Not yet confirmed but it doesn’t sound good.https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-major-change-to-elimination-chamber-match-superstar-to-be-removed-due-to-injury/
Mustafa Ali might be out of the match due to a variety of injuries. I certainly hope this isn’t the case, but with someone who flies around like that, you have to expect the toll to catch up on him. No word on who would replace him. Who would be good?
IMG Credit: WWE
205 Live
Date: February 5, 2019
Location: Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Aiden English, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph
It’s time to find out the #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Title as tonight is a four way match with the winner getting the Elimination Chamber title shot. Other than that we have a somewhat heated up Ariya Daivari, which isn’t likely to go very far because it’s a heated up Ariya Daivari. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Drake Maverick previews the four way between Lio Rush, Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa and Humberto Carrillo, with Buddy Murphy saying the challenger doesn’t matter.
Opening sequence.
Brian Kendrick vs. Mike Kanellis
Maria is is in on commentary again this week. Feeling out process to start with Maria saying last week’s loss doesn’t count because it wasn’t even a match. Mike runs him over and shout that this is HIS show, which isn’t the best battle cry in the world. Kendrick doesn’t like the sound of that and forearms Mike out to the floor. That just means a quick Maria distraction so Mike can run him over and get in a good posting. A suplex gives Mike two and it’s off to the chinlock as Maria says Mike only needs to win one match to become a legend.
Mike kicks him to the floor but Brian gets in a posting of his own for a breather. Back in and Kendrick grabs the Captain’s Hook for a bit, with Mike getting a single finger on the rope. Mike gets two off a superkick and frustration is setting in. A spinebuster is good for the same so Mike pounds in elbows to the chin. For some reason Mike lets up and Kendrick tells him to bring it, earning himself a kick to the face. With that not working, Mike tries a neckbreaker but gets reversed into Sliced Bread (Maria: “NO!”) for the pin at 10:36.
Rating: C-. I’m almost curious about where the Mike thing is going, as he hasn’t had any kind of a story, though at least he’s getting the chance to actually do something. He’s not the most thrilling guy in the world but he and Maria make for a good act. I had fun with this one, though a losing streak isn’t the best sign for Mike’s future.
We look back at Ariya Daivari laying out Hideo Itami after last week’s main event.
Daivari says he was tired of being the only person to have Itami’s back. Itami kept talking about respect but no one respected him until he took it last week.
Rush says he’s beaten Tozawa twice and has Alexander’s number. It’s time for Murphy to feel the rush.
Kendrick says Tozawa won last week and he’ll do it again tonight. Tozawa says he knows he can beat Murphy. If Tozawa can speak English, why is Kendrick here?
Carrillo says he’ll win the title at Elimination Chamber.
Alexander says he was running through the Cruiserweight Title tournament at this time last year but this time, he only has to beat three people.
We look back at Tony Nese attacking Noam Dar, earning himself a suspension.
Maverick tells Drew Gulak that he and Jack Gallagher can’t be in Carrillo’s corner, because no one is going to be in anyone’s corner. They leave when Dar comes in, saying he wants Nese next week. That’s a no, so Dar threatens to take care of Nese somewhere else. Drake agrees, making it a No DQ match next week.
Akira Tozawa vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Humberto Carrillo vs. Lio Rush
Elimination rules with the winner getting the shot at Murphy at Elimination Chamber. Rush starts talking trash, telling Tozawa that he’s beaten him twice and that he doesn’t know who Carrillo is. All three go after him so Rush bails to the floor, allowing Tozawa to hit a suicide dive. Back in and Cedric trades armdrags with Carrillo until Tozawa slingshots in to knock Carrillo outside. Rush breaks up another suicide dive and hits one of his own on Tozawa.
The big spinning tornado DDT plants Carrillo for two and Rush is right back with the trash talk. Carrillo kicks him down but walks into a missile dropkick from Tozawa for two more. Rush kicks Tozawa in the head for two of his own but Tozawa avoids the Final Hour. Cedric is right back in though and the Lumbar Check gets rid of Rush at 5:30.
That leaves us with three so Carrillo kicks Alexander in the head a few times. A heck of a missile dropkick nails Alexander, setting up a standing moonsault for two. Cedric is right back up on the apron but slips off and bangs up his knee, though he manages to clothesline Carrillo anyway. All three are down for a bit, which is a nice touch for a little reset. Tozawa kicks Cedric out to the floor in a big crash and shoves Carrillo off the top. The top rope backsplash gets rid of Carrillo at 9:56 and it’s down to Tozawa vs. Alexander.
Cedric takes his time getting back in and only has one good leg. The elbow pad comes off and Tozawa grabs the Octopus Hold until switching over to a rollup for two instead. Stereo big boots to the face give us another double knockdown and the fans are rather pleased. Tozawa gets up first and counters the Neuralizer into a snap German suplex, followed by a second one for two more.
Alexander is smart enough to roll away before the top rope backsplash can launch and drops Tozawa on the apron to take over. Back in and the fans are split in their cheering as the Lumbar Check is countered. Alexander gets him in an electric chair (after circling the ring a few times due to nearly dropping him) but gets countered into a reverse hurricanrana. The top rope backsplash sends Tozawa to the Chamber at 17:03.
Rating: B. This felt like a showdown for the sake of getting a big prize down the line, which is exactly the point. Tozawa winning wasn’t the biggest surprise after last week as Carrillo isn’t ready, Rush isn’t getting a shot at Murphy and Alexander has been done several times before. Tozawa makes sense and is a fresh option, so having a good match to get to the logical ending was rather nice.
Post match Murphy comes on screen to say he’ll be waiting on Tozawa at Elimination Chamber.
Overall Rating: C+. Another nice show here with a good main event and a perfectly watchable step forward in another story. Having another title match set up for the pay per view is a good moment and a sign that we might be getting more regular title matches on pay per view. That’s something the title has needed for a long time now and the regular TV show has been backing it up as well. Good stuff here, again.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
IMG Credit: WWE
205 Live
Date: January 29, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Aiden English, Nigel McGuinness
We’re done with the Royal Rumble and that means Buddy Murphy is in need of a new #1 contender. Murphy retained the title in a four way match on Sunday, meaning we might not be seeing the title defended for a little while now. Then again maybe they’ll actually pick up the pace for a change, which would be rather nice. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Drake Maverick recaps Murphy retaining the title and previews the show.
Opening sequence.
Kalisto vs. Mike Kanellis
The Lucha House Party and Maria are at ringside. During the entrances, Kalisto puts a mini sombrero on Nigel’s head, yet he somehow manages to not erupt. He’s getting better at this anger management stuff. Maria even sits in on commentary for a bonus. Mike goes after the ribs to start but gets headscissored out to the floor. Back in and Kalisto hammers away as Maria talks about all the things that she and Mike have done for a fair chance.
Aiden points out that the two of them haven’t accomplished anything in WWE yet and Maria isn’t pleased, even as Mike takes over again with a sliding dropkick. A whip sends Kalisto into the barricade (Maria: “Poor baby!”) and it’s some shots to the mask back inside. Kalisto gets in a kick to the face, followed by the hurricanrana driver for two. The Salida Del Sol is countered as Mike rolls outside, only to have him shove the suicide dive attempt into the barricade.
Back in and the required tornado DDT plants Mike for two, followed by a kick to the head to stagger Mike on top. Mike is fine enough for a super sitout Rock Bottom for a near fall of his own with Maria getting annoyed at the kickout. Three straight suplexes set up a Backpack Stunner for two more as Kalisto has to go with a foot on the rope. Mike grabs a gutwrench but Kalisto rolls him up for the quick pin at 11:01.
Rating: C. I’ve always liked Kalisto but this was a nice showcase for Mike, who got to show off a little bit. The problem is that he almost never gets on TV and isn’t the most defined character. Maria is a great talker though and really made herself sound like someone you wanted to see get what was coming to her. They didn’t play up the Power of Love thing here either and that’s a step in the right direction, assuming the two of them are sticking around.
The announcers talk about the Worlds Collide tournament. I really need to watch that.
Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak are behind a podium and think there is potential in Humberto Carrillo. All he needs is the right guidance, which the two of them can provide. They’ll be in his corner for his next match.
Ariya Daivari says Hideo Itami is ready to prove that he’s the most destructive force around here, at Akira Tozawa’s expense.
Earlier today, Tony Nese and Noam Dar got in a fight in the parking lot until Drake and some wrestlers broke it up.
Nese has been suspended for starting the fight. Buddy Murphy isn’t happy with the suspension but isn’t upset about what he did. He retained at the Royal Rumble and now he’ll knock down his next challenger.
Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami
Brian Kendrick and Ariya Daivari are at ringside. Itami hides in the corner for some early stalling as there’s no contact in the first minute. Some shots to the ribs stagger Tozawa but Itami goes over to Daivari for some advice (Perhaps “don’t sign an extension”?), allowing Tozawa to get in a few kicks of his own. The surprise right hand gives Tozawa two but it’s way too early for the top rope backsplash.
Instead he tries the middle rope version but only hits raised knees. Itami starts in with the kicks to the RESPECT ME chest. English even gets in some Shakespeare to talk about how Itami might be desperate, even as he drops a middle rope knee to the back of the head for two (Nigel: “Itami, Itami, wherefore art thou Itami?”). We hit the chinlock as the eerie silence continues. A few neckbreakers give Itami two and it’s right back to the chinlock. Tozawa fights up and grabs a quickly broken Octopus Hold, followed by the Shining Wizard for a knockdown.
The missile dropkick sends Itami outside for the suicide headbutt but Tozawa can’t follow up. Back in and the tornado DDT onto the top rope sets up the top rope clothesline for two. Tozawa gets in another kick but Daivari gets up on the apron AGAIN, allowing Itami to get two of his own off a discus lariat. The Falcon Arrow is good for the same but Itami’s running dropkick hits Daivari by mistake. That’s enough for a snap German suplex into the top rope backsplash to finish Itami at 14:55.
Rating: B-. That’s it for Itami and I can’t say I blame him. It hasn’t worked in WWE and that’s been the case for a variety of reasons. Let him go back to Japan where he’s going to be a much bigger star and most likely happier. There’s nothing wrong with that as not everyone is cut out for/needs WWE. Itami tried his best but it just wasn’t clicking, and that’s ok.
Post match Daivari picks Itami up….and lays him out with a clothesline. Might as well get some heat out of Itami leaving.
Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show here with two solid enough matches and some story advancement. You can probably pencil in Tozawa for his title shot at Elimination Chamber, which is a good sign for his future. Tozawa is still a fun guy with a ton of charisma and while he might not be #1 contender, that’s about as clear of an indication as you can get. Nice show here, especially considering the lack of top stars on the show.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
IMG Credit: WWE
Unforgiven 2004
Date: September 12, 2004
Location: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
This is another case of a one match show, which tends to be the case in the HHH era. In this case it’s HHH getting (another) title shot against Randy Orton, who was thrown out of Evolution last month. It’s not exactly a thrilling concept but there’s no escaping HHH’s title hunts of destiny. Let’s get to it.
The opening video looks at Orton being thrown out of Evolution and trying to become the top face in the company by running away over and over. It’s set to Saliva’s Survival of the Sickest, which was the song that kind of finished me with the band. I’m going to be extra sick of it by the end of the show, but that might just be due to hearing about this match all night long.
Batista/Ric Flair vs. William Regal/Chris Benoit
Benoit and Batista start things off as Lawler hopes Eugene is home watching the radio. An early Crossface attempt sends Batista bailing to the ropes, followed by a quick takedown for the tag off to Regal. A t-bone suplex drops Batista and it’s back to Benoit, who gets chopped by Flair. The backdrop has Flair in more trouble (as always) and it’s Regal coming in, only to have the knee taken out.
Benoit makes a quick save so Batista takes Flair’s place with a chinlock. Regal gets up and sends him into the corner for the break though and it’s a hot (ish) tag to Benoit for the real house cleaning. Everything breaks down with Benoit snapping off German suplexes all around. The Swan Dive connects and the Crossface goes on Flair, drawing in Batista to pick Benoit up for the break. Regal sends Batista over the barricade, leaving Benoit to get the Crossface again to make Flair tap.
Rating: D+. This didn’t have the slightest spark to it and felt like they were all just missing. It’s more an issue that I’ve seen them do a variety of combinations with these same people over and over to much better results. Regal getting involved is long overdue and I’m glad to see him getting a chance on the bigger stages like this. Everyone was missing here though, which is going to happen every now and then.
Christian doesn’t want Tyson Tomko to go to ringside with Trish Stratus for the Women’s Title match. It doesn’t matter as Christian has to go to the ring alone so what difference does it make? Tomko gets to decide, so Trish invites him to her dressing room after the match. Tomko to Christian: “Good luck.”
Women’s Title: Trish Stratus vs. Victoria
Trish is defending and has Tomko with him. Victoria takes her down to start and the champ bails to the floor in a hurry. As Lawler makes it clear that Trish is NOT a s***, she sends Victoria into the corner for some choking on the rope. That’s broken up and it’s a gorilla press gutbuster to send Trish outside. Tomko takes her away before Victoria can dive and it’s a posting to keep Victoria down again.
We hit the armbar for a bit, followed by a hair pull as the offense devolves a few levels. The chinlock is broken up so Trish grabs a spinebuster for two, followed by another chinlock to keep things fresh. The comeback doesn’t take long with Victoria fighting up and hitting the spinning side slam. Victoria gets two off the dancing moonsault but goes with a slingshot dive onto Tomko instead of following up. Stratusfaction retains the title a few seconds later.
Rating: D. The wrestling wasn’t good and it came after an ice cold build that was more about Christian vs. Trish than anything else, even though Christian only came back less than a week ago. This division is still dying for some fresh talent, but that’s been the case for so long now that it’s a feature instead of a condition. They’re trying, but they have no help in terms of build or interest from anyone.
Post match Tomko goes after Victoria, drawing in Stevie in drag for the save. Stevie leaves and Tomko wants him back out here for a match RIGHT NOW.
Stevie Richards vs. Tyson Tomko
Stevie comes back out as JR says this is the worst kept secret in wrestling. Tomko punches him in the face and we start the removal of clothing, because that’s what this match is really about due to whatever bad ideas Vince was having at the time. The wig goes off as well and Tomko shoves Richards’ implants into his mouth. Some right hands have Richards in more trouble as his bra comes off.
Rating: WIDANF. For Wrestlers in drag are not funny. I don’t get what WWE sees in this idea and I really, really don’t want to. I would love to have someone explain the point of this whole thing to me or why this needed pay per view time. It really does feel like they threw this out there because Vince would find it funny and nothing more. Lucky us.
We recap Chris Jericho vs. Christian for the Intercontinental Title. Edge was champion but got injured and had to forfeit the title, setting up this match with Christian replacing Edge in a ladder match for the vacant Intercontinental Title. Christian had been put on the shelf after a match with Jericho so this was a perfectly logical move and about as good as they had given the circumstances.
Intercontinental Title: Christian vs. Chris Jericho
Ladder match with the title vacant coming in and no one at ringside. They talk some trash to start until Jericho hits a few suplexes. A trip to the floor lets Jericho throw a ladder at him to no avail so Christian scores with some right hands. Back in and Christian chokes on the ropes so Jericho enziguris him right back down. When all else fails, kick the guy in the head. Another ladder is grabbed and slammed into Christian’s ribs but another big show misses.
They fight into the crowd as JR wants to know the difference between a Peep and a Jericholic. Jericho chokes with a cord but gets pulled into an Unprettier on the floor, which should be enough to win just about any match. Here it’s only enough to get a single hand on the title (those ladders are timely) so Christian ladders him down and puts said ladder onto the top turnbuckle. As expected it’s Christian going face first into the steel instead, with JR saying even barbecue sauce couldn’t make that taste good.
Jericho sets the ladder up but goes into it instead, giving us another double knockdown. A catapult sends Jericho face first into a ladder bridged across the middle rope, followed by Jericho shoving one into Christian’s face for another hard shot. Jericho channels his inner Shawn by riding the ladder down onto Christian’s back and the fans are rather pleased. They’re both hurt so Christian ties him in the Tree of Woe in the ladder and hits a running knee instead of, you know, going for the title.
Christian does climb, so Jericho gets out of the corner and flips him off, which is enough to get Christian down. That earns him a dropkick into the ladder into Christian and Christian sandwiches him in between a ladder. The Lionsault only hits ladder though and Jericho’s knee is banged up pretty badly. Christian takes FOREVER to climb though, allowing Jericho to shake the ladder away, leaving Christian hanging from the belt. The ensuing ladder spot to the ribs and crash are rather snazzy and they’re both down again.
Jericho puts the ladder over Christian and goes up but gets shoved down, just barely saving himself from a crash out to the floor. That’s not enough for Christian to grab the title, but it is enough for him to turn around on the ladder so Jericho can get the Walls on top. That’s STILL not enough for the win as Christian pops up and shoves the ladder over, with Jericho landing tailbone first on the side in a nasty crash. It’s time for the jumbo ladder so they head up at the same time, only to have Jericho pull him down for another double crash landing. Jericho finally (and I do mean finally) gets the title for the win.
Rating: C+. WAY too long here with far too many false finishes hurting things. I’ve seen this match a few times before and it’s the same feeling every time: get on with it already. Jericho winning wasn’t exactly a shock and it took too long to get there. I can understand why they were given this much time if Tomko vs. Richards needed that long in the previous match, but that doesn’t make it much better. The match certainly isn’t bad, but a trimmed down version would have been a lot better.
Lita answers Kane’s door and says she hopes Shawn Michaels crushes Kane’s throat tonight. Kane comes out and laughs at her ranting, saying this is now a No DQ match. He’s going to destroy Shawn and Lita has to watch from ringside. We even get a rather forced kiss for luck.
Jericho says he feels like a king. Edge comes up to say he’s coming for the title, because Jericho knows he can’t beat him.
We recap Kane vs. Shawn Michaels. Kane put Shawn on the shelf a few months ago and has since managed to win Lita in marriage. Lita then used an open contract to set up this match with the hopes of Kane getting hurt just as badly. The injury is only brought up at the end, almost as an afterthought.
Kane vs. Shawn Michaels
No DQ and Lita has been dragged out with Kane, which I’m sure won’t go badly at all. Shawn wastes no time in going after him and Kane is knocked out to the floor with some right hands. Kane misses a charge into the post to make it even worse but manages to uppercut him out of the air back inside. Shawn knocks him outside and even skins the cat back inside because he still has it.
That’s enough for a dive and Lita talks some trash, allowing Kane to hide behind her like a true heel should. A shot to the face puts Shawn down and Kane slams him onto (not through) the announcers’ table. The second slam puts him through instead as the slow pace begins. Shawn gets a boot up in the corner but walks right into a side slam to take him down again. We hit the neck crank with Lita playing cheerleader, much to Lawler’s continued confusion.
Another slam sets up another neck crank, followed by a clothesline to stay on the neck. Shawn fights up and grabs a DDT for the required breather, setting up the more required forearm into the nipup. Since it’s just a forearm, Kane sends him over the corner and out to the floor for a ram into the steps. That means some blood but Shawn kicks a chair away. Kane kicks Shawn away as well though and it’s right back to the floor.
Shawn posts him this time around and knocks Kane down with a single right hand. The top rope elbow gets two but a big boot cuts off Sweet Chin Music. Kane nails the top rope clothesline but Shawn low blows his way out of a chokeslam attempt. One heck of a chair shot knocks Kane silly, though he still gets up first. Lita pulls the chair out though and that’s enough for Sweet Chin Music to knock Kane out for the pin.
Rating: B-. Not too bad here and while a rather lengthy eighteen minutes, it didn’t feel long like the previous match. Shawn got his revenge in a violent enough match though it was nothing that we haven’t seen them both do better before. That’s likely it for this mini feud, though you can imagine Kane and Lita continuing for a good while.
Post match Kane yells at Lita, as expected.
Shelton Benjamin is coming back. I didn’t know he left but apparently his last televised match was three months ago. Who knew?
HHH reminds us of how great he is and promises to take Orton out. All of Orton’s success is because of him and tonight, HHH is taking it all away. Somehow this takes the better part of four minutes.
Tag Team Titles: Rhyno/Tajiri vs. La Resistance
La Resistance is defending and hopefully Tajiri is healthy tonight. The challengers charge into the ring with Tajiri not being able to keep up with Rhyno for an unintentionally funny moment. Grenier shoulders Tajiri down for an early two as the announcers argue about being prejudiced. Tajiri is right back up with some armdrags into an armbar. Conway comes in and gets the same treatment so it’s off to Rhyno to miss a charge in the corner. You can see the empty seats now and that’s rather telling about the importance of this match.
Rhyno knocks Conway down and brings Tajiri back in for more kicks. Something like a DDT drops Tajiri and the champs start their cheating ways. A backbreaker keeps Tajiri down as this is as thrilling as you would have expected. The announcers give up trying to make the match sound important and talk about Orton vs. HHH instead.
Tajiri gets up a kick in the corner so Rhyno can clean house again. A belly to belly and spinebuster get two each on Grenier with Conway making the save. The hard kicks from Tajiri have the champs in trouble and the Gore gets two with Conway putting the foot on the rope. The referee isn’t happy, allowing a flag shot to Rhyno to retain the titles.
Rating: D-. Again, the match goes longer than it needs to and loses a lot of the crowd (what little they had of it) in the process. This could have been on any given Raw, though it would have been bad on there too. The build was fine enough, but it’s not like this was ever going to be anything more than a match filling time on a card. It’s a thing that happens on every show, but when it feels like most of the matches on the show are just filling time, it become a major problem.
We recap HHH vs. Randy Orton, which is all about Orton winning the title that was supposed to belong to HHH. In other words, it’s been a month of “THIS IS MY COMPANY BECAUSE I’M HHH” and a failed attempt to turn Orton into the top face by just having him go against HHH. The problem is that Orton has spent most of his time running from Evolution in a smart but not inspiring move. There isn’t much of a reason to cheer Orton, which is a different situation than booing HHH. The second part is easily accomplished, but it turns into more of no one getting cheered, which isn’t a good place to be.
Raw World Title: HHH vs. Randy Orton
HHH is challenging. Feeling out process to start with Orton calmly taking him into the corner and slapping him in the face. Lawler says HHH isn’t happy because he made Orton. JR: “Easy there Dr. Evil. I think Mr. and Mrs. Orton had something to do with it.” Point to JR on that one. Orton shakes HHH off and slaps him in the face again, followed by the spitting sequel. There’s a backdrop to make it even worse for HHH and we’re already in the chinlock.
Back up and HHH gets sent outside with Orton following, though JR isn’t sure about the plan. They head back inside in a hurry with HHH nailing a chop block. So much for JR’s analytical skills. An attempt at a crotching around the post sees HHH get pulled face first into the post but it doesn’t stop him from going after the leg. Another chop block keeps Orton down and a knee to the knee in the corner makes it even worse. A leglock goes on for a bit, followed by a facebuster to slow things down a bit more.
Some elbows to the leg set up the Figure Four, which makes a lot of sense in this case. HHH grabs a rope because he knows how to be a villain, though the crowd doesn’t seem to agree with the style here. The referee catches him grabbing the rope though and that means a break, followed by a thorough verbal castration. Orton shoves him into the corner with HHH’s head hitting the post to bust him open. Right hands in the corner stay on the head and Orton’s always good dropkick gets two.
A DDT drops HHH for two more but the sleeper is countered with a belly to back. HHH goes up for the most obvious dive into a raised boot I can remember in a long time to give Orton a breather. The high crossbody gets two and Orton throws him outside. Back in and the RKO is countered into a ref bump as I begin to sigh. Now the RKO connects for no cover as Flair runs in to get punched down. Batista gets in a few shots but misses a charge into the post.
HHH cuts Orton down with a low blow and here’s Coach in a referee shirt for the near fall. The lack of a pop on the kickout is as telling of a sign as you’re going to get. Orton punches Coach down and Batista is right back in with a spinebuster with Coach counting two (better reaction this time, but still not great). Orton backdrops out of a Pedigree and RKO’s Coach (all in one movement for a cool sequence). Flair takes one as well and it’s a low blow to break up the Batista Bomb. HHH is back up though and cracks Orton in the head with a chair. The slow motion Pedigree onto the chair makes HHH champion. Again.
Rating: C+. Well of course he did. It was clear that Orton wasn’t working as a champion (for various reasons) but the fans aren’t going to get behind him as the uncrowned champion after he loses the title to another soul crushing HHH win. It feels like another case of HHH showing everyone who runs Raw because he, yes he, is the only person who can fix all of Raw’s problems despite being a big source of their problems.
The match itself was actually pretty good, albeit slow and with a bad ending. As has been the case with almost everything on the show tonight, it felt like the match was being stretched out for the sake of filling in the show, which isn’t a great feeling about the main event. The crowd didn’t care and that was the case with so much of Orton’s time as champion. If they don’t care about him being champion, they’re not going to care about him losing the title.
JR is disgusted to end the show.
Overall Rating: D. Just a completely lifeless show here which never got off the ground, despite some matches being pretty good. The problem here was how little there was to care about, which has been a problem for a long time. It’s felt like a matter of time before HHH got the title back since the second Orton won it and now that’s where we are: right back where we were, waiting on the next big name to challenge him. I’m sure Orton will get a few more chances but it’s not like it’s going to matter for the time being. Orton didn’t work as champion, and now we’re right back where we were before Wrestlemania. Lucky us.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
IMG Credit: WWE
Smackdown
Date: September 9, 2004
Location: Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz
We’re coming off last week’s huge pay per view style main event when Kurt Angle won the third match in the series against Eddie Guerrero, which will end their rivalry completely forever. The next pay per view will likely start its build tonight, which should make for some more important shows. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Theodore Long says last week didn’t answer anything because Luther Reigns got involved. Therefore tonight we’ll be seeing Angle vs. Eddie one more time in a lumberjack match.
Opening sequence.
John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Charlie Haas
Non-title, Haas is the Oklahoma boy, and Orlando Jordan and Jackie Gayda are at ringside. Charlie takes him down with a drop toehold into a headlock and it’s time to work on the leg. JBL grabs a rope and since his leg wasn’t pulled that much, it’s a big boot to drop Haas in a hurry. Some forearms cut Haas down again but the Clothesline From JBL is cut off with a dropkick. A spinning ax handle gets two and you can feel the air going out of the arena on the kickout. Haas hits a t-bone but Orlando Jordan goes after Jackie, distracting Haas enough for the Clothesline to connect for the pin.
Rating: D+. That’s all it needed to be as Haas isn’t on JBL’s level and losing to him isn’t going to hurt him. Haas’ comeback had some energy to it and he has just enough credibility to make something like this work. Not a terrible match here either and acceptable for a quick opener.
Post match JBL, after being reminded where we are, gives us a stock tip: invest in him, because the country is a better place with him as champion. Crime is down, the economy is up, and the USA’s Olympic teams have been very successful. That brings him back to Eddie, but first we need to get one of those JBL chants going. He’s beaten everyone put in front of him to retain the title (all two of them), with the Undertaker being his greatest accomplishment.
Since Undertaker failed, there will be no more title shots. What he’ll do though is give Undertaker a funeral in two weeks. A hearse comes out and JBL says Rest In Peace….but here’s Long to interrupt. He doesn’t like what JBL has said, so we’ll deal with that at No Mercy in a Last Ride (casket but with a hearse) Match. JBL’s panicked response is funny.
Carlito Caribbean Cool is coming.
Tag Team Titles: Paul London/Billy Kidman vs. Kenzo Suzuki/Rene Dupree
Suzuki and Dupree are challenging and London has a banged up shoulder after Heidenreich’s attack last week. Hiroko is out with the challengers and you can almost guarantee the interference from here. London slides between Dupree’s legs to start and snaps off a hurricanrana to take over. It’s off to Kidman, who walks into an assisted hot shot to put the champs in trouble. Kenzo comes in and gets to show off with an armbar but Kidman fights up and dives over for the tag….which the referee doesn’t see.
The champs come in instead and start cleaning house with an enziguri dropping Kenzo. Kidman still can’t do the shooting star though, instead dropping down and tagging London. That seems to be enough for Kidman, as he walks out on the match. Back from a break with Dupree working on the bad arm (the right one for an odd visual) as the fans chant USA. London manages to kick Suzuki to the floor, where he low bridges him outside as well (in a heck of a bump). The bad arm is sent into the post, setting up a Michinoku Driver from Dupree. Kenzo’s claw legsweep gives us new champions.
Rating: D. This was much more of an angle than a match but it gives us Dupree and Suzuki as champions. Kidman and London were running uphill the entire time they held the titles and this didn’t exactly help things. There’s barely a division at this point and two midcard heels have been thrown together to win the titles from a thrown together cruiserweight team. Not a very good match, but it wasn’t exactly supposed to be.
Big Show is coming back.
London is having his shoulder checked but goes over to Kidman, who doesn’t seem to care about the title loss. Kidman stares at him but has nothing to say before leaving.
Booker T. is leaving but runs into Long, saying he has to go train for his match with John Cena next week. Actually not so fast because he’ll be a lumberjack tonight.
Spike Dudley vs. Rey Mysterio
Non-title with Bubba and D-Von in Spike’s corner. Spike jumps him from behind to start but Rey fires off some right hands and forearms. Rey’s spinning springboard crossbody connects (with Spike having to run over to get into position) and it’s 619 time but the Dudleys come in. Before it gets bad, Hardcore Holly runs in for the save, only to get beaten down as well. Rob Van Dam runs in as well and the good guys clean house as the match is thrown out somewhere in there.
Spike Dudley/Dudley Boyz vs. Rey Mysterio/Hardcore Holly/Rob Van Dam
There’s no opening bell as Van Dam kicks D-Von in the face for an early two. The middle rope kick to the face is good for the same but D-Von gets in a neckbreaker to take over. Bubba adds one of his own, setting up Spike’s top rope double stomp. The rib work continues with the reverse chinlock from D-Von, followed by a jumping back elbow for two.
Spike gets kicked in the chest though and the hot tag brings in Holly, because when you think high energy, you think Sparky Plugg. Everything breaks down and Rey (that’s more like it) comes in with a springboard seated senton for two. Rob kicks Bubba and D-Von down, setting up the Five Star on Bubba. There’s no cover though, leaving Holly to hit the Alabama Slam on Spike. Rey Drops the Dime for the pin.
Rating: D+. Just a quick match here, likely setting up Spike’s title defense against Mysterio at No Mercy. It’s not the worst idea in the world, though Holly being there felt rather out of place. I know Gunn is gone, but did they really not have anything better for Holly to do? Not terrible, but just a means to an end and that’s acceptable.
Kurt Angle says there is no controversy because he won last week. Josh Matthews would know that if he kept his record book on him!
Here’s John Cena for a chat, likely in rhyme. Cena talks about his back being against the wall, but it’s because Booker has been cheating. We get a Stevie Ray reference to set up the usual barrage of gay jokes. They can be amusing, but they feel cringe worthy at this point.
The Tough Enough deadline has been extended. That’s awesome.
We recap last week’s 2/3 falls match.
Carlito is still coming and kicks over a kid’s sandcastle on the way.
Paul Heyman tells Long that Heidenreich isn’t here tonight because he’s been given the night off. That’s fine with Long, as Heyman can wrestle a match instead. It can be against a ring announcer, sending Heyman into a panic at the idea of fighting Tazz. Long says it’s not Tazz, so Heyman goes into a rant about Cole. This actually prompts Cole to say he can take Heyman out just like that. Heyman comes to the arena….and it’s a swerve.
Funaki vs. Paul Heyman
Well it’s a better idea….and it doesn’t happen as Heidenreich comes in and wrecks Funaki before the bell ever rings. Heyman covers and counts his own pin.
Heidenreich chases Cole off and I’m scared of where this is going.
Smackdown Throwback: Vince, Rikishi and a thong.
Raw Rundown.
Cole is terrified but agrees to come back to the desk.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle
Lumberjack match, with the usual suspects around the ring. They all get their own introductions to fill in a good chunk of the time we have left. Feeling out process to start with Eddie hitting an early dropkick, followed by a clothesline to send Angle outside. It’s on the villain side though and Angle is sent back inside without any issue. A backdrop puts Eddie in trouble and some right hands keep him that way.
Eddie is right back with right hands of his own, followed by another dropkick to put Angle on the good side. That means a failed escape attempt as they really haven’t gotten out of first gear so far. Just to mix things up a bit, Angle sends Eddie outside onto the heel side but since the referee is watching, nothing happens. Eddie comes up swinging anyway and gets back inside as we take a break.
Back with Angle getting two off a backbreaker and slapping on the abdominal stretch. The reverse chinlock goes on for a bit until Eddie suplexes his way to freedom. This time Eddie gets sent outside on the good side, where they’re nice enough to throw him inside for another suplex. Eddie dances back up though and the Three Amigos connect.
The referee checks on Angle for no logical reason, allowing Luther Reigns to crotch Eddie on top. That means a heck of a top rope superplex for a delayed two but Eddie slips out of the Angle Slam and grabs the ankle lock. The lumberjacks finally erupt….and here’s the Big Show to go after everyone as I’m assuming the match is thrown out.
Rating: C+. It’s hard to argue against Angle vs. Eddie but there’s only so much you can do when a majority of the match is spent on having both guys thrown outside for the usual lumberjack shenanigans. Big Show returning here is acceptable as a way to get out of the ending, but they already had a screwy finish last week. Show being back is important, though I’m not exactly thrilled at the idea of another Show push.
House is cleaned inside and outside as no one can do a thing to Show. Chokeslams crush Eddie and Angle, followed by one more to Reigns to end the show.
Overall Rating: C-. While nothing was all that great on here, it was a good showcase of everything Smackdown had going on with a bunch of different stories getting some TV time. You can see a lot of No Mercy from here and that’s good with less than a month to go. The show was a really easy hour and a half to watch and I’ll gladly take that right now.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
IMG Credit: WWE
Main Event
Date: February 7, 2019
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Percy Watson
It’s time to really start the build towards Wrestlemania and I don’t think WWE really knows that. At the moment we have a few matches set up for Elimination Chamber, though none of them are actually from Raw. You would think that would be a problem worth fixing, but WWE certainly doesn’t seem to be in any hurry. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Lacey Evans vs. Natalya
This doesn’t exactly feel like a Main Event match. Natalya shoulders her down to start and gets two off a backslide. A wristlock is pretty easily countered and Evans has to elbow her way out of a hammerlock. The Sharpshooter doesn’t work as Lacey grabs the rope and bails to the floor for a breather.
Natalya catches her with a baseball slide but gets pulled arm first into the post. A headscissors out of the corner gives Lacey a pair of new falls, followed by a standing moonsault for the same. The chinlock is broken without much effort so Natalya clotheslines her head off. Lacey sends her into the corner though and hits a springboard moonsault (geez) for two more (uh…..) but gets pulled down into the Sharpshooter for the tap at 6:08.
Rating: C. The match was entertaining while it lasted and Lacey got to show off a lot, but why was this on Main Event, why was it against Natalya, and why did Lacey lose? You want to showcase someone so you put her on the lowest show around and have her lose? She couldn’t beat Dana Brooke or something? I’m not sure I get this but it’s not like many people saw it in the first place.
From Raw.
We open with Stephanie in the ring because she can’t wait any longer than that. Becky’s entrance cuts her off though, complete with a limp. Stephanie shows us a clip from last week’s showdown with Rousey, with Ronda talking about the bad knee. Back in the arena, Stephanie talks about the knee, with Becky says she’ll fight anyone and the doctors aren’t looking at her.
That’s not cool with Stephanie, who won’t let Becky compete without an examination. Becky doesn’t think Stephanie has ever struggled for a thing because she’s a daddy’s girl who was handed everything but wants to stop Becky from fighting for everything. No one is stopping her from Wrestlemania and that includes Stephanie.
That sounds like a liability to Stephanie because the knee can’t hold the match back. If Becky won’t get evaluated, she’s suspended until further notice. Stephanie does suspend her so Becky knocks her down with one punch. The knee gives out when Becky goes for the Disarm-Her so she beats up agents and goes for Stephanie again. Becky still can’t walk properly so she limps up the ramp.
From Smackdown.
Here’s Charlotte to say she hopes Becky gets better in time but if not, she’s 100% healthy and would love to face Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania. Cue Becky through the crowd, with Charlotte saying the fan better have a ticket and that she needs to stop stealing Roman Reigns’ entrance. Charlotte mocks Becky’s limp but here’s an angry HHH to cut them both off. After telling Becky to get out and go see the doctor, HHH gets in Charlotte’s face and tells her to get out. Becky says she doesn’t trust any of this but HHH says get cleared by the doctor and go to Wrestlemania.
HHH goes to leave but Becky asks how Stephanie is after she got punched in the face. He doesn’t seem phased because he sees it in Becky’s face: she’s just looking to be a martyr who is trying to find a way out of this whole thing. That’s why she came to Raw just before Survivor Series. She knew it was a suicide mission and then came out blaming the doctor.
HHH continues his reverse psychology by saying Becky is doing it again. Maybe that’s why she won’t go to the doctor: the knee is fine and she’ll be stuck in the match with Rousey and be exposed as the fraud that she is. That earns him a slap to the face and the fans are right back behind her again. Becky leaves through the crowd again.
They’re doing something interesting here by going with the idea of getting inside both women’s heads where they might be scared of losing, which is a lot more interesting than the physical stuff they could do. This is a different way to go about doing things and if they can sell it right, it’s the best way to go.
Clips of Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre going after Kurt Angle until Braun Strowman made the save.
Clips of the ensuing tag match between the four of them.
No Way Jose vs. Tyler Breeze
Jose is no Bugenhagen. Jose dances out of a wristlock to start and even helps Breeze up. A dropkick lets Jose dance some more and we’re cut to Jose getting two off a flapjack. The Supermodel Kick gives Breeze the same but he can’t get a rollup out of the corner. Breeze’s Unprettier is countered into the pop up right hand to give Jose the pin at 3:19 shown.
Rating: C-. This could have been something with the time as they were both trying, even on a show that means nothing. Now in theory that should get them somewhere, but WWE has shown that they don’t care about these two and aren’t going to anytime soon. Jose’s dancing will keep him around on house shows forever, but I’ve always wondered what he could do with a more serious gimmick.
We see the last few seconds of Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan and the brawl to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. They gave almost half of this show to the Becky stuff and really, that’s as good of a use of the time as they’re going to have. It’s not like this needs to be anything more than a recap show at this time of year, though I’m still really not sure what to make of that Evans vs. Natalya match. Anyway, the more recaps the better at this point, as it’s not like most of the people who wrestle on this show mean anything right now anyway.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
It has been like a week since this was rumored.
Since we can’t go a day or two without something like this blowing up, it’s time to look at even more names who might be leaving WWE, though AEW isn’t the obvious destination for all of them.
Usos
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/go-big-names-might-not-re-sign-wwe/
I’m a big fan of this team and there’s a chance that they’ll be leaving WWE when their contracts expire at some point in April. Really….could you blame them? Since WWE seems obsessed with not allowing anyone to ever switch shows outside of the Superstar Shakeup or Wrestlemania season, they’ve been stuck on Smackdown where they could only fight the Bar and the New Day over and over again.
Move them to Raw (Usos vs. Revival…..anyone?) and give them some fresh opponents. Or let them go to AEW and fight the Young Bucks, which would be an instant classic. Either way, let them do ANYTHING new because they’ve been stuck doing the same things for years now.
Randy Orton
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/rumor-randy-orton-willing-talk-aew/
Now this one has a BIG caveat as the story says that he’s “willing to talk” to AEW. There’s a big difference between he’s signing the contract tomorrow and he’s willing to talk to someone whenever he’s allowed to. I’m not sure when Orton’s contract is expiring but even if it’s tomorrow, it’s not like he’ll be debuting for AEW tomorrow. You know, because they’re not debuting for nearly four months.
That being said…..yeah this isn’t happening. Orton is 38 and can be in WWE until he’s ready to leave so there’s no point in moving somewhere else for the sake of….I’m not sure what the point would be actually. How big of a contract is he going to be able to get there? If he wants a lighter schedule he’s better off in the upper midcard of WWE, as he would become the top star in AEW just due to name recognition and star power. Orton would be somewhat insane to leave WWE and I can’t imagine this happening.
Undertaker
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tomclark/undertaker-removes-wwe-social-media-deadman-done/
So this is something that came up today, with Undertaker removing all WWE references from his social media accounts. Now if you can ignore THE UNDERTAKER HAVING SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, you can imagine people freaking out over the idea of the Undertaker leaving WWE and going….I guess to the wrestling convention circuit like so many others do over the years. Or AEW because that’s the required response anymore.
I don’t think Undertaker is going anywhere as far as wrestling goes, but for some reason people seem to be overlooking one idea: maybe he’s just retiring. He’s 54 years old next month and he’s wrestled ten times in three and a half years (twenty in nearly seven years). Undertaker should have retired YEARS ago and we were all but convinced that he retired after Wrestlemania XXXIII. I have no idea if he’s retiring for good or going somewhere else (Imagine him going to an indy company. Just try to do it.) but there’s every chance that he’s going to be at Wrestlemania or the next Saudi show or Summerslam and this will all be nothing.
Or maybe I’ll go to AEW because everyone else is. I mean, I would if they had a show near me and I could actually get a ticket.
As inspired by this week’s Wrestling Wars Podcast. And it’s not about Rowan.
https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-many-faces-rowan/
I know I’m a bit behind on these but some things never change.
We’ll start with the sentimental one in Gene Okerlund. I was saddened by this one as Okerlund was one of the most prominently featured names in my wrestling childhood, but I didn’t realize just how big of a deal he was to so many people. The special includes all kinds of great clips with some incredible history, showcasing just how versatile Okerlund was.
That’s what the documentary focuses on more than anything else: how good Gene was at his job. He was able to take anything and make it work, while never backing down from the person he was interviewing. Okerlund really was the best ever at what he did and if you’re a fan of old school wrestling, it’s more than worth your time to see just how good he really was at something so important to wrestling.
Then we had Nigel McGuinness, which was much more of a new experience for me. I knew of McGuinness from his time in Ring of Honor and TNA but I didn’t know just how good or big of a deal he was. Nigel was one of the best at his time and the matches I’ve seen from him were really good. It’s pretty safe to put him on the list of greatest What If’s in WWE history, as he could have been a top player.
The other interesting thing here though was seeing how good he really was with everything related to broadcasting. It’s clear that he loves this stuff and can do anything in wrestling if he’s given the time. The part with Daniel Bryan sending him a text the day he won the World Title in WWE, meaning the night after Nigel retired, was amazing and some of the real emotion that you can’t manufacture.
Check out both of these are they’re more than worth your time.
Monday Night Raw
Date: September 6, 2004
Location: Kay Yeager Coliseum, Wichita Falls, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
We open with a long recap of HHH vs. Randy Orton. Like anything else matters.
Opening sequence.
There’s a cage around the ring and Eric Bischoff is inside with a table in front of him. Tonight it’s HHH vs. Eugene inside the cage and Bischoff is looking forward to his nephew being destroyed for good. The cage is raised as we move onto something else: Edge has a torn groin which is keeping him out of action for four to six weeks, meaning the Intercontinental Title is vacant.
Bischoff pulls a blanket off the table to reveal the title but here’s Christian to interrupt. He thinks he’d be a great choice for a new Intercontinental Champion but here’s Jericho to interrupt (must be a Canadian thing). Jericho is ready to fight for the title right now. Bischoff says they’ll do that at Unforgiven instead, which is fine with Jericho. He wants something added though, and the fans should be allowed to have a say.
Bischoff offers a cage match but Christian says that doesn’t work for him because Jericho already injured him in a cage match. Christian’s offer is a no countout match and the fans aren’t thrilled. Christian: “THEY’RE SAYING BOO-YAH!” Jericho gets to the obvious solution: a ladder match, with Bischoff agreeing. The fight is on with Tyson Tomko running in to save Christian from the Walls. Longer than it needed to be, but this is the best choice for a match they could have had.
Batista/Ric Flair/La Resistance vs. Chris Benoit/William Regal/Tajiri/Rhyno
Benoit and Flair get things going, which is about as good of an idea as you can get. The chop off in the corner (you knew that was coming) goes to Benoit, who backdrops Flair for the Flair Flop. Tajiri comes in and kicks Conway but everything breaks down in a hurry. Back from an early break with Flair chopping at Regal in the corner (a trend for him) but Regal reverses and hits a backdrop (the exact same sequence that Benoit did). Rhyno comes in for a running shoulder to Flair in the corner before knocking La Resistance off the apron.
Batista gets in a cheap shot from behind though and Conway takes over. Conway gets two and demands that Rhyno stay down, even throwing in some swearing for an evil bonus. It’s back to Flair and a double clothesline puts both of them down. Conway gets the tag and Benoit gets one as well, even if he had one leg in the ring at the time. What a Canadian cheater. Said cheater throws German suplexes all over the place, allowing Rhyno to come back in fr the Gore to Batista. With everyone else outside, Benoit drops the Swan Dive on Conway, setting up the Sharpshooter for the win.
Rating: C+. This was a fun match with a nice combination of two feuds into one match. Tajiri continues to be barely functioning and I hope he gets ready on Sunday as the title match has been well built over the last few weeks. It’s always nice to see these feuds getting mixed together as you get some fresh matchups, which is a good way to keep things from getting stale.
We recap the Diva Search segment from last week. I didn’t know we could still discuss that.
Smackdown Rebound.
Randy Orton is ready for HHH and this Sunday, he knows he’s going to be coming in as the underdog after facing Kane tonight. We get a HHH caveman impression and Orton recaps their feud so far, including a clip of Orton costing HHH a win over Eugene last week. Now, the three most dominant letters on Raw are now RKO. Orton stumbled through a lot of this promo.
Trish Stratus comes up to see Lita and won’t let her go by. We get the jokes about Lita being, ahem, easy I guess you would say until Lita promises to come after Trish once she’s had the baby. More jokes ensue so Lita says keep it coming. Lita leaves and Trish doesn’t seem impressed. She turns around and runs into Nidia, who yells in Spanish. Trish: “I’m sorry I don’t speak German.” Nidia throws a drink on her instead.
Trish Stratus vs. Nidia
Non-title with Trish still covered in juice. Trish takes her down with an early pull of the hair but Nidia slugs away in the corner as Trish’s shirt is tearing more and more. A quick trip to the floor goes to Trish but Nidia is right back with an elbow to the face. Nidia hammers away in the corner….until her top breaks, allowing Trish to kick her in the head for the pin.
Rating: D. Nidia can’t be much longer for the company at this point but she seemed to be getting better here. She could do some stuff in the ring well enough and is already better than some of the women in the company. With more time, she could have turned into a perfectly competent wrestler. The match was short and not terrible, so that’s quite the step up.
Bischoff is happy that HHH is going to destroy Eugene tonight and has set up a party for later. HHH wants nothing to do with the party because the real celebration will come Sunday after he wins the title back.
HHH vs. Eugene
Inside a cage and HHH has banged up ribs. HHH jumps him behind to start and sends Eugene into the cage. The scared Eugene makes his comeback with the usual right hands and ax handles but HHH cuts off an escape attempt. Eugene’s head is bounced off the cage a few times and we have some blood. HHH’s sleeper is reversed with a ram into the cage and they’re both down.
Eugene goes for the door but HHH makes a save and sends him into the cage over and over as the violence is really cranking up. The Pedigree connects for no cover as HHH goes up instead and drives a knee into Eugene’s arm for what seems like a break. HHH finally walks out for the win.
Rating: D-. HHH did his job last week (all it took was the World Champion interfering) so this was his time to shine again. He got to beat up and injure what used to be a fan favorite (before HHH took away all of Eugene’s momentum) and make it look like some big deal. It was a really boring match too as Eugene’s hope spots weren’t believable and it didn’t feel big even once.
Post match HHH slams the door on Eugene’s arm. I’m not wild on how we got here, but Eugene going away for a month or two is the best thing that could happen to him right now.
Coach is rather pleased with Bischoff getting his way and talks to Edge about being stripped of the title. Edge would rather lose while fighting injured than have it taken away from him. He’s coming back and dealing with Bischoff. So are we already dropping the heel turn?
Kane makes Lita watch a clip of him injuring Shawn Michaels. At least they’re acknowledging that, as it makes the match feel a lot less random. Kane promises to do the same thing to Orton tonight. HHH won’t like that. It’s his job to conquer these young kids.
Unforgiven rundown.
Tyson Tomko vs. Chris Jericho
Christian is out with Tomko but Jericho chases him to the back early on. Tomko uses the distraction to kick Jericho down and we hit a very early chinlock (that really shouldn’t be necessary so soon). Back up and Tomko misses a charge into the post so Jericho takes him down by the knee. Christian comes back with a ladder, allowing Tomko to nail Jericho in the head for two. Another distraction lets Tomko grab a reverse F5 for the pin, which was totally necessary before Sunday’s title match.
Post match Christian hits him with the ladder a few times and poses on top, just like everyone does.
It’s Diva Search time with Stacy Keibler hosting and a covered table in the ring. Before we get to the elimination, it’s time for some arm wrestling. Christy beats Amy, Carmella beats Joy, Christy beats Carmella. As a reward, Christy gets to throw a bucket of chili on all of them. See it’s funny because they’re good looking and in evening gowns but get covered in chili. Amy is eliminated.
Eugene has a separated shoulder and his career may be over.
Randy Orton vs. Kane
Non-title and Kane drags Lita to the ring with him. Orton sends him into the corner to start before heading outside for a chase. That’s enough to catch Kane with a dropkick and some forearms to the chest in the corner (like the ten right hands, but with Kane facing the buckles for a change). Kane kicks him in the face and goes to grab a chair but Lita grabs it as well. That’s enough of a distraction so Orton can get in a low blow for the DQ.
Post match HHH comes out and wants the cage lowered, so here’s Bischoff to say this is continuing as a cage match. We take a break and come back with Kane sending Kane into the cage and pounding away with right hands. A powerslam cuts off Orton’s comeback for two, followed by a hard clothesline for the same. Orton hammers away again so Kane grabs a side slam to stop him again. A top rope crotching sets up the backbreaker to put Kane in trouble for a change and Orton cracks him in the head with the chair. The RKO connects and Orton, after kicking the cage door into HHH’s face, walks out for the win.
Rating: D+. So there’s the second cage match of the night and it wasn’t exactly thrilling. At least Orton won here instead of getting beaten down so HHH could stand over him again. The fans aren’t really cheering for him though and that’s a bad sign as his title reign is just getting started.
Post match Evolution jumps Orton, who fights them off with a chair. Kane gets back up though and Orton bails to end the show. That’s a big reason why Orton isn’t getting cheered. Since winning the title, here’s what he’s done on Raw: beaten down, spit in HHH’s face and ran, helps Eugene win, beats Kane and runs away again. He’s not getting destroyed every week, but for the most part he’s either getting beaten down or running away. The face turn was out of nowhere in the first place and having him run away (logical, but not the most inspiring) so much isn’t helping things.
Overall Rating: D+. The show went by fast and that’s rather impressive given how Unforgiven is a completely one match show. Tonight was almost all about HHH vs. Orton, which doesn’t bode well for Sunday. Adding the ladder match was fine as they had to deal with an injury and that’s all they could do given the circumstances. Other than that though, I’m really struggling to come up with something I’d want to see at Unforgiven. I’m worried about Sunday’s show, but this one wasn’t exactly much to see in the first place.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at: