimmy so house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and the Midnight Hour puts Shelton away at 8:03.

Rating: C-. New Day was a requirement on a show like this as the fans are going to eat them up and the chants are always fun. It was perfectly fine with the right guy taking the fall and the right team winning. If nothing else it’s cool to see English getting a chance to do something with that sweet voice of his.

The cast of Ferdinand loves the troops.

The cast of This Is Us loves the troops.

The cast of the Today Show loves the troops.

Sasha Banks/Bayley/Mickie James vs. Absolution

Mandy shoves Bayley into the corner to start but gets forearmed away for her efforts. Mickie comes in to kick away at Sonya and a running forearm gets two. Everything breaks down and they fight on the floor as we take a break. Back with Mandy kneeing Bayley in the face for two but getting caught in a Stunner. Sasha comes in for the running knees in the corner but Sonya makes a save. Mickie’s top rope Thesz press gets two on Paige and she dives onto the other two for good measure. Not that it matters as a quick Rampaige ends Mickie at 10:06.

Rating: C+. If any heels were going to win tonight, this makes the most sense. Absolution needs to stay strong, which includes a match like this. The match was rather energetic and it’s fine to have Mickie take a fall as that’s pretty much all her job entails at the moment. Of course none of this matters for the most part as Asuka is the big target but we’ll get to her soon enough.

Stormtroopers were at the base today as Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuts this weekend.

Machine Gun Kelly performs again.

Clint Eastwood loves the troops.

The cast of Father Figures loves the troops.

Randy Orton/Shinsuke Nakamura/AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal/Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Orton wastes no time with the threat of an RKO to send Owens bailing to the floor. Back from a break with Owens stomping at Orton long enough that he can bring Mahal in. Nakamura comes in for the knees to the ribs, including the big knee drop for no cover. Mahal takes him into the corner for a bit but Nakamura fights away and gets it back to Styles.

The belly to back faceplant gets two on Owens and Mahal has to break up the Calf Crusher. Orton DDTs both Singh Brothers but walks into a superkick from Owens. Nakamura and Zayn come in as everything breaks down. We hit the parade of finishers, capped off by Kinshasa for the pin on Sami at 10:18.

Rating: C+. Like there was any doubt in this one. Nakamura might not have gotten the best reaction in the world but he has a good looking finisher and this isn’t exactly a normal show. Styles and Orton were crazy over of course and there’s nothing like beating up three foreigners to end the show.

One last music tribute wraps things up.

Overall Rating: C+. As you might expect, the ratings here mean nothing. This is like wondering what the audience is for a Best Of show or something like that. Tribute to the Troops is for the live crowd and there’s nothing wrong with that idea. The wrestling doesn’t matter and as long as there’s a good atmosphere, which there was, everything is fine.

Results

Shield b. Samoa Joe/The Bar – Spear to Cesaro

Charlotte b. Carmella and Ruby Riott – Figure Eight to Carmella

New Day/Usos b. Shelton Benjamin/Chad Gable/Rusev/Aiden English – Midnight Hour to Benjamin

Absolution b. Mickie James/Bayley/Sasha Banks – Rampaige to James

Randy Orton/AJ Styles/Shinsuke Nakamura b. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens/Jinder Mahal – Kinshasa to Zayn

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Monday Night Raw – December 11, 2017: Which Way Is Philadelphia?

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 11, 2017
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Booker T.

It’s officially time to start getting ready for the Royal Rumble as we have a #1 contenders match to crown a new challenger to Brock Lesnar. Tonight it’s Braun Strowman vs. Kane for that title shot in a match that seems to be so simple that there almost has to be something screwy going on. Let’s get to it.

The narrated recaps are back, this time setting up tonight’s three singles matches between the Shield and Samoa Joe/The Bar.

Samoa Joe is in the ring to talk about how the Shield has taken out so many people over the years. He’s not impressed though because he’s already taken care of Reigns and Rollins and tonight he’ll add Ambrose to the list. For now though, he wants Reigns to come out here like a man. We cut to the back where Rollins sends Ambrose to get Roman. Dude go get him yourself. Joe goes on about how no one can face him until Reigns finally joins his partners in the back, only to come out a few seconds later. The fight is on but here are the Bar for the beatdown. Shield comes in, only to get beaten down in short order.

Bayley/Mickie James vs. Mandy Rose/Paige

Before the match, Absolution says they’re here to destroy everything and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Bayley and Mandy start things off but Paige is in almost immediately. Mandy breaks up a double suplex but Absolution is sent outside. That means a double dive from the apron and we take a break.

Back with Bayley fighting out of a chinlock but getting kneed in the chest for two. Paige hits a running knee of her own and mocks Bayley not being able to get to the corner. You really can see how much more experienced she is than either Mandy or Sonya. Bayley rolls away and the hot tag brings in Mickie for some house cleaning. A flapjack and top rope Thesz press gets two on Mandy as everything breaks down. Paige kicks Mickie in the head though and Mandy steals the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C-. Absolution continues to roll, as they should, but that pre-match promo is a great reason why the division has a lot of its problems. The speaking in catchphrases and awfully scripted lines takes me out of a lot of the promos and it’s getting worse and worse. If you really can’t have them say “we’re Absolution and we’re awesome”, maybe it’s time you found a different way to teach these women to talk.

Clash of Champions preview.

Bray Wyatt is here but Matt Hardy is WOKEN.

Post break, Wyatt talks about how there will always be darkness vs. light but Matt, with a WOKEN graphic (erg), says the Great War has gone on for eons. They both talk about being light and dark with Matt saying he’s met Sister Abigail before when they walked hand in hand, admiring the Gardens of Babylon. The Woken Warriors are preparing for battle against the Wyatt swarm and they shall delete. A laugh off ensues, going on so long that it becomes funny.

We look back at Nia Jax having a thing for Enzo Amore.

Enzo is admiring his Cruiserweight Championship when a suited Drew Gulak comes in. Tonight there is going to be another fatal four way with the winner getting to face Gulak next week in a #1 contenders match. Enzo mentions Jax and Gulak is rather confused. Drew says he gets it before saying that was Enzo trying to teach him to be ready for anything.

Finn Balor vs. Curtis Axel

Axel mocks Finn’s entrance and THE BRACE IS OFF! Bo Dallas gets in a cheap shot to start and we’re ready to go after a pre-match beatdown. Curtis gets in an early Hennig necksnap and cranks on the neck. Balor pops up, hits the shotgun dropkick and finishes Axel with the Coup de Grace at 1:39.

Kane is ready to enter the abyss with a fellow monster. He’ll climb back out alone though.

Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus

Seth wastes no time in knocking him outside for a suicide dive. They get back in with Sheamus hammering away to take over with the power offense. Sheamus misses a kick in the corner though as Booker rips on CrossFit. A Blockbuster connects and Sheamus is knocked outside again, only to knee Seth down as we take a break. Back with Sheamus holding a bad looking chinlock before Sheamus starts in on the knee.

We hit a modified Brock Lock before Seth tries a hurricane. That’s quickly countered into a Cloverleaf which is countered into a small package for two. Seth gets two more off a DDT, followed by the low superkick for the same. Sheamus goes after the knee but gets caught in the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for a very delayed two. The knee is shot though and Rollins can’t follow up. Sheamus grabs a Regal Roll but misses the Brogue Kick. Seth’s Wind-Up knee is good for the pin at 13:47.

Rating: B-. And so, they have another match. These two and their respective partners have been having these same matches for what feels like forever now and there’s no reason to believe they’re going to stop anytime soon. Just mix things up a bit or (just work with me here), FIND SOMEONE NEW FOR THEM TO FEUD AGAINST. I know that’s crazy talk but it just might work.

Ambrose’s strategy for tonight: avoid getting kicked in the face and avoid the Koquina Clutch.

Ariya Daivari vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Tony Nese

The winner gets Gulak, on commentary here, next week. Cedric and Tony slug it out to start before heading outside so Ali can hit a good looking flip dive off the top. Back in and Daivari hammers away on Cedric as Gulak won’t answer if he’ll lay down for Enzo should he get the title shot.

Nese comes back in but can’t hit a pumphandle slam on Ali. Daivari hits Nese by mistake but Ali DDT’s Alexander to put all four down. Back from a break with Ali fighting out of a chinlock, only to get pulled right back down. The fans are almost eerily silent because we’re in a rest hold in a four way. Ali’s rolling X Factor gets two with Nese making the save. Nese gets dropped for the 054 with Cedric making a save of his own this time.

Cedric and Ali slug it out until a Lumbar Check plants Ali. Daivari tries to steal the pin, only to have Cedric pull him out as well. Nese adds a big flip dive to the two of them, followed by the running knee. Ali gets in a save of his own but Alexander cleans house, capped off by a Lumbar Check to end Daivari at 13:02.

Rating: C. I can’t get over that chinlock eating up so much time in the middle. That being said, I’m very happy with Cedric winning, even if I can’t imagine him winning the title whenever he faces Enzo. Not a bad match here, but longer than it needed to be, which is often a bigger problem than being bad.

Post break, Gulak comes up to Enzo and says he’ll win next week then go on to become champion. It’s just some friendly banter but Enzo doesn’t like it, saying Gulak works for him. Enzo says there’s one word to describe the PowerPoint presentations, but Gulak says that word is informative. Nia comes up and says she and Enzo should talk when he’s not busy. Gulak: “Informative.”

Intercontinental Title: Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro

Reigns is defending and starts fast with uppercuts and clotheslines. They fight to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Cesaro cranking on the arm after swinging it into the barricade for a sick thud during the commercial. Reigns fights out with a backslide for two, followed by a rollup. That’s reversed into a Fujiwara armbar and then a regular armbar. Reigns fights up again and hits the apron kick to the face for two, only to get pulled into a Crossface.

Reigns reverses into a Samoan drop for two, only to be sent HARD into the post. It doesn’t seem to matter that much though as Reigns scores with a Superman punch off the apron. The arm won’t let him follow up properly though, allowing Cesaro to grab another Crossface. The Swing is reversed into a sitout powerbomb for two more but Reigns can’t follow up. Cesaro slugs away in the corner but the Neutralizer is countered with a backdrop, followed by the spear to retain the title at 16:53.

Rating: B+. It’s a long match but it actually needed a little more time. I would have liked a lot more of Reigns fighting back and something better than “spear, ow my arm, pin”. Cesaro working on the arm for that long looked like it was going somewhere but then they just went to the finish. That being said, they beat the heck out of each other for a long time and it was a heck of a match. Just have a better finish and it’s a classic.

Strowman is ready to go to the Royal Rumble.

Alicia Fox vs. Asuka

And no match as Absolution has attacked Fox. Absolution jumps Asuka as well with the rest of the division running out for the save.

Jason Jordan still wants a match with Samoa Joe but angle turns him down again. Angle says he’ll get there eventually but it’s when Angle says so. Jordan: “Ok Kurt.”

Dean Ambrose vs. Samoa Joe

Jordan comes out to watch from the stage, allowing Ambrose to jump a distracted Joe. A crossbody bounces off of Joe so he stomps away for a bit. Dean goes after the knee and takes it to the floor but gets sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Joe missing the backsplash but peppering Dean with jabs to the face.

Joe grabs a suplex to cut him off again but here’s Jordan for a distraction. Jordan and Joe go face to face but Dean dives on him. Dean gets in his face so Joe dives on both of them as well, followed by a backsplash to Jordan. Back in and the Koquina Clutch knocks Ambrose out at 10:49.

Rating: C. Just a match here with Jordan again messing with things he doesn’t need to be involved in. Joe is likely the next challenger for Reigns and the Intercontinental Title but it could be interesting to see where Jordan goes in the middle. That being said, Joe is the far better challenger and that’s where they should go.

Titus Worldwide announces Dana Brooke as statistician and head of research and development. Anderson and Gallows come in to laugh at them but Strowman comes up and scares everyone away.

Video on Strowman vs. Kane.

Kane vs. Braun Strowman

The winner gets Lesnar at the Rumble. Strowman wastes no time by splashing Kane in the corner, followed by a running dropkick for one. Kane avoids a charge though and a chokeslam gets two. Another chokeslam gets the same before Strowman chokeslams Kane for good measure. They fight into the crowd and Strowman spears Kane through the barricade for a double countout at 4:31.

Rating: C-. It was fun while it lasted in a Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg at Wrestlemania kind of way but that’s about all it had. I don’t think anyone expected Kane to win here and Strowman not winning is likely a good idea, especially if it would have meant losing to Lesnar again at the Rumble. I really hope Lesnar does defend at the pay per view (assuming he’s not injured or something) but this doesn’t give me a lot of hope.

The fight continues post match with both guys picking up steps. Said steps are rammed together with Strowman getting the better of it but he can’t crush Kane’s throat again. Kane chairs Strowman in the knee and then the back, finally taking the monster down. Kane sets up a table but a double clothesline gives us a double situp. Strowman muscles him up for the powerslam through the table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was strong here but they’re completely out of steam with this Joe/Bar vs. Shield stuff. I really don’t get why they didn’t just do the big blowoff six man match and move on to anything else, but annoyingly enough it seems to be little more than they don’t have another idea. The rest of the show was hit and miss but those three matches and the main event dominated. Not the worst show but they need something to build towards soon.

Results

Paige/Mandy Rose b. Mickie James/Bayley – Kick to Mickie’s head

Finn Balor b. Curtis Axel – Coup de Grace

Seth Rollins b. Sheamus – Wind-Up knee

Cedric Alexander b. Mustafa Ali, Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese – Lumbar Check to Daivari

Roman Reigns b. Cesaro – Spear

Samoa Joe b. Dean Ambrose – Koquina Clutch

Braun Strowman vs. Kane went to a double countout

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Main Event – December 7, 2017: I Don’t Believe They’ll Be Fine

Main Event
Date: December 7, 2017
Location: Valley View Casino, San Diego, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

I’m hoping this idea of doing both Raw and Smackdown highlights continues as it’s a lot better than just having the Raw stuff. Smackdown might not be the most thrilling show in the world but it certainly deserves some attention of its own. It’s certainly better than most of the original content we get around here so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick

They trade hammerlocks to start with Kendrick slapping the mat by mistake. Back up with Tozawa flipping out of a belly to back suplex and chopping away. Kendrick pulls him throat first into the middle rope to take over and it’s off to a chinlock. Tozawa elbows his way out of what looks like a slam and a suicide dive gets two. A quick Captain’s Hook is broken up without too much effort so Kendrick knees him in the chest for two. Tozawa kicks him in the head though and the top rope backsplash is good for the pin at 6:33.

Rating: C. For a match without much time and with both guys having to rush, they got in a fair amount of stuff. It was nice to see Tozawa get a win, even if it’s on a show like this which isn’t going to get him anywhere. Kendrick will be fine and his feud with Kalisto will do him a lot of good, especially depending on who Kalisto brings in to help him.

From Raw.

Here’s Kurt Angle to get things going. He’s ready to announce that Roman Reigns will be defending the Intercontinental Title against…..someone but Jason Jordan comes out to interrupt. He wants Reigns, despite his bad knee. Jordan lists off the people he’s been in the ring with, bad knee or no bad knee. This brings out Reigns to say he wants Joe. Jordan still wants the shot so Reigns tells him to step up and take it. Now it’s Joe coming out to say Reigns knows he can’t beat him. Jordan actually suplexes Reigns so Roman says it’s on right now.

Intercontinental Title: Roman Reigns vs. Jason Jordan

Reigns is defending and knocks Jordan outside to start. Back in and Jordan’s right hands don’t have much effect and Reigns clotheslines him outside again. Jordan fights out of a chinlock and drives Reigns into the corner four times in a row. The running shoulder doesn’t work but Reigns is sent shoulder first into the post.

Back from a break with Jordan working on the arm and Samoa Joe watching from the stage. Reigns fights up and hits the corner clotheslines, only to walk into a dropkick for a near fall. They head outside again with Jordan driving him into the steps a few times. That’s only good for two more though and we take a second break.

Back again with Reigns putting the bad knee in a half crab. Jordan reverses into a small package but gets his head taken off by the Superman Punch. Some rolling belly to belly suplexes (with the bad knee raised in the air) give Jordan two more but it’s the spear to retain the title at 20:34.

Rating: B-. Jordan is a rather interesting case as he’s death on the microphone but can put on an entertaining match. Reigns is in a similar place but his talking has gotten far better over time. Jordan might be able to get somewhere in due time but this character really, really isn’t working. At least the match was good though.

Video on Absolution.

From Raw again.

Paige vs. Sasha Banks

Alexa Bliss is on commentary again and Banks has Bayley and Mickie with her. Sasha wastes no time in throwing Paige down and hammering away both on the mat and in the corner. Paige kicks her down and stomps away as well before hitting the chinlock. Some shouting sets up a front facelock as things stay slow.

Sasha fights up with a high crossbody for two before grabbing a cross arm choke. Paige makes the ropes so Sasha just hammers away to keep her in trouble. The Bank Statement is broken up and they fall out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Paige grabbing her front facelock as Bliss calls Cole rude for bringing up her leaving last week.

Banks fights up with a clothesline and some dropkicks, only to miss the running knees in the corner. Paige heads up top and catches Banks with a sunset bomb. The Rampaige is countered into the Bank Statement but Paige gets her foot under the rope. The other four get in a brawl on the floor though, allowing the Rampaige to put Banks away at 16:06.

Rating: B. Another good match here and the best thing is that Paige looked like she hadn’t lost a step. This was her first match in a year and she was every bit as good as she used to be. Paige can be a very valuable asset to the division and if she can bring the other two up with her, then it’s all the better.

Post match Absolution takes out the other two, including Rose gordbusting Banks onto DeVille’s knee.

And now to Smackdown.

Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn

Before the match, Bryan and security is ready to cuff Owens. Kevin says no, but Bryan threatens him with suspension. Orton wastes no time in taking Sami outside and dropping him back first onto the barricade. Sami starts running and hides next to Owens in a smart move. That’s fine with Orton, who grabs Sami and bounces him off the announcers’ table.

Owens offers a distraction though and Sami gets in a hard shot to take over for the first time. Some trash talk from Owens takes us to a break. Back with Sami stomping away and saying he’s not afraid of the Viper. Sami snaps his throat across the bottom rope and pulls out some bolt cutters (which they just had laying around underneath the ring). Orton breaks it up before the chain can be cut but Sami posts him instead.

Back in and Sami gets crotched, setting up a top rope superplex to put both guys down. Owens grabs the cutters and gets free, only to be taken down by an Orton clothesline. The RKO is loaded up but Owens offers a distraction so Sami can get two. The RKO doesn’t work but the Helluva Kick misses as well, allowing Orton to grab a rollup for the pin at 11:44.

Rating: C+. So to clarify: Orton can beat the two of them clean on his own so now we should totally be interested in watching him and a partner face off with Sami and Owens on pay per view. The idea should be that Orton can’t handle these two because they keep cheating and using their numbers advantage but instead we get Orton pinning Sami when Owens interferes. Where’s the logic in that?

Post match the beatdown is on until Shinsuke Nakamura makes the save. The heroes shake hands and we seem to have a partnership. Owens takes and RKO and Zayn gets a Kinshasa.

Heath Slater/Rhyno vs. Luke Gallows/Karl Anderson

Slater shoulders Anderson down to start and it’s quickly off to Rhyno. This one doesn’t go as well until Rhyno shoulders his way to freedom. House is cleaned and we take a break. Back with a double hot tag bringing in Slater and Anderson as things speed up. Rhyno is sent into the barricade, leaving Slater to take the Magic Killer for the pin at 6:25. Not enough to rate due to the commercial but it was fun while it lasted.

Video on AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal.

From Raw.

Tag Team Titles: Seth Rollins/Dean Ambrose vs. The Bar

The Bar is defending. Ambrose armdrags Cesaro down to start buts it’s off to Sheamus to take over. A double kick to the ribs has Dean in trouble and we hit the choking on the ropes. That doesn’t last long though as Dean leapfrogs over Sheamus and makes the hot tag off to Rollins. The Sling Blade give Seth two but Sheamus posts him as we take a break.

Back with Seth not being able to get away as the champs clothesline him down. The ten forearms to the chest rock Seth again and a top rope clothesline gets two. Ambrose gets knocked off the apron, leaving Sheamus to drop Rollins onto an uppercut for another near fall. It’s off to an armbar for a bit until a superkick gets Rollins out of trouble.

The hot tag brings in Ambrose and house is cleaned in a hurry. His suicide dive is cut off by an uppercut though and Cesaro adds the high crossbody. Everything breaks down and Sheamus’ cheap shot gives Cesaro two on Dean. A powerbomb is broken up and Seth superplexes Sheamus into a Falcon Arrow for a very near fall.

The Neutralizer is broken up and the Wind-Up Knee gives Seth two with Sheamus making a save. The referee is shoved though and the Bar retains the titles via DQ at 17:11. Actually hang on as Angle comes out and says restart the match with No DQ. The double dives takes the Bar out and a frog splash to Cesaro gets two. Cue Samoa Joe to lay the Shield out though, drawing out Reigns to chase him off. The distraction lets Sheamus Brogue Kick Ambrose to retain at 20:03.

Rating: B. Another solid match here and I can actually go with the screwy ending as you can pencil in either a six man tag or a pair of title matches as a result. These teams have some great chemistry together and while this one wasn’t up to the other matches’ standards, it was still a lot of fun.

Overall Rating: C+. If you like wrestling, this is one of the best episode of Main Event you’ve ever seen (assuming you don’t mind it being clipped half to death). That being said, what we got was entertaining stuff with a nice recap of all the good things that WWE did earlier this week. If they can follow up on them, they’ll be fine. In other words, I don’t bet on them being fine.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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Survivor Series 2017: Never Mind The Talent. Here Are The Old Guys.

Survivor Series 2017
Date: November 19, 2017
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Booker T., Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

I could go for more of this idea of shows turning from kind of uninteresting into stacked. This is a double main event with Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown, plus AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar in a non-title match. That might not sound like much but when you have John Cena, HHH, Kurt Angle and Randy Orton in a match, there has to be something right. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Elias vs. Matt Hardy

Bonus match. Feeling out process to start with Matt working on a headlock before grabbing a Russian legsweep. Back from a break with Elias pull Matt’s throat into the top rope and then sending the shoulder into the apron. Elias stays on the arm with an armbar and right hands to the shoulder. We hit the armbar as this isn’t exactly setting the world on fire yet.

A double underhook shoulder breaker (basically a Pedigree lifted into a shoulder breaker) keeps Matt in trouble until he grabs a Side Effect on the apron. The rams into the buckle and a bulldog set up a regular Side Effect for two. The Twist of Fate doesn’t work though and Elias posts the bad arm. Drift Away gives Elias the pin at 9:10.

Rating: D+. The arm work was fine and I’m rather glad Elias won after not having much to do as of late, but what was the point in adding this? It’s a nothing match in front of a mostly empty arena that adds nothing to the show. The guys are trying to have a good match and they might as well be in a flea market for all the people they have watching. Just do the match on Raw where it belongs.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto vs. Enzo Amore

Amore is defending after they’ve traded the title. Before the match, Enzo talks about Kalisto sending him into the cake on Tuesday. Then he woke up and looked in the mirror, where he wished upon a star. Tonight, he wants to give Kalisto a beating and fry him up like a chicken so Enzo can be the only Chick-Fil-A open o a Sunday.

Enzo starts fast with some shoulders in the corner but Kalisto grabs a sunset bomb for two as we take an early break. Back with Enzo pulling him out of the corner into a side slam for a near fall of his own. A running forearm in the corner gets two and we’re off to the chinlock. Kalisto fights up with a headscissors though, followed by a Death Valley Bomb. The Salida Del Sol is blocked but so is a Jordunzo on the apron. Back in and Enzo sends him face first into an exposed buckle, setting up the Jordunzo to retain the title at 8:54.

Rating: D. For those of you keeping track, that would be back to back matches where the heel sends his opponent into something metal in the corner to set up their finisher. That’s bad agenting and I’d expect more out of WWE. I also expected nothing more than Enzo retaining here as Kalisto looked like a pretty lame duck challenger for the most part. Now we can get someone else to scare Enzo a bit before he cheats to retain the title. We’re just lucky that way I guess.

Kickoff Show: Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Breezango

Fandango dropkicks Owens outside to start and it’s time for some fashion tickets. It’s also time for a break less than forty seconds in. Back with Fandango chopping Sami but Breeze gets caught in the wrong corner. The chinlock doesn’t last very long so Owens comes in and grabs one of his own. Naturally it’s a long one because no one breaks his chinlock. Breeze fights up with a DDT and the hot tag brings in Fandango. Everything breaks down and Fandango misses the Last Dance, allowing Owens to hit the Pop Up Powerbomb for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: D+. I can’t imagine we won’t be seeing Owens and Zayn again later, which is exactly what the story calls for in this case. They’re major thorns in Shane McMahon’s side and it would be the right call. This match gives them a logical reason to be in the building and unfortunately it comes at Breezango’s expense. The Fashion Files haven’t been on in a few weeks and I’m not sure where Breezango can go without them. They’re good in the ring but those segments made them into much bigger stars. Just let them wrestle a win a bit though.

The opening video looks at all of the show vs. show matches, which is really the only way to open up a show like this.

New Day vs. Shield

Now that’s an opener. Before the match, New Day accuses Shield of ripping off their invasion idea. Shield might be the big dogs but New Day is about to go Bob Barker on them. The dogs are going to bite themselves as we get closer to Wrestlemania season. New Day would never do that because New Day rocks. Before we get going, here’s another video on the Sieges for reasons of WWE needing to make sure to play it as many times as possible.

Dean and Kofi get things going with Ambrose getting the better of it and handing it off to Rollins. Big E. comes in as well but since Rollins isn’t over losing the NXT Title to him a few years back, he brings Reigns in instead. A shoulder puts Reigns down but he’s right back up with a leapfrog into a Samoan drop.

Ambrose tags himself in though and everything breaks down with Shield getting the better of it. New Day gets clotheslined out to the floor until Woods is dragged back in for a Unicorn Stampede. The hot tag brings in Kofi for some chops and the Boom Drop on Ambrose. The real Unicorn Stampede has Ambrose in trouble and Woods’ dropkick in the corner makes things even worse.

Everything breaks down again with Cole saying a brawl would go to New Day. Big E. spears Ambrose through the ropes as Rollins and Reigns just kind of stand around. Back in and Ambrose breaks up a belly to belly superplex, allowing the hot tag to Rollins. A quick Blockbuster takes Kingston down and a Sling Blade gets two. Reigns comes in for a running clothesline, followed by a Superman Punch to Woods.

Dean makes a blind tag and it’s the wind-up knee into Dirty Deeds for two on Kofi with Big E. making a save. Everything breaks down again and Big E. breaks up the TripleBomb. Reigns gets sent into the steps and Trouble in Paradise drops Rollins. Back in and Big E. gets on Woods’ shoulders so Kofi can jump over them for a splash. Big E. is dropped into a second splash but they have to cut Rollins off instead of covering.

In a scary power display, Big E. scoops up Ambrose and Rollins for a double Midnight Hour, only to have Reigns spear Big E. into his partners for the save. Both teams go to a corner and come out swinging, leaving Ambrose to hit Dirty Deeds on Big E. on the floor. The spear cuts Kofi in half…..and Roman goes up? A SUPER TRIPLEBOMB ends Kofi at 21:33.

Rating: B. Oh yeah it worked. Shield winning is far from shocking but New Day got in some serious offense. It makes sense to have Shield get the win here as they don’t actually have the big win since reforming. They were beating the heck out of each other here and that’s how this show needed to start. Good stuff.

Stephanie (of course) gives the Raw Women’s Team a pep talk. Basically she wants every member to be awesome.

Raw Women’s Team vs. Smackdown Women’s Team

Raw: Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Asuka

Smackdown: Becky Lynch, Carmella, Tamina, Natalya, Naomi

Asuka gets an especially big entrance, which is exactly what she deserves. Becky and Alicia start things up with Fox being sent into the corner and dropped face first onto the buckle. Bayley makes a blind tag though and comes in to grab a rollup on Lynch for the pin at 2:34. Tamina comes in and drives Bayley into the corner, only to have Asuka come in and fire off some kicks.

Alicia tags herself back in and the beatdown commences. A hard shot finally knocks Bayley into the corner but she knocks her way free without too much trouble. Carmella gets in a superkick to drop Bayley though and Tamina’s top rope splash is good for the pin at 5:22. Nia comes in to face Tamina in the hoss (What’s female for hoss?) battle, including the big headbutt exchange.

Tamina gets powered into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs, only to have Nia rip her Raw shirt off. A big charge runs Tamina over for two but a Lana distraction lets Tamina hit back to back superkicks. Naomi dives onto Nia and a third superkick keeps her on the floor. Tamina adds a crossbody from the steps and beats the count to get rid of Nia at 8:55. It’s off to Naomi to slug away on Fox but she misses the split legged moonsault. Instead it’s a sunset flip for two, which the referee counts as three anyway, for the pin at 10:30. Banks comes in for the Bank Statement to get rid of Naomi at 10:55.

So it’s Banks/Asuka vs. Natalya/Carmella/Tamina, which better wind up as an Asuka showcase. Asuka comes in with a series of strikes and the hip attack for two on Carmella. A quick Bronco Buster stuns Asuka but Carmella makes the mistake of slapping her in the face. One heck of a kick to the head gets rid of Carmella at 12:51. Banks comes back in and grabs a Bank Statement on Natalya with Tamina making a save. The Sharpshooter gets rid of Banks at 15:07 and it’s Asuka vs. Natalya/Tamina.

The double teaming begins in a hurry but Tamina misses the top rope splash. Asuka slaps on a cross armbreaker to make Tamina tap at 17:28 and the Sharpshooter is quickly reversed into a kneebar. That’s broken up with some kicks to the ribs but Asuka kicks her in the head. The Asuka Lock is good for the final submission at 18:18.

Rating: D. And that’s being generous. This was a complete mess with the first six or so eliminations (out of nine remember) being there for the sake of being there. Asuka should have eliminated four or even all five members but instead let’s have Tamina look awesome (for some reason) and people like Becky and Bayley treated as afterthoughts (again). Terribly booked match here and unfortunately, I’m not all that surprised given how this division tends to go.

Stephanie and Daniel Bryan bicker, drawing up memories of Wrestlemania XXX with Stephanie talking in that way that ONLY SHE EVER TALKS. This goes on way too long (after a way too long WWE Network ad) as it’s almost like they’re filling time on a four hour show.

Baron Corbin vs. The Miz

Non-title but this is US Champion vs. Intercontinental Champion. Miz’s wife Maryse is in the front row and Corbin looks down at her, sending Miz into a frenzy. They fight outside with Miz sending him into the barricade, only to have Corbin do the same. Of course the announcers completely ignore this to talk about the wrestlers trying to fire up their brands backstage.

Corbin gets in a right hand but Bo Dallas clips his knee and Miz takes over again. The Figure Four is broken up in a hurry and a one legged Deep Six gives Corbin a near fall. Corbin pulls Curtis Axel inside but has to kick out of a rollup. The short DDT gets two more and it’s time for the YES Kicks. Miz hits the running corner dropkick but charges into End of Days for the pin at 9:21.

Rating: C+. Better match than I was expecting here and I’m rather glad given the effort they actually put into the build. There wasn’t much of a story here but they did what they could to put one together. Corbin needed the win more than Miz did, even though I’m never a fan of a champion losing clean like this. Good match too.

Corbin says he just shut Miz up.

Paul Heyman isn’t worried about AJ Styles being phenomenal. AJ may be the most phenomenal wrestler of this generation but he’s up against a conqueror.

The Bar vs. Usos

Same deal as Miz vs. Corbin but with tag teams. Before the match, the Usos say if Sheamus and Cesaro are the Bar, they’re pole vaulters. Sheamus, now with white tips on his mohawk, drives Jimmy into the corner to start but the twins take him down without much effort. As Graves and Booker argue over Booker winning Tag Team Titles (as usual, I have no idea why this is going on), Cesaro comes in with an uppercut.

Jimmy knocks both of them off the apron but gets caught in a Regal Roll on the floor. Cesaro slaps on a chinlock as Cole compares Sheamus’ hair to the Red Rooster. Oh come on man that’s low. Sheamus gets two off the Irish Curse and Cesaro kicks Jey off the apron to prevent a hot tag attempt. The hot tag works a few seconds later though and Jey comes in to clean house.

A running Umaga Attack gets two on Cesaro but Sheamus cuts Jimmy off. That means a jumping uppercut to Jey and we hit the Cesaro Swing into the Sharpshooter. Sheamus Brogue Kicks Jimmy down so Jey has to crawl over to the ropes for the break. That just means a super White Noise for two as Jimmy dives in for the save. Cesaro loads up a powerbomb and Sheamus goes up, only to have Jey grab him for a Samoan drop as Cesaro plants him.

That’s good for two on Sheamus as I’m still trying to figure out why Cesaro would do that. An enziguri finally allows the hot tag to Jimmy, who cleans house in a hurry. He dives over the top onto Cesaro but tags out on the way, leaving Jey to hit the Superfly Splash for the pin on Sheamus at 15:55.

Rating: B. This was good (albeit maybe a bit less than you would have expected) but SWEET GOODNESS stop acting like Raw vs. Smackdown is life and death. No one cares about this save for one month out of the year and it’s just obnoxious to hear for the whole show, especially with the announcers acting like their lives are on the line with every near fall.

Jason Jordan isn’t happy with not being on Team Raw but hopes they win. After HHH is eliminated that is.

We look back at Charlotte winning the Smackdown Women’s Title on Tuesday.

Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss

Champion vs. champion again. Bliss bails to the floor to start and then hides in the ropes to avoid a right hand. Charlotte gets her arm snapped down off the apron and Bliss takes over for the first time. Back in and we hit the armbar with a stomach claw but Charlotte reverses into a rollup. The kickout sends her hard into the corner, only to have Charlotte hit something like a fall away slam into the corner.

Bliss sends her into the corner again though, setting up a top rope double knee drop to the back for a scary landing. Code Red gives Bliss two but she can’t grab the DDT. Instead it’s a guillotine choke with Bliss nearly crying as she tries to make Charlotte tap. Charlotte powers up into a Batista Bomb for two more, followed by Natural Selection for the same.

The moonsault misses though and Bliss’ DDT gets another near fall with Charlotte getting her foot on the ropes. A bad looking spear drops Bliss for no cover so Alexa comes back with a dropkick to the ribs. Twisted Bliss hits knees though and the Figure Eight makes Bliss tap at 15:40.

Rating: B+. I know Bliss is considered one of the weaker workers but sweet goodness she’s gotten a lot better in the ring as of late. Bliss looked like she belonged in there with a proven star like Charlotte and that’s a lot more than anyone would have believed was possible a year or so ago. Really good match here and a big surprise.

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles in the final champion vs. champion match. Styles won the title less than two weeks ago while Lesnar has held his since Wrestlemania. There isn’t much of a story here but the question is can AJ overcome the monster.

AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar

Non-title in an idea you should get by now. Heyman handles Brock’s Big Match Intro as only he can do. The fans are split here as AJ is smart enough to not rush in. That’s fine with Brock who scores with the shoulders in the corner. Styles gets knocked down in the corner again so Lesnar drags him across the ring by the hair. One heck of a suplex has Styles rocked again and the German suplex makes things even worse.

AJ gets dumped over the top in a heap and Lesnar throws him into the announcers’ table. Back in and Brock hits another release German suplex as this is completely one sided. A running knee in the corner keeps AJ rocked and a shot to the face drops him again. Brock: “FIGHT ME!” AJ slugs away to no avail as a knee cuts him down. The F5 is escaped though and Brock misses a knee in the corner. AJ scores with a DDT and gets a much needed breather.

They botch a tornado DDT with AJ being shoved off and both guys are down again. The Pele puts Lesnar down again but Brock is right back up with another German suplex. AJ sends him outside though and the slingshot forearm has Lesnar in more trouble. They’re doing really well with the hope spots here. Brock gets sent knee first into the steps and there’s another running forearm.

Back in and AJ hits a Lionsault of all things, followed by the springboard 450 for a close two. Another F5 is countered into the Calf Crusher but Lesnar rams Styles’ head into the match for the break. Well that works. The F5 is escaped for the third time and the Phenomenal Forearm is good for two. AJ goes outside one too many times though and it’s the F5 for the pin at 15:16.

Rating: B+. In a way I was hoping Jinder would interfere and cost AJ the match as I’m still not a fan of the champs getting pinned clean. At least it was to Lesnar and in a great match though. Lesnar was trying out there and that’s probably more than you would have expected had Jinder been the opponent. This was the match I was hoping for though so we’ll call this a solid win.

Long recap of the main event. Smackdown invaded Raw, then they invaded again, then Raw invaded Smackdown. Let’s have an all-star elimination match.

Raw Men’s Team vs. Smackdown Men’s Team

Raw: Kurt Angle, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, HHH, Braun Strowman

Smackdown: Shane McMahon, Bobby Roode, John Cena, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura

Shane charges at Strowman (so much for Angle promising to start the match) and gets LAUNCHED across the ring, freaking Shane out. It’s off to Orton vs. Joe with a shoulder dropping Orton like he’s nothing. Neither finisher can hit and it’s time for a standoff. Balor comes in to face Nakamura in what could be classified as a dream match. The fans chant NXT and then what sounds like USA until Nakamura takes him against the ropes for the head on the chest.

Nakamura misses a kick and has to avoid a double stomp, giving us a standoff. HHH comes in to face Nakamura, who tells him to COME ON. A kick to the face drops HHH as Cole keeps referring to Nakamura as Shin. The facebuster is somewhat botched as HHH winds up on his back, meaning it’s off to Roode. The slugout goes to Roode until he walks into a spinebuster. Roode grabs one of his own but can’t hit the Glorious DDT.

Instead it’s Angle (complete with stars and stripes gloves) coming in to roll some German suplexes. Nakamura comes in, gets in a cheap shot on Strowman, and strikes away at Kurt without much effort. Joe and Balor get dropped as well before HHH’s Pedigree attempt is countered into another kick to the head. Strowman gets in but Nakamura scores with a middle rope knee. Not that it matters as the running powerslam eliminates Nakamura at 11:22.

Roode comes in next with the Blockbuster for no count as Braun kicks him away before one. A second attempt misses though and the second running powerslam makes it 5-3 at 12:22. Joe tags himself in and it’s time for an argument. Smackdown is smart enough to let HHH and Angle nearly come to blows until Orton breaks it up. Shane gets to slug it out with Joe but Orton powerslams Joe down. Everyone clears out until it’s Orton/Cena vs. Strowman for a heck of a showdown. Strowman gets knocked outside but Cena gets dropped with a single right hand.

It’s time to load up the announcers’ table but Shane comes over to help (along with Nakamura, who is still here for some reason) with a triple suplex to drive Strowman through. Joe (who, along with Strowman’s partners, didn’t fall into a hole somewhere) breaks up Shane’s elbow, only to have Cena come in for a running clothesline. A big boot puts Cena in the corner and the Rock Bottom out of the corner looks to finish him…..until Balor and Joe get in an argument. The AA plants both guys and a second gets rid of Joe at 18:04.

Angle comes in to face Cena with Kurt taking him down rather easily. The slugout draws the BOO/YAY chants and Cena scores with a ProtoBomb. Angle picks the ankle though and it’s an Angle Slam for two. The Coup de Grace sets up another Angle Slam and Cena is gone at 21:55. So it’s Orton/Shane vs. Strowman/Balor/HHH/Angle. Balor kicks away at Orton but makes sure to dropkick Shane into the barricade. Another shotgun dropkick looks to set up the Coup de Grace but Orton rolls away, setting up the RKO to get rid of Balor at 23:35.

HHH comes in and gets shoved into the ropes to crotch Angle on top. Cue Owens and Sami to go after Shane (as you knew was coming) but the boss fights them off with a chair. Strowman comes in to go after Orton and the running powerslam makes it 3-1 at 26:35. Shane is all alone now and stays on the floor with no counting from the referee. Strowman is waiting on Shane until HHH tags himself in instead. Cole thinks brother vs. brother-in-law is the MOST AMAZING THING HE’S SEEN IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES but Angle tags himself in instead.

A Russian legsweep gets two on Angle and the jumping back elbow gets the same. There’s the Angle Slam into the ankle lock with Shane looking at the ropes and then crawling back into the middle of the ring. And then HHH breaks it up and Pedigrees Angle to give Shane the pin at 32:02. Strowman stares HHH down as Shane is holding his ankle. That’s about it though as HHH Pedigrees Shane for the pin at 34:18.

Rating: D. Well that was awful. Much like in the women’s match, most of the people were just there to fill in spots while the stars (read as the old people) were all that mattered. They had me believing that Shane might be the sole survivor out there and somehow, that wasn’t the most impossible thing in the world. This was terrible for the most part, outside of the opening ten minutes or so where they were just doing crazy combinations. After that though, this was ALL about Raw and the McMahons looking awesome, which was the last thing this show needed to do. Really bad booking to what should have been awesome.

Post match HHH celebrates as Strowman looks confused. Strowman grabs him by the throat and chokes him in the corner, telling HHH to never try to play him again. A Pedigree attempt is swatted away and back to back running powerslams end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. So to recap, the elimination matches were awful and everything else ranged from very good to awesome. It’s like they know the one big idea they want to go with (Asuka looking awesome, which worked, and whatever the ending to that main event was, which didn’t work) but have no idea how to get there. The booking was all over the place tonight and that made for a very trying evening at times.

However, the good stuff, which thankfully was a lot more common than the bad, was quite good with the champion vs. champion matches all delivering, plus a very solid Shield vs. New Day match. It made for a good theme to the show, despite the rather annoying build that it took to get there. That word annoying brings us to the real problem with this show.

The commentary tonight might have been the most annoying I’ve ever heard it be, including the days of heel Michael Cole. All night long it was this stupid “my show is better than your show” nonsense which adds nothing to the show and feels like they’re just running their mouths for the sake of an idea. It came off like forcing a concept into the show and that got old in about five minutes. Saxton was annoying, Booker sounded stupid, and Cole put on his old cheerleading uniform. It was a major problem, though thankfully not enough to knock a good show off course.

Results

Shield b. New Day – Super TripleBomb to Kingston

Raw Women’s Team b. Smackdown Women’s Team – Asuka Lock to Natalya

Baron Corbin b. The Miz – End of Days

Usos b. The Bar – Superfly Splash to Sheamus

Charlotte b. Alexa Bliss – Figure Eight

Brock Lesnar b. AJ Styles – F5

Raw Men’s Team b. Smackdown Men’s Team – Pedigree to McMahon

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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Survivor Series 2017 Preview

This is always one of my favorite shows of the year but my goodness they’ve stacked the heck out of this one. Over the last two weeks, this show has gone from looking pretty mediocre to one of the biggest cards they’ve put together in a long time. With the champion vs. champion matches and the normal elimination matches, there’s a lot of potential here. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Enzo Amore(c) vs. Kalisto

We’ve seen this one a few times now and this seems like the final showdown between the two of them. Amore and Kalisto traded the title back and forth and now it’s time for a new challenger to come along. On paper this should be a one sided match as Kalisto is far more talented and athletic than Amore, though that’s not always as simple as it sounds.

Since he’s the only thing of value on “205 Live” at the moment, of course I’m taking Amore to win here. He’s just a bigger deal than Kalisto, who came off like a challenger of the month rather than someone who could take the title long term. Odds are someone interferes to help Amore retain and we move on to a new challenger on Tuesday. Perhaps Cedric Alexander or the debuting Hideo Itami perhaps? But yeah Amore retains.

Shield vs. New Day

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here: this is a dream match. People don’t give it the credit that it deserves as it’s a thrown together match, but this really is one of the biggest matches WWE could put on. Both teams are among the biggest trios in WWE history (with Shield pretty firmly on top) and they’re both probably guaranteed to go to the Hall of Fame one day.

Now of course I’m taking Shield, as they’re freshly back together and need a signature win as they’re being reestablished. New Day has shown that they can take a loss here and there without really falling down the card. At the same time, Shield losing a big match is a legitimately big deal, which is why there’s no need to have New Day go over here. Shield wins, likely via a spear to Kofi Kingston.

Baron Corbin vs. The Miz

This is the first of three champion vs. champion matches with the battle of the midcard titles. These two have actually bickered a bit on Twitter, which is about all the build this match has been able to warrant. I’m not a fan of having champions facing off but it’s not like WWE can come up with anything else but this simple idea.

I’ll take Miz to win, likely due to some interference to distract Corbin. Of course that makes the Intercontinental Title seem more important than the US Title, but that’s hardly a shocking revelation. Miz is getting close and closer to the most combined days as Intercontinental Champion of all time, which would be quite the accomplishment for someone who was never supposed to amount to anything. Miz wins, even though no one should.

Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss

We’ll continue with the champion vs. champion theme here as we look at the Women’s Champions battle. Charlotte picked up the Smackdown Women’s Title earlier this week in a big emotional moment, thanks to the return of her father Ric Flair. Bliss is no slouch though and has surprised a lot of people with several of her wins.

However, Bliss is just holding the title until Asuka can kick her head in, meaning Charlotte wins here. I can’t imagine Charlotte losing so soon after winning the title, even in a match that doesn’t mean all that much. Bliss needs the win more to help build her up for Asuka but there’s too much going against her in this case.

Raw Women’s Team vs. Smackdown Women’s Team

This comes down to the difference in talent. At the end of the day, “Monday Night Raw” is completely stacked here with captain Alicia Fox as the only weak link. Over on “Smackdown Live”, as was the case last year, it’s Becky Lynch and four warm bodies (though Naomi has improved dramatically) and that’s probably not enough to carry things.

Barring a big surprise, I can’t imagine the “Smackdown Live” women have enough to pull this off. How are you supposed to combat two of the Four Horsewomen, Asuka and Nia Jax? With Carmella? Or maybe Tamina? There’s just not enough firepower on the “Smackdown Live” side to pull this off, especially with Charlotte out of the picture.

The Bar vs. Usos

Another champion vs. champion match here and another case where the champions haven’t even held their belts for two weeks yet. This has the potential to be a heck of a fight, though I have doubts about how well WWE is going to pull it off. Somehow on a four hour show they might manage to not give it enough time, which is where a match like this should shine.

I’ll go with the Usos here, for the sole reason of “Smackdown Live” needing to pick up some wins. The Usos have the longer and better resume, though the Bar has gotten a lot more tolerable in the last year. Let them have some time and a hot finish and this will work as well as it needs to, even if there’s no reason to have two tag divisions at the moment (or ever for the most part).

Raw Men’s Team vs. Smackdown Men’s Team

Two weeks ago, this match was looking pretty boring. Now, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman, who were fighting each other in the main event of “Summerslam 2017” a few weeks ago are (very arguably) fighting for the right to be the SEVENTH most successful wrestler in a match. This match is absolutely stacked and has one of the highest levels of talent you’ll ever see.

I’ll take “Smackdown Live” to win here though as you can have Strowman get counted out and Randy Orton score some quick falls off RKO’s to get rid of some names. Then if “Monday Night Raw” wins the overall series, Kurt Angle can crawl back to Stephanie McMahon (the real boss of the company) and keep his job. In other words, McMahon looks powerful and everyone else looks like a goon. As usual.

Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles

And hey, another dream match! Again, two weeks ago we were looking at Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal and now we’re getting this beauty instead. Styles is someone who seems capable of pulling a classic out of Lesnar and, assuming it’s not Suplex City all over again, this should be a heck of a fight. Hopefully Lesnar doesn’t get lazy again, though I think Styles will be enough to avoid that problem.

I’ll still take Lesnar to win here, as he’s just a bigger deal than Styles. If nothing else we don’t want Lesnar looking weak for his match five months from now against Reigns, because that’s really what so much of this is all about. At least we can get a great match on the way there though, which is a lot more than I would have guessed coming into the previous match.

Overall Thoughts

I don’t remember the last time a Survivor Series was this stacked. Actually I don’t remember the last time almost any show was this stacked. There are a ton of huge matches on here and that could make for a heck of a night. Even if WWE screws up some of them, there’s more than enough good stuff around to make up for it. I’m coming into this with high hopes and hopefully they nail it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

Smackdown – November 14, 2017: Under Siege III: It’s About Time

Smackdown
Date: November 14, 2017
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re finally ready to wrap up the Survivor Series build but first there are two more title matches to get to, both of which could change how things look heading into Sunday. Tonight United States Champion Baron Corbin will defend against Sin Cara and Women’s Champion Natalya will defend against Charlotte. Let’s get to it.

The Smackdown roster is in the back with Shane giving them a pep talk (which doesn’t need a microphone). Becky Lynch and Baron Corbin are all fired up and Shane says John Cena, who isn’t here, will be ready. New Day starts a SMACK-DOWN ROCKS chant and Shane joins in. I really can’t wait to get past Survivor Series so we can get over this A-Show vs. B-Show stuff, which won’t be changed a bit by whatever happens on Sunday.

Here’s Daniel Bryan for a chat. Bryan has liked the build so far and thinks Smackdown is ready for anything Raw can throw at them tonight. He’s proud of everyone in the back and on Sunday they’ll prove that they’re better than Raw. Bryan brings out AJ Styles and has a special offer for him: his own personal advocate for the evening, ala Paul Heyman.

AJ says yes so Bryan goes into a Heyman impression before saying he agrees with every point Heyman made last night, save for one. The point is Lesnar quits whenever he’s put in trouble, like when he quit to a weak kneebar. AJ is going to push Lesnar into deep waters and test him like the Beast has never been tested before. Styles finally gets to talk and says he’s ready to prove that he’s the best in the world.

Post break AJ runs into Jinder Mahal, who says he’ll give AJ a real beating after Lesnar gets done with him.

US Title: Baron Corbin vs. Sin Cara

Baron is defending. Cara starts fast with some quick strikes and a dropkick sends Corbin to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Cara fighting out of a chinlock and striking away before a clothesline sends Baron outside. A chokebreaker is countered into a rollup and Cara’s springboard spinning crossbody gets two. Deep Six gets Corbin out of trouble but Cara kicks him outside again, this time for a middle rope moonsault. Not that it matters as End of Days retains Corbin’s title at 7:14.

Rating: D+. Pretty much a nothing match here but at least they wrapped up the Corbin vs. Cara stuff in one definitive ending. Cara was fine for a short term challenger but Corbin needs something a little more substantial going forward. It wasn’t terrible but with about half of it in commercial and Cara not having much of a chance, they didn’t have much to work with out there.

Long recap of Smackdown vs. Raw over the last eight days.

The bosses are in the back to say there’s never been a more important Survivor Series. Oh come on. This isn’t even the most important one Shane has ever been in. The point though is Bryan wants to talk to Shane after Sunday because he was never consulted about the siege.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Natalya

Charlotte is challenging and we’re ready to go after Big Match Intros. Natalya gets in a few shots to the back but Charlotte powers out without much effort. A hard charge sends Natalya into the barricade for two and Charlotte kicks her in the face for good measure. Back from a break with Charlotte rolling out of a surfboard and chopping away. A spear cuts Natalya down again but only gets a delayed two.

Natalya bails to the floor but gets kicked down from the apron to cut things off again. Charlotte takes too long going onto the, barricade though, allowing Natalya to powerbomb her into the post for a big crash. Back in and the mostly dead Charlotte gets caught in the Sharpshooter, only to power crawl to the ropes. Charlotte kicks her in the face and grabs the Figure Eight for the tap out and the title at 10:34.

Rating: C+. Now that’s more like it. I’m not entirely surprised by the title change and that’s a good thing in this case. There was no need for Natalya to face Alexa Bliss and, probably more importantly, it keeps Charlotte and Asuka apart, hopefully setting up a huge showdown later on. Oh and what happened to Alexa Bliss threatening to come watch the match?

Post match Charlotte says this is all she’s wanted every single day. That means a YOU DESERVE IT chant until Charlotte can dedicate the title win to Ric Flair…..who actually comes out to celebrate with her as she leaves.

Bludgeon Brothers video. They debut next week.

Jimmy Uso vs. Chad Gable

Jimmy chops away but gets his knee taken out, allowing Chad to grab a dragon screw leg whip. Back with Chad missing a moonsault but landing on his feet. Jimmy superkicks the knee out, followed by the running Umaga attack for two. A rolling Liger Kick drops Jimmy and Chad throws him head first into the middle rope for a different kind of offense. Gable goes after Jey for no apparent reason, allowing Jimmy to hit a superkick for the pin at 6:21.

Rating: C-. Again nothing to see here but they do keep this feud going for after the pay per view. Gable and Benjamin could get a big title shot on TV down the road, which is about as good of an idea as Smackdown has at the moment. The Usos and New Day were the division for so long and they really need some fresh blood.

The announcers plug everything coming up this weekend.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens aren’t happy with not being on Sunday’s show because they’re better than Shield and New Day.

Before the main event, New Day says Shield has thirteen title reigns between the three of them. New Day however has about twenty seven. Big E.: “Though to be fair…..most of those were Kofi.” They compare hounds to unicorns, which should be one sided because New Day Rocks.

New Day vs. Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn

It’s Xavier/Big E. here and some Unicorn Stampeding has Sami in early trouble. Owens comes in but eats the Honor Roll as the New Day beating continues. Big E. wheelbarrow slams Woods onto Big E. and Sami gets knocked out to the floor. Kevin trips Woods though and we take a break. Back with Woods in a chinlock but he fights out without much effort. The hot tag brings in Big E. for the suplexes and throws, followed by a flip dive from Woods. Everything breaks down….and here’s Shield. We’ll say the match is thrown out at about 10:00.

Rating: C. This was a big match but there’s only so much you can do when it’s all there for the post match brawl. There’s nothing wrong with that though and the match was a big deal while it lasted. New Day is one of the biggest acts on Smackdown at the moment and that’s a good idea given how charismatic they really are.

Sami and Owens bail to the floor, leaving New Day to get beaten down. The Usos come in but the Bar cuts them off. We see the Raw women’s team invading the Smackdown women’s locker room for the big brawl with Charlotte taking the big beating. Back in the arena, Samoa Joe and Finn Balor run in along with others, only to have Shane lead some reinforcements. Shinsuke Nakamura starts striking away but Kurt Angle shows up to bring out Braun Strowman for the real house cleaning.

Everyone brawls to the floor where Shield surrounds Shane McMahon. Shane has to watch as Smackdown is decimated on the floor, including Samoa Joe breaking the trombone over Big E.’s back. Angle gets in the ring and asks Shane how this feels before a TripleBomb plants the boss. Angle takes off his jacket and gives Shane an Angle Slam. Strowman watches as it’s a second TripleBomb to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The ending segment needed to happen and did exactly what it was supposed to do. We’ve been waiting for Raw to get their retribution and it really was a better moment with Shield as the monsters (read as the Shield, not Reigns on his own). Great ending segment to a good enough show that made me more interested in one of Sunday’s bigger matches.

Results

Baron Corbin b. Sin Cara – End of Days

Charlotte b. Becky Lynch – Figure Eight

Jimmy Uso b. Chad Gable – Superkick

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. New Day went to a no contest when Shield interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

Tables Ladders and Chairs 2017 Preview

Let’s get this in as fast as I can before another performer is taken off the card due to illness. In a rare case, two top level wrestlers scheduled to appear on this show have been taken off the card due to medical issues. That changes the whole dynamic of the show, but that doesn’t mean the show is worse as a result. It should be interesting to see where the card goes from here so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox

So this might have been scheduled to be Nia Jax in Fox’s spot but Jax not getting to face Asuka was enough to make her leave the promotion for the time being. Banks already made Fox tap out earlier in the week on “Monday Night Raw”, which makes me wonder what the point is in having the match all over again. Maybe they’re trying to convince us that there will be a surprise ending?

If that’s what they’re going for, I’m certainly not buying it. I have no reason to believe that this won’t end with another Bank Statement and there’s really no reason for Fox to win the thing. Fox is nothing more than a warm body for Banks to defeat and there’s nothing wrong with that. Banks is someone who is going to fire the crowd up as soon as she comes into the arena and that’s exactly what you want a dark match to do. Good choice for a match, but not exactly a questionable ending.

Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto(c) vs. Enzo Amore

Over the last few weeks of “205 Live”, I’ve been finding Amore more tolerable than I have in recent months. However, that doesn’t mean he’s any less annoying that he’s been for the last…well ever actually. Kalisto won the title a few weeks back and it seems that we’ve just been counting down the time until Amore gets the title back for the sake of making “205 Live” interesting again.

In other words, of course Amore gets the title back here as Kalisto is little more than a quick way to make Amore a two time champion. It helps that they let him keep the belt for more than a few days, though it doesn’t make things any better. Amore dominates any show he’s on and that can get old in a hurry. I get why he’s around and he’s a necessary evil, though that doesn’t make him getting the title back any easier. So yeah, Amore wins, much to the rise of my blood pressure.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

This is the first of the two lineup changes we’ve had to undergo as Styles is replacing Bray Wyatt, who has been taken off the show due to medical reasons. That’s a major problem as Wyatt was supposed to debut Sister Abigail and Balor was supposed to bring back the Demon character. It seems that Balor will still be the Demon in what is now a glorified dream match.

I’ll take Balor to win as “Monday Night Raw” shouldn’t have one of its top stars lose, especially with a potential World Title challenge in the next few months. That’s a problem when Styles seems to be up next for Smackdown World Champion Jinder Mahal. However, the tie goes to the wrestler with home roster advantage so I’ll take Balor winning in a heck of a classic.

Women’s Title: Alexa Bliss(c) vs. Mickie James

This is the classic “I’m young and awesome and you’re old and lame” story which could very easily be set up for the sake of giving James the big feel good win, only to have Bliss get the title back in very short order. On the other hand, it could be little more than a way to give Bliss a quick win and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I’ll take Bliss to retain here, though the idea of giving James a win is tempting. James has been teasing tying Trish Stratus’ record for the most Women’s Title reigns in company history though I don’t think they’ll actually pull the trigger. Bliss can move on to facing someone else (hint: her name rhymes with Shaska) later on and James isn’t going to lose anything if she doesn’t pick up the title. So yeah, Bliss retains, even though I’m not feeling as sure as I was just a few days ago.

Asuka vs Emma

Did you now that Jesse Ventura and Roddy Piper filmed a pilot for a cop show back in the 1980s? The show was called “Tag Team” and it was looking strong to be picked up but that never quite came together. Now what does this have to do with the match? Well nothing, but what else am I supposed to talk about for the build towards this one?

Of course Asuka is going to destroy Emma and of course that’s what should happen. Asuka hasn’t lost since she came to WWE and Emma is little more than an appetizer before she gets on to someone more important and/or a bigger challenge. Emma was the obvious option for this as she can get destroyed and lose nothing, mainly because she has no value in the first place. Asuka wins here and it’s a glorified squash at worst.

Cedric Alexander/Rich Swann vs. Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick

To paraphrase a certain song: “This is filler. Filler night. And no one’s gonna save you from this match actually being on pay per view.” Yeah there’s no hiding the fact that this is taking place because the main event if featuring eight people and they need something else to fill in part of the card. It’s nice that the cruiserweights are getting another spot on the card but it’s the popcorn match of the night.

I’ll take Alexander and Swann to win here and I’m not particularly sure why. Neither of them is interesting and while the story worked well enough, they’re just showing how unimportant the rest of the division really is. There’s a story to the match (revenge, basically) and that’s all well and good, but if the participants feel so unimportant, the match isn’t likely to be worth watching.

Seth Rollins/Dean Ambrose/Kurt Angle vs. Miz/Kane/Braun Strowman/The Bar

Hokey smoke what a match this has turned into. The original idea, and the match the entire show was built around, was the Shield vs. these five, though Roman Reigns was taken out due to another medical issue. That leaves Angle to fill in and….I have almost no idea what to think of the change. Angle is a special attraction and I’d like to see him get built up for a lot longer, but desperate times call for bad builds.

I’ll definitely take Rollins/Ambrose/Angle as there’s just no reason to have any other option. Angle is probably a one off appearance and there’s nothing wrong with that. Hopefully he doesn’t die or something in the ring, though that’s almost par for the course whenever Angle gets in the ring. The match should be violent, but Kane, Cesaro and Sheamus are all there to take a fall for any of the winners and that’s the way to go.

Overall Thoughts

This is an interesting show as the whole thing has been turned upside down in the span of a few days. The top two matches have been thrown out (well only somewhat in the main event’s case) yet somehow the show is even better on paper than it was just a few days ago. I could go for a long Balor vs. Styles match and Angle…well let’s just hope he’s ok. The show’s gimmick has gone from interesting to something I only remember because of what the show is called, which isn’t the best sign. This show really is a once in a long time situation and it could be interesting to see how WWE handles things.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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