205 Live
Date: June 5, 2018
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

It’s a fresh start around here as Cedric Alexander has dispatched Buddy Murphy to retain the Cruiserweight Title. Therefore we need a new #1 contender and that could be almost anyone on this show, though Mustafa Ali is another likely candidate. Other than that…well there will probably be some matches that don’t seem to be leading anywhere. Let’s get to it.

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

Drake Maverick narrates a recap of last week’s title match and previews tonight’s show.

Opening sequence.

Lince Dorado vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick has Drew Gulak with him but no Jack Gallagher. It’s an aggressive start for Kendrick who takes him into the corner and hammers away to start but gets kicked out to the floor. The lucha noisemakers don’t distract Kendrick very well as he sidesteps a baseball slide and hits one of his own to take over again.

Back in and a side slam gets two as Drew reads the history of lucha libre from his Lucha and You brochure. Kendrick stomps and chokes in the corner as Gulak admits that he was trained in lucha libre, which shows him how terrible it is. We hit the chinlock until Dorado is back up with a spinwheel kick. A high crossbody gets two and a suicide dive takes Kendrick down again. Gulak yells at Dorado but he’s right back in with the Golden Rewind for the pin at 7:35.

Rating: C-. I’d assume this is setting up some big showdown between Gulak and Lucha House Party but hasn’t he beaten all of them already? Dorado is the weakest of the trio and he was perfectly watchable here. It’s a good idea to let him win here as it helps build him up later on when Gulak gets another win over him.

Post match Gulak runs in and beats Dorado down until Lucha House Party runs him off.

Clips of last week’s title match. Fair enough, as it was awesome.

Mustafa Ali, who is looking more jacked than usual, is ready to beat Buddy Murphy tonight and get back into the title hunt. He’s got the heart of a champion.

TJP vs. Bryan Keith

Keith is in what would be described as a cowboy outfit without the hat. TJP takes him down and grabs a mic to compliment Keith’s boots and mispronounce the town. He keeps talking as he stomps on Keith, asking for better competition. Some threats to go to Raw or Smackdown set up a modified Sharpshooter with TJP threatening to go there soon before cranking back for the tap at 2:12. Very entertaining squash with a different twist on the idea.

A very cocky Lio Rush is coming soon. Really it’s not like he was going to work anywhere else but on 205 Live but that’s not the best thing in the world after his big controversy down in NXT.

Next week: Lucha House Party vs. Gulak/Gallagher/Kendrick. Makes the most sense.

Tony Nese speaks for Buddy Murphy for some reason, saying that Murphy will beat Alexander next time. Murphy says you can’t stop the unstoppable.

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy

Murphy goes straight with the power by driving Mustafa into the corner and no selling some chops. A dropkick works a bit better for Ali and there’s a big corkscrew dive to the floor. Back in and Murphy catches him on top so it’s a fireman’s carry into a gutbuster onto the turnbuckle for a big crash and a near fall.

Ali spins around him into a crucifix for two anyway but Murphy is right back with some backbreakers. An inverted hurricanrana (and a good one) gets Ali out of trouble and a superkick has Murphy tied up in the ropes. Ali gets two off a splash but bangs up his own ribs in the process. Murphy is smart enough to strike away at the ribs, only to charge into a boot in the corner.

The rolling X Factor is broken up and it’s time to head to the apron. This time it’s Murphy messing up and running knee first into the post to give Murphy a target of his own. The fans deem this awesome and it’s out to the floor again, this time with Murphy being sent up to the apron, only to jump back down with an INSANE tornado DDT to the floor. With Murphy trying to remember what planet he’s on, here’s Hideo Itami to break up the 054 for the DQ at 12:12.

Rating: B. It’s not as good as Murphy’s match from last week but it was still a good effort with that tornado DDT looking outstanding. Sometimes that one big spot is all you need but here you got a heck of a match to surround it. Neither of them taking a fall is the right ending and it can help set up Itami as the next challenger down the line. Good, hard hitting main event here.

Itami lays Ali out again to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another completely acceptable but not great show here, which is a lot better than things used to be around here. It also helps that we’re getting a really strong match on every show and some of the stories are starting to come together. They still need the ace of the show and Cedric isn’t going to be that guy, but I don’t think anyone else they have at the moment is either. Still though, solid effort this week.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: June 5, 2018
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton

Please just let it be better than last night’s show. With three TV shows between the two brands until Money in the Bank, it’s hard to say how much worse things could get. Last night’s Monday Night Raw was really not that well received but maybe the extra hour is what brought them down. It should be interesting to see how things go with just two hours and maybe less of a focus on the ladder matches. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Carmella to open things up. After demanding her praise from the crowd, it’s time to talk about Asuka. She knows Asuka is revered and that is more than enough to be intimidating. We see a video on Asuka’s best moments and Carmella says that’s impressive. Next though, we see the real Asuka, which was exposed at WrestleMania. Now she’s just the defeated Asuka, including losing her first match on SmackDown.

Cue Asuka, but before she can say anything it’s Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville interrupting. Mandy talks about getting close to defeating Asuka and knowing that she can be beaten. Sonya says Mandy left just enough for her to take out but here’s Paige to interrupt. Paige makes the matches around here so Asuka can pick who she wants to fight. That would be both of them of course and that’s next. Asuka needs to wreck these two as somehow she’s in need of some momentum. You wouldn’t ever expect that from someone like her but WWE managed to make Asuka lose momentum.

Asuka vs. Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville

Carmella is on commentary. An early kneebar attempt has Sonya bailing to the ropes as Carmella eviscerates Saxton on commentary. Saxton: “If I were you Carmella….” Carmella: “THANK GOODNESS YOU’RE NOT!” Mandy gets in a cheap shot from the apron and Sonya hammers away in the corner to take over. Asuka fires up and hits some hip attacks but Carmella offers a distraction so Sonya can run Asuka over from behind.

The Moon Walk on the desk takes us to a break. Back with Asuka and Mandy slugging it out again until Asuka dropkicks the heck out of her. Stereo kicks to the face drop Asuka and Sonya but Deville is right back with a heck of a spear for two. With Mandy on the floor, the Asuka Lock makes Deville tap at 11:31.

Rating: C. Not bad here and thankfully Asuka didn’t lose again. I’m fine with her having to sweat a bit against these two but odds are she loses to Carmella (a new enforcer costing her the match wouldn’t shock me) and we get more of the same Carmella promo over and over. She’s good at it, but jumping from where she was to pinning Charlotte clean didn’t work for me then and it isn’t now either.

Post match Asuka has to deal with Mandy, allowing Carmella to hit her with the belt.

Miz is in the back practicing Mizjitsu when New Day comes in. They want some help revealing their member….Miz: “Rephrase.” They mean reaching in and pulling a name out of a hat, which Miz agrees to do. Miz reaches in and finds….pancake batter I think? He threatens them all with violence in tonight’s six man tag.

Karl Anderson vs. Harper

Harper hits him in the face to start and a forearm has Anderson down. A charge into the corner misses though and Anderson grabs a quick rollup for the pin at 2:18.

We look back at last week’s dance off.

Naomi promises to beat Lana and snatch the contract (no word on if that will render the contract bald).

Jimmy Uso/Naomi vs. Aiden English/Lana

The men start things off and English is already singing about Rusev. That goes nowhere and everything breaks down in a hurry with Naomi hitting a big dive over the top to take them both out (with English saving her from a broken neck as she was going to land on her head otherwise).

Back from a break with English offering a distraction so Lana can forearm her in the back to take over. A double arm crank keeps Naomi down and she can’t dive over to the corner. Naomi does manage a faceplant to put Lana down though and it’s the hot tag to bring in Jimmy. Everything breaks down and Naomi hits a high crossbody on English, setting up a superkick to the throat for the pin at 10:33.

Rating: D+. Just a match really but this is where Smackdown completely outshines Raw: they’ve put together this mini feud between Lana and Naomi to give them a reason to fight heading into the ladder match. Instead of just having them wrestle matches for the sake of wrestling matches, there’s something a little more personal and it makes things a mixture of a little more interesting and a lot easier to sit through. Now why can’t Raw get that?

We go to the back where Paige is moderating the contract signing between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles. After Paige explains the idea of Last Man Standing, AJ says this feels like it’s been going on forever with all of Nakamura’s tricks and mind games. It ends at Money in the Bank with AJ as the last man standing. AJ signs but Nakamura says the pen is out of ink. Paige has another one but Nakamura wants AJ’s. That one is broken and AJ is ready to fight with Dean Malenko and Adam Pearce holding him back. AJ gets in a hard slap anyway and leaves as Nakamura pulls out his own pen to sign.

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch

The threat of a Disarm-Her sends Charlotte outside so Becky settles for a headlock back inside. That’s escaped as well and it’s a standoff until they both catch kicks to the ribs. A double knockdown sends us to a break. Back with Becky going for the arm again but getting caught in a backbreaker for two instead. Lynch drops her one more time and gets two off a top rope legdrop but gets sent into the corner. The moonsault hits raised knees and the Figure Eight is countered twice in a row. The second counter is pulled into the Disarm-Her for the tap at 8:11.

Rating: C+. I’d love to believe that this is going to lead towards Becky getting into the title picture again as I have no idea why she hasn’t been a long reigning champion already. She has the look, the talking ability, the skill and whatever else might be needed to make a long reign work. Unfortunately since it’s Money in the Bank season, this win isn’t going to move her up the rankings but rather just be a momentum builder, whatever that is supposed to mean.

Lynch helps her up and everything is cool.

Samoa Joe asks what you see when you look at him. Maybe a vicious man or a backwards moral compass? Tonight New Day will find out that those things are true but he wants more than that. He wants people to see a man who keeps his promises. Last week he climbed the ladder and pulled down the briefcase, just like he said he would. The people saw the future and they know it’s the truth. Any man who calls himself WWE Champion is a marked man and very soon, everybody gets it. Sweet goodness this man is awesome.

We get an old school platform interview with Big Cass, who brags about being tall. Years ago when he was in NXT, he was backstage at Wrestlemania XXX and once the show was over, he was getting his bag when he saw Daniel Bryan. All Cass could think was “really?” That should be him because a good big man will always beat a good little man.

We see a clip of Cass laying Bryan out and Cass brags about how big (with the camera looking up at him in a smart production choice) and smart he is and how he holds a grudge like no one else. At Money in the Bank, he’ll beat Bryan down and embarrass him, breaking his arms and legs so there won’t be any more heel hooks. Then Bryan can go be a garden gnome on Total Bellas because a little man like him will never survive in a big man’s world.

Sin Cara isn’t sure what happened to Andrade Cien Almas when Zelina Vega comes up. Almas accomplished nothing when Cara was his role model but Vega taught him to respect no one. She’s gone to Paige to set up a match between Cara and Andrade for next week and here’s Andrade to jump him.

New Day vs. Miz/Rusev/Samoa Joe

Woods wastes no time in forearming Miz down for an early two and it’s New Day alternating with elbows and splashes for two more. Joe tags himself in to face Big E. and this is already feeling bigger. Big E. suplexes him down and it’s off to Woods to try his luck. That would be bad luck as an enziguri puts him down and we take a break. Back with Woods fighting out of Miz’s chinlock but getting pulled down by the hair. Joe comes in and gets kneed in the head, allowing the double tags to Miz and Kofi. Everyone else fights to the floor and the Boom Drop has Miz in trouble. Joe breaks up Trouble in Paradise and the DDT gives Miz two. Big E. comes back in and gets whipped into the Rock Bottom out of the corner. Rusev gets low bridged to the floor and Woods hits a big flip dive over the top. Joe gets sent outside as well and Kofi hits a springboard trust fall to drop him again. Big E. spears Miz to the floor (that’s going to be a bad injury one day) and the Midnight Hour is broken up as Joe pulls Woods into the Koquina Clutch on the floor. Kofi dives into the Machka Kick and Miz posts Big E. The villains come back in….and Miz grabs the pancakes, which he throws at Joe and Rusev by mistake. One Machka Kick and a backsplash later and Miz is left down and alone. Kofi comes back in and the Midnight Hour is good for the pin at 13:19.

Rating: C+. I liked this one though it wasn’t as good as the New Day’s match from a week or so ago. They’ve certainly lost some steam but they’re still one of the best trios around. That Trust Fall alone, which looked like a springboard to Miz, was enough of a cool visual to make this work. The pancakes….not so much but that’s their thing and it’s not going away at the moment.

Overall Rating: B-. Holy Taylor Made Man of the 90s what a difference a night makes. This was a fun show with some good matches and stories that didn’t want me to let my hair grow so that it was long enough to pull out. It’s not great or anything but it didn’t have me begging to change the channel and after last night, that’s a major upgrade. Just having stories that tie into the ladder matches but aren’t exclusively about the ladder match makes a world of difference and the show was that much better as a result. Do this more often and I could downright tolerate Money in the Bank season.

Results

Asuka b. Sonya Deville/Mandy Rose – Asuka Lock to Deville

Karl Anderson b. Harper – Rollup

Jimmy Uso/Naomi b. Aiden English/Lana – Superkick to English

Becky Lynch b. Charlotte – Disarm-Her

New Day b. Miz/Rusev/Samoa Joe – Midnight Hour to Miz

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 4, 2018
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, David Otunga

We’re less than two weeks away from Money in the Bank and that means it’s time to probably hit the brakes with the Money in the Bank build. That’s the case tonight as we have Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Roode. Oh and we get to find out who is next up to challenge Matt Hardy/Bray Wyatt. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s Elias, who carries wind in his fists and a guitar across his chest. It should be no surprise that Elias is the first face you see tonight because he is the most valuable asset. When he wins the Intercontinental Title, everyone will know what WWE stands for. Sure he attacked Rollins last week, but imagine how Elias felt. That was one of his favorite guitars!

We see some different angles of Rollins being hit with the guitar last week and here’s Rollins in person to interrupt. Rollins pulls out a chair and it’s a standoff until one shot knocks the guitar out of Elias’ hands. Elias starts to panic but here’s Jinder Mahal for the beatdown. Cue Roman Reigns (to a positive reaction, as Mahal is that bad) for the save and Kurt Angle comes out to make the tag match RIGHT NOW.

Jinder Mahal/Elias vs. Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins

We get the multiple tags and switches before any contract and it’s the Shield guys getting violent early on. Rollins dives onto Mahal and we settle down to Reigns coming in (and there are the boos) to elbow Mahal in the face. Elias comes in and takes Rollins down for a chinlock, which doesn’t exactly look painful. A missed knee drop isn’t enough for the tag to Reigns but a missed charge from Mahal certainly is.

The ten corner clotheslines rock Mahal but everyone heads to the floor. The apron dropkick is knocked out of the air by an Elias ax handle and we take a break. Back with Reigns fighting out of a chinlock but getting punched in the corner for his efforts. To mix things up a bit, Mahal comes in for a chinlock of his own and Elias gets two off a knee drop. Mahal grabs ANOTHER chinlock as we might as well have a clock counting how much time they’ve killed so far.

Reigns “creates separation” with a Samoan drop and it’s off to Rollins so things can finally have some energy. A Blockbuster and Falcon Arrow give Rollins two each and there’s a Superman Punch to Mahal. The apron dropkick hits Elias but Sunil Singh’s distraction breaks up the Stomp.

Reigns takes care of him so Mahal throws Reigns over the barricade. An enziguri puts Elias down and Rollins dives into Mahal, only to hit the barricade head first. Singh loads up a chair but gets chased into the ring, allowing Elias to DDT Rollins onto the chair. The referee looks at him do it and even yells at him, but counts the three off Drift Away at 17:38. I’d love to see the rules for a DQ around here sometime.

Rating: D+. The ending makes sense and Rollins won’t be at 100% going into the title match but my goodness the ending was stupid and the chinlocks felt like they went on for an hour. Mahal just isn’t interesting no matter what they do with him and Elias isn’t exactly on fire when he’s in the ring. Still though, good ending to set up the title match.

There are a bunch of tacos and other Mexican food at ringside.

Curt Hawkins vs. James Harden

Before the match, Hawkins says he’s at 199 losses in a row and if it gets to 200, everyone gets a free taco. Harden (the name of the Houston Rockets’ star player) is from right here in Houston. Hawkins sends him into the corner to start and says that it’s over. A spinning slam has Harden in trouble and he runs into a boot in the corner. One heck of a clothesline takes Harden’s head off but here’s Baron Corbin to lay out Harden and give him the DQ win at 1:44.

Post match, Corbin hits Hawkins with a taco and turns the table over.

Back from a break with Corbin in Angle’s office, saying he’ll explain that later. He’s tired of being left out around here so he went to Stephanie McMahon herself. She’s sent a message with him: there’s going to be a checks and balances system, meaning Corbin is the new Constable of Raw to enforce the rules.

Natalya vs. Nia Jax

Non-title with Ronda Rousey on commentary. Nia runs her over and knocks Natalya to the floor as we take a break. Back with Natalya fighting out of a chinlock and scoring with a jawbreaker. A discus clothesline puts Nia down for two but Natalya hurts her knee on the step over into the dropkick. The Samoan drop ends Natalya in short order at 7:22.

Rating: D. I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to be interested in seeing if Ronda can armbar Nia when she’s already armbarred HHH but you can’t expect them to keep continuity for a full two months. Nia’s rather abrupt heel turn and Rousey suddenly being friends with Natalya are both stretches but I’ve seen worse from this company before. Just keep the match at Money in the Bank short and they should survive.

Post match Nia checks on the downed Natalya and Rousey comes in to keep things safe. Natalya is all frustrated as Rousey helps her out. Nia didn’t get physical after the match and looked concerned.

Bobby Roode is ready to win Money in the Bank and promises that it will be Glorious. As for Braun Strowman tonight….yeah he’s nervous but his goal is just to survive.

Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Roode

Strowman throws him around to start and the fans start a GET THESE HANDS chant. An overhead belly to belly has Roode in even more trouble but he avoid a charge into the post. With Strowman down, Roode bridges a ladder between the barricade and the apron. The chase is on and Roode ducks underneath the ladder….so Strowman punches the ladder in half. Roode is stunned and gets powerslammed for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C-. So he can break ladders with fists like Wreck It Ralph. Well of course he can. I mean, I can’t imagine him winning Money in the Bank (they’ve pushed it way too hard) so we might as well give him some superpowers before he keeps falling down the ladder. But hey, at least he gets to do something cool in this nothing match, right?

Kevin Owens is ready to take care of everyone in Money in the Bank, starting tonight with Finn Balor.

Natalya is getting her knee iced when Nia comes in to apologize again. Rousey tells her to leave and Natalya says she needs a minute to herself.

Here are Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt to say they’re ready to destroy everyone who faces them because they’ll have fireflies. Matt asks Renee Young if she’s woken and yes she is. Matt: “THAT IS WONDERFUL!” Matt loads up the prepare the battlefield but Bray promises to make the winners suffer before their deletion. Cole: “I have no idea what just happened.”

Money in the Bank rundown.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Ascension, Breezango, Revival, Heath Slater/Rhyno, Titus Worldwide, B Team, Dolph Ziggler/Drew McIntyre

The winners get a title shot at some point in the future. Jojo starts the introductions and the fight is already on, giving us a very odd visual. Like seriously, pay attention people. Ziggler and McIntyre hang out on the apron for a bit before going in to join the fight. Random fighting ensues with Ziggler doing his usual parade of false finishes until Breeze dropkicks him out, meaning McIntyre is out as well. Drew cleans house before leaving and Ziggler joins him for some superkicks.

The Claymore into the Zig Zag drops Rhyno and a bunch of referees tell them to get out. We take a break and come back with Titus Worldwide having been eliminated. Ascension and Breezango are out too and we’re down to three. Rhyno casually tosses Wilder and it’s Slater/Rhyno vs. the B Team. Rhyno gets sent to the floor and Slater picks Axel up for a slam, only to knock Rhyno out to give the B Team the win at 7:26.

Rating: D. Now I don’t know why the Authors of Pain weren’t in this, but my guess is because they sneezed backstage or something and Vince hasn’t yet forgiven them. They can’t even get in a battle royal with the entire division but Rhyno of all people can get one of the last spots. The B Team is funny but I have no idea why the Authors have been banished from Raw for whatever reason.

Here’s Bobby Lashley to call out Sami Zayn….who comes through the crowd. He has a debilitating hand injury that prevented him from doing the simple, everyday tasks like cooking his tofu steaks. Despite being injured though, Sami has never stopped scouting Lashley so he’s been on Instagram this week.

Sami has found some inspirational quotes that Lashley has posted, such as one about finding no box when being told to think outside the box. Next is telling people to do things that scare you because they’re worth it. These quotes touched him so Sami, as a fan, sent him a direct message on Instagram, which sent him a link to the Bobby Lashley VIP fan club, full of expensive merchandise.

Lashley asks what the point of all this is (the voice of the voiceless) and isn’t sure if he should laugh at Sami or feel sorry for him. Sami says everything about Lashley is a lie and he doesn’t even know if Lashley has sisters. Was he even in the army? That’s a step too far for Lashley, who takes off the white jacket….and nothing else is said. Is this supposed to be some big inside joke or are they actually wanting to make me see this match? Either way, it’s really not working.

We look back at the opening segment.

Jinder Mahal says the storm is coming for Reigns.

Roman asks what Jinder has done around here lately and that he expects to be handed everything. We cut back to Jinder, who says Reigns wouldn’t say that to his face. Reigns says he’d say it to his face so Mahal can stay there so Reigns can come shut his mouth for him. A few seconds later the fight is on with Reigns beating Mahal down until referees break it up. This was our big reward for everything else we’ve sat through tonight?

Alexa Bliss/Sasha Banks/Ember Moon vs. Riott Squad

Moon takes Riott down to start but Bliss tags herself in, only to tweak her hamstring. That’s enough for Bliss and she takes a walk as we go to a break. Back with Moon fighting out of a Morgan chinlock but getting tossed back into the corner. Moon gets pulled down by the hair but gets over for the tag a few seconds later anyway. Sasha cleans house and everything breaks down with Logan knocking Moon into the barricade. Back in and a double Meteora puts Morgan and Logan down so here’s Bayley to take the tag from Banks. This is perfectly acceptable as Bayley cleans house and finishes Logan with the Bayley to Belly at 7:07.

Rating: D. I mean, it’s not even the most questionable ending on the show so far tonight and at this point I just want the show to be over already. It seems that they’ve just dropped the Bayley vs. Sasha feud (again) as they’re completely focused on Money in the Bank and, as usual, that’s all that matters for everyone involved in the match. More boring action here in another match that was longer than it felt.

Corbin tells Angle to go fix this because he’ll tell Stephanie otherwise.

Post break, Ember, Bayley and Sasha are happy with their win. Moon wants Bayley and Sasha to hug this out but Angle comes in and says it’s a DQ loss. Moon: “Seriously?” Well duh Ember. Why did you think that would work? Sasha seems to blame Bayley. Allow me to paraphrase: Well duh Sasha. Why did you think that would work?

Corbin yells at the referee.

Bis Show (looking slim) is here with some Special Olympians. That’s always cool to see.

Next week: four way matches between the Raw Money in the Bank participants! In other words, even less stuff to fill in the three hours!

Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

Owens easily takes him down to start and asks if that was too sweet. A headlock has Balor slowed down and we switch to a chinlock to really mix things up. Balor fights up into an armbar but Owens whips him hard into the corner to cut him off again. Back from a break with Owens holding another chinlock and Balor fighting up in short order. The kick to the head looks to set up the Coup de Grace but Owens rolls outside.

A snap of the arm over the rope puts Balor in more trouble and it’s off to an armbar. Balor fights up with an elbow to the face but gets superkicked back down. The shotgun dropkick knocks Owens into the corner, only to have him pop back up to crotch Balor. Owens stomps away and that’s a DQ at 18:34.

Rating: D-. So yes, after this horrible show, we’re really supposed to be interested in a DQ finish to a long and really boring match. These two are capable of so much more but since it’s Money in the Bank season, it’s time to sit around and do the boring matches for the sake of building momentum or whatever nonsense we’re supposed to care about this week.

Post match Owens hits the frog splash and climbs the really big ladder. He takes forever teasing the big splash off the ladder but Balor gets up and pulls him down. A Coup de Grace off the ladder crushes Owens and Balor pulls down a briefcase to end the show.

Overall Rating: F. That’s the worst episode I can remember since….well since last year’s Money in the Bank build. This was HORRIBLE with nothing interesting, a bunch of matches that meant nothing (Cole: “Could this be a sign of things to come at Money in the Bank?” NO! BECAUSE IT NEVER IS YOU NITWIT!), were downright stupid (“I’ve been on INSTAGRAM!”) or made wrestlers look like idiots (of course you can just run in on our tag match and get a pin that counts). It’s a terrible time to be a WWE fan and this felt like it went on for nine hours. Don’t worry though as next week will be even worse. Lucky us.

Results

Elias/Jinder Mahal b. Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins – Drift Away to Rollins

James Harden b. Curt Hawkins via DQ when Baron Corbin interfered

Nia Jax b. Natalya – Samoan drop

Braun Strowman b. Bobby Roode – Running powerslam

B Team won a Tag Team Battle Royal last eliminating Heath Slater/Rhyno

Riott Squad b. Alexa Bliss/Sasha Banks/Ember Moon via DQ when Bayley interfered

Finn Balor b. Kevin Owens via DQ when Owens wouldn’t stop attacking in the corner

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown
Date: January 1, 2004
Location: Laredo Entertainment Center, Laredo, Texas
Attendance: 5,100
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

This year has to be better right? Smackdown was the better of the two shows but it’s not like 2003 was very good either way. We’ve got three shows left before the Royal Rumble and aside from Hardcore Holly vs. Brock Lesnar for the Smackdown World Title, there’s very little set up. Let’s get to it.

Here are the results from two weeks ago if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of two weeks ago where Holly became # 1 contender thanks to A-Train screwing up again. That certainly seems to be a trend with him.

Opening sequence.

Cruiserweight Title: Tajiri vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio is challenging. They grapple to start with neither being able to get anywhere and it’s a standoff. Tajiri takes him down by the leg but gets reversed into a rollup for two. A chest first whip into the corner takes Rey down but the handspring elbow is countered with a dropkick to the back.

That means a big flip dive to really put Tajiri down as we go to a break. Not a bad way to get us going in the new year. Back with Sakoda breaking up the 619 so Tajiri can start back in on the knee. A dropkick to the knee in the Tree of Woe gets two but the bad knee is fine enough for a middle rope hurricanrana to get Rey out of trouble. The springboard seated senton is countered into a half crab though and Mysterio is right back in trouble again.

Rey makes the rope and, since the match has been going on for a while now, it’s time for a ref bump. He’s back up in time for a two off Tajiri’s sitout powerbomb and we keep going. Another springboard bangs the knee up though (you knew that had to happen eventually) and Tajiri kicks him in the face. The green mist hits Sakoda by mistake though and a standing hurricanrana gives Rey the pin and the title.

Rating: B. Tajiri had held the title for a nice, long (by this title’s standards) reign and putting it back on Mysterio made sense. Changing the title to open the year was a good idea and the fact that it was a longer match made things that much better. Rey can drop it to a hot heel down the line and he’s still the biggest name in the division by a mile and a half.

Post match Rey thanks the fans and says he’ll be champion around the world. Cue Big Show to say that’s nice but it’s time to shill the new Big Show t-shirt. Rey takes it away and threatens to make it a souvenir for a fan despite Big Show telling him not to. He does it anyway of course and gets beaten down, because this is what you do with a new champion. Hardcore Holly comes in for the save.

Some soldiers say Happy New Year.

Post break Big Show breaks a bunch of stuff so Paul Heyman gives him Holly later tonight.

Bradshaw vs. Rhyno

The rubber match. Bradshaw knees him in the corner and gets two off a shoulder. A DDT gives Rhyno the same but Bradshaw hits the Last Call followed by a big boot. The Clothesline puts Rhyno away in short order. And that’s the feud.

Earlier today, Los Guerreros were at a low rider parade.

The announcers talk about Tribute to the Troops.

Video on Tribute to the Troops.

John Cena comes up to Heyman in the back and asks where Heyman was last week in Baghdad. Heyman wasn’t there and Cena thinks he’s a coward. That’s too far for Heyman, who says he’s a leader of men. Therefore, let’s see what kind of an idea Heyman can come up with regarding say, the Royal Rumble. Cena isn’t currently included (no one is) but if he wins tonight, he can be included. All he has to do is find a partner to face all three members of the FBI. Oh and if Cena and his partner lose, neither are in the Rumble. That match is next by the way, so HAPPY NEW YEAR.

John Cena/Chris Benoit vs. FBI

And Cena/Benoit are supposed to be underdogs here? Cena’s pre-match rap says the FBI is stupid while Benoit actually rhymes an acceptance (Benoit: “I’m sick and tired of Heyman’s crap, I’ll be your partner tonight and make these b****** tap. Word life.”). The numbers game has the good guys in trouble to start but Cena easily takes over on Stamboli, mainly because it’s John Cena vs. Johnny Stamboli. The FBI gets Cena into the corner for the rotating stomps and Palumbo adds a good suplex.

The vocal Benoit starts a Cena chant, which is cut off by a big right hand from Palumbo. We hit the chinlock from Stamboli for a bit until Cena finally dives over and brings Benoit in for a long series of suplexes. A double clothesline takes Benoit down for two, with Stamboli looking over for Cena to make the save twice in a row. Palumbo’s superkick to Benoit breaks up the Sharpshooter and gets another near fall but the Crossface makes Stamboli tap a few seconds later.

Rating: C. Not bad at all here as it turned into a hot finish but who in the world thought Cena and Benoit couldn’t beat these schmucks? Benoit and Cena are going to be big players in the Rumble and since WWE has taken their sweet time getting here, they can only build up a story in very short order.

Clips of troops in a very long line for autographs in Baghdad.

Here’s the returning Kurt Angle for a chat. Angle has been away on a break but last week, those troops inspired him to come back to the ring. He was over there a few weeks ago and got to meet a lot of the soldiers as well. It made him proud to be an American and he met one soldier in particular. This guy had been over there for a year and when he left, his wife was eight months pregnant. All he wanted was to get back to see his new baby girl. Angle has a daughter of his own and he wants to make her proud of him too. Therefore, he’s entering the Royal Rumble and he’s winning for the troops.

Big Show vs. Hardcore Holly

Non-title as we’re still waiting on Big Show to defend the thing two and a half months after he won it. Holly punches away to start but Show clotheslines him down with authority. I’m not sure whose authority but it certainly worked. A big headbutt puts Holly down and the Hog Log gets two. Show drives an elbow into the neck so Holly goes after the knee to take him down.

A top rope clothesline gets two but Holly walks into a side slam to put him down again. It’s almost like Holly doesn’t have anywhere near the level of offense to be a realistic threat against Big Show. It’s back to the neck with a full nelson, drawing in Mysterio with a chair. Show knocks him down too so Holly goes low for the DQ.

Rating: F. So what was the point here? To make the #1 contender look like he can’t beat the US Champion? To make the US Champion look like a big monster, which you can kind of tell just by looking at him? The ending makes things that much worse as not only does Holly lose but it’s just a cheap way to make him look even more worthless than he has since he came back.

Holly beats him down with the chair.

Billy Gunn is back at the Rumble. I know the brand split made the rosters thin but between this and Hardcore Holly as a World Title challenger, they’re in real trouble on Thursdays.

Benoit comes in to see Heyman, who calls Benoit a working stiff like him. Heyman is management though and that’s what’s going to stop him at the Rumble. His solution: Benoit is going to be #1 (with Heyman almost screaming as he rants about how Benoit is done at the Rumble). Benoit grabs Heyman’s finger and bends it back before going into his own rant about how he’s fighting for his family and everything he has sacrificed to get here. This show has seen Benoit do more intense/emotional talking than I’ve seen him do in years.

Various low level guys congratulate Mysterio on winning the title until Eddie comes in to celebrate in Spanish. Chavo looks on in disgust as Eddie enters the Royal Rumble. He takes Eddie aside to talk about how they need to win the Tag Team Titles. Chavo isn’t exactly thrilled with Eddie at the moment and you can feel the tension.

Ad saying watch Smackdown. Glad to see I did my job already.

Los Guerreros vs. World’s Greatest Tag Team

The Eddie chants get on Chavo’s nerves again as Eddie takes Haas into the corner to start. It’s off to Chavo, who is taken into the wrong corner and caught with an overhead t-bone suplex. Chavo stops a charge in the corner with a raised boot but won’t tag, instead walking into a powerslam. Haas gets knocked down again and Chavo is right next to Eddie but goes back into the fight again. A double knockdown puts both Chavo and Haas down so Eddie distracts the referee, allowing him to pull Chavo to the corner.

This time Eddie cuts out the middle man and tags himself in so the pace can pick up. Three Amigos have Haas down but Chavo tags himself in to really further the issues. The distraction lets Eddie get knocked to the floor and Chavo’s frog splash hits knees. Shelton superkicks the heck out of Chavo and Haas gets the pin.

Rating: D+. This was much more of an angle than a match and that’s fine. They’ve been teasing this split for so long now that they almost have to do it here before the thing gets stale. Chavo’s reasoning for the heel turn makes sense but he’s coming off like a jerk, which is exactly the kind of thing that should lead to such a split. The match was bad, but that’s not the point of something like this.

Post Chavo blames Eddie for the loss because he’s sick of not hearing his name cheered. Eddie immediately tries to start a CHAVO chant but just gets cheered even louder. Chavo is sick of Eddie and slaps him in the face. Eddie looks ready to snap but here’s Angle to break things up.

Post break, Angle tells Eddie he’s doing this for the troops but Eddie is being selfish for doing this to his flesh and blood. Angle talks about this being traditional family values (Eddie: “FAMILY VALUES???”) and wants Eddie to look in the mirror.

The announcers talk about what just happened….and that’s how the show ends.

Overall Rating: C-. This show went off a cliff after the halfway point and that ending was really weird. I’ll give them some points for hitting the ground running with the Rumble build though as they went from no one to four big names being in the match in one night. That’s what they had to do and it worked well. What didn’t work well was most of the wrestling here, which took a hard backseat to the angle advancement. That’s more important, but it was a rocky way to get there.

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

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

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

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

So I’ve been doing more of the 1999 Raw’s and EGADS the talent that came through around that time.I know we always talk about the Class of 2002 with Cena, Orton, Lesnar, Mysterio and Batista.  That’s very good, but consider who WWE brought in from February 1999-January 2000:

Big Show

Chris Jericho

Kurt Angle

Dudley Boyz

Chris Benoit

Eddie Guerrero

Five World Champions and the most decorated tag team of all time.  It might not have the marquee value of 2002, but this is one of the best years for talent acquisitions of all time and has to beat anything else for second place.

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: May 31, 2018
Location: The Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Percy Watson

Another week, another focus on Money in the Bank. There isn’t much else to focus on this week as both Raw and Smackdown ended with a focus on the qualifying matches. Hopefully that doesn’t dominate this week’s show, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me as WWE has a tendency to get hooked on a single concept. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Akira Tozawa vs. Tony Nese

As usual, hang on because Nese needs to show off the abs. Tozawa just shouts at him and hits the surprise right hand. Nese misses a moonsault press but nips up to avoid a clothesline and kicks Tozawa in the ribs. A kick to Nese’s face looks to set up the backsplash but it’s way too early so Nese rolls away. Nese is right back up and puts him in the Tree of Woe for the crunch kicks to the ribs.

They’re going back and forth a bit too much here. A reverse torture rack (with Tozawa facing down instead of up) stays on the ribs but Nese drops him, only to get caught with a Shining Wizard. The required suicide dive (I’m sick of that move from everyone) sets up a missile dropkick for two. A pinfall reversal sequence leads to Tozawa kicking him in the head but getting crotched on top. The running Nese is good for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as no one really got control for very long and it didn’t let either of them get much of a flow going. It’s not like the match was bad and Nese winning is quite the surprise, even if it’s never going to mean anything for him in the short or long run. Just not a very well laid out match.

Quick look at Jinder Mahal attacking Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns last week.

From Raw.

Here’s Elias for a song. He insists on how everything needs to be nice and calm but first, he needs the lights brought down closer because he can’t stand looking at this ugly crowd. Elias makes sure the sound levels are right and we take a break. Back with Elias still in the ring and threatening to leave again. Cue Seth Rollins for his title defense and he throws Elias’ stool out. Rollins vs. Elias sounds very appealing.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal

Rollins is defending and wastes no time hammering away in the corner. A Sunil Singh distraction lets Mahal knock him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Mahal working on the ribs and grabbing an abdominal stretch. Rollins sends him into the corner and then outside for the required suicide dive. Back in and a fireman’s carry gutbuster (Darren Young’s old Gut Check) gets two but the Khallas is countered. The Stomp misses as well and Rollins rolls him up for tow.

The low superkick into the Falcon Arrow gets two as well and dang it they’re doing the crowd reaction shots again. Sunil offers another distraction and gets ejected but it allows Mahal to chair Rollins in the ribs for two. The ejected Singh is back five seconds later so Rollins buckle bombs him into Mahal. That’s enough for Seth and he chairs Mahal for the DQ at 12:21. Please tell me they’re not going to do this match again next week.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t that bad and Rollins is still something close to a miracle worker but the ending has me worried that we’re seeing more of Mahal getting title shots. If they’re not continuing the feud though, I have no idea why Mahal didn’t take the Stomp for the pin. Then again I’m not sure why Mahal is still here anyway.

Post match Rollins chases Mahal off with a chair but gets guitared down by Elias.

Post break, Rollins is being put on a stretcher but gets up and walks to the back on his own as two fans sing Happy Birthday.

Quick look at the Women’s Title matches at Money in the Bank.

From Raw.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Gauntlet Match

Before the match, Bayley says numbers don’t add up and she’s going to Money in the Bank. Bayley is in at #1 and Liv Morgan is in at #2 with the Bayley to Belly getting rid of Morgan in ten seconds. Sarah Logan is in at #3 and blocks the suplex, only to fall victim to a rollup for the pin at 1:50. Logan and Morgan double team Bayley before leaving and it’s Ruby Riott in at #4.

Back from a break with Riott having survived and sending Bayley into the corner. The Riott Kick gets rid of Bayley at 7:01 and it’s Dana Brooke in at #5. Brooke gets sent into the corner and the Riott Kick is good for the pin at 8:44. Hometown girl Mickie James is in at # 6 and sends Riott into the post for an early two. A dropkick gets two and we take a break. Back with Mickie getting two off the middle rope knees, only to get rolled up with trunks for the pin at 15:32.

Sasha Banks is in at #7 (the last entrant) and starts fast with some rollups. The Bank Statement doesn’t work and Ruby gets two off a faceplant. Riott starts the trash talk so Sasha hits her in the face. Another faceplant gives Ruby two and Sasha’s top rope double knees get the same. The Bank Statement is broken up again so Ruby tries a monkey flip, only to bounce off the ropes into a tornado DDT for two. One heck of a powerbomb out of the corner gives Sasha two and here’s the Riott Squad for the distraction. Sasha fights them off with ease and the Bank Statement makes Ruby tap at 20:50.

Rating: D. Well that was terrible. I can’t stand gauntlets where the falls take such little time more often than not. If you can win a fall this fast, why do regular matches take ten minutes? They would have been better off just doing Riott vs. Banks and let them have a good match but, as usual, quantity means quality. I’ll take it over another meaningless singles match though.

Mojo Rawley vs. No Way Jose

Main Event gets its first conga line. Mojo jumps him during the entrance and charges him at the bell to put Jose in even more trouble. A clothesline and some right hands give Jose his first offense and he pounds Rawley down in the corner to even things up a bit. We get some Steve Austin inspired offense with a Thesz press into the right hands and Rawley bails to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Jose getting chop blocked and more stomping in the corner. Rawley scores with a splash in the corner and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Mojo misses a splash, allowing Jose to grab him by the head for a jumping neckbreaker. Jose loads up the pop up right hand but gets sent into the corner for Rawley’s running right hand and the pin at 10:00.

Rating: C. I know Rawley isn’t going anywhere with this stuff as it’s not like they have room for someone fresh in the midcard on Raw (not when you can keep using the same people over and over again). Still though, it’s good to see him getting some ring time and some wins, even though he lost a few weeks back to make this momentum seem like a more recent decision.

And from Smackdown.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Samoa Joe vs. Big Cass vs. Daniel Bryan

Cass gets stomped down in the corner as we get a rare Joe/Bryan alliance. With Cass on the floor, Bryan can’t moonsault over Joe so Joe suicide elbows Cass instead. Bryan dives onto both of them and we take a break. Back with Bryan getting kicked in the head and Joe’s backsplash getting two. Cass drops Joe and sends Bryan outside for a toss over the announcers’ table and it’s back to one on one.

Back in and Cass puts Joe on top but here’s Bryan to take Cass down and snap off a super hurricanrana on Joe. Cass takes Bryan’s head off with a hard clothesline for two and pounds away with some hard intensity as we take a break. Back again with Cass chopping Joe in the corner followed by the Empire Elbow for two.

The East River Crossing gets two on Bryan with Joe making the save. Bryan starts in on Cass’ knee but has to slip out of the Koquina Clutch. Joe gets sent outside but breaks up the YES Lock on Cass. There’s a flying knee from the apron to drop Joe and a missile dropkick to Cass back inside. The running knee hits Cass but Joe comes in and chokes Bryan out for the win at 21:11.

Rating: C+. The important thing here is they got the ending right. Joe was the right call to send to the ladder match and while I didn’t need to see Cass in the match, it was the right ending and that’s what matters most. I’m sure we’ll get Cass vs. Bryan again at Money in the Bank and hopefully that should finish things up. Decent enough match.

Overall Rating: C-. I still don’t care for Money in the Bank but maybe we can move on to anything else now that the qualifying matches are all set. However, there’s also the chance of more meaningless matches under the name of “building momentum”. If we’re really lucky, they’ll show it over and over again on Main Event too, because that’s all that matters at the moment. Run of the mill show here.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

By AB Morales

It feels like it was a long time ago, but just less than 4 years ago, women on Raw and Smackdown were not exactly treated the way they are today. Nowaways, they are a normal part of the program. Treated like a full division of talent. Better handled than the tag team & Cruiserweight divisions. But problems do arise. While the Women since the start of the fabled “Women’s Revolution” have grown to the point of headlining Pay-Per-Views and having special matches for them (Money In The Bank, Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber) but we are starting to run into a bit of a pickle lately.

The Women are no longer just a division on each brand. Let me explain. In wrestling, you have your regular roster of people. You have your tag team division, your Jr. Heavyweights or Cruiserweights and then Women and others. But the women on Raw and Smackdown have grown a bit too much. You now have layers to that one division. It becomes very evident when WWE doesn Money In The Bank or Elimination Chamber for women. They aren’t all exactly on a steady level. You’ll have clear top starts like Asuka, Charlotte & Becky Lynch, but then to fill out the ranks you get clearly out of place women like Lana, Dana Brooke or Peyton Royce. To draw a parallel, you now have main event women, midcards and lowercarders but because of the brand split, WWE still has to mix them together.

The women have been established to the point that it gets pretty ridiculous when the likes of Nia Jax & Carmella win the titles and there’s a vast assortment of women that are far more fit for the role. It feels like they take a step back with these as Champions rather than a step forward.

Rumors of Tag Team titles have been circulating for months but then you run into another problem. While the women’s divisions are bigger than ever, they are still pretty short in number and one set of tag team titles requires another in these brand split days. If the rosters were not split a secondary Women’s title would help greatly as it would help ease the gap between the female midcard and main event field. We see glimpses of that nowadays with the Raw & SDL Women’s titles but because of the roster divide, both titles need to be treated as equal rather than one above the other and that results in things like trying to sell us on Asuka vs Carmella as a viable main program for a PPV.

At the rate the women continue to grow in WWE, in a matter of two years, the rosters would probably be very big and you could theoretically solve the issue of needing women to fill spots like in the Royal Rumble, but that still does not fix the widening gap between the top and bottom of the female talent food chain. The division has grown too much to have another Naomi vs Lana scenario like last year did this time around and Asuka vs Carmella is quite close to it.

====

Thank you for reading. My name is AB Morales, Puertorican Dirt Sheet writer, a friend of KB for years. You can find and follow me here:

Facebook | Where I have my own personal blog with daily wrestling updates and even cover anime and videogames once in a while.
Twitch | Where I stream videogames and do occasional art streams.
Twitter | Where I do….., well it’s Twitter.
Impacto Estelar | My own little Spanish Dirt Sheet site.

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 29, 2003
Location: SBC Arena, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 12,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re FINALLY done with this terrible year with one last show and, of course, it’s focused on HHH, who is defending the World Title against Shawn Michaels in Shawn’s hometown. This will set some stuff up for the Royal Rumble, which is in about four weeks and has barely been discussed yet. Such is life in WWE, which is rarely up for capitalizing on the extra time that they have. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap focuses on Mick Foley walking out on the show instead of fighting Randy Orton two weeks ago. This is treated like the most serious moment in years, which actually works instead of making it feel ridiculous.

Opening sequence.

We open with Mick Foley’s music….and Randy Orton coming out instead. Orton has been thinking about Foley over the holidays and knows that while Foley is a coward, he’s a smart coward. Foley knew what would happen if he got in the ring with Orton but we’re not quite done yet. Orton has Lillian Garcia come inside and announce him as the winner of the match and the NEW Hardcore Legend.

Cue Booker T. to say his New Year’s resolution is to win the Intercontinental Title tonight. That’s going to have to be delayed though as Mark Henry comes out and jumps Booker from behind, sending him into the set. Orton accepts the challenge for later tonight like a good villain should do.

Eric Bischoff stops Henry and Teddy Long to say that was a bad idea. They’re out of the building but Henry cashes in his Survivor Series favor to get to stick around. Instead, Henry can take the night off next week.

Rob Van Dam vs. Scott Steiner

Somehow this is still fallout from Survivor Series. Steiner whips him hard into the corner and we hit the pose. That just earns him some spinwheel kicks and a standing moonsault, followed by the jumping kick to the face. A crotching brings Rob back down and a belly to belly superplex gets two. The spinning belly to belly gets the same, followed by the Push Up Elbow for two more. Rob is right back with a kick to the face, setting up Rolling Thunder and the split legged moonsault for two of his own. The top rope kick to the face sets up the Five Star to put Steiner away clean.

Rating: D+. Just a match here but it’s cool to see someone getting a clean pin like this. Raw needs faces near the top of the card and someone like RVD is as good as anyone else. They’ve never pulled the trigger on either of them and while there’s no reason to believe they’ll do it again here, at least we can get something to bridge the gap between Shawn and whomever is next.

Classic Shawn clip: Royal Rumble 1997. Not really a great match but the huge crowd makes up for it.

Chris Jericho and Christian argue over their friendship ending because of a GIRL. How dare Jericho?

Coach is in Stamford, Connecticut, where Vince and Linda McMahon will be arguing against and for Steve Austin’s return to Raw. We’re now to the point where the McMahons arguing is now one officially one of the biggest plot points on the show. At least it’s not just implied now. Vince comes in and says he’s pretty easily going to win because he owns the company. That’s kind of the line that sums up the last six years.

Video on Tribute to the Troops, including footage from the plane ride over.

Dudley Boyz vs. Eddie Craver/Russell Simpson

Ric Flair is guest referee for the purposes of a screwy finish. Before the match, the Dudleys say they can’t believe it, but Mick Foley turned into a coward last week. D-Von hiptosses and armdrags Craven to start as the fans already want tables. Bubba comes in and hits the Flip Flop and Fly…and that’s a DQ.

Post match Flair gets punched as well but Batista comes in for the save.

Classic Shawn clip: Summerslam 2002.

Bischoff tells the referees that he stands for law an order in a way to suck up to the Board of Directors.

Vince has given his speech and thinks it went moderately well. What he wanted to get through to the Board was that Austin’s time was great but you can’t live in the past. That kind of thing has no place in WWE. As for the million fans signing the petition, Vince gives them what they want at all times and thinks of them as children. You can’t just give them what they want all the time. So yes, Vince did just say he was terrible at dealing with the fans.

Trish Stratus, Lita and Stacy Keibler, all in sexy Santa outfits, imply that they had something special for Christmas. Before Lita can elaborate on that, Steve Austin nearly runs them over with his truck. He’s here to wait on a call from the Board as well.

Intercontinental Title: Randy Orton vs. Booker T.

Orton is defending. Booker drives him into the corner to start and we get a nice clean break. Must be the new refereeing initiative. A headlock doesn’t go very far so Booker takes him into the corner again and unloads with chops. Booker gets two off a kick to the face and a backslide is good for the same. Orton neckbreakers his way out of trouble and it’s time for the chinlock.

That goes nowhere so Booker comes back with a spinwheel kick, which Lawler wants to be a DQ. JR: “For what?” This sends JR into a discussion of what kinds of kicks are illegal until Booker gets two off his forearm. We pause for a Spinrooni (Lawler: “That should be a disqualification for taunting your opponent!”) but here’s Kane for a distraction, allowing Orton to hit the RKO to retain.

Rating: D+. Orton going over bigger names like this is a good thing for his title reign as he doesn’t have the biggest resume yet. Kane vs. Booker is far from interesting but it’s better than nothing until Undertaker gets back for their next big match. Also it’s not like Booker has anything going on at the moment, save for being from Texas and odds are this is some form of punishment for wrestling in his home state.

Classic Shawn clip: Survivor Series 2002. I really wouldn’t point out that we’re still watching HHH vs. HBK while people like RVD, Booker, Kane and Jericho are still in the midcard/upper midcard spots they were in about a year ago.

Linda is ready for her speech and says she’s equally passionate about this business. They listen to the people and how can they ignore a million viewers?

Jericho gives Trish a Christmas present but she doesn’t think it’s going to make her forget what he’s done. She recaps everything that has gone on and says Jericho only thought she was worth 75 cents after the exchange rate. Trish got something out of this: a broken heart, which she explains in tears. She fell for Jericho and was the one who made the real mistake.

This was supposed to be some big emotional scene but it’s not quite as effective when she’s still in the Santa outfit. You couldn’t shoot this earlier and have her get changed? Oh of course not, as you just NEEDED that scene with Austin backing in earlier. Why is it so hard to figure out these details in advance to make things not look so stupid and unintentionally funny?

Speaking of so stupid, Austin’s phone rings but it’s not the Board. Just in case you didn’t get that he’s waiting and is impatient you see.

Victoria/Miss Jackie/Molly Holly vs. Stacy Keibler/Trish Stratus/Lita

They’re all in Santa outfits of various levels of revealing. In a moment that Jerry thankfully misses, Stacy does her slow entrance and Lita has a look before shrugging. Stacy misses a spinning kick to Victoria’s head and it’s off to Molly as we hear about Victoria becoming #1 contender. Lita comes in as they’re working a regular six person tag here instead of going for comedy, which is kind of nice given how bad the comedy versions become.

The fans want puppies but have to settle for Jackie breaking up Lita’s rollup on Molly. Victoria pulls Jackie to the floor and sends her into the barricade, leaving Molly to crank on Lita’s arms for a bit. A headscissors gets Lita out of trouble and it’s Trish coming in with a Thesz press and the Stratusphere. Stratusfaction is good for the pin.

Rating: D. They’re not exactly hiding the idea here but like I said, this could have been FAR worse if they had done something like a bad comedy idea or trying to do more of a theme. Trish getting back into the title scene is a little odd given how she has something of her own going on, but there’s always the chance that pinning the champion means nothing.

Post match Victoria shoves Molly down and holds up the title.

Austin gets the call and is officially back on Raw but doesn’t want to be co-General Manager. He hangs up and drives away.

Post break, we see the entire Austin segment again. It wasn’t that impactful but that’s never stopped WWE before.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Shawn Michaels

HHH is defending against the hometown boy and they have a ton of time here. They trade hammerlocks to start until Shawn headlocks him down. Back up and one heck of an elbow to the jaw slows Shawn down but he skins the cat to take HHH outside. A little strutting brings the crowd up even more and a plancha drops Flair and HHH again. Back in and the arm cranking begins with Shawn getting the better of it off an armdrag.

Shawn wins a slugout and the whip into the corner sends HHH flying over the top. That goes nowhere so they head back inside with HHH backdropping him to the floor in a big crash. Back from a break with HHH stomping in the corner and getting two off a backbreaker. HHH stays on the back (a popular idea for him) before sending Shawn outside and hard into the steps.

Shawn’s shoulder looks to be very messed up (with a noticeable bump that might be something out of place) but he’s still able to get two off a sunset flip. HHH slaps on an abdominal stretch before going even more Harley Race with a jumping knee to the face, which seems to hurt his own knee. Well to be fair Shawn’s face hurts me most of the time.

Naturally Shawn goes to the Figure Four, because there are no other leg holds in the world. Flair finally sneaks in for an eye rake and we’re back to even. The Pedigree is countered with a backdrop and Shawn falls head first into HHH’s crotch ala the old Sting spot. They chop it out with Shawn getting the better of it and forearming his way into the nip up. The fans are way into this as Shawn drops the big elbow but Flair’s distraction prevents Sweet Chin Music.

The referee gets bumped (of course) so Flair throws in the belt for a near fall. We get a second ref bump so here’s Bischoff as HHH takes off a turnbuckle pad. Of course HHH goes face first into the steel for no count until Bischoff comes in to count a fair two. HHH is busted open so some right hands get two. The facebuster gives HHH two more (again, at a fair pace) but Shawn scores with Sweet Chin Music for the pin out of nowhere.

Rating: A. When these two have time to work and put something together, it’s some of the best chemistry around. Shawn knows how to make people believe in him and that’s what you got here in front of a crowd begging to see something historic. It’s not as good as their Summerslam match but the fans were into it the whole way and the work was the level that you would expect from Shawn and HHH when they were trying. HHH taking Shawn apart piece by piece was a good story with Shawn fighting back through heart and determination. It’s what got him here in the first place and they were both on fire here. Check this one out.

The big celebration is on but Bischoff announces HHH as still champion because all four shoulders were down. The footage shows that Bischoff is right so he gets a little cocky, sending Shawn into a rage. Flair tries to come in and eats a superkick, followed by a right hand to Bischoff. Shawn goes to leave but Bischoff fires him. Cue Austin though and since he’s now Sheriff Austin, Shawn is rehired and getting a rematch at some point. The Stunner to Bischoff ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event carries this thing a long way but there was a lot to overcome. The stupid corporate stuff that they just love to do and everything being back to where it was before Survivor Series doesn’t help things. Also, are they allergic to getting ready for the Rumble? I don’t think it’s been mentioned once yet and they’re getting close to the show in a hurry. Anyway, great main event and pretty bad everything else but thirty minutes of outstanding more than carries things.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: May 29, 2018
Location: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s championship night as Buddy Murphy gets the Cruiserweight Title shot which was set up before Wrestlemania. You know, because there’s so much other stuff going on around here. Champion Cedric Alexander is in his home state and that could be one heck of a horrible sign for both he and his title reign. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Murphy attacking Alexander two nights after Cedric won the title, but a variety of things have prevented the match from taking place until now. Murphy talks about needing to make a statement because no one was ever going to do it for him. That statement was attacking Alexander after Wrestlemania and now it’s time for the big title showdown. This is a heck of a build up video for a match that only had me moderately interested.

Opening sequence.

Brian Kendrick/Jack Gallagher vs. Kalisto/Lince Dorado

Drew Gulak is on commentary again and has pamphlets called “Lucha And You”, offering all his insights on lucha libre and its problems. Kendrick shoulders Dorado down to start as Gulak lists off his issues with Lucha House Party (Gulak: “They wear fuzzy costumes.”). An elevated splash gives Kalisto two on Kendrick but Gallagher gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over on Dorado. Back up and it’s already off to Kalisto to speed things up, although without waking the fans up that much. Gallagher dives over for a blind tag so Kendrick gets in a cheap shot.

That lets him mock the Lucha dance, making it very clear that they’re the villains here. A faceplant gives Gallagher two as Gulak goes over the history of lucha libre. We hit the chinlock and Gulak goes nuts over the lucha noisemakers. As usual, I agree with Gulak as those things are really annoying. Kalisto gets away and brings in Dorado for a high crossbody. The Golden Rewind drops Kendrick to the floor and there’s a suicide dive to make it worse. Gulak gets up and crotches Dorado before the shooting star though, setting up Kendrick’s Captain’s Hook for the tap at 7:10.

Rating: C-. You remember all those times that some combination of these teams and Akira Tozawa/Hideo Itami have fought? Well this is the most recent version. Just nothing memorable here and you can hear the fans being even less interested than usual. Gulak is getting somewhere but these guys have had the same matches so many times that any interest is long gone.

We look back at Hideo Itami beating Akira Tozawa last week.

Tony Nese and Mustafa Ali are split on who will win tonight.

Drake Maverick has no opinion on who wins the title match. They’re treating this like a big deal. He’s also not happy that TJP is complaining about not being in the title picture.

Cruiserweight Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy

Cedric is defending and we get Big Match Intros. With those going on, it’s very clear that 205 Live should never have a wide camera shot as the empty seats get worse and worse every time. They fight over a wristlock to start with Murphy powering him down but Alexander flips forward to his feet and a standoff. Both try headscissors and both land on their feet and it’s another standoff. A dropkick puts Murphy down for one and Cedric isn’t sure what to make of it.

There’s a kick to the head to put Murphy on the floor, followed by a dropkick through the apron to knock him over the announcers’ table. Alexander takes a little too much time though and gets dropped hard onto the same table, banging up his back to give Murphy a target. Back in and the hard whip into the corner makes things worse for the champ. We hit the chinlock with a knee in the back for a few seconds before Cedric pops up with a hard forearm to the face.

A springboard is kicked out of the air though and Murphy gets two. Some running knees to the back keep Cedric down but he pops up with a superkick for the double knockdown. Cedric wins the slugout and kicks him outside for a big flip dive to the floor. Back in and the springboard clothesline gets two but Murphy knocks him to the floor for a big dive of his own. To be fair Cedric’s was hands free so it was a lot more impressive. One heck of a Falcon Arrow gets two and Cedric is STUNNED on the kickout.

Murphy catches a charge with a raised boot and a running suplex gives him two more. With nothing else working, Murphy takes him outside but gets caught with a running Downward Spiral onto the apron for a double knockdown. As expected they both do the big slide back inside at nine and it’s time to slug it out again. One heck of a knee to the face gives Murphy two but he can’t hit Murphy’s Law. Another knee to the head gets another two but Cedric is back with a pair of Neuralizers and the Lumbar Check for the pin at 20:07.

Rating: B+. This had the time and felt like the big match that they were shooting for. Cedric was in the fight of his title reign here against someone bigger, stronger and maybe more athletic but he was able to go as far down as he needed to in order to pull it off. The ending was Cedric going to a deeper level than ever to finally unload on Murphy enough for the pin. Really good match here and the best they could have done.

Overall Rating: B+. The main event taking up nearly half of the show and being that good is all you could ask for and it was a very entertaining fifty minutes. In theory this should be setting up either Mustafa Ali or Drew Gulak as the next challenger but it wouldn’t shock me to see Murphy get another shot after coming that close. Besides, it’s not like clean wins mean anything around here most of the time. Very strong show though and that’s a rarity too often.

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

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

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

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

Why aren’t we seeing Sanity and the Authors of Pain?

https://wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-isnt-complicated/

Also, make sure to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all your wrestling needs.  I write several of the articles there and we have a bunch of fun stuff.  Check out the site and the Facebook page right here.