Survivor Series 2002
Date: November 17, 2002
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 17,930
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz

Aside from Lesnar, a lot of the roster for this show is the same. However, there are several wrestlers that have debuted for the company but aren’t on the show tonight. Over the summer, Batista, Randy Orton and John Cena all debuted and most of them made a strong impact upon arriving. We’ll be hearing more from them in the future but it’s not their time yet. Let’s get to it.

The intro video is almost all about the Chamber.

Dudley Boys/Jeff Hardy vs. 3 Minute Warning/Rico

This is an elimination tables match and it’s Bubba and Spike Dudley instead of D-Von due to the Brand Split. Spike and Bubba got put through the same table on Raw Monday to set this up. 3 Minute Warning (Jamal and Rosey) are two very large Samoans and Rico is their athletic stylist. The Dudleys and Jeff clear the ring to start and Spike is thrown into the arms of the Samoans. It’s Bubba vs. Rico in the ring at the moment, because putting Spike and Jeff against Jamal and Rosey is a great idea right? Bubba chops Rico HARD in the corner before things settle down.

What’s Up hits Jamal and we get to the tagging section of the match before everything breaks down again. Bubba tells Jeff to get the tables but Rosey runs over Bubba after Bubba sets up a table in the corner. A BIG backdrop puts Jeff on the floor and Rosey rams Spike’s head into a table. Rosey misses a charge and drives himself through a table in the corner but that doesn’t count because it wasn’t someone else putting him through.

Jeff tries a top rope dive at Rosey but literally bounces off. Rico brings in another table and gets caught in a Dudley Dog, but 3 Minute Warning catches him in a double powerbomb to put Spike through the table instead. Jeff and Bubba get slammed down but Bubba knocks Rosey off the top and Jeff sends Rico flying into a cameraman. Bubba pounds away but Rico hits a spinwheel kick to take his head off. Rico could go in the ring make no mistake.

Rosey and Jeff go out into the crowd and there’s a table out there with them. Well of course there is. Jeff is put on said table as Bubba gets kicked in the face by Rico. Jamal misses a splash and crushes Rico, allowing Bubba to Bubba Bomb Jamal and go to save Jeff. With Bubba’s help, Jeff goes up to the top of an entrance and hits a BIG Swanton through Rosey through the table to make it 2-2.

Back in the ring Jamal has Bubba on a table ready for a Rico moonsault, but he looks hesitant to launch. He looks over his shoulder and shouts “C’MON JEFF!” before staggering. THEN Jeff shakes the ropes and Rico crotches himself. Not the best response but that’s on Jeff more than Rico. Bubba tries a belly to back superplex through the table but Jamal moves it away. Jeff hits Whisper in the Wind to Jamal and follows it with a dropkick.

Hardy goes to the floor to get another table which he throws at Jamal. Jeff tries to run the railing but Jamal throws the table at Jeff, who goes flying through it. That doesn’t count which I can kind of agree with for a change. Jamal puts Jeff on another table and hits a HUGE splash off the top to eliminate Jeff. That looks awesome. Bubba beats on Rico in the ring but Jamal saves his sideburned buddy. Jamal goes up to try a top rope hurricanrana (I guess) on Bubba, only to get caught in a HUGE powerbomb through the table to get us down to one on one.

It’s Rico vs. Bubba with the former pounding away and pulling in another table. Rosey comes back in but Bubba pounds away on him too. Now Jamal is in there too and it’s D-VON to the rescue! He’s on Smackdown at this point so this is a big deal as people really didn’t jump from roster to roster. 3D puts Rico through the table to end this.

Rating: B-. That’s likely high but this was what you want to open a show. It helps a lot that this was a fifteen minute match instead of like six minutes like they are on Raw. This was fun and the pop for the reunion of the Dudleys (which would be permanent) was a feel good moment. Good stuff here and a good choice to open things up, especially in New York City.

Stacy is at the World (WWF New York) looking great. She introduces Saliva who is doing a mini-concert at the club. They perform Always here to eat up a few minutes and we get a video about the remaining matches.

RVD is stretching before the Chamber.

Cruiserweight Title: Jamie Noble vs. Billy Kidman

Jamie (white trash from a trailer park) is defending and has Nidia (Tough Enough winner) with him. Kidman (talented cruiserweight from WCW) grabs two very fast rollups for two each and make that four in the first 30 seconds. Jamie bails to the floor but Kidman throws him right back in. Noble comes back with a neckbreaker and it’s off to a bow and arrow. Kidman gets thrown to the floor and Noble hits a suicide dive. Tazz: “I think Noble has something up his sleeve, but he’s not wearing a shirt so he has no sleeve.”

Back in and Kidman speeds things up with a back elbow and a dropkick followed by an AA into a backbreaker for two. A Falcon’s Arrow gets two for Noble so Kidman loads up a belly to back suplex position but he slams Noble down face first instead. Kidman loads up the Shooting Star but Noble bails to the floor. That’s fine with Billy so he dives on Noble out there to take the champ down again.

Back in and Nidia distracts Kidman but gets knocked off the apron by Kidman. The BK Bomb (Low Down) gets two for Kidman as does a Tiger Bomb for Noble. They go up top and Kidman hits a sitout inverted DDT. That was pretty awesome looking but it only gets two. Noble hits an elevated DDT for two out of the corner so Kidman hits an enziguri to take over again. Billy loads up the Shooting Star but a Nidia distraction….only delays Kidman as he hits the Shooting Star for the pin and the title.

Rating: B-. These two got going good and strong at the end which is exactly what you want from a match like this. When you can get into the area of a match where it’s one big move after another and you’re just waiting on one of them to stay down, that’s a great sign. The Shooting Star looked great too. This wasn’t a masterpiece or anything but it was solid.

Angle and Benoit are in the back and Angle is incensed that Kidman could win a title. If he can win, then so can they, as long as Benoit stays out of the captain’s way. Benoit gets in his face but Angle says they should be friends to the end. Benoit offers a handshake but Angle says no way. Angle: “I don’t shake hands! Tag team partners hug!”

Victoria (new Diva) is still psycho here and looking in a mirror. Then she thinks it’s Trish and goes nuts.

We recap Trish vs. Victoria. Victoria is batty and claims that it’s because she and Trish used to work together as fitness models, but Trish slept her way to the top. Tonight it’s about revenge in a hardcore match.

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Trish Stratus

Hardcore rules here and Trish is defending in a rematch after she beat Victoria last month. Victoria immediately chokes her with Trish’s coat before getting a broom out of one of the trashcans on each post. Trish jumps the broom but Victoria takes her down almost immediately. Victoria chokes her with the broom in the corner but gets flipped to the mat.

Now Trish finds a trashcan lid but Victoria knocks the lid into her head with the broom. We head to the floor and Trish gets whipped HARD into the trashcan. Back in and Victoria hits her slingshot legdrop for two. The challenger puts a trashcan in between the top and middle rope but Trish grabs her legs and slingshots Victoria’s head into the can. Trish sets up an ironing board in the corner and whips Victoria into it for two.

It’s kendo stick time with Victoria taking a beating. She gets a boot up in the corner though and BLASTS Trish with a trashcan lid. Victoria has a bloody nose and sits on the middle rope, allowing Trish to try a hurricanrana out of the corner. Victoria counters into a kind of Boston Crab position, but Trish does a big situp and hits Victoria in the head with a can lid.

That only stuns her though so Trish BLASTS her in the head with a trashcan lid again to knock Victoria off the ropes and out to the floor. Victoria gets a mirror from under the ring but Trish superkicks her down. Chick Kick gets two for Trish and a bulldog gets the same. Victoria rolls to the floor and pulls out a fire extinguisher to blast Trish in the face. A followup suplex of all things is enough to give Victoria the pin and the title.

Rating: B. This was AWESOME with both chicks beating the tar out of each other. The story of the match worked really well too with Trish trying to wrestle her way out of trouble against a monster that wanted to hurt her no matter what. This worked really well and is one of the most intense Divas matches you’ll ever see.

Booker is getting ready.

Bischoff brags about the Chamber for a bit. Big Show comes up and says he’ll show Eric why trading him to Smackdown was a bad idea.

Heyman is worried that Brock can’t beat Big Show. Lesnar has legitimately injured ribs due to Show hurting him at a house show.

We recap Show vs. Lesnar. Lesnar beat Undertaker in the Cell last month, so Show beat up Undertaker to make himself the next challenger. Even Heyman says Brock can’t beat him.

Smackdown World Title: Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar is defending here and is mostly a face now. It’s on in a hurry as the fans are behind Lesnar. Show gets in a shot to the ribs in the corner and launches Brock across the ring. Brock is all like BRING IT ON and grabs a double leg to take Show down. They head to the floor and Brock gets rammed into the post. Back in and Brock pounds away before hitting something like a belly to back suplex. Show misses a charge and Brock “hits” a German, which means Show lands on Brock’s head. Brock tries an F5 but Show knees him in the ribs.

The referee gets bumped and Brock THROWS Big Show down with an overhead belly to belly. Heyman tosses in a chair and Brock cracks Show over the head with it. There’s the F5 and a new referee but Heyman pulls the referee out of the ring. This makes no sense and I’ll get to why in a second. Lesnar figures out what’s going on and gives chase, but charges right into a pair of chair shots to the ribs. Show chokeslams Brock onto the chair for the pin and the title. That’s Brock’s first ever loss.

Rating: D+. Most of that is for Lesnar’s INSANE power. Here’s why this match ticks me off: Lesnar had to get the title taken off of him because of injury. That’s fine. So they pick BIG SHOW to take it from him? This is the same idea as Nash beating Goldberg: you have an unstoppable monster and you take the title off of him for the sake of this veteran? You have Angle, Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Edge on the Smackdown roster and you pick BIG SHOW? Now to be fair Angle got the title in a month, but why not just cut out the middle man and make a new star?

As for why Heyman’s turn makes no sense, the whole idea of the match was that Heyman didn’t think Lesnar could suplex, F5 or beat Big Show. He did the first two things and had Show beat until Heyman turned. Heyman is a lot of things, but he’s always been someone that knows what kind of a monster he’s got and sticks with them to the end. This is out of character for him, especially when an injured Brock had proven he could beat Show. So on top of being a bad match with bad booking, it makes no sense. Nice job WWE.

Show and Heyman immediately bail.

We recap the triple threat Tag Team Title match. Benoit and Angle beat Rey and Edge in the match of the year at No Mercy in a tournament final. The new champions argued over who is team captain and have to work together or they’re suspended. Edge and Mysterio won the titles on Smackdown in 2/3 falls match. Stephanie threw in Los Guerreros because these are the Smackdown Six and you can’t have just four of them together, even though we’ve had that for months. Not that I’m complaining though, because this is going to be AWESOME.

Smackdown Tag Titles: Edge/Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit vs. Los Guerreros

Edge and Mysterio are champions and this is under elimination rules. It’s Mysterio vs. Benoit to start which is fine with me. Benoit hits a HARD chop but gets caught in a hurricanrana and a flapjack to give Rey what will likely be a short lived advantage. Off to Edge for a double hiptoss before Kurt gets the tag and a big pop. Chavo punches Angle in the back of the head and apparently that’s a tag.

Chavo gets shouldered down but nips up immediately. Off to Mysterio vs. Eddie which is one of those pairings that works no matter what. A headscissors takes Eddie down and it’s off to Kurt to face the masked man. They’re going very fast paced so far. Angle misses a charge into the post but Rey takes too much time on the top and gets run over by Kurt. The Olympian tags in the Canadian who suplexes Rey down for two.

Back to Angle who suplexes Rey down and gets in a cheap shot on Edge. The Angle Slam is countered but Angle clotheslines Rey down instead. Back to Chris as Tazz talks about Los Guerreros not wanting to get in yet. The battling partners tag in again so Angle can put on a front facelock. Rey fights up after about a minute in the hold and kicks Kurt in the face to take him down.

There’s the hot tag to Edge who cleans house with a bunch of suplexes. Eddie comes in and goes to the floor with Rey. Edge misses the spear and gets caught in a Crossface and ankle lock AT THE SAME TIME. Mysterio breaks both parts of the hold up and Chavo pulls Angle to the floor. Rey dives on both of them and Benoit Germans Edge but Eddie comes in off the top to sunset flip Benoit, sending Edge flying in a German for two each. Eddie gets suplexed to the floor with his head smashing into the apron on the way down.

Benoit rolls more Germans on Edge (Is it any wonder why he needed neck surgery five months after this?) and Eddie hits the Frog Splash on Edge but Benoit hits the Swan Dive on Eddie. Angle Slam and Ankle lock to Eddie while Benoit Crossfaces Edge. Chavo hits Benoit with a belt and throws it to Angle. Benoit thinks Angle hit him and Mysterio dropkicks Chris into Angle. Angle and Rey go to the floor and Edge spears Benoit for the elimination. Absolutely amazing sequence there which NEVER STOPPED.

Angle and Benoit destroy Edge and Rey before leaving. They lay out Los Guerreros too for fun. Eddie vs. Edge keeps the match going and Eddie suplexes the Canadian down before it’s off to Chavo. Chavo pounds away on Edge as Los Guerreros double team. We get down to a much more standard tag team formula with Edge playing Ricky Morton. Edge finally comes back with a double clothesline and it’s off to Rey.

Things speed up again with Rey flying all over the place and hitting a headscissors to put Chavo down. Edge spears both guys down and launches Rey up to hurricanrana Eddie off the top. That’s another awesome sequence. There’s the 619 to Eddie but Chavo hits Rey in the back to break up the West Coast Pop. Eddie puts on the Lasso From El Paso (a Boston Crab/Sharpshooter hybrid) for the tap and the titles.

Rating: B+. This was a match that felt like it got hacked to death. If you give these guys another 15 minutes (the match ran 20) and take away the belt shots, the match gets a lot better. The first half, as in before the first elimination, is INCREDIBLE. The stuff after that though is good but standard. Still though, these guys were the future of the company and it was a good sign to see them. Combine that with three guys named Batista, Orton and Cena that had debuted earlier in the year and you’ve got the next five years of WWE.

Christopher Nowitski (a Harvard graduate from Tough Enough) is here to make fun of New York in a really dull promo. Matt Hardy comes out to yell at him before blasting New York as well. The mouth running goes on even longer until FINALLY Scott Steiner debuts and murders them. Somehow this took nearly eight minutes. Steiner would go on to have perhaps the two worst PPV World Title matches in recorded history against HHH before being shunted down the card.

Shawn Michaels says he believes in himself but we get RNN BREAKING NEWS! It’s Randy Orton, who has a bad shoulder. He says there’s no new damage to his bad shoulder due to an extra pillow on the plane. This was the WAY over the top deal that Orton was doing which first turned him heel. I loved it but it got annoying fast, which is the right idea.

We recap the Elimination Chamber. HHH is the official WORLD CHAMPION OF EVERYTHING but Shawn beat him at Summerslam and wants a rematch. Bischoff wants to top the Cell so here’s his latest idea. The rules are mostly simple: two guys start and there are four more in individual pods. After five minutes there’s a new guy introduced and it’s elimination rules. The winner is world champion. The other four guys are there because they’re the biggest stars on Raw. This video is set to Always again and they’re not even trying to hide that this is mostly about HHH vs. Shawn.

HHH says that he’s awesome and he’ll keep the title.

Eric comes out and walks through the Chamber to explain everything I just said. Apparently the glass is bulletproof. This is the first time the Chamber had been seen and I believe the first time the rules have been explained.

Raw World Title: Kane vs. Chris Jericho vs. HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Booker T vs. Rob Van Dam

Jericho is a Tag Team Champion with Christian, but the cool part here is that as he comes out, Saliva does his theme song live at WWF New York. HHH is defending of course. Shawn’s tights are….brown. This is one of those decisions that no one ever quite got and he was made fun of extensively for them apparently. I mean…..BROWN? Mankind wore brown for crying out loud. The wide shot of the Chamber really does look cool. Anyway the entrances take a long time and RVD vs. HHH gets us going.

Van Dam hits a spinwheel kick to take HHH down but walks into a facebuster. The Pedigree is countered into a backdrop over the top to hit the cage outside the ring. JR’s statements about the Chamber are already nuts as he says it has no soul or conscience. As in the pieces of steel and metal. Anyway, HHH is rammed into the cage over and over to bust him open and Van Dam hits Rolling Thunder over the top rope to land on HHH on the cage. There’s a floor made of cage surrounding the ring that is level with the mat if that wasn’t clear.

Van Dam goes up on one of the pods but his flip dive mostly hits the floor instead of HHH. Back in the ring and HHH gets stomped down in the corner as Jericho is added in as the third man. Van Dam immediately kicks him down and it’s five minutes until the next entrant. A cartwheel into a moonsault gets two on Jericho and they head outside the ring as well. In the first famous spot in the Chamber’s history, Van Dam jumps off the top rope, misses Jericho, and grabs onto the cage like Spider-Man before spinning back around to cross body Jericho.

HHH gets back up and hits the knee to the face of Van Dam which gives Jericho a two count. HHH and Jericho double team RVD before Chris tells Shawn to suck it. Van Dam’s back gets rammed into the cage wall some more and Jericho talks a lot of trash. Rob’s back goes into the cage over and over and we head back in to the ring. There’s a spin kick to put Jericho down as Booker T is in fourth.

Booker quickly clears the ring and we get a Spinarooni before Van Dam fights Booker one on one. Booker gets in some shots to Rob but walks into the stepover kick to give Van Dam control again. HHH gets back up and takes Van Dam down, only to get caught by the scissors kick from Booker. The next big spot of the match is Van Dam going up to the top of the pod and hitting the Five Star on HHH, with Van Dam’s knee hitting HHH’s throat, severely (and legitimately) injuring HHH’s windpipe. Since HHH can’t get up right now to eliminate Van Dam, Booker hits a missile dropkick to take Van Dam out.

Booker grabs a quick cover on HHH but only gets two. Jericho goes after Booker but gets caught in an Alabama Slam for his efforts. Kane comes in fifth and goes off on Booker and Jericho as HHH lays on the outside. Jericho gets launched face first into the cage wall and is then thrown through the bulletproof, yes BULLETPROOF, glass. This would become a running joke in the Chamber over the years.

JR says the Chamber has no soul or conscience again just to hammer home the point. Kane chokeslams Booker and Jericho adds the Lionsault to take Booker out and get us down to four guys. A Kane suplex gets two on Jericho as we’re waiting on Shawn to come in. HHH goes up top for no apparent reason and gets slammed down ala Flair. Jericho missile dropkicks Kane down and here’s HBK.

HHH is down in the corner of course so Shawn can only beat on Kane and Jericho. There’s the forearm to Kane but no nipup, leaving everyone down at the moment. Kane whips Shawn HARD into the corner where Shawn flips upside down. There’s a chokeslam for all three remaining guys not named Kane but instead of covering, Kane loads up a Tombstone on HHH. Shawn superkicks Kane down but he sits up. The Pedigree and Lionsault finally put Kane out and we’re down to three.

Shawn gets double teamed by HHH and Jericho and it’s time for Chris to dance. A few rams into the cage bust Shawn open. Jericho talks more trash and HHH walks around a lot. Shawn tries to fight back but his piledriver on the cage is countered to backdrop his bad back onto the cage again. There’s the Lionsault….for two.

Shawn comes back with a moonsault press to Jericho for two before putting Jericho in the Walls. HHH finally comes back from getting popcorn or something with a DDT to Shawn. Jericho and HHH finally get in the argument you were expecting and the fight is on. Jericho jumps out of the corner and lands in the Pedigree, but Jericho counters into the Walls. While holding HHH, Shawn kicks Jericho’s head off and it’s down to one on one.

So it’s Shawn, bloodied and injured and in his second match in four years, against an also injured HHH in the main event at Madison Square Garden. The spinebuster puts Shawn down and HHH backdrops him over the top. Shawn sends HHH into the cage but when Shawn tries to Pedigree HHH on the steel, HHH counters into a slingshot through the cage again.

Back in the ring all that gets two and it’s time for the slugout. A facebuster puts Shawn down and it’s another clothesline to put him onto the outside. The Pedigree on the steel is countered into another slingshot into the Chamber wall. Back into the ring and Shawn drops the elbow off the top of the pod. The Superkick is countered into the Pedigree and, say it with me, Shawn kicks out at two. Another Pedigree is countered into a backdrop, followed by the Sweet Chin Music to give Shawn the title.

Rating: D+. I’ve mellowed on this match in the last few years to the point where I’m not mad about it anymore. However, it’s still one of those matches where you look at it and say really. As in REALLY? We’re supposed to buy that Shawn can survive ALL of that and still win the title? You have to keep in mind this isn’t the Shawn who was having the match of the year for like five years running. No one expected him to go on as long as he did. At this point, making it to Wrestlemania would have been impressive.

That’s where this match loses it for me: we’re supposed to buy that Shawn is so great, so amazing, and so tough that he can basically walk off the street and be better than four of the top guys in the business? There comes a point where my suspension of disbelief is cut off and I can’t buy this anymore. We passed that at Summerslam, making this even more ridiculous. This match is also the reason we had to sit through the AWFUL match at Armageddon, where HHH and Shawn got to waste 40 minutes of our time by barely being able to move.

In short, this is way more than I can accept as far as the match being realistic. In wrestling, you have to accept that some stuff is ridiculous. That’s called suspending disbelief. However, there comes a point where that’s not the case any longer. It’s unrealistic in wrestling terms to accept that Shawn can survive all this and win the title. This was pure selfishness from Shawn and HHH, which would get WAY worse in the future. HHH wouldn’t make a new star for over a YEAR when he put Benoit over at Wrestlemania in the same arena.

As for the rest of the match, it’s acceptable, but WAY too long. The Chamber matches need to go about thirty minutes instead of the forty this one went. The last seventeen minutes here, as in the amount of time after Kane is eliminated, are REALLY repetitive and while they had good drama, they needed to be cut. Booker, RVD, Jericho and Kane were all there to fill in spaces and be there for Shawn and HHH to bounce off of. I don’t hate the match, but it really doesn’t work all that well.

Confetti falls to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show overall is pretty solid actually but the main event is a good sized letdown. The Show/Lesnar stuff I went on about enough, but other than those two things the card is pretty solid. The triple threat tag is good stuff but the No Mercy match is even better. This show is worth checking out, but you won’t be thrilled by the Chamber.

Ratings Comparison

Dudley Boys/Jeff Hardy vs. Rico/3 Minute Warning

Original: B

Redo: B-

Billy Kidman vs. Jamie Noble

Original: C+

Redo: B-

Victoria vs. Trish Stratus

Original: C-

Redo: B

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: D-

Redo: D+

Los Guerreros vs. Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit vs. Edge/Rey Mysterio

Original: B

Redo: B+

Shawn Michaels vs. HHH vs. Booker T vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Kane vs. Chris Jericho

Original: B

Redo: D+

Overall Rating

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Dang that’s a big swing on the Chamber. I don’t remember liking it that much the first time.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/02/20/survivor-series-2002-the-longest-rant-about-anything-ive-ever-done/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 9, 2015
Location: Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton

We’re across the ocean for the annual European tour and for once it’s a big night as the World Title tournament begins. Seth Rollins is out due to a torn ACL, meaning it’s time to have a tournament for the vacant title. The brackets will be revealed tonight and it should be interesting to see what they have planned. Let’s get to it.

We open with the title on a stand in the middle of the ring as Cole recaps Rollins’ injury.

Here’s HHH to address the title situation. HHH thanks Seth for always living up to the expectations the Authority had and pauses for a THANK YOU SETH chant. There’s going to be a tournament set up with the winner becoming the new champion at Survivor Series. A few weeks ago though, we crowned a new #1 contender so HHH would like Reigns to come out here right now.

While it’s true that there’s a tournament, it seems unfair to HHH that Reigns should have to walk through the tournament with no advantage. Instead, HHH offers to let Reigns advance to Survivor Series to face the winner of the tournament. The reality is that the Authority was thinking about giving Reigns the spot before they picked Rollins. HHH saw so much potential in Reigns and thinks he could have been the biggest star in the business.

Could Reigns have fought and beaten Brock on his own and then held the title as long as he wanted? It would have been interesting to see. What HHH has seen is Reigns going up against wall after wall and never quitting. All Reigns has to do now is be HHH’s man, which Reigns calls selling out.

HHH doesn’t like that term and says forget all these morals because he could be given everything that he deserves. He even gets more serious by bringing up Reigns’ family. Roman could secure his daughter’s daughter’s future by just saying yes. The fans still say NO and Reigns says the same because he wants to do it his way. HHH thanks him for reminding him why he didn’t pick Reigns in the first place, so welcome to the back of the line. Reigns’ first match is right now. This opens a few doors as Reigns could change his mind or someone else could take the spot instead. Most interesting indeed.

WWE World Title Tournament First Round: Roman Reigns vs. Big Show

Show headbutts him down to start and they go to the floor with Show throwing him over the bottom rope and back inside. See, Show is big and strong. That makes him entertaining in case you haven’t gotten it in the last nearly seventeen years. Reigns dives into a chop to the chest and gets whipped across the ring as this is one sided so far. Show’s splash gets two and he throws Reigns down again as we take another break.

Total dominance so far but at least we’re getting this thing out of the way in the first round instead of sitting through a bunch of Show wins. Back with Reigns firing off right hands but getting caught in a bearhug (that felt like they came back a few seconds early). Reigns throws him off and grabs a Samoan drop, followed by the corner clotheslines. That earns Roman a chokeslam for two but the Superman Punch and spear advance Reigns at 11:57.

Rating: C-. Remember all those other matches they’ve had before? This is the most recent one. There’s nothing interesting between these two and no one on the planet believed Reigns wasn’t advancing here. At the end of the day, Roman Reigns vs. Big Show is the most simple idea that they have anymore and it’s really not working. Find someone else for Reigns to beat up because this match is already rammed into the ground.

Here are the full brackets.

Roman Reigns

Cesaro

Sheamus

Alberto Del Rio

Stardust

Kalisto

Ryback

Titus O’Neil

Kevin Owens

Neville

King Barrett

Dolph Ziggler

Miz

Dean Ambrose

Tyler Breeze

That’s uh….pretty lame. You can almost see the finals from here, save for a quick swerve. If they do turn Ambrose heel against a face Reigns, sweet goodness they’ve lost their minds even more than I thought they had.

Quick video of Undertaker and Kane during their most dominant days. The Wyatts will be paying respect to them later.

Wayne Rooney of Manchester United is here.

WWE World Title Tournament First Round: Titus O’Neil vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title of course. Before the match, Owens says you can buy his theme music on iTunes and put some change in his pockets. “And yes, I actually have pockets on my wrestling gear. That’s how awesome I am.” Owens talks about how WWE needs change right now and what better place than in the smartest fans in the world here in England. However, Owens thinks they’re dumb for following something like the Royal Family. The change is all about Owens though, because this is his show.

Kevin fights out of the corner to start but gets kicked in the face to knock him outside. We take an early break and come back with Titus fighting out of a chinlock. Titus is told that he isn’t on Kevin’s level and pounds away in the corner, followed by the dog bark and a missed charge. The Pop Up Powerbomb ends Titus at 6:56.

Rating: D. Well at least it’s over. This was just an extended workout for Owens and the kind of match he should win with ease. I’m glad we’re getting these lame matches out of the way in the early rounds and at least they’re keeping them quick. Owens could make a real run in this thing and I hope he doesn’t lose clean whenever he’s eliminated.

Owens steals JBL’s hat. Thank goodness that won’t lead to a feud.

Paige thinks Becky Lynch is a rat and the only thing better than beating Baby Flair for the title is beating the B and then taking out the C. I kind of dig that.

Clip of Undertaker beating Sid for the title at Wrestlemania XIII and one of Kane cashing in Money in the Bank to win the title at Money in the Bank 2010.

Paige vs. Becky Lynch

So do they keep the #1 contender strong or have her lose at home instead? They brawl to start with Becky in trouble against the home country star. The fans quiet down until THIS IS MY HOUSE wakes them up all over again. Paige puts her in the Tree of Woe and pulls back on Becky’s arms in an incredibly painful looking hold. They trade abdominal stretches until Becky charges into a superkick (of course) for two. The Rampaige gets the same as Becky is too close to the ropes. Paige loads up the PTO but Becky rolls her up for the pin at 5:00.

Rating: C. They had two options here and they picked the stupid one because this is WWE and that’s all they know how to do. Becky and Paige could do something great but that’s hard to do in just five minutes. It’s very nice to see Becky get a win for a change though as she hasn’t won anything on her own on TV since August.

Post match Paige puts Becky on the table for the PTO (It’s like the same move! BUT ON A TABLE!) until Charlotte makes the save.

Video on Wrestlemania tickets going on sale.

WWE World Title Tournament First Round: Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz

They start fast with Ziggler grabbing a leg but having to escape the Skull Crushing Finale. Miz bails from a superkick but walks into a clothesline. Dolph misses a charge into the corner and Miz starts in on the knee. Now it’s Miz’s turn to have a charge hit buckle and Dolph gets two off a backslide. Miz kicks him in the head and puts on the Figure Four though. Dolph finally makes the rope, pops up and superkicks Miz for the pin at 5:07.

Rating: D+. Logical story with the leg work aside, I really wasn’t feeling this one. The ending felt completely out of nowhere as Ziggler just popped up and hit his secondary finisher. Shouldn’t it at least have been weakened due to the knee injury? Not the worst match here but it’s clear that this generation (as in the pre-NXT generation) really doesn’t get how to put a match together.

Dolph holds up the title. I wouldn’t get used to that Ziggy.

Undertaker dominated people at Survivor Series 2005 and Kane won the Tag Team Titles with Daniel Bryan at Night of Champions 2012.

Here’s MexAmerica to say they don’t want England around because they’re just so hateful. Now England is listening to Germany and Russia and they’re despised around the world. Del Rio calls them all haters and Zeb thanks HHH for the first round title match on Smackdown. Wow that’s not something you hear on Raw anymore. And when is the last time we saw a promo with no action?

Natalya vs. Naomi

Natalya’s epic FACEBOOK challenges continue as she keeps trying to figure out who leads Team Bad. Naomi accepted the challenge on Twitter, which may or may not be on the same footing. Natalya helps the fans with the WE WANT SASHA chants. They go to the floor very quickly with Sasha sending Natalya into the post and messing up her leg. Back in and we’re already on the chinlockery until Natalya fights up with a clothesline. Natalya: “WE WANT SASHA!” The Rear View misses and Natalya sends Naomi into Tamina for a rollup at 2:05.

Sasha comes in post match and is put in the Sharpshooter until Tamina saves for a beatdown.

Undertaker beat up Edge in the Cell in 2008 while Kane destroyed a wedding in 2005.

WWE World Title Tournament First Round: Sheamus vs. Cesaro

The winner gets Roman Reigns and King Barrett is in Sheamus’ corner. During the break after Sheamus’ entrance, Barrett got in an argument with Wayne Rooney to continue a Twitter feud they had earlier in the year. They brawl into the corner to start as is their custom, while JBL goes on about European sports that most Americans don’t care about as is his custom. Sheamus comes back with a quick throw and pounds away with the forearms to the chest as we take a break.

Back with Cesaro fighting out of a chinlock but getting crotched on the top. Cesaro spins around Sheamus’ arm and runs him over, only to have both guys fall out to the floor in a big crash. Cesaro is holding his arm and both guys dive in to beat the count at nine. Sheamus drives him into the corner and loads up a Brogue Kick but Cesaro ducks under a Brogue Kick and tries the Sharpshooter, sending Sheamus bailing to the ropes.

Cesaro uppercuts with the bar arm and dropkicks Sheamus off the top to the floor. There’s another uppercut against the barricade but Sheamus and Barrett start arguing with Rooney. Wayne slaps Barrett in the face and a running uppercut sets up Cesaro’s arm trap small package for the pin at 15:35.

Rating: B-. Take two big, strong guys and let them hit each other for a long time. Sometimes you just need a power brawl and that’s what you got here. Cesaro has no chance against Reigns so we’ll call this his latest win to make you believe he might be a player a few times before he loses three or so in a row. Good stuff here though, as always between these two.

Tyler Breeze calls Renee ugly and wants to get rid of Dean Ambrose’s ugly clothes.

WWE World Title Tournament First Round: Dean Ambrose vs. Tyler Breeze

This is Breeze’s main roster debut. Tyler ducks a clothesline to start and hides in the ropes. Dean loads up a suicide dive but Summer takes Tyler’s place and screams to stop Dean. Ambrose takes him down on the other side of the ring and lays on the barricade as we take a break. Back with Dean hammering away in the corner until Breeze throws him to the floor and takes over. Cole lists off all of Breeze’s nicknames and we get a nice pinfall reversal sequence.

A rollup out of the corner with feet on the ropes gives Tyler a two count. Dean goes up for a missile dropkick but stuns himself on the landing, possibly injuring his shoulder. If it wasn’t hurt though, Tyler sends him into the post twice in a row to make sure it’s hurting. A Fujiwara armbar makes Dean scream but he makes the rope for the break. Tyler gets kicked to the floor and a kid who sounds about five says “THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR MESSING WITH DOLPH ZIGGLER!” Back in and Dean grabs a small package for the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C+. Good debut for Breeze here, save for the whole losing thing. Why they would put him in a match like this for his debut can only be summed by “WWE is stupid and doesn’t get it” but at least it wasn’t a squash. You have to assume Ziggler vs. Breeze for Survivor Series, which should be a Tyler win but stupider things have happened.

Here are the updated brackets.

Roman Reigns

Cesar

Alberto Del Rio

Stardust

Kalisto

Ryback

Owens

Neville

King Barrett

Ziggler

Ambrose

The next Undertaker/Kane moments are Wrestlemania XXVIII for Undertaker and the 2001 Royal Rumble for Kane.

The other three first round tournament matches will take place on Smackdown.

Here’s New Day to complain about being left out of the tournament. Big E. declares it outrageous that they’re being treated like outcasts, even while they stand here so fresh and clean. It wasn’t long ago that they laid out Dolph Ziggler (Big E. faints here), took out their childhood favorites the Dudley Boyz and put out John Cena. This match is for their captain Seth Rollins, so get your horns out. Actually never mind because European magic is gar-bage. Kofi: “And Harry Potter sucks.”

Neville/Usos vs. New Day

A chop sends Woods to the floor and we take a break 32 seconds in. Geez just don’t start the match then. Back with Jimmy caught in the Unicorn Stampede but being able to avoid the Warrior Splash. It’s off to Neville for the fast kicks and a standing moonsault to Woods, followed by the double superkicks and dives from the Usos.

Neville dropkicks Woods onto his partners and it’s time for a big corkscrew moonsault off the top to the floor. Big E. runs over an Uso and Neville goes up for the Red Arrow, only to have the trombone thrown in for a distraction. Big E. shoves Neville off the top and Xavier grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would expect when you have these six in there. It’s good enough with the high flying and fast tags but New Day is much more entertaining when Woods is on the floor being goofy. The Usos will get their rematch and probably the titles back and I’m ok with that at this point. Fun match here but nothing great, ignoring Neville, as in a guy in the tournament, taking a pin of course.

We see the Wyatts taking out Undertaker and Kane recently.

Here’s Bray Wyatt to eulogize the Brothers of Destruction. Bray says change is a part of life and determines who you are. They have been the benchmark for over twenty years and they have reigned supreme. He asks us to bow our heads in remembrance but calls the fans fools for chanting Undertaker’s name. There was no passing of the torch because Bray took the torch and burned both of them into ashes.

Now he controls the thunder and lightning and the demons respond to his commands. The apocalypse is here. Bray kneels and an Undertaker and Kane highlight video starts playing in reverse before going normally. Bray looks upset and Undertaker’s voice says REST IN PEACE. Lightning makes fire come out of the posts and the gong sounds.

Cue Undertaker and Kane to scare Bray even more. They stare him down but the lights go out again (pay your bills you deadbeats) and the other three Wyatts are here. Undertaker punches Bray down and Harper and Rowan are punched away as well. Strowman gets in and takes off his mask but Harper and Rowan have to be chokeslammed first. A double clothesline to the Brothers just causes a double situp and Strowman is sent to the floor. Bray is all alone but Braun has to be sent over the announcers’ table. Bray gets chokeslammed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I don’t like tournaments. They’re a fun idea in theory but you wind up seeing the same people fight multiple times and dragging out a concept longer than it needs to go. Now this show did a good job of keeping things moving and at least seemed to set up the semi-finals and finals at Survivor Series. Some of the matches are lame and you can see where they’re going with it, but at least the final match should be fun and there are several seeds being planted for later. Good, efficient show this week but the big stuff is coming soon.

Results

Roman Reigns b. Big Show – Spear

Kevin Owens b. Titus O’Neil – Pop Up Powerbomb

Becky Lynch b. Paige – Small package

Dolph Ziggler b. The Miz – Superkick

Natalya b. Naomi – Rollup

Cesaro b. Sheamus – Arm trap small package

Dean Ambrose b. Tyler Breeze – Small package

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

In case you haven’t been paying attention this week, the big story is Seth Rollins tearing his ACL and being forced to vacate the WWE World Title. This has set up a tournament at Survivor Series 2015 for the vacant belt and there’s a really popular theory out there about the result. Here’s something to keep in mind about it.

So the theory is that Roman Reigns turned corporate/heel and wins the tournament, possibly beating Ambrose in the finals. That’s the theory I’m going with (meaning it’s likely wrong) and so are a lot of other people because it makes a lot of sense. However, this brings up a problem.

With so many people predicting it, don’t think that it’s a bad idea. Assuming it happens, don’t think that it’s stupid booking just because people guessed it was going to happen. This is a good idea, no matter how many people figure it out because it opens the door for a lot of stories and sets up a bunch of matches down the line. Reigns isn’t great as a face but imagine him with that smug grin saying something like “You knew it was happening one day and now it’s happening whether you like it or not.”

For some reason, people think predictable is bad. NXT is one of the most predictable shows in wrestling but it’s also entertaining because they don’t do crazy things just to fool the audience. As usual, I’ll go back to Wrestlemania XIV: would you have Austin lose to Michaels and not win the title just because everyone knew he was winning that night? Of course not, because it would be a horrible decision. People knew it was coming and it kicked off some of the most profitable times the company and business have ever seen.

Just because you’ve figured out the ending doesn’t make it stupid. That’s like saying a mystery isn’t a good story because you read the clues properly and solved it. It means you’re thinking logically and picking up on the clues like you were supposed to. Keep that in mind as we head to Survivor Series.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

Smackdown
Date: November 5, 2015
Location: World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Rich Brennan, Booker T.

As inconsequential as Smackdown is most of the time, this show is even moreso than usual. Last night at a house show in Ireland, Seth Rollins ripped his knee to shreds and is out until next summer. The title has been vacated for a tournament at Survivor Series but this show was already taped in advance so most of this isn’t going to matter. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

There’s another Survivor Series match tonight with the Prime Time Players and Lucha Dragons vs. the Wyatt Family. So yeah, they’ve built up the Dragons and now they’re feeding them to the Wyatts three days later.

Here’s MexAmerica to open things up. Colter talks about how there will be no hatred in MexAmerica. We don’t need borders in our lives because we will all be one great nation. There are black hearts out there who lie about hating at least one person in the world and they don’t belong. Viva MexAmerica.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Neville

Non-title. Del Rio starts with the kicks in the corner and another to the back for an early two. A quick headscissors takes Alberto down and Neville gets two of his own off a standing shooting star, only to have a Backstabber send him to the floor. Back from a break with Del Rio in control until Neville sends him outside for a moonsault to the floor. Neville slams him on the top of his head with a hurricanrana (intentionally, called a spike rana by Brennan). He tries a few too many flips though, allowing Del Rio to kick him off the top and into the Tree of Woe, setting up the double stomp for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. Fun back and forth match here and I’m very glad that Del Rio isn’t using the superkick as often as he’s done before. It’s kind of odd that they would have that move get him the big win against Cena and then he goes with something else for most of his matches. Maybe the superkick is supposed to be his big finisher that he only uses for major matches?

Post match Del Rio hits the low superkick. So much for any rhyme or reason. Neville gets put in the cross armbreaker but Jack Swagger makes the save.

Usos vs. Ascension

Again the booking makes little sense. You can throw Ascension out here to job but you can’t put them out against the Dragons on Monday and sacrifice Barrett and Sheamus instead? Jimmy and Viktor start and after ducking Viktor’s leapfrog, it’s time to dance. Viktor doesn’t like dancing (there’s a Footloose joke in there somewhere) and sends Jimmy to the floor, followed by a catapult into Konnor’s spinebuster.

Booker talks about training the Usos in an interesting bit as we hit the chinlock. An enziguri gets Jimmy out of trouble and it’s the double tag as everything breaks down. Here’s the finishing sequence: superkick, double superkick, double superkick, Superfly Splash to Viktor for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C-. I am so, so sick of superkicks. There are now at least ten people on the active roster that uses them in one form or another. I mean……do something else! The Usos looked good here and should be a nice set of challengers for the New Day. They’ve been out long enough that they feel fresh again and can certainly back it up in the ring.

We look at Bray’s speech and fireworks display on Monday.

Wyatt Family vs. Prime Time Players/Lucha Dragons

Survivor Series rules but they still don’t know if 4 on 4 or 5 on 5 is the traditional format. Rowan throws Young around to start and it’s off to Harper vs. Titus. We get the traditional reference to Lawler’s mini Kings as Bray comes in to destroy Young. With the situation well in hand, it’s back to Harper for a catapult into the bottom rope. The announcers bring up the idea that the Wyatts injured Orton’s shoulder for a nice surprise.

Bray hits Darren in the face to stop a comeback and it’s off to Strowman who has really cooled off in the last few weeks. Strowman chokes Young off on the apron but drops him at five, giving us a countout elimination at 5:13. Back from a break with Titus as the next designated victim. Harper takes him into the corner where Titus tries a comeback, only to get dragged to the bad corner again.

O’Neil finally escapes and makes the tag off to Cara as things speed way up. A suicide dive takes out Rowan and a hurricanrana gets two on Harper. Rowan breaks up another cover but Kalisto knocks him to the floor. The discus lariat knocks Cara out cold for the elimination at 12:54. Kalisto comes in for his kicks but walks into a half nelson suplex. It’s back to Rowan for his fist head vice for a bit before Kalisto manages to low bridge him to the floor.

Strowman pulls Titus off the apron, leaving Kalisto to kick Harper down. A handspring into an enziguri staggers Bray but Rowan gets in a full nelson slam to put Kalisto out at 16:01, leaving Titus alone 4-1. Rowan starts so Titus fires off right hands and a clothesline. The Clash of the Titus puts Harper down but Bray and Erick make the save. Strowman chokes him out and Sister Abigail FINALLY ends this at 19:59.

Rating: D-. What the heck was the point of this? This is supposed to make me want to watch Survivor Series? A twenty minute squash where you knew what the lone high spots were Kalisto and Sin Cara doing their stuff before getting squashed as you knew they were going to be? Bad idea here in a match that should have taken half as long.

Ambrose talks about waking up this morning at 11am for a chat with the spirit of John Denver, who gave him a new song and told him that he would have a match tonight. Owens comes in to say Dean is annoying Renee and remind him of what he has to do tonight to be a champion. Tonight won’t be like the ten man circus on Monday. Dean: “John Denver warned me about that guy.”

King Barrett vs. Ryback

They’re on the floor in a hurry with Barrett posting him a few times in a row. A big boot gets two for the King and a Boss Man Slam gets the same. We hit the chinlock for a bit and Barrett even jumps onto his back, only to be moved over into the Shell Shock for the pin at 2:20. Raise your hand if you believed Barrett’s latest push was going to make it a month before falling apart.

Recap of Team Bad beating Natalya down last week.

Team Bad laughs at Natalya for getting annoyed at the attack last week. Natalya has gone nuclear and gone to FACEBOOK to challenge Team Bad’s leader. Sasha seems to think that’s her so I guess that’s our match.

Natalya vs. Tamina

This is decided after a brief argument between the other two. Tamina runs Natalya over to start and drops a knee. Booker: “When you need a job done, you call Tamina.” There’s a lot of truth in that. Fans: “WE WANT SASHA!” Tamina: “YOU CAN’T HAVE HER!” You know what they can have though? A superkick! Off to a chinlock for a bit before Natalya hits a quick discus lariat. Sasha’s distraction breaks up the Sharpshooter though and it’s a Samoan drop to put Natalya down again. The Superfly Splash hits knees though and Natalya grabs a rollup for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: D. Well she certainly did the job. I’m hoping this leads to the end of Team Bad and the teams in general as there’s has been no reason for them to exist for the last several months. Keep in mind that they’ve only been around for about three months now and I think you get the idea.

Recap of the Survivor Series match from Monday.

We get an inserted announcement of Rollins’ injury and the tournament.

Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title because of course it is. This is another thing I don’t understand: assuming Ambrose doesn’t pin him here, why not make this a title match? Dean pinned him on Monday so why not do it here and potentially build to a rematch at the pay per view? Either that or don’t do this match here. Lawler: “Owens has been in the hospital several time for narcissism treatment. He keeps checking himself out.” Dang it why did that make me chuckle? They trade headlocks to start (Kevin: “My headlock is better than yours!”) and Dean armdrags him to the floor.

Back from a break with Dean cranking on an armbar before clotheslining Owens over the top. Kevin sends him hard into the barricade to take over though, followed by the backsplash inside. Owens takes too much time yelling at Lawler though, allowing Dean to get in a superplex. The standing elbow drop gets two and a missile dropkick puts Kevin down again. Owens superkicks him into the ropes for the rebound lariat (thankfully not called the Lunatic Lariat) but Owens claims a low blow off a kick and that’s a DQ at 13:47.

Rating: C+. I could see these two having a really good feud if they’re allowed to go off the rails a little bit with the promos and build. Then again it’s hard to say if the match is going to happen as these two are strong candidates for the upcoming tournament. Good enough here though and I liked the twist on the ending instead of Owens just walking out.

The replay shows that the kick was way above the waist. Dean goes after him but Owens bails into the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. That Survivor Series match really brought this show down as the rest of it was pretty good. As I said though, it’s really hard to know where Survivor Series is going as a lot of the show is going to be dedicated to the tournament, but there’s not much else they can do. Good enough show here though as Smackdown has been doing a bit better lately.

Results

Alberto Del Rio b. Neville – Top rope double stomp

Usos b. Ascension – Superfly Splash to Viktor

Wyatt Family b. Prime Time Players/Lucha Dragons last eliminating Titus O’Neil

Ryback b. King Barrett – Shell Shock

Natalya b. Tamina – Rollup

Kevin Owens b. Dean Ambrose via DQ when Ambrose kicked him low

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

http://www.wwe.com/inside/seth-rollins-injury-title-tournament-survivor-series-28164051

Well that changes everything.  I’d assume Reigns gets it but my goodness how much do they wish they had Orton and Cena back right now.

I’m not even sure how they do a tournament. You figure eight guys but do they have eight names big enough? Does Wyatt enter or do the match with Undertaker?

Reigns would seem to be the heavy favorite and most logical choice but they might throw a curveball. It’s their best chance to in a long time.

So who would be in?

Reigns
Sheamus
Barrett
Wyatt?
Del Rio
Ryback
Owens
Ambrose

I’m having trouble coming up with any more but that’s more like an Intercontinental Title tournament than a World Title tournament.

NXT
Date: November 4, 2015
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

It’s a big show this week as Finn Balor is defending his NXT Title against #1 contender Apollo Crews. NXT has spent the last few weeks building up Crews and giving us a person to care about but there aren’t any real personal issues between the two other than the title itself. That could make for a good match but it might not be the most interesting. Let’s get to it.

The opening video recaps Crews winning the battle royal and becoming #1 contender.

Opening sequence.

Asuka vs. Cameron

This could be interesting. Fans: “ASUKA’S GONNA KILL YOU!” Cameron tries a slap to start but gets caught in a cross armbreaker for an early submission attempt. A running kick into the splits drops Asuka but she comes back with a hip attack and mocks Cameron’s pose. Askua grabs a Fujiwara armbar before just smashing Cameron in the face. Fans: “REST IN PEACE!” The Asuka Lock is good for the submission at 3:41.

Rating: D+. I kind of feel sorry for Cameron as she has a horrible character and there is no way she’s going to be accepted no matter how good she gets in the ring. Some of the gymnastics and flexibility stuff worked for her here but the screeching makes people hate her more than anything. Asuka’s path of destruction continues to be awesome and her facial expressions make the squashes that much more entertaining.

We recap Big Cass’ leg injury from last week.

Dawson and Wilder laugh at Carmella for injuring her friends. They get their title shot next week and then they’ll be the baddest guys in the room. Wilder even brings in a wheelchair as a gift for the Vaudevillains.

Chad Gable and Jason Jordan want to keep moving up the card and one day they’ll be the world’s greatest tag team. Jordan: “Whoa whoa whoa I told you about that.” Their next idea is to wrestle the greatest tag team in NXT history. Gable: “We can’t wrestle ourselves.” This winds up being a challenge to the Ascension.

Bull Dempsey vs. Angelo Dawkins

Dawkins has a Sawyer Fulton with him. The threat of a right hand makes Dawkins duck, allowing a knee lift to the head. Dawkins kicks him down and puts on a front facelock but Dempsey Bulls up. Bull punches one of the headbands off and a top rope seated senton gives Dempsey the pin at 2:53.

Fulton walks away from Dawkins post match.

The Vaudevillains are impressed with Dash and Dawson but they’re ready to add their names to the pantheon of NXT greats. They sent the wheelchair rolling away. Simple promo here but it was fine.

Crews looks at the NXT Title.

Bayley has the Hype Bros as her partners against Alexa Bliss/Blake/Murphy for a six person tag next week.

Eva Marie vs. Marley

Marley is a blonde in half of a football jersey. Eva armdrags her down and dances to celebrate before starting on the arm. The fans debate if Eva is rachet before she stops a comeback with a boot to the face. Fans: “WHAT WAS THAT???” Marley is on her hands and knees so Eva runs in for a very low downward spiral and the pin at 2:48. If that’s her finisher, she’s in an even worse place than I thought.

Dana Brooke and Emma respect Asuka but want to give her a better welcome to NXT. It’s Emma’s turn soon.

NXT Title: Apollo Crews vs. Finn Balor

Balor is defending and there’s no Demon this time. We get a spotlight and a staredown for the big match intros. That’s a really cool idea that I haven’t seen before. Feeling out process to start with neither guy’s headlock getting them anywhere. Back from a way too early break with Crews holding a headlock. Finn fights up and grabs a front facelock but Crews lifts him up into a delayed vertical suplex for two. Fans: “THAT’S TOO EASY!”

Off to something like a cobra clutch from the champ but Crews tries a sunset flip. That’s fine with Finn who rolls through and takes Apollo’s face off with a basement dropkick. Crews kicks him back down and goes to the middle rope, only to take an enziguri to put him on the floor. Finn nails a BIG flip dive to take us to our second break. Back with Balor firing off some running chops in the corner, followed by a clothesline for two.

Crews shrugs it off again and hits a fall away slam into a Samoan drop for two more. The fans are still split as Apollo nails a jumping enziguri, only to get caught in the Sling Blade. There’s the gorilla press but the moonsault hits knees. REVERSE BLOODY SUNDAY of all things gets two but the Coup de Grace misses. They trade kicks to the head and both guys are down until Baron Corbin runs in for the DQ at 15:09.

Rating: B. Give this a finish and it’s a borderline classic. These guys beat each other up for fifteen minutes and the shots were getting bigger and bigger every time. I’m sure we’ll see them fight again at some point and it’s going to be one heck of a war whenever they do. Really good stuff here but the ending was the right call as you don’t want either one losing.

Post match Corbin beats both guys down until Samoa Joe makes the save. Joe stars Corbin down but then takes Balor out to turn heel. Fans: “WHY JOE WHY?” A Muscle Buster lays Finn out and Joe holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Another week, another great use of an hour to advance a bunch of stories and give you a reason to come back next week. Balor needed a new top heel and Joe is going to be a great opponent when they probably fight in London. As usual, another good hour of wrestling TV this week as they set up matches and stories so smoothly that it’s like one big, long story that just keeps going, which is so much better than the start and stop style that you get elsewhere.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

http://www.wrestlingrumors.net/seth-rollins-possibly-injured/44556/

It’s a leg/knee and he was helped to the back.  There’s no word on how serious it is but it’s always noteworthy.

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 2, 2015
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton

We’re still in the build towards Survivor Series and tonight we might find out who is likely to join Undertaker and Kane in what seems to be a Survivor Series elimination tag against the Wyatt Family. Other than that it’s time to build towards Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Roman Reigns to say he’s glad to be here as the #1 contender and the next World Champion. Rollins on the other hand is a brown nosing kiss up and his luck runs out at Survivor Series. This brings out Rollins who knows that Reigns is good. If he wasn’t good then Seth wouldn’t have recruited him into the Shield. Rollins hits the verbal recap button (can we please get him to cut that out) as he brings up Wrestlemania but Reigns wants to fight right now.

The champ starts towards the ring and it’s the Authority to make sure nothing happens without their approval. Stephanie teases doing the match tonight but says you’ll have to watch Survivor Series. So they’re heels this week. HHH thinks we should have a five on five elimination tag right here tonight (because building that up for NEXT week is such a bad idea) with Reigns and Rollins as captains.

Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

Non-title. In an inset promo, Owens says he doesn’t care about people booing him because no one can beat him. Owens starts right in on Ziggler’s bad knee and mocks him as only the champ can do. Ziggler misses a charge in the corner and bangs up the knee again (Owens: “THIS CLOSE!”). Kevin misses the backsplash though and the running knee sends him to the floor. Tyler Breeze and Summer Rae come out as we take a break.

Back with Breeze and Summer in their roped off seats as Owens chinlocks Ziggler. Dolph finally jawbreaks his way to freedom and limps into a neckbreaker to put Owens down again. A couple of rollups get two each for Dolph but he stops selling the knee so Kevin sends him flying with a release German suplex. The Cannonball is blocked with a superkick but the camera cuts to Tyler and Summer taking pictures instead of watching the near fall. Well to be fair Summer is streaming on something and that’s what matters in WWE. Tyler’s distraction lets Owens grab the Pop Up Powerbomb for the pin at 11:02.

Rating: C-. Not great here and I could have done without hearing about Summer streaming video on whatever she was doing. Back in my day, you watched the video of the match during the match instead of trying to find some video on the internet. Owens is still on a roll though and Breeze gets to mess with Dolph even more so well done.

Post match Tyler goes to pose over Ziggler but gets punched in the face. That earns Ziggler a Beauty Shot as Summer continues to stream.

We look back at 1987 when the first Survivor Series took place on Thanksgiving night. That was a great show.

Rollins recruits Owens for his team tonight with promises of a title match at Wrestlemania.

We look at Paige going full heel last week.

Becky Lynch says the only B in PCB was Paige. Brie comes up and says she’s winning the four way for the #1 contendership instead of Charlotte’s wacky sidekick. Becky calls Brie her sister’s doormat and Renee finds this awesome.

Cesaro vs. The Miz

Byron: “I’ve got to get me a section like Cesaro.” Cole: “Byron no one likes you.” Cesaro nips up out of a wristlock to start but gets sent into the post and barricade to put Miz in control. Back in and we hit the chinlock as Stardust and the Ascension are still watching from the crowd. The Skull Crushing Finale is broken up and we hit the Cesaro Swing for a LONG time. The Sharpshooter makes Miz tap out at 4:49.

Rating: C. Not bad here and it’s nice to see Cesaro get a win, even if it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. It would be nice to see this Cesaro vs. Stardust thing go anywhere other than just watching for weeks on end but I’m sure that’s coming soon enough. I miss the days when you would have matches that didn’t have much of a meaning like this one. You can’t do that all the time but it’s nice once in a while.

Here are the Wyatts with something to say. Bray says every night is special but tonight he wants to give the people something even more important. Everyone here has recently seen Bray and his brothers taking care of Undertaker and Kane but it’s not about taking their bodies. The bodies are temporary but their souls live forever.

Unless the souls are consumed by a higher power (there would be a Vince joke here but all of the good ones are probably already covered) like Bray, who has already harvested the souls of Undertaker and Kane. Bray summons the thunder and lightning (thunder rolls and purple lightning comes out of the posts) because he now controls the powers of darkness. A bunch of fireworks go off and we see a highlight video of the Brothers of Destruction. Cool segment but go win something.

Lucha Dragons vs. King Barrett/Sheamus

We actually get a video on the Dragons before the match so they must be the next New Day challengers. Kalisto kicks at Sheamus’ leg to start but gets shoved away. It’s off to Barrett for a kick to the head before Cara monkey flips Kalisto into a 450 for two. The King finally gets going and sends Kalisto outside and into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus hammering Kalisto in the corner but he rolls away and makes the tag off to Cara for some house cleaning. A suicide dive takes Barrett out and Sheamus misses a charge into the post. Barrett knocks Cara off the top and onto Sheamus’ knees before driving Cara back first into the barricade for two. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Barrett does his kick to the ribs in the corner.

Sheamus gets two off a suplex before it’s back to Barrett for the knees against the ropes. The King even does the Dragons pose with a EU-ROPE chant. Cara counters Sheamus’ suplex into a DDT and it’s back to Kalisto with the real hot tag. A quick rollup gets two but Barrett takes him down and loads up the Bullhammer, only to charge into the Salida Del Sol for the pin at 13:38.

Rating: C+. Who had three weeks in the “how long before Barrett gets pinned in an upset” pool? You knew it was coming, I knew it was coming, Barrett knew it was coming. I liked that they’re getting the Dragons ready, but you have the Ascension on the roster for this same match. Oh wait we can’t do that because having teams go across to a different story might get too complicated.

Jack Swagger comes in to see Zeb Colter and doesn’t like the idea of MexAmerica. Colter puts over the idea while also taking a jab at Canada. The camera pans over to Del Rio, who tells Swagger to stay away. Was he just standing there the whole time and no one acknowledged him? Well it makes sense on sitcoms and WWE is a step beneath those so this works.

Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth

Non-title and in case Del Rio squashing him on Smackdown wasn’t enough for you. Truth charges to start and Alberto goes to the floor. Back in and Del Rio grabs the armbreaker across the top rope. Truth comes back with some clotheslines (he wasn’t in the armbreaker that long) followed by the ax kick for two. Del Rio kicks him in the head and ties Truth in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the chest, followed by the top rope double stomp (and yes Truth is still in the Tree of Woe for those of you who ask me if Del Rio is using Finn Balor’s move every time) for the pin at 3:23.

Rating: D. This could be subtitled “Even we don’t watch Smackdown” because it’s the same match (plus two minutes) that these two had last week. As usual it makes me wonder why I waste my time on that show when they’re not even going to mention it on Raw and just do the same match. Boring match both times too.

Clip of the Raw vs. Smackdown Survivor Series match in 2005.

Rollins lets Big E. and Kofi (still no Woods) join the team if they can find a fifth man. They hold up the unicorns and look like they have ice cream headaches until Xavier returns to complete the team. A TEAM RO-LLINS dance party starts but Seth walks off.

Sasha knows the fans want her because she’s the Boss. She also reminds JoJo that Halloween was Saturday.

Sasha Banks vs. Brie Bella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Paige

Winner gets the shot at Survivor Series. No Nikki, who is out with an injury. Brie and Sasha shove each other around to start until Becky dropkicks them down and nips up. Sasha and Becky trade some rollups for two each but Becky starts going after the knee to take over. Brie finally comes back in with a double middle rope dropkick. We get some running BRIE MODE (which now means no facial expressions instead of getting smashed) knees but Paige superkicks Brie down.

Becky and Paige get in a brawl with Lynch going into the steps. Sasha gets two off the double knees in the corner but gets sent throat first into the middle rope. Brie misses the middle rope dropkick and Paige gets a quick two as we take a break. Back with Brie doing the YES Kicks because she doesn’t know how to be a heel.

After taking their sweet time we get a Tower of Doom with Sasha taking the superplex and Becky powerbombing everyone down. The Disarm-Her has Brie in trouble but Sasha makes the save and gets two on Becky off a neckbreaker. The Bank Statement has Becky in trouble (she looked like she was tapping) but Paige breaks it up and hooks the Rampaige to pin Becky at 13:18.

Rating: B. Now that was more like it. This wasn’t about teams or ESTABLISHING CONTROL or who started a revolution because the stupid Stephanie part was erased from existence. This was four women fighting for a title and personal issues, which makes a match so much more interesting than what we’ve sat through for months.

Paige says anyone who cheered for any of the other three is a loser. Anyone who cheers for Charlotte will be a loser too because she’s going to lose at Survivor Series. Simple words here but it got the point across.

Clip from last year’s Survivor Series main event with no mention of Sting. So the show debuted, then nothing happened for 18 years, then it was last year.

Team Rollins vs. Team Reigns

Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, New Day

Roman Reigns, Unknown, TBA, TBD, A mystery partner

Elimination rules and New Day comes out first. Woods: “You know we’re going to talk so SHHHH!” Big E. talks about surviving the Dudleyz and Kofi says the New Day’s favorite band is Survivor. Their favorite reality show? Survivor. Their favorite Destiny’s Child song? Survivor. Favorite book and movie? Lone Survivor. Woods: “Technically Last Unicorn but regardless.”

First up for the partners: the returning Usos. During their entrance, Cole sounds shocked, until he announces that they’ll be on ESPN tomorrow night. The other two are Ryback and Ambrose, neither of which are any sort of surprise. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Woods charges into a superkick to start and Jey adds the Superfly Splash for the elimination at 37 seconds.

Back with Jey taking the rotating stomps in the corner which JBL names the Unicorn Stampede. I can’t stand JBL but that’s the best name I’ve heard in years. Owens hits the Cannonball but Jey escapes a chinlock and dives over for the tag to his brother. Big E. gets low bridged to the floor and the double dive takes New Day out. Back in and a frog splash eliminates Kofi at 7:45 to make it 5-3.

An enziguri and a superkick drops Big E. but he crotches Jey on top. The Big Ending makes it 4-3 and a Pop Up Powerbomb takes Jimmy out to tie things up at 9:02. Reigns comes in to clean house and everything breaks down until Owens superkicks Reigns and takes us to a break. Back with Rollins coming in to stomp on Reigns like a good heel should do. After a long chinlock it’s back to Owens for a backsplash and some hard right hands to the head.

Reigns slugs away at Rollins but Seth is smart enough to knock Ambrose off the apron to make the hot tag a bit more difficult. It’s a double tag to bring in Ryback and Big E. and everything breaks down again. Ambrose does his slide under the bottom rope into a clothesline on Owens but gets sent into the steps. Ryback slips out of the Big Ending and Shell Shock gets rid of Big E at 21:30. Rollins is right there to Pedigree Ryback at 21:50 and we’re down to Ambrose/Reigns vs. Ryback/Rollins.

Ambrose gets thrown in for a fight with Rollins and the top rope standing elbow gets two on the champ. Back to Owens for a fireman’s carry gutbuster and a lot of trash talk. I could go for Owens vs. Ambrose, even if it’s them playing Parcheesi. Seth’s top rope knee to the head gets two on Dean and the frustration sets in. Owens stops the comeback with a superkick but Seth knees his partner by mistake.

Dirty Deeds gets rid of Kevin at 27:30 and it’s Ambrose/Reigns vs. Rollins. Seth tries to run but keeps getting caught and the beating is on. Rollins is finally caught in the corner for the rapid fire clotheslines. He manages to escape the Doomsday Device but Ambrose keeps him out of the crowd. Rollins grabs a chair though and it’s a DQ at 30:03.

Rating: B-. First of all: the following people use superkicks.

Paige

Jimmy Uso

Jey Uso

Alberto Del Rio

Luke Harper

Seth Rollins

Dolph Ziggler

Rusev

Kevin Owens

Tyler Breeze

And I might be forgetting some. I know the company edict is that Shawn Michaels is the greatest of all time but LEARN SOMETHING NEW. Even the Young Bucks do something else every now and then.

The match itself was a good, long Survivor Series match and that…..doesn’t make a lot of sense. The ending is fine, but why in the world would you do a thirty minute main event style match here when you have a pay per view for them in twenty days? This is the annoying thinking that WWE has lately and it drives me crazier every single week. Put the eight guys into a match at the pay per view with title shots on the line or something but don’t do it this way. The action was good though and the Usos are clearly going for the titles sooner rather than later.

Rollins cleans house with the chair but Reigns gets in a Superman Punch to send him running to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had some major faults and it’s really not as good as last week. The main event was a fun idea but again: WHY IS IT HAPPENING THE NIGHT IT’S ANNOUNCED??? Give both guys a week or two to set up their teams and do it on the go home show or something but stop announcing the match and doing it in the same night.

The Wyatt promo was good but I’m always skeptical about believing in Bray’s latest push. Let him win something big and I’ll buy into him more but until then I’m waiting on the loss in the big match. The Divas match was good and logical, probably because Nikki wasn’t there to be treated as the star of the whole thing.

This show worked but the whole idea of having a Survivor Series match three weeks before Survivor Series makes my head hurt. It’s the same old WWE booking theory: let’s give them the same thing over and over again and then ask them to pay to see it again on a different night. The show is still WAY better than it was a few weeks ago though and that’s a good sign going forward.

Results

Kevin Owens b. Dolph Ziggler – Pop Up Powerbomb

Cesaro b. The Miz – Sharpshooter

Lucha Dragons b. Sheamus/King Barrett – Salida Del Sol to Barrett

Alberto Del Rio b. R-Truth – Top rope double stomp

Paige b. Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Brie Bella – Rampaige to Lynch

Team Reigns b. Team Rollins last eliminating Seth Rollins

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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

WWE has acknowledged the injury and it’s not good.http://www.wwe.com/inside/randy-orton-injured-november-2015-28150944

The company doctor says at this point it’s a matter of when Orton would hurt his shoulder again rather than when.  Surgery is likely and Orton would be out four to six months.  That means he could miss Wrestlemania.

Smackdown
Date: October 29, 2015
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Rich Brennan, Booker T.

We’re coming off a good Raw and we now have a fresh #1 contender in Roman Reigns. The other big story however is Bray Wyatt kidnapping both the Undertaker and Kane in order to feast on their souls. It’s pretty clear that this is leading to a Survivor Series match but the Brothers of Destruction need partners. Let’s get to it.

We open with a narrated recap of the Wyatts’ recent actions.

The Wyatts say the spirits that fueled the Brothers of Destruction now belong to him. To celebrate the fallen sons on the day of the dead, Bray issues a challenge to any three souls brave enough to face his monsters. Fitting for a Halloween show. Rowan says he was never allowed to dress us for Halloween because it was too sinful. Harper says evil is very real and these aren’t costumes. Bray wishes his condolences to anyone who faces them and pulls out Kane’s mask. He hands it to Strowman, who promises annihilation awaits. Run.

Opening sequence.

The arena is full of Halloween decorations to give it a more festive feeling.

Here’s Reigns to open things up. Reigns has had one goal since he’s been here and that is to be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He’s been knocked down a lot but he’s dusted himself up and now he’s back in the fight. The only man left in front of him is Seth Rollins but here’s Kevin Owens to add himself to the mix. Owens says Reigns stole one from him on Monday. “YAY! YAY! EVERYBODY YAY! GO ROMAN!”

Monday wasn’t Reigns overcoming the odds because it was just a fluke. Roman must know that he was a second away from being powerbombed and pinned. Believe that. Reigns thinks that sounds like an excuse because it was straight skill that beat Owens. Kevin can whine Owens whine, or he can come in here right now and fight Owens fight.

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

Non-title. A quick point before we get going: as Owens came out, Brennan said they were scheduled for a match tonight. I’m so glad they actually announced that for once instead of just having a spontaneous match. It helps the show feel realistic for a change and that always helps. Reigns shoulders him out to the floor to start and scores with a neckbreaker as we take an early break. Back with Reigns putting him on the floor again but getting sent into the barricade this time around.

Owens throws him with a fall away slam for two back inside but Reigns kicks him in the face for two. See? There are moves other than clotheslines. Owens one ups him with a superkick but Roman breaks up the Cannonball with a clothesline. The threat of the Superman Punch scares Owens to the floor but he escapes a Samoan drop. Roman breaks up the swinging fisherman’s superplex (I miss that move) and Superman Punches Kevin to the floor. That’s enough for Owens and it’s a countout at 11:15.

Rating: B-. Well done here by not having Owens get pinned. You can tell when the company has flipped the switch and gone back to work because they don’t do stupid stuff like having their champions get pinned in a meaningless match. Reigns winning via countout is fine here and leaves the door open for a bigger rematch down the line. Owens looked competitive here which is all you can ask for against a main event star.

Ambrose, describing himself as ruggedly handsome, tells Renee (in a green fairy costume) to ask if he’s going to accept the Wyatts’ challenge. Of course he is because he slays monsters. He’ll be waiting to find out who is joining the ghostbusting monster squad but he’ll fight alone if he has to. Dean leaves and a ghost comes up behind Renee. It’s BOO Dallas, who promises to scare someone tonight.

Dudley Boyz vs. Ascension vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Sheamus/King Barrett

This is called Tag Team Terror which means fatal four way. New Day comes out on commentary and they now have unicorn horns. Kofi doesn’t like the four teams not wearing costumes because it means it means they don’t believe in magic. Big E.: “SHAME!” Kofi and Big E. join in on commentary as Kalisto headscissors Sheamus down. Bully and Barrett come in as New Day does their reporter voices.

The Dragons dropkick Ascension and the good guys clear the ring as we take a break. Back with Bubba yelling at New Day (Kofi: “THIS IS NOW THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT!”) and D-Von elbowing Sheamus in the face for two. Kalisto comes in and is promptly stomped down by the pasty one (Big E.’s words), followed by a chinlock. Big E. thinks Sheamus is a carpenter because he’s hitting Kalisto like a hammer. Kofi: “YOU SEE WHAT HE DID THERE??? YOU SEE WHAT HE DID THERE???”

Off to Viktor for a spinebuster on Kalisto as Big E. tells Brennan to take notes. Konnor goes shoulder first into the post and it’s Sin Cara coming in off the hot tag. Cara’s hurricanana gets two on Konnor but everything breaks down with the Dudleyz coming in to hold Sheamus and Barrett for a double What’s Up. The Dragons get backdropped onto Ascension as Kofi and Big E. have completely taken over commentary with their nasal voices. A blind tag brings in Kalisto for a Salida Del Sol from the apron to pin Viktor at 10:32.

Rating: C. Another entertaining match with the Dragons getting a nice win. As usual though, New Day stole the show here as they jumped from their usual commentary to some hilarious comedy with the voices. Kofi’s was shockingly good and I forgot who I was listening to at times. Oh and again: the up and comers don’t get pinned. Fun match, outstanding commentary.

Lawler has an idea for a costume: write LIFE on a shirt and hand everyone lemons. Brennan: “Why not pennies?” Lawler: “You idiot.”

Ambrose can’t figure out Cesaro’s costume. Cesaro is in a suit and sunglasses but that’s just how he normally dresses. He offers to be Dean’s partner tonight but Dean insists that Cesaro swing them around so many times that their beards fly off. Cesaro: “You can be Jason Vorhees or something.” Dean: “I’ll just be me.” They leave and BOO Dallas appears again.

We recap last week’s MizTV with Tyler Breeze debuting to beat up Dolph Ziggler.

Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz

Trick or Treat street fight, meaning the ring is surrounded by Halloween decorations, including about twenty pumpkins around the apron. Lawler says Ziggler is dressed as Nikki Sixx. Miz kicks some pumpkins around to start but Ziggler holds onto the ropes to block a catapult. As Ziggler pulls himself back in, Miz finds a plastic sword. That’s fine with Ziggler who has a kendo stick painted like candy corn.

The duel goes to Dolph and he shoves Miz’s face into a bowl of apples and water. That’s not enough as Ziggler puts a pumpkin over Miz’s head and breaks it up with a superkick. Miz has had enough of these shenanigans and starts going after the knee with a stick shot. The leg is wrapped around the post and Miz crushes it with a chair. It’s Figure Four time but Ziggler counters into a small package for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C-. This was fine. They kept the jokes short enough that it didn’t seem corny and it was fun enough while it lasted. Ziggler pinning Miz doesn’t mean much as Miz can bounce back in no time and Ziggler is moving on to Breeze anyway. The match was fun enough and they didn’t get stupid like they so often do with these theme matches.

Ziggler is down post match so here’s Breeze to go after the knee with the kendo stick.

We recap Paige going full heel on Monday.

Paige vs. Natalya

Paige superkicks Natalya at the bell and slowly stomps her down in the corner. Natalya comes back with a quick suplex to put Paige on the floor but here’s Team Bad to say Natalya has their attention. The distraction lets Paige grab a Rampaige for the pin at 2:16.

Post match Team Bad lays Natalya out. This includes Tamina becoming the fourth person tonight to use a superkick.

Breast cancer segment from Monday.

Ryback offers to be the third partner. Dean: “Yep, you’ll do.”

Here are Del Rio and Colter with something to say. Colter calls Del Rio virtuous and is so proud to be one of the first citizens of MexAmerica. That title now represents MexAmerica and Del Rio promises to make it great by renaming it the MexAmerica Championship.

Alberto Del Rio vs. R-Truth

Non-title. Truth starts fast with the gordbuster but Alberto goes after the arm to take over. Del Rio goes up top and ties Truth in the Tree of Woe for the double stomp and the pin at 1:27. I like the move but there’s a danger of it becoming like the 619 where there are only so many realistic ways to set it up.

BOO Dallas tries to scare Mark Henry and gets punched in the face. I guess that ends the joke.

Ryback/Dean Ambrose/Cesaro vs. Wyatt Family

Bray is the odd man out here. Ryback shoulders Harper down to start and Luke’s shirt is torn. It’s off to Strowman but Ryback goes right after him with right hands to stagger the monster. A suplex doesn’t work so well but Braun easily suplexes him down. We take a break and come back with Harper getting two on Ryback off a slingshot hilo. Back to Rowan for the double fist head vice but Ryback fights up (because it was a lame hold) and grabs a quick spinebuster.

Ambrose gets the tag to give the fans something to cheer for. Dean sends Harper and Rowan to the floor for the big dive off the top but Rowan kicks him in the face (NOT a superkick for a change) for two. Dean fights up again and makes the tag off to Cesaro for your athletic freak of the night phase. Harper takes the running uppercuts and that reverse Angle Slam that needs a name.

There’s the crossface from Cesaro as everyone else fights on the floor. A suicide dive knocks Strowman against the announcers’ table and Ryback knocks him over for good measure. The crossface goes on Cesaro again but Rowan makes the save, only to get nailed by Dean. The superkick party continues with Harper kicking Dean’s head off but walking into the springboard discus uppercut. Strowman gets up for a distraction though and the discus lariat ends Cesaro at 11:48.

Rating: C+. Nice main event here as the Wyatts get to look dominant over a thrown together team. They did a good job of keeping Strowman looking like a monster again as Ryback could barely move him. It’s going to be a big deal when someone beats him if they do it right and so far that’s where we’re going. There was little doubt as to who was winning this given what the Wyatts are doing at the moment and that’s not a bad thing.

Overall Rating: C+. I had a good time with this show as you can see that the company is taking things seriously again, likely due to their perceived break being over. It’s still not must see TV or anything but at least we had a fun two hours for a change instead of the same stuff we get every week.

Results

Roman Reigns b. Kevin Owens via countout

Lucha Dragons b. Dudley Boyz, Ascension and King Barrett/Sheamus – Salida Del Sol to Viktor

Dolph Ziggler b. The Miz – Small package

Paige b. Natalya – Rampaige

Alberto Del Rio b. R-Truth – Top rope double stomp

Wyatt Family b. Cesaro/Ryback/Dean Ambrose – Discus lariat to Cesaro

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B015IN12I2

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

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