Smackdown – November 1, 2019: NXT Time

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: November 1, 2019
Location: Keybank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Aiden English, Renee Young, Tom Phillips

So, as anyone could have guessed could have been a problem, WWE wasn’t able to get their wrestlers halfway around the world in a single day so most of the talent is stuck in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, it’s going to be a show built around the wrestlers who didn’t go, Brock Lesnar and some surprises, likely from NXT. I’m sure FOX will be thrilled with this being their return on investment. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here are Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar to open things up. Heyman brags about Brock beating Cain Velasquez at Crown Jewel….and we see the match in full.

WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez

Lesnar is defending and gets a monster pop. Rey Mysterio is here with Velasquez, who does look a little better in ring gear than he has recently (emphasis on a little). They start slowly as Lesnar has learned from what got him in trouble against Cain the first time. Lesnar takes him into the corner for some clinch fighting but Cain gets in a kick to the head to drop the champ. Ground and pound ensues but Brock grabs the Kimura for the win at 2:07.

Back in the arena, Heyman talks about Rey Mysterio coming after Lesnar and attacking him with a chair….which we see as well.

Post match Lesnar won’t let go so Rey hits him with a chair, earning himself a toss to the floor. Brock chairs Cain down and hits the F5 onto the chair. Rey comes back in with another chair and swings it quite well for someone with one good arm. Enough shots connect to send Lesnar outside and we would have a fresh challenge if the Brand Split didn’t exist. I mean, I’m sure that’s going to last of course, right?

Back in the arena, Heyman talks about how Lesnar wants Rey so he’ll be going to Raw to get him, because he doesn’t care about the contract situations. YOU MEAN THEY COULDN’T MAKE IT THREE WEEKS AFTER THE DRAFT??? Just to get around the contracts, Brock quits Smackdown for good.

Brock and Heyman are in the back and leave…..as HHH and Shawn Michaels look on.

Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Nikki Cross

Bayley is defending and Sasha Banks is at ringside too. Cross goes straight at her and knocks her to the floor, setting up a tornado DDT off the apron as we take a break. Back with Bayley getting two off a clothesline and sending Cross into the steps. Cross slugs away and hits a bulldog but Banks breaks up the Purge. Bayley kicks her down and hits the top rope elbow for two. The fans chant for Bayley as she breaks up a tornado DDT attempt. Bayley gets tied up in the ring skirt and pummeled again but Banks shoves Cross off the top. Something like a Stroke retains the title at 8:26.

Rating: C+. The wrestling was fine here and for something that was designed to be little more than a fill in match, it worked well enough. Cross was already the #1 contender so it’s not like this came out of nowhere. Bayley needs some fresh challengers and Cross was a good enough choice as a challenger who was going to be a serious threat.

Post match it’s Shayna Baszler of all people coming in to destroy Banks and Bayley to a big reaction. A knee to the face knocks Bayley cold.

Sami Zayn likes the idea of NXT showing up on Smackdown’s night but they better watch where they step. Keith Lee and Matt Riddle come up and Sami backs off a bit. He opens his jacket to reveal….a plain black shirt because he took the NXT one off to avoid getting his vinegar based dressing on it. Sami tries to leave but the chase is on. They wind up in the arena and, after some begging off, it’s a Bro Derek from Riddle and a middle rope moonsault from Lee.

Clips of Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman.

Here’s the Miz for MizTV. After sucking up to the Buffalo crowd, he talks about how he was going to be interviewing Bray Wyatt, who won the Universal Title last night. We see a package of the win but since Bray isn’t here, we’ll move on. Miz talks about all the NXT talents in the building tonight, with Riddle and Lee beating up Sami being his favorite.

Miz can’t wait to see what happens next….so here’s Tommaso Ciampa to a huge reaction. Ciampa talks about how Miz likes to pretend that he’s a star while Ciampa is literally breaking his neck for wrestling. Miz likes acting so while he’s acting the part, Ciampa is playing the part. That’s something Miz has heard for fifteen years and he’s so tired of hearing it that he’s ready to fight right now.

Miz vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Miz’s headlock doesn’t get him anywhere so he slides between Ciampa’s legs for a sunset flip. Ciampa gets sent outside but is fine enough to send Miz into various things, allowing him to sit on the apron and applaud himself. Back in and Miz’s Reality Check gets two but Ciampa beats him up again to take over.

The Fairy Tale Ending is broken up and Miz gets in a shot to the knee to cut Ciampa down. The shot DDT gives Miz two and it’s the Figure Four going on, only to have Ciampa glare at him and escape. Miz tries it again but gets small packaged for two. Ciampa’s half crab doesn’t get him very far as Miz hits the running corner clothesline. Miz gets kneed out of the air though and the Fairy Tale Ending finishes Miz at 7:41.

Rating: C. Ciampa is an interesting case as he is more than capable of hanging on the main WWE roster (if not thriving) but he seems tailor made to be an NXT lifer. Maybe it’s his size, age or history but he screams perfect for NXT and that’s all he needs to be. This was an important win for him, though I can’t imagine him being a big deal on the main roster, at least not one Vince controls.

Daniel Bryan asks HHH and Shawn why they’re here. HHH says NXT has been called out for Survivor Series and it’s like they were looking for a fight. Bryan finds that interesting because he’s looking for a fight. Maybe he and HHH should go fight right now. Shawn takes off his jacket as HHH says he knows someone who is looking for a fight. Shawn: “It’s cold in here!” And the jacket goes back on. HHH: “Champ!” Cue Adam Cole, who is willing to fight Bryan tonight. That’s cool with Bryan, as long as it’s for the NXT Title. HHH says it’s on.

Fire & Desire vs. Dana Brooke/Carmella

Or not as Bianca Belair jumps Brooke and Carmella in the back. We have some substitutes though.

Fire & Desire vs. Rhea Ripley/Tegan Nox

Sonya kicks Nox’s knee out on the floor and beats her up against the barricade. Nox fights back and sends her over the barricade though, with Renee taking a boot to the face. Rhea beats Mandy up inside, only to have Nox come in for the Shiniest Wizard. The standing Cloverleaf makes Mandy tap at 1:28. Ripley is a star and if Nox can stay healthy, she’s a mega star.

Stephanie McMahon comes out and introduces a package on Lacey Evans vs. Natalya from Crown Jewel.

NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Daniel Bryan

Cole, with a still injured wrist, is defending with HHH and Shawn. Roderick Strong comes out with Cole but heads to the back before the match. Bryan starts fast with the kicks and stomps on the arm for a bonus. The surfboard dragon sleeper doesn’t last long as Cole slips out and tries a suplex to the floor, with both of them crashing over the top. Back from a break with Cole suplexing him down and dropping an elbow.

We hit the Figure Four necklock for a bit but Bryan fights up with shots to the face. Cole gets backdropped over the top and eats the knee off the apron. A missile dropkick puts Cole down again but he’s fine enough to cut off the running dropkick with a superkick for two of his own. Bryan knocks him to the floor for the suicide dive but the second one is cut off by a jumping enziguri as we take another break.

Back again with Cole getting crotched on top and belly to back superplexed back down. The Swan Dive misses though and the brainbuster to the knee gets two. The Last Shot is countered into a half crab into a legbar but Cole makes the rope. That’s fine with Bryan who goes with the LeBell Lock, only to let go and stomp away at Cole’s head.

The LeBell Lock on Cole’s bad wrist goes on again, with Bryan pulling back on the free arm for a bonus. Therefore it’s a foot on the rope for the break so Bryan kicks him in the head, only to charge into another superkick. The middle rope Canadian Destroyer sets up the Last Shot and Bryan is done at 20:07.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was great and you knew it would be. They didn’t have much of another choice here and they did the best thing that they could have done. Throw out NXT’s best guy and one of the best from Smackdown and see what you can do. It was a wrestling match with a clean ending and sometimes, that’s the best thing you can offer.

Post match the NXT crew hits the ring, including a bunch of people who didn’t appear yet. HHH gets in the ring and says if WWE wants a fight with NXT, it can be Raw and Smackdown vs. NXT. Tonight was the first shot from the NXT army and at Survivor Series, Raw and Smackdown will know that WE ARE NXT.

Overall Rating: B+. Oh yeah this worked and it was exactly the energized show that they’ve been needing. The wrestling was mostly good, the surprises made me want to keep watching and the angle at the end certainly teased WarGames at Survivor Series. On the other hand, this show explained how bad of an idea the Brand Split really is. With just one roster, you know who will and will not be there and that takes away so much from a show. Sometimes you need a twist and cutting the roster in half doesn’t make that the most likely situation. Anyway, this was great and I’m looking forward to the next few weeks if this is a preview.

Results

Bayley b. Nikki Cross – Legsweep faceplant

Tommaso Ciampa b. Miz – Fairy Tale Ending

Rhea Ripley/Tegan Nox b. Fire & Desire – Standing Cloverleaf to Rose

Adam Cole b. Daniel Bryan – Last Shot

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:

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205 Live – October 25, 2019: It’s So Sad To See

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: October 25, 2019
Location: Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Aiden English

It’s really kind of amazing that this show has gone from what used to be an entertaining show that I wanted to see to a show that I was forgetting about entirely. NXT and everything else has completely destroyed anything this show had and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Maybe the Cruiserweight Champion being back can help things a bit. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s triple threat main event with Tony Nese beating Oney Lorcan and Ariya Daivari.

Opening sequence.

Oney Lorcan vs. Lio Rush

Non-title and after a quick look at Rush staring down Angel Garza on last week’s NXT, we’re ready to go. For some reason Rush agrees to a test of strength and gets leg tripped down for two. Rush is fast enough to fireman’s carry him into a quickly broken armbar and a jumping enziguri gets two. Lorcan knees him in the ribs and grabs a bodyscissors for a good while.

That’s rolled over into a cover for two each before Lorcan goes outside. Rush’s suicide dive sends him into the announcers’ table but Lorcan is right back with the running Blockbuster for two back inside. Rush elbows his way out of a belly to back superplex and grabs a DDT for the double knockdown. The clothesline comeback is on and a handspring elbow sets up the bottom rope springboard Stunner. The Final Hour gives Rush the pin at 7:49.

Rating: C. Lorcan continues to fall and it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be getting the title, or even a title shot, for a long time. Rush is someone you can get behind in a hurry, though I still think he’s better used as the heel hype man. At least he had a nice enough match here, but the fan reactions in NXT compared to 205 Live tell you everything you need to know.

Post match here’s Nese to stare Rush down. Nese brags about his win last week and tells Rush to sit and watch a real athlete at work.

Raul Mendoza vs. Tony Nese

This is your NXT guest star and Rush is on commentary. Nese says hang on though because he has to pose, which doesn’t impress Rush. Feeling out process to start with Nese shouldering him down so Mendoza nips right back up. A springboard armdrag puts Nese down and there’s a springboard hurricanrana to send him outside.

Back in and Nese scores with a running elbow into some left hands as the fans are just gone for this one. The chinlock goes on as we look at a tweet from Angel Garza with the Cruiserweight Title Photoshopped around his waist. Nese stomps away and puts on the neck crank but misses a splash to give us a double knockdown. With Rush accusing Nese of spray painting his abs on, Mendoza gets some boots up in the corner and hits a springboard missile dropkick for his own two.

A bottom rope Lionsault gets the same but Nese flips out of a German suplex attempt. That means a double stomp for two on Mendoza and they’re both down. Nese sweeps the leg to put Mendoza on the floor for the Fosbury Flop, which makes Rush laugh for some reason. Rush holds up the title and since Nese can’t handle shiny things, Mendoza grabs a rollup for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: C+. This is a fine example of a match that was technically acceptable but no one cared. The fans weren’t reacting to anything at all and it was just sad to see people out there working hard and not being able to buy any attention from the crowd. This stuff feels so minor league from an importance standpoint, even if the match was perfectly watchable.

Nese is ticked, as he should be.

The Singh Brothers talk about what a big week it has been as they hide in an undisclosed location for the sake of keeping the title safe. Dancing ensues.

Brian Kendrick comes up to commentary and stands on the table with a mic. He talks about how back in the day, you had to earn the right to call yourself a professional wrestler. Someone had to bestow the title on you and you couldn’t just throw your bags into a locker room. There was a protocol to it all, starting with shaking hands with everyone and introduce yourself to them. You would ask the veterans to critique your work and help them teach you to become a wrestler.

Fans are consumers and not wrestlers and now there is no one left in the locker room. See, all you have to do is look yourself up on social media and you’re a star. The fans tell Kendrick to shut up so he talks about how the fans aren’t wrestlers. Drake Maverick is the one chasing around the Bollywood Boyz because he thinks he’s a wrestler but he’s just an embarrassment. Kendrick wants an answer from Maverick next week. This was every “I’m a veteran and that makes me better” promo and it still doesn’t work very well.

Ariya Daivari says he’s ready to fight anyone. Isaiah Scott has taken him up on that offer.

We look at Scott being a star on NXT.

Isaiah Scott vs. Ariya Daivari

Daivari kicks him in the ribs to start so Scott strikes away to put Daivari on the floor. That means a kick to the head back inside and they head right back out with Daivari whipping him into the barricade. Back in and a superplex gives Daivari two but Scott starts striking away again. A release German suplex sends Daivari flying but he’s right back with a Rock Bottom for two. Scott runs into a superkick but the hammerlock lariat misses. The Swerve Kick finishes Daivari at 6:25.

Rating: D+. Egads Daivari needs to get out of the ring already. He’s the most generic heel you can find and it’s not like he’s the kind of worker to make up for the lack of interest. Scott on the other hand is a star in the making and has that IT factor that you can’t ignore. Couple that with a good finisher and there is no reason he can’t go a long way in WWE.

Overall Rating: C-. I feel so sorry for this show as it doesn’t belong in a big arena like this one. This is the kind of thing that needs to be down in Full Sail as a preliminary card for NXT, not live after SmackDown with all of the star power. It’s unfair to the talent, who is working hard and trying everything they can but being stuck in an impossible situation. Having the remaining big names called up again (so they can get beaten up by stars) is a big hit around here and it’s showing badly early on.

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

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Crown Jewel 2019: I’ll Admit It

IMG Credit: WWE

Crown Jewel 2019
Date: October 31, 2019
Location: King Fahd International Stadium
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

This is one of those things that we just have to get through. The wrestling isn’t the problem here as the action will likely be acceptable enough. The problem is going to be some of the decisions that are made, as WWE tends to lose their minds around here. Couple that with the fact that this is going to be built around part time wrestlers and mainstream athletes. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Battle Royal

Sunil Singh, Mojo Rawley, Erick Rowan, R-Truth, Sin Cara, The Brian Kendrick, Titus O’Neil, Tony Nese, Akira Tozawa, Shelton Benjamin, Apollo Crews, Buddy Murphy, Andrade, Drake Maverick, Eric Young, Luke Harper, Cedric Alexander, Heath Slater, Humberto Carrillo, No Way Jose

The winner gets a US Title shot at AJ Styles on the main show. Thankfully we do get a point made about the 24/7 Title being suspended during the match. It’s the usual brawl to start until Rowan tosses Maverick out first. Rowan gets sent to the apron but holds on to eliminate Slater and Nese.

Harper gets rid of Kendrick and Young, followed by Rawley and Cara going out as well. Crews gets rid of Titus and we take a break. Back with Harper and Rowan having a staredown but Jose recommends dancing. Harper gets in on it before blasting him with the discus lariat. That’s it for Jose, so Tozawa goes after Rowan by asking for a fight. Harper looks down at him and reality sets in, followed by the quick elimination. There goes Crews and Rowan shoves Murphy out as well.

Truth and Andrade follow them out and we’re down to Harper, Rowan, Singh, Carrillo and Alexander. Singh is out as well and we’re down to four. The fans like Harper so he and Rowan get rid of Alexander. Singh goes to leave but Truth steals the pin and the title (because the title was only being protected until Singh was eliminated instead of the whole match). The Mob chases Truth off and the double teaming continues. Carrillo shrugs them off though and gets rid of both monsters for the win at 12:24.

Rating: D+. Keeping these matches short(ish) is the best thing that can be done as they just aren’t going to work very well more often than not. Carrillo winning is perfectly fine and I’m sure the match with Styles is going to be fine. That’s all it needs to be as there aren’t exactly high expectations going into a match like this.

The opening video looks at the main events and little more. It’s a really standard, generic video.

The set does look awesome, as it usually does.

WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez

The Revival is ready to be named best in the world.

The Viking Raiders are ready to fight and beat everyone up.

Tag Team Turmoil

Non-title and there are nine teams with the winners getting a big trophy. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler and the Lucha House Party start things off with Kalisto as the odd man out. Ziggler takes Dorado into the corner to start and hits a dropkick to really take over. Roode comes in and gets caught with the Golden Rewind, allowing the House Party to take over on the arm. A gordbuster gets Roode out of trouble though and Ziggler comes back in for a Fameasser into a crossface of all things.

That’s broken up and Dorado gets up top for a high crossbody to Ziggler, allowing the diving tag (with his head) to bring in Metalik. There’s the rope walk dropkick to Roode and everything breaks down. Roode shoves Dorado off the top into a superkick from Ziggler, followed by another superkick to Metalik. The Glorious DDT gets rid of House Party at 5:45.

Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder are in third and it’s a quick Samoan drop/Blockbuster combination (with Ryder completely missing the Blockbuster part) for two on Roode. Not that it matters as the Zig Zag/spinebuster combination finishes Ryder at 6:53. Heavy Machinery is in fourth and Tucker wrestles Ziggler to the mat without much effort. Roode comes back in and Ziggler hits a cheap shot to take over though and the big guys are in trouble.

We hit the chinlock for a bit before Tucker gets taken outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Tucker drops Roode, allowing the tag off to Otis to start cleaning house. Otis’ shirt comes off and the jiggling starts fast. Ziggler pulls Roode to the floor before the Caterpillar, so Heavy Machinery settles for the Compactor to get rid of Roode at 13:24.

New Day is in fifth and Big E. starts fast with a battle over an abdominal stretch with Tucker. Big E. manages to stay on his feet while bending backwards and even applauds himself to show off. A double clothesline puts them both down so it’s off to Kofi vs. Otis. Kofi gets knocked down this time and the Caterpillar connects this time, meaning it’s another double tag. Tucker suplexes Big E. for two but misses a middle rope crossbody.

Kofi comes back in and there’s the Midnight Hour to get rid of Heavy Machinery at 17:32. The B Team is in sixth with Axel hitting a quick clothesline to the back of Big E.’s head to take over. Dallas grabs the chinlock but Big E. isn’t having that and pops up for the Big Ending and the elimination at 19:34.

The Revival is in seventh and Dawson takes Kofi into the corner to start but Kofi hits a dropkick to Wilder. That just earns him a powerslam for two and it’s back to Dawson, who gets dropped onto Kofi with a legdrop for two. An armbar doesn’t last long though as Kofi hits the SOS, only to have Dawson break up the hot tag. A top rope knee to the face gets two on Kofi…who counters a suplex into a small package to finish Dawson at 25:22. Post fall the Revival isn’t done though and lay out New Day, including a Shatter Machine.

The OC is in eighth but Kofi hits a double stomp on Anderson. Gallows pulls Big E. off the apron though and it’s the Magic Killer to finish New Day at 27:00. The Viking Raiders are the final team and it’s Gallows kneeing Erik in the ribs to start. Erik gets knocked off the apron and a snap suplex gives Gallows two back inside. The chinlock is broken up though and it’s back to Ivar to pick up the pace, including a cartwheel to show off. Erik slams Ivar onto Anderson but Gallows is back in to kick Erik down. The Magic Killer gets the pin at 32:16, marking the Raiders’ first pinfall loss in WWE.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t even that bad of a match but it was a lot of completely average stuff until a stupid ending. You spend two and a half years setting up the Raiders as these unstoppable monsters and then the OC, who weren’t even fresh, just pin them? The OC? Really? As in the team who was ready to leave earlier this year? Really not a fan of this, as the Vikings shouldn’t have lost heading into the hoss fight against the AOP.

We recap Lesnar vs. Velasquez and Mysterio cleaning house after the match.

Rey promises revenge on Lesnar.

Cesaro vs. Mansoor

Cesaro slaps him in the face and Mansoor isn’t having that so he’ll take a wristlock from Cesaro instead. Mansoor knocks him down and gets two off a standing moonsault, followed by the armdrag into the armbar. A dropkick puts Cesaro on the floor and it’s a dropkick through the ropes to keep him down. The dive through the ropes is cut off with an uppercut and it’s Mansoor being sent into the barricade.

Back in and the chinlock is broken up in a hurry so Cesaro pulls him off the middle rope for two instead. Now the chinlock can stay on for a bit and a belly to back suplex gets two more. Cesaro gets dropkicked out of the air though and the comeback is on, including an enziguri. The tornado DDT gives Mansoor two so Cesaro uppercuts him down.

Mansoor is back with a slingshot neckbreaker for another near fall but Cesaro nails Swiss Death into the Crossface. That’s broken up as well and Mansoor hits a superkick for a close two. Cesaro gets ticked off and tries a gutwrench superplex but Mansoor counters into a sunset bomb. A moonsault gives Mansoor the clean pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. This was actually quite the fun match and Mansoor is more than good enough to hang in a regular match. He isn’t ready for the main roster or anything but being a regular on NXT wouldn’t be out of the question. This was the least surprising result on the show and there’s nothing wrong with that here. Nice match and the fans were WAY into this.

Post match Mansoor talks about waking up and knowing that this was the match of his life. He was nervous but then he came into the stadium and the fans made him ready. Now he cannot wait to see what they do next. He speaks some Arabic and the fans seem rather pleased.

Seth Rollins says the Fiend has taken him to some dark places but a little part of him likes it. No matter what happens tonight, he didn’t start the fight but he’s going to finish it.

Survivor Series will be Raw vs. Smackdown vs. NXT. I’m so thrilled.

We recap Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman. Fury was at the premiere of Smackdown and got into it with Strowman. Now they’re having a battle of the sports.

Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman

Fury comes out to It’s Your Thing by the Isley Brothers (or at least a cover of it) and is in the traditional Saudi robes. Strowman powers him into the corner to start and there’s the hard shove. Some shots to the body don’t do much to Strowman so Fury nips up (kind of) out of a wristlock. A big boot drops Fury though and reality seems to set in. Strowman hits the post, as usual, and falls to the floor, only to drop Fury with a right hand.

Fury gets some boots up to drop Strowman right back though and it’s a big boot of his own for two (he didn’t seem to know how to cover, though he did hook a leg). Strowman is right back with a sledge to the chest so Fury does the Undertaker sit up. A World’s Strongest Slam plants Fury so he bails to the floor, where Strowman hits the running shoulders. Back in and Fury nails the right hand to knock Strowman off the apron and that’s a countout at 7:59.

Rating: D. Fury tried but this really didn’t work. Other than the big right hand at the end, Fury didn’t show anything of note here, though it’s just not his sport and he’s been training for what, a few weeks at most? Fury wasn’t a disaster or anything, but it was something that felt a lot longer than it was. Strowman losing by countout is a bit of a relief though and I’ll take a small victory where I can.

Post match Strowman hits the running powerslam and Fury pops up to shout at him some more.

We recap R-Truth regaining the 24/7 Title.

Truth runs again but runs into the Singh Brothers, who steal the title back.

US Title: AJ Styles vs. Humberto Carrillo

AJ is defending and has the OC, with trophy, in his corner. Styles goes right for him and the fight is on in a hurry with a knee to the ribs taking Carrillo down. A dropkick puts AJ on the floor but he’s ready to avoid the big dive. Back in and AJ hits another knee to set up the chinlock as things settle down a bit. Carrillo gets up again but the springboard armdrag is shoved away.

A brainbuster gives AJ two but Carrillo comes right back with the handspring armdrag and a high crossbody for two. An exchange of jumping kicks to the head leaves them both down and we get a breather. They go the apron with AJ flipping him over the post, only to get caught with a dropkick.

There’s the dive to the floor to drop Styles again and Carrillo grabs a sunset flip for two back inside. The Phenomenal Blitz takes Carrillo down again and the Calf Crusher goes on. Carrillo gets to the ropes and the leg is fine enough for a jumping kick to the head. An attempted moonsault tweaks the knee though and the Phenomenal Forearm retains the title at 12:38.

Rating: C+. The completely acceptable wrestling (for the wrestlers at least) continues in a match without that shocking of a finish. There are a lot of people who could take the title from AJ but you can tell who are just the challengers of the month. It was Alexander last week and now it’s Carrillo. The OC being dominant is a good idea for the short term though as you can have someone knock them off later and wins like this will make that one mean more down the line.

Hulk Hogan dubs Byron Saxton Beautiful Byron before promising to destroy Ric Flair once and for all. Team Hogan has been training day and night with Hogan making them drink sand.

Natalya vs. Lacey Evans

I never thought I would see the day. Natalya is in her regular gear with a t-shirt over it and Lacey is in long pants, a long sleeved shirt and a Lacey shirt. The fans seem rather into this one, second only to the Mansoor match so far. They shake hands to start and Lacey spins out of a wristlock but gets rolled up for two. That gets another round of applause and a second handshake before a headlock takeover puts Lacey down. That’s broken up so Natalya sends Lacey outside and strikes her pose.

Lacey knocks the leg out though and nails the slingshot dropkick, followed by the chinlock. A slingshot elbow gives Lacey two and it’s time to work on the arm. That’s broken up and Lacey takes the belly to back drop into the stepover dropkick. It’s too early for the Sharpshooter so Lacey grabs a suplex to set up the double jump moonsault for two more. Lacey loads it up again but gets pulled off the ropes this time, allowing Natalya to nail the discus lariat. Now the Sharpshooter goes on for the tap at 7:19.

Rating: C. The match was pretty paint by numbers and could have been on any given house show. That’s completely not the point though as this is one of those things that seemed impossible and yet they managed to make it happen. I have no idea if it is going to lead anywhere or make any real difference, but they did something and that’s more than you would have expected possible. Well done and it actually is historic for a change.

Post match we see a bunch of young girls cheering and there is a lot of emotion from both women.

Team Hogan vs. Team Flair

Hogan: Roman Reigns, Shorty G., Ali, Rusev, Ricochet

Flair: Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Lashley, King Corbin, Drew McIntyre

One fall to a finish and Ricochet is in full body gear due to tattoos. Nakamura and Gable start things off with Gable going straight for the ankle but getting kneed down for his efforts. Corbin comes in for a few shots before handing it off to Lashley. Gable gets over for the tag to Rusev and Lashley brings McIntyre in as fast as he can. A spinwheel kick puts McIntyre down and it’s Ali coming in to work on McIntyre’s arm.

McIntyre takes over with the power and shoves him hard onto the apron to really put him in trouble. Orton gets in some shots to the face on the floor and Nakamura/McIntyre add in their own kicks to the ribs. Ali is fine enough to dive over for the hot tag to Ricochet so the pace can pick up. A few rooms of the house are cleaned but Corbin gets in a cheap shot so McIntyre can hit the reverse Alabama slam.

The beating is on, including Corbin’s required chinlock. The chokeslam is countered into a sunset flip to give Ricochet two so Corbin blasts him with a clothesline. Flair busts out the strut to a big reaction but Ricochet gets a boot up in the corner, followed by a spinning kick to Orton’s jaw. The hot tag brings in Reigns to clean house with right hands, clotheslines and a big boot/legdrop to Corbin. Everything breaks down and the RKO is blocked, setting up the Superman Punch for two.

Reigns gets taken to the floor so Rusev makes the save, leaving him to beat up Lashley. That earns Rusev a low bridge but Reigns is back in with a Superman Punch to Lashley. The big dive over the top takes everyone down and another Superman Punch is countered into the RKO for a close two. You don’t see that one kicked out of very often. The Punt is loaded up but Gable grabs the boot. Ali and Ricochet take Orton down and hit stereo dives to the floor. Reigns spears Orton for the pin at 19:49.

Rating: B-. Obvious ending aside (it was only about who was going to get the pin on whom), this was a perfectly enjoyable and at times even good, tag match. I was expecting this to headline the show for the sake of star power but it’s not like Hogan beating Flair was any secret. At least Flair didn’t get physical, which is the best choice for everyone involved.

Team Hogan celebrates.

The announcers talk about Survivor Series.

We recap Seth Rollins vs. the Fiend. Rollins defeated him in the Cell in one of the dumbest things that WWE has done in years and now they’re having a Falls Count Anywhere rematch which can’t be stopped for any reason. On Halloween. With a supernatural character. There is no way they can screw this up, so let’s see how they manage to screw this up.

Universal Title: Seth Rollins vs. The Fiend

Rollins is defending and it’s Falls Count Anywhere. They’re doing the red light deal again too, because that worked so well last time. Fiend is still in his jacket to start and hits Rollins in the throat. A headbutt puts Rollins down and the jacket comes off. The Sling Blade connects but Fiend is right back with the running crossbody. They fight outside with Fiend being sent into an LED screen, followed by the fighting around ringside.

Rollins loads up some tables on top of each other but opts to grab a chair and sledgehammer. Fiend avoids getting his skull caved in and loads up the Arabic announce table. The running backsplash only hits table though and Rollins gets one. Rollins goes up but gets shoved through both tables for the big crash. Fiend takes forever to go over and get him but opts to pull back the floor mats instead.

That of course means a Stomp onto the concrete for no cover as they fight onto a platform. Sister Abigail onto the platform gives Fiend two so they go up to the stage. Another Stomp is no sold so Rollins hits a pair of superkicks. Another two Stomps slow Fiend down and it’s another to keep him down for a few seconds.

There’s another two of them and a series of superkicks sends Wyatt into the tech area for the explosions. Some fire extinguishers are brought out and more pyro goes off, with Rollins getting caught in the eye. Fiend pops up like a monster and grabs the Mandible Claw, setting up Sister Abigail on the floor for the pin and the title at 21:26.

Rating: B-. I’m actually shocked here. They can figure out the Raw/Smackdown situation later but what matters here is they changed the title as they should have here. This should have taken place in the Cell but at least WWE figured out that something needed to be done. It was also a heck of a fight, even if they had the ridiculous spamming of finishers from Rollins. What matters here though is the title change and they got that right, so maybe they’re not completely insane.

The lights go out and come back on so Fiend can pose with the title.

A lot of pyro ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’ll gladly admit I was wrong about this one as they realized they screwed up in the Cell and switched gears while also delivering a pretty good show. There were a few historical points on the card and nothing was terrible (Fury vs. Strowman was bad but there’s a big asterisk with it), but more importantly it feels like something mattered here, which is one of the biggest problems with this show most of the time. It’s no classic and isn’t worth watching, but they addressed some of the bigger problems and had an entertaining enough show, making this a miracle by comparison to the rest of the shows.

Results

Brock Lesnar b. Cain Velasquez – Kimura

OC won Tag Team Turmoil last eliminating the Viking Raiders

Mansoor b. Cesaro – Moonsault

Tyson Fury b. Braun Strowman via countout

AJ Styles b. Humberto Carrillo – Phenomenal Forearm

Natalya b. Lacey Evans – Sharpshooter

Team Hogan b. Team Flair – Spear to Orton

The Fiend b. Seth Rollins – Sister Abigail onto the floor

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

Crown Jewel 2019 Preview

IMG Credit: WWE

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I hope I can at least. These things have gone from one of the worst shows of the year to THE worst show of the year, somehow finding new lows to reach. Last year’s Crown Jewel was one of the worst things I can ever remember seeing for a wrestling show and I don’t see this one being a massive improvement. It isn’t about the wrestling content but rather about what kinds of stupid decisions they make and expect us to just accept. This could be a complete nightmare as it tends to be so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Battle Royal

This is one of those ideas that has been around since house shows began because it is something that will always work. The winner gets a shot at the United States Title later in the night so how bad can this be? Above all else, it feels like a bunch of lower level guys getting a chance to get a one off title shot so it isn’t like the winner is going to mean much in the end.

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll go with Cedric Alexander winning, as his feud with AJ Styles is a few months old now and it would make the most sense to go back in time for a match like this. It’s easy, it’s inoffensive and the match will likely wind up being pretty good. Why mess with a formula that works? I mean, very little has worked on this show in the past but at least they might have something with Alexander winning.

US Title: AJ Styles(c) vs. ???

So yeah I think you get the idea here and unless you’re reading this out of order (I’ve heard worse ideas), you know where I’m going with the pick. What matters most here is giving the fans a good match and thankfully Styles is the kind of wrestler who can do that against anyone. There is no reason to rock the boat whatsoever on this one and they would be smart to just do what they have done so many times.

Therefore, just like he has every time, I’ll go with Styles to win and retain over Alexander. I’m sure the match will be fine and likely go about ten minutes, making it pretty much what they do on any given show. Alexander is someone you can easily buy as a viable challenger and his stuff will look good in a major stadium. Now all that you have to do is find a way to bring him back up after choking so many times in his big match.

Natalya vs. Lacey Evans

Just in case you needed more reinforcement in the concept of NEVER SAY NEVER. This is the kind of thing that I never believed could possibly happen and yet here we are. WWE did not announce this one until the day before the show, which sadly may have been to weaken the impact and culture shock that would come with it. It really is a big deal, though we’ll have to see if it is something that keeps going in the future.

I’ll take Natalya for the win here as she is the perfectly safe pick that WWE would love to push here. I know she isn’t the most interesting wrestler in the world and that has been the case for a long time now. On the other hand though, you’re going to get a steady match and that is going to be a better idea than putting Evans out there with someone who doesn’t have enough experience to make something work on the big stage.

Mansoor vs. Cesaro

Yeah we’re doing this again. I get that Mansoor is actually decent in the ring and I’ve liked a few of his appearances in NXT. He isn’t some incredible, can’t miss prospect or really even anything close to it, but he can handle himself in the ring and is someone that can be put out there to give the Saudi Arabian fans something to cheer about, but don’t pretend that he’s anything more than that. What they’re doing here isn’t a secret so let’s just get it over with.

Of course Mansoor wins here because it’s not like he’s around for anything else. Go with what makes sense from this show’s perspective and have Cesaro lose (AGAIN) so Mansoor can get the home country pop. I know it doesn’t mean anything because it’s on one of the Saudi Arabian shows, but they better realize that Cesaro is probably bailing from the company as soon as he can and this is just the latest reason that he’s running.

Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman

This would be another example of a match that is only taking place for the sake of the live crowd, because the Saudi Arabian government wants some star power for their money. Fair enough, and Fury has been a heck of a promo when he is given the chance, but this has a chance to be a serious disaster. Strowman isn’t the most graceful wrestler in the world and he hasn’t even been wrestling for that long, but now he’s supposed to be able to walk Fury through a match? In these conditions? That’s how this is supposed to work?

I’ll go with Strowman here, but I have a really bad feeling that it is going to go to Fury for the sake of the surprise. That being said, even if Strowman loses, does it matter? Last year’s match against Brock Lesnar at this same show is about as bad of a result as he could have had and now we’re just stuck waiting on him to do anything else because for some reason WWE doesn’t think that someone tripping at the goal line every time will ever hurt him. Strowman wins, but I have very little confidence in either the pick or his future.

Team Hogan vs. Team Flair

Here’s your legends match, as we are really supposed to pretend that Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair was ever a rivalry between two sides that were even close to equal. This feud has been dusted off in the WWF, WCW, Impact and now WWE again, plus on Hogan’s own tour of Australia. How we’re still doing this is beyond me, but at least this time there will be some other wrestlers there to share some of the spotlight. I mean, like 3% of it but it’s better than nothing.

Of course Team Hogan gets the nod here, as there is no reason for them not to. This is the kind of match that is designed for the legendary face to win while Flair, who has been bragging about being cleared to take a bump (because he’s nuts and no one will be sane and tell him no) gets to lose and kick his feet again, because that’s how this rivalry (and I use that term loosely) has gone for about twenty five years now. Hogan’s team wins, because that’s what he does when he faces anything associated with Flair.

Tag Team Turmoil

If there is one match that shows you how divorced from reality this series of shows really is, it’s this one. You have a rather ridiculous nine teams in one match, including both Tag Team Champions, and the prize is the title of BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD. Now one would think that would just be Revival vs. Viking Raiders, but why do that when you can do it MUCH FREAKING BIGGER???

Just for the sake of making my head hurt, I’ll go with New Day here, because they lost on SmackDown but since that doesn’t matter, they’ll win here and then not win the titles in their match on Friday. It makes the least sense possible from a narrative perspective so I find it to be the most likely outcome. This is probably going to get a lot more time than it needs, which tends to be the case with a lot of gauntlet style matches these days.

WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar(c) vs. Cain Velasquez

I’m not sure what to say here as I get the concept, but it isn’t something that gets me overly interested. Normally I would say that there is no chance Velasquez wins, but at the same time we’re going to be seeing a women’s match in Saudi Arabia so that line of thinking isn’t quite viable. It’s been about nine years since Velasquez mauled Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Title and Lesnar is out for revenge, while Velasquez is fighting for Rey Mysterio and Dominick, both of whom were injured at Lesnar’s hands.

I’m going to go with what makes sense here and pick Lesnar, but I have this feeling in my gut (which is almost never right) that they might give it to Velasquez. The biggest problem I see with that though is what in the world they could do with Velasquez, who has wrestled less than three career matches, after that. I’ll take Lesnar here, but a freaky ending that sets up a WrestleMania rematch wouldn’t shock me.

Universal Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. The Fiend

And then….this. It takes a lot to actually make me annoyed about a wrestling show but their first match did the trick. For reasons that only WWE could explain to you, they felt the need to not only put their hottest act in the Cell, but have him lose in the least intimidating way possible. It was booed out of the building and WWE hasn’t been the same since that took place. Now it’s the rematch and the question is how can they mess this up again?

I’ll go with Rollins here, because it’s the dumbest thing that they could do. Fiend is in trouble after everything that has happened to him as of late and the best thing possible for him would be to no sell the Stomp and win this in about two minutes. WWE loves having the title on Rollins too much for that to happen though, so Rollins retains here and WWE gets to spend even longer trying to figure out why their audience is shrinking and why the Fiend keeps getting weaker reactions.

Overall Thoughts

Does anyone actually want to watch this show? The entire series has become a nightmare for WWE fans, though I’m sure the company doesn’t mind due to the crazy checks they receive for them. The wrestling has rarely been the problem here, but there is a real chance that we are going to be in for some of the worst booking decisions of the year, because WWE either thinks that no one pays attention or that they’re brilliant enough to get themselves out of it. I doubt it can be worse than last time, but remember: never say never.

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

Monday Night Raw – May 30, 2005: How Can We Miss You If You Won’t Go Away?

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 30, 2005
Location: Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Attendance: 8,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re on the way to One Night Stand and after last week, that is the most interesting thing on the show. At the same time though, we have to deal with a THIRD HHH vs. Batista World Title match on pay per view. Now some might have thought that two wins over HHH were enough, but the clear solution is to lock them inside the Cell. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Memorial Day tribute. Vince NEVER misses this thing.

Opening sequence.

Since it’s the unofficial start of Summer, we’ll start with Jerry Lawler running a Diva Swimsuit contest. We’ve got Christy, Candice Michelle, Maria, Victoria and Lillian Garcia for a pretty surprising entrant. Lillian gets to go first and Lawler is VERY surprised but here’s Viscera before she takes her towel off. Viscera likes the idea of her in the swimsuit so he carries her to the back, leaving us with the other four to compete instead.

They all go and Lawler picks Christy as the winner. That’s too much for Victoria, who beats the other three up in a heel turn. Lawler tries to intervene and gets kicked low hard, followed by the Widow’s Peak to Christy. I assure you this was in no way an excuse for women in swimsuits to bounce around.

Post break Victoria rants about being sick of Christy getting all of the attention when it should have been all about her.

Tag Team Titles: Heart Throbs vs. Hurricane/Rosey

The Throbs are challenging after beating William Regal and Tajiri in a Texas Tornado match on Heat. Hurricane gets double teamed to start but fights out of it pretty quickly as Lawler needs some ice. Or Stacy Keibler if she’s available. The beatdown is back on with Hurricane being sent into the corner as a STACY’S HOT chant begins. Romeo slugs away at Hurricane’s face but a reversed whip allows the hot tag to Rosey. Everything breaks down as Rosey cleans house, including going to the middle rope so Hurricane can hit a splash from his shoulders to retain.

Rating: D. Yeah Stacy isn’t exactly saving the team as this was little more than watching Hurricane get beaten up for a few minutes until Rosey came in to take over. The champs aren’t the most thrilling people to hold the titles but really, who else is there for the titles at the moment? This is a really low point in the belts’ history and it doesn’t look likely to get better anytime soon.

Here are some of the potential finalists in the Diva Search.

We look back at last week when HHH made his epic return after a week away, Ric Flair turned on Batista, and the Cell match was announced for Vengeance. Oh and Edge got pinned after being built up with the tournament for about a month, but we need to get back to Batista vs. HHH already.

A bandaged Batista isn’t happy that HHH isn’t here. The Cell is on though and he wants the contract signed next week. Muhammad Hassan and Daivari come in and demand to know why HHH is getting another title shot after losing at Wrestlemania and Backlash. Well he’s fired. Anyway, Batista gets in Hassan’s face and offers to shut him up. Bischoff makes the match. Daivari rants and gets slapped.

Intercontinental Title: Shelton Benjamin vs. Robert Conway vs. Sylvain Grenier

Shelton is defending. We get a La Resistance reunion so Shelton can get beaten down to start but Shelton Samoan drops Grenier without much effort. Conway takes over and the double teaming is back on, only to have the argument break out again. The fans want Jericho get but Shelton taking even more of a beating until Grenier is sent outside. A backbreaker gets two on Conway but Grenier is back in for the Hart Attack.

Cue the argument over the cover (take a shot) so Grenier knocks Conway outside. Benjamin knocks Conway outside to join him but Grenier is back up to block the springboard clothesline. That means another French fight with Conway’s neckbreaker getting two. The fans chant something I can’t understand (likely anti-French) until Shelton FINALLY saves us from this match that is actually taking place on Raw with a Stinger Splash to Conway. The spinwheel kick sets up the exploder to Grenier to retain the title.

Rating: D. This was longer than it needed to be and if they really think that having Conway vs. Grenier can keep the fans interested, they’re slipping into delusional territory. Shelton is in a weird place at the moment as he’s ready to move up to the main event scene but has to lose the title at some point. I’m not sure to whom, but it has to happen eventually.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel, with Jericho apologizing for almost being late but you should have seen the line at his autograph signing today. Anyway, next week is going to be a big deal as the first pick from Smackdown in the Draft will be his guest on the Highlight Reel. As for tonight, one of his guests is a monster with no remorse who takes great joy in the pain of others.

Enough about Lita though because here’s Kane. Jericho wants to know about Lita leaving Kane because that’s never happened to him before (Jericho: “In fact it’s usually the opposite.”). Is it because Kane’s equipment malfunctioned? That earns Jericho the hardest side stare I can remember so Jericho offers him some tissues, ice cream and a copy of Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood so Kane can have a good cry.

Edge pops up on screen for a reminder that he has speared both Kane and Kane’s wife in the last few weeks. Remember those emergency phone calls Lita made to her sister in the middle of the night? They were to Edge. Lita comes in to say she has officially filed for divorce so there is no more dealing with Kane’s sweaty body or his dumb laugh. Oh and he’s like a fourth grader in the bedroom (not going near that one). For a bonus, Lita flushes her wedding ring.

Quick question: so Lita went from hating Kane to caring for him and apparently living with him to an affair with Edge in the course of six months? Isn’t that a bit more complicated than it needs to be? Was there a reason she was staying with him at night when she would sneak off to call Edge? Or sleeping with him at all? Maybe she is just nuts.

Here’s Eric Bischoff to complain about one Night Stand. If he hates ECW style matches, why did he approve a tables match between Chris Benoit and Edge tonight? It’s because he wants us to see that you can do ECW any night of the week (or perhaps just on Mondays). Therefore, here’s one of his generals for the ECW invasion.

Edge vs. Chris Benoit

Tables match with Bischoff on commentary. They slug it out in the corner to start as you can hear the gleam in Bischoff’s voice as he rips on ECW. Benoit snaps off a suplex and chops away some more to send Edge outside. The first table is loaded up but Benoit dives onto Edge as we take a break.

Back with Benoit taking over and going for the Sharpshooter as Lawler talks about an upcoming ECW magazine. Bischoff: “I would encourage no one to buy that!” The Sharpshooter doesn’t work so Edge goes for the table again, only to have it baseball slidden into his face. Benoit crotches Edge on the bottom rope and pulls on the legs a bit before suplexing him back inside.

Edge gets crotched on the top as well and it’s another baseball slide to take it outside again. A table is brought in but Lita moves it out of the way of as Benoit hits the superplex. The briefcase is brought in so Benoit hits a German suplex to send it flying. Lita breaks up the Swan Dive through the table so Bischoff sends down Maven and Tomko (what a pair) to fight Benoit. Snitsky runs out too and the four on one beatdown sets up a powerbomb through the table to give Edge the win.

Rating: C+. These two always work well together and they did it again here. They managed to cover a pair of stories at once here as Edge gets a boost after last week’s loss and also pushed the ECW show. That’s becoming the top story around here and it feels like it should be pretty cool. Having Bischoff and Vince (at least for a week) involved make it more important and that’s the attention it should get.

Just because it’s so important, here’s HHH’s return to attack Batista last week.

HHH joins us from WWE Studios to talk about how this is his company and Batista is just having some fun. Last week he beat Batista, so now the Animal can become more violent or more submissive. Batista was scared last week and that is the first step. The final step is inside the Cell, where HHH ends careers.

Ask Kevin Nash (wrestled another cage match later that year) or Mick Foley (wrestled in the main event of Wrestlemania about six weeks later). Batista should fear HHH instead of the Cell because HHH likes being inside there. HHH is taking a piece of him in the Cell, plus the title. This was more of your usual HHH trying to be epic and making it all about himself again, because that’s what Raw needs to be about.

Here’s Chris Masters for the Masterlock Challenge for $10,000 American (because Canadian money is worthless you see). This week, the challenge is for anyone in the locker room because he wants some real competition. Cue Val Venis to answer, which is cool with Masters. His roommate in college had all of Val’s movies, which Val seems to appreciate. They’re ready to go but Masters beats him up before putting on the Masterlock. Val almost breaks it but gets taken down anyway.

Here’s Christian for a chat. Christian is happy to be back in Canada but wants to talk about everyone who could be coming over from Smackdown. What they don’t have though is a Canadian, so maybe he should head over there. And that’s it.

Muhammad Hassan vs. Batista

Non-title. Hassan tries to jump him before the bell and gets elbowed in the face for his efforts. That’s enough to send Hassan outside so Batista sends him right back inside. This time Hassan gets in a kick to the head and a neckbreaker gets two. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Batista slams him down for the breather. Batista gets in the spinebuster but has to deal with an invading Hassan, including a belt shot to bust him open. Stomping and choking in the corner are enough for the DQ to keep Hassan undefeated.

Rating: D+. This is a good example of booking themselves into something close to a corner but knowing how to get out of it. The DQ finish may be a bit annoying but it’s exactly the way to go here to keep everyone in good shape and make Batista look angry going into the Cell. It’s rather nice to see them showing some intelligence for a change, which you don’t get enough of today.

Post match Batista wrecks Hassan to bust him open as well. The Batista Bomb plants Daivari and Hassan gets one of his own. Batista poses over their bloodied bodies to end the show.

Overall Rating: D-. Egads this was bad and I’m not sure if there was one big thing that caused the whole thing. The HHH vs. Batista stuff sounds like something that is just happening because HHH demanded that it should and we don’t move on until he says we do. Other than that, the wrestling was mostly terrible and the only thing I want to see at the moment is the ECW invasion. They just need to fix something and find an interesting story already, but that isn’t going to matter as long as HHH won’t just go away for a bit.

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

New Column: WWE, Saudi Arabia And The New Reality

As I try to figure out the underlying problem with the Saudi shows.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-wwe-saudi-arabia-new-reality/

Women’s Match To Take Place At Crown Jewel

I never thought I’d see the day but that’s very impressive. No this doesn’t change everything in Saudi Arabia but it’s cool to see WWE actually make something like this happen. I have no idea if Lacey Evans and Natalya will have any form of restrictions, but they’re on the show and that’s something.

Main Event – October 24, 2019: They’re Doing An Angle!

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: October 24, 2019
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Dio Maddin, Mickie James

It’s time for the weekly recap show, which is a good idea as I’m not even remembering what happened on the show. That is such a big problem around…well most of wrestling in general lately. Maybe it’s just me, but so little leaves much of an impact anymore. Hopefully this can fix that up a little bit. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose

Hold on though as Mojo grabs a mic (on THIS show?) to insult the members of the Conga Line. There is a grown man in a cheeseburger costume and they’re following Jose? They need a real athlete and someone who earned his MBA at 21 years old. They slug it out to start until Mojo gets hiptossed to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody gives Jose two….but Mojo is right back with the running right hand in the corner for the pin at 1:28. What the heck was that? You’re cutting a MAIN EVENT match short? Normally I would have some hope for a story around here but I’ve moved on from something like that.

Post match Mojo says the Conga Line needs a real leader but he beats up the cheeseburger man for not following him. Mojo orders everyone else to leave and they eventually go. Dude did they just do an angle on this show???

Video on Bayley’s heel turn.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for MizTV with special guest Bayley, flanked by Sasha Banks, the latter of whom surprises Miz. Bayley and Sasha brag about the title change last week and we see a clip of Bayley’s new attitude, setting up the win over Charlotte. Thankfully the viral clip of the child crying is included. Miz asks Bayley what was up with that but she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. Miz: “Are you Brock Lesnar? Is this your Paul Heyman?”

Banks brings up Miz being a fifth rounds draft pick, which Miz laughs off because he’s always relevant. Bayley talks about crying after losing the title to Charlotte but no one was there to hug her. She has put herself second for years to be a role model but they weren’t there when he needed them. The reality is that Bayley has outgrown these people so here’s some reality: life sucks and then you die.

Video on Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman.

We look at the OC jumping the Street Profits.

From Raw.

Street Profits/??? vs. OC

The Profits do their big, high energy entrance and the fans….don’t seem to care. It gets a bit better but this thing was tailor made for a small place like Full Sail and it doesn’t work here. There’s no mystery partner so the OC mocks them, suggesting that he’s invisible or imaginary. We see a clip of the brawl that set up the match and take a break. Back with….no one as a partner so AJ is on the floor to start.

The Profits waste no time in clearing the ring so it’s gallows coming in for a big boot. Everything breaks down and Ford comes in to clean house, only to get thrown over the top for a crash. Anderson hits a running knee from the apron to take him down again and we take a break. Back with Ford not being able to dive over and get the tag to Dawkins so the beating can continue. The chinlock goes on but Ford fights up and hits a double clothesline. Anderson gets a blind tag but gets sent outside, allowing the hot tag to Dawkins.

House is cleaned but Gallows pulls Anderson out of a Doomsday Device. Anderson’s spinebuster gets two on Ford but AJ gets yelled at for interfering. That means an ejection…..and here’s Kevin Owens to fight AJ, presumably being the third man. Anderson is so stunned that he backdrops Ford to the floor, with Dawkins making the tag on the way through the air. The big frog splash finishes Anderson at 13:03.

Rating: C-. They put WAY too much into this at once as you had a crowd who didn’t know the Profits and then the focus was taken off of them twice. This was spent looking to see who the partner was going to be, wondering why it was then a regular tag match and then having Owens come out to get the attention off of the Profits again. Giving them the win was the right call and the match wasn’t bad, but it was too much going on to showcase them properly.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Natalya vs. Sarah Logan

Natalya is no Dana Brooke. They take turns going to the mat for some early grappling until Natalya gets in an armdrag and strikes a pose. A rollup gives us an early standoff so Natalya grabs a quick abdominal stretch. Sarah smiles so the leg is picked up to make it even worse. The basement dropkick gives Natalya two but Logan kicks her to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Natalya fighting out of the chinlock but getting choked on the ropes for her efforts. The chinlock goes on again so Natalya fights out again for a double clothesline. The belly to back faceplant sends Logan to the apron and she gets in a kick to the face. Natalya blocks the Cloverleaf and kicks her away, setting up the Sharpshooter for the tap at 9:48.

Rating: D+. This is one of those matches that was technically fine but still not something that was going to be anything beyond a standard match. Logan has had nothing to do since the Riott Squad broke up while Natalya will be around WWE until the end of time. She’s going to be on and off of Raw every week and while that is acceptable, it may not be the most thrilling thing.

Video on Seth Rollins vs. the Fiend, starting in the Cell and moving on to Rollins lighting the Firefly Fun House on fire.

Here’s Rey Mysterio, still with his arm in a sling, for a chat. Rey thanks everyone for the love and support he and his family have received since Brock Lesnar took him out. He was thinking about retiring but now he has a new way of thinking because he wants to see Cain Velasquez take the WWE Championship and put another scar on Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman pops up on screen to ask if Mysterio would say the same things if Lesnar was there in person.

Mysterio thought he had the perfect choice to go after Lesnar but Brock has spent nine years waiting for that day. Rey yells in Spanish but here’s Shelton Benjamin to ask how Cain got a title shot. Just for defending Rey’s kid when Rey couldn’t do it? Shelton and Brock are friends too because they roomed together at the University of Minnesota. Rey says Shelton has it all wrong but Shelton wants to know what happens if he shoves Rey around. Maybe one shove is a US Title shot and two is an Intercontinental Title shot.

Shelton asks where Cain Velasquez is….and here he comes, with Shelton realizing that he’s screwed up. Shelton can’t take him down so Cain tosses him to the mat a few times and hammers away, eventually choking Shelton for a quick tap. That….wasn’t very impressive and the fans don’t seem to care all that much.

Overall Rating: D. I can understand the idea of recapping a lot of the stuff from Raw and Smackdown but this show did little more than to remind you just how uninteresting Raw and Smackdown have been as of late. The stories haven’t worked and it’s like there is nothing to get excited about. Putting big wrestlers against outside athletes isn’t something that is going to get me fired up and the rest of the main stuff is looking towards Crown Jewel, which has a set of problems all its own. Bad show here, as somehow the Mojo Rawley thing interests me more than anything else.

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:

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Monday Night Raw – October 28, 2019: Countdown To The Crown

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 28, 2019
Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin, Jerry Lawler

It’s the second go home show for Crown Jewel and most of the card seems to be set in stone already. This time around we’ll be seeing some of the final touches put on, including Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt’s old friend Erick Rowan in a falls count anywhere match. The show’s audience is just miserably bad at the moment but maybe they can turn it around a bit tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Paige to open things up. She’s so proud to have advised the Kabuki Warriors and to have been a small part of their success. Cue the Warriors, with Paige introducing them, only to have Asuka mist her in the face. As Paige begs for water for her eyes, here’s Becky Lynch to beat up both Warriors and set up her announced match against Kairi Sane.

Becky Lynch vs. Kairi Sane

Non-title. Sane’s ribs are banged up before the bell but she’s fine enough to strike Becky down into the corner. Becky fights back with a bulldog into an Oklahoma roll for two. An armdrag is blocked and Becky takes her down into something like Tommaso Ciampa’s former flipping armbar.

Back up and Becky can’t get the Disarm-Her as Sane bails out to the floor for a breather. That means a dive to take Sane down again but Becky goes after Asuka, allowing Sane to kick her into the steps as we take a break. Back with Becky spinning out of a bow and arrow hold but getting kneed in the face. Becky kicks away, with Lawler wondering if her snapping like this can be classified as a ginger snap.

Sane pulls her down into something like a cross legged Boston crab, which is pulled back so hard that their heads are almost touching. That has to be let go and a double knockdown gives Becky a breather. Sane kicks her down again but the Insane Elbow is broken up. The middle rope legdrop gives Lynch two and she kicks Sane in the head. Asuka gets kicked away as well but Sane hits a spinning backfist for two. Becky is fine enough to pull Kairi straight down into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 14:47.

Rating: B. This was the kind of hard hitting match that it needed to be and you can pencil in Becky vs. Asuka from here. That’s one of the money matches they have in the division and I’m really not sure how it would go. Lynch continues to be one of the biggest names on the roster and under the right circumstances, she could be the big star that Raw needs. I mean, it’s not like they have anyone else in that spot at the moment, do they?

Here’s R-Truth for a match with Buddy Murphy, but he isn’t sure Murphy is his buddy. As for the Singh Brothers, he was sure there were more than one of them so he got some glasses. Now he can have both eyes on the prize of becoming a 52 time champion. Murphy comes out and says Truth is remembering everyone, except Australia’s finest.

Buddy Murphy vs. R-Truth

Murphy hammers away to start and gets up a boot in the corner. The twisting forearm gives Truth two and he hits the side kick for two. Cue the Singh Brothers with the 24/7 Title and the mob gives chase. Truth joins in, running in front of the champ for a bit before coming back in and eating a knee to the face to give Murphy the pin at 2:46. And that’s how Murphy gets his big Raw win: beating a comedy guy and needing seven people to help him do it.

Here are the Street Profits for a chat. They’re proud of their first win last week and are so thankful for Stun Owens Stun. Ford liked kissing the baby last week but Dawkins remembers kissing some woman at the after party. If anyone wants to fight them, they can come on because they want the smoke. That gives us a WE WANT THE SMOKE chant and they head into the crowd again. The fans are starting to get into them and that’s a good sign after last week’s not so warm reception.

Back from a break with Ric Flair already in the ring and Hulk Hogan/Jimmy Hart in mid-entrance. What is with Hogan and Flair not getting full entrances lately? Are they that desperate to get past this stuff? Anyway they’re here for a preview of Thursday’s match.

Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre

Ricochet dives onto McIntyre before the bell and then does it again after the bell, though the second one aggravates Ricochet’s taped up ribs. Drew drops him ribs first onto the top and kicks said bad ribs to make it worse. An overhead suplex drops Ricochet on the ribs again, setting up the big boot and legdrop. McIntyre goes outside to get in Hogan’s face, possibly offering him a nice Shirley Temple.

Back in and the abdominal stretch goes on, followed by the release suplex to drop Ricochet on his back again. One heck of a backdrop (with Ricochet doing his crawling through the sky motion) and a Razor’s Edge buckle bomb lets McIntyre mock Hogan’s pose. Drew charges into two boots in the corner and a kick to the face gives Ricochet two as we take a break.

Back with Ricochet making the comeback with strikes to the face and an enziguri for the double knockdown. The springboard clothesline into the Lionsault gets two but Ricochet can’t get him in a fireman’s carry. Instead it’s the reverse Alabama Slam to give Drew his own two and the Glasgow Kiss drops Ricochet again. Drew throws him off the top but the Claymore is cut off with a jumping superkick. The 630 misses so here’s Randy Orton for the RKO on Ricochet for the DQ at 17:01.

Rating: B-. It’s another good match but this was a long match to set up the DQ finish to get us towards a ten man tag that will come and go at Crown Jewel. They both have the kind of star power that the show needs and once they get done working to make Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan happy before they go away again, maybe we can see the talent better utilized. In other words, Crown Jewel needs to be over already.

The OC didn’t think much of Humberto Carrilo’s debut match last week and if he wants to face the real champion, he can fight AJ Styles later.

War Raiders vs. Chicago Cubs

Non-title and that would be Rizzo and Bryant, two guys in Cubs jerseys. Rizzo bails to start (Lawler: “They’ve already gone to the bullpen.”) and the beatdown is on in a hurry. The jersey is ripped off during the beatdown and the fans are rather pleased. The powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam plants the Cubs at the same time and it’s the Viking Experience for the pin at 2:01.

Sin Cara is ready for his rematch with Andrade and brings in a luchadora named Carolina to counter Zelina Vega.

Andrade vs. Sin Cara

Cara dives over Carolina to get in the ring. An early headscissors puts Andrade on the floor but he gets shoved off the top. Zelina even gets in the Tranquilo pose on the floor for a great bonus. An other the shoulder backbreaker sets up a seated abdominal stretch. Andrade’s running knee hits buckle though and he crashes to the floor, setting up the big dive from Cara. Back in and something like a spinning Canadian Destroyer hits Andrade but the women get in a fight on the floor, with Vega being sent into the barricade. Andrade uses the distraction to grab a rollup with his feet on the ropes for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad while it lasted, though I’m not sure we needed a rematch in the first place and debuting a new manage for Cara as he loses is a weird situation. They were smart to keep it short here though as Andrade beat him last week and, at the end of the day, it’s Sin Cara. Just putting him on a different brand doesn’t change his rather limited history of success. Kind of confusing booking here, but they got the right ending so it’s fine.

IIconics vs. Charlotte/Natalya

Charlotte chops away at Peyton to start and it’s a double suplex to give Natalya two. Billie comes back in for an armbar on Natalya and it’s back to Peyton for a half nelson with her legs in the ropes. A spinning kick to the face gives Peyton two more and the bulldog onto Billie’s knee gets the same. Billie goes after Charlotte though and Natalya gets in the Sharpshooter for the tap at 4:45 with Charlotte spearing Peyton down.

Rating: D+. Just seeing Natalya in there took away any energy this thing had. She is a talented in-ring worker but the vacuum of charisma is too much to overcome. On the other hand you have the IIconics, who are as annoying of a pair of heels as you can have, in a good way. Nothing to the match, but I’ll take this over Natalya vs. Lacey Evans or Becky again.

Seth Rollins is ready to get fired up for Crown Jewel by facing Erick Rowan in a falls count anywhere match tonight. Rollins is going to have to beat the Fiend because no one will be able to stop the match.

Seth Rollins vs. Erick Rowan

Non-title and falls count anywhere. Rollins charges at him to start and gets tossed into the corner for his efforts. A low bridge puts Rowan on the floor, where he is fine enough to send Rollins into the barricade a few times. The big boot gives Rowan two on the floor and they fight into the crowd.

They fight into the concourse with Rollins hitting him with a metal post. That’s fine with Rowan, who Rock Bottoms him through a merchandise table for two as we take a break. Back with Rollins hitting a suicide dive and sending Rowan into the steps. Rowan sends him into the steps as well and hits a splash off the apron for two. The powerbomb into the post gets two more and they head up to the stage.

Rowan clears the announcers’ table but gets caught with the Stomp onto said table for the delayed two. Rollins finds a chair and they fight into the back with Rowan sends him into a pile of pipes. A ladder to the ribs takes Rowan down and the Stomp onto the ladder sets up….the Halftime Heat finish as Rollins has a fork lift lowered onto Rowan for the cover and the pin at 15:05.

Rating: C+. Well at least we didn’t get the fork lift camera angle. They did a lot of good things here but at the same time, I’m not sure how smart it is to have Rollins need this much effort to beat someone three days before a title match that he should lose. I mean, he’ll win but he shouldn’t given the circumstances. Rowan’s push seems to be close to ending, though he got in a lot here.

Aleister Black wants another fight and promises to give them an intimate relationship with fear.

We look at Brock Lesnar attacking Rey Mysterio and Cain Velasquez on Smackdown.

Crown Jewel rundown.

AJ Styles vs. Humberto Carrillo

Non-title. Carrillo starts with the flipping and hammers away in the corner, setting up a springboard headbutt for one. A Disaster Kick gets two and they head outside with AJ driving him into the barricade. The tornado DDT on to the floor knocks Carrillo silly and we take a break.

Back with Carrillo fighting out of a chinlock and hitting another springboard kick to the face. The Aztec Press gets two on AJ but he’s right back with the reverse DDT for two of his own. Carrillo drops him again though and a huge moonsault gets another two. It’s back to the air but this time AJ shoulders Carrillo in the knee on the way down. The Calf Crusher makes Carrillo tap at 9:24.

Rating: B-. Thus we continue the theory of wins meaning nothing as they try to bring up these new talents but rarely let them win anything. Carrillo and Sin Cara are now 0-4 on Raw, and hopefully that means they’re just going to be jobbers to the stars. Of course that begs the question of why Carrillo was their best option to bring up, but I’m not one to question WWE’s genius.

Post match AJ disrespects Carrillo and gets hit in the face, only to have AJ kick him in the leg. The Styles Clash plants Carrillo. The beatdown seems to be on from the OC but the Street Profits make the save. The OC bails, suggesting that Kevin Owens, the big main event surprise from last week, won’t be on the show.

We recap Bobby Lashley and Lana’s affair to destroy Rusev and Lana’s marriage.

It’s time for the King’s Court with Lana and Rusev, the latter of whom is still wearing his wedding ring for the sake of some hope. Lana says she is tired of being harassed by the fans but the truth is that their marriage was all about Rusev wanting sex. Rusev: “Well can you blame me?”

Apparently Rusev is a sex addict who just wanted to impregnate her. That isn’t happening because she won’t be able to get modeling work if she’s pregnant. Oh and Rusev cheated on her, which Lashley told her about. Rusev denies the whole thing so here’s Lashley, with Lana running off. The fight is on with Lashley going into the steps and they head back inside.

Lashley’s spear is cut off with a superkick and Samoan drop, allowing Rusev to take off the wedding ring. He asks Lana if this is what she wants and stuffs the ring in Lashley’s mouth. Lana finds a kendo stick and hits Rusev for no effect so he yells at her, allowing Lashley to hit him low. Kissing ensues to end the show. They’re getting better with Rusev fighting back and he doesn’t look as bad if Lana believed that he was cheating on her, but this feels like a bad daytime talk show closing out the last ten minutes of Raw.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s one of their better shows in a long time, but you could feel the firm ceiling above everything. It feels like they’re running with an anchor right now and it’s shaped like Saudi Arabia. The fans and company both seem to understand that nothing of note is (likely) happening there and we’re not getting suckered in again.

At the same time, we are coming up on the start of the rapid fire Survivor Series build so that’s another stretch where nothing gets to be set up properly. The show was entertaining enough and the wrestling was good, but there are a lot of things limiting the enjoyment and they’re doing a lot of damage.

Results

Becky Lynch b. Kairi Sane – Disarm-Her

Buddy Murphy b. R-Truth – Knee to the face

Ricochet b. Drew McIntyre via DQ when Randy Orton interfered

War Raiders b. Chicago Cubs – Viking Experience to Bryant

Natalya/Charlotte b. IIconics – Sharpshooter to Kay

Seth Rollins b. Erick Rowan – Pin under a fork lift

AJ Styles b. Humberto Carrillo – Calf Crusher

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:

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Smackdown – May 26, 2005: The Line Has Been Drawn

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: May 26, 2005
Location: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re past Judgment Day and that means it’s going to be a good while before Smackdown has its own pay per view again. ECW One Night Stand is going to be its own thing and then Raw has Vengeance. Then again the Draft starts next month and that is going to shake things up anyway so it might be a long time before we know what we are going to have in the first place. Let’s get to it.

Here are Judgment Day’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the rather violent I Quit match with John Cena making JBL quit and then beating him up anyway. Quite the heroic action, but that much blood and that kind of a star making performance make up for it.

Opening sequence.

We’ll start things off with Carlito’s Cabana (becoming more common) and Matt Morgan is out with Carlito. The guest this week is someone who earned a lot of respect from the locker room at Judgment Day: Carlito himself. Carlito praises himself but also thanks Morgan, and we see a clip of Morgan laying Big Show out. Cue Theodore Long, with Carlito designating him as NOT cool. Long makes fun of Morgan’s stutter while threatening to suspend him if he goes too far.

With that out of the way, Long explains the Draft, which will see a random wrestler move from Raw to Smackdown and vice versa. Therefore, next week might be everyone’s last on the show so Long has an idea. Tonight it’s a winner’s choice battle royal with the winner getting any match they choose. That’s cool with Carlito, who wants to win and get a WWE Title match against John Cena. Long likes the enthusiasm so Carlito can have another match tonight….against the Big Show. Carlito hugs Morgan out of fear.

Rey Mysterio is getting ready when he talks about making Eddie Guerrero pay tonight. When he wins the battle royal, he’s coming after Eddie again.

Tag Team Titles: MNM vs. Charlie Haas/Hardcore Holly

MNM is defending in a rematch from Sunday. Holly and Mercury start things off but Nitro gets in a cheap shot at the bell. That’s fine with Holly, who drops Mercury with a belly to back suplex for two. Mercury chops him into the corner, which is just fine with Holly. Now it’s Nitro being brought in for more chops from Holly and the hanging kick to the low abdomen keeps Mercury in trouble.

Haas comes in for two off an Oklahoma roll but Mercury drives him into the corner without much effort. That means it’s off to Nitro, who gets dropkicked out of the air to put him down as well. We take a very sudden break and come back with Nitro coming in off a blind tag and getting in a cheap shot. The chinlock goes on, followed by a double gutbuster to really put Haas down. Haas grabs an armdrag and dives for the corner but Nitro powers him straight back into the corner to cut the crowd off again.

Holly chases Mercury around the ring instead of being on the apron for a tag, allowing Melina to rake Haas’ eyes. Not that it matters as Haas gets over for the tag a few seconds later and Holly starts cleaning house. Everything breaks down and the referee gets bumped, meaning there’s no count off the Alabama Slam. Nitro hits Holly with a chair and the referee sees that for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Haas and Holly have managed to do a little bit better than just being the lame team of combined jobbers, but at the same time there was no reason to believe that they were going to win the titles here. MNM continues to be a great team who needs some better opponents, which has been the case for a long list of teams over the last….well several years long stretches in company history.

Post match Haas chases everyone off with the chair.

We look at Booker T. and Sharmell beating up Kurt Angle on Sunday.

Booker says he’s never been prouder of Sharmell and he’ll never forget to take out the trash.

Here’s John Cena for a chat and the fans are rather happy to see him. Cena gives a more reserved than usual thank you and talks about how the chain represents never giving up. There had been a lot of talk about him being a one hit wonder and a bad champion. Then JBL said two words to change all of that on Sunday. Cena never said those words and therefore, THE CHAMP IS HERE.

JBL was right that Cena would suffer and bleed like never before and he was right. But when JBL said that he would take Cena’s soul, he was completely wrong. JBL QUIT and he must feel humiliated because of everything. Cena: “He’s got to feel like some pathetic shell of a man. And you are!”

Cue JBL, who looks a bit like Vince as he gets out of the limo. JBL slowly gets in the ring and says he doesn’t make excuses. That’s why he’s rich and the longest reigning WWE Champion in the last decade. JBL gave Cena a beating but he would never quit. He’s beaten everyone but he isn’t sure if he can beat Cena. It’s true that Cena is the man, but it’s just for now.

Someone like Cena will implode like Kurt Cobain or Mike Tyson. Then JBL will be there to become champion again. Cena says the people will decide your legacy and if he goes down, it’s in a blaze of glory. He’s a soldier who doesn’t care about his legacy, but JBL does. That’s why Cena has something for him (Cena: “You’re an idiot but you’ve done a lot of great things.”): a tribute video of JBL’s career. It had some classic matches and moments so JBL would love to see it.

We see the tribute video….which quickly turns into JBL saying I QUIT over and over. Cena dubs him the most celebrated quitter in WWE history and JBL leaves in disgust. This was a nice moment for Cena at first before it broke down into the usual banter between the two, though JBL had it coming to him after being a jerk, even in congratulating Cena on his win.

Carlito vs. Big Show

Show starts with the chops but stops to yell at Morgan. With Carlito still down, Show steps on his chest but Morgan grabs Show’s boot, earning himself an ejection. Carlito tries to leave as well, only to get pulled over the top and back inside in a big crash. Show: “YOU LOST YOUR STUTTERING FRIEND!” A huge chop takes Carlito down again and Show shoves him away with ease. Carlito gets up fast though and hits a middle rope dropkick to the leg. Not that it matters as the chokeslam gives Show the easy pin.

Rating: D. This was just a way to set up the post match angle and continue to remind us that Morgan exists. That being said, you’re not going to get anywhere with Morgan as a monster with the stuttering deal, but I’m sure WWE doesn’t understand the problem. What we got barely existed, but I can always go for seeing Carlito get destroyed.

Post match Morgan comes out and kicks Show in the head, setting up an F5 (in slow motion but an F5) through the announcers’ table.

We look back at the pretty awesome ECW funeral from Raw with Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman hyping up One Night Stand. You can feel Heyman’s emotion coming through as his baby is getting one more chance.

Kurt Angle comes out for the Kurt Angle Invitational but first he needs to talk about how dark of a time it is for him. He got beaten up by Booker T. and then got humiliated by Booker’s gutter s*** wife. Then he had to hear about ECW, which isn’t his kind of wrestling. He even went to an ECW show and it made him so sick that he left halfway through. That’s why he is coming to One Night Stand with a bunch of tickets for some Smackdown wrestlers. Angle yells at Tazz, promising to bounce the ECW wrestlers like Heyman bounced checks. Tazz takes off his headset and sunglasses but never gets up. On with the destruction.

Kurt Angle vs. Robert

We never hear his last name but it’s Robert Fury of OVW non-fame. Angle runs him over as usual and it’s the Angle Slam into the ankle lock. Tazz kept his headset off and glared at Angle throughout the match.

Post match, Angle says on with the battle royal.

Battle Royal

Kurt Angle, Heidenreich, Carlito, Matt Morgan, Booker T., Hardcore Holly, Charlie Haas, Billy Kidman, Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Funaki, Shannon Moore, Akio, Doug Basham, Danny Basham, Orlando Jordan, Paul London, Scotty 2 Hotty, Nunzio, Johnny Nitro, Mark Jindrak, Joey Mercury

Hold on though as Eddie chairs Rey from behind during his entrance. The beatdown ensues with referees running out for the late save. So there is no Rey, Morgan starts on the floor and Eddie (who has cut his nose somehow) drops to the floor as well. London is out first, because that’s what a champion means around here. Angle tosses Funaki and Kidman clotheslines Mercury out.

Akio is eliminated by Booker as Morgan blocks Carlito from being thrown out. There goes Jindrak and we take a break. Back with Nitro having been eliminated and Holly dumping Kidman. Angle gets rid of Heidenreich (which Cole calls a disqualification) as the ring is starting to thin out a bit. There goes Chavo at Scotty’s hands and Haas is out as well, with a nasty landing where his foot hits the apron on the way down.

Morgan pulls out Nunzio and Funaki but the distraction lets Booker eliminate Carlito. Eddie comes back in and tosses Scotty. We’re down to the Bashams, Jordan, Eddie, Angle, Holly and Booker but Eddie gets rid of Holly. Cue Rey to fight Eddie and take him out with a headscissors. Rey, who went over the top to the apron, goes back in and comes back out through the middle ropes (smart man) to dive onto Eddie. Referees have to break it up again as Eddie looks shell shocked.

We take another break and come back with Rey, the Bashams, Jordan, Angle and Booker (I guess Morgan was either never an entrant or just walked out without being eliminated). Some double teaming has Booker on the apron but he fights back in and clotheslines his way to freedom.

Spinebusters abound as Booker beats up the Cabinet by himself and gets rid of all three of them. Angle tosses Booker though and we’re down to Angle vs. Mysterio. Rey hammers on Angle in the corner but Angle powers him down with a throw. There’s a suplex to make it even worse but Rey gets in a dropkick and sends him to the apron. The 619 misses and Angle picks the ankle but Rey rolls out of the ankle lock.

They head to the apron and Angle has to hold on by the bottom rope. Some right hands can’t get rid of Angle, who climbs back over the top until Rey dropkicks him down again. This time Angle gets back in and snaps off a belly to belly but Rey is right back with the 619. Rey loads up a springboard but lands on a low blow, setting up an Angle Slam for the elimination to give Angle the win.

Rating: C+. The stuff after Eddie got in made it a lot better, but the first part with the losers in there didn’t do it any favors. That being said, the second half and the ending were enough to make up for the boring first half and it wound up working out pretty well. It was a good way to showcase the upper midcard talent, which is where Smackdown shines. I’m not wild on the Booker vs. Angle story but it’s a fresh feud between two talented guys. Eddie vs. Rey continues to be good too and now we have a reason for another match. It’s one of the better battle royals in awhile so I’ll take what I can get.

Post match Angle announces that he’s facing Booker T……’s wife Sharmell next week. A lick of the lips ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show did a great job of showing the difference between the good and the bad around here. The best done stuff on the show is going quite well, with Cena looking like a star, Eddie vs. Rey being some incredible stuff and Angle vs. Booker being fine if you can leave out one key element.

Then there’s the rest of the show, with names like Hardcore Holly and Charlie Haas getting a second title shot, the Cruiserweight Champion being eliminated like any given jobber, the United States Champion being nothing more than a lackey, and someone who should be a can’t miss prospect being reduced to a stuttering joke. That is a very firm line being drawn up and down this show and it’s showing badly. The good stuff is rather good but the weaker stuff is….well it isn’t terrible, but it’s not interesting and that’s worse.

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