IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 30, 2005
Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re finally finishing up the year with this one, as the road to the Royal Rumble begins. There are a few things to wrap up first and hopefully we go out with some of them being finished off. I’m not sure what we’ll be covering tonight, but maybe things can work out better than usual for a change. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Chris Benoit and Booker T.’, on crutches, in Teddy Long’s office. Booker has a knee injury and can’t wrestle in match number five of the best of seven tonight. He’s already up 3-1 though so just make him champion. Long thinks it should be a forfeit, but Booker wants to find a substitute. That’s fine with Benoit, so the series is still on.

Opening sequence.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Matt Hardy

Rematch from the pay per view, with JBL saying he doesn’t have matches anymore but rather only sends messages. Jillian Hall is here with JBL as well. Matt jumps him to start so JBL nails a big boot to cut that off in a hurry. A neckbreaker sets up the elbow drops as it’s almost one sided so far. Another shot to the face sets up a choke on the ropes and a belly to belly suplex to keep Matt down.

There’s a running shoulder as well, allowing Jillian to distract the referee so JBL can take off the buckle pad. Matt uses the delay to send JBL into the buckle for two but JBL puts him on top. Cue the Boogeyman but JBL hits the super fall away slam and the Clothesline From JBL anyway. JBL heads outside to hide behind Jillian though, allowing Boogeyman to throw the worms at her. Instead of fighting, JBL runs into the crowd for the countout.

Rating: D+. JBL was squashing him until the screwy ending because Matt is still in big trouble after Survivor Series. That might be a little harsh, but it’s not like Matt had any major momentum when he came over from Raw. Nothing to the match of course, but at least someone new is getting a push. That has been the case as of late and some of them have been better than others. I’m not exactly thrilled with Boogeyman getting a chance, but maybe it can work.

Orlando Jordan wants to be Booker’s substitute but Sharmell shuts that down by asking how many times Benoit made Jordan tap. Booker tells him to get his heels to clicking. He wants Jordan to dance?

Mexicools vs. The Dicks

Psicosis works on Chad’s arm to start so it’s quickly off to James. That goes badly as well but Chad gets in a cheap shot to take over. Chad’s clothesline gives James two on Psicosis and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Psicosis gets over to Super Crazy to pick up the pace. Chad is knocked off the apron and into the lawnmower, so it’s a missile dropkick to James. The moonsault finishes James.

Rating: C-. Speaking of new wrestlers who are worse than others, you have the Dicks. The Mexicools may have a stupid gimmick, but at least they can back it up in the ring. The Dicks….egads man. They’re not a horrible team but what in the world are they supposed to do when their entire existence is built around a joke?

Booker talks Randy Orton into replacing him in the series by asking if taking a whipping from Undertaker is how he wants to end 2005. Orton is in.

We recap Melina’s failed attempts to talk Batista out of the Tag Team Title match and the ensuing title change.

Here’s Melina, flanked by what looks to be a lawyer, for a press conference, with reporters and photographers around one whole side of the ring. Melina can barely say anything here over the Batista chants. She calls herself a role model and says she was recently the victim of a sexual predator.

Yes she flirted with Batista but then it turned into something horrible. Batista used his power as World Champions (Does that include heat vision?) to coerce her into sexual relations and now she knows the truth about him. Melina’s body is her temple, not his for the taking. That is why she is suing him for sexual harassment. Fair enough and while I doubt this goes anywhere major, it fits well for someone like Melina.

Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit

Match #5 in the best of seven series with Booker T. up 3-1, meaning he wins the title if Orton wins here. Booker and Sharmell are on commentary, with Booker insisting that his injury is absolutely real. The early Crossface attempt is blocked and Orton rolls outside for an early break.

Back with Orton headlocking Benoit on the mat before sending him shoulder first into the buckle. Booker continues the longest sentence ever until Orton gets two off a suplex. Benoit is right back with an armbar as Sharmell rants about Booker deserving the title already. A headlock has Orton in trouble so the announcers compare the series to a football comeback.

Orton powers up and sends Benoit over the top for a crash and the brawl heads to the floor. Benoit gets belly to back suplexed onto the barricade so we can hit the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up after a decent while but Benoit still can’t get the Crossface. We take another break and come back with Benoit going shoulder first into the post so the armbar can go on.

Benoit hits an enziguri for the double knockdown and then grabs Three Amigos for the extended knockdown. The Swan Dive misses and you can hear Booker’s relief. Benoit loads up the Sharpshooter so here’s Sharmell with the crutch for the DQ. Booker: “A fan just ran into the ring!”

Rating: B-. This was picking up a lot near the end but it needed to lose about five minutes in the middle. It doesn’t help that the ending doesn’t make a ton of sense. Why would you have Sharmell come in for the DQ if there was even the slightest chance that Orton could have survived? If he taps or if Sharmell comes in, the result is the same, so why not take your chances for the title?

Post match Benoit chases off Booker and Sharmell but walks into the RKO.

Funaki brings Cruiserweight Champion Kid Kash out to the platform (which still exists) for a chat. Kash brags about being a great champion but the fans don’t like him because he beat a nothing champion. Funaki: “WHAT IS A JUVENTUD???” Apparently he looked it up and it’s a Mexican salamander. Kash wants to know why everyone around here is foreign, including sushi boy. Funaki doesn’t know what to say so Kash brainbusters him on the platform. For some reason I remember seeing this one as it aired, even though it’s nothing all that impressive.

Finlay is coming soon. Cool.

The trailer for Kane’s new movie See No Evil is out next week!

Sylvan doesn’t like being in this ugly city for the new year so he has a resolution for the people here: they need to appreciate him, because he’s handsome.

Bobby Lashley vs. Sylvan

Sylvan jumps him to start and is quickly knocked outside. Back in and Sylvan slugs away, only to get suplexed right back down. A right hand sends Sylvan to the floor and he’s done because you don’t touch his face.

Batista isn’t worried about Melina because it’s about retaining the Tag Team Titles.

We look at Melina’s announcement again.

Tag Team Titles: MNM vs. Batista/Rey Mysterio

MNM is challenging and the distressed Melina is with them. Mercury and Mysterio start things off and a Nitro distraction completely fails, allowing Rey to hit a dropkick for two. Batista comes in to double clothesline the two of them in the corner and it’s back to Rey for two off the springboard splash.

We take a break and come back with Mercury being sent face first into the corner but managing to drag Rey into the corner. That’s fine with Rey, who spins around into a headscissors on Nitro. Rey loads up a springboard but gets superkicked outside, where Mercury works on the knee.

Back in and Nitro cranks on the knee as well, setting up a double legdrop for two. We go old schoolish with the Brock Lock for all of five seconds before Mercury goes to more of a standard leglock. The knee gets wrapped around the ropes and Nitro takes some imaginary pictures. There’s another stomp to the knee but Rey manages to jump over Mercury. A DDT plants Nitro and the diving tag brings Batista back in.

House is cleaned in a hurry but Mercury breaks up the Batista Bomb. Rey hurricanranas Mercury into the corner but the referee is bumped. Cue the returning Mark Henry (out since February 2004) for the gorilla press into the yet to be named World’s Strongest Slam. Mercury comes back in to steal the pin and the titles.

Rating: C. There’s a lot to unpack here and I wouldn’t have bet on that coming in. First of all, at least the titles are back where they belong after Rey and Batista got done borrowing them for their champions vs. champions match. It wasn’t hard to see that coming and that’s not a bad thing. On the opposite end, it was very hard to see Henry coming in as Batista just stood up and then got jumped. They did that well and I like it better than watching Henry come down the aisle. Finally, it’s about time someone came after Batista alone, as he hasn’t defended the title on TV since No Mercy on October 9. Pick up the pace champ.

Overall Rating: C-. The ending helped a bit but this was a pretty lackluster match outside of that angle and Benoit vs. Orton. Then again it’s the end of the year and they don’t have anything going on until they need to get ready for the Rumble so I’ll take the one angle at the end over nothing. Not terrible, but a rather skippable show.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 23, 2005
Hosts: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the holiday season and since Raw was over in Afghanistan, it’s Best Of time. That’s a good thing for a change as the show could be a nice look back at a hit or miss year. Sometimes you need a little breather and not having a show two days before Christmas should help a bit. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick video package on the year.

Cole and Tazz welcome us to the show and talk about what a great year it was.

We’ll start off with the biggest name around.

From Wrestlemania XXI.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Batista

HHH is defending and has Ric Flair with him, plus Motorhead plays him to the ring, just in case you thought Batista was cooler. I mean, you can barely understand the words because Lemmy butchers it in a great Brutus Beefcake impression but HHH rising up through the stage makes up for it a bit. Batista doesn’t get much of a pop, mainly due to the lack of the famous band performing his music.

The early power lockup lets them drive each other to the ropes but it’s only good for a standoff. They do it again with HHH’s running shoulder having no effect other than waking HHH up a bit. Another shoulder drops Batista but he’s right back up with something close to a powerslam. Batista hits a backdrop, only to have HHH knock him outside to cut the momentum off again.

Flair’s distraction lets HHH send Batista into the steps and Flair gets in some choking with the jacket. Back in and HHH gets two off a suplex, setting up more Flair choking. Whatever emotion the fans had for Batista after that HHH entrance is long gone now as HHH has beaten him down for about seven of the eight minutes the match has been going so far. Batista slugs away but walks into the spinebuster, because of course HHH needs to hit a spinebuster as he dominates Batista in the biggest match of Batista’s career.

A backdrop breaks up the Pedigree attempt but HHH is RIGHT BACK with the facebuster, leaving him on defense for all of three seconds. HHH goes up and gets clotheslined out of the air to no reaction as the fans are gone. They’re smart enough to realize that HHH is going to cut Batista off again and, as expected, Batista charges into a big boot in the corner just a few seconds later. Batista sends HHH over the corner, only to have HHH whip him into the steps.

The Pedigree onto the steps is countered into a catapult into the post and we’ve got some blood. Back in and it’s time to hammer on the cut as the fans finally have something to cheer about. The big running clothesline in the corner rocks HHH and a powerslam gets two as there isn’t quite the energy in the offense that you would expect. It feels like they’re just doing stuff to fill time until the ending instead of of building something up.

Batista sends him outside but goes after Flair, allowing HHH to grab the chair, which hits the referee by mistake. Flair’s belt shot is countered with a spinebuster but HHH’s belt shot gets two. The fans react to the kickout and Batista hits the spinebuster for the big reaction. That’s too much cheering for HHH’s liking so he hits Batista low. Batista blocks the Pedigree with raw power though and hits something like White Noise. The Batista Bomb finally makes Batista champion.

Rating: C. It was miles better than Cena vs. JBL but egads this didn’t do Batista any favors. This was more about giving HHH a big sendoff as champion than making Batista look like a star and….I can’t say I’m surprised. Batista has looked so dominant and smart for the last six weeks that HHH probably couldn’t help himself from cutting him off. HHH did put him over, but it could have been a lot stronger without HHH beating him up and outsmarting him for the first half of the match. Much like the previous match though, it’s all about what comes next rather than what happened here, but HHH made sure to make himself look good.

We take a quick look at JBL’s Celebration of Excellence on February 24.

From April 28.

Booker T. vs. Big Show vs. John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Kurt Angle

Elimination rules for the #1 contendership and Orlando Jordan is here with JBL. Angle already has the straps down so you know this is serious. The brawl is on in a hurry to start with Show cleaning house, even knocking away a German suplex attempt. A legdrop crushes JBL and sends Booker flying off a toss. Show crushes all three of them in the corner but Angle pops out with an Angle Slam for one.

Booker adds the ax kick for two and the Clothesline From JBL gets the same. They knock Show outside for the huge Angle Slam through the table….and a countout for the elimination. In a four way? That’s a creative way to get rid of him, even if it goes against the general rules of the match. We take a break and come back with Booker fighting out of the corner but crotching himself off a missed sidekick.

A whip into the steps slows JBL down and Angle suplexes Booker for two. JBL comes back in and walks into a Book End for two but Angle is right back with the rolling German suplexes for the same on Booker. Neither the Angle Slam or the Book End can connect so Angle picks the ankle. That’s broken up as well so Angle hits the Slam for two more. Booker’s superkick gets his own near fall as Jordan slides in a chair. That earns him an ejection and the distraction lets Angle chair Booker in the head for the second elimination to get us down to one on one.

We take another break and come back with JBL slightly cut open and Angle fighting out of a chinlock. The ankle lock goes on but gets broken up just as quickly and there’s the fall away slam. The Clothesline hits the referee though, just as Angle gets the ankle lock. JBL calls out the Bashams for the save so it’s a bunch of suplexes all around. That includes some rolling German suplexes to JBL and the ankle lock gets the tap, which no one sees. Cue Booker to chair Angle down, allowing JBL to steal the pin and the title shot.

Rating: B-. Booker vs. Angle made this work rather well, even when the ending was as obvious as you could have gotten. They have made no secret about the fact that this was JBL’s win the entire way and that’s fine. It makes the most sense and you can have the other three get title shots later on if they want to. Not a great match, but it got around the clear finish and that’s kind of hard to do.

Long video on Tribute to the Troops.

From January 6.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

Fallout from last week’s Tag Team Title match. Rey brings out the 619 Cam but Eddie steals it for some filming of guest timekeeper Joy Giovanni. We get started with Rey snapping off a headscissors but getting caught in a test of strength. That’s broken up with Rey climbing onto Eddie’s back for two off a sunset flip, meaning it’s an early standoff. Back up and it’s another headscissors to rattle Eddie some more.

Rey charges again but this time he gets faceplanted down, setting up an armbar on the right (not left Cole) arm. The hammerlock goes on for a good bit until Rey makes the rope, with Eddie not letting go immediately. Rey tries a moonsault but gets caught in the Tree of Woe for a dropkick to the ribs. Eddie misses a charge though and crotches himself against the post as we take a break.

Back with Rey holding something like an abdominal stretch on the mat before switching to an armbar. An exchange of sleepers goes to Rey, followed by a springboard armdrag. Rey gets two off a Lionsault and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so Rey dropkicks him into the ropes, only to miss the 619. Eddie chills in the corner so Rey tries a Bronco Buster, which is blocked with a raised boot.

It was NOT a low blow though (Eddie promises) so Rey takes him up top but the hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb. A missed charge bumps the referee though and Eddie has an idea. It’s the old grab the title spot so he throws it to Rey….who throws it right back and drops down as the referee gets up.

Eddie crawls around on his stomach to hide the title and INSISTS that he did not use the belt. He tries to crawl over and throw it away but gets caught, giving us a hilarious look on his face. Rey cracks up and Eddie tries to convince the referee that it means Rey did it. That’s almost a double DQ but Eddie’s begging keeps the match going….and lets Rey small package him for the pin.

Rating: B-. Well of course these two had a fun match, but the ending was hysterical with Eddie going so over the top when he had no idea what to do in the situation. His NO and HE’S LAUGHING got some actual laughter and they did it for the right reason. How often do you get that in wrestling?

Cole and Tazz talk about how they will miss Eddie.

We get the Here Without You video on Eddie, which is still incredible.

Video on the Boogeyman.

Video on the new talent who came to the show this year.

We look at Chris Benoit winning the US Title in less than thirty seconds at Summerslam.

Cole and Tazz talk about Booker vs. Benoit, with Cole referring to Sharmell as Booker’s “Lovely wife I guess you’d call her.” Tazz: “It is his wife.”

From October 21, 2005.

US Title: Chris Benoit vs. Booker T.

Benoit is defending and Sharmell is here with Booker. They fight over a lockup to start and it’s a clean break in the corner. Booker actually wrestles him down but Benoit slips out and catches him with a hiptoss. Back up and Benoit’s hammerlock doesn’t get him far as they go into the corner for some chops. Booker misses the side kick though and crashes out to the floor, only to avoid Benoit’s dive to send him into the announcers’ table.

Back from a break with Booker holding a chinlock and whipping him hard into the corner for two. The chinlock goes on again so Benoit fights up again and hits a running forearm for two of his own. It’s time to roll the German suplexes to freak Sharmell out again. The Swan Dive gives Benoit two but Booker is back up with a kick to the face. That lets him head up top but Benoit superplexes him down, albeit with a slip on the way. The referee checks on Booker, allowing Sharmell to hit him low. Booker nails the ax kick for the pin and the title.

Rating: B. It’s the expected good match between these two, though the Sharmell stuff was as annoying as ever. She’s a heel, but she’s the kind of heel where she’s more pesky than evil. Benoit feels like a transitional champion as he spent most of his reign beating up Orlando Jordan in thirty seconds so the loss doesn’t mean much. At least Sharmell will have something else to complain about now.

We recap Sharmell yelling at Booker to motivate him, setting up the heel turn and US Title win.

From Survivor Series.

Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown

Raw: Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Carlito, Chris Masters

Smackdown: Batista, Bobby Lashley, John Bradshaw Layfield, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio

Entrances take forever of course and Rey gets some very loud EDDIE chants. Orton takes Shawn into the corner to start and then does it again for a bonus. Shawn gets in a whip to the other corner to set up some chops as commentary is already bickering. Orton gets in a slam but misses the knee drop so it’s off to Masters. The knee the face works fine on him but it’s quickly off to Lashley, who tosses Masters around.

Carlito gets the tag so Lashley pulls him in and hits a running powerslam for two. It’s back to Shawn, who gets knocked down as well. There’s the Dominator to Carlito but Kane saves Shawn from the same fate. A Kane chokeslam from the apron lets Shawn get rid of Lashley, who wasn’t nearly the factor you would have bet on after the last few weeks. Rey comes in and dropkicks Shawn in the knee as Cole says he’d love to see this dream match. I know he has a short attention span but he can’t remember something from less than two weeks ago?

Kane comes in and gets dropkicked down but is right back up for a big boot. A backbreaker gets two on Rey and we hit the backbreaker. Rey fights out in a hurry though and it’s off to Batista for the shoulders in the corner. A spear into the spinebuster gets rid of Kane but here’s Show for an immediate chokeslam. That’s good for two but Kane is back up for a double chokeslam to get rid of Batista. JBL’s middle rope shoulder is pulled out of the air by Big Show but Orton snaps his throat across the top.

The Clothesline From JBL into the 619 into the RKO into another Clothesline From JBL into the springboard seated senton FINALLY gets rid of Big Show and we’re down to 3-3. Everything breaks down and JBL hits Shawn with a fall away slam on the floor as Masters plants Rey. Carlito comes in for a legdrop and the chinlock goes on. Rey fights up and gets a blind tag from JBL, who blasts Carlito with the Clothesline for the pin.

Masters comes in next and gets hammered down as Shawn is still out on the floor. Rey comes back in and avoids a charge into the post, setting up the 619. Dropping the Dime gets rid of Masters and it’s down to Shawn vs. Orton/Mysterio/JBL. Rey throws Shawn back in and hits the 619 but the West Coast Pop is Sweet Chin Musiced out of the air for the pin. JBL tries the Clothesline but Shawn ducks and superkicks him out for the back to back pins in about fifteen seconds.

That leaves us with Shawn vs. Orton but neither finisher can hit. Orton bails to the floor so Shawn hits a slingshot dive as the fans want Undertaker. Back in and Shawn hits the forearm into the nipup but JBL is still here and brings in a chair. That earns him another superkick but Shawn walks into the RKO for the final pin.

Rating: B. This was good enough and was absolutely the main event of the show. Even though this was for completely meaningless bragging rights, it worked this time because that was something fresh. It’s the difference between doing it once and doing it every year: this time felt like they had built something up instead of throwing it out there because it was November. It also helps when you have Shawn at his best playing the underdog and Orton being great at this match. This nearly identical formula worked in 2003 and it worked here too.

Post match the Smackdown locker room comes in to celebrate….and we’ve got druids. They bring out a casket and stand it upright as the gong hits. Lightning strikes the casket and it is lit on fire, with Undertaker walking out. Undertaker destroys the roster as the Ortons get to the outside. The big staredown with the throat slit ends the show.

Quick look at Undertaker vs. Randy Orton, including the Cell match.

Cole and Tazz wrap it up.

Overall Rating: C+. They did a nice job of looking at the high points of the year, which is hard to do in the course of an hour. Of course they had to leave some stuff out (like John Cena being the star of the show for about five months) but they hit the big stuff and that’s what they should be trying for with something like this. 2005 wasn’t a great year, but they made it look good enough so well done.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Smackdown
Date: May 22, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re on the road to Backlash and that means the Intercontinental Title tournament is still ongoing. We have two more first round matches tonight and that means we could be in for some interesting showdowns. Other than that, we need to build towards the pay per view and see what we have coming up. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Memorial Day video, which is starting early this year.

Opening sequence.

We open with the Dirt Sheet, where John Morrison’s abs are now certified social media influencers. Miz can’t believe that Otis is Mr. Money in the Bank and goes on a rant about how Braun Strowman teamed together. Miz: “It just makes no sense.” Morrison: “Like Becky Lynch choosing to have a child with Seth Rollins.” Morrison can’t believe that the Universal Champion is the one that Bray Wyatt replaced with puppet animals. Miz: “Bray Wyatt had the choice between Braun Strowman and stuffed animals. HE PICKED STUFFED ANIMALS!”

We have a special feature tonight: rejected Firefly Fun House puppets, all of whom don’t think much of Strowman. One of which is Mandyquin Rose, whose power is to whisper plans into Otis’ ears. Mandyquin: “Not everything about Braun is a monster.” Morrison: “TOO FAR!”

Cue Strowman to say the show isn’t half bad. Now ask him about Bray’s puppets at Money in the Bank. Miz can’t believe that Strowman thinks Bray is done with him. Miz fought Bray Wyatt and it spiraled into the lowest point of his life (and it only took him about a week to bounce back) but Morrison was there to help him. Morrison doesn’t think much of Strowman and manages to get him a match against Miz next.

Miz vs. Braun Strowman

Non-title. Miz slugs away to start and is knocked down with a single forearm to the chest. The running shoulder puts Miz down again and the dominance is on. A low bridge puts Strowman on the floor and Morrison adds a Flying Chuck. Strowman posts himself by mistake and Miz kicks him in the head. The short DDT is blocked though and Miz is driven into the corner. There’s the big toss and the running powerslam finishes Miz at 3:45.

Rating: C-. Miz got some stuff in here but he and Morrison, even combined, shouldn’t be any real threat to Strowman at this point. It’s not a very good match but that wasn’t the point of something like this. Odds are we get Morrison vs. Strowman next week and that’s the end of it as Bray comes back for the PPV title match.

Post match, Morrison challenges Strowman to a handicap match for the title at Backlash. Strowman says it’s on.

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Styles has officially been traded to Smackdown for wrestlers to be named later. AJ’s headlock is reversed into the same thing from Nakamura, followed by a shot to Styles’ throat. That just earns Nakamura the dropkick, setting up the forearm off. Nakamura kicks him down and we take a break.

Back with AJ hitting the Pele to give us a double knockdown, with AJ up first for the fireman’s carry backbreaker. The Calf Crusher sends Nakamura to the ropes so he can snap off a Landslide for two. The sliding knee gives Nakamura two and he grabs a triangle choke. That’s broken up in an awesome counter into a one armed Styles Clash for two. AJ is sent to the apron and cuts Nakamura off with a kick to the head, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B-. These two always work well together, though AJ’s sudden face turn was a little jarring. I can go with that though as the trading wrestlers is something that would be fine for a logical storyline explanation of various moves. It’s certainly better than the Brand To Brand thing and a four guest star punch card.

We recap Charlotte stirring the pot between Bayley and Sasha Banks last week.

Bayley doesn’t want Sasha in her corner tonight so she can prove what she can do on her own. Banks doesn’t seem thrilled.

Charlotte vs. Bayley

Non-title and the announcers talk about this like it belongs at Wrestlemania. They also make it clear that this is another part of the Brand To Brand Invitational for Charlotte so that’s two in a row. Bayley tries an early rollup with feet on the ropes but the referee isn’t having it. Charlotte tries the same but only gets one without getting caught. After dropping Charlotte onto the apron, Bayley misses a baseball slide so Charlotte can drop her with a clothesline. Charlotte tosses her over the barricade and calls Sasha out here so she can beat both of them up at once.

Back from a break with Bayley fighting out of a chinlock but being knocked down in a hurry. Charlotte misses the moonsault though and seems to tweak her knee so they go outside. Bayley rams her into the apron and barricade to put her in real trouble, meaning it’s time to hammer away back inside. The chinlock goes on as we hear about Charlotte defending the title against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley at Takeover. This is noteworthy as it was first reported by TV Guide, who always has someone on the NXT beat.

Charlotte fights up with a fall away slam and sends Bayley face first into the middle buckle. The moonsault misses again (the knee seems fine) so Charlotte hits the big boot for two instead. Bayley kicks her into the corner but the top rope elbow hits knees. That doesn’t hurt Charlotte’s knee either so it’s off to a Liontamer.

That’s reversed into a rollup for two and Bayley sends her head first into the middle buckle for a receipt. The kickout makes Bayley shout at commentary before chopping away at a kneeling Charlotte. Bayley’s Figure Four attempt is blocked with a right hand and Charlotte chops her down in the corner. They fight over a rollup and Bayley grabs the ropes and trunks for the pin at 14:58.

Rating: C+. This worked well enough but it wasn’t exactly the epic that they were going for. Part of that comes from the fact that Bayley does not feel like she’s on Charlotte’s level, despite having practically held the title for a year straight. She’s a distant third to Charlotte and Becky Lynch and a single win over Charlotte, after commentary reminded you how great Charlotte was every chance they could, isn’t some game changer.

Post break Bayley and Sasha are all good.

Otis/Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler

Otis slams Ziggler down to start so it’s quickly off to the women. Sonya sends Mandy into the corner and shouts a lot as Ziggler whips Otis into the steps. Back from a break with Sonya chinlocking and then kicking Mandy as Otis is up on the apron to shout a lot. Mandy fights up and makes the hot tag to Otis to clean house, including the running splash in the corner. The Caterpillar is loaded up but Ziggler gets over for the tag to Sonya. Mandy’s running knee sends Sonya into the corner and a running dropkick gets two. Sonya knees her in the face though and a running knee finishes Mandy at 9:35.

Rating: D+. Mandy really isn’t very good in the ring and it doesn’t help that Sonya is outclassing her every step of the way. Sonya has been bringing it on the microphone and completely outshined her in the ring here. Sonya just feels way more complete and polished at this point and it is becoming more and more clear every week.

Post match Ziggler hits a superkick to Otis for a bonus.

Jeff Hardy is ready for one more run and it starts with the Intercontinental Title. What better way to kick things off than by beating up a bully like Sheamus?

In Memory of Shad Gaspard. Just a graphic, an hour and a half into the show.

The Forgotten Sons say their blood is on the fans’ hands. Therefore, the fans’ blood should be on their hands.

Long recap of Miz/Morrison vs. Strowman. It was barely an hour ago and we need a long recap? The match is officially set.

Miz isn’t thrilled with Morrison making the challenge but Morrison talks about Strowman’s record in handicap matches. They even quote Sun Tzu about how to get ready, sending them into a Renee Young assisted HEY HEY HO HO dance.

We recap Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy.

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus

Sheamus powers him into the corner to start so Hardy grabs a headlock to take things to the mat. Back up and Jeff hits a running forearm, only to get blasted with a running elbow to the face. The ten forearms to the chest are blocked and Jeff hits a dropkick through the ropes. The dive off the apron is blocked though and Sheamus drives him into the post. That’s not all though as Hardy gets bounced hard onto the announcers’ table. Sheamus shouts at Cole for spending four weeks putting Hardy over as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus dropping a knee and leaving it on Hardy’s face for a bonus. A hard clothesline lets Sheamus talk trash, only to have Jeff fight back with a dropkick. Whisper in the Wind drops Sheamus but Hardy’s delayed cover only gets one. Sheamus grabs the Irish Curse and hits it two more times for a bonus.

Hardy is so out of it that Sheamus can even dance a bit (Graves: “I GOT YOU SHAME-O!”) but Sheamus misses a charge into the post. The basement dropkick gives Hardy two and they head outside, with Hardy hitting the clothesline off the barricade. Back in and the Swanton hits knees to give Sheamus two more. The Brogue Kick misses and Hardy grabs a rollup for the pin at 14:09.

Rating: B. I don’t have anything major to complain about here as they told a good story of Hardy being physically outmatched but surviving long enough to win in the end. It’s a well told story both in the short and long term while also giving us a good match here. Sheamus doesn’t lose much by getting pinned by a legend and can complain about something that cost him the win. I liked this a good bit and it was well put together and executed.

Here are the updated brackets, with the semifinals next week:

Daniel Bryan

Jeff Hardy

AJ Styles

Elias

Overall Rating: B-. This was one of the better shows in a long time and the tournament has a lot to do with that. By having something to build the show around, it keeps things from going too nuts and you can see where a lot of the things are going. It’s not perfect as the Charlotte overkill is on full blast and Strowman vs. Miz/Morrison at the pay per view sounds horrible. I liked the show a lot more than I didn’t though and it was one of the better pandemic episodes.

Results

Braun Strowman b. The Miz – Running powerslam

AJ Styles b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Phenomenal Forearm

Bayley b. Charlotte – Rollup while grabbing the ropes

Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler b. Mandy Rose/Otis – Running knee to Rose

Jeff Hardy b. Sheamus – Rollup

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 16, 2005
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Attendance: 3,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the go home show for Armageddon and that means it’s going to be a lot more about Undertaker vs. Randy Orton. That’s the most logical way to go when there isn’t much else of note on the card. We do have the Raw vs. Smackdown tag match, but that’s hardly the most thrilling story in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Undertaker’s supernatural stalking of Orton last week. Looking at this all together makes it look a lot dumber.

Opening sequence.

Boogeyman vs. Nunzio

Boogeyman is officially “the weirdest superstar in sports entertainment history”. Vito is here with Nunzio and I can’t imagine that is going to help. The arena is full of smoke and Boogeyman shrugs off some early shots. Worms are consumed and the pumphandle powerslam is good for the fast pin.

Post match, Nunzio is wormed as well.

The roster is watching in the back and Sylvan is disgusted. There are probably twenty people back there. Get more monitors.

Bob Orton is having Randy see a sports psychologist before Sunday.

We look at Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels in the Cell.

Randy is on the psychologist’s couch and says he sees Undertaker everywhere, from in the car next to him to in the mirror behind him. The doctor wants to hear about the Cell and Orton freaks out about the idea even more. He needs some sort of control and the doctor tells him to pick one of two roads before him.

Batista is getting ready when Melina comes in and starts rubbing his shoulders. MNM is ready for their match against Batista and Mysterio but they have to face the Mexicools on Sunday. If Batista will withdraw from the match, she can make it worth his while. Melina winds up on his lap and the camera is no longer needed.

We see some of the Armageddon press conference. How low on the list do you have to be to get that assignment?

Kid Kash vs. Super Crazy

Kash is confused by having all three Mexicools here. Or maybe he’s wondering why they’re on riding lawnmowers. No seriously, why are they on riding lawnmowers? Who thought that was a good idea? Crazy monkey flips him to start and Kash is staggered early on. Kash heads to the apron and grabs a neckbreaker over the top rope to take over. Some knees and kicks keep Crazy in trouble but he grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crazy hits some dropkicks for two and a DDT sets up the moonsault….which only hits mat. The brainbuster gives Kash the pin.

Rating: C. Completely watchable match here as we get ready for Sunday’s title match. I’ll give them points for trying anything else in the cruiserweight division as there is only so much you can do with the same three or four people over and over. Kash might not be the best choice, but he’s better than the same matches over and over for years.

Randy gets done with therapy and tells Bob that he needs to make a decision. We’ll see what that is later.

Melina puts her shirt back on and Batista adjusts his trunks. Melina says they have a deal. Actually no, but Batista thanks her for the warmup. He’s ready to go kill MNM. As usual, Batista comes off as being smarter than everyone else around him, which was an important part of what got him over in the first place.

Video on Tribute to the Troops.

Video on Mysterio/Batista vs. Kane/Big Show.

Tag Team Titles: Rey Mysterio/Batista vs. MNM

MNM is defending and Melina is ticked at Batista. Mercury and Rey start things off and there’s the required EDDIE chant. Mysterio starts in on the arm and gets two off an early sunset flip. It’s off to Batista as the arena is still full of smoke from the entrances. Nitro’s superkick is blocked and Batista hammers away in the corner. Mercury comes back in and his forearms have as much effect as you would expect. The champs are both clotheslined to the floor and Rey adds a moonsault to send us to a break.

Back with Rey headscissoring Nitro for two and hitting ten right hands to Mercury in the corner. A distraction lets Nitro hit a slingshot powerbomb for two and there’s a clothesline to the back of Rey’s head. Nitro grabs a backbreaker into a Russian legsweep and Melina pulls Rey outside for a crash.

Back in and Mercury drives Rey back in to keep the ring cut off, because old school wrestling still works if it is done right. Melina has to offer a distraction so the champs can pull Rey back into the corner. Mercury takes him up so Rey snaps off a super hurricanrana, finally allowing the hot tag to Batista. Everything breaks down and the 619 hits Melina. The Batista Bomb finishes Mercury for the pin and the titles.

Rating: C+. This was a formula tag match to make Sunday’s Raw vs. Smackdown match champions vs. champions. Odds are the titles will change back in a few weeks (at most) and while it is annoying that MNM lose the titles again, it’s not like this is anything more than a short form title change. And the Melina/Batista deal was funny for a bonus.

We look at Undertaker chokeslamming Rikishi off the Cell.

Bobby Lashley vs. Paul Burchill

William Regal is with Burchill. Lashley throws him outside to start and hits some shoulders to the ribs in the corner. A belly to belly into the Dominator finishes Burchill in a hurry.

Matt Hardy is ready for Booker T. tonight when JBL, on crutches, interrupts. That’s not cool with Matt, though JBL knocks him down anyway, triggering a brawl.

Teddy Long talks to the psychologist, but the session with Randy is confidential. He thinks the Cell match is barbaric and storms off.

Batista and Rey are happy with their win so here’s Randy to interrupt. Randy congratulates them and we get a tense handshake.

Armageddon rundown, with JBL vs. Matt Hardy added.

One time, Undertaker threw Mankind off the Cell.

Matt Hardy vs. Booker T.

JBL is on commentary and Sharmell, with a broom, is in Booker’s corner. Joined in progress with Booker knocking him into the corner but Matt slugs him over the top. A JBL distraction lets Booker kick away and the chinlock goes on. Matt fights up and hits a neckbreaker into a bulldog for two. There’s the Side Effect to set up the top rope legdrop for two more but Sharmell offers a distraction. JBL gets in the Clothesline and Booker hits the ax kick for the pin.

Rating: C-. Just a match here as we set up Matt vs. JBL on Sunday and keep Booker warm for the US Title match. It’s not like Booker loses anything by having someone interfere either, making this a fairly well put together match. Not that the match itself was good, but the setup was and that’s more important.

Randy tells his dad that yes, he is sure about this.

Video on Tribute to the Troops.

Here’s Randy for his big announcement. He has accomplished a lot in his career, including his Survivor Series success and being a certified legend killer. What he’s learned now though is no one can’t destroy the legend of the Undertaker. Undertaker has destroyed everyone in the Cell but that won’t happen to him.

When he was on that couch, he realized something. He isn’t going to have his grandkids on his lap and let them believe that he gave up. So he’s going out on top, meaning he’s retiring right now. He’s killing his own legend, right now. Cue Teddy Long to say not so fast. If he doesn’t show up on Sunday, it’s going to be a big lawsuit. Randy isn’t happy….and there’s the gong.

Cue the druids followed by the Undertaker so Orton immediately begs off. One of the druids pulls out the urn and it’s Bob Orton, allowing Randy to jump Undertaker. The RKO drops Undertaker but he sits up, meaning Randy chairs him right back down. Another (unprotected) chair shot to the head still can’t keep Undertaker down, though it can bust him open. It’s an urn shot to the head. Orton unloads with the chair and promises to end Undertaker to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was almost all about the Orton vs. Undertaker and Raw vs. Smackdown matches, which works out well enough. Sunday should be a big event and then Raw gets to take the next night off because of Tribute to the Troops. Then we can get on to the Royal Rumble build, which could go a few different ways this time around. Not a bad show here, but it’s getting close to the finish line before we can start the new year in a big way.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 15, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

As is the case on almost every show these days, it’s time for a tournament, as we have to crown a new Intercontinental Champion. It isn’t clear who will be in the tournament or how many entrants there will be, but at least we have something to keep a smaller number of wrestlers busy for the time being. Let’s get to it.

Here is Money in the Bank if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Money in the Bank match/matches.

Miz and John Morrison are here for MizTV and here’s Otis before he is introduced. Otis even throws in a cartwheel on the way to the ring. Miz: “Have a seat.” Otis: “Right here?” Miz: “Where else would you sit?” Eh Otis will stand instead. This is the second biggest win of his career because the biggest was winning his peach Mandy. Now the briefcase contains various stomach aides and a bratwurst. We see a photo of baby Otis and Morrison thinks Otis is pregnant.

Now it’s a shot of Otis and his mom, who helped him with school because he had a learning disability. Then we see Otis as a kid in trunks and wrestling boots. With the gyrations going, Otis says if you’ve got it, flaunt it. That’s too much for Miz as he can’t believe Otis has gone this far, won the briefcase and got the girl too. Miz wants a tag match tonight so get Tucker out here. Otis: “Tucker got a case of disenbary on the Oregon Trail.” Miz says Otis can find anybody so good luck.

It’s tournament time and we’ve got brackets:

Daniel Bryan

Drew Gulak

Jeff Hardy

Sheamus

Elias

King Corbin

AJ Styles

Shinsuke Nakamura

The lack of Ziggler makes me smile.

We look back at Elias vs. Corbin.

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Elias vs. King Corbin

Elias hammers away to start but gets pulled into a chinlock for his efforts. That’s broken up and it’s a clothesline to put Corbin on the floor. Elias hits a big dive to drop Corbin again so it’s time to go to another side of the ring. Corbin grabs the guitar for some strumming and gets sent into the barricade for his efforts.

Back from a break with Elias’ rope walk being broken so Corbin can hammer away on the announcers’ table. Back in and the slide underneath the rope clothesline gives Corbin two. Elias gets in a swinging neckbreaker for a breather, followed by the reverse swinging neckbreaker for two. A spinebuster gives Corbin the same and there’s a chokeslam for another near fall. Corbin is so annoyed that he destroys Elias’ guitar so Elias knees him in the face. A small package gives Elias the pin at 15:53.

Rating: C-. Who in the world thought Elias vs. Corbin needed fifteen minutes??? This ran longer than it needed to but the amount of relief from the lack of Corbin is a great thing. I’m not sure what to expect on that side of the draw now, but you can almost guarantee that these two will meet at least one more time.

Otis asks Sheamus to be his partner and that’s not happening.

Post break Mandy Rose comes up to Otis to ask how things are going. Mandy suggests asking Braun Strowman. That sounds like a good idea and Otis throws in a kiss on the cheek.

The hacker pops up to say he hears everyone and sees everything. No one is safe. The cameras show everyone again.

Otis asks Strowman about the tag match and while Strowman isn’t sure about Otis’ motives, he’ll think about it.

Naomi vs. Dana Brooke

Naomi is annoyed at the loss in the Money in the Bank qualifying match but gets knocked into the corner to start. Dana tries to start a clap, realizes no one is there for it, and hits a handspring elbow in the corner. Naomi gets a boot up in the corner and hits a high crossbody, which is rolled through and then rolled through again to give Naomi two. A quick victory roll attempt is countered into a rollup to give Dana the pin at 1:22. This wasn’t good while it lasted with a lot of sloppy moves and looking like they were on different pages more than once.

Here’s Charlotte as part of the Brand To Brand Invitational. She talks about how awesome she is because she’s tall, talented and a Flair. Cue Bayley and Sasha Banks with Bayley laughing about how she is the role model and how she has beaten Charlotte twice now. Charlotte points out that it took her being unconscious and Bayley’s haircut to make that work. So just go back to Raw or NXT and beat up Liv Morgan. Charlotte talks about how Sasha made Bayley relevant and goes over Sasha’s impressive resume. Bayley tries to talk for Sasha so Charlotte says cut her mic so Sasha can reply for herself. Bayley is ready to fight, but Charlotte asks Sasha is her own woman or Bayley’s lackey. Sasha doesn’t answer.

The Forgotten Sons talk about being in the military and then being forgotten once they got back home. They weren’t welcomed with open arms so now they’re fighting back with closed fists. This took about thirty seconds and gave us an introduction to the characters with a quick backstory. That’s all you need most of the time and this told you everything you need to know about them.

Miz and Morrison don’t think Otis will get a partner. Dancing ensues.

Intercontinental Title Tournament First Round: Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak

They shake hands to start with Bryan spinning out of a wristlock. Bryan takes him down by the arm and gets the YES Lock but Gulak is in the ropes in a hurry. Gulak gets the Gulock for the same result and it’s an early standoff. A double underhook has Gulak in trouble and he blocks an armbar attempt. Back up again and Drew dumps him over the top in a suplex attempt as we take a break.

We come back with Gulak holding a headlock and shrugging off a shinbreaker to keep hold. Bryan fights up and snaps off a German suplex for two, only to get caught in a Michinoku driver for the same. Gulak stays on the neck with a full nelson but Bryan slips out and hits another German suplex. The running knee misses and Gulak’s sunset flip gets two, leaving Gulak to powerbomb Bryan for two. Neither can get their finisher so Bryan twists the knee down again. A heel hook goes on to make Gulak tap at 12:26.

Rating: B. I liked their match at Elimination Chamber and this one worked too. These two know how to wrestle a technical match like few others and we had a heck of a showdown here. Gulak isn’t ready to beat Bryan and it’s not like it’s a big downgrade for him in losing. Bryan is a favorite to win the whole thing and this was a rather good first step.

Post match Bryan talks about having to vacate the title almost exactly five years ago. He has always wanted to make the title the top championship on Smackdown by defending it every week because he is the best wrestler in the world. Bryan and Gulak shake hands.

Next week, Bayley vs. Charlotte, the other two first round tournament matches and Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler vs. Mandy Rose/Otis.

Sonya talks about how Mandy is only good at being pretty and once that is over, she’ll wind up barefoot and pregnant with Otis shouting to bring her another beer. Maybe that’s what she wants but Mandy will never be a winner like Sonya. What matters is Sonya is going to ruin her life and she’s just getting started. Sonya: “B****.” She really has been bringing fire with these promos and someone is going to notice.

Otis/??? vs. Miz/John Morrison

The partner is….Strowman. I’d love it if one time it wasn’t he teased partner and was instead someone like Bo Dallas. Otis drives Morrison into the corner to start so Morrison kicks him in the head. Gyrating gets Otis out of trouble and he faceplants Morrison for a bonus. Morrison gets knocked down again and it’s off to Strowman for a double Caterpillar as we take a break. Back with Miz front facelocking Otis before the YES Kicks connect for two. Otis suplexes both of them down at the same time and it’s back to Strowman to clean house. Miz is ran over on the floor but Strowman goes shoulder first into the post. Morrison strikes away until Strowman catches him with the powerslam for the pin at 9:38.

Rating: D+. That’s all it needed to be as this was about putting Otis’ toe into the main event waters. It’s going to be a good while before Otis goes after the title, assuming he actually gets that far. Normally I would say I can’t imagine the title change taking place, but who would have imagined Otis getting here in the first place?

Post match here’s Mandy Rose and the distraction lets Otis think about using the briefcase. Strowman sees it coming though and Otis says it’s just for a laugh. Celebrating ends the show instead.

Overall Rating: C-. This was the Otis Show and I’m not sure how well that is going to go over with the masses. Otis got over rather well under certain circumstances, but what happens if/when the fans are sick of seeing him? Having Otis be the focal point of the show could backfire, but it’s WAY too early to tell if that is the case just yet. Other than that, the show was good enough because of the tournament and it’s nice to see them having a focus again.

Results

Elias b. King Corbin – Small package

Dana Brooke b. Naomi – Rollup

Daniel Bryan b. Drew Gulak – Heel hook

Otis/Braun Strowman b. Miz/John Morrison – Powerslam to Morrison

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 9, 2005
Location: Colonial Center, Columbia, South Carolina
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re coming up on the last pay per view of the year and with less than two weeks to go before the show, it is time to start hammering away at the build. The main event being set should help things a lot as we already have Undertaker and Randy Orton stepping inside the Cell. That alone should get them a long way so hopefully they have the rest. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Undertaker vs. Randy Orton.

Opening sequence.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Rey Mysterio

JBL’s eye is heavily bandaged after it was DANGEROUSLY poked last week. Of course he didn’t walk out on Rey Mysterio last week. He left because he was injured, but since he is JBL, he’ll wrestle without the patch. What a hero! Rey is banged up as well, sporting some heavily taped ribs. JBL hammers away in the corner until Rey hits a dropkick and right hands of his own. Just to be evil, Rey pokes him in the eye a few times. That’s enough to send JBL outside so Rey hits a slingshot dive. Back in and Rey loads up the 619 but Orlando Jordan runs in for the DQ.

Post match Batista makes the save, triggering Teddy Long for the tag team match (he’s getting the cadence down).

Bob Orton can’t talk Randy Orton out of calling Undertaker out.

Here are the Ortons, with Randy being more serious than usual. Randy is THIS CLOSE to snapping….and then the lights start flickering with his video playing on the screen, albeit in reverse a few times. With things back to normal, Randy says he wants Undertaker in this ring right now. Nothing happens so Randy sounds a bit more desperate, until the gong strikes. We see clips of Undertaker in the Cell, complete with a quote from….Ralph Waldo Emerson? The Dante quote (Abandon all hope, ye who enter here) is more appropriate because Randy is on the highway to h***.

Using a dry erase board, Booker explains that he’s going up 3-0 over Chris Benoit tonight.

Joey Mercury vs. Super Crazy

Melina, Johnny Nitro and the other Mexicools are here too. Mercury’s opening headlock doesn’t last long as Crazy hiptosses him a few times. Crazy sends him outside and, after mocking Mercury’s hair, misses an Asai moonsault. That lets Mercury hit a running clothesline and the middle rope elbow gets two back inside. Crazy skins the cat (on the bottom rope for a change) and kicks Mercury into a rolling crucifix for two more. A superkick drops Mercury and, after a failed Nitro interference, the moonsault gives Crazy the pin.

Rating: C. Not bad while it lasted with Crazy getting to showcase himself a little bit. This gives the Mexicools some more momentum going into the pay per view title match so it’s a well put together story, even if the match wasn’t long enough to do much. Mercury is always good for a fine enough performance though and that’s what they had here.

Post match Kid Kash runs in to help beat the Mexicools down.

Randy Orton is in the bathroom and sees Undertaker in the mirror. Then there’s no Undertaker. There’s also nothing original about that visual.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Ray Gordy

Hang on a second though as Palmer Cannon comes out to say Kennedy is injured and can’t wrestle tonight. We have a replacement though.

Boogeyman vs. Ray Gordy

Boogeyman grabs a mouthful of worms and throws Gordy around, followed by the pumphandle slam for the fast pin.

Randy almost hits Bob for surprising him. Then he sees blood on Bob’s face as the mind games continue.

Chris Benoit vs. Booker T.

Match #3 in the Best of Seven series with Booker up 2-0 and with Sharmell in his corner. They circle each other for a good while to start until Benoit takes over with a quickly broken hammerlock. Back up and Booker’s forearms to the back are broken up with an elbow to the face. A neckbreaker gives Booker a breather but Benoit snaps off a German suplex for two.

Booker comes back with a hot shot to put Benoit right back in trouble and it’s time to hammer away with right hands. Benoit sweeps the legs and fires off his own right hands, only to get sent chest first into the buckle. A sidekick to the back drops Benoit and we take a break. Back with Booker slugging away even more until he has to cut off a charge with a spinebuster into the corner.

That nasty landing gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Benoit fires off some knees to the ribs to set up the rolling German suplexes. A top rope superplex gives Benoit two more and the Swan Dive gets the same. Booker’s side kicks takes out the referee though and the Crossface goes on. No one sees the tap so Sharmell tries a chair shot. That’s broken up but Booker takes the chair away and blasts Benoit in the back. The ax kick makes it 3-0.

Rating: B-. There’s something groan inducing about the fact that we now have to see four more matches in the series. It’s still good stuff, but the charm is wearing off in a hurry. The comeback should be on starting next time, but it sounds like we could be in for a long road to the final match for the title.

Video on Bobby Lashley.

Bobby Lashley vs. William Regal

Paul Burchill is with Regal. Lashley pulls him in and takes it into the corner, only to get uppercutted a few times. An exploder suplex gives Regal two but Lashley runs him over again. The Dominator is good for the fast pin.

Raw Rebound.

Randy leaves, as Undertaker’s face appears on a screen behind him.

Post break, the Ortons get in their car…..which drives off on its own. Josh Matthews comes up for an interview, but Undertaker possesses him so Josh, in Undertaker’s voice, promises to end Randy in the Cell. Randy runs off.

Armageddon rundown.

Rey Mysterio/Batista vs. John Bradshaw Layfield/Orlando Jordan

Jillian Hall is here as well. Jordan and Batista start things off and the power begins in a hurry. Rey comes in to hurricanrana JBL and a double baseball slide takes the villains down as we go to a break. Back with Jordan working on an armbar to Batista but Batista powers into a suplex for the breather.

It’s back to Rey so the pace can pick up in a hurry and he knocks JBL outside. Rey follows so JBL hides behind Jillian, who slaps Rey in the face. Back in and a super fall away slam bangs up Rey’s ribs for two more. The bearhug stays on the ribs and it’s off to JBL to hammer away in the corner. A waistlock has Rey in more trouble but he slips out and JBL comes back in.

Rey takes him down as well and there’s the hot tag to Batista. Everything breaks down and Jordan posts Batista, leaving Rey to hit the springboard seated senton on JBL. Jillian tries to get involved but it’s a double 619 to the non-Jordan villains. JBL trips over Jillian and blows out his knee so he walks out. That means it’s a 619 into a Batista Bomb to finish Jordan and end the show.

Rating: C+. This was your standard main event style tag match and that’s all well and good. Rey and Batista need the momentum as they head towards the pay per view and it’s not like Jordan losing is going to hurt anything. I’m not exactly thrilled by seeing more Raw vs. Smackdown but it’s not like they have anything else going on at the moment.

Overall Rating: C. The show came and went, as it tends to do, but there is only so much that can be done with such low level and unimportant stories. You can tell they’re on cruise control at the moment and while it’s fine enough, it’s not something that gets me excited to watch the show. It’s no surprise as it happens once a year, but it can get a little old at times.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 8, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Money in the Bank and I’m not sure what else there is to set up. Part of the problem over the last few weeks is building up to a show that is centered around something likely to take place later. That isn’t exactly a thrilling destination, and the TV leading up to it hasn’t been all that strong either. Maybe things can change next week, but this could be a rough one to finish the build. Let’s get to it.

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

Mandy Rose, with Otis, and Sonya Deville, with Dolph Ziggler, are warming up for their match.

Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville

Mandy has a bad leg coming in but goes straight at Sonya in the corner and hammers away. It works so well that she does it again, sending Sonya bailing to the floor. Back in and Sonya hits a running knee for two and we hit the bodyscissors with Sonya shouting about how embarrassed Mandy should be. They head outside with Mandy sending her into the steps and then over the announcers’ table for a big crash. Back in and Mandy loads up the Bed of Roses but Sonya reverses into a rollup with trunks for the pin at 5:02.

New Day/Lucha House Party vs. Miz/John Morrison/Forgotten Sons

Jaxson Ryker is here with the Sons. Miz and Kofi start things off but everything breaks down in a hurry. The villains are sent to the floor and it’s a dive from everyone not named Big E. to take them out. Back from a break with Blake stomping on Big E. in the corner until it’s reversed into an abdominal stretch. The Warrior Splash connects and the House Parts adds three splashes of their own for two.

Kofi comes back in with a top rope stomp to the arm, only to miss a splash into the post. Miz comes in to stomp away, setting up Morrison’s hard running knee to the face. Now it’s Kofi being sent outside for a suicide dive and we take a break. Back again with Morrison hammering on Kofi but Miz gets kicked away….so the Sons pulls everyone to the floor to prevent the hot tag. SOS plants Miz though and it’s the hot tag to bring in Gran Metalik for a springboard flipping seated senton.

Dorado adds a spike hurricanrana into a 450 but the Sons make the save. The Midnight Hour is broken up and it’s the double stomp/reverse DDT combination on the floor to plant Big E. Back in and Dorado gets some rollups for two on Morrison but a backflip Samoan drop (geez) plants Dorado right back. Starship Pain misses and it’s a reverse hurricanrana to Morrison, only to have Miz slip in for the Skull Crushing Finale and the pin at 17:58.

Rating: B-. This was a nice long match where different people got to got out and showcase themselves. If nothing else, it’s nice to see a match about building momentum that might actually has something to do with winning the match on Sunday. I can’t imagine anyone but the Sons leaving as champions, but it was a pretty good match on the way there.

King Corbin is ready to team with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura tonight but he’s looking forward to Sunday. He wants to see how far Rey Mysterio can fly off the roof and knows that Otis will clog the elevator like he clogs his arteries.

Here’s Jeff Hardy for a chat. He’s worked hard to get back here and can still hear the fans in his head. Sheamus is watching in the back and can’t believe this is what he was waiting on for all these weeks. Jeff says he can’t believe Sheamus didn’t interrupt him yet so here’s Sheamus right on cue. Sheamus doesn’t want to hear about Hardy, who has been around forever and done everything around here, wanting one more run. The fans are tired of him and his suspensions, releases and no shows.

Above all else though, they’re tired of the wasted potential. Jeff calls him a hater but Sheamus says he’s really a fan. When is the real Jeff coming back? Jeff says he should ask the same thing about Sheamus, who says Jeff’s flame has barely been burning for too long. Sheamus comes to the ring to extinguish it for good and the fight is on. Jeff slugs away and hits a Whisper in the Wind into the Twist of Fate. The Swanton connects and shouting on the ropes ensues.

Here’s Braun Strowman for a chat. It’s true that he debuted as part of the Wyatt Family but now he’s his own man. Now Bray has been sending him presents to remind him of the past but if Bray has something to say to him, come do it to his face. Cue Bray, with a very enthusiastic “HI BRAUN!”

Bray says that he created Strowman and knows what is best for him. He can teach Braun how to be special and all it’s going to take is the Universal Title. Bray needs to GET the Universal Title and he repeats the line, but Braun isn’t going to say GET THESE HANDS to prove a point. Bray hands him a mask and the puppets pop up to beg him to come home. Braun says he is home and he has the Universal Title. On Sunday, he’s going to keep it.

Maybe it’s Strowman’s delivery but I can’t get behind this feud. It wasn’t like Strowman was a major part of the Wyatts so having him worried about the past doesn’t quite work. The idea makes sense, but I’m not exactly buying into it. That and I have little confidence in Strowman retaining, so it feels like a given ending (even if it might not be one).

Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak have a chat with Otis.

Lacey Evans/Tamina vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Sasha and Bayley play Rock Paper Scissors to decide who starts so Tamina clotheslines them out to the floor. Bayley winds up starting and kicks Tamina into the corner, only to get thrown down with ease. A Sasha distraction lets Bayley get in a shot to the leg and the double teaming begins. Lacey cuts Bayley off on the floor so Tamina can grab her by the hair. Since Tamina isn’t that good though, Bayley snaps Tamina’s throat across the top and we take a break.

Back with a double elbow getting two on Lacey but she’s over for the hot tag to Tamina anyway. Bayley gets crushed in the corner but the top rope splash misses. The Bayley to Belly plants Tamina and it’s the top rope elbow for two. Lacey comes back in with the Woman’s Right to Sasha, setting up the superkick to Bayley. Tamina hits the Samoan drop to finish Bayley at 13:54.

Rating: C-. Hey, remember all those other times where WWE tried to push Tamina and failed to understand that no one cared? This was the most recent. Normally I would say that there is no chance of her winning the title on Sunday but things have been so wacky of late that I could believe they actually go that insane route. Hopefully everything goes back to normal and Bayley retains, because no one deserves that punishment.

Here’s a tour of the WWE corporate headquarters.

Dana Brooke and Carmella are ready to win the ladder match.

The Hacker pops up to show us some clips of people getting ready for Money in the Bank. He also plays a voicemail from a woman saying that not only is it coming, but it is coming soon. The Truth Will Be Heard. This is the most elaborate hype I’ve ever seen for one of R-Truth’s songs.

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura/King Corbin vs. Daniel Bryan/Drew Gulak/???

The mystery partner is…..Otis, as they spoiled about thirty minutes ago. Bryan front facelocks Corbin to start and brings it in to Gulak for a running dropkick. Cesaro comes in and gets planted with a powerslam for two. It’s off to Otis to wreck things, including a running corner splash to Nakamura. The good guys clear the ring and we take a break.

Back with Bryan flipping out of Corbin’s suplex and bringing in Gulak to slug away on Cesaro. Gulak flips out of the corner into some weird chickenwing/Crossface combination until Cesaro powers out. A clothesline puts Cesaro on the floor it’s the Gulock on Corbin until Nakamura makes the save. Otis comes in and jiggles off Cesaro’s shots to the face. Corbin sends Cesaro outside but walks into a middle rope clothesline for two. Not that it matters as Deep Six finishes Gulak at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard six man tag without the most thrilling mystery partner after that opening segment. That being said, it’s kind of amazing that Otis of all people is someone who has grabbed the brass ring like this. He didn’t feel out of place here and that’s a cool thing to see. I can’t imagine he wins the briefcase, though I couldn’t imagine him beating Dolph Ziggler at Wrestlemania so I guess it’s possible. A very tiny bit possible, but possible I guess.

Post match the brawl is on again with Corbin setting up a ladder. A mini ladder match breaks out with everyone involved with Sunday’s match trying to climb. Corbin shoves Bryan off the ladder and onto Otis before pulling down the briefcase to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Maybe it’s just the fact that the show was better than Raw but I enjoyed this well enough. One of the biggest problems with Raw at the moment is the lack of a reason to care about a lot of the people involved. While I don’t care for everyone involved with this show, most of them are at least somewhat established and you either know something about them or what they are trying to do. In other words, the show feels like it has had some effort put into setting everything up.

This show still isn’t great and it’s nothing that I’m going to think about by tomorrow morning, but it’s a watchable show with established storylines, characters and feuds. It’s fine enough and while it didn’t make me want to see Sunday’s show any more than I did coming in, I’ll take something like this over Raw any day. The quality might not have been as great, but it was so much easier to watch overall and that’s what matters most.

Results

Sonya Deville b. Mandy Rose – Rollup with trunks

Forgotten Sons/Miz/John Morrison b. New Day/Lucha House Party – Skull Crushing Finale to Dorado

Tamina/Lacey Evans b. Sasha Banks/Bayley – Samoan drop to Bayley

King Corbin/Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro b. Daniel Bryan/Drew Gulak/Otis – Deep Six to Gulak

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 2, 2005
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s time to start wrapping up the year as we’re on the road to Armageddon and we’re coming off both Survivor Series and the Smackdown Special. The Special helped as it can serve as a launchpad towards the pay per view, since Raw vs. Smackdown was mostly wrapped up on Sunday. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the special if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Randy Orton blowing Undertaker up at the Special.

Here are Randy and Bob Orton to brag about what Randy did to Undertaker. Randy makes it clear that he killed the Undertaker, leaving himself as the only true phenom. He deserves something for what he has accomplished: the World Heavyweight Championship. The fans don’t seem to agree so Randy lists his resume and says he doesn’t care what they think. He calls Batista out for the Armageddon title match and promises to win the title. That’s not arrogance, because it’s destiny.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Animal/Heidenreich, Funaki/Scotty 2 Hotty, the Dicks, Paul London/Brian Kendrick, Nunzio/Vito, Mexicools

Only one member has to be eliminated and the winners get a Tag Team Title shot at the pay per view. MNM comes out to watch and Cole is rather pleased with Melina doing the splits on the announcers’ table. Heidenreich glares down at the champs to start and doesn’t realize that Animal is getting attacked by everyone else. That is broken up in a hurry and Nunzio is out.

Animal accidentally eliminates Heidenreich as well though….and there go the lights as we take a break. Back with everything fine and Scotty having been eliminated during the commercial. The Dicks eliminate London, leaving us with the Dicks and the Mexicools. The Mexicools get the crowd behind them in a hurry but it’s a double fireman’s carry faceplant to drop Super Crazy but Psicosis eliminates both of them at once for the win.

JBL says nothing would have happened if he had been with Rey Mysterio on Tuesday. Tonight, they’ll take care of Kane and Big Show.

Chris Benoit vs. William Regal

Booker T. and Sharmell are on commentary, which hopefully doesn’t bring the match down. Benoit goes after the arm to start and blocks Regal’s escape attempt. The threat of a Sharpshooter earns Benoit some shots to the face and Regal knocks him outside. A ram into the barricade lets Regal slap on a dragon sleeper back inside, followed by putting Benoit’s head against the post.

Regal kicks said head into said post and Benoit is barely getting up. Benoit shrugs off some shots to the head and sweeps the leg but Regal kicks away a Sharpshooter attempt. Some exploder suplexes and a forearm give Regal two but a bloody Benoit snaps off some German suplexes. The Crossface makes Regal tap in a hurry.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of hard hitting and almost brutal match that you don’t get to see very often on a weekly TV show. These two know how to work this kind of match to near perfection and while they didn’t have time to get that far, what we got was rather enjoyable. Regal might have been busted open as well, just for that little extra touch.

Immediately after the match, Benoit dives onto Booker and makes him tap on the floor with the Crossface.

The Ortons are in the back and a clock goes nuts. Uh oh.

Randy Orton vs. Matt Hardy

Orton shoulders him down to start but Hardy is right back with an armdrag into an armbar. A dropkick and elbow to the face give Orton two each and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and they head to the floor for a quick brawl, followed by Matt hitting the Side Effect for two. The moonsault misses though and the RKO gives Orton the fast pin.

Rating: C. And Matt continues to fall, which might have something to do with the whole mess at the end of Survivor Series. Couple that with Orton heading for another big match with Undertaker and this one wasn’t exactly in doubt. At least they had Hardy get in a bit of offense, but it’s pretty clear that he’s done at the moment.

Post match the gong sounds and Undertaker’s voice says this is the man Randy tried to kill. The Ortons try to leave but an explosion keeps them at ringside. Randy goes through the crowd but he runs into a casket as he tries to go through an exit. Back in and ring, the voice talks about how he does the killing so Randy bails through the crowd again. Another explosion scares him back to ringside again so the voice says Orton looks lost. Undertaker knows where he’s going: straight to h***…..in the Cell. So there’s your blowoff match.

Post break Randy panics to Teddy Long, who makes the mat at Armageddon. Teddy isn’t messing with Undertaker so he’s not changing the match.

New interview Kristal Marshall talks to Simon Dean, who isn’t scared of the debuting Boogeyman. Dean isn’t worried because he has the Simon System, featuring a new item. He pulls off a cover and it’s….the Boogeyman’s head, singing Oh My Darling Clementine. Plus eating worms of course.

Raw Rebound.

Simon Dean vs. Boogeyman

And there’s no Simon, so here’s security to drag him to the ring. The arena has a good bit of smoke in it after Boogeyman’s entrance and Dean begs off immediately. Boogeyman busts out the worms and throws them at Simon, setting up a reverse World’s Strongest Slam for the fast pin. Well he certainly debuted, and that’s about as good as it’s going to get here.

Video on the European tour.

Video on Bobby Lashley.

Bobby Lashley vs. Sylvan

Sylvan says people are here to see him and jumps Lashley before the bell. This goes as well as you would expect as Lashley throws him around and hits the delayed vertical suplex. A few shots to the face put Lashley down and there’s a middle rope dropkick for one. Sylvan strikes away and drops some elbows to the back but Lashley pops up. More tossing ensues and it’s the Dominator to finish Sylvan.

Rating: D+. Who in the world decided to give Sylvan this much offense against Lashley? The match wasn’t quite the dominance you would have expected and that took me out of things a bit. The appeal of Lashley is to have him run people over and that’s not what we got here. He didn’t do well at Survivor Series and this didn’t make it any better, so maybe things are slowing down for him.

Big Show/Kane vs. Rey Mysterio/John Bradshaw Layfield

Non-title and Rey is injured coming in. JBL goes after Kane to start and is quickly knocked straight into the corner for his efforts. The threat of an early Clothesline From JBL sends Kane outside so Big Show gets in a right hand. Rey hits the seated senton to Kane from the apron and it’s Big Show coming in. JBL takes out the knee and Rey adds a dropkick, setting up JBL’s top rope shoulder for a good looking knockdown.

Kane gets JBL in the corner though and now the beating is on. A running shoulder gets JBL a breather so Rey tags himself in, only to get knocked down in a hurry. The referee tries to break up a fight with JBL and Kane, meaning it’s a thumb to JBL’s eye. That’s enough for him so he walks out as we take a break.

Back with Show kicking Rey in the bad ribs as the BATISTA chants are going strong. Show stands on the ribs but Rey uses the speed to make Show knock Kane down by mistake. Rey goes after Show’s leg and kicks them both into the ropes, setting up back to back 619s. The springboard is just a bad idea though and Show pulls him out of the air for the chokeslam and the pin.

Rating: C-. JBL was actually showing some fire at the start here and that made things a little better. The lack of Batista was surprising but you can almost pencil him in for the post match save. Rey was trying here and while it did go a little far with how much he could do to Show and Kane, it didn’t go into the ridiculous areas and Show pinned him clean with the chokeslam. Not the best overall, but it could have been a lot worse.

Post match the beatdown is on but Batista finally comes out for the save. Some chair shots leave the Raw guys knocked out to end the show. That sounds like a pay per view tag match to me.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show where the wrestling wasn’t what mattered most, but it did bring things down a good bit. There was some good stuff here with setting up Armageddon and that’s what matters most here. They don’t have much time to get ready for the pay per view so hitting the ground running was the best thing that they could do. Not a great wrestling show, but it set things in motion, as it needed to do.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown Special
Date: November 29, 2005
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

This is a bonus show for the sake of….I’m really not sure actually but it’s airing live and it’s only an hour long. We have two matches this time around with Rey Mysterio vs. Big Show and Match #2 in the Best of Seven series for the US Title. If either of those is good then the show will probably be a success. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Booker T. vs. Chris Benoit

Match #2 in the Best of Seven series with Booker, with Sharmell, up 1-0. Benoit starts fast and snaps off a suplex, followed by a belly to back for two. Booker gets in a hot shot for a breather but Benoit is right back with a northern lights suplex for two more. A backdrop puts Booker on the floor but the dive through the ropes leaves Benoit crashing.

Back from a break with Cole saying this is World Wrestling Entertainment and recapping the story, plus Tazz saying who is in which color gear. Why is that such a rare thing to say? Someone flipping through the channels and seeing this as they come back from a break is told in about ten seconds what is going on and who is who. Do that more often. Benoit fights out of a bow and arrow but gets spinwheel kicked and side slammed for two. Some suplexes (with Tazz explaining the differences) take Booker down and a German suplex cuts off the comeback.

Sharmell offers a distraction but Benoit hits the Swan Dive for a delayed two anyway. They fight to the apron with Benoit being knocked into the barricade for….two, though there might have been a botch as the referee just stopped counting. To Nick Patrick’s credit though, he signaled that Benoit’s shoulder was up so if it was a botch (and it might not have been), Patrick made a great save there. Another German suplex drops Booker but he’s right back with the ax kick for the pin and the 2-0 lead.

Rating: C+. They were hitting each other hard here though you could tell something was off at the end. At least they didn’t get lost or anything though and just had Booker hit his finisher for the fast win. There was nothing here that was bad and they are going to be fine doing (likely) five more matches.

Video on Eddie Guerrero.

Earlier today, Rey prayed for Eddie to be his guardian angel and dedicated his match to him.

Video on Rey Mysterio, explaining the idea of lucha libre as free form wrestling.

Video on Big Show, who is big and strong, including swinging Mysterio, then tied to a backboard, against the post.

Big Show vs. Rey Mysterio

Rey rides out in the low rider to Eddie’s music (walking past a CM Punk sign on the way to the ring) and it’s time to stick and move to start. Show throws him to the floor early on but Rey slips back in and hits a baseball slide. Back from a break with Show throwing him around and hitting a big forearm to the spine. The choking/face shoving is on as Rey shouts for Eddie. There’s an elbow drop, which Tazz says is like a redwood tree falling on a bicycle. So Rey Mysterio is a bicycle. The things you learn on live television.

Show throws him outside and then back in, allowing Rey to hit a dropkick through the ropes. That just annoys Show, who powerbombs him onto the hood of the low rider. Back from a break with Rey biting at the face but Show shrugs him off, meaning it’s a ref bump. Show grabs a chair but Rey takes it away and unloads on him. More shots put Show down and the frog splash connects, drawing out Kane. There’s the double chokeslam so here’s Undertaker to scare Kane off. We’ll say the match is thrown out somewhere in here.

Rating: C-. This is the kind of pairing where there is only so much that they can do and that limit was reached. I did like that they went with the gimmick ending rather than the fluke or even clean finish as there was no need to have either of them take a fall here. Not bad, but you can’t get much out of Rey sticking and moving and then getting beaten up for most of the match.

Post match, Show gets taken down and Kane runs back in to get chokeslammed. A big boot puts Show on the floor but here’s Randy Orton with an RKO (with Undertaker taking it like a swinging neckbreaker). Randy and his dad Bob look at the low rider as Undertaker sits up. With nothing else working, Randy grabs a tire iron from the trunk and knocks Undertaker silly. Another shot to the head with the tire iron knocks Undertaker cold over the back seat so Randy jumps in the car and backs it through the set. Randy gets out and a bunch of explosions go off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It was a quick sit and I liked enough of it so call it a nice bonus. I liked that they treated it like something for new fans, as so much of the regular shows are only for new viewers. That helped a lot here and is something I could go for more often. It’s nothing you need to see, but you can almost guarantee another Undertaker vs. Orton match for Armageddon. Your mileage may vary there, just as it probably will here.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 1, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re almost to Money in the Bank and this time around that means we get to find out who will be filling out the ladder matches. There are two qualifying matches left to go and that means it’s time for at least Wrestlemania rematch. I’m not sure where this is going to go but it could be an interesting show. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Daniel Bryan to open things up. He loves new challenges and he can’t wait to compete in the most unique Money in the Bank match of all time. Now granted he’s a little worried about getting fined for breaking something expensive at Titan Towers. Nine years ago, he couldn’t even get booked on Smackdown and then he won Money in the Bank. Now he knows how important this is and he’s looking forward to the challenge.

Bryan wanted his friend and coach Drew Gulak to be in the match with him but that isn’t happening due to King Corbin. Cue Corbin for their match, but first we need to see a video of him taking out Gulak last week. Bryan brings up Corbin being one of the four people who managed to lose a Money in the Bank cash in so not Corbin is going to teach Bryan a lesson.

Daniel Bryan vs. King Corbin

Bryan takes him down by the leg to start and kicks away before grabbing a leglock. Corbin fights up and starts slugging away, including a cheap shot when the referee tries to break things up. A right hand knocks Bryan off the top and there’s a whip into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Corbin throwing him down and hitting a knee to the face.

Corbin’s slide under the ropes clothesline is cut off by a suicide dive, because it’s not like isn’t that hard of a move to scout. Bryan starts kicking away at the leg and grabs an ankle lock. That’s broken up so Bryan charges into the corner, only to run into Deep Six for two. Bryan is back up and stomps away while shouting about revenge, setting up the suicide dive. That’s caught by the throat so Bryan kicks him in the knee and the head. Corbin is sick of this and throws a ladder at him for the DQ at 14:55.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match here with Bryan being out for revenge and losing his cool, though I’m still not sure how smart it is to fight bad ratings with a nearly fifteen minute King Corbin match to start the show. I do like the fact that this had a personal issue and wasn’t all about the fabled “building momentum”, so at least they have something new. Just get to the moment where everyone is sitting on a ladder though so we can be done with it.

Post match Bryan isn’t done and grabs the YES Lock on a ladder, only to have Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro come in for the save. Bryan gets thrown off the stage and through a bunch of ladders. Graves: “Could that happen off the roof of WWE Headquarters?” No.

Here’s Braun Strowman for a chat but the Firefly Fun House cuts him off in a hurry. Bray has a story for us about the Black Sheep, who smelled a little funny. The Black Sheep was ready to do everything but the shepard came to get him. Then the government placed a lien on the Sheep’s house and reptilians took over, because that’s what reptilians do. Bray wants to write a happier ending, but Strowman cuts him off and says come say it to his face. Strowman: “BYE!”

Make-A-Wish video.

Sheamus vs. Leon Ruff

Three Irish Curses, ten forearms to the chest, Brogue Kick for the pin at 1:53.

Post match Sheamus yells about Jeff Hardy, leading to the fourth part of the Hardy video series. This focuses on the knee injury from April but doesn’t quite bring up the legal issues while he was gone (to be fair though, those have been covered). Now he’s back and ready for the future. Hardy is back next week. This would be a bit better had he not had that one off match a few months ago.

Back in the arena, Sheamus says he’ll be here next week too.

Otis promises to beat Dolph Ziggler again, for his beautiful peach Mandy Rose. Mandy says she’s had a hard time for the last few weeks and tonight she’s focused on Carmella.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Carmella vs. Mandy Rose

Feeling out profess to start And they dive over each other a bit, setting up a low superkick for two on Mandy. A shot to the face sets up a chinlock on Carmella but here’s Sonya Deville for the distraction. She praises Mandy as the match continues, including Mandy getting two off a side slam.

Last year, Sonya almost handed Mandy the briefcase but Mandy managed to screw it up anyway. Sonya: “How embarrassing! Not nearly as embarrassing as losing to Carmella, which is probably about to happen!” Sonya says she’ll stop talking but then says she’s sick of standing up there and challenges Mandy to a fight right now. The distraction lets Carmella spin Mandy around so she can stand there and get superkicked for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: D+. If ever there was a place for the distraction rollup finish, this was it.. Instead we had Mandy get distracted, get spun around, and then stand there while Carmella superkicked her. That looked terribly fake and while the bigger story is fine, come up with a better way to do it. I do however like Sonya cutting a promo instead of just popping up for the distraction. At least it was a little different.

Post break Mandy has a bruised leg that she is getting checked out. Otis comes in to check on her but the doctor asks him to leave. That’s fine with Otis, who runs into Dolph Ziggler, who asks if Mandy is ok before leaving.

New Day vs. Forgotten Sons

Non-title, Jaxson Ryker is here with the Sons and here are Miz and Morrison to join commentary as the ten person limit is thrown out the window. Big E. throws Cutler down to start so it’s off to Kofi as Miz and Morrison make Tiger King jokes. Are those even still a thing? Kofi hits a running basement dropkick to Blake in the corner as everything breaks down.

Big E. splashes Cutler on the floor and we take a break. Back with a knee dropping Big E. as the Sons take over. A double Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two as Miz and Morrison complain about Cole saying Miz lost while Morrison retained the titles at Wrestlemania. Big E. finally shoves Blake away and the hot tag brings in Kofi to clean house.

A butterfly backbreaker gives Cutler two and everything breaks down. Cutler hits a Backstabber to set up Blake’s top rope elbow for two on Kofi as things settle a bit. Big E. gets sent outside for a posting from Ryker, leaving Kofi to take the reverse DDT/top rope stomp pin at 12:58.

Rating: C-. Yeah they’re still the Forgotten Sons, meaning that they are still as good as they have been before. It’s not a good match but I’ll give them credit for putting someone new in the division. I’ve been asking for it for so long now and saying “yes but not THEM” isn’t the best reaction to have. They’re not awful, but they’re also not that interesting in the slightest.

We look back at Bayley and Sasha Banks having issues last week, plus Tamina superkicking Bayley after the match.

Tamina doesn’t like fake girls pretending around here but here’s Sasha to say Tamina has helped her. It’s a ruse for a Bayley sneak attack though and the beating is on. Lacey Evans makes the save and everything is broken up. Yeah still not caring about Tamina.

Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville talk about how he isn’t the bad guy. Fans cheer for Otis because they see themselves in him but guys like Otis don’t win in the end. Eventually, talent is what matters and Ziggler will be Mr. Money in the Bank. Then he’ll be champion and get Mandy back. Sonya: “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Otis runs him over to start and hits an early delayed vertical suplex for two. Ziggler gets sent into the corner and slammed down for two, followed by a catapult into the corner again. A trip tot he floor slows Otis down and Ziggler sends him into the barricade. Back from a break with Ziggler still in control, including hitting a dropkick for two. Graves mentions something that might be kind of important: the two ladder matches, with the wrestlers going up through the headquarters, will be taking place AT THE SAME TIME. They’ve hinted at that a few times but I didn’t think they would actually do it.

As I try to get my head around that brilliant idea, Otis fights back but the Caterpillar is broken up with a neck snap across the top. The Zig Zag gets two but Otis throws him down with a suplex. The Caterpillar finishes Ziggler clean at 9:53. Cole: “That is probably the biggest win of Otis’ career.” I know WWE wants you to forget about Wrestlemania but give me a break.

Rating: D+. I think we’ve pretty much hit the peak of Otis’ worth at this point and that’s fine. He got the big win at Wrestlemania and now he can do some spots in Money in the Bank without having a chance of winning. The match wasn’t very good but again, points for trying someone new and having Ziggler lose.

Overall Rating: C-. Recently, I saw someone say that there is almost nothing in the WWE midcard that had any real energy or pop. That was in my head during this show and it’s absolutely right. So many people feel like they’re in a firm bubble and nothing is going to change for them anytime soon. They’re going to do their thing, which comes and goes every week, and nothing feels important. You might get some good matches or stories, but nothing feels like it’s a big deal. That becomes a major issue year after year and it brings shows like this, without much from the main event scene, grinding to a halt.

This show had a focus and a purpose, but it never really felt important. Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy could be good and they’re adding in some new people, but there is nothing on this show that really made me want to watch. It feels like so many people are firmly in their spots and aren’t going anywhere because they have found their places in WWE. That gets old fast and it has been old for a very long time. Spice it up a little and it can go a long way.

Results

Daniel Bryan b. King Corbin via DQ when Corbin used a ladder

Sheamus b. Leon Ruff – Brogue Kick

Carmella b. Mandy Rose – Superkick

Forgotten Sons b. New Day – Reverse DDT/top rope stomp combination to Kingston

Otis b. Dolph Ziggler – Caterpillar

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

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

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

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