IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 3, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

Things might be on the verge of a big shakeup around here as we have two big deals going on in a single show. First up we have Shane McMahon making his return after about nine months away with some kind of a big announcement. Other than that, there is a new faction debuting, which isn’t usually the kind of thing you have announced in advance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The announcers welcome us to the show and the lights flicker a bit.

US Title: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Crews is defending and the lights go out again during his entrance. The Hurt Business is here with MVP, who has the new title. Before the match, MVP says this should have happened at Extreme Rules but Lashley went full Lashley. After tonight, this is all done and Crews can go hang out with Ricochet and Cedric Alexander in catering. Crews grabs a headlock to no avail to start so MVP stomps him on the foot as the flickering continues.

Crews is right back with a shoulder and a snap suplex for two. We hit the armbar on MVP for a bit before Crews hammers away on the ropes. MVP is sent outside for more flickering so Crews hits a big flip dive onto the whole team. Back from a break with MVP working on a cravate before putting on something like a camel clutch in the ropes. MVP elbows away in the corner but misses a running big boot. A crossbody into a spinebuster gives Crews two, followed by the Toss Powerbomb to retain the title at 10:35.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and not exactly thrilling stuff. That being said, this has felt like a path to get to Lashley vs. Crews at Summerslam and having a part time wrestler lose isn’t going to hurt anything. Crews getting some more wins where he has to fight from behind is a good thing and hopefully we get somewhere else with him going forward.

Post match Crews has to run from the threat of a full nelson.

In the back, Crews talks about how strong Lashley is. That power kept him sitting at home and not being able to turn his head. His kids thought he was the real champion and now he can give them the old belt to hang in their room to see the first title their daddy ever won. Thanks for paying for the new belt MVP. Good emotion from Crews here.

Back in the arena, MVP rants about the lights flickering causing an unsafe working environment (the line we have to get in at least twice a year). Crews missed Extreme Rules and now he steals his title. MVP wants his rematch at Summerslam.

Sasha Banks and Bayley are very happy with having all of the gold. They don’t like being asked a bunch of questions, like if they will be defending their titles at Summerslam. They’re going to spice things up, so here’s a video tribute….to themselves, mainly focusing on Sasha beating Asuka last week. Asuka interrupts and says revenge will be very, very sweet. Bayley and Banks are not happy but here’s Shayna Baszler to interrupt. She has a bit of a problem with this and slaps Banks down.

The IIconics offer to be on the Kevin Owens Show but he already has guests. They can have a water instead.

It’s time for the Kevin Owens Show but his microphone keeps cutting out. He knows Shane McMahon is back tonight but he would rather talk to his guest: Ruby Riott. Ruby comes out and says she has dealt with “toxic sad broads” like the IIconics her whole life. Then last week she put an end to the IIconic bull****. Riott wished Liv Morgan could have been there to share it with her, so here’s Liv to join them. Liv doesn’t seem happy and asks for Ruby to say what she wants to say.

Owens remembers the two of them when they started and, after his mic cuts out again, says he remembers the two of them and Sarah starting something special. Owens traveled the world with them and doesn’t want this to be messed up. Ruby gets very emotional and talks about coming back here and thinking everything would be the same. Now Sarah is gone though and Ruby blamed Liv for everything.

That wasn’t fair and she looks at the tattoo with their debut date and all she wants is another chance. All she wants is one more chance for the Riott Squad to be stronger than ever, but here are the IIconics to interrupt. Owens: “I had nothing to do with that.” Kay isn’t sure why Ruby was so happy with one win after 400 losses in a row. Peyton, with her mic cutting in and out again, talks about how they are best friends.

Liv says that she and Ruby aren’t IIconic but they can start a riot like no one else. Owens thinks the IIconics should leave but a challenge is issued instead. The IIconics can’t decide who should do their catchphrase, so Owens asks if we can get some more technical difficulties for just the two of them. Peyton slaps him so the Squad jumps them to start the fight.

Back from a break and a delivery man tries to bring some drinks to a locker room. A rather large security guard glares him off. This seems to be associated with Shane McMahon.

Riott Squad vs. IIconics

Owens is on commentary and Kay Regal Cutters Riott for an early two. Peyton comes in for the chinlock before it’s back to Billie, who gets superkicked down. Liv comes in and hits some clotheslines into a spinning faceplant to Peyton. Kay kicks her down though and drags Peyton over for the tag. Not that it matters as Ruby grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:34.

Post match the IIconics jump Liv again but Ruby makes the save. A double STO plants Kay.

Earlier today, a loud noise was heard and some crates were knocked over backstage with some technical equipment falling out. Some people say it was deliberate but MVP comes in to complain about losing earlier. There is some good news for him though: he gets his rematch for the title at Summerslam. Shelton Benjamin comes up to say someone stole his title.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for a chat. He talks about Randy Orton has spent twenty years preying on vulnerability and then coming after McIntyre last week after an Extreme Rules match. McIntyre should have seen it coming and that’s on him. He has gotten in trouble for being lazy before and that was why Vince McMahon fired him. Orton has had everything handed to him over the years though and has gotten in so much trouble over the years that he should have been fired a long time ago.

Cue Orton with Ric Flair to say he wants to be here because he enjoys being here. He enjoys hitting RKOs and punting heads. Orton likes Drew’s spirit, which is going to make beating him at Summerslam all the sweeter. McIntyre says Orton should have been fired years ago and he’s right. Orton should have been fired multiple times but Drew was the one who was fired. That’s because Orton was more valuable to this company than Drew ever could be. He has gotten chance after chance because he is the chosen one, then now and forever.

Drew has been quoting legends, but what has he done that makes him that great. McIntyre talks about Undertaker saying he pulled Orton up to his level in the Last Ride, but when has Orton ever done that? How about ten years ago? When Drew’s career was falling down around him and he was self destructing, a kind word from someone like Orton could have changed everything.

Drew looks at Orton and sees a selfish jerk, so at Summerslam it’s time to cash in some receipts both for himself and all the legends that Orton has kicked in the head. This time though, Orton will see it coming. This was good stuff and the kind of thing that can build up a match that makes all the sense in the world on paper.

Ric Flair comes up to Kevin Owens in the back and asks the Riott Squad to leave them alone. Flair talks about the history the two of them have and how much he respects Owens. However, Flair thinks Owens might be too worried about everyone else. Owens isn’t trying to be a guidance counselor but now he is trying to be a better person. Like what Randy Orton could be if he wanted to be.

Flair thinks that’s pretty strong and says he’s giving Owens advice he needs to listen to. Mind your own business and take care of yourself and maybe you can get your own Summerslam title match. Owens says if Flair cares so much, Owens can show him how much fight he has against Orton next week. Flair seems to like the idea.

Here are Nia Jax and agent Pat Buck, who Jax attacked last week. Nia seems emotional about it but doesn’t like a scrawny runt from management who couldn’t make it in his own career stepping to her, it is her responsibility to step back. She didn’t see Buck there but offers him a match right here and right now.

Buck says no and he’s only here for an apology. Jax says he can have one after their match and this is his big chance. That’s still a no, but she was expecting more fire from a ginger like him. Jax tells him to say what he has to say so Buck suspends her without pay. That earns him a quick knockdown and a kick to the floor as Jax screams a lot.

Jax goes to leave but here’s R-Truth with the 24/7 Title as he runs away from Akira Tozawa and the Ninjas. Shelton Benjamin comes out as well and it’s time for a scheduled title match.

24/7 Title: Akira Tozawa vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. R-Truth

Shelton, with the Hurt Business, is defending and beats up Truth to start. Tozawa’s rollup gets one and it’s time to panic. Tozawa misses his spinning kick to the head and the punches to the ribs have no effect. Shelton hits a heck of a powerbomb on Tozawa (that looked great) but Truth is back to kick away. Paydirt plants Truth but one of the ninjas comes in to flip around a lot. Shelton kicks him in the head and throws him into the ropes (that wasn’t good) and the rest of the Hurt Business goes after the other Ninjas. Back in and Tozawa hits the top rope backsplash to pin Truth for the title at 2:07.

We see a bunch of people standing around a ring with no ropes and two guys grappling. Shane McMahon pops up and says tonight at 10pm, it’s Raw Underground.

We look back at Murphy taking out Aleister Black’s eye last week, plus Dominic Mysterio attacking Murphy and Seth Rollins.

Dominic is asked a rather important question: why is he still here? Dominic says he’s here because his dad was blinded, so of course his mind hasn’t been in the right place as of late. If people think he’s crazy now, how crazy will they think he is when he challenges Seth Rollins to a match at Summerslam?

Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks

Non-title and Sasha has Bayley in her corner. Sasha slaps her in the face to start and is quickly taken down, allowing Baszler to tease a kick to the face. Instead she shoves Sasha a bit and Banks isn’t pleased. A kick to the leg cuts Banks down again and stomps down on the hand for a bonus. Baszler grabs a double underhook into a cross armbreaker but Banks rolls over to the ropes for a break on the floor.

A Bayley distraction lets Banks send Shayna into the corner for two. Baszler rolls through a high crossbody though and hits a nasty/somewhat messed up backbreaker for two of her own. The Kirifuda Clutch is blocked though and Banks pulls her into the Bank Statement. That’s broken up as well so Banks hits a knee to the face. That earns her a knee to the face though and they’re both down. Cue Asuka to go after Bayley though….and that’s a DQ at 4:50?

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but this show needs to work on its DQ rules. I went back to make sure I didn’t miss anything on the DQ but how else are they going to get to the tag match? Asuka and Baszler are a weird team, but who else is supposed to challenge for the titles at Summerslam? The Riott Squad?

Post match Asuka chases Banks to the floor and I think you know where this is going.

Indeed it’s a promo from Asuka, who is asked about last week when she went to save Kairi Sane, costing herself the Raw Women’s Title in the process. After seeing the ending of the match, Asuka says Kairi will be ok but for now, she is here and so are Bayley and Banks. She wants her rematch for the title at Summerslam but Shayna pops up next to her. Baszler is cheering for Asuka because she wants Asuka to get the title back so she can take it next. Cue Banks and Bayley to say Asuka can face Bayley next week. If she wins, then she gets the title shot. Bayley doesn’t seem pleased.

Angel Garza hits on a woman named Demi, who is from the Bachelor. Andrade doesn’t seem pleased and neither does Zelina Vega, who says Demi doesn’t belong here.

Back at Raw Underground, Shane declares one of them men the winner as some women dance in the background. This has the potential to be a disaster in the making.

After a break, Shane introduces Raw Underground, where there are very few rules and a lot of carnage. We’ve got a fight to start between Daba Kato, who is over 7’ tall, and a much smaller guy. The smaller guy charges at him to no avail. Kato beats the tar out of him for the win in 19 seconds. Another guy comes up and gets taken down with a spinning Rock Bottom. Elbows to the face finish him in about 15 seconds. Kato throws the guy to the floor and asks who is next. More on this later.

Here are the Street Profits for a pair of singles matches, but first Dawkins wants to hit on Demi. Ford wants him to be more serious, because it’s time to get ready for Summerslam. They have a bond like James, unlike the Angel Garza and Andrade, who Zelina Vega threw together. They want the smoke.

Angel Garza vs. Angelo Dawkins

Dawkins starts fast by sending Garza outside. That means a ram into the Plexiglas and we take a fast break. Back with Dawkins working on the arm before hitting a dropkick for two as Demi is watching backstage, with the rose Garza gave her. Garza fights back up and TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, setting up his own middle rope dropkick. The Wing Clipper is blocked and Dawkins hits his spinning splash in the corner. There’s a bulldog but Ford falls down without being touched. Garza hits a superkick and a dropkick to the side of the face for the pin at 5:52. Not enough shown to rate but the Ford deal seems more important.

Montez Ford vs. Andrade

Joined in progress with Ford slipping out of an armbar and grabbing a waistlock as commentary wonders what was wrong with him. Ford is fine enough to flip out of a wristlock and slap on a headlock. That’s reversed with a belly to back suplex and Andrade kicks him to the floor where Ford is holding his ribs. Ford reverses a whip into the barricade and they head back inside, where Andrade gets in a hard shot to the face. A snap suplex gives Andrade two and we hit the chinlock.

That brings Ford back to life for some elbows and a flip over Andrade. A jumping clothesline has Ford’s eyes bugging out again but he charges into a shot to the chest. Ford is back up with a dropkick to knock Andrade off the top and there’s the big running flip dive to take him down again. Back in and Ford shakes the ropes…but collapses again and the referee stops it at 4:58.

Rating: C. The storylines are strong with this show and I’ll give them points for seeing where they are going with this one. It’s certainly different and something that we haven’t seen in a long time so maybe they have something different. That being said, I’ll need to see where it is going before deciding how good it is.

Murphy watches a clip of him attacking Aleister Black’s eye last week and doesn’t seem pleased with himself. Seth Rollins is proud of him though and says focus on the future. As for the Summerslam challenge from Dominic, Murphy thinks it’s ridiculous but Seth smiles and walks off.

We go back to Raw Underground with Erik of the Viking Raiders fighting another unnamed fighter. Erik takes him down and hammers away, followed by a hard German suplex. The other guy is kicked out of the ring but gets thrown back in for some knees to the chest. Erik finally wins via stoppage. Adding in a wrestler we know is a better idea.

There is no update on Montez Ford but Angel Garza comes up to offer Charly Caruso a rose. Zelina and Andrade come up to say they’re worried about Ford as well, but what does this mean for the Summerslam Tag Team Title match? Angelo Dawkins walks out of the trainer’s room and says someone might have poisoned Ford. Bianca Belair comes out of the room as well to say Zelina has one chance to say what happened. Zelina asks how stupid Belair thinks she is so the earrings come off and they both have to be held back.

We see some security camera footage from earlier where five people in masks threw a fireball at a power generator and blew it up, likely causing the technical issues all night long.

The Hurt Business doesn’t like being asked about their bad night when everything is going insane around here. They find it interesting that this is happening when the Raw Underground stuff starts up and go to look into it.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We look back at Seth Rollins destroying Rey Mysterio and tormenting his family.

Here are Seth Rollins and Murphy so Seth can make a statement, but first he wants to ask Tom Phillips if he is an unbiased journalist. What was he doing last week when Dominic was attacking Seth with a kendo stick? Rollins starts shouting about Phillips cheering him on and inciting his rage. It’s the bias (oh it’s time to get topical) that causes these problems, so Murphy is going to take care of Phillips. Samoa Joe stands up and says that isn’t happening because he was laughing harder than anyone last week.

Rollins says Joe doesn’t want to do this but Joe says he does. Rollins and Murphy roll inside and tell Joe to come join them. Joe takes off the coat and we go to a break. Back with Joe still not in the ring but here’s Dominic with a kendo stick to lay out Murphy and Rollins. Dominic hits a big dive off the top to take both of them down and the two run off. Rollins grabs the mic and says the match is on for Summerslam.

Back at Raw Underground, Dolph Ziggler beats someone up and chokes him out in a hurry. The Hurt Business shows up and says they’re taking over, with Lashley ruling the ring. A guy comes after him and is immediately taken down with no trouble. MVP gets in the ring as well and Shelton Benjamin throws someone else inside to get beaten up as well. That’s enough for MVP to be called off by a referee so Lashley throws the guy to the floor.

MVP asks who is next but someone has said something about Shelton’s mama (ANYONE but Mama Benjamin). Shelton dispatches him with ease and the Hurt Business drops tot he floor and beats up a bunch of people without much effort. Shane seems pleased and says anything goes around here. They can come back anytime they want and MVP says business is booming to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Well it was certainly different, and that’s a good thing given how the show has been going as of late. That being said, I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea of an underground fight club breaking out at the arena. It’s certainly a far cry from the Brawl For All of course, but we could be in for some interesting ideas in the coming weeks.

This was definitely the “throw stuff at the wall and see what doesn’t bomb” show, and after everything else going as it did recently, that might not be the worst idea. I’m disappointed in a faction being “introduced” as I wouldn’t call seeing them blow stuff up to be an introduction, but it was better than nothing. I’ll have to see where a lot of this goes, but it has me somewhat interested and that’s a good thing.

Results

Apollo Crews b. MVP – Toss powerbomb

Riott Squad b. IIconics – Rollup to Kay

Akira Tozawa b. R-Truth and Shelton Benjamin – Top rope backsplash to R-Truth

Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler went to a no contest when Asuka interfered

Angel Garza b. Angelo Dawkins – Dropkick to the side of the head

Andrade b. Montez Ford via referee stoppage

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 31, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Drew Gulak

Things are actually getting interesting around here as there are some stories that could go somewhere in the future. That is the case again this week as Tony Nese and Isaiah Scott team up to face Legado del Fantasma. Scott seems primed to challenge for the Cruiserweight Title but he might not be able to trust Nese. Let’s get to it.

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

Ariya Daivari is on a boat and knows people have been waiting for him to return. Now that the 205 Live roster has caught up for him, his goal has paid off. Daivari gives us a quick recap of everything going on at the moment and announces that he’ll be back soon. Was anyone asking about that?

Opening sequence.

Tony Nese/Isaiah Scott vs. Legado del Fantasma

Raul Mendoza/Joaquin Wilde for Legado here, with Santos Escobar in their corner. Mendoza and Nese go tot he mat to start with Nese grabbing a chinlock. A series of kicks sends Mendoza into the corner and it’s off to Wilde vs. Scott. This time it’s Scott grabbing a chinlock but Wilde reverses into a cravate. That’s reversed into an anklescissors to take Wilde into the corner, where he slaps Scott in the face.

Scott unloads with the stomping and Wilde gets kicked out to the floor in a heap. Back in and Nese tags himself in, much to Scott’s annoyance. They’re fine enough to double elbow Wilde down and take him into the corner to work on the arm. A double suplex gives Scott two and we hit another chinlock. Back up and Mendoza gets in a cheap shot from the apron and it’s a belly to back faceplant to give Wilde two.

A double spinebuster into a double dropkick rocks Scott even more but he fights out of the corner. Scott right hands Mendoza in the face and makes the hot tag off to Nese for a sitout pumphandle slam. Nese gets a Boston crab on Wilde and Scott armbars Mendoza until Wilde kicks Nese into the two of them for the save. Scott comes back in off the tag and starts cleaning house, including the House Call on Wilde.

Mendoza offers a distraction though and Wilde grabs a DDT. It’s Nese coming back in for two off the Lionsault and Legado is sent outside. Stereo flip dives take the two of them down and Scott gets two with Wilde making another save. Scott goes up but Santos offers a distraction, allowing Mendoza to shove him into the barricade. That leaves Nese alone and Wilde comes in off the blind tag for a Russian legsweep/running kick to the face to finish Nese at 14:20.

Rating: B. This was more like it and the kind of match that fits the show well. I’m still not sure how I feel about Nese being a face as it had some mixed results before but he was a good enough choice here. The ending was the only way they could go as well as neither Scott nor the team should be losing yet so Nese was the right option for the fall guy.

Scott isn’t happy as Legado poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is what happens when you actually put in the effort and set up some stories. They did a nice job of making this feel important and it felt like a step in a story rather than throwing some cruiserweights out there because they needed to fill time. I have no confidence in that continuing, but for a one off show, they had a good week.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: March 3, 2006
Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Attendance: 11,700
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s a big one tonight as we have the No Way Out rematch between Undertaker and Kurt Angle for the Smackdown World Title. That alone should be enough to carry this show as it feels like one of those main events where they are going to give it some extra attention. Certainly works for me. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video about Angle vs. Undertaker. If you insist.

Opening sequence.

Booker T. vs. Tatanka

What a clash of generations. Sharmell is on commentary. Tatanka works on the arm to start and Booker bails to the rope as Sharmell is already done listening to Cole. Booker loses a chop off so he goes to the eye and elbows him in the face. The hooking kick to the head misses though and Tatanka chops away even more. There’s a suplex but Booker pops up and strikes away in the corner.

A hot shot puts Tatanka down again and it’s a superkick for two. The chinlock goes on and naturally fuels the comeback, allowing Tatanka to chop him down again. Tatanka’s belly to back suplex sets up the top rope chop but Booker kicks him out of the air. The ax kick gives Booker….nothing as here’s the Boogeyman behind Sharmell. That’s enough for Tatanka to grab a rollup for the big upset.

Rating: D+. So to recap, you have all of the people available to WWE (from developmental alone) and you pick Tatanka? He isn’t the worst in the world or anything, but who looks back at Tatanka and thinks that’s the big idea? The match was nothing but a way to set up the angle at the end, as we continue towards Booker vs. Boogeyman because reasons.

Post match Boogeyman, with the worms, chases Booker off.

We recap Rey Mysterio being all depressed over losing his Wrestlemania title shot. Don’t worry though because Teddy Long made a tag match between Rey Mysterio and feeling happy by making a triple threat match at Wrestlemania.

Randy Orton vs. Super Crazy

Orton now has This Fire Burns by Killswitch Engage for theme music. Crazy gets stomped down in the corner to start and we’re in the chinlock in a hurry. Some forearms to the chest give Orton two and the chinlock goes on again. Crazy crawls over to the ropes and gets his feet to safety but Orton pulls him back for more chinlocking anyway.

Back up and Crazy throws him over for the break and hits a triangle dropkick to put Orton outside. The dive off the top hits Orton and they head back inside for two. A tornado DDT sends Orton throat first across the top but the moonsault only hits mat. Orton tries to go up but gets kicked in the head, only to shove Crazy back down. The RKO is good for the fast pin.

Rating: C-. This is the kind of match that can almost always work: take a talented guy who doesn’t get to do much against bigger names and let him have a five minute match. Orton was never in danger but they got to do a little something out there and it isn’t like Crazy loses anything in defeat. Do more stuff like this and save some of the bigger matches for important spots.

Video on Chris Benoit. I’m surprised that made the Network.

We look back at JBL’s hand being crushed last week, forcing him to undergo hand surgery this week.

At Wrestlemania: Benoit vs. JBL for the US Title.

MNM vs. Matt Hardy/Animal

Non-title. Matt rolls Mercury up for two to start and is quickly forearmed in the face for his efforts. Mercury misses a dropkick and gets rolled up for two, meaning it’s off to Animal for a hard whip into the corner. They head outside with Mercury being sent into the apron, allowing Melina to dive off the apron for a distraction. This one actually works as Nitro scores with a superkick to take over. Back in and a double legdrop gets two on Animal. The referees try to break things up so Melina adds a headscissor choke over the rope, with the fans not exactly complaining.

Animal fights up without much trouble and brings in Matt for the house cleaning. The middle rope elbow to the back of Mercury’s neck looks to set up the Twist of Fate but Matt has to go with a double DDT instead. Now the Twist of Fate gets two on Mercury with Nitro making the save. Everything breaks down and Animal goes up for the Doomsday Device, only to have Nitro chop block Hardy. Animal crashes, leaving Matt to take the Snapshot for the pin.

Rating: D+. Pretty formula based stuff but I don’t really need to see Animal again. It worked with Hawk but that isn’t going to happen again. The act was pretty tired in 1999 and we are a long way off from that. MNM needs a good team to face and I don’t know if I can imagine that happening anytime soon.

Post match Animal snaps on Hardy and rams Hardy’s injured knee in the post.

Big Time Wrestlemania Moment: Undertaker b. Sid at Wrestlemania XIII. You have that whole show and you pick that match? In a year where Bret Hart is going into the Hall of Fame?

Gene Okerlund Hall of Fame video.

Bobby Lashley vs. Finlay

Fallout from last week’s tag match. Lashley powers him up against the ropes to start and hits an atomic drop. Finlay gets run over with straight power but comes back with a clothesline and a knee to the back of the head. A suplex gives Lashley two and they head outside where Finlay throws in a bunch of chairs. The chair duel is good for the quick DQ.

Post match the brawl stays on with referees having to come down and break it up. This worked pretty well and I could go for another one.

We see Kristal attempting to disrobe last week when Jillian Hall interrupted. Clothes were removed and they fight next week. Can they please not?

William Regal comes up to Paul Burchill again and says Paul is embarrassing him again. Just come be a tag team again. Burchill says no because he has his first match next week and can’t wait to dress like this. Regal: “ARE YOU BLOODY MAD???”

Video on Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker.

Smackdown World Title: Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker

Angle is defending in a rematch from No Way Out. Angle slugs away in the corner to start and has to dodge Undertaker’s big shots. Undertaker gets taken down into a Fujiwara armbar but reverses into one of his own. A flying armbar has Angle in more trouble and Undertaker cranks on the arm in the corner. Old School is broken up though and Angle stomps him down some more. That just earns him another armbar but Angle breaks up Old School again.

The ten right hands in the corner are countered into a Last Ride but Undertaker has to drop him onto the ropes instead. A boot puts Angle on the floor and we take a break. Back with Angle sending him face first into the steps but Undertaker pops back up with a heck of a clothesline. Undertaker hits the apron legdrop to the back of the bad neck as he has another target.

Back in and Undertaker bends the neck around the rope but Angle snaps off a belly to belly for a delayed two. Now it’s Angle pounding him down for two and we hit the bodyscissors. That’s broken up as well but Undertaker’s running big boot misses in the corner. For some reason Undertaker goes up top, earning himself a top rope superplex for two.

We take another break and come back again with Angle holding a chinlock with a knee in the back. A clothesline puts Undertaker on the floor and Angle whips him knees first into the steps. Back in and Undertaker wins a slugout but misses another big boot. The release German suplex sends Undertaker flying but NOW the big boot connects for two. The chokeslam is countered into the ankle lock until Undertaker kicks him off. Neither can hit a Tombstone so Angle grabs the Angle Slam for two more.

Another ankle lock is countered into the chokeslam but the cover takes too long, allowing Angle to pull him into the ankle lock. That’s countered into the triangle choke, which is good for two arm drops. Angle grabs the rope for the break and counters a legdrop into the ankle lock. This time Undertaker reverses and hits a DDT for two but it’s Angle up first. The moonsault misses and there’s the sit up. Undertaker hits the Tombstone but here’s Mark Henry for the DQ.

Rating: A-. Yeah that worked and I don’t know why you would have expected anything else. This was a pair of great wrestlers going back and forth while trying to have a classic and they pretty much did. I’m not wild on the ending but we have already seen a clean finish between the two so it isn’t that big of a problem. There was no way this wasn’t going to work and it worked very well, as you had to expect.

Post match Henry beats Undertaker up even more, setting up a splash through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was like the In Your House of Smackdowns as the main event carried the show as far as it needed to go but the rest left you wondering why this was taking place. There are a lot of people who pretty clearly are just going through the motions with little to nothing to do for Wrestlemania and that can make for some rough time. Then you have Undertaker vs. Angle for about half an hour though and those problems don’t mean as much.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: July 30, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, MVP

We’re still on the road to Summerslam and that doesn’t exactly make for the most interesting stuff. This time around we do have a main event to build towards and that means they might have a focus on this show. Hopefully the original stuff makes things a little better. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Riddick Moss vs. Titus O’Neil

Titus powers him into the corner to start and then does it again for a bonus. Moss bails to the floor and can’t manage to pull Titus outside with him, meaning the beating continues on the floor. Some rams into the apron keep Moss in trouble until he snaps Titus’ arm across the top.

Back in and a hard clothesline connects but Moss gets in another shot to the arm. The armbar goes on and a running shoulder huts the arm even more. Moss mocks the dog bark before going back to the armbar. Titus sends him into the middle buckle though and uses the good arm for some clotheslines. Clash of the Titus doesn’t work due to the arm though and the neckbreaker finishes Titus at 5:05.

Rating: C-. This could have been worse as they even told a story with the arm messing with Titus’ power game. No it wasn’t much and it certainly wasn’t memorable, but given what you might have been expecting, this worked out well. Moss is someone who could go a little somewhere if given the chance, but beating Titus on Main Event isn’t the right way to get there.

Video on the Swamp Fight.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House, which starts with a package on the Swamp Fight. Bray, standing next to the Fiend lantern, says that was fun because Braun Strowman came back home. Some of you are probably worried that Braun is now trapped in the swamp, but don’t worry, because it has been certified organic. The lantern starts talking to him but Bray says its job is done for now. No he can’t let the lantern out again, because he had his chance. Now it’s his turn, because he has been unleashed. We cut to the Fiend and that’s it.

We see the end of the Bar Fight between Sheamus and Jeff Hardy.

We look at Sasha Banks taking the Raw Women’s Title belt (without winning the title) from Asuka at Extreme Rules.

From Raw.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Asuka, with Kairi Sane, is defending and can lose the title via countout, DQ or interference. Banks has Bayley here with her and before the match, Sasha talks about how there is no bigger bully than Stephanie McMahon. That’s because they run the whole company because they’re role models who stand against injustice. That’s why Bayley interfered at Extreme Rules and counted the pin on Asuka. Bayley: “Any role model would have done the same thing.” Before the bell, Sane chases Bayley off and we take a break.

Back with the Big Match Intros, followed by Asuka kicking away in the corner to start fast. The Shining Wizard gets two but Asuka can’t get a Fujiwara armbar. A Backstabber out of the corner gives Banks two and the half crab goes on. Banks lets that go and starts working on the leg until Asuka kicks her out to the floor. That’s enough for Banks as she tries to leave, but it’s the old Eddie Guerrero trick of throwing the belt to Asuka and falling down, but Banks doesn’t get the timing right and the referee doesn’t buy it. Asuka kicks her in the head instead and we take a break.

Back with Banks working on the leg again but Asuka fights up and strikes away. A knee to the face sends Banks to the apron but the knee is too hut to follow up. Banks is back with a kick to the head and the Meteora gets two. We’re right back to the half crab but Asuka grabs a kneebar instead. That’s switched into an ankle lock to keeps Banks in trouble until she rolls Asuka into the corner. A top rope Meteora is countered into a Codebreaker to put them both down again.

Asuka kicks the knee out again and gets two off a release German suplex. The hip attack gets the same but Banks gets in a shot of her own. The frog splash gives Banks two and the Bank Statement goes on. Asuka slips out but can’t get the Asuka Lock as Banks sends her outside instead.

Banks drops the bad knee onto the announcers’ table for nine, with the dive back inside ruining Banks’ posing. Asuka’s rollup is countered into the Bank Statement, which is reversed into the ankle lock. Asuka hits a middle rope dropkick but we see Bayley beating up Kairi Sane in the back. The distracted Asuka still hits a German suplex as Bayley beats the heck out of Sane. Bayley rams Sane into the steel wall over and over and Asuka finally goes to the back for the save, giving Banks the title via countout at 19:30.

Rating: B. They set this up well and I can go for Banks winning the title here, as it could set up something big at Summerslam. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Banks and Bayley getting a major rocket push as WWE tries to fill in the void left by Becky and Charlotte leaving. Good match too, as you would expect from these two without the stupid shenanigans.

Post break, Bayley and Banks are VERY excited and dance around in celebration. Asuka comes out of the trainer’s room and screams a lot.

Ruby Riott vs. Shayna Baszler

Shayna shoves her down to start and then drives Riott into the corner. Riott kicks the leg out though, which just seems to annoy Baszler. A crucifix gives Riott two but she has to break the Kirifuda Clutch attempt. Baszler starts pulling on the leg until Riott sends her face first into the middle buckle. That’s enough to send Baszler outside for a breather and we take a break.

Back with Baszler cranking on the neck while tying the leg up for a bonus. Riott sends her into the corner though and scores with a superkick to rock Baszler again. Ruby slugs away and hits an STO into a standing backsplash for two. Baszler kicks her down and hits a Shining Wizard against the ropes but Riott says bring it on. That’s fine with Baszler, who knees her in the face and grabs the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap at 10:06.

Rating: C. To be fair, Riott did tell Baszler to bring it on so she has no one else to blame. They were getting into a groove here and I could have gone for more of it on a bigger stage. Riott is someone who can have a good match against anyone but Baszler seems ready to move up to the title picture (as she has been for a long time now).

From Raw.

Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title and Extreme Rules. Drew goes outside to get a chair so Ziggler superkicks him without much trouble. Ziggler sends him into the post and Plexiglas but Drew is back with an elbow to the face. A lawn dart sends Ziggler hard into the Plexiglas and it’s time for the kendo stick. The Russian legsweep with the kendo stick sends Ziggler into the Plexiglas again and Drew wraps the stick around Ziggler’s mouth.

They head back inside with a bunch of chairs and a table coming with them. Ziggler can’t get a chair so McIntyre cracks him over the back with one instead. A low blow gets Ziggler out of trouble and he finds a second kendo stick to unload on McIntyre. Ziggler does everything McIntyre did to him but McIntyre takes the stick away.

Ziggler is placed on the apron, where his dive is caught for a big drive through the barricade as we take a break. Back with Drew hitting a top rope ax handle but not being able to hit the Future Shock. Instead Ziggler goes up but gets top rope superplexed right back down. The Zig Zag gives McIntyre two more so Ziggler grabs a chair, only to get Claymored through the table to give McIntyre the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B-. This was fine enough, though the lack of the title being on the line kind of took away the interest and that’s not the best idea given the way the TV numbers are going at the moment. McIntyre and Ziggler have chemistry together, but they can only do so much when you’re counting down to the pin. They have already been close enough to this place earlier this month, so seeing the match again wasn’t quite the draw.

Post match Drew holds up the title, earning every bit of the not so surprising RKO from Orton to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here as you can tell that WWE is starting to focus a lot more on the way to Summerslam. The problem is that the shows still aren’t all that good as the presentation is so lame at the moment. Just find a more interesting way to do things and maybe it improves, but WWE has a long way to go to get out of the hole they have put themselves into.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: July 31, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

Summerslam is getting closer and closer but at the same time we have a lot to do on the way there. That includes a pair of title matches this week as AJ Styles defends the Intercontinental Title against Gran Metalik and Nikki Cross gets another shot at Bayley’s Smackdown Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Bayley is ready to beat Nikki Cross again and Sasha Banks laughs a lot.

Nikki says her confidence was in the gutter after Extreme Rules but last week she beat Alexa Bliss, who is better than Bayley and Banks.

Big E. says Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston are in his heart and mind. Tonight, Miz feels the power.

Miz isn’t worried about Big E. having a singles career. John Morrison thinks it sounds like a bad spinoff.

Lacey Evans is ready for the nasty Naomi.

Naomi promises to make Lacey feel the glow.

Gran Metalik wants the Intercontinental Title (in Spanish).

AJ Styles is ready to teach Metalik a lesson.

We go to the Firefly Fun House where Bray Wyatt has a snorkel because he was looking for Braun Strowman. Though maybe the alligators have already eaten Braun. All Bray ever wanted to do was save Braun but now HE is awake and HE wants something Braun has. Until HE gets it, none of you are safe. Let him in.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Gran Metalik

Metalik is challenging and has Lince Dorado with him. AJ drives him into the corner to start and we’re at an early standoff. Some kicks to the ribs take Metalik down and Styles sends him face first into the buckle. There’s a suplex for two and AJ whips him hard into the corner but misses an elbow.

Metalik sends him outside and cuts AJ off at the legs. A running hurricanrana off the apron takes AJ down and we take a break. Back with Metalik hitting a high crossbody but a monkey flip is blocked. AJ starts in on the leg by cranking away on the mat, including a half crab to send Metalik to the rope.

Metalik slips out of the fireman’s carry neckbreaker and snaps off a tornado DDT for a hotter than expected near fall. There’s the rope walk dropkick for two more but AJ is right back with the Phenomenal Blitz. The Phenomenal Forearm misses though and Metalik hits an enziguri for the double breather. Metalik walks the ropes again but AJ knocks him out of the air. The Calf Crusher makes Metalik tap at 14:24.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing I can go for: have AJ Styles working with some random wrestler and getting a good match out of him. Metalik can do some good stuff on his own, but Styles is the kind of guy who can do whatever he wants with anyone and make it look easy. Nice stuff here and a perfectly fine match to open the show.

Post match Dorado checks on Metalik and gets taken out with the Styles Clash.

King Corbin comes up to Shorty G. and talks about how overlooked Gable has been. All of the short jokes were there to motivate him, and he can do that against Matt Riddle tonight. Gable seems to think about things. As usual, it’s amazing how much all of the energy that opener put together goes away as soon as Corbin shows up.

We look back at the bar fight last week.

Here’s Hardy for a chat. Jeff has not felt this good in a long time and knows that, as a fan shouts, Sheamus sucks. Last week was a reminder that he is on the right path. It’s true that he is an alcoholic but he is also a loving husband and a WWE star. That is what makes him never want to let anyone down again and he is fighting the struggle every day. Cue King Corbin to say enough about the sobriety stuff.

What is going on around here? Hardy is standing in the ring talking about how tough things is so suck it up and deal with it. Corbin has to deal with that idiotic Matt Riddle who can’t keep his shows and tonight he has to face Drew Gulak. Hardy says maybe Corbin is the real problem but Corbin thinks Hardy is more concerned about sitting in a circle, talking about the twelve steps and collecting coins. Gulak jumps him from behind and we’re off. Well after a break that is. So yeah, Corbin is now in two stories at once, assuming we’re not counting Gulak as a third.

Drew Gulak vs. King Corbin

Joined in progress with Gulak working on the arm and throwing Corbin down. A stomp to the arm sets up the hammerlock as Corbin is sent into the corner. Corbin right hands him out of the corner though and Gulak is rocked in a hurry. It’s off to a half crab on Gulak, with Corbin turning it into the middle of the ring.

That’s reverses into a YES Lock but Corbin gets out and reaches the rope. Some running dropkicks have Corbin in trouble and Gulak adds a top rope clothesline for two. Corbin is back with Deep Six but here’s Matt Riddle for a distraction, setting up a small package for two. Not that it matters as the End of Days finishes Gulak at 5:12.

Rating: C. And yes of course we keep Corbin going because he must be on the show no matter what happens. Corbin continues to do his thing and if we have to see him, I would rather have him in the ring than on the microphone, though it is the lesser of two evils at best. Gulak continues to be a great hand in the ring and that isn’t a bad spot to have.

Post match Riddle runs in and goes after Corbin but Shorty G. runs in with a suplex to Riddle and a smile to Corbin.

Big E. vs. The Miz

John Morrison is here with Miz while Big E. is alone, as commentary makes very clear. Miz gets driven into the corner so Big E. can hit the hip swiveling. Then it’s a fireman’s carry into more swiveling, setting up the spanking abdominal stretch. Miz gets out and slaps him in the face for some reason, which doesn’t go well. They head outside with Miz being sent into various things but Morrison hits a flipping kick off the steps.

Miz gets in a kick to the face and it’s a top rope ax handle back inside. Big E. powers out of a chinlock and sends him to the apron for a clothesline. The apron splash misses though and we take a break. Back with Big E. fighting out of another chinlock but getting kick in the face for two. Big E. is back up again with some belly to belly suplexes into the Warrior Splash. The Big Ending and Skull Crushing Finale are blocked so Miz hits the DDT for two more. There are the YES Kicks but Big E reverses one into a failed powerbomb attempt.

Miz kicks the knee out and kicks away at it in the corner. Some running knees are countered into a not great Rock Bottom out of the corner but the spear through the ropes is countered with another knee. Morrison gets on the apron for a kick to the head though and the Skull Crushing Final gets two. Miz grabs the Figure Four but Big E. gets over to the rope. Morrison teases another kick but gets caught this time for an ejection. Miz panics for a good while and gets rolled up for two, followed by a Stretch Muffler of all things to make Miz tap at 14:00.

Rating: C-. They needed to cut some of the time out of this as Big E. didn’t quite look like a breakout star. The idea of him being out there on his own makes sense, assuming you ignore his Intercontinental Title, NXT Title, and long successful run as part of the New Day. They’re treating him like some rookie who has never done this before and that doesn’t exactly fit anything about him. I liked the ending, but this needed to be about five minutes shorter.

Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are celebrating when Lucha House Party comes in. They seem interested in a title shot but Cesaro makes fun of Metalik for choking.

Sheamus talks about making the mistake of fighting Jeff Hardy in a bar. No matter how many bottles Sheamus broke over his head, he knew Hardy was fueled by alcohol. Hardy is no longer his problem and that’s bad news for Smackdown. Now, he is the locker room’s problem.

Lacey Evans vs. Naomi

Before the match, Lacey promises to make everyone feel sorry for Naomi when she beats her again. Lacey takes her into the corner to start and goes to tie Naomi’s hair around the rope. That’s broken up as Naomi tries a hurricanrana, earning herself a powerbomb. Naomi’s back is bent around the post with Lacey pulling on the hair, followed by a hard posting.

Lacey traps the hair in the steps but Naomi beats the count and knocks her outside again. Naomi tries a sliding….I want to say sunset bomb or Canadian Destroyer but she loses Lacey on the flip and sends her flying instead, with Cole even asking what the heck that was. Back in and Lacey ties the hair into the ropes again but this time Naomi comes out with a backslide for the pin at 3:18.

Rating: D. I’d love to know who the producer was for this because they probably need to be demoted. It felt like they had about five ideas but none of them were developed and it turned into a mess. Lacey trying to tie the hair up over and over was as close as they got to a point, but the big spot was so horribly botched and I’m still not sure why I should care about Lacey being mad over a karaoke contest. Naomi and Lacey could both be developed into something, though it isn’t happening like this.

Otis and Mandy Rose are here and have plans for a date, with Mandy making some suggestive statements involving food. They’ll be ready in a few minutes but Sonya Deville looks on.

Post break Sonya jumps Mandy and covers her face with makeup. She cuts off a bunch of Mandy’s hair too while screaming about wanting to ruin Mandy’s life. Sonya grabs some electric clippers but referees come in for the save.

After a quick chat from commentary on what we just saw, Heavy Machinery comes in to check on Mandy. Miz and Morrison come int o ask where the adults are because Mandy now looks like a soccer mom. Miz: “Rest asheered, we will take care of this.” Morrison: “Don’t cut it short.” Otis glares them off.

We recap Bayley vs. Nikki Cross, which included Bayley beating her at Extreme Rules and injuring her ribs.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Nikki Cross

Bayley is defending and Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss are the seconds. Cross starts fast by knocking Bayley around and hitting a monkey flip. The Purge is broken up so Nikki slams her head first into the mat over and over. Bayley is back with a shot in the ropes but Nikki sends her outside in a crash as we take a break. We come back with Bayley running Nikki over and sending her into the buckle. A belly to back suplex drops Nikki on her head for two but a shot to the throat gets her out of trouble.

There’s a tornado DDT for two on Bayley and a reverse DDT onto the apron has her in more trouble. Back in and Nikki gets two off a Regal Cutter but Bayley snaps her throat first across the rope. Bayley goes over to the announcers’ table to mock Nikki’s dance for reasons of general cockiness, allowing Nikki to take her down by the leg. A dropkick through the ropes takes Sasha down and they fight over some rollups for two each. Bayley pops back up and hits the bulldog driver to retain at 10:30.

Rating: C+. They were just starting to cook and then Bayley finished her in a hurry to retain. It didn’t last long but they had me believing they might pull the surprise for a bit. That’s hard to do given how dominant Bayley has been but they need to have someone give her a real challenge because you can only do these same things over and over so many times.

Post match Bayley and Banks leave and the copyright comes up but we stay with Bliss trying to help Nikki up. Nikki says no and shoves her down before leaving on her own. Cue the Fiend of all people to kneel next to Bliss and hold out his hand, which she looks at while shaking her head. Fiend Mandible Claws Bliss to end the show. If we have to do this one more time, that’s a different enough way to go to make it more interesting.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show where they were trying hard and coming close to making it work but then something cut it off. Whether it was Corbin or the Naomi vs. Evans match or reminding us that Hardy is an alcoholic every few segments, this show had a lot of speed bumps and couldn’t overcome all of them. The good stuff was good though, with some solid matches and the potential of Big E. getting his singles push (just don’t have him beat Morrison next week and burn off more of his solo time) being highlights. I liked the show, but I could have liked it a lot more without the issues.

Results

AJ Styles b. Gran Metalik – Calf Crusher

King Corbin b. Drew Gulak – End of Days

Big E. b. The Miz – Stretch Muffler

Naomi b. Lacey Evans – Backslide

Bayley b. Nikki Cross – Bulldog driver

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 27, 2006
Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Attendance: 11,000
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles

We’re just over a month away from Wrestlemania and the show is starting to take some shape. The big story coming out of last week is HHH becoming the new #1 contender to John Cena’s Raw World Title, which could mean some extra long promos without much being said. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Spirit Squad attacking Shawn Michaels last week, with Marty Jannetty making the save. Marty can have a job tonight, if he joins Vince McMahon’s special club.

Opening sequence.

Here are Edge and Lita to get things going. Edge says Mick Foley’s time is up because it has been a week since Edge challenged him. Foley might have something planned for April 2 but maybe he would rather not waste himself at another indy show or write another book that no one will read. Lita pulls out a pair of tickets to Long Island and if Foley isn’t here, they’re coming to his house.

Cue Foley to say it isn’t that he isn’t man enough to come to Washington DC. It was Edge who lost to John Cena at the Royal Rumble and last week on Raw. Edge was the one who choked, so Edge threatens to choke Foley at Wrestlemania. Foley turns down the Wrestlemania match but points out that he was a three time transitional champion, making him the greatest transitional champion of all time! Edge says Foley will be remembered for three things: having his ear ripped off, being thrown off the Cell and showing up in Vince McMahon’s hospital room with a sock puppet.

See, Foley has never won at Wrestlemania. Yeah he has had his disqualifications and such, but he has never had that classic. Edge is undefeated at Wrestlemania and has had his share of great moments. It’s true that Foley would lose a wrestling match at Wrestlemania, but he would like to challenge Edge to a hardcore match. Lita panics so Foley goes to the back to get some extra incentive. That would be the barbed wire baseball bat so Edge and Lita run off.

Saturday Night’s Main Event is back on March 18.

Tag Team Titles: Kane/Big Show vs. Viscera/Val Venis

Kane and Big Show are defending. Venis strikes away at Kane to start, earning himself a big boot and side slam. Joey tries to shift things over to Jannetty and McMahon but Lawler of all people gets them back on track. Viscera comes in for a Samoan drop and his own near fall but it’s off to Show for the big flying shoulder. A somewhat delayed slam puts Viscera down again and Venis has to make the save. Kane clotheslines Venis down and it’s a double chokeslam to retain the titles.

Rating: D. Another match as we wait around to find challengers for Kane and Show. That has been the case since they won the titles, which is hardly the biggest surprise. There isn’t much that you can do with them, which is a big part of why they have been doing singles stuff for so long. Venis tried as usual though and seeing Viscera thrown around is somewhat impressive.

Ric Flair talks about turning 57 over the weekend and maybe he has one more title run in him.

Shawn Michaels comes up to Marty Jannetty and apologizes for what Marty has gotten into. Marty talks about quitting and getting fired but never doing something like this. He needs to do what he needs to do at the moment though because he needs this job.

Carlito insults Maria and announces that Money in the Bank is coming back at Wrestlemania. Qualifying matches begin tonight.

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

Murdoch jumps him to start but Rob sweeps the leg and twists it around. A basement dropkick keeps Murdoch in trouble and a kneebar sends Murdoch to the ropes. Murdoch bails outside but Rob’s dive only hits the floor. We get some TREVOR MURDOCH chants as he grabs a reverse chinlock, as the RVD chants take over. The regular chinlock goes on for a bit until Rob sends him into the corner. A running spinwheel kick sets up most of a Rolling Thunder and another kick to the face. The Five Star sends Rob on to Wrestlemania.

Rating: D+. Rob seemed especially sloppy this week but at least they kept it short. These qualifying matches can get a little annoying when they don’t have much drama but Murdoch is someone who is believable enough to make something like this work. At the same time though, there isn’t much that can be done when Rob isn’t exactly nailing his signature stuff.

Video on the Philippines tour.

Women’s Title: Trish Stratus vs. Candice Michelle

Trish is defending and Mickie James and Torrie Wilson handle the respective introductions. An early Torrie distraction lets Candice get in a wand shot to take over. Some knees in the corner set up the Go Daddy dance but Trish takes her down and hammers away. Candice chokes away on the ropes but Trish grabs a sunset flip. Torrie grabs Candice’s hands, only to have the referee break that up. Trish rolls her up to retain. Not that it matters of course, because Candice’s Playboy cover is unveiled next week, and that’s what really matters.

Mickie is rather happy that Trish won.

Candice slapped Torrie during the break.

Here’s Coach to interview John Cena. Coach talks about how tough of a challenge HHH is going to be but before Cena can respond, here is HHH to interrupt. HHH gets rid of Coach and says that he is the greatest today. Cena talks about how he has been here four years and HHH probably didn’t think he would last two weeks. It’s true that Cena had to work hard to get to the top and now he is here to headline Wrestlemania XXII. HHH laughs it off and talks about Edge and Foley bringing up transitional champions.

That’s all Cena is because he’s just holding it for HHH. Cena is a tough guy, but he’s like Rocky Balboa. He has a lot of passion and pride, but he isn’t a very good wrestler. Rocky always finds a way to win, but this isn’t the movies and Cena can’t beat the bad guy. After that not so great illustration, Cena talks about how he has heard that from a lot of people, so what makes HHH different? HHH says Cena knows he’s different and he can see it in his eyes.

Cena lists off all of HHH’s accomplishments, including HHH being the kind of person who can walk around without the title and have everyone know he’s one of the best in the world. HHH has beaten a lot of names but Cena isn’t on that list. Cue Vince on screen to say that they will be facing off at Wrestlemania but before then, they are going to be teaming together against Kurt Angle/Rey Mysterio/Randy Orton on Saturday Night’s Main Event (with Vince making sure to get in all of the programming information, because he’s a promoter at heart). Good, intense segment, but the SNME announcement felt like it belong elsewhere.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title and Mama Benjamin is here too. Shelton hammers away and hits a faceplant as Mama seems rather pleased. Or maybe it’s menacing. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Chavo is up with some quick shots to the face. A running headscissors sets up Two Amigos but the third is blocked for a whip out to the floor. Mama glares at Chavo and seems to have more health issues. Back in and Chavo counters a suplex into a DDT but the referee is with Mama. That lets Randy Orton run in for an RKO to give Shelton the pin.

Rating: D+. You know, if you need Randy Orton to help you beat Chavo Guerrero, you might not be the strongest choice for Intercontinental Champion. This Mama deal has crippled any credibility that Benjamin had left and I don’t see it getting any better. The match was short and to the point, though Orton vs. Chavo sounds rather….nothing.

Gene Okerlund is going into the Hall of Fame. The interview highlights alone are worth it.

Shawn begs Vince to not make Marty do this. Vince compares it to the President of France having to do this to George Bush, because that’s still a thing in 2006. Shawn better not get involved.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Carlito vs. Ric Flair

Flair headlocks him over for some one counts to start until Carlito drives him into the corner. A running shoulder puts Flair down and Carlito slaps him in the face. That means a series of chops from Flair and Carlito bails to the floor as we take a break. Back with Flair getting backdropped on the floor but Carlito has to hold his chest.

They head back inside and we hit the chinlock, with Flair chopping his way up. An enziguri into the Flair Flop gives Carlito two but he misses the knee drop. Flair gets in a few shots to the knee but Carlito dropkicks him out of the air. Carlito goes after the leg, only to have Flair sweep him down and grab a rollup (and ropes) for the pin.

Rating: C-. Another short and to the point match here, which wasn’t exactly thrilling stuff. Seeing Carlito take a beating is always nice though and Flair grabbing the ropes for the pin made me smile a bit. It was also nice to have a little drama to the match as you could go either way here, which is often a nice feeling to have.

Here is the Spirit Squad to sing about Marty joining Vince’s club. Vince comes out and talks about Marty leaving before so he must need this job. That brings out Marty, who looks defeated but willing to do what he has to do. Vince knows that Marty needs this job and demands that he get on his knees. Marty eventually does so Vince takes down his pants (Vince: “What are you smiling at Lilian?”), revealing the thong so Vince can deem everything magnificent.

Vince orders Marty to do it like everyone else does and, while Marty seems like he’s about to crack up, Marty gets to his feet and asks if there is another way. Fine enough, so here’s Chris Masters as Vince demands a chair. The Masterlock Challenge is on and Vince adds a low blow before insisting that Marty is going to kiss it.

Cue Shawn Michaels for the save but Shane McMahon pops out from under the ring to chair Shawn down. Vince makes Shane vs. Shawn at Saturday Night’s Main Event in a street fight. Shane makes Shawn kiss it instead and Vince promises to kick Shawn’s at Wrestlemania to end the show.

And then Marty was fired less than a week later and was never seen again.

Overall Rating: C. They have a focus and that’s what matters most at the moment. The show itself was average with some not great wrestling but good segments to advance stories, but the important thing is those stories exist to be built. They have a framework in place for Wrestlemania and you can see where most of the show is going. That’s a rather good sign over a month out and now they just need to hammer in the details over the next few weeks.

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

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

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

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

This isn’t going to go well.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-doesnt-make-better/

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: July 24, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Drew Gulak, Vic Joseph

This show has become one of the more intriguing of the minor shows and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. While it doesn’t feel like it matters in the slightest, they have at least brought it up to another level beyond the useless show it was just a few months ago. Hopefully they can continue with those lofty goals tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Drake Maverick vs. Leon Ruff

Ruff gets an entrance for a change. Feeling out process to start and a lockup goes nowhere. Ruff grabs a quick rollup for two and Drake seems to think a little differently in a hurry. Drake takes him down by the arm but Ruff elbows him in the face for a breather. A hard clothesline takes Ruff down though and the comeback (Maybe?) is on, including a bulldog into a backsplash. Drake sunset bombs him into the corner and goes up top for a rather delayed top rope elbow and the pin at 3:45.

Rating: D+. Well that was short. They were playing up the idea that Maverick wasn’t taking things seriously at first and then turned it on near the end. It was kind of a weird match as Maverick but he needs a new direction after the destruction at the hands of Legado del Fantasma.

Post match Maverick says he’s coming for the Cruiserweight Title.

Video on Isaiah Scott, the same one from NXT.

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch/Mansoor vs. Ever Rise/Tehuti Miles

Mansoor scares Miles into the corner to start so it’s of to Parker instead. A drop toehold into a headlock has Parker in trouble and Martel’s cheap shot earns him an armdrag. Lorcan grabs an armbar on Martel and hands it off to Burch to stomp on the hand. Mansoor’s atomic drop keeps Martel down and it’s off to Miles. That’s fine with Mansoor, who takes him down by the head and unloads with right hands.

Everything breaks down for a second with the villains bailing to the floor in a hurry. We settle down to Miles elbowing Lorcan in the face but Martel sneaks in for a dropkick to take over. It’s Lorcan getting caught in the corner and Miles chokes away on the rope. Ever Rise manages to do something right with an assisted whip into the corner and a step up elbow drop for two.

A shot to the face allows the hot tag to Burch and house is cleaned in a hurry. Everything breaks down again and Burch is pulled to the floor. Mansoor hits his slingshot neckbreaker (dubbed Seek And Destroy) but Miles gets to the floor to save himself. That means a dive from Mansoor and it’s a Samoan drop/top rope Blockbuster combination from Ever Rise to Burch. Another Seek And Destroy misses so Mansoor Oklahoma rolls Miles for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C. Not terrible here and the main thing is they’re starting to build someone up in Mansoor. He is a case where they could come up with someone new for a change and that’s what the division needs. If nothing else, having him eventually take the Cruiserweight Title in Saudi Arabia could be a heck of a moment. Maybe it could even mean the slightest something to fans in America.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s almost strange to see them actually building things up around here. The show still doesn’t need to exist, but at least they’re trying to do something for a change. I’m not sure how long that is going to last as this show is hardly consistent, but at least they’re doing something for a change. Now just stop pretending that Miles and Ever Rise are interesting and we could be somewhere.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: July 23, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: MVP, Tom Phillips

It’s time for the weekly recap show of all of the events that don’t have the kind of audience to warrant a recap in the first place. WWE at least has Summerslam to set up in the next few weeks, but after that I’m not sure what they are going to be able to do. Hopefully things can be fine enough for an hour here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Jessi Kamea

Belair powers her into the corner without much effort to start and tells Jessi to bring it on. A quick flip over Jessi sets up a running shoulder to put her down and we hit the cravate. Jessi’s dropkick doesn’t have much effect so Belair fires off shoulders in the corner. There’s a splash to the back but Jessi drives her into the corner. That’s fine with Belair, who sends her into the corner again and hits the KOD for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: D+. What were you expecting from this one? They did their thing for a few minutes and Belair won with her finisher. That’s all you’re going to get out of a match like this and Belair continues to be way too talented for this show. Jessi has been around a few times now and this is about as far as she has gotten so far. I can’t say I’m surprised.

We get some quick promos from AJ Styles and Matt Riddle before their Intercontinental Title match.

From Smackdown.

Intercontinental Title: Matt Riddle vs. AJ Styles

Styles is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Riddle blocks an early Irish whip attempt and hits the rolling gutwrench suplexes to put AJ on the floor. A running knee puts AJ down again so he rips off the announcers’ table, only to get kicked in the head. We take a break and come back with AJ still in trouble as commentary thinks he’s off his game tonight.

AJ manages a belly to back faceplant to drop Riddle though and it’s time for the forearms in the corner. Some shots to the leg have Riddle in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Riddle powers up and drives him into the corner, setting up the running backsplash. The Bro To Sleep into the Final Flash connects for two and we take another break.

Back again with AJ hitting a clothesline out of the corner but Riddle strikes away without much trouble. Riddle charges into a superkick though but AJ can’t hit the Styles Clash. Instead Riddle hits a ripcord knee to the face, only to miss the Floating Bro. A brainbuster gives AJ two but he has to fight out of the Bro Derek. They strike it out with AJ reversing a Pele into the Calf Crusher. Riddle reverses that into a Bromission attempt but can’t quite get it on. Instead, AJ reverses into a cradle for the clean pin at 18:07.

Rating: B. I’m not wild on the 50/50 booking, though losing a clean fall to AJ Styles is far from some career killer. Riddle has gotten a good start to his run on Smackdown, but I’m worried about the double hit of losing here and then having to feud with Corbin for weeks on end. I know he had frostbite on his feet, but that isn’t the kind of heat he needs.

Post match AJ shakes Riddle’s hand but here’s Corbin from behind to beat Riddle down.

We look at Bayley trying to cheat Asuka out of the Raw Women’s Title at Extreme Rules.

From Raw.

Here are Bayley and Sasha Banks for a chat. Banks says she has this and explains her version of what happened last night. Asuka intentionally tried to blind the referee with the mist and Bayley just borrowed his shirt. Bayley did it because she’s a role model and now they have all the gold. A celebratory dance breaks out but here are Asuka and Kairi Sane.

Sasha was not ready for Asuka last night and the title is still hers. Banks says come get it so here they come. Hold on though as Stephanie McMahon pops up on screen to say Banks isn’t the Raw Women’s Champion. The title is on the line next week and Sasha can lose via pinfall, submission, countout, DQ, or with Bayley interfering. I’m assuming that counts for Asuka as well, but since Stephanie didn’t say it, it isn’t gospel.

Bayley vs. Kairi Sane

Non-title. Sane slugs away to start but Bayley comes back with some shots of her own. That earns her a hip attack to the floor, only to have Bayley come back in and stomp away in the corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long on Sane so Bayley snaps off a suplex for two. Sane drapes her on the top rope though and hits a top rope double stomp to the back, sending Bayley outside in a heap.

We take a break and come back with Bayley unloading in the corner. This is so fascinating that we cut to the back for an interview with Shayna Baszler, who says her interest in the match is like a shark seeing prey. Back to full screen with Sane reversing a suplex into a DDT for a breather. The Sliding D connects but Bayley grabs an armbar over the ropes in the corner.

Sane sweeps the leg and goes up top for an Alberto double stomp into a near fall. The spinning backfist into the Interceptor drops Bayley again but the Insane Elbow misses. Another Interceptor is cut off with a knee to the face. Bayley drops her with a suplex but misses her own top rope elbow. The Bayley to Belly is loaded up instead but Sane reverses into a rollup for the pin at 15:38.

Rating: B-. Given all of the rumors of Sane leaving WWE soon, this is quite the surprising result. That being said, it can also offer to shake things up a bit. I can’t imagine Sane taking the title from Bayley or anything like that, but it is a good idea to give Bayley something to do while they figure out her next big challenger. Good match too, with the surprise ending helping things.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler from Extreme Rules.

Riddick Moss vs. Humberto Carrillo

Moss powers him around to start and then cranks on Carrillo’s arm. A headlock gets Carrillo out of trouble for a bit so Moss blasts him with a shoulder. Back up and Carrillo hits a running dropkick to send Moss outside, only to have the suicide dive countered with a drive into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Moss hitting a backbreaker into a fall away slam. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Carrillo fights up for an enziguri. A standing moonsault sets up a crossbody for two on Moss. Carrillo hits a sunset flip for two more but Moss is right back with the neckbreaker for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C-. Main Event continues to be one of the most confusing shows I can remember. Carrillo is still part of a fairly big story on Raw but here he is losing to Riddick Moss (again) on Main Event. That doesn’t even make bad sense, and it is another good example of how much of a mess WWE is these days.

We look back at Eye For An Eye.

Videos on Big Show and Randy Orton’s careers.

From Raw.

Big Show vs. Randy Orton

Unsanctioned so anything goes. Show knocks him into the corner in a hurry and hammers away at the arm. The spear sends Orton outside but cue Angel Garza and Andrade to jump Show. They whip him into the steps but the Viking Raiders run out to break up the Punt attempt as we take a break. Back with an unset table in the ring and Orton kicking at the leg. Show hits a chokeslam for two but the threat of the KO Punch sends Orton outside.

Back in and Show knocks him down again, this time putting Orton on the table. A Vader Bomb only hits table though, allowing Orton to hit the RKO for two. Orton isn’t happy, so he blasts Show in the back with some chair shots, leaving the referee to discard the pieces of the broken table. Another chair shot to the back sets up a top rope hanging DDT and a second RKO finishes Show at 13:45.

Rating: C. That’s all you could have expected it to be and that’s fine. Orton got in there and wrecked Show, which was exactly what he should have done. Show is expendable and Orton is probably about to headline Summerslam. What more can you expect from a match that was designed to accomplish one single goal?

Orton Punts Show to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: D+. WWE is just such a mess right now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. That’s a major problem and Main Event is a good illustration of the whole thing. The original matches either aren’t good or don’t jive with the main roster booking (If Moss can beat Carrillo, why can’t he get on Raw?) and the recaps just show you how bad things are at the moment. Run of the mill Main Event here, which doesn’t say much.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 27, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe

We’re less than a month away from Summerslam and that means things need to start picking up. You can see a lot of what they have in mind from here, but there are still a few things that need to be ironed out. Hopefully some of those things are set up tonight, as the wheels need to start turning. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers welcome us to the show and tell us what we have coming up.

Here’s Randy Orton to get things going and we see some clips of what he did to take care of Big Show last week. Orton knows he has had a great career and we hear about his history, including the Legend Killer and Evolution. This business has some greats like the Rock and Steve Austin, but neither of them are anything compared to him.

Now he needs something else though, which means becoming WWE Champion again. Drew McIntyre may be WWE Champion, but their resumes don’t quite line up. McIntyre doesn’t know how much trouble he is in now because Orton gets what he wants. Orton wants the title shot at Summerslam and Drew isn’t seeing the RKO coming.

Here’s the returning Nia Jax to say she gets what Orton meant. She wants to be Raw Women’s Champion, but cue Shayna Baszler to say not so fast. The brawl is on with referees breaking it up as we take a break.

Viking Raiders vs. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

The winners get the Street Profits at Summerslam so the Profits are here to introduce everyone. Garza and Andrade clear the ring to start and Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS, which he throws straight at Dawkins. Joined in progress with Ricochet jumping over Ivar as Garza and Andrade chill on the floor with Zelina Vega. An enziguri into a headscissors takes Ivar down so Erik comes in instead.

Actually scratch that as the Raiders throw Garza inside and then beat up Andrade on the floor. This includes Erik slamming Ivar onto him while Ricochet and Alexander chop Garza in the corner. Back in and the German suplex/springboard clothesline hits Garza but Ricochet dropkicks Ivar. Andrade is back in to jump Erik from behind and it’s a double team on Erik. Ricochet goes for the cover to break up the alliance, allowing Ivar to come in and clean house. A splash (Ford: “The Love Splash!” Tom: “The Love Splash?” Ford: “THE LOVE SPLASH!”) connects and the Raiders clear the ring as we take a break.

Back with Andrade hitting his running knees in the corner to crush Erik for two. Everything breaks down and Andrade hits the spinning elbow to Ivar. Erik knees Andrade in the face but the dive is cut off by Garza’s kick to the head. Ivar goes up top to cannonball onto Ricochet, Alexander and Erik by mistake. Back in and the Wing Clipper hits Alexander for the pin and the title shot at 15:02.

Rating: C. The action was good, though I’m not a fan of having the Profits beat a team one week and then having the same team getting a title shot the next week. That being said, who else is there to get the show? The division is basically three teams at the moment and while Ricochet and Alexander are a team, they aren’t in a position to get that kind of a shot. It’s annoying, but they didn’t have another option.

Shayna Baszler vs. Nia Jax

The brawl is on and they go straight to the floor for the countout at 48 seconds.

Post match the referees try to break it up with both of them beating up a referee in the process.

Video on Eye For An Eye.

Murphy looks upset and Seth Rollins asks if he’s with him. Murphy is worried about Dominick Mysterio showing up tonight. Rollins hopes so because people like Dominick can’t get out of their own way. The greater good will move forward and tonight will be different.

Here are Rollins and Murphy for a chat. Rollins brags about beating Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black on back to back nights but something is preventing him from being happy. That would be Dominick, who is here tonight to confront him. This is a recurring theme as every time the Greater Good (sounds like they have a group name) tries to do something, someone steps in their way.

Kevin Owens had a broken ankle, Mysterio lost an eye, and now Black has an injured arm. That’s why Rollins wants to talk it out with Dominick so they can do it the right way. Cue Dominick to very slowly get in the ring with Rollins talking about how he understands how Dominick is feeling. If Dominick needs any guidance or help…and Dominick takes him down. Murphy is right back though and Dominick is sent outside for a whip into the barricade. Dominick is sent into the announcers’ table as well and Rollins looks at the steps.

Rollins takes too much time though and here’s Aleister Black to jump the Greater Good. The arm is sent into the apron though and Rollins whips him into the barricade. The Stomp plants Black on the floor and Rollins looks at the steps. He asks Murphy if he is in this so Murphy grabs Black and puts Black’s eye into the steps, as referees….just look at him. Dominick comes back with a kendo stick for the save. That was the best fire Dominick has ever shown but it might not be the best idea to have that happen just after the eye angle.

R-Truth comes up to Mustafa Ali in the back because Ali is going to be on the MVP Lounge. Ali isn’t going after the 24/7 Title, which is a good thing because Truth wants his baby back.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with MVP running down non-Hurt Business people. Last week, MVP saw someone come back from a seven month absence and he’s this week’s guest. Cue Mustafa Ali, who is very happy to have helped put the Hurt Business out of business last week. He is happy that he is back in WWE and on Raw, where he can become a champion. And he means a REAL champion, which doesn’t sit well with MVP.

That could happen, but MVP thinks it depends on Ali making the right decision. Ali doesn’t like the sound of that because he can think for himself. MVP says that sounds like what Apollo Crews said and now he is at home on the couch. So what is Ali’s decision? Cue R-Truth to go after Benjamin for two but the Hurt Business chases him off.

Mustafa Ali vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley draws a line on the mat and tells him to come get it and then shoves Ali down without much trouble. A big toss across the ring sets up a running shoulder to the ribs in the corner and Ali is in trouble early. There’s the faceplant and Lashley stomps him down in the corner. Now it’s a delayed vertical suplex for two but here’s Akira Tozawa to go after Benjamin as well. MVP and Benjamin beat up the Ninjas and Lashley gets in on things as well, including a crazy hard head first ram into the post. Ali gets in a shot from behind though and we take a break.

Back with Ali in trouble again as Lashley breaks up a springboard attempt and knocks him to the floor. That means some trash talk from MVP, plus an elevated Flatliner back inside. Ali slips away from the spinning Dominator though and the middle rope tornado DDT connects. The 450 misses and Lashley gets the full nelson for the tap at 11:31.

Rating: C-. Well so much for Ali being something important around here. This was 90% squash with Ali getting destroyed for most of the match until he hit a tornado DDT and that was it. This was almost depressing in a lot of ways as I was hoping to see Ali be a bigger deal, but then this happened.

Dolph Ziggler says he’s going to Summerslam after he beats Drew McIntyre tonight.

Long video on Sasha Banks vs. Asuka for the Raw Women’s Title.

Raw Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Asuka, with Kairi Sane, is defending and can lose the title via countout, DQ or interference. Banks has Bayley here with her and before the match, Sasha talks about how there is no bigger bully than Stephanie McMahon. That’s because they run the whole company because they’re role models who stand against injustice. That’s why Bayley interfered at Extreme Rules and counted the pin on Asuka. Bayley: “Any role model would have done the same thing.” Before the bell, Sane chases Bayley off and we take a break.

Back with the Big Match Intros, followed by Asuka kicking away in the corner to start fast. The Shining Wizard gets two but Asuka can’t get a Fujiwara armbar. A Backstabber out of the corner gives Banks two and the half crab goes on. Banks lets that go and starts working on the leg until Asuka kicks her out to the floor. That’s enough for Banks as she tries to leave, but it’s the old Eddie Guerrero trick of throwing the belt to Asuka and falling down, but Banks doesn’t get the timing right and the referee doesn’t buy it. Asuka kicks her in the head instead and we take a break.

Back with Banks working on the leg again but Asuka fights up and strikes away. A knee to the face sends Banks to the apron but the knee is too hut to follow up. Banks is back with a kick to the head and the Meteora gets two. We’re right back to the half crab but Asuka grabs a kneebar instead. That’s switched into an ankle lock to keeps Banks in trouble until she rolls Asuka into the corner. A top rope Meteora is countered into a Codebreaker to put them both down again.

Asuka kicks the knee out again and gets two off a release German suplex. The hip attack gets the same but Banks gets in a shot of her own. The frog splash gives Banks two and the Bank Statement goes on. Asuka slips out but can’t get the Asuka Lock as Banks sends her outside instead.

Banks drops the bad knee onto the announcers’ table for nine, with the dive back inside ruining Banks’ posing. Asuka’s rollup is countered into the Bank Statement, which is reversed into the ankle lock. Asuka hits a middle rope dropkick but we see Bayley beating up Kairi Sane in the back. The distracted Asuka still hits a German suplex as Bayley beats the heck out of Sane. Bayley rams Sane into the steel wall over and over and Asuka finally goes to the back for the save, giving Banks the title via countout at 19:30.

Rating: B. They set this up well and I can go for Banks winning the title here, as it could set up something big at Summerslam. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Banks and Bayley getting a major rocket push as WWE tries to fill in the void left by Becky and Charlotte leaving. Good match too, as you would expect from these two without the stupid shenanigans.

Post break, Bayley and Banks are VERY excited and dance around in celebration. Asuka comes out of the trainer’s room and screams a lot.

Video on Regis Philbin, who passed away over the weekend.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Buddy Murphy

Carrillo goes straight at him to start and chops away in the corner, followed by a springboard back elbow. A springboard kick to the face sends Murphy outside for a suicide dive but Murphy shoves him off the ropes for a crash into the barricade. Back in and we hit the chinlock but Carrillo is right back up with a kick to the head. An enziguri sends Murphy into the corner and a missile dropkick to the back of the head gets two. Back up and Carrillo heads up top, only to dive into the jumping knee. Murphy’s Law is good for the pin at 6:36.

Rating: C+. These two having a good match is hardly a surprise, though I’m not sure how wise it was to have Murphy do the evil stuff to Black and then come out for a regular match later in the show. That’s part of having such a limited crew at the moment though and that is causing issue after issue. More Murphy is a good thing though so I’m rather pleased.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules.

Here’s Drew McIntyre for the main event, but first he needs to address Randy Orton. The title match is set for Summerslam, and while Orton has promised Drew won’t see the RKO coming, Orton will sure see the Claymore coming. With that out of the way, here’s Ziggler for the stipulation. Drew liked Ziggler’s thinking at Extreme Rules for the Extreme Rules match, so tonight they’ll do it again, with Drew being able to get extreme too.

Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title and Extreme Rules. Drew goes outside to get a chair so Ziggler superkicks him without much trouble. Ziggler sends him into the post and Plexiglas but Drew is back with an elbow to the face. A lawn dart sends Ziggler hard into the Plexiglas and it’s time for the kendo stick. The Russian legsweep with the kendo stick sends Ziggler into the Plexiglas again and Drew wraps the stick around Ziggler’s mouth.

They head back inside with a bunch of chairs and a table coming with them. Ziggler can’t get a chair so McIntyre cracks him over the back with one instead. A low blow gets Ziggler out of trouble and he finds a second kendo stick to unload on McIntyre. Ziggler does everything McIntyre did to him but McIntyre takes the stick away.

Ziggler is placed on the apron, where his dive is caught for a big drive through the barricade as we take a break. Back with Drew hitting a top rope ax handle but not being able to hit the Future Shock. Instead Ziggler goes up but gets top rope superplexed right back down. The Zig Zag gives McIntyre two more so Ziggler grabs a chair, only to get Claymored through the table to give McIntyre the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B-. This was fine enough, though the lack of the title being on the line kind of took away the interest and that’s not the best idea given the way the TV numbers are going at the moment. McIntyre and Ziggler have chemistry together, but they can only do so much when you’re counting down to the pin. They have already been close enough to this place earlier this month, so seeing the match again wasn’t quite the draw.

Post match Drew holds up the title, earning every bit of the not so surprising RKO from Orton to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The two big matches carried the show and they had to do just that, as this week felt every second of the three hours and a lot more than that. As usual, it felt like they crammed weeks worth of material into a single week, which they kind of have to do because it’s time for Summerslam. I like the title change and Orton vs. McIntyre was inevitable (in a good way) but they need to find a way to make the show feel faster. I’m not sure if that is possible though, and that’s a big reason why the audience is leaving.

Results

Andrade/Angel Garza b. Viking Raiders and Ricochet/Cedric Alexander – Wing Clipper to Alexander

Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler went to a double countout

Bobby Lashley b. Mustafa Ali – Full nelson

Sasha Banks b. Asuka via countout

Murphy b. Humberto Carrillo – Murphy’s Law

Drew McIntyre b. Dolph Ziggler – Claymore through a table

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

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

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

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