IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: August 26, 2004
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’ll wrap up the Smackdown half of the month here and that’s not the worst thing in the world. The big match this week will see john Cena face Booker T. in the second match in the best of five series for the US Title. Other than that we have the very injured JBL running from the Undertaker and Eddie Guerrero wanting one more match with Kurt Angle. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Rey Mysterio saving Eddie Guerrero from Kurt Angle and Luther Reigns, setting up last week’s tag match main event. Angle pouring paint on the low rider to end the show was a great touch.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Eddie to get things going. Last week, Angle defaced his personal property so this week, Eddie is going to deface him. That means Eddie wants a fight but he gets Luther Reigns instead. Reigns has seen a lot of fights in his day from prisons to bars, and he knows that Angle would annihilate him. Eddie is ready to fight anyway but Angle pops up on screen to say come to the parking lot.

The chase is on and Angle hides behind what he says is his car. Eddie pours trash on it and smashes the windows with a pipe but Reigns runs in from behind and beats him down. They get in another car and speed away, leaving Eddie to beat up the car a little more. Theodore Long comes up and says it’s his car. Eddie’s look makes up for any problems this might have had. Security takes Eddie away as Long cries over the car. Alas, no Final Fight reenactment.

Kenzo Suzuki vs. Rob Van Dam

Fallout from last week when Kenzo beat Van Dam down after a match. Before the match, Kenzo brags about Japanese cars before saying he loves America. Van Dam kicks him off the throne and starts beating up the people who carried it in. American jerk. Back in and Kenzo shoulders him down at the opening bell to take over.

The abdominal stretch goes on for a bit until Rob slips out and fires off some kicks. The top rope kick to the face gives Rob two and the split legged moonsault is good for the same as Rob finally changes up the offense a bit. It’s time for the Five Star but Rob has to dive onto an invading Rene Dupree. Not that it matters as a small package finishes Suzuki.

Rating: D. What were you expecting here? It’s very clear that Suzuki is already a lost cause and while Rene is better, he’s not exactly an upgrade as a partner. Van Dam hasn’t had trouble beating either of these goons and whoever he finds as a partner shouldn’t have any issue either.

Post match Dupree and Suzuki beat Rob down and show each other respect. Yeah it’s still not interesting.

Long is still crying over his car and talking about how it was a classic and all he had. JBL and Orlando Jordan come up and yell about Long ignoring them all week. They want something done about Undertaker because this is an unsafe working environment. Long makes a title match for tonight against Undertaker but since JBL can’t wrestle, Jordan can defend it for him. So now his future depends on Orlando Jordan. Just give up now man.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Billy Kidman

Jamie Noble and Paul London are at ringside. Kidman isn’t having this feeling out process and snaps off an early hurricanrana. Chavo gets in a few shots of his own to take over and it’s an armbar to keep him in trouble. That goes nowhere so Kidman fights up with a backdrop and a clothesline. The BK Bomb doesn’t work due to the bad arm so Kidman kicks him in the head instead. Noble breaks up the shooting star so London takes him out and kicks Chavo in the head. That’s enough for Kidman to hit the shooting star for the pin.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to get very far but the Tag Team Title match should be fun. The problem is the champs aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire and no one buys the challengers as a serious threat. There’s no division at the moment and that’s not likely to get better anytime soon.

Carlito Caribbean Cool vignette, this time showing him for the first time. The apple spit and catchphrase make their debuts as well.

Long is STILL devastated over his car when Angle and Reigns return. Angle doesn’t care about the car and gets a 2/3 falls match with Eddie next week. As for tonight, he can face Rey Mysterio. Dang Long is on fire and he makes Luther sweep up the mess as a bonus.

John Cena vs. Booker T.

Match #2 in the best of 5 series with Cena up 1-0. Booker starts fast by forearming him down and a suplex gets two. Cena is right back with an elbow of his own but Booker hits a superkick. The chinlock goes on early until Booker knees him in the back, followed by a missile dropkick for two. Another kick to the face gets another two and it’s already off to the second chinlock.

Booker switches it up to a double arm crank before getting two more off a spinebuster. This has been almost all Booker and the comeback can come anytime now. We hit another chinlock for another little while until Cena pops back to live with shoulders. The Shuffle connects for two but Booker sends him face first into the buckle. That and a backslide with feet on the ropes ties the series up.

Rating: D+. If there was a rating between D and D+, I’d go with that for this one. It was a lot of laying around in chinlocks and while it wasn’t the worst, it wasn’t thrilling. To be fair though, it’s the second of what is likely to be five matches so you can only get so annoyed at what they’re doing. Not the worst, but it felt like they were holding back/saving stuff for later. Understandable, but not really thrilling.

Match #3 will be taking place in Australia over the weekend at a house show. Good idea actually.

Paul Heyman is in the ring and introduces the new reason for his supreme confidence: Heidenreich. They get right to the point with Heidenreich saying he’s more than just hype and beating the heck out of Josh Matthews, including a shoulder breaker and a cobra clutch. Anything that involves Josh being hurt is a good thing for me.

Big Show is coming back.

Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio

It’s worked before so this should be fine. Angle takes him down without much effort to start, which tends to be the case. Rey is back up with an armdrag and it’s time to mock Angle’s pose. You know that makes it serious but Angle charges into another headlock and the early frustration is setting in. Rey headscissors him outside for a baseball slide and we take a break. Back with Rey caught in a chinlock, as tends to be the case when you come back from a break around here. At least Angle has a knee in the back to keep things fresh.

An overhead belly to belly makes things even worse and it’s off to a bearhug, with Angle dropping to a knee to deal with the height. A release German suplex gives Angle two more so Rey pops back up with a dropkick. The 619 connects but the West Coast Pop is countered into a powerbomb for two. The Angle Slam is countered into an inverted DDT for a heck of a near fall so Rey tries a victory roll. Angle has been studying his Owen Hart though as he sits down on it for the pin.

Rating: B. Well of course these two had a good match. They’ve always had solid chemistry together and this was no exception. Angle winning clean over a guy who wrestles a similar style as Eddie Guerrero is a good way to set up next week’s 2/3 falls. It’s also not like a loss to Angle hurts Mysterio very much, especially when Mysterio isn’t doing anything at the moment anyway.

Smackdown flashback: Arnold Schwarzenegger beats up HHH.

Raw Rebound.

JBL gives Jordan a pep talk and isn’t exactly thrilled with the prospects. Jordan wants to wear the title and that’s shot down as fast as you might guess.

Smackdown World Title: Orlando Jordan vs. Undertaker

Jordan is defending in JBL’s place. He also gets to hold the title in what feels like fan fiction gone mad. Undertaker’s entrance gives us a hilarious visual of JBL, with the cowboy hat on top of the halo, turning to look and looking into the camera in the process with his eyes bugging out. Jordan tries slugging away and gets his head kicked off for two. Old School connects in a hurry and the jumping clothesline gets two. A JBL distraction lets Jordan get in his first major offense, because it’s not like he can do it himself.

Back in and some right hands stagger Jordan but Undertaker goes after JBL again. The results are the same this time around and Jordan gets two off a Downward Spiral. That just makes Undertaker sit up though and it’s time for the proper beating to begin. A right hand knocks JBL off the apron and there’s the Tombstone, but JBL pulls the referee out for the DQ.

Rating: D+. All things considered, this wasn’t the worst thing in the world. I don’t think anyone was expecting anything other than JBL interfering for the DQ and it’s not a bad thing to go with the obvious. Jordan still isn’t anything more than a warm body who isn’t any good in the ring, but he serves a purpose here. Not a terrible match, but an exercise in killing time.

Post match Undertaker beats up JBL, ripping the braces off and hitting a chokeslam. Undertaker poses with the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It’s hard to put into words, but there’s something about Smackdown that feels so much more together than Raw. Over on Raw you get the big angles and stories and promos, but Smackdown tends to be more low key, allowing them to show things off a little bit better and let them develop. It might never get as big around here, but it also never feels as bogged down when a story is bad. You can go either way with that, but both are rather entertaining.

This was a great example of that kind of Smackdown and I had a good time with it, though it wasn’t the most interesting thing in the world. They’re building things up for the next few weeks and those stories sound interesting. If we can get some great action out of these stories (Eddie vs. Kurt seems like), it’s going to be easy to see Smackdown pulling ahead, though both shows are getting a little better.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: January 22, 2019
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and as luck would have it, we’re getting a 2/3 falls match between Rey Mysterio and Almas (still not liking the new name). There are still some spots available in the Royal Rumble matches so maybe we’ll fill some of those in tonight. Hopefully some are left open though, as the surprises are always nice. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Becky Lynch to open things up. She’s sick of hearing about everyone telling her about what the Man should be doing. The only thing the Man should be doing is main eventing Wrestlemania and slapping everyone on the way there. That includes Asuka, because Becky will do anything to get the title back. This brings out Asuka who shouts without a microphone but here’s Charlotte to interrupt as well. Charlotte says she’s winning the Rumble and coming for the title, allowing Asuka to jump Becky from behind. The fight is on with Becky throwing her over the announcers’ table, leaving Asuka screaming as Becky leaves.

Post break Becky and Asuka are being held apart in the back. Good angle advancement here as Asuka doesn’t get shaken too often.

Long recap of Naomi vs. Mandy Rose due to Mandy trying to steal Naomi’s husband Jimmy Uso.

Mandy Rose vs. Naomi

Naomi jumps her in the aisle to start and slaps Mandy straight out to the floor. We take a break less than thirty seconds into the match and come back with Naomi hammering away with forearms into a running hurricanrana. Sonya Deville offers a quick distraction though and Naomi gets posted for the pin at 5:58. Not enough shown to rate but this was nothing.

Rey Mysterio talks about winning the Royal Rumble for honor but tonight is about respect. Tonight, Zelina Vega is banned from ringside and it’s a fair fight.

The Miz vs. Cesaro

Cesaro starts with the power but Miz kicks the leg out and gets an early Figure Four. That’s broken up and they head outside for a staredown with the partners as we take a break. Back with Miz fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the running dropkicks/clothesline in the corner. Cesaro uppercuts him out of the air though and Sheamus gets in a cheap shot, setting up the Neutralizer for the pin at 5:50. Again not enough shown to rate, but it was didn’t go anywhere.

Post match the brawl is on with Shane getting in his usual shots that of course do damage to a multiple time World Champion. Sheamus shoves him off the top and into the barricade though and it’s a Brogue Kick to knock Shane silly. Miz covers him up and gets beaten down as well. The Bar lays Miz on the table and powerbombs Shane through both of them for a good visual. This was a nice beatdown segment, but it’s not enough to overcome my apathy every time Shane shows up on camera.

We look back at Samoa Joe beating up Mustafa Ali last week.

Ali is on the streets of Chicago and talks about patrolling them as a cop. One thing he learned in that time is that eyes don’t lie. When Samoa Joe was attacking him last week, Joe kept asking if Ali understood. Ali understood, but it was the eyes that told him that Joe thinks Ali is beneath him. Now Joe needs to look into his eyes and understand that Ali is telling the truth when he says he can beat Joe. More great stuff here, as Ali’s stuff stands out due to being very well put together and different.

Miz and Shane are still being helped up.

Here’s Vince McMahon to moderate a final discussion between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan. Daniel won’t get in the ring though and complains about last week’s attack that saw him covered in concessions. Bryan uses his power for good, though AJ thinks he uses it to be a jackass. That sends Bryan into a mini rant about AJ exciting the fans but Bryan makes them think.

Bryan is the planet’s champion, not the people’s champion. AJ talks about Bryan’s change of mindset, which he sees as fickle. Bryan starts to quote Carl Sagan but Vince tells him to get in the ring. He won’t though, instead going on a rant against Vince’s generation being the biggest parasites ever. Then the people bow to him for it and trade Instagram likes while Vince and his generation ruin the world.

Vince tells him to shut up and get in the ring but if Vince wants a face to face, AJ is willing to make that happen. The fight is on outside until AJ throws him inside with Bryan hiding behind Vince. That’s enough to set up the running knee so Bryan can escape. Good segment here, though it took some time to get going.

R-Truth and Carmella talk about using their Royal Rumble wins for World Title shots. There’s no chance that Truth is going to use his win to ace Brock Lesnar because he doesn’t want to be sent to Sioux Falls City. Carmella says he can’t challenge for the Cruiserweight Title because of the weight limit and Truth walks off. Carmella walks over to Charlotte and gives her some advice about the tornado that is the Rumble, especially with her waiting at #30. Charlotte says Carmella should be the worried one.

This was really, really bad at the whole “no one talks like this” aspect, with Carmella saying “what about the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar” sounding cringe worthy. Anyone who watches this show knows who Brock is, and there are better ways to have Truth get the point across. Like: “Are you crazy? I’m not facing a suplex machine like Brock Lesnar! I don’t want to go to Sioux Falls City!” They’re already assuming that you know what Suplex City is, meaning you know who Lesnar is. Stop making this sound so bad.

Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe

Joe throws him around to start and knocks Ali off the apron to send us to another early break. Back with Joe’s corner enziguri getting two and Ali not exactly making Joe nervous. We hit the neck crank for a bit until Ali fights up and nails Joe in the face for a double knockdown. They fight to the floor with Ali hammering away, followed by some superkicks back inside. The great tornado DDT gets two but the 054 is broken up and Ali grabs the Koquina Clutch. Ali taps at 8:02.

Rating: C+. Ali continues to have that Jeff Hardy underdog quality and that’s going to take him a long way. It’s not a bad thing to have him lose to a big, over star like Joe, who has to win something to keep him afloat these days. This was entertaining while it lasted, and the ending wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Royal Rumble rundown.

New Day is preparing for the Rumble by watching some Kofi clips. They’re tired of being asked this question every year by every interview. Is Tony Chimmel going to ask them next? Here’s Tony Chimmel to ask them and get thrown out (Big E.: “Do you see Edge here???”). Kofi isn’t sure if he can figure out a big save this year but he has an idea. No hints though.

Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade

2/3 falls with Zelina Vega banned from ringside. Rey starts fast with a hurricanrana to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Rey hitting the springboard seated senton but Andrade dropkicks his springboard crossbody out of the air. Andrade sends him into the corner with the knee getting banged up, only to get caught up top. That’s fine with Andrade, who counters a hurricanrana into a super Batista Bomb for the first fall at 8:36.

Another big powerbomb gives Andrade two but Rey counters a third into a sick Canadian Destroyer (Andrade’s head hit hard) for the pin at 9:48. We’re tied up as we go to a break and come back with Rey sliding underneath the ropes into a powerbomb to send Andrade into the barricade. Back in and the West Coast Pop gives Rey two but the 619 is countered into an armbar over the ropes. Rey hurricanranas him to the floor but Almas moonsaults onto his feet, setting up a powerbomb into the post.

The hammerlock DDT connects for two back inside with Rey having to use the ropes for the break. A Fujiwara armbar has Rey in more trouble but Rey fights up and tries a springboard….I think into a rollup but they botch the landing with Rey going into a regular rollup instead. Rey gets two more off a reverse hurricanrana and the 619 takes Andrade down again. Cue Samoa Joe to break up another springboard with an apron powerbomb for the DQ at 23:15.

Rating: B. Oh man they were rolling there until the (slightly necessary) interference ending. I get that you don’t want either jobbing but my goodness they were on their way to something special. Andrade is getting somewhere with this new intensity, though having the matches be against Mysterio isn’t hurting things.

Post match Joe chokes Rey out and says that he’s doing the same thing to everyone on Sunday. As he’s talking, Randy Orton runs in for the surprise RKO (that always looks cool) and poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This one is going to depend on how you looked at it. The wrestling and story advancement were good and as a regular show this was one of the better shows in a few months. However, as a go home show it has some flaws with the US Title match receiving no time and the Shane/Miz beatdown going on too long. What we got was very good though and it was a breeze to watch. The Rumble is looking good, especially if they space things out well enough.

Results

Mandy Rose b. Naomi – Mandy sent her into the post

Cesaro b. The Miz – Neutralizer

Samoa Joe b. Mustafa Ali – Koquina Clutch

Rey Mysterio b. Andrade via DQ when Randy Orton interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: August 19, 2004
Location: Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

The Canadian adventure continues as JBL is still Smackdown World Champion and likely in line to continue feuding with the Undertaker. I’m sure you’re as thrilled as I am. Other than that Kurt Angle pinned Eddie Guerrero in a match that should set up a third match to settle things for good, though you never know with them. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s the limo to open things up with Orlando Jordan helping JBL out. This gives us one of my all time favorite visuals, with JBL wearing a halo around his neck with the cowboy hat sitting on top, above JBL’s head. The entrance takes forever as JBL can barely walk but he eventually (and very slowly) says he’s in tremendous pain. All the booing from these inferior Canadians are hurting his head but it’s ok if they want to chant JBL.

He won at Summerslam though and just like Martin Luther King, he had a dream. At his Hall of Fame induction, he wanted a clip of himself pinning Undertaker to introduce his speech. It wasn’t fair that Undertaker got himself disqualified so he didn’t have to pass the torch to JBL. We see some stills of the beatdown from Sunday (JBL: “Why are you people cheering that?”), which takes a lot of time as well.

JBL remembers seeing Undertaker’s evil face before passing out, which the fans seem to enjoy. After a quick rant about the American army protecting Canada, JBL says Undertaker will NOT be getting a rematch. This brings out Undertaker so JBL takes another minute or so to get out of the ring as he sells the heck out of those injuries. As JBL stumbles over a fan, Undertaker holds up the title because there MUST be a rematch.

It’s far better when JBL is played this way instead of bragging about everything he’s done over the years, which was just boring. This is actually entertaining and if we see more like this, he’s downright tolerable. It ran about fifteen minutes, but JBL selling his injuries made it worth the time.

Cruiserweight Title: Spike Dudley vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Spike is defending and has Bubba and D-Von with him. Scotty starts fast with some slams into an armbar, followed by a backdrop onto the other Dudleys. D-Von gets up and offers a distraction so Bubba can break up the Worm. The top rope double stomp is blocked by a raised boot and the very quick comeback is on. Bubba has to make a save after a superkick and the Dudley Dog retains the title.

Rating: D. We’re never going to get an explanation of why Bubba and D-Von are listening to Spike are we? It’s not the most interesting story in the first place and I don’t see it getting any better. The fact that it took all three to deal with Scotty 2 Hotty should tell you everything you need to know about the legs this story has.

Carlito Caribbean Cool is coming.

Raw Rebound.

As the announcers talk, two guys come up with a HEIDENREICH NEXT WEEK banner.

John Cena (in a Wrestlemania inspired Word Life shirt) promises to go up 2-0 on Booker T. next week. Spike Dudley comes in and doesn’t like the idea of Cena calling himself a champ. Cena says it looks like Dennis the Menace finally grew up. Now Spike needs some glasses though because he can’t see Cena. Bubba and D-Von come in for the beatdown.

Billy Kidman/Paul London vs. Chavo Guerrero/Jamie Noble

Non-title. Noble and London start things off with Paul’s front facelock not getting him very far. London gets thrown to the apron but slingshots back in with a headscissors, only to get his head clotheslined off. It’s off to Chavo for a front facelock of his own as the villains take over. Chavo hits a slingshot legdrop for two but London gets to his feet for a double knockdown. That’s enough for the hot tag to Kidman so house can really be cleaned. Everything breaks down and it’s a BK Bomb to Chavo, followed by a sunset flip but Jamie pulls Chavo on top. A grab of the rope is enough for the pin on Kidman.

Rating: C. Not too bad here, though I’m not sure on having the Tag Team Champions lose on Sunday and then lose again on Thursday. They aren’t the strongest champions in the world in the first place and it doesn’t seem like a great idea to have them lose twice in a row like this. Noble and Guerrero aren’t winning the titles so did you really need to do this on two straight shows?

Teddy Long sends Brian Hebner to tell John Cena that he’ll be facing a Dudley later tonight.

Here’s a disappointed Eddie Guerrero for a chat. He calls Kurt Angle out because we haven’t really determined the better man. This brings out Angle, who thinks Eddie is nuts for wanting to do this again. Angle is looking for action though and Eddie likes that idea, but Angle says no. Eddie says they’ve done this twice and are 1-1, so we need a rubber match. It’s true that Angle outwrestled him and no one has ever done it to him like that in his career.

Eddie wants Angle to shake his hand but Angle doesn’t buy it. Some persuasion gets Angle inside and Eddie says he’s telling the truth…..before punching him in the face. Luther Reigns comes out for the save until Rey Mysterio runs out to even things up. Eddie lying after convincing Angle that he’s telling the truth still works. It’s like Ric Flair turning on Sting back in 1995. You know exactly where it’s going but it’s still fun to watch because you want to see these people act like they’re supposed to.

John Cena vs. D-Von Dudley

Booker T. is on commentary. D-Von hammers away in the corner to start but Cena is right back with a hiptoss. They slug it out some more with D-Von elbowing him in the face for two more. A splash misses in the corner and Cena scores with a backdrop. Cena slugs away, knocks Bubba off the apron, and hits an AA (Booker: “NO! NO!”) for the fast pin.

Post match Cena says Booker has something of his, and next week they’re having the second match in their series.

Video on the debut episode of Smackdown, just shy of five years ago.

Rob Van Dam vs. Rene Dupree

Rematch from Sunday’s Heat match. They fight over a wristlock to start as the announcers talk about the wrestling history in this building. Van Dam kicks him down but misses the flip legdrop to give us a standoff. The corner shoulders and a monkey flip sends Rene down but he’s able to send Van Dam shoulder first into the post. An armbar keeps Van Dam in trouble as a pull of the hair gives Rene two.

The armbar goes on again as the announcers talk about underwater basket weaving and synchronized swimming. Rob pops up with a superkick and a bridging German suplex for two. Rolling Thunder hits raised knees and a good looking superplex keeps Van Dam’s back in trouble. Rob is fine enough to kick him in the face and hit the Five Star for the pin.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and one of Rene’s best matches to date. They kept it short and Rene’s offense, especially that superplex, looked rather sharp. Van Dam isn’t about to lose to Dupree, whose status is starting to fade fast. Rob might not be the top star in the company, but he’s still ahead of Dupree.

Post match Kenzo Suzuki comes in and lays out Van Dam. It still doesn’t make him interesting.

Theodore Long gives a tape to a production worker, followed by some holla holla holla lessons. This was oddly creepy with Long flirting with the production woman.

The $1 Million Tough Enough is coming. There’s someone involved in that and he’s awesome.

Long is in the ring and has a major announcement: he’s rehired the Big Show. As a bonus, he introduces the main event.

Kurt Angle/Luther Reigns vs. Eddie Guerrero/Rey Mysterio

Rey dropkicks Luther to start and it’s Eddie coming in for a suplex. It’s already back to Rey, whose crossbody is countered into a backbreaker to change control in a hurry. Angle gets two off a clothesline and it’s off to a chinlock. The impatient Eddie breaks that up in a hurry so Rey snaps off a headscissors. The hot tag brings in Eddie and Angle hides in the corner like a true coward.

Angle starts in on the ankle and knocks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Angle grabbing the ankle lock but Eddie rolls out in a hurry. Another leglock keeps Angle in control until a quick rollup gives Eddie two and a break. Reigns comes back in for a hold of his own and tags Angle after getting kicked away. That’s fine with Kurt, who cuts Eddie’s trip to the corner off with an overhead belly to belly. Eddie breaks up another suplex attempt and now it’s the hot tag to Rey so the pace can pick up.

A springboard seated senton gets two on Angle but the hurricanrana to Reigns takes bumps the referee. The 619 around the post knocks Angle silly and Reigns is knocked into position as well. Angle is back up with a chair to Rey’s knee though, sending Eddie after Angle with a chair of his own. With Angle gone, a low blow drops Reigns and it’s the Three Amigos into the 619 into the frog splash for the pin.

Rating: C+. Eddie and Rey were always fun to see together and that was the case again here. They gel together so smoothly and that was the case here. Reigns was kept to a minimum here and that’s the right idea for a match like this. Let the three masters do their thing and have him come in for the power stuff. That’s all it should be and it worked fine here, even if the match followed a pretty simple formula.

Post match Eddie and Rey celebrate the win but here’s Angle to pour paint on the low rider. Eddie is distraught to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Other than the hilarious JBL image, there wasn’t a lot going on with this one. There was some average at best wrestling and storyline advancement that feels like we’re just heading to rematches either on television or at No Mercy. The Smackdown half of Summerslam was only so good in the first place so this isn’t the most thrilling show in the world. Not terrible, but not exactly exciting.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: January 15, 2019
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

We’re getting rather close to the Rumble and that means it’s time to hammer home some final details before the pay per view. While I can’t imagine anything as big as last night’s change on Raw, there’s always the chance of something big happening. We also have Andrade Cien Almas vs. Rey Mysterio set for tonight, which should be fun. Let’s get to it.

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

Becky Lynch arrives and says everyone knows if she’s ready for Asuka. She’ll answer it in the ring though. She walks forward and sees Heavy Machinery making a pancake and egg shake as a disgusted New Day watches. Becky drinks it instead and says it’s a little weak. As I said a few weeks back: that’s a very Becky thing to say.

Here’s Becky to say how hard it is to run this division. That’s why Asuka isn’t here, because this is hard. There are people who say she’s all hype, but she delivers every single time. Now if you want to talk about hype, look at Asuka walking into last year’s Wrestlemania unstoppable and losing. Then Asuka fell off the radar and couldn’t beat the same woman that Becky has beaten or months. But now she’s not ready for Asuka?

This brings out Asuka to say Becky is like a bee with no sting. After the Rumble, Becky will be out of Charlotte’s shadow but into Asuka’s. This brings out the IIconics to say Becky is a bossy bully and Asuka isn’t acting like a champion should. It doesn’t matter how Becky and Asuka act anyway because they’re going to win the Royal Rumble, win the Women’s Tag Team Titles, and then make Wrestlemania ICONIC! Becky throws out the challenge and we take a break.

Becky Lynch vs. Peyton Royce

Becky is in jeans. An early Disarm-Her attempt sends Peyton to the ropes so Becky leg lariats her down. A backslide gives Becky two and she grabs an armbar as we see Lacey Evans watching from the back. Peyton fights up and gets in some kicks in the corner, followed by the chinlock. Becky sends her outside but a Billie distraction lets Peyton score with a clothesline as we take a break. Back with Becky fighting out of another chinlock before a Thesz press takes Peyton down for some right hands. There’s the Bexploder into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 9:51.

Rating: D+. Nothing much to see here but it did its job well enough. At least the IIconics are still around, which is more than has been the case in recent weeks. They’re fine for roles like this and can be the annoying duo for a long time going forward. Asuka vs. Becky is starting to feel personal, which is exactly where it needs to go.

Post match Asuka yells a lot and drags Billie in as we have a second match.

Asuka vs. Billie Kay

Non-title. Asuka kicks her in the head and grabs an armbar with a stare at Becky. The Asuka Lock makes Billie tap at 46 seconds.

Post match Asuka and Becky yell at each other….and here’s AJ Styles? The women leave and AJ jumps the barricade to head up the steps. Back from a break with AJ in the concourse at the concession stand. Last week Bryan said these people weren’t healthy and happy but they look happy to him. Eat what you want if it makes you happy. If you want a hot dog, go get yourself one. These people are no different than the ones in Phoenix, where AJ is getting the title back. Off to the merchandise stand now, as AJ grabs some shirts and throws them into the crowd. Cue Bryan for the brawl until security breaks it up. More good stuff.

The Usos are at a photo shoot when Jimmy gets a package. It’s their anniversary tomorrow so Jimmy thinks it’s an early present. Jey opens it up and finds a rose with a note. The message says that she’s been a naughty girl and needs to be locked up in the Uso Penitentiary, signed Mandy. There’s a hotel room key included and Jimmy says he’s not sure what he’s doing. This is interesting, even if I think you know where the payoff is going.

Samoa Joe walks to the ring and sees EC3 posing in front of a mirror.

Andrade (yes Andrade, who has lost his Cien Almas) says he used to idolize Rey Mysterio but it’s time to start thinking about the future. He wins tonight, and then wins the Royal Rumble.

Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali

Joe jumps him before the bell and sends Ali hard into the post for a knockout. No match. Joe goes to leave but comes back and beats Ali up even more. He goes to leave again but comes back again, this time for a powerbomb, but Joe opts to throw Ali into the barricade instead. Note that the light on Ali’s vest never went out, meaning that’s a high quality product.

Sonya Deville isn’t sure if Mandy Rose should give Jimmy Uso her room key. Mandy knows how scandalous it is and it’s all being done because she hates Naomi. Breaking up their marriage sounds like a good idea to her.

Rey Mysterio is on his way to the ring and gets freaked out by Nikki Cross.

Samoa Joe says that was just a preview for the Royal Rumble. He’s entering for the first time and is hunting anyone who gets in his way.

Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade

Rey starts spinning around to start and armdrags Andrade into the corner. A headlock slows Andrade down a bit more and the hold hits the mat. Andrade is right back with a hammerlock and wrenches Rey down to really stay on the arm. The arm gets sent into the corner and the armbar goes right back on. Rey sends him outside with a headscissors but Andrade slides back in where he has to duck the 619.

The hammerlock DDT is countered into a rollup which is countered into another rollup for two on Rey, with Andrade saying it was that close. That’s fine with Rey as he kicks Andrade in the head and hurricanranas him to the floor but Andrade doesn’t let go, meaning it’s a sitout powerbomb on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Rey speeding things up again and hitting a hurricanrana, followed by a tornado DDT for two. Rey gets caught on the top but is fine enough to hit a nice looking hurricanrana to take Andrade from the apron to the floor. A seated senton off the apron takes Andrade down again and we take a break. Back with Rey getting two off a Code Red until Almas kicks him in the face for the same.

Andrade’s double moonsault gets two but Rey is right back with something like a running Canadian Destroyer to drop Andrade HARD on his head for two more. The 619 is blocked so Rey settles for a crucifix driver for two instead. Now the 619 connects but a Vega distraction lets Andrade crotch Rey on top. The hanging hammerlock DDT finishes Mysterio at 20:36.

Rating: B. This was a very fun match, assuming you can ignore Rey’s knees being torn and wrecked every time he takes a step. They’re doing a good job of making Almas look like a star here and that’s exactly the point. Mysterio is one of those guys who could lose every match he has for the rest of his career and still be a legend so it’s not like losing a competitive and entertaining twenty minute match is going to hurt anything.

We recap the Mandy/Jimmy stuff.

Jimmy goes to the hotel room where Mandy is in a robe. She says the time to play hard to get is over and takes off her robe to reveal some lingerie, which again is about the same as what she wears to the ring. Jimmy says no and reaches out a hand to hold her back, as a photographer pops out to take pictures. Mandy laughs off the idea that she wanted Jimmy because this is all about destroying Naomi. Mandy: “She will never be as hot as me.”

Once Naomi sees the photos, she’ll be destroyed. Jimmy doesn’t seem shaken and walks away. As he leaves, Naomi comes in and beats Mandy down, proving that there are intelligent people in wrestling. Mandy fights back and knocks her into a wall before leaving. Jimmy comes in to help Naomi up as she said this isn’t over.

We look at the unveiling of the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Here’s Miz for a big celebration of Shane McMahon’s birthday, complete with cakes and presents. Miz introduces Shane for a birthday dance as Shane is rather energetic, as usual. Miz has two cakes for him, including a little chocolate and vanilla, though one of them has a picture of Miz and Shane on it.

That brings us to the first present, the Jordan 33 sneakers, with Shane (known for his love of sneakers), listing off every feature. Next up is a video tribute to Shane, who then talks about always wanting to be Tag Team Champions. Now his first pick was Andre the Giant but he’s happy to walk into the Rumble this Sunday (or next Sunday) with Miz as his partner.

Miz then leads the crowd in Happy Birthday but here’s the Bar to interrupt. They say Vince was invited to this whole thing but he doesn’t care enough to actually show up. Shane didn’t like the Bar attacking Miz last week so let’s have Sheamus vs. Miz tonight. Miz is in a suit but Shane says he wore a suit when he won the Best in the World tournament. That’s enough for Miz and we’re on.

Sheamus vs. The Miz

Joined in progress with Miz (in suit pants) hammering away but getting sent to the apron for the forearms to the chest. White Noise is countered into a rollup to give Miz two so Sheamus knees him in the ribs. The Skull Crushing Finale is blocked but Miz avoids a charge into the post and hits some running dropkicks. Sheamus gets in another shot so Cesaro gets on the apron, allowing Shane to throw him through a cake at ringside. Miz grabs a rollup for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: D. I like both guys but this is much more about Shane than anything else and that’s not going to work. He’s turning 49 years old today and is somehow getting a title shot at the Royal Rumble. I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work, but he’s a McMahon so that’s what matters. The Shane portion of the show ate up about half an hour, which is way more than Shane could ever need. Just please don’t let this lead to Shane getting another big Wrestlemania spot, even though you know it’s going there.

Post match Sheamus beats on Miz with Shane making the save. The Skull Crushing Finale plants Sheamus and Miz is surprised that Shane helped him. Shane goes up top as Miz grabs a cake, which is driven into Sheamus’ face off the Coast to Coast. Shane is banged up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. That last quarter really hurt thins and there wasn’t much of a way to fix it. The Mysterio vs. Andrade match was good but it’s not good enough to make up for half an hour of the Shane and Miz Show. The rest of the show was fine enough with Bryan vs. AJ being good stuff and the Mandy/Naomi story being good enough soap opera drama which thankfully didn’t include Naomi being an idiot. I liked most of the show but that focus on Miz/Shane has me worried for the future.

Results

Becky Lynch b. Peyton Royce – Disarm-Her

Asuka b. Billie Kay – Asuka Lock

Andrade b. Rey Mysterio – Hanging hammerlock DDT

The Miz b. Sheamus – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

I took in the Smackdown house show on Sunday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. As tends to be the case, a lot of the arena was empty but given the six of the place (with a seating capacity of 23,500), even an only somewhat full arena is a rather nice turnout. A few more fans came in after the show started so it could have been worse.  Let’s get to it.

The fans chose to see the 1992 Royal Rumble before the shot got going. At least they have taste.

The show started a few minutes after its 7pm start time but it was nothing too bad.

Byron Saxton was the host for the evening and is really good in the role. He has a good speaking voice and a lot of energy, which is exactly what you want in a spot like this.

1. Tag Team Titles: The Bar b. New Day and the Usos – Rollup to Kofi. 12:00. C.

The Bar was defending of course and New Day got a nice reaction, mainly due to the pancakes and their pre-match dancing. The Usos got a bit of a stronger one though, mainly due to them being the Usos, which is quite the status. This was a fun opener with everyone working hard and the Bar beating on Woods for a long time. As usual Big E. was a ball of energy on the floor as a cheerleader. Jimmy tagged himself in to start the big brawl at the end with New Day starting the dives, only to have Cesaro dive in and roll Kofi up for the pin. Fun choice to start things off with the challengers both being very over.

2. Naomi/Lana b. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville – Split legged moonsault to Deville. 5:40. D.

Before the match, Mandy came out in her towel and said no one here had ever seen a woman like her so they could go back to fantasizing about her, just like Jimmy Uso. Lana took the heat for most of the match and got beaten down for what passed for a long time here. The hot tag brings in Naomi to clean house, get in a few shots on Mandy and pin Deville with the split legged moonsault. There was nothing here, though the fans were into Naomi and Lana.

3. US Title: Rusev b. Shinsuke Nakamura and Jeff Hardy – Jumping superkick to Nakamura. 9:21. C-.

This was a big messy, though the fans were very happy to see all three of them. Hardy did some DELETE chants and Nakamura followed later on for a bit of a funny moment. They picked things up later in the match and Hardy loaded up the Swanton on Rusev but Samoa Joe came out for a distraction. With Hardy not paying attention, Nakamura shoved him off the top but walked into the superkick to retain Rusev’s title. Not too bad and the star power helped.

4. WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan b. AJ Styles – Small package. 21:00. B+.

It seemed rather early for this one but it was worth the surprise. This was a rather excellent match and one of the better house show matches I can remember seeing. Before the match, Bryan posed on the top rope for well over a minute, with his song finishing and then starting up again. Bryan got frustrated for most of the early part of the match as he bragged about being the best wrestler in the world (especially the best one that these Kentucky losers had ever seen) but not being able to do much with Styles.

Eventually it was off to Styles’ arm with the LeBell Lock having him in trouble more than once. They traded a few near falls with Styles never being able to hit the Styles Clash. Near the end, AJ tried it again but got reversed into the best small package in the business to retain Bryan’s title. Post match Bryan called AJ a dog walking away with his tail between his legs, drawing Styles back in for the beatdown.

Intermission.

5. Good Brothers/Shelton Benjamin b. Colons/Aiden English – Paydirt to English. 8:41. D+.

Well this is the biggest bag of random ever. The match wasn’t terrible by any stretch but it was just there, which isn’t the most interesting thing in the world. I had almost forgotten that Benjamin and English even worked here. Sidebar: remember when the Good Brothers and Sanity looked to be getting into the Tag Team Title scene a few weeks back? Did anything ever come of that, or can we just add it to the list of things that never went anywhere?

Post match English said he didn’t come to this half horse town to lose like that so he wanted fresh competition.

6. Rey Mysterio b. Aiden English – Frog splash. 5:19.

This was exactly what you would have expected it to be, though the majority was spent on English offering a handshake and Rey threatening to give him a Kentucky whipping, hence the lack of a rating. English got in a few shots but took the 619 into the frog splash (Low Down variety) for the pin. The fans loved Rey.

Next up was MizTV with Mustafa Ali as the guest. Miz got to the point and asked Ali if he believed he could pin Miz like he did Daniel Bryan. After listing off his resume, Miz wanted the bell rung.

7. Mustafa Ali b. The Miz – Rollup. 8:20. C-.

There wasn’t much high flying to this one as you would have expected. What there was though was Miz doing a Rick Rude inspired promo, calling us Lexington sweathogs and telling us to keep the noise down while he took his robe off and showed us what a real man looked like. Ali kept the pace up as well as he could have here and got some good near falls. Eventually he went up top and tweaked his knee, only to reverse the Skull Crushing Finale into a rollup for the pin. Ali has a bright future ahead of him as he’s easy to get behind and can make fans care about him in a Sami Zayn style.

8. Women’s Title: Asuka b. Becky Lynch and Carmella – Asuka Lock to Carmella. 13:42. B-.

It was a very Becky crowd, which shouldn’t be very surprising. This was a lot better than I was expecting with a few comedy spots thrown in. Becky and Carmella had a very long rolling small package duel as they went around the ring about ten times for about half a dozen one counts. Later, Asuka missile dropkicked Becky to put them both down. Carmella covered them both several times each, screaming in frustration louder and louder each time. Of course Carmella was just there to take the submission but she was trying, which is all you can ask her to do.

Overall it was a very nice show with some good matches to go with the usual house show fare. It was far better than the previous house show in the same arena, which was a complete wreck with one of the worst cards I’ve ever seen. The Bryan vs. Styles match was very good and there was enough to keep the crowd going all night. As a bonus, I liked the wrestlers signing autographs on the way up the ramp all night long as it doesn’t take long and is a nice touch. That’s the kind of thing that makes these shows feel more fun and that’s very cool. Fun night overall, with good action and energy.  C+.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: August 12, 2004
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the go home show for Summerslam and things are mostly set for the pay per view. The big story (if you can call it that) coming out of last week’s show is Orlando Jordan joining forces with JBL, meaning it’s probably time for Jordan to die at Undertaker’s hands. Other than that we’ll be in for some last minute pushes towards the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are JBL and Orlando Jordan to open things up. After a quick look at the mini Undertaker and Jordan saving JBL last week, JBL paraphrases Richard Nixon by saying that he is not a midget. He’s certainly not intimidated by Undertaker though he’s certainly respectful of what Undertaker has done in WWE. JBL lists off a variety of names that Undertaker has defeated over his career but JBL isn’t on that list.

Undertaker may have few weaknesses, but JBL is going to exploit them at Summerslam. Championships are won in the ring, which is where JBL defies the odds. At Summerslam, JBL will not only remain WWE Champion but defeat the Undertaker. That brings him to Jordan, who is both a great American and JBL’s new Chief of Staff.

Jordan says JBL has taught him that you have to take something you want, which is why he stopped Undertaker last week. Not that JBL needed the help or anything. JBL compares Jordan to the troops overseas and announces that it’s Jordan vs. Undertaker tonight. They’re trying to hide the fact that Jordan is Jordan and it’s not really working.

Spike Dudley vs. Paul London

Non-title. The Dudleys vs. Rey Mysterio/Billy Kidman/London is confirmed for Summerslam. Speaking of the Dudleys, they come out to start things off, complete with Bubba wearing a bandanna for an odd look. London gets sent outside early on and Kidman stares the Dudleys down to prevent violence. Back in and the Dudley Dog is blocked and London kicks him in the face for two. An enziguri drops Spike again but Ray breaks up the 450, allowing Spike to get a rollup for the pin.

Rating: D+. Short angle advancement here as the Dudleys win because of the numbers game. I’m still not sold on Spike as the evil boss but there are worse storylines to get upset about around here. London and Kidman still can’t get away from the Dudleys, which isn’t doing their title reign any favors. Not a terrible match, but it wasn’t exactly designed to be a great one.

Post match the Dudleys beat the champs down.

Cole and Tazz explain the main event, which is called a Summer Games Relay. It’s a six man tag, but the catch is the match is made up of five minute periods. One person each will start for five minutes, then there’s a coin toss. The winning team gets to send in a replacement for five minutes. After that is over, the team that lost the toss gets to send in their replacement for five minutes. They keep alternating every five minutes until there’s a fall. That doesn’t sound bad.

Heidenreich and Paul Heyman will be at Summerslam.

Scotty 2 Hotty asks what’s up with Spike. It’s simple: Spike has just come home to his family and it’s gotten him the Cruiserweight Title. So who needs friends? A slap to the face looks to set up a fight but Bubba and D-Von intervene.

Kurt Angle comes in to Theodore Long’s office to rant about Eddie Guerrero selling his stuff. Long says it was for charity and offers to let Angle call Eddie out tonight. But is Kurt man enough to go out there and do it? Angle says he is, so Teddy tells him to get to steppin.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Nunzio

Nunzio has Johnny the Bull with him. Chavo works on the arm to start but gets taken down into a front facelock. That’s broken up so a Johnny distraction lets Nunzio snap off a hurricanrana. Chavo is fine enough to hit a t-bone suplex but the Gory Bomb is reversed. A rollup with a grab of the ropes gives Chavo two as Johnny breaks it up. Nunzio grabs a rollup of his own for the pin, even though Chavo seemed to get his shoulder up. Nothing special but quite the random filler match.

Undertaker vs. Orlando Jordan

There’s smoke in the ring as a loud TAKER chant starts up. The arm cranking begins but Jordan shoulders away in the corner to break up Old School. Undertaker charges into a boot in the corner and Jordan stomps away. That’s pretty much it for Jordan’s offense as it’s a chokeslam to send him outside. Back in and Old School connects, setting up something like a DDT for two.

The required JBL distraction lets Jordan get in a low blow and a few right hands. Undertaker realizes how bad it looks to sell for this goof and throws Jordan outside again, only to get thrown into the steps. Back in again and the jumping clothesline sets up the running corner clothesline. Snake Eyes connects but JBL comes in for the DQ.

Rating: D-. There’s just no way around it: Jordan is terrible at just about everything he does and having Undertaker sell for him wasn’t a good idea. Undertaker is challenging for the World Title in three days and he’s in trouble against Jordan? There’s a reason that Jordan hasn’t been around in months and this showed just how bad he was. Really bad match and I don’t see it getting any better.

The villains bail and Undertaker sits up for the stare.

Here’s Long to talk about Angle vs. Guerrero at Summerslam. Angle and Guerrero come out with Eddie asking about Angle’s wheelchair and the missing Luther Reigns. Since Angle doesn’t have anywhere to hide, he has to say something to Eddie’s face. Angle says he doesn’t have to hide because he had a legitimate injury. Eddie has no idea what it’s like to have something taken from you like that, but Eddie says that’s what Angle did to him when he stole the WWE Championship.

Angle brings up Eddie stealing his stuff (Eddie: “That was for a good cause!”) and then showing that footage from Wrestlemania where Eddie stole a victory. It’s just a way of hiding the fact that Eddie has to cheat to beat him. Maybe it’s true that Eddie can’t beat him without cheating, maybe he can. That’s what we need to find out on Sunday because Angle can’t hide behind his General Manager position any longer. Maybe Angle doesn’t know if he can beat Eddie either.

Long cuts them off and says that in the spirit of competition, he wants to see a handshake, if they’re man enough that is. They shake hands rather aggressively to end a very good segment. This is a well told story with both guys having a reason to be here. They’ve built it up over several months and I want to see what’s going to be a great match. Sometimes it really is that simple.

Team Cena vs. Team Booker T.

Rob Van Dam, Charlie Haas, John Cena

Booker T., Luther Reigns, Rene Dupree

One fall to a finish with Van Dam and Booker starting. Why it’s not Captain Cena starting isn’t clear but maybe they want to save that showdown for the first of at least three matches at Summerslam. Team Booker already won the toss so they’ll get the first replacement after five minutes. The rules are a little complicated but it sounds fun. Before the match, Cena praises his teammates and likes Jackie’s eyes. Yes eyes.

Booker and Van Dam trade hammerlocks to start with Rob getting the better of an armbar. A hot shot gets Booker out of trouble and the hook kick to the face gets two. The armbar doesn’t get Booker very far so he chops away in the corner. Rob is right back with a loud kick to the head and the step over kick gets two more. There’s a jumping kick to the face and the Five Star but the first period expires, meaning Luther Reigns comes in before the pin. The beatdown is on and we take a break.

Back with Rob throwing some right hands and hitting the springboard kick to the face. Rolling Thunder gets two but Reigns catches him with a spinebuster to end the second period. That means Haas comes into tie Luther’s leg in the ropes and pull on it a bit. A quick crank of the leg and a takedown keeps the leg in trouble but Reigns is right up with a butterfly suplex. Haas gets clotheslined for two and a belly to back gets the same.

Back from another break with Rene working over a beaten down Haas. Rene takes a bit too long going up top though and gets dropkicked out of the air. That and a bridging German suplex give Haas two, followed by more suplexes for more two’s. Booker trips Haas from the floor though and Rene grabs an STF (which might be worse than Cena’s) until time expires. Cena comes in and, after checking on Haas, takes Rene down for some bad right hands to the head. A running neckbreaker out of the corner gets Dupree out of trouble and it’s off to a camel clutch.

Cena breaks up that and a regular chinlock but misses the flying shoulder. The French Tickler wastes some time, but Tazz does get to sing about it which is always a highlight. Another comeback includes the FU attempt but Dupree grabs the rope to kill off the rest of the time. Booker comes in again and hits the hooking kick to the face. A You Can’t See Me knee drop gets two and it’s off to the chinlock. Cena fights up and drops Booker to the floor, with Van Dam getting in a few shots. Tazz declares that not kosher, especially as Cena rolls Booker up for the pin.

Rating: C+. The wrestling wasn’t awesome here but they did have a unique idea and it was perfectly watchable throughout. Cena getting the pin ahead of Sunday is fine, even if that match doesn’t mean anything on that night. It was fun and different though, which is certainly better than watching some of the same stuff over and over again, which happens far too often.

A brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. It’s a tale of two shows here with the main event working and the JBL/Orlando Jordan stuff being rather awful. There’s not much you can do to get around a lack of talent and WWE doesn’t seem to get that with Jordan. At least there was some other stuff to balance it out, but that’s not exactly enough to make this show work. Angle and Eddie were awesome and that helped a lot, but they couldn’t make up for the rest of the show being pretty lame.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

So this is something kind of interesting. A few weeks ago, someone asked me to rank the current wrestling shows that I watch from most to least enjoyable. I’ve heard of worse ideas so let’s take a look. Keep in mind that these are only the current shows and the only ones that I watch, so you won’t see many surprises in here.

1. NXT

Like it was going to be anything else. This show is the most enjoyable thing that happens to wrestling fans and one of the best weekly TV shows ever. They never get boring, their worst show is still better than almost anything anyone else produces, and it somehow keeps getting better. They’ve figured out exactly how to do the one hour a week wrestling TV show and I look forward to seeing it every time. This was #1 by a few laps and nothing is in its universe.

2. Smackdown

The more I think about Smackdown, the more frustrated I get at Raw. This show is proof of what WWE is capable of doing and how well they can still put together a big show. While it’s certainly not great, it’s a show that is both entertaining and well done, which is a rare sight on the main roster. The wrestling is good, the promos are better, and there’s a fun feeling here that you don’t get on Monday. Smackdown is very good, and evidence that WWE still knows what it’s doing.

3. 205 Live

If Mustafa Ali was still around, this would have been second. What used to be a terrible show that was little more than a chore to watch has turned into one of the best things going in WWE today. The action ranges from solid to great and it has the best non William Regal boss in WWE with Drake Maverick (must be a British thing). They bring in new talent and have a formula that works very well. Plus Maria Kanellis and that’s never a bad thing.

KEEP GOING!

4. Fusion

I know I talk about this show a lot but it’s become a well done wrestling show. It’s nothing that’s going to blow you away but for about fifty minutes a week, you get a nice blend of action in front of an entertained crowd with some talent you might have be overly familiar with. They’ve put something together in just a few months and it’s a perfectly enjoyable show. Check these guys out if you haven’t, as their show goes up on YouTube every Saturday night.

5. NXT UK

This place gets a hard time, but it’s really not that bad. The problem is the way the show is scheduled rather than what they actually do, and that’s not their fault. The other main issue is calling it NXT, which comes with a very heavy burden. It doesn’t offer anything that a show like Progress doesn’t do better, but the WWE production helps a lot. This is far from bad and cutting it back to an hour a week is going to do wonders for them.

6. Impact Wrestling

Yeah seriously. I know the show has the worst reputation in wrestling and a lot of that is justified, but they’ve gotten a lot better in the last year and a half. It’s still not a masterpiece or even a great show most of the time, but it’s watchable and the stories make sense. That’s a fine place for them to be and if they can continue taking the little steps forward, they might be able to rewrite some of their legacy. Just find a way to make the main events feel epic and they’re well on their way.

JUST AROUND THE BEND!

7. Ring of Honor

This show is the definition of feast or famine. When they’re on, they’re very on and can produce some of the best shows around. When they’re off though, it feels like a low rent promotion took a TV station hostage and ran their show. The women’s division is still a disaster and some of their other stuff isn’t that much better, but they know how to do the wild matches and athletic displays quite well. It’s a watchable show, but not something I really look forward to most of the time.

8. Main Event

Yes a recap show is somehow not on the bottom of the list. This show actually offers a nice service by showcasing the shortened version of the WWE week. The original wrestling occasionally will be entertaining but this is all about giving you a quick look at Raw and Smackdown. It’s fine for what it is, and that’s all it’s supposed to be.

9. Monday Night Raw

What is there even to say here? I’ve literally never missed an episode of Raw and I don’t remember a time when it felt this hopeless (not bad, but hopeless). It’s like they’re always content with not trying anything and would rather just coast until Wrestlemania season, do the Shakeup, and then get back to coasting again. Feuds go on forever with few people getting elevated, and that leaves you with a bunch of uninteresting people fighting for nothing, because the Intercontinental Title is the top title on the show. Without getting into another Lesnar rant, his absence is killing the biggest wrestling show in the world. That shouldn’t happen, and we’re almost to year three of it being the case. Fix that already, because it’s Raw and not Main Event.

What could be lower than this?

Yeah there’s nothing else here.  Nine shows a week is enough and nothing is beating Raw.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: January 8, 2019
Location: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

We’re getting closer to the Royal Rumble and that means a few more matches need to be announced. One of those is the Smackdown Women’s Title match, which will be set tonight. This week will see Charlotte, Carmella and Becky Lynch facing off in a triple threat match with the winner getting the shot at Asuka later this month. Let’s get to it.

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

We open in the concourse with Daniel Bryan taking us on an educational journey. He’s not happy about the food and drinks being served at the concession stand because the only concessions are to your health. You eat this garbage because you’re filling a void and your lives are so empty.

Bryan takes a hot dog and a soda from fans and throws them on said fans after ranting about how much they’re hurting the environment. Next up is the merchandise stand, where there are no YES Movement shirts because the YES Movement is dead. There are however all kinds of AJ Styles stuff because the fans are still trying to fill that void.

Bryan comes into the arena and says he needs the people here to change. AJ fills the void for about thirty seconds, but Bryan can fill the void with something meaningful and valuable. As he gets to ringside, R-Truth dives off the steps to take Bryan down and their scheduled match is starting now. See, this worked better due to a combination of the delivery (for me, Bryan is a better talker as a heel than as a face, which is saying a lot) and the format, as it actually felt different for a change. It was more unique and stood out from all the other stand and talk interviews. Do that more often and see how much better things get.

Daniel Bryan vs. R-Truth

Non-title and joined in progress with Truth kicking him in the face for two. Bryan is right back up with the kicks in the corner and a bit of yelling. Truth starts his comeback and tries to speed things up, only to get caught with the running knee for the pin at 2:45. Now can we please stop trying to make Truth someone serious just because he’s #30 in the Rumble?

Bryan goes to leave but AJ runs out and jumps him, knocking Bryan into the set.

Rey Mysterio/Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe/Andrade Cien Almas

Ali goes right after Joe to start and hits a running forearm to the head, earning himself a hard glare. Joe misses a charge in the corner though and gets dropkicked a few times. Ali still can’t take him down but a double dropkick with Rey’s assistance gets it done. Almas comes in and gets snapmared down, followed by a spinning headscissors to keep Almas in trouble. Almas’ head fake into a spinning back elbow gets two but it’s already back to Ali for a running hurricanrana.

Ali gets sent outside though and Joe tosses him over the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Ali sitting up in the corner to avoid an Alberto double stomp from Almas. Mysterio comes in and hits a Canadian Destroyer of all things on Almas, setting up the 619 on Joe. Ali adds a 450 and Ali hits a big running flip dive to take Joe out. Almas blocks another 619 and it’s a gutbuster into the hammerlock DDT to finish Mysterio at 11:57.

Rating: C+. That ending is the right choice as you can only have Almas lose time and time again before it stops meaning anything. He’s the kind of guy who could be a major star and having him get a clean pin over Mysterio is a good idea. Almas isn’t going to win the Royal Rumble but there’s more to the wrestling year than just that. See where he can go and give him some momentum to get there.

Carmella is serious tonight and says it’s time to prove that she’s more than just the fun one. She was Smackdown Women’s Champion for a long time and that can happen again. This would be the same Carmella who has done nothing over the last few months other than dance breaks, so getting me to take her seriously in one promo isn’t going to happen.

The Usos are ready to beat the Bar and get a title shot.

Miz comes in to see Shane McMahon and wants him to give them a Tag Team Title shot. Shane isn’t up for that though, because they have to earn it. They don’t agree on their outfits either. I could agree with this storyline going anywhere, like into the abyss, anytime soon.

Here’s a somber Rusev with something to say. Last week week Lana was injured by Shinsuke Nakamura. Lana is home tonight, but Rusev is here as a husband and a man. He wants Nakamura out here right now so he can break every bone in Nakamura’s body. Nakamura pops up on screen from the control truck and promises to prove that last week was Rusev’s fault. We see Rusev kicking Nakamura down, knocking Lana a full three feet down with no one landing on her. Rusev storms to the back to go after Nakamura but gets attacked by an anvil case on the way. A bonus Kinshasa knocks Rusev cold.

Becky Lynch is ready for the Rumble, where Asuka is going to have to do a lot more than climb a ladder.

We see the Gene Okerlund tribute video from last night.

The Bar vs. Usos

Non-title. Jimmy goes after Sheamus’ arm to start but gets punched in the face. A clothesline puts Sheamus on the floor so it’s off to Cesaro for a running shoulder to Jimmy. That just earns him a running hurricanrana but the running Umaga attack launches a bit too early. Back in and Sheamus unloads on Jey in the corner before Sheamus hits some hard clotheslines to take over as we go to a break.

We come back with Jey not being able to get to Jimmy and Cesaro slamming him down for two instead. Sheamus’ ten forearms to the chest have Jey in even more trouble but he scores with an enziguri to get a much needed breather. That’s enough for the hot tag to Jimmy with a Samoan drop on Sheamus. The running Umaga attack gets two on Cesaro as everything breaks down. Jimmy hits a high crossbody for two more and a superkick to Sheamus gets the same.

We actually take a second break and come back with Cesaro swinging Jey into the Sharpshooter. That’s broken up so Sheamus knees Jey in the back to give Cesaro two of his own. Cesaro dives into a superkick though and….here’s Mandy Rose in a towel. She asks if Jimmy can help her because she might have left her gold shorts and gold top in her hotel room. That’s enough of a distraction for Cesaro to Neutralize Jey for the pin at 18:07.

Rating: B+. These guys were rocking, as is almost always the case. I know I complain about these two teams and the New Day being on top for way too long (and they are) but dang these matches are awesome. Maybe it’s because of how often they’ve worked together, but my goodness they know how to put together an awesome match and get the fans into things. The ending hurts it, but otherwise this was awesome.

Post match here’s the Miz to congratulate the Bar on their victory. Miz wants a title shot for himself and Shane. Cesaro isn’t wild on it and says he’ll talk to Sheamus. That means a Brogue Kick to Miz and Cesaro says they accept.

In the back, Mandy drops her towel to reveal the shorts and shirt in question. Naomi jumps her but can’t fight off both Mandy and Sonya Deville. Jimmy runs in for the save.

Charlotte says Becky is the hottest thing right now and Carmella was the hottest thing last year. She’s the hottest thing for the last four years though and now she’s here for herself.

Bryan says AJ is freaking out because he’s not WWE Champion anymore. He starts shouting about how he’ll show AJ what vicious really is at the Royal Rumble because Styles won’t take the title.

Upcoming NXT talents video.

Shane isn’t happy with Miz for going after the Bar like that but Miz says it’s what Shane would do. It’s still not how Shane wanted it to happen but he’s up for the match.

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Carmella

The winner gets Asuka at the Rumble. The fans are behind Becky, which isn’t the biggest surprise in the world. Charlotte decks Becky to start and a shoulder to the ribs puts her on the floor. That doesn’t last long and it’s Becky coming back in for kicks to both sets of ribs. A clothesline has Charlotte in trouble on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Becky kicking Carmella again but getting her throat snapped across the top rope. Becky is fine enough to slam Charlotte onto Carmella for two but Charlotte is back up to slug it out. Carmella breaks that up and hits a Flatliner on Becky, followed by the Code of Silence to Charlotte. That’s broken up without much effort and Becky missile dropkicks Carmella down. Becky gets suplexed into the corner though and a big boot drops Carmella again.

Charlotte moonsaults onto both of them for a pair of twos and we go to another breaker. Back again with Carmella getting two off a hurricanrana out of the corner and frustration setting in. A suicide dive takes out Becky and Charlotte’s moonsault misses. Becky is back up to suplex Carmella on the floor and they’re all down.

Back in and Charlotte hits a top rope Natural Selection on Becky but has to break up Carmella’s attempt at stealing the pin. The Figure Eight goes on until Becky breaks it up with the top rope legdrop. Carmella has to break up the Disarm-Her to Charlotte and it’s a spear to Becky. A superkick drops Charlotte but Carmella gets pulled into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 19:23.

Rating: B. Carmella was holding up her end well enough here and the ending is the right call. Even if Becky doesn’t win at the Rumble, there’s a very real chance of her jumping into the Rumble itself or winning the title shot at Elimination Chamber. This was what the fans wanted to see and that made for a rather entertaining match, along with good action from all three.

Asuka comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Well let’s see. Three matches with all but the short one being very good to excellent, storyline advancement, nothing that felt like filler, and title matches being set for the pay per view. This show was everything that Raw wasn’t last night and that makes it one of the best main roster shows in a LONG time. I had a great time with this one and it made me want to see some stuff at the pay per view. Not so much Shane somehow getting a title shot on pay per view, but some of the other stuff is looking great. Awesome show here and worth checking out if you want to see WWE knowing how to do it.

Results

Daniel Bryan b. R-Truth – Running knee

Andrade Cien Almas/Samoa Joe b. Rey Mysterio/Mustafa Ali – Hammerlock DDT to Mysterio

The Bar b. Usos – Neutralizer to Jey

Becky Lynch b. Charlotte and Carmella – Disarm-Her to Carmella

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: August 5, 2004
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re getting close to Summerslam and the big story around here is over the US Title with Booker T. winning the title in an eight way match last week. John Cena isn’t happy though and is still coming for Booker and the title, which you have to imagine will take place at Summerslam. Oh and Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero still hate each other. Let’s get to it.

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

New General Manager Theodore Long opens the show with pictures of Vince McMahon and Martin Luther King Jr. in his office. One had a vision and the other had a dream but they’ve both made him want to make Smackdown a great show for the fans. If you thought last week’s show was great, you haven’t seen anything yet. Call your friends and knock on your neighbor’s door because we’re starting with a #1 contenders match.

John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam

The winner gets a shot at Booker at some point in the future. They trade waistlocks to start and that’s a clean break. Van Dam slips out of a headscissors of all things and that’s an early standoff. Another clean break gives us a handshake as the fans switch from Van Dam to Cena. Van Dam gets tossed outside where he kicks Cena in the head to take over. Cena is smart enough to get off the barricade before the spinning kick can connect. Now why has no one else ever thought of that?

They fight over a suplex on the apron with Cena suplexing him out to the floor for a nasty landing as we take a break. Back with Cena getting two off a release fisherman’s suplex but Van Dam kicks him in the head again. Another kick to the face keeps Cena in trouble as Booker is cheering both of them on in the back. The split legged moonsault gives Van Dam two and Rolling Thunder is good for the same.

Since it’s been a few minutes since we’ve seen one, Van Dam kicks him in the face and goes up top for….actually a guillotine legdrop instead of the Five Star. Cena grabs a DDT (Why did he stop using that?) for a delayed two of his own. One heck of an elbow to the jaw rocks Van Dam and the ProtoBomb plants him again.

The Shuffle gets two and Cena goes up, which isn’t likely to be a good idea. Indeed Van Dam kicks him in the head and grabs a superplex but Cena reverses into a small package for the pin (the stupid kind where they’re both laying down and then kick their legs up for no reason other than to get to the finish) and the title shot.

Rating: B-. Cena is looking more and more like the guy who could be the next star every time he’s out there. The comedy is starting to take a backseat to the good, quality matches and while this wasn’t a great one, it was solid with Cena helping Van Dam put on a nice performance. A feud with Booker is only going to help him.

We get a show of respect post match.

Long comes in to see Booker and says he and Cena are so equal that one match isn’t enough. There’s going to be a best of five series for the title with the first match taking place at “Summer Games”.

Here’s Eddie Guerrero for a chat, complete with Torrie Wilson, Sable and Dawn Marie in the low rider. All of Kurt Angle’s stuff that Eddie is auctioning off is in the ring and the auction ends tonight. That’s why the women are here: to help raise the value. This includes putting the cast on Torrie and having her sit in the wheelchair so the women can sign the cast. Then we have the signed photo of Angle but Eddie is staring at Sable instead.

The girls autograph that too before Eddie moves on to talking about Angle’s last match. That just happened to be against Eddie at Wrestlemania where Eddie pinned him in a classic. Eddie promises to win again and we see an Olympic themed commercial of Eddie gluing the other runners to their starting blocks to win a Gold Medal of his own.

Rene Dupree vs. Orlando Jordan

I had almost forgotten Jordan existed. Dupree knocks him outside and into the steps to start before throwing right hands inside. Jordan gets thrown to the apron so Dupree can hit the French Tickler. With the dancing done, Dupree turns around into a high crossbody to give Jordan the upset. Yay.

JBL arrives and asks Josh how he’s doing while using hand sanitizer after shaking hands. He’s not afraid of Undertaker you see and is calling him out tonight.

Kurt Angle vs. Charlie Haas

This is Angle’s first match since Wrestlemania with Luther Reigns and Miss Jackie here as well. Feeling out process to start as they trade takedowns and escapes. Angle hits a hiptoss and Haas is right back with an armdrag into an armbar. Another armdrag sends Angle bailing out to the floor and we take an early break.

Back with Haas grabbing a hammerlock but getting snapmared into a chinlock. With the wrestling not getting us very far, Angle starts hammering away in the corner to really take over. Haas grabs a suplex and hammers away in the corner but walks into the belly to belly. The chinlock with a knee in the back goes on before Angle gets frustrated at the repeated kickouts.

A bodyscissors keeps Haas down but he fights up and sends Angle outside for a breather. Back in and Angle goes shoulder first into the post, setting up a springboard twisting ax handle (the announcers are surprised too) to give Haas two. That’s enough for Angle as he picks the ankle but gets sent into the corner. Angle isn’t having that either and takes down the straps, setting up the grapevined ankle lock for the tap.

Rating: B-. This was a good return for Angle as he wasn’t as sharp as he used to be but started to put it together as the match went on. Haas was a smart choice here as Angle is better at everything that Haas can do but Haas can still make him work. Angle is going to get better and better with some more matches, capped off by the big one at Summerslam.

Summerslam rundown.

Raw Rebound.

Tag Team Titles: Basham Brothers vs. Billy Kidman/Paul London

Kidman and London are defending. Danny starts with Kidman but it’s quickly off to London for a double hiptoss. A slingshot legdrop keeps Danny in trouble but Doug pulls Kidman off the apron to take over. Kidman gets dropped ribs first onto the top rope to make things even worse and we hit the bearhug. A kick to the head gives Danny two but Kidman scores with a dropkick and dives over for the tag off to London. Everything breaks down and Kidman uses London’s back as a launchpad for an enziguri. The 450 retains the titles.

Rating: C. Now this is the kind of thing that the champs needed. They had a nice little title defense here against a known team and won clean. Build up the credibility a bit and the reign will feel a little more important. The Bashams are so much better without Shaniqua, as they’ve gone from a joke to an average team, which is quite the upgrade.

John Cena wants you to vote.

Paul Heyman/Heidenreich video.

Rey Mysterio/Spike Dudley vs. Dudley Boyz

A loud Bubba drives Spike into the corner to start and a dropkick to Bubba only hurts Spike’s knee. Rey comes in and Spike walks it off on the floor as you might see something coming here. Mysterio’s springboard moonsault has Bubba in trouble and D-Von charges into a boot in the corner. In a questionable move, Spike tags himself in and missile dropkicks D-Von, only to hurt the knee again.

The distraction lets Bubba gorilla press Rey onto D-Von’s raised knee to bang up the ribs. The bearhug doesn’t last long and Bubba/s big elbow draws a smile. D-Von dives into a raised boot and the springboard seated senton puts Bubba down. Rey has to fight both Dudleys off at the same time with D-Von breaking up the 619. The 3D finishes Mysterio with Spike not being able to get in for the save.

Rating: D+. Just a match here and there’s a good chance that its main purpose was to set up a post match angle. Mysterio losing to both Dudleys in a glorified handicap match is fine and it gets the Dudleys some momentum back, though I’m not sure how interesting a story built around Spike is going to be.

Post match Spike helps Rey up and then turns on him, celebrating with his brothers instead. Spike wants a table and puts Rey through one with a top rope double stomp, setting up villainous posing. Uh, ok. I’m not sure why I’m supposed to care about Spike Dudley as a big villain, but this is somewhat (I think) better than having the Dudleys as the top heels. At least there’s no attempted murder involved.

Here’s JBL in the ring to call out Undertaker. He used to be a Texan but now he’s so glad to have moved to New York City. Now that he’s returned, he was hoping for the hero’s welcome that he deserved but tonight is about business. That’s why he’s calling Undertaker out right here and right now instead of waiting for Summerslam. The gong sounds and, in one of the famous WWE tropes, it’s a mini Taker. Tazz finds it hilarious, calling him the Undertoddler. JBL: “You look a lot bigger on television.”

He gets on his knees to look Undertaker eye to eye and makes a bunch of short jokes before loading the mini Taker up for a Tombstone. The gong goes off again though and the real Undertaker appears. It’s a quick beatdown to set up a Tombstone but Orlando Jordan of all people runs in for the save. Undertaker poses and the mini version does the same, earning a chokeslam to end the show. There were some good lines from JBL but this was eye rolling WWE comedy at its “finest”.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good here and they advanced some stories, there were a few things on here holding it back. The ending segment, along with Spike’s turn, aren’t exactly thrilling stuff and having Jordan be JBL’s lackey is far from interesting. I mean, there’s a reason that I had forgotten Jordan even existed until tonight. There’s some good stuff on here and enough to make the show easy to watch, which is about as you can ask for at times. Hopefully Summerslam is as good as the better half of the build has been, though it’s still not as strong as Raw at the moment.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: January 1, 2019
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

It’s the first show of the year and we’re taped again, though for the last time here. The big story this week is the return of John Cena, who is making one of his regular stops here in between movies. It’s not clear what he’s going to be doing but there could be some interesting interactions with some of the people on the roster. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s New Day, with Big E. as the New Year’s Baby, to open things up. They’re happy to be on the first Smackdown of the new year and we’ll start things off with an important announcement: all three of them will be in the Royal Rumble. Big E. goes into the Scott Steiner math promo, with Woods asking why he’s doing Steiner Math. If they win, they might be able to challenge for the Universal Title but Brock Lesnar won’t show up anyway. Kofi snaps about not being able to get a title shot so Big E. gives him some of the bottle.

On a sadder note, their doctors have told them to stop eating pancakes but Big E. pulls some out of the diaper. After Kofi freaks out, he and Woods have new year’s resolutions….which are the plots to Bumblebee and Bird Box. Big E. gets us back on track by talking about the fatal five way for the WWE Title shot at the Royal Rumble, but first we need to have a regular match to fill in the fifth spot. Let’s do that now.

Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe

Before the match, we get clips of their match last where Jeff snapped. See, why couldn’t they just combine the two matches? Either have last week’s match be for the spot in the five way or do something else and only have them do this match. That’s a big reason why these feuds feel like they go on forever. Anyway Joe pulls him down into a kneebar to start and punches away in the corner. Jeff slips down to the floor and wraps Joe’s knee around the post to keep things even. Joe gets mad and unloads the announcers’ table to send us to a break.

Back with Joe hammering away in the corner, which is rather different than the expected chinlock. Joe ties him in the Tree of Woe to break up the Whisper in the Wind, setting up a sliding dropkick. Jeff makes his comeback with all of the usual, including the Twisting Stunner to set up the Swanton but Joe bails to the floor. Hardy goes with him but gets caught in the Koquina Clutch. That gives Joe a nine, so he slaps it on again back inside to knock Hardy out at 10:26 for a spot in the five way.

Rating: C. The match was the usual stuff they’re capable of doing, but that doesn’t make it that much more interesting. Joe’s promos were great before the matches started but they’ve already done this match enough that it’s hard to care about it again. Joe just won clean, so why would I want to see them fight again? I’m sure they will, and that’s a problem.

We look back at Vince McMahon bringing out the animal in AJ Styles, who beat Vince down due to a slap.

Vince and Shane McMahon are in their office and explain the fatal five way in a fashion that they would never use. AJ comes in and asks if Vince is sure he wanted to see him. He’s not apologizing for what happened last week so watch the real AJ tonight. AJ teases showing the real version to Vince right now and Vince has to hold Shane back. With AJ gone, Shane tells Vince to be careful what he wishes for. Better advice: make sure that HHH isn’t doing the same storyline with Seth Rollins on Raw.

Here are Rusev and Lana for their celebration of winning the US Title last week. Rusev talks about how great he is, including his animal magnetism (Lana seems to approve) and smelling like a bacon flavored Cinnabon. We get a RUSEV DAY USA chant but here’s Nakamura to jump him from behind. Lana tried to jump on Nakamura’s back and Rusev uses the distraction to superkick him down. That crushes Lana, who can handle wrestling matches but not having a 220lb man fall on her. Nakamura uses the distraction to kick Rusev in the face and then hit Kinshasa.

We look back at Mandy Rose trying to get Jimmy Uso under the mistletoe last week, which didn’t sit well with Naomi.

Mandy Rose vs. Naomi

Mandy takes off the Mandy Rose shirt to reveal an Usos shirt….and apparently we have a change.

Sonya Deville vs. Naomi

Sonya uses the early distraction to hit a sliding knee for two and it’s off to the chinlock. Naomi comes right back with a Disaster kick but Mandy grabs the mic. She was getting ready earlier today and sent Jimmy a picture of herself in a towel (which is covering her more than her gear). That’s enough of a distraction for Sonya to hit a Hellevator (suplex into a Rock Bottom) for the pin at 2:23.

Randy Orton promises to make victims out of everyone else in the five way.

Rey Mysterio has shown that he can’t be pushed around and he’ll prove that he’s not just here for nostalgia.

Mustafa Ali used to be known as the heart of the cruiserweights but now he wants to be known as the heart of Smackdown. He may be the underdog but he has hope and heart.

We get some new year’s resolutions.

The IIconics want to be the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions.

The Good Brothers want to eradicate Smackdown of all the nerds.

Shelton Benjamin doesn’t care because no one is going to live up to their promises, and pulls down the New Year’s resolution curtains.

Samoa Joe promises to win the five way and then win the WWE Title because he wants to prove himself to people like Jeff Hardy.

Here’s John Cena, bad hair and all, for a chat. Cena thanks the fans for the energy and talks about the year in review. He bought a ticket to Wrestlemania and probably shouldn’t have had those beers before the match. His personal life was all over national television, he wrote a best selling children’s book that he’s very proud of and lived in China for six months. With all that though, he still thinks this hair is a good idea. On top of that though, he can still float like a butterfly and sting like a bumblebee, which is still certified fresh.

The question now is why is he here. Well he knows that someone is going to come out here right now and say Cena should leave WWE faster than Nikki Bella left him. That brings out Becky Lynch to some applause from Cena. Becky asks how it feels to expect a man to come out here but to get The Man instead. Things have gotten a bit more complicated since Cena left, because now Becky wants to take his place instead of Charlotte’s. He’s been THE star of WWE and now she wants to be on those posters and filling his shoes. If Cena has a problem with that, Nikki won’t be the only woman to drop him this year.

This brings out Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega, with the latter saying a fresh start was promised not too long ago. What she sees though is an old face in Cena and a still broken face in Becky. Vega introduces the two of them and promises that this will be the year of tranquilo. Cena: “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is John Cena and you may know me from being John Cena.” The challenge is thrown out and the mixed tag starts after the break.

John Cena/Becky Lynch vs. Zelina Vega/Andrade Cien Almas

The women start with a chop sending Vega bailing for a tag to Almas. That means Cena comes in as well and Andrade is rather pleased. The early tranquilo pose doesn’t have Cena very impressed and Almas’ headlock doesn’t make things much better. The fans want Becky but have to settle for more headlocking instead. Almas kicks him down but gets his suplex reversed. A running clothesline takes Cena down though and we take a break.

Back with Vega holding Cena on the ropes and Almas still in control. Cena fights up and avoids a charge, allowing the hot tag to Becky as the fans stay interested. Some kicks have Vega in trouble and the Bexploder makes things even worse. A top rope dropkick with almost no elevation (Becky might have slipped) gets two but Almas breaks up the Disarm-Her. Cena takes care of him with the usual, including the Lightning Fist. Becky shoves Cena out of the ring though and grabs the Disarm-Her for the win at 10:11.

Rating: C-. That ending was a great example of something that Becky would do and fitting her character. She didn’t ask permission from Cena to do what she wanted and just took the spot herself. That fits her very well and was the right call. It’s not going to mean anything, but it fit for the moment.

Post match Cena offers a handshake but Becky does You Can’t See Me instead.

We look back at Shane finally agreeing to be Miz’s tag partner.

Miz comes in to see Shane and has ideas for matching gear. That means Shane in Miz’s coat, but Shane isn’t thrilled. He doesn’t seem that much happier with the red version with sunglasses either. Miz’s last idea is Shane in Miz trunks, with Shane looking rather ripped. Shane suggests coming up with something brighter and leaves.

The same video on the coming NXT stars. Good grief WE GET IT ALREADY.

HHH comes up to see Asuka in the back and asks her who should get a title shot at the Royal Rumble. Asuka is up for anyone because no one is ready for her. Charlotte pops in to say Ronda Rousey is the only reason she’s not champion. Carmella comes in to say she was champion for a long time, followed by Becky saying she’s the only option. Advisement has been undertaken.

Rey Mysterio vs Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles

One fall to a finish and the winner gets Bryan at the Rumble. Everyone is in the ring at once so Ali goes right at Joe, who throws him down without much effort. AJ hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Rey before hammering away at Orton in the corner. Everyone but Orton heads outside with the aggressive AJ sending Ali face first into the post. Ali is fine enough to hit the rolling X Factor for two on Orton as Joe makes the save.

Rey dives in to take Joe down but AJ sends him hard into the corner. Mysterio is fine enough to hurricanrana AJ out to the floor, only to walk right into a powerslam. Joe suplexes Ali but charges into AJ’s elbow in the corner, setting up the moonsault into the reverse DDT for two. Back from a break with AJ taking over again but not being able to launch the Phenomenal Forearm. Joe drops him through the announcers’ table, only to have Ali take him down.

Rey does the same to Orton and we get an Ali vs Mysterio showdown. Ali flips out of a headscissors and catches Rey on top with a super Spanish Fly. That’s good for a delayed two with Joe making a save this time and firing off knees to Ali. The Satellite DDT plans Joe but the 054 misses. Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch with Rey making a save off a 619. Another 619 hits Ali and there’s the RKO to make it worse, with Rey coming off the top with a legdrop for the save. A hurricanrana on the floor takes care of Joe and AJ hits the springboard 450 to pin Orton for the title shot at 13:09.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here with the right call. You don’t want to have AJ get that big moment last year and then lose his first match back. I don’t think they’ll put the title back on him but there’s a good chance he’ll get screwed out of the title, which is a fine enough way to set up a Rumble match. Ali got some nice offense in here as well and that’s a good sign for his future.

Overall Rating: C. The show wasn’t exactly great, but it set up things for the Rumble and advanced some stories without feeling long, which is a lot better than what you would see on the Monday counterpart. Things will pick way back up next week so this was little more than a filler, but at least we got a watchable show this time around. Hopefully we get more of the Rumble card next week, but what we’ve gotten so far isn’t too bad.

Results

Samoa Joe b. Jeff Hardy – Koquina Clutch

Sonya Deville b. Naomi – Hellevator

John Cena/Becky Lynch b. Andrade Cien Almas/Zelina Vega – Disarm-Her to Vega

AJ Styles b. Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio and Mustafa Ali – Springboard 450 to Orton

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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