Monday Night Raw
Date: May 1, 2023
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s a double shot this week as we have the second night of the Draft, plus the go home Raw for Backlash. On the first hand, there were already some big moves in the Draft and it’s going to be even bigger this week. On the second hand, Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar are both here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the first night of the Draft, with both shows picking up some big names.

Here is HHH to get things going. He explains the rules, saying that all of the remaining roster is eligible to be drafted. Since Roman Reigns is officially on SmackDown, the World Heavyweight Title is coming to Raw. Brock Lesnar is officially a free agent and can appear on both shows. Finally, there are select NXT names who can be drafted as well. Here are the first picks:

Monday Night Raw
Rhea Ripley
Seth Rollins

Smackdown
Austin Theory
Charlotte

With the picks out of the way, HHH brings Paul Heyman to the ring (after a quick stop to look at the World Heavyweight Championship) for a chat. Heyman is here to address some issues that Roman Reigns wanted him to bring up. First of all, the Bloodline (minus the Usos) has been drafted to Smackdown, meaning tonight we find out the fate of the Usos.

That would be the Usos who did NOT win back their Tag Team Titles from Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Heyman will address that with them in private, but on Saturday, there is a six man tag between the Bloodline and Zayn/Owens/Matt Riddle. Either way, Reigns will be at Smackdown next week to take care of a lot of things…..including the World Heavyweight Title. Or not, as Reigns can’t compete on Raw.

The worst thing about that is how many people think they can be the man but just can’t beat Reigns. Heyman says FREAKIN a few times so here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. After the conducting of the fans, Rollins says he thinks Reigns is gone so he can finally stop running from Rollins. Heyman doesn’t like Rollins suggesting he’ll win the title and gets on the phone to Reigns. The fans start singing and Heyman says he can’t hear his Tribal Chief. Rollins threatens Heyman with a Stomp but here is Solo Sikoa to interrupt. Heyman says Reigns has pulled the strings to make the match for tonight. Rollins is in, Reigns or not.

Earlier today, Cody Rhodes arrived and Adam Pearce asked him to not let it get out of hand with Brock Lesnar.

Damage Ctrl vs. Raquel Rodriguez/Liv Morgan

Non-title with Iyo Sky the odd Ctrl member out. Morgan takes over on Bayley to start before Rodriguez drives her into the corner with straight power. A distraction results in Morgan being low bridged to the floor though and we take a break. Back with Morgan getting over to Rodriguez for the tag as everything breaks down. Morgan gets dropped onto Rodriguez’s knees but she’s able to hit Oblivion on Kai anyway. Bayley is right back in with a sunset flip into a rollup to pin Morgan at 8:01.

Rating: C. This feels like a way to set up a title match at Backlash with the drama of where the titles are going to go after next week. It isn’t like there are a ton of options to come after the titles in the first place so this worked as well as anything else. I don’t think the titles will change hands, but at least they have a little something going on, assuming that is where they go.

Brock Lesnar arrived earlier today and Adam Pearce said he wanted to keep the peace. Lesnar: “Good luck with that.”

Here are Booker T. and Sharmell to announce the next picks.

Monday Night Raw
Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens
Judgment Day

Smackdown
Usos
LWO (Joaquin Wilde/Cruz del Toro/Zelina Vega/Santos Escobar/Rey Mysterio)

Well there goes the drama over the Usos and the Bloodline being on different shows. And why was Ripley a different pick from the rest of Judgment Day if they’re going to be on the same show?

Ricochet/Braun Strowman vs. Alpha Academy

Ricochet flips away from Gable to start but the fans would rather see Otis. Rolling Chaos Theory out of the corner plants Ricochet though, meaning it’s a double tag to bring in Otis and Strowman. They trade running shots in the corner until Strowman runs him over with a big crash. The Swanton off of Strowman’s shoulders gives Ricochet the pin on Otis at 2:26. I’m surprised it went that short.

Video on Damien Priest vs. Bad Bunny.

Here are Shawn Michaels and Adam Pearce to announce the next picks but Brock Lesnar interrupts. Pearce tries to calm him down but Lesnar gets in the ring and asks how it feels to look at the only real cowboy in Texas. Pearce sends security out but Lesnar says that’s not enough. More security comes out for the staredown until it’s Cody Rhodes to drop Lesnar from behind with a single right hand (that was weird). Security separates them, with Lesnar not exactly trying to get to Rhodes.

Post break, here are those picks:

Monday Night Raw
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez (Women’s Tag Team Champions)
New Day (Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods)

Smackdown
Asuka
Brawling Brutes

Matt Riddle is really excited to be on the same show as Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Riddle goes off for his match as Owens wonders if they can go to Smackdown instead of being around him.

Matt Riddle vs. Jimmy Uso

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens and Jey Uso are here too. An early Jey distraction lets Jimmy take over but Owens and Zayn fake a chair shot, earning Jey an ejection. We take an early break and come back with Jey hitting a pop up Samoan drop for two. They head outside with Riddle being sent into the barricade before Jey kicks him in the face for two back inside. Jimmy takes the turnbuckle pad off but a Sami distraction lets Owens send him into it instead. That’s enough for the Floating Bro to finish Jimmy at 7:31.

Rating: C. This was another storyline match rather than anything else and it worked well enough. The idea over the last few weeks is that the Bloodline is a lot weaker on their own without the numbers advantage and that was on display here. Riddle needed the win too, as he hasn’t been doing much since his return.

Video on Iyo Sky.

Rob Van Dam is here to present the picks but runs into Elias and Rick Boogs, who get along with him.

Paul Heyman gives Solo Sikoa a pep talk when Jimmy Uso comes in. Jimmy wants to know where Sikoa was but Heyman says Sikoa had an assignment from Roman Reigns. Heyman and Sikoa leave, with the former still buttering up Jimmy as he walks out.

Here are Rob Van Dam and Eric Bischoff for the next picks:

Monday Night Raw
Trish Stratus
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler

Smackdown
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett)
LA Knight

It’s time for MizTV to recap the Draft so far before bringing out Shinsuke Nakamura. Miz thinks Nakamura could be a great World Heavyweight Champion but Nakamura brings up Miz’s testicle. Kinshasa drops Miz rather quickly and Nakamura gets to take a bow.

Omos vs. Anthony Alanis

Chokebomb finishes Alanis at 48 seconds.

We look back at the debut of the World Heavyweight Title.

Road Dogg (actually named Jesse James for what feels like the first time in forever) and Molly Holly handle the next picks.

Monday Night Raw
Braun Strowman/Ricochet
Bronson Reed

Smackdown
Shotzi
Pretty Deadly (NXT)

Pretty Deadly handled what seemed to be dying pretty well.

Here is Judgment Day to brag about sticking together and promising to win at Backlash. Rhea Ripley isn’t overly nervous about facing Zelina Vega because she always comes out on top. Finn Balor promises that Bad Bunny will be turned into little pieces of fluff and Damien Priest threatens Bunny in Spanish. Dominik Mysterio can barely get a word in over the booing, eventually saying he can’t wait to see what happens on Saturday.

He’s ready for a six person tag tonight but here is the LWO to interrupt. Rey Mysterio promises to win tonight and for Vega to win at Backlash. He can’t wait to see what Bad Bunny does either, but tonight it’s time to beat up the whole team. Dominik’s heat was off the charts here and it took him a long time to not say much.

Video on Gunther.

LWO vs. Judgment Day

Rey Mysterio/Santos Escobar/Zelina Vega vs. Dominik Mysterio/Damien Priest/Rhea Ripley. Rey starts with Dominik but Ripley tags herself in to try Riptide on Vega. That’s broken up so Priest comes in to forearm the heck out of Escobar. Dominik comes in but gets dropped with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. It’s quickly back to Rey, who knocks Priest outside for a dive as we take a break.

Back with Rey getting to beat up Dominik but Zelina has to save Rey from Ripley. Vega knocks Ripley outside and Rey loads up the 619. Finn Balor offers a distraction though and Dominik cuts Rey off. Vega and Ripley get knocked down on the floor, leaving Balor to take the 619 for Priest. South of Heaven finishes Rey at 8:48.

Rating: B-. The end result is the right way to go, as it makes Priest feel that much bigger. It is going to feel like something that matters if Bad Bunny beats him at Backlash. Priest needed a bit of a build like this and it helps things out a lot. The other four were doing their thing as well, with Vega especially doing a nice job of making herself feel like a bit more than a foregone conclusion to Ripley.

Bianca Belair is ready to beat Iyo Sky next week but here is Damage Ctrl to mock her. Belair doesn’t think much of them but does think Sky can become a huge star. After she loses at Backlash of course. Sky yells at her in Japanese, with Belair not wanting the translation.

JBL and Teddy Long handle the next picks:

Monday Night Raw
Alpha Academy
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter (NXT)

Smackdown
Rick Boogs
Cameron Grimes (NXT)

It’s about time for Grimes.

Backlash rundown.

Seth Rollins vs. Solo Sikoa

Paul Heyman is here with Sikoa. Rollins has to duck a right hand in the corner to start and let’s conduct the fans a bit. Sikoa gets frustrated as Rollins picking up the pace and headbutts him down in a simple comeback. A low bridge puts Sikoa on the floor but he cuts off the dive as we take a break.

Back with Rolling knocking him to the floor for a series of suicide dives. They get back inside where Sikoa hits a Samoan drop into Spinning Solo for two. Sikoa rains down right hands before they head outside, where Sikoa posts himself by mistake. Back in and Rollins hammers away but the Usos run in for the DQ at 10:39.

Rating: B-. They might as well have held that ending up on a big sign during the match as WWE isn’t going to want either of these two to take a fall here. Rollins continues to be presented as someone who could be a special kind of threat to Reigns and that could be interesting long term. It was a hard hitting back and forth match, but neither was getting pinned here and neither should have been.

Post match Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn join the fight to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There was a lot going on with this show and it only kind of worked. The matches were mostly good but this was almost all about the Draft. That makes things more complicated as the show becomes more of a preview than anything else. For now though, things are looking good on paper, but there is a lot left to find out in the coming weeks. This show was a big special feature, which didn’t lend itself as well to a three hour format. Good enough show for a one off, but the important stuff starts next week.

Results
Damage Ctrl b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez – Rollup to Morgan
Braun Strowman/Ricochet b. Alpha Academy – Swanton to Otis
Matt Riddle b. Jimmy Uso – Floating Bro
Omos b. Anthony Alanis – Chokebomb
Judgment Day b. LWO – South of Heaven to Rey Mysterio
Seth Rollins b. Solo Sikoa via DQ when the Usos interfered

Final Draft Picks

Monday Night Raw
Rhea Ripley
Seth Rollins
Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens
Judgment Day
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez (Women’s Tag Team Champions)
New Day (Kofi Kingston/Xavier Woods)
Trish Stratus
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler
Braun Strowman/Ricochet
Bronson Reed
Alpha Academy
Katana Chance/Kayden Carter (NXT)

Smackdown
Austin Theory
Charlotte
Usos
Asuka
Brawling Brutes
LWO (Joaquin Wilde/Cruz del Toro/Zelina Vega/Santos Escobar/Rey Mysterio)
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett)
LA Knight
Shotzi
Pretty Deadly (NXT)
Rick Boogs
Cameron Grimes (NXT)

 

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: April 8, 2008
Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We are still starting the new reality around here, with Kane as the ECW Champion and CM Punk as the star who is way too big for this show. Other than that, we have the continuing adventures of Colin Delaney, who is still trying to get a contract. That hasn’t been going well for him and odds are it doesn’t get better this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Miz vs. CM Punk

John Morrison is on commentary. Punk grabs a headlock to start and runs him over with a shoulder to start. Back up and Miz hits his own shoulder, only to have his leg tied up for some hard cranking. Punk gets sent outside though and Miz drives him back first into the apron. Morrison gets caught interfering and gets ejected as Miz grabs a chinlock.

We take a break and come back with Miz snapping Punk’s throat across the middle rope for two. Punk gets out of the double arm crank without much trouble but Miz pulls him into a reverse chinlock. Back up and it’s a double clothesline for the double knockdown, followed by Punk making the comeback. The powerslam gives Punk two and it’s the running knee in the corner into the GTS for the pin on Miz.

Rating: C. Punk continues to feel like the biggest star in ECW but Miz has improved by leaps and bounds. He still isn’t exactly polished but he can wrestle a completely watchable match. You can see the effort that he has put in and it is starting to pay off. Just find some actual challenges to go after he and Morrison and you might be on to something.

Colin Delaney and Tommy Dreamer come up to Armando Estrada to ask about Delaney getting a contract. Estrada says sure….if Delaney can beat Dreamer tonight. Oh and if Dreamer goes easy on him in any way or loses, he’s fired. Neither seems pleased.

Here is Armando Estrada in the ring for the Kane/Chavo Guerrero contract signing at Backlash. Guerrero, with the Edgeheads, comes out first, with Kane following. Kane goes to sign first, but Chavo says that means signing away the title. That makes Kane laugh as he signs, but Chavo says he’ll have someone watching his back at Backlash. Cue a bald man in a suit to start the brawl, including a belt shot to Kane. The beatdown is on and Chavo frog splashes Kane through the table. Now Chavo signs.

Elijah Burke vs. Nunzio

Burke works on the arm to start and sends him face first into the apron to keep Nunzio rocked. A hard shot to the face sets up the running crotch attack to the back of Nunzio’s head. There’s a middle rope forearm into a release German suplex before an STO finishes Nunzio off. Total squash.

Kofi Kingston vs. Domino

No Deuce or Cherry here. Before the match, Kofi talks about having a good time in the ring and bringing the good vibrations. Domino even wrestles without his shirt to really make things different. Kofi slides between the legs and takes him down, setting up the armdrag into the armbar. It works so well that Kofi does it again before sending him into the corner. Domino manages a faceplant out of the corner (kind of a reverse powerbomb) for two, followed by a knee to Kofi’s face. The chinlock goes on but Kofi fights out and hits his jumping back elbow. Domino ducks a crossbody but charges into Trouble in Paradise for the pin.

Rating: C. Kofi is still building himself up but this was a win over a slightly bigger name. You need to do something like this over the months as Kingston needs to move up the ladder. He still needs a lot more than beating Domino, but you can tell that WWE is paying attention to him and sees something there.

Eve Torres is in the back with Kelly Kelly when Layla comes in. Layla says there is room for one Diva Search winner around here. She is the top Diva around here and Eve needs to learn that. This stuff continues to be bad.

Colin Delaney vs. Tommy Dreamer

Basically only the winner has a job and Armando Estrada is at ringside. Dreamer wrestles him to the mat to start and grabs a slam. The elbow misses though as they are firmly in first gear here. Delaney gets in a shot or two before low bridging Dreamer to the floor. There’s the slingshot dive and a slingshot hilo gets two on Dreamer back inside. Dreamer grabs some kind of a reverse suplex and avoids a missile dropkick to send Delaney crashing down. The Tree of Woe dropkick sets up the DDT to finish Delaney.

Rating: C-. There was a story here with Delaney wanting a contract and Dreamer having to beat him up despite not wanting to. The problem though is the Delaney matches are only so good as he can’t do much in the ring and is mainly getting squashed. Delaney got in a little more than usual here, but it is still only going so well. They need to go somewhere with this, as I don’t know how much fuel this version has left.

Overall Rating: C. Kind of a lackluster show here, as there is only so much that you can get out of this roster. Kane is a star and Kofi feels like he is on the way up, but then you have whatever is left of Elijah Burke, Chavo Guerrero and a somewhat out the door CM Punk. That isn’t going to make for the best show, with the hour long run time being this show’s saving grace.

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 27, 2023
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are less than five weeks away from Wrestlemania and you can see a lot of the show’s card from here. That means we should be in for a good event, as there is time to build things up in advance. Odds are we’ll hear a lot from Cody Rhodes this week, which often works out well. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Friday’s Bloodline issues, as Sami Zayn seems to still be getting inside Jey Uso’s mind.

Here are Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa to mock the idea of there being problems in the Bloodline. Families fight all the time but if you come for one of them, you come for all of them. There have been a lot of people who thought the Bloodline was over and they were all wrong. So get them some opponents out here. Cue the Street Profits, who shout a lot and ask where Jey Uso is. Trash is talked and we’re ready to go.

Jimmy Uso/Solo Sikoa vs. Street Profits

Jimmy punches Dawkins in the face to start and it’s off to Sikoa, who gets dropkicked backwards. Ford comes in for a rather aggressive headlock until he gets powered into the corner. This is as good a time as any to look at Ford’s highlights in the Elimination Chamber A quick clothesline drops Ford and we take a break.

Back with Sikoa Samoan dropping Dawkins, setting up the running hip attack in the corner. A jumping back elbow gets Dawkins out of trouble though and it’s back to Ford to hammer away at Jimmy. One heck of a high crossbody gets two on Jimmy and there’s a spinebuster to plant him again. Sikoa gets the blind tag though and it’s a superkick into the Samoan Spike to finish Dawkins (also legal) at 11:43.

Rating: C+. The Street Profits are in a weird place at the moment as they aren’t going to get near the Tag Team Titles while the Usos are holding them, but the Usos are only really teaming for title matches. That leaves you with matches like this, which had the energy that you would expect from these four, but it isn’t like this changes anything for either team.

Post match the beating is about to continue but Kevin Owens runs in for the save.

We recap MVP challenging Brock Lesnar to face Omos at Wrestlemania.

Here is Brock Lesnar for a chat, despite the ring being ready for MVP’s VIP Lounge. With Lesnar having a seat, cue MVP to join him. Well, from the aisle that is, as he’s fine to be a bit further away. Lesnar is willing to talk business though and that means MVP is safe to come in. MVP does come in and has a seat, with Lesnar telling him to sell the people on a Lesnar vs. Omos Wrestlemania match.

MVP likes that idea and paints the picture of the Beast vs. the Giant. If Lesnar puts his hands on a man, that man is going to be in a world of pain. If Lesnar puts his hand on a giant though, the giant can fight back. That’s what Wrestlemania is all about. Lesnar is in and the match is made, so let’s drink on it. MVP offers him champagne but Lesnar whips out a flask of White Lightning. MVP takes a shot…..and spits it out on Lesnar by mistake. Smiles and an F5 ensue. So they’re actually going there with Lesnar. I wouldn’t have bet on that but it is indeed something fresh.

Becky Lynch and Lita talk about how great it would be to win the Tag Team Titles tonight, calling it a bucket list item. Becky isn’t worried about Bayley either.

Cody Rhodes vs. Chad Gable

Otis is here with Gable. They start fast with Cody taking over and catching Gable up top. A reverse superplex brings Gable back down and we take a break just over a minute in. Back with Rhodes favoring his knee and Gable hammering away. The Disaster Kick gives Cody two and he slaps on a Figure Four to keep Gable down. With that broken up, another Disaster Kick is blocked and Gable flips him over into a DDT.

The moonsault connects for two on Cody but he gets fired up in the corner. They fight over a hiptoss with Rhodes sending him outside in a heap. The suicide dive sends Gable into the announcers’ table as Otis is busy looking at…..something in the crowd. Cody goes over to look with him and the annoyed Otis is sent over the barricade. Back in and the Cody Cutter sets up Cross Rhodes to give Cody the pin at 10:33.

Rating: C+. It’s amazing how much easier it is to deal with Gable when he doesn’t talk. The Otis thing was kind of dumb but that is pretty much the point with him most of the time. Cody racks up another win over someone with a different style, as WWE keeps building him up more and more on the way to Wrestlemania. This did what it needed to do and there isn’t much to complain about here.

Post match Cody says he’ll be at Smackdown to see Roman Reigns face to face.

Baron Corbin is in the back to talk about how things have gone for him lately but we cut over to Kevin Owens. He talks about consequences, with the Bloodline being the only ones who really need to worry about them.

New Wrestlemania trailer parody: Montez Ford and Bianca Belair in Titanic, with Belair standing on the deck and pretending to fly. Ford drops his phone in the water though.

Judgment Day brags about their Smackdown invasion, with Dominik promising to be back again this week. Rhea Ripley knows Charlotte has accepted what is coming for her at Wrestlemania. Balor says it isn’t over with Edge yet either and issues the challenge for Wrestlemania.

The Maximum Male Models come up to Otis and ask to watch him have a match tonight. Otis goes to find Adam Pearce in search of a match.

Asuka vs. Carmella

Asuka strikes her down to start and counters a kick to the ribs into the ankle lock. Some kicks get Carmella out of trouble so Asuka kicks her down again for two. The chase is on outside, with Carmella getting back inside and avoiding the running hip attack. A superkick drops Asuka on the floor and we take a break. Back with Carmella shoving her in the face a few times and getting kicked down for it. Asuka misses a missile dropkick though and Carmella’s low superkick gets two. The Code of Silence is broken up though and Asuka double armbars her for the submission at 8:40.

Rating: C. I don’t know what to make of Carmella most of the time anymore. She doesn’t seem to be meant as someone to take seriously, as most of her time in the ring is spent running away. Then you have a match like this, which was treated as something of a big win for Asuka. At least it wasn’t too long and they didn’t do anything nuts, but it seems that WWE wants to have it both ways with Carmella and that is making things a big weird.

Post match Asuka calls out Bianca Belair and here she is in a hurry. Belair hopes this is about telling the people how they’re going to tear the house down at Wrestlemania. Carmella jumps Belair from behind though and everything is broken up.

Piper Niven vs. Candice LeRae

Hold on though as Nikki Cross meekly follows LeRae to the ring. Niven powers her around to start but misses a sitdown splash. A release Rock Bottom out of the corner plants LeRae and a backsplash gets two. LeRae misses a charge in the corner but gets knocked outside. Cross offers a distraction though and it’s a rollup to give LeRae the pin at 2:32.

Johnny Gargano is happy with LeRae’s win and is ready to give Otis some hot action tonight. Judgment Day comes in to mock Gargano for losing in the Elimination Chamber. A fight with Damien Priest is teased, but Finn Balor says Otis can crush Gargano tonight. If not, Balor can do it himself next week. Gargano is in.

Here is the Miz for MizTV. Miz gets right to the point: as per last week’s envelope, he is hosting Wrestlemania! We hear a lot of the card and Miz couldn’t be happier. Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt to talk about how he wants Logan Paul at Wrestlemania. Miz isn’t having this so Rollins lays him out, steals Miz’s phone, and calls Paul live. The challenge is on for Paul to be here next week and he happily accepts. Rollins Stomps Miz to celebrate.

Damage Ctrl is ready for their title defense tonight. Austin Theory pops in to say he isn’t happy with John Cena being back for Raw next week and he’ll tell him to his face. Theory brags about his own hustle and loyalty, but now he wants to show Cena all of the respect that he deserves. As long as Cena gives it right back that is.

Bobby Lashley vs. Elias

Lashley wastes no time in powering him around and they head outside. Elias avoids the posting though and hits a running knee as we see Rick Boogs taking notes in the back. They get back in and Lashley his a Downward Spiral, setting up the spear. The Hurt Lock finishes Elias at 1:35.

Post match, Lashley tells Bray Wyatt to keep Lashley’s name out of his mouth. Lashley goes to leave but we see Bray Wyatt on screen, with a version of the Muscleman Dance, featuring clips of Lashley posing. Then things get serious, with Bray telling Lashley to run.

Chelsea Green yells at Adam Pearce when Carmella comes in. Green wants to know how Pearce is going to deal with this but Pearce gets a phone call and has to leave. Carmella and Green seem to get along.

Otis vs. Johnny Gargano

Otis has the Maximum Male Models with him. Gargano hits a flying shoulder to start but gets dropped with a spinning back elbow. Otis misses a charge into the post though as commentary argues about Wisconsin. A low superkick sends Otis outside and Maxine Dupri gives him a pep talk. Gargano’s dive is pulled out of the air and Otis drops him over the barricade. The other Models go after Gargano, but Dexter Lumis pulls them Mansoor over the barricade. Gargano DDTs Otis on the apron and hits One Final Beat for the pin at 2:54.

Post match Lumis pops back up for the thumbs up.

We look back at Cody Rhodes promising to be on Smackdown.

Paul Heyman isn’t happy with Rhodes, though he is reminded that Rhodes never said he was going to confront Roman Reigns. Heyman doesn’t buy it though and Reigns will be ready.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Becky Lynch/Lita vs. Damage Ctrl

Damage Ctrl, with Bayley, is defending. Becky takes over on Kai to start but Lita can’t hit an early Twist of Fate. It’s off to Sky, who gets double suplexed for a fast two. Everything breaks down and we get something similar to Poetry In Motion as the champs can’t get anything to go early on. Becky dives onto both of them and we take an early break.

Back with Becky hitting a double DDT, followed by Diamond Dust for two on Kai. Becky gets sent outside though and Sky hits a heck of an Asai moonsault to drop Lynch. Back in and the champs sweep the leg, setting up a double stomp to the back for two. Becky fights back but Bayley slips a title in to distract the referee. Lita gets pulled off the apron, leaving Becky to get caught in a double belly to back suplex. Cue Trish Stratus to even things up and hug Lita, who gets to come in off the tag. Sky gets faceplanted for two and Trish takes care of Bayley, setting up the Litasault for the pin and the titles at 13:16.

Rating: C+. This is the right way to go for the titles, as Damage Ctrl has held them for a long time now without doing much as champions. There just isn’t enough depth to make the division all that interesting at the moment so why not let Lita and Becky breathe a bit of life into them? Even if it is just short term, it is more interesting than anything else going on. Throw in Trish likely making this a six woman tag at Wrestlemania (maybe at least) and we should be in for a big match feel.

Pyro goes off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the show where WWE moved things forward in a big way. They announced some things for WrestleMania, or they at least moved things forward. With so few weeks left before WrestleMania, WWE needs to keep the energy up and they made that work here. Good, well thought out show and they did their job well here.

Results
Jimmy Uso/Solo Sikoa b. Street Profits – Samoan Spike to Dawkins
Cody Rhodes b. Chad Gable – Cross Rhodes
Asuka b. Carmella – Double armbar
Candice LeRae b. Piper Niven – Rollup
Bobby Lashley b. Elias – Hurt Lock
Johnny Gargano b. Otis – One Final Beat
Lita/Becky Lynch b. Damage Ctrl – Moonsault to Sky

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: March 14, 2008
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Attendance: 15,121
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole

We are less than a month away from Wrestlemania and the focus continues to be on Edge vs. the Undertaker. This time though, Edge is veering off to team with the Edgeheads against Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair in a cage match. That’s certainly a unique enough one to go with so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is hometown girl Maria to get things going. She is excited for Bunnymania but tonight, she is hosting the Smackdown Divas Contest so here are the rest of the women. We waste no time in eliminating Maryse, meaning it’s time for this week’s contest. All four of the remaining women (Eve Torres, Michelle McCool, Cherry, Victoria) run the course….with time not counting, because the fan vote decides who is eliminated anyway. McCool wins as at least this was short.

Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels are ready for the main event.

Raw Rebound.

Big Show vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore

Show shoves them down without much trouble and tosses Yang into Moore in the corner. The chops rock Moore again and Yang gets tossed so hard that he almost spins around. The big right hand pins Moore in a hurry.

Post match Show tosses Yang ala Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Raw.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: John Morrison vs. The Miz

Morrison doesn’t waste time by grabbing a rollup for a fast two. Back up and Miz hits a middle rope clothesline for one and it’s time for Morrison to bail to the floor. Miz cranks on a headlock before forearming away. That’s fine with Morrison, who sweeps the legs into a jackknife rollup for two more. The flipping neckbreaker is blocked though and Miz faceplants him for two of his own. Morrison isn’t pleased and pops back up with the flipping neckbreaker to finish Miz off.

Rating: C-. Very basic match here and that is about all you could expect from them. Miz isn’t that far along (though he’s coming) and Morrison is the bigger and more successful star. No one would buy Miz as a threat to win the briefcase and while Morrison isn’t that much better of an option, he’s the better option than Miz at the moment.

Video on JBL vs. Finlay, leading to their Belfast Brawl at Wrestlemania.

Finlay joins us via satellite, saying there are no words to describe what it’s like to look at Hornswoggle in his hospital bed. At Wrestlemania, there will be no words to describe the beating he is going to give JBL.

US Title: MVP vs. Batista

MVP is defending and this is no holds barred. They go nose to nose to start until MVP bails to the floor to avoid a charge. Back in and Batista sends him face first into the buckle before a big kick to the chest gets two. An elbow to the head gives Batista two more but MVP is right back up with an overhead belly to belly of all things. MVP gets smart by hitting him in the face with a chain and then chokes away with it back inside.

Batista breaks that up so MVP tears off a buckle pad, only to walk into a spinebuster. It’s too early for Batista to follow up though and MVP gets in a chair shot to the ribs. They go outside with MVP being sent into the barricade and Batista being sent into the post. A low blow gives MVP a needed breather and there’s a running boot to the face as we take a break.

Back with both of them still down on the floor until Batista has to spear a chair out of MVP’s hands. That doesn’t keep MVP down very long though as he chairs Batista in the leg to take over again. MVP takes too long (common theme in this one) peeling back the ring mats though and now it’s Batista getting in his own chair shot. Back in and MVP sends him face first into the exposed buckle to knock Batista silly. For some reason MVP goes up with the chair, allowing Batista to get up. Not that it matters though as cue Umaga to Samoan Spike Batista down, allowing MVP to retain the title.

Rating: C+. This should be it for the feud as Batista now has an even bigger reason to focus on Umaga and Wrestlemania. The ending was the logical way to go as you need to keep Batista strong and MVP…well he’s lost so many times already that it’s hard to believe that there is much left for his reign anyway. What matters here is they wrapped up one feud and moved on to another and at least MVP got a pin for once.

Video on Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Big Show.

Kane/Jamie Noble vs. Great Khali/Chuck Palumbo

Palumbo slugs away at Kane to start, which goes about as well as you are probably imagining. Noble, with his bad ribs, comes in and is quickly dropped, allowing Khali to come in and go after the ribs. Some shots to Khali have no effect but Palumbo gets in a cheap shot from the apron anyway. The chokebomb finishes Noble fast.

The cage is lowered.

The Brisco Brothers are going into the Hall Of Fame.

Ric Flair/Shawn Michaels vs. Edge/Edgeheads

In a cage with escape only rules. Hold on though as here is Vickie Guerrero to say we’re adding in someone else. Cue Chavo Guerrero and this is going to be 4-2. We’re joined in progress with the big fight on and Edge spears Flair down to make the numbers game even worse. Shawn gets tied up in the ropes and there’s a spear against the cage or him too.

That leaves him to see an already bloody Flair get rammed into the cage but Shawn is untied and stomped in the corner. Flair manages a few right hands but Edge rakes him face first into the cage. Shawn fights up and Flair does the same, only to have Shawn get tied up in the Tree of Woe for a spear from Edge. Somehow Flair chops away at Edge and the Edgeheads and Shawn manages to knock a diving Chavo out of the air.

A low blow drops Edge and Shawn hits the forearm into the nip up. The villains are sent into the cage over and over and there’s the top rope elbow to Hawkins. Edge spears Chavo by mistake and the double Figure Fours go on. Chavo breaks them up with a double frog splash….and Undertaker is here. Undertaker goes after Edge but a distraction lets him escape the cage for the win.

Rating: C. This was weird as it didn’t really do anything other than put a bunch of people in the cage at once before Undertaker popped in to give them an ending. It felt like they just said “oh do whatever” and moved on, which doesn’t make for the most interesting of matches. That being said, it’s more interesting than a regular tag match and I guess Flair’s loss doesn’t count because he wasn’t directly beaten?

Overall Rating: C. We seem to be entering into the portion of the Wrestlemania build where they have everything set and just need to focus on that instead of anything new. That doesn’t make for the most interesting show, but it’s nice to have a plan and then go forward with it. With only two weeks to go before Wrestlemania, we could be in for some very different shows, but that doesn’t mean they’re all going to be thrilling.

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 28, 2022
Location: Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re done with Survivor Series and that means it is time to start the very long road to the Royal Rumble. That could include quite a few things, but we are almost guaranteed some kind of fallout from Sami Zayn officially declaring his allegiance to the Bloodline. Other than that, a lot of the show is wide open so let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

The Bloodline (minus Roman Reigns) is here and rather pleased with everything that happened on Saturday.

Here is Becky Lynch to get things going. She’s glad to be back but thinks she should be with the people. Becky goes into the crowd to high five some fans and meets some people named Bobby and Zachary (the latter of whom puts his arm around her, causing Becky to move away pretty quickly). Becky talks about how she has been gone for four months and is ready to start doing what the Man does. She can’t wait to take care of these new faces….and here is Bayley to interrupt.

Bayley is sick of hearing about Becky and doesn’t care what the fans think. Becky does NOT like Bayley disrespecting her new friends and the fight is teased, only to have Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky come down the steps to start the brawl. They fight up the steps and into the concourse, with Bayley getting involved as well. A merch stand is destroyed until referees finally get up there to break it up. This was a very different way to start the show and that is a GREAT change to see. It isn’t something you can do every week, but shaking things up a bit is a very nice idea.

We recap the return of Mia Yim to deal with Rhea Ripley.

Rhea Ripley vs. Mia Yim

Dominik Mysterio is here with Ripley. Mia knocks her to the apron to start and smiles a lot as things slow down. A leg trip sends Ripley face first into the mat and a Dominik distraction doesn’t do Ripley much good on the floor. Back in and Ripley hits a hard clothesline to take over before powering her down in a fairly impressive display.

Yim’s face is rammed into the mat a few times and Ripley starts yelling a lot. That’s enough for Yim to fight back up and kick her in the chest, only to have Eat Defeat blocked. Riptide is countered into a DDT to send Ripley outside so Yim pulls an interfering Dominik inside. Cue AJ Styles for the save so the referee throws it out at 7:02.

Rating: C. I get what they were going for here, as they didn’t want to have Ripley, who seems primed for a push towards the title, losing, but you also need Yim, who is here to deal with Ripley, to deal with Ripley. Ripley continues to look like a star and is starting to get the feeling for everything even more, making her a bigger highlight every week.

Post match the rest of the Judgment Day and OC run in for the big brawl, with OC cleaning house. Styles throws out the challenge for the big tag match so here we go.

OC vs. Judgment Day

The huge brawl starts on the floor on the floor until we settle down to Styles vs. Balor inside. Balor gets caught in the wrong corner and the OC gets to take turns beating on him, as tends to be the case. A quick escape lets Balor bring Priest in for the big man showdown with Gallows, meaning they trade shots to the head. Dominik offers a distraction so Priest can kick Gallows down and take over.

Gallows manages to get to the corner for the hot tag to Anderson for some house cleaning, including a backsplash to Balor. That’s broken up by Priest’s clothesline though and we hit the double arm crank. Dominik hits the slingshot hilo but it’s right back to Priest for a legdrop/backbreaker combination with Balor. Judgment Day, including Ripley, get in their shots on Anderson, who eventually jawbreaks his way out of Balor’s chinlock.

Anderson knocks Balor away again and the hot tag brings in Styles to clean house. The moonsault reverse DDT plants Balor out of the corner but Ripley makes the save. Styles grabs Ripley’s leg to block a kick before bringing Yim back in to wreck Ripley again. Everything breaks down and Yim dives on Ripley, leaving Priest to hit Gallows with South of Heaven. Styles hits Priest with the Phenomenal Forearm but Balor runs him down. Yim slams Balor but walks into Riptide to give Ripley the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. I’m hoping that this feud wraps up soon, as having them all fight against each other and one team winning is kind of a definitive result. It wouldn’t surprise me to see some big gimmick blowoff match, but Judgment Day winning here is likely a sign that the feud’s days are numbered. Again though, Ripley looks like the biggest deal on the team and good for her to get the win.

Earlier today, the Street Profits returned and are ready for…getting interrupted by the Alpha Academy. Chad Gable mocks the Profits’ catchphrase and announces that they’ll be having a match tonight. Works for the Profits.

Here is the Bloodline (minus Roman Reigns) for a chat. They celebrate their win, with Sami Zayn talking about how he has finally been accepted into the team. Sami talks directly to Jey Uso, saying the way he accepted Sami at the end of the match, that was UCEY. We get the big hug and celebration but Kevin Owens interrupts.

Owens still can’t get over what Sami did to him at WarGames. They have turned on each other so many times, but now Owens is just done with him. Sami says he doesn’t need Owens anymore, but Owens calmly says the Bloodline is never going to be Sami’s blood. Jey stands up for Sami, so Owens says they can do this later tonight. Challenge accepted. The eternal saga of Owens and Zayn still works and the appeal of the two of them fighting against the Bloodline together is rather strong.

We look at Damage Ctrl beating down Candice LeRae and putting her on the shelf last month.

LeRae is back and seems a bit nervous about her match with Dakota Kai, but she’s ready to fight. She takes the mic and reintroduces herself, promising to take Kai out tonight.

Matt Riddle and Elias are in the back and want to see how far the team can go, as Elias has never held gold. The Usos come in to mock them and a match seems to be teased for later.

Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy

The Profits are back and come through the crowd for their energized entrance. Ford and Gable fight over wrist control to start with Gable taking him to the mat with a chinlock. Ford fights up and hands it off to Dawkins, who is taken straight down as well. That doesn’t last long either as Dawkins fights up and runs Gable over with a clothesline. Everything breaks down and the Profits hit the stereo flip dives to the floor, sending us to the break.

Back with Ford trying a sunset flip but getting reversed into a northern lights suplex for two more. A DDT plants Gable though and a missed charge sends Otis into the post for a much needed breather. The diving tag brings in Dawkins to clean house as everything breaks down. Gable suplexes Dawkins for two with Ford having to make the save. Ford manages to slam Otis and the Cash Out finishes Gable at 12:04.

Rating: C+. The match was good but it feels like something I’ve seen them do a few dozen times now. The tag division continues to have such little depth and having these same teams fight each other over and over doesn’t help. Even though the Profits have been gone for awhile, they’re still fighting Alpha Academy and that is only going to get them so far.

We look at Austin Theory winning the US Title at Survivor Series.

Here is Theory for a chat to brag about his title win. Theory says he isn’t going anywhere and is now the face of Raw. Everyone is jealous of him being so much younger and better and the Theory Era has begun. The open challenge is on and here is Seth Rollins to interrupt. Rollins talks about how Theory lucked his way into the title and calls him “kid”. He wants a rematch for the title and calls Theory “kid” again, which is enough to accept the title, albeit on Theory’s terms.

We recap Miz vs. Johnny Gargano/Dexter Lumis.

Miz has a bag of money to put up against Dexter Lumis, but his hand is injured so the match can’t happen. Adam Pearce comes in to say no, Miz’s hand isn’t hurt, so the match is taking place.

Dexter Lumis vs. The Miz

If Lumis wins, he gets the money and a contract but if Miz wins, Lumis is gone. The brawl is on before the bell and they fight outside rather quickly. Miz gets knocked onto the barricade and we take a break. Back with….Miz holding Lumis head in a vice (as in the metal tool) but Lumis fights out and hits a spinebuster.

They fight over the barricade and Miz gets thrown into a TV. Miz is laid over a table and elbowed through it for the big crash. Back in and the Silencer and Skull Crushing Finale are both blocked, leaving Lumis to miss a charge into the corner. A rollup with feet on the ropes gets two on Lumis, who is right back with the Side Effect into the Silencer for the win at 9:42.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t wild on this match going in and then they lost me with the vice stuff. It was such a silly look and it took me out of anything they were doing. Sure it’s a silly feud, but you don’t have to go full on cartoon with it. At least now it should be over though and Miz can get on to something more important while Lumis….what the heck is he supposed to do anyway?

Post match Lumis gets the money and hands a bunch of kids $100 bills. Miz jumps him from behind and grabs the money, including from a kid (that’s some evil) but Johnny Gargano comes out with a superkick. The kid gets the money back in a nice moment.

We recap Becky Lynch vs. Damage Ctrl earlier tonight.

Candice LeRae vs. Dakota Kai

Joined in progress (with the opening shown in split screen) with the erst of Damage Ctrl banned from ringside. Candice rolls her up for two but Kai goes with the choking to cut it off. Back up and Kai hits a pump kick, only to have Candice knock her right back down. A missile dropkick gives Candice two and we take a break.

Back with Candice grabbing something like a German suplex for two but Kai kicks her out of the air. LeRae misses a Lionsault so Kai puts her up top. That’s broken up as well though and Mrs. LeRae’s Wild Ride (the middle rope swinging neckbreaker) is enough to finish Kai off at 12:28.

Rating: C+. It’s good to see LeRae getting a win as she needs to really be established. She hasn’t been around long in the first place and having her go away for a few weeks, likely to avoid the question of “why isn’t she in WarGames” didn’t help things. Now she can get a chance to show what she can do, which could be a nice addition to the division.

Jey Uso is warming up for the main event.

Long video on the WarGames matches.

Bianca Belair is happy with the win and Asuka agrees. Alexa Bliss says Becky Lynch was a great choice, but doesn’t seem overly enthusiastic.

Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso

The rest of the Bloodline is here too. They slug it out to start with Owens knocking him outside to take over early. Solo Sikoa offers a distraction though and Jey gets in a cheap shot as we take a break. Back with Owens’ Swanton hitting raised knees, allowing Jey to slowly hammer away. There’s a hard whip into the corner to drop Owens again and Jey is fired up.

Owens manages to reverse a whip into the corner though and now the Cannonball can connect. A hard whip into the corner flips Owens upside down though and Jey takes over again as we take another break. Back again with Jey hitting the pop up belly to back suplex into a neckbreaker and hammering away at a downed Owens. Jey takes him up top but gets reversed into the swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker.

They’re both down though, allowing Jey to come back with a heck of a superkick for another double knockdown. Another superkick gets two but the Samoan drop is blocked. The Stunner is blocked as well and Jey hits another superkick for another two. Owens winds up on the apron where Sikoa offers a distraction, only to have Jey miss the Superfly Splash. The Stunner finishes Jey at 22:18.

Rating: B. This match got some time and allowed both of them to showcase what they can do. If nothing else, the Bloodline taking a loss, even a minor one like this, feels like a big deal and now we might be getting a step closer to their decline. We’re still a LONG way off, but seeing them lose is something we haven’t seen very often and it could go somewhere down the road.

Overall Rating: B. The most important thing to be said about this show is that it was energized. There was very little on the show that dragged and most of the matches were good to rather good. Owens/Zayn felt like it got its big segment where Zayn has something to think about, plus Judgment Day got its major win over the OC. Good show here and I actually had a lot of fun with it, which isn’t something you can say about Raw very often.

Results
Rhea Ripley vs. Mia Yim went to a no contest when AJ Styles and Dominik Mysterio interfered
Judgment Day b. OC – Riptide to Yim
Street Profits b. Alpha Academy – Cash Out to Gable
Dexter Lumis b. The Miz – Silencer
Candice LeRae b. Dakota Kai – Mrs. LeRae’s Wild Ride
Kevin Owens b. Jey Uso – Stunner

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Fatal 4-Way
Date: June 20, 2010
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker

The opening video focuses on the World Title matches with a special feature on Kane, who is looking for whoever recently attacked the Undertaker and is basically accusing everyone in sight.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre

Kofi is defending and McIntyre is a Scottish wrestler and has been dubbed the Chosen One by Vince. McIntyre has also been treating Teddy Long like trash because he can have Teddy fired (that happens to him WAY too often). We see Vince leaving in his limo before Drew tells Teddy to get out here right now to hand Drew the title when he becomes the new champion. Kofi starts fast with kicks to the ribs and a clothesline to send Drew outside. Considering all the jumping and high flying, Drew is smart enough to go after the let to take over.

The Boom Drop looks to set up Trouble in Paradise but Drew kicks Kofi in the face instead. The Futureshock (double arm DDT) is countered with a springboard tornado DDT for two on McIntyre. Kofi hammers away in the corner but Drew comes out with a running powerbomb for two of his own. Kofi gets the same off the SOS so Drew throws him into the referee. Drew sends the good shoulder into the post before hitting the Futureshock for no count.

With no referee, Drew goes outside and gets Teddy to put on the referee shirt. Teddy makes the count but stops at two, FINALLY standing up to McIntyre. Drew loads up another Futureshock but Matt Hardy, who Drew has been going after as well, for the Twist of Fate. Kingston gets up (after being down from that one DDT for the better part of two minutes) for Trouble in Paradise to retain at 16:29.

Rating: B. I liked this one quite a bit with the story building up towards the ending and Teddy advancing his own story with Drew at the same time. Kofi is rapidly becoming a modern Tito Santana, as in someone who can have a good match with anyone you put him against. McIntyre should have been a much bigger deal and I could easily see him becoming a big star in WWE.

Divas Title: Maryse vs. Gail Kim vs. Alicia Fox vs. Eve Torres

Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho

Smackdown World Title: Jack Swagger vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Big Show

One fall to a finish, Swagger is defending and Punk is now under a mask after having his head shaved. Punk is also the leader of the Straight Edge Society but his minions Luke Gallows and Serena are sent to the back before the match. Swagger and Punk go after Mysterio to start but Punk bails before Big Show can get over there. Punk is easily slammed down and Mysterio starts going after his mask.

The champ is sent outside as well, leaving us with the Big Show vs. Mysterio showdown. Rey tries to fire away and has as much success as you would expect. Mysterio bails to the floor and is palmed back inside by the head. Swagger comes back in as Lawler suggests that Show has put on weight. Mysterio actually dropkicks Show down for two and the Vader Bomb gets the same for Swagger. Punk and Mysterio stomp Swagger in the corner but the champ drops them both for two on Rey.

Rating: C. The match was watchable but it felt like a long time until we got around to Kane interfering to work on that storyline. If nothing else it gets the title off of Swagger, who never fit as a World Champion, mainly because his only accomplishment before this was an ECW Title reign over a year earlier. But hey, he won Money in the Bank and that makes him main event material apparently.

US Title: The Miz vs. R-Truth

Hart Dynasty vs. Usos/Tamina

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

Post match, Cena takes a beating, including a Superman Punch, from the NXT guys. Sheamus poses on stage with the title and gets chased off to end the show.

World Titles changing hands is a big deal but they both felt like minor notes compared to the angles attached.