Money In The Bank 2023
Date: July 1, 2023
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re going international with this one and things could get very interesting. Aside from the two regular ladder matches, we also have the Bloodline Civil War, which is the real meat of the show. Throw in Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title against Finn Balor and this could go somewhere. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at London itself with a James Bond style theme. The matches get their usual hypes.

Butch vs. Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Logan Paul vs. LA Knight vs. Damian Priest vs. Santos Escobar

Men’s Money In The Bank, with Butch and Knight getting some crazy reactions. Paul gets surrounded and jumped to start before the people pair off. The ring clears out until Paul slides in the first ladder but Nakamura makes the save. Back in and a bunch of people crush Priest in the corner with a ladder until Knight drops everyone. Nakamura kicks Knight down and drops a knee to drive Priest into the ladder. Butch and Nakamura slug it out until Paul goes up again, only to get pulled down and beaten up again.

It’s time for the table and the cricket bat as Butch gets to clean house. Paul tries to get an alliance going with Priest, which includes setting up some tables before Priest lays him out. Escobar is back with a dive before Priest knocks a diving Paul out of the air. Paul is back up with a frog splash off the apron onto Priest onto a ladder, which doesn’t move. Back in and Escobar and Nakamura climb up, with Escobar’s arm getting cranked through the ladder.

Butch chokes Escobar on the ladder and they fall down onto a bridged ladder, allowing Ricochet to add a springboard 450 onto both of them. Almost everyone gets back in and Priest goes up until Knight suplexes him down. Paul drops Knight with a springboard Blockbuster and Nakamura dives off the ladder with a knee to Escobar. Butch climbs a ladder at ringside and moonsaults onto almost everyone, only to have Paul pull him down back inside.

It’s Escobar coming in to make the save but Nakamura makes another save. They both climb up on a ladder each until Ricochet and Paul join them. The big brawl is on until Knight shoves Nakamura and Escobar down. Knight shoves the other ladder over and Ricochet and Paul try to land on the ropes, with Ricochet hitting a springboard Spanish Fly onto (only through one) two tables at ringside.

As the referees check that Paul isn’t dead (since he landed on his face), Priest cuts Butch off but Knight breaks that up as well. Blunt Force Trauma hits Escobar and Nakamura is tossed, leaving Knight to….get cut off by Priest, who Broken Arrows him down. Priest gets the briefcase at 20:34.

Rating: B. Oh that’s going to be a risky move, as the crowd was all but begging for Knight to win. Priest was the third best option after Knight and Paul but it still only feels so interesting. They did a good job of making Paul feel like a star here as everyone was trying to cut him off, which had me thinking he would pull it off. For now though, I can go for this much carnage, though less going through stuff with your head would be nice.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Shayna Baszler/Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez

Baszler and Rousey are defending. Morgan avoids Baszler’s arm stomp to start and sends Baszler to the apron for a springboard dropkick. Rodriguez powerbombs Morgan over the top onto the champs but Baszler goes after the arm back inside. Rousey comes in for some arm cranking but Morgan gets over to Rodriguez for the tag.

A choke doesn’t work for Rousey, who gets caught in a superbomb for a heck of a crash. Morgan comes back in and gets armbarred by Baszler….and ankle locked by Rousey at the same time. Rodriguez makes the save and Morgan has to escape the Kirifuda Clutch. Rousey comes back in and Baszler decks her, setting up the Clutch on Rousey as Morgan looks shocked. Oblivion gives us new champions at 8:28.

Rating: C. Well, uh, ok then. I’m assuming this is a way to set up Baszler vs. Rousey in a hurry, but the Women’s Tag Team Titles continue to look rather worthless. I’m sure there will be a good reason for what happened, but Morgan and Rodriguez as the latest thrown together team with all of a few months’ of experience being some great team is a bit much.

Damian Priest doesn’t know which title he’ll cash in on, but he’ll be champion.

Intercontinental Title: Gunther vs. Matt Riddle

Gunther is defending and has to fight out of an armbar to start. Riddle’s kicks to the ribs are blocked and the big chop puts Riddle down hard. Some forearms don’t get Riddle very far so he goes for the leg, only to have Gunther stomp him down. Gunther goes after the previously damaged ankle, including a legbar.

Riddle fights up and hits a heck of a clothesline but Riddle is right back with a Penalty Kick. The Floating Bro gets two (because Riddle’s leg can heal really fast) but he gets chopped down. The splash is countered into a triangle choke but Gunther powerbombs his way out of trouble. The half crab is broken up so Gunther chops at the ankle (that’s a new one) and then cranks away to retain at 7:40.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting one as Riddle is just good enough to be a threat to Gunther, but that ankle injury wasn’t going to let him get very far. At the end of the day, Gunther only felt like he was in so much danger and then he mixed it up to beat Riddle. Nice match, but nothing we haven’t seen done better before.

Post match Drew McIntyre makes his return and lays out Gunther with the Claymore. Yeah he’s still popular.

We recap Dominik Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes. Dominik was his usual disrespectful self and slapped Cody in the face. It’s time for revenge, as Cody wants to teach him some respect.

Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio

Rhea Ripley is here with Dominik, who runs off to start. Back in and Dominik slaps him, only to have Cody rip off the cast on his arm. Now the beating is on, including the drop down uppercut and a powerslam, meaning it’s time to head outside. Dominik tries to bail through the crowd but gets sent back, where Rhea gets between them. The distraction lets Dominik get in a few cheap shots and we hit the chinlock back inside. Cody fights up and, after shrugging off the Three Amigos, hits the Disaster Kick. An Alabama Slam sets up the Cody Cutter and Cross Rhodes finishes Dominik at 6:35.

Rating: C. I don’t think there was any doubt about the result here, save for some shenanigans, as Dominik isn’t someone who is going to win a big match. Like many a good heel, the best thing about Dominik is that he can shrug off a loss and get the fans on him all over again with the same stuff he has been doing. This felt a bit like a Raw match, or at least just a way to get Cody on the show, which isn’t a bad thing.

And now, here’s John Cena! He doesn’t know what to think of the fans singing the right words to his song and wonders why it took twenty years to come back here for another major event. The decision makers around here think this is a hostile environment with fans who try to take over the show. The people ARE the show and he is here to let them know that they are underappreciated.

Cena is big on respect and the people here have earned his respect. The fans chant him a thank you and Cena talks about how much fun it is to stop like this for a special moment. He’s here to try to bring Wrestlemania to London (oh the people like that one) and seems to officially announce it (Maybe. It’s not entirely clear.). Cue Grayson Waller to talk about how much he loves Cena’s movies. He loves Cena’s hustle, loyalty and respect, so why is Cena lying to these people about Wrestlemania?

Waller thinks Australia sounds better but the fans don’t agree. He could even get Cena a spot on the show! Waller brings up Cena’s recent Wrestlemania failures and says he can be on the Grayson Waller Effect. Cena will pass and doesn’t understand Waller, who decks Cena from behind. The AA leaves Waller laying. That wasn’t an official announcement, but it’s hard to imagine that kind of a tease with something that specific without it going somewhere.

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark vs. Iyo Sky vs. Bayley vs. Zelina Vega

Women’s Money In The Bank and according to the ring announcer, Bayley is now part of Judgment Day. Stratus sends Stark to jump Lynch in the aisle and the fight is on fast. Sky jumps off the apron to take out Bayley before Trish and Stark grab another ladder. Becky sends them into the ladder and Bayley (as the fans serenade her) throws in the big ladder. Sky and Bayley get into it, allowing Becky go try a climb.

Stark cuts her off and gets beaten down for her efforts and the Disarm-Her goes on, only to have Stratus make the save. Vega and Trish slug it out on a pair of ladders until Becky goes up, with Bayley not far behind her. Sky goes up but the ladder is off center, meaning it’s a moonsault to take out the pile instead. Becky and Trish go up top for a slugout but Zelina makes a save. That earns her a double powerbomb and it’s Trish vs. Becky fighting again. Stark pulls Becky outside for a ram into the post and let’s get the handcuffs.

Becky blocks being cuffed and bridges a ladder between the announcers’ table and the apron. As commentary points out that his is taking a LONG time, Becky hits the Manhandle Slam onto Trish onto the ladder. Back in and Vega hits a Code Red to bring Stark down off the ladder onto another bridged ladder in a scary crash. Sky goes up but Bayley shoves the ladder over. With Bayley going up, Becky makes the save and tries to handcuff Bayley’s mouth. Sky breaks that up and cuffs them together (through the ladder), allowing her to pull down the briefcase at 18:01.

Rating: C+. The ending was the big saving grace here, as that was one of the most clever finishing sequences I’ve seen WWE run in a ladder match. Other than that though, this was a lot of things that had little to do with getting the briefcase, as it felt more focused on hitting spots. I wasn’t big on this, but they got the winner right and the finish was rather good.

We recap Finn Balor challenging Seth Rollins for the Raw World Title. Balor wants revenge on Rollins for costing him so much of his career after Balor beat Rollins with one arm. This is about revenge, with the title being there too.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Balor is challenging. They go to the mat to start and slug it out with Balor getting the better of things off a shot to the bad ribs. The fight heads outside with Seth hitting a suicide dive but having to dodge another double stomp to the ribs back inside. The Pedigree attempt is countered though and now the stomp can connect.

Balor stays on the ribs and knocks Rollins back to the floor as the confidence is picking up. Back in and Balor hits some shoulders to the ribs but Rollins manages a clothesline. Some kicks to the face and a backbreaker give Rollins two but Balor goes right back to the ribs. A Sling Blade hits Rollins, who Buckle Bombs Balor right back.

Balor gets his knees up to stop a splash and a rollup gets two. Rollins manages a Pedigree for a delayed two….and here’s Damian Priest with the briefcase. There’s no cash -in yet as Rollins hits a superkick to send Balor to the floor. The Priest distraction lets Balor hit a pair of Coup de Graces but another misses inside, as Balor was glaring at Priest. Rollins hits the Stomp to retain at 12:34.

Rating: B-. The Priest stuff is interesting as the Judgment Day issues continue. I’m not sure where they’re going, but there’s certainly a story there. Rollins beating Balor isn’t a shock, though I was hoping for something a bit more epic here. Balor not winning the big one continues, and unfortunately I don’t know how many more chances he is going to get.

Balor isn’t happy with Priest.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are watching in a sky box.

We recap the Bloodline Civil War. The Usos finally got fed up with Roman Reigns treating them like garbage and fought back. The team is splitting and now it’s time for the big fight.

Usos vs. Solo Sikoa/Roman Reigns

Paul Heyman is here with Reigns and Sikoa. Jimmy and Sikoa stare at each other to start before Sikoa knocks him down hard. Jimmy isn’t sure what to do here but it’s off to Jey via a blind tag and Sikoa gets dropped. Reigns wants in and, after a rather long time, he gets to headlock Jey. Jey gets powered down but is fine enough to bring Jimmy back in. The threat of a double superkick sends Reigns bailing to the floor, where Heyman says I Jey has his way, Reigns’ son will be sitting at Jey’s table.

Back in and Jimmy slugs away but gets dropped with a single right hand. Sikoa gets to stomp away and we hit the nerve hold for a bit. One heck of a forearm drops Jimmy again as the fans decide that they should stand up if they hate Roman Reigns. That makes Reigns sit on the apron and complain to Heyman about how much he hates England. With that out of the way, Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack and Reigns comes back in to add some shots of his own.

The nerve hold goes on again but Jimmy fights up. Reigns comes in and cuts Jimmy off so Jimmy kicks him away. There’s no Jey though as Sikoa makes a perfectly timed cut off so the beating on Jimmy can continue. Jimmy dodges the Superman Punch though and a Cactus crossbody puts them both on the floor. Back in and the hot tag brings in Jey to clean house, including a high crossbody for two on Sikoa.

Reigns tags himself back in but gets knocked outside, where the Superman Punch cuts off a diving Jey. Another one connects back inside but Jimmy makes his own blind tag and a double spear hits Reigns. Sikoa has to make a save this time around as Reigns wasn’t getting up. We get the big showdown and Reigns Superman Punches Jimmy (didn’t get all of it) for two. Reigns is frustrated and it’s made even worse when the spear is cut off with a superkick.

The Superfly Splash is pulled into the guillotine but Jimmy powers up. Jey comes in….and the referee gets bumped. Jey superkicks Reigns into a not great 1D with no one to count. Sikoa breaks up the double Superfly Splashes and it’s a pair of release Rock Bottoms to the Usos. Jimmy gets Spiked and a spike/spear kill Jey dead so Reigns can stack them up for…..two. Reigns looks like he’s about to cry and Heyman is speechless.

Sikoa loads up the announcers’ table but the splash misses Jimmy and Reigns knows he’s in trouble. Jey superkicks Reigns (camera misses it) but he cuts Jey down with the spear for two….and a low blow on the kickout. A bunch of superkicks drop Reigns and Jey hits the Superfly Splash for the pin at 31:55 and a ROAR from the crowd.

Rating: B. This is another big step in a long, long story as we’re seeing Reigns fall off his mountain. He’s lost his cousins, he’s lost his security, and now he’s lost a match. This is some awesome storytelling and that’s how it should have gone. The match itself could have been better as the heat on Jimmy went on for the better part of ever, but the last ten minutes or so were excellent, with the kickout from the spear/Spike completely catching me. This is the only way the show could have ended and it was great.

The Usos celebrate as the Bloodline looks lost to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was not a home run, but it got enough done to make it work. The opener and main event are the matches of the night and the Cena segment, while long, was a nice surprise. As has been the case for most of the last several WWE pay per views, there was nothing terrible to drag it down and the big emotional moment worked. Solid show, though I was hoping for a bit more.

Results
Damian Priest won the Men’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez b. Shayna Baszler/Ronda Rousey – Oblivion to Rousey
Gunther b. Matt Riddle – Leg crank
Cody Rhodes b. Dominik Mysterio – Cross Rhodes
Iyo Sky won the Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match
Seth Rollins b. Finn Balor – Stomp
Usos b. Roman Reigns/Solo Sikoa – Superfly Splash to Reigns

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: June 30, 2023
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are less than a day away from Money In The Bank and that means it is time for the final push towards a pair of ladder matches and a Bloodline Civil War. That should make for a safe but secure night, though Charlotte is challenging for the Women’s Title, which could go bad in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s a preview of what’s coming tonight.

Tag Team Titles: Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Pretty Deadly

Home country boys Pretty Deadly are challenging. Sami cranks on Wilson’s arm to start and armdrags him into an armbar. Prince gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Wilson gets to choke away on the ropes like a cowardly villain should. We take a break and come back with Sami caught in a chinlock and Prince cutting off a tag attempt. Granted the save lasts all of three seconds before Sami gets to Owens anyway, meaning house can be quickly cleaned.

The backsplash crushes Wilson on the floor and there’s a Cannonball to Prince back inside. The Swanton hits Prince for two but Owens is favoring his leg/ankle. Owens can’t hit the Stunner and the leg gives out, allowing Prince to go after the leg. An assisted Codebreaker sets up Spilled Milk for two, with Sami having to make the save. It’s right back to Sami to pick up the pace, including a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Wilson’s rollup gets two on Sami but he exploders Wilson into the corner. Owens drops Prince and the Helluva Kick retains the titles at 11:12.

Rating: C+. Well what else were you expecting here? Pretty Deadly are the kind of team who can steal the win over beaten down opponents, but they’re not taking the titles from a team who won them in the main event of Wrestlemania. Owens and Zayn had to work to retain, but this wasn’t exactly a stunning come from behind win. Nice opener though, as the fans are starting off hot.

We recap Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa last week.

Ridge Holland wants Sikoa but gets a Championship Contenders match against Austin Theory instead. Works for Holland.

Austin Theory vs. Ridge Holland

Non-title but if Holland wins, he’s in the title hunt. Theory takes him into the corner to start but a shoulder to the ribs is countered into a swinging front facelock (the Yorkshire Merry Go Round) for two. Another shot puts Holland back down but Theory spends too much time talking. That means Holland can fight up with a suplex, only to have Theory slip out of a powerslam. A shot to the throat and a throat ram into the top rope sets up Theory’s rolling dropkick to finish Holland at 2:53. Bad start for the Brits on this show.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Sheamus runs out for the save.

Karrion Kross, with Scarlett, promises to checkmate AJ Styles next week.

Long video, complete with awesome voiceover, on the Bloodline Civil War. As usual, this is what WWE does really, really well.

Bayley vs. Shotzi

Bayley’s Money In The Bank ladder match spot is on the line and she has Iyo Sky in her corner. Bayley gets caught with a reverse Sling Blade to start as the fans sing about Bayley being their girl. The Bayley To Belly gets two but Shotzi is right back with a DDT for a breather. An enziguri misses for Shotzi but she’s fine enough for the reverse Cannonball. Sky puts Bayley’s foot on the rope, which is enough of a distraction for Bayley to rake the eyes. The Rose Plant secures Bayley’s spot at 3:32.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how what the point was if Bayley was going to win this quickly, but at least they went with something involving a story over the “building momentum” nonsense. Shotzi continues to be rather energized but she hasn’t ever really gotten over the hump. That might change some day in the future, though getting over said hump might need a little more than a tank.

Video on the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match.

Shotzi goes after Bayley and Iyo Sky in the back and gets put through a table. They throw in a hair cut for inconvenience as well.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect and Waller wastes no time in bringing out his guest: Logan Paul. Waller gets to the point again, by asking what winning the briefcase would mean. Paul says it would mean a lot in London because being the champ is the ultimate goal. Maybe he cashes in tomorrow, or maybe he just hits LA Knight with the briefcase.

Cue Knight and my goodness the reactions continue (with commentary flat out saying the fans love him). Knight knows Paul can go viral but he’s in the middle of Knight’s ring. Paul says he sees someone who was supposed to be a manager but Knight tells him to listen to the fans. Paul to the fans: “You’re drunk. Go home.” Cue Santos Escobar to say he needs the briefcase but now it’s Butch to interrupt and the fight is on fast.

Butch vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Joined in progress with Knight stomping on Butch in the corner and Logan Paul at ringside. Butch misses the big kick to Knight, who drops him down HARD instead. Escobar sends them into the corner for a running knee and Knight has to make a save. Knight loads up the spelling elbow but Butch breaks it up and hits the Bitter End to pin Escobar at 3:30.

Rating: C+. It was energetic and done in a hurry, as something like this should have been. Butch is about as long of a shot as you can get to win the briefcase tomorrow but points for at least throwing him the tiniest of bones here. Knight and Paul have to be the heavy favorites, but Money In The Bank is the definition of anything could happen. For now, Butch gets a nice win, which will mean all of nothing tomorrow.

Post match Butch gets to pull down the briefcase.

AJ Styles is down to face Karrion Kross and has Michin to deal with Scarlett.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Charlotte

Charlotte is challenging and Bianca Belair is sitting in the front row. Asuka cuts off a charge with some knees to the face for two, followed by a Backstabber as we take an early break. Back with Charlotte’s moonsault missing but the spear connecting for two. Asuka bails to the floor where the moonsault in her general vicinity puts her down again. Charlotte accidentally drops Belair with a big boot, which is enough to draw Belair over the barricade to go after Asuka (smart) for the DQ at 8:38.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted but this was all about keeping the story going. I’m sure Charlotte will get to whine about how unfair everything has been to her as the triple threat is set for some point in the future. For now though, it was a hard hitting match that served its purpose.

Post match Belair stays on Asuka but gets dropped by Charlotte. Back up and Belair takes them both out and stacks them up on the announcers’ table.

Money In The Bank rundown. Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio is set for the main event.

Here is the Bloodline to wrap things up. Roman Reigns says for the last two or so years, he has allowed the Usos to call themselves the ones. The truth is that Reigns is the only one because he is the Tribal Chief. He is the only one who loves the Usos and lifted them into the promised land.

The fans say Reigns sucks but he says family betraying you is what really sucks. A good father, or Tribal Chief, will give his family chance after chance, but now they need to come out here and bow down in apology. Cue the Usos to say this is about consequences, like the ones that hit Reigns if he loses. When Reigns loses the war tomorrow, he’s the only one out. There will be a new Tribal Chief and that would be…..Solo Sikoa!

Reigns cracks up in laughter but gets a look, which earns the Usos some yelling. Jey and Reigns yell at each other until Jimmy superkicks Reigns. Sikoa gets taken down and the big fight is on, with security being taken out as Jimmy hits a big dive to wrap things up. This feud has been built up for years now and this was just one last “here’s the next big step” for tomorrow.

Overall Rating: C+. The final show before Money In The Bank is always a weird one as the show is set and there isn’t much to do. This show offered a pair of title matches to fill in the time and they worked well enough, but the ladder matches and the Bloodline stuff is what matters most. Neither had much to add, but tomorrow is ready to launch. As usual, this was more about “don’t screw anything up” and they managed to avoid that problem just fine.

Results
Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn b. Pretty Deadly – Helluva Kick to Wilson
Austin Theory b. Ridge Holland – Rolling dropkick
Bayley b. Shotzi – Rose Plant
Butch b. Santos Escobar and LA Knight – Bitter End to Escobar
Asuka b. Charlotte via DQ when Bianca Belair interfered

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 26, 2023
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

It’s the last Raw before Money In The Bank and then it’s off to England. That might not make for the most thrilling Raw but there are some stories that could use a final push before the big show. If nothing else, Seth Rollins is going to want to get his hands on Finn Balor so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio over the last few weeks.

Here are Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio to the reaction you would expect. Ripley promises that Dominik will end Cody at Money In The Bank so here is Rhodes (HUGE reaction) to interrupt. Cody welcomes us to the show and threatens Dominik, who bails to the apron. Just to make it worse, Cody quotes the Cat In The Hat, because Dominik is a scared little boy. Dominik leaves as Cody begs him to come in here and take a free shot. When Dominik won’t come in, Cody says he wants to see if Dominik is half the man his father is, or if he’s just Mami’s little boy.

Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Bronson Reed is at ringside. They trade strikes to start with Nakamura kicking him in the ribs, only to get kicked right back down. An exchange of kicks sent them both outside where they take turns kicking Reed. Before he can do anything it, Reed is ejected and we take a break.

Back with Nakamura blocking a running shooting star press and stomping at the ribs to keep Ricochet down. Kinshasa misses though and Ricochet kicks him down for two. Ricochet dodges some kicks and hits a standing Sliced Bread, setting up a shooting star press to finish Nakamura at 10:42.

Rating: C+. Seeing Ricochet getting a clean pin over a bigger name is nice to see, even if there is little reason to believe that this is going to last. We still need the triple threat match between these two and Reed, which very well may be coming next week. For now though, Ricochet getting a win is nice to see.

We recap Matt Riddle being beaten down by Imperium.

Riddle has challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Title at Money In The Bank but cue Imperium to beat him down. The bad ankle is taken out again as Gunther accepts the challenge.

Dominik Mysterio wants Adam Pearce to give him a match tonight…..but Rhea Ripley whispers something to him, so he’ll get back to Pearce on an opponent.

And now, Money In The Bank By The Numbers.

93 Participants
7 WWE Hall Of Famers
28 Winners
78% Of Male Contract Holders To Successfully Cash In
100% Of Female Contract Holders To Successfully Cash In
13 Winners Who Cashed In For Their First World Title
3 People To Cash In Twice
30 Ladder Matches
5 Appearances For Natalya, The Most By A Woman
7 Appearances For Kofi Kingston And Kane, Tied For The Most By A Man
380 Ladders Used
287 Days Carmella Waited, The Longest Ever For A Cash In
50:15 Minutes Kane Waited, The Shortest Ever For A Cash In
5 People Who Cashed In The Same Night
1 Person To Cash In At Wrestlemania
17 Cities Have Hosted
12 States Have Hosted
8 First Timers This Year

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rousey

Liv Morgan and Shayna Baszler are here too. They take turns throwing each other around until Rodriguez powers out of the ankle lock. Rousey gets tossed with a fall away slam as Morgan goes after Baszler. In the melee, Rousey grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:13.

Video on Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins, with Balor talking about how the man who beat Rollins seven years ago being dead. He had a horrible arm injury but had to vacate the Universal Title twenty two hours later. Then Rollins came out to laugh at him at his lowest point. Now Rollins has his crazy outfits and his song, but now, after seven years, Balor is taking it all back. Good stuff here from Balor, as he sold the story in just a few moments.

Here is Seth Rollins for a chat. The fans sing so long that we get a graphic of the title match again before Rollins finally speaks. Hold on though as he sees NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes in the front row and thanks him for having his back on NXT. Rollins tells Hayes to take care of Baron Corbin in their title match tomorrow night, just like he’ll do to Finn Balor. He has been wondering which Balor will show up, so why not have Balor come out here right now?

There’s no Balor, which doesn’t surprise Rollins, as Balor likes to hide in the shadows. Rollins isn’t 100% right now and he won’t be at Money In The Bank, but as good as Balor is, he doesn’t know what he’s getting into. Cue Balor with a chair but Rollins takes him down so the brawl can be on. Balor goes for the ribs and grabs the chair, only to get sent into the corner. The fight goes to the floor and Balor goes for another chair, which is taken away by Carmelo Hayes. Balor runs off and we might have a main event for later.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa returning last week to take out the Miz.

Ciampa talks about recovering over the last night months and never heard from Miz once. That gave him a lot of time to wonder why he played second fiddle to Miz, but now he is creating his own opportunities.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Finn Balor is set for tonight.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Miz

Miz jumps Ciampa from behind during the entrances and lays him out on the floor with the Skull Crushing Finale. No match, which is good in a way because the story should have been over and another match isn’t needed, but bad in a way because why is this continuing.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens run into Imperium in the back, with Sami having to explain to Owens that they’re mad because of what happened to Matt Riddle. Owens yells at Gunther and the result is Gunther vs. Sami tonight. Owens going from indifferent to yelling because Sami told him to was great.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Akira Tozawa

Tozawa is Dominik/Rhea Ripley’s (at ringside) handpicked opponent. Dominik jumps him to start but Tozawa hammers away with right hands. Tozawa’s top rope elbow sends Dominik outside and a suicide dive drops him again. A Ripley distraction lets Dominik crotch him on top though and the frog splash finishes for Dominik at 1:49.

The Viking Raiders are ready for violence.

Here are Trish Stratus, Zoey Stark, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Iyo Sky and Zelina Vega in the ring for the Money In The Bank Summit. Bayley calls everyone stupid and declares herself the favorite but Sky seems to interrupt. Vega knows there are some legends in the match but Trish has never been in a ladder match. Bayley laughs at the idea of Vega winning but Vega says the LWO is winning both briefcases.

Stark cuts the bickering off and Trish says she sees a bunch of girls in the ring. They should all thank her, but Becky doesn’t qualify as a woman because she’s the Man or whatever. The big brawl is on and Sky moonsaults onto everyone but Becky. That leaves Becky to climb up and grab the briefcase. You could guess everything that was going to be said here and the question was who got the briefcase at the end.

Carmelo Hayes says he was invited here by Seth Rollins and it is an honor to be on this show. Maybe he is going to go out there in a blaze of glory, but tomorrow, he’s taking out Baron Corbin. Sometimes you have to take shots to make shots, and tonight he isn’t missing.

Becky Lynch runs into Rhea Ripley and teases cashing in on her. Ripley promises violence if Lynch even tries. Lynch calls Ripley a main event side attraction and wants to get the briefcase just to make Ripley squirm.

Gunther vs. Sami Zayn

Non-title and Ludwig Kaiser/Kevin Owens (the latter on commentary) are the seconds. Gunther grabs a headlock to start but Zayn is back with an armdrag into an armbar. Cue Giovanni Vinci on crutches, allowing Gunther to snap off a German suplex as we take a break. Back with Gunther having to block the exploder suplex into the corner and knocking Zayn down hard. Owens applauds Gunther’s chop and the distraction lets Zayn fight back and grab a sunset bomb for a close two.

The pace picks up and Zayn hits a clothesline but the Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into the sleeper. Zayn powers up and gets the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. Gunther chops him out of the air though and the top rope splash gets two, leaving Gunther a bit shocked. Owens cuts off an interfering Kaiser but gets kicked in the face by Gunther. Zayn hits a big flip dive though and the exploder sends Gunther into the corner. Vinci gets on the apron though and a crutch shot sets up Gunther’s powerbomb for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: B. This was what you would have expected from these two as they had the time to put a match together, even with all of the other moving parts. What matters here is Gunther had to break a heck of a sweat to beat Zayn, who is far from some nothing opponent. Vinci being back brings Imperium back to full strength and I’ll take that here over a surprise return so he can help cheat Riddle out of the title on Saturday.

Post match the big beatdown is on until Matt Riddle limps down for the save, complete with some crutch shots.

Video on Carmelo Hayes.

The Alpha Academy is ready for the Viking Raiders, thanks to Chad Gable’s coaching.

Natalya isn’t giving up after being knocked down so many times. She wants a title shot next week.

Finn Balor vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title. Balor takes him down to start and hits some forearms to the back. The chinlock goes on but Hayes knocks him outside or the big dive. We take a break and come back with Hayes fighting up but missing a crossbody out of the corner. Hayes fights up again but gets dropped with a hard clothesline.

A superkick sets up Hayes’ springboard DDT for two as Balor can’t keep him down. Nothing But Net (top rope Fameasser) doesn’t connect so Balor is right back with a gutbuster. The shotgun dropkick sends Hayes into the corner and it’s the Coup de Grace to give Balor the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. This is a good example of “well then why did you have the match?” Hayes has a big title match coming up tomorrow night so you don’t want him to lose. Balor has a big title match coming up this weekend so you don’t want him to lose. In other words, this is a match that shouldn’t have taken place here as there was no good way out of it, save for some kind of a screwy finish. Balor beating Hayes is fine, but it shouldn’t have taken place here.

Cody Rhodes, with his dog Pharaoh, is ready for Dominik Mysterio on Saturday and Damian Priest tonight.

Video on the Bloodline Civil War.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest

They fight over a lockup to start with Cody trying for the leg. That is broken up without much trouble as Priest powers him into the corner, only to get countered into a delayed gordbuster. Cue Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley though and the distraction lets Priest…well get pulled into the post though.

Rhodes hits a dive but another distraction allows Priest to grab a Downward Spiral as we take a break. Back with Priest hitting a flapjack to put Rhodes down but he’s able to run the ropes and super armdrag Priest off the top. Rhodes slugs away until a headlock driver gives Priest two.

A Pedigree cuts Priest off, only to have him come back with a jumping superkick for two more. Dominik’s distraction breaks up the Disaster Kick and South of Heaven gets two , leaving Ripley livid. Back up and Cody sends Priest into Dominik, setting up the Cody Cutter into Cross Rhodes for the pin at 13:34.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to close the show as Cody still doesn’t get his hands on Dominik. You have to wait for Saturday to see that happen and it should be one heck of a beating when it finally takes place. Here though, it was Cody having to get through the pesky Dominik while still dealing with Priest, which is already a task in its own right. Priest got in his offense here and still looks great, but Cody probably isn’t losing to anyone named not named Lesnar anytime soon. Or maybe Dominik on Saturday.

Dominik gets in a cheap shot on Cody and runs off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There was good wrestling mostly throughout the show, but there were also things that brought it back down. Stuff like Hayes losing for no apparent reason, the long stretches between matches and a not exactly inspiring women’s Money In The Bank segment didn’t leave me wanting to see the show. It wasn’t a bad show, but you could definitely feel a different style in a lot of ways, which isn’t exactly encouraging to see.

Results
Ricochet b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Shooting star press
Ronda Rousey b. Raquel Rodriguez – Rollup
Dominik Mysterio b. Akira Tozawa – Frog splash
Gunther b. Sami Zayn – Powerbomb
Finn Balor b. Carmelo Hayes – Coup de Grace
Cody Rhodes b. Damian Priest – Cross Rhodes

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: June 23, 2023
Location: Cajundome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are in a new reality this week as the Usos superkicked Roman Reigns last week to officially break away from the Bloodline. That has set up a huge tag match next week at Money In The Bank, which very well may headline the show. Other than that, we need to finish up the build for Money In The Bank and unify the Women’s Tag Team Titles this week so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Usos turning on the Bloodline last week to an insane reaction.

Here are the Usos to say the Bloo……the USOS are in your city! Jey is very emotional about what happened and says they always have each other’s back. That has Jimmy saying Jey made the absolute right choice. Jey says they still love Roman Reigns but he disrespected them. It’s always about respect and when they fell in line, the Bloodline was the most dominant faction in WWE. But when Reigns started showing how little he respected them, it was time for him to be alone on the Island of Relevancy.

They can always forgive their brother Solo Sikoa, but not so much with a snake like Paul Heyman. He has spent years talking about how much he loves their family, but then how could he take orders from someone who would cause this many problems between them? Now it’s time for the Bloodline Civil War and the Usos are ready to show why they’re the best ever. Fired up promo here, and the fans were WAY into the team.

LA Knight vs. Rey Mysterio

Knight sends him hard into the corner to start and hits a slingshot shoulder for two. As we hear about Wade Barrett picking out Rey’s gear tonight (ok then), Rey hammers away and hits a quick 619. It’s too early for the frog splash so Rey baseball slides him to the floor instead. There’s the sliding splash and we take a break with Knight in trouble. Back with Knight face planting Mysterio and hitting his jumping elbow for two. Rey’s tornado DDT cuts Knight off but Knight pulls him out of the air and hits Blunt Force Trauma for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. They kept this short but the only thing that matters is getting Knight another win. Knight feels like he is on the brink of a huge breakthrough moment and that might come at Money In The Bank. For now though, it is nice to see him winning some matches, including what might be the biggest win of his WWE career so far.

Post match Knight goes for the mask but Santos Escobar makes the save.

Ridge Holland runs into Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman in the back. That’s not nice for Sikoa, who Samoan Spikes him down, leaving Heyman to call Roman Reigns.

Post break, Sheamus tells Adam Pearce to give him Sikoa tonight.

Cue Sheamus in the arena to say he wants to fight Sikoa tonight.

Women’s Tag Team Titles/NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles: Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler vs. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre

For the unified titles and Raquel Rodriguez is at ringside. Dawn superkicks Baszler down for a fast two to start so Rousey demands she come in instead. Rousey judo throws Dawn down but gets kicked in the face to break up the armbar. Fyre hits a running Meteora for two and kicks Rousey’s leg out. Baszler offers a distraction though and Rousey plants Fyre down with a poisonrana as we take a break.

Back with Fyre breaking out of an ankle lock but Baszler comes in to knee her in the face. Fyre kicks her away though and the hot tag brings in Dawn to clean house. The Kirifuda Clutch goes on but Dawn breaks it up with a Swanton. Fyre takes Rousey out at ringside but Rousey and Baszler grab the Clutch/armbar for the stereo taps at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was a weird one as Dawn and Fyre dominated until they got pulled into the holds out of nowhere. What matters here though is getting rid of the NXT version of the titles, which never really needed to exist in the first place. Having the champs go to all three brands is the best option and now we should be in for something fascinating: Ronda Rousey in NXT.

Post match Rodriguez goes to leave but gets called back in. Rodriguez is here to issue a challenge for a rematch, because Liv Morgan is back.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect with special guests Pretty Deadly. They love the show, which is SO much better than the KO Show. After insulting America, Pretty Deadly talks about how they’re looking forward to winning the titles in the greatest city in the world next week. They’re taking this pretty deadly seriously and promise to be running the tag team division for the next ten years. They talk about dominating the gauntlet match last week, even though they weren’t sure they could keep going. We hear about the teams they beat so here are the Street Profits to interrupt. They’re here on Smackdown too so let’s do this.

Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly

Dawkins beats on Wilson to start as we hear about Pretty Deadly being voted some of the most beautiful people in England. Prince comes in and gets punched out of the air, allowing Ford to come in for some dropkicks. Hold on though as Ford takes off….whatever Prince wears and puts it on before the Profits hit stereo flip dives.

We take a break and come back with Ford fighting out of trouble, allowing Dawkins to come in with the Anointment for two as Prince has to make the save. Wilson is sent outside and Ford hits a Rock Bottom for two on Prince. Ford is knocked off the apron, leaving Prince to grab a rollup (with Wilson grabbing the foot) for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C. Pretty Deadly are already becoming what made them work in NXT and NXT UK: the pesky team that you know shouldn’t be winning these matches but sneak up on you to steal one win after another. They’re so good with their goofiness and don’t try to be anything remotely serious. That makes for a very entertaining presentation, including as the Profits continue to crumble week after week.

Charlotte vs. Lacey Evans

Charlotte chops away to start but gets sent into the corner for her efforts. Evans orders the fans to salute her but Charlotte takes over, demands a salute of her own, and grabs a suplex. The Tranquilo pose sets up a big boot and the Figure Eight to make Evans tap at 2:30. So Charlotte was the good one here? Am I getting that right?

Post match Asuka runs in to jump Charlotte and throws in a salute to Evans.

Bianca Belair comes in to see Adam Pearce, who asks if she’ll behave next week when she’s ringside for Charlotte vs. Asuka. Belair says she’ll defend herself if someone comes after her, which is why Pearce is barring her from ringside. Believe it or not, she isn’t pleased.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows, including Roman Reigns returning next week.

Solo Sikoa vs. Sheamus

Paul Heyman is here with Sikoa. They slug it out in the corner to start until Sheamus kicks him to the floor for a clothesline. Back in and Sheamus hits a top rope shot to the head for one but the forearms to the chest are broken up. Sikoa fights out of a fireman’s carry on the apron though and posts Sheamus, setting up a Samoan drop on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus clotheslining his way out of trouble, followed by the Irish Curse. Sheamus back is banged up but he’s fine enough to hit the forearms to Sikoa’s chest. The running knee to the face gives Sheamus two and White Noise is good for the same. The back gives out on the Celtic Cross attempt though and Sikoa kicks him in the back. They go the floor for a release Rock Bottom onto the announcers’ table to leave Sheamus laying. Sikoa puts Sheamus against the barricade, meaning it’s the Umaga Attack to knock him silly. The referee calls it at 14:27 when Sheamus can’t continue.

Rating: B. Sheamus s firmly in the “you know what you’re going to get” and that was on display here. Sheamus is a big, power guy who is going to hit someone hard enough to give them a problem. At the same time, the ending made Sikoa look like a killer and the Usos might have bitten off more than they can chew. Good match here, as they had a hard hitting fight.

Post match the Usos come out and superkick Sikoa a few times. The stereo Superfly Splashes connect as Heyman calls Roman Reigns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Last week was the show that really mattered and this week’s show was more along the lines of “save it for London next week”. Reigns wasn’t here but his presence was felt, as Heyman was rapidly losing control and only Reigns can save things. We’ll have to see if he can do it, but the cracks are already there and things are falling apart. Other than that, the title change and Morgan return mattered the most, but now we’re just waiting or the pay per view next week, which is the next big step in everything. Completely watchable show, but there wasn’t much in the way of big stuff.

Results
LA Knight b. Rey Mysterio – Samoan Spike
Ronda Rousey/Shayna Baszler b. Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre – Double submission
Pretty Deadly b. Street Profits – Assisted rollup to Ford
Charlotte b. Lacey Evans – Figure Eight
Solo Sikoa b. Sheamus via referee stoppage

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 19, 2023
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We are about two weeks away from Money In The Bank and we now have a World Title match for the show. Finn Balor will be challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Title in London and that should be good enough to carry a lot of things this this week. Logan Paul is back too so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Seth Rollins for the open challenge title match but Finn Balor jumps him from behind. The beatdown is on outside, with referees and agents holding Balor back. That doesn’t matter, as he manages three Coup de Graces off the steps to crush Rollins as we take an early break.

Post break Balor jumps Rollins again in the back and has to be held back again.

Here is the Miz to say he’s mad about not getting to accept Rollins’ open challenge. Instead, he’s issuing his own open challenge….and we have someone to accept.

The Miz vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa jumps Miz to start fast and takes the beating outside. Ciampa drops him onto the cover of the announcers’ table and says he was out nine months and didn’t hear from Miz once (there’s a fast explanation. Back in and some corner clotheslines sets up a missed running knee, allowing Miz to grab a short DDT for two. Miz kicks away in the corner and goes up but gets kneed out of the air. The Fairy Tale Ending gives Ciampa the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. Get Ciampa out there, let him run through someone, have the fans go nuts, get him out of there. This was about Ciampa making an impact and wrapping up a not so great story with Miz. I could go for more of this version of Ciampa, though unfortunately it wouldn’t shock me to see him back with Johnny Gargano sooner than later. That’s not a bad thing, but this would be better.

Here is Judgment Day for a chat. Finn Balor says Seth Rollins’ open challenge is canceled because of him. If the fans like to sing that song so much, they can sing it at Rollins’ funeral. Rhea Ripley promises Judgment Day domination at Money In The Bank and Damian Priest says Cody Rhodes needs to keep Dominik Mysterio’s name out of his mouth. After getting booed out of the building, Dominik gets out a challenge for a six man tag to Cody and anyone he can find.

We recap the Usos turning on Roman Reigns and the Bloodline.

Sami Zayn tells Kevin Owens that he has an anger problem and makes him a bet: if Owens can go the rest of the night without snapping once, Zayn will leave it alone. If Owens blows up, he has to admit he has a problem. Deal.

Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Before the match, we get a Tiktok reel of Chelsea Green going nuts on a lot of people. Chance knocks Green down into the corner to start so it’s quickly off to Carter to beat up both villains. Deville gets dropped quickly and it’s a springboard moonsault/springboard spinning legdrop combination for two. With Green send outside, the Afterparty (450/neckbreaker combination) finishes Deville 2:00.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat on the stage. He accepts Dominik’s challenge. And that’s that.

Indus Sher vs. Cedric Alexander/Shelton Benjamin

Cedric and Shelton start fast and send Sanga outside. A slingshot dive doesn’t work for Alexander so Shelton adds a Blockbuster off the apron to take them down. Alexander gets dropped onto the barricade, leaving Benjamin to get caught with a side slam/middle rope elbow combination for the pin at 2:05.

In the back, Kevin Owens gets doused with some very cold water but manages to keep himself calm. Owens says he has an idiot problem….and runs into Matt Riddle. As Owens bites through his hand because he knows he’s in trouble, Riddle asks if he has seen Honey I Shrunk The Kids. Owens somehow manages to only lose it for a few seconds before wishing Riddle good luck and leaving.

Here is the returning Logan Paul, sitting on a ladder under the Money In The Bank briefcases. Paul talks about how great people come from Cleveland and then they leave. He came back and it still smells like industrial steel and the Browns are still terrible. He and his brother lost their last fights and Miz lost earlier tonight. Now though it is time to put some respect on Cleveland’s name, because he is getting a special invitation into the Money In The Bank ladder match.

Cue Ricochet to interrupt, saying he made Paul go viral at the Royal Rumble. Not that it matters, as he says he’ll win the briefcase anyway. Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight and Santos Escobar all interrupt until Butch comes out to start the fight. Paul knocks them to the floor and hits the big flip dive to take them down. Paul gets to climb the ladder, as is custom.

Matt Riddle vs. Ludwig Kaiser

Gunther is here too. Riddle goes for the leg to start but Kaiser takes him into the corner for a right hand. Some chops put Kaiser on the floor but Riddle stops to glare at Gunther, allowing Kaiser to suplex Riddle off the apron to the floor. We take a break and come back with Riddle hitting a top rope superplex for a double knockdown. Riddle strikes away, including a kick to the face. Kaiser is sent outside for a springboard Floating Bro but he comes back with a suplex for two back inside. The middle rope elbow is pulled out of the air, setting up the Bro Derek to give Riddle the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. This is why someone like Gunther has lackeys, as Riddle can beat someone with a bit of credibility and build momentum for his eventual title shot. While I can’t imagine Riddle wins the title, it is nice to see someone built up to come after Gunther. The match has potential, and this went well as a way to make Riddle look like a threat.

Post match Gunther goes after Riddle and sweeps the leg without much trouble. Gunther and Kaiser take out Riddle’s knee and leave him laying.

Post break, Riddle is helped to the back.

Imperium interrupts Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, with the latter getting rather annoyed. Zayn gets a message though and they have to leave.

We see an Alpha Academy training session, with Maxxine Dupri being taught the power of hip abilities.

Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders

Maxxine Dupri and Valhalla are here too. Gable suplexes Erik down to start so it’s quickly off to Ivar vs. Otis. A corner splash crushes Ivar but the Caterpillar is broken up with a spinning kick. Otis suplexes his way out of trouble though and it’s right back to Gable to strike away at Erik. Gable clotheslines Erik to the floor and moonsaults onto both Vikings. A top rope headbutt gives Gable two back inside and Maxxine suplexes Valhalla. In the melee, Erik hits a knee to Gable for the pin at 4:09.

Rating: C. That ending is certainly a choice as they had the feel good moment with Maxxine using the training to do the suplex and then the Academy, in particular the coach, takes the pin. It’s a weird way to go but for some reason that is the best they have for a match with no stakes. Maxxine feels like a star in the making though and the reactions are getting stronger, so maybe they have something with her.

Damian Priest and Finn Balor are cool with each other but Rhea Ripley has to go deal with Natalya.

Natalya says tonight is another chance to show she still belongs here.

Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya

Ripley jumps her before the bell and the beatdown is on outside. Natalya is whipped into various things and hit with Riptide inside. No match.

Raquel Rodriguez is ready to get into Money In The Bank and runs into Rhea Ripley. Rodriguez says Ripley isn’t ready for her so hope that she doesn’t win.

Akira Tozawa offers to be Cody Rhodes’ partner so he’ll keep that in mind. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn come in, with Zayn saying he got Cody’s text. They’re in.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Raquel Rodriguez vs. Trish Stratus

Zoey Stark is here with Trish. Rodriguez grabs a bearhug to start and throws her down with ease. A missed charge sends Rodriguez into the post though and Trish gets in some strikes to the head to take over. Rodriguez misses a kick in the corner and Trish gets to slug away some more. A camel clutch is broken up and Rodriguez hits a running splash in the corner. Stark’s interference takes Rodriguez down so here is Becky Lynch to go after her. Lynch gets too fired up though and sends Trish into the barricade, drawing the DQ at 5:49.

Rating: C+. These two worked well together, but the match felt like more of a storyline advancement than anything else. Becky knows she screwed up and is going to have to head into Money In The Bank outnumbered by Stratus and Stark. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Rodriguez get in there somehow either, as there might be a spot left in the match if they want to keep even with the men. For now though, we get Trish in a ladder match, which is almost hard to imagine.

The fight continues post match.

Bron Breakker (NXT star facing Seth Rollins for the title tomorrow on NXT) isn’t happy that Rollins might be too hurt to face him. What happened to Rollins tonight is nothing compared to what is coming tomorrow. Maybe the doctors can prescribe him some courage. Either way, get used to seeing Breakker around here.

Becky Lynch is mad at herself, but thinks that having a match with Trish involving ladders could be a lot of fun. She’s either winning, or going down in a blaze of glory and bringing Zoey Stark and Stratus with her.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bronson Reed

Nakamura strikes away to start and does it again in the corner until Reed drops him with one shot. Back up and Nakamura hits the sliding German suplex but here is Ricochet to yell at him as we take a break. We come back with Reed slugging away and hitting a powerslam for two.

Nakamura grabs a choke but Reed powerbombs his way out of trouble. A forearm puts Nakamura on the floor and one heck of a running shoulder drops him again. Hold on though as Reed goes after Ricochet, allowing Nakamura to kick Reed in the head. Nakamura’s charge hits Ricochet though and Reed drops Nakamura fast. The Tsunami gives Reed the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C+. These two work well together and that was on display again here. What matters is having a match that keeps both of them looking strong, though you can probably pencil in the triple threat match with these two and Ricochet for next week. Reed winning gets him some steam back, though it’s a bit strange to have him go over the person actually in Money In The Bank.

Seth Rollins doesn’t care what the doctors say. He’ll defend against Bron Breakker tomorrow night, but as for Finn Balor, Money In The Bank can’t come soon enough.

Cody Rhodes/Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens vs. Judgment Day

Balor works on Rhodes’ arm to start but gets caught in a headlock. Some shoulders in the corner have Rhode sin trouble though and it’s Dominik coming in for a slap to the back. Rhodes scares Dominik away and it’s off to Priest to kick Zayn in the corner. A middle rope elbow to the head gets Zayn out of trouble and it’s Dominik coming back in. Zayn kicks him in the face but Rhea Ripley gets in a cheap shot to put Zayn down as we take a break.

Back with Priest missing a charge into the post but Dominik cuts off the hot tag bid. Zayn fights out of trouble again though and the hot tag brings in Owens to clean house (with the fans going fairly nuts). Dominik tries to run off but gets pulled back inside for the Cannonball. Cody comes back in and powerslams Priest, followed by the Disaster Kick for two.

A Ripley distraction lets Priest hit South of Heaven for two, with Zayn making the save. Hold on as we get a Zayn vs. Ripley staredown, with Ripley having to drop down so Zayn’s dive can hit Dominik. The Cody Cutter gets two on Priest so it’s a Helluva Kick into a Stunner to Dominik. Cross Rhodes finishes Priest at 13:33.

Rating: B. The crowd was on FIRE for this and it made the match that much more entertaining. Priest taking the fall was a little bit odd but Balor is the #1 contender and Dominik is such a heat magnet that I guess they want to protect him. What mattered here was giving the fans a red hot match to end the show and the crowd elevated it to that point, which made for a heck of a closing act. That being said, no payoff to the Owens anger deal? They built that up for most of the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Other than the main event and maybe Paul/Ciampa’s returns, there wasn’t much to be seen this week. What mattered here though was they didn’t do anything stupid and haven’t spent weeks focusing a bunch of time on “building momentum” towards the ladder matches. It felt like a circling the field show before they go to London next week and it did well enough to keep me entertained for three hours. Not a show you need to see, but it could have been a lot worse.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. The Miz – Fairy Tale Ending
Kayden Carter/Katana Chance b. Chelsea Green/Sonya Deville – Afterparty to Deville
Indus Sher b. Shelton Benjamin/Cedric Alexander – Side slam/middle rope elbow combination to Benjamin
Matt Riddle b. Ludwig Kaiser – Bro Derek
Viking Raiders b. Alpha Academy – Knee to Gable
Bronson Reed b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Tsunami
Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn b. Judgment Day – Cross Rhodes to Priest

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Judgment Day 2008
Date: May 18, 2008
Location: Qwest Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
Attendance: 11,324
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Mike Adamle, Tazz

We’re back on pay per view here and this feels like the second sequel to Wrestlemania. We have the third Undertaker vs. Edge match (with the Smackdown World Title vacant as we come in this time), plus Raw World Champion HHH defending against Randy Orton inside a cage. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a look at all of the major matches on tonight’s show, as tends to be the custom.

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

They circle each other to start until a drop toehold looks to set up the STFU, with JBL bailing to the floor. Cena’s arm gets snapped over the rope though and JBL gets to send it into the post. Cena fights out of an armbar but gets pulled into a cross armbreaker of all things. The power out doesn’t quite get the elevation but works anyway, only to have JBL stomp away in the corner.

A clothesline and shoulder give Cena a breather until JBL knocks him out of the air for a nasty crash. JBL drops him ribs first across the top, setting up a bearhug. A bodyscissors stays on the ribs, with JBL even working on the arm at the same time in a smart move. Cena powers up again but gets pulled into a full nelson as JBL is mixing it up a lot here.

With that broken up, Cena managers a spinebuster and gets the much needed breather. Back up and Cena misses a charge into the corner, allowing JBL to boot him down. Not that it matters though as Cena grabs an FU out of nowhere for the surprise pin (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: B-. The ending was rather sudden and Cena didn’t exactly get to do much throughout the match. There was something interesting about Cena being on defense for so much and not going through the usual routine for the win. JBL looked more dominant here than I would have expected and it was a nice change of pace. Cena wasn’t going to lose to JBL, but at least they didn’t go in the way they were expecting.

William Regal is watching from a box and doesn’t look pleased.

We get a quick look at the Dirt Sheet, with Miz and John Morrison not being overly worried about defending the Smackdown Tag Team Titles against Kane and CM Punk. Kane is apparently lactose intolerant but drinks Frosties from Wendy’s anyway. Who knew?

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. Kane/CM Punk

Miz and Morrison are defending. Punk strikes away at Miz to start before dragging him into the corner so Kane can come in. A basement dropkick to Morrison gives Kane two and it’s Punk coming back in with a slingshot elbow. Something like a reverse Rings of Saturn keeps Morrison in trouble but he gets in a shot of his own and brings Miz back in.

A blind tag lets Morrison get in a cheap shot from behind though and it’s Miz hitting a running clothesline in the corner. Kane boots his way out of trouble though and Punk comes back in to snap off a powerslam. A clothesline/bulldog combination drops the champs and a top rope clothesline gets two on Morrison. Miz breaks up the GTS and gets chokeslammed on the floor for his efforts. The distraction work though and Morrison’s Moonlight Drive retains the titles.

Rating: C. This was rather quick and to the point with Miz and Morrison using some shenanigans to retain the titles. Kane and Punk were little more than challengers of the month so the loss doesn’t exactly hurt them. The match didn’t have time to build up either so the ending felt more like the champs escaped than anything else, which is the way it should have gone.

We recap Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho. After Shawn retired Ric Flair at Wrestlemania, Batista wanted revenge. Shawn beat him at Backlash but hurt his knee in the process. Jericho accused him of faking the knee injury and wound up being absolutely right. Shawn superkicked him down and it’s time for a showdown.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

Non-title. They shove each other around to start and bounce back for a standoff. Shawn grabs a headlock to take it to the mat before an exchange of rollups get two each. That weird Figure Four variation has Jericho in trouble but the rope gets him right back out. Back up and Jericho slaps him in the face, which gets a bit of a smile outside of Shawn. Some right hands don’t get Jericho very far as Shawn grabs an armbreaker over the top.

Jericho is fine enough to whip Shawn into the corner but the superplex attempt is blocked. As is his custom, Shawn tries the top rope elbow but lands ribs first on raised knees (which doesn’t hurt Jericho’s knees because wrestling). The abdominal stretch goes on for a bit before Jericho’s bulldog is sent into the ropes instead.

The forearm into the nipup takes too long though and the Walls go on. Shawn gets to the ropes even faster than Jericho did earlier and they both go to the apron. Sweet Chin Music drops Jericho hard but Shawn drops the top rope elbow instead of covering. The ribs are banged up even more but they’re fine enough to tune up the band.

Jericho collapses before turning around though, allowing him to sucker Shawn into the Codebreaker. As he picks Shawn back up, Jericho gets pulled into the Crossface, meaning it’s another rope break for another escape. Jericho drops the ribs onto the top rope but the Walls are countered into a rollup to give Shawn the fast pin.

Rating: B+. These two always work well together and that was the case again here, as they kept trying to be one step ahead of the other until Shawn caught him with a quick rollup or the win. Jericho spent weeks knowing everything that Shawn was doing and then lost at the last second because Shawn still had a trick up his sleeve. There is a good chance that this will continue, and that is not a bad thing whatsoever, as there seems to be a lot of layers to this story.

William Regal does…..not approve. Yeah we’ll go with not there.

Mickie James is ready for her title defense but is a bit coy about her recent night out with John Cena. JBL comes in and sends Mickie away, demanding that he be asked a Cena question. As JBL looks off into space, he is asked about what he has next for Cena. JBL says interviewer Todd Grisham has never been in a fight, because he just beat Cena for twenty minutes (it was about fifteen) and threatens violent if he is asked another stupid question. Stoic JBL can still be intimidating.

Women’s Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Melina vs. Mickie James

Mickie is defending. Beth tells Melina to get out but gets sent outside instead, allowing Mickie to grab a rollup for two. Back in and Beth sends Mickie out instead, leaving Melina to hammer away. Mickie gets back in and sends Melina outside with a headscissors before choking Beth. Melina is able to catch Mickie on top but Beth makes the save. Mickie’s top rope Thesz press gets two on Beth and Mickie kicks her to the floor. Back up and Beth puts both of them on one shoulder for a double backbreaker, which lasts about as long as you would expect. Melina drops Beth again but gets caught in the MickieDT to retain the title.

Rating: C. Another match that didn’t have time to go anywhere but there was at least a bit more drama than the Tag Team Title match. Beth got to showcase her crazy power here but that has been established for a very long time now. Mickie keeping the title is a fine way to go, especially if she is getting involved with John Cena. They were trying here, but three women can only do so much in about six minutes.

Batista comes in to see Shawn Michaels, but he’ll wait before he hurts him. Shawn looks worried and confused. Granted that’s a normal look for him.

We recap Undertaker vs. Edge. Vickie Guerrero was sick of Undertaker beating Edge with his illegal choke and stripped him of the Smackdown World Title as a result. Undertaker was then put into the title match while Edge “won” a competition for the other spot. The choke is still banned so Undertaker will have to use one of his of other three finishing moves to win.

Smackdown World Title: Undertaker vs. Edge

For the vacant title. Edge dodges away to start and gets knocked outside by a single right hand. Back in and Edge slugs away in the corner, only to be reversed so Undertaker can show him how it’s done. Edge’s shoulder is sent into the post and Undertaker starts working on the arm back inside. Old School is broken up but Undertaker knocks him off the apron and into the barricade.

Not to be outdone, Edge sends him knees first into the steps to take over again. Back in and Undertaker misses the running boot in the corner, meaning it’s time to start working on the leg. The choke is teased but Undertaker puts the brakes on in time, leaving Edge to try his own Old School. That’s broken up and suddenly the leg is fine enough for the running clothesline. A toss into the corner and the big boot give Undertaker two and Old School connects.

Cue the Edgeheads for a distraction though, allowing Edge to grab the Edge-O-Matic. The turnbuckle is exposed as well but Edge misses the spear instead of going for the corner. A buckle bomb (a version of the Last Ride according to Cole) looks to set up Snake Eyes into the exposed buckle but Edge drives him into the corner instead.

The Snake Eyes works a few seconds later though, only to have Edge come right back with the spear for two. Undertaker hits the chokeslam for two of his own and they fight outside. After the brawl goes over the barricade, Edge gets pulled off the apron and only Undertaker beats the count for the win.

Rating: B. The ending doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence about where this is going but these two do continue to have good matches. At the same time, the point of Undertaker being better has long since been proven and having Vickie Guerrero screwing around with things is just prolonging everything. That’s obviously the point, but how many times are we going to see these two fight on pay per view?

Post match Vickie Guerrero comes out to say Undertaker can’t win the title via countout so it’s still vacant. Undertaker is livid and Tombstones Edge to blow off some steam.

Randy Orton promises to get the Raw World Title back tonight because HHH knows he can’t beat him one on one.

Here is MVP to say he doesn’t understand why he isn’t on the card. It’s bad business to not have him on the card because he is synonymous with top tier entertainment. Therefore, get an opponent out here for him right now. Cue Matt Hardy in street clothes to say he’s beaten MVP enough, so here’s someone new to do it instead.

MVP vs. Jeff Hardy

Jeff goes right after him to start but gets sent into the corner and rolled up for two. As we hear about Jeff’s house burning down recently (geez), MVP sends him hard into the corner for another near fall. We hit the front facelock to keep Jeff down but the fans are right behind him. Jeff fights up and tries the slingshot dropkick through the ropes, only to get sent crashing to the floor.

An armbar doesn’t last long for MVP so he pulls Jeff down by the hair instead. MVP slams him onto the arm and grabs another armbar but Jeff fights up. The jump over MVP in the corner doesn’t work as the arm gives out though and a DDT to the arm gets two. A boot to the arm sends Jeff outside and MVP rains down the forearms back inside. The Playmaker is blocked though and Jeff hits something like a Sling Blade. The Swanton misses but MVP misses a running boot in the corner. A Whisper in the Wind of all things finishes for Jeff.

Rating: C+. The arm work was a fine way to keep Hardy down but the ending coming out of nowhere continued a theme here. Jeff does his best when he’s fighting from behind so he was in his element here, especially as he’s freshly back from suspension. He needs to go somewhere, and winning here like this was a good step.

We recap the main event. HHH beat Randy Orton at Backlash in a four way to win the World Title so now it’s one on one in a cage match. Orton beat HHH, albeit in a triple threat, at Backlash and has beaten him before, so the history is strong with this one.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Randy Orton

HHH is defending and it’s pinfall/submission/escape. Orton dives for the door at the bell but HHH isn’t having that. Instead he’ll have the door slammed in his face, allowing Orton to hammer away. HHH sends him into the cage but gets dropped with a single right hand. Back up and HHH pounds him right back down, setting up the knee drop for two. A catapult sends HHH into the cage and the hanging DDT makes it even worse.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Orton is right back with a powerslam for two. Orton’s knee drop gets two more and it’s time to stomp away. Another knee misses though and HHH goes after the knee. There’s the Figure Four to stay on the leg until Orton gets out and drops HHH again. Orton goes for the door but gets pulled back in, only to bring a chair with him. HHH grabs said chair but gets dropped with a low blow.

The RKO onto the open chair is countered into a drop toehold onto the open chair and they’re both down again. HHH knocks Orton off the cage and tries to go out but gets caught again, as tends to be the case in cage matches. Orton goes over this time and gets pulled back in by the head. Orton plants him onto the chair but the Punt misses and HHH chairs him in the head. The Pedigree retains the title.

Rating: B-. That was a HHH vs. Orton pay per view match alright and as usual, that doesn’t mean great things. The matches tend to be pretty good, but I’ve yet to see them rise to anything resembling epic. They got in some good offense here, but HHH gets his big epic finish and we move on, likely to another rematch until the Summerslam title program begins. As usual, good enough match, but not exactly pay per view main event worthy.

Overall Rating: B. There was enough quality stuff here for a watch, but they couldn’t have made this any more of a B/C level show if they just flat out said that’s what it was. Between Edge vs. Undertaker being a way to keep the feud going and a not exactly must see main event, the last hour or so wasn’t quite pay per view main event worthy.

The rest of the show was pretty good, with the Shawn vs. Jericho match easily being the highlight. Overall, the show is worth a look if you have absolutely nothing else to see, but don’t expect anything worth your time, save for one match and maybe Edge vs. Undertaker if you don’t mind the storyline stuff.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: June 16, 2023
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

Now stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but it’s time for Jey Uso to make a choice. This time around, Roman Reigns is in the house and wants Jey to decide if he’s with the Bloodline or if he’s with his brother Jimmy. Other than that, we have some Money in the Bank momentum building to do so let’s get to it.

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

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck on the right side of the stage.

We open with a recap of last week, with Jey Uso being left conflicted over which side to choose. More on this later.

The Bloodline arrives and no one will talk about Jey Uso.

Tag Team Gauntlet Match

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot in two weeks. The Street Profits are in at #1 and the Brawling Brutes are in at #2 to get things going. Ford dropkicks Sheamus down to start as Pretty Deadly is not impressed on the floor. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Ford in trouble for a change and it’s off to Holland for a swinging front facelock (ow). Back up and a jumping enziguri drops Holland and a diving tag brings Dawkins back in (despite a dive not being necessary). A blind tag brings Sheamus back in though and it’s a Brogue Kick to finish Dawkins at 2:32.

The OC are in at #3 and the reverse 3D gets two on Sheamus as we take a break. Back with Sheamus still in trouble as Anderson elbows him in the head. Gallows grabs a chinlock but Sheamus fights up, only to have Anderson come in and knock Holland off the apron. That just earns him a Brogue Kick for the pin at 9:06 total and it’s the LWO in at #4.

They don’t waste time in hitting stereo flip dives onto the Brutes, followed by a good looking moonsault to give Del Toro two on Sheamus. An enziguri knocks Sheamus into the corner and it’s Holland starting the comeback. A Dominator spun into a DDT finishes Del Toro at 10:59. Hit Row is in at #5 and the Brogue Kick finishes Dolla at 11:14. That leaves Pretty Deadly in at #6 (last team) and we take a break.

Back with Holland in trouble and Prince hammering away at his face. Wilson grabs the chinlock but Holland fights up and knocks him away without much effort. Sheamus comes back in and cleans house with Irish Curses but the Brogue Kick misses. Instead it’s an Alabama Slam, with Prince making the save. Everything breaks down and Pretty Deadly winds up on the apron, with Prince taking ten forearms to the chest and Wilson taking about twenty more. The Celtic Cross is loaded up but Prince tags himself and hits a top rope legdrop to steal the pin on Sheamus at 21:40.

Rating: B-. This got some time but thankfully didn’t go insane like some gauntlet matches have done before. Pretty Deadly kind of stole the win by coming in at the end but it was a perfectly legal way to get a fall on Sheamus. The Brutes continue to look good in defeat, though Hit Row might want to avoid answering their phones anytime soon, as it’s clear that the team does not have anything going for it at the moment, which isn’t likely to get better.

Post break, Pretty Deadly is still in the ring and here are Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to interrupt. Sami says the match ended five minutes ago and Pretty Deadly is still in the ring, so they have overstayed their welcome by about five minutes. Pretty Deadly doesn’t like the disrespect towards…..the Dandy Highwaymen and the Two Tastiest Snacks (among other names). They’ll win the titles in two weeks and then they’ll celebrate even longer and then they’ll do it even longer, and just when you think they’re done, they’ll do it EVEN LONGER.

Owens isn’t impressed and goes on a rant about how he wants to go in there and punch them in their stupid faces. Sami: “I think we should do it.” Owens: “Yeah???” Sami: “YEAH!” The champs chase Pretty Deadly off and glare at them (Sami and Kevin would go on to beat the daylights out of Pretty Deadly in a post show street fight).

Paul Heyman is rather nervous as he asks Roman Reigns if he has spoken to Jey Uso. Of course Reigns hasn’t, because he’s the Tribal Chief and Jey should be reaching out to him. Reigns orders Heyman to go talk to Jey NOW and doesn’t seem happy at all.

Iyo Sky vs. Zelina Vega

Bayley is here with Sky and Vega hands a flip flop to a fan on the way to the ring. Sky shoves her in the face and gets hammered in the head for her efforts. A headscissors doesn’t do much to Sky, who sticks the landing and scores with a dropkick to take over. Sky starts cranking on a hammerlock but Vega rolls over or a kick to the head. Bayley gets on the apron or a distraction but Sky avoids the contact. Instead Sky rolls Vega up but the referee is yelling at Bayley. The ensuing argument lets Vega hit a 619 for the pin on Sky at 2:25. Short and to the point here, as Damage CTRL is in trouble.

We recap Charlotte returning last week to throw her hat into the Women’s Title picture, which doesn’t sit well with previous #1 contender Bianca Belair.

Belair comes up to Adam Pearce in the back and asks about her rematch. Pearce says it’s being talked about, but he can’t give her an answer tonight. Belair says she got the title match the right way (Pearce agrees) so now she’s going to do this her way.

Iyo Sky yells at Bayley over the loss when Shotzi comes in. Shotzi talks about how Bayley cost her a spot in Money in the Bank but Bayley doesn’t care. If that’s the case, then Bayley can put up her own spot against Shotzi. Sky accepts for Bayley so Shotzi is off to make it official. Sky: “I’m just trying to help.”

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, with special guest Charlotte, whose outfit is….uh….well the best description (unfortunately not mine) is that it looks like a bad couch from the 70s (the matching gloves sleeves are a great touch). Waller gets to the point by asking about Charlotte’s upcoming title shot in two weeks. The idea of Charlotte vs. Asuka makes her think of big matches, like the time where she ended Asuka’s undefeated streak at Wrestlemania.

Charlotte asks for a question, and says that it’s not about the number of title reigns, but the fact that she has Asuka’s number (good line). Cue Bianca Belair to interrupt (Cole says that Belair is in an awful mood as she skips down to the ring), saying that she has her own accolades and wonders why Charlotte is getting the shot. Charlotte says she isn’t apologizing because the line starts and ends with her. Belair says she got defeated and stayed (ouch) so she’s not understanding what’s going on here.

Charlotte talks about how she has picked herself up fourteen times and is a champion without the title. Belair bring sup being the longest reigning women’s champion of this era so put some respect on her name (yep). The past is the past but the future is that she’ll be ringside for Charlotte’s title shot. No matter who wins, she’s coming for the title. Belair was bringing the fire here and she’s absolutely right with pretty much everything she said.

Paul Heyman comes up to Jey Uso and says he’s sorry that Jimmy Uso kicked him in the face last week to cost him the US Title. Of course that was intentional because Jimmy has the most accurate kick of anyone but Jey himself. Jey deserves better than that and Heyman is sorry. Jey says he’s sorry too, but if he’s in, Heyman is still out.

AJ Styles/Michin vs. Karrion Kross/Scarlett

Styles wastes no time in striking away at Kross and it’s quickly off to the women, with Michin firing off strikes of her own. A spinning kick to the face sets up a release German suplex and it’s back to Kross. That’s fine with Styles, who hits the Styles Clash but Scarlett breaks it up and hits on him. Styles points out his wedding ring and says “I’m married” and what sounded like “b****” but might have been “witch”. Kross uses the distraction to grab the Krossjacket and hits a pumphandle powerslam swung into a kind of F5 (that’s different) for the pin at 2:20. That was quick.

Paul Heyman comes back to Roman Reigns, who does not seem thrilled at the lack of progress. Solo Sikoa scares Heyman off and Sikoa asks if Reigns wants him to handle this. Reigns says they have plenty of time.

Baron Corbin jumps Cameron Grimes in the back.

Here is Rey Mysterio for a chat. He talks about how happy he is to reform the LWO and is happy to bring out the next Mr. Money in the Bank: Santos Escobar. Cue Escobar, who thanks Rey for believing in him and could go a long way with the briefcase. Cue LA Knight, who shoves Rey down and the fight is on before the scheduled Knight vs. Escobar match.

LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Joined in progress with Escobar fighting out of a chinlock and hitting some running forearms. Knight hits a powerslam though and the jumping elbow gets two (and a heck of a reaction). Back up and Escobar tries a victory roll but Knight sits down on it and grabs the ropes for two, as Escobar rolls him up again for the pin at 2:18 shown.

Post match Knight jumps Escobar but Rey Mysterio runs back in for the save. Knight was getting some incredible reactions here and my goodness the push could be ready to go anytime now.

Jey Uso runs into Sami Zayn, who just looks at him, nods, and walks away.

Here is the Bloodline, or what’s left of it, to get Jey’s answer. After a break, Reigns tells Lexington, Kentucky (not the University of Kentucky, no matter what WWE keeps saying) to acknowledge him. And then Jey Uso interrupts (Reigns tells Solo Sikoa to keep calm) as we’re getting to the point fast. Reigns says the people want answers so Jey says it’s either him or Paul Heyman.

That doesn’t work for Reigns, who says that when Jey is Tribal Chief, he can pick his own wise man. Reigns talks about how he got them to the promised land but Jey is here to keep them there. They have been grooming him for years now and the only problem is Jimmy Uso….who comes out to interrupt. Jimmy tells Jey that Reigns is just using him, but Reigns says it took ten years just to get the Usos to Wrestlemania and NOW THEY MAIN EVENTED IT!

Reigns calls Jimmy an anchor while Reigns himself is the wings. Jey can’t be a Tribal Chief and a twin at the same time, but remember one thing: the only person who had a problem with Jey becoming the Right Hand Man was Jimmy himself. That sends Jey into a rant against Jimmy not believing him and how he has always told to be like his big brother, with Jey even saying his own first name (Joshua). Jey: “So guess what? You out! AND I’M OUT TOO!”

Jey superkicks Reigns’ head off and the Usos superkick Sikoa to the floor as the roof comes off the place (this was a genuine standing ovation and by far the loudest reaction all night). Reigns is livid and gets up but a double superkick puts him down again to end the show as Heyman is in tears.

That is the kind of major move that the story has been needing, as there is not likely to be any coming back from this. The Usos are out of the Bloodline, which is now down to Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman. You can all but pencil in the Money in the Bank main event tag match from here, and that is a big deal in its own right. This was a moment and my goodness did the fans eat it up.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a weird show as the ONLY thing that really matters is the big closing segment (the gauntlet match was good, but it’s 20+ minutes to get to the comedy team winning in the end). That being said, my goodness did that segment deliver as the best story WWE has told in a VERY long time gets cranked up and sent in a new direction. Money In The Bank is going to be a huge show and now you can see most of what is coming on the card. Throw in LA Knight getting some monster reactions and a good women’s segment and this could be one heck of a summer for WWE.

Results
Pretty Deadly won a tag team gauntlet match last eliminating the Brawling Brutes
Zelina Vega b. Iyo Sky – 619
Karrion Kross/Scarlett b. AJ Styles/Michin – Swinging faceplant to Styles
Santos Escobar b. LA Knight – Rollup

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 12, 2023
Location: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Corey Graves

We’re less than three weeks away from Money in the Bank and tonight we have another qualifying match. We also have Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn getting to deal with Imperium, but the bigger story might be Finn Balor coming after Seth Rollins and the World Heavyweight Championship. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Rhea Ripley, who is quickly presented with the Women’s World Title (which looks like the World Heavyweight Title but with a white strap). The fans cheer, but here is Dominik Mysterio to put the title around here waist. He calls the booing disrespectful but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt.

Cody could talk about his match with the Miz, but we look at Dominik calling him a deadbeat dad last week. Dominik slapped him last week but Cody was hoping that Brock Lesnar was coming out here this week. Instead, how about he faces Dominik at Money In The Bank? Rhea accepts for him but cue Miz to jump Cody from behind. Cody drops him but gets jumped by Dominik.

Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz

Miz flips out of an early belly to back suplex but it’s way too early for the Skull Crushing Finale. Instead Cody sends him outside for a Disaster Kick off the apron. The suicide dive connects and Cody grabs an armbar back inside. Cody misses a charge into the post though and Miz sends him into the post as we take a break.

Back with Cody fighting back and hitting a powerslam as Cody vs. Dominik is officially confirmed for Money in the Bank. Another Disaster Kick gives Cody two but Miz kicks him in the arm and gets two off a DDT. The Cody Cutter connects though and Cross Rhodes finishes for Cody at 10:38.

Rating: C+. Cody gets another win as he keeps getting ready for his third showdown with Brock Lesnar, even if that might not take place for a good while. As usual, Miz can be there to take a loss to anyone and look good in defeat. The arm work was a fine enough story here and they had a perfectly watchable match.

Becky Lynch passes the Alpha Academy and Maxxine Dupri working out on her way to the ring.

Here is Lynch in the ring for a chat. She talks about how we have been conditioned to think that the champion is the most important person. Instead, it should be the person with the most power, and who has more power than the person holding that briefcase? That should make the champ scared, but it should make Trish Stratus scared too.

Cue Zoey Stark to interrupt, saying Lynch can’t beat Trish. Lynch says learning from her failures is what made her great, but we haven’t learned much about Stark. She knows Stark is good, but she has no personality. Stark is ready to take Lynch out at Money in the Bank. Lynch says we can do this right now but cue Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville to say they’ll handle this. Zoey did well in her first major promo on the main roster and held her own against a star like Lynch. We’ll also ignore Lynch saying that having a title shot is more important than having the title itself.

Chelsea Green vs. Becky Lynch

Sonya Deville is here with Green, who gets shouldered down to start. We take a break and come back with Lynch fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent face first into the corner. Lynch isn’t having that and counters I’m Prettier. A rollup is countered as well and it’s the Disarm-Her for the tap at 6:28.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as it’s hard to imagine that Lynch is going to be in any kind of danger against Green. Despite coming back to some fanfare, Green hasn’t done much of note so far. That being said, she can still be out there driving people crazy and lose over and over without missing a beat. That’s a good person to have around and Green plays the role well.

We recap last week’s main event, with Seth Rollins retaining the World Title over Damian Priest.

The Judgment Day is in the back and Finn Balor says he has a lot on his mind. Priest does too, like qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match. Alone.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Matt Riddle vs. Damian Priest

Riddle goes straight to a Kimura before having to switch to a sleeper. Priest is sent outside where the kick from the apron is cut off, allowing Priest to send him face first into the apron. A huge dive misses for Priest, who goes flying over the announcers’ table. Back inside and Priest hits a lifting Downward Spiral, followed by the knee between Riddle’s shoulders.

Back up and Riddle kicks him in the head, setting up a backsplash to send Priest outside. The springboard Floating Bro takes Priest down and Riddle grabs a bridging German suplex for two back inside. Priest is right back with the Broken Arrow and they’re both down as we take a break.

Back with Riddle pulling him into an ankle lock before switching into another sleeper. Priest drops backwards for the escape and blasts him with a clothesline. Riddle’s springboard is broken up and a hanging headlock driver gives Priest two more. Priest catches him up top but is reversed into a fisherman’s superplex for two. Back up and Priest catches him on the ropes and hits a Razor’s Edge for the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting back and forth fight with Priest winning in the end, which was a bit of a surprise. That being said, Riddle hasn’t exactly had the best success since his return but at least he is doing well in the ring. The fans are reacting to him as well, which means he is probably going to be pretty high up on the card for the time being. If he can have matches like this on a regular basis, I can go for that.

Post match Gunther and Ludvig Kaiser come out to stare down Priest. After a quick look at Priest, Gunther and Kaiser go inside and beat down Riddle.

Cody Rhodes is ready to face Dominik Mysterio at Money in the Bank because it’s a step on the path to finishing the story, just like beating Brock Lesnar again.

Natalya says maybe changing is a good thing because she doesn’t know how to be herself anymore.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are ready to face Imperium, who interrupt them. Owens is ready to get annoyed, to the point where he agrees to make their previously scheduled match for the titles. Gunther chuckles but Sami holds up the titles. Adam Pearce isn’t sure if the match will be for the titles.

We recap the Bloodline issues from Smackdown.

Indus Shera and Jinder Mahal want to hurt Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander again.

Ricochet vs. Bronson Reed

Reed knocks him into the corner to start and here is Shinsuke Nakamura. Ricochet fights back but a tornado DDT is countered into a drop over the top rope. A hard crash off of said ropes leaves Ricochet in trouble as we take a break. Back with Ricochet slipping out of a powerbomb and hitting a jumping kick to the shoulder. Reed gets kicked to the floor for a suicide dive, followed by the springboard crossbody back inside. A Lionsault gives Ricochet two but another moonsault is pulled out of the air, with Reed throwing him at Nakamura. Back in and Nakamura jumps Reed for the DQ at 7:35.

Rating: B-. That is the kind of storyline ending that keeps things going and you might even be able to pencil in a triple threat match after Nakamura faces Reed next week. As for the match itself, it was a rather decent power vs. speed match, as Ricochet is on a nice little roll as of late. Reed is a good monster too, and seeing him run people over is a nice thing to see on a regular basis.

Post match Ricochet is mad at Nakamura for costing him a match, which is a rather fair criticism. Reed runs them over and goes up, only to be pulled back down in a double superplex.

Kevin Owens goes off on Sami Zayn about all of the stress they have been having recently. But don’t worry, because he’s good for out there.

Adam Pearce makes the main event a Tag Team Title match when Ricochet comes in. He wants Bronson Reed next week, but Reed already has Shinsuke Nakamura, who pops in, next week instead. Ricochet asks Nakamura what was up out there and threatens violence if it happens again. Nakamura doesn’t seem threatened.

Here is Finn Balor for a chat. He wants Seth Rollins out here, minus the singalong and jokes, so here is Rollins, complete with singalong. Balor tells everyone to shut up and mentions what he was doing in 2016 before Rollins hurt him. Rollins asks the fans if they’re having fun tonight and they cut Balor off again.

Balor goes over the injuries Rollins gave him in 2016 and now it’s time Balor takes it all back at Money in the Bank. That makes Rollins laugh because he’s glad to see the Balor he has been wanting for seven years. Rollins has changed over the years and is the best version of himself. So which Balor is coming to London? The one who beat him in 2016 has a shot, but this guy is a joke. Balor looks serious to wrap it up. Balor as the challenger of the month at a show filled with ladder matches works just fine, especially with their history.

Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shayna Baszler

Ronda Rousey is here too. Baszler grabs a fall away slam to start and powers Baszler into the corner. That’s broken up and Baszler pulls her down, only to have Rousey offer a distraction. Baszler grabs a rollup with an assist from Rousey for the pin at 2:13.

Iron Sheik tribute video.

Erik vs. Chad Gable

Their respective partner/manager are here too. Erik takes him down to start but we pause for Maxxine to armdrag Valhalla on the floor. Maxxine celebrates like nuts and the distraction lets Gable get a sunset flip for the pin at 1:48.

Video on Rhea Ripley.

Finn Balor is talking to JD McDonagh when Damian Priest comes in. They’re both happy with each other’s success but Priest wouldn’t cash in on Balor. Priest says make it work and end this at Money in the Bank.

Seth Rollins is ready for Balor at Money in the Bank and seems to think Priest isn’t happy. He’s so happy that we can just do another open challenge for a title match next week.

Tag Team Titles: Gunther/Ludvig Kaiser vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Gunther and Kaiser are challenging and Gunther powers Sami into the corner to start. Sami manages to knock him outside though and there’s the big running flip dive to take Gunther down. We take a break and come back with Zayn taking Kaiser down into a quickly broken armbar. Sami knocks him down again but it’s off to Gunther off a blind tag. The big boot gives Gunther two and it’s Sami in trouble in the corner. Zayn is draped over the top and kicked down to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Owens getting the tag to clean house, including a t-bone suplex to Gunther. A superkick sets up the Cannonball to Gunther and the Swanton gets two. The Stunner is cut off though and Gunther boots Owens down. The double tag brings in Sami to suplex Kaiser into the corner but Gunther pulls Sami outside.

Gunther’s chop only hits the post though, leaving Kaiser to Death Valley Driver Zayn. Back in and Gunther hits a rather hard lariat for two and the Imperium Bomb gets the same, with Owens having to make the save. Cue Matt Riddle, with the distraction letting Owens take Gunther down on the floor. The Blue Thunder Bomb retains the titles at 18:43.

Rating: B. This was a longer match and it made the titles feel that much more important. Gunther has that aura to him that makes whatever he does seem important and Kaiser is a rather suitable partner. The ending also keeps Riddle vs. Imperium going and actually made the Blue Thunder Bomb feel like a finisher, which has been the case maybe twice ever for Zayn. Good main event here, as Owens and Zayn get another nice title defense.

Overall Rating: B. This was kind of a strange show as it set up some things for Money in the Bank but it didn’t exactly feel important. Maybe that’s because neither match exactly comes off as big, but the ladder matches are going to carry the show anyway. Other than that, you had solid action here though and a lot of stuff did happen. It might not have been great, but it was efficient, and that’s not a bad night.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. The Miz – Cross Rhodes
Becky Lynch b. Chelsea Green – Disarm-Her
Damian Priest b. Matt Riddle – Razor’s Edge
Bronson Reed b. Ricochet via DQ when Shinsuke Nakamura interfered
Shayna Baszler b. Raquel Rodriguez – Rollup with assist from Ronda Rousey
Chad Gable b. Erik – Sunset flip
Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn b. Gunther/Ludvig Kaiser – Blue Thunder Bomb to Kaiser

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: May 16, 2008
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Mick Foley, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for Judgment Day and, for the third pay per view in a row, the Smackdown main event is going to be Edge vs. Undertaker for the World Title. That doesn’t make for the most exciting result, but that is about all they can do in their current situation. I’m not sure how interesting the final push is going to be but let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s Championship Chase, with Vickie Guerrero adding Edge in at the last minute to steal the title shot.

Opening sequence.

Here is La Familia to get things going. Edge brags about earning the title shot last week and can’t wait to beat Undertaker, who can’t win without the illegal choke. Cue Teddy Long, who is sorry he’s late. Vickie Guerrero can’t believe he’s here and says that as her assistant, he needs to be the first one to arrive and the last one to leave (Uh, how can he help her then?).

Actually Teddy says he was meeting with the Board Of Directors today, because Vickie blew off her meeting with them. He has a letter from the board for her: she can either have her first ever match or be fired from her job, with Long suggesting he would take her place. Vickie threatens to fire him but he quits and leaves instead. Oh and one more thing: her opponent is the UNDERTAKER. They had to do something like this at some point, though Vickie getting in the ring sounds more like comedy than anything else.

CM Punk vs. Chuck Palumbo

Palumbo pounds him down into the corner to start before grabbing a headlock takeover. Punk fights up and low bridges him to the floor, setting up the almost required suicide dive. Palumbo gets in another shot though and we hit the chinlock back inside. The elbow misses Punk and he fires off some kicks to put Palumbo in trouble.

There’s the running knee in the corner into the bulldog for two, followed by a springboard clothesline for the same. One heck of a standing clothesline gives Palumbo two and there’s a fall away slam for another near fall. Full Throttle is broken up though and Punk sends him into the post. The GTS finishes Palumbo off.

Rating: C. That should end this mini feud, as well as Punk’s kind of weird losing streak over his last few matches. I know Punk has the briefcase but that doesn’t mean he needs to lose so often. I’m still not sure why Palumbo got to beat him in the first place but at least they seem to have gotten back on track.

MVP comes in to see La Familia and complains about last week’s Championship Chase. Finlay and then Big Show follow him in but Vickie Guerrero doesn’t like the complaining. MVP can find a partner and face Finlay and Show. With the three of them gone, Chavo Guerrero wants to know why he wasn’t in on last week’s plan. Vickie tells him to shut up because they have planning to do.

Michelle McCool vs. Layla

Layla kicks her way out of the corner to start and slugs away, only to have Michelle come back with a leg crank. Commentary talks about how much better Michelle would have been as their science teacher as she gets a heel hook for the rather fast tap.

Here is Batista for a chat. He was watching Raw this week and saw Shawn Michaels admit that he was faking his knee injury at Backlash. Batista is glad Shawn is better….but wait, it was never hurt in the first place. Shawn is going to be at Judgment day, and maybe Batista will be there too. As usual, Batista keeps it simple and to the point, which often goes best or him.

Video on John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield.

Big Show/Finlay vs. MVP/Mark Henry

Henry is the surprise partner and Hornswoggle is here too, as Show is suddenly a nice guy again. MVP and Finlay go to the mat to start with Finlay grabbing a snap suplex for one. Finlay chokes away a bit before handing it off to Show and Henry. Show knocks him down with a shoulder so MVP comes in to be powered straight into the corner. It’s back to Finlay, who has to deal with an invading Henry, allowing MVP to kick him to the floor.

Back in and MVP fires off some forearms to the head. Henry adds a few shots of his own before handing it back to MVP. This time Finlay avoids a charge and brings Show back in as everything breaks down. Finlay low bridges Henry to the floor, leaving MVP to get chokeslammed for the pin.

Rating: C. Not too bad here, with MVP vs. Finlay being a nice feud and Show vs. Henry being there for the monster showdown appeal. I do appreciate it when they throw something new out there, as MVP and Finlay makes for a fresh match. You never know when you might find something that works and I could go for the two of them having a longer match.

Vickie Guerrero does not like being treated like this, so she’s making it La Familia vs. Undertaker tonight.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Funaki

The fans chant USA as Kozlov takes him down by the arm and cranks away. More cranking ensues as Funaki is on his feet, where some kicks to the ribs don’t do much. Kozlov knocks him down again and hits the reverse DDT for the win. More dominance, but at least it was against a bigger name.

Cherry vs. Maryse

Deuce N Domino are here with Maryse, who shoves Cherry in the face to start. A neckbreaker gives Cherry a quick two and a rollup is good for the same. Maryse grabs a cravate but Cherry forearms her in the face. A bulldog gives Cherry the upset (I think?) pin.

Video on HHH vs. Randy Orton.

Judgment Day rundown.

Kofi Kingston (with Eve Torres for some reason) shows respect to Matt Hardy when Shelton Benjamin comes in. Benjamin isn’t impressed but Matt brings up that the Gold Standard doesn’t have any gold. And no the bad hair doesn’t count.

Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. A running shoulder gives Shelton two and he grabs the quickly broken armbar. As Foley talks about Pennsylvania amusement parks, Benjamin takes him into the corner and backdrops him out. Benjamin gets two off a backbreaker and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. Matt fights up but a double leg and headbutt to the ribs cuts him back down. The bodyscissors goes on but Matt fights up for a Side Effect. Benjamin’s Dragon Whip connects but Matt is right back with a Twist of Fate for the pin.

Rating: C. Another perfectly watchable match here that had a bit of time. Matt continues to rack up victories, which make him feel like that much stronger of a champion. At the same time, that whole Gold Standard idea continues to feel like one of the worst possible moves, as Shelton’s downward spiral continues.

We recap the opening segment.

Undertaker vs. La Familia

Actually hold on as Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely walk out (apparently over not being in on last week’s scheme). Vickie is so terrified that even Mick Foley thinks this might be going too far. Edge and the Edgeheads swarm Undertaker at once but Undertaker fires the heads into the corner. The two of them come back to save Edge, who is playing defense in front of Vickie. The triple teaming puts Undertaker down, where his attempt at the choke is broken up. Undertaker fights up and sends the three of them to the floor before grabbing Vickie by the throat. Edge makes the save with the spear and the villains take the countout.

Rating: C-. This was more of an angle than a match and not exactly a great one at that. They’re teasing the idea of Undertaker getting his revenge on Vickie but we’re probably a good ways off from that actually happening. For now, we’ll have to settle for Edge doing more hitting and running, as the (third) big showdown awaits on Sunday.

Overall Rating: C-. Much like this week’s Raw, most of the build towards Sunday was already done but in this case, there wasn’t much to see here. We’re getting a rematch in the main event plus Batista likely interfering in the Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho match. That isn’t much to go on, and it didn’t make for a good go home Smackdown on the way there.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: May 13, 2008
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

Last week’s show was the 100th episode so we’ll start on the second century. It’s the final show before Judgment Day and the ECW Champion isn’t defending his title at the show. Instead, Kane and CM Punk are teaming up to challenge Miz and John Morrison for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. That isn’t going to leave much in the way of a build here but maybe they can come up with something else. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Colin Delaney beating Armando Estrada in a huge upset to earn a contract last week.

In the back, Estrada warns Delaney that he hasn’t been in any real pain yet. Delaney signs and is told he gets to face Mike Knox tonight.

Opening sequence.

Miz vs. CM Punk

Miz has John Morrison stay in the back for this one. Punk wrestles him down to start but Miz blocks the running knee in the corner. Some elbows to the chest set up a crossface chickenwing, but Punk is right back up. A slingshot necksnap over the middle rope gives Miz two as they’re certainly starting fast here. Miz grabs the chinlock, followed by a reverse chinlock to change things up a bit. Punk fights up and snaps off a powerslam, followed by a leg lariat. The GTS is broken up and Miz grabs a neckbreaker….for the clean pin.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match and that made for an entertaining opener, but were they mad at Punk or something? Miz getting a win over Punk is one thing but a completely clean one is almost hard to fathom. It’s probably the biggest singles win of Miz’s career, but that’s just a weird loss, at least in this fashion, for Punk.

Cherry/Kelly Kelly/Michelle McCool vs. Layla/Victoria/Natalya

Natalya drives Michelle into the corner to start before handing it off to Victoria to start in on the arm. An armdrag gets Michelle out of trouble and it’s Cherry coming in to kick away. Natalya grabs a chinlock but Cherry channels Michelle with an armdrag of her own. This one doesn’t actually work though and it’s Victoria coming back in with a slingshot flipping legdrop. Victoria spends a bit too much time swinging at the other two though and a rollup gives Cherry the pin.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one but you can see that the division has come a very, very long way. Victoria is good as the veteran who is helping the new generation along and McCool has turned into a rather acceptable hand. Natalya is coming along and Kelly….yeah they’re going to push her as a star because of how she looks, ability or not.

Shelton Benjamin wants to get back on track after back to back losses to Kofi Kingston. Cue Kofi, who wins a quick brawl.

Video on Randy Orton vs. HHH.

Video on Colin Delaney’s path to the ECW roster.

Colin Delaney vs. Mike Knox

Delaney has some snazzy, upbeat music. Knox runs him over, hits a splash in the corner, and finishes with the swinging Downward Spiral in about a minute.

Post match Armando Estrada comes out to say he wants a rematch, because he is officially part of the roster (with a very lucrative salary).

Armando Estrada vs. Colin Delaney

Shouting and a Curtain Call finish Delaney in about thirty seconds.

Kane vs. John Morrison

Non-title and Miz is here with Morrison. Kane gets taken into the corner for some shots to the knee, which is wrapped around the rope. That’s broken up and Kane chokes him over the shoulder. Morrison slips out and kicks away, only to get stomped down again. Kane’s missed charge lets Morrison slug away in the corner, with Miz grabbing the foot for a bonus.

That’s enough to draw out CM Punk to even things up as we take a break. Back with Kane grabbing a chinlock, with Morrison going to the leg to get out. Some right hands in the corner and a chop block take Kane down as Morrison is showing the same intensity he was displaying last week. Morrison’s leglock sets up a basement dropkick for two before he wraps the leg around the post.

Kane punches his way out of trouble but Morrison takes him right back down by the leg. Another comeback works a bit better as Kane fires off the uppercuts and grabs the side slam. The leg is ok enough for the top rope clothesline but Miz offers a distraction. Punk is sent into the steps (bad night for him), allowing Morrison to get in a title shot. The Flying Chuck finishes Kane off.

Rating: C+. When did Morrison start getting all aggressive and such? It makes for a rather different person and I’m kind of digging what he’s been doing lately. Much like the opener, it’s a bit weird to see this result, but at least Morrison had to cheat to get there. This was a long match and had a purpose for Sunday so we’ll call that a nice way to go to wrap up the show.

Post match Kane is ticked off but gets beaten down again to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener and main event carried most of the show, though having Delaney back to being a punching bag isn’t the most thrilling way to go. The women’s match wasn’t great and that’s more or less the show. Having two big matches around here is better than nothing though and I’ll take that for a show with only so much to build towards on Sunday.

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.