IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 9, 2005
Location: Colonial Center, Columbia, South Carolina
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re coming up on the last pay per view of the year and with less than two weeks to go before the show, it is time to start hammering away at the build. The main event being set should help things a lot as we already have Undertaker and Randy Orton stepping inside the Cell. That alone should get them a long way so hopefully they have the rest. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Undertaker vs. Randy Orton.

Opening sequence.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Rey Mysterio

JBL’s eye is heavily bandaged after it was DANGEROUSLY poked last week. Of course he didn’t walk out on Rey Mysterio last week. He left because he was injured, but since he is JBL, he’ll wrestle without the patch. What a hero! Rey is banged up as well, sporting some heavily taped ribs. JBL hammers away in the corner until Rey hits a dropkick and right hands of his own. Just to be evil, Rey pokes him in the eye a few times. That’s enough to send JBL outside so Rey hits a slingshot dive. Back in and Rey loads up the 619 but Orlando Jordan runs in for the DQ.

Post match Batista makes the save, triggering Teddy Long for the tag team match (he’s getting the cadence down).

Bob Orton can’t talk Randy Orton out of calling Undertaker out.

Here are the Ortons, with Randy being more serious than usual. Randy is THIS CLOSE to snapping….and then the lights start flickering with his video playing on the screen, albeit in reverse a few times. With things back to normal, Randy says he wants Undertaker in this ring right now. Nothing happens so Randy sounds a bit more desperate, until the gong strikes. We see clips of Undertaker in the Cell, complete with a quote from….Ralph Waldo Emerson? The Dante quote (Abandon all hope, ye who enter here) is more appropriate because Randy is on the highway to h***.

Using a dry erase board, Booker explains that he’s going up 3-0 over Chris Benoit tonight.

Joey Mercury vs. Super Crazy

Melina, Johnny Nitro and the other Mexicools are here too. Mercury’s opening headlock doesn’t last long as Crazy hiptosses him a few times. Crazy sends him outside and, after mocking Mercury’s hair, misses an Asai moonsault. That lets Mercury hit a running clothesline and the middle rope elbow gets two back inside. Crazy skins the cat (on the bottom rope for a change) and kicks Mercury into a rolling crucifix for two more. A superkick drops Mercury and, after a failed Nitro interference, the moonsault gives Crazy the pin.

Rating: C. Not bad while it lasted with Crazy getting to showcase himself a little bit. This gives the Mexicools some more momentum going into the pay per view title match so it’s a well put together story, even if the match wasn’t long enough to do much. Mercury is always good for a fine enough performance though and that’s what they had here.

Post match Kid Kash runs in to help beat the Mexicools down.

Randy Orton is in the bathroom and sees Undertaker in the mirror. Then there’s no Undertaker. There’s also nothing original about that visual.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Ray Gordy

Hang on a second though as Palmer Cannon comes out to say Kennedy is injured and can’t wrestle tonight. We have a replacement though.

Boogeyman vs. Ray Gordy

Boogeyman grabs a mouthful of worms and throws Gordy around, followed by the pumphandle slam for the fast pin.

Randy almost hits Bob for surprising him. Then he sees blood on Bob’s face as the mind games continue.

Chris Benoit vs. Booker T.

Match #3 in the Best of Seven series with Booker up 2-0 and with Sharmell in his corner. They circle each other for a good while to start until Benoit takes over with a quickly broken hammerlock. Back up and Booker’s forearms to the back are broken up with an elbow to the face. A neckbreaker gives Booker a breather but Benoit snaps off a German suplex for two.

Booker comes back with a hot shot to put Benoit right back in trouble and it’s time to hammer away with right hands. Benoit sweeps the legs and fires off his own right hands, only to get sent chest first into the buckle. A sidekick to the back drops Benoit and we take a break. Back with Booker slugging away even more until he has to cut off a charge with a spinebuster into the corner.

That nasty landing gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Benoit fires off some knees to the ribs to set up the rolling German suplexes. A top rope superplex gives Benoit two more and the Swan Dive gets the same. Booker’s side kicks takes out the referee though and the Crossface goes on. No one sees the tap so Sharmell tries a chair shot. That’s broken up but Booker takes the chair away and blasts Benoit in the back. The ax kick makes it 3-0.

Rating: B-. There’s something groan inducing about the fact that we now have to see four more matches in the series. It’s still good stuff, but the charm is wearing off in a hurry. The comeback should be on starting next time, but it sounds like we could be in for a long road to the final match for the title.

Video on Bobby Lashley.

Bobby Lashley vs. William Regal

Paul Burchill is with Regal. Lashley pulls him in and takes it into the corner, only to get uppercutted a few times. An exploder suplex gives Regal two but Lashley runs him over again. The Dominator is good for the fast pin.

Raw Rebound.

Randy leaves, as Undertaker’s face appears on a screen behind him.

Post break, the Ortons get in their car…..which drives off on its own. Josh Matthews comes up for an interview, but Undertaker possesses him so Josh, in Undertaker’s voice, promises to end Randy in the Cell. Randy runs off.

Armageddon rundown.

Rey Mysterio/Batista vs. John Bradshaw Layfield/Orlando Jordan

Jillian Hall is here as well. Jordan and Batista start things off and the power begins in a hurry. Rey comes in to hurricanrana JBL and a double baseball slide takes the villains down as we go to a break. Back with Jordan working on an armbar to Batista but Batista powers into a suplex for the breather.

It’s back to Rey so the pace can pick up in a hurry and he knocks JBL outside. Rey follows so JBL hides behind Jillian, who slaps Rey in the face. Back in and a super fall away slam bangs up Rey’s ribs for two more. The bearhug stays on the ribs and it’s off to JBL to hammer away in the corner. A waistlock has Rey in more trouble but he slips out and JBL comes back in.

Rey takes him down as well and there’s the hot tag to Batista. Everything breaks down and Jordan posts Batista, leaving Rey to hit the springboard seated senton on JBL. Jillian tries to get involved but it’s a double 619 to the non-Jordan villains. JBL trips over Jillian and blows out his knee so he walks out. That means it’s a 619 into a Batista Bomb to finish Jordan and end the show.

Rating: C+. This was your standard main event style tag match and that’s all well and good. Rey and Batista need the momentum as they head towards the pay per view and it’s not like Jordan losing is going to hurt anything. I’m not exactly thrilled by seeing more Raw vs. Smackdown but it’s not like they have anything else going on at the moment.

Overall Rating: C. The show came and went, as it tends to do, but there is only so much that can be done with such low level and unimportant stories. You can tell they’re on cruise control at the moment and while it’s fine enough, it’s not something that gets me excited to watch the show. It’s no surprise as it happens once a year, but it can get a little old at times.

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: May 8, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the go home show for Money in the Bank and I’m not sure what else there is to set up. Part of the problem over the last few weeks is building up to a show that is centered around something likely to take place later. That isn’t exactly a thrilling destination, and the TV leading up to it hasn’t been all that strong either. Maybe things can change next week, but this could be a rough one to finish the build. Let’s get to it.

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

Mandy Rose, with Otis, and Sonya Deville, with Dolph Ziggler, are warming up for their match.

Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville

Mandy has a bad leg coming in but goes straight at Sonya in the corner and hammers away. It works so well that she does it again, sending Sonya bailing to the floor. Back in and Sonya hits a running knee for two and we hit the bodyscissors with Sonya shouting about how embarrassed Mandy should be. They head outside with Mandy sending her into the steps and then over the announcers’ table for a big crash. Back in and Mandy loads up the Bed of Roses but Sonya reverses into a rollup with trunks for the pin at 5:02.

Rating: C. Mandy was fired up here and I’m glad Sonya won after her showcasing herself well in recent weeks, but was anyone waiting for Fire & Desire to explode? They weren’t exactly a top level team in the first place and now we’re seeing them fight. It’s a fine story, but I don’t know if it carries the weight WWE thinks it has.

New Day/Lucha House Party vs. Miz/John Morrison/Forgotten Sons

Jaxson Ryker is here with the Sons. Miz and Kofi start things off but everything breaks down in a hurry. The villains are sent to the floor and it’s a dive from everyone not named Big E. to take them out. Back from a break with Blake stomping on Big E. in the corner until it’s reversed into an abdominal stretch. The Warrior Splash connects and the House Parts adds three splashes of their own for two.

Kofi comes back in with a top rope stomp to the arm, only to miss a splash into the post. Miz comes in to stomp away, setting up Morrison’s hard running knee to the face. Now it’s Kofi being sent outside for a suicide dive and we take a break. Back again with Morrison hammering on Kofi but Miz gets kicked away….so the Sons pulls everyone to the floor to prevent the hot tag. SOS plants Miz though and it’s the hot tag to bring in Gran Metalik for a springboard flipping seated senton.

Dorado adds a spike hurricanrana into a 450 but the Sons make the save. The Midnight Hour is broken up and it’s the double stomp/reverse DDT combination on the floor to plant Big E. Back in and Dorado gets some rollups for two on Morrison but a backflip Samoan drop (geez) plants Dorado right back. Starship Pain misses and it’s a reverse hurricanrana to Morrison, only to have Miz slip in for the Skull Crushing Finale and the pin at 17:58.

Rating: B-. This was a nice long match where different people got to got out and showcase themselves. If nothing else, it’s nice to see a match about building momentum that might actually has something to do with winning the match on Sunday. I can’t imagine anyone but the Sons leaving as champions, but it was a pretty good match on the way there.

King Corbin is ready to team with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura tonight but he’s looking forward to Sunday. He wants to see how far Rey Mysterio can fly off the roof and knows that Otis will clog the elevator like he clogs his arteries.

Here’s Jeff Hardy for a chat. He’s worked hard to get back here and can still hear the fans in his head. Sheamus is watching in the back and can’t believe this is what he was waiting on for all these weeks. Jeff says he can’t believe Sheamus didn’t interrupt him yet so here’s Sheamus right on cue. Sheamus doesn’t want to hear about Hardy, who has been around forever and done everything around here, wanting one more run. The fans are tired of him and his suspensions, releases and no shows.

Above all else though, they’re tired of the wasted potential. Jeff calls him a hater but Sheamus says he’s really a fan. When is the real Jeff coming back? Jeff says he should ask the same thing about Sheamus, who says Jeff’s flame has barely been burning for too long. Sheamus comes to the ring to extinguish it for good and the fight is on. Jeff slugs away and hits a Whisper in the Wind into the Twist of Fate. The Swanton connects and shouting on the ropes ensues.

Here’s Braun Strowman for a chat. It’s true that he debuted as part of the Wyatt Family but now he’s his own man. Now Bray has been sending him presents to remind him of the past but if Bray has something to say to him, come do it to his face. Cue Bray, with a very enthusiastic “HI BRAUN!”

Bray says that he created Strowman and knows what is best for him. He can teach Braun how to be special and all it’s going to take is the Universal Title. Bray needs to GET the Universal Title and he repeats the line, but Braun isn’t going to say GET THESE HANDS to prove a point. Bray hands him a mask and the puppets pop up to beg him to come home. Braun says he is home and he has the Universal Title. On Sunday, he’s going to keep it.

Maybe it’s Strowman’s delivery but I can’t get behind this feud. It wasn’t like Strowman was a major part of the Wyatts so having him worried about the past doesn’t quite work. The idea makes sense, but I’m not exactly buying into it. That and I have little confidence in Strowman retaining, so it feels like a given ending (even if it might not be one).

Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak have a chat with Otis.

Lacey Evans/Tamina vs. Bayley/Sasha Banks

Sasha and Bayley play Rock Paper Scissors to decide who starts so Tamina clotheslines them out to the floor. Bayley winds up starting and kicks Tamina into the corner, only to get thrown down with ease. A Sasha distraction lets Bayley get in a shot to the leg and the double teaming begins. Lacey cuts Bayley off on the floor so Tamina can grab her by the hair. Since Tamina isn’t that good though, Bayley snaps Tamina’s throat across the top and we take a break.

Back with a double elbow getting two on Lacey but she’s over for the hot tag to Tamina anyway. Bayley gets crushed in the corner but the top rope splash misses. The Bayley to Belly plants Tamina and it’s the top rope elbow for two. Lacey comes back in with the Woman’s Right to Sasha, setting up the superkick to Bayley. Tamina hits the Samoan drop to finish Bayley at 13:54.

Rating: C-. Hey, remember all those other times where WWE tried to push Tamina and failed to understand that no one cared? This was the most recent. Normally I would say that there is no chance of her winning the title on Sunday but things have been so wacky of late that I could believe they actually go that insane route. Hopefully everything goes back to normal and Bayley retains, because no one deserves that punishment.

Here’s a tour of the WWE corporate headquarters.

Dana Brooke and Carmella are ready to win the ladder match.

The Hacker pops up to show us some clips of people getting ready for Money in the Bank. He also plays a voicemail from a woman saying that not only is it coming, but it is coming soon. The Truth Will Be Heard. This is the most elaborate hype I’ve ever seen for one of R-Truth’s songs.

Cesaro/Shinsuke Nakamura/King Corbin vs. Daniel Bryan/Drew Gulak/???

The mystery partner is…..Otis, as they spoiled about thirty minutes ago. Bryan front facelocks Corbin to start and brings it in to Gulak for a running dropkick. Cesaro comes in and gets planted with a powerslam for two. It’s off to Otis to wreck things, including a running corner splash to Nakamura. The good guys clear the ring and we take a break.

Back with Bryan flipping out of Corbin’s suplex and bringing in Gulak to slug away on Cesaro. Gulak flips out of the corner into some weird chickenwing/Crossface combination until Cesaro powers out. A clothesline puts Cesaro on the floor it’s the Gulock on Corbin until Nakamura makes the save. Otis comes in and jiggles off Cesaro’s shots to the face. Corbin sends Cesaro outside but walks into a middle rope clothesline for two. Not that it matters as Deep Six finishes Gulak at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard six man tag without the most thrilling mystery partner after that opening segment. That being said, it’s kind of amazing that Otis of all people is someone who has grabbed the brass ring like this. He didn’t feel out of place here and that’s a cool thing to see. I can’t imagine he wins the briefcase, though I couldn’t imagine him beating Dolph Ziggler at Wrestlemania so I guess it’s possible. A very tiny bit possible, but possible I guess.

Post match the brawl is on again with Corbin setting up a ladder. A mini ladder match breaks out with everyone involved with Sunday’s match trying to climb. Corbin shoves Bryan off the ladder and onto Otis before pulling down the briefcase to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Maybe it’s just the fact that the show was better than Raw but I enjoyed this well enough. One of the biggest problems with Raw at the moment is the lack of a reason to care about a lot of the people involved. While I don’t care for everyone involved with this show, most of them are at least somewhat established and you either know something about them or what they are trying to do. In other words, the show feels like it has had some effort put into setting everything up.

This show still isn’t great and it’s nothing that I’m going to think about by tomorrow morning, but it’s a watchable show with established storylines, characters and feuds. It’s fine enough and while it didn’t make me want to see Sunday’s show any more than I did coming in, I’ll take something like this over Raw any day. The quality might not have been as great, but it was so much easier to watch overall and that’s what matters most.

Results

Sonya Deville b. Mandy Rose – Rollup with trunks

Forgotten Sons/Miz/John Morrison b. New Day/Lucha House Party – Skull Crushing Finale to Dorado

Tamina/Lacey Evans b. Sasha Banks/Bayley – Samoan drop to Bayley

King Corbin/Shinsuke Nakamura/Cesaro b. Daniel Bryan/Drew Gulak/Otis – Deep Six to Gulak

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: May 1, 2020
Host: Tom Phillips

It’s more of the Matches That Made Us with the Singh Brothers getting a turn. I’m not sure what that could include but these things have been a pleasant surprise so far. While I’ve never been anything close to a Singh Brothers fan, they’ve probably had a good match in there somewhere for the second half of the show. Let’s get to it.

Tom gives us a quick intro.

The Singhs talk about the match that made them huge fans when they were kids so here it is.

From Wrestlemania XII (clipped on the show but this is the full version):

WWF World Title: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

Bret is defending and this is a sixty minute Iron Man match, meaning the most falls (pin, submission, countout, disqualification) in the time limit wins. Lothario comes out with no Shawn but he points to the top of the arena for Shawn’s famous zipline entrance into the crowd. That shot of him riding down into the arena was shown on a lot of highlight packages for a very long time. Hebner explains the rules in full, even down to how a countout works, and we’re ready to go.

Feeling out process to start as Shawn grabs some quick takedowns to frustrate Bret just a bit. Bret holds on to a headlock to slow things down as Vince tries to say there are no Bret or Shawn fans but only WWF fans. Lawler is all over him for sounding stupid as this headlock continues. In this case though it makes sense as both guys would want to conserve energy.

Shawn fights up into a top wristlock but Bret reverses into a front facelock. That goes nowhere so Shawn escapes into an armbar. They get to their feet and try to pick up the pace but it’s right back to the mat for more arm cranking on the champ. Bret takes him into the corner for some shots to the ribs but Shawn forearms him in the jaw and headscissors Bret to the floor.

We’re ten minute in and you might think that headscissors would start the second gear but instead it’s right back to the armbar from Shawn. Bret stops to yell at Lothario and the distraction lets Shawn crank on the arm all over again. The hold stays on so long that Vince and Jerry actually talk strategy and analyze the match. Back up and Michaels gets caught in a spinebuster but fights out of a Sharpshooter attempt. They head to the floor and Bret is sent into the timekeeper’s area where a superkick takes the timekeeper’s (who looked a lot like Tony Chimmel) head off.

Back in and Bret grabs a chinlock to slow things down all over again. Shawn FINALLY fights up and hits a hard clothesline but Bret nails one of his own and it’s right back to that chinlock. Another comeback from Shawn includes a dropkick and there’s another armbar. We’re twenty minutes in and this already isn’t boding well. Shawn pulls on the wrist with his foot in Bret’s face before switching to a regular armbar. Good thing too as the fans might have been interested in something different.

Back up and they get a bit more aggressive as Bret’s shoulder is sent into the post. A shoulder breaker and hammerlock slam (shades of the Andersons) have Bret in even more trouble but Shawn isn’t following up. There’s a cross armbreaker on the wrong arm so Shawn quickly switches to the proper version. Shawn switches up to a seated armbar for a good bit until Bret fights up with a Stun Gun for the break. The arm keeps giving him problems though and Shawn sends Bret face first into the buckle. Bret isn’t done yet though as he comes back with the Five Moves of Doom.

For some reason he goes to the top rope and Shawn is ready to catch him, but Bret puts his knee on the back of Shawn’s head and drives him down onto the mat. Shawn comes back with a powerslam for two as there are thirty minutes to go. A slam brings Bret off the top again and a hurricanrana lets Shawn hammer away. That’s one of the first lucha style moves Shawn has used after basically promising to use a bunch of them. Nice little head game there and not something you often see work on Bret.

The threat of Sweet Chin Music sends Bret to the floor but Michaels goes to the top and LAUNCHES himself down onto Bret. That was one heck of a dive and always impresses me whenever I see this match. Back in and a PerfectPlex gets two on the champ. We hit a sleeper, which is smart but annoying after everything we’ve sat through here. Bret fights up (the arm injury disappeared a long time ago) and backdrops Shawn WAY over the top for a huge crash. Lothario comes over to check on him but somehow it’s not a countout.

Back in and Bret works on the back with an ax handle and backbreaker. There are twenty minutes left and Bret drops him with a belly to back superplex. We hit the reverse chinlock for a bit until Shawn fights up, only to have Bret throw him to the floor and into Lothario. With fifteen minutes to go, Bret even screams at Jose as he tries to get up and belly to bellys Shawn down for two. That’s rather heelish of him. The yelling, not the suplex.

Shawn’s right hands don’t get him anywhere as Bret counters a rollup by kicking Michaels outside again. This time it’s Bret diving through the ropes to take Shawn down again. Bret is willing to take the countout now but then changes his mind and breaks it up. Lawler: “He’s his own worst enemy! No, not as long as I’m still alive.” Back in and a German suplex gets two for the champ and Shawn can barely stand. He’s still able to slug it out from his knees though, telling Bret to bring it on.

A big headbutt puts Shawn down but Bret can’t follow up. After a few shakes of his head, Bret grabs another reverse chinlock and we have ten minutes to go. Shawn fights up yet again but it’s a double clothesline to reset things all over again. There’s a superplex from Bret as Vince declares it over at the six minute mark. He’s wrong on both counts as not only does it not get a fall but there were nearly seven minutes left.

Shawn kicks Bret in the face to block a Sharpshooter so Hart has to settle for a half crab instead. Unfortunately Shawn is right next to the ropes for the save and we’ve got five minutes left. Bret dives into a boot and both guys are down again. Shawn comes back with a nice dropkick to send Bret into the corner and there’s the Irish whip for Bret’s chest first buckle bump. Four minutes left and Shawn forearms into the nipup (which the camera misses) as it’s time for a comeback. Lawler: “Michaels has just gotten his nineteenth wind!”

With three minutes left, Shawn gets two off a top rope ax handle. The top rope elbow gets the same and Shawn plants him with a gutwrench powerbomb. He goes up with two minutes left and a moonsault press gets another near fall. A middle rope hurricanrana gets the same and Shawn is winded. With a minute left, Shawn goes up top but misses a dropkick and gets caught in the Sharpshooter. Bret cranks back on it but the time limit expires at 1:00:00.

We’re not done yet though as Bret goes to leave, only to have Monsoon make a ruling that we’re getting sudden death because THERE MUST BE A WINNER. Bret is ticked and starts hammering away on the back but Shawn jumps over him in the corner and hits Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere. Everyone (including me when I was watching live) jumps to their feet but Shawn can’t follow up. Both guys stagger to their feet and another superkick gives Shawn the first fall and the title at 1:01:50.

Rating: B-. This is a really tricky one to grade but the first twenty minutes ruin whatever else they could have had here. It’s just a bunch of laying around in rest holds, which may make sense but that doesn’t mean it’s entertaining. This would have been much better off as a regular match running about forty minutes as it increases drama and lets you believe that something might happen at any given moment.

The match is fondly remembered and it’s certainly not bad, but it’s definitely nowhere near a classic. Allegedly neither guy wanted to job multiple times to the other and it caused the match to be a bunch of waiting around for the first and decisive fall, which made for a dull match until the last five minutes. Unfortunately that’s the case with almost all Iron Man matches and it certainly happened here too. Good match, but not as great as it’s hyped up to be.

Bret is all ticked off and leaves, not to be seen for over seven months. Vince gets in the great line of “the boyhood dream has come true for Shawn Michaels.” Shawn is stunned but finally celebrates like you knew he was going to do.

And a match with the Singhs in it.

From 205 Live, July 9, 2019.

Lucha House Party vs. Singh Brothers

Tornado tag with Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado for the House Party. It’s a dance/pose off to start before the House Party punch them out to the floor. The Singhs get chopped a lot until it’s Metalik kicking away at Sunil back inside. Dorado comes back in and throws Metalik onto Sunil for two as Sumir comes back in for a save. That’s fine with Dorado, who hits a springboard moonsault for two of his own.

Something like a reverse hart Attack gets two on Sumir but Sunil crotches Dorado to break up the rope walk elbow. A double suplex gets two and a spinwheel kick sets up some hip swiveling. Some kicks keep Metalik down and, of course, that means it’s time for dancing, because that’s what the Singh Brothers do. A top rope Demolition Decapitator (Nigel: “BUENOS NOCHES!!!”) gets two as Dorado seems to have fallen into a hole somewhere.

As Metalik gets sent outside, Dorado FINALLY comes back in to break up some more hip swiveling. A high crossbody gets two with Sunil making a save of his own. The Golden Rewind puts Sumir down but the luchadors get double superkicked out of the air. Sunil brings in the Boscar trophy, which is taken away by Kalisto. The Metalik Driver sets up the rope walk DDT/a shooting star press for the stereo pins at 10:52.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad but this did a lot to expose the Singh Brothers as little more than a one note act. They did very little other than their dancing and that’s not enough to carry a ten minute match. The Bollywood Boys deal is fine, but come up with a better way to present that during the matches.

Tom says goodbye.

Overall Rating: C. This could have been a lot worse as Shawn winning is a major moment and one of the biggest moments of the era. The 205 Live match was nothing to see but there is only so much to be gotten out of a Singh Brothers match in the first place. I could go for something a little more out of left field next time though, as they’ve only been hitting the big classics over the last few weeks. Mix it up a bit.

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: December 5, 2005
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles

We’re closing in on the final pay per view of the year and the Raw vs. Smackdown theme seems to be continuing. That’s not the most thrilling idea in the world but it’s not like Armageddon has ever been an important show in the first place. Hopefully the build works out well so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Joey talks about Ric Flair being arrested for road rage last week, which will be addressed on the Cutting Edge. This screams bad impersonation somewhere along the lines.

Here’s Vince McMahon, who drives a garbage truck into the arena. There are two chairs and a podium in the ring so here’s Eric Bischoff to face the music. Bischoff is looking rather upset and talks about what this job means to him. The fans are already singing the Goodbye Song as Vince talks about how he’s fair. Everyone should deserve their day in court so tonight is the trial of Eric Bischoff. Vince calls out Bischoff’s lawyer, the Coach, and Bischoff doesn’t seem impressed. Coach: “My client Eric Bischoff is an a******.”

Bischoff is paid to provide an exciting show and deserves a raise. Now we get to the prosecutor: Mick Foley. Mick says no one has ever done more for Raw than Bischoff, who told the fans about a title change on January 4, 1999, which gave the company a lead in the Monday Night Wars which they never released. Vince says they’re going to WWE Court and the decision will be announced by the end of the night.

Tag Team Titles: Kane/Big Show vs. Val Venis/Viscera vs. Tyson Tomko/Snitsky vs. Heart Throbs

Kane and Big Show are defending in a warmup before they face Rey Mysterio and Batista at Armageddon. House is cleaned in a hurry but Viscera manages a running splash on Kane. That earns him a double chokeslam to send him outside, with Show throwing Antonio onto him. Back in and a triple chokeslam to Antonio, Tomko and Venis is good for three pins at once. Total squash, which is impressive against six people.

We go to the court with Judge Vince McMahon, who is flanked by Bailiff Chris Masters. After taking his feet off the table, Mick calls in Stephanie McMahon, complete with music, as his first witness. She and Shane both think Bischoff should be removed from office and we see exhibit A: the kiss from Halloween 2002. Coach: “I object!” Vince: “SHUT UP!”

Mickie James vs. Victoria

Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle are all here. Mickie snapmares her down to start for the basement dropkick as Lawler is drooling extra hard this week. Victoria manages to send things outside though and the other women get in some cheap shots. Back in and Victoria stands on her chest before hitting the standing moonsault for two.

Mickie’s arm is sent into the buckle and then the mat, followed by a clothesline to take her down again. Mickie gets a hurricanrana out of the corner to start the comeback and a spinning kick to the face drops Victoria. Torrie gets on the apron and is dragged inside, allowing Candice to distract Mickie. A rollup gives Victoria the pin despite Trish’s best efforts.

Rating: D+. This is one of the matches that makes the future generations of Divas all the more frustrating. They put together a coherent story here with the wrestlers doing the wrestling and the eye candy being there for their most basic purposes. It can be done at an acceptable (ok barely acceptable) level but it just wouldn’t be the case most of the time.

Post match, Mickie looks incensed that Trish couldn’t help her more.

Back in court, Tajiri, through a translator, talks about how he was a star in ECW but was wasted on Raw. Now he wants a pregnant rhinoceros to violate Bischoff, and then that he get fired. Coach, now with matchmaking powers, makes Tajiri vs. HHH. With Tajiri gone, Mick brings in Moolah and Mae Young.

Post break, Mae: “And that’s why Eric Bischoff has no penis.” Foley gives us exhibit B: Mae kissing and Bronco Bustering Bischoff at Bad Blood 2003. Coach blames Mae for being oversexed as Bischoff is about to be sick. With that out of the way, Coach gets to call Chris Masters as his first witness. Masters, with no shirt and after removing his hat…..is instantly accused of perjury because his real name is Chris Mordetzky so he’s disqualified from testifying. Vince: “Bailiff, if you would please remove yourself.” I chuckled a few times in there so they’re off to a good start.

Shawn Michaels and Shelton Benjamin are ready for their main event tag match. We hear some of Shelton’s amateur credentials but Shawn points out his lack of recent success around here. See, Shawn might not have the best reputation, but he’s successful. So does Shelton want to win, or make friends? Shelton seems to get something out of the idea.

Coach has a special witness coming in.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Lance Cade

Chavo slugs away to start but gets sent over the top in a hurry. Cade rams him into the post as the EDDIE chants start up. Back in and Chavo hits a dropkick before slugging away. Cade grabs Chavo and drives him into the corner though and shows him how to give a real beating. A suplex is countered into a DDT though and Chavo hits the frog splash for the fast pin.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a showcase match for Chavo and that’s not a bad thing. Chavo is a fine choice for a midcard hand and putting him into a story here or there isn’t going to hurt anything. I’m a little surprised at how fast Cade and Trevor Murdoch have fallen though. Yeah they won the titles, but you would think they would have done something else before dropping them.

Coach’s witness is Daivari, who says that Bischoff was a fair man who gave him his job back and a chance to make a name for himself. Vince, however, has his headphones in. Vince: “Sorry, I was listening to Ashlee Simpson on my new iPod.” Never mind repeating it because we’ll be having a recess. Mick is happy and busts out the Moon Pies and RC Cola.

It’s time for the debut of the Cutting Edge, with Edge and Lita promising to offend everyone and ask the hard questions. Lita doesn’t mind Edge staring at various parts of her and brings up Edge yelling at Dmitri Young at Survivor Series. As for tonight, Ric Flair isn’t here tonight and Edge thinks it’s out of fear. Edge says Flair is now the mug shot posin, handcuff wearin, road rage commitin convict!

Cue Sgt. Slaughter and Michael Hayes to break this up (Lita: “AKA two legends who now make a living kissing Vince McMahon’s a**! Edge: “Wait, Michael, someone told you I had a bottle of Jack Daniels and an eight ball down here didn’t they?”) with Hayes saying he doesn’t get kids today.

They don’t have any respect for the business the legends like the two of them and Flair build. Hayes respects Flair and everything he’s done around here. He’ll give Flair the benefit of the doubt and asks Edge how many main events he’s been in. How many arenas has he sold out so the people had to be turned away? How many World Titles has he had?

Edge says cut the mic and says Terry Gordy isn’t coming to help him because Gordy is dead. Hayes: “The only reason you have this show is you’re banging Matt Hardy’s ex-girlfriend.” That’s enough for Edge, who slugs Hayes down and low blows Slaughter. Hayes gets back up and fires off in the corner but a briefcase to the head takes him down. We’ve seen this kind of thing before but it was nice having someone different in the role for a change.

HHH vs. Tajiri

Tajiri goes straight to the strikes in the corner early on but HHH clotheslines him from behind to break up the handspring elbow. The second attempt connects but the Tarantula is broken up. HHH suplexes him down and hits the Pedigree for the quick pin.

Simon Dean is the next witness but the Boogeyman pops up instead. He says a lot, breaks the clock, and disappears, sending Vince into confusion and Mick into another Moon Pie.

HHH runs into Big Show in the back and a challenge is teased for later.

Mick calls his next witness in the form of Maria, who wants to be questioned by Mr. Socko. Foley slowly agrees and Maria goes into a rant involving several big words about how Bischoff abused his power and should be fired. That’s it for Maria, and everyone, save for Bischoff, watches as she leaves. Vince says that’s enough and closing arguments will take place in the arena.

Smackdown Rebound.

Kurt Angle/Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin/Shawn Michaels

Daivari is at ringside and not refereeing as per Vince’s orders. Shelton and Carlito start things off with Carlito getting his arm barred. A belly to belly lets Shelton hammer away even more and Carlito is rather upset (possibly about his hair). Angle comes in to take Shelton to the mat by the leg but Angle has to escape the exploder. The Dragon Whip works instead and we take a break.

Back with Shawn charging into Carlito’s elbow in the corner but getting over to the corner for a tag to Shelton anyway. Angle gets knocked off the apron but a Daivari distraction lets Angle knock Shelton down. Back in and Angle unloads in the corner before snapping off the overhead belly to belly.

The fans are behind Shelton, even as Angle German suplexes him into a waistlock. The Angle Slam is countered into a DDT and the hot tag brings in Shawn. House is cleaned, including the forearm into the nipup and a bunch of clotheslines. There’s the top rope elbow so Shawn tunes up the band, only to have Shelton tag himself in. Shelton misses a top rope clothesline though and Carlito gets the easy pin.

Rating: C. This was a story based match and that’s not a bad thing. The idea here was to show that Shelton needs a lot of work and given how much he’s been losing as of late, a heel turn might not be the worst thing for him. They’re way past the point where he can just bounce back so a big change is all they can really do.

Post match Shawn is incensed but Shelton won’t hear it.

Vince and Stephanie arrive in a limo, because they left….I guess? HHH pops up to say Bischoff should say but Vince thinks it’s just so HHH can manipulate him. He’ll take it under advisement, and then introduces HHH to Stephanie for the awkward staring.

We go into the arena for the closing arguments, with Foley just saying Bischoff is bad at his job. Bischoff says he makes WWE money with ideas like the Elimination Chamber. Maybe they could use it again at the next Raw pay per view for the WWE Championship. Vince knows what it’s like to be hated in this industry so he should be able to sympathize with Bischoff. Just let him keep his job so they can make money. Vince seems to think about it but here’s John Cena to interrupt.

Cena is here to point out everything Bischoff does and how much fun he’s taken away from this show. Like when he censors the SUCK in Kurt Angle’s YOU SUCK. Cena asks the 10,000 witnesses here in the building about Bischoff staying, but they seem to want him gone. The two letters that sum up Bischoff’s career are FU so Vince asks the fans about the Elimination Chamber. They seem pleased, so the match is on. Bischoff won’t be there for it though, because HE’S FIRED. Cena gives Bischoff the FU and Vince throws him in the back of the garbage truck. Vince even drives it out of the arena to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. There wasn’t much here other than the Bischoff deal, which is long overdue at this point. Bischoff has done everything possible as the evil boss and it’s time to give us something new. The rest of the show just came and went though with little wrestling of note as we need to fill time before New Year’s Revolution. Hopefully things can pick up in the next few weeks, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

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

Things are bad in WWE and a lot of it can be blamed on a major failure in one area.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-work/

IMG Credit: WWE

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

No matter what the situations are around here, Main Event is going to Main Event. It’s been the same batch of repetitive matches and recaps. I was liking the random assortment of matches we were getting for a little while there and those have already stopped for the sake of it’s just Main Event. Lucky us. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Catalina

Belair shoves her down and then into the corner to start, followed by a running clothesline. We hit the abdominal stretch on Catalina, followed by a splash to the back into a nipup. A backbreaker cuts off Catalina’s comeback and we hit the double arm crank. That’s broken up and Catalina hits a running dropkick but Belair pulls her off the ropes. The KOD finishes Catalina at 5:43.

Rating: D+. Longer form squash here with Belair getting to showcase herself a bit, though it could have been done better. The match should have been a little shorter to make it more effective, though what we got wasn’t bad. Catalina was just there for the most part and that’s about all she should be around to do.

From Smackdown.

Here’s HHH for his big celebration and they’ve got a LONG time for this. HHH talks about how hard it is to believe that it’s been twenty five years….and here’s Shawn Michaels to interrupt. Shawn talks about how awesome this is and he has two words for you: “Social distancing buddy! Don’t touch!”. He’s sent out hundreds of invitations to HHH’s friends and family and they’re all here.

After we look at the empty arena, Shawn talks about how they’ve been friends for the entire twenty five years. He has some nice memories of his own twenty fifth anniversary celebration on Smackdown and HHH can’t even pick his favorite moment from that night. HHH can’t believe Shawn didn’t have his own celebration and promises heads will roll when he gets back into the office. Anyway, Shawn talks about how much money they were when they were in DX (ignore the fact that Shawn and HHH’s DX didn’t beat Nitro once of course) and we get get a blooper reel of DX moments. HHH: “Almost in one take.”

Shawn says his Wrestlemania career pales in comparison to what HHH did at Wrestlemania and we see a look at HHH’s Wrestlemania losses. Shawn: “You weren’t that good.” HHH: “How many losses did you have at Wrestlemania?” Shawn: “This isn’t about me.” After some more platitudes, Shawn gets to Stephanie No Fun, who calls HHH. Stephanie: “I’m watching your twenty fifth anniversary celebration.”

After more talking in a way NO ONE WOULD EVER USE IN REAL LIFE, Stephanie says to tell that lazy eyed….and the call ends. Shawn brings up Ric Flair, who calls in as well to praise HHH and his family. Flair: “Don’t let Shawn superkick you at the end of the segment.” Flair starts to cry to end the call, calls back, and cries some more as we take a break.

Back with Road Dogg on the phone saying HHH got a haircut but needs a bigger one. He finds out that he’s on live TV and gets out in a hurry. Shawn says they need to wrap this up but HHH says he called the bosses at Fox and says they can have all night. Shawn: “Good. We haven’t even gotten to the Katie Vick segment yet.” With that mind blowing line out of the way, here’s Vince McMahon himself for a big moment.

Vince goes into a story about seeing HHH wrestle for the first time. It was like the buildup to the egg hatching at Survivor Series 1990 and then it was such a big disaster. Vince then explains the Katie Vick story (without every detail of course) and the Bayley: This Is Your Life segment, which wasn’t a good idea but it wasn’t Bayley’s fault (Vince’s words).

Anyway, Vince loves him but this was a horrible way to go out. As HHH would say, it was ROTTEN. Vince: “If you haven’t put everybody to sleep by now, I’ll say goodnight.” The lights go out to end the show and some crickets chirp. Shawn: “Story of your career buddy. Story of your career.” This was a lot more lighthearted than I was expecting and there were some funny lines, but other than HHH and WWE, was anyone asking to see this for twenty minutes?

From Raw.

United States Title: Andrade vs. Apollo Crews

Crews is challenging and Vega is here with Andrade. Feeling out process to start with Andrade working on a wristlock. That’s reversed into an armbar as Vega isn’t looking pleased with the goings on. Crews’ front facelock doesn’t last long and it’s Andrade grabbing a headlock instead. They go to the floor for a bit, followed by Andrade taking him back inside to stomp away.

Some choking and a dropkick keep Crews in trouble but Andrade misses a running knee in the corner. That means a nasty crash to the floor but Andrade avoids a moonsault, causing Crews to tweak his knee as we take a break. Back with Andrade working on a half crab, only to miss the running knees in the corner. Crews hits an Angle Slam and they’re both down. An overhead belly to belly sends Andrade flying but he gets a boot up in the corner.

Crews is back with a press slam and the standing moonsault for two but Andrade is back with a whip into the corner. Now the running knees can connect for two as Vega is losing her mind. Crews blocks the spinning elbow but the gorilla press is countered into a DDT for two. The hammerlock DDT is countered into an enziguri and a powerslam gives Crews two of his own. Crews knocks Andrade off the top but misses a top rope splash and hurts the knee again. Andrade kicks him to the apron and the referee stops it at 16:45.

Rating: B-. I was surprised by the ending but this doesn’t feel like it’s over. Crews is someone who needs a major moment if he is ever going to break through and I’m not sure how much longer he can go without one. It’s not like Andrade has done anything with the title in four months, which is the case with almost anyone who holds it for almost any amount of time.

Money in the Bank rundown.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Murphy

Murphy takes him down by the arm to start so Carrillo reverses into a wristlock. A running hurricanrana into the springboard armdrag gives Carrillo two but Murphy sends him outside. Carrillo gets rammed head first onto the ramp and we take a break. Back with Murphy pounding away even more and grabbing the chinlock.

That’s broken up and Murphy charges into a superkick, meaning it’s time to forearm it out from their knees. A jumping enziguri takes Murphy down and it’s a springboard dropkick to send him outside. Back in and a missile dropkick gives Carrillo two but he has to roll out of the moonsault. Carrillo kicks him in the head for two more but Murphy hits a knee to the face. Murphy’s Law is good for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and that’s as good as you’re going to get on a show like this. These two are in need of something to do, as Murphy being the lackey for the #1 contender isn’t exactly gold and Carrillo has been the same person since the day he debuted. Neither is on fire or even lukewarm at the moment, but maybe that can get better with time. Not that it likely will, but it might.

Video on Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins.

From Raw.

Jerry Lawler is in the ring to talk about Money in the Bank, including the Raw World Title match. Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre come out and McIntyre tells Lawler to leave for this. Lawler is out in a hurry and McIntyre signs without much thinking about it. Rollins doesn’t sign yet so McIntyre says time’s ticking.

That sends Rollins into a rant about how he doesn’t want to do this but has to. This is bigger than all of them and Drew will be a great champion one day. Rollins has to do this because he had to suffer for that title. He doesn’t want what happened to him to happen to Drew because it is his burden to carry. When that time comes, Rollins can lead Drew as well. Drew: “You’re full of s***.”

Drew tells him to stop talking forever because no one wants to hear Seth talk. Rollins says that the big picture will be clear at Money in the Bank and he signs. He goes to talk about having faith but Drew sends him face first into the table. The ring is cleared and a headbutt drops Seth so the Claymore is loaded up. Cue Murphy to kick McIntyre in the head, earning himself a hug from Rollins. McIntyre is back up and Claymores Murphy to end the show. This was the latest in WWE’s rather long string of contract signings, most of which aren’t all that interesting. That was the case here, but Rollins’ delivery did help.

Overall Rating: C-. As usual, all this show did was point out how boring things are in WWE at the moment. We’re less than a month removed from Wrestlemania and you would never know it based on what we’re seeing. There is nothing that makes me care about what is going on and I don’t see that getting better anytime soon. They need a spark or at least a few hot matches, but that has been the case for way too long now.

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: May 4, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

We’re taped this week and that means it could be the last Raw with no fans in the building. That could hopefully bring some life to these shows, but there isn’t much of a reason to believe that is going to be the case. It’s the go home show for Money in the Bank and that means we need to build some momentum. May(be) the Force with be will them on that. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at the end of last week’s show with Murphy saving Seth Rollins and taking the Claymore for him.

Opening sequence.

MVP is in the ring for the VIP Lounge and talks about last week’s show breaking down into a brawl. We’re going to class things up a bit with the women’s Raw competitors, though they got in a brawl of their own last week. That means Asuka (with MVP speaking some Japanese to her delight), Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax all come out and have a seat.

MVP explains the rules and Nia asks if he even watches these shows. She is relentless and that is all she needs to dominate on Sunday. Asuka shouts in Japanese to confuse Jax so we’ll go on to Shayna, who speaks Latin to say she talks with actions. That’s what makes her different, right Asuka? More ranting ensues and a staredown is on with Shayna mocking her for everything until Nia stands up…and is knocked right back down. MVP has to break this up and a lot more staring ensues. This was rather odd and I’ll take that over another triple threat.

We look back at Apollo Crews’ knee injury from last week. There is a gauntlet match to name the replacement tonight.

Becky Lynch is back next week. It’s about time.

Gauntlet Match

We don’t know how many people are involved but Bobby Lashley is in first (minus Lana) and Titus O’Neil is in second. They shove each other a bit and the spear gets rid of Titus at 50 seconds. Akira Tozawa is in third and hits a quick Trouble in Paradise, followed by a missile dropkick. That just annoys Lashley and it’s another spear for the pin at 1:40.

Shelton Benjamin is in fourth and he sends Lashley into the buckle before he gets inside. A Blockbuster drops Lashley but he comes right back with forearms to the head. Shelton sends him to the floor and hits a running knee, followed by a slingshot faceplant onto the apron. A hard whip sends Shelton into the barricade and Lashley drives him in again for a bonus. Back in and the spear cuts Shelton in half for the pin at 3:47.

Humberto Carrillo is in fifth and we take a break as I roll my eyes at WWE bringing in three people for less than four minutes of work combined under these circumstances. Back with Carrillo kicking him in the head and hitting a missile dropkick for two. Lashley slams him off the top though and it’s time for some choking in the corner. He does it for quite a bit, and that’s a DQ at 10:49.

Lashley spears Carrillo in half so here are a bunch of referees to break it up. Angel Garza is in sixth and we take a break with Carrillo in big trouble. Garza chokes away in the corner as Zelina Vega is rather pleased. Carrillo is down in the corner so Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and hits a running basement dropkick for two. We hit the bow and arrow on Carrillo, followed by a reverse slingshot suplex. A reverse Boston crab keeps Carrillo down and the Lionsault gives Garza two more. The Wing Clipper is reversed into a sunset flip though and Garza is done at 22:04.

Austin Theory is in seventh and we take another break. Back with Theory hammering away and putting on a waistlock before stomping Carrillo down in the corner. Carrillo comes back with a few kicks but the springboard spinning crossbody is forearmed out of the air. Theory’s top rope superplex connects but Carrillo ties the legs up in a small package for the pin at 26:55.

AJ Styles returns in the eighth spot and we take another break. Back again with Carrillo hitting a dropkick but getting planted down as Styles isn’t exactly sweating this. Another waistlock stays on the ribs and it’s off to an abdominal stretch, with Carrillo having to dive to the rope. AJ switches to the leg with a kick to the knee and a dragon screw legwhip. Carrillo pops up with a short DDT and they’re both down. A pumphandle gutbuster plants Carrillo and the Calf Crusher sends AJ to the ladder match at 38:49.

Rating: C. Not bad here, though I have no idea why we needed the first few names in there when Lashley slaughtered all of them. There isn’t much of a point in bringing them in for a show like this but I’m sure having Titus in there for 50 seconds was worthwhile in WWE’s minds. AJ is right back into the title scene and that’s a smart move, given the rather thin main event picture at the moment. Now can we please retire the gauntlet match for a long time?

Post match AJ wraps the leg around the post for a bonus. AJ says he isn’t a zombie or a ghost and there is no Undertaker here to steal his moment. He hasn’t lost anything because there are no rules in a Boneyard match. Now he has seized an opportunity and it’s worth it. He’ll do whatever it takes, and if that means throwing Aleister Black off the roof, that’s fine with him.

We get the first part of a Top Ten Money in the Bank moments countdown, including anything related to the briefcase at all.

Here’s Seth Rollins for a sitdown interview. Seth knows that Drew McIntyre is a dominant man but Drew is not a leader. It will not be Drew leading WWE into the future and while he will put up a fight at Money in the Bank, Rollins is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Drew isn’t ready for what comes with being a champion so Seth is trying to unburden him from this responsibility. That’s what he will do on Sunday by becoming the new WWE Champion.

MVP gives Brendan Vink and Shane Thorne a pep talk. They’re ready to win and MVP looks pleased.

Murphy talks about Seth Rollins taking him under his wing and how much he has learned as a result. Now Murphy is going to get McIntyre ready for Rollins.

Brendan Vink/Shane Thorne vs. Cedric Alexander/Ricochet

Vink charges into Cedric’s boot in the corner but takes him into the corner for the tag to Thorne anyway. Ricochet comes in and kicks Thorne down for two but Cedric is pulled to the floor and sent into the barricade. Back in and we hit the reverse chinlock on Cedric, who powers out in a hurry and brings in Ricochet. Everything breaks down and Alexander knees Vink in the face. Ricochet kicks Vink in the ribs but Thorne hits Cedric with a running Cannonball in the corner. Vink kicks Ricochet in the face for the pin at 4:43.

Rating: C-. I’m sorry what now? If you want to push Vink and Thorne then fine, but having Vink, this newcomer with about five matches so far, pin Ricochet clean? Good on them for pushing new talent, but bad on them for having Ricochet take the fall, or even being in this tag team in the first place.

Street Profits vs. Viking Raiders

Non-title. Hold on though as the Profits talk about how they started here and then ran into the Viking Raiders. Tonight, they want the smoke. After a break, Erik backdrops Ford, who can’t quite stick the landing and thankfully doesn’t bang up his ankle. Ford flips around a bit and says you can’t touch him. That earns a forearm to the face as Ivar drops Dawkins on the floor.

A powerbomb into a top rope splash gives Ivar two but Ford dives over and makes the hot tag to Dawkins. That means a dropkick to Ivar and it’s already back to Ford. Ivar clotheslines Dawkins but it’s off to Erik, who drives Ivar into Ford in the corner for two. Things settle down to Ivar armbarring Ford but it’s broken up in a hurry. Another tag brings Dawkins back in to clean house and we take a break.

Back with Dawkins holding a chinlock on Erik and Dawkins coming in with a dropkick. Erik is up for the tag off to Ivar anyway and it’s a big clothesline to drop Dawkins. There’s a Bronco Buster for two but Dawkins gutwrench suplexes Erik for the double knockdown. It’s back to Ford who can’t manage to belly to back suplex Ivar. He can however enziguri him and double belly to back suplex Ivar with Dawkins’ help.

A moonsault gives Ford two but it’s back to Erik for more throwing Ford around. The Viking Experience is broken up and Dawkins spears Erik down. The spinebuster into the frog splash gives Ford two with Erik making the save. Erik throws Ford outside and the Viking Experience finishes Dawkins at 16:24.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what was going on here but it didn’t feel like they were connecting. The action was fine, but it felt like they were in search of a way out. They kept doing a bunch of good sequences, though they just kind of kept coming and going until one of them finished Dawkins. On top of that, I’m not thrilled with the idea of seeing the rematch for the titles on Sunday. Why I’d want to see a sixteen minute match to set up a title match is beyond me. Have the Raiders beat Ricochet and Alexander and let Vink and Thorne beat a bunch of jobbers to get over (as you can still do you know).

Drew McIntyre is ready to take care of that confused young man Murphy.

More MITB Top Ten.

The Viking Raiders say this is dominance because they’re just better than the Street Profits. They extinguished the smoke.

We look back at AJ winning the gauntlet match and promo mentioning Aleister Black.

Black says being buried didn’t make AJ more humble. If AJ does throw him off, pray that he doesn’t get back up.

Rey Mysterio is ready for the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match at WWE Headquarters. It’s time for him to pull down the briefcase for the first time ever and become the WWE Champion again. The risk is worth the reward.

Here’s Charlotte for a chat. Charlotte talks about how she is the hardest working woman in wrestling because she works twice a week. This Wednesday she is defending her title against Io Shirai, who won a very hard hitting ladder match to get hero, but she will bow down to the Queen. Cue Liv Morgan to ask if Charlotte remembers her. Charlotte doesn’t quite take her seriously so Liv calls her out for being born with a silver spoon stuck…uh, somewhere. Sooner or later, Charlotte is going to be a champion and if she has to dethrone a self entitled queen to do it, that’s just fine. Charlotte laughs it off so let’s have a match.

Well we will in a minute as we need a video on Jinder Mahal first.

Charlotte vs. Liv Morgan

Non-title. Charlotte powers her into the corner and then to the mat to start, meaning it’s a nipup to show off a bit. A forearm to the back and some trash talk have Morgan in more trouble but she forearms her way out of trouble. Morgan hits a running hurricanrana and snaps off a middle rope missile dropkick. Charlotte sends her shoulder first into the post though and we take a break.

Back with Charlotte driving her face first into the mat a few times but Morgan fights back with a faceplant of her own. A sunset flip is blocked with some stomping and Liv hits a jawbreaker, followed by a springboard Codebreaker. Charlotte counters another hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb for two but Liv gets to the middle rope.

A dropkick is countered (with the help of an edit) into the Boston crab, which sends Liv straight to the rope. Charlotte’s backbreaker out of the corner lets her go up top but Liv hits a Codebreaker to bring her back down for a rather near fall. Charlotte dodges Oblivion though and it’s the Figure Eight for the tap at 11:46.

Rating: B-. Well you knew Charlotte wasn’t going to lose here and thankfully Liv got a lot in the loss here. She was hanging with Charlotte until the end and that’s a mile ahead of where she was just a year or so ago. You can tell that they have plans for Morgan and that’s a good thing. They need some new names in the division and Liv is as good as anyone else for bringing someone from nothing to a contender.

The #1 moment in the history of Money in the Bank: Rollins cashes in at Wrestlemania. They needed to cut this into four parts to get to the most obvious choice possible?

Randy Orton is back next week.

We look at the inside of WWE Headquarters and a path wrestlers might take to the roof.

Drew McIntyre vs. Murphy

Non-title and Seth Rollins is watching from the stage. Murphy gets knocked outside early on and McIntyre throws him over the barricade for a bonus. McIntyre stares at Rollins a bit too much though and gets sent into the barricade. Back in and the Meteora gets two on McIntyre, who comes back with one heck of a chop.

Murphy strikes away again, only to get caught with a Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre knocks him hard off the apron though and it’s a top rope clothesline for two back inside. A super White Noise is countered though and Murphy hits a powerbomb for two. Murphy loads up his own Claymore but walks into the real thing for the pin at 6:21.

Rating: C. So yeah, the unstoppable champion pinned the lackey after a fairly competitive match. This was less a contest and more counting down until one of two possible conclusions. That’s what we got here and it wasn’t all that interesting. Rollins could be an interesting threat to McIntyre but sending Murphy out there isn’t the way to go about it.

Post match McIntyre begs Rollins to fight him but Rollins walks off instead. Rollins runs back to the ring and hits McIntyre with a knee to the face. He shouts about how this is bigger than either of them and looks at the title. The title is dropped though and McIntyre avoids a Stomp, setting up the Glasgow Kiss. Seth bails from the threat of the Claymore to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There’s enough good wrestling on here to carry things, but my goodness what a boring time of the year this is. This show was built around setting things up for Sunday and they went about that in a weird way. Why would I want to sit for three hours to see McIntyre beat up a lackey? It has no bearing on Sunday, it doesn’t do anything more than give McIntyre a tiny bit more momentum, and it’s not like it was that great of a match.

That was the case with a lot of stuff here. Aside from the gauntlet match, it didn’t feel like any of this mattered for the most part. The Raiders are likely getting a title shot (which you would have given them in other ways than having them beat the champs, who we know they can beat), Charlotte wins again because she’s Charlotte, and Drew vs. Seth continues to be fine for a first major feud for McIntyre’s title reign.

Nothing in here is overly interesting and it feels like you could skip everything from Wrestlemania to Money in the Bank. The problem is how many times of the year that could apply to and it’s a lot more than it should be. Nothing really stands out and I don’t remember the last time we had a hot midcard feud. You’ll get some interesting ones with good matches, but when was the last time you felt like someone was breaking their back to steal the show? I know the roster is capable of it, but WWE doesn’t exactly seem like they want that to happen.

Maybe it’s waiting on Money in the Bank to be decided so something else can feel important, maybe it’s the lack of fans or maybe it’s the post Wrestlemania slowdown, but these shows just aren’t clicking. It’s like they’re placeholder shows, but that is the feeling far too often. We need something to light a spark in this company and I don’t see that happening anytime soon, which has been the case for years now.

Results

AJ Styles won a gauntlet match last eliminating Humberto Carrillo

Brendan Vink/Shane Thorne b. Cedric Alexander/Ricochet – Big boot to Ricochet

Viking Raiders b. Street Profits – Viking Experience to Dawkins

Charlotte b. Liv Morgan – Figure Eight

Drew McIntyre b. Murphy – Jumping knee to the face

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: December 2, 2005
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s time to start wrapping up the year as we’re on the road to Armageddon and we’re coming off both Survivor Series and the Smackdown Special. The Special helped as it can serve as a launchpad towards the pay per view, since Raw vs. Smackdown was mostly wrapped up on Sunday. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the special if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Randy Orton blowing Undertaker up at the Special.

Here are Randy and Bob Orton to brag about what Randy did to Undertaker. Randy makes it clear that he killed the Undertaker, leaving himself as the only true phenom. He deserves something for what he has accomplished: the World Heavyweight Championship. The fans don’t seem to agree so Randy lists his resume and says he doesn’t care what they think. He calls Batista out for the Armageddon title match and promises to win the title. That’s not arrogance, because it’s destiny.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Animal/Heidenreich, Funaki/Scotty 2 Hotty, the Dicks, Paul London/Brian Kendrick, Nunzio/Vito, Mexicools

Only one member has to be eliminated and the winners get a Tag Team Title shot at the pay per view. MNM comes out to watch and Cole is rather pleased with Melina doing the splits on the announcers’ table. Heidenreich glares down at the champs to start and doesn’t realize that Animal is getting attacked by everyone else. That is broken up in a hurry and Nunzio is out.

Animal accidentally eliminates Heidenreich as well though….and there go the lights as we take a break. Back with everything fine and Scotty having been eliminated during the commercial. The Dicks eliminate London, leaving us with the Dicks and the Mexicools. The Mexicools get the crowd behind them in a hurry but it’s a double fireman’s carry faceplant to drop Super Crazy but Psicosis eliminates both of them at once for the win.

Rating: D. Well that happened. The Mexicools vs. MNM sounds…well actually it doesn’t sound terrible. They kept this very short and the lights going out was weird, but it’s nice like it seems to have made much of a difference. Maybe the title match will wind up being good, but this was a very quick and rather nothing setup for a pay per view match.

JBL says nothing would have happened if he had been with Rey Mysterio on Tuesday. Tonight, they’ll take care of Kane and Big Show.

Chris Benoit vs. William Regal

Booker T. and Sharmell are on commentary, which hopefully doesn’t bring the match down. Benoit goes after the arm to start and blocks Regal’s escape attempt. The threat of a Sharpshooter earns Benoit some shots to the face and Regal knocks him outside. A ram into the barricade lets Regal slap on a dragon sleeper back inside, followed by putting Benoit’s head against the post.

Regal kicks said head into said post and Benoit is barely getting up. Benoit shrugs off some shots to the head and sweeps the leg but Regal kicks away a Sharpshooter attempt. Some exploder suplexes and a forearm give Regal two but a bloody Benoit snaps off some German suplexes. The Crossface makes Regal tap in a hurry.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of hard hitting and almost brutal match that you don’t get to see very often on a weekly TV show. These two know how to work this kind of match to near perfection and while they didn’t have time to get that far, what we got was rather enjoyable. Regal might have been busted open as well, just for that little extra touch.

Immediately after the match, Benoit dives onto Booker and makes him tap on the floor with the Crossface.

The Ortons are in the back and a clock goes nuts. Uh oh.

Randy Orton vs. Matt Hardy

Orton shoulders him down to start but Hardy is right back with an armdrag into an armbar. A dropkick and elbow to the face give Orton two each and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and they head to the floor for a quick brawl, followed by Matt hitting the Side Effect for two. The moonsault misses though and the RKO gives Orton the fast pin.

Rating: C. And Matt continues to fall, which might have something to do with the whole mess at the end of Survivor Series. Couple that with Orton heading for another big match with Undertaker and this one wasn’t exactly in doubt. At least they had Hardy get in a bit of offense, but it’s pretty clear that he’s done at the moment.

Post match the gong sounds and Undertaker’s voice says this is the man Randy tried to kill. The Ortons try to leave but an explosion keeps them at ringside. Randy goes through the crowd but he runs into a casket as he tries to go through an exit. Back in and ring, the voice talks about how he does the killing so Randy bails through the crowd again. Another explosion scares him back to ringside again so the voice says Orton looks lost. Undertaker knows where he’s going: straight to h***…..in the Cell. So there’s your blowoff match.

Post break Randy panics to Teddy Long, who makes the mat at Armageddon. Teddy isn’t messing with Undertaker so he’s not changing the match.

New interview Kristal Marshall talks to Simon Dean, who isn’t scared of the debuting Boogeyman. Dean isn’t worried because he has the Simon System, featuring a new item. He pulls off a cover and it’s….the Boogeyman’s head, singing Oh My Darling Clementine. Plus eating worms of course.

Raw Rebound.

Simon Dean vs. Boogeyman

And there’s no Simon, so here’s security to drag him to the ring. The arena has a good bit of smoke in it after Boogeyman’s entrance and Dean begs off immediately. Boogeyman busts out the worms and throws them at Simon, setting up a reverse World’s Strongest Slam for the fast pin. Well he certainly debuted, and that’s about as good as it’s going to get here.

Video on the European tour.

Video on Bobby Lashley.

Bobby Lashley vs. Sylvan

Sylvan says people are here to see him and jumps Lashley before the bell. This goes as well as you would expect as Lashley throws him around and hits the delayed vertical suplex. A few shots to the face put Lashley down and there’s a middle rope dropkick for one. Sylvan strikes away and drops some elbows to the back but Lashley pops up. More tossing ensues and it’s the Dominator to finish Sylvan.

Rating: D+. Who in the world decided to give Sylvan this much offense against Lashley? The match wasn’t quite the dominance you would have expected and that took me out of things a bit. The appeal of Lashley is to have him run people over and that’s not what we got here. He didn’t do well at Survivor Series and this didn’t make it any better, so maybe things are slowing down for him.

Big Show/Kane vs. Rey Mysterio/John Bradshaw Layfield

Non-title and Rey is injured coming in. JBL goes after Kane to start and is quickly knocked straight into the corner for his efforts. The threat of an early Clothesline From JBL sends Kane outside so Big Show gets in a right hand. Rey hits the seated senton to Kane from the apron and it’s Big Show coming in. JBL takes out the knee and Rey adds a dropkick, setting up JBL’s top rope shoulder for a good looking knockdown.

Kane gets JBL in the corner though and now the beating is on. A running shoulder gets JBL a breather so Rey tags himself in, only to get knocked down in a hurry. The referee tries to break up a fight with JBL and Kane, meaning it’s a thumb to JBL’s eye. That’s enough for him so he walks out as we take a break.

Back with Show kicking Rey in the bad ribs as the BATISTA chants are going strong. Show stands on the ribs but Rey uses the speed to make Show knock Kane down by mistake. Rey goes after Show’s leg and kicks them both into the ropes, setting up back to back 619s. The springboard is just a bad idea though and Show pulls him out of the air for the chokeslam and the pin.

Rating: C-. JBL was actually showing some fire at the start here and that made things a little better. The lack of Batista was surprising but you can almost pencil him in for the post match save. Rey was trying here and while it did go a little far with how much he could do to Show and Kane, it didn’t go into the ridiculous areas and Show pinned him clean with the chokeslam. Not the best overall, but it could have been a lot worse.

Post match the beatdown is on but Batista finally comes out for the save. Some chair shots leave the Raw guys knocked out to end the show. That sounds like a pay per view tag match to me.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show where the wrestling wasn’t what mattered most, but it did bring things down a good bit. There was some good stuff here with setting up Armageddon and that’s what matters most here. They don’t have much time to get ready for the pay per view so hitting the ground running was the best thing that they could do. Not a great wrestling show, but it set things in motion, as it needed to do.

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 Special
Date: November 29, 2005
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

This is a bonus show for the sake of….I’m really not sure actually but it’s airing live and it’s only an hour long. We have two matches this time around with Rey Mysterio vs. Big Show and Match #2 in the Best of Seven series for the US Title. If either of those is good then the show will probably be a success. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Booker T. vs. Chris Benoit

Match #2 in the Best of Seven series with Booker, with Sharmell, up 1-0. Benoit starts fast and snaps off a suplex, followed by a belly to back for two. Booker gets in a hot shot for a breather but Benoit is right back with a northern lights suplex for two more. A backdrop puts Booker on the floor but the dive through the ropes leaves Benoit crashing.

Back from a break with Cole saying this is World Wrestling Entertainment and recapping the story, plus Tazz saying who is in which color gear. Why is that such a rare thing to say? Someone flipping through the channels and seeing this as they come back from a break is told in about ten seconds what is going on and who is who. Do that more often. Benoit fights out of a bow and arrow but gets spinwheel kicked and side slammed for two. Some suplexes (with Tazz explaining the differences) take Booker down and a German suplex cuts off the comeback.

Sharmell offers a distraction but Benoit hits the Swan Dive for a delayed two anyway. They fight to the apron with Benoit being knocked into the barricade for….two, though there might have been a botch as the referee just stopped counting. To Nick Patrick’s credit though, he signaled that Benoit’s shoulder was up so if it was a botch (and it might not have been), Patrick made a great save there. Another German suplex drops Booker but he’s right back with the ax kick for the pin and the 2-0 lead.

Rating: C+. They were hitting each other hard here though you could tell something was off at the end. At least they didn’t get lost or anything though and just had Booker hit his finisher for the fast win. There was nothing here that was bad and they are going to be fine doing (likely) five more matches.

Video on Eddie Guerrero.

Earlier today, Rey prayed for Eddie to be his guardian angel and dedicated his match to him.

Video on Rey Mysterio, explaining the idea of lucha libre as free form wrestling.

Video on Big Show, who is big and strong, including swinging Mysterio, then tied to a backboard, against the post.

Big Show vs. Rey Mysterio

Rey rides out in the low rider to Eddie’s music (walking past a CM Punk sign on the way to the ring) and it’s time to stick and move to start. Show throws him to the floor early on but Rey slips back in and hits a baseball slide. Back from a break with Show throwing him around and hitting a big forearm to the spine. The choking/face shoving is on as Rey shouts for Eddie. There’s an elbow drop, which Tazz says is like a redwood tree falling on a bicycle. So Rey Mysterio is a bicycle. The things you learn on live television.

Show throws him outside and then back in, allowing Rey to hit a dropkick through the ropes. That just annoys Show, who powerbombs him onto the hood of the low rider. Back from a break with Rey biting at the face but Show shrugs him off, meaning it’s a ref bump. Show grabs a chair but Rey takes it away and unloads on him. More shots put Show down and the frog splash connects, drawing out Kane. There’s the double chokeslam so here’s Undertaker to scare Kane off. We’ll say the match is thrown out somewhere in here.

Rating: C-. This is the kind of pairing where there is only so much that they can do and that limit was reached. I did like that they went with the gimmick ending rather than the fluke or even clean finish as there was no need to have either of them take a fall here. Not bad, but you can’t get much out of Rey sticking and moving and then getting beaten up for most of the match.

Post match, Show gets taken down and Kane runs back in to get chokeslammed. A big boot puts Show on the floor but here’s Randy Orton with an RKO (with Undertaker taking it like a swinging neckbreaker). Randy and his dad Bob look at the low rider as Undertaker sits up. With nothing else working, Randy grabs a tire iron from the trunk and knocks Undertaker silly. Another shot to the head with the tire iron knocks Undertaker cold over the back seat so Randy jumps in the car and backs it through the set. Randy gets out and a bunch of explosions go off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It was a quick sit and I liked enough of it so call it a nice bonus. I liked that they treated it like something for new fans, as so much of the regular shows are only for new viewers. That helped a lot here and is something I could go for more often. It’s nothing you need to see, but you can almost guarantee another Undertaker vs. Orton match for Armageddon. Your mileage may vary there, just as it probably will here.

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: May 1, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re almost to Money in the Bank and this time around that means we get to find out who will be filling out the ladder matches. There are two qualifying matches left to go and that means it’s time for at least Wrestlemania rematch. I’m not sure where this is going to go but it could be an interesting show. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Daniel Bryan to open things up. He loves new challenges and he can’t wait to compete in the most unique Money in the Bank match of all time. Now granted he’s a little worried about getting fined for breaking something expensive at Titan Towers. Nine years ago, he couldn’t even get booked on Smackdown and then he won Money in the Bank. Now he knows how important this is and he’s looking forward to the challenge.

Bryan wanted his friend and coach Drew Gulak to be in the match with him but that isn’t happening due to King Corbin. Cue Corbin for their match, but first we need to see a video of him taking out Gulak last week. Bryan brings up Corbin being one of the four people who managed to lose a Money in the Bank cash in so not Corbin is going to teach Bryan a lesson.

Daniel Bryan vs. King Corbin

Bryan takes him down by the leg to start and kicks away before grabbing a leglock. Corbin fights up and starts slugging away, including a cheap shot when the referee tries to break things up. A right hand knocks Bryan off the top and there’s a whip into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Corbin throwing him down and hitting a knee to the face.

Corbin’s slide under the ropes clothesline is cut off by a suicide dive, because it’s not like isn’t that hard of a move to scout. Bryan starts kicking away at the leg and grabs an ankle lock. That’s broken up so Bryan charges into the corner, only to run into Deep Six for two. Bryan is back up and stomps away while shouting about revenge, setting up the suicide dive. That’s caught by the throat so Bryan kicks him in the knee and the head. Corbin is sick of this and throws a ladder at him for the DQ at 14:55.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match here with Bryan being out for revenge and losing his cool, though I’m still not sure how smart it is to fight bad ratings with a nearly fifteen minute King Corbin match to start the show. I do like the fact that this had a personal issue and wasn’t all about the fabled “building momentum”, so at least they have something new. Just get to the moment where everyone is sitting on a ladder though so we can be done with it.

Post match Bryan isn’t done and grabs the YES Lock on a ladder, only to have Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro come in for the save. Bryan gets thrown off the stage and through a bunch of ladders. Graves: “Could that happen off the roof of WWE Headquarters?” No.

Here’s Braun Strowman for a chat but the Firefly Fun House cuts him off in a hurry. Bray has a story for us about the Black Sheep, who smelled a little funny. The Black Sheep was ready to do everything but the shepard came to get him. Then the government placed a lien on the Sheep’s house and reptilians took over, because that’s what reptilians do. Bray wants to write a happier ending, but Strowman cuts him off and says come say it to his face. Strowman: “BYE!”

Make-A-Wish video.

Sheamus vs. Leon Ruff

Three Irish Curses, ten forearms to the chest, Brogue Kick for the pin at 1:53.

Post match Sheamus yells about Jeff Hardy, leading to the fourth part of the Hardy video series. This focuses on the knee injury from April but doesn’t quite bring up the legal issues while he was gone (to be fair though, those have been covered). Now he’s back and ready for the future. Hardy is back next week. This would be a bit better had he not had that one off match a few months ago.

Back in the arena, Sheamus says he’ll be here next week too.

Otis promises to beat Dolph Ziggler again, for his beautiful peach Mandy Rose. Mandy says she’s had a hard time for the last few weeks and tonight she’s focused on Carmella.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Carmella vs. Mandy Rose

Feeling out profess to start And they dive over each other a bit, setting up a low superkick for two on Mandy. A shot to the face sets up a chinlock on Carmella but here’s Sonya Deville for the distraction. She praises Mandy as the match continues, including Mandy getting two off a side slam.

Last year, Sonya almost handed Mandy the briefcase but Mandy managed to screw it up anyway. Sonya: “How embarrassing! Not nearly as embarrassing as losing to Carmella, which is probably about to happen!” Sonya says she’ll stop talking but then says she’s sick of standing up there and challenges Mandy to a fight right now. The distraction lets Carmella spin Mandy around so she can stand there and get superkicked for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: D+. If ever there was a place for the distraction rollup finish, this was it.. Instead we had Mandy get distracted, get spun around, and then stand there while Carmella superkicked her. That looked terribly fake and while the bigger story is fine, come up with a better way to do it. I do however like Sonya cutting a promo instead of just popping up for the distraction. At least it was a little different.

Post match Sonya sends her into the steps and talks a lot of trash. Sonya’s intensity has been really good, but is a showdown between Fire & Desire that big of a deal?

Post break Mandy has a bruised leg that she is getting checked out. Otis comes in to check on her but the doctor asks him to leave. That’s fine with Otis, who runs into Dolph Ziggler, who asks if Mandy is ok before leaving.

New Day vs. Forgotten Sons

Non-title, Jaxson Ryker is here with the Sons and here are Miz and Morrison to join commentary as the ten person limit is thrown out the window. Big E. throws Cutler down to start so it’s off to Kofi as Miz and Morrison make Tiger King jokes. Are those even still a thing? Kofi hits a running basement dropkick to Blake in the corner as everything breaks down.

Big E. splashes Cutler on the floor and we take a break. Back with a knee dropping Big E. as the Sons take over. A double Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two as Miz and Morrison complain about Cole saying Miz lost while Morrison retained the titles at Wrestlemania. Big E. finally shoves Blake away and the hot tag brings in Kofi to clean house.

A butterfly backbreaker gives Cutler two and everything breaks down. Cutler hits a Backstabber to set up Blake’s top rope elbow for two on Kofi as things settle a bit. Big E. gets sent outside for a posting from Ryker, leaving Kofi to take the reverse DDT/top rope stomp pin at 12:58.

Rating: C-. Yeah they’re still the Forgotten Sons, meaning that they are still as good as they have been before. It’s not a good match but I’ll give them credit for putting someone new in the division. I’ve been asking for it for so long now and saying “yes but not THEM” isn’t the best reaction to have. They’re not awful, but they’re also not that interesting in the slightest.

We look back at Bayley and Sasha Banks having issues last week, plus Tamina superkicking Bayley after the match.

Tamina doesn’t like fake girls pretending around here but here’s Sasha to say Tamina has helped her. It’s a ruse for a Bayley sneak attack though and the beating is on. Lacey Evans makes the save and everything is broken up. Yeah still not caring about Tamina.

Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville talk about how he isn’t the bad guy. Fans cheer for Otis because they see themselves in him but guys like Otis don’t win in the end. Eventually, talent is what matters and Ziggler will be Mr. Money in the Bank. Then he’ll be champion and get Mandy back. Sonya: “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Otis

Otis runs him over to start and hits an early delayed vertical suplex for two. Ziggler gets sent into the corner and slammed down for two, followed by a catapult into the corner again. A trip tot he floor slows Otis down and Ziggler sends him into the barricade. Back from a break with Ziggler still in control, including hitting a dropkick for two. Graves mentions something that might be kind of important: the two ladder matches, with the wrestlers going up through the headquarters, will be taking place AT THE SAME TIME. They’ve hinted at that a few times but I didn’t think they would actually do it.

As I try to get my head around that brilliant idea, Otis fights back but the Caterpillar is broken up with a neck snap across the top. The Zig Zag gets two but Otis throws him down with a suplex. The Caterpillar finishes Ziggler clean at 9:53. Cole: “That is probably the biggest win of Otis’ career.” I know WWE wants you to forget about Wrestlemania but give me a break.

Rating: D+. I think we’ve pretty much hit the peak of Otis’ worth at this point and that’s fine. He got the big win at Wrestlemania and now he can do some spots in Money in the Bank without having a chance of winning. The match wasn’t very good but again, points for trying someone new and having Ziggler lose.

Overall Rating: C-. Recently, I saw someone say that there is almost nothing in the WWE midcard that had any real energy or pop. That was in my head during this show and it’s absolutely right. So many people feel like they’re in a firm bubble and nothing is going to change for them anytime soon. They’re going to do their thing, which comes and goes every week, and nothing feels important. You might get some good matches or stories, but nothing feels like it’s a big deal. That becomes a major issue year after year and it brings shows like this, without much from the main event scene, grinding to a halt.

This show had a focus and a purpose, but it never really felt important. Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy could be good and they’re adding in some new people, but there is nothing on this show that really made me want to watch. It feels like so many people are firmly in their spots and aren’t going anywhere because they have found their places in WWE. That gets old fast and it has been old for a very long time. Spice it up a little and it can go a long way.

Results

Daniel Bryan b. King Corbin via DQ when Corbin used a ladder

Sheamus b. Leon Ruff – Brogue Kick

Carmella b. Mandy Rose – Superkick

Forgotten Sons b. New Day – Reverse DDT/top rope stomp combination to Kingston

Otis b. Dolph Ziggler – Caterpillar

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