IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: November 18, 2005
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the second of two Eddie Guerrero tribute shows, both of which were filmed back to back on the previous Sunday, as the roster was off to Europe later this week. That has to be one of the roughest days the company has ever seen and I’m not sure what to expect after the great tribute on Monday. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Eddie Guerrero.

Here’s Batista in Eddie’s low rider for the opening chat. He’s fighting back tears as he talks about how much Eddie meant to him. Eddie’s family meant the world to him and while he had demons, Eddie fought back and regained his family. Eddie also loved this business and he gave everything he could every single night. We pause for an Eddie chant and Batista smiles very hard. You can call Batista selfish but he’d give anything to have him back right here. Eddie’s music plays Batista out and he leaves the title on the low rider.

We get an Eddie tribute video, set to 3 Doors Down’s Here Without You, which is as emotional as you imagine it being.

Tonight is going to feature some segments from Eddie’s Cheating Death, Stealing Life DVD, starting with Eddie driving around his hometown. Eddie’s mom talks about how his father taught everyone to wrestle and Eddie explains how the family got into wrestling.

Matt Hardy vs. Carlito

Smackdown vs. Raw continues tonight and the low rider stays in the aisle. Matt starts fast by sending him into the turnbuckle over and over. A missed charge puts Hardy on the floor though and Carlito rams him into the apron. Back in and stomping ensues, setting up the double arm crank. Carlito goes to the middle rope for the mocking of Matt’s pose, plus a dive into a raised boot because of course. The Side Effect gives Matt two but he gets caught in the yet to be named Backstabber for the same. Matt knocks him off the ropes though and the middle rope legdrop connects. The Twist of Fate is enough to finish Carlito.

Rating: C. Just a match here as the popular guy beats the annoying pest. Matt continues to be someone who needs a story to be overly interesting, but the fans still buy into him so he’ll be fine for the time being. Carlito on the other hand is almost never interesting and would be much better off as a manager/talker for someone else.

Vince McMahon talks about what a craftsman Eddie was and how happy it made him. He actually gets choked up a bit when he talks about what Eddie’s family meant to him. You don’t see Vince like that very often and it’s strange to see in a good way.

More from the DVD, with Eddie talking about losing Vickie, having a daughter while they were separated, and then getting back together two years later.

Heidenreich/Animal vs. Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch

Cade and Heidenreich start things off with Cade hitting the shoulders in the corner to start. A clothesline takes him down but Murdoch gets in a kick to the back from from the apron. The cowboys stomp Heidenreich down in the corner and Murdoch slaps on an abdominal stretch. That goes nowhere so it’s back to Cade to keep up the beating in the corner. Heidenreich shrugs that off without too much trouble and brings Animal back in to clean house. The Doomsday Device finishes Cade in a hurry.

Rating: D. Another short one here as the matches continue to not matter in the slightest tonight. These teams didn’t exactly mesh well together but at least they gave the good guys the win. Cade and Murdoch have more of a future as a team, but it’s not like this is going to mean anything to either team.

Booker T., with Sharmell, talks about how much Eddie meant to him. They had their battles in WCW and even got in a fist fight backstage. Booker can’t imagine what it’s like for his family but if they ever need to talk, he and Sharmell are there anytime. Eddie would want the fans to go out and have a great show and that’s all anyone can do.

From the DVD, we look at the Lie, Cheat and Steal vignettes, plus Eddie doing all three things in the ring as well. It’s a great case where the fans knew exactly what was going to happen and wanted nothing else.

Big Show talks about how hard it is to lose a friend but Eddie is safe now.

From the DVD, Eddie talks about growing up in a wrestling family and how his dad had his family wrestling when they were kids.

Chavo Guerrero vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Jillian Hall is here with JBL and yes it’s Chavo rather than Kerwin White (one of the few silver linings out of this whole situation). Chavo grabs a headlock to start and sends JBL outside in a hurry. A dive to the floor takes him down again and it’s a missile dropkick for two back inside. JBL hits the fall away slam though and throws in an Eddie dance.

The beating continues in the corner and we hit the sleeper on Chavo. That’s broken up in a hurry and the comeback is on, naturally featuring a bunch of Eddie offense. A DDT gives Chavo two and it’s time for a chair, with Chavo throwing it at JBL and dropping down. Like it could have (or should have) been anything else. Chavo uses the distraction to hit Three Amigos and the frog splash finishes JBL.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches that just makes you smile as there was nothing wrong with the whole thing. The match was designed to let Eddie’s nephew get a victory over one of Eddie’s biggest rivals and they did that to perfection. The look on Chavo’s face before the frog splash was perfect and you know JBL didn’t mind doing this one bit.

From the DVD, Eddie talks about spending time with his mom.

From the DVD, Eddie talks about how important it was to defend the WWE Title at Wrestlemania. Given that he wasn’t even in the company two years before, that’s quite the accomplishment. We see some clips of the match, which really was great. Eddie’s mom calls it a beautiful match. For a bonus, we see the end of the show with Eddie coming out to celebrate with Chris Benoit in one of those things that should have been legendary for much better reasons.

JBL talks about his feud with Eddie and all the riots that nearly broke out. They were enemies on scree but friends in real life. Eddie went to bat with him and said JBL could be a main eventer. Eddie was there for JBL during JBL’s divorce and as selfish as it was, JBL would love to see Eddie come out in that low rider one more time.

We look at Eddie beating Brock Lesnar from the title.

Battle Royal

Kid Kash, Tajiri, Gregory Helms, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Scotty 2 Hotty, Nunzio, Juventud Guerrera, Funaki, Super Crazy, Psicosis

Non-title. The nine Smackdown guys jump the two Raw guys (Helms and Tajiri) but Tajiri kicks his way to freedom in a hurry. Juvy tosses Kendrick and Crazy gets crotched on top for a quick elimination. Funaki and Tajiri joining forces for about a second before Funaki dumps him out. Helms eliminates Funaki though and Scotty does the same to Kash.

Nunzio gets rid of Scotty and Psicosis at the same time, leaving us with Nunzio, Juvy and London. Juvy and London take turns chopping Nunzio but he gets them both to the apron. Neither are eliminated though and they backdrop him out without much trouble. Juvy headscissors London out for the win a few seconds later.

Rating: D+. What else were you expecting from this one? It wasn’t a good match of any kind but having one of Eddie’s friends win is a good idea. They went through things in a hurry and the champ won so it’s hard to complain about anything here. Eddie was a cruiserweight for a long time so having a match like this is fine.

From the DVD, we look at Latino Heat. You can almost see Eddie’s mom’s cheeks go red over the Chyna stuff.

We look at Eddie cheating to win his last match, as only he could.

Shane McMahon, also fighting back tears, talks about what it’s like to be in a legendary wrestling family. As we’ve heard from everyone else, Eddie loved his family. Yes it’s repetitive, but if it’s one of the first things that everyone says about him, it must have been something that mattered to him more than anything else.

We look at the end of Wrestlemania XX. Lawler: “What a sight!” Indeed it was.

HHH vs. Chris Benoit

A very early Crossface attempt sends HHH bailing to the floor. Back in and the same thing happens again as the frustration is on early. Back in again and this time HHH has to roll outside from the threat of a Sharpshooter so Benoit throws him back inside. This time he hammers away with right hands in the corner but HHH sends him outside in a backdrop.

Back with Benoit being whipped hard into the corner twice in a row for two. Benoit gets in a running elbow to the face though and they’re both down. HHH is back up first and hits a spinebuster for two, followed by an abdominal stretch to stay on the ribs. The referee catches him cheating though and we hit the sleeper to slow Benoit down even more.

Benoit fights out and rolls the German suplexes, setting up the Swanton for two. A quick Pedigree attempt is countered into a Crossface but HHH almost gets out. That’s fine with Benoit, who rolls him to the middle of the ring ala Wrestlemania XX and then into a crucifix for the pin.

Rating: B. Another fine match here between two people who have worked together dozens of times. As has been the case with everything else on both shows, the wrestling wasn’t the point here. They had a pretty good match here and while there was no doubt about who was winning, the match was still entertaining because of the immense talent involved.

Post match Benoit and HHH hug and here’s Dean Malenko for the big hug with Benoit in Eddie’s place.

Overall Rating: A. This is a different yet equally good show from the previous version, as this was more about celebrating Eddie’s life than mourning his passing. You can consider it a two volume set and while you can watch one or the other, doing both of them gives you more of a complete picture. The more you hear about Eddie, the more impressive his reputation becomes. He had countless amazing matches and moments and this one made me smile more than Monday, as it felt more like a celebration. Check this out if you haven’t seen it in a bit, as it’s the happier of the two shows.

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: April 17, 2020
Host: Tom Phillips

So now things have really changed around here and I’m not entirely sure why. Some of it might have to do with both regular commentators being released on Wednesday but it’s not like you need to be the best commentator around to call a show like this. Instead, we have a show about the wrestlers themselves, but not in the way you might expect. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tom Phillips says that while the Interim Cruiserweight Title tournament is going on, we’ll be looking at the matches that inspired some of the best cruiserweights. Tonight, we start with Brian Kendrick, with a match that inspired him and a match that he was in.

Kendrick talks about going over to a friend’s house but seeing them watching the end of a wrestling tape. This is what he saw and it made him want to be a wrestler.

From Wrestlemania VI:

WWF World Title/Intercontinental Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior

Title for title. The fans are WAY into this one as they come to life more than they have all night long. Warrior comes out first and stands on the corner as Hogan makes his entrance for an awesome visual. The crowd is totally split here. I don’t mean the WWE definition of totally split where it’s 70/30 at best. I mean it’s dead even here with both guys being equally loved.

They lock up to start and both guys are shoved into the corner. We get the iconic test of strength with Hogan going down first, only to fight back up and take Warrior down. They trade slams but it’s Warrior getting the better of it and clotheslining Hogan to the floor. Hulk comes up holding his knee and says he’s blown it out. He gets back in and Warrior kicks away at the knee but Hulk stops selling it about ten seconds later and it’s never mentioned again.

Hulk comes back with right hands and a clothesline in the corner as the fans are losing their minds over every single move. Off to a front facelock on Warrior (Jesse: “Ask Richard Belzer!” Belzer was a talk show host that Hogan put in a front facelock and knocked him unconscious, leading to a lawsuit. That’s quite the edgy reference.) before going back to just punching Warrior in the head. We hit the chinlock on Warrior and the fans are even into this.

A belly to back suplex gets two on Warrior and it’s back to the chinlock. Back up again and it’s a double clothesline to drop both guys. Jesse gets it right again by saying Hogan should be in better shape because he’s been in control for so long. Warrior gets up and starts shaking the ropes, setting up the running clotheslines. A suplex gets two on Hulk and we hit the bearhug. Two arm drops mean it’s time for Hogan’s comeback, only to have Warrior run over the referee. Warrior hits a pair of top rope ax handles but misses a shoulder and gets driven face first into the mat.

There’s no one to count so Warrior belly to back suplexes him for the same result. Hogan gets a VERY slow two off a rollup as the referee is only halfway back into it. Warrior is knocked to the floor but comes back in for the gorilla press. The splash connects but Hogan kicks out at two and it’s Hulk Up time. Warrior takes the big boot but the legdrop only hits mat, setting up the second splash to give Warrior the pin and the title at 22:50.

Rating: A. It’s still a classic. This is a match I’ve seen probably two dozen times over the years and I never get tired of it. The crowd carries it up to a higher level but it’s still a great battle of the titans on its own. Hogan losing clean is still a huge deal and felt like it was going to be a new era. We’ll get to that later but the match more than holds up and is one of the biggest matches in wrestling history.

Hogan is stunned and dejected at his first ever clean loss in the company. The referee brings Warrior both titles and the camera focuses on just Warrior so the WWF World Title can be returned to ringside, allowing Hogan to go get it. He hands it to Warrior and endorses the new champion before riding away in the card, leaving Warrior to celebrate to end the show.

Kendrick talks about being proud of his title reigns, but there is a match that made him think he might be done after it was over.

From the Cruiserweight Classic on August 31, 2016.

Quarterfinals: Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi

USA vs. Japan. Kendrick invites him to the floor which isn’t a common strategy in this tournament. Ibushi doesn’t bite but he does kick Kendrick in the head and hits a big dive to take over. Kota misses a kick though and gets his foot caught in the barricade so Kendrick dives in to try for a countout. They’re doing a good job here of having Kendrick win any way he can against the younger and more talented Ibushi.

More kicks have Kendrick in trouble so he grabs a neckbreaker across the turnbuckle rod for a unique counter. Brian grabs a cravate to stay on the bad (and surgically repaired) neck, only to eat a dropkick to put both guys down. A middle rope moonsault gets two for Ibushi but Kendrick superkicks his head off to get them back to even. Sliced Bread #2 gets another near fall for Kendrick so Ibushi gives him a release German superplex from just off the corner to knock Brian silly.

Kendrick tries the Bully Choke but Ibushi turns to the side to make it a regular chinlock. A Burning Hammer of all things makes Ibushi’s neck even worse, though not enough to put him away. Ibushi misses a middle rope Phoenix splash and another Bully Choke has Ibushi in trouble. He breaks the hold with a rollup though and the Golden Star Bomb finally ends Brian’s run at 13:57.

Rating: B. I thought the first match was more entertaining but this one told a better story. This was all about Kendrick throwing everything he had at Ibushi but not being able to put him away and eventually falling to the better man. The neck injury was a good bonus to the story and gave Brian enough of an opening to make this interesting. The storytelling was carrying this and it was very entertaining as a result. Good stuff here and Kendrick continues to surprise me in this thing.

Daniel cries as he talks about Brian’s run being over.

Tom wraps it up.

Overall Rating: A. It’s not often that you throw on 205 Live and see a Hulk Hogan match. If the last three and a half years of this show haven’t yet taught you how little it means to WWE, this one probably won’t get it through your head either. We are currently holding a Cruiserweight Title tournament and the cruiserweight show was a Best Of edition that probably took fifteen minutes to assemble. It’s good because of what was included, but why I’m supposed to care about the division when WWE clearly doesn’t is beyond me.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: April 16, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

Things continue to go in the same fashion as always around here: very little actually matters on this show but it gives you a way to remember what took place earlier this week. That being said, the fact that Main Event is taking place in the same setup and venue as all three of the big shows continues to mess with me for some reason, just as it did when it was the before Raw show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Liv Morgan vs. Santana Garrett

Garrett gets thrown into the corner to start and a headlock takeover puts her on the mat. There’s a whip into the corner as Garrett seems to have lost some hair. A handspring

elbow hits Liv in the corner but she drops Garrett again and grabs the chinlock. That’s broken up so Liv snaps off a running hurricanrana, only to get nailed with a left hand. Back up and Morgan slugs away, setting up a running enziguri. The springboard Flatliner finishes Garrett at 4:38.

Rating: C-. You can tell that Morgan has grown up a bit as of late as she looked more in control this time around. That’s a good thing, but she has a very long way to go. On the other hand there’s Garrett, who seems to check all of the boxes for being a star but she has never come close to meaning anything even in NXT. Granted she has never had a chance, though I’m not sure I’d bet on her at this point.

From Smackdown.

Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Non-title and Cesaro is here with Nakamura. Strowman dodges some kicks to start and kicks him down into the corner without much effort. There’s a big toss across the ring and the beating is on. Strowman takes him outside and even manages to yell at Cesaro before hitting Nakamura again. A charging Nakamura is dropped onto the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Strowman throwing him around even more and hitting the running splash in the corner. The powerslam is broken up so Nakamura hits the running kick to the face. Strowman isn’t having that and he blasts Nakamura with a clothesline. The running shoulders on the floor hit Nakamura and Cesaro but Nakamura hits the running kick to the chest for two. Kinshasa is loaded up but Strowman reverses into the running powerslam for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C. This was a good and mostly dominant first match for Braun as champion and that’s how it should have been. Nakamura is long past the point of being a threat to the title but he still means a bit. He certainly means more than Cesaro at this point so they made the right choice.

Post match it’s time for the Firefly Fun House, with Bray standing next to a sign saying The History of John Cena and bray Wyatt. We see clips of the firefly Fun House match and Bray says Cena was right: we really can’t see him. That brings Bray to Braun and we see some of their history as well.

Bray talks about giving Braun a home but Braun turned his back on him. He can forgive Braun, but only Ramblin Rabbit agrees. Braun isn’t playing though and wants to fight. That’s cool with Bray, because he wants the title back. Bray brought him into the world and will take Strowman out. Bye! Braun says hang on because he’s ready to let Bray in anytime. Braun: “Bye! See you later!”

From Raw.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax

Sane gets thrown around to start as Asuka is VERY excited in the back. Back to full screen and it’s a clothesline into a toss around by the hair. A gorilla press into a Samoan drop (the Annihilator) finishes Sane at 2:36. Total squash.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Humberto Carrillo

They flip around to avoid each other to start until Humberto hits some dropkicks. Some more dropkicks set up an enziguri for two but Shelton hits a knee in the corner. We take a quick break and come back with Humberto caught in a chinlock. Carrillo fights up and kicks him in the ribs, followed by the missile dropkick. A standing moonsault hits Shelton’s knees but Carrillo is fine enough to kick him down again. Carrillo goes up top, knocks Shelton down, and hits the moonsault for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C-. This was fine enough but Carrillo continues to be a hole of charisma. He can do the flips and dives well enough, but he’s just a guy in tights who jumps around a lot and can’t talk very well. There have been tons of those over the years and it’s not like Carrillo is doing anything better than anyone in particular. Not bad, but I’m not seeing the star power WWE seems to think he has.

Video on Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler at Wrestlemania.

Video on Drew McIntyre winning the WWE Title at Wrestlemania.

From Raw.

Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade

Non-title and Andrade has everyone with him. McIntyre starts stomping away in the corner early on and even catches Andrade with a kick to the chest for trying to jump over him. They head outside with Andrade bouncing on top of the barricade. A Garza distraction lets Andrade pull him into the post though and the chops are on. McIntyre’s arm is sent into the steps and it’s an armbar back inside.

The armbar over the rope keeps McIntyre in trouble and a shot to the arm breaks up a suplex attempt. McIntyre boots him in the face though and hits a top rope shot to the head into a nip up. A spinning back elbow rocks McIntyre but he’s fine enough to backdrop Andrade onto Theory and Garza. Back in and Vega’s distraction lets Andrade crotch him on top but McIntyre escapes the hanging DDT. There’s the reverse Alabama Slam into the Claymore for the pin on Andrade at 5:31.

Rating: C. Not too bad here though I kept waiting on Rollins to interfere and cost McIntyre the match. I wouldn’t have had the US Champion get pinned when he had a big numbers advantage but that title being protected is a long forgotten hope. McIntyre picking up another win is a good thing though as he can mow people down to become the new dominant force around here.

Post match Garza chop blocks McIntyre and here’s Seth Rollins to superkick the champ. A pair of Stomps to McIntyre ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. As usual, having these shows in the same empty arena just makes you realize how much Raw and Smackdown have lost by being in the same situation. The original stuff was nothing here and it’s not like they had much to look at from the regular shows. Not a terrible show, but these empty arena shows have taken the soul out of a soulless product.

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: April 17, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s time to move forwards towards Money in the Bank and this time around we are finding out who else is going to be involved in the women’s match, plus the first man involved. I’m not sure how much steam these empty arena shows have left but they’re all we’re getting at the moment. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Cole runs down the card.

It’s time for A Moment Of Bliss to start things off. After bragging about being two time Women’s Tag Team Champions (I completely forgot their first reign, which isn’t a good sign for titles that are fourteen months old), Nikki Cross brings out Braun Strowman. They congratulate Braun on being the new Universal Champion but bring up the fact that he is officially defending against Bray Wyatt (not the Fiend) at Money in the Bank.

Strowman knows Bray and the games he plays so Bray is going to get these hands. There’s a present on the mat though and it seems to be for Braun. Inside is….the old mask he wore as part of the Wyatt Family. Braun looks upset and we hear Bray’s laughter as a picture of Braun in the mask comes on the screen.

Post break, Cole and Graves explain what we just saw.

Sasha Banks vs. Tamina

If Tamina wins, she gets a Women’s Title match at Money in the Bank and Bayley is on commentary. Sasha throws her a shirt to start but Tamina says it’s not the right size. The shirt is thrown at Bayley and Banks’ rollup completely fails. A headbutt sends Banks to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Sasha hammering away and bending the back of Tamina’s neck around the rope. The chinlock goes on but Tamina fights up with something like a Rock Bottom to send Sasha outside. Bayley offers a distraction so Sasha can get in a posting, a 619 on the apron and a ram into the steps. Bayley loads up a cheap shot but here’s Lacey Evans to cut her off. Tamina hits a superkick and hits a second inside for the pin and the title shot at 8:34.

Rating: D+. So yeah we have the next Jinder Mahal here, as Tamina has never done anything of note (until she won a triple threat match a few weeks ago, she hadn’t won a match in over a year) but now she wins a match or two and we’re supposed to forget about how unimportant and nothing she has been for years. It’s bad storytelling, it’s illogical, it’s annoying to the fans who watch every week and WWE is going to keep doing it over and over because they don’t know how long term storytelling and character building works anymore.

Jey Usos is ready for the triple threat and shouts a lot.

Post break Lacey says wherever Sasha goes, she goes. She’s a Marine, and isn’t stopping until the mission is accomplished. That would be no more Sasha, which is written on the back of her hand.

Sheamus vs. Denzel DeJournette

Sheamus shrugs off a takedown attempt and elbows/knees away at the head. The Brogue kick finishes at 1:03.

Post match Cole starts introducing a video on Jeff Hardy but Sheamus interrupts and asks what is Cole’s malfunction. That’s too much disrespect to Sheamus, fella.

We get the second part of the Jeff Hardy video, which features a bunch of dives that banged Hardy up. It resulted in his addiction issues and caused his career to start spiraling down. Then he left in 2009 (the World Title reigns aren’t mentioned) and we see some videos of him high and drunk, which are still hard to watch. This led to a lot of his legal problems and Jeff knows that he has a lot to make up for. Part three next week.

Carmella comes up to Dana Brooke and isn’t happy that Dana isn’t focused on their Tag Team Title match next week. Dana explains the Money in the Bank idea and says she can do both. Carmella isn’t convinced, just like I’m not convinced that any WWE writer has ever had a conversation with a human if this is supposed to sound authentic.

Commentary talks about the Money in the Bank ladder matches….which will take place at WWE Corporate headquarters with the briefcases ON THE ROOF OF TITAN TOWERS! Well that’s a new one!

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Naomi vs. Dana Brooke

Naomi’s helmet is back and at least it covers up that ridiculous looking hair. Naomi kicks her down for two to start but gets thrown outside. Back in and Dana grabs a bodyscissors, allowing her to talk a lot of extra audible trash. That’s broken up so Naomi kicks her in the head a few times, followed by a springboard kick to the face for two. A powerbomb gives Dana the same but the Rear View connects for two more. Naomi is SHOCKED that it didn’t work, making me roll my eyes a good bit. The split legged moonsault misses though and Brooke gets a rollup pin at 4:10.

Rating: D+. I still like Brooke more than most but it’s in the same vein as Tamina: she has barely won anything and yet we’re supposed to take her as a threat. Even if there’s a huge upset and she wins the ladder match and title, it’s still way too much to buy her as a top star. Wins and losses matter if you watch regularly and while this isn’t as bad as Tamina getting a title shot, I’m still not buying it.

During the post match replays, Corey says Dana is the first person to kick out of the Rear View. Normally I’d have to look it up but I’m just refusing to believe that’s true.

Long recap of Otis/Mandy Rose and the Sonya Deville/Dolph Ziggler plan to stop them.

Here’s a very upset Sonya Deville to beg Mandy’s forgiveness. They’ve been friends forever and for the first time in forever, Mandy isn’t here. Sonya has wanted to tell her something but here’s Mandy in person to cut her off. Fighting back tears, Sonya says….that Mandy is the most selfish human being she has ever met. As soon as Mandy became interested in Otis, she was ready to kick Sonya to the curb.

Mandy doesn’t get it but Sonya says that Fire & Desire was always about Mandy instead of them. They came out to her music and talked about Mandy’s magazine covers. If Mandy could have focused on the team, everything would be fine. Dolph actually cares about Mandy but she ignored him too. Sonya accepted Dolph’s help because he helped the team but then Mandy had to ruin everything.

Now all Sonya wants to do is see Mandy hurt. Mandy might be pretty but she’s a dime a dozen blonde who was built in a lab. Sonya worked forever to be second to a talentless piece of eye candy. Now Sonya is going to ruin her life because she isn’t going to deal with some centerfold Barbie b****. Cue Ziggler to say he’s made a mistake but they had a great Valentines Day. Mandy slaps his hand away and Sonya jumps her, freaking Dolph out. Otis runs in for the save and house is cleaned, likely setting up a mixed tag. Well done on throwing in a bit of a surprise instead of Sonya declaring her love for Mandy.

We get the tribute video to Howard Finkel. That voice is never going to be topped and it’s very rare to see someone who clearly loved wrestling like he did. We get a lot NEEEEWWWW’s and a look at his comedy stuff, which really did work for him.

Miz thinks it is an injustice that he has to defend the Tag Team Titles in another three person triple threat match after John Morrison already did it at Wrestlemania. I’d call it more of a bad idea than an injustice.

Video on the Forgotten Sons.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Cesaro vs. Daniel Bryan

Shinsuke Nakamura and Drew Gulak are the seconds. Cesaro shows off a bit by jumping up to touch the briefcase above the ring. Bryan wastes no time in knocking Cesaro to the floor for a suicide dive….and here’s the masked guy on the screen to show us more hidden video. He says some keep their friends close and others keep their enemies closer. There is no video shown though and we take a break.

Back with Bryan working on an armbar and then grabbing a cross armbreaker. Cesaro muscles him up with a powerbomb to escape and a slam gets two on Bryan. He heads to the apron but manages to snap Cesaro’s arm across the top rope. A dive off the top is countered into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker though and Cesaro grabs the Sharpshooter. Bryan gets to the rope and goes outside, setting up the running uppercut against the barricade.

Back from another break with Bryan hitting the YES Kicks for two but Cesaro hits a gorilla press knee to the face. The Crossface goes on, only to be reversed into most of the YES Lock. Cesaro clotheslines the heck out of him and unloads with uppercuts in the corner. Bryan’s moonsault out of the corner is caught but Bryan pulls him down into the YES Lock. Nakamura’s interference is cut off by Gulak and Cesaro taps at 14:24.

Rating: B. This is a lot closer to the match that you would have wanted to see from these two as they were given time and allowed to work to their strengths. It helps when you spend a good chunk of your careers wrestling in front of very few people. They know how to do something else and that makes for a better performance like this. Well that and the two of them being Cesaro and Bryan.

Big E. is ready to win the Tag Team Titles on his own. This morning, he slid out of the triple bunk bed and told Kofi and Woods to eat popcorn in the La-Z-Boys because it’s time to become eight time champions.

King Corbin jumps Elias in the back and crushes his hand between two anvil cases. Corbin drags him away. Post break, Corbin steps on Elias’ hand and tells him to sing before hitting him in the throat with a baton. That looks to be it but Corbin breaks the guitar over his back for a bonus. Now this is more like it for Corbin, FAR away from the main event scene and beating up midcarders. I can go for this far more.

Tag Team Titles: Big E. vs. Jey Uso vs. The Miz

Miz is defending the titles on his own. The challengers waste no time in sending Miz outside before Big E. runs Jey over. Big E. talks about having a plan but the other two are back up to suplex him through the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Jey hitting back to back suicide dives.

The running Umaga Attacks in the corner make it worse but Big E. catches Jey with the Rock Bottom out of the corner. Miz even goes aerial with a springboard ax handle, allowing him to start the HEY HEY HO HO. Miz can’t Figure Four Jey, who kicks him into Big E. for two instead. The Skull Crushing Final gets two on Jey and now the Figure Four goes on. Big E. breaks that up with the Big Ending to Miz for the pin and the titles at 9:45.

Rating: C-. Kind of a surprising ending as we continue to have New Day as placeholder champions, though they’ve been placeholder champions for what feels like years now. Normally I would say that I hope this doesn’t lead to the Forgotten Sons winning the titles because that would almost guarantee that it does, so yeah I’ve just screwed it up all over again.

We cut to Kofi at his house for an AND NEEEEEEWWWWW for a nice smile inducing moments.

Xavier Woods throws in a bunch of plugs.

Big E. rolls around on the floor shouting EIGHT TIMES to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was ok enough as they’ve managed to make these shows feel like any regular Smackdown. That sounds good in theory, but then you remember that a regular Smackdown isn’t much of a show, much like this one wasn’t. It was a decent enough watch with angle advancement and some good wrestling, but it’s nothing overly memorable. I actually liked that mixed tag angle in the middle as much as anything else, as it was well delivered and the motivations make sense. The match will probably be junk, but points for the setup. Not a great show by any means, but watchable enough for Smackdown.

Results

Tamina b. Sasha Banks – Superkick

Sheamus b. Denzel DeJournette – Brogue Kick

Dana Brooke b. Naomi – Sunset flip

Daniel Bryan b. Cesaro – YES Lock

Big E. b. Jey Uso and Miz – Big Ending to Miz

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

Just in case we didn’t have enough bad news in a row.

https://www.wwe.com/article/howard-finkel-passes-away

What else can you say here?  He was the Fink, and often the voice that a lot of people associate with the WWF.  That AND NEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW is one of the best sounds you’ll ever hear in wrestling.  Fink was the first WWF employee and is credited with coming up with the name of Wrestlemania.  He was also the official statistician and considered one of the best trivia minds in the company, with the things that he would say being dubbed Finkel Facts and the WWE.com trivia game being named Outthink The Fink.  This one hurts a good bit as my nostalgia takes a painful hit.  There was no cause of death listed, though Fink had been in bad health for a good while.

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 14, 2005
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Jonathan Coachman, Jerry Lawler

And then everything changed as Eddie Guerrero passed away in a stunning moment, dying of heart failure on Sunday, November 13, 2005. As you can probably guess, everything has shut down for the time being as a result and this will not be your normal show. I’m not sure what to think about this so let’s get to it.

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

The Raw and Smackdown rosters are on the stage, complete with the low rider, with Vince McMahon saying that we are celebrating his life. Vince talks about how Eddie loved to perform and he loved to be out in front of the fans trying to steal the show. Tonight will be a tribute to Eddie, starting with a moment of silence as the bell is tolled ten times.

We get a video tribute to Eddie, set to Johnny Cash’s Hurt, edited off of the Network version of course. It finishes with a shot of Eddie’s smile, because how else could it end.

Back in the arena, Vince says VIVA LA RAZA and a lot of crying ensues.

John Cena gets the first sitdown interview talking about Eddie. He says you’ll hear from a lot of people tonight and you’ll hear them all say that Eddie was a great man. On a personal level, Eddie helped mentor Cena when he was starting and was even a father figure to him. Eddie taught him to find his heart and that isn’t something you can teach.

We see Eddie spraying Big Show with sewage.

Big Show/Kane vs. MNM

Non-title. Nitro tries to circle around Show and gets chopped hard for his efforts. Kane comes in for a running clothesline but a Melina distraction lets Mercury break up the top rope clothesline. Another distraction lets Nitro get in a belt shot for two on Kane but he sits back up. Some running kicks to the face cut him down again so he suplexes them both at once. That’s enough for the hot tag to Show and house is cleaned, including a kiss to Melina. Now Kane’s top rope clothesline connects and the double chokeslam finishes Nitro.

Rating: D+. The ratings on a show like this are going to be a lot more lax than usual as there is only so much you can complain about given the circumstances. Big Show and Kane beating anyone is acceptable enough and MNM aren’t the kind of champions who are going to win a fist fight anyway. Not a terrible match but they got in and out pretty quickly.

Lilian Garcia talks about speaking in Spanish with Eddie. Her fondest memory is being in a small group with him in Iraq last year and seeing Eddie being so humble around the troops.

Here’s Eddie auctioning off some of Kurt Angle’s stuff.

Kurt Angle vs. Shelton Benjamin

Shelton gets the college pop and slugs away at Angle to start. That just gets him suplexed and stomped in the corner, followed by the waistlock. Some backbreakers set up a reverse chinlock with a knee in the back but Shelton fights up and grabs a DDT. The comeback is on with the clotheslines into the Samoan drop.

Shelton hits the Dragon Whip for two and there’s the top rope clothesline for a bonus. The rolling German suplexes are countered into a rollup for two more but Angle clotheslines him down. Shelton catches him on top with a German superplex (with Angle almost landing on his head). That’s good for two but Angle pulls him into the ankle lock with the grapevine for the tap.

Rating: C+. This was more like the old Shelton and that’s a very good thing to see. When he was on a roll he could hang with anyone in the world, if not outright beat them, and Angle was no exception. That being said, Angle was feeling it here and that’s one of the best things you can see. It’s almost impossible to screw up Angle vs. Benjamin and they didn’t come close here.

Post match Angle holds up an Eddie armband in a nice moment.

Shawn Michaels talks about his relationship with Eddie being built around faith. His last breath here was his first breath in eternity and they will wrestle one day on the biggest stage of them all.

We get a montage of the Eddie and Chavo Lie/Cheat/Steal vignettes and they are still some of the best things from that era.

Chavo Guerrero talks about how they were uncle and nephew but really more like brothers. We hear about the two of them wrestling in intermissions of their grandfather’s shows and they had to stop because fans were watching them and not going to the concession stands. They always wanted to be Tag Team Champions and that’s what they did, with one of their first matches being against Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. After the match, Angle came up to Chavo and said they beat them up pretty badly. They were a great team because they knew each other inside and out. Eddie was Chavo’s brother and he’ll see him again.

Shawn Michaels vs. Rey Mysterio

They’re both wearing I’m Your Papi shirts and it’s hard not to smile. We get a handshake to start and it’s Shawn working on the arm. A fight over arm control sets up a pair of kickoffs and that means a standoff. Joey brings up the good point of Shawn rarely being the bigger man, showing that even he can have some insight when he stops thinking he’s a radio announcer for ten seconds.

Shawn catapults him to the apron but Rey is back in with a springboard Thesz press for two. Mysterio tosses him outside and we take a break. Back with Shawn holding a sleeper, followed by a backbreaker and knees to the back to send Rey outside. We hit the chinlock with a knee in the back but Rey fights up, hits the Eddie dance, and dropkicks Shawn in the face for two.

Shawn hits the forearm though and Coach predicts that he’ll nip up. That’s exactly true but Shawn has to duck the 619. A clothesline gives Shawn two and he drops Rey with a second one for a bonus. There’s the top rope elbow but Sweet Chin Music misses. Instead Rey hurricanranas him into the 619 and Dropping The Dime finishes Shawn.

Rating: B-. You can only get so much out of matches like this but they did what they were supposed to do out here: entertain the fans during a trying time. Shawn isn’t going to be hurt a bit by losing to Mysterio and it’s hardly a stretch that Mysterio could beat him in the first place. This was a feel good moment and a pretty good match as well, which is all you should have expected.

Batista talks about getting close to Eddie over the last few months and how shocked he was by hearing the news this morning. Eddie was an inspiration and Batista misses him.

Battle Royal

Ashley, Maria, Christy Hemme, Victoria, Melina, Jillian Hall, Mickie James, Candice Michelle, Trish Stratus

Non-title and they’re all in Eddie shirts, which all come off at the same time for the expected reactions. Trish and Victoria wind up on top in a hurry for a slugout and Jillian dumps Mickie early. Maria knocks Jillian out and Candice gets sent to the apron, where she manages to do the Go Daddy Dance but come back in anyway. Victoria sends Christy to the apron and Candice gets the elimination but Trish headscissors Candice out. Maria gets rid of Victoria and we’re down to Maria, Trish and Victoria. Melina tosses Maria and blocks Stratusfaction to get rid of Trish for the win.

Rating: D. What else were you expecting here? The match was all about one thing and the women delivered it, albeit with a bit of a surprise winner. Battle royals are fair game for something like this and it’s not like anyone winning or losing matters in the first place, especially on a show like this one.

Rey Mysterio talks about the bond he and Eddie shared. He misses Eddie right now and wishes that this was a dream. After a pause, Rey talks about what an inspiration Eddie really was to everyone. Rey even takes the mask off as he puts his head in his hands. This is not included on the Network version.

We see the still amazing moment of Eddie and Chris Benoit at the end of Wrestlemania XX.

Simon Dean vs. Eugene

Dean offers Eugene a protein bar and the disgust lets Dean roll him up for two. An elbow misses and Eugene goes into Junkyard Dog mode for the headbutts. Hold on though as Eugene needs to go outside to play with the Dean Machine, allowing Dean to get in a shot from behind. A clothesline gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so Eugene tries a rollup out of the corner, but Dean grabs his elastic bands. Eugene pulls him into the middle of the ring though and Dean gets slingshotted into the corner for a funny moment. The Rock Bottom finishes Dean.

Rating: D. There was no mention of Eddie here and that made it just your usual Eugene match: not overly funny (the bands bit at the end was good) and more of the same comedy stuff that we’ve seen for a long time now. There’s nothing wrong with it as they were having a comedy match, but don’t expect me to get overly excited about something I’ve seen this many times.

Eugene leaves on the Dean Machine.

And now for perhaps the saddest part of the show, Chris Benoit talks about losing his best friend. They knew each other for fifteen years and have been up and down the highways and over the mountains. Eddie would always understand and they would talk for hours a day. They would always say they loved each other and his thoughts and prayers go out to Eddie’s family. Eddie is in a better place and he misses him. Benoit breaks down in tears and thanks Eddie for everything he gave him. Knowing what is coming out of all this, that’s one of the most disturbing things you can ever see as you can feel Benoit’s heart breaking.

We see Eddie winning the WWE Championship in one of the best feel good moments of all time. Cole NAILS it on commentary here and doesn’t get enough credit for that call.

HHH talks about what an inspiration Eddie was for overcoming all of his personal demons. He starts to cry as well and talks about how much Eddie’s family meant to him. Eddie is up there lying to someone and cheating someone, but he’s already stolen all of our hearts.

Ric Flair vs. William Regal

Non-title. Flair takes him down to the mat to start and works on the leg as Jerry thinks we’ll be seeing some cheating. Regal gets Flair into the corner for some left hands and a European uppercut gets two. An abdominal stretch of all things slows Regal down but he unlaces Flair’s boot for a distraction to get himself to the rope. Regal sends him to the floor and whips Flair into the barricade. Back in and Flair hits the chop block and the Figure Four is good for the fast tap.

Rating: C-. This is one of those matches that could have been interesting on a different stage but it was always nice to see Regal go out there and do his so simple but so effective heel stuff. As usual though, the match itself wasn’t the point here, though it’s always cool to see an interesting pairing like this.

Eddie won the Intercontinental Title by accidentally pinning Chyna in a triple threat match on Raw back in 2000. He apologized after the match but then smiled quite a bit because that’s what Eddie did.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Non-title and Bob Orton is here with Randy (in case you thought he was here with Cena). This is actually their first singles match on the main roster, which is almost hard to believe. Orton takes Cena (in his Eddie shirt) to the mat to start but Cena is back up with an elbow to the face. Bob’s distraction lets Randy get in a shot to the face and the over the back backbreaker gets two. We hit the chinlock, followed by a big dropkick for two more. Back up and they collide for a double knockdown but it’s Cena on his feet to initiate the finishing sequence. The FU is loaded up but Bob comes in for the DQ.

Rating: C-. One more match where the result didn’t matter but it’s got a little history to it. It’s always a little interesting to see a match where you never know what it is going to lead to, as Cena and Orton would go on to have roughly 183,374 matches in their careers. You could see some of the natural dynamic here though and WWE would mike that for years to come.

Post match Cena clears the ring and hits the FU on Randy. Cena takes off the shirt and lays it in the ring, with the title on top of it, to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. I wasn’t an Eddie fan in any sense of the word. He had some good matches but I didn’t see the big deal when he passed away. Of course it was both saddening and a bit sobering to see someone taken away so suddenly, but I never thought anything of him and really did not get the big deal. I saw him as a wrestler who was praised so much because he died while still wrestling, to the point where I said he had no business being in the Hall of Fame.

Now that was a good many years ago and watching these back have made me appreciate Eddie so much more. He’s one of the few wrestlers who could make anything he did look so easy and that is a talent almost no one has. His in-ring skills were outstanding but his talking and that grin were second to none. You really could see that smile and know that you were seeing something special. I’ve gained a completely new respect for him watching the last few years back with a different eye and sweet goodness I was wrong about him back in the day. Eddie really was great and that’s something that should be very easy to see.

I’ll wrap it up with a story that CM Punk told on his big WWE DVD. Punk was in his independent promotion in Chicago and really did believe that he was the best wrestler in the world. Eddie had been fired from WWE and came in to work a match against Punk. As Punk said, the bell rang and it took him about three seconds with an actually great wrestler to know that he was nowhere near as good as he thought he was. Eddie was that talented and there weren’t many people who could hang with him. I got a little emotional watching this one and that shows you what kind of skill Eddie had. Amazing tribute, and they’re not done.

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

Spring cleaning is here.Kurt Angle (The biggest name of all)

Drake Maverick (He was just a boss and occasional wrestler, though his comments on the release are heartbreaking)

Curt Hawkins (Fair enough)

Luke Gallows/Karl Anderson (They’re the biggest surprises)

Heath Slater (You had to know this was coming)

Eric Young (He never caught on so this isn’t a big shock)

Rowan (That spider thing was death)

Sarah Logan (She never did anything on the main roster)

Mike Chioda (He was around FOREVER)

Mike Kanellis (It was Maria’s world and I think he knew it)

EC3 (For the life of me I will never get how they let him just sit there)

Aiden English (Not much of a shock)

Lio Rush (He was finding his calling but dang that’s a fast fall from grace)

Epico/Primo (Yeah I thought they were already gone too)

Plus a ton of agents being released/furloughed.  This is a rather nutty day and I’m sure there are going to be even more releases coming throughout the day.  That’s a good thing in a way as a lot of these people have been sitting around doing nothing for months.  I never saw why WWE needed this many people in the first place so cleaning out a lot of the space is a smart move, though not the best news for the wrestlers.  It had to happen though and while unfortunate, it makes business sense.

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 13, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Jerry Lawler

We’re still in Orlando and that seems to be because Vince McMahon is (possibly rightly) scared of the television networks and that means everything is going to be live going forward. I’m not sure what to expect this week but we’re on the road to Money in the Bank because that show will work in the Performance Center. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We look at a recap of Drew McIntyre winning the Raw World Title at Wrestlemania.

Here’s Drew for his first appearance on Raw as champion. Drew gets right in front of the camera and says thank you before talking about how the internet can be negative, but even there people have seemed to be positive. He won the title at Wrestlemania and then Big Show came out and wanted a title match then and there. We see a clip of the Big Show title match and Drew says anyone in the back can come get a shot.

Cue Zelina Vega and Andrade, with Zelina saying this is the real champion. She is sorry for cutting off his Braveheart rah rah speech but brings up their NXT Title match where McIntyre lost to Andrade. McIntyre says they can do title vs. title tonight so Andrade promises to win again.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Ruby Riott vs. Asuka

Asuka starts dancing a lot and then pulls on the arm. An armbar into a keylock sends Ruby bailing to the ropes so Asuka sends her shoulder first into the buckle. Choking on the ropes and the hip attack put Riott on the floor and that means the sliding knee to the face. Ruby manages to send her over the barricade but Asuka gets in a kick to the head. Some dancing takes us to a break and we come back with Riott kicking Asuka to the floor for two back inside.

Back up and Asuka kicks her down again, setting up the cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so Ruby tries the Riott Kick, only to get suplexed down. A Shining Wizard gives Asuka two more so Riott hits a running clothesline to the back of the head for the same. Ruby goes up but dives into the Asuka Lock, which is countered into a rollup for two and the break. A Flatliner into the Rings of Saturn with kicks to the face has Asuka in trouble but she reverses into the Asuka Lock at 13:03.

Rating: C+. They were hitting each other rather hard but I couldn’t get all the way into it. Riott hasn’t done anything since coming back and that’s understandable but she seems to be spinning her wheels more often than not. Asuka going on to Money in the Bank is fine, even if it seems to be Shayna Baszler’s to win ala the Elimination Chamber.

MVP is in the VIP Lounge in the back and explains that next week we will have three Money in the Bank qualifying matches. Next week it’s Rey Mysterio vs. Murphy, Aleister Black vs. Austin Theory and Apollo Crews vs. MVP.

Aleister Black vs. Oney Lorcan

Lorcan grabs a waistlock to start so Black is quickly out with a waistlock. Black moonsaults over Lorcan and we take a break. Back with Black avoiding the half and half suplex but getting hit in the face for two. A full nelson keeps Black in trouble but he pulls Lorcan into a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well so Black kicks him in the face, setting up Black Mass for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: C-. I can go with them giving Black some higher competition here and there and it’s nice to see him likely get into the Money in the Bank match next week. He needs to have something to do and while going after Andrade could work, I’m not sure if that’s big enough for him at the moment.

We look back at Becky Lynch retaining at Wrestlemania.

Here’s Becky for a chat. Becky talks about getting in Shayna Baszler’s head and how she isn’t going to be messed with like she messes with everyone else. She’s here to challenge the woman in Money in the Bank who wants it most. Whoever thinks they can beat her, she’ll shock the world.

Andrade and Zelina Vega are ready to show what a real dominant title reign is.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Sarah Logan vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler takes her down and hammers away MMA style until the referee drags her off. Baszler stomps on the arm and the referee stops it at 52 seconds.

Post match Baszler is ticked off and storms to the back through the seats instead of through the ring.

A stoic Seth Rollins talks about his career being crucified.

Austin Theory vs. Akira Tozawa

Zelina Vega is on commentary. Tozawa kicks him into the corner to start but gets dropped onto the top turnbuckle, complete with about five camera cuts. The chinlock goes on for a bit and Theory sends him into the corner for two. An armbar sets up a snap suplex for two on Tozawa and we’re right back into the chinlock.

Tozawa fights up and kicks Theory to the floor, setting up the big flip dive off the apron and Theory is in trouble. Lawler: “Like a Ramen Noodle moonsault.” Back in and a missile dropkick gets two on Theory and the Octopus goes on. That’s countered into the ATL (TKO) to finish Tozawa at 7:12.

Rating: D+. It’s pretty clear that they want Theory to be something special so why in the world are they having him trade moves with Akira Tozawa? It’s ok to have Theory get in a squash here and having him wrestle for seven minutes while having to survive so much offense from a jobber to the stars doesn’t make a lot of sense. Theory’s time on offense wasn’t even that great as a good chunk of it was spent in chinlocks or armbars. Just a bad idea all around.

Post match it’s the rest of Vega’s team to triple team Tozawa.

We look at a clip from Drew McIntyre’s Chronicle special on his way to the main event of Wrestlemania.

Rey Mysterio wants to be Mr. Money in the Bank. He has been cashed in on before but now he’s going to be the one cashing in.

Angel Garza vs. Tehuti Miles

Miles tries a dropkick to start but Garza dropkicks him out of the air in a cool spot. Garza TAKES OFF HIS PANTS and hits a basement dropkick, followed by some Spanish into the camera. A seated abdominal stretch goes on, followed by a kick to the chest and the Wing Clipper to finish Miles at 2:29.

Post match Vega sends out Theory and Andrade for another beatdown, including another hammerlock DDT out of the corner.

The Kabuki Warriors dance in and laugh at the idea of anyone else winning Money in the Bank.

Drew McIntyre looks down at a scar on his arm left by a surgery after his title loss to Andrade. Tonight, it’s a Claymore.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax

Sane gets thrown around to start as Asuka is VERY excited in the back. Back to full screen and it’s a clothesline into a toss around by the hair. A gorilla press into a Samoan drop (the Annihilator) finishes Sane at 2:36. Total squash.

Here’s Charlotte to talk about how she got here as NXT Women’s Champion. She (referring to herself as the Queen) won the Women’s Royal Rumble and got to choose an opponent. We’ve seen her vs. Becky Lynch and her vs. Bayley over and over but it was Rhea Ripley coming to the ring and challenging her. That took guts and it reminded her of someone she knows.

Rhea was the next big thing but Charlotte is the biggest thing. Vince McMahon knew that last year when he had her save the main event of Wrestlemania. There is always going to be someone stronger, faster and better and she is going to teach that to NXT, starting with Io Shirai. Everyone bows down to the Queen.

We look at Lana costing Bobby Lashley his match against Aleister Black at Wrestlemania. After the show, Lashley said he thought he needed new management or a new wife.

We look at Shayna Baszler injuring Sarah Logan earlier.

Bobby Lashley vs. No Way Jose

Lashley elbows him in the face as Lana screams a lot from ringside. With Jose down, Lashley goes outside and asks Lana to shut up. Jose gets in a right hand but walks into an overhead belly to belly. A spinebuster sets up the spear to finish Jose at 2:46.

Rollins says the non-believers have left him no choice. Tonight, he stomps out all doubt.

Viking Raiders vs. Cedric Alexander/Ricochet

Ricochet starts fast and hits a dive to the floor, followed by a tornado DDT from Cedric back inside. We settle down to Erik getting caught in a front facelock but he rolls to the floor for a breather. Alexander misses a dive so Erik runs back in for the tag to Ivar. That means Ricochet is thrown at Cedric in a SCARY landing but Ivar dives onto both of them anyway as we take a break.

Back with Alexander taking a bunch of knees to the face, plus Erik slamming Ivar onto him for two. Alexander scores with a cartwheel into a dropkick and a jumping Flatliner really gives him a breather. It’s off to Ricochet to clean house, including a running shooting star press for two on Erik. The Neuralizer misses though and Erik knees Ricochet in the face. Ivar comes back in with the seated senton and Erik drives him into Cedric in the corner for two.

The belly to back suplex/middle rope springboard clothesline gets two with Ricochet having to make a save. That earns him a spinning kick to the face and a completely botched Viking Experience (almost a pop up World’s Strongest Slam instead of a powerslam) finishes Cedric at 13:46.

Rating: D+. This was a rough sit with the Raiders throwing the two of them all over the place and looking a bit sloppy at times. I’m fine with the Raiders winning but they can’t let that finish happen again. It wasn’t a strong performance from anyone and I wasn’t exactly interested in what they were doing in the first place.

The Street Profits officially introduce Bianca Belair and then give a history lesson on vikings. That gets two thumbs up but Bianca says nu uh because they have never beaten the Raiders. Now stop with the games and get that smoke.

Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade

Non-title and Andrade has everyone with him. McIntyre starts stomping away in the corner early on and even catches Andrade with a kick to the chest for trying to jump over him. They head outside with Andrade bouncing on top of the barricade. A Garza distraction lets Andrade pull him into the post though and the chops are on. McIntyre’s arm is sent into the steps and it’s an armbar back inside.

The armbar over the rope keeps McIntyre in trouble and a shot to the arm breaks up a suplex attempt. McIntyre boots him in the face though and hits a top rope shot to the head into a nip up. A spinning back elbow rocks McIntyre but he’s fine enough to backdrop Andrade onto Theory and Garza. Back in and Vega’s distraction lets Andrade crotch him on top but McIntyre escapes the hanging DDT. There’s the reverse Alabama Slam into the Claymore for the pin on Andrade at 5:31.

Rating: C. Not too bad here though I kept waiting on Rollins to interfere and cost McIntyre the match. I wouldn’t have had the US Champion get pinned when he had a big numbers advantage but that title being protected is a long forgotten hope. McIntyre picking up another win is a good thing though as he can mow people down to become the new dominant force around here.

Post match Garza chop blocks McIntyre and here’s Seth Rollins to superkick the champ. A pair of Stomps to McIntyre ends the show.

Overall Rating: D. For the first time in a good while, this show felt like a chore to watch. They’ve had some rough weeks as of late but this was a much harder watch. Maybe it’s the Money in the Bank stuff that always dulls my senses or something else but I didn’t care about most of what they were doing here and the show felt every bit of its three hours. There have been worse shows but this one was exhausting on every level.

Results

Asuka b. Ruby Riott – Asuka Lock

Aleister Black b. Oney Lorcan – Black Mass

Shayna Baszler b. Sarah Logan via referee stoppage

Austin Theory b. Akira Tozawa – ATL

Angel Garza b. Tehuti Miles – Wing Clipper

Nia Jax b. Kairi Sane – Annihilator

Bobby Lashley b. No Way Jose – Spear

Viking Raiders b. Ricochet/Cedric Alexander – Viking Experience to Alexander

Drew McIntyre b. Andrade – Claymore

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: April 10, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jon Quasto, Byron Saxton

The timing could be interesting around here as William Regal has announced a tournament to crown an interim Cruiserweight Champion due to Jordan Devlin being unable to leave the UK. The tournament won’t start until next week, but at least it gives them something to focus on around here. Or maybe it won’t be mentioned yet because of the taping schedule. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence

Tony Nese vs. Danny Burch

Commentary does know about the tournament so that’s a nice change of pace. Burch armbars him down to start so Nese reverses into a headlock on the mat. That’s broken up into a standoff so Burch goes for the leg, sending Nese to the ropes again. They do the same things with the roles reversed as they’re staying mostly even here. Burch slips out of a headscissors and grabs a headlock but Nese sends him to the apron.

An elbow to the face puts Burch on the floor and it’s a splash for two back inside. The bodyscissors stays on Burch’s ribs and Nese switches over to a waistlock, which is countered with a Stunner of all things. Burch fights back with some clotheslines and a middle rope missile dropkick gets two. Nese flips out of a German suplex and stomps on the ribs for two. The Lionsault gets the same but Burch pulls him down into the Crossface. That’s broken up as well and it’s the German suplex into the corner. The Running Nese finishes Burch at 10:16.

Rating: C+. I liked this one a good bit as the two of them worked well with each other and there was a story throughout the match with Nese working on the ribs throughout. Nese winning makes sense as Burch is usually the one who loses around here most of the time so this was the smart way to go.

Post match Nese brags to commentary and promises to be the next champion.

Jordan Devlin isn’t happy about the tournament but he’ll be here to take the title from whoever wins it.

Oney Lorcan vs. Jack Gallagher

Nese is still at ringside and talking more trash but Gallagher comes out and gets in his face to get rid of him. They go with the grappling to start with Burch taking it to the mat for a headscissors. That’s reversed and Gallagher pounds away, only to bail from the threat of an ankle lock.

Gallagher heads to the ropes, followed by more grappling to send Gallagher to the ropes again. Burch takes him down by the leg so Gallagher gets in some elbows to the head for the break. A few more shots send Burch outside but he’s back in with chops. Those just make Gallagher smile and he strikes away in the corner. They slug it out from their knees with Burch getting the better of things, only to get headbutted down.

Burch BLASTS him with a clothesline for two and loads up a belly to back superplex but gets elbowed back down. Gallagher hits a spinning high crossbody to put both of them down but Nese is here for a distraction. A rollup gives Burch two so Gallagher headbutts the heck out of him. That’s enough for Nese as he comes in and jumps Gallagher for the DQ at 8:01.

Rating: C+. Another good match here and a different style than the first one as this was more of a brawl. The ending even felt like an angle, which hasn’t been the case around here for a few weeks. Lorcan (and Burch) are still great for matches like this as they can work with anyone and have a good match as a result, even Gallagher doing his Conor McGregor deal.

Post match Nese stays on Gallagher but Burch makes a save. Nese gets up and grabs the chair but Lorcan runs out for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is the first time that they had any kind of an angle on the show for about a month and it made things a little bit better. What matters though is they have good enough matches and the show doesn’t include the horribly annoying people who were dragging things down for so long. That and the shorter run time makes the show that much better. Good stuff here, even if the show is still on the lowest level on the totem pole around this company.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: April 9, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s a special week around here as we have the post Wrestlemania edition of the show. That likely means a lot of explaining about how big Wrestlemania was, which doesn’t exactly live up to the hype since it’s being held in the same arena as this show. There were some big moments over the week though so maybe we’ve got something here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Natalya vs. Aliyah

Natalya headlocks her down to start so Aliyah bails over to the ropes. Hold on though as Aliyah needs to fan herself off and shake hands with Natalya, who takes her down by the hand and stomps on the fingers. The basement dropkick puts Aliyah on the floor but she comes back in with a right hand to the face. That means a lot of shouting as Natalya gets stomped down in the corner. The abdominal stretch keeps Natalya in trouble until Aliyah lets go and misses a big boot in the corner. Now the Sharpshooter can go on for the tap at 5:18.

Rating: D. I’ve always liked Aliyah but this was every boring Natalya match I’ve ever seen. She’s always fine from a technical standpoint but egads there is nothing beyond that and never has been. It’s the same match that you’ve seen so many times and watching something just a step away from a squash isn’t exactly good stuff.

Video on the Boneyard match.

Video on Edge vs. Randy Orton’s Last Man Standing match.

Video on Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler.

Video on Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte.

Austin Theory vs. Shane Thorne

Thorne headlocks him to the mat to start so Theory forearms him away without much trouble. Theory goes after the leg and then the arm, followed by a dropkick to the floor. Back from a break with Thorne having to fight out of an armbar and hitting a Cannonball in the corner.

A Falcon Arrow gets two but Theory buckle bombs him into the leg trap brainbuster onto the knee. They slug it out and trade kicks to the head/ribs in a big strike off. Theory gets the better of it though and grabs a quick TKO to put Thorne away at 10:18.

Rating: C. This was better with both guys looking like they were putting in the extra effort due to being on a….well this isn’t a bigger stage than NXT but it’s certainly something different, and that could be something that gets someone new looking at them. Theory seems to be the next prospect around here, but since the idea of using developmental to develop people seems to have a very limited shelf life, here he is, probably too early.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar.

From Raw.

We get some post Wrestlemania footage of McIntyre coming back into the arena wearing the title for an interview. Drew talks about how he can’t believe that he got here and it hasn’t sunk in yet. He thanks everyone who has gotten him here, including Paul Heyman. During the match with Brock Lesnar, Heyman said keep giving Drew the F5 because he can’t keep getting back up.

That made Drew think about all the times he has had to get back up so the F5’s just angered him over and over again. Now he’s WWE Champion….and here’s the Big Show with a referee. Show congratulates him and wants a match right now, not even for the title. Drew says he just beat Brock Lesnar so that’s not happening right now. Show thinks that’s fear but Drew knows what’s going on. That earns him a slap so Drew is ready to go.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Big Show

McIntyre is defending. Show starts fast and slams him down to bang up the ribs a bit. A headbutt cuts the champ off and a Vader Bomb gets two. There’s another slam to work on the ribs even more and Show chokes on the ropes while asking what Drew is made of. The big chop misses and Drew swings away, setting up a slam for two in a good looking spot. Drew goes up top and dives into a chokeslam for two. The KO Punch misses though and it’s the Claymore to retain at 6:57.

Rating: D+. A competitive match here is fine but my goodness they had me worried that they would actually do something this bad. The match was the usual slow and plodding Big Show deal but at least they didn’t pull the trigger for the sake of promoting Big Show’s Netflix series. Points for the drama, but negative points for making me think about the possibility.

Overall Rating: D. Nothing to see here, though Theory vs. Thorne was better than I would have bet on. This was mainly a bunch of Wrestlemania recap videos and the show wasn’t all that great in the first place. Main Event has someone become even less important in this era of WWE and while I get why it needs to exist, I’m not sure how much less interesting it can actually get.

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