Monday Night Raw
Date: October 14, 2024
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re taped this week as the roster is over in Europe. That means it’s time for a show in front of a slightly worn out audience but hopefully they get a good show. Crown Jewel is on the way and needs something more than the champion vs. champion matches which have already been announced. Let’s get to it.

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

We follow Rhea Ripley into the ring to get things going. Ripley isn’t done with Raquel Rodriguez or Liv Morgan so get down here for a whipping. Instead it’s Tiffany Stratton interrupting with a message from Nia Jax. She wants Ripley to stay out of her business or it will be a big problem. Ripley has no time for this and threatens to beat up Stratton in Morgan and Rodriguez’s place. Cue Morgan and Rodriguez to beat on Ripley, though Morgan hits Stratton with the Money In The Bank briefcase.

Video on Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Damage CTRL for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Rhea Ripley tells Adam Pearce she wants to face Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Pearce is fine with that, as long as Ripley has a partner. Tiffany Stratton comes in and wants a match of her own. Pearce to Ripley: “What about her?” The match is on.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair vs. Damage CTRL

Damage CTRL is challenging. Cargill shoves Sky down to start and a double slam puts her down even harder. Sane comes in off a blind tag and a double dropkick hits Belair. Everything breaks down and Sane drops Cargill with a dive as we take a break. Back with Sky rolling Belair up and hitting a double stomp for two. Belair fights up and hands it back to Cargill to pick up the pace, including a backbreaker to Sane.

Everything breaks down but Cargill’s Dominator to Belair only hits mat (instead of Sane). An elbow gives Sane two but Over The Moonsault misses. The champs argue with NXT’s Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson (in the front row) and get wiped out by an Asai moonsault as a result. Not that it matters as Belair is back with a KOD to pin Sky and retain at 9:47.

Rating: B-. This is a match that felt like it could have gone longer and been even better but what we got went well enough. That being said, I really do not need to see Legend and Jackson involved in the title picture. They had their title shot and lost in short order. Why do I need to see them get another shot?

Finn Balor wants a rematch with Damian Priest but Adam Pearce says Balor needs to worry about the Tag Team Titles. A #1 contenders tournament is announced. Balor is annoyed and Liv Morgan introducing Raquel Rodriguez doesn’t make it better.

American Made thinks they’re pretty spiffy and are willing to be YOUR heroes.

Bron Breakker says Jey Uso got lucky to win the Intercontinental Title and showed him respect, but Uso never showed him the same respect back. Uso is living off his family’s name but Breakker is doing it on his own. Makes enough sense.

We get a sitdown interview with Adam Pearce and Bronson Reed. Pearce says Reed has made an impact and Reed apologizes, but blames Seth Rollins for the loss against Braun Strowman. Make the match against Rollins and the problems go away. Pearce is intrigued.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Alpha Academy vs. War Raiders

The Raiders (and yes the WAR Raiders, not the Viking Raiders) are back after some long time off due to injuries. Ivar misses a charge at Tozawa to start so Erik plants him down. Everything breaks down and the pop up powerslam hits Tozawa. Otis is dropped and a belly to back suplex/top rope splash (Fallout) finishes Tozawa at 2:24. There is always going to be a place for a team like the Raiders and this worked fine.

Adam Pearce (he’s busy tonight) talks to Seth Rollins about a potential match with Bronson Reed. Pearce is hesitant because he doesn’t want Rollins getting hurt, but Rollins says they both need this match.

Here is Cody Rhodes in a special cameo for a chat. He’s a traditionalist and talks about the history of wrestling in St. Louis leading all the way up to right now. Something happened in this very building though and it changed his life forever. This was the first place to chant WE WANT CODY and he thanks the fans very much. So….what do you want to talk about?

Cue Gunther (I bet he wants to talk about kittens and ducks) to interrupt, saying that he usually dresses down his opponent a bit, but he’s not going to do that here. He sees Cody sucking up to everyone and wants Cody to fix things with Kevin Owens so Gunther gets the best version of him at Crown Jewel. Cody talks about how Gunther can get rattled when things don’t go his way and brings up some of his bigger wins, including slaying a Beast. They shake hands and part in peace.

We look at New Day’s recent issues.

Video on Dragon Lee, who talks about how great a year he had. This includes joining the “legendary” LWO. Dragon Lee does not know what the word “legendary” means.

Kofi Kingston vs. Bron Breakker

Non-title and no Xavier Woods with Kingston, who starts fast with a running dropkick. Breakker runs him over again and fires off a hard whip into the corner. Back up and Breakker knocks him hard to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Kingston fighting out of a chinlock and firing back, including a quick Boom Drop and the SOS for two. Breakker isn’t having that and suplexes him down, setting up the spear for the pin at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Kofi isn’t as good as he used to be but he’s still someone you can put in there to many anyone look good. Breakker gets another win as he is likely on the way to a title rematch at Crown Jewel, which is a logical way to go. Good enough match here, though again, an eight minute match should not have a break in the middle.

Post match Breakker keeps up the beating but Jey Uso and Xavier Woods come in for the save.

Damian Priest asks if Rhea Ripley wants him out there tonight but she’s got this. Ripley says it’s time Priest gets his title back, which Priest thinks is right. If she needs him though, he’s there.

Jey Uso goes to his locker room and finds his brother Jimmy, who asks if Jey has a second.

R-Truth vs. The Miz

R-Truth offers a handshake and Miz can’t believe that he still doesn’t get it. The Wyatt Sicks hack the feed for a bit but here is the Final Testament to interrupt. The distraction lets R-Truth get a rollup pin at 1:02.

Post match the AOP throws R-Truth back inside for a Skull Crushing Finale for R-Truth.

Jimmy Uso is looking for someone and finds Jey, who gives him an emphatic NO. Jey tells him to get out of his face.

Rhea Ripley/Tiffany Stratton vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Morgan tries a headbutt to start and has to slip out of Ripley’s arms as a result. Rodriguez comes in for the big staredown but Stratton tags herself in, much to Ripley’s annoyance. Ripley and Stratton argue on the floor, so Rodriguez powerbombs Morgan onto them as we take a break.

Back with Morgan hitting what appears to be a third Amigo (if the ensuing Eddie Dance is any indication) and stomping Stratton down in the corner. Rodriguez’s suplex gets two and she grabs a backbreaker to keep Stratton in trouble. Back up and a missed charge in the corner allows Ripley to come back in and hammer on Morgan. Riptide connects but Rodriguez makes the save. Stratton goes up but here is Nia Jax to jump Ripley for the DQ at 8:40.

Rating: C-. I get the idea of having Ripley taking anyone to get her hands on Rodriguez and Morgan, but that didn’t make the match worth seeing. Instead we were stuck with a pretty lame match as Stratton has no reason to go after Rodriguez or Morgan, save for an out of nowhere cash-in attempt on the latter. Having Jax run in made an already not so interesting match feel lame and I wasn’t into this as a result.

Post match the brawl is on with Morgan getting dropped. Stratton teases the cash-in but Dominik Mysterio makes the save before she can make it official to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This is a show that should be grateful it was only two hours. I’m not sure if it was due to the show being taped or due to the focus being on the nothing champion vs. champion matches, but this was one of the weaker Raw’s they’ve had in a good bit. Morgan vs. Jax and Cody vs. Gunther for bragging rights and a big belt that means nothing 72 hours later isn’t enough for me for Crown Jewel, but thankfully they have time to add in something new.

Results
Bianca Blair/Jade Cargill b. Damage CTRL – KOD to Sky
War Raiders b. Alpha Academy – Fallout to Tozawa
Bron Breakker b. Kofi Kingston – Spear
R-Truth b. The Miz – Rollup
Rhea Ripley/Tiffany Stratton b. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez via DQ when Nia Jax interfered

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 29, 2024
Location: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before Summerslam and that means it is probably time to firm everything up before the show. While there is a chance that we could see another match or two added, this week is probably going to be focused on things already set up. In particular, Seth Rollins will give the official referee instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins in his referee gear (even his boots have stripes) for the official instructions to CM Punk and Drew McIntyre (“these two morons”). Punk and McIntyre come out and, according to Adam Pearce, any physical contact means the match is off. That makes Punk head to the floor, because he doesn’t trust himself. Rollins tells him to get back in the ring so Punk says enjoy being able to lord his authority over him while he can. McIntyre likes this but Rollins says he hates both of them.

The only rule is that he runs everything. Countouts will go as long as he wants and DQ’s are at his discretion. Punk hopes Rollins referees better than he dressed, but he doesn’t want Rollins’ help at all. McIntyre says he hates everything about Punk and Rollins is going to have to stop it because McIntyre will never want to stop hurting Punk. And it’s in a stadium so he’ll get paid a fortune to do something he would do for free!

Punk talks about how the fans chanted his name while he was gone for ten years. The best thing McIntyre did was hurt Punk but the worst thing he ever did was hurt Punk because he keeps dumbing himself out of position. Punk isn’t as big or strong as McIntyre but he has heart, which will be on display at Summerslam. They to face to face and McIntyre even has the bracelet to keep it personal. This was the big final push to the match, but I do like the explanation for why it is going to be more physical without officially making it a street fight or something.

Liv Morgan has wrecked the Judgment Day clubhouse. Rhea Ripley wants them to focus…but why is Carlito still here? Post break, the team regroups and Carlito is going to take care of Sami Zayn.

Creed Brothers vs. Akira Tozawa/Otis

Chad Gable and Maxxine Dupri are here too and we actually hear about the Creeds appearing in Bloodsport over the weekend. Otis fights out of the corner to start and it’s off to Tozawa for a kick to Brutus’ head. A suicide dive drops Brutus but he gets in his own clothesline as we take a break. Back with Otis sending Julius into the corner and hitting a World’s Strongest Slam. The Caterpillar connects but Gable’s distraction lets the Creeds hit a double belly to back suplex for the win at 7:45.

Rating: C. So Otis is getting more and more popular after splitting from Gable and he is getting a strong reaction here but takes the fall anyway. I’m not sure why you would do that when you have Tozawa right there, but he was basically gone for the second half of the match anyway. Granted it doesn’t really matter when the Wyatts are going to be the bigger story, but Otis didn’t need to take the loss.

Post match the beatdown is on but Maxxine Dupri slaps Gable. Dupri hides in the corner but we’ve got Wyatts. The team shows up and, after taking off the masks, clear out the Creeds. Gable runs as well but has to avoid Uncle Howdy in the entrance.

Carlito has dealt with Sami Zayn…by getting him a match with Dominik Mysterio. Rhea Ripley says that means Carlito can deal with Jey Uso, on his own.

Sheamus vs. Bronson Reed

They slug it out to start with Sheamus knocking him to the floor and hitting a top rope clothesline. Reed knocks him over the announcers’ table though and we take a break. Back with Sheamus hitting a bunch of standing clotheslines until a running knee gets two. Reed’s Death Valley Driver gets the same so he goes up, only to get pulled down with a super White Noise. Sheamus hits the 16 forearms to the chest but cue Pete Dunne with a shillelagh to knock Sheamus silly. The Tsunami gives Reed the pin at 9:57.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to go with Reed finally getting a nice win. That has been missing from his resume for the last few weeks and even though it came with an assist, it’s better than taking another loss. As for the match itself, they had the kind of hoss fight that you would expect them to have and that always works. Good match here.

Damian Priest talks about having to earn everything he has while Gunther was given everything he wanted. Priest fought for everything he got and now he’s willing to fight for everything he has. This was a much more traditional “talk to the camera” promo and it worked well for Priest as they’ve turned this into a match I want to see.

Bron Breakker respects Sami Zayn but now he’s seeing Zayn as a stand up comic. Zayn is already preparing for a life after WWE and after losing to Breakker. That’s why the joke is on Zayn and the Intercontinental Title is on Breakker.

Jey Uso vs. Carlito

Uso wastes no time in knocking him down for an early two and Carlito is sent outside for an early dive. A missed charge goes into the post though and Carlito grabs a neckbreaker as we take a break. Back with Carlito missing a charge into the corner, allowing Uso to hit the jumping enziguri. Uso knocks him down again and hits the spear for the pin at 7:47.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as Carlito is only going to be so much of a threat to any bigger names. It gave Uso a win to keep up his battle against Judgment Day, though I’m not sure how that is supposed to go anywhere. It’s also almost nice to see the match end without any shenanigans, as sometimes you just need a clean win.

Zelina Vega is glad Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville attacked her as it served as a wakeup call. Then the three of them jump her again.

Miz announces that he will be the host of Summerslam, which is in his hometown of Cleveland. R-Truth comes in to think that Miz is hosting the show at his own house. An hors d’oeuvre discussion ensues.

We look at the recent Japan tour.

Xavier Woods vs. Karrion Kross

Woods is on his own while Kross has the rest of the Final Testament. Hold on though as Kross says that it’s interesting that Kofi Kingston “re-injured his shoulder” during the Japan tour when the spotlight is on Woods for the first time. He wants Woods to join the team right now and admit that the Power Of Positivity was a lie. Woods hits him in the face to start fast instead and we take an early break.

Back with Woods fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked back down for two. Woods fights up but gets punched in the face by Rezar. The Final Prayer is broken up and Woods hits a superkick, only to go after the AOP. The Limit Breaker misses as a result and Kross hits the Final Prayer for the win at 6:23. Not enough shown to rate but they got a good deal in.

Jesse Ventura was backstage earlier today and met with HHH. That’s just great to see.

Sami Zayn did a comedy show the night before Money In The Bank and he beat Bron Breakker anyway. He’ll just do it again at Summerslam, but this time it’s about taking Breakker out rather than teaching a lesson.

Liv Morgan burns a bunch of Dominik Mysterio stuff and promises to complete the revenge tour at Summerslam.

Sami Zayn vs. Dominik Mysterio

Non-title. Dominik hammers away to start but Zayn punches his way out of the corner. They head outside where Zayn hits the Arabian moonsault as we take an early break. Back with Zayn fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a clothesline. Dominik’s Three Amigos connect but the frog splash misses. Zayn exploders him into the corner but cue JD McDonagh and Carlito for a distraction and then the DQ at 8:15.

Rating: C+. The DQ was the right way to go here as you can’t have the champion take a fall before he’s coming up on an unrelated title match. At the same time, you don’t want to have Dominik look weak before he’s going to be a centerpiece of a title match of his own on Saturday. The match was just a bit better than ok, but they didn’t have the time to really go anywhere.

Post match the beatdown is on when Jey Uso makes the save. Cue Bron Breakker to go after Zayn, who suplexes him into the corner. Breakker bails before the Helluva Kick can connect.

We get another Wyatt Sicks interview, this time focusing on Dexter Lumis, who says people should run when the buzzards stop circling.

Chad Gable and the Creeds get a match against the Wyatt Sicks next week.

Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville

Valkyria and Deville start things off with Valkyria slipping between the legs and hammering away. Stark comes in and gets taken down into a wristlock. The villains are sent outside and we take a break. Back with Valkyria getting stomped down in the corner but managing to get over for the tag off to Carter. Everything breaks down and Valkyria hits a gutwrench powerbomb, only to have the After Party broken up. Stark gives Carter the Z360 for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C. This went as it should have, with Valkyria not taking the fall as the villains get a nice boost. The team is starting to get a little somewhere and hopefully they get the chance to change the division up a bit. I’m not sure where that’s going since none of them are going to go after Liv Morgan or Rhea Ripley, but at least Valkyria didn’t take the fall.

Post match Damage CTRL comes in to beat up the villains. Oh yeah. That’s who they could fight.

Gunther talks about how Damian Priest is a weird man who is using his childhood trauma as an excuse. Tonight, Gunther is facing Finn Balor and wants to see if there is any of the great wrestler left in there.

Damage CTRL says they’re back, with Dakota Kai wanting Shayna Baszler next week.

Judgment Day gives Finn Balor a pep talk.

Gunther vs. Finn Balor

Somehow this is their first singles match. Balor tries to chop away but Gunther shows him how it’s done. The powerbomb is blocked so Balor stomps away, only to get booted in the face. We take a break and come back with Gunther’s belly to back suplex getting two. The Boston crab goes on, with Balor reaching over to make the rope.

Gunther chops him again and tries a belly to back superplex, only to be reversed into a crossbody. Balor’s Sling Blade is countered into a choke but he reverses the powerbomb into a DDT. They chop it out and now the Sling Blade can connect for Balor. The Coup de Grace misses though and Gunther is back with the sleeper. Now the powerbomb can connect for two and the sleeper goes on again…and Balor is out at 12:06.

Rating: B-. This felt like a big time match but the ending was a bit of a surprise. You don’t often see someone win a match with a sleeper, but it does continue Gunther’s trend of finishing with whatever is appropriate at the time. Balor put up a fight before falling here, which makes Gunther look strong on the way to Cleveland.

Post match Gunther goes after Balor again but Damian Priest runs in for the brawl. Gunther gets knocked to the floor and over the barricade to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a tricky show as they didn’t add much of anything new to Summerslam and the wrestling here was only so good. The Priest/Gunther stuff was good and the midcard feuds got some attention, but this was another show that you could have skipped without missing much. Summerslam is what matters, but there was only so much of interest here.

Results
Creed Brothers b. Akira Tozawa/Otis – Double belly to back suplex
Bronson Reed b. Sheamus – Tsunami
Jey Uso b. Carlito – Spear
Karrion Kross b. Xavier Woods – Final Testament
Sami Zayn b. Dominik Mysterio via DQ when Carlito and JD McDonagh interfered
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark/Sonya Deville b. Lyra Valkyria/Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Z360 to Chance
Gunther b. Finn Balor – Sleeper

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 5, 2024
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

Say it with me: and then everything changed, as Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes said that he would not be challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania. Instead, it appears the The Rock of all people will be getting the shot. While that’s a huge deal, the fans are not exactly thrilled with the change and it has to be addressed this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the Rhodes/Rock/Reigns segment from Smackdown.

Here is Seth Rollins to get things going. He does his catchphrases and makes a Rock reference, which gets the fans booing again. Seth: “I sense that you guys want Cody.” Well Rollins does too, so he invites Cody out to the ring. Cody asks what the fans want to talk about and we get a ROCKY SUCKS chant. Cole: “Is it 1996 all over again?” Seth: “I didn’t expect to hear that tonight.”

Rollins talks about how he needs this match with Rhodes as well because he needs to know if he’s better than he was when they did this the first time. He gets right to the point: are they going to fight at Wrestlemania? Before Cody can answer, cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt. McIntyre: “I think I speak for everybody when I say what the h***?” He and Rollins both hate Punk and it was time for the two of them to be talking about going to Wrestlemania.

The fans seem to like that and McIntyre even has a shirt commissioned…..which he reveals as himself laughing at a tombstone for Punk’s Wrestlemania main event (that’s freaking brilliant). McIntyre tells Cody to finish the story and even says don’t let your dad down. Rollins says McIntyre doesn’t have to go that far, but why does McIntyre think he’s getting the title shot if Cody isn’t the challenger?

They’ve done that twice and McIntyre lost. Rollins: “Didn’t you lose to him three times?” McIntyre talks about how it should be the best man winning but does stop to cut off Rhodes. McIntyre headbutts Rollins down and Cody decks McIntyre without much trouble. So they didn’t officially announce anything for Cody, which feels like a way to stretch this out what very well may be false hope to avoid some of the booing (which is already here).

Imperium vs. Creed Brothers vs. DIY vs. New Day

The winners move on to face Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne on Smackdown for the title shot at Elimination Chamber. Ciampa takes over on Woods to start but it’s Kingston coming in with a springboard high crossbody. Woods’ fist drop gets two and it’s back to Kingston to work on Ciampa’s arm. Kaiser comes in for the double dropkick to Kingston and we take a break. Back with Kingston dropping Kaiser and the tag brings in Woods as the pace picks up.

The Honor Roll connects and Woods superkicks Vinci. Gargano tags himself in for the slingshot spar and an assisted Sliced Bread takes down Brutus. DIY hit slingshot dives onto the Creeds and we get the applaud. Kingston dropkicks both of them to the floor but gets beaten down by Imperium, with Gargano making the save. Julius flip dives onto all of them Ciampa White Noises Woods onto the pile to leave everyone down as we take another break.

Back with Ciampa getting the worst of a Tower of Doom, followed by Brutus moonsaulting Kaiser for two. We hit the parade of strikes until Brutus ankle locks Vinci. Julius cuts off some people with belly to belly suplexes, including one to Woods and Ciampa at the same time. A bunch of people make the save and everyone is down again. The Brutus Ball takes out a bunch of people on the floor but Ciampa tags himself back in. Meet In The Middle hits Vinci for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. Sometimes the best thing to do is let a bunch of people go out there and do a bunch of wild stuff until someone gets the pin. DIY vs. Bate/Dunne should make for a good match and it could go either way for the title match. Heck of a way to fill in part of the show here though, even if asking us to believe that the referee remembered who was legal for the tag after the melee is a bit much.

Shayna Baszler is ready for Becky Lynch.

Becky Lynch is ready for Shayna Baszler.

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler

They fight over arm control to start until Lynch has to escape the Kirifuda Clutch. They go outside where Baszler kicks her in the head and kicks the hand against the steps. We take a break and come back with Lynch striking away despite having a banged up arm. A running knee gives Baszler two but Lynch is back with a missile dropkick.

Baszler goes after the arm again, this time tying it in the ropes and then into Lynch’s gear. That astonishingly doesn’t work and Lynch pulls her off the top so they can strike it out again. Lynch can’t get the Disarm-Her but she can get the Manhandle Slam to put Baszler away at 12:38.

Rating: C. This really needed to be five minutes shorter and the extra length hurt it a good bit. The biggest problem here was there was no reason to believe that Baszler had a real chance straight up against Lynch, which makes the match feel that much longer. The match wasn’t particularly good, but at least it got Lynch into the Chamber for the first time ever (it helps when you’ve been champion so many times).

Liv Morgan says no one is about her business but next week, her qualifying match is about revenge.

Shinsuke Nakamura attacked Cody Rhodes at a live event. Tonight, it’s a bullrope match.

Drew McIntyre has been fined for attacking Seth Rollins and Adam Pearce will double it if he keeps wearing that Punk shirt.

Rhea Ripley calls out Nia Jax but Adam Pearce comes to the ring to say the match has been made for Elimination Chamber. Cue Jax to beat Ripley down.

We look at Bayley challenging Iyo Sky for the Smackdown Women’s Title at Wrestlemania.

Akira Tozawa/Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivar/Valhalla

Valhalla sends Maxxine into the corner to start and Maxxine can’t quite get a sunset flip. She also can’t quite time a handspring elbow either but a double high crossbody puts Iva down. Maxxine flirts with Ivar to no effect so commentary talks about Medieval Times. A super World’s Strongest Slam finishes Tozawa at 2:00. This was really bad.

We look back at R-Truth being kicked out of Judgment Day.

Judgment Day is talking about Rhea Ripley when R-Truth comes in. JD McDonagh wants to jump him but has a match and leaves with Dominik Mysterio. R-Truth thinks last week was a pre-initiation and Finn Balor walks away. Priest does as well, but R-Truth finds a box of shirts that gives him an idea.

JD McDonagh vs. The Miz

Before the match, Miz talks about R-Truth being on the line between genius and crazy. Judgment Day attacking R-Truth was a declaration of war though and it’s time to fight. McDonagh (with Dominik Mysterio in his corner) stomps away in the corner to start and hits a knee to the face.

Back up and Miz knocks him to the floor, setting up a suplex from the timekeeper’s area to the floor. We take a break and come back with McDonagh hitting a standing moonsault for two….and here is R-Truth to throw the shirts to the crowd. The distraction lets Miz get his boots up to block a top rope moonsault and Miz kicks away in the corner. A crossbody gives Miz two and he takes out Mysterio for a bonus.

R-Truth puts a shirt around Mysterio’s arms to tie him up, allowing Miz to get in a big boot. The distraction lets McDonagh hit a headbutt into a moonsault for two so R-Truth whips out McDonagh’s cut of the merch money. Works for McDonagh, who gets hit with the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C. There was a lot to this but it wasn’t exactly great action. What matters here is the fact that R-Truth continues to be one of the most over people in all of WWE today. He gets a reaction no matter what he is doing and it’s great to see him getting this kind of a reaction. I could go for seeing more of Miz/R-Truth vs. Judgment Day, perhaps for the titles in a Wrestlemania match.

Imperium makes sure that everything is prepared for Gunther’s celebration for being Intercontinental Champion for 600 days. Adam Pearce says it’s cool, and here is Bron Breakker for a meeting. Imperium does not look pleased.

We look back at CM Punk having tricep surgery last week.

Here is Imperium for Gunther’s celebration. Gunther says no one should be surprised that we are here for this celebration. He doesn’t know why he’s here though, because every milestone is a formality anyway. The fact of the matter is he is running out of competition so who is left to challenge for this title?

Cue Jey Uso with the full dancing entrance, which Gunther calls a simple gesture for a simple audience. He doesn’t like this disrespect though, even if Jey is one half of the best teams ever. It makes sense too as you get all the glory for only 50% of the work. Uso lists off his resume (incorrectly saying he was in the first tag team to main event Wrestlemania) and says he wants the title shot.

Gunther likes his moxie and threatens to beat Jey back to the days when people couldn’t tell the Usos apart. Gunther: “UCE!” The fight is on with New Day making the save to chase Imperium off. This is a perfectly logical next challenger for Gunther and Jey winning the title does not feel out of the question. That being said, Gunther is adding some great quips on the mic, just in case he didn’t have enough tools so far.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants to hurt Cody Rhodes.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kabuki Warriors vs. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter

The Warriors are defending and Chance goes after Asuka’s bad ribs to start. The champs are knocked to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Carter fighting her way out of trouble and handing it back to Chance. Asuka gets draped over the middle rope in the corner for some knees to the ribs, setting up the After Party for two. Sane breaks up the Keg Stand though and an Insane Elbow/reverse DDT combination finishes Chance at 9:48.

Rating: C. The problem here was outside of Bayley interfering to cost the Warriors the titles, there was little reason to believe they were losing the titles. Chance and Carter don’t feel like they’re on the same level and it was showing here. They can do some high flying stuff, but the Warriors feel like far more well rounded stars, both on their own and as a team.

We get a sitdown interview with Sami Zayn in an empty arena. Zayn talks about getting close but not quite making it. HHH pulled him aside and said he was like Rocky Balboa, which makes him believe that he’ll be a champion one day. It’s about proving to himself and the people that they should have believed in him.

Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Bullrope match and you win by pinfall or submission. The rope is apparently the same one Dusty and Dustin used in their bullrope matches over the years. Nakamura jumps him to start but Cody takes over on the floor as we take a break less than a minute in. Back with Rhodes pulling him into the post but Nakamura uses the rope to break up a springboard.

Nakamura chokes with his boot and hits a running knee to the ribs for two. Cody is back with a dropkick to the knee and the Figure Four goes on, only to have Nakamura use the bell for the escape. We take another break and come back again with Rhodes hitting the snap powerslam.

The Cody Cutter gets two and they slug it out until Nakamura kicks him in the head. There’s the reverse exploder suplex but the Kinshasa is countered into a Pedigree for two. Back up and Nakamura uses the mist but the blind Cody hits Cross Rhodes for two more. Kinshasa is blocked and Rhodes hits him low with the rope, setting up Cross Rhodes for the pin at 16:43.

Rating: B-. This felt like a house show main event and that is likely because they’ve headlined house shows with it for the last few weeks. The good idea here was to have Rhodes get a nice win to give the fans something to cheer about. The fans want to cheer Rhodes right now and it would go a long way to calm them down if he gets to beat up a rival like he did here.

Drew McIntyre runs in to jump Rhodes to end the show. Those two could have a heck of a fight at Elimination Chamber.

Overall Rating: C+. There was a good show in here somewhere but it got bogged down by a lot of the stuff in the middle. That mixed tag was awful and some of the segments really didn’t work. The main event was good though and the Gunther/Uso segment did well too. With that being said, the opening segment and the anti-Rock reaction are what matter the most here, as that press conference could be quite the mess if they go in the expected directions. I’m curious to see what they do though, because plowing straight ahead seems more than a bit risky. For now though, pretty good show that had some rough stretches.

Results
DIY b. Imperium, Creed Brothers and New Day – Meet In The Middle to Vinci
Becky Lynch b. Shayna Baszler – Manhandle Slam
Valhalla/Ivar b. Maxxine Dupri/Akira Tozawa – Super World’s Strongest Slam to Tozawa
Miz b. JD McDonagh – Skull Crushing Finale
Kabuki Warriors b. Katana Chance/Kayden Carter – Reverse DDT/Insane Elbow combination to Chance
Cody Rhodes b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Cross Rhodes

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: June 24, 2008
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 14,748
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

It’s the night after the Draft and ECW didn’t exactly do well. Not only did they lose the ECW Champion, but Mr. Money In The Bank is gone as well. With Kane and CM Punk gone, they now have Matt Hardy back as well, but we are still on for Kane defending the ECW Title against Big Show at Night Of Champions. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Million Dollar Mania, with Vince McMahon nearly dying at the end.

Teddy Long is in the ring to start things off and say that everyone in ECW has McMahon in their thoughts tonight. He can’t give out any information about McMahon’s status, but the show must go on. Therefore, here is the newest member of ECW, United States Champion Matt Hardy!

Matt Hardy/CM Punk vs. John Morrison/The Miz

Non-title. Matt armdrags Morrison down to start before it’s off to Punk. Miz comes in and gets kicked in the ribs so Matt can take over in the corner. Morrison manages to take Matt into the corner so Miz can take over and grab the chinlock. With that broken up, everything breaks down and Miz and Morrison get caught with running knees in the corner. Punk’s springboard clothesline is broken up for a crash out to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Morrison hitting the slingshot elbow to Punk, whose back was bent over Miz’s knees. Morrison kicks Punk in the head but Punk manages a takedown on Miz. That’s still not enough for the tag though as Morrison is right there to cut it off and grab the chinlock. Punk fights up again and hands it back to Matt for the real house cleaning. The middle rope elbow to the back of the head gets two on Morrison and everything breaks down. Morrison blocks the Twist Of Fate and kicks Matt in the face for two. Cue Hornswoggle to distract Miz though and the Twist Of Fate finishes Morrison.

Rating: C+. The match got some time and thankfully it wasn’t another clean loss for the champs. They’ve had a rocky time with the titles so far and losing to a thrown together team wouldn’t have helped things in the slightest. At the very least though, the ending helps with Sunday’s title match, which could use the help.

Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin

Extreme Rules. Kofi fights out of the corner to start but Benjamin runs him over with an elbow to the face. A suplex doesn’t work for Benjamin so Kofi hits a dropkick to put him outside. Naturally that means a dive to take Benjamin down again and they need a breather. Back up and Benjamin grabs the microphone to stagger Kofi, meaning it’s a whip into the steps to put him down again.

It’s time to bring in some weapons and a few shots put Kofi in more trouble. A trashcan to the head is blocked at first but Shelton just unloads on him with said can. Benjamin suplexes him onto the can and we hit the waistlock to stay on the ribs. Back up and Benjamin’s Stinger Splash is knocked HARD out of the air with a trashcan lid. More lid shots rock Benjamin even harder and Trouble In Paradise finishes for Kingston.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t a classic but it should serve as the big finale to their feud. These two have fought for a few months now and it’s nice to see Kofi getting the big win to end things. At the end of the day, Kingston feels like he could be moving up the ranks and it’s always nice to see some fresh blood. Benjamin knows how to make people look good in defeat and that was the case here.

We look at Mark Henry laying out Kane on Smackdown.

Raw Rebound.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Kane laughs a lot.

Mike Knox vs. Evan Bourne

Knox forearms him in the back to start but falls down, allowing Bourne to pick up the pace. Some kicks stagger Knox but he comes back with one heck of a clothesline. Knox grabs an abdominal stretch while pulling on Bourne’s leg to draw some nice screaming. Bourne fights out and hits a springboard kick before knocking Knox into the corner. A running spinwheel kick is cut off with a backbreaker though and Bourne is done.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to get very far but the hard clothesline made up for Knox’s weird start. I’m not sure I get the point in having Knox go over a newcomer like Bourne clean but there is a good chance we’ll be seeing a rematch. For now though, Bourne’s comeback worked well enough and he should be fine with that kind of speed and high flying.

Kane vs. Mark Henry

Non-title and Big Show is on commentary. Henry powers him around to start and hammers away in the corner, which Show seems to like. A clothesline drops Kane rather quickly and a bearhug cuts off an uppercut comeback. Kane fights out and slugs away, setting up a running enziguri of all things. That lets Kane go up but he stops to look at Show, allowing Henry to crotch him down. The World’s Strongest Slam finishes Kane fast.

Rating: C. The bad night for champions continues as Kane gets beaten by a guest star. That being said, WWE has been pushing Henry in recent weeks and Kane is on his way out of ECW so this isn’t the worst thing. It wouldn’t shock me to see Henry wind up here with the title sooner than later, as they certainly had Kane put him over on the way out.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird show as they were wrapping up a bunch of stuff but didn’t have many people on hand to replace them. Instead we got Miz and Morrison and Kane losing, though at least Hardy got a win on his first night. Kofi got a nice win as well so we’ll say the good outweighs the bad, but this show is going to need some help soon.

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Payback 2023
Date: September 2, 2023
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re back to the big shows here but this one isn’t exactly looking like the most thrilling. There are six matches announced, plus Cody Rhodes appearing on the Grayson Waller Effect. The main event will likely be Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title against Shinsuke Nakamura and John Cena hosting should spice things up a bit. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how this was started a long time ago but now it’s time for payback. The matches all get a quick look.

We recap Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch in a cage. Trish claims she paved the way for everyone today and wants recognition. Becky points out that she got further than Trish ever did on her own. Trish was the best of her generation, but this is a new generation. Now it’s time to end a rather long running feud.

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch

In a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win and NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is here watching again. Becky starts fast with the Bexploders but gets elbowed in the face for her efforts. Trish sends her into the cage and grabs a spinebuster to cut off a comeback attempt. The double fishhook keeps Becky in trouble (Trish: “CHEESE!”) but Becky manages to ram her into the cage a few times.

It’s too early for the Disarm-Her so Becky is sent into the cage two more times. Trish Matrixes her way out of a clothesline, only to have Becky drop a double legdrop onto the stomach in a clever counter. Some rapid fire rams into the cage have Trish in more trouble and Becky goes up top for the Fameasser in the ropes for two. Trish is back up and hammers away in the corner but Becky slips out and hits a powerbomb for two more.

Back up and Becky is sent into the cage again, setting up a Widow’s Peak (including the Victoria hair pulling) for two. Becky misses something off the top and gets caught with Stratusfaction for another near fall. They go up top with Trish hitting a super bulldog for two, allowing her to stare at the camera and show off a NASTY welt on her forehead. Both of them head up top with Trish knocking her down, only to have Becky climb back up for a top rope superplex and a huge crash for two more. Becky goes up as Trish goes for the door so Becky climbs down for the save.

Cue Zoey Stark to grab Trish’s arms but Becky pulls her back in….where Stark slams the door on her face. Not that it matters as the Manhandle Slam gets two, as Stark comes in for the save. Becky is back up and slams the door shut to fight both of them at once. A Manhandle Slam to Stark and a super Manhandle Slam to Trish are enough for the pin at 20:02.

Rating: B+. It was a heck of a fight and what matters is that it felt like the big blow of to the feud. That’s what it needed to be, as this feud has gone on long enough and it’s time for both of them to move on. As usual, Becky looks like a warrior who overcame the odds because very few can hang with her when she is at the top of her game. The Stark interference was a bit much but if that’s the only downside to the match, they did rather well.

Post match Stark gets up but Trish tells her to get out. That earns her a Z360, which should write Trish off TV.

Long video on Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins while they get rid of the cage.

Here is John Cena, who praises the opening match. He’s done a lot of things over the years but he’s never been a host. It’s his job to make the night special, so how about he guest referees LA Knight vs. the Miz! Cue the Miz to say he isn’t happy with this because Cena sucks as a host. Miz wants Cena to stay out of his match but Cena says that was his one idea. Does Miz have any other ideas? Sure: When the people making the Barbie movie call you, don’t say you’ll be a Merman! Miz suggests he take more initiative, so Cena says he’ll be the guest referee. He even has a shirt and we’re ready to go.

Miz vs. LA Knight

John Cena is guest referee. Miz stalls to start and walks up the aisle but Knight brings him back in and they slug it out on the mat. It’s Miz taking over and hitting the top rope ax handle for two. Knight is back up with a powerslam for two and Miz bails to the floor, where Knight hits a dropkick through the ropes. Knight sends him into a few things but goes inside to break the count, allowing Miz to manage a ram into the announcers’ table.

That doesn’t last long as Knight jumps onto the barricade for a clothesline to take over again. Back in and Knight hits a running clothesline before stomping away in the corner. That doesn’t work for Cena, who yells at Knight, allowing Miz to get in a cheap shot. A Codebreaker out of the corner gives Miz two and we hit the chinlock. The YES Kicks keeps Knight in trouble but he suplexes his way out of trouble.

The jumping neckbreaker and a middle rope bulldog drop Miz again and a running boot gets two. Miz’s DDT gets the same but a spinning DDT out of the corner gives Knight two more. Miz grabs a rollup with the rope for two and they both almost hit Cena. The Skull Crushing Finale gives Miz two more but Miz tries his own Five Knuckle Shuffle. The delay lets Knight come back with the powerslam and spelling elbow. Blunt Force Trauma finishes Miz at 15:41.

Rating: C+. This was a good bit longer than it needed to be but it wasn’t bad, with the important point being Knight’s win. It’s one of the bigger matches of his career and he beats a former World Champion, which is about all you could hope for here. Cena was there to pick things up a bit, but thankfully didn’t play a role in the ending. Good stuff, with the right result.

Post match Cena offers a handshake but Knight says Cena almost cost him the match. Knight does shake his hand.

We recap Austin Theory vs. Rey Mysterio for the US Title. Theory attacked Santos Escobar before Escobar’s US Title shot so Rey took the spot and won the title. Now it’s time for a rematch.

US Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory

Rey is defending. They start fast with Rey taking him into the corner for some right hands as Cole is still listing off Rey’s career accomplishments. A clothesline cuts Rey off and a running version in the corner makes it worse. Theory grabs a suplex but another attempt is countered into a small package for two. A swinging sleeper drop sets up a chinlock on Rey, with Theory whispering something to him. Back up and Rey is sent chest first into the buckle before Theory starts going after the mask.

With that broken up, Rey hits a top rope moonsault to drop Theory again and they’re both down for a bit. Rey sends him outside for a sliding tornado DDT. Back in and the top rope seated senton gives Rey two more but Theory grabs a torture rack powerbomb for the same. A Town Down misses so Theory goes with the rolling dropkick. Rey is right back with the basement dropkick and they’re both down. The 619 connects for Rey but the slingshot splash hits knees. Theory tries A Town Down again but this time it’s reversed into a victory roll to retain the title at 9:49.

Rating: B-. This felt like a Smackdown main event and was a good bit better match than their original version. Mysterio can still go with anyone and seems likely to be ready for a showdown with Santos Escobar down the line. For now though, they had a good enough match and now Theory can move on to anything else.

Becky Lynch is interrupted by Tiffany Stratton, who forgot that Becky was never the NXT Women’s Title. Becky suggests that Stratton focus on her title defense, but maybe she’ll see Stratton soon. Stratton doesn’t seem worried.

We recap Judgment Day coming after Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens’ Tag Team Titles. They’ve been coming for the belts for awhile now, despite bickering a lot. Therefore, let’s have a street fight.

Tag Team Titles: Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Judgment Day

Finn Balor and Damian Priest are challenging in a street fight. The weapons are pulled out fast, with Balor not being pleased at the sight of a Terrible Towel. Owens gets a kendo stick knocked out of his hands but it’s Zayn hitting a big running flip dive to take the villains down. Trashcan shots rock Priest and Balor has a trashcan put on his head. The kendo stick shots put Balor down again so the fans request, and receive, tables.

Priest is back up for the save and Zayn gets stomped down in the corner. Owens fights back on Priest and unloads on him with stomping, plus a chair shot. Balor chairs Owens down but Zayn is back up to chair Balor down as well. The fight goes into the crowd and here is Dominik Mysterio to help take the champs down. We get a Judgment Day huddle but Owens (bleeding) and Zayn come back with Pittsburgh Penguins jerseys and hockey sticks.

Cole think they’re the Pittsburgh Steelers as the champs unload on Dominik. Back in and Owens pulls Priest off the apron for a ram into the steps, leaving Zayn to Blue Thunder Bomb Balor onto a pile of chairs. A bunch of chairs are set up inside but Priest Broken Arrows Zayn onto the chairs for two, with Owens throwing a chair at the cover for the save. They head back into the crowd with Owens having to fight out of a double teaming.

Zayn comes back in for the save and dives off the Kickoff Show desk to take them both down. Owens is back up to put Dominik on a table and there’s the Swanton off of a balcony. In the ring, Sami suplexes Balor into the corner but Priest throws a trashcan at Zayn’s head for two. Zayn fights back up and suplexes Priest into the corner and knocks Balor through a table at ringside.

Owens is back in to Stun Priest into the Helluva Kick but JD McDonagh pulls Zayn out at two. That earns McDonagh a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table but cue Rhea Ripley to spear Owens through the barricade. Back in and Balor shotgun dropkicks Zayn into the corner, only to miss the Coup de Grace. Zayn suplexes him into the corner again and the Helluva Kick gets two as Dominik makes the save with the briefcase to give Balor the pin and the titles at 20:43.

Rating: A-. This was ALL about the insanity and violence and that worked incredibly well. There were multiple times where I would have believed it was over and then it kept going, without ever feeling like it was going too long. It took five people, but Zayn and Owens finally lost the titles after a huge win earlier this year. The big thing here was that they changed the titles when there was almost no realistic way for Owens and Zayn to retain. That’s how it should have gone and my goodness this was a heck of a fight.

Here is Grayson Waller for the Grayson Waller Effect. Waller says his guest is a lot like Pittsburgh, in that neither of them can ever finish a story. Cue Cody Rhodes to talk about….nothing actually, as Waller cuts him off. Cody talks about how new Waller is at this and sums up how this is going to go, with the big ending being a Cross Rhodes to Waller.

Instead, Cody talks about the stars of NXT and of Smackdown, the latter of which included a recent issue that needs to be solved. Cody gets up and introduces the newest member of the Raw roster: Main Event Jey Uso. Jey comes in to pose but Waller cuts him off, only to get superkicked for his efforts. Well that’s a big moment.

We recap Rhea Ripley defending the Women’s World Title against Raquel Rodriguez. Ripley has taken out her knee a few times, but now Rodriguez is back and healthy, meaning it’s time to fight.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Ripley is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. They trade the power shoves to start with neither getting very far. Rodriguez picks her up or a trip to the floor, where Ripley gets in a quick neck snap. Back in and Rodriguez is sent into the corner, where she blocks a whip with straight power. Rodriguez gets her up for a slam but Ripley is back with a running clothesline and some right hands.

Ripley slowly stomps away before snapmaring her into a seated abdominal stretch. A front facelock keeps Rodriguez down but she manages to power Ripley off. Back up and some clotheslines rock Ripley and there’s the fall away slam. The middle rope spinning elbow is broken up though and Ripley goes up top for some headbutts. Rodriguez knocks her down again though and now the middle rope corkscrew elbow connects.

Back up and Ripley gets in a faceplant, setting up a running knee for two. Riptide is blocked though and Rodriguez drops her throat first onto the top rope. Ripley goes back to the bad knee and gets the Prism Trap, which is broken up as well. A powerslam gives Rodriguez two but Ripley is back to the knee. They head outside with Rodriguez hitting a powerbomb against the post (ouch) but cue Dominik Mysterio. That’s fine with Rodriguez, who gives him a running powerslam. Ripley kicks the knee out again though and Riptide retains the title at 17:18.

Rating: C. This was another match that went longer than it needed to and that really held it down. Rodriguez felt like one of the first people who could hang in the ring physically with Ripley but that is only going to take things so far. Rodriguez having that kind of size negates one of the biggest advantages that Ripley has but it was hard to fathom Rodriguez actually winning the title. Not an awful match, but keeping this as an eight minute hoss fight would have been WAY more entertaining.

John Cena, in a jacket that doesn’t fit and in a pink bow tie, talks to Judgment Day about their win. There is no trouble in the ranks and insist that they are stronger than ever.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the World Heavyweight Title. Nakamura turned on him and revealed that Rollins had a bad back. Then Nakamura mentioned Rollins’ family, which was too far for Rollins to go.

Raw World Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins

Nakamura is challenging and has a special video in Japanese (with animation), talking about how he’ll remove the burden of being champion from Rollins’ back. As a bonus, the Great Muta of all people is here to watch the match. Nakamura goes after the arm to start but Rollins reverses into a hammerlock. Rollins takes him to the mat and grabs a quickly broken STF.

Back up and Nakamura tells him to COME ON so Rollins strikes away. With Nakamura knocked outside, Rollins hits the required suicide dive, followed by a springboard Swanton back inside. Another suicide dive connects but Nakamura is fine enough to drop Rollins onto the announcers’ table. Nakamura hits the running knee in the corner and then drops another to put Rollins on the floor again.

The half crab doesn’t last long as Rollins fights up and grabs a super hurricanrana. The back is too hurt to follow up though and they’re both down for a bit. A Sling Blade into a frog splash gives Rollins two so he yells about his family being brought into this. The Stomp misses and Nakamura hits the middle rope knee to the chest for another near fall. The sliding German suplex gives Nakamura two more but the Kinshasa is cut off with a superkick.

Nakamura gets the triangle choke, which is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two. They slug it out until Nakamura connects with a kick to the head. Both of them go up top with a super Landslide giving Nakamura two. Kinshasa to the back of the head connects but Rollins collapses before the regular version can connect. Rollins is knocked to the apron but comes back with a Pedigree for two. The stomp from out of nowhere finishes Nakamura at 25:56.

Rating: B. Remember how I’ve taken issue with matches going too long almost all night long? That was the case again here as the match was very good but often felt like they were trying to fill in the long run time. Nakamura did his usual good match, but it wasn’t like there was much of a reason to believe Nakamura was anything more than the challenger of the month.

Rollins kneels in the ring due to his back as Nakamura walks around ringside for a long time….and that’s it.

Overall Rating: B. From a quality standpoint, this show was quite good with only the Women’s Title match not being pretty good at worst. That being said, they really needed another match or two on here so that the already existing matches didn’t have to be dragged out so long. Six matches does not make for much of a pay per view card and that was a glaring issue all night. It also was only so eventful of a show, with Jey Uso jumping to Raw and the Tag Team Title change being the only important parts. Good show if you’re looking for quality wrestling, but not as much for big time forward movements.

Results
Becky Lynch b. Trish Stratus – Super Manhandle Slam
LA Knight b. The Miz – BFT
Rey Mysterio b. Austin Theory – Victory roll
Judgment Day b. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens – Briefcase shot to Zayn
Rhea Ripley b. Raquel Rodriguez – Riptide
Seth Rollins b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Stomp

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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So WWE has brought another of its shows out of mothballs and in a way, I like the idea of there not being a major theme. There is no big signature match or concept to the show, instead leaving it as just a show with matches. Now that being said, this show has not had the strongest build, with part of that being due to last week’s Smackdown being thrown off the rails after Bray Wyatt passed away. There isn’t much of a card to go over so far but let’s get to it.

Women’s World Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez

We’ll start out with the hoss fight as these two are going to be able to hit each other really hard. They aren’t exactly hiding about what this is supposed to be and that is a fine way to go. Sometimes you need to just present two powerhouses doing powerhouse things and that is exactly what we’re getting here. Ripley is a star but Rodriguez has risen to the occasion before so we should be in for some fun with this one.

That being said, as entertaining as the match might be, there is no reason to believe that Ripley’s title reign is in any serious danger. Ripley is looking like she could have the kind of record setting title reign that WWE has been using in recent years and while Rodriguez will get her reign one day, it isn’t going to be here. They’ll have a heck of a fight, but it won’t include a title change.

Tag Team Titles: Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens(c) vs. Judgment Day

This is a street fight and that should make for a fun match. Owens and Zayn can work a regular match but they can also do the wild brawling stuff rather well. It also helps that the Judgment Day can work that style as well, with Dominik Mysterio and perhaps JD McDonagh getting involved as well. At the same time though, you have the internal issues for the Judgment Day and things could get rather complicated rather fast.

Again I don’t see much of a reason to believe that the titles are going to change hands here, as Zayn and Owens have cooled off as champions, but I don’t think they’ve cooled off enough to lose. Judgment Day has to win something, but that briefcase Priest is carrying around makes the Tag Team Titles feel like a downgrade. Owens and Zayn retain here, but I’m not sure how much longer they’ll keep the belts.

United States Title: Rey Mysterio(c) vs. Austin Theory

Mysterio is in a more vulnerable place than most champions as he does not feel like anything resembling a long term champion. He is someone who could put someone else over at any time and Theory getting the title back is not completely out of the question. It makes for a more compelling match, but the fact that Mysterio beat him so easily a few weeks ago brings that back down.

I still can’t go with a new champion here though, as Mysterio retains and likely drops the title to Santos Escobar sooner than later. That is the story that has been set up and I don’t see much of a reason for anything else to happen. Theory has held the title for so long that it doesn’t make sense to put the belt back on him, as he is desperately in need of something new. Therefore he doesn’t win here, as Mysterio gets ready for his eventual showdown with Escobar.

LA Knight vs. The Miz

This has been built up on a string of promos and that is where both of them shine. The match gone from what felt like an easy win for Knight into something more personal as Miz has been in serious mode in the last few weeks. That can make for a good Miz feud and he has made it work well enough here. Now they just have to stick the landing and Knight can be well on his way.

So yeah of course there is no reason to believe that Miz wins here, as Knight is one of the hottest stars in WWE at the moment. He can move up the ladder a bit with a win here as he gets into title contention, with this kind of a win helping. What matters most is that Miz has been serious coming into it, which will make the win feel that much more important. This match doesn’t have to be great, but it needs to be good enough with Knight winning, and that should work out.

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus

They’re inside a cage, which should be the end to this longer than necessary feud. However, that has been the case for a few months now and the thing just keeps going. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though as a cage match should be a sure fire way to wrap it up. Lynch has already taken out Zoey Stark as well, so they have a way to make this one work out.

Since there is no reason to believe that Stratus is sticking around after this one, I’ll take Lynch to win so she can move on to something else (like Tiffany Stratton for example). Unless they jump start some new feud way faster than necessary, this should be Lynch going over to finish Stratus off or good. The feud has lost steam, but having them get a good, dramatic and violent match here would be enough to get out of it as unscathed as possible. Lynch wins.

World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

This is the only match that I can imagine headlining the show, but like most World Heavyweight Title matches so far, it feels like a glorified midcard title. Rollins is trying and they have enough of a feud, but this headlining the show doesn’t seem like the easiest move. It’s about all we have for now though and they should be able to have a good match in this slot.

As much as I would love Nakamura to win the title for once, there is no reason to believe that he is anything more than the challenger of the month in between Rollins’ bigger feuds. Rollins does have a bad back and that is going to need to be addressed sooner than later, but for now, Rollins wins. He also doesn’t have to deal with Money In The Bank just yet, as they haven’t ignored it long enough to have Priest cash it in.

Overall Thoughts

And that’s the show for now. It’s a six match card as of the end of Smackdown and that isn’t exactly feeling like something major. There is also Cody Rhodes on the Grayson Waller Effect and John Cena as the guest host, and it wouldn’t shock me to see Cena and Rhodes cross paths. The show needs something else and setting up a potential Rhodes vs. Cena showdown could work. Odds are we get a bonus match somewhere, but there isn’t much that can be done to hide how much of a C-list show this really is.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 26, 2023
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Money In The Bank and then it’s off to England. That might not make for the most thrilling Raw but there are some stories that could use a final push before the big show. If nothing else, Seth Rollins is going to want to get his hands on Finn Balor so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio over the last few weeks.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio to the reaction you would expect. Ripley promises that Dominik will end Cody at Money In The Bank so here is Rhodes (HUGE reaction) to interrupt. Cody welcomes us to the show and threatens Dominik, who bails to the apron. Just to make it worse, Cody quotes the Cat In The Hat, because Dominik is a scared little boy. Dominik leaves as Cody begs him to come in here and take a free shot. When Dominik won’t come in, Cody says he wants to see if Dominik is half the man his father is, or if he’s just Mami’s little boy.

Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Bronson Reed is at ringside. They trade strikes to start with Nakamura kicking him in the ribs, only to get kicked right back down. An exchange of kicks sent them both outside where they take turns kicking Reed. Before he can do anything it, Reed is ejected and we take a break.

Back with Nakamura blocking a running shooting star press and stomping at the ribs to keep Ricochet down. Kinshasa misses though and Ricochet kicks him down for two. Ricochet dodges some kicks and hits a standing Sliced Bread, setting up a shooting star press to finish Nakamura at 10:42.

Rating: C+. Seeing Ricochet getting a clean pin over a bigger name is nice to see, even if there is little reason to believe that this is going to last. We still need the triple threat match between these two and Reed, which very well may be coming next week. For now though, Ricochet getting a win is nice to see.

We recap Matt Riddle being beaten down by Imperium.

Riddle has challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Title at Money In The Bank but cue Imperium to beat him down. The bad ankle is taken out again as Gunther accepts the challenge.

Dominik Mysterio wants Adam Pearce to give him a match tonight…..but Rhea Ripley whispers something to him, so he’ll get back to Pearce on an opponent.

And now, Money In The Bank By The Numbers.

93 Participants
7 WWE Hall Of Famers
28 Winners
78% Of Male Contract Holders To Successfully Cash In
100% Of Female Contract Holders To Successfully Cash In
13 Winners Who Cashed In For Their First World Title
3 People To Cash In Twice
30 Ladder Matches
5 Appearances For Natalya, The Most By A Woman
7 Appearances For Kofi Kingston And Kane, Tied For The Most By A Man
380 Ladders Used
287 Days Carmella Waited, The Longest Ever For A Cash In
50:15 Minutes Kane Waited, The Shortest Ever For A Cash In
5 People Who Cashed In The Same Night
1 Person To Cash In At Wrestlemania
17 Cities Have Hosted
12 States Have Hosted
8 First Timers This Year

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rousey

Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler are here too. They take turns throwing each other around until Rodriguez powers out of the ankle lock. Rousey gets tossed with a fall away slam as Morgan goes after Baszler. In the melee, Rousey grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:13.

Video on Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins, with Balor talking about how the man who beat Rollins seven years ago being dead. He had a horrible arm injury but had to vacate the Universal Title twenty two hours later. Then Rollins came out to laugh at him at his lowest point. Now Rollins has his crazy outfits and his song, but now, after seven years, Balor is taking it all back. Good stuff here from Balor, as he sold the story in just a few moments.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. The fans sing so long that we get a graphic of the title match again before Rollins finally speaks. Hold on though as he sees NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes in the front row and thanks him for having his back on NXT. Rollins tells Hayes to take care of Baron Corbin in their title match tomorrow night, just like he’ll do to Finn Balor. He has been wondering which Balor will show up, so why not have Balor come out here right now?

There’s no Balor, which doesn’t surprise Rollins, as Balor likes to hide in the shadows. Rollins isn’t 100% right now and he won’t be at Money In The Bank, but as good as Balor is, he doesn’t know what he’s getting into. Cue Balor with a chair but Rollins takes him down so the brawl can be on. Balor goes for the ribs and grabs the chair, only to get sent into the corner. The fight goes to the floor and Balor goes for another chair, which is taken away by Carmelo Hayes. Balor runs off and we might have a main event for later.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa returning last week to take out the Miz.

Ciampa talks about recovering over the last night months and never heard from Miz once. That gave him a lot of time to wonder why he played second fiddle to Miz, but now he is creating his own opportunities.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Finn Balor is set for tonight.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Miz

Miz jumps Ciampa from behind during the entrances and lays him out on the floor with the Skull Crushing Finale. No match, which is good in a way because the story should have been over and another match isn’t needed, but bad in a way because why is this continuing.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens run into Imperium in the back, with Sami having to explain to Owens that they’re mad because of what happened to Matt Riddle. Owens yells at Gunther and the result is Gunther vs. Sami tonight. Owens going from indifferent to yelling because Sami told him to was great.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa is Dominik/Rhea Ripley’s (at ringside) handpicked opponent. Dominik jumps him to start but Tozawa hammers away with right hands. Tozawa’s top rope elbow sends Dominik outside and a suicide dive drops him again. A Ripley distraction lets Dominik crotch him on top though and the frog splash finishes for Dominik at 1:49.

The Viking Raiders are ready for violence.

Here are Trish Stratus, Zoey Stark, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Iyo Sky and Zelina Vega in the ring for the Money In The Bank Summit. Bayley calls everyone stupid and declares herself the favorite but Sky seems to interrupt. Vega knows there are some legends in the match but Trish has never been in a ladder match. Bayley laughs at the idea of Vega winning but Vega says the LWO is winning both briefcases.

Stark cuts the bickering off and Trish says she sees a bunch of girls in the ring. They should all thank her, but Becky doesn’t qualify as a woman because she’s the Man or whatever. The big brawl is on and Sky moonsaults onto everyone but Becky. That leaves Becky to climb up and grab the briefcase. You could guess everything that was going to be said here and the question was who got the briefcase at the end.

Carmelo Hayes says he was invited here by Seth Rollins and it is an honor to be on this show. Maybe he is going to go out there in a blaze of glory, but tomorrow, he’s taking out Baron Corbin. Sometimes you have to take shots to make shots, and tonight he isn’t missing.

Becky Lynch runs into Rhea Ripley and teases cashing in on her. Ripley promises violence if Lynch even tries. Lynch calls Ripley a main event side attraction and wants to get the briefcase just to make Ripley squirm.

Gunther vs. Sami Zayn

Non-title and Ludwig Kaiser/Kevin Owens (the latter on commentary) are the seconds. Gunther grabs a headlock to start but Zayn is back with an armdrag into an armbar. Cue Giovanni Vinci on crutches, allowing Gunther to snap off a German suplex as we take a break. Back with Gunther having to block the exploder suplex into the corner and knocking Zayn down hard. Owens applauds Gunther’s chop and the distraction lets Zayn fight back and grab a sunset bomb for a close two.

The pace picks up and Zayn hits a clothesline but the Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into the sleeper. Zayn powers up and gets the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. Gunther chops him out of the air though and the top rope splash gets two, leaving Gunther a bit shocked. Owens cuts off an interfering Kaiser but gets kicked in the face by Gunther. Zayn hits a big flip dive though and the exploder sends Gunther into the corner. Vinci gets on the apron though and a crutch shot sets up Gunther’s powerbomb for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: B. This was what you would have expected from these two as they had the time to put a match together, even with all of the other moving parts. What matters here is Gunther had to break a heck of a sweat to beat Zayn, who is far from some nothing opponent. Vinci being back brings Imperium back to full strength and I’ll take that here over a surprise return so he can help cheat Riddle out of the title on Saturday.

Post match the big beatdown is on until Matt Riddle limps down for the save, complete with some crutch shots.

Video on Carmelo Hayes.

The Alpha Academy is ready for the Viking Raiders, thanks to Chad Gable’s coaching.

Natalya isn’t giving up after being knocked down so many times. She wants a title shot next week.

Finn Balor vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title. Balor takes him down to start and hits some forearms to the back. The chinlock goes on but Hayes knocks him outside or the big dive. We take a break and come back with Hayes fighting up but missing a crossbody out of the corner. Hayes fights up again but gets dropped with a hard clothesline.

A superkick sets up Hayes’ springboard DDT for two as Balor can’t keep him down. Nothing But Net (top rope Fameasser) doesn’t connect so Balor is right back with a gutbuster. The shotgun dropkick sends Hayes into the corner and it’s the Coup de Grace to give Balor the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of “well then why did you have the match?” Hayes has a big title match coming up tomorrow night so you don’t want him to lose. Balor has a big title match coming up this weekend so you don’t want him to lose. In other words, this is a match that shouldn’t have taken place here as there was no good way out of it, save for some kind of a screwy finish. Balor beating Hayes is fine, but it shouldn’t have taken place here.

Cody Rhodes, with his dog Pharaoh, is ready for Dominik Mysterio on Saturday and Damian Priest tonight.

Video on the Bloodline Civil War.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest

They fight over a lockup to start with Cody trying for the leg. That is broken up without much trouble as Priest powers him into the corner, only to get countered into a delayed gordbuster. Cue Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley though and the distraction lets Priest…well get pulled into the post though.

Rhodes hits a dive but another distraction allows Priest to grab a Downward Spiral as we take a break. Back with Priest hitting a flapjack to put Rhodes down but he’s able to run the ropes and super armdrag Priest off the top. Rhodes slugs away until a headlock driver gives Priest two.

A Pedigree cuts Priest off, only to have him come back with a jumping superkick for two more. Dominik’s distraction breaks up the Disaster Kick and South of Heaven gets two , leaving Ripley livid. Back up and Cody sends Priest into Dominik, setting up the Cody Cutter into Cross Rhodes for the pin at 13:34.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to close the show as Cody still doesn’t get his hands on Dominik. You have to wait for Saturday to see that happen and it should be one heck of a beating when it finally takes place. Here though, it was Cody having to get through the pesky Dominik while still dealing with Priest, which is already a task in its own right. Priest got in his offense here and still looks great, but Cody probably isn’t losing to anyone named not named Lesnar anytime soon. Or maybe Dominik on Saturday.

Dominik gets in a cheap shot on Cody and runs off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There was good wrestling mostly throughout the show, but there were also things that brought it back down. Stuff like Hayes losing for no apparent reason, the long stretches between matches and a not exactly inspiring women’s Money In The Bank segment didn’t leave me wanting to see the show. It wasn’t a bad show, but you could definitely feel a different style in a lot of ways, which isn’t exactly encouraging to see.

Results
Ricochet b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Shooting star press
Ronda Rousey b. Raquel Rodriguez – Rollup
Dominik Mysterio b. Akira Tozawa – Frog splash
Gunther b. Sami Zayn – Powerbomb
Finn Balor b. Carmelo Hayes – Coup de Grace
Cody Rhodes b. Damian Priest – Cross Rhodes

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 19, 2023
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are about two weeks away from Money In The Bank and we now have a World Title match for the show. Finn Balor will be challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Title in London and that should be good enough to carry a lot of things this this week. Logan Paul is back too so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins for the open challenge title match but Finn Balor jumps him from behind. The beatdown is on outside, with referees and agents holding Balor back. That doesn’t matter, as he manages three Coup de Graces off the steps to crush Rollins as we take an early break.

Post break Balor jumps Rollins again in the back and has to be held back again.

Here is the Miz to say he’s mad about not getting to accept Rollins’ open challenge. Instead, he’s issuing his own open challenge….and we have someone to accept.

The Miz vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa jumps Miz to start fast and takes the beating outside. Ciampa drops him onto the cover of the announcers’ table and says he was out nine months and didn’t hear from Miz once (there’s a fast explanation. Back in and some corner clotheslines sets up a missed running knee, allowing Miz to grab a short DDT for two. Miz kicks away in the corner and goes up but gets kneed out of the air. The Fairy Tale Ending gives Ciampa the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. Get Ciampa out there, let him run through someone, have the fans go nuts, get him out of there. This was about Ciampa making an impact and wrapping up a not so great story with Miz. I could go for more of this version of Ciampa, though unfortunately it wouldn’t shock me to see him back with Johnny Gargano sooner than later. That’s not a bad thing, but this would be better.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. Finn Balor says Seth Rollins’ open challenge is canceled because of him. If the fans like to sing that song so much, they can sing it at Rollins’ funeral. Rhea Ripley promises Judgment Day domination at Money In The Bank and Damian Priest says Cody Rhodes needs to keep Dominik Mysterio’s name out of his mouth. After getting booed out of the building, Dominik gets out a challenge for a six man tag to Cody and anyone he can find.

We recap the Usos turning on Roman Reigns and the Bloodline.

Sami Zayn tells Kevin Owens that he has an anger problem and makes him a bet: if Owens can go the rest of the night without snapping once, Zayn will leave it alone. If Owens blows up, he has to admit he has a problem. Deal.

Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Before the match, we get a Tiktok reel of Chelsea Green going nuts on a lot of people. Chance knocks Green down into the corner to start so it’s quickly off to Carter to beat up both villains. Deville gets dropped quickly and it’s a springboard moonsault/springboard spinning legdrop combination for two. With Green send outside, the Afterparty (450/neckbreaker combination) finishes Deville 2:00.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat on the stage. He accepts Dominik’s challenge. And that’s that.

Indus Sher vs. Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin

Cedric and Shelton start fast and send Sanga outside. A slingshot dive doesn’t work for Alexander so Shelton adds a Blockbuster off the apron to take them down. Alexander gets dropped onto the barricade, leaving Benjamin to get caught with a side slam/middle rope elbow combination for the pin at 2:05.

In the back, Kevin Owens gets doused with some very cold water but manages to keep himself calm. Owens says he has an idiot problem….and runs into Matt Riddle. As Owens bites through his hand because he knows he’s in trouble, Riddle asks if he has seen Honey I Shrunk The Kids. Owens somehow manages to only lose it for a few seconds before wishing Riddle good luck and leaving.

Here is the returning Logan Paul, sitting on a ladder under the Money In The Bank briefcases. Paul talks about how great people come from Cleveland and then they leave. He came back and it still smells like industrial steel and the Browns are still terrible. He and his brother lost their last fights and Miz lost earlier tonight. Now though it is time to put some respect on Cleveland’s name, because he is getting a special invitation into the Money In The Bank ladder match.

Cue Ricochet to interrupt, saying he made Paul go viral at the Royal Rumble. Not that it matters, as he says he’ll win the briefcase anyway. Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight and Santos Escobar all interrupt until Butch comes out to start the fight. Paul knocks them to the floor and hits the big flip dive to take them down. Paul gets to climb the ladder, as is custom.

Matt Riddle vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Gunther is here too. Riddle goes for the leg to start but Kaiser takes him into the corner for a right hand. Some chops put Kaiser on the floor but Riddle stops to glare at Gunther, allowing Kaiser to suplex Riddle off the apron to the floor. We take a break and come back with Riddle hitting a top rope superplex for a double knockdown. Riddle strikes away, including a kick to the face. Kaiser is sent outside for a springboard Floating Bro but he comes back with a suplex for two back inside. The middle rope elbow is pulled out of the air, setting up the Bro Derek to give Riddle the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. This is why someone like Gunther has lackeys, as Riddle can beat someone with a bit of credibility and build momentum for his eventual title shot. While I can’t imagine Riddle wins the title, it is nice to see someone built up to come after Gunther. The match has potential, and this went well as a way to make Riddle look like a threat.

Post match Gunther goes after Riddle and sweeps the leg without much trouble. Gunther and Kaiser take out Riddle’s knee and leave him laying.

Post break, Riddle is helped to the back.

Imperium interrupts Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, with the latter getting rather annoyed. Zayn gets a message though and they have to leave.

We see an Alpha Academy training session, with Maxxine Dupri being taught the power of hip abilities.

Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders

Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla are here too. Gable suplexes Erik down to start so it’s quickly off to Ivar vs. Otis. A corner splash crushes Ivar but the Caterpillar is broken up with a spinning kick. Otis suplexes his way out of trouble though and it’s right back to Gable to strike away at Erik. Gable clotheslines Erik to the floor and moonsaults onto both Vikings. A top rope headbutt gives Gable two back inside and Maxxine suplexes Valhalla. In the melee, Erik hits a knee to Gable for the pin at 4:09.

Rating: C. That ending is certainly a choice as they had the feel good moment with Maxxine using the training to do the suplex and then the Academy, in particular the coach, takes the pin. It’s a weird way to go but for some reason that is the best they have for a match with no stakes. Maxxine feels like a star in the making though and the reactions are getting stronger, so maybe they have something with her.

Damian Priest and Finn Balor are cool with each other but Rhea Ripley has to go deal with Natalya.

Natalya says tonight is another chance to show she still belongs here.

Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya

Ripley jumps her before the bell and the beatdown is on outside. Natalya is whipped into various things and hit with Riptide inside. No match.

Raquel Rodriguez is ready to get into Money In The Bank and runs into Rhea Ripley. Rodriguez says Ripley isn’t ready for her so hope that she doesn’t win.

Akira Tozawa offers to be Cody Rhodes’ partner so he’ll keep that in mind. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn come in, with Zayn saying he got Cody’s text. They’re in.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Raquel Rodriguez vs. Trish Stratus

Zoey Stark is here with Trish. Rodriguez grabs a bearhug to start and throws her down with ease. A missed charge sends Rodriguez into the post though and Trish gets in some strikes to the head to take over. Rodriguez misses a kick in the corner and Trish gets to slug away some more. A camel clutch is broken up and Rodriguez hits a running splash in the corner. Stark’s interference takes Rodriguez down so here is Becky Lynch to go after her. Lynch gets too fired up though and sends Trish into the barricade, drawing the DQ at 5:49.

Rating: C+. These two worked well together, but the match felt like more of a storyline advancement than anything else. Becky knows she screwed up and is going to have to head into Money In The Bank outnumbered by Stratus and Stark. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Rodriguez get in there somehow either, as there might be a spot left in the match if they want to keep even with the men. For now though, we get Trish in a ladder match, which is almost hard to imagine.

The fight continues post match.

Bron Breakker (NXT star facing Seth Rollins for the title tomorrow on NXT) isn’t happy that Rollins might be too hurt to face him. What happened to Rollins tonight is nothing compared to what is coming tomorrow. Maybe the doctors can prescribe him some courage. Either way, get used to seeing Breakker around here.

Becky Lynch is mad at herself, but thinks that having a match with Trish involving ladders could be a lot of fun. She’s either winning, or going down in a blaze of glory and bringing Zoey Stark and Stratus with her.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bronson Reed

Nakamura strikes away to start and does it again in the corner until Reed drops him with one shot. Back up and Nakamura hits the sliding German suplex but here is Ricochet to yell at him as we take a break. We come back with Reed slugging away and hitting a powerslam for two.

Nakamura grabs a choke but Reed powerbombs his way out of trouble. A forearm puts Nakamura on the floor and one heck of a running shoulder drops him again. Hold on though as Reed goes after Ricochet, allowing Nakamura to kick Reed in the head. Nakamura’s charge hits Ricochet though and Reed drops Nakamura fast. The Tsunami gives Reed the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C+. These two work well together and that was on display again here. What matters is having a match that keeps both of them looking strong, though you can probably pencil in the triple threat match with these two and Ricochet for next week. Reed winning gets him some steam back, though it’s a bit strange to have him go over the person actually in Money In The Bank.

Seth Rollins doesn’t care what the doctors say. He’ll defend against Bron Breakker tomorrow night, but as for Finn Balor, Money In The Bank can’t come soon enough.

Cody Rhodes/Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Judgment Day

Balor works on Rhodes’ arm to start but gets caught in a headlock. Some shoulders in the corner have Rhode sin trouble though and it’s Dominik coming in for a slap to the back. Rhodes scares Dominik away and it’s off to Priest to kick Zayn in the corner. A middle rope elbow to the head gets Zayn out of trouble and it’s Dominik coming back in. Zayn kicks him in the face but Rhea Ripley gets in a cheap shot to put Zayn down as we take a break.

Back with Priest missing a charge into the post but Dominik cuts off the hot tag bid. Zayn fights out of trouble again though and the hot tag brings in Owens to clean house (with the fans going fairly nuts). Dominik tries to run off but gets pulled back inside for the Cannonball. Cody comes back in and powerslams Priest, followed by the Disaster Kick for two.

A Ripley distraction lets Priest hit South of Heaven for two, with Zayn making the save. Hold on as we get a Zayn vs. Ripley staredown, with Ripley having to drop down so Zayn’s dive can hit Dominik. The Cody Cutter gets two on Priest so it’s a Helluva Kick into a Stunner to Dominik. Cross Rhodes finishes Priest at 13:33.

Rating: B. The crowd was on FIRE for this and it made the match that much more entertaining. Priest taking the fall was a little bit odd but Balor is the #1 contender and Dominik is such a heat magnet that I guess they want to protect him. What mattered here was giving the fans a red hot match to end the show and the crowd elevated it to that point, which made for a heck of a closing act. That being said, no payoff to the Owens anger deal? They built that up for most of the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Other than the main event and maybe Paul/Ciampa’s returns, there wasn’t much to be seen this week. What mattered here though was they didn’t do anything stupid and haven’t spent weeks focusing a bunch of time on “building momentum” towards the ladder matches. It felt like a circling the field show before they go to London next week and it did well enough to keep me entertained for three hours. Not a show you need to see, but it could have been a lot worse.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. The Miz – Fairy Tale Ending
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance b. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville – Afterparty to Deville
Indus Sher b. Shelton Benjamin/Cedric Alexander – Side slam/middle rope elbow combination to Benjamin
Matt Riddle b. Ludwig Kaiser – Bro Derek
Viking Raiders b. Alpha Academy – Knee to Gable
Bronson Reed b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Tsunami
Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn b. Judgment Day – Cross Rhodes to Priest

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Judgment Day 2008
Date: May 18, 2008
Location: Qwest Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
Attendance: 11,324
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Mike Adamle, Tazz

We’re back on pay per view here and this feels like the second sequel to Wrestlemania. We have the third Undertaker vs. Edge match (with the Smackdown World Title vacant as we come in this time), plus Raw World Champion HHH defending against Randy Orton inside a cage. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a look at all of the major matches on tonight’s show, as tends to be the custom.

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

They circle each other to start until a drop toehold looks to set up the STFU, with JBL bailing to the floor. Cena’s arm gets snapped over the rope though and JBL gets to send it into the post. Cena fights out of an armbar but gets pulled into a cross armbreaker of all things. The power out doesn’t quite get the elevation but works anyway, only to have JBL stomp away in the corner.

A clothesline and shoulder give Cena a breather until JBL knocks him out of the air for a nasty crash. JBL drops him ribs first across the top, setting up a bearhug. A bodyscissors stays on the ribs, with JBL even working on the arm at the same time in a smart move. Cena powers up again but gets pulled into a full nelson as JBL is mixing it up a lot here.

With that broken up, Cena managers a spinebuster and gets the much needed breather. Back up and Cena misses a charge into the corner, allowing JBL to boot him down. Not that it matters though as Cena grabs an FU out of nowhere for the surprise pin (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: B-. The ending was rather sudden and Cena didn’t exactly get to do much throughout the match. There was something interesting about Cena being on defense for so much and not going through the usual routine for the win. JBL looked more dominant here than I would have expected and it was a nice change of pace. Cena wasn’t going to lose to JBL, but at least they didn’t go in the way they were expecting.

William Regal is watching from a box and doesn’t look pleased.

We get a quick look at the Dirt Sheet, with Miz and John Morrison not being overly worried about defending the Smackdown Tag Team Titles against Kane and CM Punk. Kane is apparently lactose intolerant but drinks Frosties from Wendy’s anyway. Who knew?

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. Kane/CM Punk

Miz and Morrison are defending. Punk strikes away at Miz to start before dragging him into the corner so Kane can come in. A basement dropkick to Morrison gives Kane two and it’s Punk coming back in with a slingshot elbow. Something like a reverse Rings of Saturn keeps Morrison in trouble but he gets in a shot of his own and brings Miz back in.

A blind tag lets Morrison get in a cheap shot from behind though and it’s Miz hitting a running clothesline in the corner. Kane boots his way out of trouble though and Punk comes back in to snap off a powerslam. A clothesline/bulldog combination drops the champs and a top rope clothesline gets two on Morrison. Miz breaks up the GTS and gets chokeslammed on the floor for his efforts. The distraction work though and Morrison’s Moonlight Drive retains the titles.

Rating: C. This was rather quick and to the point with Miz and Morrison using some shenanigans to retain the titles. Kane and Punk were little more than challengers of the month so the loss doesn’t exactly hurt them. The match didn’t have time to build up either so the ending felt more like the champs escaped than anything else, which is the way it should have gone.

We recap Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho. After Shawn retired Ric Flair at Wrestlemania, Batista wanted revenge. Shawn beat him at Backlash but hurt his knee in the process. Jericho accused him of faking the knee injury and wound up being absolutely right. Shawn superkicked him down and it’s time for a showdown.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

Non-title. They shove each other around to start and bounce back for a standoff. Shawn grabs a headlock to take it to the mat before an exchange of rollups get two each. That weird Figure Four variation has Jericho in trouble but the rope gets him right back out. Back up and Jericho slaps him in the face, which gets a bit of a smile outside of Shawn. Some right hands don’t get Jericho very far as Shawn grabs an armbreaker over the top.

Jericho is fine enough to whip Shawn into the corner but the superplex attempt is blocked. As is his custom, Shawn tries the top rope elbow but lands ribs first on raised knees (which doesn’t hurt Jericho’s knees because wrestling). The abdominal stretch goes on for a bit before Jericho’s bulldog is sent into the ropes instead.

The forearm into the nipup takes too long though and the Walls go on. Shawn gets to the ropes even faster than Jericho did earlier and they both go to the apron. Sweet Chin Music drops Jericho hard but Shawn drops the top rope elbow instead of covering. The ribs are banged up even more but they’re fine enough to tune up the band.

Jericho collapses before turning around though, allowing him to sucker Shawn into the Codebreaker. As he picks Shawn back up, Jericho gets pulled into the Crossface, meaning it’s another rope break for another escape. Jericho drops the ribs onto the top rope but the Walls are countered into a rollup to give Shawn the fast pin.

Rating: B+. These two always work well together and that was the case again here, as they kept trying to be one step ahead of the other until Shawn caught him with a quick rollup or the win. Jericho spent weeks knowing everything that Shawn was doing and then lost at the last second because Shawn still had a trick up his sleeve. There is a good chance that this will continue, and that is not a bad thing whatsoever, as there seems to be a lot of layers to this story.

William Regal does…..not approve. Yeah we’ll go with not there.

Mickie James is ready for her title defense but is a bit coy about her recent night out with John Cena. JBL comes in and sends Mickie away, demanding that he be asked a Cena question. As JBL looks off into space, he is asked about what he has next for Cena. JBL says interviewer Todd Grisham has never been in a fight, because he just beat Cena for twenty minutes (it was about fifteen) and threatens violent if he is asked another stupid question. Stoic JBL can still be intimidating.

Women’s Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Melina vs. Mickie James

Mickie is defending. Beth tells Melina to get out but gets sent outside instead, allowing Mickie to grab a rollup for two. Back in and Beth sends Mickie out instead, leaving Melina to hammer away. Mickie gets back in and sends Melina outside with a headscissors before choking Beth. Melina is able to catch Mickie on top but Beth makes the save. Mickie’s top rope Thesz press gets two on Beth and Mickie kicks her to the floor. Back up and Beth puts both of them on one shoulder for a double backbreaker, which lasts about as long as you would expect. Melina drops Beth again but gets caught in the MickieDT to retain the title.

Rating: C. Another match that didn’t have time to go anywhere but there was at least a bit more drama than the Tag Team Title match. Beth got to showcase her crazy power here but that has been established for a very long time now. Mickie keeping the title is a fine way to go, especially if she is getting involved with John Cena. They were trying here, but three women can only do so much in about six minutes.

Batista comes in to see Shawn Michaels, but he’ll wait before he hurts him. Shawn looks worried and confused. Granted that’s a normal look for him.

We recap Undertaker vs. Edge. Vickie Guerrero was sick of Undertaker beating Edge with his illegal choke and stripped him of the Smackdown World Title as a result. Undertaker was then put into the title match while Edge “won” a competition for the other spot. The choke is still banned so Undertaker will have to use one of his of other three finishing moves to win.

Smackdown World Title: Undertaker vs. Edge

For the vacant title. Edge dodges away to start and gets knocked outside by a single right hand. Back in and Edge slugs away in the corner, only to be reversed so Undertaker can show him how it’s done. Edge’s shoulder is sent into the post and Undertaker starts working on the arm back inside. Old School is broken up but Undertaker knocks him off the apron and into the barricade.

Not to be outdone, Edge sends him knees first into the steps to take over again. Back in and Undertaker misses the running boot in the corner, meaning it’s time to start working on the leg. The choke is teased but Undertaker puts the brakes on in time, leaving Edge to try his own Old School. That’s broken up and suddenly the leg is fine enough for the running clothesline. A toss into the corner and the big boot give Undertaker two and Old School connects.

Cue the Edgeheads for a distraction though, allowing Edge to grab the Edge-O-Matic. The turnbuckle is exposed as well but Edge misses the spear instead of going for the corner. A buckle bomb (a version of the Last Ride according to Cole) looks to set up Snake Eyes into the exposed buckle but Edge drives him into the corner instead.

The Snake Eyes works a few seconds later though, only to have Edge come right back with the spear for two. Undertaker hits the chokeslam for two of his own and they fight outside. After the brawl goes over the barricade, Edge gets pulled off the apron and only Undertaker beats the count for the win.

Rating: B. The ending doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence about where this is going but these two do continue to have good matches. At the same time, the point of Undertaker being better has long since been proven and having Vickie Guerrero screwing around with things is just prolonging everything. That’s obviously the point, but how many times are we going to see these two fight on pay per view?

Post match Vickie Guerrero comes out to say Undertaker can’t win the title via countout so it’s still vacant. Undertaker is livid and Tombstones Edge to blow off some steam.

Randy Orton promises to get the Raw World Title back tonight because HHH knows he can’t beat him one on one.

Here is MVP to say he doesn’t understand why he isn’t on the card. It’s bad business to not have him on the card because he is synonymous with top tier entertainment. Therefore, get an opponent out here for him right now. Cue Matt Hardy in street clothes to say he’s beaten MVP enough, so here’s someone new to do it instead.

MVP vs. Jeff Hardy

Jeff goes right after him to start but gets sent into the corner and rolled up for two. As we hear about Jeff’s house burning down recently (geez), MVP sends him hard into the corner for another near fall. We hit the front facelock to keep Jeff down but the fans are right behind him. Jeff fights up and tries the slingshot dropkick through the ropes, only to get sent crashing to the floor.

An armbar doesn’t last long for MVP so he pulls Jeff down by the hair instead. MVP slams him onto the arm and grabs another armbar but Jeff fights up. The jump over MVP in the corner doesn’t work as the arm gives out though and a DDT to the arm gets two. A boot to the arm sends Jeff outside and MVP rains down the forearms back inside. The Playmaker is blocked though and Jeff hits something like a Sling Blade. The Swanton misses but MVP misses a running boot in the corner. A Whisper in the Wind of all things finishes for Jeff.

Rating: C+. The arm work was a fine way to keep Hardy down but the ending coming out of nowhere continued a theme here. Jeff does his best when he’s fighting from behind so he was in his element here, especially as he’s freshly back from suspension. He needs to go somewhere, and winning here like this was a good step.

We recap the main event. HHH beat Randy Orton at Backlash in a four way to win the World Title so now it’s one on one in a cage match. Orton beat HHH, albeit in a triple threat, at Backlash and has beaten him before, so the history is strong with this one.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Randy Orton

HHH is defending and it’s pinfall/submission/escape. Orton dives for the door at the bell but HHH isn’t having that. Instead he’ll have the door slammed in his face, allowing Orton to hammer away. HHH sends him into the cage but gets dropped with a single right hand. Back up and HHH pounds him right back down, setting up the knee drop for two. A catapult sends HHH into the cage and the hanging DDT makes it even worse.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Orton is right back with a powerslam for two. Orton’s knee drop gets two more and it’s time to stomp away. Another knee misses though and HHH goes after the knee. There’s the Figure Four to stay on the leg until Orton gets out and drops HHH again. Orton goes for the door but gets pulled back in, only to bring a chair with him. HHH grabs said chair but gets dropped with a low blow.

The RKO onto the open chair is countered into a drop toehold onto the open chair and they’re both down again. HHH knocks Orton off the cage and tries to go out but gets caught again, as tends to be the case in cage matches. Orton goes over this time and gets pulled back in by the head. Orton plants him onto the chair but the Punt misses and HHH chairs him in the head. The Pedigree retains the title.

Rating: B-. That was a HHH vs. Orton pay per view match alright and as usual, that doesn’t mean great things. The matches tend to be pretty good, but I’ve yet to see them rise to anything resembling epic. They got in some good offense here, but HHH gets his big epic finish and we move on, likely to another rematch until the Summerslam title program begins. As usual, good enough match, but not exactly pay per view main event worthy.

Overall Rating: B. There was enough quality stuff here for a watch, but they couldn’t have made this any more of a B/C level show if they just flat out said that’s what it was. Between Edge vs. Undertaker being a way to keep the feud going and a not exactly must see main event, the last hour or so wasn’t quite pay per view main event worthy.

The rest of the show was pretty good, with the Shawn vs. Jericho match easily being the highlight. Overall, the show is worth a look if you have absolutely nothing else to see, but don’t expect anything worth your time, save for one match and maybe Edge vs. Undertaker if you don’t mind the storyline stuff.

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 12, 2023
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re less than three weeks away from Money in the Bank and tonight we have another qualifying match. We also have Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn getting to deal with Imperium, but the bigger story might be Finn Balor coming after Seth Rollins and the World Heavyweight Championship. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Rhea Ripley, who is quickly presented with the Women’s World Title (which looks like the World Heavyweight Title but with a white strap). The fans cheer, but here is Dominik Mysterio to put the title around here waist. He calls the booing disrespectful but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt.

Cody could talk about his match with the Miz, but we look at Dominik calling him a deadbeat dad last week. Dominik slapped him last week but Cody was hoping that Brock Lesnar was coming out here this week. Instead, how about he faces Dominik at Money In The Bank? Rhea accepts for him but cue Miz to jump Cody from behind. Cody drops him but gets jumped by Dominik.

Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz

Miz flips out of an early belly to back suplex but it’s way too early for the Skull Crushing Finale. Instead Cody sends him outside for a Disaster Kick off the apron. The suicide dive connects and Cody grabs an armbar back inside. Cody misses a charge into the post though and Miz sends him into the post as we take a break.

Back with Cody fighting back and hitting a powerslam as Cody vs. Dominik is officially confirmed for Money in the Bank. Another Disaster Kick gives Cody two but Miz kicks him in the arm and gets two off a DDT. The Cody Cutter connects though and Cross Rhodes finishes for Cody at 10:38.

Rating: C+. Cody gets another win as he keeps getting ready for his third showdown with Brock Lesnar, even if that might not take place for a good while. As usual, Miz can be there to take a loss to anyone and look good in defeat. The arm work was a fine enough story here and they had a perfectly watchable match.

Becky Lynch passes the Alpha Academy and Maxxine Dupri working out on her way to the ring.

Here is Lynch in the ring for a chat. She talks about how we have been conditioned to think that the champion is the most important person. Instead, it should be the person with the most power, and who has more power than the person holding that briefcase? That should make the champ scared, but it should make Trish Stratus scared too.

Cue Zoey Stark to interrupt, saying Lynch can’t beat Trish. Lynch says learning from her failures is what made her great, but we haven’t learned much about Stark. She knows Stark is good, but she has no personality. Stark is ready to take Lynch out at Money in the Bank. Lynch says we can do this right now but cue Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville to say they’ll handle this. Zoey did well in her first major promo on the main roster and held her own against a star like Lynch. We’ll also ignore Lynch saying that having a title shot is more important than having the title itself.

Chelsea Green vs. Becky Lynch

Sonya Deville is here with Green, who gets shouldered down to start. We take a break and come back with Lynch fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent face first into the corner. Lynch isn’t having that and counters I’m Prettier. A rollup is countered as well and it’s the Disarm-Her for the tap at 6:28.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as it’s hard to imagine that Lynch is going to be in any kind of danger against Green. Despite coming back to some fanfare, Green hasn’t done much of note so far. That being said, she can still be out there driving people crazy and lose over and over without missing a beat. That’s a good person to have around and Green plays the role well.

We recap last week’s main event, with Seth Rollins retaining the World Title over Damian Priest.

The Judgment Day is in the back and Finn Balor says he has a lot on his mind. Priest does too, like qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match. Alone.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Matt Riddle vs. Damian Priest

Riddle goes straight to a Kimura before having to switch to a sleeper. Priest is sent outside where the kick from the apron is cut off, allowing Priest to send him face first into the apron. A huge dive misses for Priest, who goes flying over the announcers’ table. Back inside and Priest hits a lifting Downward Spiral, followed by the knee between Riddle’s shoulders.

Back up and Riddle kicks him in the head, setting up a backsplash to send Priest outside. The springboard Floating Bro takes Priest down and Riddle grabs a bridging German suplex for two back inside. Priest is right back with the Broken Arrow and they’re both down as we take a break.

Back with Riddle pulling him into an ankle lock before switching into another sleeper. Priest drops backwards for the escape and blasts him with a clothesline. Riddle’s springboard is broken up and a hanging headlock driver gives Priest two more. Priest catches him up top but is reversed into a fisherman’s superplex for two. Back up and Priest catches him on the ropes and hits a Razor’s Edge for the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting back and forth fight with Priest winning in the end, which was a bit of a surprise. That being said, Riddle hasn’t exactly had the best success since his return but at least he is doing well in the ring. The fans are reacting to him as well, which means he is probably going to be pretty high up on the card for the time being. If he can have matches like this on a regular basis, I can go for that.

Post match Gunther and Ludvig Kaiser come out to stare down Priest. After a quick look at Priest, Gunther and Kaiser go inside and beat down Riddle.

Cody Rhodes is ready to face Dominik Mysterio at Money in the Bank because it’s a step on the path to finishing the story, just like beating Brock Lesnar again.

Natalya says maybe changing is a good thing because she doesn’t know how to be herself anymore.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are ready to face Imperium, who interrupt them. Owens is ready to get annoyed, to the point where he agrees to make their previously scheduled match for the titles. Gunther chuckles but Sami holds up the titles. Adam Pearce isn’t sure if the match will be for the titles.

We recap the Bloodline issues from Smackdown.

Indus Shera and Jinder Mahal want to hurt Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander again.

Ricochet vs. Bronson Reed

Reed knocks him into the corner to start and here is Shinsuke Nakamura. Ricochet fights back but a tornado DDT is countered into a drop over the top rope. A hard crash off of said ropes leaves Ricochet in trouble as we take a break. Back with Ricochet slipping out of a powerbomb and hitting a jumping kick to the shoulder. Reed gets kicked to the floor for a suicide dive, followed by the springboard crossbody back inside. A Lionsault gives Ricochet two but another moonsault is pulled out of the air, with Reed throwing him at Nakamura. Back in and Nakamura jumps Reed for the DQ at 7:35.

Rating: B-. That is the kind of storyline ending that keeps things going and you might even be able to pencil in a triple threat match after Nakamura faces Reed next week. As for the match itself, it was a rather decent power vs. speed match, as Ricochet is on a nice little roll as of late. Reed is a good monster too, and seeing him run people over is a nice thing to see on a regular basis.

Post match Ricochet is mad at Nakamura for costing him a match, which is a rather fair criticism. Reed runs them over and goes up, only to be pulled back down in a double superplex.

Kevin Owens goes off on Sami Zayn about all of the stress they have been having recently. But don’t worry, because he’s good for out there.

Adam Pearce makes the main event a Tag Team Title match when Ricochet comes in. He wants Bronson Reed next week, but Reed already has Shinsuke Nakamura, who pops in, next week instead. Ricochet asks Nakamura what was up out there and threatens violence if it happens again. Nakamura doesn’t seem threatened.

Here is Finn Balor for a chat. He wants Seth Rollins out here, minus the singalong and jokes, so here is Rollins, complete with singalong. Balor tells everyone to shut up and mentions what he was doing in 2016 before Rollins hurt him. Rollins asks the fans if they’re having fun tonight and they cut Balor off again.

Balor goes over the injuries Rollins gave him in 2016 and now it’s time Balor takes it all back at Money in the Bank. That makes Rollins laugh because he’s glad to see the Balor he has been wanting for seven years. Rollins has changed over the years and is the best version of himself. So which Balor is coming to London? The one who beat him in 2016 has a shot, but this guy is a joke. Balor looks serious to wrap it up. Balor as the challenger of the month at a show filled with ladder matches works just fine, especially with their history.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shayna Baszler

Ronda Rousey is here too. Baszler grabs a fall away slam to start and powers Baszler into the corner. That’s broken up and Baszler pulls her down, only to have Rousey offer a distraction. Baszler grabs a rollup with an assist from Rousey for the pin at 2:13.

Iron Sheik tribute video.

Erik vs. Chad Gable

Their respective partner/manager are here too. Erik takes him down to start but we pause for Maxxine to armdrag Valhalla on the floor. Maxxine celebrates like nuts and the distraction lets Gable get a sunset flip for the pin at 1:48.

Video on Rhea Ripley.

Finn Balor is talking to JD McDonagh when Damian Priest comes in. They’re both happy with each other’s success but Priest wouldn’t cash in on Balor. Priest says make it work and end this at Money in the Bank.

Seth Rollins is ready for Balor at Money in the Bank and seems to think Priest isn’t happy. He’s so happy that we can just do another open challenge for a title match next week.

Tag Team Titles: Gunther/Ludvig Kaiser vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Gunther and Kaiser are challenging and Gunther powers Sami into the corner to start. Sami manages to knock him outside though and there’s the big running flip dive to take Gunther down. We take a break and come back with Zayn taking Kaiser down into a quickly broken armbar. Sami knocks him down again but it’s off to Gunther off a blind tag. The big boot gives Gunther two and it’s Sami in trouble in the corner. Zayn is draped over the top and kicked down to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Owens getting the tag to clean house, including a t-bone suplex to Gunther. A superkick sets up the Cannonball to Gunther and the Swanton gets two. The Stunner is cut off though and Gunther boots Owens down. The double tag brings in Sami to suplex Kaiser into the corner but Gunther pulls Sami outside.

Gunther’s chop only hits the post though, leaving Kaiser to Death Valley Driver Zayn. Back in and Gunther hits a rather hard lariat for two and the Imperium Bomb gets the same, with Owens having to make the save. Cue Matt Riddle, with the distraction letting Owens take Gunther down on the floor. The Blue Thunder Bomb retains the titles at 18:43.

Rating: B. This was a longer match and it made the titles feel that much more important. Gunther has that aura to him that makes whatever he does seem important and Kaiser is a rather suitable partner. The ending also keeps Riddle vs. Imperium going and actually made the Blue Thunder Bomb feel like a finisher, which has been the case maybe twice ever for Zayn. Good main event here, as Owens and Zayn get another nice title defense.

Overall Rating: B. This was kind of a strange show as it set up some things for Money in the Bank but it didn’t exactly feel important. Maybe that’s because neither match exactly comes off as big, but the ladder matches are going to carry the show anyway. Other than that, you had solid action here though and a lot of stuff did happen. It might not have been great, but it was efficient, and that’s not a bad night.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. The Miz – Cross Rhodes
Becky Lynch b. Chelsea Green – Disarm-Her
Damian Priest b. Matt Riddle – Razor’s Edge
Bronson Reed b. Ricochet via DQ when Shinsuke Nakamura interfered
Shayna Baszler b. Raquel Rodriguez – Rollup with assist from Ronda Rousey
Chad Gable b. Erik – Sunset flip
Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn b. Gunther/Ludvig Kaiser – Blue Thunder Bomb to Kaiser

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.