Smackdown
Date: August 23, 2024
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are just over a week away from Bash In Berlin and the Smackdown side of things seems to be mostly ready. At the same time though, Roman Reigns was taken out by the Bloodline last week and that is not going to go well. I’m not sure if Reigns is going to be back tonight, but the Bloodline almost has to take a victory lap. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Bloodline taking out Roman Reigns last week, with Jacob Fatu doing most of the damage.

Here is A-Town Down Under with the Grayson Waller Effect to get things going. They start fast this week because their guest is none other than Cody Rhodes, who the fans seem to life. The villains cut off his entrance though, which is not exactly well received. Cody loads up his catchphrase, which Waller finishes for him to push another button. Waller says the idiot fans don’t know the real Cody, whose friends keep getting beaten up. Cody: “Are you done?”

Waller probably thinks that Kevin Owens getting a title shot is charity but Owens has not stopped fighting the Bloodline since before Cody came back. He has never used Owens, but can Waller and Theory say the same about each other? Waller is using Theory and the fans are waiting for Theory to do something about it. Waller shifts the focus back to a video on Owens, showing him attacking various friends and associates (including Chris Jericho in an all time segment with the Festival OF Friendship), including Sami Zayn and Sami Zayn (Again).

Cue Owens to interrupt, saying everyone he turned on in that video, save for Kofi Kingston, deserved it. Cue Nick Aldis, with Owens cutting him off to ask him to make the tag match. Aldis says it’s on, but Owens asks if he can punch Waller in the face. Aldis: “Make it quick.” The fight is on, but Owens is sent into Rhodes for the tension inducing moment.

United States Title: LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Knight is defending and Escobar has the rest of Legado del Fantasma with him. Hold on though as the rest of Legado jumps Knight on the floor before the bell, which is at least worthy of a mass ejection. Knight says ring the bell and avoids an early charge to get two off a rollup.

We take an early break and come back with Knight in trouble as Escobar crushes him with a frog splash for two. An elbow drop misses though and Knight hits an atomic drop into a discus lariat for the double knockdown. Knight stomps away in the corner and gets two off a Side Effect as the fans are rather pleased. The BFT and the Phantom Driver are both broken up so Escobar takes him to the middle rope. That’s broken up for a middle rope LA Elbow, setting up the BFT to retain the title at 9:07.

Rating: C+. Knight gets attacked and injured before the match, fights from behind and retains the title over someone with some status. That’s as simple as it can get and it worked just fine here, with Knight getting his first successful title defense. It’s a case where they didn’t need to make this complicated and it went perfectly well.

We look at Carmelo Hayes beating Andrade last week.

Hayes says Andrade is never going to be as good as he is. Cue Andrade and they have to be held back, with another match being set up for next week.

Santos Escobar yells at the rest of Legado del Fantasma for costing him the match. Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews come in to laugh, with Escobar wanting to face Corbin next week.

Blair Davenport/Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Naomi/Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

Dawn actually takes Naomi down to start, which doesn’t last long as Belair moonsaults over her and sends Dawn outside. The big dive takes Dawn out again and we take an early break. Back with Belair grabbing a slingshot rollup for two on Davenport, who stomps Belair in the back for two. The villains get in a triple choking pose on the ropes and some running knees get two more.

Fyre grabs a Black Widow but Dawn gets caught cheating, allowing Belair to backbreaker her way to freedom. The tag brings in Cargill to clean house but Davenport hits a quick superkick. Naomi comes in to pick the pace up again, with a hanging faceplant/DDT to Dawn and Fyre. Belair hits a big dive to the floor, taking out Cargill as well as some villains. That leaves Naomi to hit the split legged moonsault to finish Davenport at 9:33.

Rating: B-. This started slowly but the last two minutes or so went nuts with everyone getting a chance to shine. Belair and Cargill are already set for a Women’s Tag Team Title shot at Bash In Berlin, though it was nice to see them not get a pin over the champions here to set it up. If nothing else, Dawn and Fyre need to be kept strong, which isn’t always the case around here.

We look at WWE in Germany back in the mid 90s, with Natalya of all people narrating.

Here is the Bloodline for their Tag Team Title shot. Before the match, Solo Sikoa requests acknowledgment and says the OTC is DONE. Sikoa says he is next in line for a title shot after Bash In Berlin, but first there is something wrong with the Tag Team Titles. He tells Jacob Fatu to step up…and hand Sikoa his title. Actually, give it to Tonga Loa, because Fatu is Sikoa’s personal enforcer and not part of a tag team. Cue the Street Profits and B-Fab to mock the new version of the team before we get going.

LA Knight issues an open challenge for a US Title shot next week.

Tag Team Titles: Bloodline vs. Street Profits

The Bloodline is defending. Dawkins hammers Loa into the corner to start but it’s Tama coming in for two off a jumping neckbreaker. Ford comes in to drop Tama and a standing moonsault gets two. An assisted neckbreaker gets two on Ford, who is right back with a jumping enziguri. Dawkins comes back in with a double flapjack as everything breaks down, with Ford being LAUNCHED over the top and onto the steps.

We take a break and come back with Ford hitting a jumping DDT, allowing the diving tag off to Dawkins. Everything breaks down and the Silencer his Tama with Loa having to make a save. The fight goes outside, where Fatu hits some superkicks. That’s enough for Tama to hit a running Downward Spiral for the pin on Dawkins at 9:11.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to change things over to the other Bloodline, which is apparently something that can just be done around here. It makes things that much easier to do though and I’ll take that over some complicated situation. The match itself was a good, fast paced match, but the Bloodline isn’t about to lose the titles anytime soon.

Post match the beatdown continues until DIY makes the save. That doesn’t work either though as Fatu and company wreck the good guys.

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens have a bit of a strained chat, with Owens bringing up turning on so many people. Cody seems to trust him though.

B-Fab says DIY and the Street Profits are fine, with Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell going into the trainer’s room to check on them.

Michin talks about overcoming negative expectations to get this far while breaking a lot of things.

Nia Jax glares at Pretty Deadly and Tiffany Stratton about fixing her crown. With the three of them gone, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven are overheard mocking Jax, who glares them away.

Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens vs. A-Town Down Under

Rhodes works on Waller’s arm to start and it’s quickly off to Owens for a backsplash. A double back elbow gets two more on Waller but Theory offers a distraction, allowing Waller to get in a cheap shot. Owens gets punched down and we take an early break. Back with Owens fighting his way out of trouble and making the tag off to Rhodes. The Disaster Kick sends Waller outside, with Rhodes sending Theory over the announcers’ table.

Back in and Waller cuts Rhodes off, allowing Theory to get in some choking. The chinlock goes on so Owens plays cheerleader, which brings Rhodes and the fans right back up. The Cody Cutter drops Theory but Waller’s distraction draws Owens out to the floor. Rhodes sends both of them outside though and the diving tag brings in Owens, who drops outside to beat them up in a fresh location. The Cannonball hits Waller in the corner and the Swanton gets two, with Theory making the save. Not that it matters as the Pop Up Powerbomb gives Owens the pin on Waller at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This was more about whether or not Rhodes and Owens could get along and it went well enough, even as A-Town Down Under’s downward spiral continues. The team seems destined to fall apart sooner than later and it might be with Theory getting the needed boost as a result. They did what they needed to here though and I’ll take that for a main event.

Bash In Berlin rundown.

Back in the ring, Owens picks up the title and teases hitting Rhodes but hands him the title instead, leaving Rhodes looking rather relieved to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was only so much that could be added for this show and it wound up doing well enough with everything they had. The main matches are set for Bash In Berlin and there was only so much that could be done here. There is nothing wrong with spending a show advancing stories though and that is what they made work this week. You don’t really need to see this one, but it did accomplish a few things.

Results
LA Knight b. Santos Escobar – BFT
Naomi/Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Blair Davenport/Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre – Split legged moonsault to Davenport
Bloodline b. Street Profits – Running Downward Spiral to Dawkins
Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens b. A-Town Down Under – Pop Up Powerbomb to Waller

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 19, 2024
Location: FLA Live Arena, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re on the way to Bash In Berlin and that should make for a big show this week. There is a good chance that we will be getting more from Gunther vs. Randy Orton, which is set for the pay per view World Title match. Other than that, Bron Breakker is going to need a new challenger for the Intercontinental Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Randy Orton to get things going. He hasn’t opened the show in awhile but the next time he does, he will be a fifteen time World Champion. That’s after he drops Gunther with an RKO in Berlin, so here is Gunther to interrupt, telling these Florida rednecks to shut up. He isn’t sure what Orton is celebrating but gets annoyed at the USA chants.

Orton is never going to RKO him again, so Gunther will just have to leave Orton a bloody mess. Gunther will reveal him as a one trick pony, which has Orton saying it’s going to be a long flight after losing the title. Cue Ludwig Kaiser to jump Orton (who comes up holding his arm despite being chop blocked) and the beatdown is on.

We look at Pete Dunne attacking Sheamus last week.

Sheamus is ready to beat Dunne up, despite having a bad hand thanks to Dunne.

Sheamus vs. Pete Dunne

Sheamus has a bad hand/wrist coming in. The Brogue Kick misses early and Sheamus hits a clothesline, only to get hit in the face a few times. An Alabama Slam puts Dunne back down but he comes right back with a DDT. Sheamus is fine enough to knock him off the apron and into the announcers’ table but stops to say something to McAfee, allowing McAfee to stomp the bad hand on the steps.

We take a break and come back with Dunne slapping Sheamus in the face, which has Sheamus calling him a b****. Dunne hammers away, only to get clotheslined in the corner. A powerslam plants Dunne but he’s right back with his own ten forearms. You do not do that to Sheamus, who is right back with the real forearms.

The Brogue Kick is cut off by an enziguri but Sheamus knees a moonsault out of the air (possibly low) for two. A super White Noise is loaded up, only for Dunne to reverse into a sitout powerbomb to leave both of them down. Dunne gets creative and ties the hand in the turnbuckle for a running kick, only to have Sheamus rip the turnbuckle off. The Brogue Kick finishes Dunne at 11:23.

Rating: B-. As usual, you can tell how much Sheamus is doing in a match based on how sweaty his hair gets and he was hitting the higher levels this week. The ending was a bit different but I can go with cool power displays before kicking someone in the face. Maybe not someone in a #1 contenders match for the NXT Title tomorrow night, but that’s a bit beside the point.

Kofi Kingston asks Xavier Woods if everything has been ok for the last few weeks. Woods says he’s ok about the Karrion Kross stuff but does wish that Kingston talked to him more about bringing Odyssey Jones in. Woods says it feels like Kofi is trying to replace Big E. but Kingston apologizes and says he was hoping to bring Jones in just like was done to them back in the day. Woods can go with that and seems a bit better with the whole thing.

Video on Bron Breakker.

We look back at Ivy Nile turning on Maxxine Dupri last week.

Chad Gable welcomes Nile to the team and says they’re still coming for the Wyatt Sicks.

Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile

Chad Gable, American Made and the Alpha Academy are here too. Dupri jumps her from behind to start and they head outside, where Nile throws Dupri over the announcers’ table. Back in and…we’ve got Wyatts, with Nile looking scared by the smoke. Gable and American Made get in the ring for the brawl as we’ll say the match is thrown out at about 1:30. American Made is laid out and Gable gets hit with Sister Abigail.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley still want to destroy the Judgment Day.

Here is CM Punk, with a leather strap around his neck, for a chat. After praising the Florida Panthers for winning the Stanley Cup, Punk talks about being asked about the hot streak WWE has been on for months. Punk credits the fans, a lot of whom he met at Fanatics Fest over the weekend. The first fan he met was a girl who beat cancer and said Punk was an inspiration while she was fighting. Then a fan from Taiwan said she had flown fifteen hours to meet him. He hasn’t stood in this ring in Florida in a very long time and fans like these drive him.

We pause for the CM PUNK chants before he pulls out a handful of bracelets that fans have made for him. Punk says they might be a Taylor Swift thing, but he’s Taylor Swift for men. We’ve covered the love, so now let’s move on to the hatred, like the kind he has with Drew McIntyre. Punk has a bracelet for McIntyre in the form of this strap, and if McIntyre agrees, they’re in for a strap match at Bash In Berlin.

That’s what Punk wants so he can hurt McIntyre, who comes out to respond. McIntyre asks if Punk has started drinking, because Punk should know what McIntyre is like in this kind of a match. The match is on but McIntyre wants to fight right now, if Punk drops the strap. Punk will do it in exchange for the bracelet (which I believe he said he didn’t care about last week). McIntyre says no, but Punk says McIntyre will be attached to him in Berlin. This was missing a certain spark and while the strap match is fine, they lost me around the bracelet for the strap line. Not the best work from either of them here but the match is made.

Dominik Mysterio wants Damian Priest tonight, one on one. He’ll even leave Liv Morgan in the back.

Final Testament vs. New Day/Odyssey Jones

Scarlett and Paul Ellering are here too. Kingston sends Kross into the corner for some running clotheslines to start but Scarlett offers a distraction. Akam comes in for a Death Valley Driver into the corner and we take a break. Back with Kingston still in trouble, only to fight out of the corner. The hot tag brings in Jones and Woods is almost incensed. Jones cleans house but gets taken down by Kross. Kingston hits Trouble In Paradise and Kingston adds the Limit Breaker, leaving Jones to hit the Boss Man Slam to finish Rezar at 7:55.

Rating: C+. The action got better at the end, but this is all about that look of shock from Woods. I won’t believe it until I see it, but they might actually be splitting New Day up. That’s hard to fathom, as they’ve been together or so long that you can’t imagine them arguing. Woods is being a bit unreasonable, but that’s kind of the point of any heel turn. Assuming they actually pull the trigger, which I almost can’t believe is possible.

Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are ready for more violence.

Afa tribute video.

Miz is ready to fight Bronson Reed to stand up for one of his few friends in R-Truth. He isn’t sure if he wants to do this, but he has to. That’s one of the best Miz promos ever, mainly because he sounded like a normal person for once.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed

No DQ. Miz hammers away to start and manages to drop the monster, meaning it’s time for the weapons. That’s broken up with Reed snapping the kendo stick and stepping on Miz’s head as we take a break. Back with Miz hitting a tornado DDT onto a chair but Reed is right back up. Reed’s Death Valley Driver is escaped but he’s right back with a clothesline to cut Miz off. The Death Valley Driver sends Miz through the able and the Tsunami finishes at 8:11.

Rating: C. It’s weird that a match that didn’t even break ten minutes probably went about as long as it should have. Miz was fighting for a purpose and is a crafty wrestler, but at the end of the day, he’s up against a monster here and there wasn’t much he could do about it. That’s how to make Reed a force and it worked well here.

Post match Reed loads up another Tsunami but Braun Strowman returns for the staredown. See, that’s a logical way to go as Strowman is a perfect choice to be fed to Reed here.

Ludwig Kaiser mocks Sheamus, who is ready to see Kaiser take an RKO.

Bron Breakker, who went to a highly educated university, is ready for a tournament next week to crown a new #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title. It’s not his fault that he’s a genetic freak but he’s going to spear the winner through the floor.

Damian Priest vs. Dominik Mysterio

Hold on though as here is Judgment Day to go after Priest before the bell. Priest clears the ring and it’s Rhea Ripley in behind Dominik. Priest is in as well and it’s a headbutt from Ripley into the right hand from Priest. The announcers’ table is loaded up but Liv Morgan runs in with a chair to break up Riptide. The rest of Judgment Day is up to beat on Priest and Ripley gets posted over and over. The Coup de grace and Oblivion set up Dominik’s frog splash as the villains get to stand tall. No match.

Post break, Judgment Day says that’s just a preview of what happens at Bash In Berlin. Liv Morgan promises to make Rhea Ripley her b****.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Pure Fusion Collective vs. Damage CTRL

Dawn and Fyre are defending. The brawl is on before the bell, with the referee just kind of standing around waiting for the wrestlers to calm down. Damage CTRL clears the ring to start and hit a pair of dives (with Sky being bounced onto the top into a flip, which might not have been a botch but she made it work) as we take an early break.

Back with Sane hitting a DDT, allowing her to awkwardly pause in front of Sky until Baszler can be kicked away, allowing the real tag. Sky gets to clean house, including the running knees in the corner, with Sane tagging herself back in for a double superplex to Fyre. Baszler is back in and strikes away on Sane, who drops Baszler anyway. Dawn tags herself back in though as Sane hits the Insane Elbow. That means a Backstabber into a Swanton from Dawn can retain the titles at 9:23.

Rating: C. They’re trying with Dawn and Fyre but it still feels like they’re afterthoughts despite being champions for a few months now. The titles just do not seem that important and almost nothing that has been done in their history has changed that. I like that there are a few teams going for the belts, but dang nothing is really making them feel big and that’s a long term problem.

Jey Uso says Sami Zayn is taking some time off to clear his head. If Zayn can’t be champion, Jey can be, so he’s in the tournament for the Intercontinental Title shot. Good choice.

Michael Cole announces that Pat McAfee is leaving for college football season and we look at some McAfee highlights from the year. He’ll be back in January.

Randy Orton vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Orton shoulders him down to start and hammers away, setting up a heck of a fall away slam. They head outside to load up the announcers’ table but cue Gunther for a distraction. Kaiser goes after the knee (which he attacked earlier in the night) and drops Orton onto the table as we take a break.

Back with Kaiser staying on the knee until Orton kicks him out to the floor. Now the suplex drop can send Kaiser onto the table…and then does it four more times. Back in and Kaiser blocks the hanging DDT but gets superplexed down. Now the hanging DDT can connect and, after Kaiser gets a rollup for two, the RKO finishes at 14:27.

Rating: C+. This is booking 101, as Orton shrugs off trouble and beats the lackey clean to set him up for next weekend’s title match. That’s all it needed to be and they made it work here. Orton isn’t someone who needs to be reheated for very long as the RKO is one of the most over finishers ever. Throw in Kaiser getting a bit of a boost in status in recent weeks and this helped even more.

Gunther and Orton brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was missing a little something and there is a good chance that it was due to the Democratic National Convention. It felt like they were doing a show where they knew it wouldn’t draw a lot of attention, which isn’t the worst idea. The strap match being announced was the biggest thing and that was all but guaranteed last week. Bash In Berlin is mostly set anyway and this show, while not exactly must see, was far from bad. Not a show you needed to see, but there were worse ways to spend an evening.

Results
Sheamus b. Pete Dunne – Brogue Kick
Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivy Nile went to a no contest when the Wyatt Sicks interfered
New Day/Odyssey Jones b. Final Testament – Boss Man Slam to Rezar
Bronson Reed b. Miz – Tsunami
Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre b. Pure Fusion Collective and Damage CTRL – Swanton to Baszler
Randy Orton b. Ludwig Kaiser – RKO

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

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

AND

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

Smackdown
Date: August 16, 2024
Location: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

We’re just over two weeks away from Bash In Berlin and the show’s biggest match is officially set, as Kevin Owens will challenge Cody Rhodes for the Smackdown World Title. That’s big enough, but other than that, Roman Reigns is back as well, meaning it’s time to go after the new Bloodline. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns returning and wrecking the Bloodline last week.

Tiffany Stratton and Pretty Deadly are in the ring to introduce Nia Jax for her championship celebration. Jax is carried to the ring on her throne and seems a bit overwhelmed by all of the….pink. Jax: “My style is more destruction.” She brags about her success and is proud to be YOUR Women’s Champion, so everyone can bow down to her. Including Stratton. First up though, Pretty Deadly sings an original song about how great Stratton is…and here is Michin with a kendo stick to clean house.

Naomi, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair enjoyed that and are ready to celebrate, but here is Carmelo Hayes to say they’ll be celebrating when he beats Andrade.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Andrade chases him to the floor to start but Hayes catches him on the way back in. A hard springboard clothesline drops Andrade again but he comes back with a dropkick. With Hayes knocked to the floor, Andrade drops him again with the middle rope moonsault (and it connects rather well). Back up and Hayes manages to knock him off the ropes and onto the apron for a crash as we take a break.

We come back with both of them going to the top for Andrade’s super Spanish Fly and a near fall. Hayes’ superkick is shrugged off and they trade suplexes to give Hayes two. Nothing But Net misses and they trade rollups for two each. Andrade’s spinning elbow gets two and the fans deem this awesome. The Message is loaded up but Hayes reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: B. This is what Hayes has been needing as he hasn’t won an important match in a good while. The fact that the two of them have chemistry together makes it even better, as they had a heck of a match. I’m not sure if this is going to be enough to move Hayes that far forward, but at least he is getting a clean win to boost him up a bit.

Post match Hayes gets a little too braggadocios and the brawl is on again, with referees breaking it up.

Tama Tonga presents Solo Sikoa with the lei, but Sikoa says if Roman Reigns takes it back, Sikoa will have to acknowledge him.

Giovanni Vinci is coming.

Naomi vs. Blair Davenport

They slug it out to start with Davenport managing to drop her. Back up and Naomi knocks her out to the floor, setting up a dive off the apron. A high crossbody gets two on Davenport back inside and we take a break. Back with Naomi grabbing a headscissors and stating the comeback, setting up the splits splash for two. A kick to the face sends Davenport into the corner but she’s fine enough to block the split legged moonsault. Davenport’s knee to the head finishes at 6:50.

Rating: C. I’m still not getting the appeal of Davenport. She’s fine enough with the stuff in the ring but she’s not someone who gets my attention. I can go with trying someone else though as you always need fresh blood, but this hasn’t been off to a great start. On a sidenote, yes Naomi lost in her hometown, though this didn’t feel like the old school humiliation losses. That’s nice to see, as it came off more as a run of the mill loss which happened to take place in a certain place.

A-Town Down Under argue about Kevin Owens, who pops up behind them to say they’re right: he does get everything handed to him. Owens is willing to take Grayson Waller out there right now and beat him up to prove a point.

Tribute to Afa, with a bunch of legends talking about the Wild Samoans.

Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Owens dropkicks him into the corner at the bell and hits a backsplash as the fans rather approve. They go outside with Owens hitting a running clothesline but Theory’s distraction lets Waller hit his own clothesline. For some reason Waller sits on the other side of the barricade, with Owens popping up behind him to drag him back.

A cheap shot puts Owens down though and Waller’s middle rope elbow gets two. Owens knocks him off the top and hits the Swanton for two but Waller’s neck snap across the top is good for a breather. The rolling Stunner takes too long though and Owens hits the Stunner for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C. This was little more than a workout for Owens before his big title match in a few weeks and that’s all it needed to be. Owens could use the boost, as he hasn’t picked up many big wins lately, which granted is kind of the point of the title match. Waller losing isn’t going to hut him, especially to a star as big as Owens.

Post match Owens jumps Waller again but Theory makes the save and the villains grab chairs. Cody Rhodes runs in for the save and house is quickly cleaned. Owens is behind Rhodes with the chair but picks up the title instead. The fans don’t like that, but Owens hands it back to Rhodes as the fans sing the champ’s song.

Solo Sikoa wants Roman Reigns to acknowledge him.

Legado del Fantasma is at dinner and Santos Escobar thinks the team has gotten complacent. He won’t have the team name diminished and next week, he’ll be the US Champ.

Here is LA Knight to say that looked like a fun dinner. Santos Escobar might have forgotten who he is but next week the BFT is going to make him forget where he is. Escobar thinks Knight is trash, but the trash is going to put him on his a**.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven thank Michin for breaking up the celebration earlier. Michin is happy because she is getting a title shot. Then Jax jumps her.

Street Profits vs. DIY

For a title shot against the Bloodline. Ford and Gargano lock up to start with Ford flipping out of a wristlock. They both miss kicks to the face and it’s an early standoff. Dawkins and Ciampa come in, with the former hitting a jumping elbow to the face. A double flapjack sends Ciampa outside, where Dawkins runs him over again and we take a break.

Back with Gargano making the comeback and getting a quick two on Ford. DIY is sent into each other but Ciampa comes back in to clean house anyway. A running knee gives Ciampa two but Dawkins powers out of One Final Beat. Everything breaks down again and Gargano and Ford hit slingshot dives to the floor. Back in and they trade superkicks for a double knockdown and we take another break.

Back again with Ford’s 450 hitting Ciampa’s raised knees and a Shatter Machine gets two on Ford. The Revelation gets two on Ciampa with Gargano making a save of his own. Ford gets sends outside and it’s a superkick into the Fairy Tale Ending for a rather near fall on Dawkins. Gargano dives onto Ford but the slingshot spear is countered into the swinging butterfly suplex. The Doomsday Blockbuster hits Gargano and Dawkins cuts off Ciampa, leaving Ford to get the pin at 15:17.

Rating: B. This was an all action match and it would have been even better if about half of it wasn’t missing due to commercials. DIY can still bring it when they get the chance and the Profits got their first big win without Bobby Lashley in a little while. Awesome main event here, with a fresh title match being set up.

Here is Solo Sikoa with Tama Tonga (no Tonga Loa) to order Roman Reigns to acknowledge him. The fans won’t acknowledge him either but if Reigns wants to be the Tribal Chief again, come make it happen. This brings out Reigns, with Sikoa handing the lei off to Tama and telling him to leave. The brawl is on but Tama comes back in to start the double teaming. Reigns shrugs that off and cleans house, including the spear to Sikoa. Reigns gets the lei back…and Jacob Fatu is back to jump him.

The running Umaga Attack hits in the corner (leaving Reigns’ eyes bugging out in a funny visual) and Reigns is powerbombed through the announcers’ table. Tama puts the lei around Sikoa’s neck and the Bloodline poses over Reigns to end the show. This was needed as there was little reason to believe that Sikoa and the Tongas were going to be a long term problem for Reigns. Fatu is a different kind of beast and could give Reigns a real problem.

Overall Rating: B. You had a pair of good to awesome matches and a big angle in the end to make the show work rather well. Reigns being back is still the biggest story on the show but at least Rhodes vs. Owens got a bit of a boost of its own. This show continues to feel about a few big things mixed with a few more minor things, but it’s a formula that works well, especially when you have two matches that were quite the successes.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Andrade – Rollup
Blair Davenport b. Naomi – Knee to the face
Kevin Owens b. Grayson Waller – Stunner
Street Profits b. DIY – Doomsday Blockbuster to Gargano

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

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

AND

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 12, 2024
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are less than three weeks away from Bash In Berlin and the main event seems to have been set as Gunther will be defending the Raw World Title against Randy Orton. Other than that, there is a good chance we are on the way to a mixed tag between Damian Priest/Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan. Odds are we see more of both of those feuds this -week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Judgment Day splitting, with Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest seemingly being ready to destroy the new version of the team.

Here is Ripley to get things going. She has gone through every feeling imaginable since Summerslam but now she is just mad. Dominik stabbed her in the back, but in something he’s probably heard before, it just wasn’t deep enough (McAfee: “GEEZ!”). As for Liv, she’s run away with the title but you can’t run far enough. Dominik and Liv pop up in the crowd, with Liv saying Dominik has something to get off his chest.

Dominik talks about how he is a man and deserves to be treated like one. Now he has a woman who calls him daddy and lets him eat tendies and play video games whenever he wants, but she also finally helped him beat his dad. Ripley says she’s proud of Dominik because seeing him grow up is one of her greatest accomplishments. She wanted to see Dominik beat Rey Mysterio on his own but now he’s made the wrong decision. It’s just the last decision he’s ever going to make. Liv says Dominik is all his and she took Rhea’s family away, along with her title. Ripley: “Are you done?”

Ripley says Liv made the mistake of leaving her standing and it’s a good thing Liv loves to talk so much, because now we know where she is. Damian Priest pops up behind them and brawls with Dominik into the concourse. Ripley charges after them and goes after Liv, with the guys going down to ringside. Cue Carlito (with one shoe on) for the save, allowing Dominik to escape. This was laying everything out and odds are the mixed tag is coming.

Damian Priest vs. Carlito

Carlito is still in one shoe and this was scheduled for later tonight. Priest faceplants him to start but it’s too early for the Razor’s Edge. A DDT gives Carlito two and a suplex puts Priest down again as we take a break. Back with Carlito hitting a swinging neckbreaker for two but Priest snaps off a spinwheel kick. The Broken Arrow sends Carlito flying and South Of Heaven finishes him off at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Carlito got in some shots here but Priest gets the win that he should be getting on the way to whatever is waiting on him in Berlin. Priest has become one of the biggest stars on the show and having him march through Judgment Day to get to Finn Balor is a fine way to go. Carlito might not be a huge star but he’s good enough to make Priest look like ore of a star on the way there.

Post match Judgment Day runs in for the beatdown but Rhea Ripley makes the save and takes out JD McDonagh. For some reason Dominik Mysterio comes after Ripley but Liv Morgan has to save him from Riptide.

Ivy Nile tells Maxxine Dupri to be careful tonight and maybe not be at ringside. Dupri is going to be there with her friends.

Bo Dallas talks about how everything came full circle last week when the Wyatt Sicks had their in-ring debut where the Wyatt Family made their debut eleven years ago. Bray Wyatt was there and now something big is going to happen. Dallas keeps saying “my life for you”.

Kofi Kingston is fired up for Odyssey Jones’ debut but Xavier Woods isn’t quite as enthusiastic.

Odyssey Jones vs. Vincent Winey

Jones throws him around to start, shrugs off some forearms, and grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 1:35.

Post match the Final Testament comes out and Karrion Kross says that while the obvious suggestion would be Odyssey Jones is replacing Big E., but the reality is Kofi Kingston is using Jones to replace Xavier Woods. That has Woods issuing the challenge for a tag match but Kofi says we should make it a six man (Woods again doesn’t look sure) and it seems to be on.

Drew McIntyre comes in to see Adam Pearce and asks why Randy Orton is getting the World Title shot. Don’t worry though because McIntyre will take care of things and stay on his best behavior.

Chad Gable is still in Paris and says he’s not done with the Wyatt Sicks.

Alpha Academy vs. Creed Brothers

Texas Tornado rules with Maxxine Dupri here with the Academy. The Creeds start fast and take Tozawa to the floor, leaving Otis to be whipped hard into the corner. Otis shoves his way out of said corner and Tozawa hits a big dive off the top. Tozawa gets launched over the top onto the Creeds and we take a break. Back with Tozawa being powerbombed into the barricade for two as Otis is still down on the floor. Tozawa’s double DDT puts the Creeds down as Otis is back up.

The Caterpillar hits Brutus for two as Cole calls Otis a “heavy machinery” type competitor. Julius knees Otis down and Brutus hits a standing moonsault into Julius’ shooting star for two. A superbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Tozawa’s suicide dive….gets caught in the ropes and barely makes any contact whatsoever. Julius electric chairs Otis, who superplexes Brutus, allowing Tozawa to hit a top rope backsplash for the big knockdown. Cue Ivy Nile to jump Dupri, with the distraction letting the Creeds roll Tozawa up for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B. This was a lot better than I was expecting and allowed Tozawa to showcase himself in the ring a lot more than usual. That’s a good thing to see as the team has long since been the Otis/Chad Gable show and Tozawa adds a different side to the whole thing. The ending is good as well, as there was little reason to keep Dupri and Nile on the same page given everything else that was going on.

Earlier today, Pete Dunne was in the mostly empty arena and says Sheamus was under his wing, not the other way around. Sheamus went on a great run with Dunne in his corner, while Dunne just had a stupid name. So what happened to the Brawling Brutes while Sheamus became a bigger star? Dunne never wants to hear the name “Butch” again because he is an eighteen year veteran and the Bruiserweight.

We look at Bronson Reed wrecking Seth Rollins last week, complete with breakdowns of the physics involved.

Reed tells Adam Pearce to give him an opponent tonight or he’ll find a new victim.

Damage CTRL is ready to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Sonya Deville and company seems to imply that their collection name is the “Pure Fusion Collective” and they want the titles as well. If that’s their name….my goodness just release them already.

Candice Michelle is here.

Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective

For a future shot at Alba Fyre/Isla Dawn (at ringside). Sky strikes away at Baszler to start and a double dropkick puts her down again. Sane adds her sliding clothesline in the corner but Baszler is back with a backbreaker for a breather. Stark comes in and the champs aren’t impressed as we take a break. Back with Sky coming in to clean house, including the running knees to Stark in the corner. A butterfly backbreaker looks to set up Over The Moonsault but Sonya Deville offers a distraction. Sky accidentally superkicks Dawn, which is enough to draw Dawn in for the DQ (by hitting Sky) at 9:22.

Rating: C+. The action was good, but there were two things here. First and foremost is the name, which even commentary was mocking because not only is it a really dumb name that no one would give themselves, but it’s hard to remember because NO ONE TALKS LIKE THIS. Second is the ending, which is going to be a no contest to set up a triple threat, even though that’s just not what happened but they’ll do it anyway because having Dawn and Fyre jump one member of each team at the same time was too much to ask.

Post match the champs lay out both teams. Cole makes it clear that we have no #1 contenders, which is nonsense as Dawn only hit Sky, meaning it should be a DQ with Damage CTRL winning, but for some reason that’s not what we’re getting.

Miz is upset when R-Truth comes in. R-Truth asks about various bad things that have been happening to Miz as of late, but he’s gotten Miz an Intercontinental Title match with Bron tonight. Miz: “Doesn’t he have a match with Sami Zayn?” Truth points him to the graphic….and it’s Miz against Bronson Reed. Truth: “Isn’t that the guy who killed Seth Rollins last week?” Randy Orton comes in and asks if Reed is the guy who killed Seth Rollins last week. Orton fires Miz up….but realizes he has no chance.

Randy Orton threw out the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals game.

Here is Orton for a chat. He talks about winning the World Title for the first time twenty two years ago and promises to win it for the fifteenth time at Bash In Berlin…and cue Gunther to interrupt. Orton says he’s coming to win the title but Gunther says Orton wastes his potential. There isn’t room for that kind of person in Gunther’s era, but Orton says he has owned up to his mistakes over the years.

Orton is a legend with five kids and a hot wife at home before he becomes a fifteen time World Champion, so he has done pretty good for himself. Gunther calls Orton predictable and says all three generations of his family have been screwups. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt….and the distraction lets Orton hit the RKO. Cue CM Punk to jump McIntyre, even beating him with his own belt, sending McIntyre running. A strap match between those two has potential.

Sheamus is interested in mysteries but the biggest of them all is how Pete Dunne’s failures are his fault. Ludwig Kaiser comes in to say it’s not over between them…and here is Dunne to jump Sheamus with a shillelagh, including a shot to his exposed hand.

CM Punk, who was said to not have been here due to travel issues, says he was lying to lure Drew McIntyre in. Punk can keep the bracelet but keep his wife and dog’s name out of McIntyre’s mouth. Punk mentions being attached to McIntyre and says the belt he’s holding gives him an idea.

Mark Henry and his son are here.

Miz vs. Bronson Reed

R-Truth is here with Miz. Reed charges into a boot to start but runs him over without much trouble. Miz is sent outside and dropped with a running shoulder off the apron as we take a break. Back with Miz fighting back and managing a tornado DDT for one. Reed isn’t having that and hits a Death Valley Driver, setting up the Tsunami for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here due to the break that Reed shouldn’t be in long matches right now anyway. The point is to get Reed over as a monster and having him make short work of an established name is going to do just that. At the same time, Miz and R-Truth’s issues intensify as R-Truth got him into this mess in the first place. Not a particularly good match, but rather nice storytelling.

Post match Reed tries another Tsunami but R-Truth gets in his way, earning himself a high crossbody. Reed hits a pair of Tsunamis on R-Truth (Cole: “TRUTH IS A D*** NATIONAL TREASURE!”) and then adds two more until Adam Pearce and security cut Reed off. That just causes Reed to go to another corner to hit a fifth Tsunami, even with Pearce yelling at him. Then Reed goes back to hit a sixth Tsunami.

Jey Uso fires Sami Zayn up before his Intercontinental Title match. Then they’re getting the Tag Team Titles.

Rhea Ripley/Damian Priest vs. Liv Morgan/Dominik Mysterio is set for Bash In Berlin. Makes sense.

Video on the new Judgment Day.

Bron Breakker says he’s going to do bada** things.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn

Breakker is defending and this is 2/3 falls. Zayn starts fast and knocks him outside, setting up the big running flip dive as we take an early break. Back with Breakker hitting his Rick Steiner style powerslam for two but Zayn walks the corner for a tornado DDT. Breakker hits some running corner clotheslines but Zayn is right back with the Helluva Kick for the first fall at 6:55.

They had outside with Breakker catching a moonsaulting Zayn and powerslamming him over the barricade. We take a break and come back with Breakker running the corner for a super Frankensteiner, setting up the gorilla press powerslam. A pair of spears gives Breakker the second fall at 12:34 total.

Breakker goes with a rather lackadaisical cover and gets rolled up for two, meaning it’s time to send Zayn outside again. Zayn gets sat on the announcers’ table for a huge clothesline from the apron for a nine count. Back in and Zayn manages a sunset bomb for two but has to avoid a spear. Breakker hits a jumping knee but Zayn hits a running boot for two. Zayn goes up again, only to dive into a spear to give Breakker the win at 17:33 overall.

Rating: B+. This was a hard hitting match but it was also a heck of a story with Zayn trying to outsmart Breakker and having to take chances. The big chance at the end is what cost him the match as Breakker was too strong and powerful for the underdog style to overcome. That’s what they’ve been doing for their matches so far and the idea of Breakker getting smarter is a scary proposition. Awesome match here.

Overall Rating: B. The more I watch Raw, and almost any other WWE programming at the moment, the more of a flow they seem to be in. This show had the same vibe as a classic NXT, where not only did they have stuff they needed to do but they made it feel important. It would have been the Creeds vs. the Alpha Academy or the #1 contenders match for the Women’s Tag Team Titles or the main event, but the show made it feel like it mattered. That is such a huge boost for any show and it was on full display here. Rather good show and the three hours flew by.

Sidenote: the graphics that WWE has been putting up during its shows are outstanding features. Stuff like “here’s a recap of what you’ve missed tonight” and “these are your announcers” and “these are the people involved with their names and faces in case you’re not familiar.” It’s so simple and helps catch new fans up really fast while not being a distraction. I love that kind of stuff and it makes the show feel so much more polished and fan friendly.

Results
Damian Priest b. Carlito – South Of Heaven
Odyssey Jones b. Vincent Winey – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Creed Brothers b. Alpha Academy – Rollup to Tozawa
Damage CTRL vs. Pure Fusion Collective went to a no contest when Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn interfered
Bronson Reed b. Miz – Tsunami
Bron Breakker b. Sami Zayn 2-1

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

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

Smackdown
Date: August 9, 2024
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Summerslam and that means we are in for the Smackdown return of Roman Reigns, who showed up at the end of the show and took out Solo Sikoa. That should be the start of the Bloodline Civil War and there is a good chance it will be the top story around here for a long time. Other than that, Bash In Berlin is just over three weeks away and we’re going to need a card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Summerslam main event, with Cody Rhodes defeating Solo Sikoa with an assist from the returning Roman Reigns. That was an amazing reaction when Reigns showed up because you knew it was a huge deal.

Here is Rhodes to get things going. He gets straight to the point by saying he doesn’t want to dwell on the past because it’s all about the future. Rhodes has been thinking about who he wants to defend the title against at Bash In Berlin…and here is the Bloodline to interrupt (minus Jacob Fatu and with Tonga Loa’s eye patch on the opposite eye than last week for some reason). Sikoa blames Roman Reigns for the loss at Summerslam and wants another shot at the title.

Rhodes says Sikoa couldn’t get the job done and got Jacob Fatu hurt on top of that, so no chance is he getting another shot. Cue Kevin Owens with a pair of chairs to send the Bloodline running. Owens goes to leave but Rhodes wants to talk to him. Rhodes was going to give Owens the title shot, but Owens says he doesn’t have the win/loss record to warrant that shot. That doesn’t work for Rhodes, who is going to talk to Nick Aldis about the match because Owens deserves it. That’s fine enough for a one off World Title match.

The Street Profits want the Tag Team Titles back. And the smoke.

A-Town Down Under vs. Street Profits

This is a qualifying match for some kind of a #1 contenders match and B-Fab is here with the Profits. Dawkins gets jumped in the wrong corner to start and Waller sends Ford into the barricade on the floor. Back up and Dawkins unloads on Theory in the corner, only to get sent outside as well. Theory goes to yell at B-Fab and gets dropped by a flipping Ford dive as we take a break.

We come back with Theory hitting his rolling dropkick and not seeming pleased by Waller tagging himself in. That’s broken up and the diving tag brings in Ford to pick the pace way up. A flapjack gets two on Waller, who avoids a frog splash and clotheslines Ford into the corner. Ford superkicks Waller on the floor, setting up Dawkins’ Pounce over the barricade. Back in and the Doomsday Blockbuster finishes Theory at 7:13.

Rating: C+. It was a completely acceptable match and that’s all it needed to be, as the Profits could make for a good set of first victims for the Bloodline’s title reign. The Profits haven’t been doing as much lately but with Bobby Lashley gone, they might be able to get back to what made them work in the first place. The division still needs some fresh blood though, as it still feels like the same teams are always around.

Nick Aldis is with Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes, with Owens still not wanting the title shot. Aldis is going to talk to Roman Reigns about the title match, which doesn’t sit well with Owens. He goes on a rant about how Reigns doesn’t deserve it, which is enough for Aldis to give Owens the title shot.

We look at Nia Jax beating Bayley to win the Smackdown Women’s Title.

Tiffany Stratton is planning Jax’s championship celebration. Pretty Deadly comes in to ask if she can plan the celebration for when they win the Tag Team Titles. Stratton doesn’t have time for this but here are Chelsea Green and Piper Niven to interrupt her. Green doesn’t like Stratton’s outfit but Stratton says Green must have a ladder to fall off of. Outfit insults ensue.

We look at Blair Davenport costing Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill the Women’s Tag Team Titles last week.

Jade Cargill vs. Alba Fyre

Bianca Belair and Isla Dawn are here too. Fyre can’t get very far with a waistlock to start and a sunset flip attempt is easily blocked as well. A springboard tornado DDT works a bit better and Fyre grabs a Black Widow of all things. Cargill muscles her way out and Jaded finises Fyre at 2:02.

Post match Blair Davenport comes in for the 3-2 beatdown but Naomi makes the save.

We look back at LA Knight winning the US Title at Summerslam.

Here is Knight, with new music, for a chat. The fans are rather pleased to see him and Knight seems rather pleased with their pleasure. Knight has been asked if it felt sweet to beat Logan Paul in his hometown, which gives him a YOU DESERVE IT chant. Beating Paul in his hometown didn’t matter, but you can call him champ, YEAH. He can’t stop being the US Champion but here is Santos Escobar, with Legado del Fantasma, to cut him off.

Fans: “YOU SUCK!” Escobar: “No you suck. And you suck sir.” Escobar doesn’t buy him as a champion and it is just an opening act to Escobar’s reign with that title. Knight says he didn’t hear a word of that because everyone in Tulsa was telling Escobar that he sucks. Escobar getting a shot is fine, but he has to win this (scheduled) #1 contenders match first.

Giovanni Vinci is coming to Smackdown and looks to be the version he was back on NXT (living the rich life etc).

Santos Escobar vs. Andrade

For a future US Title shot and Legado del Fantasma is here with Escobar. We’re joined in progress with Andrade flipping over him and hitting a clothesline. Legado gets in a cheap shot though, allowing Escobar to nail a jumping knee for two. Cue Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin to cut Legado off though, with Escobar taking Andrade outside and sending him into the post. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker sets up an armbar on Andrade. They go up top and fight over a superplex until Andrade settles for a sunset bomb to send us to a break.

Back with Andrade hitting a running forearm to put Escobar down. A moonsault to the floor takes Escobar down again and a high crossbody gives Andrade two. Three Amigos give Andrade two more and they go up top for a slugout. Escobar’s super poisonrana gets two but Escobar knocks him down and hits the double moonsault for the same. Cue Carmelo Hayes for a distraction, though Andrade hits the spinning elbow for two anyway. Back up and Hayes pulls Escobar out of the corner to avoid the double knees, allowing Escobar to roll him up with tights for the pin at 11:48.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this and they did a nice job by having the first false finish with Hayes getting involved. Escobar getting the title shot makes sense as he has a history with Knight, but it’s nice to see him having to win a match instead of just having it handed to him. That being said, Andrade had been getting some momentum in recent weeks and the loss here kills a good bit of that off.

We look at the Bloodline beating DIY to win the Tag Team Titles.

DIY is ready to become #1 contenders to get their titles back.

Tribute video to Kevin Sullivan.

A-Town Down Under yell at Nick Aldis and get Waller a match against Kevin Owens next week.

DIY vs. Pretty Deadly

#1 contenders qualifying match. Wilson takes Gargano into the corner to start and it’s already time for a standoff. DIY sends them outside but the dives are cut off. The posing is broken up though and we take an early break. Back with Gargano avoiding a charge in the corner, allowing the tag off to Ciampa. A double powerbomb gets two on Prince but the Shatter Machine is broken up as everything breaks down. Wilson elbows Ciampa in the face but Gargano’s slingshot spear cuts off Spilled Milk. The Shatter Machine into Meet In The Middle finishes Prince at 7:10.

Rating: C+. Again there is only so much that can be done when you have a break in the middle of a seven minute match, but at least the right team won. DIY should still be in the title picture as the former champions, though I’m not sure I see the need for them to get another title shot after the beating they took. At the same time, DIY could use a win of any kind sooner than later. If nothing else, the musical needs the attention.

Solo Sikoa is told someone isn’t here.

Here is the Bloodline for a chat. Solo Sikoa requests acknowledgments and reminds us that he is the Tribal Chief now. If Roman Reigns wants the leis back, come get them. Cue Reigns, who wastes no time in taking out Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. Reigns gets in the ring for the showdown with Sikoa and the brawl is on with the Superman Punch dropping Sikoa. Reigns retrieves the leis but the Tongans jump him, only to have Reigns fight back. Sikoa gets away with the leis before Reigns spears Tama through the barricade and chairs Loa down to end the show.

Reigns being around makes anything feel important but this beatdown showed that Jacob Fatu is really necessary. With Reigns running through the Tonga’s in short order, Sikoa is going to need his big monster to give Reigns a real problem on the way to the showdown with Reigns.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a weird spot as it had to deal with the fallout from Summerslam while also starting the build towards Bash In Berlin in the span of two hours. The wrestling was mostly in the middle, but they set some things up for the future and gave us a big moment at the end. It really isn’t a show you need to see, but it did what it needed to do.

Results
Street Profits b. A-Town Down Under – Doomsday Blockbuster to Theory
Jade Cargill b. Alba Fyre – Jaded
Santos Escobar b. Andrade – Rollup with tights
DIY b. Pretty Deadly – Meet In The Middle to Prince

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 5, 2024
Location: CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We’re done with Summerslam and quite a few things have happened. First and foremost, Gunther is the new World Heavyweight Champion, having defeated Damian Priest to win the title. The match saw Finn Balor turn on Priest, continuing a rather bad night for Judgment Day. Earlier in the night, Dominik Mysterio left Rhea Ripley for Liv Morgan, which means punishment is likely. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a Summerslam recap.

Here is Ludwig Kaiser to introduce Gunther as the new World Heavyweight Champion (and rocking a suit). Gunther lists off his resume and says this title and company have deserved more for a long time. He is above everyone in this ring and nothing can catch him off guard because he is greatness personified. From this day forward, Raw and the greatness of this legacy belong to him….and here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Gunther: “That caught me off guard.”

Orton thinks the title looks good on Gunther’s shoulder but Orton is the reason he has that title. Did Gunther really beat him at King Of The Ring? The referee’s decision is final but there needs to be a part two. Orton is here to call that match in. Gunther considers himself a living legend but Orton has made a career out of killing legends. Gunther talks about how the voices in Orton’s head are wrong, but he accepts. The mic is dropped and Gunther says nothing, including the RKO, catches him off guard. Orton says he wants Gunther to see it coming. That’s a fine way to go for a first title defense for Gunther.

Sheamus is ready to face Ludwig Kaiser, who is the latest young guy coming after him. Bring them all on, including Pete Dunne.

Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser

They go straight to the brawl on the floor before the bell before Kaiser slaps him in the face in the corner. The exchange of chops goes to Sheamus but Kaiser goes to the knee to take him down. The Regal Roll, to Kaiser’s bad ribs, sends Kaiser outside and we pause for a breather, which is a ruse to send Sheamus ribs first into the steps. A running dropkick sends Sheamus into the steps again but he manages to beat the count back in.

Sheamus’ knee is tied up in the ropes so Kaiser can crank away before stopping to pose. For some reason Kaiser thinks it’s a good idea to do the ten forearms, which just makes Sheamus knock him backwards. More chops just wake Sheamus up and they slug it out until Sheamus hits some running ax handles.

The Irish Curse sets up White Noise for two and we hit the cloverleaf, sending Kaiser over to the ropes. The ten forearms are broken up with a clothesline and they’re both down. Sheamus wins a slugout though and NOW the ten forearms can knock Kaiser silly. Cue Pete Dunne for a distraction but Sheamus knees him out of the way. The distraction lets Kaiser hit a jumping enziguri for two, only for Sheamus to come back with a Brogue Kick for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B-. You can tell how good a Sheamus match is going to be based on how low down his hair is pushed by all of the sweat. They were having a good one here with Kaiser being able to hang in there against a bigger name in Sheamus. I liked them avoiding the cliched distraction into the ending, with Sheamus getting a win to boost him back up a bit.

We look at the original Wyatt Family debuting in this building eleven years ago. The path of distraction ensued and now, in the same building, the Wyatt Sicks are having their in-ring debut.

Another look at Summerslam.

Here is Damian Priest, who wastes no time in calling out Finn Balor for a beating. He has been on his own for most of his life and the Judgment Day was his family. Now these people are his family and losing made him feel like he disappointed them. Balor pops up on screen, saying that Priest betrayed the team. There wasn’t supposed to be a leader but then Priest won the title.

A year ago, Balor lost at Summerslam and Priest told him to man up. Balor did that at Summerslam and now he isn’t going to fight a loser from the streets. He’ll wait until Priest has almost forgotten about him and then Balor will pop up and stab him in the back again and again. The camera pulls back to reveal JD McDonagh, Carlito and Dominik Mysterio/Liv Morgan. Priest storms up the aisle to go stable hunting.

We look at Pat McAfee and Michael Cole failing at the HHH water spit at the Judgment Day press event.

Bronson Reed comes in to see Adam Pearce, saying he should have a match tonight because he beat Sheamus last week. He’ll figure it out himself.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Shayna Baszler

Sonya Deville and Zoey Stark are here with Baszler. Valkyria gets her arm cranked to start as Cole talks about Baszler’s love of…cooking soup? Baszler lifts her up by the arm but Valkyria fights back with a gutwrench powerbomb. Deville gets knocked off the apron and the Nightwing connects, only for Stark to come in for the DQ at 2:38.

Post match the beatdown is on but Damage CTRL runs in to clear the villains out.

The Final Testament is ready to end the New Day tonight and it’s all Xavier Woods’ fault for not taking the team up on their offers.

Ivy Nile talks to the Creed Brothers but Maxxine Dupri interrupts them, saying the Creeds attacked Otis and Akira Tozawa. Nile tries to calm things down, but Chad Gable comes in to make Nile leave.

Here is an upset looking CM Punk for a chat. Punk congratulates his friend on winning the UFC Welterweight Title and yes he lost on Saturday, but he is still happy. He hasn’t been here in ten years but ten thousand people are still cheering for him. Summerslam was not a guarantee and neither was tonight but people don’t like him because he won’t stay down. He was told he would be out of action for nine months and he’s back in five.

His road to Wrestlemania started on Summerslam and it’s still summer, so these people deserve to see him fighting. Punk calls out Drew McIntyre but gets Seth Rollins instead. Rollins says they’re both in a good mood because it is finally time for him to put Punk in the dirt. The fight is almost on but cue McIntyre in the crowd. What is with all of the negativity around here? McIntyre is going to talk about Punk’s favorite topic: CM Punk! McIntyre is the new best in the world and he still has the bracelet, which sends Punk chasing McIntyre through the crowd.

Cue Bronson Reed to jump Rollins and take him out in a twist I didn’t see coming. The Tsunami crushes Rollins and Reed does it again for a bonus. Referees come out to break it up but Reed hits a third, fourth, fifth and even sixth Tsunami as Cole is going ballistic on commentary. Rollins is spitting up blood as Reed goes up AGAIN, only for the personnel to get Rollins out. Reed went so far with that that it got awesome as I wanted to see just how far it would go. Why not see what Reed can do in a spot like this?

Post break Punk asks Adam Pearce about McIntyre but Pearce says he saw McIntyre leave the building.

Authors Of Pain vs. New Day

New Day is dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles due to a newly released line of action figures. Kingston can’t do much with Akam to start so he superkicks Rezar, only to walk into a spinebuster. We take a break and come back with Woods getting the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and Karrion Kross interferes, but Odyssey Jones of all people comes out to wreck Kross and send him over the barricade. Woods small packages Rezar for the pin at 6:56.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t exactly the point here as they only had a few minutes around the break (which was completely needed in a match that didn’t break seven minutes) but Jones of all people being back for the save is interesting. He hasn’t wrestled on TV in well over a year due to injuries/creative having nothing for him so I was rather shocked to see him. Nice job, and having a powerhouse around is always a good thing.

Post match the Authors beat on Woods but Jones side slams BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME before dropping Kross again. Kingston is pleased, though Woods isn’t as sure (he does shake Jones’ hand though).

JD McDonagh swears revenge on Damian Priest.

Kofi Kingston thanks Odyssey Jones again and Jones is grateful to be on the team. Xavier Woods still isn’t sure what is going on but apparently Kingston and Jones became friends at the Performance Center and Kingston said New Day needed some help. Woods doesn’t seem completely pleased (to be fair, Kingston just bringing someone in is VERY un-New Day) but the Alpha Academy comes in for dancing anyway, with Woods participating.

A-Town Down Under vs. Awesome Truth

R-Truth takes both of them down to start and it’s a double dropkick (both moves are Rock N Roll Express moves in a call back to Summerslam) to send the villains outside as we take a break. Back with Waller and Theory missing their own double dropkick, allowing the tag back to Miz. House is cleaned, including the alternating YES Kicks. Miz dives onto Theory and hits the basement DDT for two. Truth tags himself in and tries the AA, only swing Waller into Miz by mistake. A Town Down finishes Truth at 7:28.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see as you could tell but the ending does at least set the stage for Awesome Truth’s split. The team doesn’t have much going for it right now anyway so splitting them up and letting them do their own things again isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, A-Town Down Under needed a win if they’ll be staying together much longer.

Damian Priest says he never wanted JD McDonagh in Judgment Day, because no one but Finn Balor did. Tonight, pain is coming.

Bron Breakker says his name is on the Intercontinental Title and no one can take it from him.

Damian Priest vs. JD McDonagh

Carlito is here with McDonagh, who strikes away to start but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. A faceplant drops McDonagh again but a distraction lets him stomp Priest down in the corner. Priest kicks McDonagh outside and but gets distracted again, allowing McDonagh to get in a posting. McDonagh’s suicide dive connects and we take a break. We come back with McDonagh headbutting him down, setting up a moonsault for two. Priest fights up and strikes away including dropping Carlito…but Finn Balor runs in for the DQ at 9:19.

Rating: C+. This one could have gone either way, as I could have gone for Priest smashing McDonagh here, but having Balor come in for another cheap shot is a good way to go. It feels like we’re in a long form story here before Priest finally gets his hands on Balor and that could be interesting if done right. Priest needs to be a smashing machine in there, but it’s ok to wait a bit before it happens.

Post match the beatdown is on but Priest fights up and is left alone with Balor. Cue Rhea Ripley to chase Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan, with the latter getting caught and posted hard. Dominik saves Morgan from a Razor’s Edge through the table, leaving Ripley to headbutt McDonagh into South Of Heaven. Hot segment here, with Ripley and Priest looking like the coolest pair in a good while.

We look back at Roman Reigns returning at Summerslam.

Sonya Deville and company jump Damage CTRL and take out Dakota Kai’s knee. Please tell me she’s not hurt again.

Post break Deville and company are here to mock Dakota Kai for not being able to wrestle but we have a replacement.

Iyo Sky vs. Sonya Deville

Both of their associates are on the floor. Deville starts fast and misses a basement clothesline as McAfee confuses Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. The fight heads to the floor, where Sky is sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Sky fighting out of trouble and getting two off a rollup. A dragon screw legwhip takes Deville down and a missile dropkick gets two. Deville runs her over for two more but Sane is back up as well. Damage CTRL hit big dives off the same corner, setting up Over The Moonsault to finish Deville at 7:12.

Rating: B-. Sky got to showcase herself here, which isn’t surprising as she is still one of the most talented stars in WWE. It was good for her to get a win to slow down Deville and company’s momentum, but the lack of Kai worries me. She hasn’t been back long after her knee injury and that felt like a way to write her off.

Ilja Dragunov congratulates Sami Zayn on being a great champion. Zayn says Dragunov will be a great champion one day but here is Jey Uso to give Zayn a pep talk. The rematch for the title is next week and then they can win the Tag Team Titles.

We get another Wyatt Sicks video, this time on Joe Gacy, who thinks he is Huskus The Pig Boy. He’s a bit out there.

Chad Gable/Creed Brothers vs. Wyatt Sicks

The lights go out and the rocking chair, with the lantern, is in the ring. The Wyatts come out for the brawl and the fans approve, even as Lumis takes over on Julius to start. It’s oft to Gacy to clean house, including a belly to back neckbreaker on Julius. A pull of the Gacy’s hair brings Rowan in to clean house and we take a break.

Back with Gable hitting a top rope moonsault for two. Julius fights up and hands it off to Rowan to clean house. Rowan’s swinging slam puts Gable down for two as the Creeds make the save. Lumis dives off the post onto them and, the Creeds get sent over the announcers’ table. A claw slam plants Gable and it’s a frog splash to give Lumis the pin at 12:19.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match and the fans were into the Wyatts, but I’m not sure I can see what they’re going to be doing. They’re the kind of team who needs time to set up a match or a feud and that is going to require some explaining most of the time. I like the idea of the team, but I’m not sure how well it is going to work long term.

All of the Wyatts pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that was more about the drama and setting things up for later rather than what was happening here. As a result, we got another good show that has me wanting to see where they’re going for the pay per view a the end of the month. The Judgment Day stuff is hot right now and the women’s team feud has be intrigued. It was a hot show coming out of Summerslam and that’s a really good sign.

Results
Sheamus b. Ludwig Kaiser – Brogue Kick
Lyra Valkyria b. Shayna Baszler via DQ when Zoey Stark interfered
A-Town Down Under b. Awesome Truth – A Town Down to R-Truth
Damian Priest b. JD McDonagh via DQ when Finn Balor interfered
Iyo Sky b. Sonya Deville – Over The Moonsault
Wyatt Sicks b. Chad Gable/Creed Brothers – Frog splash to Gable

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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Summerslam 2024
Date: August 3, 2024
Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Pat McAfee

It’s another stadium show for one of the biggest events of the WWE year. That should make for a big deal and now we get to see what WWE can do with this stacked of a card. There are seven matches scheduled with six titles on the line, plus a heck of a grudge match. That should be more than enough to carry things so let’s get to it.

I was in the stadium for this show, sitting opposite the hard cameras between the entrance and the ring.

HHH welcomes us to the show and introduces Jelly Roll to sing Liar, one of the show’s official theme songs, set to a preview of the card. This was a cool video but having the song played live didn’t change much.

Miz welcomes us to the show, serving his purpose as host.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Ripley, with Dominik Mysterio, is challenging. Morgan hurt Ripley and tried to take Mysterio from her, only to have Mysterio turn her down. The bell rings and Morgan bails outside, then does it again for a bonus. An attempt at a third roll outside is cut off by a head fake and Ripley grabs her for some clotheslines. They go outside for a ram into the steps, allowing Ripley to like Mysterio’s face.

Ripley sends her into the steps a few more times and then Riptides her onto the top turnbuckle. Morgan slips out of Riptide again and sends Ripley’s recently repaired arm into the buckle. Ripley goes down fast and screams “IT’S OUT” but insists that the match keep going. It’s time to go back to the floor where Ripley’s bad shoulder goes into the steps this time, followed by some stomping back inside.

Back in and Morgan cranks on the arm (as you do) before hitting a springboard Codebreaker on said arm. Ripley gets smart by kicking her in the head and going outside, where Dominik shoves her out of the way of Morgan’s dive. Back up and Ripley rams her arm into the announcers’ table to pop it back in, meaning the beating can ensue. Another Riptide attempt is countered into a DDT and they’re both down.

Ripley gets back up and tries the Prism Trap but Morgan slips out and grabs a crucifix bomb for two. A cross armbreaker has the arm in more trouble but Ripley powers out with a spinebuster for two of her own. One heck of a headbutt rocks Ripley, allowing Morgan to snap the arm over the middle rope.

Morgan goes for a chair but walks into a Riptide for her efforts. Ripley picks it up instead, with Dominik cutting her off to save the match. Morgan sends them together and a quick Oblivion connects for two. Then Dominik slides the chair in ala how he “accidentally” helped Morgan win the title, setting up another Oblivion onto the chair for Morgan to retain. This time though, Dominik is smiling.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t exactly a great match but it told the right story. Morgan wasn’t going to be able to hang in there in a fair fight and tried to exploit the injury, which only worked so well. Dominik was always going to be the big factor here and while they had heavily teased the ending, they still made it work well.

Post match Ripley wakes up and Dominik kisses a surprised Morgan, much to Ripley’s dismay.

After some advertisements, Damian Priest storms into Judgment Day’s locker room and wants to hurt Dominik Mysterio. He asks if Finn Balor knew what was coming and seems to accuse Balor of being behind it but Balor denies knowing anything. The rest of the team and Carlito go off to find Dominik, with Priest threatening violence.

We recap Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn for the latter’s Intercontinental Title. Zayn survived against Breakker last month but now Breakker is more focused and ready.

Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn is defending and avoids a charge at the bell, sending Breakker shoulder first into the post. Breakker rolls outside but gets sent back inside, where he has to avoid an early Helluva Kick attempt. Breakker catches him with a running clothesline, which works a bit better. Some right hands in the corner set up a super Frankensteiner for two as Zayn is in early trouble.

Zayn springboards over him and hits a clothesline but can’t hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. Instead Breakker goes up for the Steiner Bulldog, which is reversed into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The exploder into the corner connects but Breakker cuts him off with the spear. Another spear gives Breakker the pin and the title at 5:44.

Rating: B-. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere but that is the way it should have gone. Breakker went with straight power here and there was no way for Zayn to survive that kind of impact. Zayn needed to drop the title here as Breakker couldn’t lose two shots in a row and it was time for him to win something around here anyway.

Stephanie McMahon, with her weird clapping, is here.

We recap Logan Paul defending the US Title against LA Knight. Paul has frustrated Knight, who keeps coming back and wanting a US Title shot. Knight pinned him in a Money In The Bank qualifying match and that was enough to get the shot here.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Logan Paul

Paul, the hometown boy, is defending, but we cut to the back where Knight smashes the window of the Prime truck that he stole from Paul on Smackdown. It’s a brawl on the floor before the bell with Paul being sent into the barricade. Knight sends him into the hydration station but Paul fights back and clears the announcers’ table. That’s fine with Knight, who hits a torture rack neckbreaker onto the table and NOW we go in for the opening bell.

Knight fires the shoulders into the ribs to start as Graves makes a Major League joke in a nice touch. The jumping elbow hits raised knees and Paul sends him shoulder first into the post (three times in three matches so far). Paul posts him again and hammers away at the head, followed by a big boot and legdrop for two (yes with the Hogan pose). Knight fights up from his knees but walks into a gutwrench suplex for two more. A powerbomb faceplant gives Paul two but he spends too much time on mockery and walks into a powerslam for two.

Knight slugs away again and stomps away in the corner, setting up a running knee to rock Paul again. A Side Effect of all things sets up a middle rope elbow, only to have Knight jump to the top in an impressive display, for two more. Back up and Paul sends him to the apron for a springboard clothesline to send Knight outside, setting up a springboard spinning moonsault (awesome).

Back in and Paul’s big right hand gets two so it’s time for Paul’s cronies to give him the brass knuckles. That’s broken up and Knight hammers away, but Paul gets the knuckles anyway. They head back inside, where Knight grabs BFT for the pin and the title (his first in WWE) at 12:04.

Rating: B. This was all about the moment at the end as Knight FINALLY wins something. It’s long overdue and the fans went nuts when he finally got there. Paul has put together more than enough goodwill to lose here and be fine going forward so this worked out well. Knight gets his win and showcased some rather impressive athleticism at the same time, making this work out well.

Various wrestlers shill Manscaped products.

We recap Nia Jax challenging Bayley for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Jax is on a roll and won Queen Of The Ring but Bayley isn’t laying down for anyone.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Jax is challenging and Bayley slugs away to start fast before tying the arm up in the ropes. Bayley has to escape a powerbomb but Jax runs her over without much trouble. An elbow drop keeps Bayley in trouble but she fights up and hits a belly to back suplex. Back up and Bayley manages to knock her outside, only to get crotched back inside. Bayley manages a guillotine choke (how she beat Jax in NXT) but gets shoved off with straight power.

Jax’s middle rope legdrop misses and a quick Bayley To Belly gets two. Bayley charges into a release Rock Bottom out of the corner and the Annihilator connects for two, leaving Jax stunned. Back up and Bayley sends her shoulder first into the post (four for four) so Jax needs a breather on the floor.

Bayley’s suicide dive is countered into a Samoan drop on the floor, followed by the running hip attack in the corner. Another Annihilator is broken up though and Bayley manages a heck of a middle rope powerbomb. Bayley’s top rope elbow gets two….and it’s Tiffy Time. Bayley cuts her off but Jax powerbombs Bayley down, setting up a pair of Annihilators to win the title at 12:32.

Rating: B-. There was zero hiding what was going on here, as there might as well have been a big countdown clock to the title change from the second Jax announced she was going to be in the Queen Of The Ring. She’s too big of a force to keep losing all of the time and even though she isn’t the most popular, this is probably the best way to go. Stratton has the briefcase and can turn on her later, which would suit her rather well.

Post match Tiffany and Jax celebrate with no cash-in attempt.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk. McIntyre injured Punk during the Royal Rumble and then bragged about it. Therefore, Punk has promised, and managed, to ruin McIntyre’s life. McIntyre is obsessed with Punk and stole a personal bracelet of his, meaning it’s time for revenge, with Seth Rollins, who doesn’t like either of them, as the guest referee.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

Seth Rollins is guest referee and calls for the opening bell after quite the delay. Punk hammers away to start but Rollins pulls him away in the corner. That lets McIntyre get in some stomps of his own, but Rollins breaks that up too. McIntyre strikes away until a clothesline puts him on the floor. Rollins chills on the top rope as Punk posts McIntyre before stopping to tie his shoes as Punk sends McIntyre into the steps. McIntyre fights up and swings Punk into the steps while Rollins conducts the singing crowd.

A catapult sends Punk chest first into the ring structure and it’s time to throw what’s left of Punk back inside. McIntyre powerbombs him for two, with Rollins’ count not sitting well with him. The chair is brought in, with McIntyre saying this makes their problem go away. Rollins takes the chair away and loads up a swing but has to stop himself from hitting Punk by mistake. The chair is thrown out but Rollins misses the rollup on McIntyre. Back up and McIntyre drops him again before pulling out the bracelet.

Punk fires off the running knees in the corner and the top rope elbow gets two. The Anaconda Vice is brought out of mothballs, only for McIntyre to fight out and hit the Claymore for two. The Futureshock is escaped and McIntyre misses a charge into the post (oh come on already). Punk yells at Rollins for picking up the bracelet but McIntyre rams them into each other, sending Rollins outside. The GTS gets a VERY delayed two, with Punk yelling at Rollins and his “stupid Sabu pants” (amazing line). That means a GTS to Rollins, leaving McIntyre to hit Punk low. Another Claymore finishes for McIntyre at 16:59.

Rating: B. Good stuff here, with enough smoke and mirrors hiding the fact that Punk was looking more than a bit tired at times. The main thing is they got Punk in the ring for a major match, which is the best role for him at the moment. He can’t do nearly as much as he used to be able to do, but there is an energy for his matches that few others have. The ending sets up either Punk vs. McIntyre II or Punk vs. Rollins, with commentary pointing out that Punk’s lack of focus cost him the win.

Finn Balor comes in to see Damian Priest, saying Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan are gone. Priest apologizes for accusing him earlier, with Balor accepting and apologizing for his response. Go take care of Gunther.

We recap Damian Priest defending the Raw World Title against Gunther. Priest cashed in Money In The Bank to win the title at Wrestlemania and has been trying to prove himself as champion since. Gunther on the other hand is the King Of The Ring while coming off the record shattering Intercontinental Title reign. He also doesn’t think much of Priest, referring to him as street trash. It’s a cultural battle along with a title fight.

Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Damian Priest

Priest is defending and there are no seconds. They slug it out to start with Priest knocking him into the corner and grabbing a lifting Downward Spiral to send Gunther outside. Gunther blocks a powerbomb attempt and rams him into the apron, only for Priest to hit an ear clap back inside. Priest’s superplex is broken up with some shots to the ribs but he settles for a super hurricanrana (McAfee: “Something you don’t often see: Gunther’s body flying through the sky.”

Other than when he does that top rope splash almost every match.) into the Broken Arrow for two. Priest chops him so hard that Gunther’s chest is bleeding but he’s back with a powerbomb. Gunther sees the blood and chops even harder, only for Priest to kick him in the head and hit the South Of Heaven for two. Back up and Gunther kicks him in the face so Priest tells him to bring it on (oh that’s dumb) so it’s a chop to put him own. Cue Finn Balor to cheer Priest on (uh oh) and Gunther kicks Priest down again.

A running kick to the ribs has Priest in trouble and Gunther kicks Balor in the face too. Priest fights up and hits some clotheslines, setting up the Razor’s Edge. South Of Heaven connects…but Balor puts Gunther’s foot on the ropes. Priest didn’t seem to see what happened but sees the replay on the screen and turns to glare at Balor. The distraction lets Gunther get the sleeper, with Priest flipping backwards for two and the escape. Priest lunges for Balor and Gunther grabs a powerbomb. Another sleeper gives Gunther the title at 16:39.

Rating: B. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was a physical match before everything went down. The stories here are managing a new champion to go with the further splitting of Judgment Day, which could open up a few paths for both. Heck of a match here, with Priest having a new hot story to come off a pretty impressive title run.

Here are the Miz and R-Truth to announce the attendance of 57,791. Jelly Roll’s theme song, with the line “YOU AIN’T NOTHING BUT A LIAR” playing just after that number is announced amuses me for some reason. Cue A-Town Down Under to mock Jelly Roll, saying only Cleveland could have this many people who look like Roll (who weighs a good bit over three hundred pounds). Truth thinks he’s talking to the Rock N Roll Express (because of the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame) but here is Roll in disguise to chair them down. A Five Knuckle Shuffle ensues and Miz and Truth have to help Roll up.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa for the Smackdown World Title. Rhodes thought he defeated the Bloodline at Wrestlemania when he took out Roman Reigns but Sikoa has reformed the team with a much more dangerous lineup. Now it’s a Bloodline Rules match but all of Cody’s friends have been taken out by the Bloodline, meaning he’s all alone.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Cody is defending under Bloodline Rules (anything goes). We go to the back where Rhodes gets off his bus, takes his dog Pharaoh, and walks into the arena, where he runs into Arn Anderson of all people. Anderson talks about how proud Dusty Rhodes would be but Cody has four ticked off island boys coming for him. Cody’s friends are on the way though, even if they might leave as Cody takes FOREVER to get to the ring in an entrance Undertaker would think is excessive.

Feeling out process to start with Sikoa using the power to take over early on. Sikoa blocks the drop down right hand and Cody isn’t sure what to think. They chop it out until Cody low bridges him to the apron, with a Disaster Kick sending Sikoa out to the floor. Back in and Cody’s snap powerslam doesn’t work so Sikoa hits a spinwheel kick. The Samoan drop gets two but Cody is back up with a Cody Cutter for a breather.

Back up and Sikoa grabs a sitout powerbomb for two, followed by a running Umaga Attack for the same. Spinning Solo sets up the nerve hold and another Samoan drop cuts off the comeback bid. Cody is tied in the Tree of Woe for the running headbutt but another one only hits mat. A top rope moonsault to a standing Sikoa (even Graves has to admit it didn’t look great) gives Cody a breather but Sikoa plants him back down for two more.

Sikoa goes up, only to get superplexed right back down. Cody slugs away but has to counter Sikoa’s Cross Rhodes attempt into one of his own. Cue Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa so the beatdown can be on, including the double spinning neckbreaker to give Sikoa two. Cue the returning Kevin Owens for the save but the Bloodline fights back, meaning it’s Randy Orton running in (and high fiving fans on the way) for the save of his own.

Cody uses the help to hit Cross Rhodes on Solo, leaving the other four to fight off into the crowd. It’s time to bring in the steps, with Cody getting in some hard shots to the head. Sikoa cuts him off with a spear though and puts Cody up against the steps in the corner. The running Umaga Attack misses though and Cody hits a pair of Cross Rhodes. Cue Jacob Fatu to wreck Cody though, with Sikoa getting two.

Fatu takes him outside for a top rope splash through the announcers’ table….and Fatu can’t stand on his leg. I believe the term is oh de….and it doesn’t matter as ROMAN REIGNS is back to a thunderous reaction. The Superman Punch and spear cut Sikoa down and, with a look at Reigns, Cody hits Cross Rhodes to retain at 29:14.

Rating: B-. For a match where anything goes, they didn’t exactly do anything until the end. This was a regular match for about twenty minutes and then they went nuts with the interference, making it much more like the Wrestlemania match between Cody and Reigns. It’s certainly not bad, but I was expecting some wild brawl and for the most part, I only got a good match. As for the bigger story of Reigns coming back, they teased it and then did it, so there is only so much to complain about with how it went down. Everything picks up from here as the Bloodline Civil War is on, which should be good.

Overall Rating: B. Solid action, nothing bad in the ring, stories moving forward and the big moment at the end in front of a pretty hot crowd. That’s about all you can ask for out of any major show and this one more than delivered. Above all else it sets up all kinds of things going forward (the Judgment Day’s future should be fascinating) as we enter the build towards the end of the year and Survivor Series. Rather good show here, with that Reigns reception being a sight to behold.

Results
Liv Morgan b. Rhea Ripley – Oblivion onto a chair
Bron Breakker b. Sami Zayn – Spear
LA Knight b. Logan Paul – BFT
Nia Jax b. Bayley – Annihilator
Drew McIntyre b. CM Punk – Claymore
Gunther b. Damian Priest – Sleeper
Cody Rhodes b. Solo Sikoa – Cross Rhodes

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

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

AND

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

We’re back to one of the biggest shows of the year and it’s another stadium version, which should make things that much more interesting. The show has been well built up and we could be in for quite the night if things go as they have planned. We have six title matches and a major grudge match, the latter of which might be the most interesting thing on the show. Let’s get to it.

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

We’ll start with what feels like the most obvious result, as Jax has been built up as the unstoppable force, while Bayley is the plucky champion who believes she can stop the monster. That’s a nice way to believe but it doesn’t feel like it is based in reality. Jax is being pushed as unbeatable right now and there is a good chance that it means we’ll be seeing a title change here.

Naturally I’ll go with Jax winning, as a mixture of WWE’s weird obsession with her and the fact that her cousin helps run the place does not bode well for Bayley’s chances. I could see Tiffany Stratton cashing in on Jax here, but it wouldn’t shock me to see it shut down. Either way, Bayley gets Annihilated and Jax gets to be the queen of everything, because that’s just what we have to see happen.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn(c) vs. Bron Breakker

This is a rematch from last month at Money In The Bank where Zayn won in something of an upset. Now Breakker wants another shot on the bigger stage and has been wrecking people left and right on his way back to the title. In theory that should mean it is time for him to get the big win, but beating Zayn is one of those things that is often talked about but rarely happens.

I can’t imagine they’ll have Breakker lose at back to back pay per views though so I’ll say the title changes. Breakker is someone who feels like he could be one of the next big things around here and he is going to need a major win on the main roster do that. Beating Zayn in a major spot is a great way to go and there is no reason to believe that he loses again. Breakker wins here, as he should.

US Title: Logan Paul(c) vs. LA Knight

Here we have another weird situation as Paul is doing rather well in his role as champion but he doesn’t really have anything else to do. He already got his shot at Cody Rhodes and came up short, so there is no reason to go back there again. At the same time, Knight almost desperately needs to win a title, because he is long past the point where he has lost too much. That makes for an interesting situation, and there is pretty much only one way out.

Knight pretty much has to win here so we’ll go with that, even in Paul’s hometown. Paul is someone who has already firmly established himself as a big deal while Knight has always been the one who comes up short. Give him the win here and let him move up a bit, which is long overdue. The reign doesn’t even need to be long, but it needs to start at some point, which is what happens here as Knight wins.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest(c) vs. Gunther

Maybe I’m overthinking this, but the more I think about it, the more I think Priest might retain. The idea being Priest’s reign is that he is in over his head and should lose the title but then he just keeps hanging onto it. That hasn’t been a bad thing so far, though this isn’t quite the same kind of match. Gunther is a different animal, but there is one more thing that gives me caution.

In a pick I’m sure is going to be wrong, I’ll say Priest retains here, likely through Judgment Day shenanigans. For once that isn’t something the champion wants, leading to a rematch later this month in Berlin where Gunther gets the big win. You can screw Gunther over and turn him into more of a monster while Priest gets to further what should be a face turn and everything works. Or Gunther just smashes him and wins. I’ll say Priest wins, but not with the most confidence.

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

Here we have one of the more interesting matches on the card as it is all about the soap opera side. The question remains centered around Dominik Mysterio’s status, which seemed to shift in recent weeks. Now it seems that Mysterio and Ripley are fine and Morgan has been left out in the cold. That comes off as too simple to be true and we might see that this weekend.

I’m thinking that Mysterio officially turns on Ripley here to side with Morgan, allowing her to retain. At the same time it would not shock me to see Morgan drop Mysterio immediately because she just wanted to break him rather than wanting him for herself, but that would just be a bonus. While there is always the chance that Ripley crushes Morgan to get her title back, I’m thinking Morgan gets what she wants here while Ripley gets her heart broken instead.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

This is the grudge match on the show and quite possibly the best thing on the entire card. These two cannot stand each other and have gone after the other for months but they have not been able to have an actual match. Hopefully everything goes well here on the health and safety side, because Punk’s next injury very well may be the last one of his career. Assuming he can stay healthy, he can keep going from here, which brings up the result.

I’m going with McIntyre here, even with Seth Rollins as guest referee. Punk has gotten the better of McIntyre too many times now and McIntyre can only get so angry at Punk anymore. McIntyre needs to win here, either with or without Rollins’ help, as there is almost guaranteed to be a rematch of some sort. This should be a great start though, and it will be very nice to have Punk back in the ring.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Solo Sikoa

This match got a big boost on Smackdown as it is now under Bloodline Rules. That should help with making things a bit more suited to Sikoa, as I’m not sure how well he could have carried his half of a traditional main event. As has been the case elsewhere on the show, this doesn’t so much feel like the big event but rather a piece of a much larger story, which is due to one person.

I’ll take Rhodes to win here one way or another, as not only is it far too early for him to lose the belt, but it also could set up the return of Roman Reigns. Sikoa has hinted at Reigns’ return, and if Sikoa loses, Reigns can throw the “losses have consequences” line right back in his face. That’s the big step forward though, which is impressive when you consider that it’s likely to be the main event of Summerslam. But yeah, Rhodes wins and Reigns is back sooner than later to go after Sikoa.

Overall Thoughts

For a show that only has seven matches at the moment, they have doe a great job of making the show feel packed. There is a little bit of everything here and if the big stuff goes well, we could be in for an outstanding show. That is the hard part, but at least they have done a good job of setting the stage for success.

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: August 2, 2024
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before Summerslam tomorrow and that means it is time for a pretty big match on the way. In this case that means we have the Tag Team Titles on the line as DIY defends against the Bloodline in what might be a massacre. Other than that, it’s time for the big push towards Summerslam so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He asks what we want to talk about but thinks WHO we want to talk about might be a better question. Cue Solo Sikoa, on his own for once, to tell the crowd to acknowledge him. The fans aren’t pleased, but Rhodes talks about how they are both younger brothers. Sikoa is all about the Bloodline’s theatrics but tomorrow the bell is going to ring.

Rhodes gets serious, until Sikoa asks if he is done yet. Rhodes says Sikoa is the self proclaimed Tribal Chief but Rhodes is the WWE Champion. He sits on a throne and can do so because of what people like people like Randy Orton and Kevin Owens did. Rhodes mentions beating Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match, but Sikoa says Reigns was weak. Sikoa is dangerous though and tomorrow, he’ll show Rhodes how dangerous he can be. He wants Rhodes to put his money where his mouth is, but cue the Bloodline through the crowd.

Rhodes realizes Sikoa wants it to be a Bloodline Rules match tomorrow (despite Sikoa never saying it) and calls out the Bloodline. He isn’t scared of any of them and the Bloodline Rules match is on. Sikoa threatens Rhodes with the Bloodline but Rhodes says all he has to do is beat the Tribal Chief. Since the Tribal Chief isn’t here, he’ll settle for the wannabe. They got to the point here, but Sikoa wasn’t able to keep up with Rhodes on the mic and it didn’t make for the best segment.

Carmelo Hayes goes to the barber shop and talks about his breakout performance against Andrade. It’ll be different the next time they face off.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Feeling out process to start with Hayes being cocky as usual. Andrade isn’t having that this time and takes over but the threat of the Message sends Hayes bailing to the floor. We take a break and come back with Hayes sending him knees first into the steps, setting up a superkick for two. Andrade fights up and takes over, only to miss the running knees in the corner. Hayes misses the Fade Away but something like a springboard hanging suplex puts Andrade down. Hayes goes up top until Andrade catches him for a superplex as we take another break.

Back again with Andrade sending him out to the floor, setting up a middle rope moonsault. They get back in and Hayes hits a spinning faceplant, only to walk into the spinning elbow for a close two. Andrade’s double jump moonsault gets two so he grabs the Figure Four. That’s broken up so Andrade tries the Message, which is reversed into a rollup, which is reversed into a rollup to give Andrade the pin at 16:06.

Rating: B. I’m a bit surprised at the result, but at the end of the day it is nice to see Andrade getting a chance like this. He is getting some momentum together and it would be cool to see that turned into something. Hayes loses again, but at least it wasn’t in a way that left him looking weak. Good match here, as these two work well together.

Santos Escobar says he’s going to take out Apollo Crews tonight and yells at Berto and Angel for losing in the gauntlet match last week.

Apollo Crews vs. Santos Escobar

Baron Corbin and the rest of Legado del Fantasma are here too. Escobar starts fast and knocks him into the corner, setting up a slingshot hilo. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Escobar two and we hit the waistlock. That’s broken up and Crews comes back with an overhead belly to belly. Angel tries to offer a distraction but gets decked by Corbin. Crews’ standing moonsault gets two but…someone grabs Corbin’s leg from underneath the ring. The distraction lets Escobar hit the Phantom Driver for the pin at 3:28.

Rating: C. This was more about the shenanigans outside, as there is little reason to believe that Crews was going to be a serious threat to someone who was a much bigger star. In theory this should be one of the last matches in the feud, but there is always the chance that things could be stretched out even further. At least Corbin didn’t lose, which is not something I was expecting to say anytime ever.

It seemed to have been a member of Legado grabbing Corbin’s leg rather than a surprise.

Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair are ready to get their Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Here is Nick Aldis, with some unnamed yet totally legitimate “Cleveland dignitaries” to welcome hometown star Logan Paul. This brings out Paul, who immediately goes into mocking LA Knight, who is desperate to take the US Title. Paul sees Knight’s appeal to the fans, as he’s a guy who never made it, just like everyone here. Paul can’t relate to everyone here because he’s great and he made it.

That’s why we’re here, including these dignitaries. Aldis says he couldn’t find anything about these dignitaries on Google, but Paul insists they’re legit. We have a banner to unveil, but instead it says YEAH over Paul’s face. Cue Knight to say the sunglasses are making it hard for him to read the banner, so maybe the people can tell him what it says. Fans: “YEAH!” Paul: “CONGRATS! YOU PEOPLE CAN READ!”

Knight points out that Paul is from the suburbs before going to the back to find another banner for Paul. We follow Knight to the back, where he finds Pretty Deadly, who are practicing for their musical. That won’t work, but no one has a banner for him. Instead, Knight goes to the back to Paul’s Prime truck so Paul charges after him, with Knight stealing the truck. Paul: “THAT’S A CRIME!” Knight getting under Paul’s skin is a good way to go, but he has to win that title.

Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are ready for Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.

Logan Paul wants to know what Nick Aldis is going to do about this. Aldis will take it up with the dignitaries.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

Cargill and Belair are challenging and jump the champs before the bell. The champs say they can go so it’s Cargill splashing Dawn in the corner. Belair comes in to stomp away and stereo gorilla press drops have the champions in trouble as we take a break. Back with Cargill kicking Fyre away but Dawn pulls Belair down off the apron.

A Backstabber/Swanton combination gets two on Cargill, who suplexes both of them down at once for a needed breather. Belair comes back in with a double high crossbody as it’s time to clean house. Belair hammers away in the corner on both champions until Fyre slips out and grabs the hair. The handspring moonsault gets two on Fyre with Dawn making the save. Cargill pulls Dawn to the floor for a superkick…and here is Blair Davenport to jump Cargill for the DQ at 7:23.

Rating: C. The ending isn’t the biggest surprise as there was almost no reason to believe that Dawn and Fyre were going to be able to survive against the ream team of Belair and Cargill. Having Davenport get involved isn’t the worst idea, but hopefully she can live up to the spot they are putting her in. It hasn’t exactly worked so far, but maybe that changes this time.

Post match destruction ensues, with Cargill being sent over the announcers’ table.

Summerslam rundown.

Video on Nia Jax vs. Bayley.

Jax gives Tiffany Stratton a custom Money In The Bank briefcase, with Stratton being VERY excited. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven come in o mock the briefcase

DIY is fired up to face the Bloodline, with Johnny Gargano talking about how this is his hometown and there are over 10,000 members of his family waiting for the Bloodline.

Tag Team Titles: Bloodline vs. DIY

The Bloodline, with Tonga Loa and Solo Sikoa, is challenging. Tama powers Ciampa into the corner to start and runs him over as we take a break with the champions in early trouble. Back with Fatu’s running splash only hitting the post, allowing Gargano to come back in. Everything breaks down and Fatu is taken down by a flip dive off the apron. A super Air Raid Crash gives Ciampa two but Fatu is back in to take over. The running hip attack hits Ciampa, setting up Tama’s top rope splash for two with Gargano making the save.

Fatu’s running hip attack on the floor only hits steps, leaving Ciampa to roll Tama up for two. A Shatter Machine hits Tama but Loa offers a distraction, allowing Sikoa to Samoan Spike Ciampa. Tama’s spinning reverse DDT gets two on Gargano but he superkicks his way out of trouble. There’s the suicide dive to Tama and a poisonrana to Fatu…which just wakes him up. The pop up Samoan drop sets up the triple jump moonsault. The implant DDT gives Fatu the pin and the titles at 9:10.

Rating: B. Yeah they had to. There was pretty much no reason to have DIY retain here as they have gotten their big win and special moment. The Bloodline is by far the bigger deal right now and giving Fatu a spotlight is that much better. It was even a fast paced match with DIY giving it everything they could before falling to the monsters.

Overall Rating: B. With most of Summerslam set, there wasn’t much here that needed to be changed, save for the Bloodline Rules stipulation being added. Other than that, it was a pretty good night of action with the Tag Team Title switch in the end being rather noteworthy. All that matters is tomorrow though, and there is every chance they could have a smash with the show. The show before it did well enough, though this one didn’t have quite the same pressure.

Results
Andrade b. Carmelo Hayes – Rollup
Santos Escobar b. Apollo Crews – Phantom Driver
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre via DQ when Blair Davenport interfered
Bloodline b. DIY – Implant DDT to Gargano

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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Summerslam 2023
Date: August 5, 2023
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 51,477
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in another stadium and that means the show is going to feel big. In this case we have several major matches on the card, starting with Tribal Combat as Roman Reigns defends the WWE Universal Title, as well as being Tribal Chief, against Jey Uso. Other than that, we have Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar III and Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor for the Raw World Title. Let’s get to it.

Since the show is in Detroit, the opening video has a car theme and an intro by Kid Rock, because of course it does. It talks about knowing where you’re going and looks at some classic clips before moving into the look at this year’s show.

And again, for reasons I still cannot fathom, the show’s theme song is Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf. As in the song released in 1968.

Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

This is a battle over trying to go viral. They yell at each other to start and Paul is knocked to the floor where he covers up from a dive that never comes. Back in and Ricochet rolls through a sunset lip attempt but gets elbowed in the face to cut him off. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Ricochet fights up, only to get caught in the ropes. A neckbreaker onto the apron puts Ricochet down and Paul hammers away in the corner to keep him in trouble.

With a quick mock of the injured Braun Strowman, Paul hits a running powerslam for two and soaks in some booing. A big boot and legdrop (the Hogan Paul) connect for Paul but Ricochet is back with a spinebuster into the People’s Moonsault for two. Back up and one heck of a backdrop leaves Ricochet crashing down and Paul is back up with a springboard clothesline.

They go to the apron, with Ricochet having to stick the landing on a Spanish Fly before knocking Paul down for a breather. Paul is back up with a Buckshot Lariat to the floor (geez) and naturally a quick shot of Prime. Back in and a standing moonsault gives Paul two as Ricochet is starting to get overwhelmed. Paul misses a charge into the post so they both go up top (the fans get up too) and a super neckbreaker brings Paul crashing back down.

A springboard clothesline into the standing shooting star press gets two on Paul and we slow down a bit. Back up and Paul’s middle rope moonsault is caught but he spins into a tornado DDT for the big crash anyway. Ricochet is back up with the Recoil but the shooting star press only hits raised knees. One heck of a springboard frog splash gives Paul two, only to have Ricochet kick him in the face. A top rope Lionsault gets two but the 630 misses and cue one of Paul’s lackeys to give Paul brass knuckles. The big right hand gives Paul the win at 17:56.

Rating: B+. There is a concept of just letting it all hang out and do one big spot after another and it went well here. This was a blast of a match and they didn’t try to do anything but one big move after another. Paul gets a win on the big stage and that is what he has been lacking for a long time now. Really fun match here and they’ll likely get the highlights they were shooting for with this one.

Samantha Irvin, Ricochet’s fiance, is livid.

Sheamus and the Brawling Brutes mess with a monster truck.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar, which started the night after Wrestlemania. Lesnar attacked him, presumably for not beating Roman Reigns, but Cody won the first match. Then Lesnar beat him back (and broke his hand), so it’s rubber match time.

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

Lesnar German suplexes him to start but Rhodes is right back with a pair of Disaster Kicks. A third is knocked out of the air though and Lesnar powers him hard into the corner. Lesnar’s charge only hits post and the fight heads outside as they’re certainly starting fast. Back in and Lesnar suplexes him a few more times as we’re getting firmly into Lesnar’s standard style. Rhodes is sent outside but beats the count, with Lesnar just shaking his head. Lesnar: “THIS IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!”

Rhodes gets knocked to the floor a few more times as we’re in quite a bit of a stall. An F5 on the floor plants Rhodes again and Lesnar tells Michael Cole to tell Rhodes to take the countout. Somehow Rhodes beat the count and gives him a BRING IT look, earning himself another suplex. Another F5 through the announcers’ table has Cole begging Rhodes to stay down. Rhodes dives back in again and Lesnar is really displeased. They go back to the floor where Rhodes grabs the steps, which are kicked away.

Instead Rhodes manages a posting and NOW the steps can rock Lesnar again. The Disaster Kick into the Cody Cutter into a top rope Cody Cutter gets two and Rhodes is kind of stunned. The Kimura goes on but Rhodes makes it over to the ropes for the break. Back up and Rhodes sends him into an exposed buckle, setting up a Kimura on Lesnar. As you might expect, Lesnar powers him up and down for the break but an F5 is countered into the Cross Rhodes. Two more Cross Rhodes finish for Rhodes at 17:30.

Rating: B. They started losing me a bit during the teased countout spot but then it got going again with Rhodes hanging in there until Lesnar just couldn’t beat him. This is the way to give someone the Lesnar rub as Rhodes not only hung in there but wound up winning, which is a heck of a lot more than some can say. Good stuff here, with Rhodes getting the important win to finish the feud.

Post match Lesnar gets up and shows respect. The gloves come off and Lesnar leaves in peace.

Slim Jim Battle Royal

Erik, Ivar, JD McDonagh, Rick Boogs, Otis, Chad Gable, Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci, Ridge Holland, Butch, Sheamus, Riddle, Grayson Waller, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bronson Reed, Tommaso Ciampa, Apollo Crews, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, AJ Styles, The Miz, Austin Theory, Karrion Kross, Cameron Grimes, Omos

We get a brief history of battle royals (including Royal Rumbles, which aren’t exactly the same thing) before the bell rings and….holds on as here is MVP to introduce Omos as the guaranteed winner. The fight is on before Omos gets in but he’s right in there to get rid of Crews, McDonagh and Boogs. A bunch of people go after Omos but he fights them off and knocks Sheamus silly.

Imperium gets rid of Otis but Gable throws Vinci out and gets to pose a bit. Ciampa breaks up the Viking Raiders’ springboard clothesline and gets rid of both of them. Willow’s Bell gets rid of Nakamura in a heck of a quick sequence. Not that it matters as Reed gets rid of Ciampa and Theory knocks out Holland. Grimes is out as the ring is getting cleared rather quickly. Escobar eliminates Theory but gets kicked out by Kross. Kaiser gets too cocky (shocking I know) in thinking he got rid of Gable, who tosses Kaiser instead.

Omos tosses Riddle and Butch at the same time and then knocks down (not out) a bunch of people at once. Knight starts going after Omos and a bunch of people join him, with the big group managing the elimination. Waller and Miz get together (Graves approves) but can’t get rid of either Gable or Knight. Instead Knight throws Miz out and Sheamus gets rid of Waller. Reed runs Sheamus and Knight over, leaving Styles to kick Kross out.

We’re down to Knight, Reed, Gable, Styles and Sheamus, with Reed backdropping Gable out. Knight muscles Reed out so it’s Sheamus taking over on Knight and Styles. Cue Kross to grab Styles’ leg so Sheamus can kick him out and get us down to two. Knight drops Sheamus and hits the LA Elbow but Sheamus is back up with the jumping knee. Sheamus goes up top but Knight jumps the corner for a superplex. A clothesline gets rid of Sheamus to give Knight the win at 12:46.

Rating: C+. It was a pretty run of the mill battle royal but what mattered was getting Knight a win on the big stage. Knight looked fine out there and got the win, despite not really being a focal point until the last few entrants. It wasn’t a particularly great match, but there is only so much you can get out of this kind of a battle royal in the first place.

And now, a Slim Jim ad featuring LA Knight. Geez good thing Butch didn’t win or that would have been awkward.

We recap Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler. They were friends, they were partners, then they weren’t friends or partners and now they’re fighting. This also goes back to their time in MMA, with Baszler apparently being jealous of Rousey’s success and Rousey not being very gracious.

Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler

This is under MMA rules, meaning no pinfalls, countouts, DQ’s or rope breaks. You win by submission or knockout, all of which are explained for the first time by the referee. Rousey breaks tradition by offering to touch gloves but Baszler isn’t up for it. Instead they grapple up against the ropes until Rousey slams her down. Some shots to Baszler’s back look to set up a cross armbreaker but Rousey can’t get it on, meaning it’s another standoff.

Back up and Baszler DROPS HER with a kick, sending Rousey outside. Baszler grabs a leglock back inside but Rousey slips out and hits a hard jumping knee. A knee to the ribs takes Baszler down again and Rousey hammers away at her back. Rousey headscissor chokes her and they fall over the top to the floor in a big crash.

Rousey gets back in and Baszler needs to be checked out by the medics. That doesn’t work for Rousey, who beats up the medics but Baszler suplexes her down. A Kirifuda Clutch is broken up and Rousey goes for the armbar, with Baszler reversing into an ankle lock. Baszler pulls her up into the Kirifuda Clutch and Rousey is out at 7:28.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to make of this as it was barely wrestling and more a martial arts match, as advertised. What mattered the most here was Rousey giving Baszler a win on her way out of WWE. It was pretty clear that Rousey’s time in WWE was over and this is a good way for her to go out. Now if only WWE ever did anything with Baszler other than put her in another tag team.

Tonight’s attendance: 59,194.

We recap Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther for the latter’s Intercontinental Title. Gunther is this close to setting the all time record for longest Intercontinental Title reign of all time, while McIntyre is back after a long hiatus and wants to prove he’s still got it. Hoss fighting is set to ensue.

Intercontinental Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending. They stare at each other to start and eventually lock up to fight over the power game. A shoulder puts Gunther down and the slow pace continues. Gunther’s headlock takeover puts them on the mat as commentary runs down Gunther’s resume. Back up and McIntyre hits the Glasgow Kiss to send Gunther outside, where he is fine enough to post McIntyre and send him into the steps.

Back in and Gunther chops him down a few times but McIntyre is back up for the slugout. Gunther’s release German suplex doesn’t do much to McIntyre, who is right back up with a clothesline for the double knockdown. The chop each other down so McIntyre nips up, only to get dropkicked into the corner. McIntyre is right back with the Futureshock for two but the threat of the Claymore sends Gunther outside.

That means a big running flip dive from McIntyre but another Claymore attempt is cut off with a dropkick. The powerbomb gives Gunther two and they’re both down again. Gunther is up first with a top rope splash for two and frustration is setting in. With nothing else working, Gunther starts slapping him in the back of the head over and over with some shouting thrown in.

McIntyre fights up and hits a Claymore for two, meaning it’s time for McIntyre’s eyes to bug out. Gunther is sat up top for a hard chop and they strike it out up there. McIntyre gets crotched back down though and the top rope splash into the powerbomb retains the title at 13:42.

Rating: B. It was a good, hard hitting match that you would expect from these two but they didn’t have as much time as you would have expected. At the same time, they were being asked to live up to the expectations from the Wrestlemania three way with Sheamus, which just wasn’t likely to be topped. Gunther getting another big win makes him feel that much bigger though, as the legend continues to grow.

We recap Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Title. Rollins beat Balor to win the inaugural title at Money In The Bank and now we’re running it back as Balor is still obsessed with beating Rollins, despite doing it before and having many chances to do it over the last seven years. Damian Priest and his Money In The Bank briefcase are looming as well.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Rollins is defending and wears the same vest that he wore when he hurt Balor at Summerslam 2016. Balor jumps him from behind to start but Rollins fights back before the bell. The bell rings and they slug it out with Rollins elbowing him in the face to take over. Some chops and a running forearm in the corner have Balor in more trouble but he slips out of a suplex. There’s a stomp to Rollins’ chest and Balor hammers away. Balor starts in on the arm, just like Rollins hurt him seven years ago (in a freak accident rather than targeting it but revenge can make people’s memories hazy).

The armbar goes on for a bit before Balor switches back to more general cranking. Rollins fights up but gets Russian legswept right back into a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Rollins hits a much needed clothesline for a breather. The Falcon Arrow gives Rollins two and Balor is sent outside for three straight suicide dives. Balor is back up to catch Rollins on the apron and send the bad arm into the post.

We get the big flashback with the running toss powerbomb into the barricade and Rollins is rocked. Back in and the Sling Blade hits Rollins, who is right back with a superkick. Balor shrugs it off and plants him down for one, setting up a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up as well and Rollins hits a pair of buckle bombs into the great looking frog splash for two. Balor gets in a shot and goes up, where Rollins superplexes him down and rolls into the Falcon Arrow, only to have Balor reverse into a small package for two.

The shotgun dropkick sends Rollins into the corner (where he hits his shoulder again) but the Coup de Grace misses. Rollins’ Pedigree connects for two….and here is Damian Priest with the Money In The Bank briefcase (his music isn’t playing though so it isn’t a cash-in). Balor hits his own Pedigree for two and Priest is stunned.

That’s enough for Priest to offer a distraction so cue Judgment Day but Balor yells at Priest, saying they’re not changing the plan. The distraction lets Rollins hit the Stomp for two and we hit the big shocked faced. Rollins dives onto Priest and the distraction lets Balor shotgun dropkick him into the corner so the Coup de Grace can get two. Priest throws in the briefcase but Rollins hits a quick Stomp onto it to retain the title at 18:27.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match that they needed to have to make Rollins feel more like a champion. That being said, there was a bit too much going on with all of the interference and the tease of the cash-in/interference. What matters is Rollins won though, which had to be the case as he was only about a month into the inaugural title reign. They had a good match here though and it felt like it belonged on a show this big.

The Alpha Academy preview the rest of the show and promote Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Miz comes in and gets annoyed at being the only real Mike in the room. Maxxine Dupri throws him out and calls him Mark.

We recap Asuka defending the Smackdown Women’s Title against Bianca Belair and Charlotte. Belair had the title won but Damage CTRL interfered, causing Charlotte to accidentally take Belair out. The triple threat match was made as a result.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte

Asuka is defending and they start fairly slowly. Asuka’s rollup to Belair is broken up with a big boot from Charlotte as the fans are oddly quiet here. Charlotte suplexes Asuka down and kicks Belair in the face, only to be pulled outside by Asuka. Belair hits a dive onto both of them but gets kicked by Asuka on the way back in. A pop up knee to the face gets two on Belair with Charlotte making the save this time.

That earns Charlotte a knockdown of her own and Asuka, in the clown paint, gets in an evil smile. Charlotte is sent outside, leaving Asuka to small package Belair for two. They’re certainly not in high gear yet but things are at least starting to pick up. Charlotte dives onto both of them to break up a Glam Slam and it’s time to chop away. With Asuka and Belair in trouble in the corner….we pause for the referee to fix Charlotte’s gear.

Thankfully Asuka is smart enough to choke Belair until Charlotte can clothesline them both for two. Back up and Charlotte kicks Belair down but gets caught by Asuka’s running knees for two more, leaving everyone down. They all strike it out until Asuka grabs Belair’s hair to send her outside. Belair is back up with a neckbreaker to Asuka and right hands to Charlotte in the corner.

A spinebuster sends Charlotte onto Asuka but the handspring moonsault hits raised knees. Charlotte spears Belair but gets pulled into the Asuka Lock. Now the handspring moonsault can connect to break it up and everyone is down again. Back up and Charlotte sends them to the floor for the moonsault which….egads I don’t think she actually touched either of them (she might have grazed Belair but Asuka was nowhere near the impact).

With the crowd silent after that miss, Asuka takes Charlotte back in for a DDT but she has to fight out of a KOD attempt. Charlotte kicks Asuka to the floor and flips out of a KOD, only to get caught in an overhead German suplex. Charlotte has to break up the Asuka Lock on Belair and moonsaults onto both of them for two. For some reason Charlotte tries a figure Four on both of them at once, which doesn’t work as Belair kicks her off. Belair is sent outside and lands knee first on the steps in a SCARY crash.

That leaves Charlotte to go up but Asuka pulls her back down with a superplex. Charlotte is right back with a shot of her own and the Figure Eight goes on. Belair is back in with a 450 to break it up or two but Charlotte is able to send Asuka outside. The Figure Eight goes on Belair, only for Asuka to come in and break it up with the mist. With her legs still tied up, Belair small packages Asuka to win the title at 20:47.

Rating: B. This was a good match that took a while to get started. It wound up being more about Charlotte dominating and the other two having to take her down, which is something that has been done more than a few times. That being said, Belair felt like a star here and it’s all the more impressive to see her becoming a star on the highest level in the division. Belair winning the title is a bit of a surprise as she had already had the big, long title reign but it’s more interesting than Charlotte getting the title again. Asuka had a nice reign and can easily get the title back later if necessary.

And here’s Iyo Sky to hit Sky in the knee with the Money In The Bank briefcase.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair

Belair is defending and Over The Moonsault gives Sky the pin and the title at 7 seconds. Eh it gets rid of the briefcase so I’ll take it.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso in Tribal Combat for the WWE Title and the role as Head Of The Table. Reigns has been a monster and run the lives of the Usos, with Jey finally rebelling and Jimmy coming with him. Jey pinned Reigns at Money In The Bank, setting up his chance here to end Reigns once and for all. Reigns and Solo Sikoa put Jimmy in the hospital, leaving Jey all alone here. This is the VERY long term drama and there was even a feeling that Jey might kind of sort of maybe have a chance, which was so hard to fathom no matter who you are.

Smackdown World Title: Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending (the title and the position) in Tribal Combat, meaning a street fight. Before the bell, reigns offers Jey the lei, saying he’ll give this to Jey if Jey can beat him. They circle each other to start and Reigns easily powers him back into the corner. A running shoulder puts Uso down (same sequence that started Gunther vs. McIntyre) and Reigns runs him over again to prove his point. Reigns knees him in the face as this is one sided and rather slow paced to start.

Jey is back with a kick to the ribs and a clothesline to the floor, setting up the required dive. The steps are set up at ringside but that’s not enough so let’s have a table out there too. The long delay and a Heyman distraction lets Reigns send him face first into the table and then into the corner as well. Jey manages a quick jumping enziguri to send Reigns outside again, where he finds a kendo stick. Some hard shots have Jey in trouble again but he slugs his way out of trouble.

Reigns clotheslines him down in the corner as Graves gets in the “your arms are too short to box with God” CM Punk line. Jey fights back and gets in his own kendo stick shots to send Reigns up the aisle as this is going rather slowly. Back in and Jey tries something off the top, only to get Superman Punched out of the air for two. Jey is back up with a superkick into the Superfly Splash for two and they’re down again.

A bunch of chairs are thrown in but Jey takes too long setting up a superkick and gets powerbombed down onto the chairs for two. Reigns takes forever to set a table up but Jey fights back, only to get punched out of the air. The spear is cut off with an enziguri and Jey Samoan drops him from the apron through the table. Rather than cover though, Jey whips out a leather strap and starts whipping away. They brawl out into the crowd, where Solo Sikoa pops up for Spinning Solo through a table.

Sikoa drags him back to he ring for another Spinning Solo but Jey pulls Sikoa in the way of a spear. Jey’s spear hits Reigns for two and he grabs a chair to clean house. That takes too long too (yes, in this match), allowing Sikoa to get in a shot of his own. Reigns and Sikoa stop to talk strategy, which lets Jey spear Reigns through the barricade.

Jey Superfly Splashes Sikoa through the announcers’ table and hits another spear on Reigns back inside. The Superfly Splash connects but someone in a hoodie (clearly Jimmy Uso) breaks up the cover. Yes it’s Jimmy, who gets yelled at by the fans before, eventually, superkicking Jey. Reigns hits the spear through a table in the corner to retain at 36:03.

Rating: D+. It’s never a good sign when you can probably cut off more than half of the match and tell the same story. This was one of the least interesting main events I’ve seen in a long time as it was hard enough to buy Jey as having a chance in the first place, but then they make it this boring. Just WAY too much time spent laying around with nothing going on and it sucked the life out of the match.

The usual Bloodline celebration ensues.

Highlight package.

Overall Rating: B-. This show started really well and had some very high points but the main event dragged it WAY down with a stretch in the middle that really didn’t work. If you cut out about half an hour total, it’s that much better, but this show’s very good moments were dragged back down by the weaker stuff. It’s far from an awful show, but this was really rough at times and it could have been a lot better.

Ratings Comparison

Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

Original: B
Redo: B+

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: B
Redo: B

Battle Royal

Original: B-
Redo: C+

Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler

Original: D+
Redo: C

Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther

Original: B
Redo: B

Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Original: B+
Redo: B

Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte vs. Asuka

Original: C-
Redo: B

Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair

Original: N/A
Redo: N/A

Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns

Original: C+
Redo: D+

Overall Rating

Original: B
Redo: B-

There are a lot of similarities in there but I’m not sure what I was thinking on the triple threat and the main event the first time around.

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