IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

Kickoff Show: Elias vs. Matt Hardy

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto vs. Enzo Amore

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Breezango

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

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

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

New Day vs. Shield

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baron Corbin vs. The Miz

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

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

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

Corbin says he just shut Miz up.

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

The Bar vs. Usos

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss

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

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

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

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

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

AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Shield b. New Day – Super TripleBomb to Kingston

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

Baron Corbin b. The Miz – End of Days

Usos b. The Bar – Superfly Splash to Sheamus

Charlotte b. Alexa Bliss – Figure Eight

Brock Lesnar b. AJ Styles – F5

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: November 13, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re less than two weeks away from Survivor Series and that means it’s time to get the rest of the men’s elimination team set up in a hurry. Other than that I would say it would be nice to hear something about the champion vs. champion matches but that ship seems to have sailed. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to get things going, with the commentators actually talking about Reigns vs. Randy Orton or Drew McIntyre at Survivor Series on the way to the ring. Reigns says Heyman calls this the Island Of Relevancy because Reigns makes everyone relevant. Jey Uso was the one who made you ask which twin he was but thanks to Reigns, he’s Main Event Jey Uso.

Over the last two weeks he has beaten Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens and then at Survivor Series it will be him leading Smackdown to victory. Then Reigns will beat the secondary champion on the same night. You can respect the man’s accomplishments but not respect the man himself….and here’s Drew McIntyre to interrupt.

McIntyre says he won’t waste Reigns’ time but he’s going to win the title on Monday and they’ll see each other at Survivor Series. He remembers eliminating Reigns to win the Royal Rumble this year and then beat Heyman’s (unnamed) client in five minutes at Wrestlemania. Reigns wouldn’t remember that though because he wasn’t at Wrestlemania. Someone had to step up in Reigns’ absence and that was McIntyre. At Survivor Series, McIntyre will prove that he’s the man.

Reigns says that’s all true but he’s back now, and that means no one knows who McIntyre is. He doesn’t watch Raw, just like everyone else, because they’re all watching Smackdown to see him. Reigns says tell us who McIntyre is, so McIntyre promises to win the title and then show Reigns what a champion really is.

They go nose to nose but here’s Jey Uso to ask what McIntyre is doing here. Jey talks about the people he’s beaten and challenges McIntyre for tonight. McIntyre shoves Uso down and stares at Reigns, seemingly meaning the match is on. If that’s not setting up Survivor Series, it better be setting up Wrestlemania because that sounds like a heck of a showdown.

Post break Reigns screams at Jey and says take care of this.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Apollo Crews

Sami is defending and before the match, he goes on a rant about how he was only told about his title defense at 7pm. WWE is trying to sabotage him but he is going to turn this into a positive. Tonight he is going to show what it means to be the Intercontinental Champion and how much better it is than the United States Title.

Crews’ entrance cuts him off and Apollo slugs away to start, including tossing Sami outside. Back inside and Crews hits a jumping enziguri into a standing moonsault for two. Sami is sent outside again, where he tears the ring skirt off. Crews is sent into the apron and Sami ties his leg into the ring structure for the countout at 2:08. Well that was unique.

Adam Pearce talks to Drew McIntyre and offers him the match against Jey. Drew almost mocks Pearce for suggesting that he wasn’t interested.

The Mysterios are ready to end Seth Rollins for good tonight. Rollins calls himself the messiah but to Rey, he’s nothing but the devil.

Here’s Sasha Banks to talk about how she is the champion and still going after everything that she has been through. Cue Bayley for a distraction though, allowing Carmella to come in with a superkick and the X Factor.

Otis is eating three plates of food at once at catering when Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode come up to mock him over being so pathetic. They bring up Tucker and Mandy, which makes Otis turn the table over. See, Otis eats a lot of food and doesn’t have any friends so….that’s about all there is to him now.

Tribute To The Troops is coming back.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Robert Roode is here with Ziggler. Otis drives him into the corner to start and then sends Ziggler flying without much trouble. Roode offers a distraction so Ziggler hits the Zig Zag…for two. Well that was surprising. The superkick is blocked though and Otis hits a World’s Strongest Slam into the Caterpillar (more of a falling elbow than a jumping one this time). Roode’s distraction doesn’t break up the Vader Bomb and Ziggler is done at 1:51. Points for actually not mocking someone and then having them lose for a change.

Post break Chad Gable congratulates Otis on his win and offers to be his mentor. He even has a brochure on the Alpha Academy, which seems to interest Otis. This is already more interesting than anything involving a one note short joke.

Long video on Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio, which has dragged in several other people over the last six months. Tonight it’s No Holds Barred in the final chapter (I’m sure).

Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio

No Holds Barred with the rest of the Mysterio Family and Murphy at ringside. Rey slugs him into the corner to start but Rollins takes him down in a hurry. It’s time for a chair but Rey dropkicks the leg out to save himself. Rollins is sent into the turnbuckle and it’s a tornado DDT onto the apron. They head outside with Rollins sending him into the steps but Rey sunset bombs him into the barricade.

We go to a replay for the sake of Rey needing to adjust his mask and come back with Rollins countering the sliding splash into a suplex drop onto the announcers’ table (Rey’s mask is twisted to the side again with his nose sticking out on the landing). Back in and Rollins starts in on the back before sending him chest first into the corner. The chair is wedged into the corner but the comeback is on with Rey snapping off a headscissors for a breather. Rollins sends him sliding underneath the bottom rope for a crash to the floor though and the steps to the face put Rey down again.

The Stomp only hits the steps though and Rey knocks him onto them, setting up the sliding splash for a good landing. Back with Rollins loading up a table in the ring and hitting Two Amigos (on the fifteenth anniversary of Eddie’s passing) but the third through the table is broken up. Rollins slides the table into Rey’s ribs for a clever counter though and the stomping is on in the corner. Rey gets in a few shots but a powerbomb out of the corner and through the table gets two.

Rollins goes for Rey’s other eye but has to superkick Dominik for trying to interfere. Murphy stares at the rest of the Mysterios as Rey dropkicks the chair into Rollins’ face. That makes Murphy look back and forth before getting inside and handing the chair to Rollins. Then he knees Rollins in the face to complete the turn (for the third or so time), leaving Rollins to get into 619 position to yell at Murphy. Rey completely misses the first time and falls out to the floor, but the second attempt connects, setting up the frog splash for the pin at 18:30.

Rating: B. They kept billing this as the final chapter and if that’s what it was (forgive me for not buying it), they went out with a good one. Once you get rid of all the nonsense between these two, they’re very talented wrestlers who can have a good match in almost any form. That’s what they did here and it felt like a major match worthy of the big blowoff.

Post match the family hugs and Aalyah goes for Murphy. Rey stops her though and says Murphy has been looking for his approval. Rey shakes Murphy’s hand, Aalyah hugs Murphy, and Dominik finally shakes his hand as well. Murphy even hugs Angie.

Adam Pearce has put Natalya into another Survivor Series qualifying match but that’s not what she wants. She wants to just be put on the team because she’s the BOAT and storms off. Chelsea Green pops up next to Pearce for her debut.

Post match Rollins screams at Pearce about Murphy and demands a chance to destroy him.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Natalya vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tamina

Actually hang on as we’re making it a four way.

Survivor Series Qualifying Match: Natalya vs. Liv Morgan vs. Tamina vs. Chelsea Green

Everyone starts going after Tamina to start because she’s the monster who has to be dealt with every time. Green and Natalya take her outside for a whip into the barricade. A dropkick knocks Green off the apron so Liv and Natalya can fight back inside. Morgan hits a spinning DDT for two but Natalya takes her down for the chinlock.

That’s broken up and Morgan gets two off a clothesline as this has broken into a singles match for the time being. Natalya sweeps the legs but the Sharpshooter is broken up. A Codebreaker gives Morgan two but Tamina finally comes back in and gets caught with another Codebreaker to give Liv the pin at 3:50.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what happened there as Green just disappeared about a minute into the match. Liv and Natalya seemed to be looking over their shoulder a few times waiting on someone to run in as well so I’m not sure what happened there. I really hope it isn’t an injury, because when you consider she broke her wrist in her NXT debut, we could be looking at another level of snake bit.

Drew McIntyre talks about how humiliating it would be for Jey Uso to lose in his own backyard.

Big E. hustles someone in a rope jumping competition but here are the Street Profits with some covered plates. They pull the plates back but Big E. is curious why everything is shaped like an L. See, that’s what the Profits are going to be serving New Day at survivor Series, if they even beat the Hurt Business on Raw. Big E. says the Street Profits are good but at best they’ll be New Day Lite or Diet New Day. A lot of one sided laughter ensues.

Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso

Unsanctioned. McIntyre shoves him into the corner to start and shrugs off a shot to the face. Instead, Drew takes him into the corner and chops away, even ripping off Jey’s shirt to make it worse. There’s a stomp to Jey’s hand and an elbow to the face takes him down as well. Jey gets fired up and sends him over the top, only to have his dive cut off with a shot to the face. Back in and Jey kicks the ropes for a low blow, followed by a superkick out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Drew charging into a Samoan drop for two. Jey stomps him down in the corner but the running Umaga attack is cut off by a shot to the face. Back to back belly to belly suplexes have Jey in trouble but the Future Shock is countered into a rollup for two. A sitout spinebuster gives Drew another near fall, only to have Jey come right back with a superkick. Jey gets caught on top but manages to break up the superplex to knock McIntyre into the Tree of Woe.

As usual, Drew pulls himself up and throws Jey down by the neck. The threat of a Claymore sends Jey bailing to the floor so the brawl can be on again. Cue Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman for a distraction though and Jey manages to post him. McIntyre is sent into the steps as well…but Reigns won’t let Jey follow him back inside. Reigns tells Jey to make him understand so Jey goes inside and hammers away. Drew doesn’t seem to mind and pops up with the Claymore for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B-. At first I was annoyed at the idea of Uso losing, but at the end of the day he just lost to one of the biggest stars WWE has and easily the biggest face in the company. Jey has been playing with the house’s money for months now and it’s not like losing to a much bigger star is going to kill his push. Good match too and dang Reigns vs. McIntyre feels like a must see showdown.

Post match Drew gets in Reigns’ face again, with Reigns adjusting the title and telling Drew to get himself one of these.

Overall Rating: B. Now that was a well paced wrestling show. The stuff that didn’t matter was in and out in a hurry and the stuff that did matter got time and was allowed to develop. Also, well done on actually acknowledging the champion vs. champion matches, which have been left by the wayside. That being said, I’m worried about Green though as there was clearly something wrong with her just disappearing like that in a match that should have been a strong debut for her. That’s really not a good sign and hopefully whatever happened is nothing serious.

What stuck out to me though was how well they set up Reigns vs. McIntyre. It goes to show you what happens when you build people up well and then set up a match. Reigns has been unstoppable since his return but McIntyre has been turned into the top face in the company over months of being treated like a star. Then you put them together, even for a tease, and I want to see what happens. That’s a proper build, and in a way it’s even more frustrating because it shows that WWE still knows how to do this. Either way, I want to see the match and that’s a nice thing to be able to say again.

Results

Sami Zayn b. Apollo Crews via countout.

Otis b. Dolph Ziggler – Vader Bomb

Rey Mysterio b. Seth Rollins – Frog splash

Liv Morgan b. Tamina, Chelsea Green and Natalya – Codebreaker to Tamina

Drew McIntyre b. Jey Uso – Claymore

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

We open with a Never Forget graphic.

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

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

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

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

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles

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

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

Post match Sami hits the Helluva Kick on Jeff.

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

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

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

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

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

Lucha House Party vs. Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura

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

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

Post break the House Party joins the party.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Otis vs. John Morrison

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

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

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

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

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

Jey Uso/Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin/Sheamus

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

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

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

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

Results

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

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

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

Otis b. John Morrison – Vader Bomb

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Money In The Bank 2020
Date: May 10, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s a special event this time around as the majority of the show will be taking place in the Performance Center but the two ladder matches, taking place at the same time because reasons, are to be held at WWE Headquarters in Connecticut. This could be anywhere between a disaster or fascinating, or perhaps a combination of both. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cesaro vs. Jeff Hardy

This is Hardy’s first match in over two months. Cesaro grabs a headlock to start but Jeff goes old school with an atomic drop. Jeff sends him outside but gets dropped onto the barricade for his efforts. Back in and Cesaro chokes with the boot to put Jeff in more trouble. A middle rope elbow to the back gives Cesaro two and we hit the chinlock.

Jeff fights up and takes it outside again, only to be whipped hard into the apron. Cesaro stomps on the ribs even more and we hit the abdominal stretch. A hiptoss breaks that up but Jeff takes him down into another chinlock. Jeff hits the legdrop between the legs but gets crotched on top. An elbow to the face knocks Cesaro down though and Whisper in the Wind connects (with Hardy landing on Cesaro’s leg in a scary crash).

The Twist of Fate gets two but Cesaro blasts him with a clothesline. They head outside again with Cesaro hitting a running uppercut against the barricade but Hardy sends him knee first into the steps. Hardy’s running clothesline from the barricade drops Cesaro and it’s the Swanton finishes at 13:28.

Rating: C. That was a long one so maybe they were trying to get Hardy’s ring rust off. Cesaro made him work here and the match wasn’t too anyway. Hardy’s comeback story could be a long form one and that isn’t a bad thing. Hardy is a major star and someone who could add some much needed energy to the show. Hopefully it works out well, because Hardy isn’t going to have much time left to go.

The opening video focuses entirely on the ladder matches, with what sounds like an automated voice over talking about how you have to climb the corporate ladder. The risk is worth the reward.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Lucha House Party vs. Forgotten Sons vs. Miz/John Morrison

New Day is defending, Jaxson Ryker is here with the Sons and it’s one fall to a finish. Gran Metalik wristlocks Kofi to start but gets flipped down in a hurry. There’s a running shoulder to drop Metalik again but Blake tags himself in and sends Kofi outside. Morrison comes in as well and catches Metalik on top as everything breaks down. The super Spanish Fly onto everyone else puts everyone down in the huge crash.

Back in and Cutler elbows Metalik down for two and it’s off to Blake, who is thrown at Metalik for the hard knockdown. Elbows to the head put Metalik in more trouble until a tornado DDT gets him out. The hot tag brings in Dorado for a dropsault to Miz/Morrison for two. A hurricanrana gets the same with Blake making the save as Kofi comes back in. Morrison’s springboard kick to the head drops Kofi, who is right back up with the Boom Drop to Miz.

Trouble in Paradise is blocked so it’s off to Cutler to stomp on Big E. in the corner. Kofi is right back in again to take over on Cutler as the fast tags continue. Miz makes a blind tag as the double stomp/reverse DDT plants Big E. The Skull Crushing Finale gets rid of Blake as Morrison gets two on Big E. with the House Party making the save.

A springboard hurricanrana takes Morrison down and it’s a top rope splash into a rope walk elbow for two on Big E. Back up and Big E. sends the Sons to the floor so he can launch Kofi onto Blake. Cutler posts Kofi hard and Ryker tries to get involved, earning himself an ejection. Everyone is down on the floor until Big E. gets inside. Metalik springboards at him but gets caught in the Big Ending to retain the titles at 12:01.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but once they got into the higher gear, everything got better in a hurry. New Day continues to hold the titles but at some point they need to have someone new take over the top spot. Kofi and Big E. are great, but how long can they be champions before that starts wearing off?

Lacey Evans is ready for Money in the Bank thanks to preparations and planning. She has memorized the layout of WWE Headquarters so she’ll win the briefcase and then take the title from Bayley.

Drew McIntyre doesn’t like the idea of being called an underdog. He looks like Goliath but he has definitely been in a David story. Seth Rollins is great but Drew has more heart, passion and desire. Plus the WWE Championship, which he isn’t losing tonight.

R-Truth vs. MVP

Truth seems to hear the fans shouting WHAT’S UP back at him. Before the match, Truth offers to teach MVP about ballin, including an explain of how scoring works in basketball. MVP isn’t interested….so here’s Bobby Lashley to interrupt. He’ll be taking MVP’s place, which MVP says is what’s up.

R-Truth vs. Bobby Lashley

Truth tries to take the night off too and accidentally slaps Lashley, meaning the pain is imminent. The HEY LOOK OVER THERE strategy doesn’t work as Lashley throws him into the corner and then across the ring for a bonus. The spinebuster and spear finish Truth at 1:43.

We get the Real Heroes video, featuring athletes honoring healthcare workers.

King Corbin says he’ll win the briefcase for the second time.

Bayley doesn’t want to hear about possible strife with Sasha Banks. No she doesn’t blame Banks for losing the tag match on Smackdown.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Tamina

MVP gets swapped out but this match goes on. Good to know that WWE hates us. Bayley is defending and has Sasha Banks in her corner. Tamina doesn’t like being hit in the face to start and Bayley’s trash talk makes it worse. Some forearms give Bayley a breather so she goes up top, only to get shoved in the face. Bayley gets down and Tamina says bring it, meaning the chase is on.

Tamina gets pulled down so her leg can be wrapped around the post. More shots to the knee keep her in trouble but Tamina shoves her away. The superkick to the chest is countered into a kneebar, sending Tamina over to the ropes. Bayley can’t Samoan drop Tamina so she rolls outside for some water. After a few sips, Bayley throws the water in her face.

That earns Bayley a hard clothesline and a whip into the barricade, which even knocks one of the ladders over. Back in and the Samoan drop is blocked so Tamina superkicks her to the floor. Bayley is thrown over the announcers’ table before going back inside for the superkick and Samoan drop. Sasha’s distraction means no cover so Tamina grabs her by the leg. Bayley uses the distraction to grab a crucifix for the retaining pin at 10:28.

Rating: D-. That’s as good as this was going to be as there was nothing good about this. I still don’t know why WWE thinks we need to see Tamina on television whatsoever and the match was as terrible as expected. Tamina is not good at any of this and pushing her, even as a challenger of the month, feels like such a waste of time and resources. Just never do this again, please?

Post match Tamina tries another Samoan drop and gets chop blocked.

Seth Rollins says Drew McIntyre knows that it is his destiny to lose the title tonight. Drew is still willing to step into the fire though and Seth admires that courage. Tonight, Seth will take away his burden.

Quick preview of the Last Ride.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt. Strowman was part of the Wyatt Family back in the day but has since broken free and become Universal Champion. Bray wants the title back.

Smackdown World Title: Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman is defending and it’s Bray rather than the Fiend. Braun grabs him by the throat and shoves him into the corner to start. Bray: “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!” A clothesline puts Bray down in the corner and he agrees that Braun is strong. Strowman sends him outside again but the running charge around the ring is sent over the announcers’ table.

Bray gets back inside and laughs at him but the evil seems to be coming out. Cue Huskus the Pig to say Bray can do it, meaning it’s a DDT on the floor for Bray’s first offense. Back in and Bray’s running clothesline gets two, followed by a tornado DDT into Sister Abigail for two more. Bray looks shocked for the first time and screams a lot. Ref: “It was two!”. Bray: “I KNOW!” Another Sister Abigail is countered into a chokeslam and they’re both down.

Strowman sends him outside so the running shoulder can connect but Bray kicks him off the apron. As Bray laughs inside, Strowman comes up in the black sheep mask. Bray is thrilled because he knew this would happen as Strowman rips his shirt off. Strowman drops to his knees and poses in front of a kneeling Bray. They hug as the puppets pop up to celebrate Braun being home. Then Braun takes the mask off and steps on it, setting up the running powerslam to retain at 10:43.

Rating: D. I know the Wyatt Family was a big deal for a long time but it’s not like Strowman was that important of a part. The angle makes sense but it’s not like it’s something that is going to draw that much interest. Strowman still doesn’t feel like the next big thing or a long term champion but at least the they gave him the first title defense, which he certainly needed.

Post match Bray glares at him and the Fiend pops up.

The hacker pops up to say he sees everyone and hears everything. He is the truth and no one is safe. He presses a button and we see all kinds of wrestlers on his multiple monitors.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship. Drew won the title at Wrestlemania and now Rollins is coming after the title because it is his destiny.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

Drew is defending and Seth has new music. Rollins grabs a headlock to start so Drew hits a running shoulder to take care of that. The arm cranking doesn’t get Seth very far as Drew goes with more shoulders, followed by a running clothesline to the floor. Back in and one heck of a chop puts Rollins down, followed by an even louder one to make it worse. Seth gets smart by going after the leg before weakly sending Drew shoulder first into the post.

The suicide dive to the floor sets up a Sling Blade for two back inside. Seth stays on the leg with the half crab and then switches to an STF. A Crossface sends McIntyre outside so Seth hits the running knee from the apron. Another jumping knee off the barricade knocks McIntyre even sillier so let’s load up the announcers’ table. The third knee connects from the table and Seth goes inside to talk trash as Drew tries to get up.

Another suicide dive is countered into an overhead belly to belly onto the table though and they’re both down outside. More suplexes connect back inside and Drew kicks him in the head. There’s the top rope shot to the head but Seth rolls to the apron before the Claymore. Drew goes with a spinebuster for two instead but Rollins kicks him back down. The frog splash gets two so Seth goes to grab a chair. That gets thrown away so Drew blocks the Stomp with a Glasgow Kiss.

Rollins catches him on top with the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two. The Stomp is countered again, this time into the Future Shock for two more. They head up again with McIntyre’s leg getting tied in the Tree of Woe so Seth can step on it. That’s fine with Drew, who pulls himself up for a belly to belly superplex. The Claymore is cut off by a superkick and the Stomp finally connects for two. Drew has had enough and Glasgow Kisses him again, setting up the Claymore to retain at 19:30.

Rating: B. That’s how this should have gone as you get McIntyre over with one big win after another. Let him stack up wins for a few months before giving him the really big test (and I don’t mean Brock Lesnar) with someone new. It’s worked for years and it will again, despite what WWE seems to think for whatever reason.

Post match Drew shows respect and says that’s what he needed.

R-Truth says he beat MVP, even though MVP has lost a lot of weight. He’s happy with his win but he has no one to celebrate with. That’s why he’s coming for the 24/7 Title, so Tom Brady better look out. Charly: “He means Rob Gronkowski.” In case you didn’t get the joke you see. Because if you’re watching this, you have to be a moron of course.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match/Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Men: Aleister Black, AJ Styles, Otis, Daniel Bryan, King Corbin, Rey Mysterio

Women: Lacey Evans, Nia Jax, Asuka, Shayna Baszler, Dana Brooke, Carmella

There is no commentary for this. Both matches are going on at the same time and they all get entrances to start in the lobby of WWE Headquarters. Well not Asuka actually as she is nowhere to be seen. Actually hold on as she’s standing on a ledge above the other five. The men start brawling in the gym as Asuka dives onto the other five and goes for the elevator. She gets the doors closed so Shayna, Carmella and Lacey give chase up the steps.

The men fight in the gym with Corbin throwing a weight at Bryan but hitting a mirror instead. AJ punches Otis as Corbin sends Bryan into some weights. Otis gets smart by putting a barbell over AJ’s chest. The other five run off and wind up near the bathroom. Brother Love pops out of a stall and tells Rey that he loves him. Rey: “I love you too but I’ve got to go.” They wind up in the offices and then get in the elevators, but Rey can’t get inside in time.

Back to the women with the trio going to the elevators and nearly being run over by the men stumbling out. The men fight into a room with ropes in front of the walls, where Bryan ties Corbin up for the kicks to the chest. Black is smart enough to use this moment to escape as Bryan kicks Otis down as well. Bryan runs off as well, as Doink pops out from behind a chair.

The three women run into Nia, who knocks Carmella into a meeting room. Shayna and Dana join them with Shayna and Nia knocking each other down. Dana sees a briefcase above the table and pulls it down, but Stephanie McMahon pops in to say that’s not the right one. And clean this place up. Carmella breaks a poster over Dana’s head and moon walks out but gets dropped with the Woman’s Right.

AJ has gotten up but runs into a Rey Mysterio poster, which he has to stop and punch. He goes hunting for Rey (passing a Roman Reigns painting on the wall, launching a thousand internet reports) but gets freaked out by an Undertaker painting for some continuity. AJ goes into an Undertaker themed room and we get flashbacks to the Boneyard match. Black pops in and kicks him into said room before shutting the door and smiling. Now it’s off to catering, where Paul Heyman is having a lot of food.

Cue nearly everyone involved in the match for a big staredown, because they need to yell at each other instead of going up. Otis stops for food but destroys a sandwich…..and declares a food fight. Heyman takes food to the face and it’s time to throw stuff at each other. Shayna chokes out Rey, who is then crushed by Nia and Otis. Nia throws Dana into a Coke machine and then powerbombs Carmella through the table. That leaves Nia and Otis (eating) to have an awkward staredown before going their separate ways.

Otis goes into the cafeteria and is VERY happy…..as Johnny Ace (in the white suit) scooters up. Johnny declares PEOPLE POWER and gets pied in the face. Asuka finally pops up again and yells at a janitor for not knowing how to get to the roof. The other women come in so she throws the mop at them. Dana slips on the wet floor and Nia beats up Lacey and Shayna. Black and Bryan are fighting near an office when AJ comes in to jump Bryan.

They fight into Vince’s office (complete with dinosaur skull), realize where they are, and are immediately ordered out. Well after they fix the chairs they messed up of course. Vince makes sure to sanitize before sitting back down to work. Outside, AJ says Bryan looked like a coward in there but it was AJ who fixed the chairs. The fighting continues but Black and Corbin join them, with the latter throwing Bryan over the big conference table. Corbin: “I’m going to the roof!”

And now we go to said roof, with Nia throwing Asuka into the ring. Lacey joins them and is dispatched in a hurry so Nia can load up the first ladder. Asuka gets sent into the ladder but it’s the Woman’s Right to put Nia down. Asuka drops Lacey and shoved the ladder down, straight onto Nia’s head for your first OW of the match.

Lacey goes up but is pulled down again, only to go up at the same time as Asuka. An elbow knocks Lacey onto Nia so Asuka is alone on the ladder….but here is Corbin to go up as well. For some reason Asuka knocks him down and then unhooks the women’s briefcase for the win at 21:30.

Otis is up there as well but breaks the ladder as he tries to climb. Corbin misses a charge into the corner so it’s the Caterpillar on the roof. Black is in to kick Otis down with Mysterio adding a top rope seated senton. Rey and Black go up at the same time but AJ is in for the save. With Rey down, Corbin throws him over the roof for the huge thud. Black gets the same treatment as Corbin seems to have murdered two people on television.

Bryan is up there as well but Corbin pulls him down and sends him into the ladder. AJ Phenomenal Forearms Otis and fights with Corbin on top of the ladder. They take the briefcase down at the same time but here’s Elias to break a guitar over Corbin’s back. AJ drops the briefcase though and Otis catches it for the win at 26:57.

Rating: B. This is going to be one of those matches where I need to think about it a lot in the coming days. I definitely had fun with it, but there were parts that made my head hurt. Some of the people disappeared for way too long to be believable (like some of the women who never made it to the roof) and it was a little too much on more than one occasion.

That being said, I has a great time with this and it was one of the more unique things I’ve seen in a very long time. One of the big criticisms of recent WWE is how similar so many things have looked. That was absolutely not the case here and they had a very unique match as a result. I was completely wrong about Otis winning, but there is a good chance he loses it or doesn’t get a World Title match somehow. Asuka winning makes sense, though I’m starting to worry about Shayna. Either way, this is definitely worth seeing at least once, if nothing else for all of the moving parts.

Overall Rating: B+. It worked a lot more than it didn’t, as the Smackdown singles title matches were the only glaringly bad spots. They needed to do something out of the box to shake things up a bit around here and this was as good as they could have done. I liked it more than I expected to and the main event delivered, though I’m worried about how boring things will get when they’re back to the same formula over and over again. The main event is worth checking out, but it’s almost even more frustrating when you know what they can do but just won’t do it most of the time.

Results

New Day b. Forgotten Sons, Lucha House Party and Miz/John Morrison – Big Ending to Gran Metalik

Bobby Lashley b. R-Truth – Spear

Bayley b. Tamina – Crucifix

Braun Strowman b. Bray Wyatt – Running powerslam

Asuka won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match

Otis won the Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s time for another unique one as we have Money in the Bank split between the WWE Headquarters in Connecticut and down at the Performance Center. Depending on which reports you believe, the ladder match (Is it matches or match?) may be taking place throughout the show, because just having the match as usual is too simple or something I guess. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Jeff Hardy vs. Cesaro

There aren’t a lot of good things going on in WWE at the moment but they are doing an excellent job with making Hardy’s return a big deal. Hardy is a living legend and treating him like one is a very good idea. Above all else (and this will come into play later), if you weren’t watching twelve years ago, you might not know of Hardy’s mega singles run. Bring your fans up to date with that amazing video production team that they had. It can work wonders and it was awesome here.

In case you didn’t get it, of course Hardy wins here as he seems primed for some sort of a run. Cesaro is a perfect choice for a first opponent in nearly two months as he can work with anyone and works a similar style to Sheamus, who is the big prize for Hardy at the moment. Hardy is a heck of a star and Cesaro can make him look good, though I’d love for Cesaro to get one big singles run. I’d think he’s earned it at this point.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley(c) vs. Tamina

We’re starting the main card with this one for the sake of getting it out of the way. I like Bayley quite a bit but my goodness she can be dull at times. It also doesn’t help that there is no reason to believe that this is leading to anyone but Sasha Banks in the big blowoff. Then there’s Tamina and egads how much more can I complain about her? For the sake of my blood pressure, we’ll move on from this as fast as possible.

Bayley retains here and there’s no reason for anything else to go down. We’re likely heading for Bayley vs. Banks at Summerslam and the idea of Tamina winning….well my goodness hasn’t there been enough suffering in the world lately? This match could be a disaster and I’m not expecting much more, but hopefully they get in and out quickly without doing something stupid.

R-Truth vs. MVP

This was added to the show on Saturday and I’m really not sure why. With all of the people they’ve been pushing as of late, they pick R-Truth and the new manager? It could be a nice little match, but this makes the main card instead of Hardy’s return to the ring? If nothing else I’m curious to see what R-Truth does with no fans, because he could make something entertaining out of it.

I’ll go with MVP here as he at least has something going on. R-Truth hasn’t been around since WrestleMania and I think we’ve long since proven that he doesn’t need to win anything ever again (outside of another 15 24/7 Titles) to stay over. MVP can get a nice win to show that he still matters, though a video package might be better. He’s a great example of someone who was something a long time ago but WWE needs to refresh us on who he is. It works with Hardy and it would work with MVP, who wins here.

Smackdown World Title: Braun Strowman(c) vs. Bray Wyatt

This one really hasn’t been working for me and I don’t see it going much better once they get in the ring. Strowman just does not feel like a top guy and their segment on the go home show was excruciating. It was Wyatt trying to make it sound like some big deal and Strowman reading from a script. The match feels like a clash of styles, but above all else I don’t care about it very much. Give me a reason to care and it might work better, but “you were in the Wyatt Family” isn’t enough.

I’m not sure what to think here but I’ll take Strowman retaining as the match is against Wyatt instead of the Fiend. I don’t think there’s any secret to the fact that the long term plans is Reigns vs. Fiend, but they’ve made it clear that this is against Wyatt. If nothing else, Strowman needs to retain in his first major defense for the sake of making him not look like he has some staying power, which has always been an issue for him. Strowman retains, but the Fiend is coming.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day(c) vs. Miz/John Morrison vs. Forgotten Sons vs. Lucha House Party

I know I’ve said this before but it’s still the case: New Day has felt like transitional champions for years now and I’m not sure how much of an impact another title reign has. They’ve good for a short term reign until we get to the next big thing, but the next big thing never comes. That seems to be the case again here, though they might at least have someone to drop the titles to here.

The Forgotten Sons seem to be the easy choice here so I’ll go with them, though I could see the Lucha House Party winning the titles and dropping them to the Sons almost immediately. The Sons aren’t my favorite team or even all that interesting, but you have to pick someone at some point so go with what you have available to you and see what happens.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre(c) vs. Seth Rollins

McIntyre has been behind the eight ball since he won the title in an empty arena, wrestled in front of an empty arena, and then gets blamed for the show crashing around him when there are about 184 different factors. I don’t think WWE is going to pull the plug on him or anything, but the Brock Lesnar shadow is getting bigger and bigger every single day that things stay bad.

McIntyre retains here though as there is no reason to switch it back to Rollins for the third time in thirteen months. The Monday Night Messiah character could have some legs if it is tweaked a bit (or if he hadn’t lost to Kevin Owens last month) but I can’t imagine him getting the title here. McIntyre should hold onto the title, as it would be completely unfair to blame him for everything that is going south right now.

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

And then we have the namesake matches, which are going to be complete insanity. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing yet, but it’s certainly going to be different. If nothing else, having this with six people instead of eight should do a lot of good, though with both matches taking place at once like some wacky game show, how much sense can they really make out of the whole thing?

I’m going with the safe pick of Shayna Baszler winning here, though I can’t shake the feeling of Dana Brooke getting a dark horse win. Baszler and Nia Jax would seem to be the logical picks though as Becky Lynch survived against Baszler and a rematch would make sense. Jax would be the same and her cashing in on a gassed champion would be fine. But yeah, I’ll go with Baszler, who almost has to win the title at some point soon.

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

The bigger question here isn’t who wins the briefcase but rather who is taking the big plunge that has been teased/flat out promised by Lynch in recent weeks. This really is a wide open field and anyone involved could win the thing. No one has stood out above the rest of the options and that could make for a fascinating match. Now if only they can make it as wacky and entertaining as they seem to be planning.

I’ll take AJ Styles here, with Rey Mysterio as the second possibility. You could go with any of the six options and I don’t remember the last time that was a realistic option. They need someone to fight McIntyre after he gets done with Rollins and Styles is someone who makes as much sense as anyone else. Styles wins here, and I have absolutely no confidence in that choice.

Overall Thoughts

As much as I can’t stand the build to this show, I’m very curious to see what they are going to do with the ladder matches. They’ve got my interest up and while there is a chance for a disappointment, hopefully this is more Boneyard match than anything else. I like the idea of the change on the normal format and that might be what Money in the Bank has been needing for a long time now.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

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

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

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

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

Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak have a chat with Otis.

Lacey Evans/Tamina vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

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

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

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

Here’s a tour of the WWE corporate headquarters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Sonya Deville b. Mandy Rose – Rollup with trunks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 17, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time to move forwards towards Money in the Bank and this time around we are finding out who else is going to be involved in the women’s match, plus the first man involved. I’m not sure how much steam these empty arena shows have left but they’re all we’re getting at the moment. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Cole runs down the card.

It’s time for A Moment Of Bliss to start things off. After bragging about being two time Women’s Tag Team Champions (I completely forgot their first reign, which isn’t a good sign for titles that are fourteen months old), Nikki Cross brings out Braun Strowman. They congratulate Braun on being the new Universal Champion but bring up the fact that he is officially defending against Bray Wyatt (not the Fiend) at Money in the Bank.

Strowman knows Bray and the games he plays so Bray is going to get these hands. There’s a present on the mat though and it seems to be for Braun. Inside is….the old mask he wore as part of the Wyatt Family. Braun looks upset and we hear Bray’s laughter as a picture of Braun in the mask comes on the screen.

Post break, Cole and Graves explain what we just saw.

Sasha Banks vs. Tamina

If Tamina wins, she gets a Women’s Title match at Money in the Bank and Bayley is on commentary. Sasha throws her a shirt to start but Tamina says it’s not the right size. The shirt is thrown at Bayley and Banks’ rollup completely fails. A headbutt sends Banks to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Sasha hammering away and bending the back of Tamina’s neck around the rope. The chinlock goes on but Tamina fights up with something like a Rock Bottom to send Sasha outside. Bayley offers a distraction so Sasha can get in a posting, a 619 on the apron and a ram into the steps. Bayley loads up a cheap shot but here’s Lacey Evans to cut her off. Tamina hits a superkick and hits a second inside for the pin and the title shot at 8:34.

Rating: D+. So yeah we have the next Jinder Mahal here, as Tamina has never done anything of note (until she won a triple threat match a few weeks ago, she hadn’t won a match in over a year) but now she wins a match or two and we’re supposed to forget about how unimportant and nothing she has been for years. It’s bad storytelling, it’s illogical, it’s annoying to the fans who watch every week and WWE is going to keep doing it over and over because they don’t know how long term storytelling and character building works anymore.

Jey Usos is ready for the triple threat and shouts a lot.

Post break Lacey says wherever Sasha goes, she goes. She’s a Marine, and isn’t stopping until the mission is accomplished. That would be no more Sasha, which is written on the back of her hand.

Sheamus vs. Denzel DeJournette

Sheamus shrugs off a takedown attempt and elbows/knees away at the head. The Brogue kick finishes at 1:03.

Post match Cole starts introducing a video on Jeff Hardy but Sheamus interrupts and asks what is Cole’s malfunction. That’s too much disrespect to Sheamus, fella.

We get the second part of the Jeff Hardy video, which features a bunch of dives that banged Hardy up. It resulted in his addiction issues and caused his career to start spiraling down. Then he left in 2009 (the World Title reigns aren’t mentioned) and we see some videos of him high and drunk, which are still hard to watch. This led to a lot of his legal problems and Jeff knows that he has a lot to make up for. Part three next week.

Carmella comes up to Dana Brooke and isn’t happy that Dana isn’t focused on their Tag Team Title match next week. Dana explains the Money in the Bank idea and says she can do both. Carmella isn’t convinced, just like I’m not convinced that any WWE writer has ever had a conversation with a human if this is supposed to sound authentic.

Commentary talks about the Money in the Bank ladder matches….which will take place at WWE Corporate headquarters with the briefcases ON THE ROOF OF TITAN TOWERS! Well that’s a new one!

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Naomi vs. Dana Brooke

Naomi’s helmet is back and at least it covers up that ridiculous looking hair. Naomi kicks her down for two to start but gets thrown outside. Back in and Dana grabs a bodyscissors, allowing her to talk a lot of extra audible trash. That’s broken up so Naomi kicks her in the head a few times, followed by a springboard kick to the face for two. A powerbomb gives Dana the same but the Rear View connects for two more. Naomi is SHOCKED that it didn’t work, making me roll my eyes a good bit. The split legged moonsault misses though and Brooke gets a rollup pin at 4:10.

Rating: D+. I still like Brooke more than most but it’s in the same vein as Tamina: she has barely won anything and yet we’re supposed to take her as a threat. Even if there’s a huge upset and she wins the ladder match and title, it’s still way too much to buy her as a top star. Wins and losses matter if you watch regularly and while this isn’t as bad as Tamina getting a title shot, I’m still not buying it.

During the post match replays, Corey says Dana is the first person to kick out of the Rear View. Normally I’d have to look it up but I’m just refusing to believe that’s true.

Long recap of Otis/Mandy Rose and the Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler plan to stop them.

Here’s a very upset Sonya Deville to beg Mandy’s forgiveness. They’ve been friends forever and for the first time in forever, Mandy isn’t here. Sonya has wanted to tell her something but here’s Mandy in person to cut her off. Fighting back tears, Sonya says….that Mandy is the most selfish human being she has ever met. As soon as Mandy became interested in Otis, she was ready to kick Sonya to the curb.

Now all Sonya wants to do is see Mandy hurt. Mandy might be pretty but she’s a dime a dozen blonde who was built in a lab. Sonya worked forever to be second to a talentless piece of eye candy. Now Sonya is going to ruin her life because she isn’t going to deal with some centerfold Barbie b****. Cue Ziggler to say he’s made a mistake but they had a great Valentines Day. Mandy slaps his hand away and Sonya jumps her, freaking Dolph out. Otis runs in for the save and house is cleaned, likely setting up a mixed tag. Well done on throwing in a bit of a surprise instead of Sonya declaring her love for Mandy.

We get the tribute video to Howard Finkel. That voice is never going to be topped and it’s very rare to see someone who clearly loved wrestling like he did. We get a lot NEEEEWWWW’s and a look at his comedy stuff, which really did work for him.

Miz thinks it is an injustice that he has to defend the Tag Team Titles in another three person triple threat match after John Morrison already did it at Wrestlemania. I’d call it more of a bad idea than an injustice.

Video on the Forgotten Sons.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Cesaro vs. Daniel Bryan

Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew Gulak are the seconds. Cesaro shows off a bit by jumping up to touch the briefcase above the ring. Bryan wastes no time in knocking Cesaro to the floor for a suicide dive….and here’s the masked guy on the screen to show us more hidden video. He says some keep their friends close and others keep their enemies closer. There is no video shown though and we take a break.

Back with Bryan working on an armbar and then grabbing a cross armbreaker. Cesaro muscles him up with a powerbomb to escape and a slam gets two on Bryan. He heads to the apron but manages to snap Cesaro’s arm across the top rope. A dive off the top is countered into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker though and Cesaro grabs the Sharpshooter. Bryan gets to the rope and goes outside, setting up the running uppercut against the barricade.

Back from another break with Bryan hitting the YES Kicks for two but Cesaro hits a gorilla press knee to the face. The Crossface goes on, only to be reversed into most of the YES Lock. Cesaro clotheslines the heck out of him and unloads with uppercuts in the corner. Bryan’s moonsault out of the corner is caught but Bryan pulls him down into the YES Lock. Nakamura’s interference is cut off by Gulak and Cesaro taps at 14:24.

Rating: B. This is a lot closer to the match that you would have wanted to see from these two as they were given time and allowed to work to their strengths. It helps when you spend a good chunk of your careers wrestling in front of very few people. They know how to do something else and that makes for a better performance like this. Well that and the two of them being Cesaro and Bryan.

Big E. is ready to win the Tag Team Titles on his own. This morning, he slid out of the triple bunk bed and told Kofi and Woods to eat popcorn in the La-Z-Boys because it’s time to become eight time champions.

King Corbin jumps Elias in the back and crushes his hand between two anvil cases. Corbin drags him away. Post break, Corbin steps on Elias’ hand and tells him to sing before hitting him in the throat with a baton. That looks to be it but Corbin breaks the guitar over his back for a bonus. Now this is more like it for Corbin, FAR away from the main event scene and beating up midcarders. I can go for this far more.

Tag Team Titles: Big E. vs. Jey Uso vs. The Miz

Miz is defending the titles on his own. The challengers waste no time in sending Miz outside before Big E. runs Jey over. Big E. talks about having a plan but the other two are back up to suplex him through the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Jey hitting back to back suicide dives.

The running Umaga Attacks in the corner make it worse but Big E. catches Jey with the Rock Bottom out of the corner. Miz even goes aerial with a springboard ax handle, allowing him to start the HEY HEY HO HO. Miz can’t Figure Four Jey, who kicks him into Big E. for two instead. The Skull Crushing Final gets two on Jey and now the Figure Four goes on. Big E. breaks that up with the Big Ending to Miz for the pin and the titles at 9:45.

Rating: C-. Kind of a surprising ending as we continue to have New Day as placeholder champions, though they’ve been placeholder champions for what feels like years now. Normally I would say that I hope this doesn’t lead to the Forgotten Sons winning the titles because that would almost guarantee that it does, so yeah I’ve just screwed it up all over again.

We cut to Kofi at his house for an AND NEEEEEEWWWWW for a nice smile inducing moments.

Xavier Woods throws in a bunch of plugs.

Big E. rolls around on the floor shouting EIGHT TIMES to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was ok enough as they’ve managed to make these shows feel like any regular Smackdown. That sounds good in theory, but then you remember that a regular Smackdown isn’t much of a show, much like this one wasn’t. It was a decent enough watch with angle advancement and some good wrestling, but it’s nothing overly memorable. I actually liked that mixed tag angle in the middle as much as anything else, as it was well delivered and the motivations make sense. The match will probably be junk, but points for the setup. Not a great show by any means, but watchable enough for Smackdown.

Results

Tamina b. Sasha Banks – Superkick

Sheamus b. Denzel DeJournette – Brogue Kick

Dana Brooke b. Naomi – Sunset flip

Daniel Bryan b. Cesaro – YES Lock

Big E. b. Jey Uso and Miz – Big Ending to Miz

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Wrestlemania XXXVI Night Two
Date: April 5, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re back for more of the same and that might not be the worst thing in the world. Last night’s part one wasn’t half bad but they are going to have a hard time surpassing that main event. There are eight more matches, plus the required Kickoff Show match, tonight so hopefully they can have another good one. Let’s get to it.

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

Kickoff Show: Liv Morgan vs. Natalya

Morgan rolls her up for two to start so Natalya does the same for a standoff. Some more rollups get some more near falls until Morgan sends her into the corner. A running hip attack hits Natalya but she’s right back with her basement dropkick for two more. Natalya clotheslines her to the floor, followed by the surfboard back inside. Natalya: “ASK HER!!!!” That’s broken up and Liv’s Codebreaker gets two. The sitout wheelbarrow faceplant gives Natalya the same and they pinfall reversal sequence with Liv getting the pin at 6:33.

Rating: D+. Imagine that: a Natalya match being technically fine but completely emotionless. That’s been the definition of her career for years now and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. Liv getting a win is fine but there is no way that she is getting anywhere near the top of the division, leaving this as little more than a way to fill time.

Stephanie McMahon welcomes us to the show in a new message.

Same opening video as last night.

Rob Gronkowski welcomes us to the show and throws us to the first match.

NXT Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending. The feel each other out to start with Charlotte going straight to the leg. That doesn’t work so Rhea gets in her face, earning some chops into the corner. Ripley is right back with Riptide for two and it’s time for a quick breather. They fight to the floor with Charlotte hitting a double chop but Rhea sends her into the steps. Back in and Rhea hits a dropkick before kicking away at the ribs.

A bodyscissors keeps Charlotte down but Rhea misses a running big boot and hurts her leg on the rope. Charlotte works on the leg, shrugs off a shot to the head, and bends the leg around on the mat. Rhea won’t quit so Charlotte works on the leg again. Back up and Rhea nails a basement dropkick, followed by some shouting at her own knee. The leg is fine enough for an electric chair faceplant for two, followed by a missile dropkick for the same, albeit after a delay because of the knee.

Charlotte chop blocks the knee though and Rhea is down again. The Figure Four doesn’t work again and Rhea reverses into the standing Cloverleaf. That’s broken up as well and Charlott knocks her down with another hard shot. The Figure Four is broken up again so Charlotte goes with a Boston crab instead.

Ripley gets out again and hits a quick big boot (thanks to some editing) for the double knockdown. Rhea takes her up top but gets slammed back down, though she’s able to raise her boots to block the moonsault. A horrible looking spear gives Charlotte two but the Figure Four finally goes on. The Figure Eight makes Ripley tap at 20:26.

Rating: C+. CHARLOTTE! WINS!! AGAIN!!! I have no idea why they needed to have her beat Rhea clean in their first match but I’m sure it has something to do with some kind of tribute to Ric Flair, who hasn’t had one in a while. I’m sick of seeing Charlotte with a title and it almost scares me to imagine how many titles she’s going to wind up with in the end.

We recap last night.

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley

Lana is here with Lashley. Black gets tossed around to start and Lashley hammers away, only to get low bridged to the floor. A running big boot puts Lashley on the floor but Black misses the moonsault. Lashley snaps off the overhead belly to belly but can’t get a suplex back inside. Instead Black kicks him in the chest, only to walk into a snap powerslam for two. Another suplex gets another two and Lashley loads up the Dominator, but Lana tells him to do the spear. That earns him Black Mass for the sudden pin at 7:14.

Rating: D+. This was a way to get Black on the show, and by that I mean a way for him to get beaten up until Lana and Lana alone cost Lashley the match. I’m glad Black won but if you want him to look good, just have him kick Lashley’s head off and win. It’s not like Lashley has anything going on at the moment, but now I’m sure we can get the big fallout with Lana now, because we need another part to that story.

Bayley complains about the elimination match and knows Sasha Banks won’t turn on her. With Bayley gone, Sasha is asked how much she wants to win the title. You’ll have to watch and see.

Money in the Bank ad.

Gronk would like to win the 24/7 Title.

We recap Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler. Otis was going to go on a Valentine’s Day date with Mandy Rose but Ziggler crashed it when Otis was late. Mandy wanted nothing else to do with Otis after that but it turns out that Sonya Deville stole Mandy’s phone and told Otis she would be late (and deleted the texts) so it would fall apart.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Sonya Deville is here with Ziggler. Otis misses a charge to start and gets superkicked outside in a hurry. That gets one back inside so Ziggler grabs a neckbreaker into the jumping elbow for two. The chinlock goes on but Otis is back up with a catapult. A hard whip sends Ziggler into the corner and a pop up World’s Strongest Slam plants him again. Sonya gets on the apron for a distraction though and Ziggler gets in a low blow. Cue Mandy to take out Sonya and hit Ziggler low, setting up the Caterpillar for the pin at 8:23.

Rating: D+. I was wrong on this one as I didn’t think they would let Otis pin Dolph. I’m rather please by the result and even though it wasn’t much of a match, at least they pulled the trigger on something. You can pencil in the mixed tag coming up and that’s all well and good, though I’m not sure where they can go after that.

Post match Otis picks Mandy up and they get the first kiss.

We recap Edge vs. Randy Orton. Edge came back at the Royal Rumble but Orton attacked him the next night and put him back on the shelf. Orton said Edge was an adrenaline junkie and he attacked him so Edge wouldn’t ruin his life like Orton did. To make it worse, Orton RKOed Edge’s wife (who is a Hall of Famer who wrestled earlier this year so we needed to act like he shot her). Now it’s a Last Man Standing match as this is very personal.

Edge vs. Randy Orton

Last Man Standing. Edge comes out first and glares at the stage for Orton….who is disguised as a cameraman and runs in for an RKO before the bell. The bell rings and it’s another RKO but Edge falls to the floor at nine. They fight back backstage with Orton knocking Edge through some doors. It goes onto the gym with Orton knocking him down again, setting up some choking with a rope on a machine.

Edge gets out and hits a dropkick through some machines before choking away at Orton. Some forearms put Orton in a chair and Edge pulls himself up on a bar for a seated senton of all things. Back up and they slug it out into another room with a red light. Both guys are sent face first into a garage door and it’s back into the arena. Orton shoves him off a platform and into the barricade before they stumble backstage again.

Edge’s head gets bounced off of another wall for a six count and it’s time to go into the office area. This time it’s Orton being sent into a wall but Edge kicks him in the ribs at nine. Orton gets thrown onto the big table so Edge pulls himself up onto part of the ceiling to drop an elbow. The cameraman gets knocked down but another one catches them up in the big storage facility in the back.

Both of them bounce off of various things until Orton knocks him onto a storage crate. Edge gets sent into some steps and Orton starts looking around. That’s good for another nine so they wind up in what looks like the promo area. Edge throws something at Orton’s leg to take him down and some more shots to the face do it again. Orton is placed on a table and drops a huge elbow.

They go to a truck with a cover on the bed and Orton hits the hanging DDT for nine. Edge climbs onto some crates and then on top of an NXT semi truck. Orton and the referee follow them up and it’s a spear to drop Orton. That’s good for nine but another spear is countered into an RKO.

Edge is up at nine as well but Orton has dropped down to the floor next to the biggest ladder I’ve ever seen in WWE (it’s on the floor and is WAY higher than the top of the semi truck). Instead Orton takes some chairs up to the top of the truck to load up the Conchairto. Edge grabs a head and arm choke though and Orton is out. Hold on though as Edge waves off the count so he can hit the Conchairto. Orton is finally done at 36:39.

Rating: B. This one is going to be divisive and I can understand that. If my math is right, this was the longest non-Iron Man match in Wrestlemania history, though it didn’t feel that long. It felt like two guys who wanted to hurt each other and were doing whatever they could to accomplish that. I liked the unique atmosphere and some of the spot, with the Conchairto making for a good finish.

After a quick breather, here’s Mojo Rawley with the Mob chasing him. Gronk shows up and dives off a platform to take out the pile, allowing him to pin Rawley for the title.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Austin Theory/Angel Garza

The Profits are defending. Dawkins shoulders Theory down to start and the champs start working on the arm. That’s fine with Theory, who sends Dawkins to the floor, allowing Theory to mock the dancing. Garza gets in a superkick on the floor, TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, and misses a clothesline so Dawkins can tag Ford in.

A DDT gets two on Ford and Garza hits the moonsault onto both champs on the floor. The Lionsault gets two more on Ford back inside but Ford pops up with an enziguri. Dawkins comes in and runs Garza over, only to get caught in Theory’s TKO. Ford frog splashes his way in for the save though and Dawkins gets the cover to retain at 6:23.

Rating: D+. If ever there was a match to cut for the sake of time. This was a weird one as there was no reason to believe the title change was taking place and then the finish felt like something the heels would do to win. There are no teams to challenge the Profits at the moment and I don’t see Theory and Garza changing that anytime soon.

Post match Garza and Theory stay on Ford but Bianca Belair runs in for the save. That means a KOD on Zelina.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending and this is under elimination rules. Tamina shrugs off the gang attack to start so Lacey chop blocks her down. The other four slug it out with Bayley and Sasha double teaming Lacey. Naomi makes a quick save as a mini tag match breaks out. Tamina comes back in to run everyone over and we actually get a Team Bad reunion. That lasts for all of three seconds as everyone goes after Tamina, including something off the top each. A dog pile pin gets rid of Tamina at 6:23.

Naomi dives onto Sasha but Lacey misses a dive onto Bayley, earning a ram into the steps. A sunset flip gives Naomi two on Bayley and Sasha at the same time, followed by a sliding slip to both. The Rear View hits Sasha and a Bubba Bomb into the reverse Rings of Saturn….is broken up by Bayley. The Bank Statement gets rid of Naomi (Bayley: “DANCE TO THE BACK!”) at 10:36 and we’re down to three.

Bayley shouts about Lacey’s daughter though, allowing Lacey to avoid the running knee. Sasha is knocked silly instead so Lacey small packages Bayley for two. Back in and Sasha yells at Bayley, who shoves Sasha out of the way of the Woman’s Right. Lacey hits the second attempt though and Banks is done at 13:23.

After a replay where you can hear Cole shouting commentary, Bayley mocks Lacey with a salute and shoves her face against the rope. Lacey gets posted for two so Bayley ties her arm to the corner with the tag rope. Since that’s kind of a stupid plan, Lacey kicks her way out and hits the slingshot Bronco Busters in the corner. After a slow motion salute, Lacey’s double jump moonsault gets two. Cue Sasha with a Backstabber to Lacey though and Bayley’s weird bulldog driver retains at 19:15.

Rating: D. Well that was long and served little purpose. Bayley has held the title since last May (save for a four day Charlotte reign) and I’m not sure what else there is for her to do. Unless they do Bayley vs. Becky (unlikely), what is the point in keeping it on her much longer? I’m sure we’ll get to Bayley vs. Banks again eventually, but dang that sounds as appealing as watching this match all over again.

Titus O’Neil takes Gronk’s place as host.

Wrestlemania XXXVII is in Los Angeles.

We recap The Fiend vs. John Cena in the Firefly Fun House. After Cena said that he didn’t want to wrestle at this year’s show, Fiend popped up to challenge him. Cena accepted, and then Bray Wyatt went on to say that he blamed Cena for the rise of the Fiend. See, Cena beat him at Wrestlemania XXX and messed with Bray’s mind, leading to the creation of the Fiend. Therefore, tonight Cena goes to the Fun House.

John Cena vs. The Fiend

Cena makes his entrance but the Firefly Fun House pops up, with Bray saying that Cena is about to face himself. Then Cena is teleported to the Fun House (apparently the same way Seth Rollins got there back in October), where Ramblin Rabbit sends him through a door after the Fiend. Cena follows and finds the Vince puppet, asking if Cena has the ruthless aggression to make it in this company.

We see Wyatt copying the Kurt Angle promo to challenge Cena from 2002 and here’s 2020 Cena in 2002 Cena attire. Cena keeps saying RUTHLESS AGGRESSION but misses a bunch of shots. Bray: “You can look but you can’t touch!” And now it’s the Saturday Night’s Main Event opening, with Bray standing behind a cage and imitating Hulk Hogan. Cena (Johnny Largemeat) comes up and starts rapidly lifting weights, apparently destroying his arms in the process.

Vince and the Mercy the Buzzard are on commentary as Bray asks what happens when Cena realizes that Ego Mania has been running wild on him. Bray sends him off camera to the Smackdown Fist where Cena is the Dr. of Thugnomics, with Bray dancing to Basic Thuganomics. They’re back in the ring and Cena finds out that he can only speak in rhymes, including a Husky Harris reference.

Bray calls Cena a bully and a horrible person who takes the weaknesses of others and turns them into jokes. With that, Bray gives him the floor so Cena throws him Deez Nuts. Cena, in the Babe Ruth jersey from last year, misses a charge and gets knocked out by a chain. Now it’s Bray back in the Wyatt Family gear and sitting in the rocking chair as we see clips of Wrestlemania XXX.

The fans wanted and needed him that night and now it’s time to rewrite his own story. They’re back in the ring now with Bray dancing with the unconscious Cena and loading up Sister Abigail. He lets Cena go though and drops down, handing Cena a chair in a recreation of Wrestlemania XXX. Bray tells Cena to fix his mistake from last year but Bray disappears away from Cena’s swing.

And now it’s…..NWO MONDAY NITRO??? Bray is Eric Bischoff (with the jacket and a Wolfpac shirt) and introduces Cena as Hollywood Hogan. Cena takes Bray down and unloads as we see clips of Cena’s past. He wakes up as himself and sees that he’s beating up Huskus the Pig. The Fiend appears behind him and gives him the Mandible Claw to knock Cena out. We hear Cena’s promo about ending the most overrated overhyped superstar ever and the Claw goes back on with Bray counting the pin. Cena teleports away and the Fiend stands alone.

No rating as this wasn’t a match but I got into this. It’s a rather interesting character study of Cena and you can get what they’re going with in Fiend making him face his fears. Back in the day, CM Punk said that Cena had become the New York Yankees: the big bad who held people down and used money to get what he wants (or going from the Real American Hogan to Hollywood Hogan as they used here).

That’s what Fiend is showing Cena here and it scared Cena that he had changed so much and become what he fought against for so many years. Now granted, if you haven’t been glued to WWE for the last….oh eight years or so, this made no sense, but the effort and thought was ALL there and I got most of what they were going for, plus some of the complete insanity that went along with it. Not a match, but kind of a fascinating weird look into the WWE psyche.

We cut to Titus O’Neil. Titus: “I don’t know what I just saw.”

We recap Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre. Lesnar is World Champion but Drew eliminated him from the Royal Rumble and then won the whole thing, earning him this spot. Drew has kicked his head off a few times since then to show he can hang with Brock.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar is defending and gets Claymored for two after about ten seconds. Another Claymore misses and it’s time to go to Suplex City. The F5 gets one and Brock isn’t happy. Another F5 gets two and there’s the third for another two. Another F5 is countered and McIntyre hits two more Claymores. A fourth gives Drew the pin and the title at 4:28.

Rating: D. I’m happy that McIntyre won but GOOD GRIEF STOP DOING THAT SAME MATCH OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER! It’s a cool idea one time and then don’t do it again for years. This is all Lesnar does anymore and now it’s creeping over into other main events too. It loses its impact when they keep doing it again and again and now you’ve grown to expect it every time. Anyway, great moment to end the show and McIntyre as champion is awesome, assuming they don’t have Lesnar win it back in two months again.

Overall Rating: C-. I didn’t like this one as much as last night’s but it still wasn’t terrible. This one definitely felt like the bigger show and had the more intriguing matches (for the most part). I’m not wild on some of the booking decisions but it felt more like a Wrestlemania and that’s what matters. The crowd being gone didn’t bother me as much either, but the wrestling itself just wasn’t as good. Overall, not bad but last night’s felt tighter and more enjoyable.

Overall Overall Rating: C. With something like this, it’s almost impossible to give the thing a fair rating. When you factor in the day in between and the weird atmosphere, the show was pretty much just ok. There were some very good matches but some that made me wonder why I was wasting my time. Overall it’s an enjoyable one off, but I’m still not behind the idea of a two night Wrestlemania going forward. Until WWE can cut these things WAY down and trim off so much of the unnecessary stuff, it needs to be one night and one night only, just for the sake of sanity if nothing else.

Results

Charlotte b. Rhea Ripley – Figure Eight

Aleister Black b. Bobby Lashley – Black Mass

Otis b. Dolph Ziggler – Caterpillar

Edge b. Randy Orton when Orton couldn’t answer the ten count

Street Profits b. Angel Garza/Austin Theory – Frog splash to Theory

Bayley b. Sasha Banks, Naomi, Tamina and Lacey Evans – Bulldog driver to Evans

Drew McIntyre b. Brock Lesnar – Claymore

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

No, it won’t be Tamina.

This is another instance where the champ has cleaned out the division but in this case I could buy most of the challengers taking the title. WWE would be crazy to not try and push Evans at some point, Naomi has been pushed before, Banks and Bayley are joined at the hip forever and then there’s that other person in the match who seems to have video of Vince tickling a judge with a rubber duck. I’m not sure where this goes and that’s a nice feeling.

For some reason I want to say Evans wins here, but this seems like a setup for another Bayley vs. Banks feud so I’ll take Bayley retaining. Maybe she stabs Banks in the back to win it or maybe it’s the opposite, but for the sake of this I’ll say Bayley keeps the belt. It won’t be for much longer though as she needs something else to do, but she has gotten something out of this reign and that’s a good thing.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: April 3, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Michael Cole

While it might not feel like it, this is the go home show for Wrestlemania. The show is again taped, and maybe now that we are only twenty two hours away from the start of the show, we can get some kind of information about the changed World Title match. I mean it’s not like it’s that important or anything. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

There are ladders around the arena and it’s time for MizTV, but here are the Usos instead. They aren’t waiting to be invited out here because it’s time for them to win the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania. Cue the New Day to say not so fast because it’s time for them to enter the annals (Big E: “Hehe annals.”) of history by winning the titles again. The fight is about to start but here are Miz and Morrison to interrupt.

Miz talks about how New Day and the Usos will destroy each other, allowing he and Morrison to retain. They climb the ladders and say BE JEALOUS but New Day and the Usos run up the ramp so the brawl can be on in a hurry. The ladders are knocked over and, just as Miz said, New Day and the Usos beat each other up, allowing the champs to pose.

Naomi vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina

Sasha Banks and Bayley are on commentary. Tamina cleans house to start and we take a very early break. Back with Tamina getting one on Naomi but Lacey comes back in to take over. The slingshot Bronco Buster connects as Sasha and Bayley no sell questions about turning on each other at Wrestlemania. Sasha gets up and sends Lacey into the steps, leaving Naomi to sunset flip Tamina for two. A Samoan drop gives Tamina two so Bayley offers a quick distraction, allowing Tamina to superkick Naomi for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: D+. This was your “hey Tamina really could win” match, followed by everyone collectively laughing. She’s in the match to get it up to a higher number, though I’m still not entirely sure why she’s on the roster. Nothing to see here of course, but at least they got the Tamina stuff out of their system tonight.

Post match Bayley tries to make amends with Tamina and gets superkicked. Sasha tries the same and gets Samoan dropped.

Tucker is warming up when the circle of lights pops up. This time the words “THE TRUTH WILL BE TOLD” flashes up on screen.

From Wrestlemania XXIV:

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

Flair has the blue robe one more time and while I’m still a fan of the black and white one, I can’t help but smile at seeing the classic look again. Shawn shoulders him down to start and it’s clear that they’re going to have all the time they want here. They trade some hammerlocks with Shawn getting the better of it on the mat. That’s broken up as well and we get the first WOO.

The chops in the corner let Flair yell about Old Yeller but Shawn slaps him in the face and asks if that’s all he has. An exchange of chops in the corner goes to Flair (as it should) but Shawn elbows him in the jaw and goes up. This time Flair slams him off the top and goes up…..for a crossbody into a near fall! You would think that would get more of a reaction but he has to fail at an early Figure Four attempt.

Shawn kicks him to the floor and tries an Asai moonsault, which only hits the announcers’ table, with his ribs landing on the edge which doesn’t break (I’ve seen that many times and it draws a very real cringe). That’s only good for a nine count and Shawn can barely move because of the ribs. A belly to back suplex gives Flair two and he manages a delayed vertical for the same. Note: Charles Robinson (Little Naitch) is referee here and for some reason he’s in a Smackdown shirt. Yeah he’s a Smackdown referee, but you can’t just throw him in a Raw shirt for the occasion?

Flair’s neckbreaker gets two more but Shawn sends him outside. That means a moonsault to the floor which takes Flair out and bangs up the ribs even more. They chop it out back inside and it’s Shawn’s forearm into the nipup as the pace picks up a bit. A slam drops Flair and Shawn’s top rope elbow connects, meaning it’s time to Tune of the Band. Shawn can’t bring himself to do it though and Flair grabs the legs and slaps on the Figure Four in the middle of the ring.

The hold is turned over and they load up the bridge into the backslide….but Flair just can’t do it anymore so they go into a rollup instead. It’s time for the chop block and NOW the Figure Four is on for real. Shawn crawls to the rope so Flair stomps away some more until the referee drags him away. That’s enough of a delay for Shawn to hit Sweet Chin Music for a very close two and the fans go nuts on the kickout.

Shawn loads it up again but stops to tell Flair to get up. That means a low blow (again, you knew he was getting that in somehow) for two more and the fans really bought the near fall. To mix things up a bit, Shawn sweeps the legs and tries a reverse Figure Four (thank goodness it wasn’t a Sharpshooter) to send Flair bailing to the ropes this time.

A rollup with tights gets two and they chop it out from their knees. The chops bring them to their feet and Shawn hits another superkick to put Flair down. There’s no cover though as Shawn goes into the corner and Flair slowly gets up. Shawn says the now legendary I’m Sorry, I Love You and superkicks Flair one more time, this time for the pin at 20:34.

Rating: B+. I don’t remember truly liking this one before and that’s because there are different ways to look at it. It’s hard not to look at a match like this through the emotional lens but if you take that away (which you kind of have to given that Flair wound up wrestling again), it’s actually a heck of a match with all of the old Flair tropes thrown in. Those worked for so long because it’s a great formula that can work against anyone. When you add in Shawn’s second to none abilities, there was no way this wouldn’t be outstanding.

The problem though is that Flair just can’t do a lot of this stuff anymore. He’s trying as hard as he can and what he could still do was good, but seeing him not be able to bridge up anymore was rather sad because it’s something he’s done for so many years before. I don’t remember liking this match that much but it really is a strong one, even ignoring all the other things added to it.

Post match Shawn leaves the ring and a crying Flair gets to his feet for one of the best standing ovations you’ll ever see. This is more than deserved and while he should have retired a long time ago (you could argue all the way back in the 90s), he was far from embarrassing himself and someone as influential, successful and downright talented as he was should absolutely get this kind of a sendoff. And for those who are wondering why, this was originally going to close the show but Flair refused and insisted it go in the middle.

We look back at Elias being attacked last week.

Goldberg is now defending against Braun Strowman. No reason is given and the match is just changed.

Otis tells Tucker to leave him a little piece of Dolph Ziggler. Tucker says he ran into Mandy Rose earlier and she asked about him. Otis gets a text and is rather happy before running off.

Tucker vs. Dolph Ziggler

No Otis this time. Tucker runs him over to start and the fight is on in a hurry, including some kicks to Ziggler’s ribs. A quick shot puts Tucker down for the jumping elbow but he’s right back up with a big boot. Ziggler’s DDT out of the corner puts them both down and we take a break. Back with Tucker slugging away and knocking Ziggler outside. That means a ram into the barricade and a side slam gets two back inside. They head outside again and this time it’s a Zig Zag onto the steps for the DQ at 9:17.

Rating: D+. This is the latest part of your soap opera story around here and that’s not the best thing in the world. Otis vs. Ziggler could be entertaining but at the same time, it’s not the kind of match that I need to see at WrestleMania. Ziggler probably could have won here and then taken Tucker out but it could have been a lot worse.

Post match Ziggler loads up the steps but Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville appear to break it up with Otis making the real save. The Truth Will Be Heard appears again and this time we go to a control room. Someone whose face we can’t see says he told us the truth will be heard. He plays a video from Valentine’s Day showing Mandy talking to Sonya.

After Mandy leaves to do something, Sonya picks up Mandy’s phone and sends Otis a text, saying she’ll be late. We see Otis saying that sounds great and Sonya deletes both messages. Sonya then talks to Ziggler, saying both of them will get what they want. Back in the arena, Mandy walks away from Sonya. Otis chases Dolph out as well. Eh GTV could be fun back in the day so this should work.

Post break, Mandy won’t talk to Sonya.

Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Cesaro and Drew Gulak are at ringside while Sami Zayn is on commentary. They fight over arm control to start until Bryan dropkicks him to the floor the running baseball slide sets up Bryan’s running knee from the apron and Nakamura is down. Back in and Bryan hits a running dropkick in the corner, only to get knocked off the middle rope. Nakamura’s middle rope knee to the chest gets two and the sliding German suplex in the corner takes us to a break.

Back with Bryan still in trouble as Nakamura kicks away at the chest. Bryan kicks away and goes for the arm, followed by even more kicks to stagger Nakamura again. The YES Lock is countered and Nakamura pulls him into a blocked cross armbreaker. That’s reverses into another armbreaker from Bryan (Sami: “HOW DID HE DO THAT???”) which is switched into the LeBell Lock. Cesaro runs in for the DQ at 11:39.

Rating: C+. This was the first match all night that felt like something worth watching. Bryan and Nakamura are a great pairing and can have a solid match against each other, which is what we got here. They had some time and while Bryan getting the tap out would have been a bit better, this was the best match of the night by a mile.

Video on the Fiend vs. John Cena.

Here’s Cena for the big closing segment. Cena thanks the fans for getting us here and now we are less than one day until Wrestlemania. The thing is, no one knows what is going to happen, including Bray Wyatt himself. See, no one, including Bray, will tell him what a Firefly Fun House match is. Fear can lead to panic and panic can lead to collapse. The Fiend feeds on fear and panic and here we are. Cena will not be afraid and the poor man’s Mr. Rogers isn’t scaring him.

Goldberg has shown how to beat the Fiend and now the Fiend has made this happen. Cena promises a beating but here are the Firefly Fun House characters, saying that after Fiend is done with Cena, he’ll play with them forever. They say forever over and over again until Ramblin Rabbit says he’s here. The lights go out and the Fiend appears in the crow’s nest. Bray himself pops up behind Cena to say let him in. The lights go out again and Cena is alone to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This didn’t add much to Wrestlemania but then again it’s not like this is the kind of show that really needs to. Not this year at least, as nothing else makes sense this time around. The announcement of Strowman replacing Reigns was laughably bad as there was no build or explanation, but other than that we had some perfectly fine building for the matches. I don’t really want to see anything more than I did coming in though and the wrestling was mostly weak, but it could have been a lot worse.

Results

Tamina b. Lacey Evans and Naomi – Superkick to Naomi

Tucker b. Dolph Ziggler via DQ when Ziggler slammed Tucker into the steps

Daniel Bryan b. Shinsuke Nakamura via DQ when Cesaro interfered

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

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