It was my understanding that there would be no math.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-27-11-16-woo/

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 19, 2007
Location: Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California
Attendance: 8,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with No Way Out and that means we have less than six weeks to go before Wrestlemania XXIII. The main events are set but we still need a bit more of the card to come together. That means we could be in for something good tonight, which will likely not include another appearance from Donald Trump. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a barber’s chair and barber shop pole in the ring (which is thankfully minus any windows). Vince McMahon comes out to say the Battle of the Billionaires is ready on and he can’t believe it. Donald Trump is going to come into his most prized creation, where Vince’s representative is going to beat him. Then McMahon is going to go over and beat Trump up, so that he can tell Trump that it’s time to be bald.

The good thing is that being bald is en vogue right now, so we look at Brittney Spears with her shaved head. Vince talks about the various haircuts he might give Trump, which means we get a McMahon favorite: WACKY PHOTOSHOPPED PICTURES!!! Anyway, Vince wants us to meet his personal representative, so here is Umaga. Armando Alejandro Estrada talks about how Umaga is happy to be Vince’s representative, but Vince isn’t done. Right now, Umaga is going to become…..the Intercontinental Champion!

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga

Umaga is challenging and we are joined in progress with Hardy sending Umaga outside. The baseball slide through the ropes staggers Umaga but the slingshot dive is pulled out of the air. That’s escaped as well so Hardy runs the barricade, only to have his dive knocked away with ease.

They head back in where Umaga drops a leg and we hit the nerve hold as Lawler talks about how horrible it is to have your head shaved. Hardy manages to avoid the charge in the corner so Umaga’s head slams into the post. The Whisper in the Wind gets two but Umaga catches him with the Samoan drop. The running hip attack in the corner sets up the Samoan Spike to give Umaga the pin and the title.

Rating: C. Hardy was the sacrificial lamb here and that’s all he was supposed to be. They needed to make Umaga look like a bigger deal going into his huge Wrestlemania match so putting him over a popular star like Hardy makes sense. Umaga winning the title is hardly some big upset so go with the right move here and everyone wins. Well maybe not Hardy.

Ric Flair/Carlito vs. Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch

Torrie Wilson is here with Carlito and Flair, the latter of whom takes over on Cade’s arm to start. Carlito comes in for the springboard elbow to the face and the running knee lift. A distraction lets Cade hit a Side Effect though and Murdoch comes in to hammer away. The villains take turns stomping away and we hit the neck crank on Carlito.

A back elbow to the face puts him down again but Murdoch misses an elbow. It’s back to Flair for the rapid fire chops and right hands, setting up the chop block. The Figure Four is paused so Flair can punch Cade out of the air, allowing Carlito to come in for a double clothesline to the floor. Flair hits Murdoch low and the Backstabber gives Carlito the pin.

Rating: C-. Just a tag match here as Carlito and Flair are starting the mentor/mentee deal. Granted it might be a bit better if it was anyone but Carlito, though at least they have something going on here. I’m not sure how far this is going to go, but Flair in a midcard role to give Carlito a rub is going to work out well enough.

John Cena and Shawn Michaels are happy they won last night but Shawn’s goal is still to keep Cena safe until Wrestlemania. Violence is teased….but Shawn plugs the new DX DVD instead. Cena counters with the unrated version of the Marine DVD. They brag about their DVDs until Big Dick Johnson comes in to dance. Shawn superkicks him, earning a thank you from Cena.

Rated-RKO is getting a Tag Team Title shot next week and Randy Orton is ready to destroy John Cena tonight. Edge is more excited about Money in the Bank so he better go qualify.

We look at Edge winning Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania XXI.

We look at Rob Van Dam winning Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania XXII.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Edge vs. Rob Van Dam

Edge’s wristlock doesn’t get him very far to start as Van Dam slips away and hits the finger pointing. Some kicks put Edge into the corner for the monkey flip and it’s time to go to the floor for a break. Back with Van Dam working on an armbar and then cranking back on said arm for two. Rob knocks him outside and hits the spinning kick to the back over the barricade.

Edge is rocked but he is fine enough to come back with a hanging swinging neckbreaker. It’s Rob in trouble for the first time and Edge goes really evil by mocking the finger point. Dude, gimmick infringement is never cool. The chinlock goes on until Rob kicks him in the head for the break and there’s the running spinwheel kick in the corner. Rolling Thunder is loaded up but Edge reverses into a powerslam in a nice counter.

Edge crotches him on top but the superplex attempt is broken up with another crotching. Rob kicks him to the floor and follows with a nice dive. Back in and Edge dropkicks him out of the air for two, only to have the spear hit the corner. The split legged moonsault gives Van Dam two more and there’s the step over kick to the face. The Five Star is loaded up but Randy Orton comes out for the distraction, allowing Edge to hit the spear for the pin.

Rating: B-. These two were having a heck of a match and I was getting into the back and forth stuff to the point where the Orton interference surprised me. Edge winning is fine and it makes sense to push a Raw star over one of the only ECW stars, so go with what makes the most sense in a pretty big match. The fact that it was good made it even better.

Women’s Title: Melina vs. Mickie James

Melina is challenging and even JR is half drooling over the two of them. They fight over a lockup to start with neither being able to get very far. Mickie takes her down by the hair and hits a basement dropkick to send Melina outside. The baseball slide is cut off and Mickie is sent into the barricade for a crash.

Back in and Melina throws her down by the hair before tying up the legs. That goes nowhere as Mickie sweeps the legs and hammers away, followed by some hair tosses. The Thesz press lets Mickie hammer away even more but Melina grabs the ropes to counter a hurricanrana. Mickie lands HARD on her head, allowing Melina to grab a jackknife cover for the pin and the title.

Rating: D+. That felt like an injury ending and if that is the case, good for them for wrapping up the match as soon as they did. It was a nasty landing and the medics checking on Mickie after the match was hardly surprising. Melina winning the title makes sense as she has been the biggest star in the division as of late so let her run with the thing.

Post match Mickie is checked on while the paparazzi swarm Melina.

Post break, Mickie doesn’t want to talk about what happened and slaps Todd Grisham for not getting it.

Great Khali vs. Highlanders

Khali knocks both of them around like he’s the Great Khali and they’re the Highlanders and the chop puts Rory on the floor. Robbie gets chokeslammed for the pin with a boot on the chest.

Some of the cast of Grindhouse is here.

We look back at the opening sequence and the HILARIOUS Trump photos. There was a Mr. T. and Hulk Hogan version for Wrestlemania flavor.

Kenny Dykstra is asking Coach for more competition but Great Khali comes in to scare Kenny off. Khali wants better competition and Coach agrees. That’s enough for Khali to leave, so here is Ron Simmons for a subdued catchphrase.

Ashley revealed her Playboy cover on Smackdown.

Melina is happy to have won the title but she wants to know why Ashley is getting all of the attention. Do you know how many times she has turned Playboy down?

Mr. Perfect is going into the Hall of Fame, as he should. We get a montage of Perfect being amazing at sports, which it turns out he could do, but not when the camera was on. The solution? Lie to him about the camera being on.

Wrestlemania Recall: Wrestlemania I.

Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Non-title. Orton drives him into the corner to start and stomps him down without much effort. Cena is right back with the release fisherman’s suplex for two, with JR connecting the bridges and calling it a near PerfectPlex. A slam and elbow get two on Orton but Cena misses a charge and gets clotheslined down for the same. It doesn’t seem to bother Cena, who is right back with a bulldog to send Orton outside. Back in and it’s a double clothesline to put both of them down for a breather. Orton rolls outside again and grabs a chair as we take a break.

Back with Cena missing the shoulder and Orton hits the hanging DDT. Orton hammers him down in the corner and it’s time for the circle stomp. The big knee drop gets two and we hit the rare standing chinlock. Make that the seated chinlock but Cena powers out, only to get punched in the face. Cena makes the clothesline comeback and it’s the Throwback into the Shuffle. Orton rakes his eyes to escape the FU and there’s a dropkick to put Cena down again. The high crossbody connects but Cena rolls through for two. Orton is back with the backbreaker but the RKO is shoved away. The FU is loaded up again, drawing in Edge for the DQ.

Rating: B-. It’s so weird to see this as a fresh match but these two do work well together. You can see them doing their things and setting up their big stuff but neither of them could get that far ahead. Edge running in for the DQ wasn’t the biggest surprise after Orton ran out earlier, but they were having another good match on the way there.

Post match the Conchairto is loaded up but Shawn Michaels runs in for the save. Shawn grabs the chair and teases hitting Cena but throws it down instead. Shawn: “Not this time.” A tease of a superkick ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show started slowly but picked up near the end, which is always nice to see. You can feel the Wrestlemania build coming and that is a nice feeling, as they are getting the big pieces in place early. Money in the Bank is going to give some other people something to do and the rest of the card can fill itself out. Good enough show here, as the Road to Wrestlemania is starting to come together.

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Main Event
Date: July 15, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

So THIS is the final Thunderdome show because we really can’t escape that place. As much fun as it would be to see a big Thunderdome farewell, it is much more likely to be the run of the mill Main Event, as the show can’t go that long without disappointing me all over again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Angel Garza vs. Jaxson Ryker

Ryker powers him into the corner to start so Garza grabs a somewhat desperate headlock. That’s broken up and Ryker slaps him in the chest, setting up a slam for two. There’s a release gordbuster to drop Garza again but Garza runs OUT OF HIS PANTS. A running dropkick puts Ryker down and Garza actually wins a strike off. Garza hits a basement dropkick for two and it’s off to an armbar. Some elbows to the head keep Ryker in trouble and a bulldog sets up a double arm crank. Back up and Ryker hits a running shoulder in the corner, followed by a belly to back suplex. The swinging Boss Man Slam finishes Garza at 5:03.

Rating: D+. Quick match here with Garza not being able to survive the INTENSITY that is Ryker. I’m still not sure what WWE sees in him but I’m sure there is some kind of audience that likes this guy. You’re only going to get so far under these circumstances and I think they hit that limit pretty firmly.

Don’t try this at home.

From Raw.

Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya

Non-title and Tamina is here too. They go with the grappling to start and Natalya grabs some rollups for two each. Rhea takes her outside and hits a quick dropkick to Tamina as we take an early break. Back with Natalya being knocked off the top, allowing Rhea to hit a good looking missile dropkick.

A bridging northern lights suplex gets two but Rhea gets sent into the corner with her head hitting the post. Natalya powerbombs her out of the corner for two but the Sharpshooter is blocked. Natalya tries it again and is reversed into the Prism Trap. With that broken up, Natalya finally gets the Sharpshooter, only to be rolled into the corner for the break. Riptide gives Ripley the pin at 9:28.

Rating: C. This is where Natalya keeps her job: she can have a fine match with just about anyone on the roster and is completely dependable. As long as you keep her away from any microphone, character stuff or storyline, she is a rather valuable member of the roster. Good stuff here, as Ripley broke a sweat but won in the end.

Post match, Charlotte comes in to chop block Rhea and the Figure Four over the apron makes Ripley scream.

Long video on Edge vs. Roman Reigns/the Usos.

From Smackdown.

Here are Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns for a chat. After a long canned ROMAN SUCKS chant, Reigns talks about how he does not like Edge suggesting that he is in Reigns’ head. Reigns might have been a bit scared at Wrestlemania when he was in the crossface but then he stacked them and pinned them. They even printed a shirt up about it! Two weeks ago, Edge got to Reigns because he wasn’t focused. Reigns has some family stuff going on so let’s deal with that right now.

Cue Jimmy Uso, to say he tried to take care of Edge last week when Reigns was on vacation. Reigns asks when Jimmy got to make some decisions for them, but last week wasn’t a vacation. This brings out Jey Uso, to say Reigns needs to keep his head up while the brothers win the Tag Team Titles again. Reigns says Jey hears what he wants to hear it but Reigns wants all three of them to succeed. They need to do it together though and everyone hugs.

Toni Storm is on her way to Smackdown. Must be taking the scenic route.

From Smackdown.

Here is Edge to promise to destroy anyone who gets in his way. We see Edge crossfacing Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso, and now he wants Reigns out here right now. In the locker room, Reigns says he has this covered and wants the Usos to stay here (hopefully leaving the keys with Paul Heyman). Reigns comes to the ring but the Usos follow him out. That isn’t happening though as Reigns says he has this before slowly getting in the ring.

The fight is on but here are the returning Mysterios to jump the Usos. Edge loads up the spear but Jey grabs his leg. Rey breaks that up and the Mysterios hit a double 619 to the Usos. The spear drops Jey as Roman leaves like he should be doing. Edge breaks off a piece of chair to crossface Jey and then does the same to Jimmy, holding his arm in place for at least the second time this week. Jey gets it again as Reigns walks off to end the show. This Edge feud continues to not be good, but that is kind of the case with everything Edge does outside of the ring these days.

Mansoor vs. Shelton Benjamin

Shelton takes him down without much effort and a clothesline makes Mansoor think for a second. Mansoor gets sent to the floor but lands on his feet as Mustafa Ali comes out to watch. A dropkick staggers Benjamin for a change but a look at Ali lets Benjamin knock Mansoor outside.

We take a break and come back with Benjamin grabbing a chinlock as Ali has made it down to ringside. Make that a reverse chinlock before Shelton throws him outside. Ali tells Mansoor to use his mind instead of his heart before a Russian legsweep gives Shelton two. We go back to the chinlock but Mansoor fights up with chops and a jawbreaker. There’s an enziguri into a DDT for two as Benjamin is in trouble for a change. Benjamin’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two so he yells at Ali. That’s enough of a distraction for Mansoor to grab his own rollup for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C-. Just when I’m expecting nothing from Main Event, they throw me a curve ball with some storyline advancement. That’s more than I would have expected from this show and that is a nice thing to be able to say. Granted I could go for Mansoor doing something other than winning with a bunch of rollups, but this is probably about as it is getting for him at the moment.

We look at New Day beating Bobby Lashley and MVP.

From Raw.

Xavier Woods vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title with Kofi Kingston/MVP at ringside. I’m really not sure what it means to have a Cell match two weeks ago, then a tag match, and now a regular match. It’s almost like they might want to come up with some fresh ideas to set up these programs. Lashley throws him into the corner to start but Woods takes the leg out. A step up backsplash gets two but seems to just annoy Lashley. They head outside with Lashley sending him hard into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Woods still in trouble but managing a superkick. A tornado DDT sends Lashley outside and there’s the big flip dive to take him out again. Back in and a missile dropkick puts Lashley down, followed by the Crossface to make it worse. That’s broken up so Lashley hits the huge spinebuster into the spinning Big Ending for no cover. Instead Lashley takes him outside for a hard ram into the post and the spear connects back inside. Lashley still doesn’t cover though….and gets small packaged for the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C. They did a nice job with the surprise as they kept teasing the idea of Lashley costing himself but I didn’t think they would actually have Woods pin him. It’s certainly an upset and while I’m not wild on a champion losing, I can live with the idea of one of the most decorated tag team wrestlers ever scoring a fluke pin when Lashley got too cocky. Just have Lashley smash Kingston and things should be fine.

From Raw.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with a bouncing MVP saying this should be the Lashley Dome. Next week we are back on the road (which the fake fans appreciate) so here is Lashley….or at least MVP introducing him. Eventually cue a slightly disheveled Lashley to ask the women to leave. He doesn’t like what happened earlier and from now on, it is time to be serious again.

Lashley destroys the entire set, including throwing the love seat out with no trouble. Sunday is the end of Kofi Kingston, as Lashley is going to take care of him like he should have done a long time ago. Lashley leaves and MVP looks scared to end the show. This was straight fire from Lashley and one of his best promos ever.

Overall Rating: C-. That’s it for the Thunderdome and it has overstayed its welcome long enough. I know it was necessary and about all WWE could do, but there was only so much that could be done with the idea. This was your run of the mill Main Event for the most part, and all it made me do was want to see fans back. They aren’t going to make Main Event better, but maybe it might mean a little something for a change.

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205 Live
Date: July 16, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

I’m curious to see what happens to the Breakout Tournament matches now that the tournament itself has already started. That means we might be back to the old stuff featuring the new guys, as we can’t do much more new stuff with the old guys. I don’t think. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Guru Raaj vs. Asher Hale

Feeling out process to start with Hale taking him down without much effort. Raaj manages a roll into the corner but a neckbreaker into said corner cuts him off again. Back up and Hale wraps his feet around Raaj’s neck for a quick twist. A DDT with Hale cranking on the neck a bit on the way down gets two and a powerslam is good for the same.

Raaj is back up with some shoulders in the corner and some rapid fire kicks drop Hale for two. Back up and Hale hits a running knee before kicking at a downed Raaj. Hale loads up a kind of northern lights suplex but Raaj flips over into a backslide for the rather surprise pin at 7:21.

Rating: C. The ending surprised me and that’s about as much as there is to say here. I’m not sure if I’m getting much out of Raaj, but I don’t see why Hale needed to lose again. Part of the problem is that these guys are getting thrown together into matches where no one gets to stand out, which was the case again here. Not bad, but completely forgettable.

Grayson Waller vs. Ari Sterling

The early feeling out process gives us an early standoff as they seem to have some time here. Waller wrestles him to the mat for some slaps to the back of the head but Sterling reverses for some shots to the face. Back up and they trade wrist control until Sterling flips around and takes him to the mat for some arm cranking. Sterling starts flipping around and kicks Waller in the head.

This time Waller dives over him and takes the arm out to counter a cartwheel. Some kicks to the arm set up a DDT on the arm so Waller can start getting cockier. Another shot to the leg has Sterling in trouble and a kick to the chest gets two. The Fujiwara armbar sends Sterling over to the rope so Waller grabs a torture rack. That means an inverted Regal Roll but Sterling strikes away to little avail.

The standing Kimura is broken up and Sterling sends him outside, only to get pulled down over the ropes. Back in and Waller works on the arm again, including a triangle choke over the ropes. The middle rope elbow gives Waller two and we hit the armbar. That’s broken up as well and Sterling hits a running spinwheel kick. The running flip ax kick sends Waller outside so there’s the big flip dive to take him down again. Back in and Sterling misses a 450 but avoids the running stomp. Baha 86 finishes Waller at 15:19.

Rating: C+. The time helped this one a lot and it isn’t something you get to see very often on this show. Above all else, it was nice to see Sterling do something than shrug off a leg injury and win in the end. This time he had to deal with something different and it didn’t take me out of the match as a result. Waller is going to be fine so the loss doesn’t hurt him, but Sterling needed the win a bit more.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here as I think we are starting the new norm. 205 Live has not meant anything of note for a long time now and that is probably going to continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. The action was good here and that is about all you can expect from this show, so well done enough.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 19, 2021
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Jimmy Smith

The week of the fans continues as we have the first Raw in front of a crowd since March 2021. Smackdown and Money in the Bank seemed to go pretty well but this is the big test. This is the Raw that WWE has literally had months to plan for and they can put on their best show possible. John Cena is back and opening the show so they should have a good start. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is John Cena to get things going as they’re starting fast tonight. Cena says he can still see some people coming in so come on down. After acknowledging a kid’s “I’m turning 11 and I’m here to see John Cena” sign, Cena says he missed us. Cena talks about what a group effort Raw is and how he was here last night for the end of Money in the Bank.

Paul Heyman panicked, Roman Reigns didn’t know what he was supposed to do, Michael Cole was really happy and Pat McAfee still didn’t know where Cena was. Cena is back for Reigns and he thinks about five weeks from now in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada sounds like a safe bet. He could talk about how important Summerslam is and how great it would be to win his seventeenth World Title, but it is a lot simpler than that: “Roman Reigns is an a******.” (WWE censored it too this time).

Reigns is an overhyped gimmick who isn’t as great as he says he is, “and that’s coming from ME”. Cena asks to hear the fans a bit more and says the saying goes if they’re great, the people will tell you. He’s going to be at Smackdown on Friday and he’ll see Reigns there. Cue Riddle and it’s time for a Bro Off (WWE version, not the Impact version).

Riddle/Viking Raiders vs. John Morrison/AJ Styles/Omos

Riddle takes Morrison down to start and puts on something like a YES Lock. It’s off to Erik for a knee to the face and Ivar is slammed onto Morrison for a bonus. Everything breaks down and the Viking are sent outside, where they catch Morrison’s slingshot hurricanrana. Morrison gets crushed between then but Omos throws Styles onto them for the huge crash as we take a break.

Back with Omos powering Riddle around and handing it off to Styles for two off a suplex. Morrison comes back in to crank on the neck but Riddle flips out of Styles’ suplex and brings in Erik. The strike off goes to Erik and he crushes Styles in the corner. Ivar comes in for a running corner dropkick to Morrison but misses a good looking moonsault. Starship Pain misses but Morrison steals Miz’s Drip Stick and sprays Omos, leaving said stick with Miz. Morrison goes to save his buddy but Omos throws him back inside. AJ goes to deal with things and the Viking Experience finishes Morrison at 12:07.

Rating: C. I can go for a pretty good six man tag and that is what we got here. They took a feud and two others and put them together to give us some fresh combinations, which is often a smart idea. Distracting Omos made sense as there was no other way around him, so at least they did things the right way here.

The very intense Jaxson Ryker is ready to do something else to Elias, because feuds just kind of keep going until they stop around here.

Elias vs. Jaxson Ryker

Symphony of Destruction (music theme and falls count anywhere), with Ryker promising to silence Elias before the match. There are instruments around the ring and Ryker hits him in the back with a keyboard. Elias is back with a guitar and a jumping knee to the face for two but gets sent through the gong. Ryker hits him with the guitar and we take a break.

Back with them fighting on the apron until Elias sends him into the post. Ryker drops him onto a piano for two as this just keeps going. Then Elias drops Ryker onto the piano for two of his own. Elias breaks the cello over Ryker’s back for two more and they finally get back inside. That doesn’t last long as Ryker superplexes him through two tables at ringside for the pin at 12:45.

Rating: D. This was WAY longer than it needed to be, which is to say it was about 12:45 too long. The feud was over with the strap match a few weeks ago but they did this so they could have something else added on to the show. The ending bump was good and that’s about the extent of the positives here. Now let them be done already.

Mansoor has gotten himself and Mustafa Ali a tag match next week, which does not please Ali. Mansoor talks about how he has seen that Ali was right so Ali tells him not to screw it up. Sheamus comes in to complain about his match against Humberto Carrillo tonight but has to do it anyway.

Here is Charlotte for her big celebration of winning the title again. Rhea Ripley can rip off as many of Charlotte’s moves as she wants, but Charlotte won the title anyway. After explaining that Becky Lynch isn’t here because she’s at home taking care of her baby, Charlotte brags about all of the congratulations that she has received and talks about how she has won eleven women’s titles (at least they’re keeping it at main roster singles titles this time). She can beat Rhea Ripley any time so here is Rhea to say she wants the rematch tonight.

Charlotte says no, so Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville come out to make the match for tonight anyway. Charlotte kicks out Rhea’s knee and leaves. Somehow, this took nearly ten minutes instead of “due to her actions in the title match, Charlotte will be defending against Ripley in a rematch, per orders from Pearce and Deville” taking fifteen seconds to start the show.

Video on the Money in the Bank ladder matches.

Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler vs. Tamina/Natalya

Non-title and they’re actively torpedoing the show at this point. Joined in progress with Natalya knocking Baszler outside, where Jax hits a Samoan drop into the barricade. Back in and some double teaming has Natalya down, setting up the stomp to the arm. Jax goes shoulder first into the post though and Natalya’s discus lariat gets two. It’s off to Tamina, who gets caught on top. Reginald’s distraction gets Natalya’s attention so Baszler kicks her down, leaving Tamina to hit the superkick for the pin at 3:45.

Rating: D. Just in case you didn’t get the idea the first dozen or so times. The match was short and bad, but at least Tamina got to pin Baszler. I would like to believe that Nox and Shotzi will take the Tag Team Titles, but it isn’t like there is any reason to believe that will be the case. Another bad match, as Raw continues its downward spiral.

Post match it’s another argument, but this time Jax headbutts Reginald down and leaves with Shayna. Cue the 24/7 goons with Akira Tozawa running into the ring….where Reginald takes him down and hits a running flipping seated senton to win the title. Reginald Parkours his way out. If he has to be on TV, this is about as good as it’s getting with Reginald.

Sheamus vs. Humberto Carrillo

Non-title. Sheamus pounds him down to start but Carrillo gets up top for a high crossbody. That doesn’t work either, as Sheamus takes him outside and poses to send us to a break. Back with Sheamus hitting the forearms to the chest but Carrillo bites him. A bunch of kicks is capped off by a jumping kick to the face but Sheamus goes up top.

After grabbing his hand, Sheamus is pulled down with a super hurricanrana. A missile dropkick gives Carrillo two but he punches Sheamus in the STEEL mask. After that brilliant move, Sheamus Brogue kicks him for the pin at 10:13. Note that Sheamus is still favoring his hand, which might not be good.

Rating: C-. Somehow, this was the best thing on the show for the last hour plus. I was nearly stunned when this was non-title and then Carrillo just lost anyway. It wasn’t great, but Priest vs. Sheamus down the line sounds good enough for me. Sheamus is a talented guy and it would be nice to see him getting the chance to have a hoss fight with someone who can hang in there with him.

Here are MVP and Bobby Lashley for an open challenge. MVP mocks the Dallas Cowboys (gah) and says that Kofi Kingston was right: Lashley had been getting soft because of the women and the champagne and the good life, but no more. Now no one is beating Lashley for the champion so tonight it is time for the ultimate champion to face some loser. Lashley says bring it on and…..it’s KEITH LEE.

Keith Lee vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title, though Graves suggested it was a title match before the bell. The GOLDBERG chants start us off as they shove each other around to start. Lee powers him around but the Spirit Bomb is countered into a Downward Spiral. A running clothesline puts Lee on the floor but Lashley can’t lift him up for the ram into the post.

Instead Lee splashes him against the post but an MVP distraction lets Lashley knock Lee off the apron. The spear cuts Lee in half and Lashley hammers away back inside. The Hurt Lock is blocked though and Lashley gets flipped over. That’s fine with Lashley, who hits a spinebuster to take him down again. Another spear gives Lashley the pin at 5:53.

Rating: C-. So much for that, as this was little more than a squash for Lashley. Lee got in a few shots here and there but then he lost in less than six minutes. I’m not sure what he is going to do from here, but this is not exactly something that gives me hope for Lee’s future. Not the worst match, just rather disappointing.

Post match Lashley poses so here is the expected Goldberg return. Goldberg says he’s next and Lashley is ready but MVP holds them apart.

Post break, MVP says they aren’t acknowledging the return.

Here are Jinder Mahal, Veer and Shanky for a chat. Mahal, who is celebrating his birthday, is proud of what he did to Drew McIntyre last night because McIntyre embarrassed him last week with the fake sword. Then McIntyre destroyed Mahal’s motorcycle, but this isn’t about a motorcycle. Mahal wants McIntyre out here, so cue McIntyre from behind with a chair to clean house. Veer and Mahal bail, leaving Shanky to take an insane twenty chair shots to the back (with twice as many camera cuts because that’s how Raw works).

Karrion Kross video.

Karrion Kross vs. Jeff Hardy

Non-title (a theme tonight) and no Scarlett with Kross, because why keep what is working with Kross in NXT? At least Hardy has No More Words back for his theme music, which is quite the plus. Kross starts fast but gets sent into the post. It’s way too early for the Swanton but the big forearm is cut off. They go into the corner with Hardy grabbing a rollup and putting his feet on the ropes for the pin at 1:40. My jaw dropped on that one and I’m not even going to pretend to understand this.

Post match Kross promises that Hardy made a mistake and will fall and pray.

It’s time for Alexa’s Playground and LILLY IS BACK. Eva Marie and Doudrop come in, with Eva threatening to have Doudrop beat Lilly up. Bliss wouldn’t recommend that but Eva leaves, only to trip over Doudrop’s foot. Bliss thinks Lilly did it.

Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is defending and gets faceplanted to start. A whip into the corner has Charlotte shaken up again but she comes back with right hands to the face. Ripley shrugs them off and snaps off a German suplex, setting up a running basement dropkick for two. They head outside with Charlotte hitting a chop block to the bad knee, sending us to a break. Back with Charlotte taking the knee out again and crushing it on the mat.

Ripley manages a northern lights suplex but Charlotte boots her in the face. The moonsault hits raised knees though and Ripley grabs her own Figure Four. Charlotte turns that over for the break but Ripley hits a superkick into the Riptide for two as Charlotte gets a foot on the rope. That’s enough for Charlotte, who tries to walk out, only to hit Ripley in the face with the title for the DQ at 12:24.

Rating: C. I was watching this match and wondering if putting the title back on Ripley here would make up for last night, but then the ending was hardly the biggest surprise. WWE does not seem interesting in having Ripley be a big prop for Charlotte and little more. But hey, at least Ripley “beat” her here, right?

Post match Ripley jumps Charlotte again and lays her out….and we have a cash-in!

Women’s Title: Nikki Ash vs. Charlotte

Nikki is challenging and a high crossbody gives her the title in 10 seconds.

Nikki celebrates in the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: D-. I’m being as generous as I can with that because getting rid of a briefcase makes up for a few of the problems this show had. The thing is this show had A LOT of problems, with one bad idea after another. There were some good parts, such as the Cena promo (and that pop), the six man tag, about thirty seconds of excitement over Lee’s return, and the briefcase being cashed in for the title change. That stuff was pretty good.

Then it’s everything else, and that’s where the problems come in. You have things like Elias vs. Ryker going for nearly thirteen minutes, Natalya and Tamina continuing their roll, Sheamus vs. Carrillo (which might have been a highlight with some better structuring), the return of Lilly, whatever Kross’ debut was, Ripley being tossed aside (seemingly to set up Bliss vs. Nikki), Goldberg getting ANOTHER World Title shot (because he needs them on the second and third biggest pay per views of the year) and the explosion of 3MB, because that’s what people are begging to watch.

Last week, I heard someone say WWE fights with its fans on Raw and that is a perfect description. This show doesn’t feel like it’s about what the fans want to see, but rather whatever WWE has decided is going to work. If you like it, that’s fine, but if you don’t, get over it because that is what you are getting anyway.

See Mahal for example. He didn’t work as WWE Champion and he didn’t work as US Champion. Then he goes away for the better part of two years (not his fault of course) and comes back as….pretty much exactly the same guy, but with bigger lackeys. There’s no development, there is no evolution and there is no change. WWE has just decided that you are getting Mahal as a guy on the show and if you don’t like it, too bad.

This show was the one they had months to prepare for and set up something for the fans to care about but instead of something good, we got a lot of the same old WWE tropes (Goldberg returned for the second time this year for a World Title shot) and a few bonuses thrown in to try and take away some of the pain. I was sitting here watching this show with my mouth hanging open more than once, wondering how this is the best that WWE can do. Smackdown was pretty good and Money in the Bank was great, proving once again that this is a Raw problem, not a WWE problem. As I’ve said many times: fix it already, but it isn’t happening.

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Money in the Bank 2021
Date: July 18, 2021
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

After Friday’s dress rehearsal, it’s time for the first show of any serious value in front of fans. The briefcases get pulled down tonight and it would not surprise me to see one of them get cashed in, as WWE is going to want to have a big splash going into the Summerslam build. A last minute replacement would not be shocking either. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio

The Mysterios are defending and walk through a portal near an Aztec pyramid to come into the arena. There’s your budget I guess. Dominik wristdrags Jimmy out of the corner to start and grabs an armbar. Rey comes in to a nice reaction and Dominik powerbombs him onto Jimmy for two. A cheap shot takes Rey down so the double teaming can begin in the corner. Rey wastes no time in getting over to Dominik for the tag as the pace picks back up.

The Usos get him outside though and a hard swing sends Dominik into the barricade to put him in trouble. The double wishbone has Dominik down again, with McAfee saying it’s a way to tear him apart…..by the hips. Cole: “Way to catch yourself.” McAfee: “We’re on the Peacock.” Dominik gets in a shot to the ribs and makes it over for the tag to Rey. A top rope seated senton hits Jey for two but Jimmy comes in off a blind tag. That means a superkick into the pop up Samoan drop for two.

Dominik pulls Jimmy outside and Jey gets caught in 619 position, only to hit Jimmy by mistake. A shot from behind puts Rey down so Jey can hit the Superfly Splash for a heck of a near fall. Rey is back up but charges into a hot shot into the buckle. A rollup, with Jey pushing Jimmy gets the pin and the titles at 11:27.

Rating: B-. Pretty hot opener here with the absolute right ending. There was no reason to keep the titles on the Mysterios while the Usos are in the main event scene. Let them have the titles so they can run over some teams (like the Mysterios in a rematch to start) and help bask in Roman Reigns’ glory.

The opening video looks at the history of pulling down the briefcase and what it can mean for your career. The rest of the card gets a look as well.

We get another quick opening video for a bit of a double shot.

Naomi vs. Asuka vs. Natalya vs. Tamina vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Ash vs. Zelina Vega vs. Liv Morgan

Money in the Bank ladder match. After all of the entrances, it’s time to go after the ladders as Bliss just stands on the top, where she was as everyone else came out. Bliss steps down and skips around a bit but as she reaches for the briefcase (from the mat), Asuka comes in to suplex her down. A parade of knockdowns leaves Tamina standing but it’s too early for her to climb up.

Tamina crushes Vega and Morgan in the corner again but Asuka kicks her down. The ladder has Tamina down as Asuka climbs, so Tamina starts pushing it up anyway. Morgan jumps onto the ladder to push it back down until Natalya makes the save. A tug of war with the ladder breaks out, so said ladder is rammed into various ribs. Vega gets an ugly hurricanrana on Tamina on the floor and Natalya drives the ladder into Morgan in the corner. Bliss breaks that up and then crawls up the ladder for the fear factor.

Natalya pulls Bliss off and gets laughed at, followed by a drop toehold into the ladder. Vega meets Bliss on top of the ladder, where Bliss scares her with the smile. Bliss goes with the channeling and makes Vega climb down, only to climb back up herself. That brings Natalya back in to pull Bliss down and powerbomb her into the ladder. Nikki tries to come back in but gets knocked down as well, allowing Natalya to go up, despite Vega being on her back. A choke cuts Natalya off and Vega grabs the case but Morgan makes the save.

With everyone else standing in the middle of the ring brawling, Nikki climbs a ladder on the floor, poses, and then dives onto the pile (cool dive, but they stood there for fifteen seconds waiting on her). Bliss punches Cross in the face for teasing the climb and the wind up DDT plants her again.

Natalya and Tamina cut off Bliss and send her outside into the barricade. They take their time in burying Bliss underneath the ladders so Morgan goes up but Tamina makes the save. Morgan hurricanranas her into the corner but two more ladders are set up in the ring. The big climb is on with six people up at once…but Ash runs up and steals the briefcase in the middle of the fray at 15:43.

Rating: B-. They kept this moving and that’s the right idea, though I’m a little surprised by the winner. Nikki is far from the worst decision, but I’m worried that they are going to let Morgan just fall off again because her being popular doesn’t fit into her plans. I’ll take Cross winning over Bliss, but a showdown between the two of them for the briefcase would not surprise me.

We recap the Usos winning the titles.

Roman Reigns is happy and says hold onto the titles for him. Winning the titles was the easy part though because Reigns already did the easy part. Now that they all have gold (not quite), it’s time to give Reigns what he wants. The Usos both acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief and Reigns is proud of them. Hugging abounds, but Jey doesn’t look happy.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Viking Raiders vs. AJ Styles/Omos

Omos/Styles are defending and AJ gets a crazy pop. Styles and Erik start but it’s off to Omos immediately. That means some double teaming from the Vikings, which only gets them so far. It’s already back to AJ, who gets hammered down in a hurry. Erik gets sent outside though, and after decking Ivar off the apron, AJ gets launched up and over the top into a hurricanrana to take Erik down again.

Back in and Erik hits a heck of a hurricanrana on Styles, allowing the tag to Ivar to blast Styles with a clothesline. AJ manages to get over to Omos for the tag though and it’s a big slam to Ivar. That’s broken up and Erik comes back in, only to get caught with the Phenomenal Blitz. Some shotgun knees in the corner stagger Styles though and there’s a German suplex. The springboard clothesline/German suplex combination connects but AJ escapes another suplex and brings in Omos.

That means a gorilla press off the top for a big crash and Omos’ one foot cover gets two. Ivar is back up with the seated senton out of the corner so it’s back to Erik. Some running forearms stagger Omos and get him down to one knee, with the running clothesline puts Omos on the floor. Back in and AJ enziguris Ivar into the corner but the Phenomenal Forearm misses. The Viking Experience connects but Omos shoves Erik into the cover for the break. Things settle down and Omos comes back in for the chokebomb to Erik for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: B-. That might be a bit high but I had a rather good time with this one. They worked a story of trying to get rid of the monster and then picking off Styles, but the monster ultimately got the better of things. I liked the story and Omos wrestles a good monster style. Rather good match here and I had fun.

Drew McIntyre promises to win the briefcase.

We recap Kofi Kingston vs. Bobby Lashley for the Raw World Title. Kingston wants to get the title back and thinks Lashley is going soft. That led to Xavier Woods beating Lashley on Raw, sending Lashley completely over the edge. Lashley promises to be more serious and that could go very badly for Kingston.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston

Lashley, with MVP, is defending but Kofi jumps him for an early two. The standing double stomp gets two more and it’s time to head outside. That’s fine with Lashley, who drives him HARD into the post to take over. Back in and Lashley plants him again, leaving Kingston to grab Lashley’s leg to pull himself up. The Hurt Lock goes on but Kingston manages to escape, earning himself a hard suplex. Lashley hits a Dominator, followed by posing and a Dominator, followed by posing and a Dominator. The Hurt Lock makes Kingston tap at 7:34.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to say here as Lashley completely squashed him. This was pure dominance and that is exactly the way they should have gone after the end of Raw. Lashley as the ticked off and serious destroyer could have quite the shelf life and I’m curious to see where he goes next. I mean, I have a feeling I know who’s next, but it isn’t exactly appealing.

We recap Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Title. Ripley snapped on Charlotte last month and lost via DQ, meaning it’s time for a recap. They have traded knee injuries so both have a target on them coming in here.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte

Ripley is defending. The fans get on Charlotte’s nerves to start before switching to the WE WANT BECKY chants. Ripley sends her to the apron and kicks her down, setting up a running dropkick to put Charlotte on the floor. Charlotte avoids a charge though and another running dropkick puts Ripley into the barricade. Back in and Charlotte slams her down by the head, setting up a boot to the chest.

The fans get on Charlotte’s nerves again though and Ripley sends her outside again. Back in and Rhea grabs a northern lights suplex for two, followed by a heck of a German suplex for the same. Ripley misses a missile dropkick though and it’s the Boston crab to put her in trouble. That’s escaped so the Figure Four is loaded up, only to be reversed into a cradle to give Rhea two. The big boot gives Charlotte two and it’s time to look all confused. Charlotte goes up but Ripley pulls her into an electric chair.

That doesn’t work either so Ripley muscles her up into a heck of a suplex for two more. Back up and Rhea’s chops just fire Charlotte up so she sends Rhea into the corner and over the top. The huge moonsault plants Ripley again but Charlotte takes too long taking her back inside. Most of the Prism Trap is on but Charlotte breaks that up as well. The Riptide is countered into a DDT for a heck of a near fall and Charlotte is stunned again. They slug it out again until Charlotte elbows her in the face for two, with the referee seeing the feet on the ropes.

Charlotte heads up top where she blocks a superplex, setting up a super Natural Selection….for two in a heck of a near fall (and drawing some Charlotte swearing). The Figure Four is countered into a German suplex into the corner but Charlotte sends her head first into the post. Charlotte ties the leg into the steps and kicks away to crush the knee. Back in and the Figure Eight goes on….and Rhea taps at 16:55.

Rating: B+. This is a two part match. First of all, you had two grown women beating the figure out of each other here with one big shot after another until one of them couldn’t hang on any longer. That was great and the super Natural Selection absolutely got me with the false finish, mainly because I didn’t think Charlotte would actually win the title.

Then there is the other part: Charlotte wins the title, beating Ripley again with the Figure Eight. Yes Ripley did win the title at Wrestlemania, but now it’s Charlotte’s time again because it’s time to give her another title reign. Not that this one is going to do anything for her, but at least she gets to cut off a new potential star before she gets the big moment. That is WWE’s Charlotte problem in one match, though it was pretty awesome on the way there. Also, major points for taking the crowd from hating this to losing their minds by the end.

Riddle runs into Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs, who get to hear about how much he misses Randy Orton. Boogs plays Orton’s theme music as Kevin Owens looks confused.

Kevin Owens vs. King Nakamura vs. Riddle vs. Big E. vs. Seth Rollins vs. Ricochet vs. John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre

Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match….at least in theory as the Peacock feed falls apart during the entrances. The audio and video are only holding up for about a second and a half at a time before cutting out, which is going to make this even harder to follow than usual. Thankfully it clears up before the bell and we can see Rollins dealing with a big gang beatdown to start. Ricochet hits a big dive to the floor and it’s off to a Big E. vs. McIntyre showdown.

After disposing of Ricochet again, McIntyre gets to slug it out with Big E. and throws him down. Big E. is back up with a toss to the apron and the spear through the ropes, with Big E. landing hard. The first ladder is brought in but Owens gets sent outside. Morrison goes up and springboards over the ladder with a corkscrew dive onto Rollins. Nakamura is back up and climbs the ladder, where he catches Morrison in a triangle choke over the top. That’s broken up by a Rollins springboard knee and the double stomping has Nakamura in trouble.

The alliance takes out McIntyre and Riddle with ladder shots, setting up a reverse Regal roll to send Riddle into the ladder. Ricochet comes back in to strike away until he gets dropped onto the ladder for the big crash. Now it’s Owens’ turn to get double teamed but it takes too long to set up the announcers’ table. Back in and a limping Owens manages a moonsault, only to get backdropped onto the side of a ladder on the mat.

McIntyre gets back in but gets dropped onto the ladder, setting up the moonsault elbow from Morrison. That’s enough of him for Rollins, who hits Morrison in the face with the ladder to break up the alliance. Ricochet clears the ring but a reverse hurricanrana to McIntyre is countered with the reverse Alabama Slam into the ladder in the corner. McIntyre hits the big no hands flip dive onto a bunch of people at ringside but has to headbutt Rollins back inside.

There’s the Claymore to Rollins and McIntyre goes up but Veer and Shanky come in for the save because JINDER MAHAL IS A THING AND YOU WILL CARE ABOUT HIS MAIN EVENT GLORY!!! AGAIN!!! McIntyre is taken out and Riddle goes up, only to have Ricochet springboard up onto it as well. The ladder is shoved over with Ricochet…landing on the top rope and hitting a springboard flip dive onto the pile, just because he can. Riddle is stunned, as he should be.

Back in and Riddle slugs it out with Ricochet on top of the ladder as Rollins set up one of his own. Big E. takes out Rollins so Riddle hits an RKO on Big E. and Ricochet. That lets Rollins Stomp Riddle but Nakamura remembers that he’s in the match and takes Rollins down. He gets his hand on the briefcase but the Drip Stick cuts him down too.

Owens is back in to pull Morrison down and give him the Stunner, followed by one for Nakamura. The Pop Up Powerbomb gets rid of Ricochet but this time it’s Rollins powerbombing Owens through the ladder at ringside for the huge crash. Big E. is back up with the Big Ending off the ladder though and he wins the briefcase at 18:13. I would not have bet on that one.

Rating: B. Well ok then. Big E. has seemed ready to be pushed to the top of the company for a long time now and if this is the way to get there, I think I’m down with it. The man has more charisma than he knows what to do with and it would be great to see him finally do something with it. The match itself was the usual car crash and that’s exactly what it was supposed to be, so well done on the match with the great ending.

Big E. gets in a rather long celebration and you can feel the energy.

Seth Rollins is furious over the loss and says that wasn’t good enough. He needs a new plan and change and isn’t waiting to be the next Universal Champion.

We recap Edge vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal Title. Edge was supposed to win the title at Wrestlemania but then just didn’t, as Reigns wrecked both he and Daniel Bryan. Now Edge is back for his one on one title match and knows he can make Reigns tap, even if it takes a piece of a chair.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Edge

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending. They stare each other down to start and soak in the dueling chants. The lockup takes a bit but it’s Edge driving him into the corner for a slap. They actually go technical with Edge getting the better of things to get on Reigns’ nerves. Back up and Reigns runs him over with a shoulder, meaning it’s time to yell at the crowd a bit. Edge takes some time getting up but starts working on the arm.

That earns him a punch to the face and the big clotheslines in the corner make it even worse. Reigns seems to bang up the arm though and Edge wraps it around the post. That means we need a breather on the floor until Edge follows him out, only to charge into a Samoan drop. Reigns breaks the count and posts Edge for a big knockdown as the pace slows. Back in and Reigns stomps away in the corner before throwing him outside again. Reigns takes him back inside and unloads with forearms to the face, followed by the chinlock.

To keep things fresh, Reigns shouts at the fans a bit. McAfee says Edge’s eyes are fluttering like Peacock and Edge is draped over the bottom rope. That means the running apron dropkick for two and it’s time for the Superman Punch. That’s countered into a backslide, followed by stereo big boots for a double knockdown. Back up and the slugout goes to Reigns, who gets pulled into the Edge-O-Matic for two.

Edge hits some clotheslines into the Edgecution for two and the kickout staggers Edge a bit. Reigns catches him on top but gets sent into the post to tie him in the Tree of Woe. Edge unloads on him to set up the STF (or Crossface according to Cole), which he switches into the Crossface at the last second. The rope is grabbed for the save though and they’re both down again. Back up and Reigns slaps on the guillotine until Edge drives them through the ropes and out to the floor in a crash.

It’s Reigns up first but his spear only hits barricade. Edge breaks up the count and hits a spear of his own through the other barricade. That’s good for two back inside but Reigns is back with a Superman Punch. The ref is bumped on the crash though and winds up holding his knee, which gets Reigns’ attention. That means Reigns can go outside and break up a chair, but Edge cuts it off and fires off headbutts.

The Crossface with the bar goes on as the referee is taken out but here are the Usos….to be cut off by the Mysterios. Reigns is out in the hold as we STILL don’t have another referee. Cue Seth Rollins to lay Edge out and the spear is loaded up, only to have Edge hit his own spear for a VERY delayed two from another referee. Cue Rollins again so Edge kicks him down, earning himself a spear from Reigns to retain the title at 33:16.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but it never quite got over the hump. The time didn’t help them and they probably had one too many moments at the end before just getting to the point. What matters is that Edge can still have a good match on this level and that’s nice to see. Just find a way to trim some of this down a bit and it would be that much better, but it was still good as it was.

Post match Rollins says that Edge would be champion if not for him so Reigns owes him. Edge gets up and jumps Rollins to fight him into the crowd. Reigns grabs the mic and says everyone can acknowledge him….and JOHN CENA Is back to some thunderous roaring. Cena is all fired up to be home and steps towards Reigns, who can’t see him to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Money in the Bank is one of those shows that just works most years, mainly because WWE knows how to do the ladder matches rather well. I’m still not big on the build to them, but the shows themselves are almost always great. Throw in the big angle at the end to set up the Summerslam dream main event and there wasn’t much here to be annoyed about. Nothing was bad, a lot of Summerslam is ready, and they are trying some new people with the briefcases. Awesome show, with the crowd bringing it up a whole bunch of notches.

Results
Nikki Ash won Money in the Bank
AJ Styles/Omos b. Viking Raiders – Chokebomb to Erik
Bobby Lashley b. Kofi Kingston – Hurt Lock
Charlotte b. Rhea Ripley – Figure Eight
Big E. won Money in the Bank
Roman Reigns b. Edge – Spear

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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No Way Out 2007
Date: February 18, 2007
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 14,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s that show where WWE pretends that it matters while showing us a commercial for Wrestlemania. The main event is a tag match between the Wrestlemania main events, which should be a quality though unimportant match. Other than that, we are getting a Divas Talent Show, which should be as exciting as it sounds. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on the tag match, because that’s about all that matters around here.

Commentary welcomes us to the show, with JBL ranting about the Spanish team.

Chris Benoit/Hardys vs. MVP/MNM

Bonus match which combines….well just one feud as MVP and Benoit haven’t had any major issues. Matt and Mercury slug it out to start until Mercury charges into a raised boot in the corner. The Hardys start taking over on the arm until Mercury pulls him down by the hair. Nitro comes in and gets his arm cranked as well so MVP will try it instead. That’s fine with Benoit, who is right there to slam him down.

MVP gets chopped into the corner and MNM bails away in a hurry. Benoit gets two off a snap suplex and hands it off to Jeff, who gets slowed down by a rake to the eyes. Nitro comes in for the big staredown and suckers Jeff outside, where Mercury gets in a cheap shot. Back in and we hit the chinlock from Nitro, followed by one from Mercury. A suplex gives MVP two but Jeff gets to the corner for a quick Whisper in the Wind. It’s back to Matt to pick up the pace but MVP takes him down into a cravate.

Ballin gets two on Matt and Mercury comes in to go after Matt’s face again. Matt fights out of Nitro’s front facelock and hits a clothesline, allowing the hot tag off to Benoit. A double German suplex drops MNM and everything breaks down. Poetry In Motion hits MVP and another suplex gets two on Mercury. Nitro dives off the apron with a clothesline to Jeff but has to dive back in to break up the Crossface on MVP. Matt saves Benoit from the Snapshot and it’s the Crossface to make Mercury tap.

Rating: B. I can always go for a good six man and they were going pretty fast throughout here. Mixing up a pair of feuds (or at least one feud and two more people) opens up some extra options and keeps things from being the same stuff over and over. Really good opener here and that shouldn’t be the biggest surprise.

Vickie Guerrero has some options and one of her biggest is coming true on Smackdown. She hugs Krystal and thanks her for everything.

Finlay talks with the Leprechaun (who can speak fine here), who is scared of the Boogeyman. Well the Little Boogeyman, because little people are scary. Finlay throws him into a trashcan so he won’t be so scared and then leaves….and the Boogeyman smoke comes up. Little Boogeyman pops up and screaming ensues.

Cruiserweight Title: Cruiserweight Open

Gregory Helms is defending in a gauntlet match. Scotty 2 Hotty is in at #1 and Daivari is in at #2. Daivari sends him into the corner for some right hands but Scotty comes back with the bulldog. There’s the Worm and Daivari is done in a hurry. Gregory Helms is in at #1 and hammers on Scotty, including a catapult to send him throat first into the middle rope. Scotty is back with a belly to back suplex but the Worm is broken up. What would become known as the Codebreaker gets rid of Scotty so it’s Funaki in at #4.

Helms small packages him for the pin in about five seconds and it’s Shannon Moore in at #5. A spinning backbreaker gives Helms a fast two and a belly to belly superplex drops Moore again. Another Codebreaker gets rid of Moore and it’s Jimmy Wang Yang in at #6. Yang goes right after him and hits a standing moonsault for two. A Russian legsweep sets up some weird arm hold on the mat but Helms is back up in a hurry with a hard right hand. Yang grabs a quick hurricanrana for the pin out of nowhere, guaranteeing a new champion.

Jamie Noble is in at #7 as JBL demands more time to talk about Helms losing the title. A hard shot to the face sets up a chinlock on Yang and Noble sends him hard into the post for two. Yang fights back with a few clotheslines and the spinwheel kick for two of his own. The moonsault press gets rid of Noble and Yang thinks he has won….but it’s Chavo Guerrero in at #8 to complete the field.

Chavo uppercuts him down a few times and kicks Yang in the back to take over in a hurry. A spinwheel kick gives Yang a breather and the big dive to the floor drops Chavo again. Back in and Chavo hits Three Amigos, which Cole calls disrespectful for some reason. Yang gets in another shot to the face and goes up, only to miss the twisting moonsault. The frog splash gives Chavo the pin and the title.

Rating: D+. I’m really not a fan of this style as it’s a bunch of mini matches rather than anything getting time. Chavo winning the title is fine, but the rapid fire falls brings up the same thing I always wonder with this format: why is it so much easier to get a fall in this one than in any given match? Either way, at least the title is off of Helms, who was getting hammered with losses that WWE didn’t seem to think counted because he was still champion.

John Cena isn’t worried about teaming with Shawn Michaels tonight. What does have him concerned is facing Batista and Undertaker tonight. As for Michaels, what is going to happen when you can feel this much tension? Cena doesn’t know either.

Finlay/Leprechaun vs. Boogeyman/Little Boogeyman

The Leprechaun is as terrified as you would expect and hides underneath the ring, leaving this as a handicap match. Cole finds it funny, sending JBL into a rant about how Cole is xenophobic for hating Irish people. Boogeyman punches Finlay down to start and they head outside with Finlay being sent into the apron. Back in and Boogeyman hits a powerslam for two, allowing Little Boogeyman to come in for a seated senton. The Leprechaun comes in, puts his hat on Finlay and rolls up his sleeves, allowing Finlay to kick Little Boogeyman in the head.

JBL has no idea what he is watching as Finlay stomps away on Little Boogeyman and grabs a short armscissors. Little Boogeyman gets out and goes underneath the ring, but Boogeyman comes out. Back in and Boogeyman catapults Finlay into the corner and a double splash connects, with the Leprechaun making the save. Boogeyman loads up the worms to chase the Leprechaun off, leaving Finlay to hit the Little Boogeyman with the Shillelagh for the pin.

Rating: D. The goofiness was high with this one but it’s kind of hard to get that angry about it. They made no secret of what they were going for here and the match went about as well as it was going to with all the nuttiness. Finlay and the Leprechaun do well together and it’s kind of funny to have a Little Boogeyman to balance things out. That and Finlay hitting Little Boogeyman in the head with a club was worth a chuckle at the end.

Of note: we are about an hour into the show and Cole’s voice is almost gone. This could be an interesting remaining two hours.

Shawn Michaels says he can’t trust John Cena because he only trusts HHH. No matter what happens tonight though, he has to make sure that nothing happens to Cena until Wrestlemania.

King Booker vs. Kane

Booker has Queen Sharmell in his corner, and we get a quick recap (Booker eliminated Kane from the Royal Rumble after being eliminated himself) during the entrances. Booker tries to run to start but gets caught in the corner for some elbows to the face. Kane doesn’t seem to mind getting hit in the face and takes Booker outside for elbow on the apron. As the beating continues, JBL goes into the Inferno match AGAIN, with Cole asking what JBL would have done to win the match.

The side slam and big boot set up a clothesline to the floor as Booker is still in trouble. Booker gets in a few shots of his own though and a missile dropkick connects for two back inside. The armbar goes on for a bit, followed by a kick to the face to give Booker two. Kane gets chopped down in the corner but he comes back with a suplex for a breather.

Booker kicks him in the ribs but misses the ax kick, allowing Kane to hit a running clothesline. The right hands in the corner rock Booker again and there’s the side slam. Kane’s top rope clothesline (closer to a right hang) draws Sharmell up to the apron and Booker nails the side kick. Not that it matters as Kane pops up with the chokeslam for the pin.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine match here as Kane gets a nice boost and King Booker’s run continues to cool off. There isn’t much left for him to do very high up on the card and that makes sense. King Booker wasn’t a gimmick that was going to have a very long term run on top and it has taken its course. Putting someone like Kane over is a good thing, as he could be used to make someone look bigger later.

Batista says Raw is going to lose tonight and he isn’t intimidated by Undertaker, John Cena or Shawn Michaels.

Tag Team Titles: Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. Deuce and Domino

Deuce and Domino, with Cherry, are challenging after winning back to back non-title matches. Domino drives London into the corner to start and they trade slaps. A jumping elbow drops Domino and it’s off to Kendrick to work on the arm. The champs clear the ring in a hurry and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Domino gets in a shot from behind on London to take over for the first time.

London gets whipped into some raised knees in the corner and we hit the double arm crank with a knee in the back. Deuce sends London hard into the corner and there’s a double backdrop for two. The chinlock goes on, allowing the referee to go over and say something to Kendrick in a weird visual. London fights up and gets the tag, setting up a quick spinning backslide for two on Deuce. Domino is back in but misses a Doomsday Device clothesline, allowing Kendrick to victory roll Deuce for the pin to retain.

Rating: C+. I liked the match but I’m a bit confused by the ending. This was set up for the title change and there was little reason for them to not change the belts here. London and Kendrick have cooled down a bit in recent weeks and it is time for them to drop the titles already. Deuce and Domino are kind of perfect for that, but I guess they have to be slowed a bit on the way there.

Cole’s voice is barely holding up.

Video on Bobby Lashley’s childhood, which led to his successful amateur wrestling career. This is the same thing that aired on ECW last week.

Mr. Kennedy thinks Bobby Lashley is just like everyone here in Los Angeles: a phony wannabe. Everyone has a dream but he is standing here and they are all out there. He has beaten Lashley before and he can do it again, this time becoming the new ECW World Cha….and here is Lashley to say the one word for Kennedy is halitosis. Lashley drops him too, giving us a great confused Kennedy look.

ECW World Title: Mr. Kennedy vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is defending and Kennedy jumps him from behind during the entrances. That doesn’t exactly work on Lashley, who beats him near the barricade and takes it inside for the opening bell. A backdrop into a slam has Kennedy in more trouble and the delayed vertical suplex gets two. Kennedy slips away though and kicks Lashley down in the corner. Lashley grabs a torture rack but a rake to the eyes gets Kennedy out of trouble.

JBL talks about how this is the Wrestlemania of the future as Kennedy puts on something like a reverse Figure Four (with Lashley face down and Kennedy face up). With that broken up, Kennedy switches to a half crab so Lashley has to grab a rope. Back up and Lashley tries a slam but the leg gives out, allowing Kennedy to take him down again. A running dropkick to the knee gets two, with JBL saying to take notes if you want to be a sports entertainer.

More stomping in the corner sets up a DDT for two as the fans are not exactly thrilled. The half crab goes on again but this time Kennedy lets it go and puts him down again. The Kenton Bomb hits raised knees though and the leg is fine enough for the torture rack into the kneeling backbreaker. Kennedy “accidentally” bumps the referee and takes out Lashley’s leg again before grabbing a chair. Lashley takes it away and hits Kennedy for the lame DQ.

Rating: C-. I don’t get the boring chants from the fans but the ending wasn’t very good. Sure you don’t want Kennedy to take a fall (as he has done enough as of late) so why put them in this situation if that is all you have? They were in a bad place here and the match might not have been thrilling, but it could have been a lot worse. It could have been a lot shorter too, but I don’t think I would have said boring.

Rey Mysterio is back on Smackdown, but just to talk.

The Condemned is coming.

Vinnie Jones, co-star in the Condemned, says he is the real star of the movie and he beat up Steve Austin….presumably in the movie?

The Miz hosts the Divas Talent Invitational, starting with Extreme Expose. They dance, people drool, next act.

Next up is Jillian Hall, who is excited to have her big break in front of these music executives. First she has to warm up and doesn’t like the lack of bass. She sings her original version, with Miz saying she is the female version of William Hung. Jillian goes into a rant about how Extreme Expose couldn’t even be her backup dancers. She goes on about the other women’s “talents” and calls them b******. Cue the rest of the women to beat her up for the catfight, with referees breaking it up.

Ashley comes out with the talent of showing her Playboy cover and taking off her top, revealing strategically placed Playboy Bunny stickers. That’s enough for the win, shockingly enough.

Wrestlemania is All Grown Up. I like that one, though I’m still not sure I get it.

We recap the main event of Undertaker/Batista vs. Shawn Michaels/John Cena. Undertaker won the Royal Rumble and is facing Batista, while Shawn Michaels, the Royal Rumble runner up, is challenging Cena. Take two Wrestlemania main events and make a tag match.

John Cena/Shawn Michaels vs. Batista/Undertaker

Non-title. Shawn comes out to the DX theme and entrance as he continues to reach post-Strike Force Tito Santana levels of not being able to let it go. Batista knocks Cena into the corner to start but Cena comes back with right hands. That earns him a Regal Roll of all things and an early powerslam gets two. Cena avoids a charge into the corner though and it’s off to Shawn to fire off the chops.

That doesn’t last long as Batista powers him down and brings in Undertaker for a quick Old School. Undertaker shoves away the right hands in the corner and gets two off the big boot. Batista comes back in but misses an elbow, allowing the tag back to Cena. Undertaker is right back in as well and you can feel the energy coming up for the showdown. Cena catches Undertaker going up top (that’s a rare one) with a superplex but Undertaker sits back up.

The right hands rock Undertaker, who drops Cena again. This time it’s Undertaker missing an elbow of his own so it’s back to Shawn, who is gorilla pressed out to the floor in the big crash. Back in and Cena makes the save, leaving Shawn to get pounded down in the corner. Shawn gets in a shot to Undertaker’s knee and starts firing off right hands in the corner, as JBL compares this to getting to see WWE vs. WCW. Egads I’d hope it’s better than that.

Batista comes in for a series of clotheslines into a headlock but Shawn manages a running DDT. The hot tag brings in Cena to start cleaning house, including the Shuffle to Batista. Undertaker breaks up the FU and fights outside with Shawn, leaving Batista to hit a spinebuster. The Batista Bomb is broken up by Shawn’s shot to the knee and it’s time to take turns on Batista for a change. Cena blasts him with a clothesline for two as Cole has just stopped talking as his voice is gone. Shawn grabs a front facelock but Batista powers him off without much effort.

That’s not enough for the tag though as Cena is right there with a sleeper on the suddenly busted open Batista. The STFU has Batista in trouble in the middle of the ring, with Undertaker taking his time to make the save. It’s back to Shawn for the top rope elbow but Sweet Chin Music is countered into a swinging Boss Man Slam. That’s enough for the hot tag back to Undertaker as everything breaks down. Undertaker beats up both of them without much trouble….until Batista spinebusters him down. Batista watches from ringside as it’s Sweet Chin Music into the FU to finish Undertaker.

Rating: B. The word for this match is big, as it felt like a match that belonged in a main event spot. It didn’t matter that there were no stakes and it won’t matter until Wrestlemania, but they got into a groove so that it felt like a match between two teams. That made Batista turning on Undertaker at the end feel important, and gives us the closest thing to a villain in the title match, even if it is more of an edgy good guy instead. Heck of a match here and a nice surprise.

Batista stares at Undertaker, who pulls himself up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show is bookended by a pair of good matches but the middle is pretty all over the place. What helps this show more than anything else is the complete lack of expectations coming in. There was no reason to expect a good show here and we wound up getting a fine one, though only the opener and main event are really worth seeing. It is time to get ready for Wrestlemania now though, and that could not come soon enough.

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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It’s time for one of WWE’s biggest pay per views as the briefcases will be hung above the ring for some ladder matches. This time though there are going to be fans in attendance, which means that one of the biggest spectacles on the WWE calendar is going to have a live audience. Money in the Bank is always one of the harder to predict shows of the year so it’s guessing time. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: SmackDown Tag Team Titles: Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio(c) vs. The Usos

The Mysterios have defended the titles against the Usos twice now so a third title defense makes all the sense in the world right? That is how Tag Team Title stories go in WWE and I’m not sure what other idea they could have here. Hopefully they have something good here, as the teams should work well together, though putting them in this spot is a little bit weird.

The Usos are getting those titles sooner rather than later so I’ll say they get them here. The big point of the Mysterios getting the titles was the novelty of having a father and son hold them together and that has come and gone. There is not much of a reason for the Mysterios to hold the titles any longer and the Usos are locked into the main event scene at the moment. Let them be the champions as they should be, while trying not to think about how Jimmy Uso is going to get pushed harder despite his legal issues.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley(c) vs. Kofi Kingston

This is an interesting one as we have a former WWE Champion in Kingston, who has overcome the odds to win the title before, getting a shot against a heck of a monster. As has been the case when he is given the chance, Kingston has been nailing it on the microphone as of late, though I’m not sure how much good that is going to do for him when it comes to the match itself.

I’ll go with Lashley winning here without much trouble, though Kingston will likely get more than one near fall. Lashley has been champion since the beginning of March and there is nothing to suggest that he is dropping it anytime soon. That’s because he doesn’t need to, as he could be champion for quite a long time given the roll he has been on as of late. Barring a surprise cash-in, I can’t imagine anyone but Lashley leaving as champion.

Raw Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Omos(c) vs. Viking Raiders

Much like the SmackDown counterparts, the Raw Tag Team Titles are not exactly the most thrilling parts of any given show. The division barely exists and there is nothing to suggest that it is going to get any better in the near, immediate or even distant future, at least not that you would know from watching the show in recent years. Styles and Omos are a fine team to hold the titles until the next big thing comes along, but I’m not sure when that is going to be the case.

I’ll take Styles and Omos retaining here, though I’m really not sure if that is the right choice. The Raiders are a good team who can have some good power matches, but they don’t have anyone to face at the moment. Tag team wrestling is just such a weak spot in WWE these days (or almost any days for that matter) and while it would make sense to change the belts (assuming it doesn’t split up Styles and Omos), I don’t think that is going to happen.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Edge

I know the story isn’t the most interesting, I know Edge is old and I know this isn’t going to be what it could have been from Edge’s glory years, but DANG that pop on SmackDown made me want to see this a lot more. I was an Edgehead a long time ago and the energy that he brings is a big reason why. There is something so cool about hearing that song with everything he does that makes it work and it should again on Sunday.

Now of course that is fairly limited in impact, as there is no way Edge is winning the title here. Reigns is coming up on a year as champion and he could be in for his huge showdown for the title at Summerslam, so Edge isn’t getting the title here. Besides, Edge is going to be getting ready for his feud with Seth Rollins, leaving this as a fairly clear ending to what should be a good match.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Charlotte

How are these two still feuding? It feels like this has been going on even longer than it already has and that is not a good feeling. Ripley has been put on ice for several months now as she waits on her big win over Charlotte, because Heaven forbid Charlotte put her over to make up for last year’s WrestleMania. Charlotte even got the win last month at Hell In A Cell, because of course she did.

I’ll go with what should have happened months ago and assume that Ripley FINALLY gets her win here, even if Charlotte is going to have some kind of way to look good in defeat. I’m trying to resist the thoughts that Charlotte might even get the title back here, but that is always a possibility. For the sake of my sanity though, I’ll take Ripley to retain here, as she should do with a decisive win.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Oh boy. This is the kind of thing that is almost impossible to predict and that is where the confusion begins. There are eight women involved (because the SmackDown women’s division apparently has the depth to put four women in) and I could see more than one of them winning here. That makes for some interesting outcomes, but it really could go in a bunch of different ways.

I’ll take Bliss, as much as I’d like to see Liv Morgan win, just for the sake of FINALLY giving her something. You can write off Asuka, Naomi, Natalya and Tamina, leaving you with Zelina Vega (a very real possibility), Nikki Ash (maybe, but I doubt it), Morgan (not going to happen) and Bliss, with the latter being the most likely to pull it off. The idea of this Bliss winning the title scares me, but it is likely where they are going.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

As unsure as I am about the women’s version, I’m even less sure about this one. Again, there are eight entrants here and a lot of them could win, though I’m not sure if any of them really stands that high above the rest. There are still some names that you can write off here, but even with them out of the way, it could go in a few different directions, which is a good thing.

You know what? Let’s take a completely ridiculous gamble (which I do not think will really happen) and say Ricochet just for some fun. You can write off John Morrison (PLEASE write him off as we just did the Miz version for eight months), Drew McIntyre (probably thanks to Jinder Mahal because reasons), Kevin Owens (already had a long feud with Reigns) and maybe Shinsuke Nakamura (though maybe not). That leaves you with Ricochet, Riddle, Big E. and Seth Rollins. Since the other three are the most likely candidates, I’ll go with Ricochet just because I like him a lot. It’s going to be wrong, but let’s have some fun.

Overall Thoughts

This is a show that always gives me mixed feelings. I can’t stand the build (though this year’s has been nowhere near as bad) but the show itself tends to be quite good. I don’t know if there is any drama to the non-ladder matches but at least we could be in for some entertaining stuff. This is the first pay per view with fans back and it will lead into the much bigger Summerslam, so maybe we are in for a good, or at least over the top, show for a change.

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

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Smackdown
Date: February 16, 2007
Location: KeyArena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the go home show for No Way Out, which really needs to wrap up already so we can move on to the stuff that matters. This show has been working pretty well as of late and a lot of that is due to focusing a bit more on wrestling than anything else. Now just make me care about the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the show, which will feature John Cena/Shawn Michaels and Rated-RKO as guest stars for some special tag matches. Dang I love it when the Brand Split is just ignored for the Road to Wrestlemania.

Finlay vs. Boogeyman

Finlay jumps him from behind to start fast and sends Boogeyman into various things on the floor. They get inside for the opening bell and Finlay pounds him down in the corner. The chinlock goes on, followed by a clothesline to drop Boogeyman again. Finlay finally gets sent outside though and the comeback is on.

Back in and a running shoulder in the corner…is about it for Boogeyman, as Finlay clotheslines him in the back of the head. Finlay goes for the Shillelagh so the referee yells at him, allowing the Leprechaun to come in. As you might have guessed, the Little Boogeyman debuts to take the Leprechaun down. Finlay is a bit confused so Boogeyman hits him in the ribs with his staff for the pin.

Rating: D+. So now there’s a Little Boogeyman as this is turning more and more into a Doink style deal. It does kind of fit in a way and I can go for something different, mainly because they are keeping this goofy stuff to one segment for the most part. I’m not sure how much more of it I can take, but at least it isn’t spreading.

Last night on Raw, Vince McMahon meets Donald Trump face to face. And on and on too.

Brian Kendrick vs. Deuce

Of note: the previously announced four way ladder match for the titles has been changed to Deuce and Domino getting a solo title shot. So at least they’ve got the right idea. Paul London, Domino and Cherry are all here. Deuce drives him into the corner to start so Kendrick fights out, only to get dropped with a clothesline.

We’re already in a seated abdominal stretch to keep Kendrick down, followed by a big boot and another seated abdominal stretch to keep things interesting. Kendrick fights up again and makes the comeback, including a bunch of kicks to put him down. The running shooting star gets two so Kendrick goes up, meaning it’s time for the Cherry distraction. Domino shoves Kendrick off the top and Deuce kicks him in the face for the pin.

Rating: D+. I think WWE understands what they have with Deuce and Domino, as they have been treated as a big deal since they debuted. London and Kendrick’s time seems to be over and that’s ok after such a long and successful run with the titles. The title change should happen at the pay per view, but WWE has gotten screwy with things before.

It’s time for a special feature as we have King Booker And Queen Sharmell At The Movies. This week they are looking at See No Evil on DVD, but Kane is not evil. No, he is someone who will be vanquished at No Way Out. They look at the clip of Kane attacking people and crack up, with Booker saying he would have been better in the role. We see King Booker wielding an ax against everyone, which is a lot funnier than it sounds.

Then the lights go red and Kane’s voice says there will be no way out on Sunday. The curtain is torn back with Kane appearing to scare off Booker and Sharmell. See, this was a good idea, as they actually used something going on and turned it into a unique way to build a feud. Why is that so hard for everyone else?

Clips of the eight man tag from Raw.

John Cena needs to make sure that Shawn Michaels has his back tonight. Of course Michaels does, because nothing can happen to him until Wrestlemania. Now that’s interesting.

John Cena/Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Kennedy/MVP

Non-title. Kennedy takes Shawn into the corner for a clean break to start but gets pulled down into a headlock takeover. Cena comes in for a hiptoss into an elbow for two but it’s off to MVP to take over. The villains start taking turns on Cena for all of about ten seconds before he gets over to Shawn for the hot tag. Cena saves Shawn from a cheap shot from MVP and there’s Shawn’s big dive to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Cena getting two off the release fisherman’s suplex to Kennedy. Michaels comes back in to work on the arm as JBL goes on a rant about Teddy Long being anti-Smackdown. Kennedy low bridges Shawn out to the floor and now it’s time for the real beating to begin. Shawn tries to fight out of the corner but gets sent into it instead.

That means Kennedy can kick him in the face a few times, followed by more of the same from MVP. It’s already back to Kennedy for the chinlock, followed by the Regal Roll. The Kenton Bomb misses though and now it’s back to Shawn to clean house. Kennedy tries to bring in a chair but gets superkicked down, leaving MVP to walk into the FU for the pin.

Rating: C. This was about setting up the new normal, or at least the new temporary normal, between Michaels and Cena. They are going to have to get used to being together as a team and that could make for something interesting. Kennedy and MVP are more guys who have lost so many times that one more is not going to really hurt them, so this was a fine use of about twenty minutes.

Things are cool post match.

Krystal is in Teddy Long’s office where she isn’t sure what to do for the talent show on Sunday (because a WWE pay per view is featuring a talent show). Jillian comes in to say she wants to rap on Sunday, which seems to give Krystal her idea for Sunday: stripping. We even get a demonstration.

Dusty Rhodes Hall of fame package. That’s about as overdue as you can get.

Bobby Lashley comes in to see Teddy Long, though Krystal has to leave them alone first. Cue Mr. Kennedy to say he wants an ECW Title shot at No Way Out because he is a singles wrestler. Lashley tells Long to set it up.

Here is Ashley to recap her life (she went to college, then she became a WWE Diva). With that out of her way, she reveals the Playboy cover. This takes less than three minutes total, though JBL and Cole talking about how much they couldn’t wait to get the magazine was pretty disturbing.

Long video on Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump from Raw.

Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Gregory Helms

Non-title. Helms jumps him before the bell and the beatdown is on in a hurry, including some choking on the ropes. Scotty fights up and slugs away, setting up a backdrop. The bulldog sets up the Worm but here is Daivari to jump Scotty for the DQ (which isn’t how you spell Worm).

Post match the rest of the cruiserweights run in for the brawl as Helms escapes with the title.

Maryse, in a tub with Big Dick Johnson, welcomes us back to the show.

No Way Out rundown.

Rated-RKO seems ready for the main event.

Video on Rey Mysterio, who is back next week.

Batista/Undertaker vs. Rated-RKO

Undertaker and Edge start things off with Old School being countered in a hurry, but Undertaker armdrags him down to counter the counter. The second Old School connects and Batista comes in to clean house as we take a break. Back with Batista driving Edge into the apron but Orton grabs the backbreaker on the floor to cut him off. Edge adds a baseball slide and it’s back inside so Orton can stomp away.

The chinlock goes on but Batista is back up with the swinging Boss Man Slam. It’s a double tag to bring in Undertaker and Edge but the double chokeslam is broken up. Orton is sent outside again but the referee gets bumped. Snake Eyes into the big boot looks to set up the chokeslam as Orton posts Batista. Orton gets on the apron for a distraction though, allowing Edge to spear Undertaker down.

The Conchairto is loaded up but Undertaker grabs Edge by the throat, only to get hit low by Orton. A chair to the head drops Undertaker and a new referee (who wasn’t watching the cheating but was watching to know that it was time to come down) comes in to count two. Batista comes back in to wreck people as Undertaker sits up. The Batista Bomb drops Orton and a Tombstone finishes Edge.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty good main event, with two major teams making it feel that much bigger. The star power was more than enough to help push this one to another level and it worked well for what they were trying to do. Undertaker and Batista are going to explode in a month and a half so let them get something like this in first.

Post match here are John Cena and Shawn Michaels to take out Undertaker and Batista. The Smackdown guys pull themselves up and glare to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, star power carries the day here and that’s all you could ask for from a show like this. No Way Out is one of the least important shows of the year and the main event is just a commercial for Wrestlemania anyway, but they are getting as much out of it as they can here. The two tag matches made the show feel a lot bigger and for a one off Smackdown, that’s about as good as it is getting.

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

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: July 16, 2021
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

They’re back. In something that I’ve been waiting to say for well over a year now, we are FINALLY back on the road with a show outside of Florida for the first time since last March. It’s also the go home show for Money in the Bank, meaning we might be in for some last minute surprises. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a special video showing great crowd reactions throughout WWE history, ranging from Hogan slamming Andre to Austin to the modern era. Since this is a WWE history package, it is quite awesome and worth seeing just for the feel of it all.

There are PEOPLE here!

The new set seems to be little more than just a big screen.

We start big with Vince McMahon himself coming out for a chat. Vince: “WHERE THE H*** HAVE YOU BEEN???” End of appearance.

Edge/Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio vs. Usos/Roman Reigns

Reigns gets a rather high pitched pop while Edge gets a MONSTER pop. Jey jumps Edge from behind to start but gets caught with a flapjack. Jimmy comes in and gets armdragged by Rey, setting up a double springboard moonsault from Dominik. That’s about it for Dominik as Jimmy sends him into the corner and hands it off to Reigns, who pulls Dominik outside.

Back in and Reigns gets two with a hand on Dominik’s face. They head outside again and this time it’s a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table to send us to a break. Back with Dominik hitting a DDT on Jey and bringing Edge back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Edge spears Reigns on the floor. The 619 connects but a rollup only gives Rey two. Instead, Jey gets in a cheap shot and Jimmy grabs his own rollup for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: B-. I’m kind of torn on this one as it boosts up the Tag Team Title match, but having the heels go over in the first match back with fans is quite the strange choice. It wasn’t Edge losing to Reigns so it isn’t the worst idea or anything, but they might have wanted to go in a different direction.

Post match the Usos jump the Mysterios but Edge is back in with a chair. Reigns Superman Punches him and grabs the chair but takes too long breaking the bar off. Edge is back up with a spear and the Crossface with the bar makes Reigns tap (as Cole reads his copy about how Reigns might tap on Sunday).

Post break, Edge talks about how he made Reigns tap and how he is going to need to do everything he can to take the title. Seth Rollins pops up behind him to laugh, saying he is going to be Edge’s biggest fan on Sunday. Rollins is going to finish what he started years ago when he had his boot on Edge’s neck and crush him once and for all.

Here is Sami Zayn to say the lights and new set are all just a distraction from the conspiracy against him. For over a year, WWE has tried to hold him down with a conspiracy but now he will have the people in his corner. Sami can’t get a JUSTICE FOR SAMI chant going for him but he isn’t surprised by a bunch of Texas fans. If there was justice, he would be handed the Money In The Bank briefcase right now. This show is not going anywhere until he gets his justice…but here is the returning Finn Balor to cut him off. Sami welcomes him back to the show and is promptly beaten down. The Coup de Grace lets Balor pose after a nice surprise.

Video on Apollo Crews.

Nox/Shotzi vs. Tamina/Natalya

Non-title with Zelina Vega/Liv Morgan on commentary. Nox gets knocked off the apron to start, leaving Shotzi to get beaten down in the corner. The beating continues as Vega and Morgan won’t stop bickering. Shotzi gets over for the tag off to Nox to clean house as Vega and Morgan get in a fight. The Shiniest Wizard gets two on Natalya as Vega is thrown inside. Natalya can’t get the Sharpshooter as Nox small packages her for the pin at 3:23.

Rating: C-. We continue to wait on what should be an obvious title change, which makes me wonder what the point was in having NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles in the first place. Other than that, Vega and Morgan dragged this WAY down by not shutting up for the entire match. That was the focus here instead of the new team and it was really distracting.

Post match Nox and Shotzi leave as everyone else brawls at ringside, with Morgan standing tall.

Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Carmella

Belair is defending and gets a rather strong reaction. A running shoulder puts Carmella down to start but she sends Belair hard into the corner for two. That earns Carmella a running shoulder into the ribs but she manages to post Bianca and we take a break. Back with Belair grabbing a suplex for two and going up, only to have to block what looked like a Stratusphere attempt.

A super hurricanrana brings Belair down for two instead and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence. Carmella grabs a guillotine choke but Belair powers her up for another suplex for two more. With nothing else working, Carmella grabs the hair and takes Belair outside for a whipping. Back in again and Carmella misses the superkick, setting up the hair whip. The KOD retains the title at 11:04.

Rating: C. This was a good way to get Belair in front of a crowd and the reaction was worth the wait. Carmella wasn’t going to be a huge challenger and it was fine to have her out there in a completely acceptable match. Now Smackdown can build up someone else for Belair, though I’m really not sure who that can be outside of bringing someone back in.

Chad Gable talks about how the Alpha Academy is getting used to having everyone be scared of Otis. Tonight he is going to beat Cesaro and they can smell the fear. Cue Cesaro, to say that all he smells is bull from Otis, who beat shim down as a result.

Toni Storm is here next week.

Otis vs. Cesaro

Chad Gable is here with Otis and both guys get quick highlight packages during their entrances. Otis hammers away to start and slugs at the ribs that were banged up before the break. Cesaro slugs back but Gable comes in for the DQ at 1:07.

Post match Cesaro hits the pop up uppercut but Otis breaks up the Swing. The Vader Bomb crushes Cesaro again.

We look at Edge taking out Roman Reigns earlier.

Paul Heyman talks about how Roman Reigns is going to destroy Edge but Big E. comes in

Here is King Corbin for a video on how everything has fallen apart for him. Things have gotten so bad that he might have to give up his house and move in with his wife’s parents. His daughter has to eat spaghetti in a can instead of Ragu beef! He has opened a crowd funding website and all he needs is $100,000. Cue Kevin Owens, with Corbin saying he knows Owens has money and can help him. It’s not like Owens spends money on his wardrobe or anything. That means a Stunner and it’s time for the main event. Corbin FINALLY having the tables turned on him is a nice change of pace and long overdue.

Kevin Owens vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Big E. vs. Seth Rollins

The ring is surrounded by ladders. They start fast with the parade of dives and it’s off to an early break. Back with Big E. hitting the Big Ending on Nakamura with Rollins making the save. The ladder is brought in but Rollins heads to the floor. Owens puts Nakamura onto the announcers’ table for a HUGE elbow, leaving them both down (and taking out a cameraman as well). Back in and Big E. runs Rollins over but a rake to the eyes breaks up the Big Ending. The Stomp onto the ladder finishes Big E. at 8:01.

Rating: C+. What the heck was that? I’m going to assume they ran out of time here as this was an eight minute match with a commercial in the middle. The match itself was very energized and I’d rather they didn’t have some big fifteen minute match which has no bearing on Sunday at all. Let Rollins win and build momentum so we can get to the ladder match and move on.

Rollins pulls down the briefcase to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show gave me a bit of an NXT vibe, as they didn’t try to do anything huge and just covered what they needed to cover. That is a good formula for something like this as I would much, much rather have them put on a nice, solid show than shoot for the moon and blow up on launch. Nothing on here was terribly bad, there were enough things to keep me interested, and Balor was a cool moment. Throw in the fans losing their minds and this was a good Friday night.

Results
Roman Reigns/Usos b. Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio/Edge – Rollup to Rey
Nox/Shotzi b. Natalya/Tamina – Small package to Natalya
Bianca Belair b. Carmella – KOD
Cesaro b. Otis via DQ when Chad Gable interfered
Seth Rollins b. Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura and Big E. – Stomp onto a ladder to Big E.

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