Evolve
Date: September 10, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenburg, Robert Stone

It’s a bad time for the Vanity Project, as they have managed to get Jackson Drake into a triple threat match for the Evolve Title. Both Keanu Carver and Brooks Jensen are getting title shots at the same time and that isn’t likely going to end well. Other than that, Sean Legacy is going to have to deal with Edris Enofe so let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Vanity Project talking about the triple threat match with Jackson Drake being ready to face both challengers, because the team is awesome.

Carlee Bright vs. Layla Diggs

Kendal Grey and Masyn Holiday are here too. Both get insert promos, with Bright talking about how she wants to show she can be serious and Diggs saying this is absolutely not personal but she wants to win. Bright takes it to the mat to start but Diggs reverses into an armbar. Back up and Diggs cartwheels out of a headscissors and we get a respectful handshake.

Diggs ties up the legs with a rollup for two but Bright is back with a jumping neckbreaker for the same. They go back to the mat, with Diggs hitting a flipping splash into a powerslam. A standing moonsault “misses” despite landing on Bright, who goes up but misses a middle rope moonsault. Diggs hits a heck of a side kick for two but misses a charge into the corner. Brights’ tornado DDT gets two and Bright Side (Overdrive) finishes Diggs at 5:01.

Rating: C+. The ending isn’t a great way to go but Bright getting a win is a good move. She’s getting somewhere after months of just kind of floating around so this should help her a bit. At the same time, Diggs continues to be rather athletic, though she’ll need more to really make her stand out.

Post break Bright and Grey are still in the ring, with Grey praising Bright for her win. Grey is ready to take out Wendy Choo and slap the smile off her face. After that, she’s ready for Kali Armstrong and the Women’s Title. Cue Armstrong to say bring it, but Ridge Holland and Tate Wilder brawl to ringside. Stevie Turner pops in to make the match for right now, with the women being forgotten.

Ridge Holland vs. Tate Wilder

Holland knees away in the corner but Wilder hits some dropkicks to send him outside. The dive to the floor connects with Holland, who posts Wilder to cut things off fast. We take a break and come back with Holland sending him into the corner for a German suplex. Wilder fights back and kicks away but walks into a spinebuster.

The half crab goes on for a bit before Wilder fights out and hits a middle rope crossbody. Wilder adds a springboard Swanton for two and can’t believe the kickout. Holland is back with a powerslam into a Cannonball, followed by a gutwrench powerbomb for the pin at 7:24.

Rating: C. I’m liking Holland getting a chance to be the powerhouse and focusing more on his rugby style offense. He’s someone who has experience and he can be turned into a solid monster heel in a hurry. On the other hand you have Wilder, who isn’t winning yet but he’s getting a lot of ring time lately and that might be a good sign for his future.

Aaron Rourke and Marcus Mathers talk about having a lot in common, like wrestling for various independent promotions. And grit and determination! Hence them being a team.

It’s Gal and Jamar Hampton are proud of their work in the gym but they aren’t impressed by Rourke and Mathers.

Keanu Carver is NOT going back to the streets so he’ll win the Evolve Title here.

Wendy Choo has attacked Kendal Grey and choked her out.

Evolve Title: Keanu Carver vs. Brooks Jensen vs. Jackson Drake

Drake is defending. Carver throws Drake around to start and a big clothesline puts Drake on the floor. That leaves Carver and Jensen to slug it out but Drake sends them into each other. Drake hits a running forearm to Jensen, who is right back with some chops in the corner. A powerslam drops Drake and Carver is back in to slam both of them at once. Drake manages to send both of them outside for the running flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Drake’s kicks to the chest getting on Carver’s nerves. Jensen is back in with a spinwheel kick to Carver for two but Drake is up with a fisherman’s buster. Drake hits a big dive to the floor to drop Carver again but his Lethal Injection is cut off. Carver is knocked outside again, leaving Drake and Jensen to trade hard forearms. Carver is back in with a Samoan drop to Jensen, who throws Drake up for a Pounce.

A spinebuster gives Carver two but Jensen sends both of them flying at the same time. The Southern Lariat misses so Drake is put up in an electric chair for a doomsday spinwheel kick for two. Carver superplexes Jensen and Drake Swantons Carver, who goes outside. A dive is cut off though and Carver drops him with a hard forearm. Cue Bryce Donovan to take Carver out and Jensen southern lariats Drake. Donovan offers a distraction though and Drake hits the running knee for the pin to retain at 13:15.

Rating: B-. They got a good deal of time here and it was a solid showcase for Carver, with Jensen having one of his more entertaining matches thus far. Had this been a singles match I would have expected a title change but the triple threat part made it a bit more predictable. That being said, it’s nice to see Drake getting a win, as he hasn’t felt like a strong champion thus far (which is the point).

Stevie Turner is watching in her office and looks at her plans for next week, which include a note saying I QUIT MATCH. Wendy Choo wants Kendal Grey in one next week and Turner seems to agree.

Overall Rating: C+. This was mainly about the title match and it wound up going well enough, though it wasn’t some game changer. Other than that, you had the build towards Grey vs. Choo next week, plus Holland continuing to get a boost. It’s a fine enough show here, with enough stories being advanced in around 45 minutes.

Results
Carlee Bright b. Layla Diggs – Bright Side
Ridge Holland b. Tate Wilder – Gutwrench powerbomb
Jackson Drake b. Keanu Carver and Brooks Jensen – Running knee to Jensen

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 8, 2025
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

So the big deal coming out of Smackdown is the return of AJ Lee, who is back to help her husband CM Punk against Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. That should all but guarantee a mixed tag at Wrestlepalooza and there is a good chance we’ll get something out of the four of them here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Rollins/Lynch vs. Punk, with Lee showing up on Smackdown in Chicago to the hero’s welcome for the big save.

Lynch doesn’t want a camera on her.

Corey Graves references Wade Barrett being on vacation, which surprises him as he heard something about Barrett being exiled over the weekend. Points for referencing rumors.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going, with Jimmy Uso popping up next to him for the entrance. The team comes out and we get an encore of the entrance as the fans are glad to have them back together. Jey brings up the Vision, or in particular, the Bronnies. Cue Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, with Breakker being so annoyed that he can barely speak. Reed has to hold him back and wants the fans to acknowledge their Tribal Thief. Reed promises revenge for what happened to Paul Heyman but Jimmy calls them PB&J&J Security.

They mock Heyman, including calling him the Orca (which pops Jimmy), but then get to the point: the tag match is set for Wrestlepalooza. The Usos are ready to fight right now but here is LA Knight to brawl with Reed and Breakker. That doesn’t go so well so the Usos are right there with the stereo dives for the save. The good guys clear the ring, with Knight shoving Reed into Jey by mistake. The villains bail, but Jey and Knight get in an argument.

LA Knight argues with Adam Pearce and says if he wanted to go after Jey, he would have done it on his own. He wants one of the Bron’s tonight, and he’ll even take LeBron James, Bronnie Jr. or Charles Bronson. It doesn’t even matter if he wins or loses, because he just wants to get his hands on one of them.

AJ Styles vs. El Grande Americano

Styles dropkicks Americano through the ropes and hammers away on the floor before going inside. A running clothesline sends Americano right back to the floor and we get the opening bell. Tessitore: “After all that, we get a bell!”. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but here is another Americano to grab the leg, allowing the original Americano to send Styles into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Americano grabbing a chinlock and then putting on a front facelock. That’s broken up and Styles suplexes him into the corner, followed by a torture rack bomb for two. Americano grabs his hand and runs the corner for a Blockbuster (that was nice) for two. Styles slips out of what looked like a Styles Clash but the other Americano gets on the apron. Cue Dragon Lee to take out the other Americano, leaving Styles to roll the original into the Styles Clash for the pin at 9:00.

Rating: B-. Americano (the original) had some impressive spots in there and the ending sequence, with Styles rolling through into the Clash looked very good. I’m curious to see where this multiple Americanos goes, as it’s an interesting story and the reveals of who is underneath the masks could go in a few ways. Nice match here, and it’s nice to see Styles getting a pin.

Nikki Bella interrupts Iyo Sky and Adam Pearce. Stephanie Vaquer is apparently out of the contract signing but she’ll be around for the title match at Wrestlepalooza. The Kabuki Warriors interrupt and Bella isn’t happy, saying she was talking to Sky. Asuka vs. Bella is set up for tonight. Sky shakes her head.

Video on AJ Lee.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Roxanne Perez is here too. Valkyria kicks at the leg to start and gets swung around by the neck for her efforts. Back up and Valkyria kicks her out to the floor but Rodriguez knocks her out of the air. The twisting Vader Bomb crushes Valkyria for two and we take a break. We come back with Valkyria getting two off a sunset flip but getting caught in something like a Boston crab (with Rodriguez laying on Valkyria’s back and pulling on her legs).

That’s broken up and Valkyria hits something like a jawbreaker, followed by a tornado DDT for two. Rodriguez is back up with a slingshot Jackhammer (or close to it) for two of her own. A slightly delayed sunset bomb plants Rodriguez for two but Valkyria’s back won’t let her get a fireman’s carry. Perez interferes and gets taken out but Rodriguez catches her on top and hits a Tejana Bomb for the pin at 12:41.

Rating: C+. You could see Rodriguez getting tired near the end, which makes you wonder why you would put her out there in a match like this. I’m still not liking Valkyria losing this much, but at least she has whatever is coming with Bayley next. Rodriguez getting a win is a good thing, though maybe find a better style for her.

Penta and the War Raiders exchange pleasantries but Penta talks to Adam Pearce, saying he wants the Intercontinental Title. Pearce doesn’t say no but Rusev comes in to say he wants a title shot. Penta gets in his face and a match is made official.

AJ Styles thanks Dragon Lee when Jimmy Uso comes in, looking for Jey. Cue Jey, who is ready to leave, but Jimmy says they need to be there for LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed. Jey isn’t happy with Knight and says this is about them. Jimmy says Jey is sounding like Roman Reigns, with Jey saying sounding like himself isn’t working. Jey leaves.

Here is AJ Lee, wearing the Women’s Intercontinental Title. Lee says in case you weren’t here ten years ago and were confused as to why your millennial parents were very excited on Friday, here name is AJ Lee and she is your favorite wrestler’s favorite wrestler. She’s David Starr? She retired ten years ago and hung up her Chuck Taylors and thought she would never wear jean shorts that were two sizes too small.

During the ten years away, she went on a mental health journey (we pause for a THERAPY chant) and things were going well….but then things started changing. She can live with the idea of her husband fighting Seth Rollins or Drew McIntyre, but it’s a different thing when he’s in the ring with someone like Becky Lynch. Lee thought they would get along as they’re both rebels, leaders and bestselling authors, though yes she did do it first. But then Lynch had to go and motorboat her Lee’s husband and….here is Lynch to interrupt.

Lynch says this isn’t about Lee’s husband and she rants about how great she really is. The fans boo and Lynch says she’ll have to go to therapy after this. Fans: “THERAPY!” Lee: “I have some names I can give you.” She forgot she was wearing the title and Lynch takes her sunglasses off, revealing a black eye. Lee: “Was that from one of my tiny fists?” Lee lays the title down for her but Lynch insists that she isn’t a chicken. Lynch: “You listen to me, you Jersey trashbag weirdo.”

Lynch says this had nothing to do with Lee until CM Punk got involved, but where is he? She brings out Seth Rollins instead, who says that Lee can give Lynch the title back. Lee says Lynch can come get it, while risking another black eye, or she can agree to a mixed tag. Rollins says he’s going to come in and get the title (Lee: “Thanks for mansplaining that. Everyone loves that.”) but Lee jumps in front of it.

Cue CM Punk to go after Rollins, who escapes and agrees to the match at Wrestlepalooza. Lee kisses the title and throws it to Lynch. This was Lee’s big return speech and she absolutely still has the adorkable nature that makes her stand out. It comes off as her being herself and while I can absolutely see why it doesn’t work for everyone, it makes her feel as authentic as anyone in WWE most of the time.

Bayley talks about how she needs to make this better because Lyra Valkyria was the last person she wanted to hurt. She’s hurt a lot of people over the years but they deserved it, so she isn’t sure how Valkyria can forgive her when she can’t forgive herself. The voices start talking to her again but she insists she’ll make it right.

Penta vs. Rusev

Rusev shrugs off some chops to start and hammers away, followed by a hard clothesline. Penta is able to send him into the corner and grabs a Backstabber for a fast two. They head outside with Rusev missing a charge into the steps and we take a break. We come back with Penta hitting a Sling Blade but here are New Day and Grayson Waller for a distraction. The distraction lets Rusev grab Penta, who escapes and hits a big flip dive onto Kofi Kingston and Waller. Back in and a quick Code Red gives Penta two so he goes up, only to dive into the Machka Kick for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. The interference helped, but Penta losing again isn’t a great sign. Rusev is about what he’s been for most of his time in WWE, meaning that he’s good at what he does, but it’s only so interesting. Penta feels like he has a lot more potential, but feuding with New Day and Waller isn’t a great path.

We look back at John Cena vs. Sami Zayn on Smackdown, with Brock Lesnar running in to lay both of them out.

Jimmy Uso comes in to see LA Knight, who explains that what happened earlier was an accident. Uso seems to accept it and says they have beef with the Vision tonight. Knight says there is no WE because the Usos keep costing him. If Uso wants to help, don’t help, because Knight is doing this himself.

Nikki Bella vs. Asuka

Bella rolls her up for two to start as Kairi Sane is rather pleased on the floor. Back up and Asuka pops off a knee to the face before she chokes a bit in the corner. A forearm and spinebuster give Bella two but Asuka bails out to the floor. Asuka hides behind Sane and kicks Bella down as we take a break. We come back with Bella avoiding a middle rope kick to the face and hitting one of her own. Asuka hits her in the head but can’t get the Asuka Lock. Instead Bella is back with an Alabama Slam for two but Asuka kicks her in the head. The Empress Impact sets up the Asuka Lock and Bella taps at 10:20.

Rating: C. Asuka was carrying things here as it’s clear that Bella is pretty much limited to just her signature stuff. It’s far from the worst match, but egads Bella feels so wedged into everything these days and it’s rough to watch. Thankfully she didn’t win here, though I was more than a bit terrified of where this was going.

Judgment Day is happy with Raquel Rodriguez’s win and are ready for Roxanne Perez to do it next week. Dominik Mysterio comes in, saying he’s been getting ready for his AAA Mega Title shot this Friday. Was he off with El Grande Americano? The team thinks Americano wants something in return, but Mysterio says it wouldn’t happen if they didn’t get banned last week. Mysterio storms off, with Perez off to talk to him.

The Kabuki Warriors come up to Nikki Bella, who doesn’t think much of them. Rhea Ripley comes up and asks if there’s a problem. Ripley asks about Iyo Sky and Asuka leaves, with Sane staying until Asuka summons her. Sane has been a gem in these segments.

LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed

Bron Breakker is here too. Knight slugs away to start and gets knocked outside. Back in and Reed misses a sitdown splash, allowing Knight to clothesline away. One heck of a clothesline drops Knight and the pace slows, with Reed doing the Roman Reigns point. Back up and Knight knocks him to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes, followed by a quick posting.

We take a break and come back with Reed choking away on the ropes but he misses a charge into the buckle. Knight stomps away in the corner but gets dumped over the top for a big crash. Reed misses a charge though and gets caught with a dive off the barricade. Back in and Reed runs him over but misses a splash, allowing Knight to drop the top rope elbow. Breakker’s distraction breaks up the BFT though and the Jagged Edge finishes Knight at 11:36.

Rating: B-. Good match here, with Reed using the numbers game to win again. That’s the kind of thing that makes sense, as you can have various people show up after the match. Knight needs to win some more matches though, as while he’s in the main event scene, he’s mostly just the jobber to the stars at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jimmy Uso runs in for the save. That fails miserably but Jey Uso is back for the real save. Jey gets Super Speared down though and the Tsunami is loaded up. Knight makes the save with a chair…and Jey spears him down to end the show. Well that shakes things up a bit.

Overall Rating: B-. The Uso attack at the end is a good idea and very well could set up a bit match with Knight sooner or later. Other than that you had the rather awesome AJ Lee segment to set up the mixed tag. Wrestlepalooza is looking rather stacked and I’m wanting to see what we get there, with this show being a good way to help getting it ready. Just tweak some things here and there and this show is much better, but it did a nice job of getting the pay per view ready.

Results
AJ Styles b. El Grande Americano – Styles Clash
Raquel Rodriguez b. Lyra Valkyria – Tejana Bomb
Rusev b. Penta – Machka Kick
Asuka b. Nikki Bella – Asuka Lock
Bronson Reed b. LA Knight – Jagged Edge

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackdown
Date: September 5, 2025
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back from Europe after Clash In Paris and the main story here is something from Raw. In this case that’s because hometown legend CM Punk has all but said he’ll be here, while suggesting that he might be bringing a certain family member with him. John Cena is here too, and that might make for some big moments with just over two weeks to go before Wrestlepalooza. Let’s get to it.

Here is Clash In Paris if you need a recap.

We open with a long Clash In Paris recap.

Here is John Cena to get things going and the fans are happy to see him. Cena says he’s glad to hear that because he’s been trying to give it everything he has on this farewell tour. He’s out there with nothing planned and tonight he’s here to just take it in. Cena isn’t used to the most positive receptions around here but these people are special. Their chants can bring people back to WWE but this is Cena’s final time in Chicago and on Smackdown (oh that’s big).

This place is important for him though because he started his WWE career right here. This place is special though, because for Cena it is the greatest crowd WWE has. Cena thanks the fans but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt. The fans don’t seem happy to see him but Zayn is here to thank Cena for everything he’s done. Zayn reminds Cena that he debuted against Cena in a US Open Challenge and here he is as the US Champion. Therefore, with Cena’s permission, he wants to bring back the US Open Challenge.

Works for Cena, who goes to leave, but Zayn stops him. If this is Cena’s last night on Smackdown, he wants to repay the favor and give Cena a shot at the US Title. Again, works for Cena. This was a more emotional moment for Cena and you could tell it was meaning something to him. Zayn’s part was a nice call back and bonus as well.

US Title: John Cena vs. Sami Zayn

Cena is challenging. We’re joined in progress with Cena working on the arm but Zayn is right back with an armbar of his own. Cena’s armbar is broken up and Zayn springboards over him, only to get suplexed back down. One heck of a whip into the corner has Zayn in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Cena hitting the AA for two and blocking the exploder into the corner. A pop up powerbomb gives Cena two (nice nod to Kevin Owens) but he misses a charge into the post. The Helluva Kick misses and Cena hits an Angle Slam (Cole completely misses the point but Graves catches it) for two.

We take another break and come back with Zayn hitting the exploder into the Helluva Kick for two and they’re both down. Zayn misses a charge in the corner and walks into a GTS of all things for two more. A spear of all things gives Cena two (Cole AGAIN misses the point, saying that was a nod to Roman Reigns, with Graves suggesting it was a certain Canadian) and the fans, in on the idea, want an RKO. Instead it’s a super AA and they’re both down again….and here’s Brock Lesnar. The referee is pulled out and we’ll call it a no contest at 21:30.

Rating: B+. They were rocking near the end and I think we can accept the interference ending as a way to keep either from taking a loss. Cena just going nuts and doing a big tribute to a bunch of his old opponents (he used an ankle lock during a break) was a lot of fun. Zayn wasn’t exactly popular here, but it was still a heck of a match as they were both feeling it.

Post match it’s an F5 apiece as the fans aren’t pleased. Lesnar gives Cena another F5, puts his hat back on, and leaves.

Post break, Lesnar says he’ll see Cena at Wrestlepalooza and the match is on.

And with that, we’re over 50 minutes into the show. Not a bad start.

Carmelo Hayes and Miz talk to a busy Nick Aldis about a Tag Team Title match. He’ll consider it and hurries off.

Becky Lynch arrives.

Video on Aleister Black vs. Damian Priest.

Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black

Black jumps him from behind during the entrance and sends Priest over the barricade before the bell. We take a break and come back with a limping Priest trying to get inside but Black kicks him down. Black sends him inside and the bell rings, with Priest falling down off a big swing. Black gets in something like an Octopus hold, followed by a middle rope Meteora and we take a break.

We come back with Black getting crotched on top but he elbows Priest in the head for two more. Priest fights up and slugs away, including some hard kicks to the chest. The Old School crossbody connects and Black Downward Spirals him onto the apron, followed by a Razor’s Edge onto the announcers’ table. They get back in and Black begs off but grabs the referee to block South Of Heaven. A quick Black Mass finishes for Black at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Priest is more than protected in the loss and that’s fine, as he’ll have a reason to come back for revenge later. It’s a good way for Black to look superior, though Priest is going to need to crank up the violence. That could make for a good Smackdown main event down the line, especially with some special stipulations.

Video on Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tiffany Stratton is ready to shut Jade Cargill up next week.

Cargill is ready as well but Nia Jax interrupts. Cargill says get out of her way or catch these hands tonight.

Nick Aldis comes in to see a rather enthusiastic Becky Lynch. CM Punk is here and they can’t have anything going wrong here, but Lynch says it’ll be fine.

Women’s United States Title: Giulia vs. Michin

Giulia, with Kiana James, is defending. They slug it out to start and James gets on the apron, which doesn’t make much of a difference. Giulia misses a charge to the floor but comes back with a neckbreaker outside and we take a break. We come back with Giulia snapping off a German suplex, only for Michin to hit her own. Michin whips her into the corner for the cannonball but Giulia’s sitout driver gets two more. Michin fights up but has to hurricanrana driver James. The distraction lets Michin hit the running knee to retain at 7:35.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Giulia actually get in the ring, though she’s going to need a much bigger opponent than Michin. This didn’t feel like it was supposed to be some big title defense or anything close, so maybe someone new can come after the title soon. Giulia and James are a fine enough combination, with James mainly there as the standard talking distraction.

We look at Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre attacking Charlotte last week.

Charlotte is upset over her knee but Alexa Bliss, with a stethoscope comes in, saying the power of friendship will heal her pain. Charlotte talks to Lily and realizes she might be losing it.

Here is Seth Rollins, in the crowd, for a chat. He’s ready to kill the legend of CM Punk and introduces Becky Lynch, through the entrance, to make it happen. Lynch DOES NOT like the Chicago crowd and runs down their local sports teams (minus the Bears, as Rollins is a fan). Cue CM Punk to interrupt (yeah they like him), with Rollins waving with a big grin on his face in a funny bit.

Lynch thinks Punk should be embarrassed but he has nothing to be embarrassed about. Punk is tired of Rollins hiding behind everyone and Lynch asks how his jaw is feeling. The fans chant for AJ LEE and Lynch tries to cut them off but Punk says they can chant her name. Punk says he could snap his fingers and have one of his sisters (who raises her hand) take Lynch out. Or he could call Bayley or Rhea Ripley and have them do it.

Lynch slaps him over and over (Rollins dances over this) and Punk goes to the floor. This is the kind of situation he wanted to avoid, because he would never put his hands on a lady. Thankfully he knows someone who will and LET’S LIGHT IT UP. Lynch and Rollins panic as AJ skips to the ring, takes a quick lap, and gets inside as the fans are losing it. The brawl is on and Lynch drops her, followed by a big slap. Lynch and Rollins bail as Punk hugs AJ to end the show.

The pop for AJ’s return was massive as they weren’t exactly subtle that she was coming back. It helps that she doesn’t have to be some kind of all generational talent but rather just able to do what she did before. She’s only 38 so it’s not like this is someone twenty years passed their prime. This worked well and it has me interested in the mixed tag.

Overall Rating: B+. Despite having a 21 minute opening match, this wasn’t a wrestling heavy show. Instead, this was built around the very lengthy (yet great) opening segment/match/fallout and the big closing. That sets up two major matches at Wrestlepalooza and that’s what it needed to be. They didn’t bother with anything close to subtlety here, as it was two huge segments, a big match, and two midcard matches to pad it out. Heck of a show here, with the big stuff nailing it on both sides.

Results
John Cena vs. Sami Zayn went to a no contest when Brock Lesnar interfered
Aleister Black b. Damian Priest – Black Mass
Giulia b. Michin – Running knee

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Smackdown
Date: September 19, 2008
Location: Sommet Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tazz, Jim Ross

The big story coming out of last week is Jeff Hardy becoming the new #1 contender and getting a shot at HHH and the World Title at No Mercy. Other than that, Big Show is now in league with Vickie Guerrero and going after Undertaker, which sounds like it could lead to minutes of entertainment. Hopefully the rest of the show can pick up the pace a bit, though you never know what you’ll see around here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Jeff Hardy becoming the #1 contender but getting laid out by Vladimir Kozlov.

Opening sequence.

Divas Title: Michelle McCool vs. Maryse

McCool is defending. Maryse grabs a headlock to start and then runs McCool over with a shoulder. Back up and McCool trips her down for a basement dropkick and then mocks the Maryse pose. Maryse manages to snap the throat across the top but a sunset flip dives McCool two. A hair takedown lets Maryse grab a camel clutch but JR isn’t happy with how much posing Maryse does in the process. McCool is back up with a dropkick into a running flipping neckbreaker. The Wings Of Love retains the title.

Rating: C. This was another good example of the issues the women were having at the time. They were clearly trying to get better in the ring (and it was starting to work) but they had the same issues as before, with the focus often being on their looks and the revealing gear. It’s still a work in progress, but you can tell they’re making serious progress.

Big Show is in Vickie Guerrero’s office when Eve comes in. Eve asks Vickie about Undertaker possibly being here tonight but Vickie doesn’t want to hear it. Eve goes on to mention that she’s been training, with the other two laughing at her. Show has her sit down and shows her why the first question is totally irrelevant. This leads to a video on Show beating Undertaker down at Unforgiven, which I guess he had cued up for anyone who was coming in.

Ryan Braddock vs. Festus

Jesse and Festus are doing the movers deal. Festus misses a charge into the corner to start and Braddock hammers away before grabbing an early chinlock. That’s broken up and Festus unloads on him, including the fireman’s carry flapjack. That’s enough for Jesse to throw in the packing supplies, which draws the DQ.

Post break, Festus is packed up and moved out. The fans either don’t get it or don’t care. Or both.

Vickie Guerrero wants Undertaker to show up so she can make him apologize. And we see the same video of the Unforgiven beatdown. Reminding us that it’s still Big Show vs. Undertaker really isn’t helping.

Shelton Benjamin praises himself and doesn’t think much of R-Truth being in prison.

Shelton Benjamin vs. R-Truth

Non-title. Benjamin backs him into the corner to start but R-Truth is back out with the spinning forearm. The referee doesn’t like R-Truth stomping away in the corner and Benjamin is able to snap off a suplex, which Tazz certainly appreciates. The crossface shots to the face set up a backbreaker and we hit the reverse chinlock. That’s broken up so Benjamin forearms away even more, setting up the reverse chinlock again. R-Truth fights up so Benjamin tries a German suplex, which is reversed into a cradle to give R-Truth the pin.

Rating: C+. R-Truth is still new so having him get right into the US Title picture is certainly a big deal. I’m not sold on the idea of him winning the title just yet and having him pin the champion isn’t great to see, but at least it’s someone getting a push. Now just follow through with what they’re doing in one way or another.

Post match Hurricane Helms (out of action for a year and a half) pops up in a bubble to say the price of gold just went down. Ok then.

Here is Jeff Hardy for a chat before his match. He’s been here for about ten years (thankfully throwing in “on and off”) and it hasn’t been perfect. Last week, HHH said that Hardy had never won the big one and now he realizes that HHH was trying to motivate him. Congratulations Game because it absolutely worked, and now he’s reaching for the title instead of the brass ring. As for Vladimir Kozlov…and never mind because cue Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson, with the former mentioning that last week’s four way wasn’t the best way to show off his abilities. Kendrick references Hardy’s drug use and we’re ready to go.

Jeff Hardy vs. The Brian Kendrick

Ezekiel Jackson is here with Kendrick, who gets hammered down in the corner to start. Kendrick comes back with a clothesline to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Kendrick working on a half crab, which is broken up rather quickly. Hardy fights back and hits the slingshot dropkick in the corner. Kendrick kicks him in the face and Jackson offers a distraction to break up the Whisper In The Wind. Kendrick loads up the Kendrick but Hardy reverses into a backslide for the fast pin.

Rating: B-. Kendrick continues to be such an oddball (in a good way) and he’s rather fun to see when he gets in the ring. It’s also good to see someone getting a fresh chance and his team with Jackson works well. At the same time, Hardy is on the way to getting a World Title match so he’s going to be racking up some wins in the next few weeks.

Post match Hardy goes to leave and gets kicked down by Vladimir Kozlov.

Big Show comes into Vickie Guerrero’s office and says Undertaker is here. We get a POV shot of someone we can’t see coming into the office but Vickie orders them onto their knees for an apology. A voice that sounds like Undertaker’s apologizes but she wants him to kiss her feet. And yeah it’s Chavo Guerrero in a bad Undertaker costume. And we see the video AGAIN.

It’s time for the return of Carlito’s Cabana, with Primo as the guest. After a quick microphone issue, Primo says it was easy to get a win last week. They’re ready to win the Tag Team Titles but get into an argument over whose show it happens to be. Cue Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins (Hurricane Helms pops in to mock Hawkins and Ryder) to mock the two of them, but Primo and Carlito issue the challenge for the title match tonight.

After confirming that Hawkins and Ryder aren’t Canadian, they confirm the title match for next week. Carlito needs someone to come clear the set off, so here are Jesse and Festus to clean house (and beat up the champs). The moving stuff is annoying, but Helms getting to be snarky has me intrigued.

Maria is sketching something when Brie Bella comes in. They talk about Maria making her gear, with Brie asking for an exact matching version, just in case it gets broken. Victoria and Natalya come in and say they’ve figured Brie out: she’s having an affair with Hornswoggle underneath the ring! A tag match is set for next week.

Great Khali vs. Scotty Goldman

Goldman mocks Khali’s speech pattern and even has a Runjin Singh puppet. Chops, a clothesline, and the tree slam finish Goldman fast.

Raw Rebound.

Chavo Guerrero throws La Familia out so he can watch the Big Show/Undertaker video by himself. So why do we have to see it for a fourth time? This time though the video breaks up and Undertaker appears on the screen. Then he appears behind Chavo and chokes him. Well his arm does at least.

HHH vs. MVP

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with MVP posing a bit too much, earning himself a crotch chop. MVP charges into a right hand into the corner and then charges into a drop toehold. HHH headlocks him down and grinds away to keep MVP rather frustrated we take a break.

We come back with MVP working on the arm by cranking on an armbar. A hammerlock with some knees to the arm keep HHH down, followed by a DDT on the arm for two. HHH fights up and hits a neckbreaker but MVP goes right back to the arm. That’s enough for MVP to go up, where he dives right into the Pedigree to give HHH the pin.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine match here with HHH getting a win over someone with some credibility. It was a lot of work on the arm before they cranked it up a bit and it worked well enough. Much like Hardy earlier, there was no reason to believe HHH was losing but again in this case, that’s not a bad thing.

Post match Vladimir Kozlov comes out to wreck HHH to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show lost me with the Undertaker/Big Show video airing over and over with the only important thing being Undertaker choking Chavo Guerrero. The rest of the show was the usual stuff as we’re well on the way to No Mercy and Hardy vs. HHH should be good. The Big Show vs. Undertaker stuff being driven into the ground was a bad idea though and it took away from a lot of the rest of the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Evolve
Date: September 3, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Last week saw Kali Armstrong retain the Women’s Title in a four way match, meaning it’s time for her to have a fresh challenger. On the other hand, Keanu Carver is getting closer to the Evolve Title and Jackson Drake. That might not go well for the champion and we might see something new here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Sean Legacy vs. Ice Williams

Williams takes him down by the arm to start but Legacy is back up with a hammerlock. With Williams down, Legacy pulls him into a surfboard, which doesn’t last long. A dropkick legs Williams hammer away but Legacy sends him outside, followed by a dive. We take a break and come back with Williams posting him for two but Legacy hits a dropkick. Shambles is blocked and Williams plants him down for two more.

Legacy pulls him into a quickly broken STF but misses a springboard 450. The Ice Breaker gives Williams two and Legacy catches him on top with a super Spanish Fly. Now the springboard 450 connects for two so Legacy tries another springboard, which is broken up instead. Another Ice Breaker connects but Legacy kicks him into the corner and hits Shambles for the pin at 11:32.

Rating: B. They were rolling near the end there and that’s a good thing, as Legacy has needed a win after a few months of pretty much just sitting in one place. I’m sure he’s going to be fine in the long run, but the last little bit hasn’t been kind to him. Granted it helps that Williams is leaving, which is a shame as he has some potential, but it’s not going to be showcased here.

Post match Legacy says he’s working on getting ready to come after the Evolve Title. Cue Edris Enofe to interrupt, saying he doesn’t think Legacy is ready to carry Evolve. That’s why Stevie Turner needs to make Enofe #1 contender. Shoving ensues.

Kylie Rae talks about how different she is than Chantel Monroe. She is impressed by Masyn Holiday though.

The Vanity Project is still not in the best of moods as Jackson Drake isn’t happy with finding out his next challenger when everyone else finds out. They consider who the challenger might be and mock the options. Kali Armstrong comes in to mock Drake’s nerves. Zayda Steel suggests Armstrong is going to lose her title first but Armstrong brushes her off.

Kylie Rae vs. Masyn Holiday

Layla Diggs is here with Holiday for a dancing entrance. We get a handshake to start and they fight over arm control, with Holiday pulling her into an armbar. Rae reverses into one of her own but Holiday stomps her down and dances a bit. Back up and Rae knocks her into the corner for a Cannonball but Holiday catches Rae on top.

Holiday’s half crab doesn’t last long and Rae gives her a basement superkick for two. The middle rope moonsault gives Rae another near fall and Holiday is in a lot of trouble. Rae slips out of a fireman’s carry and pulls on the crossface for the tap at 7:21. Diggs is far from pleased.

Rating: C. The match was ok enough, with Holiday showing some potential. She’s still a long way from being ready for a bigger spot, but there is something to her that is worth at least a chance. On the other hand you have Rae, who isn’t the biggest star in the world, but she’s a lot better now that she’s away from Wendy Choo.

Post match respect is shown.

Jax Presley and Harley Riggins are ready to debut against Adrenaline Drip.

Tate Wilder is ready to face Ridge Holland because he’s tired of being treated this way. Drako Knox isn’t sure but supports Wilder anyway.

Adrenaline Drip vs. Jax Presley/Harley Riggins

The villains are making their in-ring debuts. The rather large Presley powers Jones around to start and gives him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, allowing Riggins to send him into the post. Back in and a facebuster into a Backstabber gets two as It’s Gal and Jamar Hampton are watching backstage.

Jones gets up and manages a pop up dropkick to put Riggins down, meaning it’s off to Cartwheel vs. Presley. Cartwheel springboards in with a forearm into a Sling Blade but Flip and Sip is broken up. Riggins and Presley are sent outside, where they pull a diving Jones out of the air. Jones is sent at Cartwheel, who gets tossed into the air for a spear and the pin at 5:41.

Rating: C+. A guy I know was training for independent wrestling and was given a biker gimmick. The promoter said he wanted him to feel like he hadn’t been to wrestling school, but he had been to a** kicking school. That’s what I got from Presley and Riggins, who were as smash mouth as you can get here and felt like two big raw brawlers in the right way. That stands out and they looked like a couple of monsters out there. Fun stuff.

Video on the ID Program.

Here is Stevie Turner to talk about the #1 contender to the Evolve Title. Cue the Vanity Project, who say this isn’t the right way to go. They want Drake to have an easy opponent but cue Keanu Carver to say just make him #1 contender already. This brings out Brooks Jensen to say he can get the job done, so here is Ridge Holland to…get in a fight with Tate Wilder. They brawl to the back, leaving Drake to say he can beat Carver and Jensen. The result? A triple threat next week. The brawl is on with Vanity Project beating the challengers down but Jensen and Carver fight back and take them out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Kind of an all over the place show this week but not in the worst way. The ending segment was every “and then this person wants in and this person wants in” segment, but at least it set up the match. What stood out to me the most was that tag match, as Presley and Riggins felt different. That’s a hard thing to do but they pulled it off here. I’m not saying they’re the next Demolition, but they made a good first impression and that’s very important. Nice show here, with some moments standing out.

Results
Sean Legacy b. Ice Williams – Shambles
Kylie Rae b. Masyn Holiday – Crossface
Jax Presley/Harley Riggins b. Adrenaline Drip – Pop up spear to Cartwheel

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: September 16, 2008
Location: Sommet Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Matt Striker

Matt Hardy’s reign continues around here and that means he still has to deal with Mark Henry. That’s quite an issue in its own right but tonight Henry has his hands full with Finlay. Other than that, last week saw the debut of a newcomer named Jack Swagger, who made quite the impact in his first match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry is confirmed for No Mercy.

Matt Hardy vs. Mike Knox

Non-title. For some reason Striker talks about the lyrics to Hardy’s theme song as Hardy and Knox fight over a headlock. Knox goes with the power by slamming him down and dropping a knee to the ribs for two. The chinlock goes on so Hardy fights up to make the comeback. One heck of a clothesline drops Hardy, who pops right back up with the middle rope elbow to the head.

The Twist Of Fate is blocked so Hardy switches to a DDT for two instead. They head outside for a double clothesline and we take a break. We come back with Hardy fighting out of another chinlock but Knox hits a not so great dropkick. Knox takes him to the corner but Hardy elbows out and….I think misses a moonsault, though he still grazes Knox anyway. Either way, Knox covers him for two and we’re back to the chinlock. Back up and Hardy’s Side Effect gets two, followed by a tornado DDT. The Twist Of Fate finishes Knox off.

Rating: B-. This turned into a pretty decent match, though they would have been better off with less time, as Knox went to the chinlock too many times. There is always a place for a hero coming back from behind against a monster and that’s what you got here. Hardy has bigger problems coming soon enough, but at least he did well against a lower level villain.

Tony Atlas thinks Matt Hardy is looking good but Mark Henry says it’s only because Hardy isn’t in there against him. Henry blames Finlay for the title loss.

Miz vs. Evan Bourne

John Morrison and Ricky Ortiz are here too. Miz takes him into the corner to start but Bourne ducks a left hand and kicks away. Bourne is sent outside, meaning the seconds can yell at each other a bit. Back in and Miz forearms away in the ropes as commentary discusses the stock market.

An arm and leg crank have Bourne in more trouble but he fights out, only to get dropped with a heck of a clothesline. Bourne is back up with a kick to the head and a running hurricanrana. Miz goes up and gets thrown back down, only for Morrison to trip Bourne. Ortiz cuts that off and Bourne gets a rollup pin.

Rating: C+. Miz was clearly getting better in the ring at this point and was turning from a joke to a joke who could do some things between the ropes for a change. That’s the kind of development you do not see very often and it’s nice to see it happening here. At the same time, Bourne is already looking like someone worth watching and Ortiz…well have you seen Miz and Bourne?

Raw Rebound.

Jack Swagger vs. Chase Stevens

Swagger wrestles him down to start but Stevens manages to get in a shot of his own. That earns him a drive into the corner, followed by a running knee. The belly to belly drops Stevens again and the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Stevens fast.

Finlay vs. Mark Henry

Hornswoggle and Tony Atlas are here too and this is fallout from Finlay hitting him with the shillelagh last week. Finlay circles him a bit to start before getting knocked down with an elbow to the head. Henry goes with the power but Finlay is back up to forearm away. That earns him a standing body block as Henry isn’t having any of this. Finlay gets knocked into the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Henry sending Finlay into the apron as Striker talks about people crying at the ocean. Henry slams him down again as Striker moves on to Undertaker beating Hogan in this town six years ago. Finlay fights back and hits some forearms to the chest but Atlas shoves Hornswoggle. That lets Henry go after Hornswoggle so Finlay gets in a Shillelagh shot to the arm.

Finlay works on the arm back inside and gets two off a rollup. It’s so close that the fans pop for the count but the referee has to wave it off. Finlay sits on the chest and goes after the arm again but Henry powers him into the corner. The splash sets up the World’s Strongest Slam to give Henry the pin.

Rating: B-. Finlay is one of those unique stars who can make almost anything work and he pulled it off here. There is only so much that you can do with someone the size of Henry, though he’s rapidly figuring out how to be a monster. Keep that up and he can play his role well, especially with a veteran like Finlay.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice enough show here, as there are some fresh stars around here to spice things up a bit. Swagger has done well to start so far and Miz and Morrison are getting that much better rather quickly. Throw in Hardy as the big star of the show and fighting the monster that is Henry and I had a good time with this one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

WWE Vault Grab Bag
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes

So since the WWE Vault has a tendency to throw out all kinds of random matches, it can be fun to see what comes out and mix them together. That’s what I’m doing here, with a collection of seven matches that have been posted recently(ish). There’s no connection to them other than that (at least that I’ll get into) so let’s get to it.

From Mexico City, July 13, 2024.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Isla Dawn

Vaquer had been signed in a big surprise a few days before. Dawn jumps her before the match but Vaquer knocks her down and hits a legdrop. A springboard high crossbody gives Vaquer two, only for Dawn to get in a cheap shot to take over. Dawn’s hip attack in the corner gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Vaquer makes the comeback, including what would become known as the Devil’s Kiss for two. Dawn fights back to no avail as it’s the SVB to give Vaquer the pin at 4:23.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite a squash, but Vaquer was never in anything resembling real trouble. That’s the point in having her debut like this, as she got to come in, make a good impression, and leave with the fans wanting to see more. Nice debut here, as Vaquer clearly had the skills right from the start.

From Savannah, Georgia, January 29, 1991.

Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel

This is a Blindfold Match after a Wrestling Challenge taping and a test run for their infamous match at Wrestlemania VII. Martel misses a (blind) charge to start and Roberts immediately gets the idea of pointing, with the fans telling him if he’s going in the right direction while Martel stumbles around. This goes on for a bit until Roberts finally gets him down and hammers away. Martel is back with some choking but misses a backdrop attempt as Roberts steps to the side. How he would know to do that is anyone’s guess.

Martel winds up on the floor and stumbles around for a bit, ultimately finding the snake bag and panicking. The staggering continues as Martel finds a chair and I wonder how there hasn’t been a 94 count by now. Martel’s chair shot hits the post and he slowly gets back inside (after almost four minutes on the floor).

They back into each other and Martel hammers away but misses an elbow drop. Martel finally gets frustrated and takes the hood off to hammer away. Roberts gets tied in the ropes so Martel grabs the Arrogance. The fight with the referee is enough for Roberts to hear them and hit the DDT for the VERY delayed pin at 8:46.

Rating: D+. This didn’t work again, partially as I’m not sure how Martel wasn’t counted out or disqualified at either point. That being said, the idea of a blindfold match works, but this was very little action or even teases with the crowd helping. Then again, it’s just a tryout for the big match later, even if a lot of the sequences were the same.

From Springfield, Massachusetts, November 12, 1991.

WWF Title: Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan is defending in a Wrestling Challenge dark match and Mr Perfect is here with Flair. We hit the stall button to start with no contact for more than the first two minutes. Flair gets in a shove and a WOO before ducking a lockup attempt. He ducks again and we’re now three and a half minutes in with that one shove being the only contact. Hogan draws a line on the mat and says bring it so we finally get a lockup, with Flair grabbing a headlock.

Flair grinds away but Hogan powers out and hits a running shoulder, allowing him to strut a bit as the fans are going nuts for all of this. A clothesline puts Flair on the floor and it’s time for a test of strength, but Flair is smart enough to pike him in the eye instead. Flair’s big chop just fires Hogan up and he hammers away in the corner. Hogan knocks him to the floor and Flair goes to leave, only to get dragged back for his efforts.

This time Flair manages to knock him down and drops the knee but the chops just wake Hogan up again. That’s one thing I love about Flair: whether it’s Sting or Hogan, he would keep doing the same things that never worked because he has the confidence to believe THIS TIME FOR SURE! Just like going to the top rope, even if it almost NEVER worked, Flair was delusional enough to believe that he could pull it off.

Anyway, Hogan fights back but stops to yell at Perfect, allowing Flair to start in on the leg. Flair crotches him against the post and starts in with his usual leg variety pack. The Figure Four attempt is blocked though and Flair goes up, only to be slammed down (there it is). Perfect puts the foot on the ropes at two and it’s time for the foreign object. The big right hand connects and yeah you know what’s coming. The Hulk Up is on and Flair bails to the floor for the chase, with Hogan beating the count back in for the win at 14:45.

Rating: C. Well it was fine and that’s about all I can give the thing. Flair just never felt like a threat to Hogan, as outside of a fluke rollup, was anyone buying that Hogan was losing to the Figure Four? It’s one of those matches that felt like it should have been massive but it just didn’t click for the most part, which was certainly the situation here.

Hogan poses to mix it up a bit.

From Cape Girardeau, Missouri, March 24, 1985.

Randy Savage vs. Jerry Lawler

This is officially from the ICW promotion, which officially done but Angelo Poffo (Randy’s father) might have been promoting a Memphis show and as a result, it was part of the ICW video library. Savage bails to the floor to start and says something I can’t understand before getting back inside for the lockup. They run the ropes with Lawler letting him jump over him about five times before grabbing a hiptoss.

Back up and Savage keeps moving around while Lawler waits on him, including another knockdown. The stalling continues as there is barely anything going on, but the fans keep screaming at just about everything. In other words, these two are crazy over and the fans want to see it happen. Lawler goes to the floor and grabs the mic to complain about…something (not the best audio as you can imagine).

They switch places and Savage’s manager and says if Lawler has any guts he’ll…something. Lawler drops to the floor again and seems to threaten said manager as we’re nearly ten minutes in with about a minute of contact. Lawler chases Savage outside again and Savage grabs the mic to yell some more. Back in and Lawler punches him into the ropes and, of course, Savage bails outside. This time he grabs the chair so Lawler runs for a change. Savage grabs the mic again and I have no idea what he’s saying. Granted this is for the live crowd and not us so it’s hard to get that annoyed.

Back in again and Savage knocks him into the corner before dropping to his knees for some mocking, followed by another yell into the mic. Lawler chases him back to the floor before dropping outside himself, where Lawler steals the bell for some reason. Savage chases him with a chair, so Lawler grabs the mic and seems to tell Savage to drop the chair. That brings Savage back in for roughly the 47th time, with Lawler punching him down again.

We stall again, as there are minutes long stretches between any kind of offense. Lawler catches a kick to the stomach and sweeps out the other leg, setting up the fist drop as we might be about to get going. That means Savage needs a breather in the corner, which allows him to catch Lawler’s kick to the ribs for a change. Lawler ENZIGURIS HIM into the corner, followed (eventually) by a right hand. Savage ducks a clothesline though and Lawler is sent to the apron, allowing the manager to slip in the cane for a shot to the ribs.

The slow beating knocks Lawler around ringside, followed by the top rope elbow….to the head. Well that’s just weird, and Lawler sending him outside on the kickout is even weirder. Back in and Savage sends him outside again, this time beating Lawler into the crowd, where we can’t see very much. Back in again and Lawler punches him out of the air, meaning it’s time to start the comeback. As is the case int his match, it doesn’t last long as Savage goes to the eyes and sends him into the buckle a few times. The strap comes down and Lawler hammers away, goes after the manager, and drops the middle rope fist for the pin at 31:57.

Rating: B-. Ok so here’s the thing: this is not going to be for everyone. If you like action packed matches, you will be bored out of your mind with this one. The vast majority of offense is punching, with Lawler’s enziguri and Savage’s stuff from the top being about the only variety. What you had here was a great lesson in milking a crowd, as these guys barely did anything for about twenty minutes and had the crowd going nuts. That’s how you do something like this and it worked, while also showing how brilliant both of them were with getting the most out of their actions.

Post match someone runs in after Lawler (likely Lanny Poffo) but Lawler clears him out, only to get jumped by two more guys….who he beats up as well.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, January 31, 1997.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Sid

Michaels is defending in a dark match after Raw. Canadian boxer George Chuvalo is guest ringside referee. Michaels does not seem to be quite with it and Hart isn’t looking pleased, though that’s often his default look. Hart and Michaels slug it out to start until Michaels is sent outside so Sid can beat on Hart instead.

Back in and Michaels tries the superkick on Sid, who reverses into a chokeslam. Hart drops Sid and goes after Michaels in the corner, with Michaels reversing and superkicking Sid to the floor. A dropkick and some right hands have Hart in trouble and Michaels isn’t sure why the (Canadian) crowd doesn’t like him. Another dropkick is countered into the Sharpshooter but Sid is back in for the save.

The powerbomb drops Hart again so Michaels makes a save. This time Sid is sent outside, leaving Hart to beat on Michaels some more. A backdrop sends Michaels to the floor in a nasty looking bump, leaving the other two to clothesline each other. The Sharpshooter has Sid in trouble but Steve Austin runs in…and gets knocked silly by Chuvalo. Well that didn’t work. Back up and Sid tries the powerbomb but Michaels comes back in with a high crossbody to pin Hart and retain at 12:13.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, with the fans being completely behind Bret (of course) and Austin’s selling of the punch being rather impressive. Other than that, the match was rather basic with the two in, one out format that would wind up dominating the matches over the years. In other words, it’s been this way since the beginning (well, the modern beginning that is, as there were three person matches all the way back back to at least the 60s). Anyway, nice stuff here.

From Binghamton, New York, June 30, 1992.

Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog

From after a Wrestling Challenge taping, Hart’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line and I believe this was on one of the Unreleased DVDs from a few years ago. Bulldog runs him over with a shoulder to the floor to start and the fans are impressed. Back in and Hart’s headlock doesn’t last long so he gets two off a small package instead. A headlock takeover slows Bulldog back down, which he reverses into a hammerlock. That’s reversed but Bulldog rolls around and grabs an armbar.

Hart gets up again and hits a knee to the ribs, followed by the chinlock. Bulldog fights up and tries the crucifix but gets dropped down hard to cut that off. A piledriver (snappy one too) gets two and some elbows, including the middle rope version, get the same. Back up and Hart is sent chest first into the corner but he’s right back with a sleeper. That’s broken up and they crash out to the floor with Hart getting the worst of of it. Bulldog tries a suplex back in but Hart reverses into a sweet German suplex to retain at 13:55.

Rating: B. Well of course the match was good as you have two rather talented people in the ring for a decent amount of time. It was different enough from the Summerslam match and that made for a nice viewing. If nothing else, the German suplex looked rather good with Hart’s bridge making for a nice looking finish.

We get a post match hug.

From Mobile, Alabama, March 9, 1992.

Hulk Hogan/Roddy Piper vs. Sid Justice/Ric Flair

Dark match from a Superstars taping but it was released on the 1992 Battle Of The WWF Superstars so we actually have commentary. Harvey Wippleman handles Sid’s entrance and the fans do not seem pleased. Piper and Flair start things off with Piper getting the better of things and knocking him around, with Hogan getting a shot of his own. The running knee has Flair flying again and Piper is right there waiting with two fingers to the eyes (you know Flair is willing to bump all over the place for something like this).

The right hands in the corner set up the Flair Flip to the apron, where Hogan is waiting with the big boot. Sid comes in and chokes Hogan in the corner before beating Piper up in a similar manner. Piper manages to punch him out of the air but Sid takes it right back into the corner. Flair’s atomic drop gives us a fairly funny sell from Piper, who is sent outside. Hogan goes out for the save but gets held back, allowing Sid to get in a chair to the back.

They head back inside and Piper slams Flair off the top but crawls to the wrong corner (giving us a good “NOPE” face from Piper). Flair and Piper get in a weird rolling sequence on the mat until Piper makes it over to Hogan for the tag. Hogan boots Flair down (the camera cuts half a second too late and it’s clear that there’s no contact) for the legdrop but Sid comes in and gently taps Hogan with a chair. Flair gets two but it’s Hulk Up time as everything breaks down. With Sid and Piper on the floor, Hogan clotheslines Flair for the pin at 12:49.

Rating: C+. You know exactly what you’re getting with something like this and while the WWF Champion just got pinned by a clothesline, the fans were going nuts and Piper was clearly having a great time. Piper vs. Flair was a heck of a feud at this point and Hogan vs. Sid was about to headline Wrestlemania. Good way to wrap things up here and the fans approved so it could have been a lot worse.

Hogan and Piper pose together, which will always be sick and wrong.

Overall Rating: B-. An overall rating for this is kind of a weird thing to put together as it’s not meant to be anything more than a homemade playlist. That’s the kind of fun thing that you get from the Vault and I had a good time with the whole thing. It’s a lot of stuff that I’ve either never seen before or haven’t seen in a long time. I had fun with this and hopefully I can do something like it again sooner than later.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 15, 2008
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re on the way to No Mercy and that means it’s time to start putting the card together. In this case that means figuring out what is coming, though the Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels feud should give you a pretty good idea. First though, Jericho has to get through CM Punk in a steel cage. Let’s get to it.

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

The cage is lowered.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending in a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win. Punk hammers away to start fast and whips Jericho into the corner, allowing Jericho to try a quick escape. That’s immediately cut off so Punk goes up, with Jericho pulling him back down. The running knee and bulldog look to set up the GTS but Jericho makes the rope. Punk is fine enough to send him into the cage and we take a break.

We come back with Jericho holding an ankle lock of all things before switching to the Walls. Punk’s crawl gets his hands and a leg out of the cage but Jericho pulls him back in and slams the door on Punk’s head. The Lionsault hits a raised knee though and Punk kicks him down, only to miss a running knee in the corner.

They fight onto the top of the cage and then crash back down to give Punk two. Jericho sends him into the cage and goes up, with Punk grabbing an electric chair for the big crash back down. Punk goes for the door but Jericho dives at him and winds up on the apron. A headbutt staggers Jericho…and he falls out to retain the title in a bit of a call back to Muraco vs. Snuka.

Rating: B. Good, hard hitting fight here as Jericho escapes again, with Punk basically beating himself. It’s a clever way to keep both of them going, as Punk got his rematch and didn’t so much get beaten as much as Jericho got lucky. At the same time, Jericho gets to move on, likely to his next showdown with Shawn Michaels.

Batista is watching.

Mike Adamle is talking to Kelly Kelly in the back when some annoying guy comes in to introduce himself. Dolph Ziggler or something. With that out of the way, Chris Jericho comes in and Adamle says it’s time to focus on No Mercy. Jericho doesn’t like that and says Adamle needs to take care of him better, even offering to explain it in his office.

Kane is in a mask but explains that he had to remove it. That was for all of the people but it got him nothing. Now people ridicule him and he doesn’t like that. He wants to hurt Rey Mysterio, who doesn’t have the courage to unmask. Everyone wears a mask because they don’t like themselves. When he attacked Mysterio, he was attacking everyone. Evan Bourne comes in and says he wants to see Mysterio beat Kane. That doesn’t seem to bother Kane, who laughs a lot.

Candice Michelle vs. Jillian Hall

Hall sings some Elvis on her way to the ring and after the break, cranking up the shrieking extra high this week. Beth Phoenix is here to watch as well. Michelle grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and is promptly planted hard. Hall pulls on the hair to keep Michelle down and we hit the full nelson. Michelle fights up and jumps over her in the corner, hitting a kind of Edge-O-Matic (nice) for two. The Candywrapper finishes Hall off.

Rating: C-. The Edge-O-Matic was nice and you can see that Michelle is trying, but it’s still only getting her so far. I’ll certainly take someone at least trying to get better though and Michelle is doing just that, which is partially why she’s getting the attention. WWE is trying to find someone new for the women’s division so they might as well try it with Michelle.

Post match Phoenix comes after Michelle and gets dropkicked.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Tommy Dreamer

JBL slams him down and drops an elbow, followed by a big boot. Dreamer gets a boot of his own up in the corner and grabs a neckbreaker, only to walk into the Clothesline From JBL for the fast pin.

Post match JBL says he isn’t leaving the ring until he talks to Mike Adamle. Post break JBL is still waiting and explaining that he should be #1 contender but gets Randy Orton instead. Orton talks about his recent champions evaluation, which is why he cost CM Punk the World Title. JBL isn’t much of an upgrade, though Orton’s shoulder is almost better and he’s coming for the title. Then there will be a champion on Raw with some credibility…so cue Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix.

Marella mocks Orton for being hurt all the time, just like his dad. On the other hand, Marella’s father is always healthy! Except for having herpes. Orton: “You expect me to respond to that?” JBL wants an apology from Orton because JBL knocked Batista out cold with one shot last week. Cue Batista to interrupt, quoting Barack Obama to suggest that Phoenix is a pig. Marella says Phoenix squeals but Batista promises to beat all of them up. Marella: “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

Batista apologizes and offers Phoenix a title shot when he gets the belt back too. Mike Adamle pops up on screen to say he’ll make his official decision on a #1 contender later tonight. Batista takes out JBL and Marella but Phoenix slaps him in the face. That earns her a spinebuster onto Marella

In the back, Orton passes Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and Manu, with some glares being exchanged.

Kofi Kingston/Jerry Lawler/Charlie Haas vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase/Manu

Haas is Jim Ross this week so naturally he’s fat, talks about football, and pitches barbecue sauce. And yes, the fans are quiet for the dumb joke. Kingston headlocks Manu to start before slipping out of a slam and hitting a dropkick. Rhodes comes in and gets dragged into the corner for the tag to Lawler (the fans still like him), who fires off some dropkicks.

Rhodes knocks him down though and grabs the chinlock, only for Lawler to fight up and bring Haas in for some snap jabs. Everything breaks down and Haas hits a splash as everything breaks down. DiBiase avoids a charge into the corner and the cobra clutch Russian legsweep finishes fast.

Rating: C-. Hey did you know that WWE likes to make fun of Jim Ross every single chance they get? It’s the most one note joke imaginable in this situation and that’s not something you want to see. Well unless you’re Vince McMahon of course, which is why this kept happening. The match was just a way to get Lawler on the show, which was fine, though the fans’ lack of a response to Haas as Ross told you all you needed to know.

Smackdown Rebound.

JBL comes in to see Chris Jericho, who cuts him off and brings up JBL costing him the World Title last year. Jericho brings up the impending stock market crash and brags about being the champion. No, he won’t put a good word in for JBL to get the title shot.

Jamie Noble vs. Paul Burchill

Katie Lea is here with Burchill. Noble stomps him down to start fast but gets uppercutted into the corner. Back up and Noble slingshots into a cross armbreaker for the fast tap.

Post match Layla comes out to apologize for last week. She’s so sorry for taking that long to get away from Noble, because now she has found a man worthy of her. This brings out William Regal, who says Layla wanted nobility rather than Noble.

Lance Cade is meeting with Mike Adamle when Batista comes in, wanting to be #1 contender. Cade says Batista isn’t #1 contender and gets slammed into a wall.

Kane vs. Rey Mysterio

Kane throws him into the corner for a right hand to start before pulling a springboard hurricanrana out of the air. Mysterio slips out but is quickly choked on the rope to stop that just as fast. We take an early break and come back with Mysterio fighting out of a chinlock The elbow misses for Kane and Mysterio hammers away in the corner, only to be sent back first into the post.

Kane stomps him down in the corner but misses a charge, allowing Mysterio to hit the sitout bulldog. Mysterio sends him into the corner and hits the enziguri to set up the 619. That’s cut off with a hard clothesline and Kane stomps away in the corner….for the DQ, as Mysterio manages to survive.

Rating: C. This wasn’t some big epic showdown but it wasn’t supposed to be. What matters is having Mysterio back in the ring so he can fight back against Kane, though he’s probably going to need some help. For now though, it’s the start of what will likely be a bigger story, as WWE would never pull the plug on Kane being a monster or anything.

Post match Kane stays on Mysterio until Evan Bourne runs in for the save.

Dolph Ziggler introduces himself to Chris Jericho and Lance Cade but only gets a handshake from the latter.

Here are Jericho and Cade in the arena for the announcement of the next #1 contender. Jericho talks about how neither JBL nor Batista are worthy of a title shot, so they should face off at No Mercy and he gets the winner immediately thereafter. That’s two matches for one of them but that’s how he won the title at Unforgiven. Cue Mike Adamle to say he thinks that’s fair and they will have a #1 contenders match and will face the champion in the future.

Jericho asks what he means by “the champion” because he’ll be the champion. Actually hang on though, as there is someone else who has pitched a title shot, which he will receive at No Mercy. Cue Shawn Michaels, who says they have fought in a variety of matches, so what else can they do to each other? There is one more that he can do and it will allow him to hurt Jericho and win the title. He asks some people to help him out so they bring in a ladder, with Michaels climbing up to make the match official to end the show. Yeah I’d say that works.

Overall Rating: C+. The whole point of this show was setting up a title match at No Mercy and while Michaels was the fairly obvious pick, they did a nice job of setting him up as something of a surprise at the end. Throwing in the ladder matkes it even better and it should be a heck of a match. The rest of the show was the hit and miss stuff you expect from Raw, but the cage match and closing segments made it work well enough.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 1, 2025
Location: La Defense Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Michael Cole

We’re still in Paris after yesterday’s Clash and that means it’s time to start the build towards Wrestlepalooza. While you can pretty much pencil in the John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar showdown, they’re going to need something else to fill in the gaps. With less than three weeks before the show, those gaps can be filled starting this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Clash In Paris if you need a recap.

We still have the awesome Eiffel Tower set.

Long Clash In Paris recap.

CM Punk is waiting for Seth Rollins to arrive after getting screwed out of the title. Adam Pearce is fine with it.

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. Uso isn’t happy and says he isn’t going to run it back tonight. He has some medical tape around his waist but he is running last night back. The Vision attacked both he and Roman Reigns and you never put your hands on his family. Uso wants the Vision out here right now but gets LA Knight instead. Knight says he should be the World Heavyweight Champion but instead he stands here a loser, just like Uso.

Some people claim that Uso lives in his cousin’s shadow. Knight doesn’t know anything about that, but Seth Rollins lives in his wife’s shadow. They could have taken Rollins out last night and the three challengers could have fought it out, but Uso screwed that up because he doesn’t understand. Knight is sick and tired of being left laying and not being World Heavyweight Champion. If Uso doesn’t get that, Knight can get him up to speed real quick.

Cue Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker to interrupt with Knight being ready to go. Breakker says that the only thing we should be concerned about is Paul Heyman’s health after Roman Reigns choked him out. The fans chant for Reigns but Breakker says it means that Heyman isn’t here to tell them what to do. Reed brags about the beating they gave Reigns because the vision didn’t include him. It doesn’t include Knight and Uso either, so they’re next. Knight says he and Uso can do this later so the tag match seems set for tonight.

We recap the issues between Iyo Sky and the Kabuki Warriors.

Sky tries to make peace with the Warriors and….it seems to work.

Judgment Day vs. Kabuki Warriors

Asuka and Perez start things off with Asuka knocking her to the floor. It’s already off to Rodriguez, who gets pulled into a quick choke. The Octopus hold is quickly escaped so it’s off to Sane for some double kicks. The choke over the ropes has Rodriguez in more trouble and it’s back to Perez, who gets taken down with a headscissors. That’s broken up though and Perez takes Sane outside for a whip into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Perez splashing Sane in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Asuka to strike away until Rodriguez hits a clothesline. Perez adds a spinning knee to the back of the head before Sane and Rodriguez fight to the floor. The Asuka Lock is countered into a rollup for two before Asuka hip attacks Rodriguez back outside. Perez can’t hit Pop Rox and they seem to get a bit lost, with Asuka’s spinwheel kick barely making contact. The Asuka Lock finishes Perez at 10:40.

Rating: B-. I’m wondering if something went wrong in the end there because the match was sharp for the first ten minutes and then absolutely fell apart at the end. It wouldn’t surprise me if Perez was hurt as she was stumbling a bit before the weird spinwheel kick. Either way, good match otherwise and if someone was hurt at the end, the last few moments are more than excusable.

Adam Pearce announces that it’s Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky for the title in three weeks at Wrestlepalooza.

Finn Balor vs. Dragon Lee

JD McDonagh is here with Balor. The fans are rather into this as Balor takes him down by the arm to start. Balor drops him with an elbow to the face but Lee is back with a springboard wristdrag out of the corner. The slingshot dropkick gets two and Balor is sent to the floor for the running flip dive as we take a break. We come back with Lee fighting out of a headlock and kicking Balor in the face. The sitout powerbomb gives Lee two but Balor pulls him off the top. The Coup de Grace finishes Lee at 9:48.

Rating: B-. Pretty simple and to the point here with Balor getting a nice reception. I’m not sure what he is going to be doing anytime soon, save for maybe feuding with Dominik Mysterio, but at least he’s still that smooth in the ring. On the other hand you have Lee, who has sunk incredibly far at a remarkable rate. I’m not sure if it was the unrealistic expectations or the pressure on him, but it hasn’t worked to say the least.

Nikki Bella meets Iyo Sky but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. Bella isn’t pleased and leaves, with the Warriors saying they helped Sky win at Summerslam so they’ll see her at Wrestlepalooza. Sky doesn’t seem happy.

Dominik Mysterio wants Judgment Day to help him against AJ Styles but Adam Pearce bans them from ringside.

New Day/Grayson Waller vs. War Raiders/Penta

Penta sends Waller and Kingston to the apron to start but it’s too early to Canadian Destroy Woods. The Raiders take the villains down on the floor and Penta adds a dive as we take a break. We come back with Erik in trouble and Woods getting to strut a bit. Erik fights his way out of trouble and brings Ivar in to fire off the seated splashes in the corner. Waller avoids one of said splashes though and everything breaks down. Waller tries his rolling Stunner and gets knocked silly. A belly to back suplex/splash combination crushes Woods and the Canadian Destroyer finishes at 8:48.

Rating: C+. New Day and the Raiders just feel like they’re nothing at this point, even with New Day’s rather funny heel antics. There is no heat for either team and they come and go (when the Raiders are actually around that is) without much changing. It’s nice to see Penta win, but this was a pretty cold match for some prominent names.

Rhea Ripley wants the Women’s Title back but the Kabuki Warriors interrupt. They don’t want her around Iyo Sky but Ripley doesn’t get what’s so bad about it. Asuka says stay away from Sky and repeats her name before pushing Ripley. That doesn’t work for Ripley but Asuka leaves, even as Kairi Sane isn’t sure what to do.

Roxanne Perez asks Adam Pearce why she’s not in the Wrestlepalooza title match. Pearce points out that she and Raquel Rodriguez just lost but he’ll think about it after Wrestlepalooza. Lyra Valkyria comes in and gets into an argument with Rodriguez and Perez. Judgment Day leaves and Pearce tells Valkyria that Bayley will be back soon. Valkyria: “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?” She wants a match with Judgment Day so Pearce makes it for next week. Uncertain hand gestures ensue.

Intercontinental Title: AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio

Styles is challenging and gets a crazy strong reception. Strong enough that it’s STILL GOING after a break, with Styles just soaking it in. Mysterio jumps him to start and the bell rings, with Styles fighting back to send Mysterio outside. The big dive connects and we take an early break.

We come back with Styles striking away, including the sliding forearm to set up the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. A headscissors out of the corner sends Styles to the floor and Mysterio drops him with a baseball slide. Mysterio’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table though and we take another break. We come back again with an exchange of forearms until Styles grabs a neckbreaker for two.

The Styles Clash is countered into the Mullet O Matic (oh that’s amazing) for two and Styles is sent into the post. The Michinoku Driver gives Mysterio two more and the Three Amigos into the frog splash gets the same. Back up and a quick Styles Clash connects but Mysterio gets a boot on the rope. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but cue El Grande Americano with the loaded headbutt to the ribs. Mysterio drops the frog splash to retain at 16:05.

Rating: B. Odds are this moves us into Styles vs. Americano, which is an interesting change of pace. At the same time, Mysterio is going to need a fresh challenger and there are more than a few names available. For now though, Mysterio outsmarts the veteran again, which is a pretty nice accomplishment. Not as nice as that ovation Styles received, but still good.

We look back at Roman Reigns beating Bronson Reed last night but getting laid out by the Vision after the match.

LA Knight is ready to do whatever it takes to get the World Heavyweight Title. If that means going through Jey Uso, so be it. Cue Uso, who says they’ll make this work and loads up the catchphrase, but Knight says the four letters, one word is YEAH.

Rhea Ripley is with CM Punk in the back but Adam Pearce comes in to say Seth Rollins is in the building. Pearce doesn’t know how, but Punk is going to go handle him. Pearce: “And what does that mean?”

Video on Rusev, who is happy with his win with his win over Sheamus.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He wants Seth Rollins out here right now and gets Rollins…….’ wife. Becky Lynch says she might not be the man Punk was looking for but she’s the man he’s dealing with her. Punk says he’s not doing this and wants Rollins out here but Lynch isn’t going to let him leave. Lynch has heard Punk berate Rollins, who is the greatest man she has ever known.

Punk calls Rollins a coward, but Lynch says that Rollins is everything Punk isn’t. Lynch: “He’s hot, he’s jacked.” Punk: “You’re delusional.” Lynch: “He doesn’t interrupt me.” Punk isn’t the voice of the voiceless but the poster child of apathy. These people didn’t get her to the main event of Wrestlemania because she did it herself. She goes on about how she and her husband are in the middle of a revolution.

Rollins is a visionary, a revolutionary (Punk covers his ears) and she’s the greatest ever so Punk needs to get out of the ring. The fans chant for AJ Lee and Lynch has to remind them that AJ doesn’t work here. Punk doesn’t think much of that but reminds her that 30,000 people think he’s the best in the world. They chant his name no matter where he is or what he does but he didn’t see Lynch and Rollins on all of the recent live events. Rollins hides behind everyone, including his wife, who may be the Man but she married a bum.

Cue Rollins on the stage so Punk goes around Lynch, with Rollins leaving. Lynch gets in a heck of a slap and then slaps him in the shoulders a bunch before calling Punk pathetic. Punk promises to make her regret that and leaves, with Lynch says she already does because of all the grease on her hands. Lynch mocks Punk as he leaves but Punk can’t bring himself to do anything about it and storms off. This was very good as Lynch can hang with Punk on the mic, but dang they better deliver AJ Lee after all this, as no one, even Rhea Ripley, would feel as important.

Post break Punk is leaving but gets cut off by Adam Pearce. Rollins has left but Punk asks where Smackdown is this week. That would be….Chicago, and Punk is very pleased. Pearce, not so much.

Jey Uso/LA Knight vs. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker

It’s a brawl to start with Reed dropping Knight with a headbutt. Breakker works on Uso’s bad ribs and we take an early break. We come back with the ribs still in trouble but Uso gets over for the tag to Knight. House is cleaned until Breakker offers a distraction, with Knight being sent outside for a whip into the steps. The fans chant for Reigns as Knight is taken back inside for an overhead belly to belly.

Knight fights up but Breakker pulls him down into the chinlock. Back up and Reed charges into an elbow in the corner, allowing Knight to knock him down. Uso comes back in to clean house, including the running Umaga Attack to Breakker. The spear drops Breakker again but the Superfly Splash is broken up. Reed takes Knight down on the floor and Uso comes back in, where Breakker gives him the Super Spear for the pin at 14:01.

Rating: B-. There is something fun about watching monsters like Breakker and Reed run through people like Uso and Knight. Breakker and Uso have put together a nice rivalry and it fits to see Breakker pin him again. The vision is getting to be more dominant and I’m not sure who is next to come after them, though Roman Reigns will be back in a few months, likely for WarGames.

Post match the beatdown is on again, with Knight’s save being cut off by a Super Spear. Another one drops Uso and the Tsunami connects but Jimmy Uso runs in with a chair for the save. Usos vs. Breakker/Reed works for me.

Overall Rating: B. The crowd helped carry this one and the talking segments were just as good to back up some solid enough wrestling. There are different directions possible for the bigger stories, but Punk vs. Rollins (hopefully only one more time) and Usos vs. Reed/Breakker should be great. Throw in the possibility of AJ Lee coming back to a massive reaction to face Lynch and it’s all the more interesting. Good show here, with the crowd being their usual awesome selves.

Results
Kabuki Warriors b. Judgment Day – Asuka Lock to Perez
Finn Balor b. Dragon Lee – Coup de Grace
Penta/War Raiders b. New Day/Grayson Waller – Canadian Destroyer to Woods
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Frog splash
Bron Breakker/Bronson Reed b. Jey Uso/LA Knight – Super Spear to Uso

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

Clash In Paris 2025
Date: August 31, 2025
Location: Paris La Defense Arena, Paris, France
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re overseas again and that means it’s time for one heck of a hot crowd. If last year’s show in France is any indication, this could be something rather special. The show is big enough with the Raw World Title on the line in a four way, plus John Cena vs. Logan Paul in what could be an awesome showdown. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on the idea of big moments, with the Starry Night motif for quite the unique style.

The set is rather awesome with the Eiffel Tower in the middle and more of the Starry Night look. That’s great.

Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed

Paul Heyman is here with Reed and they’re fighting over stolen shoes. The fans sing for Reigns to continue a rather cool trend around here. They stare at each other for a LONG time to start, with the lockup not taking place until over two minutes into the match. That goes nowhere so Reigns tries some running shoulders, which go nowhere. Reed tries to run the ropes but gets caught with an uppercut, allowing Reigns to knock him into the corner for some right hands (with the fans sounding like they’re counting in English).

Reigns loads up the Samoan drop and that’s just not going to work on someone’s Reed’s size. They go outside with Reed hitting a shoulder off the apron. Reigns manages a posting and loads up the announcers’ table, which takes a bit too long. A World’s Strongest Slam crushes Reigns and Reed hammers away back inside. The neck crank goes on followed by a chinlock until Reigns fights up, only to get knocked back down.

Reed slowly hammers away even more until Reigns makes another comeback and knocks him outside. The apron boot to the face connects and Reigns sends him into the post a few times. Back in and Reed plants him with a release Rock Bottom into a backsplash and things slow back down. The Death Valley Driver gives Reed two but he can’t hit a piledriver. Reigns is knocked outside, where he cuts off a dive with a Superman Punch.

Back in and another Superman Punch gets two but the spear is cut off and Reed knocks him outside for the suicide dive. The Tsunami misses though and Reigns tries another spear, which is countered into one heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. The Tsunami is loaded up again but Reigns is right there with a super Samoan drop. Now the spear can connect for the pin at 22:07.

Rating: B. This is one of those concepts that isn’t hard to figure out, as it was a pair of monsters beating on each other until one of them couldn’t get up. At the same time, it’s proof of how simple a wrestling story can be. In short, they were fighting over SHOES, but it turned into a personal feud where they beat the living daylights out of each other. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.

Post match Reigns gets his shoes back and Heyman realizes he’s in BIG trouble. Heyman tries to acknowledge his Tribal Chief but gets guillotined for his efforts. Reigns signs the shoes and throws them into the crowd for a nice touch. As he’s doing that though, Bron Breakker pops up to spear him off the table in an awesome visual. Reigns is slowly taken out, allowing Breakker to run down the aisle and spear him again. That’s enough for Reigns to be put on a stretcher, which allows Reed to hit a Tsunami.

Cue Jey Uso for the attempted save but Breakker spears him down again, with Reed hitting ANOTHER Tsunami, even splitting the security and agents in a heck of a visual. The stretcher is able to get Reigns out after quite the lengthy segment to get Reigns off WWE TV for the sake of Street Fighter.

Jelly Roll is here.

Adam Pearce ejects Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, saying they’re suspended without pay if they come back.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Wyatt Sicks

The Profits, with B-Fab, are challenging. Dawkins says he’ll start, which doesn’t seem to go well with Ford. Gacy gets knocked into the corner so it’s off to Lumis, with Ford rather aggressively tagging himself in. Ford tries to pick up the pace but Lumis drops down to shake him a bit. Everything breaks down and a double flapjack plants Gacy. Ford gets dropped from behind though and Gacy takes him into the corner, with some forearms not getting Ford very far.

The chinlock doesn’t work either but Lumis comes back in to send Ford into the corner. Gacy takes him to the apron, where Ford is able to hit a suplex for a needed breather. The diving tag brings in Dawkins to pick up the pace, including a big running flip dive to the floor. Back in and Dawkins hits a Swanton for two on Gacy, who is back up with a belly to back neckbreaker combination getting two on Dawkins. Ford goes up but gets crotched on top, only to get back up for the Doomsday Blockbuster.

The frog splash misses though and Gacy flips Lumis onto Ford for two, with Dawkins making the save. Dawkins pounces Gacy into the barricade but stops for a staredown with Erick Rowan. Ford isn’t having that and flip dives over the post to take out Lumis and Rowan. Nikki Cross pops out from underneath the ring to grab Ford’s leg. That leaves Uncle Howdy to give Ford a Sister Abigail on the floor. Back in and a powerbomb/suplex combination finishes Ford to retain at 13:10.

Rating: C+. While it’s still better than its Raw counterparts, the Smackdown tag division isn’t the most interesting thing in the world at the moment. That was the case again here, as the Profits are suddenly having issues but they wind up losing due to the numbers game anyway. That’s a simple story for the Wyatts, but it’s also one that is going to get old in a hurry. Nice enough match here, but it was the definition of a cool down match.

We recap Becky Lynch defending the Women’s Intercontinental Title against Nikki Bella. Lynch beat Lyra Valkyria and started bragging so Bella issued the challenge. Personal insulted ensued and Bella seemed to get underneath her skin.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Nikki Bella vs. Becky Lynch

Lynch is defending. Bella fires off forearms to start and Lynch bails to the floor, with Bella scoring off a dropkick to the knee. A dive misses though and Lynch sends her into the barricade to take over. Back in and Lynch stomps away in the corner before hitting her in the face. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Bella gets up and they slug it out.

Bella makes the clothesline comeback and dropkicks her out to the floor, setting up the baseball slide. Lynch’s hands are sent into the announcers’ tables over and over (that was terrible) before they go back inside….and HORRIBLY mistime Bella’s middle rope spinning kick to the face. As in Lynch was almost on the other side of the ring and Bella probably missed her by three feet. Thankfully Lynch is smart enough to just cover her for two and Bella gets to fire off the forearms.

Lynch catches her up top with a superplex for two but Bella is back with something like the STF (the Fearless Lock). That’s broken up as well but Lynch can’t get the Disarm-Her. Lynch misses something off the top and now the Fearless Lock goes on, with Lynch making the rope. They fight outside with Bella sending her into the post, followed by the Bella Buster onto the steps. Back in and Bella hits a half nelson slam (called the Manhandle Slam) for two but Lynch sends her throat first into the ropes and grabs a backslide to retain at 13:07.

Rating: D-. I don’t know if they were nervous, if Bella has forgotten how to wrestle or if Lynch took a sudden blow to the head before the match, but this was absolutely terrible. They were on such different pages that they were in different libraries and it never got anything close to good. It didn’t help that the fans were going nuts for Lynch and didn’t seem to care about Bella, which was ignored for the most part. I’m not a Bella fan, but I’ve seen enough of her time in the ring to know that this wasn’t her normal stuff. Talented wrestlers can have bad nights and I think we can chalk this up to that. At least hopefully.

We look at the Roman Reigns attack, but in different languages.

Jey Uso is banged up but insists he can still go.

We recap Sheamus vs. Rusev, who have been feuding for a good while now and brawling a lot, so it’s time for a Good Ol Fashioned Donnybrook.

Sheamus vs. Rusev

Donnybrook, meaning a street fight with Irish/Bulgarian themed weapons. They slug it out to start with Sheamus taking over. The fight heads outside, with Sheamus loading up some tables but having to suplex Rusev to cut him off. Rusev comes back with a kendo stick to the head and arms before a turnbuckle pad is ripped away. Sheamus manages an Irish Curse but gets sent into the corner.

They fight over a chair, with Rusev spinwheel kicking it into Sheamus’ face for one. Rusev loads up a chair in the corner but Sheamus tells him to bring it. A jumping knee to the face gives Sheamus two and he fires off the forearms to the chest. Back up and Rusev sends him over a bar at ringside, with Sheamus fighting back for more forearms. Rusev tries to escape into the crowd so Sheamus gives him more forearms, this time with a shillelagh.

Back in and the High Cross gives Sheamus two but Rusev bails outside before the Brogue Kick can launch. That’s fine with Sheamus, who goes up but dives into a kendo stick shot to the ribs. Rusev beats him down again before grabbing the Accolade, with Sheamus getting up and dropping back onto some chairs for the escape. They go outside again, with Rusev dropping him onto some whiskey barrels and grabbing the Accolade up there.

That’s broken up as well but this time Sheamus gives him an Irish Curse off the barrels and through some tables for the massive crash. The Brogue Kick gets two back inside and they trade strikes to the face. Rusev hits his jumping superkick in the corner and grabs the Shillelagh for the Accolade (bending all the way back onto his own back) and the tap at 20:06.

Rating: B. Well, it was as advertised, as these guys beat the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. That being said, it went on a bit too long and I’m still not sold on Rusev. The problem is that he’s getting into the same circumstances as Alberto Del Rio: there is little to define him other than “he’s a heel from X country”. What is there to Rusev other than he’s a heel from Bulgaria? He needs more than that, and I don’t see it happening anytime soon.

We recap John Cena vs. Logan Paul. Cena is good again but Paul doesn’t like the fact that he isn’t getting enough respect. That led Cena to say that Paul could be great but won’t put in the effort. Therefore, it’s time to fight for honor and such.

John Cena vs. Logan Paul

Paul grabs a headlock to start so Cena reverses into one of his own. Cena wins a test of strength so Paul steps on his feet and hammers away in the corner. Back up and Cena fires off his own rights in the corner and tries a monkey flip, with Paul sticking the landing and knocking him down again. Paul mocks the fans a lot so Cena drops him with the running clothesline.

Back up and Paul hits a blockbuster into a chinlock, with Cena powering out. That earns him a gutwrench powerbomb for two and Paul gets to laugh at the fans a bit more. Back up and they collide for a double down, with the fans getting WAY behind Cena again. Cena fights up and hits the flying shoulders into the ProtoBomb but the AA is countered. Paul’s Buckshot Lariat gets two but the frog splash hits knees.

The AA gets two but Paul sticks the landing, meaning it’s off to an Octopus hold. That’s reversed into the STF, which is broken up as well so Cena hits the middle rope DDT for two. They both need a breather before Paul is back up with a Zig Zag for two of his own. Back up and Cena hits a Downward Spiral for two but Paul drops him again and gets a quick standing moonsault for two more.

Back up and they slug it out until Paul hits a pop up uppercut of all things for another near fall. With nothing else working (and his nose busted), Paul initiates Cena’s finishing sequence but takes too long on the Shuffle, allowing Cena to hit another AA for two. Cena’s Code Red gets two but Paul is back with the big right hand for the next near fall. A pair of frog splashes give Paul two and he hits his own Shuffle. The AA is countered into a Styles Clash of all things to give Cena two and they’re both spent. Back up and Paul hits the big right hand but Cena ducks another shot and hits the AA for the pin at 26:21.

Rating: A-. Oh of course this was great, as Cena knows this style as well as anyone else and Paul knows how to bring it on the big stage like almost no one else. I’m not sure if Paul should have lost here, but there was pretty much no way that Cena was going to lose in another high profile match so soon after Summerslam. These guys stole the show, which is impressive as some of the other matches have been rather snazzy as well.

The official attendance is 30,343, breaking the gate record set by Taylor Swift.

Seth Rollins doesn’t want to hear about the odds being stacked against him. He’s won with his back to the wall before though because he’s one of the best ever. It’s time to remind people what he can do. If he can’t keep the title by himself, maybe he doesn’t deserve to be champion. Oh yeah someone is going to be helping him. Rollins seemed a bit shaken up by the odds having been changed.

We recap the main event of Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title in a four way. Rollins is champion, having cashed in on CM Punk at Summerslam. Jey Uso is the former champion who is owed a rematch, while LA Knight pinned Rollins before he won the title. The challengers want the title but keep fighting among themselves.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk vs. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight

Rollins is defending and Uso is banged up from earlier tonight. Uso gets kicked out to the floor to start so Punk and Knight go after Rollins. Knight rolls Punk up for two and they slug it out but Uso is back in with a high crossbody to Rollins. Punk clotheslines Uso down and mocks the YEET but gets knocked outside. Uso and Knight start double teaming Rollins, who fights back and stomps away at all three.

That doesn’t last long though as he’s quickly surrounded and triple teamed, with Knight saying we need a table. Punk: “JEY! GET THE TABLES!” That doesn’t last long as they start fighting again, with Rollins joining them for a trip through the crowd. Back in and Punk grabs a swinging neckbreaker on Rollins, followed by the running knee in the corner. Uso drops Rollins, Knight drops Uso, Punk drops Knight and Rollins Pedigrees Punk for two to leave everyone down.

Rollins is back up with a buckle bomb for two on Knight, followed by a frog splash for the same on Uso. Knight gets stomped down in the corner but makes a comeback, including the slam to Punk and a DDT to Rollins. The top rope elbow connects but Uso is there with a superkick to put Knight down. Punk is back up for a Tower Of Doom to leave everyone else down, allowing him to pick his targets.

Back up and Punk poses on the apron, allowing Knight to knock him…well almost through the table at inside. The BFT gives Knight two on Rollins and he slugs it out with Uso. Knight takes Rollins outside for some rams onto the announcers’ table (better than Rollins’ wife from earlier) but the top rope elbow sends Knight crashing through said table. Back up and Uso dives onto Rollins, who reverses the spear into a Pedigree for two back inside. Rollins’ Phoenix splash misses though and now Uso can connect with the spear.

The Superfly Splash gets two but Punk is back in with a GTS for two on Uso. Rollins is back in and yells at Punk before grabbing a chair. A Stomp on the floor drops Uso and another takes out Knight. Back in and Rollins tries to Stomp Punk’s neck into a chair but Punk slips out and hits a GTS. Another is loaded up but cue a woman in a hoodie to hit Punk low. And yeah it’s Becky Lynch, which is so logical that it’s surprising. Rollins Stomps Punk onto the chair to retain at 24:30.

Rating: B. Well the ending was a surprise, and I’m impressed by how simple it really was. Rollins needed help but his lackeys were gone, but his wife, who happens to be a top star, comes in to save him. Other than that, you had your usual good brawl with everyone working hard, but it got into the pattern of “two in the ring, two out on the floor” and that got a bit tedious. Still though, solid main event here and I’m a bit surprised that Knight didn’t take the fall.

Rollins and Lynch celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Call it four and a half out of six, which is a pretty good result for a show. The Paul vs. Cena match stole the show, while the main event and opener were more than worth a look. If you get rid of the horrible women’s match (again, that felt like a horrible off night where they just couldn’t get it together) and replace it with anything even average, this is probably in contention for show of the year. As it is, it’s just a rather good show with Cena and Paul putting in a great one.

Results
Roman Reigns b. Bronson Reed – Spear
Wyatt Sicks b. Street Profits – Powerbomb/suplex combination to Ford
Becky Lynch b. Nikki Bella – Backslide
Rusev b. Sheamus – Accolade
John Cena b. Logan Paul – AA
Seth Rollins b. CM Punk, Logan Paul and Jey Uso – Stomp onto a chair to Punk

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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