http://411mania.com/wrestling/randy-orton-suffers-shoulder-injury/
It’s another shoulder but there’s no word on how much if any time he’ll be out for. That’s going to make for some very interesting shows going forward with Cena and potentially Orton leaving soon for a long time.
Monday Night Raw
Date: October 19, 2015
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, John Bradshaw Layfield
Tonight is all about the Cell as we’re getting a special panel of people who have been inside the Cell before. It’s one of the first times that the main event has actually received any focus and they have their hands full with giving the match a good build on such short notice. Let’s get to it.
We get right to the point with Steve Au…..oh wait never mind he’s been canceled again. Actually scratch that scratching as he’s on the show again. Austin does his poses on the ropes as his status for the show is changed another 394 times, leaving us with Austin actually appearing. JBL runs down his career stats, including saying that Vince has referred to Austin as the greatest draw in company history because NOTHING IN WWE CAN BE REAL. Right Rusev? Also, brilliant idea to have Austin come out first and not have him around later on when Monday Night Football kicks in to try to get some fans back.
Austin plugs the podcast with Lesnar tonight before bringing out the Undertaker to FINALLY hype up the match. JBL continues his nonsense by calling Undertaker the most iconic performer in sports entertainment history. He’s not even the most iconic person from Texas in the arena right now.
Austin leaves and Undertaker promises that this Sunday he will make the gates of Hell look like the gates of Heaven. This brings out Heyman and Lesnar almost immediately and Heyman promises that Lesnar will gain his revenge this Sunday. Then Undertaker will know what it’s like to die with a tainted legacy. It will be a legacy of dominance marred by the conqueror who took everything away from him.
Undertaker takes off the hat and robe while saying that if Lesnar takes everything from him, it means Undertaker can fight with nothing to lose. Brock comes straight to the ring but drops back off the apron. Well at least Heyman can relax. There better be more from this tonight because that’s nowhere near enough to build up this match. Undertaker’s nothing to lose line was good though.
John Cena/Dudley Boyz vs. New Day
Cena will officially have another US Open Challenge on Sunday. That piques my interest while also scaring me to death. I still have a bad feeling it might be Big Show and that’s not good for anyone. Before the match, Woods thinks the New Day are all unicorns because they’ve brought magic back to the WWE.
Big E. gets in some cheap shots at the Dallas Cowboys before reminding Cena and the Dudleyz about the beating they too a few weeks ago used the brass. Kofi says they used the brass to kick their……Woods: “KOFI! PG SHOW!” Kofi: “So what? We’re the New Day!” He finishes the line and Xavier gets in a comical gasp.
Bubba elbows Kofi in the head to start but it’s quickly off to D-Von for a double team elbow as we take an early break. Back with Cena taking the rotating stomps in the corner, followed by a running downward spiral from Woods for two. Big E. gets two off a side slam (with bonus dancing) but Cena dropkicks him in the chest and makes the tag to D-Von. Everything breaks down and Cena dives on Big E., leaving Woods to roll D-Von up for the pin at 8:32.
Rating: C. A lot of this was in the commercial so it’s a hard one to grade. I’m tired of seeing these groups fight though and hopefully the whole thing is wrapped up on Sunday. New Day continues to just own every single show they’re on though and the line from Kofi before the match was great. Not a bad match or anything but it’s the same thing we’ve seen several times now.
Post match Woods takes an AA, followed by a superbomb through a table.
We get some breaking news: the Wyatt Family has attacked Randy Orton over the weekend, meaning he’s out of the match on Sunday. No word on if this is legitimate or not but I haven’t heard anything about a Wellness violation or an injury so I’m assuming storyline.
Ambrose is sick of this and says he’s got business with Luke Harper and Braun Strowman tonight.
Nikki Bella/Alicia Fox vs. Naomi/Sasha Banks
Now pay attention here people. Watching a Bellas match, you too can find out how they empower women every second of every day. They talk about it in every interview and that makes it so right? Sasha and Alicia get things going and it’s Banks getting two off a dropkick. It’s off to Naomi for an a-may-a-a-a-a-a-zing dropkick (sweet goodness that doesn’t get better without the music) and we take a break.
Back with Fox keeping Naomi from tagging out, followed by a double suplex (was that the empowering part? I for one could certainly feel women everywhere being stronger when a Bella did a basic wrestling move so it must have been). Naomi comes back with some kicks but Nikki hits a running dropkick to the ribs before bending over to choke Naomi on the ropes. A few more kicks are enough for Naomi to tag in Sasha for some knees to the face (empowerment down by two points).
It’s quickly back to Naomi who rams Nikki into Alicia to set up a rollup for two. Nikki’s spinebuster plants Naomi and the Rack Attack is enough for the pin at 8:47. Cole had to make sure to mention that it was a team win. Not that he mentions Alicia by name or anything but this certainly wasn’t all about Nikki, like everything else in the division.
Rating: D+. Nothing to see here other than Nikki being awesome, because that’s exactly what this match was supposed to showcase. I’m not sure why this needed to be shown again, but maybe it can empower the Total Divas ratings and help build the crossover audience that these shows are supposed to share.
We recap Kane pinning Rollins last week. This has resulted in Corporate Kane being suspended. Of course the Authority could solve the obvious problem this creates by just saying KANE has been suspended but that would make too much sense. For the bosses of a global corporation, HHH and Stephanie are dumb sometimes.
Speaking of dumb things, breast cancer is dumb. I didn’t know this until Stephanie told me so, meaning she’s done has job for the night.
Here’s Shawn Michaels, who stops for a bite of pizza on the way. Shawn talks about being in the Cell before and how nothing can prepare you for it. He’s been in the Cell with the Undertaker before but there’s another match on that night as Roman Reigns is finally finishing things with Bray Wyatt. However, this brings out Seth Rollins instead. Rollins asks why Shawn is out here when he was just supposed to introduce him.
Those were his instructions, but Shawn has been ignoring instructions for over twenty years now. Well save for all those years when he wasn’t on TV but I get his point). Seth says those instructions came from HHH himself. Shawn needs to be talking about the man people have been calling Shawn Michaels Version II (John Morrison? Dolph Ziggler? Tyler Breeze? Shelton Benjamin even?). Michaels brings up that exact point: if he had a nickel for every time someone was going to be the second Shawn Michaels, he’d be a billionaire.
He never tried to be anyone else and just became the best ever on his own. Shawn mentions Kane but Rollins goes on a rant about how sick he is of Kane (since when did Rollins become the voice of the masses?) but there’s no music to play him off. Shawn says the worst part about being the second version is no one plays your music. Besides, Seth has a match right now against Ryback. Version I’s (not Matt Hardy as he’s too busy trying to figure out how that injunction actually works) song plays him out.
Ryback vs. Seth Rollins
Non-title. Ryback charges right at him to start and no sells some of the champ’s strikes. There’s part of a Flair Flip in the corner and a big chop puts Seth down. They head outside with Ryback’s ribs being driven into the barricade, followed by a Rollins suicide dive to send them into the announcers’ table. Seth is smart enough to put on a bodyvice back inside Ryback is fine enough to throw Rollins onto his shoulder and spin him around into a powerslam (that was different), followed by a spinebuster. Rollins bails from the Meat Hook, kicks Ryback in the ribs, and hits a Pedigree for the pin at 4:04.
Rating: D. BUT HE’S THE #1 CONTENDER FOR A TITLE!!! Of all the people you have to feed to Rollins, you pick someone who is getting a title shot in six days??? Why can’t they get any booking involving Rollins correct? It’s not had. Throw out….I don’t know…..Jack Swagger? As in a guy with NOTHING going on? No instead it needs to be someone you’ve been building up for months and who has a title shot on Sunday. Only in WWE.
We look at Summer Rae costing Rusev a match on Smackdown and then getting turned down by Ziggler.
Dolph Ziggler/Cesaro/Neville vs. King Barrett/Sheamus/Rusev
Rusev beats Neville into the corner to start but Neville escapes and does his flips across the ring. Some kicks keep Rusev in enough trouble for a tag off to Cesaro, who tags Neville back in after just a few seconds. It’s off to Sheamus to pound Neville down before Rusev comes for even more stomping. A big forearm sends Neville into the announcers’ table and a staredown takes us to a break.
Back with Neville still taking a beating but he avoids a charge and tags in Cesaro for the running uppercuts. A high cross body gets two on Sheamus but a collision puts both guys down. Double tags bring in Ziggler and Barrett with Dolph cleaning house. The big elbow drop gets two but Rusev makes the save. Ziggler mostly hits a Fameasser on Barrett for two followed by a superkick for the same. Rusev kicks Cesaro the floor and Neville does the same to Rusev, setting up a HUGE flip dive to take both guys. Ziggler rolls Barrett up for two but it’s a Brogue Kick from the floor to give Barrett the pin at 12:57.
Rating: C+. I like six man tags as you can fight so much stuff into one match while getting some fresh pairings. The match was just kind of there but it had a hot ending and that’s all you need most of the time. Barrett and Sheamus being rebuilt is a good thing and I’m glad it was Ziggler taking the fall as he can lose and lose without ever taking any real damage.
Here’s Flair for the third legends segment. He makes it quick by plugging Wrestlemania in Dallas next year and introduces Roman Reigns, who will team up with Ambrose to fight the Wyatts again. Roman gets to the ring but the Wyatts (including Erick Rowan but without Luke Harper, who was shown on the graphic earlier) are here in a hurry. Reigns gets two chairs this time and says one is for him and one is for Bray.
They get inside and sit in the chairs with Reigns talking about how Bray likes to kick people while they’re down. He knows the monsters are coming for him in a minute but let’s talk about this Sunday. When the monsters can’t get in the Cell, Bray won’t be able to get out. The fight is on but Roman has the chair to knock the monsters off the apron and send Bray to the floor. Ambrose runs out for backup and the Wyatts bail.
The Authority is in the back when Shawn comes in. They think Reigns and Ambrose shouldn’t be in a 2-3 handicap match against the Wyatts tonight but Seth isn’t available. Rollins doesn’t like the idea of being protected so he’ll go out there and it’s time for a Shield reunion. WITH AN HOUR OF BUILDUP BECAUSE THIS COMPANY IS STUPID!
Brie Bella vs. Charlotte
Non-title. Charlotte starts with her rolling headscissor slams but stops to yell at Nikki. Back in and the Brie Mode knee has Charlotte in trouble and we hit a long chinlock on the champ. Brie does the YES Kicks because she doesn’t know how to wrestle like a heel but thankfully Charlotte comes back and hits a quick spear and the Figure Eight for the submission at 5:34.
Rating: D. Brie is really bad at this heel thing. Her big spots are a dropkick, a move where she’s trying to get the fans to shout with her and her husbands YES Kicks which get a very positive reaction. She’s supposed to get the fans to boo her but instead we’re stuck with face spots and chinlocks. Well done Brie. You’re still empowering women of course because you wrestle and stuff.
Renee Young comes up to accuse Paige of attacking Natalya last week. Paige thinks it might have been Summer Rae, Lana, Eve Torres, Kaitlyn, Trish Stratus or even Lita. Renee presses her on this so Paige says Renee is no Erin Andrews, nor is she as cute.
Kevin Owens vs. Mark Henry
Non-title. So Owens is here but having him interfere in Ryback’s match earlier was asking too much. Owens mocks the Hook Em Horns sign and gets thrown to the floor. He’s lucky he didn’t get shot. Back in and Owens avoids a splash and gets two off a quick backsplash. Henry gets back up and shouts about being here fifteen years (it’s been more like nineteen) and headbutts Kevin in the corner. Owens stops him with a superkick though and actually nails the Pop Up Powerbomb for the pin at 3:42.
Rating: C-. That ending more than raises this up as Owens showed some shocking power with that one. Henry had some fire here but was cursed by being born in Texas, meaning he had no chance at winning here. This was better than I was expecting and that’s always nice to see.
Post match Ryback (LOSER!) chases Owens off but Henry throws Owens back in for a powerbomb (LOSER WHO DOESN’T SELL A RIB INJURY!).
Rollins assures us that this isn’t a Shield reunion.
Long video on the history of Lesnar vs. Undertaker. Well their recent history as their first Cell match is ignored.
The Kickoff match has been changed to a rematch of the six man from earlier tonight.
Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins vs. Wyatt Family
It’s Strowman/Rowan/Bray here. We get the big staredown to start with Rollins taking his time to stand beside Reigns and Ambrose. Rollins insists that he start and he gets Rowan right in his face. That means it’s off to Reigns instead and Rowan gets beaten down in the corner. Off to Ambrose vs. Wyatt with Dean running Bray over and tagging back out to the champ. Bray kicks Seth in the ribs and we take a break. Back with Dean coming in to hammer on Strowman but the giant runs him over to regain control. Bray kicks him in the face and Erick’s side slam gets two.
Cole brings up the horrible ending to Ambrose vs. Rollins inside the Cell last year as the announcers make sure to remind us that this is NOT a Shield reunion. Dean fights out of a chinlock and escapes a Sister Abigail attempt but Strowman pulls Reigns off the apron. Rollins is ready for the tag but he grabs his knee and drops to the floor before limping up the aisle. Reigns Superman Punches Rowan but it’s Strowman with the standing choke. Roman is in trouble but Dean comes in with a kendo stick (after throwing chairs to the side) for the DQ at 14:12.
Rating: C+. Well this could have been worse. It’s a good and logical thing to have Rollins limp away, especially when you have a potential big Wrestlemania moment on your hands with a proper Shield reunion. I still don’t like even teasing it like this but WWE feels the need to waste everything they can whenever they can. Good enough match.
Reigns cleans house post match with a HUGE dive over the top and spears to Bray and Erick. The fans think this is awesome to end the show.
Overall Rating: B-. That’s really as high as I can go with this due to so many stupid decisions which I think you can figure out already. This show did a lot of really good things though and had more energy (read as less Authority/Kane) than any show has had in months. Lesnar vs. Undertaker is still a horrible “big” main event but it wouldn’t be WWE if they didn’t overestimate drawing power. It’s a good show here but my goodness the things they could do without the stupid mistakes.
Results
New Day b. John Cena/Dudley Boyz – Rollup to D-Von
Nikki Bella/Alicia Fox b. Naomi/Sasha Banks – Rack Attack to Naomi
Seth Rollins b. Ryback – Pedigree
Rusev/King Barrett/Sheamus b. Neville/Cesaro/Dolph Ziggler – Barrett pinned Ziggler after a Brogue Kick
Charlotte b. Brie Bella – Figure Eight
Kevin Owens b. Mark Henry – Pop Up Powerbomb
Wyatt Family b. Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns via DQ when Ambrose used a kendo stick
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:
This both piques my interest and terrifies me at the same time. Given that Cena is taking time off, it really wouldn’t surprise me to see Big Show come in, hurt Cena REALLY REALLY BADLY with like two punches because he’s a giant (don’t you know?) and then dominate the belt until TLC or so.
Or Tyler Breeze.
http://411mania.com/wrestling/wwe-news-ezekiel-jackson-retires-jasmin-gets-nxt-name/
I’m going to miss the guy. He was nothing special in WWE but he was actually awesome in Lucha Underground as a cool thug for hire. However, anything that lets Lucha Underground try something new is worth a shot.
Aside from the important shows, my favorite reviews to look back on are the shows where people say I got the ratings totally wrong. I’ve changed my opinion on shows before via a second look so maybe that’s going to happen here. This week’s show was pretty much hated but I had a decent enough time with it. Let’s get to it.
We start immediately with the big story of the night: the Authority isn’t here (and won’t be here despite saying they’re trying to make it all night). Therefore Corporate Kane is in charge and gets to book the show on his own so he makes himself vs. Seth Rollins in a lumberjack match. Why doesn’t he make this a title match you ask? Plot convenience of course.
Throughout the night, the Authority keeps trying to get hold of Kane and ask him what the main event is but bad reception keeps cutting them off. Why doesn’t HHH send him a text or an e-mail so he can get the information when the reception is good and doesn’t have to be on his phone at that time? Plot convenience of course. Granted it wouldn’t matter in this case as the Authority found out about the match and told Kane he had to change it.
Naturally this gave us Demon Kane vs. Rollins because that’s still supposed to be different. This wasn’t the best idea, especially given that the fans aren’t thrilled to see them fight in the first place, so now they get to fight twice. Monday Night Football was a weak game and they had a chance to do something good, but we get Rollins vs. Kane I instead of the only match at the pay per view. I know I defend this company a lot, but there are times where they do stuff that boggles my mind.
Ambrose and Orton had a male bonding segment that was interrupted by New Day. As usual New Day stole the show with pure charisma and asked why Orton has been a part of so many groups. This led to a very long tag match (by Raw standards at least) that didn’t do much for me but could have been far worse. If my best option is nearly twenty minutes of pretty good wrestling, I’ll gladly take it over the drek that Raw is capable of putting on any day. Even on a new day, like the team that won the match due to some face miscommunication.
Things aren’t boding well for Orton/Ambrose heading into the pay per view. For one thing they lost here and even worse they’re actually on the pre-show. That screams angle for later in the show to me, as they’ve been in one of the biggest stories on the show and the card currently has six matches. I could easily see a fight breaking out to set up Orton vs. Ambrose on the show, because why build what could be a solid midcard pay per view match when you can throw it out there with an hour of build?
Video on Undertaker vs. Lesnar, which would air again (or at least a very similar version) later in the night. Well that’s nice of them. It’s not like either guy can be bothered showing up and making me want to see the match so I’ll take what I can get.
Nikki beat Naomi in a nothing match but the fans chanted for Sasha to fill in most of the time. The more I think about it the more I’m glad they haven’t added Sasha to the title match in the hopes that we get past Nikki’s rematch and move on to something else, because you know this company loves itself some rematches.
Dolph Ziggler answered the US Open Challenge and lost like everyone else does. It was another good match but when are they going to pick something for Cena to do at the pay per view? Word on the street is that he’s leaving for a few months after the show but at the moment there’s no one to challenge for the title and no real prospects, unless they throw Big Show in there again. Would that really be a big surprise at this point? You would think Ziggler wins it here but I guess this was the payoff to the accidental superkick. Every day that goes by scares me even more that we’ll get something stupid at the pay per view.
The Dudleyz squashed the Ascension. At least they’re on TV.
Sheamus and King Barrett beat Neville and Cesaro in a nothing match. Barrett has said he wants to be a tag wrestler and Sheamus/Barrett would be fine enough for a team. I’d like to see Cesaro/Neville actually win something but they seem to be the latest acts on the doomed bulletproof list.
Roman Reigns came out and gave a big speech about how Bray was trying to take away his livelihood. This has been described as horrible but I really liked it. What was far worse was the obnoxious Chicago crowd jeering the whole thing because they can’t shut up for five minutes. They decided a long time ago that they don’t want to see Reigns (they’ll take anyone but him I assume) and no matter what he says, they’re going to boo. This gets annoying quickly and unfortunately that’s often what decides everyone’s reactions to the speech. Roman got to the point and delivered, which is a big improvement over his usual stuff.
In something I really don’t like, Reigns beat Braun Strowman by countout. I could live with this if it was like Strowman’s debut match against Ambrose where it was a squash, but in this case Roman hung with Braun the whole way and basically knocked him out to win. That shouldn’t happen for months but this is WWE where the idea of CHILL OUT AND WAIT is sacrilegious. Not a good brawl either and that’s not a good thing, especially with Braun losing and being made to look beatable this early.
Here’s the column on the Lana/Rusev/TMZ fiasco:
Then Ryback beat Rusev in about three minutes because Vince loves publicity as long as it’s controlled publicity.
Kevin Owens squashed Kalisto to end one of the best uses of the mini feuds that I’ve seen in a long time. They don’t need to do their usual tropes so let Owens beat up a midcard tag team instead. The story works fine and Owens vs. Ryback is built up even more. Simple, yet effective. I love that idea.
Brie Bella pinned Charlotte in a tag match because the way to get someone new over in the division is to give them the title and then have them lose almost every match. Paige and Natalya fought a bit to pad out the match. I do like the idea that they have more than one Divas story going at the same time, but they could have better ideas than Brie Bella pinning the Divas Champion.
Kane pinned Seth Rollins off a tombstone. This really doesn’t surprise me at this point and it shouldn’t surprise you either. Neither should Rollins retaining the title in a boring pay per view match.
So….yeah I’m not sure what I was thinking. Ziggler vs. Cena was good but not good enough to make up for a lot of the boneheaded moves going on here. This is looking like the weakest pay per view I’ve seen in a long time and WWE really doesn’t seem interested in making anything of it. Lesnar vs. Undertaker might as well not even be happening because neither guy seems interested in building it, leaving us with a main event of Kane vs. Rollins. Which we saw here. And it sucked.
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:
Smackdown
Date: October 15, 2015
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Jerry Lawler, Booker T.
Somehow we’re ten days away from Hell in a Cell and it’s time to put the finishing touches on the build. The announced main event for tonight is hometown boy Dean Ambrose teaming up with the Dudleyz to fight New Day in a bit of a preview for the pay per view. We might even get more speculation of what Cena is going to do there as well. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Roman Reigns vs. Bo Dallas
Before the match, Bo talks about Reigns going to a scary place at the pay per view. Dallas knows all about scary places because he went to Suplex City, but he actually survived it unlike Reigns. Dallas actually takes him into the corner to start but Reigns drops him with a neckbreaker. A middle rope clothesline to the back of the head gives Bo an opening, only to have Reigns come back with even more clotheslines of his own. Dallas wants time and Reigns stops to smile, only to get annoyed when he takes a kick to the ribs. Now the Samoan drop connects and the two moves end Dallas at 2:58.
Roman talks about Bray referring to himself as the devil. He can get behind that idea because he sees the pure evil in Bray’s eyes. Roman is going to bring the big fight because it’s the only way to stop the devil. Cue Bray, who says Reigns’ sins will be his undoing. It is the sin of pride that will bring Reigns down because he isn’t Bray’s muse. On Monday, Bray is going to deliver a prophecy to Reigns. Anyone but you.
Cesaro/Neville vs. Sheamus/King Barrett
Rematch from Raw because the writers already came up with their idea for the week. Ascension and Stardust are sitting in the crowd with a STARDUST SECTION sign. Barrett and Neville get things going with Neville starting his kicking regimen early. Sheamus comes in and eventually gets hurricanranaed out to the floor, allowing Cesaro to backdrop his partner over the top and onto the villains in a nice visual.
The referee tells them that they’re about to go to a break so we come back with Barrett putting his knee into Neville’s back and cranking on the arms. Sheamus stands between Neville and the corner like a good bully before planting him with a slam. We hit the chinlock from Barrett for a bit before he misses a running boot in the corner. Cesaro gets the tag and fires off the running uppercuts to Sheamus for two. The briefcase is brought in and the distraction lets Barrett get in a Bull Hammer to give Sheamus the pin at 10:10. Stardust and Ascension never got involved.
Rating: C-. This match is a good example of everything wrong with Smackdown. Not only have we already seen it on Raw with the same result but it’s a match with no energy. I know it makes for a dull match but can you blame them? None of the matches on this show mean anything and Cesaro isn’t going to get a major push because the boss doesn’t care for him, so why should they try in a tag match that they’ve already done before? That’s the nature of Smackdown these days and it has been for a very long time. If the wrestlers don’t care, I don’t get why I should either. At least Barrett/Sheamus have potential as a team.
Summer, guest referee for Ziggler vs. Rusev later tonight, says she’s put men down before and is willing to do it again if she has to.
Earlier today, Ambrose unloaded his bag, which included a Slammy, a slinky, a balloon animal, a magic 8-ball…..but no Payday. Oh never mind as it fell out of his bowling ball. I hate the fact that I chuckled at this.
Kevin Owens vs. Zack Ryder
Non-title and Ryback is at ringside. Owens shrugs off an early flurry and stomps Ryder down. A quick missile dropkick doesn’t have much staying power for Ryder as Owens hits a Meathook, shouts FINISH IT and plants Ryder with the Pop Up Powerbomb for the pin at 1:39. Total squash but effective.
Recap of Rollins and Kane on Monday. That would be another loss for the champ, which of course has nothing to do with the ratings plunging.
Paige stops Natalya in the back to offer an apology for her attitude as of late. The pressure got to her and she couldn’t handle Natalya trying to take her place on Team PCB. Paige wants to make it right and just wants to be Natalya’s friend again. Natalya says this is a start and leaves.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
Summer Rae is guest referee and Dolph doesn’t seem to mind when she takes her hair down. Rusev stomps Ziggler in the corner to start as Booker confuses Sherri Martel for his wife Sharmell. Ziggler gets knocked off the apron and into the barricade for a nice crash. Back in and Rusev charges into an elbow, followed by an elbow for a fast two. We get a Danny Davis reference, followed by Dolph’s superkick being countered into a catapult into the corner. Rusev’s jumping superkick gets the slow count required in a match like this, followed by a slap to knock Rusev into the Zig Zag for the pin at 4:26.
Rating: D+. This was every Rusev vs. Ziggler match you’ve ever seen plus every lame guest referee trope in the book. They’re running out of places to go with this story so instead, why not just do the exact same things over and over again and expect a different result? This was nothing interesting aside from Summer’s outfit. I’m curious to see how Lana will be received upon her return as she’ll be booed, but I’m not sure how the fans are going to respond to her being stupid for going back to Rusev instead of the normal reasons they booed her.
Post match Summer suggests she and Dolph get back together but Dolph isn’t playing those kind of games.
The Dudleyz say they have chemistry with Dean Ambrose. They’re already the best team ever and Dean is combustible. Bubba tells Renee to touch Dean’s arm. Bubba: “BOOM!” Dean says Dudleyville reminds him of Cincinnati and they’re going to take the New Day to the lunatic fringe. BOOM!
Wyatt Family vs. Prime Time Players
Small change here as the Wyatts are in the upper left corner and the Players are in the lower right. You rarely see those changed up. Titus tries his luck against Braun to start and some corner clotheslines stagger the giant. They only stagger him though as Braun throws him into the corner and brings in Harper for a Gator Roll. O’Neil powers over for the tag to Darren as things speed up. Darren goes after the now legal Strowman but Harper superkicks him into the standing choke for the win at 2:59.
Charlotte vs. Alicia Fox
Non-title. Fox takes over with a quick backbreaker and we hit the chinlock. We see Team BAD watching in the back as Alicia’s northern lights suplex gets two. Both of them try big boots at the same time but it’s Charlotte up first with the spear and the Figure Eight for the submission at 3:10.
Rating: D. A three minute match shouldn’t have a 45 second chinlock. Every day that ticks by as we get closer to the pay per view, the more worried I get that they’ll give the title back to Nikki because of her “star power”. Also, how could they not throw Sasha in at this point, or at least not have her be the next challenger? She’s on fire right now and they would be crazy to not go with it.
Team Bella attacks post match but Paige makes the save.
Post break Paige thinks PCB is back together but the other two aren’t convinced. They head into their locker room and find Natalya laid out.
Video on Lesnar vs. Undertaker.
New Day vs. Dean Ambrose/Dudley Boyz
Kofi tells everyone to forget what they learned in science class because the strongest force in the universe is the power of positivity. Cena, Ziggler, Orton, D-Von, “Bully Ray Dudley” and Ambrose have all come to the New Day and gotten dropped. It’s all science you see. You could even call it geology because New Day ROCKS. Dean is in a Cincinnati shirt and earns the hometown pop. We take a break before the bell (thank goodness) and start with Kofi headlocking Bubba.
D-Von comes in for a double elbow but Kofi drives him into the bad corner. A low blow gets D-Von down into the corner for the rotating stomps. Woods gets in a running forearm in the corner but D-Von grabs a neckbreaker. Lawler lightens the mood by talking about how the New Day won’t go near a boot because it has a table of contents.
Dean comes in to clean house and Woods eats the suicide dive. The top rope standing clothesline gets two on Woods but Big E. hits a clothesline of his own. Bubba gets the tag for the Bionic Elbow (complete with trombone) to Kofi as everything breaks down. Dean goes up top for a dive on Big E. but Woods shoves him to the floor. Kofi eats 3D but Woods gets in a trombone shot for the DQ at 9:35.
Rating: C. Standard main event six man with Ambrose not really getting to do anything as the hometown boy. To be fair though he already got a big moment in Cincinnati earlier this year and that’s more than most people get. They need to do something with the Dudleyz soon though as you can only have them beat New Day by DQ so many times.
New Day lays out the Dudleyz to end the show.
Overall Rating: C-. Smackdown feels like a house show. Like I mentioned: there’s little reason for the wrestlers to put in much effort, the matches almost never go anywhere or are referenced on Raw and they rarely get time to do anything interesting. What happens here that I would be interested in seeing? These shows aren’t bad but they’re not important and that makes Smackdown a waste of time.
Results
Roman Reigns b. Bo Dallas – Spear
Sheamus/King Barrett b. Cesaro/Neville – Sheamus pinned Cesaro after a Bull Hammer
Kevin Owens b. Zack Ryder – Pop Up Powerbomb
Dolph Ziggler b. Rusev – Zig Zag
Wyatt Family b. Prime Time Players – Standing choke to Young
Charlotte b. Alicia Fox – Figure Eight
Dudley Boyz/Dean Ambrose b. New Day via DQ when Woods used a trombone
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:
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I can’t wait to hear all the purists whine about how this isn’t real but having to leave to go see who Matthew Berry says they should bench for their fantasy team this week.
Cool news for wrestling fans as this is going to be about five minutes a week and could lead to more coverage down the line.
Monday Night Raw
Date: October 12, 2015
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Byron Saxton
We’re getting closer to Hell in a Cell and most of the card is now set. The big story though is New Day, who was showed a completely different style last week as they left John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and the Dudleyz laying. This is a different kind of crowd to perform in front of though and they could certainly change a lot of what we’ve got coming. Let’s get to it.
Kane is on the phone with HHH and Stephanie, who aren’t going to be here until late. They tell him to keep things with Rollins under control until they arrive. Kane promises he will and then makes himself vs. Rollins in a lumberjack match.
Opening sequence.
Here’s Dean Ambrose with something to say. He’s here to welcome us to the show but now he’s looking for a fight. Instead he gets Randy Orton, who says he’s been fighting the Wyatts alongside him and they’re going to continue doing that at Hell in a Cell against Luke Harper and Braun Strowman. Ambrose says he’s been fighting the Wyatts for years so if Orton follows his lead, everything will be fine.
Naturally they get in a mini argument over who the leader is but here’s New Day to interrupt. They talk about slaying everyone last week and brag about leaving everyone laying with their bare hands. This included sending the Dudleyz to a retirement home and beating the WWE’s prized possession down, even though they could see him. Evolution or Legacy couldn’t do that and…..dang Orton has been in a lot of groups. It’s out with the old and in with the New Day so Orton and Ambrose need to pull a Derrick Rose and sit on the bench. That brings Kane to the screen to make the tag match for right now.
New Day vs. Randy Orton/Dean Ambrose
Non-title. Dean cleans house on Kofi to start and works on the arm. A shoulder sends Kofi to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Dean clotheslining Big E. for two and it’s off to Orton for a dropkick. The good guys take turns stomping on Big E., complete with the Garvin stomp.
Dean shows Orton how to stomp and they get in an argument, allowing E. to crawl over and tag as we take another break. Back with New Day in control and stomping Orton down, including the running dropkick from Orton. Big E. slaps on a bearhug until Randy elbows his way out, setting up the tag to Dean.
All of the New Day members are sent to the floor for a suicide dive but E. comes back with a belly to belly inside. Another tag brings in Orton, who ducks Trouble in Paradise and plants Kofi with the hanging DDT. The camera went wide like someone was going to run in but nothing happened. The RKO is loaded up but Kofi shoves Randy into Dean, setting up a rollup for the pin at 17:53.
Rating: C+. Long match here but more of a plot device than anything else. Above all here though: New Day didn’t lose. That’s a really nice surprise out of them as they didn’t go with the lame idea of having the Tag Team Champions used to build up someone for a one off tag match and a possible feud among themselves. They’re getting somewhere, just very slowly.
Video on Undertaker vs. Brock with the final chapter inside the Cell.
Nikki Bella vs. Naomi
We see a video of the Iron Man match from last week and the fans want Sasha, who is at ringside. Naomi’s corner wiggle (she’s just having fun!) and a kick to the chest get two on Nikki but she takes Nikki down and stands on her hair. We hit the hammerlock on Naomi as Nikki tries to have some psychology. That preposterous idea offends Naomi so much that she rapid fires kicks to the ribs and sends Nikki out to the floor for a big dive. Brie gets on the mic and starts a WE WANT SASHA chant to get in Naomi’s head. Sasha pulls Brie off the table but the distraction lets Nikki hit the forearm and Rack Attack for the pin at 4:54.
Rating: C-. Not bad here but they’re getting dangerously close to making Sasha the star of the division while almost never wrestling a singles match. At this point they almost have to add her to the title match at the pay per view and that’s where it seems they’re going. I’d put the title on her now and be done with it, but Nikki getting it back is always a chance. Maybe Charlotte can chase her and not look like a huge loser for a change but that might be giving WWE too much credit.
Paige has been named the Most Unconventional Diva in a Payday (candy bar) product placement bit.
Here’s John Cena for the US Open Challenge but first he wants to talk about this building. This is where he had his first WWE match back in 2002 but tonight Chicago is the place to be and he’s the man to beat so who wants some this week?
US Title: John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler
Cena is defending and starts with an armdrag (that’s a new one) into an armbar. Ziggler goes to the floor and the fans go nuts with a YES chant and look at something in the crowd. Cena grabs the mic and says that we just had a marriage proposal and SHE SAID YES. Well that’s not something you see every week. Fans: “She! Said YES!” Cena even goes to applaud them again and it’s off to an armbar from Ziggler as we take a break.
Back with Ziggler hitting his elbow drops but Cena fires off the shoulders. Ziggler breaks up the Shuffle with a dropkick as we hear about John Cena facing Kurt Angle in his debut. A modified ProtoBomb sets up the Shuffle and the STF goes on. Ziggler somehow powers out and puts on a sleeper while they’re still on the mat. That goes as far as a sleeper is going to and Cena knocks Ziggler to the floor.
The middle rope AA is broken up and Ziggler catches him with a running middle rope DDT (cool move) for a very close two. Cena’s big running clothesline takes Ziggler down and he catches a charging Dolph in the AA but Ziggler counters into the Fameasser in midair for two. Now the STF goes on in the middle of the ring but Ziggler makes the rope again.
The cross body off the top sets up the roll into the AA but Ziggler rakes the eyes and superkicks Cena down for two. They slug it out and Ziggler headbutts him into the Zig Zag for a very close two. I thought that might have been it. Back up and the AA ends Ziggler at 17:40. It’s as quick as it sounds.
Rating: B+. This was the standard formula for the US Open Challenge and it still works. I’m really curious where they’re going to go with Cena as he’s due off right after the pay per view and he doesn’t really have anything to do aside from the New Day fallout (is he going to mention that tonight?) and I’m not sure how they get the title off of him before then.
HHH calls Kane from the plane and asks how things are going. Kane doesn’t mention the main event.
Dudley Boyz vs. Ascension
Ascension jumps them to start and Viktor hits a nice jumping knee to D-Von’s face. D-Von avoids an elbow and makes the tag off to Bubba, who talks trash as he beats Viktor up. The Doomsday Device (you knew they were busting that one out in Chicago) sets up the 3D to pin Viktor at 2:41.
Neville/Cesaro vs. Sheamus/King Barrett
This could be fun. Neville speeds things up on Barrett to start before it’s off to Cesaro, who gives Neville a boost for a (partially botched) standing Phoenix splash of all things. Sheamus comes in for a slugout but the battering ram is countered by another uppercut. Cesaro throws Neville down onto Sheamus and Barrett, only to have Sheamus’ kickout send Neville into the Bull Hammer to give Sheamus the pin at 3:56.
Rating: D+. Neville is officially in free fall. He’s still there and in some stories, but he’s falling through the cracks in a hurry. I don’t remember the last time he won a big match and the Stardust story just kind of ended with no real blowoff. Hopefully he bounces back and it’s certainly not too late for him, but this isn’t a good sign.
Video on Braun Strowman.
Here’s Roman Reigns for his match against Braun Strowman but he has something to say first. He recaps the entire Bray Wyatt feud while stopping to ask if the fans can’t hear him when they keep chanting WHAT. The fans aren’t interested in the recap of the ANYONE BUT YOU but Reigns says this isn’t boring. Imagine if someone tried to keep you from making a future for your family because Bray Wyatt is trying to hold Reigns back from building a life for his daughter.
That’s the biggest mistake Bray could make and he’ll get what’s coming to him at Hell in a Cell. This was MUCH better than Reigns’ normal stuff and he didn’t stumble once. Cue the Wyatts with Bray asking who Roman is trying to convince. Bray will take the blame for Roman’s lot in life but it all ends in the Cell. Roman says when that door is locked, Bray is going to wish that he’s inside there with anyone but him. Good line there.
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
Roman is quickly sent out to the floor so he tries to hit and move a bit more. Strowman easily powers him into the corner and slams Reigns down as Roman can’t do anything with him here. Off to a neck crank for a bit until Reigns fights up and starts with the clotheslines. Bray is getting worried but Reigns can’t Samoan drop Strowman.
Reigns punches away from the floor and the apron boot has Strowman staggered. The second attempt is blocked with a clothesline though and Braun comes out to play. Reigns sends him into the announcers’ table several times but Roman has to Superman Punch Harper. There’s another one to knock Strowman over the table and Braun is counted out at 7:58.
Rating: D+. Pretty ugly brawl here and I’m really not wild on having Strowman lose in any way this early. The fact that he wasn’t pinned helped but as usual WWE has no idea how to book someone beyond from pay per view to pay per view. Strowman is looking more and more like a plot device to get us to Reigns vs. Wyatt again and that’s a shame.
The Wyatts surround Roman but he gets to the floor just in time. Bray kneels in front of Roman and says follow the buzzards so Reigns pops him in the jaw.
The Authority calls again and they’re on the way to the arena. This time Kane tells him the main event but HHH can’t hear him due to bad reception. HHH: “I know Rollins but who is he facing?” Kane: “It’s me.” HHH: “I know it’s you Kane but who is he facing?” Full House had better plot devices than this.
Ryback vs. Rusev
No entrances for either guy. We recap the Summer story from last week and Cole casually mentions that TMZ reported Lana and Rusev got engaged over the weekend. So yeah, screw storylines because a gossip site told the truth about your story. You could always NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT but that would be ignoring the internet and that might mean a downgrade in your social media score or whatever.
JBL asks why Summer is here. Cole: “Maybe she’s not into social media?” The Meathook looks to set up the Shell Shock but Rusev slips out. Rusev’s charge hits the post though and now the Shell Shock is good for the pin at 3:07. So much for Rusev meaning much after Wrestlemania.
Rating: D+. What do I even say here? The entire story has been thrown out because we need to report on TMZ. It’s another example of just taking the easy way out of a storyline instead of actually writing your way out of it. I can’t stand that sort of laziness but it’s what we’re stuck with in modern wrestling.
Post match Summer shows us photos from TMZ and rips into Rusev for leading her on. She slaps him in the face and walks off as Rusev shouts a lot. My loose Russian translation thinks he said “I’ll take em both, I’m hardcore.”
Kalisto vs. Kevin Owens
Non-title. Owens shrugs off the early kicks and punches Kalisto in the side of the head. Some more kicks have little effect and Owens sends him to the floor. Owens teases a dive of his own but opts for a running slide to the floor instead. We get the Lucha Dragons pose from Owens but Kalisto comes back with a rolling kick to the head and the hurricanrana faceplant for two. A tornado DDT gets the same but Kalisto’s hurricanrana is countered into the Pop Up Powerbomb for the pin at 3:45.
Rating: C-. I still really like the booking here as Owens gets to have this meaningless mini feud with the Dragons but still gets to build towards his rematch with Ryback without the usual tropes WWE is so obsessed with. Good stuff here and again Kalisto is an incredibly fun act who could be something special going forward.
Brie Bella/Alicia Fox vs. Becky Lynch/Charlotte
Paige is on commentary and isn’t happy that Natalya is now part of Team NBC. Paige: “They’re just going through a phase.” Becky works on Brie’s arm to start before it’s off to Charlotte who helps with stereo legdrops onto Brie’s arms. The spear gets two but Natalya goes to argue with Team Bella, causing Paige to get up and shove her a few times. Back inside and Charlotte walks into a middle rope dropkick from Brie for the pin at 3:07.
Rating: D. BRIE BELLA??? Now they have Charlotte losing to BRIE BELLA??? Charlotte’s reign is reaching Zack Ryder territory now as they’re having her lose everything and then expect her to still be over while the Bellas are the dominant looking ones. Nikki is one thing but BRIE BELLA???
The Authority finally finds out who Rollins is facing because Kane couldn’t just text them the match earlier tonight. HHH says there’s no way that match can happen. Anyone can replace Kane but he can’t face Rollins. I smell a loophole coming. Fans: “CM PUNK!”
Rollins appeals to Big Show and says he sees him as family. Show laughs it off and leaves with Kane taking his place. He’s going to find a suitable replacement though.
Another Lesnar vs. Undertaker video.
Seth Rollins vs. ???
Non-title lumberjack match and the opponent is…….of course it’s Demon Kane. Did you really expect anything else? They’ve even managed to calm down the Chicago crowd and Kane keeps throwing Rollins out to the lumberjacks who are more than willing to throw him back in. Kane gets low bridged to the floor but the lumberjacks just stand back. Seth’s suicide dive is caught by the throat so Seth runs away, only to get caught by Cesaro.
Back in and a clothesline knocks Kane over the top but he lands on his feet. Kane starts beating up New Day but stops to stare at Big Show. Gah anything but that. Kane slaps him in the face so Show knocks Kane out but he’s still able to kick out at two. The springboard knee to the face gets the same as the announcers keep calling him Demon Kane.
A frog splash gets two more for the champ but Kane pulls him off the top with a superplex. Both guys are down and New Day pulls Kane to the floor, triggering a big brawl between all of the lumberjacks. Back in and the lumberjacks come in but Kane sits up to stop Big E.’s Warrior splash. Everything breaks down again and the Pedigree is countered, followed by a tombstone to pin Rollins at 8:21.
Rating: D. BUT HOW CAN ROLLINS POSSIBLY KEEP THE TITLE NOW??? I knew Kane was going to win the second his music hit because that’s how you build to a match on pay per view: by having the same match on free TV just a few weeks beforehand. Kane doing his same schtick that he was doing twelve years ago doesn’t do much for me, especially since he has no chance at winning in the title match.
Overall Rating: C+. This show had a lot more energy than usual and it helped things out quite a bit. They’ve got most of the show set for the pay per view and I’m actually intrigued by the card. Naturally there are some holes in this show such as the “let’s ignore stories because TMZ said so” and the stupid swap for the main event, but did anyone not see that coming? I had a good time with this one though and it flew by, which is always a good feeling on Raw. I’m not sure that’s a good thing though as it means you can’t wait for it to be over and it’s not as bad as it could have been. Take that for what you will.
Results
New Day b. Randy Orton/Dean Ambrose – Rollup to Orton
Nikki Bella b. Naomi – Rack Attack
John Cena b. Dolph Ziggler – Zig Zag
Dudley Boyz b. Ascension – 3D to Ascension
Sheamus/King Barrett b. Neville/Cesaro – Sheamus pinned Neville after a Bull Hammer
Roman Reigns b. Braun Strowman via countout
Kevin Owens b. Kalisto – Pop Up Powerbomb
Brie Bella/Alicia Fox b. Becky Lynch/Charlotte – Missile dropkick to Charlotte
Kane b. Seth Rollins – Tombstone
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:
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I can accept this. She’s great at popping the crowd but why should she take a spot that could go to others who are actually signed to the company?
Update: On Twitter, Leva said “don’t believe everything you read.” There might be more to this so maybe we get the Big Cass intro again.
Smackdown
Date: October 8, 2015
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Booker T., Jerry Lawler
Things look a bit different coming out of Raw as New Day got all aggressive and violent to end the show. They even left John Cena and a few others laying in their first real display of dominance. It should be interesting to see where they go from here as they’ve been so goofy but now they have a new edge. Let’s get to it.
Here’s New Day to brag about what they did on Monday. No one has ever dominated like they did. Not the Shield, the Wyatts, the NWO, the Dungeon of Doom or Los Boricuas. Philadelphia doesn’t know what it’s like to win and Eagles head coach Chip Kelly (Big E: “Chip?” Woods: “Yes. Grown man and his name is Chip.”) even called them for some tips after they lost to the Washington Redskins this past week. However, now they have to deal with the Dudleys, who have politicked their way into ANOTHER title shot at Hell in a Cell.
It’s time for the chants but here’s Ziggler (in trunks again) to interrupt. Normally Dolph would be out there one upping every single one of New Day’s jokes but tonight is about revenge. The Authority has allowed him a match against any member of New Day he wants so he picks Big E., who cost him a US Title shot on Monday. Dolph even has a way to guarantee it’s a fair fight: John and Juan Cena! Actually it’s just the Dudleyz. You think a star like Juan would work this show?
Big E. vs. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler dropkicks him down and hits the running DDT as we take a quick break. Back with Big E. running him over with a clothesline (Woods: “TRICEP MEAT! WE TOLD YOU THE STOCK WAS RISING! HE IS THE CEO OF TRICEP MEAT INC.!”) before choking on the ropes. Woods of course gets an interview with Ziggler before throwing it back to Kofi in the studio. Ziggler fights back but his cross body is countered into a backbreaker for two. We hit that trombone with Woods playing Ziggler’s music and Big E. slaps on a chinlock.
It’s off to a bearhug instead before E. drops him face first onto the buckle. E.’s charge hits the post though and a Fameasser gets two. A belly to belly from E. sets up the Warrior splash for two but Dolph’s superkick gets the same. New Day and the Dudleyz get in a fight on the floor and Kofi snaps Ziggler’s neck across the top. That’s not enough though as he holds Ziggler’s foot down so Big E. can pin him at 9:51.
Rating: D+. Not a great match here but it was more about the New Day’s antics than anything else. I like the idea of the team having some singles success but I’m more interested in seeing how they write Cena off TV in just a few weeks. Unless they just go with “I’m going home for a few months”, something big is going to have to change.
Stills of Lesnar vs. Big Show on Saturday.
We recap Heyman’s promo and Lesnar beating up Show on Monday.
We look at Summer proposing to Rusev on Monday.
Summer is wedding planning but Rusev comes up and asks why she’s telling everyone about their engagement. You mean the one that was announced in front of millions on Monday? His Russian accent is almost completely gone at this point. Summer has gotten him a match with Ryback tonight and if he wins, he’ll probably be #1 contender to the Intercontinental Title.
Team Bella vs. Charlotte/Becky Lynch/Natalya
Becky armbars Fox down to start and it’s quickly off to Charlotte for a double elbow into a double nipup. It’s off to Natalya vs. Nikki, meaning Brie has to get in the first batch of “COME ON’s!”. Becky comes in but eats a middle rope dropkick from Brie as we take a break. Back with Fox chinlocking Banks as Booker talks about how beautiful they all look. Brie throws Becky away from her corner but the BRIE MODE (minus shouting BRIE MODE thank goodness) knee misses.
Nikki breaks up the tag but gets sent into the corner, allowing the tag off to Charlotte. The champ cleans house for a bit until Nikki comes back with a Disaster Kick for two. The Rack Attack is broken up though and a spear sets up the Figure Eight. Brie makes a save and helps Nikki roll it over but Becky switches it right back and Nikki taps at 11:07.
Rating: C-. Not bad if you ignore the fact that this is the Wyatts vs. the Shield Boys with Natalya currently playing the third man to help in the war. I’m hoping they add Sasha to this feud as it’s finally starting to get interesting. There’s really no wrong way to go with the title unless it’s back to the Bellas, but NXT can only have these awesome matches for so long before everyone realizes the Bellas are in way over their heads.
Paige thinks Natalya is trying to steal her spot.
Rusev vs. Ryback
Owens is on commentary and he’s officially defending against Ryback at the pay per view. Ryback takes him into the corner to start as Owens calls Lawler stupid. Owens: “With all due respect of course. Now that I said that you can’t be mad at me.” Rusev throws him through the ropes and Ryback gets his hand caught in the ropes to give Rusev a target.
The hand is rammed into the steps and post but amazingly enough that’s not enough for a pin. Rusev switches up to just going after the arm as Brennan asks Owens about Renee Young saying he isn’t a real Canadian. Owens: “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Millhouse from the Simpsons?” Brennan: “Only you Kevin.” Owens: “Well there you go.” Ryback’s comeback is quickly stopped and it’s off to an armbar. A belly to belly gets Ryback out of trouble and he stops a charging Rusev with a boot.
Rusev counters what looked to be a powerbomb and gets two off an Alabama Slam. Off to a sleeper of all things but Ryback escapes with an over the shoulder Stunner. Shell Shock is broken up and Rusev’s jumping superkick gets two (with Summer shoving the boot off the ropes). Back up and the Meat Hook and Shell Shock end Rusev at 8:25.
Rating: C-. You can see Rusev’s star falling from here as he’s now regular losing matches on Smackdown. There’s a chance that they’re going with Summer costing Rusev matches (not that she did but Rusev is the kind of guy who would blame her for his troubles) and they split as a result. Ryback doesn’t really gain anything here but a win is always helpful.
Recap of Kane attacking Rollins again on Raw.
Bray asks if he’ll be locked inside the Cell with Roman or will Roman be trapped inside with him. Not that it matters as the result is the same. Tonight, Reigns and Orton face the wrath of the black sheep. Strowman used to catch rabbits and then squeeze them until they crossed over. Run little rabbits.
Video on King Barrett.
King Barrett vs. Neville
Neville flips out of the corner to start but gets slammed into the mat via a hair pull. We take an early break and come back with Barrett tossing him into a boot to the chest for two. Barrett hooks a bow and arrow as the announcers give us a quick history of King of the Ring. An enziguri puts Barrett on the floor and a moonsault to the floor takes him down again. This is almost every match we’ve ever seen between these two. Neville gets two off the German suplex but Barrett gets away before he can launch the Red Arrow. The Bull Hammer gives Barrett the in at 8:32.
Rating: D+. Neville loses again and while I could usually get behind the idea of him putting someone else over, it’s Barrett. He’ll probably be losing to a mascot or an actor or the returning Hornswoggle soon enough. The match was watchable enough but Neville is really in need of some momentum.
Post match Stardust, wearing a card dealer’s hat, says it won’t be a king, a champion, or Stardust’s lady fair. He picks up another card and likes what he sees but doesn’t tell us what it is. Lawler’s easiest line in a month: “He’s not playing with a full deck.”
Breast cancer is bad moment of the week.
Roman Reigns/Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt/Braun Strowman
No Harper or Ambrose at ringside. Orton and Wyatt get things going with Bray being sent to the apron but escaping the hanging DDT. Back in and Bray hands it off to Strowman who runs Orton over like he’s not even there. It’s off to Reigns for the big showdown and a shoulder puts Roman down like he’s one of the Ding Dongs. Orton makes a blind tag but Strowman shoulders both opponents down with ease. It’s back to Bray to stomp away in the corner until Orton scores with his backbreaker. Braun misses a charge into the corner and there’s the tag to Reigns.
Roman slugs away and lifts Braun for a Samoan drop but can’t get it over. Instead Roman gets him in the ropes and kicks Strowman in the face, eventually Superman punching him to the floor. The camera zoomed in on Roman to make sure we couldn’t see Braun down on the floor though. That’s a very nice touch as they’ve done a great job of keeping Strowman looking like an unstoppable monster and he still hasn’t been down. Why waste that on Smackdown? Roman goes after Bray on the floor but Wyatt hits him in the ribs with a chair for the DQ at 7:50.
Rating: C-. Another average match here that felt like it was cut really short. I still love how they’re booking Strowman as he’s going to get beaten one day but they need to build him up as long as they can before finally having someone take him down. The match was just another step towards the Cell match and I’m assuming Ambrose and Harper will be in part of a tag match at the pay per view.
Post match Orton saves Roman from Wyatt but gets choked out, only to have Reigns score with a Superman punch. Bray can’t hit Sister Abigail and it’s an RKO to Wyatt, followed by the spear to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. It was another worthless edition of Smackdown this week and those are getting more and more annoying to sit through. None of the matches felt important and the whole show felt like a way to kill two hours. I’ve been saying that WAY too often lately and it’s even worse when it’s something that could be remedied. If no one is watching, give us some nice long matches every week instead of the endless recaps and 8-10 minute matches that change nothing. It’s even less effort for the writers as all they have to do is let the wrestlers do their thing. Is that too much to ask for?
Results
Big E. b. Dolph Ziggler – Pin after Kofi Kingston guillotined Ziggler across the top rope
Charlotte/Becky Lynch/Natalya b. Team Bella – Figure Eight to Nikki
Ryback b. Rusev – Shell Shock
King Barrett b. Neville – Bull Hammer
Roman Reigns/Randy Orton b. Braun Strowman/Bray Wyatt via DQ when Wyatt used a chair
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:
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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at: