These came out a few weeks back and I finally got around to checking them out. I think I’m glad I waited.

Chronicle: Dean Ambrose

This one is the more interesting one as it’s much more kayfabe based. The idea here is basically a big explanation of why Ambrose turned on Seth Rollins back in October, which wasn’t really something that has been explained in full on WWE TV. They look back over the course of Ambrose’s rehab and up to the point he turns on Rollins, which he explains on the way to and in the time after.

The difference here though is you can see the issues building up towards Ambrose’s turn and what finally makes him snap. At the same time though, you get a good look at the mind of Ambrose and how he really is just off a few steps. Ambrose is one of the more closed characters in wrestling and it’s nice to see behind the curtain just a little bit. This one is interesting if you want to see a good backstory and someone building up until they’re ready to snap. They do it really well here and it’s an interesting character study into a rather unknown person. It helped fill in some gaps in the story, which I’ll always appreciate.

AJ Styles: 365

Now this is more WWE’s regular speed with a documentary covering a year in Styles’ WWE career, mainly looking at his long Smackdown World Title reign. The idea is to look at everything AJ has done over the course of the year and seeing some of the places he’s been. This includes trips around the world, big matches and various little details, like tearing his hamstring around the time of Money in the Bank, that weren’t mentioned before.

What’s interesting here is how much they focus on the other places AJ has been, with a long section on TNA and a trip back to the Impact Zone for the first time since AJ left the company (with Jeremy Borash accompanying him). The ending even hints at possibly leaving WWE, as AJ has been wrestling for a very long time now and doesn’t have much left to accomplish. He’s currently in contract negotiations (not mentioned here of course) so there’s a little more real life included. This is more a traditional documentary and since that might be what WWE does best, it’s certainly worth seeing, as are all these things.

Both are good, even if you get a very different perspective from the two of them.

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: December 5, 2018
Location: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Last week saw Cedric Alexander pin Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy in a tag match, which should set him up as the next challenger to the title. With a pay per view coming up, the timing couldn’t be much better. As for tonight, we have the Lucha House Party vs. Mike Kanellis and TJP in a Texas Tornado match. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick previews the show, which works very well every week.

Opening sequence.

Drew Gulak vs. Brian Kendrick

Jack Gallagher and Akira Tozawa are at ringside. The empty seats are AWFUL this week with far more red seats than people visible, meaning we start with the lower camera angles. Nice idea, but it just shows how bad the problem is around the arena. Gulak takes him to the mat to start but can’t get him anywhere. More grappling gives us a stalemate so Gulak nails him with a clothesline to take over.

A modified half crab (with Gulak pulling back on the foot instead of wrapping his arm around) starts in on Kendrick’s knee and Gulak takes him down by the leg for good measure. Kendrick tries a full nelson of all things, followed by a tiger suplex of all things for two. That just earns him a powerbomb into a regular half crab as Gulak’s logical moveset continues. It’s off to a headlock as Gulak moves towards the neck for a change.

With that not being as weakened, Kendrick fights up so it’s another leg hold to cut him down again. A front facelock keeps Kendrick in trouble but he flips out into the Captain’s Hook. That means a crawl over to the ropes for the break so Kendrick goes with a dragon suplex for two instead. A quick trip to the floor goes nowhere but Gallagher sends Tozawa into the post for a distraction. The rollup gives Gulak two and Sliced Bread #2 gives Kendrick the same as Gallagher comes in for the DQ at 8:49.

Rating: C. Technically fine but I still have no reason to care about what these people do. The feud has been going on for weeks now and it seems like they’re in about the same places they were before. That’s the case with the opening match around here most of the time, but it doesn’t make things any more interesting.

Gallagher and Gulak destroy Tozawa and Kendrick post match.

We look back at last week’s tag team main event.

Maverick sits down with Buddy Murphy, who isn’t worried about facing Cedric Alexander in a rubber match. Murphy cuts him off and says he’s glad to face Alexander one more time. Besides, Mustafa Ali is the tougher opponent. That sounds manipulative to me.

Ariya Daivari vs. Clay Roberts

Daivari is in street clothes and is all aggressive to start with stomps in the corner. A kick to the head has Roberts in more trouble as Hideo Itami is watching from the back. The hard standing clothesline gets two and a hammerlock lariat is good for the same, with Daivari pulling him up both times. Three more clotheslines knock Roberts silly and the referee stops it at 1:48 before Daivari can do it again. Good idea, but it’s still Ariya Daivari hitting a bunch of clotheslines. Maybe it gets better, but they’re facing an uphill climb.

Itami seems pleased.

Mustafa Ali is down after losing but he’s getting back up, which is the harder part. He’s rooting for Cedric, but he’s coming for the title no matter who has it.

Alexander isn’t letting Murphy get into his head and wants his title back.

Noam Dar wants Buddy Murphy too and the title doesn’t even need to be on the line.

Lucha House Party vs. TJP/Mike Kanellis

Tornado tag with Kalisto and Lince Dorado for the Party, without Gran Metalik around. Maria is around though and that’s a good thing. During his entrance, Kalisto puts a hat on a young girl’s head and she looks LIVID in a funny bit. TJP gets sent outside to start and Kalisto’s splash off Dorado’s shoulders (after a little balancing) connects with Mike. Both villains are put on the floor so Dorado can hit a dive off the post to take them both out. Kalisto pulls a noisemaker out of a Christmas sack before grabbing a tornado DDT for two on TJP.

Mike gets in a spinebuster on Dorado on the floor but Kalisto kicks him in the face. That’s a little too much offense though and Maria grabs the pinata and threatens to destroy it. The distraught Kalisto gets taken down and Mike gets in a good shot. TJP kicks the pinata away and hits his half of a double clothesline on Dorado. Now it’s time to pull out a spare mask and hammer away a bit more, followed by an elbow drop for two. Yeah he covered off an elbow drop and was surprised as the kickout. I don’t get it either.

Kalisto gets a bit too close to getting back in so Mike knocks him into the barricade. Dorado is back with a double Golden Rewind, followed by Kalisto with a springboard high crossbody to TJP. The hurricanrana driver is countered into an STF and it’s time to go for Kalisto’s mask. As TJP goes for the eye, we see a replay of Mike hitting a Russian legsweep off the apron on Dorado. You don’t see WWE cameras missing things like that very often. With the mask not working, it’s time for the kneebar on Kalisto, who eventually makes the ropes. TJP gets caught up top and Kalisto’s knee is fine enough to superkick an invading Mike.

A top rope hurricanrana sends TJP into Mike and Dorado is back in to help things out. Another superkick to Mike sets up the Super Crazy triple moonsaults for another near fall. The masked guys yell at each other a lot and it’s time to bring in the Christmas bag, which is full of mini pinatas. Dorado has to fight out of a bunch of suplexes onto the pinatas and it’s time to fight over who gets tossed from the corner onto them.

A double superplex finally puts TJP onto them but Mike makes a very fast save. TJP powerbombs Kalisto for two more and now he wants the BIG pinata. Maria and Kalisto get in a fight over the thing until he throws it at her, knocking him off the apron and onto Mike. The springboard Salida Del Sol into the shooting star press finishes TJP at 14:17.

Rating: C+. At first I wasn’t really feeling this one as it was all kinds of carnage and insanity….and then I realized that was the point. It’s called a Texas Tornado match for a reason and the match was fun as a result. This was an entertaining match with all four guys getting involved, plus Maria as a bonus. I could go for fewer pinatas next time, but at least what we got was entertaining with the right ending.

We get a preview of next week’s matches.

Tony Nese is ready to finish Cedric for good next week.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped but this was a show that didn’t exactly showcase some of the more entertaining wrestlers on the roster. It helps that we’ll be getting Ali, Murphy and Alexander in the next few weeks though and that’s a great sign for the show going forward. This wasn’t a bad show or anything, but it didn’t have quite the pop that it needed.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: December 6, 2018
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

This could be an interesting one as this week’s Raw and Smackdown were as polar opposites as you could ask for. Raw was a slog to get through while Smackdown was a heck of a show with everything you could want in two hours. Now the question is how much of Raw’s awful can they cram in here. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Dynamite Kid.

Opening sequence.

Curt Hawkins vs. Tyler Breeze

Feeling out process to start and this match is so important that the announcers start talking about Mixed Match Challenge and where they would take their vacations if they won. Hawkins knocks him into the corner and offers a handshake but Breeze is too smart for that. Some right hands don’t go very well for Breeze as he gets caught in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick. Breeze is right back with some right hands and stomping of his own in the corner, though the fans aren’t too thrilled with him.

After a quickly broken reverse chinlock, Breeze ties him in a Tree of Woe of his own but misses a dropkick. So….is Hawkins face here? The fans are treating him like one and he seems to be wrestling like one, and since faces and heels are switched week to week around here, it wouldn’t shock me at all. Hawkins makes a comeback with right hands and a Michinoku Driver for two. A running lariat gets the same but Breeze hides in the ropes, allowing Breeze to score with a superkick. The Unprettier extends Hawkins’ losing streak at 5:57.

Rating: D. Well I’m confused. I mean, I get the idea of the rapid fire changes, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. Hawkins has been a heel for the better part of ever (he has a cane so he has to be evil) and while Breeze reluctantly teamed with Ascension last week, I don’t get how this is supposed to just be ok. That being said, Hawkins has a much better chance of winning a match as a face as you can only have the plucky good guy lose so many times.

From Raw.

A bunch of security guards in gas masks come out to escort Ambrose, in a gas mask of his own, to the ring. Ambrose, still in the mask, says you can’t be too careful in a horrible city like Houston so he has some guards to protect him from that madman Seth Rollins. The mask comes off and Dean talks about how Rollins wanted something from him, just like all the people. Like all those people who would always stick their phones in his face to try and add some excitement to their lives.

Seth tried to control him and that’s the worst feeling in the world. Those people are sitting in the crowd right now but none of them have the courage to slap them in the mouth right now. Ambrose is proud to sit in this ring as the moral compass and at TLC, he could take the Intercontinental Title but he’d rather just teach Rollins a lesson. At TLC, Rollins will lose control of himself, his emotions and the Intercontinental Title. Don’t worry though, because he’ll be right there to save the title.

Cue Rollins from behind (at least he wasn’t a guard in disguise) to get in a few shots and then beat up the guards. Ambrose uses the distraction to get out but Rollins chases him down for the brawl. They come back to ringside though and Dean gets in a shot to the face with a gas mask. Ambrose even hits Dirty Deeds on the floor, followed by another inside. This was good but that’s the problem: it’s just good. This feud started off red hot and hasn’t lived up to the hype since then. The match will be very good as these two almost always are, but it’s not what it could have been.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for MizTV but hang on because we need R-Truth and Carmella for a dance break. Miz’s guest tonight is Daniel Bryan, who has been on the show several times but never as WWE Champion. Miz says that Bryan’s comments last week were proof that Miz was right all along. Bryan says he came to the realization that he doesn’t care about the people and he’s allowed his dreams to take control. He doesn’t have a lot of intellectual peers to discuss this with (Miz included) but he can consult great minds of history in his books. Men like Alexander Hamilton for instance.

Bryan calls the fans fickle for chanting YES because they’re sheep who regurgitate things from twenty years ago for reasons they don’t know. Anyway, Bryan talks about the abilities of the old Bryan being mixed with the mentality of the new Bryan. Miz thinks that sounds like EXACTLY WHAT HE TOLD BRYAN FOR YEARS. Bryan talks about doing one bad thing to one man while all these people do horrible things to harm the planet every single day. They drink from their plastic water bottles and eat their processed meat that releases methane into the air and causes permanent changes to the climate.

All he did was kick one man in the groin and he’s the bad guy? Bryan tells us to count the sins and Miz is confused. Miz: “Did you think I brought you out here to talk about Alexander Hamilton, methane gas and water bottles?” He’s not cool with Bryan not admitting that he was right and wants a simple answer: was he right nor not? Bryan finally says yes….and then no….and then yes and no again over and over.

It really doesn’t matter either way, because the old Daniel Bryan and the YES Movement are dead. Bryan throws down the YES plates from the side of the title and holds up the title while calling the fans fickle again. This brings out AJ Styles so Bryan throws Miz into him and runs off but can’t get away fast enough. Bryan tries to use Miz as a shield again and this time it works, as a Skull Crushing Finale drops AJ. This was more gold from Bryan, who is playing a great heel. That’s very impressive given how big he was as a good guy.

And from later in the night on Smackdown.

AJ Styles vs. The Miz

Miz grabs a headlock to start as Bryan talks about how the fans wanted him to come back but weren’t willing to put in the work with him on the way. Saxton reads some comments from hurt fans and Bryan calls them idiots. AJ gets two off a slingshot splash (Bryan: “I could do that.”) as Bryan wishes that his daughter kicks thousands of men in the groin, including Saxton.

The reverse chinlock goes on to put AJ in some trouble so Bryan calmly goes off about ruining the environment. Saxton continues to come off as the lamest commentator ever, again asking about Bryan’s new attitude and getting laughed off. AJ gets dropped to the floor and we take a break.

Back with both guys down and Saxton again trying to question Bryan, who cuts him down with ease. AJ hits a running clothesline in the corner and gets two off the fireman’s carry backbreaker. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered so Miz gets two off a DDT instead. AJ sends him outside for the slingshot forearm but Bryan gets up for a distraction, allowing Miz to send AJ into the steps. That and the Finale are good for two back inside and that should be about it for Miz. Bryan grabs AJ’s leg so Miz charges, only to get caught in the Calf Crusher to make him tap at 13:02.

Rating: C+. This was much more about Bryan, though as awesome as he was, he made me want to strangle Saxton all the more. He’s just so annoying and comes off like a child in an adult’s world. Anyway the match was fine and helped advance AJ vs. Bryan, which is exactly the point of what they were doing here.

Post match Bryan goes after AJ’s leg with a chop block and wraps it around the post. Bryan puts on a heel hook until referees break it up so he settles for a kick to the head. The multiple stomps to AJ’s head have Bryan doing a victory lap, only to come back for even more stomping. Bryan insists on being announced as the NEW Daniel Bryan and then rants about the fans being fickle. One more chop block ends the show.

TLC rundown.

Mojo Rawley/Ascension vs. Zack Ryder/B-Team

Mojo and Axel start things off and that means some dancing from Curtis. We get a very early stalemate into a big brawl as it’s off to a break. Back with Ryder diving over for the hot tag to Axel for the house cleaning. Ryder hits a pop up Rough Ryder on Viktor and a sunset flip gives Axel the pin at 5:57. There must have been a lot cut out of there.

From Smackdown.

Ladders surround the ring and it’s Paige at a table to host the contract signing. Paige mentioned making history so Becky says it must be Tuesday because that’s what she does every time she gets in the ring. She doesn’t care what happens at TLC because she plans to win and doesn’t care what happens to these two dopes. Charlotte doesn’t like Becky implying that she was handed a title shot because she beat up Ronda Rousey on her own. Then it took Nia Jax one time to knock Becky onto the shelf so Charlotte won’t have any trouble.

Asuka cuts off the argument and says Becky has never beaten her so she’ll beat Becky at TLC. They all yell at each other (as WWE women tend to do when they’re in large groups) but Becky says neither of them can beat her and signs. That’s it for Becky, which Charlotte says is appropriate because Becky is all talk these days. Charlotte promises to win too and signs as well. Asuka wants a fight right now but cue Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville to cut them off. They promise to beat up Asuka and Charlotte the first chance they get so Paige makes the match for later. Why not just do it now?

And from Smackdown to close things out.

Ronda Rousey/Ember Moon vs. Nia Jax/Tamina

Rousey walks hard to the ring but gets jumped 2-1 until Moon comes in. A middle rope Codebreaker rocks Nia and Rousey hits a running forearm off the apron to take her down again. Back from a break (with no bell beforehand) with Ember in trouble and Rousey bouncing back and forth on the apron. Ember gets over and makes the tag a few seconds later….and Rousey tags back out after a few kicks to Tamina. Nia loads up the big right hand, which she uses on Ember’s ribs after a quick tease.

Ember hurricanranas her way to freedom but Nia breaks up the hot tag, only to get knocked off the apron by Tamina. That means the hot tag can bring Rousey in for the clotheslines and knees to Tamina, who is knocked into the corner. Rousey demands the tag to Nia so she comes in and tags right back out. Rousey flips Nia back in and then beats Tamina up with the rapid punches in the corner. A jumping knee to the face gets two on Tamina but the Eclipse rocks her again. The armbar makes Tamina tap at 5:57.

Rating: D+. This was exactly what it needed to be with Nia being the loudmouth who won’t actually fight but at the same time, I’m not sure how much WWE can make me buy her as a threat to Rousey at TLC. She’s really living on that one right hand to Becky from a few weeks ago and that’s not exactly a lot of material. At least the ending was the right call here and Moon didn’t get treated like an afterthought again.

Overall Rating: C. Well, they did balance things out a bit. Aside from the weird Hawkins turn which likely won’t go anywhere, you had a nice selection from Raw and Smackdown to make the show feel far less one sided. Unfortunately the good stuff from Smackdown was weighed down by the Raw counterparts. That being said, the lack of Baron Corbin helped so much. I didn’t realize just how bad he was on Raw but my goodness what a difference it makes when he’s gone.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 5, 2004
Location: Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Eugene is in charge tonight and I think you know what that means. The chaos should be in full swing and Eugene is the kind of guy who can make something like that work well. He plays the character so well and actually comes off as the idiot savant that he’s supposed to be. Let’s get to it.

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

Eugene’s face has replaced Bischoff’s after the opening for a positive reception.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Ric Flair to join a bunch of other people, with a bunch of chairs, in the ring. We have Flair, Jerry Lawler, Coach, Tajiri, Tyson Tomko and Stacy Keibler and Chris Jericho, the hometown boy, comes out to join them. Eugene comes out to the stage in a blazer and jumps up and down a lot. He’s in charge tonight and wants everyone to have fun. Even Coach! For a special treat tonight, Eugene thought we should have a title match tonight. Jericho gets a loud cheer before Eugene announces that we’re playing Musical Chairs for the title shot.

Stacy is the only one walking at first so of course Lawler follows. The music stops and Tajiri is left out…so he mists Coach before leaving. Coach is blind of the next round and eliminated pretty easily. We’re down to five and Flair takes the jacket off so he can glare at people in Flair fashion. Lawler is out next, even after sitting on Stacy’s lap and then switching places with her.

Flair struts after Stacy and then shoves her down to steal her seat like any villain should do. That leaves us with Tomko, Jericho and Flair, but Ric does a bit too much strutting and is out as well. As the music stops, Jericho pulls the chair away and hits Tomko in the back before having a seat to win the Intercontinental Title shot tonight. This was the kind of fun, wacky thing that they need with Eugene in charge. It just freshens things up a bit, which is something Raw is dying for a lot of the time.

La Resistance vs. Rhyno/Val Venis

Non-title, which at least they’re getting right as of late. The non-champions charge the ring to start and the fight is on in a hurry. Conway gets sent outside and a double shoulder drops Grenier early on. Things settle down with Rhyno getting caught in the corner and choked a lot. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Rhyno scores with a flying shoulder. The hold was broken in there if that wasn’t clear. It’s off to Venis and everything breaks down in a hurry. Rhyno’s Gore is broken up by Grenier with a hard crotching against the post and Au Revoir finishes Venis.

Rating: D. As nothing as Rhyno and Venis were, this is the kind of match that La Resistance can use. They win a quick match and it’s not like they were in any real danger for most of the time. Venis and Rhyno weren’t going to be a threat to the titles and odds are they won’t team again after this, so it’s not like they have anything to lose.

Randy Orton isn’t happy with having to face Jericho tonight but Flair is more upset about playing Ring Around the Rosey. Uh, totally different game there Naitch. Come on. Eugene on the other hand is in his office: a bounce house. He asks Orton about that one time when Kane said he was Eugene’s friend and punched him before bringing up HHH. Batista is worried that Eugene is going to have HHH beat up Kane, but it’s going to be Batista vs. Kane instead.

Eugene: “You remember that one time when La Resistance beat Val Venis and Rhyno?” After Orton explains that it just happened, Eugene makes La Resistance vs. Flair and…..we pause while Eugene plays with action figures. Flair demands to know his partner and of course it’s Eugene. Flair lunges so Eugene retreats into the safety of the bounce house. Wacky fun.

Here’s HHH for a chat. He talks about Chris Benoit winning the title in a miracle at Wrestlemania and the divine intervention that has helped him retain the title since then. Well this Sunday, HHH is going to answer the question of God or evolution and Charles Darwin was right: you can’t stop evolution. No god can stop HHH…and here’s Edge to interrupt. Edge talks about Evolution dominating Raw for over a year and not a lot has changed since he’s been back.

It’s time for a change though, and this Sunday Edge is taking the Intercontinental Title. After that, Edge is taking the team out one by one. Someone has to take a stand and Edge is that man. HHH says that he’s heard it before but he’s still right here on top of the world. HHH: “Nothing changes.” The fight is on with Edge getting the better of it until Evolution chases him off. That’s one of the smarter face moves of the year, because even he’s not dumb enough to fight all four of them at once.

Kane vs. Batista

The power lockup starts us off until Batista hits a running clothesline in the corner. That just earns him a whip into the corner and a side slam for no cover. The spinebuster is no sold and Kane kicks him to the floor, drawing in Matt Hardy for the DQ. Just a means to an angle at the end.

Post match Matt wrecks Kane, sending him into the steps over and over.

Post break Matt says he’s happy with the idea of a No DQ match with Kane on Sunday because he can do even more than he did tonight. Lita is mentioned but Matt won’t talk about her. Instead he awkwardly stares at Todd Grisham for a long time.

Divas Search Los Angeles edition, with Christy Hemme appearing and having more charisma than anyone. Coach seems enamored with most of them in the swimsuit section and….well yeah.

Earlier today, Jericho was named a member of the Order of the Buffalo Hunt, the highest honor in Manitoba. Jericho with long hair in a suit is a weird visual.

Intercontinental Title: Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho

Hometown boy Jericho is challenging. Orton gets taken down off an armdrag to start and Jericho throws in a little dance. A battle over a top wristlock doesn’t get Orton very far as he’s thrown into the corner to keep the pro-Jericho chants going. Jericho suplexes him down and gets two off the arrogant cover. Something out of the corner gets dropkicked out of the air though and we’re off to the neck crank as the fans think Orton sucks.

Not being happy with the chants, Orton sends Jericho to the apron but takes too long posing, allowing Jericho to come off the top with a back elbow to the jaw for two. The running enziguri gets the same with Orton getting his foot on the ropes. With that not working, Jericho backdrops him over the top and out to the floor. Cue Batista for a distraction and we take a break.

Back with Jericho hammering away in the corner until Batista low bridges him out to the floor. Jericho goes arm first into the post and the fans are all over Batista in a hurry. Back in and Orton starts kicking away before the light bulb goes off and he wraps the arm around the ropes. The armbar goes on for a bit with Orton pulling him back down by the air. Some knees to the arm keep Jericho in trouble and it’s right back to the armbar, though a different kind. It’s nice to see things get mixed up a bit as there’s no reason to have the same stuff over and over.

Back up and a double clothesline gives us a double knockdown and the fans have some hope. Jericho scores with a flying forearm but Orton cuts him off with the backbreaker. The swinging sleeper drop gives Jericho a near fall of his own but the shoulder gets sent hard into the post again. Orton’s high crossbody gets two and the fans are right back into it after the kickout. The bulldog drops Orton but Jericho has to dropkick Batista. He’s fine enough to counter the RKO into the Walls and the fans are going NUTS. Another Batista distraction breaks the hold though and Orton rolls him up with feet on the ropes to retain.

Rating: B-. The fans helped carry this one a little further than it would have gone otherwise and that’s not the worst thing in the world. Jericho winning the title was pretty much out of the question here but at least he didn’t lose clean, which can set up a rematch down the line. Orton still can’t make a full match like this work, but he’s getting the important parts, such as the strong finish, down.

HHH joins Eugene in the bounce house and they make an unspecified deal. That’s enough for HHH to leave with Flair helping him up. Apparently HHH was in there for twenty minutes and didn’t get around to breaking up the Eugene/Flair team. Flair: “We could lose! Or worse yet, we could win!” HHH’s plan is more about the World Title though, because tonight it’s Flair/HHH/Eugene vs. Edge/Benoit. Everyone will see his plan after tonight.

Smackdown Rebound.

Victoria vs. Nidia vs. Molly Holly

Envelope on a pole match with the winner getting a shot at Trish Stratus at some point in the future. Therefore, Trish is out on commentary along with Tyson Tomko. Nidia goes straight for the pole and gets pulled down just as fast. Molly knocks Victoria outside but gets elbowed off the top. The delay is enough for Victoria to get back up and kick Molly in the head to put all three down again. Molly knocks both of them to the floor and hits a slingshot dive on Victoria to keep her in trouble. Back in and Molly plants Victoria with a superplex but Nidia climbs up and gets the contract.

Rating: D-. This was just a step above the Vince Russo era with no particular reason for it to be a pole match, other than Nidia not being the best in the ring in the first place. I’m not sure why I’d want to see her get a title shot, but to be fair they need something fresh in the women’s division after the same matches over and over.

Post match Trish, with a broken wrist, comes out and says Nidia can have a shot when Trish is ready. Trish knocks her cold with the cast and says she’s ready.

Women’s Title: Trish Stratus vs. Nidia

Pin in three seconds to retain. Thank goodness they booked a match that they could blow off two minutes later. That’s just what the show needed.

Divas Search: Los Angeles, with unnamed women being worried about moving on to the next round. Candice Michelle and Christy Hemme both made the cut.

Vengeance rundown.

Trish and Tomko come up to Lita in the back and ask about morning sickness. Lita doesn’t say anything back so they leave, but not before this from Trish: “And they call me a sl**.”

HHH praises Eugene for his job tonight but brings up Edge wanting to tear Evolution down. Eugene doesn’t like that so HHH tells him about how Edge and Benoit represent everyone who has ever been mean to him. Tonight, Eugene needs to be mean to them. Hugging ensues and they agree to be best friends tonight.

HHH/Ric Flair/Eugene vs. Chris Benoit/Edge

Benoit wants to start with HHH but gets Eugene instead in a smart move from the villains. An early high five to Flair doesn’t constitute a tag so Benoit and Eugene try some technical work instead. Eugene is more than capable of hanging with Benoit though and drives him into the corner as JR goes into one of his trademark anti-HHH rants. Benoit reverses though and decks HHH and Flair, which isn’t something you do with Eugene around.

Now we get the HHH vs. Benoit showdown with a facebuster looking to set up an early Pedigree. It’s too early of course though and Benoit reverses into a Crossface with Eugene making the save. Benoit gets sent into the steps and we take a break. Back with Benoit still in trouble, including HHH putting on the sleeper. A belly to back suplex gets Benoit out of trouble though and the hot tag brings in Edge for some backdrops and a top rope double clothesline. The spear cuts Flair down and a forearm hits Eugene…by mistake? Even though it’s Edge’s opponent?

Eugene tries to come in but HHH holds him back so Flair can take over on Edge. It’s time to start working on the arm, with HHH telling Eugene to break the arm, which seems a step too far for him. The fans think Eugene sucks as HHH and Flair come in for a distraction as Edge tags Benoit. Therefore it’s Edge being dragged back into the corner so the beating can continue, including a Flair strut this time.

One WOO too many allows Edge to get in an enziguri and Benoit gets to come in and unload. The rolling German suplexes have HHH in trouble and the Swan Dive connects, with Flair breaking up the count in a hurry. Edge takes Flair to the floor but misses a charge to send him over the barricade.

Benoit knocks down both Eugene and the referee at the same time but is still able to knock a chair out of HHH’s hand. Eugene grabs the chair and pulls it back at Benoit, who manages to talk him out of it. HHH tries to Pedigree Benoit but gets reversed into the Sharpshooter for the unseen tap. At HHH’s urging, Eugene hits Benoit with the chair to break it up. The booing ensues as HHH pins Benoit.

Rating: C+. Another match focused on storytelling instead of the wrestling for the most part but the talent involved was more than enough to make it watchable. The Eugene push is starting to blow up in their faces though as there’s only so much that can be done before the fans just get tired of him. Eugene was a very fun character, but having him as the focal point of the show and involved in the top story is a bit much for someone like him.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was back and forth all night. It started off strong and had a pair of good matches, but stuff like the Divas Search eating up time and the Eugene story being hammered into our heads didn’t do it any favors. There is still good stuff going on around here, but very simply put, we need a break from HHH. Unfortunately, I can’t imagine that’s the case anytime soon.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mixed Match Challenge
Date: December 4, 2018
Location: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Vic Joseph

We have two shows left around here and that’s best for everyone involved. Tonight we have the Smackdown semifinals with the one loser team against the three good teams, meaning we might be in for another lame show but maybe one of the matches can be pretty good. That was the case last week and hopefully the blue people can do it just as well. Let’s get to it.

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

AJ Styles is carried out.

Smackdown Division Semifinals: R-Truth/Carmella vs. Charlotte/Jeff Hardy

The men start things off and, after some headlocks, a quick dance off breaks out. This is completely different than the dance break that is coming in the next few moments of course. The women come in and Carmella’s kick to the ribs is blocked, meaning it’s time for the hard chops. Carmella dances away and thankfully gets taken down by the leg. Everything breaks down and Charlotte/Hardy are sent outside, meaning DANCE BREAK.

It’s a short form one and as they’re annoyed at the lack of dancing, Hardy and Charlotte come back in to jump them both. Charlotte’s Figure Four neck rolls look to set up the moonsault but Carmella pulls her off the top. It’s back to the men with a double tag, even though that’s twice as much as necessary. The women fight to the floor, leaving Jeff to set up the Swanton. Carmella dives back in to protect Truth until Charlotte pulls her outside. That’s enough for Jeff to miss the Swanton and Truth gets the rollup pin at 6:41.

Rating: D. This was a nothing match with the big story being WHEN WILL THEY DANCE. I get why they put Carmella and Truth through here as Charlotte is already booked for TLC and Hardy will likely have a match with Joe so there’s no reason to pretend that they’re going to win in next week’s finals. Truth and Carmella are popular enough at the moment, but…..wait…..dang it. We’ll come back to this in a minute.

Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal promise to win next week.

Finn Balor and Bayley promise to win next week.

R-Truth and Carmella are proud of their win and Truth wants to go to Memphis, Egypt on their vacation.

Smackdown Division Semifinals: Jimmy Uso/Naomi vs. The Miz/Asuka

The women start things off and a hip thrust knocks Asuka away for a bit. Naomi’s kick to the head is countered into a quickly broken ankle lock so it’s off to Miz vs. Jimmy. Some armdrags have Miz in trouble but he’s right back with a running dropkick in the corner. Jimmy doesn’t seem to mind and dances a bit before hitting an uppercut. The Samoan drop has Miz in trouble and the running hip attack makes things even worse.

Miz crotches him on top though and we hit the chinlock. The short DDT gives Miz two and it’s off to a front facelock but Miz yells at Asuka for costing them the last match. Well that’s rather mean. Jimmy shoves him away and makes the hot tag to Naomi so the pace can pick up. A springboard kick to the face gives Naomi two and the guys fight to the floor. Naomi hits the Rear view for two but gets pulled into the Asuka Lock for the tap at 8:52.

Rating: C-. This was one of the better matches of the season, but it also gives away the ending of next week’s Smackdown match, which was what I was dreading earlier. We’re going to get Truth and Carmella knocking off Miz and Asuka because Asuka is busy in what should be the main event of TLC. But hey, at least we get a pay per view dance break now.

Overall Rating: D+. I can’t wait for next week’s final because even at half an hour a week, this show has become a complete chore. I’m not completely sure how the ending goes at TLC, but given who is likely to be in the match I can’t imagine it’s going to be interesting in the first place. The idea of having the finals at TLC in the first place was good, but potentially having the lamest teams involved is defeating the purpose. Another bad show this week, but at least it’s almost done.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

That’s one of the ones you knew was coming but it still makes you sad.  Kid was one of the most influential wrestlers ever, with Chris Benoit basically being a tribute wrestler for a lot of his career.  He was WAY ahead of his time, wrestling the style that would become the norm for a lot of the lighter wrestlers today back in the 1980s.  Kid really was a big deal and you should check out some of the stuff he did before the British Bulldogs years when his body had completely broken down as he was awesome before then.  Oddly enough, he turned 60 years old the day he passed away.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: December 4, 2018
Location: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

We’re coming up on TLC and the big story, and pretty easily the real main event of the show, is coming from Smackdown. That would of course be the women’s triple threat, though odds are we’re going to be stuck watching Baron Corbin and Braun Strowman close things out at the pay per view. Hopefully we get a nice show tonight though as this has been a heck of a build towards the women’s triple threat, especially now that Becky is cleared. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week, with the TLC match being set up and Asuka being added after winning a battle royal.

Ladders surround the ring and it’s Paige at a table to host the contract signing. Paige mentioned making history so Becky says it must be Tuesday because that’s what she does every time she gets in the ring. She doesn’t care what happens at TLC because she plans to win and doesn’t care what happens to these two dopes. Charlotte doesn’t like Becky implying that she was handed a title shot because she beat up Ronda Rousey on her own. Then it took Nia Jax one time to knock Becky onto the shelf so Charlotte won’t have any trouble.

Asuka cuts off the argument and says Becky has never beaten her so she’ll beat Becky at TLC. They all yell at each other (as WWE women tend to do when they’re in large groups) but Becky says neither of them can beat her and signs. That’s it for Becky, which Charlotte says is appropriate because Becky is all talk these days. Charlotte promises to win too and signs as well. Asuka wants a fight right now but cue Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville to cut them off. They promise to beat up Asuka and Charlotte the first chance they get so Paige makes the match for later. Why not just do it now?

Miz isn’t pleased with Shane McMahon putting Daniel Bryan on MizTV tonight and asks why Shane doesn’t want to be his partner in the greatest tag team in the world. Shane tells him to worry about getting the answers out of the new Daniel Bryan. Miz agrees, but says after this, Shane owes him one. That’s not happening, so Miz covers the Best in the World’s trophy’s handles so it won’t hear them fight. WHY IS THIS A THING???

Asuka/Charlotte vs. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville

Ok this makes more sense. Asuka kicks Sonya down to start but Mandy comes in for some double knees to the ribs. Charlotte comes in a few seconds later and throws Mandy around with ease, including a t-bone suplex. Sonya gets one as well and a slingshot dive takes them both down. Cue Becky again and we take a break.

Back with Mandy working on Asuka again and hitting a jumping knee to the face for two. Asuka hits something like a bulldog and that’s enough for the hot tag off to Charlotte. A spear cuts Sonya down and Mandy gets tossed out to the floor. Asuka cuts Mandy off again and Charlotte kicks Asuka in the face by mistake. Charlotte grabs a rollup so Asuka kicks her in the face (with far less accident), leaving Sonya to get a rollup pin at 10:24.

Rating: C-. This was all about the angle advancement and that’s fine. It’s not like Sonya did anything of her own to get the fall and Charlotte has a big reason to go after Asuka again. Becky smiling at the whole thing made it even better, as they’ve somehow advanced five women in the span of about half an hour. Take that Raw.

Jon Stewart is here.

Xavier Woods vs. Cesaro vs. Jey Uso

One fall to a finish and everyone is at ringside. New Day has their own commentary table again as Cesaro is sent to the floor for some consultation with Sheamus. Woods flips out of a belly to back suplex but misses a discus forearm. An exchange of rollups get two each and we take an early break. Back (after Cesaro wrecked the pancake table during the commercial) with Cesaro in control but getting thrown outside to put him in trouble again. Everything breaks down and all three head outside with Woods hitting a tornado DDT off the apron to drop Jey.

Woods gets two off a faceplant to Cesaro and the top rope elbow drop is good for the same with Jey making a save the second time around. Cesaro rolls outside again and it’s Woods getting the better of a slugout with Jey. They trade running forearms but Cesaro comes back in and swings Jey….with Woods on his shoulders in a fireman’s carry at the same time. THAT! ISN’T! NORMAL! Anyway the Sharpshooter to Woods is broken up and a superkick finishes Cesaro at 9:00.

Rating: C+. This was more energetic than most triple threats but that’s not shocking given who was in there. That being said, can we just stop and marvel at how strong Cesaro really is? I mean DANG that was impressive as he carried one person and swung the other one around. Those are adult men and he did it with ease. That’s just scary, other worlds of strength.

Everyone glares at everyone after the match.

Rusev and Lana aren’t cool with Shinsuke Nakamura attacking him before their match last week. Rusev thinks Nakamura is scared because his biceps are like Mt. Fuji and his traps are like tacos supreme. He’s hungry for his US Title, which Nakamura holds like a toy. It means something to Rusev, so when he gets his hands on Nakamura, it’s time for a Rusev Day feast. That’s one of the better Rusev promos I’ve heard in a long time.

Lars Sullivan video.

It’s time for MizTV but hang on because we need R-Truth and Carmella for a dance break. Miz’s guest tonight is Daniel Bryan, who has been on the show several times but never as WWE Champion. Miz says that Bryan’s comments last week were proof that Miz was right all along. Bryan says he came to the realization that he doesn’t care about the people and he’s allowed his dreams to take control. He doesn’t have a lot of intellectual peers to discuss this with (Miz included) but he can consult great minds of history in his books. Men like Alexander Hamilton for instance.

Bryan calls the fans fickle for chanting YES because they’re sheep who regurgitate things from twenty years ago for reasons they don’t know. Anyway, Bryan talks about the abilities of the old Bryan being mixed with the mentality of the new Bryan. Miz thinks that sounds like EXACTLY WHAT HE TOLD BRYAN FOR YEARS. Bryan talks about doing one bad thing to one man while all these people do horrible things to harm the planet every single day. They drink from their plastic water bottles and eat their processed meat that releases methane into the air and causes permanent changes to the climate.

All he did was kick one man in the groin and he’s the bad guy? Bryan tells us to count the sins and Miz is confused. Miz: “Did you think I brought you out here to talk about Alexander Hamilton, methane gas and water bottles?” He’s not cool with Bryan not admitting that he was right and wants a simple answer: was he right nor not? Bryan finally says yes….and then no….and then yes and no again over and over.

It really doesn’t matter either way, because the old Daniel Bryan and the YES Movement are dead. Bryan throws down the YES plates from the side of the title and holds up the title while calling the fans fickle again. This brings out AJ Styles so Bryan throws Miz into him and runs off but can’t get away fast enough. Bryan tries to use Miz as a shield again and this time it works, as a Skull Crushing Finale drops AJ. This was more gold from Bryan, who is playing a great heel. That’s very impressive given how big he was as a good guy.

Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton

In an inset promo, Orton talks to Rey Mysterio’s mask and promises to crush another roach tonight in the form of Jeff. They head outside to start with Hardy dropping him onto the announcers’ table and we take an early break. Back with Jeff fighting out of a chinlock and hitting some of his usuals, including the basement dropkick for two. An early Twist of Fate attempt is broken up and Orton nails the hanging DDT. The RKO is blocked though and Jeff hits his swinging clothesline drop.

Hardy takes too much time getting up top and Orton punches him in the face but the superplex is escaped. Instead Jeff drops him onto the turnbuckle and hits the Twisting Stunner. It’s too early for the Swanton so Jeff settles for the dropkick through the ropes. Orton gets dropped onto the announcers’ table again and Jeff goes up but here’s Samoa Joe on screen at a bar. Joe offers some people one more round and the distraction lets Orton hit the RKO for the pin at 9:06.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t a question of whether or not Joe would interfere but rather when/how he would do so. The wrestling was fine as they know each other very well and showed that with a lot of the counters. Orton did that in his feud with Christian and it was as good there as it was here. Also, well done on having Jeff control here. There’s no point in having Joe face him if he’s getting destroyed in every match leading up to their pay per view match.

Post match Joe says he’s here to warn you about the dangers of excess. You can choose to have a few drinks and wake up just fine, or you can have fourteen of them and wake up in jail, if you wake up at all. The choice is clear: drink responsibly.

Next week: the Bar vs. the Usos in a rap battle and Charlotte vs. Asuka.

Daniel Bryan is still here and says he didn’t run. He does everything with a purpose, like now when he goes to do commentary.

AJ Styles vs. The Miz

Miz grabs a headlock to start as Bryan talks about how the fans wanted him to come back but weren’t willing to put in the work with him on the way. Saxton reads some comments from hurt fans and Bryan calls them idiots. AJ gets two off a slingshot splash (Bryan: “I could do that.”) as Bryan wishes that his daughter kicks thousands of men in the groin, including Saxton.

The reverse chinlock goes on to put AJ in some trouble so Bryan calmly goes off about ruining the environment. Saxton continues to come off as the lamest commentator ever, again asking about Bryan’s new attitude and getting laughed off. AJ gets dropped to the floor and we take a break.

Back with both guys down and Saxton again trying to question Bryan, who cuts him down with ease. AJ hits a running clothesline in the corner and gets two off the fireman’s carry backbreaker. The Skull Crushing Finale is countered so Miz gets two off a DDT instead. AJ sends him outside for the slingshot forearm but Bryan gets up for a distraction, allowing Miz to send AJ into the steps. That and the Finale are good for two back inside and that should be about it for Miz. Bryan grabs AJ’s leg so Miz charges, only to get caught in the Calf Crusher to make him tap at 13:02.

Rating: C+. This was much more about Bryan, though as awesome as he was, he made me want to strangle Saxton all the more. He’s just so annoying and comes off like a child in an adult’s world. Anyway the match was fine and helped advance AJ vs. Bryan, which is exactly the point of what they were doing here.

Post match Bryan goes after AJ’s leg with a chop block and wraps it around the post. Bryan puts on a heel hook until referees break it up so he settles for a kick to the head. The multiple stomps to AJ’s head have Bryan doing a victory lap, only to come back for even more stomping. Bryan insists on being announced as the NEW Daniel Bryan and then rants about the fans being fickle. One more chop block ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. How can this show be made by the same company that makes Raw? Smackdown hasn’t been incredible TV or anything lately, but it’s running laps around Raw and not even thinking twice about it. For one thing, just look at how much better it is when your GM is on TV ONCE instead of nearly a dozen times (even though Paige is better in just about every aspect). This show is more entertaining, has better wrestling, better storytelling (there wasn’t a thing on here where I didn’t see a point) and just….everything is better.

For some more specifics, Bryan is nailing it as the heel champion and we had a good triple threat match to help set up the title match. The women’s division is especially interesting as well and the lack of Tamina isn’t hurting things at all. TLC is looking great on the blue side and that makes things a little better. I can’t get over how much better of a show this was than last night, even if that’s almost always the case these days.

Results

Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville b. Charlotte/Asuka – Rollup to Charlotte

Jey Uso b. Cesaro and Xavier Woods – Superkick to Cesar

Randy Orton b. Jeff Hardy – RKO

AJ Styles b. The Miz – Skull Crushing Finale

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Hidden Gems Collection #3
Date: 2009, 2011

I’ve done some old school stuff so far so now let’s try something a little more modern. In this case we have a bunch of stuff from Florida Championship Wrestling, which basically morphed into NXT, featuring a lot of names that you’ll be familiar with. There’s also one match from the old days of NXT so it’s quite developmental themed this time around. And since this is kind of short and there’s one match from 2009, I’ll throw that in as an unrelated bonus. Let’s get to it.

Rosa Mendes vs. Kaitlyn
Date: January 16, 2011
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matt Martlaro, Byron Saxton

From FCW TV and Rosa’s Queen of FCW Crown (a secondary women’s title) isn’t on the line. Kaitlyn starts fast with a backdrop but Rosa kicks her in the ribs to take over. A seated Blockbuster gets two and it’s time for hip shaking. Rosa gets two more off a snap suplex and the chinlock goes on again. Kaitlyn’s comeback is cut off with a choke in the corner but she comes back with an electric chair drop for a big crash. A slam gets two on Rosa, followed by a Flatliner to give Kaitlyn the pin at 4:25.

Rating: D-. Yeah….this didn’t work and I’m not sure where the gem part is in here. I don’t think Rosa ever actually won a match on the main roster so seeing her as a success in developmental doesn’t do much for me. Kaitlyn was someone who could have been a big deal and while she was something of a star in WWE, it never quite clicked. Much like this match here, which just wasn’t any good.

Xavier Woods vs. Michael Tarver
Date: June 5, 2011
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matt Martlaro, Byron Saxton, William Regal

This is back when Woods was just a guy. Tarver on the other hand was a guy who liked to punch and was the member of the Nexus actually worse than David Otunga. Some early forearms to the back have Woods in trouble but the yet to be named Honor Roll drops Tarver without much effort. A headscissors takes Tarver down again and he chills on the floor until Woods comes after him, meaning one of Tarver’s big forearms to the face. Back in and Woods jumps into a knee to the ribs for two as Tarver takes over again.

The waistlock goes on for a bit until Woods fights up, only to miss a dropkick and bang up the ribs a second time. That means another waistlock but this one is broken up even faster, allowing Woods to get two off a crucifix. Tarver low bridges him to the floor, only to get backdropped onto the steps in a painful looking crash. Back in and Woods goes for…something off the middle rope but gets caught and dropped ribs first onto the top rope. Tarver tries a suplex but this time Woods reverses into a hard DDT for the pin at 8:09.

Rating: D+. This still wasn’t very good and a lot of that is due to Tarver. The guy just wasn’t talented and there’s no way around that. At least they had a story here with the ribs, even if they didn’t go anywhere in the end. The ending looked good though and Woods won so it’s not all that bad.

Dean Ambrose/Damien Sandow/Antonio Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins/Johnny Curtis/Derrick Bateman
Date: November 20, 2011
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matt Martlaro, William Regal

Curtis is Fandango and Bateman is EC3. Ambrose is the Jack Brisco 15 Champion, which was defended in 15 minute Iron Man matches. Bateman is a mystery partner, even though the fans want Regal (we’ll get to that one). Curtis and Cesaro start things off as we hear about how serious a competitor Curtis has been over the years. That’s so odd to hear, as is Cesaro being A, called Antonio and B, being referred to as a newcomer.

Cesaro easily takes over on Curtis but wants Rollins. That’s what he receives but instead it’s Ambrose coming in as the announcers talk about how big this rivalry has been in FCW. So it’s a generational thing. The good guys (Rollins and company) start working on Ambrose’s banged up arm but Dean drags Curtis over to the corner. That’s enough for the tag off to Sandow, who is a lot more serious than you might expect.

Curtis can’t fight out of the corner as Cesaro comes back in for some forearms. It’s also strange to hear the announcers talk about how much these people want to get up to the main roster. I know that’s the case, but you almost never hear it mentioned. Cesaro kicks a distracted Rollins off the apron but Curtis uses the delay to hit a spinwheel kick, allowing the hot tag to Bateman.

House is cleaned on Ambrose and egads it’s weird to see Bateman without all the muscles and wrestling such a fast paced offense. Rollins comes back in to kick Cesaro to the floor, setting up the big suicide dive. Curtis hits a big flip dive to the floor and Dusty is LOVING this stuff. Back in and Ambrose hits a Knee Trembler (Regal’s finisher), followed by the Regal Stretch to make Bateman tap at 6:06.

Rating: C+. For a six minute match with six people involved, this was a heck of a little match with everyone getting a chance to shine. You can tell how much energy this place has and it’s no surprise that most of them wound up being stars on the main roster. Ambrose vs. Rollins is one of those feuds where the two of them seem joined at the hip, which makes sense given how much chemistry they have. Odds are that’s why this made the collection and that’s fine.

Leakee vs. Corey Graves
Date: November 20, 2011
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matt Martlaro, William Regal

Leakee (pronounced Lay Ah Key) is better known as Roman Reigns. Graves has a rather nice looking woman named Leah West with him. The much bigger Leakee takes him into the corner to start for some stomps to the ribs and Graves bails to the floor. Leakee follows as Martlaro talks about not being quite the speaker that Dusty is. Gee you think? West offers a distraction so Graves can take over with a rake to the eyes (it’s a classic heel move for a reason) and a waistlock.

Dusty goes into such a rambling statement about “stuff happening” that even he admits he has no idea what he’s talking about. Think back to some of his insane calls and think about that one for a second. Leakee fights up and hits a bulldog for two, followed by a running forearm (looks like a forerunner to the Superman Punch). The Samoan drop finishes Graves at 4:30.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t half bad and you could see the star power in Reigns. It’s probably best that Graves moved over to the announcers’ booth as his in-ring abilities never quite fit all that well. He was watchable at best and needed a little more than that to stand out, especially in what NXT was going to become. On the other hand you have Reigns, who wrestled in NXT all of twice before moving on to the main roster.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins
Date: December 7, 2011
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Christopher Patrick Russo, Byron Saxton

This might be the first ever NXT event at Full Sail. The future Brandi Rhodes is ring announcer and of course she’s awesome at that too. Before the match, Cesaro does his regular “Americans are dumb and Europeans are awesome” speech. They go right at each other to start with Rollins missing an early dropkick and getting caught in a gutwrench suplex. There’s something so awesome about watching someone pick up another human being and throw them around like that.

The double chickenwing goes on for a bit until Cesaro kicks him in the face to cut off the comeback. It’s off to a neck crank to keep Rollins in trouble, followed by a gorilla press toss, sending Rollins throat first onto the top rope. I almost forget how freakishly strong Cesaro is at times. An arm trap chinlock keeps Rollins down but he gets two off a rollup to go with a breath of air. Rollins forearms him in the face and hits the Wade Barrett middle rope swinging suplex to send Cesaro into the corner.

The Curb Stomp misses but Rollins settles for a monkey flip over the top in a spot you don’t see that often. The big flip dive connects and the Curb Stomp connects for two back inside. Cesaro grabs the rope so Rollins goes to get him, allowing Cesaro to hit a cheap shot to the throat. Swiss Death (pop up uppercut) finishes Rollins at 5:12.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of match that should have been given about twenty minutes but they managed to fly through everything without it feeling rushed. That’s quite the impressive feat and they made it work very well here. This was when the two of them had some crazy energy (ok so Rollins still did) and should have been the top stars of the future (ok so Rollins was).

And now we’ll mix things up a bit. I mean….uh….oh yeah two of them now basically run developmental so it ties together. It’s also listed as being in the most complete form possible due to technical difficulties.

D-Generation X vs. Legacy
Date: September 4, 2009
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Post Smackdown dark match inside a cage. For those of you who don’t remember them, Legacy is Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. Before the match, HHH goes into a pretty funny bit about how it’s 10:30 so Raw isn’t even over yet, meaning they have a lot of time. Then they realize this isn’t on TV so this is for the millions NOT watching at home and you won’t see this until Friday even if you could see it. We get a long delay after the bell so I notice how big the gaps between the sections of the cage are this time.

They do the “let’s tag over and over bit until someone stays in” bit, even tagging the referee at one point. HHH headlocks Cody to start (likely trying to drag him back into WWE ten years early). More staring ensues as you can tell they’re not really feeling the workrate tonight. Cody comes back with some right hands so it’s off to Shawn to scare him a bit. A swinging neckbreaker drops Cody and Shawn steps on his face, sending Cody bailing over for a tag.

DiBiase has some more luck with some right hands in the corner but Shawn cuts him off with a couple of chops. A cheap shot lets DiBiase take Shawn down into the corner and it’s back to Cody for more right hands. You might be noticing a lot of those tonight and there’s a reason for that: this isn’t the most important match in the world. Shawn gets sent into the cage (first time it’s been used so far) as the boring match continues. A catapult into the cage gives Ted two and it’s back to Cody, with Shawn fighting out of the corner.

The reverse chinlock goes on, because a cage match needs a rest hold. Shawn powers out and the hot tag brings in HHH to clean house. That means a jumping knee and a spinebuster but Cody gives him a DDT. Everything breaks down and Shawn hits the flying forearm into the nipup before helping HHH send Legacy into the cage. The Pedigree and Sweet Chin Music give us the double pin at 12:21.

Rating: D-. Oh yea this one was terrible and there’s no way around it. The guys weren’t interested in trying and they had a really lazy match instead of doing anything of note. The cage was a complete non-factor for about 90% of the match and other than a few token rams, there was no reason this wasn’t a regular tag match.

Overall Rating: D+. This is much more of an interesting set than anything good. I really could go for the full FCW library to be released as they have some very cool pairings in there. It’s the current generation getting their starts and some of the feuds could have been fascinating. What we got here was fine, but that cage match was just a waste of time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 3, 2018
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Renee Young

Last week was one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen this company produce. It wasn’t funny, it wasn’t entertaining (save for one match) and it was a complete nightmare. Normally I would say things couldn’t get worse, but I’ve been wrong in that regard far too many times. Just…please nothing that terrible again. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a ten bell salute to George H. W. Bush, who was a Houston resident. Nothing wrong with that.

Ronda Rousey/Natalya vs. Nia Jax/Tamina

Actually hang on a second as here’s the Riott Squad with a table. The distraction lets Tamina hit a superkick to Rousey and the beatdown is on in a hurry. The Squad sets up the table and Natalya gets powerbombed through as Rousey is beaten down. No match.

Post break Rousey has Natalya checked on and glares revenge.

Here’s Alexa Bliss for a chat. Last week she was put in charge of the entire women’s division and then the open forum that she set up didn’t go well. That’s why we’re going to try this again so we’ve got Charly Caruso in the crowd to answer questions. We need some people to ask questions to though so here are Sasha Banks and Bayley. After having a seat, Bayley gets straight to the point: when are Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox and Mickie James going to run in and attack them?

The first question is about social media asking if Banks is going to stab her in the back. Banks laughs it off and says they’ll be partners for life. Second (asked by a woman who looks like Carmella’s sister) is if you could have a match with anyone who would it be. Bayley/Sasha at the same time: “Trish Stratus and Lita at Wrestlemania.”

Next: if you could have a superpower what would it be. Bayley would want to make things disappear, starting with Bliss. That’s enough for a victory lap around her chair. Banks thinks Bayley’s answer works for her too. Bliss says she already made Banks’ title disappear so we’ll move on. Fourth: what changes will they be bringing in 2019? Bayley wants the two of them to be the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions. Cue Dana, Mickie and Alicia but Bliss calls them off. A match is made instead.

Bayley/Sasha Banks vs. Mickie James/Alicia Fox

Bayley charges at Mickie to start but gets taken into the wrong corner for the northern lights suplex from Fox. The chinlock goes on for a bit until it’s off to Fox via the hot tag. Mickie has to break up the Bank Statement so Sasha forearms her in the face several times. A kick to the face drops Banks for two with Bayley making the save. Bayley comes back in and it’s a Backstabber into the Bayley to Belly to finish James at 4:17.

Rating: D+. So now we’ve officially heard about the Women’s Tag Team Titles. I don’t particularly need to see them but having some titles to fight over would be better than having the same women having the same matches for no apparent reason so I’ll take what I can get. As long as it’s not Stephanie making some big speech to tell us about them.

We look back at Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre wrecking Finn Balor and Elias last week.

Rousey yells at Bliss about Natalya so Bliss offers her a new partner tonight. That’s not happening because Rousey doesn’t trust her so she’ll find a new partner herself.

Video on Baron Corbin’s rise to power and everything that he’s done to everyone. Thankfully we get the awesome voiceover guy to make this a little more interesting.

Chad Gable and Bobby Roode come in to see Corbin and demand a Tag Team Title rematch with AOP. That’s a big negative, but Roode has to beat Drake Maverick in a singles match tonight. Gable and the AOP are banned from ringside so everyone seems happy.

Scott Dawson vs. Gran Metalik

Before we get going, Dawson says that since the House Party can’t understand the point of tag wrestling, he’ll have to explain in a singles match. Jojo: “The following match will take place under Lucha House Party rules!” So yeah, it’s 3-1 instead.

Scott Dawson vs. Lucha House Party

Metalik starts things off and takes Dawson down early on before bringing in Kalisto for the elevated splash. It’s off to Dorado, who gets caught in a Gory Stretch. Wilder gets beaten up as well and some rapid fire tags set up the Salida Del Sol. Metalik drops a rope walk Swanton for the pin at 2:39. I’ve grown to hate these matches more than almost anything else on the show. I mean….yeah this is really stupid. I’m trying to come up with something positive here and it’s not coming to me.

Corbin has a box delivered to him and says he’s going to love it. That he would be Drew McIntyre, who is getting an appreciation night next.

Here’s Corbin (because of course) to host Drew’s appreciation night. Corbin talks about being living proof that you can rise above anything, even if you have some thorns in your side. This man has helped him overcome some of those thorns though, which is why we’re celebrating him tonight. After a video on Drew, here he is in the flesh. Corbin gets straight to the point and hands him the box, containing a gold medal. That’s the Raw Gold Medal of Excellence, now that McIntyre has put Kurt Angle out of action.

Drew talks about coming here seven months ago to change the culture in the locker room. The wrestlers have been in the back playing video games and exchanging compliments with fans on social media. That’s why he’s tried to reshape Raw in his own image. Drew is going to keep doing everything that has gotten him here….and this brings out Dolph Ziggler to interrupt. Ziggler says he brought Drew to Raw but didn’t see him in the video package. Drew was the muscle while Dolph was the brains.

McIntyre isn’t convinced, starting with Dolph not meeting the height requirement. The reality is that Drew was the brains, the muscle and everything rolled into one. This isn’t working for him anymore because Dolph’s role was to get him in a prominent position. McIntyre turns things personal by saying he’s the reason Ziggler was relevant for the first time in ten years. Apparently hurt by the truth, Ziggler punches him in the face and hits the Zig Zag. Ziggler goes to leave but Corbin says it’s match time.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Drew McIntyre

Joined in progress with Ziggler in trouble and being tossed outside. McIntyre sends him into a few things on the floor and takes it back inside for a chinlock. Ziggler fights up so it’s an overhead belly to belly to cut him off again. They head outside again and this time Drew wants a microphone. McIntyre says he’s going to treat Ziggler like someone he doesn’t like, which means some alternating rams into the barricade and then the apron. Cue Balor himself as we take a break.

Back with McIntyre getting two off the reverse Alabama Slam as frustration starts setting in. Ziggler punches his way out of a superplex attempt and hits the running DDT for the double knockdown. As you might expect, the fans aren’t exactly thrilled because Ziggler was a villain until about fifteen minutes ago. Ziggler sends him outside for a running clothesline off the apron but a headbutt gets McIntyre out of trouble. McIntyre sends him back in and the ref gets bumped, allowing Balor to dropkick McIntyre into the barricade. That’s enough for nine as McIntyre dives back in….for a superkick from Ziggler for the pin at 13:19.

Rating: C+. Well, it wasn’t clean. That makes things a little bit better, but there was no reason to not have McIntyre lose via countout here. Ziggler still isn’t the kind of guy who should be getting a big singles pin, especially over someone like McIntyre. That being said, this is far from some death sentence for McIntyre so it’s hardly the worst thing in the world.

Post break Drew promises to have the mountain fall down on Dolph. As for Finn, he’s a marked man.

Here’s a banged up Elias, with his hair down for a change, for a song. After some playing, Elias says he wants to wrap his guitar around Bobby Lashley’s head and at TLC, there will be no more hiding. Cue Lashley and Lio Rush to promise Elias some pain. Bobby strikes some poses including the bending over one, drawing Elias up the ramp for a fight. Elias gets the better of it and sends Lashley into the video wall, leaving Rush to bail. Before he can get too far though, Balor throws him onto the stage so Elias can blast him with the guitar.

Jinder Mahal is in Corbin’s office and offers to beat up Balor tonight. They’re not worried about Braun Strowman showing up tonight. Mahal leaves and here are Rhyno and Heath Slater. Corbin has come to a conclusion: there’s only room for one of them on Raw so one of them needs to quit. Neither will do that so Corbin makes a match between the two of them with the job on the line.

Drake Maverick vs. Bobby Roode

Roode gets in a few shots but we cut to the back where the AOP beats up Chad Gable. Corbin comes in to say he’s changed his mind and it’s now a 3-2 handicap match.

AOP/Drake Maverick vs. Chad Gable/Bobby Roode

Roode is smart enough to hit the Glorious DDT before the AOP can get in but they’re just in time for the save. The beatdown is on in a hurry with the side slam/middle rope stomp combination getting two. Gable comes out holding his neck but gets caught with an atomic drop/big boot combination. The Super Collider lets Maverick pin Roode at 3:49.

Rating: D-. This was an angle instead of a match (that tends to be the case a lot tonight) and I get the big story they’re telling with Corbin being drunk with power and wanting to ruin people who opposed him. That’s fine on paper, but it’s not something that’s working in reality. It comes off as tiresome instead of effective and that’s a bad thing to build the show around. The match wasn’t the worst, mainly because it didn’t include any stupid Maverick segment. That alone keeps it from being the failure that was last week’s match, so at least they’re improving.

We look back at Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, including Ambrose getting hit shots last week in a segment that gets worse every time I see it.

A bunch of security guards in gas masks come out to escort Ambrose, in a gas mask of his own, to the ring. Ambrose, still in the mask, says you can’t be too careful in a horrible city like Houston so he has some guards to protect him from that madman Seth Rollins. The mask comes off and Dean talks about how Rollins wanted something from him, just like all the people. Like all those people who would always stick their phones in his face to try and add some excitement to their lives.

Seth tried to control him and that’s the worst feeling in the world. Those people are sitting in the crowd right now but none of them have the courage to slap them in the mouth right now. Ambrose is proud to sit in this ring as the moral compass and at TLC, he could take the Intercontinental Title but he’d rather just teach Rollins a lesson. At TLC, Rollins will lose control of himself, his emotions and the Intercontinental Title. Don’t worry though, because he’ll be right there to save the title.

Cue Rollins from behind (at least he wasn’t a guard in disguise) to get in a few shots and then beat up the guards. Ambrose uses the distraction to get out but Rollins chases him down for the brawl. They come back to ringside though and Dean gets in a shot to the face with a gas mask. Ambrose even hits Dirty Deeds on the floor, followed by another inside. This was good but that’s the problem: it’s just good. This feud started off red hot and hasn’t lived up to the hype since then. The match will be very good as these two almost always are, but it’s not what it could have been.

Graves asks Renee about Ambrose again and Renee says how dare he try to find out what happens behind closed doors between a man* and wife. Fair enough.

We look back at the opening sequence.

Rousey has picked Ember Moon as her partner but Nia wishes it was Charly Caruso. Nia yells a lot and promises to injure Rousey just like she did to Becky. For some reason, she screams as I forget that Tamina exists.

Rhyno vs. Heath Slater

Loser gets fired so Rhyno goes straight at him to start and takes Slater, who has kids according to the fans, into the corner. Slater gets a neckbreaker for the pin at 1:07. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Post break Slater comes up to ask Corbin if there is anything that can be done with Rhyno. That’s not happening, but Slater has a new job: as a referee.

Jinder Mahal vs. Finn Balor

Mahal takes him down into a headlock to start and drops Finn throat first across the top rope. Back from a very early break with Balor fighting out of a chinlock but getting pulled back down into a headlock. Balor is back up with the double stomp to the chest and a Sling Blade. The shotgun dropkick in the corner looks to set up the Coup de Grace but the Singh Brothers get involved to shove him off the top. This brings out Apollo Crews to take care of them but Mahal kicks him in the face. Balor hits a big flip dive, setting up another dropkick and the Coup de Grace finishes Mahal at 7:28.

Rating: D. And hey, it’s another preview for Mixed Match Challenge! Balor has done this kind of thing all season long so they might as well do it all over again here. At least they didn’t go with a stupid Mahal win as it was feeling that way for a little while. It’s sad that this is where Balor is now, but it’s a sign of the times around here.

Post break McIntyre jumps Balor in the back.

Lars Sullivan video.

Ronda Rousey/Ember Moon vs. Nia Jax/Tamina

Rousey walks hard to the ring but gets jumped 2-1 until Moon comes in. A middle rope Codebreaker rocks Nia and Rousey hits a running forearm off the apron to take her down again. Back from a break (with no bell beforehand) with Ember in trouble and Rousey bouncing back and forth on the apron. Ember gets over and makes the tag a few seconds later….and Rousey tags back out after a few kicks to Tamina. Nia loads up the big right hand, which she uses on Ember’s ribs after a quick tease.

Ember hurricanranas her way to freedom but Nia breaks up the hot tag, only to get knocked off the apron by Tamina. That means the hot tag can bring Rousey in for the clotheslines and knees to Tamina, who is knocked into the corner. Rousey demands the tag to Nia so she comes in and tags right back out. Rousey flips Nia back in and then beats Tamina up with the rapid punches in the corner. A jumping knee to the face gets two on Tamina but the Eclipse rocks her again. The armbar makes Tamina tap at 5:57.

Rating: D+. This was exactly what it needed to be with Nia being the loudmouth who won’t actually fight but at the same time, I’m not sure how much WWE can make me buy her as a threat to Rousey at TLC. She’s really living on that one right hand to Becky from a few weeks ago and that’s not exactly a lot of material. At least the ending was the right call here and Moon didn’t get treated like an afterthought again.

Overall Rating: D-. And yet, this was miles better than last week. Last week felt like a bunch of random stuff only loosely tied together. This show was tied together, but it was tied together with such a horribly uninteresting main character and story that almost doesn’t have a payoff because Strowman is nowhere to be seen.

That being said, there was no one segment here that dragged the show down to the depths and there was some watchable enough wrestling to carry things. I know the lack of Reigns has hurt them a lot, but it just goes to show you how risky it is to put everything on Reigns instead of building up other people at the same time. The other problem is they’re building the show around a midcarder who is now a middle management stooge. I need a lot more than that, but WWE is tripling down on Corbin instead of building someone up. That’s not working at the moment and it’s only getting somewhat less worse, not better.

Results

Bayley/Sasha Banks b. Mickie James/Alicia Fox – Bayley to Belly to James

Lucha House Party b. Scott Dawson – Rope walk Swanton

Dolph Ziggler b. Drew McIntyre – Superkick

AOP/Drake Maverick b. Bobby Roode/Chad Gable – Super Collider to Roode

Heath Slater b. Rhyno – Neckbreaker

Finn Balor b. Jinder Mahal – Coup de Grace

Ronda Rousey/Ember Moon b. Tamina/Nia Jax – Armbar to Tamina

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

I was reading a rather scathing review of Raw and got to thinking.

So this week’s Monday Night Raw was a disaster. I don’t think that’s exactly a secret, but there were several bad parts to the whole thing. In addition to the horrible Drake Maverick segment, there’s one thing that stands out as a problem, but not for the same reason you might be thinking. That would be Baron Corbin.

This week, Corbin was all over the show. He was in the opening segment, he did a bunch of stuff throughout the show, and then he was in the main event. That’s a lot of screen time for someone who isn’t exactly thrilling. He’s just the latest middle management villain, and that’s not a good role for him. Corbin is about 6’6 with a good look and a power offense. Why is his biggest weapon the threat of a phone call to Stephanie McMahon? A middle management lackey isn’t the place for someone like Corbin. That’s the kind of role someone like Curt Hawkins or Aiden English or someone not exactly intimidating.

Now, for the bigger thing though, and this is where a lot of people forget the problem: Corbin is still pretty new at this. Corbin made his debut back in October 2012. That’s about six years ago, and now he’s arguably the top heel on Raw. Keep in mind that’s not six yeas into his WWE career. That’s six years after he started training, a lot of which was spent down in NXT. To go from the very small atmosphere of NXT to the biggest wrestling TV show in the world is more than a jump. It’s a flying leap and Corbin hasn’t established himself as that kind of a star yet.

In other words, Corbin (and SO many others from NXT) need more time before they start getting this kind of a push. That’s not a knock on the talent in the slightest. These people (including Corbin) go from basically wrestling school and some very low level indies to NXT and then the main roster in the span of about three years (Corbin’s main roster debut was in April of 2016, less than four years after he debuted).

Six years into his career, Steve Austin was just debuting as the Ringmaster. Six years into his career, Shawn Michaels was part of the Rockers. Six years into his career, the Undertaker was Mean Mark Callous. Do any of these people sound like they were ready to be the focal point of the show and headlining a pay per view just yet? Of course not, because that takes a VERY special kind of wrestler and there aren’t many who are ready for that spot.

Corbin, and a lot of other people, have the physical skills to be in these spots. However, there’s a big, big difference between knowing what to do and knowing how to do it. Corbin has very little seasoning and experience at or even near this level. He’s learning on the job and that can make for a rough patch. It doesn’t help that he’s completely miscast in his role and is doing the best he can with some horrible booking choices.

In short: WWE is trying to build a house on a foundation where the cement isn’t dry yet and it’s collapsing (Note that I completely lifted that line from Tazz, who had an incredible rant about this week’s Raw which got me thinking about this. Check that out here.).