Monday Night Raw – July 2, 2018: This Show Isn’t Worth Engelbert Humperdink Tickets

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 2, 2018
Location: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Commentators: Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman, Michael Cole

We’re getting closer to Extreme Rules but we’re missing a lot of the extreme. At the moment we have one match with any kind of a gimmick announced with Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler in an Iron Man match. Other than that we might get to find out what Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley are fighting for since Brock Lesnar might not be working Summerslam. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Lashley and Reigns’ issues, including losing a match to the Revival to even their series. The third match is tonight. We also look at the Intercontinental Title match with Drew McIntyre costing Seth Rollins his rematch.

Here’s Reigns for a chat. He knows Lashley is a tough guy and that means he wants a fight right here right now. Lashley is an egomaniac so let’s do this. Instead here are Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, to say Reigns couldn’t mind his own business last week. The fight is on in a hurry with the numbers taking Reigns down until Rollins runs in for the save.

Back from a break with Rollins and Reigns running into Kurt Angle in the back. The tag match is made for next week. Reigns wants it tonight but Reigns and Lashley are teaming up against the Revival. AGAIN. Actually hang on though as Angle makes Rollins/Reigns vs. McIntyre/Ziggler tonight. No word on if the Revival match is still on or not.

Matt Hardy vs. Curtis Axel

Bray Wyatt isn’t here tonight because of a car wreck on Friday, but of course WWE can’t possibly blame his absence on the B Team. That might make too much sense and they might have to write something original so it’s not in the cards. Nah instead here’s the B Team parodying Wyatt and Hardy again because it’s funny (pal). Matt shoves him down and Bo Dallas offers Curtis some advice.

A neckbreaker gives Matt two but it’s too early for the Twist of Fate. Back from a break with Axel hitting a bad looking dropkick and a backbreaker gets two. Hardy sends him into the buckle and grabs the Side Effect for two. The Twist of Fate is loaded up but Dallas offers a distraction, allowing Axel to post Hardy. The Axhole ends Hardy at 9:30.

Rating: D. This feud started off with some potential and has gotten old very fast because it’s a two note story: the B Team are a couple of schmucks and they parody Hardy and Wyatt. That’s the entirety of the story and there’s no hint that they’re going anywhere else. It comes off as more lazy writing and another case of coming up with the lone idea then putting up your feet and saying “back in a month”. This is becoming a bigger and bigger problem on Raw and this feud does it almost as badly as anything else.

Reigns and Rollins are talking about Seth’s Iron Man match when Lashley comes in. He wants to fight Reigns too but they’ll get it together tonight. Reigns says all Lashley has to do is stand on the apron and smile while collecting the win. Lashley is ready to fight now but they’ll work together tonight.

We recap Sasha Banks and Bayley exploding (again) last week.

Earlier today, Bayley went to counseling and Sasha was there too. Dr. Shelby (of Team HELL NO anger management fame) is their therapist and is ready to take them into the friend zone. Inside his office, Shelby goes over the seven tenants of friendship. More on this later because we have a running joke.

Titus Worldwide vs. Authors of Pain

Titus actually powers Rezar into the corner to start and brings Apollo in with Akum following him. A Dominator plants Crews as Cole spits out adjectives to describe the Authors. You know, because a team of powerful monsters need descriptions. There’s a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Crews and Titus is sent shoulder first into the post. The Last Chapter ends Crews at 2:56.

Kevin Owens is just arriving and looks very nervous about leaving his car. A valet comes up and asks for his keys but Owens says no chance.

Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre

Ziggler and Rollins start with an early cradle getting two on Seth. Another rollup gets the same so Seth dropkicks him into the corner. Drew comes in to run Rollins over and a shove by the throat puts him down again. It’s off to Reigns who is powered into the corner so Drew can punch him in the head.

The Samoan drop is broken up and McIntyre runs Reigns over again. A superkick gives Ziggler two but one heck of a right hand knocks him out of the air. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Rollins as the pace picks up. A suicide dive hits McIntyre and an apron kick into the frog splash gets two with McIntyre diving in for the save. Rollins and Ziggler exchange rollups until Dolph is sent to the floor.

That means a dive off the post to both villains and we take a break because the match needs to keep going instead of going home after a hot ten minutes. Back with Rollins fighting out of Ziggler’s sleeper and sending him into the corner. McIntyre is right around the other side to pull Reigns off and break up the hot tag, so Rollins kicks him in the face. Now it’s time for the hot tag but the Revival pulls Reigns off the apron for the DQ at 15:49.

Rating: C+. Good match here and they got the ending right. You don’t want the champ, McIntyre or Rollins taking a fall here and Reigns isn’t going to lose so the DQ is as good of an idea as you can get. This was starting to rock before the break and would have been great if they just wrapped it up there but I’ll take what I can get.

Post match the Revival beats Reigns down as Rollins takes the Claymore/Zig Zag combo. Reigns takes a Shatter Machine for a bonus.

We look back at Strowman flipping Owens’ car last week.

Owens complains to Angle about Strowman so Angle makes a match between them for tonight.

Bayley and Sasha are still at therapy with Bayley ranting about something we can’t hear.

Here’s Constable Baron Corbin to talk about how his job is to make everyone better. Last week he pulled Finn Balor from the ring because Balor was clearly tired. When he tried to talk strategy with Balor, he was attacked so the fight was on. Corbin wants Balor to come out here and apologize so here’s Balor, who doesn’t seem interested in apologizing.

Instead Corbin goes first and gives him some backhanded compliments, with Balor insulting Corbin’s clothes and haircut. That sends Corbin over the edge so Balor accuses him of being Stephanie’s stooge. Corbin punches him in the face but gets knocked to the floor, only to leave before Balor can dive. This is all fine as long as it doesn’t lead to Stephanie showing up to collect Finn’s balls.

Elias is playing in the background when the Riott Squad comes up. He plays a bit more as they wreck stuff.

Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan

Liv slaps her hard to start so Ember tosses her to the floor for a very early break. Back with Ember going for an ankle lock but getting enziguried for her efforts. Liv actually wins a slugout and shouts that Moon is nothing, earning her a toss into the corner. A double stomp brings her out of said corner and the Eclipse gives Moon the pin at 7:26.

Rating: D+. Morgan got in a lot of offense here and that’s a positive sign for her going forward. She wasn’t a great worker when she started and while she’s still a work in progress, it seems that they have some confidence in her. Moon is still fine with the Eclipse, but that’s only going to carry her for so long.

Back in the office, Dr. Shelby is at his breaking point but he has the two of them talk as each other. This of course required them to imitate each other because that’s funny see. They argue again and Shelby screams a lot.

Revival vs. Bobby Lashley/Roman Reigns

Reigns and Dawson start things off with Roman powering him into the corner. Dawson takes a breather on the floor and Reigns refuses to tag Lashley in. Back in and Dawson punches away at Reigns’ ribs, which were banged up earlier tonight. Some stomps set up a bodyscissors to keep Reigns in trouble as he can’t get anything going.

A gutbuster gives Wilder two and another shot to the ribs cuts off Reigns’ comeback. There’s a hard whip into the corner to cut Dawson off but Reigns still won’t tag. Instead it’s Lashley coming in without a tag for a pair of spinebusters but Reigns shakes off the offer of a tag. Revival unloads on him in the corner and that’s a DQ at 7:11.

Rating: C. It was much more about the angle than the match but I’ll take the Revival not looking like a pair of losers for a change. I could go for a lot more of the Revival, but that just doesn’t seem to be in the cards around here. Reigns vs. Lashley should be fine and if they make Revival look a little more valuable in the process, so be it.

Post match Lashley walks away while Reigns takes another Shatter Machine and a top rope splash. Fans: “ONE MORE TIME!”

Owens begs Angle to cancel the match tonight, offering to organize his office or give him some Shania Twain tickets while Owens babysits his kids. Angle says no, so Owens says Angle doesn’t deserve Shania Twain tickets.

Back from a break and we look at Reigns getting beaten down again.

Reigns comes in to see Lashley and the match is on for Extreme Rules.

No Way Jose is in the ring for a match with Mojo Rawley but Rawley says he’s paid too many dues to let something like this happen. He’s sacrificed everything for this opportunity and all Jose can do is dance. Mojo decks him from behind and beats up a member of Jose’s conga line. They brawl some more and Mojo gets the better of it. I find myself more and more interested in this story every week.

We recap Ronda Rousey snapping into a suspension.

Earlier today, Rousey said she’ll be in the front row at Extreme Rules.

Mickie James vs. Nia Jax

Alexa Bliss is with Mickie. Before the match, Nia talks about thinking she was done with Bliss for ever but we’re right back where we started. This needs to end so let’s make it an Extreme Rules match. Reality seems to set in for Bliss but it gets worse as Nia brings out Natalya to be in her corner. Mickie can’t do anything with Nia to start and gets thrown down in a heap. A trip tot he floor doesn’t go well for Mickie either and it’s a big staredown as we take a break.

Back with Mickie baseball sliding her off the apron and kicking away at the leg. A kick to the head keeps Nia in trouble and a running dropkick takes the knee out again. With Nia down, Mickie goes with just punching the knee but Nia grabs a bodyscissors for an escape. Mickie’s kick to the head is blocked so she slaps Nia in the face. A sitout powerbomb crushes Mickie and Natalya intercepts Bliss. The Samoan drop is good for the pin on James at 9:51.

Rating: C. The knee work was better than usual as Mickie mixed things up a bit but Nia winning was the right call. You have buddies like Mickie for reasons just like this and it’s a good enough way to advance the feud. Since we can’t use jobbers for the most part, this is about as good as it’s going to get.

Owens is trying to learn breathing techniques from Jinder Mahal but gets interrupted by an interviewer. Tonight, Owens is going to show the world how to destroy a monster.

We take another look at Reigns getting beaten down.

Lashley says Reigns got what he asked for. Reigns never would have been the guy if Lashley had been here.

Pay per view rundown.

Remember earlier tonight when we looked back at Owens’ car being destroyed? Well here it is again.

Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman

Owens gets shoved down, rolls outside and runs away for the countout at 51 seconds.

Strowman gives chase so Owens runs into his car, only to not have his keys. Instead, he hides in a well placed portable toilet as Strowman arrives. The fans try to tell Strowman where Owens is as Strowman looks into the car window. He teases going back inside but puts the pieces together. Using a falsetto voice, Strowman asks if anyone is in there and Owens gives himself away.

Strowman wraps duct tape around the thing to seal Owens inside before dragging the toilet and Owens back into the building. We watch as Strowman drags him all the way back into the arena (which takes a good few minutes) and up onto the stage. Of course it’s knocked off the stage and Owens emerges covered in blue liquid. If you listen carefully, you can hear Vince dying with laughter about Owens being “COVERED IN BLUE STUFF” for the next five hours to end the show.

Overall Rating: D-. Oh dear this was a rough one and a lot of that comes back to the lack of Brock Lesnar. Right now you have Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley fighting to be the top star on the roster but with no title to go after, which for some reason requires two Reigns matches. Finn Balor couldn’t have teamed with Rollins instead? Oh no because we need Corbin to have witty exchanges with Balor instead, making them both look and sound like idiots.

Then there’s Strowman, who is picking on Owens because there’s nothing better for him to do and no World Champion to stalk with the briefcase. At the moment this is at least going to be the case until after Extreme Rules and hopefully the rumors about Lesnar not working Summerslam are untrue. Other than that we had Nia being a jerk to Alexa because Bliss used the briefcase as it was intended to be used, the B Team parodying Hardy and Wyatt again, and Ziggler being pushed as the bigger deal over McIntyre.

It feels like some combination of bad writing and just not caring and that makes for a long sit. Smackdown is better, mainly because they don’t seem to put in as much effort into making us sit through this horrible writing. The show felt like they were just throwing stuff out there that made them laugh and put in as little effort as possible, which continues the trend of this being a very rocky few months. It wasn’t so much bad as much as it was lazy and uninspired, which is often a lot worse.

Results

Curtis Axel b. Matt Hardy – Axhole

Authors of Pain b. Titus Worldwide – Last Chapter to Crews

Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins b. Drew McIntyre/Dolph Ziggler via DQ when the Revival interfered

Ember Moon b. Liv Morgan – Eclipse

Roman Reigns/Bobby Lashley b. Revival via DQ when Revival double teamed Reigns

Nia Jax b. Mickie James – Samoan drop

Braun Strowman b. Kevin Owens via countout

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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




Main Event – June 28, 2018: This Was The Worse Option?

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: June 28, 2018
Location: Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

This show has started turning into a nice little way of reminding me of what happened earlier in the week as most of it tends to go sailing out of my head a day or two after the show is over. It’s quick, it’s to the point, and while the original wresting isn’t great, it does things as well as can be expected. In other words, this is what the show was designed to do. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Chad Gable vs. Mike Kanellis

Gable wastes no time in reversing headlock takeovers and gets two off a rollup. A very fast takedown sets up an armbar on Kanellis and a running armdrag makes it even worse. Kanellis finally sends him throat first into the middle rope for a breather and some running clotheslines in the corner (with blown kisses) get two. The chinlock is broken up in all of three seconds and Gable knocks him to the floor for a running apron cannonball. The fans are behind Gable here, even as he gets taken down with a sitout Rock Bottom. A superkick knocks Gable into the corner but Rolling Chaos Theory gives Gable the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C. Not a bad match here at all as Gable got to show off and Kanellis gets to eat this week. Kanellis could go somewhere if he had a gimmick other than being Maria’s husband, especially when Maria isn’t around. Gable still has all the potential in the world but here he is on Main Event while Jason Jordan got the big push but now is sitting on the injured list because Heaven forbid the awesome American Alpha team got to continue.

We look back at Alexa Bliss winning Money in the Bank and cashing in, earning her complete destruction at the hands of Ronda Rousey, causing Rousey to be suspended.

From Raw.

Here are Alexa and Mickie James to brag about Bliss getting the title back and laugh off the idea of Rousey being a threat. Now Bliss gets to face the big bully in Nia Jax, assuming Nia’s arm is healthy by then. Bliss talks about how the mean girl overcame the pretty and popular one because it works in Hollywood. This is the real world though and Bliss knows how to overcome obstacles. She’s overcome Jax and Rousey and is still champion so boo her all you want.

Cue Natalya to say the countdown is on because we’re 23 days away from Rousey returning to deal with Bliss. That earns Natalya a lecture about posting her whole life on social media, because that’s the appropriate response here. Natalya isn’t done though, because she gets to face Bliss right now.

Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya

Non-title and Natalya has Nia Jax in her corner. Joined in progress with Bliss holding her in a bodyscissors before the moonsault knees to the ribs get two. Some stomps to the back give Bliss two but both seconds offer failed interference. Natalya uses the distraction to hit a discus lariat, followed by the Sharpshooter for the tap at 4:07.

Rating: D. In theory this should go somewhere for Natalya, who is still sniffing around the Rousey story, which could be a good idea for Rousey down the line. I’m never a fan of the champing tapping clean like this but it’s such a common practice to have a champion lose these days that it’s not even worth getting upset about anymore.

From Raw again.

Sasha Banks/Bayley/Ember Moon vs. Riott Squad

Banks starts fast with the Meteora to Logan so it’s off to Liv vs. Moon. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Squad bails to the floor, leaving Moon to dive onto Riott and Morgan. Back form a break with Banks coming back in to clean house with clotheslines but Riott cuts her off with a kick to the face. Bayley makes a save and everything breaks down with Moon elbowing Logan in the face. Banks rolls Riott up for two but has to knock Morgan off the apron, allowing Riott to small package Sasha for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: D+. So you remember all those time where Bayley and Sasha can’t get along and it’s been going on for about four months now? This is the latest version. They really, really need to go somewhere with this already because it’s gone on for so long already and the energy from the whole thing is gone.

Post match Bayley snaps and beats the heck out of Sasha as the fans want tables. Banks gets tossed into the steps twice and the fans cheer for Bayley. The announcers treat this like a heel turn but Bayley is loudly cheered and it’s the result of Banks stabbing her in the back over and over. That doesn’t sound heel turnish to me.

From Smackdown.

Harper vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan goes with the kicks in the corner to start but gets punched in the face. They head outside with Harper getting the better of it, setting up a neck crank back inside. A missed charge sends Harper outside again and there’s the suicide dive, which is caught without much effort. Harper drops him face first onto the announcers’ table and a big boot puts Bryan over the barricade.

Back from a break with the swinging Boss Man Slam getting two on Bryan. We hit the chinlock but Bryan jawbreaks his way to freedom, setting up the corner dropkick. Bryan charges right into a Michinoku Driver for two more though and Harper takes over one more time. Harper hits a dropkick and takes Bryan up top but gets punched down. That means a tornado DDT and the YES Kicks as Harper is in trouble. The YES Lock goes on but Rowan comes in for the DQ at 13:07.

Rating: C. Bryan was fine here and that’s all this match needed to be. You can find someone to team with him later on and Bryan vs. Miz can be a big time match at Summerslam. If nothing else Bryan vs. either Brother again is fine for a TV match and you can do the same thing with whoever his partner is. The match was fine.

Post match the beatdown is on until Kane of all people comes out for the save. Kane and Bryan clean house and the fans are very pleased. The TEAM HELL NO chants start up and cue Paige to say that at Extreme Rules, HELL NO is getting the Tag Team Title shot at the Bludgeon Brothers.

Breezango/Bobby Roode vs. Ascension/Curt Hawkins

What a random tag match. Viktor and Breezango start things off with a surprising mention of the teams’ former friendship. We get a pose off for a BOO/YAY off and now it’s off to Hawkins and Fandango for a dance off. Hawkins wants Roode instead though and Roode throws him citations before an atomic drop gives us the first major offense nearly two minutes in.

It’s back to Fandango for some right hands but Konnor comes in off a blind tag as we take a break. Back with Konnor missing a charge in the corner and the hot tag bringing in Roode to clean house on Hawkins. Fandango hands Roode the cop hat so the Glorious DDT can finish Hawkins at 7:55.

Rating: D. There’s not much you can do in an eight minute match when two minutes are spent on posing/dancing and three and a half are in a commercial. Hawkins’ losing streak is still amusing enough but I’m not sure how long it’s going to last on the big shows. Roode continues to be dying for a heel turn but that GLORIOUS is so over that I get why they’re hesitant to pull the trigger. Ascension and Breezango….I’m sorry guys.

And from Raw to wrap it up.

Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is challenging and, after Big Match Intros, wastes no time in dropkicking Ziggler out to the floor. Some chops rock Ziggler and it’s off to an early armbar as they have about half an hour if not more. That’s broken up in a hurry and Ziggler hits his big jumping elbow for an early two. A headlock keeps Rollins in trouble and the pace slows a good bit. Rollins finally fights up and Ziggler bails to the floor, only to have McIntyre fail as a shield.

A staredown with McIntyre takes us to a break. Back with Rollins holding his knee and another chinlock keeping things slow. Rollins fights up and sends him into the corner for a breather and both guys are down. Ziggler backdrops him over the top to further the knee injury but Seth is back up for stereo crossbodies. Rollins’ knee is fine enough for a Sling Blade but McIntyre offers a distraction. That’s enough for an ejection, allowing Rollins to suicide dive onto both of them.

Back in and Ziggler crotches him on top for two and we take another break. We come back again with Rollins hitting the Ripcord Knee but Ziggler gets his foot on the rope. They fight to the apron where a DDT knocks Rollins senseless with the announcers declaring it over. Do they really think we buy lines like that anymore? Rollins knees him down again for a close two but gets caught on top.

Ziggler gets shoved down and the frog splash gets another close two and the fans are losing their minds. The Stomp and the Zig Zag both miss and Ziggler’s rollup with tights gets two. Now the Zig Zag connects for two and Ziggler is stunned. They head up top again and Rollins tries a superplex to the floor but has to settle for the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for an even closer two instead with McIntyre pulling the referee out for the DQ at 27:38.

Rating: B. And so, it’s going to continue, likely in some form of gimmick match at Extreme Rules. As usual, I would rather be seeing McIntyre in Ziggler’s spot but for some reason he’s just there as muscle and not even bothering to put him in the ring more often than not. As long as this leads to McIntyre dropping Ziggler and either winning the title or moving on to bigger and better things, everything will be fine. Just get Ziggler away from the spotlight already.

As for the match, it was much better after the second break but that first half was just filling time that the match really didn’t need to have. I would always prefer a hot seventeen minute match over a twenty seven minute match where about half of it feels like a waste of time. The ending didn’t help things either, but some of those near falls were great.

Post match the beatdown is on until Roman Reigns makes the save. A Superman Punch puts McIntyre back on the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The Intercontinental Title match helped, even though they only showed about five minutes and the post match stuff. I liked that Kanellis vs. Gable match far more than I expected to and it’s always nice to have a surprise. Raw wasn’t great this week but they did a good job of cutting away the bad stuff to give us a nice show, which is where this show can be rather successful.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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




Ask Wrestling Rumors Week 4

More questions, more very long form answers, some of them being to questions asked by you all.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/ask-wrestling-rumors-week-4-june-30-2018/




Smackdown – January 29, 2004 (2018 Redo): Rumble Mini

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: January 29, 2004
Location: MCI Center, Washington DC
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

Things have changed in a big way around here as Royal Rumble winner Chris Benoit has jumped over to Monday Night Raw to go after HHH and the World Heavyweight Championship. That leaves a pretty big hole to fill at the top of the card and I’m not sure where we’re going from here. Sounds like Wrestlemania season to me. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Paul Heyman is in the ring but here’s Vince McMahon to interrupt. Well that’s a big way to start things up. Heyman rightfully looks terrified as Vince yells about how this should have been a celebration of Chris Benoit winning the Royal Rumble. Benoit isn’t going to be here tonight though because he’s on Raw now with Steve Austin. This is all Heyman’s fault because Benoit used the legal loophole of the Royal Rumble winner not having to face a specific champion at Wrestlemania. That’s a much better worded explanation than the somewhat jumbled version we got on Raw.

Heyman goes into a rant about people bailing on Vince over the years and how Vince would say SCREW THEM because it’s time to give someone else a chance. With Vince asking for the point, Heyman says someone else is getting a chance tonight with a 15 man Royal Rumble for a title shot at No Way Out. The fifteen people will be the ones who were in the Rumble on Sunday but the injured Matt Morgan and the gone Benoit will be replaced by Hardcore Holly and Eddie Guerrero. Vince signs off on it and Heyman looks relieved.

Tag Team Titles: Basham Brothers vs. Billy Kidman/Paul London

Kidman and London are challenging. An early headscissors puts Danny down as Cole points out that Kidman and London haven’t teamed together many times. Hence why they’re #1 contenders of course. Danny low bridges London to the floor and makes the blind switch, setting up a spinning belly to back suplex for two.

The champs start in on London’s back as the announcers talk about the Royal Rumble tonight. London finally rolls Doug away and gets the tag off to Kidman to clean house. An enziguri gets two on Doug and there’s the BK Bomb to make things worse. Another switch lets Danny crotch Kidman on top though and a hanging DDT out of the corner retains the titles.

Rating: D. The time killed this as there’s not much you can do in less than four minutes. At least they’ve gotten away from having Shaniqua be the focus of the champions as that wasn’t doing anyone any favors. It also doesn’t do the company any favors to have two tag divisions on life support but that’s been the case for a long time now.

Angle is in Heyman’s office to draw his number, which he again dedicates to the troops. He gets his number and runs off, seeming to be a bit nervous.

Chavo Guerrero Sr. is worried about Chavo Jr.’s injuries at Eddie’s hands. Jr. says his injuries will heal but the internal scars will never go away. He swears revenge on Eddie so he can prove that he’s the real star.

Eddie is happy with his number. Rey Mysterio comes in, along with boxing champion Jorge Paez. Spanish is spoken and Rey is ready to defend the Cruiserweight Title.

John Cena hits on Dawn Marie and tells her to grab his ball. Heyman comes in to say she’s not grabbing anyone’s balls. Cena calls him Captain Buzzkill and seems to like his number. Rhyno comes in and asks Cena about his knee. That earns him a bad smell joke, with Cena saying Heyman has the soap.

Cruiserweight Title: Jamie Noble vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio is defending and Noble has the blind Nidia with him in a Rumble rematch. Rey takes him down to the mat for some grappling with Noble getting the better of it. The test of strength is countered with a monkey flip and Noble gets knocked into the ropes. It’s way too early for the 619 though as Noble elbows him in the face but accidentally gets tripped by Nidia again. Thankfully they don’t repeat Sunday’s ending as Noble gets up at two and starts in on Mysterio’s back.

It’s off to a seated abdominal stretch before Noble bends the ribs and back around the post. That always looks so painful. A superplex plants Rey but Jamie can’t follow up. The delay lets Mysterio start the comeback and a Code Red gets two. Now the 619 can connect but Rey gets sent outside after missing the West Coast Pop. Jamie goes up top but Nidia accidentally gets in his way. He throws her inside but she avoids a charge, allowing Rey to hit the springboard seated senton for the pin to retain.

Rating: C+. It’s amazing how much better this was when you give them a little more time and a story to the match to let the match go somewhere. Noble and Mysterio are both talented performers and when they’re given a few resources, you can have a good match. The Nidia story needed to go somewhere a few weeks ago but it’s nice to have them finally do something with her.

Post match the sunglasses come off and Nidia can see. Cole: “Nidia just screwed her boyfriend!” That’s not very PG.

New correspondent RUe (the R and U are both capitalized on screen) De Bona talks about the history of WWE and Playboy because we’re still not supposed to know about Sable and Torrie Wilson being in Playboy.

Big Show takes his turn to hit on Dawn Marie (understandable) and draws his number.

Brock Lesnar isn’t happy with Goldberg and wants to teach him a lesson. He’s tired of hearing about Goldberg, who is just a Brock Lesnar wannabe. His method of dealing with Goldberg: a non-title open challenge for tonight.

Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin are drawing numbers when someone runs in to say Eddie has been attacked. Medics are checking on him with Rey at his side when the Chavos come in to ask what happened. Rey chases them off.

Post break, Eddie is taken away in an ambulance.

Brock Lesnar vs. Orlando Jordan

Non-title. Brock wastes no time in firing off the shoulders in the corner to put Jordan on the floor. Back in and Jordan hits a quick dropkick from behind to put Lesnar on the floor, which isn’t the best idea in the world. Some rights and lefts just annoy Lesnar so he snaps off a powerslam. It’s off to an arm trap choke that Lesnar spent most of the match on against Holly. Jordan fights out and hits some more dropkicks but gets caught in the Brock Lock for the tap.

Rating: D-. A match that doesn’t even make it four and a half minutes doesn’t need a hold that lasts over a minute. Lesnar slumming it lately isn’t doing anyone much good, mainly the audience as these things have been not only bad, but really dull. Jordan doesn’t belong on the main roster as he’s just not any good and could be any career jobber.

Wrestlers went to Walter Reed Military Hospital.

We look at Undertaker’s gong leading to Kane being eliminated on Sunday and distracting him again on Monday.

Vince isn’t worried because Undertaker is dead and buried. Wrestling heels being cocky and stupid is one of my favorite tropes.

Angle accuses Heyman of sending the Chavos after Eddie but Heyman says Eddie has regained consciousness. Chavo Jr. isn’t taking Eddie’s place as Angle thinks so Angle’s odds go up if Eddie isn’t out there.

Royal Rumble

Kurt Angle is in at #1 and Rhyno is in at #2 with 90 second intervals. Rhyno wastes no time in hitting a Gore but instead of going for an elimination, he stomps away in the corner. An Angle Slam cuts Rhyno off and it’s Charlie Haas in at #3. He punches both guys and hits a dropkick on Angle can’t get rid of Rhyno. Angle slips back in from the apron and it’s Shelton Benjamin in at #4. Benjamin goes after Angle as well with the exploder suplex and Rhyno takes the jump over Haas’ back onto his own back.

Bradshaw is in at #5 for the Clothesline to Rhyno and a big boot to Benjamin. We take an abrupt break and come back with Tajiri in at #7 after Cat, in at #6, has already been eliminated. Of course we go through a full replay of his dancing, because IT’S JUST SO FUNNY. We come back with Billy Gunn coming in at #8 for a Fameasser on Bradshaw. Tajiri adds a Buzzsaw kick as the ring is about as full as it needs to be. Angle gets the ankle lock on Benjamin and it’s Big Show in at #9 to get everyone’s attention.

They all go after him but get shoved away with Tajiri getting chokeslammed out. Bradshaw misses a charge and goes out to thin things out a bit. John Cena, on a bad knee, is in at #10. Some clotheslines put Show on the apron but not out as we take another break. Back with Nunzio having come in at #11 and being eliminated by Cena and A-Train in at #12. Rhyno seems to have been eliminated during the break as well. Eddie, holding his head, is in at #13 as A-Train is eliminated.

Rikishi is in at #14 for a superkick to put Gunn on the apron. Show gets knocked down in the corner and takes a Stinkface with a screaming Shelton getting one as well. There’s one to Gunn as well as Hardcore Holly is in at #15, giving us a final grouping of Angle, Haas, Benjamin, Gunn, Big Show, Cena, Eddie, Rikishi and Holly. Show chokes Cena to the floor and gets rid of him so everyone gangs up on Show, with Cena pulling him from the floor for the elimination. With nothing else going on, here’s a highlight package of some of the eliminations.

Eddie backdrops Haas out and Angle tosses Benjamin. An Angle Slam and frog splash hit Rikishi, which isn’t the best idea with someone of his size in a battle royal. Angle dumps Holly like the non-main eventer that he is to get us down to four. Eddie flips Gunn out and it’s Eddie, Angle and Rikishi to go. Rikishi superkicks Angle and chokeslams Eddie but misses the Rump Shaker on Angle.

That’s enough for Angle and Eddie to get together and eliminate Rikishi so we can have a heck of a final pairing. They slug it out until Angle starts rolling the German suplexes. Eddie hangs on and lands on the apron, even managing to get in an ankle lock on Angle. You don’t do that to Angle though and it’s reversed into the same hold on Eddie. That’s reversed with a roll over the top but Eddie holds on with his feet just inches above the floor.

Back in and Eddie rolls the vertical suplexes and goes up top in a pretty dumb move. Angle runs the ropes and headbutts him, sending both guys to the ropes for a double crotching. With Eddie already staggered, Angle grabs the sleeper, which Tazz says would make this easy like Sunday morning. It switches to a chinlock, which of course energizes Eddie to bring him back to his feet. Angle gets sent to the apron for a gasp but tries a suplex to the floor. Eddie reverses that into one of his own, pulls Angle back a few steps, and throws Angle out for the win and the title shot.

Rating: A-. They did exactly what they needed to do here by setting up a new challenger in a match that didn’t drag. There were some names who didn’t need to be included in something like this and I’m glad they got rid of Holly so quickly. The experiment is over and that’s best for everyone involved. It’s hard to make a nearly forty minute match feel like less than half of that but they pulled it off here. Great match, exactly right result and nothing that felt like a dead spot.

Overall Rating: B. The main event taking up a third of the show was a good idea and while that was great, there’s only so much you can do when your first hour includes Orlando Jordan and a bad Bashams match. It’s still a very good show because that one match was really that great. The top of the card is really starting to come together and if the rest of the show can come close to it, we’re in for a great time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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




205 Live – June 26, 2018: How Far They’ll Go

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: June 26, 2018
Location: Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s another big show this week with the in-ring debut of Lio Rush, but also what should be the final blowoff between Lucha House Party and Drew Gulak/Brian Kendrick/Jack Gallagher. Both of these are interesting stories, but Rush debuting could be a big deal. He certainly has talent, but this is the only place in WWE where he has any real chance of making it work. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video previews tonight’s card, even down to the match order, which you don’t see very often.

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Tony Nese

Nese has Buddy Murphy with him. Tozawa doesn’t care to that Nese screams about being the Premiere Athlete and chops him down, followed by some stomps in the corner. Back up and Nese fires off some kicks, only to have Tozawa show him how to really throw some kicks. Nese bails to the floor and catches a diving Tozawa, sending him face first into the apron to really take over. Back in and a springboard moonsault gives Nese two but Tozawa is right back up with a Shining Wizard.

That’s enough to put Nese on the floor for the suicide dive and it’s time for the top rope backsplash. It’s a bit too early for that though as Nese breaks it up with a gutbuster, only to charge into raised boots in the corner. The backsplash is broken up again, this time with an uppercut that knocks Tozawa’s mouthpiece out in a great visual. A gordbuster gets Tozawa out of trouble again though and now the backsplash is good for the pin on Nese at 7:35.

Rating: C-. Tozawa is one of those guys who has been around the midcard/upper midcard of the show for a long time not but outside of that six day Cruiserweight Title reign last year, he hasn’t exactly done anything significant. It’s fine to keep him strong like this but it feels like he’s on a treadmill, just like so many others on this show. Like Nese for example.

We look at last week’s triple threat match.

Cedric Alexander comes in to see Drake Maverick and wants to know when his next title defense is going to be. Maverick says he’ll let him know but that’s not good enough for Cedric. He thinks it should be Hideo Itami (makes sense) but Maverick says he won’t reward bad behavior. Cedric pleads Itami’s case because he wants that notch on his belt. It will be considered.

Lio Rush vs. Dewey James

Rush is very cocky and has to take off his jewelry before we’re ready to go. After taking twenty seconds to take off his bracelet, Rush, does runs the ropes, only to keep stopping on a dime to avoid James. Some quick strikes put Dewey on the floor and a rolling kick to the head has him in more trouble back inside. Rush checks his non-existent watch and finishes with the Final Hour (Low Down) at 1:50. Impressive debut and exactly how it should have been.

Post match Rush says he’s the future (as everyone seems to be) and he does things that people in the back only dream of doing. He’s the man of the hour, and it’s Rush Hour.

Cedric is confident that he can handle Itami and wants the challenge. Itami comes in and a fight almost breaks out but Maverick and referees are right there for the save.

Next week: Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy in a No DQ match.

Lucha House Party vs. Drew Gulak/Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick

Elimination rules. The luchadors waste no time in diving onto the other three and we officially start with Metalik moonsaulting past Gallagher. Kalisto gets tossed into the air for a splash on Gallagher and the springboard elbow gets two, with Kendrick (still in his jacket) making the save. Gulak breaks up the rope walk and Gallagher headbutts Metalik out of the air for the first elimination at 1:16. Well that was fast.

Lince comes in and kicks Kendrick in the head but gets backdropped off the top for his efforts. Things slow down with Gulak coming back in as Nigel actually offers some strategy and analysis, which I forgot existed around here. Gulak goes even more harsh by pulling off Lince’s mask, sending him bailing to the floor to put it back on. We settle back down to Kendrick kneeing Dorado in the chest and driving a knuckle into the arm. Dorado isn’t done yet though as he handsprings into a kick to Gallagher’s head and scores with the Golden Rewind on Kendrick for the elimination at 6:41.

That’s not enough to get Dorado out of trouble though as Gallagher and Gulak take turns working on Dorado’s arm to keep him down. Gallagher grabs a very painful looking arm hold but Gulak gets caught with a spinwheel kick. There’s no hot tag though as Kendrick is back to pull Kalisto off the apron, leaving Gulak to Gulock Dorado for the tap at 10:00.

That leaves Kalisto vs. Gallagher/Gulak so Kalisto starts fast with the hurricanrana driver for two on Gulak. A few shots to the knees have Kalisto in trouble but he sends Gulak to the apron. Using him as a springboard, Kalisto grabs the Salida Del Sol for the pin on Gallagher at 13:40. Kalisto keeps things going with a flip dive over the top to take Gulak down again and a springboard high crossbody gets two. The Salida Del Sol is broken up with a rip of the mask and the Gulock ends Kalisto at 16:32.

Rating: C+. The match was fine but it really didn’t tell us anything that we didn’t already know. The Lucha House Party is better as a team but Gulak is better than any of the individual members and has firmly established himself as the awesome submission expert. That’s been established for weeks now and there’s nothing left for these six to do together. Move on.

Post match Gulak rips the mask off of Penelope the pinata and throws it into the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The ending brings about another problem: Alexander is still a boring champion and has Itami and Gulak coming after him, but given how slow this place is about giving title shots, it could be a LONG time before either of them take the title from him. With Cedric as the top guy, there’s nowhere for this show to go (along with all of its other problems that is) and things need to change. The problem is that could take a very, very long time. What we have here is fine, but there’s a very low ceiling to how far they can go.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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




Monday Night Raw – January 26, 2004: It’s Wrestlemania Season

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 26, 2004
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the night after the Royal Rumble and things didn’t go so well for Raw. The Rumble itself was won by Smackdown’s Chris Benoit and the Raw World Title match went to a draw, meaning the World Title situation is kind of up in the air. Raw won’t be back on pay per view until Wrestlemania so their TV needs to be very good. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the Royal Rumble if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Mick Foley returning last night, showing that he’s not a coward by attacking Randy Orton. The terrified look on Orton’s face is great.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Chris Jericho to open things up. He’s not happy that Benoit won the Rumble instead of him, but since Benoit is on Smackdown and Jericho was the last Raw wrestler in the Rumble, he should be getting a title shot. Say, TONIGHT. Actually, let’s just make that his Survivor Series favor. He wants to defend the title in New Hampshire, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Florida, and then in New York, complete with the Howard Dean scream. I haven’t heard that referenced in a good while so it got a small chuckle.

Cue Eric Bischoff, to say the title match is on….if that’s what Jericho wants. If he takes that match though, Trish Stratus has to face Kane. See, Bischoff is embarrassed that Raw lost the Rumble again so being the last Raw wrestler means nothing. So tonight, it’s either a title shot or no Trish vs. Kane. Jericho gives Bischoff a look that means the match is off but Bischoff isn’t done. Since Jericho and Rob Van Dam were the last Raw names in the match, they’re teaming up tonight to face Evolution (sans HHH)…..NOW. Are we at least done with the Survivor Series favors now?

Chris Jericho/Rob Van Dam vs. Evolution

Jericho and Flair lock up to start and a dropkick puts Flair down. Flair pokes him in the eye to take over as JR says he hasn’t seen Flair make many mistakes over the years. Uh, yeah. Orton comes in and eats a spinwheel kick so it’s off to Van Dam for the first time. The kicks and chops have Orton in trouble and charging into Jericho’s raised boot in the corner makes things even worse.

Orton finally knees Van Dam down and drops a forearm for two as things slow down a good bit. A spinwheel kick drops Flair and a flip splash gets two with Orton coming in for the save. Everything breaks down for a few seconds and Jericho is spinebustered on the outside, leaving Van Dam on his own as we take a break. Back with Van Dam in trouble and Jericho being checked on by the trainers.

Flair starts in on the arm and it’s off to Orton, as Batista still hasn’t actually been in the match. The short armscissors stays on as Jericho is up to his knees for an improvement. Batista comes in as the fans try to get behind Jericho. Orton steps on the arm again as Jericho is now back to the apron. It says a lot when you can make walking to your corner a story within a match and actually have it work. A kick to the face finally gets Van Dam over to Jericho and it’s time to pick the pace up in a hurry.

The bulldog gets two on Batista and Orton is backdropped to the floor. There are the Walls to Batista and a Five Star to Flair but Orton runs in to….completely miss the RKO on Jericho, who doesn’t even move off of Batista because Orton (Stupid! Stupid!) wasn’t close. The second attempt works fine though (with a strategic camera angle just in case) and Batista gets the pin.

Rating: C+. That botch at the end hurt things a lot as they were doing well with Jericho being cut off for so long until the hot tag. Evolution is a good choice for a team like this as you have a little bit of everything in there to make the team work well. They had to work hard but still won and it’s not like Van Dam and Jericho are damaged by losing a handicap match.

Post break Orton is in Bischoff’s office and wants revenge on Foley. Steve Austin comes in and says Foley is going to get to talk first though.

Trish comes in to check on Jericho and thank him for getting her out of the match with Kane. She thinks they could have a good relationship….as friends. Not as friendly as he is with Christian, like going out on the town or anything and helping him pick up women. Cue Christian, who Jericho doesn’t seem happy to see. Trish leaves and Jericho wants to know where Christian was during that handicap match. Christian was in Bischoff’s office, getting the two of them a #1 contenders match for the Tag Team Titles next week. Jericho just needs to get his head in the game. I love this story.

Molly Holly/Jazz vs. Victoria/Lita

Fallout from Victoria pinning Molly on Heat last night. During Lita’s entrance, Lawler mentions rumors that Playboy is looking for a pair of Divas to pose together. I mean, they’ve already been found and announced at this point, but Lawler hasn’t been up to speed on anything in years. Lita and Molly start things up with Holly being thrown into the corner for some good old fashioned begging off. It’s off to Victoria vs. Jazz, who hit the mat with Jazz getting the better of things.

Victoria gets sent outside, setting up an argument between Stevie Richards and Teddy Long. I think I need to see those two have a match at some point. Molly comes back in for a reverse cravate and it’s back to Jazz for the same thing. The splash misses though as Lawler asks JR how he can’t comment on the wrestlers’ looks. Lita gets the hot tag and cleans house to mere indifference from the crowd. With Lita and Jazz fighting on the floor, Victoria small packages Molly for the pin. Lawler: “ARE YOU WATCHING PLAYBOY???”

Rating: D+. I know it’s not the best change of pace in the world and they still need some fresh blood, but Victoria as a face could do some good for the pretty weak division. Molly isn’t doing anything as champion though and the lack of charisma near the title is hurting things a lot. In other words, they need a shakeup but a shakeup that actually makes a long term difference.

Here’s HHH for a chat with the announcers treating his Last Man Standing match with Shawn like some kind of epic struggle. HHH says last night, two men fought for what they believed in and it came down to one second as neither was able to get up at ten. Cue Shawn Michaels so HHH asks what it takes to get Shawn to quit. Shawn says they haven’t even gotten started yet but thankfully here’s Austin to cut things off before we get a fifteen minute exchange about whatever these two decided this is about next.

Cue Benoit to stare at both of them and say he went through a hard night of his own. He’s fought eighteen years to be the best and now he has the opportunity to face the best. At Wrestlemania, Benoit is coming for the World Heavyweight Championship, no matter who has it. So there’s the big Raw match in a surprise.

Kane vs. Bubba Ray Dudley

Bubba is fighting for Spike after Kane attacked him last night. Some right hands have Kane in trouble to start and a big one puts him on the floor. Kane has far better success on the floor with some uppercuts having Bubba in trouble. Back in and Kane rips at Bubba’s face, including a hard thumb in the eye. Kane grabs the steps and blasts the blind Bubba for the DQ.

Paul Heyman is on the phone with Bischoff, who didn’t know what Austin was going to do. Heyman promises lawyers and hangs up with Coach coming in instead. Coach finds the whole thing funny and gets to face Goldberg in a No DQ match as a result.

Rico vs. Rob Conway

Rico takes him down to annoy Conway to start but Rene Dupree gets in a few cheap shots on the floor to take over. Back in and Conway threatens to break Rico’s neck, which is a little harsher than it needs to be. A clothesline sets up the chinlock as Jackie slaps the mat in an already loose top, sending Lawler through the roof.

We cut away for a second and come back to her holding it in place, making me wonder how that went live. Rico fights up with right hands and clotheslines but Rene pops up on the apron for a distraction. Not to be outdone, Jackie does the same, pulls her top off to really distract Conway, and allows Rico to kick Conway in the face for the pin.

Rating: D-. This is going to be about the Playboy thing isn’t it? There’s no other logical reason to give these two more than eighteen seconds on Raw so it has to be some other thing, such as pushing an angle that has already been spoiled in advance. At least it means more of Jackie, which is the only good part of the whole thing.

Post match Stacy Keibler comes out and raises Jackie’s hand to hint at Playboy. Moving on.

Wrestlemania Recall: Wrestlemania IX, with a grand total of no wrestling shown.

Mick Foley arrives.

We look at Brock Lesnar attacking Goldberg last night, setting up his elimination.

Coach comes out to face Goldberg but first he begs Bischoff to reconsider the match because no one wants to see this. Hang on though, because here are Teddy Long and Mark Henry. Teddy thinks it’s unfair for a “cracker” like Bischoff to dump his problems on the black man. That’s blatant haterizing because whitey thinks he can tell the black man to dance. Teddy gives Coach Henry for the night and we’re ready to go.

Goldberg vs. Jonathan Coachman

Rating: F+. Remember those other times where Goldberg has beaten Henry up without much efforts? Well this time he did the same thing to Coach at the same time. Goldberg vs. Lesnar is all but a lock for Wrestlemania now and having Goldberg beat up Coach and Henry isn’t exactly a great way to get me fired up for it. Find some new people for Goldberg to beat up instead.

Here’s Mick Foley for his big return speech. Foley says an explanation is in order after he walked out on the company back in December. When fans talk about his career, they say a lot of nice things about his guts and courage, but they overlook his hatred. Foley was able to reach deep down into his heart and channel what he found there into some superhuman things in the ring.

That was fine when he was an active wrestler but things have changed today. Foley talks about Pete Rose working as hard as he could because he was mad at the world, which was cool with Rose was in a uniform. Seeing that same man angry at the world at 61 years old while he lies about betting on baseball is just sad. That’s not what Foley wanted to be, and it took him a long time to let go of the hatred after he retired. It was a big, big mistake to take the match with Orton in the first place because he knew he couldn’t reach down into the hatred again.

Foley calls Orton, on his own, out to the ring so here he is to respond. Orton asks what Foley wants….and it’s for Orton to spit in his face again. That’s going to be a no, so Foley shouts about all the blood he’s spilled over the years until Orton spits on him. Foley then turns the other cheek and asks Orton to do it even harder this time. You can see the confusion in Orton’s eyes as Foley says he wants this one to be extra green. Orton does it and Foley cheers for him, even asking for a closeup.

Foley is used to having things like this happen to him because he’s got four kids. That brings Foley to all the commercials that Orton’s “friends” aired because people started believing what they were saying. The spit on his face is spitting on his legacy and Foley cannot accept this, so he hits himself in the head, drawing blood. He suffered and worked too long to have Orton spit on his legacy.

Foley saw his ear thrown away in Munich, Germany and got beaten up in Nigeria and now he’s in that dark place again. There is a time and a place for hatred and that is right now in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Foley beats him down in the corner and hits the running knee but here’s Evolution for the save. A clothesline puts him on the floor but Foley comes back with a chair to clean house and end the show.

It took me some time to get into this one but Foley completely sold me by the end. He started off with the rather goofy spit stuff but then pulled Orton into the deep end, with Orton’s face perfectly selling the idea that he knew he was in WAY over his head. Foley knows how to get down into that deep, dark area and Orton isn’t even two years into his main roster career yet. This was a really weird way to get to a great place, but they better have Orton ready to come back against him because otherwise, this is going to be a really messy story.

Overall Rating: C. As tends to be the case around this time of year, the wrestling (outside of the opener) wasn’t the point here but the storytelling worked. Benoit coming over to Raw is a good idea as we’ve seen him face Lesnar already. The Foley story is very promising but is also walking a thin line. You can tell that it’s Wrestlemania season and if they stop giving Lawler so much time to yell about the Playboy thing, we could be in for a great road to New York.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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




Smackdown – June 26, 2018: Long Time No Team

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: June 26, 2018
Location: Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

Things are already changing around here as the Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura United States Title match has been canceled due to Nakamura suffering an injury. There is no word on how long he’ll be out, but Hardy has issued an open challenge for the title to take the match’s place. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with MizTV and after a quick Daniel Bryan chant, Miz brings out the Bludgeon Brothers for their talk show debut. If that’s a selling point now, they’re in more trouble than I thought. Miz brags about beating Bryan last week and asks the Brothers why they attacked Bryan. We see a clip of Bryan’s YES promo last week, which Miz refers to as act one. The Brothers aren’t happy for some reason (just a guess of course) so Miz goes over last week like a movie plot.

Next up is a clip of Bryan coming to the ring for the gauntlet match and having his staredown with the Brothers, which didn’t lead anywhere at the time. That’s act two, and the Brothers beating Bryan down is act three. Miz suggests that it was an audition to be part of the new Miztourage, but he’s not accepting applications at the moment. They can be grips on Ruff Ruff Ref though! Cue Bryan to tell Miz to shut up because size isn’t as important as heart. Bryan wants one of the Brothers tonight and Harper seems to accept.

New Day drinks pancake milkshakes….and that’s it. Still not funny.

Xavier Woods vs. Rusev

Aiden English’s pre-match song talks about how waffles are better than pancakes. An early headscissors has Rusev in the ropes and Big E. holds up a comic strip balloon saying OUCH. A spinebuster gives Rusev two as we take a break. Back with Woods fighting out of a bearhug and speeding things up with a discus forearm. There’s the jumping DDT for two but a superkick rocks Woods, followed by a Samoan drop for two. Woods knocks him down again and tries the rope walk elbow but Rusev is already back up. There’s the Machka Kick and the Accolade ends Woods at 8:55.

Rating: D+. This was the near squash it needed to be with Rusev getting a win to help set him up for the title match against AJ Styles at Extreme Rules. Rusev probably isn’t going to win, but he’s getting a chance to move up the card even for a little bit and that’s something fans have been waiting on for a very long time.

Post match Rusev says this was all about Styles and promises to win the title.

Hardy is upside down and says he’s ready to go.

Naomi and Lana argue about who won the dance off a few weeks back when the cast of GLOW comes in. They compare evil Russian characters but Lana speaks Russian to confuse her a bit. The GLOW women suggest that Naomi and Lana team up and everything seems to be fine. Naomi thinks everyone will feel the Glow. Fine for a celebrity cameo, but proof that even good actors can’t make these horrible lines sound good.

US Title: Jeff Hardy vs. ???

Hardy is defending in an open challenge and his opponent is….Eric Young of Sanity. Young goes right at the champ to start and does his slide through the legs, only to be sent to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Young holding a chinlock and moving into a regular choke in the ropes.

Young spins Hardy’s neck around a few times and puts on a neck crank. A hard whip into the corner makes things worse and Young takes his head off with a clothesline. Jeff makes his comeback with the legdrop between the legs and there’s a double clothesline to put them both down. Cue the Usos to go after Sanity though, including going in to attack Young for the DQ at 9:41.

Rating: D+. The neck work made sense but wasn’t the most thrilling stuff in the world. With Nakamura likely only out for a short time, there was next to no chance of a title change here and there’s nothing wrong with that. It helps when you have such a deep roster and can throw people out there into a spot like this at the drop of a hat.

Usos/Jeff Hardy vs. Sanity

Joined in progress with Killian Dain getting him in the face, allowing Jey to come in and clean house. Dain runs him over too though and it’s off to Young to stomp away as well. A neck crank from Dain keeps Jey down but a missed charge is enough to slow Dain down. There’s the diving tag off to Jimmy, who gets to hit Alexander Wolfe over and over. The Samoan drop gets two and everything breaks down. About six superkicks finally put Dain on the floor and Jey hits the big dive onto Young and Dain, leaving Jeff to tag himself in. A superkick to Wolfe sets up the Swanton for the pin at 7:00.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and I’m not sure what the point is in having Sanity lose their first match together to a team thrown together. Hardy getting the pin is fine, but they really couldn’t pin an Uso off some cheating or something? Of course they’re not being written off or anything, but that’s not the best looking start.

Earlier today, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose mocked Becky Lynch and a match was set up.

Sonya Deville vs. Becky Lynch

Sonya goes with the wrestling to start and takes Lynch down but gets sent to the floor for her efforts. Becky throws her over the announcers’ table and we take a break. Back with Becky fighting out of a bodyscissors and getting kicked in the chest for her efforts. It’s off to a chinlock with another bodyscissors for a bit as Becky is in some trouble. A knee to the chest out of the corner gets two and a clothesline drops Becky for two more. Becky fights up again and sends Sonya into Mandy, followed by the Disarm-Her for the tap at 8:56.

Rating: C-. Not bad here and they’ve done a better job than I expected at turning Mandy and Sonya into workers. You can only have them around as warm bodies for so long before they have to gain some value and they’ve managed to do that. Becky seems to be getting some momentum going and that’s a good thing for everyone.

Tye Dillinger says James Ellsworth is a one.

Zelina Vega tells people to stay out of Andrade Cien Almas’ way.

Here’s Ellsworth for a chat. He talks about Asuka attacking him last week and says don’t attack a bull if you don’t want to get the horns. Ellsworth loves women and has a love life so hot you can fry an egg on it. When it comes to Asuka though, there is absolutely no love or respect. He’s ready for Asuka this week though and wants to fight.

Cue Paige instead, who says Asuka isn’t here tonight. She knows this because Ellsworth has been running around backstage asking if Asuka is here. Paige makes Asuka vs. Carmella for the title at Extreme Rules but Ellsworth suggests that Paige is here to ask him on a date. Actually yes, and Paige asks him for next Tuesday, but means Ellsworth vs. Asuka.

Harper vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan goes with the kicks in the corner to start but gets punched in the face. They head outside with Harper getting the better of it, setting up a neck crank back inside. A missed charge sends Harper outside again and there’s the suicide dive, which is caught without much effort. Harper drops him face first onto the announcers’ table and a big boot puts Bryan over the barricade.

Back from a break with the swinging Boss Man Slam getting two on Bryan. We hit the chinlock but Bryan jawbreaks his way to freedom, setting up the corner dropkick. Bryan charges right into a Michinoku Driver for two more though and Harper takes over one more time. Harper hits a dropkick and takes Bryan up top but gets punched down. That means a tornado DDT and the YES Kicks as Harper is in trouble. The YES Lock goes on but Rowan comes in for the DQ at 13:07.

Rating: C. Bryan was fine here and that’s all this match needed to be. You can find someone to team with him later on and Bryan vs. Miz can be a big time match at Summerslam. If nothing else Bryan vs. either Brother again is fine for a TV match and you can do the same thing with whoever his partner is. The match was fine.

Post match the beatdown is on until Kane of all people comes out for the save. Kane and Bryan clean house and the fans are very pleased. The TEAM HELL NO chants start up and cue Paige to say that at Extreme Rules, HELL NO is getting the Tag Team Title shot at the Bludgeon Brothers.

Overall Rating: C+. The ending was a nice moment and they came up with a way to keep Bryan busy with a fun story (even if they don’t win the titles, which they shouldn’t) until we get to the Miz at Summerslam in a big match. Other than that, the show wasn’t too bad with some decent wrestling, but for the most part it was just kind of there. The ending worked well though and that’s the kind of big moment that the show needed.

Results

Rusev b. Xavier Woods – Accolade

Eric Young b. Jeff Hardy via DQ when the Usos interfered

Jeff Hardy/Usos b. Sanity – Swanton to Wolfe

Becky Lynch b. Sonya Deville – Disarm-Her

Daniel Bryan b. Harper via DQ when Rowan interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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




United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night Two: Offer Your Own Witty British Praise

IMG Credit: WWE

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night Two
Date: June 19, 2018
Location: Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back in England after yesterday’s tournament wrapped up. The tournament crowned a new #1 contender for the United Kingdom Championship and that means we need to have a title match. In addition to Pete Dunne defending against Zack Gibson, we’ll also be seeing some NXT Title matches and a few other matches to fill out the card. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last night’s show, including Gibson becoming the new #1 contender. The NXT wrestlers will also be featured tonight.

NXT opening sequence.

The announcers run down the card.

NXT Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era

The Era is defending. Bate dropkicks Strong to start and it’s quickly off to Seven for some arm cranking. As usual this goes badly for Seven but everything breaks down with the champs sending them outside. Back in and the fans are split as Strong chops away at Seven in the corner.

We’re already into the chinlock but Seven kicks O’Reilly to the floor. Like a smart champion, O’Reilly runs around the ring and pulls Bate off the apron to take over. As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later, allowing Bate to come in and clean house. O’Reilly saves Strong from the airplane spin and jumps on Bate’s back, so Bate German suplexes Strong at the same time, just because he can.

Seven comes back in and gets kicked in the face for two, sending O’Reilly into fits of frustration. A discus forearm knocks Seven into Bate for the tag and the dragon suplex/clothesline combination (how they beat O’Reilly yesterday) gets a close two. Back up and O’Reilly’s brainbuster gets two on Bate but Seven sends Fish to the floor. A hard shot rocks O’Reilly and a torture rack neckbreaker/top rope knee drop combination finishes O’Reilly for the titles at 10:40.

Rating: B. That’s the way to fire up a crowd and it doesn’t matter if the title reign is just for the live crowd and they drop the belts right back in short order. Moustache Mountain is a fun team and the fans in both America and England love them. This was a perfect opener and that’s all you could have asked to see.

The new champs celebrate in the crowd.

Johnny Saint has made a new #1 contenders match between Flash Morgan Webster, Travis Banks and Mark Andrews.

Killer Kelly vs. Charlie Morgan

Morgan, who is rather skinny, works on a wristlock to start but they spin around into double nip ups for a standoff. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Morgan two but Kelly starts in with the power to take over, including an elbow to the back of the head. Kelly grabs a dragon sleeper to nearly break Morgan in half, only to kick her away in frustration.

Morgan comes back with a springboard body block but Kelly throws her into the corner with ease. A running dropkick in the corner rocks Morgan again and Kelly loads up a suplex, only to get reversed into a rollup for the pin at 7:07. The ending is as sudden and out of nowhere as it sounds.

Rating: D. I really wasn’t feeling this one as while it wasn’t terrible or even bad, it was pretty dull and uninteresting. It was a standard power vs. speed match but I don’t have any reason to care about either of them or what they were doing. Not terrible or anything, but just not very interesting.

Christian is here.

Mark Andrews vs. Travis Banks vs. Flash Morgan Webster

The winner gets a title shot at some point in the future. Hang on a second though as Saint comes out to announce a fourth participant.

Mark Andrews vs. Travis Banks vs. Flash Morgan Webster vs. Noam Dar

This is Dar’s return after a lengthy layoff due to a knee injury. Banks still has a bad shoulder. It’s a brawl to start because thankfully there are no tags. Dar, who is looking ripped, and Webster exchange armdrags but Andrews comes back in to stomp on Webster. That leaves Dar to start in on Banks’ shoulder on the floor, leaving Andrews to hit a corkscrew moonsault onto everyone else.

Back in and Andrews hits a Sliced Bread on Webster and a reverse DDT on Dar at the same time. Banks makes a save with a top rope double stomp and everyone kicks everyone else in the face for a four way knockdown. Webster and Morgan are left alone in the ring with Andrews flipping out of a super hurricanrana and grabbing a reverse hurricanrana for a close two. Dar is back in with a kneebar on Andrews but Banks comes in to add to choke.

Dar’s part is broken up so Webster has to grab Andrews’ hand to break up a tap. Banks hits the Slice of Heaven but Andrews reverses the fisherman’s buster into the Stundog Millionaire. The shooting star misses though and Dar sends Banks’ arm into the post. Dar kicks Banks in the chest for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. Just a match here with a bunch of spots and nothing connecting them together. In other words, it’s perfect for an indy style match but the people here should be capable of so much better. Dar is a surprise, but he never did anything for me in the first place and I don’t really find him to be anything of note here. I do like him a bit better as a face though.

Post match the Coffey Brothers run in and attack Andrews and Banks. Dar eaves without helping.

Wolfgang promises to take the Adam Cole’s North American Title.

North American Title: Wolfgang vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and gets powered into the corner by the much bigger Wolfgang to start. To be fair though, how many people aren’t much bigger than Cole? A kick to the face gives Cole two and he stomps away in the corner. Cole’s neckbreaker gets two more but Wolfgang is right back with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. He’s smart enough to go with a waistlock to stay on the ribs and another gutbuster cuts off a comeback attempt.

More shots to the ribs in the corner have Cole in trouble but Wolfgang takes forever going up, earning some loud booing. Cole uses the delay to superkick him out of the air and gets two off a Backstabber. There’s the fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two more and Cole shrugs off a Wasteland. A hard clothesline puts Cole down but he gets the knees up to block the Howling (swanton). The Last Shot retains the title at 10:14.

Rating: C. I get the potential they see in Wolfgang but he doesn’t do much for me more often than not. He’s a big guy who can move around well enough, but every time he’s out there I expect more from him. Cole being the face in the match isn’t that surprising and he could be holding the title for a good, long time.

Moustache Mountain can’t believe they won the titles.

Velveteen Dream/EC3 vs. Ricochet/Aleister Black

Dream is, again, the most over guy in the match. Ricochet and Dream start things off and this time it’s a Ricochet chant. Hang on though as Dream has to rip his shirt off. He wants to face Black though and the champ is down for another round of one of the best feuds of last year. That goes nowhere either so EC3 comes in instead. The fans think this is awesome even with pretty much nothing going on in the first two minutes. Black has a seat in the middle of the ring and EC3 isn’t sure what this is.

The confusion seems to work though as Black gets taken into the wrong corner, only to have Ricochet make a blind tag and springboard in to take over. EC3 bails so Ricochet backflips into his pose for a cool visual. Black moonsaults into his pose as well with Ricochet having a seat next to him as it’s all good guys so far. That’s finally enough for Dream to break up a springboard though and Ricochet is in trouble for the first time. A suplex stays on Ricochet’s ribs and it’s off to a seated top wristlock.

Ricochet dropkicks his way over for a tag but Dream grabbing a chair distracts the referee so it’s Ricochet staying in trouble for a smart move. The fans chant VAR, meaning they want a replay. Both villains come in at the same time so Ricochet beats them both up, capped off by a neckbreaker/DDT combination. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Black and it’s time to use the legs.

A quebrada takes out EC3 and Dream for two on the former but Dream hits one heck of a spinebuster to cut Black off. The Purple Rainmaker slips though and EC3 clotheslines Black’s head off instead. Everything breaks down and a series of strikes to the face sets up a quadruple knockdown for a nice ovation. Ricochet is up in a hurry though and hits a big dive to take Dream out.

Back in and the STO DDT gets two on Black and a Death Valley Bomb puts Ricochet down as well. Ricochet slips out of the Top 1% though and gets two off a running shooting star. The forward DDT (really not liking that move) drops Ricochet but Dream walks away from a hot tag attempt. EC3 yells at him, knows what’s behind him, and turns into Black Mass for the pin at 15:52.

Rating: B. This got a little too wild at the end but they were all working hard and got to show off for a long time. Having some of the more established names out there can show what the top stars can do and that’s a good idea. Give the fans a taste of what they might be able to get later on and make them want to come back. Smart move and a rather good match.

Post match Ricochet looks at the NXT Title before handing it back.

Toni Storm is ready to win the NXT Women’s Title.

NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler vs. Toni Storm

Storm is challenging. They trade headlocks to start with Baszler getting the better of it. The fans are behind Storm as she fights up and gets in a front facelock. With the fans singing about Storm, she sends Baszler outside for a suicide dive but the champ posts her to take over. Back in and Baszler starts toying with her before getting serious by taking the knee out.

A running knee in the corner gets two and it’s time to stat punching Storm in the face. Baszler stomps her on the foot and grabs a gutwrench superplex but Storm knees her in the head. Storm Zero plants Baszler but the knee gives out again, meaning it’s a delayed near fall. Baszler is right back up with a jumping knee to the face for two and the Kirifuda Clutch goes on again. Storm makes the ropes and falls to the floor, giving Baszler the countout win at 12:18.

Rating: C. Storm is clearly someone with star quality and could be a player in the future, though she needs some more seasoning and a trip to the Performance Center full time could do wonders for her. They made sure to protect her with that finish too and that’s one of the best things that could have happened to her.

Post match Baszler leaves but runs back in to choke Storm out again.

Video on Dunne vs. Gibson, which is more about Dunne than anything else, mainly due to how little we’ve seen from Gibson around here.

United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne vs. Zack Gibson

Dunne is defending and wastes no time in going for the fingers. A crank of the fingers have Gibson in trouble and we’re back up for a standoff. The fans sing to the guys as they’re still in first gear until Dunne blasts him with a clothesline. Gibson goes with the grappling and takes Dunne to the mat with a suplex, only to have Dunne reach for the ankle. That goes nowhere so Gibson suplexes him over by the arm.

They head outside with Dunne being sent shoulder first into the barricade. Back in and Gibson pulls on the leg some more, which just seems to tick Dunne off. A shot to the face rocks Gibson and Dunne is starting to do that creepy smile of his. There’s a running enziguri in the corner and the X Plex gets two. A hard kick to the head rocks Gibson and a double stomp to the face sends Gibson out to the apron.

That means a DDT onto the apron but Dunne bangs up his already injured arm again. The arm goes into the steps but Helter Skelter is countered into another X Plex to plant Gibson one more time. Back in and Dunne is all ticked off while still hanging onto the arm. With his defenses lowered, Dunne takes a shot to the neck and Gibson pummels away in the corner. Dunne gets back up and puts the mouthpiece in, meaning it’s time to fight. Gibson is beaten down in short order but a clothesline turns him inside out.

Of course Dunne is up fast enough for a clothesline of his own and they’re both down. Another slugout puts both guys down again and the fans are rather pleased. Dunne hits a snap German suplex and gets two off the Bitter End, much to his shock. The Ticket to Ride off the ropes gets another close two and it’s off to the Shankly Gates, sending Dunne straight to the ropes.

The fans tell Nigel to sit down but a super Helter Skelter gets both their attention back as well as a near fall. Shankly Gates go on in the middle of the ring and somehow Dunne makes the rope again. For some reason Gibson thinks it’s a good idea to slap Dunne in the face, earning himself a snap of the finger. Dunne punches him out of the air and the Bitter End retains the title at 17:44.

Rating: A-. Sweet goodness Dunne is amazing and there’s no other way to put it. He’s seemingly incapable of having a bad match and now he’s expanding outside of the performances with Bate. Gibson looks great and it’s hard to argue with him losing after wrestling three times yesterday. He’ll be fine, but Dunne was ready to move up to the main roster months ago.

HHH and the locker room comes out to celebrate with Dunne. The boss says this is the next chapter in British wrestling history and this is the fans’ brand.

Overall Rating: B. Another very solid show though I liked yesterday’s edition more. There’s a lot of talent out there and the UK brand should be a lot of fun. Throw in some stories and more action like this with a more compact form and everything will be fine. Two good shows in a row built up a lot of good hope the potential is high. Well done again.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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




Monday Night Raw – June 25, 2018: The Long, Long Day

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 25, 2018
Location: Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Jonathan Coachman

We’re getting closer and closer to Extreme Rules and that means we need to know who will be in the multi-man match for the right to face Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. Other than that we have an Intercontinental Title match tonight as new champion Dolph Ziggler (Huh?) faces Seth Rollins in a rematch from last week. Let’s get to it.

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

Kurt Angle and Baron Corbin are in the ring, but first we have to hear a lengthy introduction for all of Corbin’s job titles. Angle talks about the upcoming #1 contenders match but shifts towards a recent Facebook post from Paul Heyman, saying no one was worthy of facing Lesnar. Before he can make an announcement though, here’s Roman Reigns to interrupt. Bobby Lashley interrupts as well, with Reigns not being able to get to say anything.

Lashley says he wants Lesnar and Reigns has had three years of chances. That means it’s time to move on, but Reigns says Lashley moved on ten years ago. About ten years ago, Lashley was in the main event of Wrestlemania (well, pretty much) but then he decided to go to MMA and become famous. What has Lashley done around here since then? Reigns is the guy who has been main eventing Wrestlemania four years in a row and it’s going to be five. Lashley tells him not to disrespect his background but he’s ready for anyone Angle throws at him.

Angle says there was a snag in the details and the multi-man match is off at Extreme Rules. Reigns goes on a rant about Lesnar not wanting to be here unless he gets paid, but Lashley thinks Lesnar just wants a real challenge and is sick of seeing Roman’s face. Lashley: “Just like all these people here.” A challenge is issued and they’re ready to fight, but Angle says he’s willing to take a singles match between the two of them under advisement. Cue the Revival again though and we’re having a rematch from last week.

Revival vs. Roman Reigns/Bobby Lashley

Rematch from last week. Wilder gets sent outside to start and it’s a double shoulder to drop Dawson instead. A cheap shot from Wilder knocks Lashley into Reigns though and it’s Lashley, who loses the headband and reveals his rather large forehead, in trouble. More stomping in the corner doesn’t do much good for Revival as it’s quickly off to Reigns. That’s not very interesting to the announcers though so they read portions of Heyman’s Facebook post.

Reigns hits the apron boot on Wilder and we take a break. Back with Reigns in the same trouble Lashley was in earlier as Revival takes turns stomping away. The announcers talk about Lesnar some more as Wilder and Dawson talk trash and kick Reigns in the head. A Samoan drop gets Reigns out of trouble and it’s back to Lashley for that dreaded vertical suplex. It’s delayed and everything. Lashley loads up the spear but Reigns tags himself in for the Superman Punch to Wilder. Reigns loads up the spear but sidesteps a blind tag. Dawson’s charge hits Reigns but the distraction lets Wilder roll Reigns up at 13:03.

Rating: D+. Somehow, I’ll gladly take this, even if it might mean a third match next week and will mean nothing for the Revival because they’re not one of the featured tag teams at this point so they’re not going anywhere. Reigns and Lashley have some chemistry together as long as Lashley isn’t allowed to talk for very long, but their match might be a little rough.

Reigns and Lashley yell at each other.

Matt Hardy liked last week’s B Team parody, which he hasn’t seen done as well since he was sharing a tart with Bill Shakespeare. Bray Wyatt comes in and laughs about what the B Team did, promising consequences.

Matt Hardy vs. Curtis Axel

Before the match, the B Team parodies Matt and Bray again, this time choking on the smoke and lowering themselves with the lamp. They trade shots to the face to start with Matt putting him on the turnbuckle for more right hands to the jaw. A superplex doesn’t work for Matt as Curtis falls on top….for the pin at 1:54.

Post match Matt and Bray declare that a WONDERFUL win for the B Team.

Stills of last week’s Bayley vs. Sasha Banks incident.

The Authors of Pain (hey, they exist) shove a production guy and get talked down to by Titus Worldwide.

Bayley welcomes Alicia Fox back (uh, yay) but Angle comes in to tell Bayley that she and Sasha are teaming up again with Ember Moon against the Riott Squad. You can imagine Bayley’s reaction.

Authors of Pain vs. Rich Gibson/Rex Gibson

The Gibsons are in red and green, meaning the Authors are about to beat up some Christmas trees. They’re knocked/thrown to the floor in short order and the Last Chapter ends Rich at 1:03.

Titus Worldwide comes in to break up the post match beatdown.

Angle and Corbin are bickering in the back when Finn Balor and Braun Strowman come in. Braun talks about beating up Kevin Owens last week but now he wants to be his friend tonight. Therefore, it’s Braun/Owens vs. Balor/Corbin tonight. Yes they really are just taking the same people and shuffling them for different matches.

Long recap of Ronda Rousey going insane last week and beating down Angle and Alexa Bliss.

Here are Alexa and Mickie James to brag about Bliss getting the title back and laugh off the idea of Rousey being a threat. Now Bliss gets to face the big bully in Nia Jax, assuming Nia’s arm is healthy by then. Bliss talks about how the mean girl overcame the pretty and popular one because it works in Hollywood. This is the real world though and Bliss knows how to overcome obstacles. She’s overcome Jax and Rousey and is still champion so boo her all you want.

Cue Natalya to say the countdown is on because we’re 23 days away from Rousey returning to deal with Bliss. That earns Natalya a lecture about posting her whole life on social media, because that’s the appropriate response here. Natalya isn’t done though, because she gets to face Bliss right now.

Alexa Bliss vs. Natalya

Non-title and Natalya has Nia Jax in her corner. Joined in progress with Bliss holding her in a bodyscissors before the moonsault knees to the ribs get two. Some stomps to the back give Bliss two but both seconds offer failed interference. Natalya uses the distraction to hit a discus lariat, followed by the Sharpshooter for the tap at 4:07.

Rating: D. In theory this should go somewhere for Natalya, who is still sniffing around the Rousey story, which could be a good idea for Rousey down the line. I’m never a fan of the champing tapping clean like this but it’s such a common practice to have a champion lose these days that it’s not even worth getting upset about anymore.

We look back at Ziggler cheating Rollins out of the Intercontinental Title last week.

Rollins promises to get the title back tonight.

The Riott Squad takes over a Jinder Mahal photo shoot and break the camera.

Sasha Banks/Bayley/Ember Moon vs. Riott Squad

Banks starts fast with the Meteora to Logan so it’s off to Liv vs. Moon. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Squad bails to the floor, leaving Moon to dive onto Riott and Morgan. Back form a break with Banks coming back in to clean house with clotheslines but Riott cuts her off with a kick to the face. Bayley makes a save and everything breaks down with Moon elbowing Logan in the face. Banks rolls Riott up for two but has to knock Morgan off the apron, allowing Riott to small package Sasha for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: D+. So you remember all those time where Bayley and Sasha can’t get along and it’s been going on for about four months now? This is the latest version. They really, really need to go somewhere with this already because it’s gone on for so long already and the energy from the whole thing is gone.

Post match Bayley snaps and beats the heck out of Sasha as the fans want tables. Banks gets tossed into the steps twice and the fans cheer for Bayley. The announcers treat this like a heel turn but Bayley is loudly cheered and it’s the result of Banks stabbing her in the back over and over. That doesn’t sound heel turnish to me.

Owens is worried about teaming with Strowman but Angle tells him not to worry.

No Way Jose vs. Mojo Rawley

Hang on though as Mojo doesn’t think much of having a rematch. You have to earn the right to come down the ramp to a WWE ring and neither Jose nor the conga line has done that yet. Mojo mocks a guy named Todd who is dressed like a cheeseburger, saying he’ll never get a WWE contract. We’re not having a match, but Mojo does deck Jose. No match, though Mojo continues to interest me.

Bayley tries to explain to Angle but gets sent to counseling next week instead. I rolled my eyes and sighed when I heard that, because it’s going to be bad.

Braun Strowman/Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor/Baron Corbin

Owens and Corbin start things off with Baron running him over without much effort. It’s off to Balor, who gets in one arm crank before Corbin tags himself back in. The chokebreaker is escaped and Owens tags Strowman in for a change. Corbin tries a kick to the ribs but gets punched in the face for his efforts. Strowman orders Owens to get back in and this time Balor gets to stay inside for more than a few seconds.

That means a quick chinlock on Balor but Corbin breaks up the Cannonball. Instead Strowman comes in and splashes Balor while Owens Cannonballs Corbin, sending us to a break. Back with Balor working on Owens’ arm until Corbin comes in for more of the same. Owens gets in a shot to the face and brings Strowman in, meaning things are going bad in a hurry. Strowman cleans house, including the forearm to Balor’s chest.

With Corbin and Balor on the floor, Strowman heads outside for the running shoulders, which he’s managed to get over quite well. Owens gets the tag and tries one of his own, only to have Corbin drop him with a clothesline. That’s not cool with Strowman, who sends Corbin into the barricade for ruining his fun. Back in and Corbin makes one too many blind tags, earning himself a kick to the head. Corbin breaks up Balor’s dive and they fight up the ramp for the countout at 11:41.

Rating: D+. The match was watchable, though swapping the people in and out isn’t the most thrilling thing in the world. It would be nice if these guys had something to fight over other than “well, they’ve been fighting for weeks”, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon because everything else (as in all two or three things they could fight over) are occupied. I’m sure we’ll see these guys together again soon.

Post match Owens celebrates with Strowman, who isn’t pleased. Strowman chases the terrified Owens off. Just announce Balor/Owens vs. Corbin/Strowman for next week already.

After a graphic for the Intercontinental Title match, Owens hides in a closet and Strowman interrogates people. Strowman: “THE GUY WHO LOOKS LIKE HE’S GOT A BOWLING BALL UNDER HIS SHIRT!”

Post break Owens has security escort him to the exist. Even as he leaves, he’s still looking for Owens but the valet doesn’t have his keys. Strowman beat him there of course….and has turned Owens’ car upside down.

Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is challenging and, after Big Match Intros, wastes no time in dropkicking Ziggler out to the floor. Some chops rock Ziggler and it’s off to an early armbar as they have about half an hour if not more. That’s broken up in a hurry and Ziggler hits his big jumping elbow for an early two. A headlock keeps Rollins in trouble and the pace slows a good bit. Rollins finally fights up and Ziggler bails to the floor, only to have McIntyre fail as a shield.

A staredown with McIntyre takes us to a break. Back with Rollins holding his knee and another chinlock keeping things slow. Rollins fights up and sends him into the corner for a breather and both guys are down. Ziggler backdrops him over the top to further the knee injury but Seth is back up for stereo crossbodies. Rollins’ knee is fine enough for a Sling Blade but McIntyre offers a distraction. That’s enough for an ejection, allowing Rollins to suicide dive onto both of them.

Back in and Ziggler crotches him on top for two and we take another break. We come back again with Rollins hitting the Ripcord Knee but Ziggler gets his foot on the rope. They fight to the apron where a DDT knocks Rollins senseless with the announcers declaring it over. Do they really think we buy lines like that anymore? Rollins knees him down again for a close two but gets caught on top.

Ziggler gets shoved down and the frog splash gets another close two and the fans are losing their minds. The Stomp and the Zig Zag both miss and Ziggler’s rollup with tights gets two. Now the Zig Zag connects for two and Ziggler is stunned. They head up top again and Rollins tries a superplex to the floor but has to settle for the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for an even closer two instead with McIntyre pulling the referee out for the DQ at 27:38.

Rating: B. And so, it’s going to continue, likely in some form of gimmick match at Extreme Rules. As usual, I would rather be seeing McIntyre in Ziggler’s spot but for some reason he’s just there as muscle and not even bothering to put him in the ring more often than not. As long as this leads to McIntyre dropping Ziggler and either winning the title or moving on to bigger and better things, everything will be fine. Just get Ziggler away from the spotlight already.

As for the match, it was much better after the second break but that first half was just filling time that the match really didn’t need to have. I would always prefer a hot seventeen minute match over a twenty seven minute match where about half of it feels like a waste of time. The ending didn’t help things either, but some of those near falls were great.

Post match the beatdown is on until Roman Reigns makes the save. A Superman Punch puts McIntyre back on the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I don’t know if it was the UK show earlier today wearing me down but this show felt like it was about 19 hours long with the especially long and not great main event not exactly helping things. I’m not sure where they’re heading with the major story, but I do appreciate the idea of a singles match instead of another multi-man match at the pay per view. Other than that, the show wasn’t too bad but it dragged a lot, which makes for a rough sit when there are two more shows tomorrow.

I’m worried about the lack of Lesnar though, as the entire rule book is thrown out the window when he’s involved. While I don’t think they’re crazy enough to just let him vacate the title and never come back, they’re dumb enough to go with something really bad at Summerslam that is nowhere near as good as it should be. In other words, just get the Lesnar vs. Reigns graphics back up again.

Results

Revival b. Roman Reigns/Bobby Lashley – Rollup to Reigns

Curtis Axel b. Matt Hardy – Crossbody

Authors of Pain b. Rick Gibson/Rex Gibson – Last Chapter to Rich

Natalya b. Alexa Bliss – Sharpshooter

Riott Squad b. Bayley/Sasha Banks/Ember Moon – Small package to Banks

Kevin Owens/Braun Strowman b. Baron Corbin/Finn Balor via countout

Seth Rollins b. Dolph Ziggler via DQ when Drew McIntyre interfered

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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




United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night One: Brit-Ish Strong Show

IMG Credit: WWE

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night One
Date: June 18, 2018
Location: Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness

While this may be a taped show, it’s certainly something that could be rather interesting. There’s no secret to the fact that WWE wants to expand into the United Kingdom and while they already have a United Kingdom Champion, they need to expand the roster. Therefore, we’ll be seeing a good chunk of a sixteen man tournament with the winner getting a title shot tomorrow night. There are some other matches on the card to fill things out as well. Let’s get to it.

The opening video features NXT UK General Manager Johnny Saint in the empty arena, talking about how he’s wrestled here many times before, but that’s in the past. Now it’s about the title, with the winner of the tournament receiving a title shot tomorrow.

We’ll be starting in the second round so here are the original brackets, with the winners in bold.

Zack Gibson

Amir Jordan

Jack Gallagher

Drew Gulak

Flash Morgan Webster

James Drake

Jordan Devlin

Tyson T-Bone

Joe Coffey

Tucker

Dave Mastiff

Kenny Williams

Travis Banks

Ligero

Ashton Smith

Joseph Conners

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Jack Gallagher vs. Zack Gibson

Gibson, a bald guy with a beard, is loathed by the crowd. They go straight for the wrist battle and Gallagher bounces out of a headscissors. The fans sing a song that I can’t understand and Gallagher turns into a conductor before being taken down by the arm. That goes nowhere so Gallagher spins him down into a rollup for two, much to the fans’ amusement. Gibson gets serious with a hard clothesline as the chants continue.

We hit a cobra clutch for a bit before Gibson goes with right hands to the face instead. A crossface chickenwing keeps Gibson in control until Gallagher fights up and actually wins a slugout against the much bigger Gibson. Gallagher’s suplex and knee shot get two but he gets caught on the ropes, setting up a middle rope Codebreaker for two. Gibson counters the running corner dropkick into a powerbomb but gets pulled into a triangle choke.

That’s broken up with a toss to the floor so Gallagher slingshots back in, landing with a sleeper on Gibson in a sweet sequence. Gibson makes a rope so Gallagher goes with the running corner dropkick for two more. That’s not cool with Gibson, who sends him shoulder first into the post to cut him down again. Gallagher hits another dropkick but a Swan Dive hits the shoulder, setting up a seated armbar (Shankly Gates) to make Gallagher tap at 13:28.

Rating: B. They were starting to roll with Gallagher as the scrappy face (a role he could use again back in 205 Live) against the rather nasty Gibson with all of the submissions. Gibson won clean here too, which is a smart way to put him over as a big threat around here. That’s the point of putting main roster people in there and it worked quite well.

Video on Joe Coffey, a big guy who can wrestle different styles.

Video on Dave Mastiff, a big guy who can wrestle different styles.

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Joe Coffey vs. Dave Mastiff

They ram shoulders to start with the much bigger Mastiff getting the better of it. That means a trip to the floor with Mastiff running him over without much trouble. Back in and Coffey gets smart by taking Mastiff down off a double leg. Mastiff forearms him out of the air though and gets two off a running backsplash (kind of sick of that move).

More forearms have Coffey in trouble but he’s able to suplex the rather large Mastiff for an impressive power display. A more impressive belly to belly sets up a bridging German suplex for two but Mastiff grabs a deadlift German suplex for two of his own. A double springboard crossbody of all things puts Mastiff down and a discus lariat gives Coffey the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C+. They made the right call here as Mastiff is huge and athletic, but there’s only so much that he can do against most people. Coffey has a bit better resume and can work against different styles, which is the easier path to take. I could see him going pretty far, as the size is a bonus but not enough to keep people from giving him a good match.

Post match Coffey says he’ll win.

Video on Flash Morgan Webster, who is a little odd and marches to the beat of his own drum.

Video on Jordan Devlin, a student of Finn Balor’s who wants to improve on what he did in last year’s tournament.

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Flash Morgan Webster vs. Jordan Devlin

Webster is a Mod, meaning he’s inspired by northern England music of the 60s, such as the Who. The cocky Devlin slaps him in the corner to start and you can see Morgan getting a little annoyed. A few armdrags slow Devlin down a bit and an imploding flip splash gets a fast two. Devlin kicks him in the chest to take over and we hit another chant that I can’t understand.

Morgan scores with a running knee in the corner and hits three straight dives, each one over a different rope in a unique idea. Back in and Morgan gets crotched on top (Mauro: “He’ll have his eggs scrambled.”), setting up a super Spanish Fly for a well received near fall. Devlin misses a moonsault though and Morgan scores with a running Sliced Bread for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as Devlin is pretty generic. Morgan at least has a good look and gimmick with the music thing so there’s some potential there. The match wasn’t very long and while it wasn’t bad, neither guy really made me want to see them again. I could go for more of Morgan talking though.

Video on New Zealander Travis Banks, who is trained in a variety of combat.

Video on Ashton Smith, who wants to win the title.

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Ashton Smith vs. Travis Banks

The announcers get in a debate over whether Smith used to be a football player or a soccer player. They run the ropes to start with Ashton showing off some athleticism until Banks avoids a charge in the corner. A running dropkick to the back gets two on Smith but he’s right back with a middle rope seated senton. Banks is sent outside for a running flip dive (well you knew that was coming) and a superkick gets two back inside. Some hard forearms get Banks out of trouble but Smith gets all fired up and demands more punches to his face. Instead it’s a fisherman’s buster for the pin on Smith at 6:06.

Rating: D+. They kept things fast here and Banks looked impressive, which isn’t the most surprising thing given that he’s the Progress Champion. Smith has a nice look and is athletic enough to look good in there and the match wasn’t bad, but there have been quite a few matches between cruiserweight style guys, which doesn’t do them any favors.

Here are the updated brackets:

Zack Gibson

Flash Morgan Webster

Travis Banks

Joe Coffey

Toni Storm vs. Killer Kelly vs. Isla Dawn

The winner gets a shot at NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler tomorrow night. This was actually a four way to start but another wrestler named Jinny was injured during the match, so the whole thing was restarted. Storm made a big run in the Mae Young Classic, Kelly is a little scary and Dawn is a big Goldust fan. Storm gets double teamed to start and a wheelbarrow DDT gives Dawn two.

That’s enough working together so Dawn runs Kelly over with an elbow for two more. Kelly scores with a suplex on the returning Storm and it’s time for a three way slugout. A hard kick rocks Dawn but Storm kicks Kelly right back. Storm Zero (White Noise onto the knee) gives storm the very fast pin on Dawn at 4:14.

Rating: D. Way too short to mean anything but they did get the winner right. Storm was a big deal in the tournament and it makes a lot of sense to push her over two people who aren’t known to the American fans. There was almost nothing to the match but that’s all you’re going to get in a match that would have been short even by TV standards.

Baszler comes out for the staredown.

Here’s HHH for a big announcement. After saying what a cool building this is (he’s right), he talks about last year’s tournament, which meant so much to British wrestling. Since then, talent like Wolfgang, Trent Seven, Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate and Mark Andrews have turned into international names. The first rounds of the tournament have shown HHH that they’re just scratching the surface. There’s going to be more, and here’s General Manager Johnny Saint to announce the NXT UK brand, which will be featuring women’s and tag team divisions. HHH announces some upcoming dates, with the first coming in July. Are you ready?

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Semifinals: Flash Morgan Webster vs. Zack Gibson

Webster knees him in the face at the bell and slugs away in the corner, followed by a kick to the face. Gibson bails to the face so Webster swings around a post into a headscissors. A missile dropkick gets two back inside, all in the first minute. Gibson gets in an elbow though and stomps Webster in the corner, again much to the fans’ dismay. We hit the cobra clutch as the fans start a “IF YOU HATE GIBSON STAND UP” chant, which draws a rather loud audience to their feet.

Webster slips out of the Shankly Gates and hits something close to a Whisper in the Wind for two. Gibson heads outside again so Webster tries the three dives but the second is countered into Helter Skelter (a spinning suplex) on the floor for a big crash. Fans: “MAMA MIA!” Webster slides back in and gets caught in the Shankly Gates for the tap at 4:19.

Rating: B-. That was a heck of a match for about four and a half minutes. They’re turning Shankly Gates into something, which is rather impressive in just two matches. Webster was impressive looking too, as he showed a bunch of fire to go with the look and character. Gibson is already looking like a star though and that’s the point of something like this.

Aleister Black and Ricochet are here. There are a good amount of empty seats visible during the shot.

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Semifinals: Joe Coffey vs. Travis Banks

Coffey powers him down with a wristlock to start and chops away in the corner. A hard shoulder puts Banks in the corner again and a double underhook giant swing into a butterfly suplex gets two. Coffey puts on a kneeling half crab before switching over to a cross arm choke with some knees to the back.

Banks fights up and fires off some right hands in the corner, only to have Coffey hit a running headbutt to the ribs to cut him off again. A pop up powerslam gives Coffey two but Banks slips out of a suplex and scores with a hard corner dropkick for a near fall of his own. There’s a high crossbody and a quick rolling cradle gives Banks the pin at 9:22.

Rating: C. Banks is playing a good face here but he comes off as a natural heel for some reason. That being said, you have to go against a monster like Coffey as a face, just for how nasty Coffey can come across. I could go for more of Banks and that’s the kind of reaction they seem to be hoping for here.

Post match Coffey beats Banks down and sends him shoulder first into the post.

Undisputed Era vs. British Strong Style

Adam Cole/Roderick Strong/Kyle O’Reilly vs. Tyler Bate/Pete Dunne/Trent Seven. Good reaction for Bate and Seven, great reactions for Dunne. Bate and O’Reilly get things going with Bate slipping out of the cross armbreaker and taking him down with some armdrags. It’s off to Dunne, who threatens to snap Strong’s fingers. Everyone comes in and the Brits hit stereo left hands to the jaw (Nigel: “TRIPLE BOP!”) to take over.

Seven gets pulled into the corner for some triple stomping though and even the British fans love doing the ADAM COLE BAY BAY! The Era takes turns hammering away in the corner on Seven with Strong drawing in Bate and Dunne to keep Seven in trouble. Seven finally knocks Strong away and brings in Dunne off the hot tag to clean house. An X Plex drops Cole onto Strong for two and it’s back to Bate, who suplexes Strong into Cole in the corner.

In one of the most impressive power displays I’ve seen in a very long time, Bate gives Cole the airplane spin and giant swings Strong AT THE SAME TIME. That was nuts. Dunne goes up but dives into a dropkick and O’Reilly tries a triangle choke. That’s broken up as well but the Bitter End is reversed into a guillotine choke (SWEET) but Dunne walks over for a tag to Bate.

Everything breaks down and Bate powerbombs his way out of an armbreaker to put everyone down. The Seven Stars (and this isn’t even in Japan) Lariat gets two on Strong and Dunne dives onto Strong and Cole. Another Seven Star Lariat sets up a dragon suplex/clothesline combination ends O’Reilly at 12:33.

Rating: B+. This was a lot of fun but I’m still trying to get over that airplane spin/giant swing spot. Bate looks like he should still be in high school and is one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world at the moment. Dunne is on another planet of popularity though and that’s the case both here and in America, which makes him a very valuable asset. It takes a lot to get someone cheered over the Era but the Brits pulled it off here.

Here’s Shawn Michaels, who still looks very weird with short hair, to introduce the finals. After the fans sing his song and beg for one more match (Shawn: “You guys have got to stop that!”), Shawn puts over NXT UK and says he’s scared to come out here and try to follow what we’ve seen. Without much to say, we’re ready for the finals.

United Kingdom Championship Tournament Finals: Zack Gibson vs. Adam Banks

Banks has a taped up shoulder coming in. After some Big Match Intros, they stare each other down to start and Gibson goes straight for the arm. Banks takes him to the mat and they head outside with Gibson working on the arm even more. A whip into the steps bangs up the arm even more and Gibson gets two off a wind up clothesline back inside.

With the regular stuff not working, Gibson stomps on the arm and the referee is asking if Banks wants to continue. A dropkick to the knee cuts a charging Gibson off and there’s a running dropkick to the back of the head. Banks’ running knee gets two (with one arm only on the cover) but Gibson kicks him in the arm. The Ticket to Ride (Tombstone into a pair of knees to the chest) sends Banks outside but he’s able to hit the Slice of Heaven (Disaster Kick) off the barricade.

Back in and Gibson wins a slugout with a hard slap but Banks kicks him in the chest and stomps away. Gibson’s headbutt sets up Shankly Gates, sending the fans into a frenzy until Banks dives for a rope and the break. Gibson heads outside again so Banks hits a running double stomp from the apron. Another Slice of Heaven gets a close two back inside, followed by the fisherman’s buster for an even closer near fall. Gibson is right back up though and the Shankly Gates out of nowhere makes Banks tap at 16:59.

Rating: B+. Heck of a way to close out the night with Banks fighting from behind in a very similar story to the original tournament where Bate fought through the bad shoulder in the finals. Gibson is a fine choice for the win and came off looking like a star from the first match, though I’m not sure they would put him over Dunne for the title.

Post match Gibson offers a handshake but pulls it back. HHH, Shawn and Saint come out, shake Banks’ hand, and pose with Gibson, who is ready to brag but here’s Dunne to stare him down to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. It’s a great show, but that’s the case with most British wrestling these days. You can tell WWE is putting some effort into the promotion and I hope it becomes something special. I could use some actual stories though and the character development will mean a lot, but at least they have some names out there. Tomorrow will be another good showcase and this worked quite well, especially with so many unknowns. Very solid performance though.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/


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


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